Where March Madness legends are today, from Kevin Pittsnogle to Jack Gohlke

Though theNCAA men's basketball tournamentis designed to produce a national champion, it's just as effective at creating stars.

The stakes and pressure of a single-elimination tournament can turn once-anonymous figures who spent much of their careers toiling in obscurity into celebrities in an instant, with the fame from theirone shining momentstaying with them long after they've finished playing.

It's not always players who are immortalized, either. There are coaches, of course, but also unsuspecting fans, student managers and even team chaplains.

REQUIRED READING:March Madness bracketology: Latest NCAA tournament bubble predictions

The2026 NCAA Tournamentwill tip off in just over a week, with 68 teams from across the country vying for a national championship — or, if not that, the chance to be remembered forever in the sport. Over three weeks of games, buzzers will be beaten, Goliaths will be toppled and cult heroes will be born.

As we prepare for the madness of this March, here's a look back at some of the biggest NCAA Tournament legends over the past 30 years and what they're up to now:

Biggest March Madness icons

Ali Farokhmanesh

Back then: Drained one of the biggest "no, no, yes!" shots in NCAA Tournament history, sinking a 3-pointer early in the shot clock rather than bleeding out the clock with a one-point lead and 35 seconds remaining in Northern Iowa's 69-67 second-round win against No. 1 overall seed Kansas in 2010.

Now: After spending 11 seasons as an assistant at Nebraska, Drake andColorado State, the 37-year-old Farokhmanesh is in his first season as Colorado State's head coach. TheRamsare 20-10 heading into their regular-season finale on Saturday, March 7.

Kris Jenkins

Back then: Jenkins delivered the exclamation point for maybe the most thrilling end to a national championship game in NCAA Tournament history, burying a 3-pointer as time expired to deliver Villanova a 77-74 victory over North Carolina in 2016. It was the Wildcats' first national title since 1985.

Now: After a brief professional career overseas and in the G League, Jenkins returned to Villanova in February 2020 in a student-athlete development role.

Bryce Drew

Back then: Drew hit one of the most famous buzzer-beaters ever in the NCAA Tournament, sinking a 3 following a great play off a full-court heave to lift No. 13 seed Valparaiso to a 70-69 upset over No. 4 seed Mississippi in 1998. He added 22 points in a second-round overtime win against Florida State, sending Valpo to its first and only Sweet 16 in program history.

Now: After playing six seasons in the NBA, he returned to Valparaiso, where he coached under his father, Homer, before succeeding him as head coach in 2011. He spent five seasons at Valpo before moving to Vanderbilt, where he was fired after three seasons. He's currently in his sixth season as head coach at Grand Canyon, where he has gone 139-51.

Kevin Pittsnogle

Back then: The 6-foot-11, tattooed West Virginia native won the hearts of millions during the 2005 NCAA Tournament, when he led his home state university all the way to the Elite Eight behind his rare blend of size and outside shooting touch, as well as his unforgettable last name that became a verb for fans across the country. He returned to the Mountaineers the following year, averaging nearly 20 points per game and earning All-American honors.

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Now: Pittsnogle bounced between jobs after a brief professional basketball career before earning his master's degree in special education. He's currently the principal at North Middle School in his hometown of Martinsburg, West Virginia.

D.J. Burns

Back then: No player embodied NC State's stunning run to the 2024 Final Four as a No. 11 seed more than Burns, the 6-foot-9, 275-pound forward with a portly frame but immaculate footwork and touch around the basket. His March magic was highlighted by a 29-point performance against Duke in the Elite Eight, which sent the Wolfpack to their first Final Four since 1983.

Now: Despite his March Madness heroics, Burns went undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft. He played last season with the Goyang Sono Skygunners in South Korea and is now in his first season with Bnei Herzliya in Israel.

God Shammgod

Back then: With one of the most unforgettable names in college basketball history, Shammgod piloted a Providence team that made the Elite Eight as a No. 10 seed in 1997. He's perhaps most known today for "the Shammgod," a dribbling maneuver that bears his name.

Now: Shammgod played professional basketball for 12 years, primarily overseas, and is in his first season as an assistant coach with the Orlando Magic. He was previously an assistant with the Dallas Mavericks from 2019-25.

