Hall of Fame cap saga ends for Andre Dawson

The Baseball Hall of Fame announced Wednesday that it has allowed Andre Dawson to recast his plaque without a logo on his cap.

Dawson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010 with his plaque sporting a Montreal Expos logo. The blank cap option was not offered until four years later.

"The Hall of Fame Board of Directors voted unanimously to provide Andre Dawson with the option of having no logo on his Hall of Fame plaque, which will be recast to reflect his wishes," Baseball Hall of Fame chairman of the board Jane Forbes Clark said in a statement. "This decision gives Andre a choice that he would have taken if it had been available when he was elected in 2010, just four years prior to the formal implementation of that alternative."

Per the Baseball Hall of Fame, no other changes will be made to the plaque.

"I extend special thanks with much appreciation to the Hall of Fame Board of Directors for a blank cap, which allows me to represent each club fairly," Dawson said, per the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Advertisement

Dawson, 71, played his first 11 Major League Baseball seasons with the Expos before joining the Chicago Cubs as a free agent in 1987. He won the National League MVP in his first season with the Cubs and spent six seasons in Chicago before finishing his career with two-year stints with the Boston Red Sox and then-Florida Marlins.

"I always felt that I was a Cub in the Hall of Fame, I just had the 'M' on the cap," Dawson said Wednesday, per the Chicago Sun-Times. "That's what I always related to. That's where my heart was.

"... All along, I just felt that the process should have allowed me to have some sort of say so. And for years, I just disregarded trying to entertain it at all. It was what it was. And once the protocol started to change, where players were picking they didn't want to wear an emblem, I felt that I just needed to right the wrong. Because I wasn't given that opportunity, against what my wishes would have been."

An eight-time All-Star and eight-time Gold Glove winner, Dawson batted .279 with 438 homers and 1,591 RBIs in 2,627 career games with the Expos, Cubs, Red Sox and Marlins.

--Field Level Media

byGreen Magazine

in

2:22:00 PM

Hall of Fame cap saga ends for Andre Dawson

The Baseball Hall of Fame announced Wednesday that it has allowed Andre Dawson to recast his plaque without a logo on his...

Read More

NFL free agents signings − 26 best available players as market officially opens

Happy new year – meaning theNFL's 2026 league year, the glitzy pigskin finally dropping at 4 p.m. ET on March 11.

What does that mean?Transactions, baby. Previously agreed-upon trades –but not the Maxx Crosby one– can now be executed and players on now-expired contracts may sign new ones at any point, whether negotiated over the past two days or at any point moving forward.

But as free agencyofficiallystarts, the majority of this year's best available talent is already spoken for. But there are a few gems fromUSA TODAY Sports' list of top 100 free agents in 2026still awaiting their next team. Here are the 26 best who are still available in 2026, those with agreed-upon deals or franchise/transition tags no longer listed (*expected to be released at start of new league year):

OT Tytus Howard: Traded to Cleveland Browns (previous team: Houston Texans)

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> CB Trent McDuffie: Traded to Los Angeles Rams (previous team: Kansas City Chiefs)

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> RB David Montgomery: Traded to Houston Texans (previous team: Detroit Lions)

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> WR DJ Moore: Traded to Buffalo Bills (previous team: Chicago Bears)

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

2026 NFL offseason tracker: Player signings, trades

OT Tytus Howard:Traded to Cleveland Browns(previous team: Houston Texans)

1. OT Rasheed Walker

He's been a solid, if unspectacular, starter for the Packers since 2023. But serviceable, 26-year-old left tackles don't grow on trees and tend to get paid outrageously well − maybe especially so in a year when there aren't any blue-chip incomers in the draft.

2. QB Kyler Murray*

Heoffered a digital goodbye on Xamid reports on March 3 that the Arizona Cardinals would officially release the No. 1 overall pick of the 2019 draft. An Offensive Rookie of the Year and two-time Pro Bowler, Murray's talent has never been in question. But his durability and work ethic have been at issue during his career, and his play plateaued even though former coach Kliff Kingsbury's offense was supposed to optimize Murray's abilities. Murray will be 29 when Week 1 rolls around and maybe he becomes the league's latest successful franchise QB turnaround project if he lands in the right spot. If he doesn't? His days as a starter could be numbered.

3. WR Jauan Jennings

A 6-3, 212-pounder, the 28-year-old caught 132 balls (15 for TDs) over the past two seasons for the San Francisco 49ers. Jennings' roots as a quarterback also make him quite a threat on trick plays. He's also the proverbial dog that some locker rooms covet ... and others won't.

