Sports
Reports: RHP Aaron Civale joins Athletics on 1-year deal
Chicago Cubs pitcher Aaron Civale (38) pitches in the sixth inning between Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Sept. 20, 2025. Right-hander Aaron Civale and the Athletics agreed to a one-year, $6 million contract, multiple media outlets reported on Tuesday.
Per reports, Civale can earn an additional $1.5 million in incentives.
Civale, 30, posted a 4-9 record with a 4.85 ERA in 23 games (18 starts) last season split between the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago White Sox and Cubs.
He is 43-44 with a 4.14 ERA in 140 career games (135 starts) with the Cleveland franchise, Tampa Bay Rays, Brewers, White Sox and Cubs.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ben Ogden (silver) wins 1st US men's cross-country skiing medal in 50 years in sprint
Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics – Cross-Country Skiing – Men’s Sprint Classic Final – Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium, Lago, Italy – February 10, 2026. Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway and Ben Ogden of United States in action during Men’s Sprint Classic Final TESERO, Italy — Norway’s Johannes Klaebo won the men’s classic cross-country ski sprint with ease on Tuesday for his seventh career Olympic gold medal, while Linn Svahn led a Swedish podium sweep in the women’s race at the Milan Cortina Games.
Ben Ogden took silver in the men’s race to give the U.S. its first men’s medal in cross-country skiing since Bill Koch’s silver in the 30km at the 1976 Olympics.
Norway’s Oskar Vike won the men’s bronze.
In the women’s event, Swedish skiers Jonna Sundling and Maja Dahlqvist won silver and bronze respectively.
Svahn’s gold was the first Olympic medal for the 26-year-old, and the second for Sweden in cross-country skiing at this Olympics, after compatriot Frida Karlsson won gold in the women’s skiathlon.
Tuesday’s race was the second gold medal for Klaebo in this Games and his seventh overall, moving the 29-year-old one step closer to passing compatriots Marit Bjoergen’s and Bjorn Daehlie’s record number of golds in the sport.
“It was good to already have done the first one, so that I could relax a little bit more and enjoy it. That was exactly what I did out there today,” said Klaebo after the race.
Similar to his victorious skiathlon performance, Klaebo exploded away from the pack on his way up one of the race course’s many steep hills. With victory guaranteed over the chasing pack, he eased up towards the end and cruised over the finish line in three minutes 39.74 seconds, 0.87 seconds ahead of Ogden.
SWEDISH WOMEN DOMINATE
On the women’s side, the three Swedish medalists pulled away midway through the race, charging uphill after three earlier qualifying rounds to get to the final.
U.S. skier Jessie Diggins, the highest-ranked female skier in the world and a medal contender, failed to move past the quarterfinals.
“Everyone has been talking about what a strong team we have. To make our mark and do the whole podium sweep is amazing,” said Svahn, who finished in four minutes 3.05 seconds, beating Sundling by 1.59 seconds.
Skiers said conditions were some of the best yet of the Games during early qualification rounds because colder temperatures led to faster, more compact snow. Things changed in later rounds, however, with the course turning slushier and slower as the day went on, they said.
Both gold medalists in the classic sprint events lauded the conditions and preparations on their skis after the race.
“Today we had an amazing team. The waxers did such an amazing job,” Svahn said.
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Sports
Union sign F Agustin Anello on permanent transfer
Sep 13, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Philadelphia Union head coach Bradley Carnell looks on during the second half against the Philadelphia Union at BC Place. Mandatory Credit: Simon Fearn-Imagn Images The Philadelphia Union signed forward Agustin Anello on a permanent transfer from Uruguayan side Boston River on Tuesday.
With the transfer, Anello’s contract is guaranteed through the 2028-29 season with an option for the 2029-30 season.
“Agustin is a versatile, dynamic attacker,” Philadelphia Union head coach Bradley Carnell said in a news release. “His development in Europe, combined with his recent breakout in Uruguay, reflects a clear upward trajectory. As a domestic player with U.S. Youth National Team experience, he fits our profile well, and we’re excited to welcome him to Philadelphia.”
Anello, 23, recorded six goals and one assist in 14 Clausura matches with Boston River of in Liga AUF Uruguaya in 2025. The Miami native made came up in the academies of Cornella and RCD Espanyol in Spain before making his professional debut with Belgium’s Lommel SK in 2021, where he made 42 appearances.
Anello made two appearances with the USMNT U-23 team, making his debut in November 2023 as a substitute vs. Iraq.
The Union open the season Feb. 21 at DC United.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Atlanta Falcons Bet Big on James Pearce Jr. — and Lost
The Atlanta Falcons should be ashamed of themselves.
Over the weekend, Falcons first-round pick James Pearce Jr. was arrested after an alleged dispute with a WNBA player. While he maintains his innocence, the No. 26 overall draft pick is facing five felony charges.
Pearce’s football future is understandably up in the air.
As a result, it’s fair to question why the Falcons did this to themselves in the first place.
While Pearce is innocent until proven guilty, the pass rusher out of Tennessee had character flaws before the NFL Draft. It’s what caused him to slide into the late first round despite being one of the most disruptive players in his class.
But the Falcons decided to trade their 2026 first-round choice to move back in so they could select Pearce. Pairing Pearce with fellow first-round pick Jalon Walker out of Georgia gave the Falcons a revamped defense for new head coach Raheem Morris.
The Falcons convinced themselves they could take advantage of a weak NFC South with two capable quarterbacks in Michael Penix Jr. and Kirk Cousins, along with a newly hired defensive-minded coach and two premier pass rushers.
They were hilariously wrong in their calculations.
Instead, the Falcons finished in third place. Penix suffered yet another injury, and Cousins was so ineffective that the team is planning on releasing him. The organization fired Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot following the disappointing eight-win season.
The Los Angeles Rams now own Atlanta’s first-round draft pick, No. 13 overall. Certainly, the Falcons would like to have that selection back — as the player they traded for might be out of the league entirely by the time April’s draft arrives.
New head coach Kevin Stefanski is no stranger to big messes. He endured three consecutive seasons without a first-round pick during his time with the Cleveland Browns after the infamous Deshaun Watson trade.
Watson played just 19 total games, and the Browns roster was so depleted that Stefanski was fired after winning only eight games over the previous two seasons.
For Stefanski’s sake, hopefully history does not repeat itself. He’s starting his tenure behind the eight ball, as the team’s first-round selection from last season will be unavailable.
In April’s draft, the Falcons have only five total selections, with just two inside the top 100.
Fontenot put Matt Ryan and Stefanski in a very difficult position. Pearce’s actions off the field have only made the situation worse.
Ben Ogden (silver) wins 1st US men's cross-country skiing medal in 50 years in sprint
Union sign F Agustin Anello on permanent transfer
