‘That’s what I expect.’ Dodgers’ Mookie Betts seeks to regain his All-Star form

Mookie Betts, above during a workout at Camelback Ranch last month, played in his first spring training game Sunday. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Since his first full season in 2015, Mookie Betts had either been named an All-Star or received votes for most valuable player every year.

That held true until last year. In his sixth season with the Dodgers, Betts posted career lows in batting average (.258), on-base percentage (.326), and on-base-plus-slugging percentage (.732) while playing 148 games at shortstop.

Betts, now 33, believes last year was an outlier and he can get back to his previous form.

Read more:For pitching prospect Jackson Ferris, Dodgers organization is ‘a breath of fresh air’

“That’s what I expect,” Betts said after making his Cactus League debut Sunday. “I haven’t felt this way in a long time. So, the way I feel now, I’m healthy, my swing’s in a really good spot. My head’s in a really good spot. I haven’t had any bad days in the cage. I haven’t had any bad days [taking batting practice]. Usually by now, I would have taken a thousand swings, trying to fix stuff, trying to get game-ready, and now I’m just cruising. I’m just cruising and I’m ready to go.”

This spring, manager Dave Roberts offered an unequivocal vote of confidence.

“He will be in the MVP conversation this year,” Roberts said. “But again, I think, speaking for Mookie, his main goal is to help us win a championship. So, I think whatever falls out from there, I think that will happen.”

A stomach bug that caused him to lose a considerable amount of weight put Betts behind last spring, and he never quite caught up. Through his first 103 games, he batted .231 with a .302 on-base percentage and .657 OPS. Enduring the longest cold spell of his career, Betts was forced to retool.

“It’s really just going back to what I what I do best, and really just honing in on it,” Betts said. “Instead of trying to fix problems, I was more able to just hone in on what I do best. And kind of groove those patterns instead of trying to fix old habits.”

Read more:Shaikin: In L.A. and in Cooperstown, Freddie Freeman will forever be a Dodger, not a Brave

Betts says in a bizarre way, he enjoyed his season of soul searching.

“I learned a lot about myself,” Betts said. “I learned a lot about how I operate. I was able to get in the right headspace, and sustain the right headspace. And then once I was able to kind of get in the right headspace and stay there, I haven’t been searching, I haven’t been doing anything since I’ve been here outside of just working and preparing.”

Things started to click in late summer. Over his final 47 games, he batted .317 with a .376 on-base percentage and .892 OPS.

It wasn’t the stats that bothered Betts as much as his lack of production through the first four months.

“Once I was able to help the boys, I was fine,” Betts said. But before that, I was really upset, not with the numbers per se, but not being able to help. Not doing my job, carrying my weight. Once I was able to do stuff, especially later on in the season, I was able to just take a step back and say, ‘You did pretty good.’”

Part of the plan for maximizing Betts’ abilities is minimizing his work in camp. Betts was the last healthy position player to appear in a spring game, starting Sunday after sitting for the first nine games. He was back in the lineup Monday, collecting his first hit with a single in three at-bats against the Colorado Rockies.

“It’s intentional,” Roberts said last week. “It’s load management. I wanted Mookie to start a little bit later, as far as not getting into spring training ready to go and kind of use spring training to build up, given it’s six weeks.”

Gavin Stone suffers setback, Dodgers ‘pause’ his throwing

Dodgers pitcher Gavin Stone delivers in the first inning a during a spring training game against the Guardians last Tuesday. (Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)

Six days after Gavin Stone made his Cactus League debut and threw a scoreless inning, Roberts said Stone suffered a setback and will pause throwing activities. Stone missed all of last season after undergoing shoulder surgery in October 2024.

“Stone threw the inning and then he had a bullpen the next day, and then his shoulder flared up and was sore,” Roberts said before Monday’s game. “And so right now, we put him on ice, and trying to let the soreness dissipate. So, given everything that he’s gone through with the shoulder, we wanted to make sure that we kind of pushed pause, so I don’t know when he’s going to start throwing again, but I think it is a setback unfortunately.”

Roberts added that the setback was not expected.

