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ESPN star rips iconic college basketball team with $22M roster for disappointing season
The Kentucky Wildcats basketball team may still make the NCAA Tournament, but Dick Vitale thinks this iconic program should be much better than their 19-12 record this season considering their whopping $22 million roster.
The legendary ESPN college basketball analyst didn’t hold back his feelings about the Wildcats as they played Florida during Saturday’s prime SEC matchup. After the Gators hit some free throws to extend their first-half lead to 26-19, Vitale started to lay into the Wildcats.
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"I’m going to say this right here, I’ve done several Kentucky games, win or lose, $22 million this team [which has been reported] in terms of the NIL for their players," he said, per Awful Announcing. "I think in $22 million, they could have put together a better roster than they did. I really do."
The Wildcats ended up losing by a score of 84-77, and Vitale continued about Kentucky near the end of their 12th loss of the season.
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"I’ll tell you one thing, you don’t want to walk out of here thinking you got a moral victory," Vitale said, referencing a hard-fought game against the No. 5-ranked Florida team. "Moral victories don’t count at this level of basketball. And you hear some of the people, ‘We played them close. We played them tough.’
"The bottom line is you’re Kentucky. You’re Kentucky. And you’ve got to leave here with a win, especially at home. There are no moral victories. Come on. I don’t want to hear that."
The Wildcats were once the top program in the country under former Coach John Calipari, who left for Arkansas after being unable to make a long March Madness run in recent seasons, including a shocking first round upset to the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats have been coached by Mark Pope since, and they made the Sweet 16 in last year’s tournament before losing to Tennessee.
But this year, Kentucky is 10-8 in SEC play, and now face the No. 9 seed in the upcoming tournament this week. The winner of each conference earns a tournament berth, but the Wildcats know good seeding in the NCAA Tournament requires a strong run heading into Selection Sunday this upcoming weekend.
The Wildcats will start their SEC Tournament play on Wednesday against No. 16 LSU.
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Rams make Trent McDuffie highest-paid cornerback in NFL history with massive $124M deal: reports
The Los Angeles Rams not only traded for Trent McDuffie – they just made him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL.
When the Rams struck a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs last week, they addressed a key need this offseason. But McDuffie was only set for one more year with his fifth-year option picked up by Kansas City, though reports said both sides would likely agree to an extension.
The Rams and McDuffie agreed to a four-year, $124 million extension, including $100 million in guaranteed money, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
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In turn, McDuffie is now the highest-paid at his position in the league with an average annual value of $31 million in new money. He will be paid $13.6 million in 2026 on his fifth-year option.
The Rams sent over their No. 29 pick in this year’s NFL Draft to acquire McDuffie, as well as 2026 fifth- and sixth-round selections and a 2027 third-round pick.
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McDuffie, a First-team All-Pro in 2023, has Super Bowl pedigree, playing a starting role in the secondary for two rings as part of the Chiefs’ dominance in recent seasons. He set a career-high in tackles last season (63), while totaling seven passes defended, one sack, and one forced fumble.
For his early career, McDuffie has 34 passes defended, eight forced fumbles, 5.5 sacks and 246 combined tackles. He is one of the best at his position, which is why Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes tweeted, "damn," after news broke that McDuffie was moving out west.
McDuffie, though, heads back home, having been born in Westminster, California, which is part of Orange County. He even discussed the possibility of playing somewhere other than Kansas City, hoping, if anything, he would be going back to California.
"If I could play for another team, I'd probably want to play close to my family, so that would probably be the L.A. Rams so that my family could come see every single game," McDuffie said during a back-to-school event in August 2025, per ESPN.
McDuffie’s deal comes before what’s expected to be a hectic free agent period, beginning on Monday when the legal tampering window opens at noon ET. During that time, players and teams are allowed to agree to terms on an extension, which would clear when the new league year begins on March 11 at 4 p.m. ET.
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Rihanna's Beverly Hills home targeted in brazen daylight shooting
A woman fired shots into Rihanna's Beverly Hills mansion on Sunday afternoon, Fox News Digital confirmed.
