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Afternoon Edition

October 28, 2025

After a history-making Game 3, Shohei Ohtani takes the mound in Game 4 of the World Series, with the world watching and the stakes higher than ever.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]], and Colin Salao [[link removed]]

Shohei Ohtani’s Historic World Series Game 3 Sets Up High-Stakes Game 4 [[link removed]]

Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

LOS ANGELES — Major League Baseball’s biggest superstar had another game for the ages on Monday for Game 3 of the World Series, burnishing his already historic legend. His reward is the pressure to top it less than 24 hours later.

The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani hit another milestone during the team’s epic, 18-inning win over the Blue Jays, hitting two home runs and two doubles and walking five times, becoming the first player in league history to reach base nine times in a single World Series game and smashing the prior record of six.

In a career already marked by one unfathomable feat after another, Ohtani will take the mound [[link removed]] as the Dodgers’ starting pitcher for Game 4 on Tuesday—marking his first such appearance in the World Series after he wasn’t pitching last year while recovering from an elbow injury.

MLB has greatly enjoyed the Ohtani ride [[link removed]], particularly these last two seasons as a Dodger, while he has become the sport’s brightest and biggest-selling star [[link removed]], and he has served as a key base for the league’s broad-based gains in viewership [[link removed]] and attendance [[link removed]] this year. Ohtani now has an opportunity on Tuesday to take all of that to yet another level by showcasing his two-way skills on the sport’s biggest stage.

In the meantime, even his teammates who are around him remain in awe of what they are witnessing.

“He’s a freak. I mean, that guy,” Dodgers reliever Will Klein said of Ohtani in the early hours of Wednesday after closing out Game 3 with an unexpected, four-inning relief appearance. “I don’t know how anyone can do what he does. Being the best hitter and the best pitcher in the league. I don’t think there’s a word to describe it other than he’s the GOAT.”

Even for Ohtani, though, Game 4 won’t be easy. His Dodgers team is now heavily depleted after the six-hour and 39-minute contest that was the second-longest game by time in MLB postseason history—one that also included Los Angeles using a World Series record of 10 pitchers during the game. Ohtani was cramping during the latter portions of Game 3, due in part to the game’s historic length and his repeated journeys around the bases, but he repeatedly resisted overtures to come out of the game.

If Ohtani and the Dodgers win Tuesday, they will be a single victory away from becoming MLB’s first back-to-back champions in a quarter century, and Los Angeles will also have an opportunity Wednesday to clinch a World Series on its home field for the first time since 1963. If the Blue Jays prevail in Game 4, though, the series will again be deadlocked and definitely headed back to Toronto.

Taking Notice

Less than two weeks after Ohtani put up a three-homer performance against the Brewers in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series while also striking out 10 on the mound, the superstar has posted yet another “Ohtani Game.” That is drawing more raves from stars across the rest of the sports world.

“He’s a freak of nature,” said Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant. “He’s changing sports in general. It’s kind of crazy, this era of players, so many unique players in every sport. It’s just incredible to be watching sports and Shohei is one of those guys who’s going to be a legend, one of the greatest of all time, arguably the greatest of all time when he’s done playing.”

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, meanwhile, also levied more praise on Ohtani before Game 2 of the World Series.

“Shohei, he absolutely has been the greatest benefit to the game that you can imagine throughout the year,” Manfred said. “We’re fortunate to have him here in the World Series.”

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Future of Sports: The Next Wave [[link removed]], presented by Front Office Sports and Courtside Sports Advisors, will feature conversations with top executives from E1, Athletes Unlimited, Concacaf, Seregh, Fanatics, SeventySix Capital, and more. We’ll unpack the rise of E1, the return of the FIFA men’s World Cup, sustainability in sports, emerging and upstart leagues, and strategic sports partnerships.

Don’t miss your chance to get insider access, build powerful connections, and experience the future of this high-speed phenomenon up close.

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SEC Coaches Kiffin, Smart Question LSU’s Firing of Kelly: ‘Ridiculous’ [[link removed]]

The Clarion-Ledger

With LSU’s $53 million firing of Brian Kelly [[link removed]] meaning three of the SEC’s 16 teams have fired their football coaches since the beginning of the season (along with Florida and Arkansas), fellow coaches across the conference are lamenting college football’s new reality.