Read more:Edwin Díaz is unquestionably the Dodgers’ closer. How the rest of the bullpen shapes up

“He’s worked so hard to kind of get back to where he was pitching in a game,” Roberts said. “We’re excited about that. He threw the baseball really well, and it was one inning, so it wasn’t too taxing. So, to come back in his ‘pen and not feel good, that’s disappointing, and it’s not from lack of effort, but yeah, just disappointing.”

Roberts also confirmed right-hander Roki Sasaki would make his second Cactus League start Tuesday against the Cleveland Guardians, with the expectation he would go three innings, and right-hander Tyler Glasnow would start Wednesday’s game against Team Mexico in a World Baseball Classic tuneup.

Etc.

The Dodgers announced they were reassigning pitchers Patrick Copen, Luke Fox, Jerming Rosario, Adam Serwinowski, Nick Frasso and Jose Rodriguez, catchers Nelson Quiroz and Chuckie Robinson, infielders Keston Hiura and Matt Gorski and outfielder Chris Newell to minor league camp.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Former Raptor Jontay Porter, who was banned from NBA for gambling, to play in independent league

SEATTLE (AP) — Former Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter, who was banned for life from the NBA in 2024 after a league probe found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors and wagered on games, even betting on the Raptors to lose, is planning to play professional basketball again.

Porter has signed with the Seattle Superhawks, a member of the independent United States Basketball League. The USBL was originally formed in 1985, ceased operations in 2008 and announced its return in November.

Porter, who was denied a request to be allowed to resume his basketball career in Greece in 2024 while awaiting sentencing for his role in the betting scandal that got him banned from the league, will have the chance to play again when the Superhawks begin their season at home on Saturday. In a statement shared with The Associated Press, the USBL said it believes in second chances, and that the Superhawks are confident in Porter’s sincerity.

“While Jontay fully acknowledges the consequences of his actions, he has demonstrated genuine remorse and a strong commitment to personal growth,” the statement said. “The USBL and the Superhawks are united in offering him the chance to continue his basketball journey, both as an athlete and as an example of how redemption can take shape through accountability and hard work.”

Porter pleaded guilty in July 2024 in federal court in Brooklyn to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, a felony that carries up to 20 years in prison. He acknowledged that he agreed to withdraw early from games so that co-conspirators could win bets on his performance.

Porter was on a two-way contract at the time of his violations, which meant he could bounce back and forth between the Raptors and their G League affiliate. His salary was $410,000, and a standard NBA contract would have been more than $2 million. In pleading guilty, Porter acknowledged wrongdoing, saying he did it “to get out from under large gambling debts.”

“I know what I did was wrong, unlawful, and I am deeply sorry,” Porter said at the time.

Prosecutors estimated his sentence at a range from just under three and a half years in prison to a little over four years.

Porter averaged 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 26 games in the 2023-24 season for Toronto. He also played in 11 games for the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2020-21 season.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Hitting coach Steven Souza Jr. faces challenge of resurrecting Padres’ offense

San Diego Padres hitting coach Steven Souza Jr. (Photo by K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)

The 2025 San Diego Padres finished with a 90-72 record, driven by a pitching staff widely regarded as one of the best in the majors. The offense was another story. 

Collectively, the team batting average was .252, as they scored 4.33 runs per game. A sharp decline from the season before, with 4.69 runs per game.

Changes occurred at the managerial position, out went Mike Shildt, and in came Craig Stammen. Shortly after his announcement, Stammen reached out to an old teammate, Steven Souza Jr., to become the Padres’ new hitting coach. He accepted the challenge of resurrecting the offense. 

Souza Jr. offers a simple hitting philosophy

Souza Jr. has a simple hitting philosophy of controlling the strike zone. It is an approach that allows hitters to become more aggressive and capitalize on pitchers’ mistakes. Souza Jr. encourages his hitters to visualize their at-bat before stepping into the batter’s box. It helps them identify the holes in the opponent’s defensive alignment.

It removes the threat of the batter overthinking and swinging at pitches outside the strike zone. Now, they can relax at the plate, as their approach only changes with two strikes. All that needs to take place is putting the ball in play. 

