Mickey Togs

The Huskies defeated the Purdue Boilermakers, 75-60, during the March Madness Tournament Final at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Senior guard Tristen Newton led UConn with a team-best 20 points and seven assists, while also recording five rebounds, earning the award for Most Outstanding Player for the Final Four for the second consecutive year. 

Four of the Huskies’ starters scored in double figures, with guard Stephon Castle scoring 15 points, center Donovan Clingan recording 11 and guard Cam Spencer scoring 11 points, while also recording a team-best eight rebounds. Purdue senior Zach Edey, the two-time reigning National College Player of the Year, recorded a game-high 37 points and 10 rebounds.

Last year, head coach Dan Hurley became the third coach to lead the Huskies to a national championship, following Jim Calhoun (1999, 2004, 2011) and Kevin Ollie (2014). UConn is now tied with North Carolina with six national titles, trailing only UCLA (11) and Kentucky (8).

Panda Express has teamed up with Hot Ones for the introduction of new Blazing Bourbon Chicken.

The American Chinese fast food restaurant announced a collaboration with popular YouTube series Hot Ones to unleash what’s being dubbed the “spiciest dish to date.”

Blazing Bourbon Chicken features crispy boneless chicken bites and fresh veggies all wok-tossed in a spicy and sweet bourbon sauce alongside the signature Hot Ones Last Dab Apollo hot sauce, and is topped with sesame seeds.

You can find Blazing Bourbon Chicken at participating locations nationwide.

The resolve and resiliency the Rangers have shown in the previous few weeks came out too little, too late in a 5-2 loss to the Penguins at Madison Square Garden, bringing the Blueshirts’ impressive five-game win streak to a halt.

It was the Rangers’ fifth loss since the start of March, when the club went 10-3-1 while facing some of the top teams in the NHL.

The Penguins, who were ranked 22nd in the league and second-to-last in the Metropolitan Division at the start of the game, are not the team they were just two seasons ago — when they lost a 3-1 series lead on the Rangers in the first round of the 2022 playoffs.

But Pittsburgh looked like a team fighting for its pride, while the Rangers didn’t look like they were fighting for anything at all.

“It seemed like it wasn’t our night overall,” Jimmy Vesey said. “Can’t spot a team two goals and expect to win in this league. I think going down two that early kind of changes the whole dynamic of the game. Just a few too many mistakes tonight.”

The Mets are adding two very notable names to their list of retired numbers.

The team will retire both Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden’s numbers during separate pregame ceremonies during the 2024 season.

There are five other players whose numbers the Mets have retired: Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza, Jerry Koosman, Keith Hernandez and Willie Mays.

“I’m thrilled that two iconic members of the 1986 championship club will have their numbers retired in 2024,” Mets owner Steve Cohen said in a statement. 

“Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden each had an enormous impact on our franchise and it’s my honor to continue our commitment to celebrating our wonderful history.”

Strawberry debuted in 1983 and took home NL Rookie of the Year honors. 

He spent eight seasons with the team, earning seven All-Star selections and breaking the team record for all-time home runs with 252.

Gooden debuted in 1984 and dazzled over 11 years in Queens, with the highlight coming in 1985 when he won the NL Cy Young Award after winning the pitching triple crown, leading the league in wins (24), ERA (1.53) and strikeouts (268).

Gooden won 157 games in a Mets uniform and posted a 3.10 ERA.

The New York Yankees defeated the Houston Astros, 7-1 at Minute Maid Park, relying on some stingy pitching while taking advantage of some costly mistakes from their opponents.

Though the Astros led 1-0 for the first six innings of the game, this Yankees squad once again showed they have the ability to rally late in games, getting some major production from the bottom of the lineup.

Oswaldo Cabrera and Juan Soto led the way in the late-game heroics, getting the Yankees off to a 2-0 start to the season and guaranteeing at least a split of the four-game series.