Officers responded to a "ADW (assault with a deadly weapon) shots fired" call in the affluent area of Los Angeles at around 1:15 p.m., an LAPD spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
"Approximately 10 shots heard," according to LAPD audio dispatch, who also described the shots being fired "from across the street."
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Rihanna, whose full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, was reportedly home when the suspect fired multiple rounds from inside a vehicle, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The suspect was located shortly after and "taken into custody without further incident," an LAPD spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
No injuries were reported, and one weapon was recovered at the scene.
Rihanna's representatives did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
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Rihanna and her partner, musician A$AP Rocky, welcomed a baby boy in May 2022. She gave birth to their second son in August 2023.
In July 2022, she was named the youngest self-made female billionaire by Forbes when she hit the $1.4 billion net worth marker, earned by her music, beauty and fashion ventures.
Rihanna owns 50% of Fenty Beauty, and a 30% stake in her Savage X Fenty lingerie brand. Her stake in the beauty brand alone was valued at an estimated $700 million.
Jesse Jackson Jr. rebukes Obama, Clinton and Biden for not truly knowing his father during memorial service
During his father’s memorial service on Saturday, Jesse Jackson Jr. offered a sharp rebuke of the tributes given by former Democratic presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, noting that the trio shared one thing in common: they didn’t really know his father.
"Yesterday I listened for several hours of three United States presidents who do not know Jesse Jackson," Jackson Jr. said on Saturday.
The reverend’s son called out the idea that his father’s life wasn’t defined by the "political order," but by a commitment to those who were marginalized.
"He maintained a tense relationship with the political order, not because the presidents were White or Black, but the demands of our message, the demands of speaking for the least of these — those who are disinherited, the damned, the dispossessed, the disrespected — demanded not Democratic or Republican solutions, but demanded a consistent, prophetic voice that at no point in time sold us out as a people," Jackson Jr. continued.
OBAMA, BIDEN, CLINTONS REMEMBER JESSE JACKSON IN CHICAGO MEMORIAL SERVICE
Jesse Jackson died at the age of 84 on February 17 in Chicago.
Following the death of Rev. Jackson, his son held a press conference where he requested politics be kept out of the services, and the focus to be kept on Jackson’s legacy.
"Do not bring your politics out of respect to Rev. Jesse Jackson, and the life that he lived, to these ongoing services. Come respectful, and come to say thank you. But these ongoing services are welcome to ALL—Democrat, Republican, liberal, and conservative. Right-wing, left-wing. Because his life is broad enough to cover the full spectrum of what it means to be an American," Jackson Jr. said in February, one day after his father’s death.
Among the notable attendees paying their respects in Chicago for the late Rev. Jesse Jackson — a longtime civil rights leader, two-time Democratic presidential candidate and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition — included former Vice President Kamala Harris, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Rev. Al Sharpton and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
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Obama, Clinton and Biden each spoke at Jackson’s funeral.
Obama reportedly took aim at President Donald Trump during his speech, saying "every day we wake up to some new assault on our democratic institutions."
Bill Clinton called Jackson a friend, and recalled his conversation with the reverend during his impeachment.
Biden told mourners at Rev. Jesse Jackson’s memorial service Friday that he is "a h--- of a lot smarter than most of you," a pointed remark that stood out during his tribute to the late civil rights leader. Biden made the comment while recounting how he was mocked as a child for his stutter and how speech impediments are often mistaken for a lack of intelligence.
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Overall, the memorial largely focused on Jackson’s legacy as a civil rights leader who helped shape the modern Democratic Party and broaden political participation in the United States.
Fox News’ Patrick McGovern, Greg Norman-Diamond and Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
DAVID MARCUS: Timothée Chalamet's right, the Left ruined ballet and opera
Timothée Chalamet is under fire this week and losing traction in the best actor Oscar race for saying just about the most obvious thing in the world: Nobody cares about ballet or opera in 2026.
Here is the exact quote from the "Dune" and "Marty Supreme" star during a recent CNN town hall: "I don't want to be working in ballet, or opera, or things where it's like, 'Hey, keep this thing alive, even though like no one cares about this anymore.' All respect to all the ballet and opera people out there."
