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The NFL Draft starts on Thursday and it’s a vital one for John Lynch and the San Francisco 49ers.

Sure, the Niners might be the reigning NFC Champions and the team to beat going into 2024, but this offseason — and this draft — is a time for a re-set in Santa Clara. The future of this team has to be imported this spring.

With 10 picks in this draft and loaded classes at multiple positions of need, Lynch’s team is sitting pretty.

This mock draft represents something of a best-case scenario, blending moves I expect the Niners to make and moves I think the Niners should make, given their values and schemes.

And it all starts with a big trade.

Trade: Picks Nos. 31 and 124 to Washington… Picks Nos. 36 and 78 to San Francisco

Pick No. 36: Kingsley Suamataia – OT – BYU

Suamataia has everything you’re looking for in a future starting left tackle, save for the necessary polish with his feet and hands. He’s 6-foot-6, 325 pounds and moves with grace and power. Teach him how to harness all that natural ability and you have a cornerstone player for the next 10 years. Suamataia also represents a jumping off point in this draft, which is loaded at tackle, but, like the Niners’ roster, top-heavy — he’s the last reasonable “future starting left tackle” pick in this draft.

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No. 67: Ruke Orhorhoro – DT – Clemson

A one-gap monster with insane get-off, Orhorhoro represents a perfect scheme fit for the Niners’ defensive line. His athleticism should translate to interior pressures, sacks, and tackles for loss. His functional strength on the field should help the Niners’ run defense be more stout in 2024. He’s a high-floor, high-upside pick.

Trade: Picks Nos. 78 and 211 to Baltimore… Picks Nos. 93, 113, 130 to San Francisco

No. 93: Cooper Beebe – OG – Kansas State
No. 94: Ben Sinnott – TE – Kansas State

Back-to-back Kansas State Wildcats fill big-time needs for the Niners. The first pick gives San Francisco a trustworthy and attacking guard with a massive punch. Let Aaron Banks and Spencer Burford fight over one spot instead of putting two in jeopardy.

With Sinnott, the Niners get a No. 2 tight end who is solid in the run game and has enough polish and upside potential to fill in as a No. 1 should George Kittle become injured.

And with both Wildcats, you know you’re getting Grade-A toughness.

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No. 113: Brennan Jackson – DE – Washington State

The Niners need a 5-technique defensive end who can hold the edge and chip in some sacks, too. San Francisco was at its best up front when Arik Armstead held the role (before the Niners shifted him to 3-tech, and, eventually, 1-tech). This Jackson, unlike his namesake Drake, is capable of doing that. With a big motor and surprising polish, he’s the highest-floor defensive end prospect you can land outside the top-25. (It’s a terrible DE class.)

No. 130: Cedric Gray – LB – North Carolina 

The 49ers need a linebacker to replace Dre Greenlaw for at least the beginning of the season. Gray is the best linebacker in this class and should be available after pick 100. Is it the biggest pressing need? No. But the Niners need great (cheap) depth across the board and Gray, a torpedo of a linebacker, would provide just that.

No. 132: Ainias Smith – WR – Texas A&M

It might be a bit of a stretch to take Smith here, but with the Niners doing a lot of work in his area of the draft, they shouldn’t hesitate to reach up a bit and take Smith, who of the draft’s “Deebo Samuel types” looks to be the most ready to provide such an impact upon arrival in the league. He won’t beat press coverage or separate much as a route runner, but if you scheme him open (a Kyle Shanahan specialty), he will run for ages with the ball. He also becomes your top punt and kick returner, with the latter job much more valuable this season with the NFL’s new rules.

No. 135: Malik Mustafa – S – Wake Forest 

A smart, dependable safety who can play in the box or in coverage and brings the boom every time he drives, Mustafa is one of the most underrated prospects in the draft and will prevent the Niners from signing a safety (or two) off the street again this season.

No. 176: Kimani Vidal – RB – Troy

Vidal is a bowling ball and a workhorse. He’s also uber-dependable. He didn’t fumble once in college, despite rushing the ball over 700 times. Christian McCaffrey needs a viable No. 2. Vidal can be the thunder to McCaffrey’s white lightning.

No. 215: Daequan Hardy – DB – Penn State

The Niners need to bring someone in who can play the slot — they’re keen on letting Deommodore Lenoir play outside corner in 2024. Hardy thrived in that role last season for Penn State. Questions about his size will weigh down his draft stock, but the Niners’ best nickelback, K’Waun Williams, was 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds with questions about his deep speed. Playing the slot requires a different kind of temperament. I think Hardy has it.