Often, the result is that the pitch travels to the gap for an extra-base hit or possibly a home run. The Friars had trouble putting the ball over the fence. They hit 152 home runs, which ranked 28th in the majors last season.

Souza Jr. believes his hitting philosophy will limit batting slumps throughout the season. To reach this goal, his focus is raising the lineup’s confidence in the batter’s box.

2025 Padres offense: A big disappointment

The Padres’ offense was too inconsistent last season, especially with runners in scoring position. They left an average of 3.55 runners in scoring position per game, which ranked near the bottom of the majors. 

The highs and lows were too far apart between an optimal offense and a dreaded run-scoring drought. Yes, lineup stability was a challenge due to injuries sustained by key offensive contributors last season. Jackson Merrill, Jake Cronenworth and Xander Bogaerts all missed significant time, and the run production suffered. Still, the Friars ranked 18th in team scoring with 702 runs, despite being seventh in team batting average. 

They essentially have the same lineup that concluded the 2025 season. To boost production, Souza Jr. must improve their mindset when batting with runners in scoring position. He must take down their stress level that should generate more productive swings.

Improved offensive production must occur in 2026. While the process may have a slow start, this lineup is too talented not to turn things around.

Hopefully, the bats will come into their own this season.

The strange lineup math in San Diego

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA – FEBRUARY 27: Sung-Mun Song #24 of the San Diego Padres gets ready in the batter’s box during the third inning of a spring training game against the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on February 27, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images

As the third week of Spring Training gets underway, the San Diego Padres have continued to show promise in their Cactus League play. They have remained competitive in games they had no business being competitive in. As hard as it is to gauge the weight of spring performance, it has been exciting to watch.

Now that players’ roles have become slightly more concrete, it might be time to take a look at lineup projections for left-handed starters versus right-handers. How will the lineup math work when facing lefty Tarik Skubal on Opening Day in comparison to righty Jack Flaherty a few days later?

Against lefties

  1. Xander Bogaerts SS 
  2. Jackson Merrill CF 
  3. Manny Machado 3B 
  4. Fernando Tatis Jr. RF 
  5. Miguel Andujar DH 
  6. Jake Cronenworth 2B  
  7. Ramón Laureano LF 
  8. Nick Castellanos 1B 
  9. Freddy Fermin C 

Week one of Spring Training found San Diego with an interesting order for the Padres’ starting four. Manager Craig Stammen stated that it’s uncertain whether or not this will be a part of the Opening Day lineup but also argued for the logic behind the change.

This lineup utilizes newcomers Andujar and Castellanos for their strengths against left-handers, putting the latter at his new position of first base. Andujar would likely be taking the starting reps at DH most of the time, except to give one of the starting outfielders a day off.

The rest of the lineup is pretty straightforward, with it being balanced between lefty and righty bats, it could make for a markedly better year against left-handed pitchers.

Against righties

  1. Xander Bogaerts SS 
  2. Jackson Merrill CF 
  3. Manny Machado 3B 
  4. Fernando Tatis Jr. RF 
  5. Gavin Sheets 1B 
  6. Ramón Laureano LF 
  7. Miguel Andujar DH 
  8. Jake Cronenworth 2B  
  9. Freddy Fermin C 

Sticking with the top four from the last lineup (since that’s much less likely to change due to pitching), this supplants Castellanos at first base for Gavin Sheets. The 2025 breakout player for San Diego mashes against righties, and can play passable defense at the cold corner.

The rest of the lineup is likely about the same. The problem is the lack of left-handed bats in the lineup. There’s only three lefty bats (Merrill, Sheets, and Cronenworth) with the rest being right-handed batters. 

It’s possible that it won’t affect too much as long as they’re spread throughout the lineup. But the lineup math could get difficult if you move one of them and then the Friars are struggling to solve for a streak of right-handed bats. 

Who’s warming up the bench?