The backlash was swift and severe. According to the BBC, Canadian mezzo-soprano Deepa Johnny described Chalamet's comments as a "disappointing take" while, American artist Franz Szony wrote, "Two classical art forms that have been around for hundreds of years, both of which take a massive amount of talent and discipline this man will never possess."
But to today’s pretty boy of Hollywood’s point, who the hell are these people?
When I was 10 years old, the greatest ballet dancer in the world was Mikhail Baryshnikov. He was as famous as Larry Bird or Doc Gooden, as was the greatest opera singer of the time, Luciano Pavarotti. That is gone today.
Today, almost no American has the slightest idea who the greatest ballet dancer or opera singer alive is, because it's not for them any more. The fine performing arts have become a bubble of progressive intolerance. They don’t even want us unwashed non-believers involved.
The fine performing arts are the last trench that the sad wokesters are hunkered down in.
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In the 1950s, there were published collections of the great works of the West. You may have seen some of these leather-bound volumes in your grandparents' houses. They were very expensive, but publishers couldn’t print them fast enough.
The middle class ate it up.
On any given night in those 1950s and 1960s on television, one could see a Shakespeare play, or Leonard Bernstein describing symphonies or great philosophers of the day lecturing. But by the 1970s, it was decided that this was a bit much for the masses.
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The Pavarottis and Baryshnikovs would linger through the 1990s, but by the turn of the millennium, that was over. The leftist elites had rendered opera and ballet their own private dominions, a dwindling and now dying domain that Chalamet rightfully calls out.
The problem for opera and ballet, and indeed for straight theater and musicals as well, is that they stopped looking for audiences and started looking for grants. A bunch of woke, rich White people can give you money to produce the first Inuit opera but it doesn’t mean anybody wants to see it.
That includes Inuits.
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Part of what Chalamet is realizing here is that opera and ballet have spent 50 years being protected. But protected from whom?
The drive to diversify and move away from the standard repertoire that everyone loves -- for a reason -- made these art forms a delicate flower for the elites among us, not a strong crop that feeds the soul of the masses.
Now, the same people who refuse to attend their supposedly beloved opera and ballet won’t grace the door of the Trump Kennedy Center performances as their own performance protest, the upshot of which is that now there is no audience for these forms.
Sad to say, opera and ballet may truly be dead. There may be nobody left in those art forms who can breathe life back into their morose, woke corpses, but Chamamet knows that maybe movies can avoid this fate. Maybe.
I suspect that Hollywood’s new non-offensive "it guy" will walk this all back, making me long for the days of movie makers like John Cassavettes who know how to tell the industry and elites to stick it where the sun don’t shine.
But his point stands. It's absurd to even argue. Ballet and opera have rendered themselves irrelevant by placating the shibboleths of wokeness and obeying its rules. Until that stops, they will remain dying forms.
I think Chalamet has probably learned his lesson here, and his chastisement may well stick. But they can’t chastise us, and when they want to invite us back into the fine arts, we will be here.
But the makers and shakers of opera, ballet, theater, painting and sculpture should be warned that while you fritter away your legacy of centuries, we might just be starting our own.
Jessica Alba says her heart is 'fuller' after loved-up Mexico City adventure with boyfriend Danny Ramirez
Jessica Alba shared a peek at her loved-up getaway to Mexico City with boyfriend Danny Ramirez.
The actress posted a carousel of images from their fun-filled trip, which included exploring the city and going to restaurants together.
Alba shared sweet moments in the photo dump, including an image of herself kissing Ramirez on the cheek and another photo of Ramirez kissing her cheek.
The mother of three captioned the carousel: "The best week in one of my favorite cities - belly full, heart fuller #CDMX."
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Alba stunned in a casual white top, cream cardigan, jeans and baseball cap as she enjoyed tacos.
They also walked around the city, and the star shared a sweet snap of them together – with Alba gazing lovingly at Ramirez.
Alba also posted artwork she saw, and historical pieces that featured Frida Kahlo.
She also sported an all-black ensemble for another day out exploring the city.