Jack Gohlke

Back then: Only a year removed from playing Division III ball, Gohlke led No. 14 seed Oakland to a shocking 80-76 win over No. 3 seed Kentucky in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, scoring a season-high 32 points while making 10 of his 20 3s.

Now: Gohlke has been playing professionally since leaving Oakland and is currently in his first season with the Texas Legends, the G League affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks.

Tyus Edney

Back then: Edney was the catalyst of UCLA's national championship run in 1995, driving the length of the court in 4.8 seconds for a game-winning layup as time expired in a 75-74 victory against Missouri in the second round of the tournament. The 5-foot-10 point guard later averaged 21.5 points per game in the Elite Eight and Final Four.

Now: Following a 15-year professional career, Edney got into coaching, serving as an assistant at UCLA and San Diego. He's in his second season as an assistant at Pepperdine.

Spike Albrecht and Luke Hancock

Back then: Albrecht and Hancock traded baskets in a frenetic first half between Michigan and Louisville in the 2013 national championship game, combining for 33 points in the first half of the Cardinals' 82-76 victory. Hancock, who finished with 22 points for Louisville, was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player.

Now: Albrecht played three more seasons for Michigan before transferring to Purdue for his final college season. He later served as a graduate assistant at Purdue and, interestingly enough, Louisville. He's now the director of franchise development with the REP'M Group. Though his Louisville team had its title vacated by the NCAA, Hancock and four of his teammates successfully had all of their records, including Hancock's Final Four MOP, restored in 2019 in a lawsuit settlement. He currently works as an analyst for the ACC Network.

Doug Edert

Back then: Edert averaged only 9.5 points per game for a Saint Peter's team that made the 2022 NCAA Tournament, but he quickly became one of the sport's biggest stars that March, when the 6-foot-2 guard with the wispy mustache came off the bench to score 20 points in the No. 15 seed Peacocks' first-round upset over No. 2 seed Kentucky. He later helped Saint Peter's become the first No. 15 seed to make the Elite Eight, where it fell to North Carolina.

Now: Edert transferred after the 2021-22 season and played his final two years of college ball at Bryant. He's currently working as a basketball coach and trainer.

Steph Curry

Back then: Over a thrilling couple of weeks in March 2008, Curry went from being Dell Curry's rail-thin son to one of the biggest, most recognizable stars in college basketball. The once-overlooked sharpshooter scored a combined 103 points while leading No. 10 seed Davidson to upset wins over Gonzaga, Georgetown and Wisconsin on its way to the Elite Eight, where it narrowly lost to eventual national champion Kansas in a matchup in which Curry had a game-high 25 points.

Now: Honestly not sure. Hopefully he still gets the chance to lace his sneakers up every now and then.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:March Madness legends: What happened to NCAA Tournament standouts?

byVaclavien Pynzarien

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March 07, 2026

Where March Madness legends are today, from Kevin Pittsnogle to Jack Gohlke

Though theNCAA men's basketball tournamentis designed to produce a national champion, it's just as effective at c...

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Aaron Judge leads Team USA to World Baseball Classic opener win over Brazil

Aaron Judgewasted no time clubbing his first World Baseball Classic homer.

Judge, the Team USA captain, hit a first-inning two-run home run, while Brice Turang had three hits and four RBI to lead Team USA to a whopping winover Brazilin its World Baseball Classic opener Friday night.

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There was one out and one on in the first when Judge, the first player to commit to the team last April, connected off Bo Takahashi at Houston's Daikin Park.

Lucas Ramirez homered twice for Brazil with his father, 12-time All-Star Manny Ramirez, in attendance. He cut the lead to 2-1 with his leadoff homer, and his solo shot in the eighth got Brazil within 8-5.

When Does Team Usa Play In The World Baseball Classic? Here Are The Dates And Times

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At 20 years, 49 days, he became the youngest player in WBC history with a multi-homer game.

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Byron Buxtonwas hit by a pitch in the fifth to push the Americans' lead to 4-1. Turang cleared the bases with his double to left field two pitches later to make it 7-1.

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Brazil is in the WBC for just the second time and first since 2013. The team fell to 0-4 all-time in the tournament after losing to Japan, Cuba and China in 2013.