  1. Luis Campusano C
  2. Samad Taylor/Jose Miranda INF
  3. Sung-Mun Song INF
  4. Bryce Johnson/Alex Verdugo OF

These players are the ones likely on the bench no matter who’s on the mound. Apart from them, San Diego would probably have Sheets benched against lefties and Castellanos and Andujar versus righties. 

Campusano is currently the favorite for the backup catcher role behind Fermin. It’s incredibly unlikely that he gets beat out for that role since he is out of options and needs to make the major-league roster or else clear waivers to be sent down to Triple-A. 

Song has been battling back from a minor oblique injury that has slowed his emergence into MLB, but has still managed to log two hits across his first five games. He’s likely to fill a versatile utility role for the club, playing wherever is needed.

The fight for the last spots is now between Taylor and Miranda for the infield, and Johnson and newcomer Verdugo for the outfield. The former have been destroying baseballs so far in Cactus League play, hitting .462 and .412, respectively. 

Johnson is the likely candidate for outfield depth, given his tenure and consistency with San Diego. That said, if Verdugo manages to turn it up in the next few weeks, he could make his way onto the big-league roster.

How the lineup math works out will be a matter of scrutiny on Stammen’s part, and it’s likely it won’t be figured out for the next few weeks. Whatever happens, the Friars have a great problem on their hands: too many good options.

Trae Young will reportedly make Wizards debut Thursday against Jazz

Washington Wizards point guard Trae Young will reportedly make his debut for his new team on Thursday against the Utah Jazz, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Young has been out since Dec. 27 with knee and quadriceps injuries.

Young was acquired by the Wizards in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert in January.

Injuries have kept Young out for most of the 2025-26 season, in which he has played only 10 games and has posted his worst stats since his rookie year. Young is averaging 19.3 points and 8.9 assists while shooting 30.5% from behind the arc.

At 16-43, the Wizards sit 13th in the Eastern Conference standings, and bringing Young back is more about next season than this one.

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2026 MLB season]

Young’s late-season return gives the Wizards a chance to see how he fits alongside young players such as Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, Bilal Coulibaly and Bub Carrington. One player the Wizards won’t yet be able to evaluate his fit with is their other trade acquisition, Anthony Davis.

Davis has yet to make his debut for the Wizards after being traded from the Dallas Mavericks for multiple players and draft picks. Davis last played on Jan. 8 and has been rehabbing ligament damage in his hand that he suffered in Dallas. He has yet to practice and, on Feb. 19, the Wizards announced he would be reevaluated.

Davis averaged 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks in 20 games for the Mavericks this season. While Young and Davis have a combined 14 All-Star appearances between them, both have struggled with injuries the past few seasons. The Wizards hope the additions of their new superstars will be enough to secure their first postseason appearance since the 2020-21 season.

Do These Things Now to Prepare for Daylight Saving Time

This coming weekend, nearly everyone in the U.S. will switch from standard time to daylight time. Sadly, the proposal to keep us on the same time zone year-round never went anywhere, so we’ll keep having these “spring forward” and “fall back” events for the foreseeable future. Here’s how to get ready.

Know when and how the clocks will change before Daylight Saving Time

Officially, daylight saving time will begin at 2 a.m. the morning of Sunday, March 8. At that time, we’ll change the clocks to say 3 a.m., thereby losing an hour (since the hour between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. never happens). If you’re wondering “Why 2 a.m.?” it’s reportedly because that was a dead spot in the railway schedule back when railroads were influential in nationwide timekeeping.

In the olden days, you had to know to change the clocks before you went to bed Saturday night (or when you woke up Sunday morning). These days, most of our devices will update automatically while we sleep. You just need to be aware the change is happening, so that you aren’t wondering why you slept an hour “late” or, alternately, why you got up with your alarm yet still feel underslept. (You’ll probably still need to set a few clocks anyway, like the one on your microwave.) Set a reminder now, if you think you’ll need one.

Double check the times of long-distance meetings before the time change

While most of the U.S. changes clocks together, parts of Arizona do not, nor do Hawaii, Puerto Rico, or most other island territories. What’s even more confusing is that some countries outside the U.S. have their own daylight saving time that doesn’t sync exactly with ours. Most of Europe will wait to change their clocks until March 29.