Alba and Ramirez were first seen together in May 2025, and were seen arriving back to Los Angeles from Cancún, Mexico in July.
According to an Us Weekly source, "they were friends before it turned romantic and have a lot of mutual friends."
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They made their red carpet debut on Oct. 3, 2025, at the "Valentina" premiere at the Mill Valley Film Festival.
Soon after, while the star was in Australia filming her new movie "The Mark," Alba debuted her relationship with the Top Gun star.
She shared a photo of her holding hands with Ramirez while walking down a wooden staircase leading to the beach.
Her Instagram post marked the first time they appeared together on social media.
Alba filed for divorce from her husband of 16 years, Cash Warren, in February 2025.
'Ghostbusters' actress Jennifer Runyon dead at 65
Jennifer Runyon, known for her roles in "Charles in Charge" and "Ghostbusters," died Friday, Fox News Digital confirmed. She was 65.
Runyon died following a six-month cancer battle, her representative confirmed.
"This past Friday night our beloved Jennifer passed away, it was a long and arduous journey that ended with her surrounded by her family," her family shared in a statement on social media.
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"She will always be remembered for her love of life and her devotion to her family and friends."
They also noted that "she's looking down on all of us with her beautiful smile. Rest in peace our Jenn."
Erin Murphy, who starred as young Tabitha Stephens in "Bewitched," mourned the loss of her dear friend on social media.
"So sad to share that my friend Jennifer Runyon Corman has passed away after a brief battle with cancer," Murphy wrote.
"Some people you just know you’ll be friends with before you even meet. She was a special lady. I’ll miss you Jenn. My thoughts are with your family and beautiful children."
The Chicago-native made her debut on the silver screen in the 1980 slasher, "To All a Goodnight," before earning a supporting role on the soap opera "Another World."
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Runyon famously portrayed a student receiving an ESP test by Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) in the '84 blockbuster "Ghostbusters."
That same year, Runyon worked on "Up the Creek" before starring as Gwendolyn Pierce on the sitcom "Charles in Charge."
Runyon is survived by husband, Todd Corman, and two children, son Wyatt and daughter Bayley.
Valerie Jarrett reveals that President Trump isn't invited to Obama Presidential Center opening ceremony
Former Obama White House adviser Valerie Jarrett said on Saturday that President Trump has not been invited to participate in the opening ceremony of the Obama Presidential Center.
According to a press release, the Obama Presidential Center’s grand opening celebrations will begin on June 18 and last through June 21, including "a series of events that bring together the changemakers, community members, volunteers, and supporters who made the Obama presidency a reality and that welcomes visitors to celebrate the power of hope and change."
Jarrett spoke about the upcoming opening ceremonies for the center on MS Now’s "The Weekend" with Jonathan Capehart, who asked, "So when things like this presidential centers or presidential libraries — I was there for President Clinton’s presidential library opening — there are all sorts of dignitaries who are there who are invited. And so I’m just wondering, Valerie, is President Trump invited?"
She gave a response clarifying that only those who played a part in former President Barack Obama’s political journey would be a part of the opening ceremony.
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"As I said, this is really a chance for us to celebrate with the people who joined President Obama on this journey, the ordinary people who did the extraordinary things. So, no, but I will say, I hasten to add, that after we open to the public, should President Trump want to come and tour the center, President Obama would be delighted for him to do so."
"That was a very heavy ‘No,’ Valerie," co-host Eugene Daniels chuckled.
"And I’m curious what you think about a country feeling beleaguered, President Obama being the person who represented hope. What does it mean that this center will open under the backdrop of all of that that’s going on in this country right now?" Daniels asked.
Jarrett responded by arguing that at times like this, people need to remind themselves of the value of hope in hard circumstances.
"That’s why it’s more important than ever to have a center like this where people can come together. Not everyone will agree," she said. "In fact, we welcome people who have differences of opinions. We welcome people who didn’t vote for President Obama to realize that we can find common ground, even in these challenging times."
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Daniels went on to ask whether former President George W. Bush would be invited.