Another highlight for Brazil came when 17-year-old high school senior Joseph Contreras got Judge to ground into a bases-loaded double play to end the second inning. Contreras, the youngest player in the WBC this year, is the son of pitcher José Contreras, who played 11 MLB seasons.

Follow Fox News Digital'ssports coverage on X, and subscribe tothe Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Original article source:Aaron Judge leads Team USA to World Baseball Classic opener win over Brazil

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

March 07, 2026

Aaron Judge leads Team USA to World Baseball Classic opener win over Brazil

Aaron Judgewasted no time clubbing his first World Baseball Classic homer. Judge, the Team USA captain, hit a f...

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Olympic champion Pinheiro Braathen leads World Cup giant slalom with Odermatt fifth

KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia (AP) —Olympic champion Lucas Pinheiro Braathenwas fastest in the first run of a World Cup giant slalom on Saturday with Marco Odermatt almost one second back in fifth.

Slovenia World Cup Alpine Skiing

Pinheiro Braathen'shistoric gold-medal win for Brazillast month pushed Odermatt down to silver, and he is the Swiss star's closest challenger in theseason-long giant slalom standings.

On a sunny 4 Celsius (39 Fahrenheit) day in Slovenia, Pinheiro Braathen took a 0.14-second lead over Stefan Brennsteiner. Olympic bronze medalist Loïc Meillard was third with 0.35 to make up in the afternoon run.

Odermatt got the best snow conditions wearing the No. 1 start bib, but his time was 0.92 back.

The 28-year-old Swiss is chasing a fifth straight title in the giant slalom standings and started Saturday with a 103-point lead over Pinheiro Braathen and two races left.

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Pinheiro Braathen is on track to earn 100 points for the win with just the season-ending race March 25 at Hafjell, Norway, left on the giant slalom calendar. Odermatt's fifth place would be worth 45 points, leaving him 48 ahead.

Odermatt already has effectively won a fifth straight overall World Cup title.

He began racing Saturday with a huge lead of 687, over Pinheiro Braathen, and his rivals don't compete in enough disciplines to close the gap over the next 2½ weeks.

AP skiing:https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

March 07, 2026

Olympic champion Pinheiro Braathen leads World Cup giant slalom with Odermatt fifth

KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia (AP) —Olympic champion Lucas Pinheiro Braathenwas fastest in the first run of a World Cup giant s...

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At least 7 killed in Ukraine's Kharkiv as Russian missile hits apartment building

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — At least seven people were killed and 10 others, including three children, were wounded on Saturday by a Russian missile that hit a five-story residential building in Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, officials said.

Russia Ukraine War

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack and called for an international response. He said that Russia struck Ukraine overnight with 29 missiles and 480 drones, targeting energy facilities in Kyiv and other central regions and with damage reported in at least seven other locations across the country.

According to preliminary data, air defense systems downed 19 missiles and 453 drones with hits from 9 missiles and 26 strike drones recorded at 22 locations.

In Kharkiv, in Ukraine's northeast, emergency workers were combing the rubble, looking for survivors.

In the Kyiv region, damage from debris was reported in three districts, according to local authorities. In the southern Odesa region, 80 firefighters were called in to help battle massive fires at infrastructure facilities following an attack with multiple drones. Ukraine's state rail operator Ukrzaliznytsia said damage to the rail infrastructure forced changes to a number of routes in the center-west of the country.

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"There must be a response from partners to these savage strikes against life," Zelenskyy said in a post on X. "Russia has not abandoned its attempts to destroy Ukraine's residential and critical infrastructure, and therefore support must continue. We count on active work with the European Union to guarantee greater protection for our people. I am grateful to everyone who helps strengthen our protection."

Russia has fired tens of thousands of Iranian-designed Shahed drones at Ukraine since itinvaded its neighborjust over four years. It has launched a large-scale domestic production of them and battered Ukraine with hundreds of drones in a single night — more than were used during some entire months in 2024.

Iran has responded to joint U.S.-Israeli strikes by launching the same type of drones at countries in the Middle East.

Zelenskyy said he had received a U.S. request for support to defend against the Iranian drones in the Middle East and had given the order for equipment to be provided along with Ukrainian experts.

The war in the Middle East has drawn international attention away from Europe's biggest conflict since World War II, and forced the postponement of a new round ofU. S.-brokered talksbetween Russia and Ukraine planned for this week.