Adding to the complexity, countries in the southern hemisphere that change their clocks will do so in the opposite direction—for example, Chile will turn their clocks back to gain an hour (like we do in the fall) on April 4. So if you’re planning an international call or event in the next few weeks, make sure everybody uses a digital calendar or consult a tool like this world clock meeting planner to confirm the correct time.

Start getting your kids and pets ready for Daylight Saving Time now

Pets and kids may not be able to read a clock, but they know exactly when it’s feeding time or wake-up time. That can create difficulties: On Monday morning, the clock will say 8 a.m. when it still kind of feels like 7 a.m. You may have a tough time getting your kids out of bed in time for the school bus, and your dog may not be ready for meals and walks at the usual time.

So start adjusting their schedules (and your own!) right now. Set everyone’s alarms 15 minutes early, and after another day or two, set them a bit earlier still. Do the same with your pets’ feeding schedules, and anything else that will have to change. By next week, the “new” times won’t feel like as much of a shock.

Tie these six-month household tasks to the time change

Smoke detectors should usually be checked or their batteries changed every six months, so the time change is a good reminder to do that. We have a list here of other household tasks you may want to link to the time change, like switching the direction of your ceiling fans (they should blow air downward in winter and upwards in summer).

Fix your sleep routine in preparation for Daylight Saving Time

If you’re losing an hour of sleep, you might as well make sure you’re making the most of the sleep you do get. Now is a good time to revisit all those sleep hygiene tips that you may not be following as well as you know you should. Decide on a bedtime, and give yourself some wind-down time beforehand where the lights are low and you’re doing relaxing things in dim lighting. Have your bedroom dark and cool, and consider planning some outdoor exercise for the morning if you can.

The Best Ways to Refresh Your Old Kitchen for Cheap (or Free)

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Kitchens endure a lot. Every single day we’re in there spilling, splattering, and literally using open flames. Our kitchens are gathering spots, ersatz home offices, staging areas, and late-night snack depots, and they take a lot of wear and tear. Eventually, all that use begins to show, and the kitchen starts to look a little worn down and outdated—and your bank account begins to tremble, because kitchen renovations are expensive as heck.

If you’re not ready for a full-on reno or remodel, don’t despair: You can achieve a powerful transformation in your kitchen with a few simple changes and upgrades, without spending a lot of money (or, in some cases, any money at all). If you need to refresh your kitchen without cracking open a retirement account to pay for it, here are some ways to do it.

Upgrade your kitchen’s storage, both cosmetically and functionally

Your kitchen is three things, really: A gathering place and a food prep space, sure—but it’s also where you store most, if not all, of your groceries and implements. One of the most powerful ways to refresh your kitchen is to augment or add to that storage, and you can do that in a variety of cheap or free ways:

  • Remove cabinet doors. If your kitchen cabinets are a little dated and boring, you don’t need to replace them. You can get a totally new look by removing some of the cabinet doors to get an open-shelving look, and it’s totally free. The real trick is to not remove all of the doors—you want to create a visual pattern and balance the openness with the existing doors, so have a plan before you start unscrewing hinges.

  • Paint cabinets. Painting kitchen cabinets is a cheap way to revitalize them, transforming old wood finish nightmares into sleek, modern monochrome. And if you remove some cabinet doors, consider painting inside the boxes for a blast of color as well. Another option is to vinyl wrap your cabinets, which can be a very cost-effective way to completely transform your cabinetry—and with the right tools, applying vinyl film like this to your cabinets is not a difficult DIY job.

  • Add shelving. Whether your design runs rustic or industrial or something in between, if you have open wall space in your kitchen, consider putting up some simple shelving. It’s a great and inexpensive way to increase your storage (and refresh the kitchen’s look) without shelling out a lot of money.

  • Upgrade storage containers. If you’re going to go with some open shelving, or if your countertops are laden with containers of food, spices, or coffee, upgrading those containers to something a bit more attractive (and in line with the rest of the kitchen’s design) is an easy way to freshen the space. From metal canisters with cute chalkboard labels to ultra-modern splashes of color, upping your container game makes open shelving pop.