"Sure," Jarrett said. "You know, we work really closely with President Bush. And I often say that during the transition, and I was one of the co-chairs of President Obama’s transition, President Bush and his team could not have been more supportive to us when we had the weeks the country or the world experienced the Haitian earthquake, President Bush and President Clinton worked together on the Haitian relief fund. President Obama and President Bush were closely to try to encourage people to take COVID vaccines."
2026 NCAA Tournament Berth Tracker: Automatic Bids, Championship Game Times, and Defending Champs
Conference tournaments are underway and March Madness has officially arrived. Teams that win their conference tournaments clinch automatic bids into the 2026 NCAA Tournament, which begins with the First Four on Tuesday, March 17.
Bookmark this page — OutKick will update as automatic berths are locked up through Selection Sunday.
Last updated: Sunday, March 8, 2026 (5:30 p.m. ET). All times ET.
The 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed Sunday, March 15 at 6 p.m. on CBS.
ASUN: Queens
Big South: High Point
Missouri Valley (MVC): Northern Iowa
Northeast (NEC): Long Island (LIU)
Ohio Valley (OVC): Tennessee State
Ohio Valley Conference (OVC)
Championship: Saturday, March 7
Tennessee State def. Morehead State, 93-67
Big South Conference (Big South)
Championship: Sunday, March 8
High Point def. Winthrop, 91-76
Missouri Valley Conference (MVC)
Championship: Sunday, March 8
Northern Iowa def. UIC, 84-69
Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN)
Championship: Sunday, March 8
Queens def. Central Arkansas, 98-93 (OT)
*All times ET
Summit League (Summit)
Championship: Sunday, March 8, 9 p.m. (CBSSN) — Denny Sanford PREMIER Center (Sioux Falls, SD)
No. 1 North Dakota St. Bison vs. No. 3 North Dakota Fighting Hawks
Sun Belt Conference (Sun Belt)
Championship: Monday, March 9, 6 p.m. (ESPN2) — Pensacola Bay Center (Pensacola, FL)
2025 champion: Troy
Southern Conference (SoCon)
Championship: Monday, March 9, 7 p.m. (ESPN) — Harrah’s Cherokee Center (Asheville, NC)
2025 champion: Wofford
Coastal Athletic Association (CAA)
Championship: Tuesday, March 10, 7 p.m. (CBSSN) — CareFirst Arena (Washington, DC)
2025 champion: UNC Wilmington
Horizon League (Horizon)
Championship: Tuesday, March 10, 7 p.m. (ESPN) — Corteva Coliseum (Indianapolis, IN)
2025 champion: Robert Morris
Northeast Conference (NEC)
Championship: Tuesday, March 10, 7 p.m. (ESPN2) — Steinberg Wellness Center (LIU Campus)
No. 1 LIU vs. No. 3 Mercyhurst
*NOTE: LIU clinches automatic bid regardless of result (Mercyhurst is ineligible for NCAA Tournament)
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC)
Championship: Tuesday, March 10, 9 p.m. (ESPN2) — Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall (Atlantic City, NJ)
2025 champion: Mount St. Mary’s
West Coast Conference (WCC)
Championship: Tuesday, March 10, 9 p.m. (ESPN) — Orleans Arena (Las Vegas, NV)
2025 champion: Gonzaga
Southland Conference (Southland)
Championship: Wednesday, March 11, 5 p.m. (ESPN2) — The Legacy Center (Lake Charles, LA)
2025 champion: McNeese
Patriot League (Patriot)
Championship: Wednesday, March 11, 7 p.m. (CBSSN) — campus site (higher seed hosts)
No. 2 Lehigh Mountain Hawks vs. No. 4 Boston University Terriers
Big Sky Conference (Big Sky)
Championship: Wednesday, March 11, 11:30 p.m. (ESPN2) — Idaho Central Arena (Boise, ID)
2025 champion: Montana
Western Athletic Conference (WAC)
Championship: Sunday, March 15, 12 a.m. (ESPN2) — Orleans Arena (Las Vegas, NV)
2025 champion: Grand Canyon
America East Conference (America East)
Championship: Saturday, March 14, 11 a.m. (ESPN2) — campus site (higher seed hosts)
2025 champion: Bryant
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC)
Championship: Saturday, March 14, 1 p.m. (ESPN2) — Norfolk Scope Arena (Norfolk, VA)
2025 champion: Norfolk State
Big 12 Conference (Big 12)
Championship: Saturday, March 14, 6 p.m. (ESPN) — T-Mobile Center (Kansas City, MO)