4. QB Aaron Rodgers

Last season was his best since 2021, his most recent MVP effort. Hard to imagine the 42-year-old legend playing anywhere besides the Pittsburgh Steelers, who just hired Mike McCarthy,formerly Rodgers' coach in Green Bay.

5. QB Kirk Cousins*

Given the structure of his reworked deal, the Falcons basically had to let him go. More than a year removed from Achilles surgery, Cousins, 37, looked more like himself last season – after replacing injured Michael Penix Jr. – than he did in 2024. He could be a valued for stopgap for several teams.

6. DE/OLB Joey Bosa

He'll be 31 this season and has a checkered injury history. But Bosa's 2025 campaign with the Buffalo Bills was his best since 2021. He had five sacks and 43 pressures in 15 games and led the league with five forced fumbles. He'd be wise to find a home where his snaps can be maximized but limited.

7. LB Bobby Wagner

He doesn't play a premium position, and he's 35 – not that you'd know it. A great leader and great guy who should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he's done, championship-aspiring teams should be lining up to sign him.

8. OLB/DE Bradley Chubb*

After missing the entire 2024 season while recovering from a torn ACL, the 29-year-old had 8½ sacks and 54 pressures for the Miami Dolphins in 2025. The two-time Pro Bowler should be even better in 2026.

Update −signing with Bills:3 years, $43.5 million ($29M guaranteed)

9. WR Stefon Diggs*

He was a big reason the New England Patriots reached the Super Bowl, finishing with 85 catches and more than 1,000 yards the season after he suffered a torn ACL. However Diggs will turn 33 next season, and his pending legal issues will give any team some level of pause.

10. DL Calais Campbell

Even at 39, he continues to be a phenomenal player and leader – one who remarkably hasn't missed a game since 2022.

11. CB Cobie Durant

The 28-year-old has allowed a 54% completion rate on passes thrown in his direction the past two years as a full-time starter for the Rams.

12. S Jaquan Brisker

Not a lot of flash, but a 26-year-old who started in Chicago for four years can stabilize the back end of a defense.

Advertisement

13. DE-OLB Al-Quadin Muhammad

He's nearly 31 but picked the right time to have a career season – registering 11 sacks and 59 pressures for the Detroit Lions in 2025, by far personal bests. TBD how much his outlier season and age will allow Muhammad to cash in.

14. WR Deebo Samuel

He's a big name. He's also 30, isn't a polished receiver and has averaged fewer than 900 yards from scrimmage over the past four years in what's largely a play-making role. He has handled kickoffs the past two years, a factor that boosts his value.

15. RB Rachaad White

He had more than 1,500 yards from scrimmage for the Bucs in 2023 but was overtaken on the depth chart by Bucky Irving in 2024. But White, 27, who's also averaged more than 50 receptions during his four-year career, should find a significant role elsewhere.

16. TE Dallas Goedert

He's 31 but also coming off one of his best seasons, his 11 TDs and 60 catches in 2025 both career highs. Blocking isn't the longtime Eagle's forte …the "Tush Push" notwithstanding.

17. DE/OLB Jadeveon Clowney

Something of a mercenary at age 33, the No. 1 pick of the 2014 draft had 8½ sacks and 38 pressures for the Cowboys last season despite playing about half of his typical snap count. He can also still set a nice edge.

18. DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson

He's 28, versatile and knows how to get underneath an opponent's skin … though that's also sometimes true of his own teams, too.

19. LT Taylor Decker*

He'll be 33 at the start of the 2026 season but good luckfinding a better stopgap guyto man the blind side.

20. G Kevin Zeitler

He'll be 36 next month. Otherwise? Still plug and play – at a very high level.

21. CB Rasul Douglas

He bounced back nicely after a rough 2024 campaign in Buffalo. A big (6-2, 209) corner with 21 career picks shouldn't be unemployed for long, even at 30.

22. TE David Njoku

He's still a physical marvel at 29, good for around 50 grabs, 600 yards and a handful of TDs annually. And unlike a lot of tight ends nowadays, he's also effective in-line as a blocker.

23. DT DJ Reader

Even at 31, the 6-3, 330-pounder can still crush a pocket – especially if his snaps are used judiciously.

24. TE Jonnu Smith

He had a career year for Miami in 2024, but his numbers plummeted in Pittsburgh's tight end-heavy offense in 2025. But Smith is only 30 and should find a soft landing somewhere.

25. WR Brandon Aiyuk*

He was a 1,300-yard receiver in 2023. He tore up his knee in 2024. He didn't play in 2025 and basically ghosted the 49ers, leading the team to void $27 million of Aiyuk's guaranteed money. His talent and behavior will make for quite the cost-benefit analysis for potentially interested teams.