  • Add furniture. If you have a little space, adding a mobile island will expand your storage and give you more working space. If you don’t have the space for an island, a simple, attractive kitchen cart like this can also be a nice, affordable upgrade.

  • Under-cabinet lighting. Add some mood lighting that’s also a practical upgrade with some easy-to-install, plug-in under-cabinet lighting.

  • Peel-and-stick trim. If your cabinets are looking a bit bland, you can use peel-and-stick trim to augment glass cabinet doors or add panel effects to your cabinets.

  • Add some pot racks. For less than $60 and some time, you can clear out your lower cabinets and make them usable storage again while creating a nice visual in your kitchen with a hanging pot rack. Of course, if you’re going to expose your pots and pans to the world, you might want to consider an upgrade there, as well.

Give your appliances a visual upgrade

Your appliances—both built-in and on the countertops—are a huge part of your kitchen’s visual appeal (or lack thereof). You can upgrade them affordably with a few simple purchases and some elbow grease.

  • Decals and appliance wraps. If your appliances are older and white or black, you can spiff them up pretty quickly and affordably with things like magnetic dishwasher covers or vinyl wraps to give them a stainless steel look without buying all new appliances.

  • New hardware. There’s nothing easier than swapping out old pulls and handles for new, sleeker versions—new hardware can really transform the look of your cabinetry without the cost of replacing them entirely. And if your stove is looking a little well-used, a set of new burner grates and upgraded knobs will go a long way toward making it look new again. (You’ll likely need to find stove hardware that’s compatible with your specific model, but there are lots of options out there.)

  • Color coordinating countertop appliances. If your countertops are currently populated with a disparate array of appliances, a simple way to upgrade the look and feel of the kitchen is to replace them with a coordinated set. For example, KitchenAid makes toasters, mixers, kettles, and other small appliances in a sharp empire red, making your counters cohesive and eye-catching instead of chaotic and messy.

Refinish your kitchen’s walls, floors, and countertops

Get a remodeled look without the remodel by refinishing the surfaces in your kitchen using these simple, affordable, and (often) reversible projects.

  • Peel and stick. Walls, backsplashes, and even floor tiles can be completely transformed with peel-and-stick products. Wallpaper, tile backsplashes, and floor tile decals can be installed with just some cutting and measuring tools and a little patience, but the final result can look like a whole new kitchen was installed on top of your old one.

  • Vinyl flooring or washable rugs. If your kitchen floor is making you sad but tile decals won’t work, you could throw a washable area rug down and cover it up. Another alternative would be some vinyl sheet flooring that you can cut to size and simply lay over your existing floor.

  • Refinish or cover countertops. You can upgrade and transform your countertops pretty cheaply using a variety of refinishing kits that cost less than $100. Alternatively, vinyl wraps or contact paper can cover up dated counters pretty effectively. If you don’t have the time or patience for those projects, you could consider just buying an oversize cutting board to leave on top of the counters permanently.

  • Clean up grout. Sometimes it’s not your tile that’s gotten old and tired, it’s just your grout. You might be amazed to discover how transformative an hour spent using a grout pen can be.

Replace kitchen lighting, outlet covers, and other fixtures

Just about everything in your kitchen is replaceable, including old, crusty fixtures. Swapping a few out isn’t terribly expensive, and most of these projects can be done DIY.

  • Replace or add lights. If your kitchen feels sadder because the lights are old and dated (and probably dusty), even a non-electrician can swap them out for something a little more jazzy. If you just need more light, consider adding some easy, plug-in pendant lights for an instant style bump (you can also find versions that will screw into existing recessed lights).

  • Change outlet covers. One of the easiest, cheapest little upgrades you can make in your kitchen is to swap out the tired old white or beige outlet and light switch covers for something with a little more pop. All you need is a few bucks and a screwdriver (just keep in mind that you shouldn’t have metal covers near water sources).

  • Replace faucets. Changing out a faucet isn’t a terribly complicated job, though you might need some specific tools. Even a cheap faucet can have a lot of style and be a big upgrade from one that’s seen much better days.