“Very surprising, I mean, it’s the college world we’re living in now,” No. 7 Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said [[link removed]] during his weekly Monday press conference. “If you think about it, we talk about how the players are now like NFL players—how they’re paid. Now, I feel like the college coaches are more like the NFL coaches where the firings happen quicker.”

No. 5 Georgia coach Kirby Smart echoed Kiffin’s thoughts. “I think there’s so much built around the playoffs. It’s like everything is boom or bust, and you can’t have a normal season,” Smart said [[link removed]] Monday. “People have to make decisions earlier based on how somebody does.”

Smart, who was an assistant coach at LSU in 2004, admitted the expectations in Baton Rouge are extremely high. “A guy once told me, ‘That office you’re in, that’s not your office. You’re borrowing it.’ And I knew right then, if you didn’t win, you wouldn’t be there long,” he said.

Kiffin brought up Texas A&M’s $77 million buyout [[link removed]] for firing Jimbo Fisher in 2023, saying the No. 3 Aggies likely feel “pretty good” as the SEC’s lone undefeated team under second-year coach Mike Elko. “Anytime something works, other people go, ‘Well, let’s go do that,’” Kiffin said. “I think that’s happened. Now places are accepting to pay these buyouts—which I think is ridiculous—but that it’s happening, then it’s easier for the next team and the next team to do it.”

Bayou Buyout

Urban Meyer, who is now a Fox Sports analyst after winning national championships at Florida and Ohio State, questioned the behind-the-scenes of Kelly’s firing [[link removed]], which reportedly included conversations with Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and key university boosters.

“If the governor and other non-football people are making this decision,” Meyer said [[link removed]] on The Triple Option podcast he cohosts, “as a coach, that’s an alarm going off, saying, ‘Wait a minute. Really?’”

Meyer added, “If you’re now going to interview for the head coaching position at LSU, do you meet with the governor?”

Record Payday?

LSU and Florida are widely believed to be interested in hiring Kiffin away from Ole Miss, potentially willing to make Kiffin the highest-paid coach in college football. Smart currently tops the list [[link removed]], according to USA Today, with a $13.28 million salary, while Kiffin is tied for 10th at $9 million annually.

However, Kiffin said money won’t be a factor in his future. “I have never made a decision based on money, nor will I,” Kiffin said [[link removed]] Monday on The Pat McAfee Show.

Kiffin added he had “seen too many examples in life that money does not buy happiness.” However, he jokingly admitted his agent, college football coaching magnate Jimmy Sexton, “gets really mad when I say that.”

The $80 Million F1 ‘Crashgate’ Case Heads to Court [[link removed]]

GEPA pictures/ Bildagentur Kraeling via USA TODAY Sports

The 2008 Formula One drivers’ championship is one of Lewis Hamilton’s crowning achievements, his first of a record-tying seven world titles.

Nearly two decades later, the championship result is the center of a lawsuit filed by Felipe Massa, the 2008 runner-up.

In March 2024, Massa filed a lawsuit against Formula One, Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA)—the sport’s governing body—and former F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone, claiming an incident at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix known as “Crashgate” cost him the drivers’ championship. The former Ferrari driver, who never won an F1 drivers’ championship, lost the 2008 title by one point to Hamilton.

Massa is not requesting an official change in the 2008 F1 championship results, but he is seeking $80 million (about 60 million pounds) in compensation for lost prize money and potential bonuses that would have come had he secured the world title.

He is also seeking a “declaration” from the FIA that it breached its own regulations by not immediately investigating the crash, and that an investigation would have led to “cancelled or adjusted” results for the Singapore Grand Prix and resulted in Massa winning the drivers’ championship.

The initial hearings started Tuesday in the High Court of London and will run until Oct. 31.

What Is ‘Crashgate?’

On Sept. 28, 2008, in Singapore, Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr. crashed into a wall during the 14th lap of the 61-lap race, resulting in a safety car that helped teammate Fernando Alonso secure his first win of the season. Hamilton finished in third place, while Massa did not score, finishing in 13th. He needed to finish at least seventh to score enough points to beat Hamilton by season’s end.

Ferrari also committed its own error that also factored into Massa failing to score points. During a pit stop, Massa was given the green light despite the fuel hose still being attached to the car, which put him in last place. He was also handed a time penalty for an unsafe release.

The following year, Piquet Jr., who originally told the FIA that his crash was an error on his part [[link removed]], admitted that he deliberately crashed following team instructions [[link removed]]. Renault executives Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds received bans from F1.