26. OLB/DE Arnold Ebiketie

He's 27 and has shown the ability to get to the quarterback (130 total pressures) during his four-year career. But he hasn't proven he can be any more than rotational defender with only 12 starts to his credit.

All NFL news on and off the field.Sign upfor USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NFL free agency: Best available players as 2026 market officially opens

byGreen Magazine

in

2:22:00 PM

NFL free agents signings − 26 best available players as market officially opens

Happy new year – meaning theNFL's 2026 league year, the glitzy pigskin finally dropping at 4 p.m. ET on March 11. ...

Read More

Iran's sports minister says national soccer team will decline World Cup invite

Iran will not participate in the World Cup this summer amid the ongoing U.S. and Israeli-ledstrikes on the nation, the country's sports minister said Wednesday.

Ahmad Donyamali, Iran's minister of Sport and Youth, made the announcement via the official state Islamic Republic News Agency, calling the conditions unsuitable for Iranian participation in the event.Iran's soccer team wasslatedto kick off itsWorld Cupcompetition June 15 in Los Angeles, facing off against New Zealand, the first of three scheduled group play matches.

US placed in favorable World Cup group: What to know and how to get tickets

The FIFA website still lists the match on its official schedule for that day.

"What has happened in the past few months shows that the conditions for our national football team to participate in the World Cup do not exist and this team will not participate in the upcoming event," Donyamali said in a statement, according to IRNA.

In a separate statement to the semi-official Iranian Students' News Agency on Wednesday, Donyamali said "a rogue country is hosting the World Cup," adding that "we expect FIFA to react to this."

"Given that a corrupt government has come and assassinated our leader, we are not in a position to attend the World Cup," Donyamali stated, according to ISNA. "Our team members have no security at all to attend the World Cup."

The United States is co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with Canada and Mexico, with matches being played across all three North American nations.

President Donald Trump met with FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Tuesday and told him that the Iranian soccer team is welcome to participate atthis year's World Cup, a White House official and a source familiar with the conversation told ABC News.

How much is the war with Iran costing the US?

Sources described it as a "long" meeting that included the White House's World Cup task force executive director Andrew Giuliani, the son of former New York City mayor and former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

The Iranian women's soccer team has also faced uncertainty due to the ongoing war.

Seven members of theIranian women's national soccer teamwere granted asylum in Australia this week, as international concern grew around the fate of the team, who had been playing in a tournament there when the U.S. war with Iran started.

The team had faced criticism from Iranian state media after some of its players refused to sing along with their country's national anthem ahead of their March 2 match against South Korea.

FIFA has not yet responded to ABC News' request for comment.

ABC News' Nicholas Kerr contributed to this report.

byGreen Magazine

in

2:22:00 PM

Iran's sports minister says national soccer team will decline World Cup invite

Iran will not participate in the World Cup this summer amid the ongoing U.S. and Israeli-ledstrikes on the nation, the...

Read More

FBI warns Iran aspired to attack California with drones in retaliation for war: Alert

The FBI warned police departments in California in recent days that Iran could retaliate for American attacks by launching drones at the West Coast, according to an alert reviewed by ABC News.

"We recently acquired information that as of early February 2026, Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United State Homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the US conducted strikes against Iran," according to the alert distributed at the end of February. "We have no additional information on the timing, method, target, or perpetrators of this alleged attack."

Iran war live updates

The warning came just as the Trump administration launched its ongoing assault against the Islamic Republic. Iran has been retaliating with drone strikes against targets throughout the Mideast.

A spokeswoman for the FBI office in LA declined to comment.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

U.S. intelligence officials have also grown concerned in recent months about the expanding use of drones by Mexican drug cartels and the chance the technology could be used to attack American forces and personnel near the Mexican border.

"An uncorroborated report suggested that unidentified Mexican cartel leaders had authorized attacks using UAS (drones) carrying explosives against US law enforcement and US military personnel along the US-Mexico border," according to a September 2025 bulletin reviewed by ABC News. "This type of attack against US personnel or interests inside the United States would be unprecedented but exemplifies a plausible scenario, although (cartels) typically avoid actions that would result in unwanted attention or responses from US authorities."

Advertisement

California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office told ABC News: "The Governor's Office of Emergency Services is actively working with state, local and federal security officials to protect our communities."

And the LA Sheriff's Department said that "in light of current global events" it is maintaining an "elevated level of readiness."