Luke Kornet urges Hawks to cancel celebration of local strip club: ‘The NBA should … protect and esteem women’

The Atlanta Hawks made waves Thursday when they announced a one-night celebration of Magic City, a local strip club. While the move was embraced by some — including former player Lou Williams, who has a history with the establishment — one player came out against the promotion Monday.

That would be San Antonio Spurs big man Luke Kornet, who criticized the Hawks for “being complicit in the potential objectification and mistreatment of women in our society” with the promotion. 

Kornet, 30, addressed the issue in a newsletter Monday. In it, he asked the Hawks to cancel the promotion, explaining the NBA should “desire to protect and esteem women.” Kornet said that women in the “adult entertainment industry” experience “abuse, harassment, and violence to which they should never be subjected.” Kornet did not feel the team was being respectful to “the daughters, wives, sisters, mothers, and partners that we know and love” by highlighting Magic City. 

Kornet ended the message by encouraging others to join him in asking the Hawks to cancel the Magic City promotion. 

In the team’s announcement Thursday, Hawks principal owner Jami Gertz said the Hawks wanted to acknowledge Magic City’s “incredible impact on our city and its unique culture.”

Williams also addressed the promotion, saying he was fully in favor of it, while also admitting he knows there will be people out there “who don’t understand it.”

Williams, of course, is far from an objective bystander in this instance. During the NBA’s bubble in 2020, Williams was forced to quarantine for 10 days after visiting Magic City while on an excused absence from the NBA after his grandfather’s death. 

The former three-time Sixth Man of the Year winner has spoken highly of Magic City multiple times, specifically the lemon pepper wings served at the establishment. The Hawks plan to serve Louwill Lemon Pepper BBQ wings at the one-night celebration of Magic City as a nod to the former Hawks player and his appreciation of Magic City. 

In his statement Monday, Kornet claimed he spoke with “others throughout the league” who opposed the Hawks’ celebration of Magic City. If that’s accurate, it’s possible more players will condemn the team for the promotion.

As of Monday afternoon, Kornet is the only player to have publicly spoken out about the event.

10 Hacks Every Facebook User Should Know

Facebook is clearly no longer the hot social media property it once was—younger generations are now far more likely to spend their time on TikTok, Snapchat, or Instagram—but there are still billions of people logging into the Facebook site and mobile apps each month.

During its 20+ years of existence, Facebook has added a whole host of features and options on top of its platform, and branched out in multiple different areas. There’s plenty on offer in the modern-day Facebook that you may not know about.

Whether you’re using Facebook daily or you haven’t touched your account for months, these hacks and tips will help you get more from the app: Find out how to stop people from tagging you, how to clear your tracks on Facebook, how to look back on a friendship, and more.

Adjust the algorithm to limit AI slop in your Facebook feed

Let the Facebook algorithm know what you’re interested in.
Credit: Lifehacker

The Facebook algorithm isn’t always well tuned to your tastes and interests, and that might extend to AI slop as well as friends and family members you don’t particularly want to hear from. The solution is to give the algorithm a few nudges in the right direction.

Tap or click on the three dots in the top right corner of any post in your news feed, and you’ve got a few options: You can tell Facebook you’re not interested in something, mute posts from this source for 30 days, or permanently hide this person or page.

There are also options to tweak the algorithm in the other direction—select Interested if you want to see more of this type of content in your feeds.

Change your privacy settings to stop other people from finding you on Facebook

Facebook can cause you problems when it comes to people from your past reaching out, wanting to know how you’re getting on these days. While it can make for some serendipitous reconnections, there may well be old colleagues, friends, and relatives you’d rather not hear from every again.

You can control how available you are on Facebook by heading to the website and clicking your profile picture (top right). Choose Settings & privacy > Privacy Center > Common privacy settings > Profile information and then select your Facebook account. On the next screen, select How people can find and contact you.

There are a few settings you can tweak here: You can stop people finding you through your email address or phone number, and you can stop your Facebook profile from showing up in web search results. You can also decide whether message requests from people who you’re not connected to make it into your main inbox.

