Yahoo Sports AM: Wiz, Caps to Virginia?
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🚨 HEADLINES
⚾️ Giants land Lee: South Korean star outfielder Jung Hoo Lee is reportedly headed to the Bay Area on a six-year, $113 million deal.
🏒 Blues fire Berube: Four years after leading the Blues to a Stanley Cup title, head coach Craig Berube is out in St. Louis.
🏈 Herbert out for season: Chargers QB Justin Herbert will miss the rest of the season after getting surgery to repair the fractured finger he suffered in Sunday's loss to the Broncos.
🏈 Araiza lawsuit dropped: A woman who alleged she was sexually assaulted by Matt Araiza has dropped her civil suit against the former NFL punter, who was cut by the Bills in 2022 after the lawsuit was filed.
🏀 Offensive explosion: The LSU women annihilated McNeese State, 133-44, on Tuesday, setting the program record for points and margin of victory.
🏀🏒 WIZARDS, CAPITALS SET TO LEAVE D.C. FOR VIRGINIA
Virginia is the largest state without a major sports team that plays within its borders. Soon, it appears the Commonwealth will have two — and maybe even three.
What's happening: The Wizards and Capitals are set to announce this morning that they're moving from Washington, D.C., to Alexandria, Virginia, sources tell Yahoo Sports, echoing reports from the Washington Post and Axios.
Virginia lawmakers voted Monday in favor of a deal to lure the teams away from D.C.'s Chinatown neighborhood to Potomac Yard in Alexandria, where they'd anchor a new entertainment hub.
Ted Leonsis, whose company Monumental Sports & Entertainment owns both franchises, is expected to unveil the plans at an event this morning alongside Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
In what looks like an 11th hour Hail Mary to keep the teams in the nation's capital, the D.C. mayor's office announced last night that it would give Leonsis $500 million to help renovate the outdated Capital One Arena (built in 1997).
When would this happen? Monumental's Capital One lease expires in 2027, so the teams wouldn't move until 2028. That gives them roughly four years to build the new arena and surrounding development, which reportedly includes a separate music venue.
The big picture: The Washington, D.C., metro area — colloquially known as the "DMV" for D.C., Maryland and Virginia — is engaged in a game of musical chairs with its sports teams.
While the Wizards and Capitals look set to leave D.C. for Virginia, the Commanders could leave Maryland to move back to D.C.
The NFL franchise played at RFK Stadium from 1961-1996 before moving to FedExField in Landover, Maryland. Now that Dan Snyder is out, D.C. is making a push to bring them back.
Virginia is also a candidate to land the Commanders. Legislators tried to lure them last year with $1 billion in tax revenue for a new stadium but plans fell apart. The arrival of the Wizards and Capitals could reignite momentum.
What's at stake: To some extent, the state (or district) these teams call home is a matter of semantics. It's the same metro area, they all represent "Washington," and these stadium sites are within a few miles of each other. But these cross-border moves have major implications for taxpayers, fans, politicians and various other parties.
The departure of the Wizards and Capitals would be devastating for downtown D.C. On the flip side, it'd be a major win for Youngkin and Potomac Yard, which just got a new metro stop.
Virginians — proud to finally have sports teams on their turf — would embrace them more than ever, but fan interest and attendance could dip among D.C. residents and Maryland natives.
In the case of the Commanders, moving back to RFK would connect them to the nation's capital in a way they haven't been for decades. They'd be "D.C.'s team" again, while ceding the state of Maryland back to the Ravens.
The bottom line: Sports teams moving around the DMV isn't a bombshell relocation story (see: A's leaving Oakland for Las Vegas). But it's a story, nonetheless.
🥇 A TRANSATLANTIC OLYMPICS? WHY IT COULD HAPPEN IN 2026
The Olympics — or, at least, a few events' worth — could be coming to the U.S. in 2026, writes Yahoo Sports' Jay Busbee.
What's happening: Italy is facing financial troubles in preparing for the 2026 Winter Games, and could effectively outsource one of the trickier infrastructure elements: the massive sliding facility used for luge, skeleton and bobsled events.
Officials involved in the organization of the Milan-Cortina Games had initially planned to spend $60 million to rehabilitate the classic Eugenio Monti facility, built for the 1956 Winter Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
But the project received no construction bids, and a proposal to use a shuttered track in Cesena used for the 2006 Turin Games didn't take off. The cost of rehabilitating the Monti facility is now pegged at $160 million, and as a result, organizers are looking elsewhere.
One possible solution: Lake Placid, New York, which hosted the Winter Olympics in 1932 and 1980. The proposal notes "one degree of separation" between the two locations — Lake Placid is at 44 degrees North latitude, while Cortina is 45 degrees.
This would be unprecedented: No Winter Olympic events have ever been held outside the host country's borders. Next summer, the surfing competition at the Paris Games will be held 10,000 miles away in Tahiti, which offers much better surfing options than France.
🏒 AMERICAN SNIPERS: BOESER, MATTHEWS ON TOP
For just the second time in NHL history, the first two 20-goal scorers of the season are U.S.-born players.