"Out of an abundance of caution, and in recognition of current religious observances, the Department has continued increased patrols around places of worship, cultural institutions, and other prominent locations throughout the County," the department said in a statement.

"We have proactively reviewed our deployment plans, enhanced coordination with our patrol stations, and ensured that additional resources are available should they be needed."

ABC News contributor John Cohen, the former head of intelligence for the Department of Homeland Security, said he is concerned about the possibility of drone warfare coming from both the Pacific and Mexico.

Iran may be activating sleeper cells outside the country, alert says

"We know Iran has an extensive presence in Mexico and South America, they have relationships, they have the drones and now they have the incentive to conduct attacks," Cohen said. "The FBI is smart for putting this warning out so that state and locals can be better able to prepare and respond to these types of threats. Information like this is critically important for law enforcement."

While the FBI's warning did not specify how or when vessels carrying attack drones could get close enough to the U.S. mainland, intelligence officials have long been concerned about equipment being pre-positioned – either on land or on ships at sea -- in the event Israel or the U.S. struck Iran.

byGreen Magazine

in

1:42:00 PM

FBI warns Iran aspired to attack California with drones in retaliation for war: Alert

The FBI warned police departments in California in recent days that Iran could retaliate for American attacks by launchin...

Read More

Homeland Security pushes for access to restricted federal database on child support, employment information for millions

The Department of Homeland Security is seeking to gain access to a trove of federal information that is intended to support the collection of child support payments but could potentially be used forimmigration enforcementpurposes, according to three sources familiar with the talks who describe the move as unprecedented.

The data — which includes both information on people who pay child support and employment information for a much wider universe of people — is stored within the Health and Human Services Department and is used to collect child support payments. The request has prompted concerns among current and former HHS officials over whether Homeland Security would use legally restricted information that has historically been legally restricted for the administration's immigration crackdown — and, in turn, sow distrust in a critical program.

It's only the latest in a series of attempts by the Trump administration to use data stored in various federal agencies to potentially find undocumented immigrants residing in the United States.

Last year, for example, the Internal Revenue Service began sharing sensitive taxpayer data with immigration authorities to assist the search for undocumented immigrants. A federal judgeblockedthat information sharing late last year, ruling that it violated taxpayer privacy laws, but the administration is appealing.

Sources told CNN that DHS has requested access to the Federal Parent Locator Service, which is a set of databases at HHS that includes sensitive information on millions of Americans for the purpose of child support payment collection. One of those databases is the National Directory of New Hires, which contains employment details even for people with no nexus to child support though their information is eventually wiped.

"For the (National Directory of New Hires), it's a general population database of all US workers in the country whether or not they have anything to do with child support," said Vicki Turetsky, who served as commissioner of HHS' child support enforcement from 2009 to 2016. "All American workers would have their data exposed through the NDNH should DHS get ahold of it."

While immigration status is not included in the data collection, it could be inferred by who does or doesn't have a social security number. Undocumented immigrants can receive child support because it's not a public benefit, nor paid by the taxpayer.

The White House referred CNN to DHS and HHS for comment.

"ACF has not received a request by DHS to access the Federal Parent Locator Service. We remain committed to look for ways to take a whole of government approach and break down information silos within the bounds of existing law," an HHS spokesperson told CNN in a statement, referring to an internal agency within the department.

Advertisement

Attempts by DHS to access information from multiple federal agencies have come in a variety of forms, including discussions with officials and through documents known as memorandums of understanding.

DHS has not responded to requests for comment. ProPublicaearlier reportedon the request by DHS.

Multiple sources told CNN that the DHS request would likely be in violation of federal law, which explicitly states how the information is handled and who is authorized to do so. DHS is not an authorized user and immigration enforcement is not an authorized use, according to former HHS officials.

It's unclear whether DHS will succeed in accessing the databases.

The IRS-ICEcollaboration,meanwhile, was troubled from the start. ICE requested address information last year for nearly 1.3 million suspected undocumented immigrants but only got data from the IRS for about 47,000 taxpayers. And the IRSacknowledgedin court last month that it made a mistake and shouldn't have turned over data for approximately 2,000 of those taxpayers.

Last year, Democratic Sens. Ron Wyden and Sheldon Whitehouse alsoraised alarmover Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency attempting to access the national child support database, noting that it contains identifying information of Americans. It's unclear whether DOGE ultimately accessed the data.

This article has been updated with additional developments.

CNN's Marshall Cohen contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

byGreen Magazine

in

1:42:00 PM

Homeland Security pushes for access to restricted federal database on child support, employment information for millions

The Department of Homeland Security is seeking to gain access to a trove of federal information that is intended to suppo...

Read More