Choose who you want to see your Facebook posts

Your posts on Facebook can be visible to specific groups of people.
Credit: Lifehacker

Just like on Instagram or Snapchat, you can limit the audience for certain posts—though it’s not immediately obvious where the option is. When you’re composing a post, you need to tap on the Friends drop-down list just below your name (it might say something else, like Public, if you’ve already changed the audience for posts).

The menu you see next lets you limit the post to any group of Facebook friends you like: Whether it’s two people or 200 people. You can either specify the friends who can see the post, or the friends who can’t, and you can make new custom lists of contacts by going to your friends directory and choosing Create List.

See your entire Facebook friendship history with someone

There’s quite a cool way of looking back on the moments you’ve shared with a Facebook friend—at least on this particular social media platform, anyway. Head to the Facebook profile page of a contact, then click the three dots on the right and See friendship.

You then get shown photos, posts, and events you’ve both been involved in. Assuming you both use Facebook fairly often, it’s a nice trip down memory lane (you might also see some of this shared content in your feed when your friend has a birthday).

Undo your activity on Facebook

You can remove a reaction you’ve left on Facebook.
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If you’ve logged a comment or a like on Facebook that you later regret, you can take it back: On the web, click your profile picture (top right), then pick Settings & privacy > Activity log. This is a record of everything you’ve done on Facebook.

Choose Comments to get to your comments and likes, and to remove them if necessary. You can also delete posts you’ve made, and searches you’ve run on Facebook—it’s a central hub for viewing and managing your digital tracks on the social media app.

Download and save your Facebook photos

Facebook used to be the best place to post photos, and it may well be that you’ve got a ton of pictures on the platform that you haven’t saved anywhere else. Maybe you took them before photo backup from phones was so seamless—or perhaps they were snapped with an actual camera and scanned in (remember that?).

You don’t have to go through images and videos individually to get all this content exported from Facebook and put somewhere else (like Google Photos). On the web, click your profile picture (top right), then Settings & privacy > Settings > See more in Accounts Center > Your information and permissions.

Finally, you will see the Export your information option: This lets you get all of your data out of Facebook, including pictures, posts, and messages. Be sure to choose the Higher quality option for Media quality to get the best versions of your images and videos.

Stop people from tagging you on Facebook

Facebook lets you manually review posts you’re tagged in.
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You don’t necessarily want other people tagging you in pictures and other content (which means these posts will then be visible to your network too). You can enable manual tagging approval to stop this from happening: On the web, click your profile picture (top right), and select Settings & privacy > Settings > Profile and tagging.

When you’ve enabled tag reviews, you’ll get notifications on Facebook when someone else tags you. You then have the option to approve or block the tag (the tagger won’t be notified directly, but may notice if the tag hasn’t been accepted).

Control the type of ads you see on Facebook

Adverts are an inescapable part of the Facebook experience, but you can at least take some control over the types of ads you see, and from which companies. On the web, click your profile picture (top right), then choose Settings & privacy > Privacy Center > Common privacy settings, and Manage in Accounts Center under Ads preferences.

There’s lots you can do here: You can change the categories of adverts you see, hide ads from specific advertisers, and even access ads you might have saved—so if there’s a purchase you do want to make and didn’t get around to, you can do that here.

Keep your conversations on Facebook secret

Facebook Messenger chats can disappear automatically.
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Some of us will be using Facebook Messenger far more than the main site, and the messaging component of the platform can be tweaked and customized in multiple ways. For example, you can set messages to disappear after a set amount of time if you’d rather keep conversations off the record.

From inside a Facebook Messenger chat on mobile, tap the contact or group chat name at the top, then pick Disappearing messages. Note that the setting you choose will be applied to all messages from every sender, and a notification will be posted to the chat if you make a change.

You can give nicknames to your friends and family on Facebook

If you want to add some spice to a group chat, you can assign a nickname to the contacts in it: Tap on the group name at the top of the chat, then choose Nicknames. Bear in mind that everyone else will see the nicknames you set (and can change them to something else), and that you can use nicknames or real names when tagging people in the chat.