2025 champion: Houston
Mountain West Conference (MWC)
Championship: Saturday, March 14, 6 p.m. (CBS) — Thomas & Mack Center (Las Vegas, NV)
2025 champion: Colorado State
Big East Conference (Big East)
Championship: Saturday, March 14, 6:30 p.m. (FOX) — Madison Square Garden (New York, NY)
2025 champion: St. John’s
Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)
Championship: Saturday, March 14, 7:30 p.m. (ESPNU) — Gateway Center Arena (Atlanta, GA)
2025 champion: Alabama State
Mid-American Conference (MAC)
Championship: Saturday, March 14, 8 p.m. (ESPN2) — Rocket Arena (Cleveland, OH)
2025 champion: Akron
Conference USA (C-USA)
Championship: Saturday, March 14, 8:30 p.m. (CBSSN) — Propst Arena (Huntsville, AL)
2025 champion: Liberty
Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)
Championship: Saturday, March 14, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN) — Spectrum Center (Charlotte, NC)
2025 champion: Duke
Big West Conference (Big West)
Championship: Saturday, March 14, 10 p.m. (ESPN2) — Lee’s Family Forum (Henderson, NV)
2025 champion: UC San Diego
Ivy League (Ivy)
Championship: Sunday, March 15, 12 p.m. (ESPN2) — Newman Arena at Bartels Hall (Ithaca, NY)
2025 champion: Yale
Atlantic 10 Conference (A10)
Championship: Sunday, March 15, 1 p.m. (CBS) — PPG Paints Arena (Pittsburgh, PA)
2025 champion: VCU
Southeastern Conference (SEC)
Championship: Sunday, March 15, 1 p.m. (ESPN) — Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, TN)
2025 champion: Florida
American Athletic Conference (AAC)
Championship: Sunday, March 15, 3:15 p.m. (ESPN) — Legacy Arena at the BJCC (Birmingham, AL)
2025 champion: Memphis
Big Ten Conference (Big Ten)
Championship: Sunday, March 15, 3:30 p.m. (CBS) — United Center (Chicago, IL)
2025 champion: Michigan
Italy's dugout espresso machine tradition fuels hot start in World Baseball Classic
Every team in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) has its own unique celebrations for home runs, whether it’s a special jacket from the Dominican Republic or coordinated handshakes with Team USA.
But Team Italy might have the best one of all – the players take an espresso shot, which is made from a machine that sits right in the dugout.
It’s about as Italian as it gets.
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The machine sits toward the end of the dugout, but players and coaches can get their quick caffeine fix. And it isn’t anything new from this group.
During the 2023 WBC, there was a Nespresso machine in the dugout, and it worked out for the team. They made it out of their group stage for just the second time ever in the tournament.
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So, why not bring it back?
First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, who stars for the Kansas City Royals, seems to be the ring leader with the machine when a player goes yard, too. After making the player who hit the home run an espresso shot, he gives them a kiss on both cheeks – a traditional sign of affection by Italians.
"In Italy, we drink coffee about 20 times a day," manager Francisco Cervelli, who used to catch in the big leagues, said, via MLB.com. "It’s a tradition. You’re walking down the road. You see a coffee spot, get some coffee. Then you chitchat, and then keep walking and do the same thing all over and over again. That’s how Italy is."
Cervelli, who became Italy’s manager in January 2025, said that the espresso machine "goes everywhere with us," and he learned that with the European Baseball Championship last year as well.
"It’s something normal. We got it on the bus. We’ve had it in the dugout, everywhere."
Whether superstition or not, Italy has seen early success in Houston’s Pool B, which also features Team USA. They are 2-0 in the tournament thus far, defeating Brazil, 8-0, and taking down Great Britain, 7-4, on Sunday.
Italy’s next contest will be against Team USA on Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET.
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