Manager Aaron Boone is thrilled to see Cabrera’s strong start after he struggled early this spring.

“He’s delivered,” Boone said. “In these first two games he’s been right in the middle of everything. And it’s so good to see him swinging the bat like this and contributing offensively like this because then he becomes so valuable.”

New York starter Carlos Rodón allowed five hits and a run with three walks in 4 innings, and Clayton Beeter, a 25-year-old right-hander, made his major league debut for the Yankees with a one-hit ninth.

Simply, the Mets got over-matched by Freddy Peralta and the Brewers bullpen, falling silent in a 3-1 Opening Day loss before a Citi Field sellout crowd of 42,137.

Starling Marte’s second-inning homer provided hope for the afternoon. 

It turned out to be the Mets’ only hit. Masters of Opening Day, the Mets lost their first opener since 2019 in Washington.

The homer was Marte’s first since July 4 of last season. It marked the third straight season in which Marte homered in the Mets’ first home game.

Marte’s shot into the wind on this day registered 109 mph off the bat. It was one of the limited opportunities for Mets fans to cheer as the offense stumbled out of the gate, striking out eight times against the Brewers ace and twice more against the Brewers bullpen.

DJ Stewart and Francisco Lindor were the only other Mets to reach base, with walks in the second and seventh innings.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have fired Shohei Ohtani‘s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, amid allegations of a “massive theft” of millions, multiple sources confirmed to ESPN.

Mizuhara, 39, a longtime friend of the two-time American League MVP, reportedly sent $4.5 million from Ohtani’s bank account to a Southern California bookmaking operation currently under federal investigation. The interpreters firing came after reporters asked questions about the wire transfers.

A spokesperson for Ohtani claimed the baseball player transferred the funds to cover Mizuhara’s gambling debt. The spokesman would later disavow Mizuhara’s account of the incident and said Ohtani’s lawyers would prepare a statement.

“In the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft, and we are turning the matter over to the authorities.”  

Ohtani’s spokesman declined additional questions regarding the incident and didn’t specify when they believe the alleged theft took place.

Panera celebrates all things salad with the introduction of the new Southwest Caesar Salad with Chicken alongside the return of its signature Strawberry Poppyseed Salad.

The new Southwest Caesar Salad with Chicken features crisp romaine tossed in Caesar dressing, with a drizzle of chipotle aioli and the crunch of blue corn tortilla strips. Raised without antibiotics grilled chicken breast, chunks of fresh avocado, grated parmesan cheese, and cilantro top off the new dish.

In addition to the new Southwest Caesar Salad with Chicken, Panera is welcoming back the Strawberry Poppyseed Salad.

The Strawberry Poppyseed Salad features romaine lettuce, chicken raised without antibiotics, mandarin oranges, fresh strawberries, pineapple and blueberries, tossed with Panera’s poppyseed dressing and topped with roasted pecan pieces.

Burger King offers a new twist on its signature Whopper sandwich with the introduction of the new Candied Bacon Whopper.

The Candied Bacon Whopper item features sweet bacon jam, garlic aioli, candied bacon and crispy onions — alongside a half-pound beef patty, lettuce and tomato — all sandwiched between BK’s classic seeded bun.

You can find the new Candied Bacon Whopper now at participating BK locations nationwide for a limited time while supplies last.

Entenmann’s offers a new twist on an old-fashioned donut with the introduction of new Donut Cakes.

Baked Donut Cakes are old-fashioned style donuts available in two flavors, Cinnamon & Sugar and Double Chocolate Chip.

• Cinnamon and Sugar Donut Cakes feature baked, moist golden cake donuts made with real cinnamon and just the right amount of sugar on the outside.
• Double Chocolate Chip Donut Cakes features baked, moist cake donuts made with real chocolate.

Entenmann’s Donut Cakes are available in boxes of six and are individually wrapped for freshness and on the go convenience.

You can find Donut Cakes now on the shelves of select retailers nationwide.