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

March 07, 2026

At least 7 killed in Ukraine's Kharkiv as Russian missile hits apartment building

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — At least seven people were killed and 10 others, including three children, were wounded on Saturday ...

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Trump’s demands for ending Iran war shift as US military works through its target list

Inside the Oval Office this week, after a crowd of jostling reporters departed into the Rose Garden, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz tried to get an answer fromPresident Donald Trump: how, exactly, did he envision thewar with Iranending?

Despite some pressing by the chancellor, the answer from the president — as it has been since the conflict began a week ago — wasn't quite clear, according to a person familiar.

As the US military operation against Iran shifts into a new phase following last Saturday's opening salvo, how the war ends remainsthe top questionfor many officials, lawmakers and US allies.

In briefings with lawmakers and congressional staff in recent days, Pentagon officials have leaned into the US military mission being narrowly focused on destroying Iran's ballistic missile launchers, people who attended the briefings said, rather than on targeting Iranian nuclear facilities or taking out regime figures or military personnel. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has spoken dismissively of repeating the "nation building" exercises of past administrations.

At the same time, Trump has offered far more expansive goals that appear to extend beyond the military's stated remit. On Friday, he lumped in the "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER" of Iran's current regime as an additional requirement for the war to conclude.

The apparent disconnect has only fueled questions about where the conflict, which is alreadybroadly unpopularamong Americans, is headed. In conversations with their US counterparts, Arab and European officials say they haven't detected what exactly Trump's endgame looks like, or if it exists at all.

Emerging from briefings with senior administration officials this week, lawmakers similarly professed little understanding of how Trump will know he has achieved all his goals in Iran, or whether he has a plan for what comes afterward. Some lawmakers also appeared unnerved by the fact that Hegseth would not rule out putting US troops on the ground in Iran.

Who will take over?

The US has so far rejected Iranian overtures to begin talks that could suss out ways to end the conflict. Iranian intelligence sent word this week to the US it could be prepared to open talks on how to endthe war, according to people familiar with the indirect messages, but US officials say there were no negotiations underway and that potential "off-ramps" are unlikely to materialize in the near term.

"Since this thing went kinetic, we've had a number of reach-outs," a senior Trump administration official said this week, putting the number of nations at nearly a dozen. "It's not dissimilar to what we had before, people wanting to see if they can help solve it, and we've talked to them."

To date, that has not resulted in any robust exchange of messages between the United States and Iran. "We're not using anyone as an interlocutor. This is a military action, and it's got to run its course," the official said.

Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said Trump alone would determine when Iran was in a state of "unconditional surrender."

"What the president means is that when he, as commander in chief of the US Armed Forces, determines that Iran no longer poses a threat to the United States of America and the goals of Operation Epic Fury has been fully realized, then Iran will essentially be in a place of unconditional surrender, whether they say it themselves or not," she told reporters on Friday in the White House driveway.

"Frankly," she went on, "they don't have a lot of people to say that for them, because the United States and the state of Israel have completely wiped out near more than 50 leaders of the former terrorist regime, including the supreme leader himself."

Trump said he expects to be heavily involved in choosing Iran's next leader. But US intelligence agencies have long warned it is difficult to assess the outcome of a regime change scenario, and some US and European officials do not see a clear option for replacing the current regime.

Multiple sources said Trump appears content with allowing an Iranian government led by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — a similar model to what the administration used in Venezuela in replacing Nicolás Maduro with his Vice President Delcy Rodríguez.

"It's gonna work very easily. It's going to work like did in Venezuela," Trumptold CNN's Dana Bashin a brief phone interview on Friday.

But that option risks installing a potentially more extreme power center — something Trump suggested earlier this week would amount to the "worst case scenario." US and foreign officials have also cast doubt on the viability of establishing some kind of coalition government, believing that option could quickly turn Iran into a failed state akin to Iraq in the early 2000s, sources said.

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"We've heard…mixed messages about what the strategy is here, what the endgame is here, and how we're going to get out of Iran," Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said this week. "No one in the free world misses the ayatollah," the New Hampshire Democrat said. "But what is not clear is how long this is going to go on, the extent to which it's escalating."

And across the board, the Trump administration has not clearly articulated an end game or an off-ramp, according to four sources from allied countries.

