Sports
Braves manager Brian Snitker ready to pack his bags
Sep 16, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker (43) makes a pitching change against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the seventh inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Brian Snitker barely had time to digest the finality of the 2024 season when the Braves’ manager was asked if he plans to be back with Atlanta in 2025.
With a wild-card sweep at the hands of the San Diego Padres completed, Snitker confirmed he’s ready to pack his bags — for spring training.
“Absolutely,” Snitker said. “I wish spring training started tomorrow, quite honestly. I just told the guys that. I can’t wait to get to camp and hopefully have our guys whole again. And I’m going to be excited to get there probably more than I ever have been next year, quite honestly. I said I’m exhausted but, honestly, I wish we could fast-forward and be there tomorrow. I’m serious, too. I can’t wait to get there with our guys and do this again.”
After a 101-win season in 2021, Snitker signed a three-year contract extension that expires after the 2025 season. He turns 69 later this month.
The Braves needed a win in one of the final two games of the regular season, which turned out to be a doubleheader on Monday, to secure a playoff spot. Before getting the job done in the second game of Monday’s twinbill with the New York Mets, injuries hit Atlanta again, extending a theme of the season. All-Star left-hander Chris Sale was scratched from the scheduled start and left off the wild-card roster with a back injury.
Coming off of another 104-win season in 2023, most of the Braves’ top players had at least one visit to the injured list. Reigning National League MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. (ACL) and ace Spencer Strider (UCL surgery) were relegated to rehabilitation from season-ending injuries and aren’t guaranteed to be field-ready when Snitker gets to Florida for spring training.
Acuna was lost for the season in May and had ACL surgery for the second time.
Strider went 20-5 with 281 strikeouts, leading MLB in both categories, in 2023. He had surgery April 13 and it’s unclear if he will start the 2025 season on the injured list.
Even without them, the Braves managed to win 89 games and Snitker said he’s never been more proud of any team in the face of injuries and adversity.
“Not an excuse,” Snitker said. “Like I said before, everybody goes through stuff getting here. It’s hard to navigate seven months for every team, all 30 of us.
“Just the tenacity, the drive, the consistency, the work ethic, how they never — everything that these guys went through, nobody was ever, woe is me, and they weren’t griping about anything. They just kept playing. They kept playing. They kept working. The energy never waned. Their attitude’s never waned.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
NYCFC announce departure of D Strahinja Tanasijevic
Mar 15, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York City FC defender Strahinja Tanasijevic (19) runs with the ball during the second half against New England Revolution at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images New York City FC defender Strahinja Tanasijevic has departed the club, the team announced on Wednesday.
Tanasijevic, 28, joined NYCFC in February 2024 and made 43 appearances across all competitions.
“We would like to thank Tana for the commitment and professionalism shown throughout his time with the Club,” sporting director Todd Dunivant said. “This move provides an opportunity for Tana to pursue the next step in his career while also giving the Club additional roster flexibility. We wish Tana and his family all the best moving forward.”
Tanasijevic played for several clubs in his native Serbia prior to joining New York City FC.
–Field Level Media
Sports
LeBron James on GOAT debate: 'Not taking nobody over me'
Nov 27, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) smiles after a Philadelphia 76ers foul during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images LeBron James told Time magazine that he believes he is the greatest basketball player of all time.
When asked the age-old question of who is the GOAT in the NBA, James embraced his own name.
“I’m not taking nobody over me,” he told Time in a profile published Monday. “There’s no question.”
James, however, admitted the NBA has other all-time greats, namely Hall of Famers Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Larry Bird and Shaquille O’Neal, among others.
“But I think Mike will say the same thing,” James said. “Rest his soul, Kobe will say the same thing. Magic will say the same thing. Bird will say the same thing. Shaq could say the same thing. The late great Wilt (Chamberlain), Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar). I don’t think none of us are going to take somebody else.
“If there’s a general manager and he’s eyeballing all of us on a baseline, with the No. 1 pick, it’s gonna be hard not to take me, champ.”
James, 41, just completed his record-setting 23rd NBA season, and the league’s all-time leading scorer is heading into unrestricted free agency.
“It’s up to the mind,” James told Time about whether he will suit up next season or retire. “Where the mind goes, the body will lay. When I’m not in love with getting to the arenas on game days five hours before to start my preparation, if I’m out of love with getting to practice 2 1/2 hours beforehand, then I know I’ll be done. Because then I’m going to start cheating the game.”
James averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds this season with the Los Angeles Lakers. The 22-time All-Star, four-time league MVP and four-time NBA champion is the all-time leader in games (1,622) and points (43,440).
–Field Level Media
Sports
WNBA champion Aces not invited to White House
Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) celebrates as she receives the MVP trophy after defeating the Phoenix Mercury 97-86 to win the WNBA Championship in a four-game sweep in Game Four of the WNBA Finals at Mortgage Matchup Center on Oct. 10, 2025, in Phoenix. The Las Vegas Aces did not receive an invitation to the White House after winning the 2025 WNBA title in October, a team spokesperson confirmed to USA Today on Wednesday.
The decades-old tradition of championship sports teams visiting 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. has not included any WNBA or NBA teams during President Donald Trump’s second term in office.
The New York Liberty did not visit the White House after winning the 2024 WNBA championship. The 2024-25 NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder did not go either, due to what the team called a timing issue.
The Aces, who will be in Washington, D.C., for a July 22 game against the Mystics, have won three of the past four WNBA championships. They visited the White House twice during the Biden Administration.
The Aces had considered visiting the National Museum of African American History and Culture as an alternate way of commemorating their championship during next month’s trip to the nation’s capital, but ran into a scheduling conflict, per USA Today.
–Field Level Media
NYCFC announce departure of D Strahinja Tanasijevic
LeBron James on GOAT debate: 'Not taking nobody over me'