They would eventually return, though, and Briatore now runs the Alpine team.

The 2008 incident is one of the most notorious in F1 history, and it was even used as inspiration for a key scene in the 2025 F1 movie, according to lead actor Brad Pitt [[link removed]].

Why Now?

In March 2023, Ecclestone, the former F1 CEO, told F1 Insider [[link removed]] that he was informed by Nelson Piquet Sr., three-time world champion and father of Piquet Jr., that Renault told Piquet Jr. to deliberately crash to trigger the safety car and help Alonso win the race.

Ecclestone said they didn’t take immediate action to “protect the sport and save it from a huge scandal.” He also admitted that if not for the crash, Massa would have been the champion instead of Hamilton.

In an interview with Reuters [[link removed]] five months later, Ecclestone, who was 92 at the time, said he didn’t remember making those comments or even having an interview with F1 Insider. The British man has since said his comments were misinterpreted because of a language difference with the German outlet.

Regardless of interpretation, the published comments triggered Massa to pursue legal action against Ecclestone and F1.

“When we heard Bernie’s comment last year, after that we started to put things together, and we started to fight, to analyse things In the professional, legal way because it was not part of the sport,” Massa told RacingNews365 [[link removed]].

“We’ve been waiting so long now for justice, we have to hope the truth comes out and there will be justice.”

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FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY Ohtani’s Historic World Series Continues

FOS illustration

Shohei Ohtani is set to take the mound for the Dodgers in Game 4 on Tuesday night, looking to continue his historic postseason run after the longest World Series game by innings in MLB history Monday. FOS newsletter writer Eric Fisher joins live from Dodger Stadium to set the scene and put Ohtani’s greatness in the same context as a certain Chicago Bulls star from the 1990s. Meanwhile, FOS women’s sports reporter Annie Costabile gets us up to speed on the latest with WNBA collective bargaining talks as the Oct. 31 deadline rapidly approaches.

Plus, Bears receiver Rome Odunze joins Baker Machado to unpack Chicago’s newfound success under head coach Ben Johnson. He explains what it’s like playing in one of football’s toughest divisions, his relationship with Caleb Williams, and spending summers on his grandparents’ dairy farm.

Also, Lionel Messi wants MLS to get rid of its salary cap, the Lakers’ new ownership group adds another member, and the NHL Frozen Frenzy hits ESPN on Tuesday night.

Watch the full episode here. [[link removed]]

STATUS REPORT Four Up

Palm Beach Post

Kai Trump ⬆ The granddaughter of U.S. President Donald Trump will make her LPGA Tour debut next month, after accepting a sponsor invitation to The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, a $3.25 million tournament taking place Nov. 13–16 in Belleair, Fla. Caitlin Clark will be playing in the pro-am for the second consecutive year. Trump, 18, already has an endorsement deal with TaylorMade, and she is committed to playing golf at the University of Miami next year.

Tampa ⬆ Raymond James Stadium will host the 2029 College Football Playoff national championship game, organizers are expected to announce Wednesday [[link removed]]. AT&T Stadium, just outside Dallas, was originally set to host the Jan. 22, 2029, contest, but it had to pull out due to scheduling conflicts. Raymond James Stadium hosted the Clemson-Alabama title game in 2017.

LIV Golf ⬆ The league appears on track to retain one of its better-known players, as Dustin Johnson has reportedly signed a new contract [[link removed]] to keep playing on the tour, according to golf social media outlet Flushing It. Johnson was one of LIV’s first major signings, alongside Phil Mickelson, in 2022.

Formula One ⬆ The FIA confirmed no teams breached the cost cap in 2024, like Red Bull did in 2021 [[link removed]], which led to a $7 million fine. Tuesday’s announcement came later than expected, which led some within the sport to believe another violation had happened.

Editors’ Picks CFB Firings Tracker: LSU Owes Brian Kelly $53 Million [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The sum owed Kelly slightly tops James Franklin’s at Penn State. Why Louisiana’s Governor Was Involved in the Brian Kelly Firing [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]Jeff Landry reportedly hosted a meeting at the governor’s mansion Sunday. Alexis Ohanian: Angel City Ownership Setup Was a ‘Terrible Idea’ [[link removed]]by Ben Horney [[link removed]]He admits that the NWSL club’s governance was a disaster. DAILY TRIVIA Factle Sports

Can you list the top 5 active NHL players with the most game-winning goals (career)?

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