"We have no idea what they actually want to accomplish when this war is over. It doesn't seem like Trump even knows," said one European diplomat.

That has fed concerns the war could drag on for weeks or months — a timeline the president, in many telephone calls to news outlets this week, hasn't explicitly shrugged off.

Instead, Trump has focused on the immediate successes, including degrading Iran's missile capabilities, sinking its ships and taking out its senior leaders.

Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters on Wednesday that as the war enters a new phase, the US will begin "striking progressively deeper into Iranian territory and (create) additional freedom of maneuver for US forces."

Caine also claimed that Iran's ballistic missile launches have plummeted by 86% since the operation began, and that their one-way attack drone launches are down 73%. One person familiar with the matter, however, said those drops can largely be attributed to the US' destruction of Iranian command and control centers in the opening hours of the war.

But while the US military is narrowly focused, there is also an increasing recognition among military planners that destroying Iran's enriched uranium stockpile, which Iran would need to produce a nuclear weapon, would require US forces on the ground to find, exfiltrate and destroy it since it is buried so deeply underground — out of reach even of US bunker-buster bombs, sources said.

There are no plans for that right now, so sources said the administration has steered clear of discussing it.

Kurdish involvement

At the same time, the Trump administration has quietly tried to enlist the help of Iranian and Iraqi Kurdish opposition groups. For months, the CIA has been in discussions with multiple Iranian Kurdish groups about carrying out a potential ground offensive intended to help foment a popular uprising inside the country, multiple sources told CNN.

The CIA is working to arm some of those groups and the US has discussed providing air-support for Kurdish ground forces if they were to launch an offensive,CNN previously reported.

Discussions between the CIA and Iranian Kurdish groups have also included political proposals for if the regime ultimately does collapse, according to Amir Karimi, co-chair of the PJAK, which is one of the Kurdish groups in talks with the US.

PJAK is supportive of the US-Israeli operations but has reinforced to the CIA that overthrowing the regime can't be done by military force alone, Karimi told CNN in an interview this week. The group has also told the CIA it wants a political relationship with the US and Trump administration — which includes having a say in who would ultimately become Iran's next leader.

"We believe it is a legitimate war, however we want support for forces on the ground who are fighting for democracy in Iran. This is not something that can be done by bombardment alone," Karimi said, adding that the US could help unite Kurdish groups so they can fight the regime together.

Trump appears to be working to do that, holding multiple calls with the leaders of Iraqi and Iranian Kurdish groups in recent days. But during at least two recent calls, he's grown frustrated with the Iraqi Kurdish leaders — who are keenly aware that participating in a US-backed offensive carries significant risks — telling them to "pick a side," according to a source familiar with the discussions.

Karimi also said his group has made clear to the Trump administration they do not believe anyone from outside Iran should be "helicoptered in to lead this fight," and voiced strong opposition to any efforts that involve backing exiled Iranian activist Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last shah, in the short or long term.

Trump himself downplayed him as an option earlier this week, saying, "It would seem to me that somebody from within maybe would be more appropriate."

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byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

March 07, 2026

Trump’s demands for ending Iran war shift as US military works through its target list

Inside the Oval Office this week, after a crowd of jostling reporters departed into the Rose Garden, German Chancellor Fr...

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Lucas Ramirez, Joseph Contreras – sons of ex-MLB stars – steal WBC spotlight

HOUSTON — Baseball is rarely easy to predict, and so Lucas Ramirez has made a habit of the next best thing.

In the months leading up to hisWorld Baseball Classicdebut forTeam Brazil against Team USA, the outfielder ritually practiced affirmations and visualizations to prepare for his entry onto baseball's international scene.

"Ever since the (WBC) qualifiers, I was envisioning that first at-bat bomb," Ramirez said. "And it's crazy that it actually happened. For five months, I've been – every time before I go to bed after I pray, I visualize it. And it happened."

So when Ramirez rounded the bases at Daikin Park on Friday night after he delivered a leadoff home run in Brazil's first at-bat of the tournament – one of two solo home runs he hit in the game – he screamed, "I told you!"

"I say go out there with confidence (and) you can do anything you speak," Ramirez said later. "If you say it out loud, it'll happen. I'm telling you. It will happen."

Although Team USA broke the game open in the late innings for a 15-5 win over Brazil, two of Brazil's youngest players provided the team's brightest moments.