Minnesota native Brock Boeser (Canucks) netted a hat trick on Tuesday to give him a league-best 21 goals.
Arizona native Auston Matthews (Maple Leafs) scored twice to give him 21 goals of his own.
The last time this happened? 25 years ago. Massachusetts native Tony Amonte (Blackhawks) and Vermont native John LeClair (Flyers) were the first to 20 goals during the 1998-99 season.
By the numbers: Canada has the most active NHL players, representing 42% of the league. The U.S. is second at 29%, followed by Sweden (9%), Russia (6%) and Finland (5%).
🏈 NFL POWER RANKINGS: CROWDED AT THE TOP
A foursome of 10-3 teams sit atop our NFL power rankings with a month left in the regular season, Jeff writes.
Top 10: The Cowboys and Eagles swapped spots after Dallas beat Philly on Sunday night, the suddenly frisky Bills are back in the top five, and the Browns and Bengals have joined the party behind a pair of unlikely QBs in Joe Flacco and Jake Browning.
49ers: 10-3 (–)
Cowboys: 10-3 (up 2)
Ravens: 10-3 (–)
Eagles: 10-3 (down 2)
Bills: 7-6 (up 3)
Dolphins: 9-4 (down 1)
Chiefs: 8-5 (–)
Lions: 9-4 (down 2)
Browns: 8-5 (up 6)
Bengals: 7-6 (up 3)
Elsewhere: The first-place Bucs jumped four spots with a win over the Falcons, the Vikings jumped five spots after winning 3-0 over the Raiders (who fell five spots), and the reeling Chargers fell five spots after falling to the Broncos — and losing Justin Herbert to a fractured finger.
This week's slate: Week 15 brings the first three Saturday games of the season: Vikings at Bengals, Steelers at Colts and Broncos at Lions. Plus, the Raiders host the Chargers on Thursday night, the Jaguars host the Ravens on Sunday night, and the Seahawks host the Eagles on Monday night.
🌎 THE WORLD IN PHOTOS
Phoenix — Two weeks after returning from suspension for putting Rudy Gobert in a chokehold, Draymond Green was ejected for swinging at Suns center Jusuf Nurkić in a Warriors loss.
Manchester, England — Manchester United limped out of the Champions League group stage on Tuesday with a 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich, the latest reminder of how far the once-great institution has fallen.
Dharamsala, India — Novice monks (those who intend to become monks) play cricket at Kirti Monastery, which dates back to 1472.
📆 DEC. 13, 1983: SO MANY POINTS
40 years ago today, the Pistons beat the Nuggets, 186-184 (3OT)*, in the highest-scoring game in NBA history, Jeff writes.
The top five: It's one of five NBA games ever to eclipse 320 total points.
Pistons 186, Nuggets 184 (3OT): 370 points (Dec. 13, 1983)
Kings 176, Clippers 175 (2OT): 351 points (Feb. 24, 2023)
Spurs 171, Bucks 166 (3OT): 337 points (March 6, 1982)
Bulls 168, Hawks 161 (4OT): 329 points (March 1, 2019)
Warriors 162, Nuggets 158: 320 points (Nov. 2, 1990)
🏈 1997: Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson became the first and only defensive player to win the Heisman.
💉 2007: The Mitchell Report named 89 MLB players (including superstars like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens) who allegedly used steroids.
*A different era: There were just two made three-pointers in this game, with each team going 1-for-2 from behind the arc.
📺 WATCHLIST: LEBRON VS. WEMBY
Victor Wembanyama came into the league as the most hyped prospect since LeBron James. Tonight (8pm ET, NBA), they play each other for the first time, Jeff writes.
The matchup: Wembanyama has been as advertised*, but his Spurs (3-19) are mired in a franchise-worst 17-game losing streak. LeBron and the Lakers (14-9) just won the inaugural In-Season Tournament and have won 12 of their last 16 games.
More to watch:
⚽️ Champions League: Matchday 6 (12:45-3pm, Paramount+) … Eight games to conclude the group stage.
⚽️ Women's Champions League: Matchday 3 (12:45-3pm, YouTube) … Four games.
🏒 NHL: Bruins at Devils (7pm, TNT/Max); Sabres at Avalanche (9:30pm, TNT/Max)
🏀 NCAAM: No. 8 Creighton at UNLV (9pm, CBSSN)
🏀 NCAAW: No. 20 Creighton at No. 19 Marquette (8pm, FloHoops); No. 5 Texas at Arizona (9pm, Pac-12)
*By the numbers: Wembanyama leads all rookies in points (18.8), rebounds (10.6), steals (1.2) and blocks (2.8) per game.
👋 TRIVIA: SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS
Got a great trivia question? Send it to me at kendall.baker@yahooinc.com along with your name and location so we can shout you out if we use it. Thanks!
🍿 NOW STREAMING: "UNDER PRESSURE"
"Under Pressure," a new docuseries about the USWNT's emotional journey to (and shocking exit from) the 2023 World Cup, is out now on Netflix.
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