At 20 years and 49 days old, Ramirez is the youngest player in WBC history with a multi-homer game. His teammate, Brazil pitcher Joseph Contreras, the youngest player in the tournament at 17 years and 291 days old, got USA captain Aaron Judge toground into an inning-ending double playwith the bases loaded.

All the electric moments from USA-Brazil World Baseball Classic game

When asked how that moment ranked in his career, Contreras, a senior at Blessed Trinity Catholic High School in the Atlanta suburbs, said, "That has to be up there. That's definitely like a top two moment. I would say the first one obviously was winning the state championship back home. There's nothing better than winning it all."

Both players represent Brazil because of their mothers' heritage and are the sons of MLB legends. Ramirez's father Manny won two World Series titles with the Red Sox and was a 12-time All-Star. Contreras' father José was a World Series champion with the White Sox in 2005 and an All-Star in 2006.

Both fathers were in the stands at Daikin Park on Friday to watch their sons' WBC debuts. The performances the sons delivered were proof that they can create their own legacies.

"Having Manny Ramirez as my father is obviously a good thing and a bad thing," Lucas Ramirez said. "It's a little hard. Everybody expects so much. That's why, maybe, I visualize and say things, I guess – because I got to paint my own picture. I got to be Lucas Ramirez, and I got my own path."

He wasted little time. Judge's two-run shot in the top of the first inning gave the USA an early 2-0 lead that was halved a short time later.

Leading off the game for Brazil against San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb, Ramirez deposited a low inside-corner fastball over the wall in right-center field. Feet from where the ball landed, the Brazilian contingent in the home bullpen went berserk, with one reliever even hanging over the fence.

Besides thinking about hitting a bomb, Ramirez said another thought crossed his mind right before he went up to the plate.

"I'm gonna go out there and give it my all, and I'm just gonna have fun," he said. "Too many people work on the field and they make baseball their whole life. They have a bad game, and they're going to have a bad attitude the whole rest of their day. Like, this is temporary. We're here temporarily, and we're gonna go out there and have fun and be in life."

In the top of the second inning, Contreras took over for Brazil starter Bo Takahashi and exacted revenge against Judge, but not before getting into a jam.

After retiring the first batter he faced, Contreras gave up a hard-hit double to Brice Turang and surrendered back-to-back walks to Bobby Witt Jr. and Bryce Harper to load the bases for Team USA's captain.

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Contreras got to a 1-1 count against Judge and threw a two-seamer on the inside of the plate. Judge grounded into a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning. Osvaldo Carvalho, Brazil's first baseman, pumped his fist wildly while Contreras walked to the dugout and collected high-fives and pats on the back.

"It was just a surreal experience," Contreras said. "I tried to visualize on that and make sure keep breathing, but as soon as the lights came on and I was on the mound, it was like 'Alright, now you got to face Byron Buxton. OK, now it's real.' Game sped up on me a little bit but now I know for the next time."

Following his scoreless frame, Contreras allowed two of the next three batters he faced to reach base before Kyle Schwarber scored on a wild pitch and knocked the teenager out of the game with Brazil trailing 3-1. Still, Team USA came away impressed by Contreras' outing.

"Impressive. I know I wasn't doing that at that age, that's for sure," Judge said. "Just great stuff. I know he had some poise on the mound. He's throwing up to 100 miles an hour. He's facing Team USA, a lot of guys he has seen on TV or different things like that. It was just impressive seeing him control himself out there and get out of a big jam."

In the eighth inning, Ramirez blasted another home run on a one-out pitch from USA reliever Gabe Speier, making the score 8-5.

When Ramirez and Team Brazil manager Yuichi Matsumoto exited the interview room after the game, a Team USA contingent was waiting in the hallway for their turn. USA manager Mark DeRosa told Ramirez, "Way to swing the bat!" Judge shook hands with Ramirez, who in turn asked the three-time American League MVP to take a selfie with him.

Ramirez plays in the Los Angeles Angels organization and spent the 2025 season at the High-A level. Contreras will graduate from high school this spring and is committed to play college ball at Vanderbilt, if he is not drafted by an MLB organization.

Neither has made it to the majors yet, though each inherited certain traits from their dads.

Ramirez mirrors his father's swing mechanics, though he was taught to hit lefty instead of righthanded. The 20-year-old was drafted in the 17th round in 2024 and last March helped Brazil qualify for the WBC.

The first pitch Contreras learned how to throw was his father's infamous forkball. The son is 6-foot-4, tall and lanky like his father, and possesses the same quiet confidence.

"Oh man, that kid is something special," Ramirez said. "Obviously, he comes from a father who plays baseball as well, so that's been great. That kid's going to be lights out one day."

Ramirez regularly takes Christmastime trips to Brazil to visit his grandmother and grandfather, who own a livestock farm there. He said playing for Team Brazil has only strengthened his connection to the country. Ramirez, who speaks fluent Spanish as well as some Portuguese, has asked older players about Brazil's lone prior WBC appearance in 2013 and been taught by some teammates how to dance to Brazilian funk music.

Friday night's loss to the USA in pool play left Brazil still searching for its first WBC win after going 0-3 in the 2013 tournament. Brazil is scheduled to play remaining pool games against Italy, Mexico and Great Britain in Houston.

The final scoreline could have been worse, but Team USA's offense was more junk than juggernaut. Despite Brazil's pitchers walking 17 batters, hitting two more batters and incurring three pitch clock violations, the Americans hit 5-for-21 with runners in scoring position and stranded 13 baserunners.

What most fans will remember about the night, however, is how two burgeoning stars stole the spotlight from the tournament favorite.

Certainly, Ramirez and Contreras will never forget it. And next time Ramirez goes to visualize his success, he can close his eyes and picture those moments again and again.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Manny Ramirez's son a star for Brazil in WBC game vs USA

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

March 07, 2026

Lucas Ramirez, Joseph Contreras – sons of ex-MLB stars – steal WBC spotlight

HOUSTON — Baseball is rarely easy to predict, and so Lucas Ramirez has made a habit of the next best thing. In...

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Taiwan beats Vietnam 1-0 in Women's Asian Cup match

PERTH, Australia (AP) — Taiwan defeated Vietnam 1-0 on Saturday to move into second place in Group C at theWomen's Asian Cupwith one match remaining.

Women's Asian Cup Soccer Taiwan Vietnam

Su Yu-hsuan scored the decisive goal in the 26th minute after Saki Matsunaga's shot hit the crossbar, leaving Su to nod the rebound into an empty net for the team which won the last of its three Asian Cup titles in 1981.

It was a deserved victory for Taiwan,2-0 losers to Japanon Wednesday, which created several chances to extend its lead.

Vietnam, the 2022 quarterfinalist, beat India in its opener but struggled to threaten the Taiwan defense and failed to record a shot on target. Thi Duyen Tran came closest with a first-half chance that went wide from inside the area.

Both teams now have three points from two games. Taiwan sits ahead of Vietnam and behind Japan, which faced India later Saturday. India is still seeking its first point in the tournament.

Record attendance continues

Australian organizers said Saturday that the tournament had sold 250,000 tickets. The milestone follows the tournament already breaking the all-time total attendance record, with 92,795 fans at the first 10 matches.

That surpassed the previous record of 59,910 for the 2010 edition in China.

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State of play

The top two teams in each of the three groups advance to the quarterfinals along with the two best third-place teams.

In Group A, Australia,which beat Iran 4-0on Thursday, and South Korea have already qualified. Australia and South Korea will meet in Sydney on Sunday to determine top spot in the group, where another record crowd is expected.

After back-to-back losses, Iran needs a big win over the Philippines (0-2) on Sunday to have any chance of advancing to the quarterfinals and qualifying for next year's Women's World Cup in Brazil.

In Group B, defending champions China and three-time winners North Korea are through to the quarterfinals after theirsecond consecutive winsin group matches Friday. In opening matches on Tuesday, Myong Yu Jong had a first-half hat trick inNorth Korea's 3-0 win over Uzbekistanand China beat Bangladesh 2-0.

Group B play concludes Monday in Sydney when North Korea plays China in a match that will decide first place in the group, and Bangladesh takes on Uzbekistan.

AP soccer:https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

March 07, 2026

Taiwan beats Vietnam 1-0 in Women's Asian Cup match

PERTH, Australia (AP) — Taiwan defeated Vietnam 1-0 on Saturday to move into second place in Group C at theWomen's As...

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