No. 251: Dylan McMahon – C – NC State

His movement profile is off the charts and when you are looking for a center in an outside zone system, that’s where you need to go first. Given the proliferation of the scheme across the NFL, I’m surprised that McMahon is a Day 3 pick — much less a late one — but questions about his play strength persist. The Niners can afford to build that up, likely sending McMahon to the practice squad for the 2024 season.

 

It has been almost three years since Arizona State acknowledged an NCAA investigation into possible recruiting violations, 18 months since the school revealed a multimillion-dollar buyout of former coach Herm Edwards and one day since a published report indicated Edwards knowingly violated NCAA rules before reaching said separation agreement.

What a fiasco.

If you’re tracking at home, it sure looks like the university agreed to a separation deal with Edwards when it could have fired him with cause.

It certainly seems like ASU shelled out millions to a rule-breaking employee when it could have paid nothing.

Worst of all, it appears campus leadership abdicated all financial responsibility to students and staff, not to mention millions of state taxpayers.

The Sun Devils have danced to their own beat since hiring Edwards in the fall of 2017. But this, folks … this is next-level insanity.

Edwards delivered zero conference championships and no division titles during his five years on the job but managed to actively participate in a systematic eviscerating of NCAA recruiting rules during the COVID-era recruiting dead period.

We know this because he admitted to the violations and agreed to NCAA sanctions, according to a report Tuesday afternoon by SunDevilSource.

And yet, he was paid handsomely to step down as part of a “mutual separation agreement” in September 2022.

We know this because the State Press reported a few weeks after that separation agreement that Edwards would receive up to half the amount remaining on his contract — or $4.4 million, according to a school spokesperson.

The two men with oversight of this dumpster fire were president Michael Crow and athletic director Ray Anderson.

Crow remains in charge of the university, doing both immense good for the campus writ large and immeasurable damage to the athletic department.

Anderson stepped down as athletic director in November and was given a cushy job, purportedly with full pay, as a professor of practice in ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.

Why did Crow and Anderson agree to compensate an employee who broke the rules, knowingly and repeatedly? Every coaching contract in captivity includes sections on for-cause terminations.

Either they allowed Edwards to pocket more than $4 million when they could have fired him for nothing, or they agreed to the separation deal without knowing the facts of the case.

No matter how you slice it, they are guilty of fiscal mismanagement.

Did Anderson’s longtime friendship with Edwards influence the decision to cut a separation deal with favorable terms?

Why did Crow tell 98.7-FM, the school’s flagship radio station, in February 2022 that Edwards was innocent? “These are things he did not ask them to do,” Crow said of the violations. “These are not things he was a part of.”

The Hotline reached out to ASU for comment early this morning, asking why the school didn’t fire Edwards for cause, what portion of the $4.4 million has been paid, how it was funded and why Crow stated publicly that Edwards wasn’t part of the violations. Was he covering for Edwards or clueless about the details?

(Crow shouldn’t have been clueless considering the initial report on the violations, by Yahoo in June 2021, said the dossier of evidence against ASU included a picture of someone looking like Edwards escorting a recruit through the weight room during the NCAA dead period.)

We did not receive a response prior to publication.

The Hotline also sought comment from Cecilia Mata, the chair of the Arizona Board of Regents, which has oversight of the state’s three major public universities (ASU, NAU and Arizona).

Specifically, we asked if the regents would pursue the matter and ask Crow and Anderson to explain their decision to settle with Edwards.

Mata did not respond, but the board should do something. The situation demands real oversight and accountability.

Because if we cast aside the calamity that was the Edwards era, the deplorable violations during a public health crisis and the incompetent management of the football program, this situation is ultimately about the fiduciary obligations of a public institution.

The separation deal with Edwards was finalized in the fall of 2022. According to financial documents obtained by the Hotline, ASU’s athletic department received $18.5 million in subsidies that year:

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— $1.9 million in direct state or other government support.

— $4.8 million in net direct institutional support.

(The gross amount was $11.2 million, but athletics transferred $6.4 million back to central campus.)

— $11.8 million in student fee allocation.

(The subsidies are an annual occurrence in Tempe and across the Pac-12.)

Yet even with all that help, the Sun Devils reported a $27.1 million shortfall on their 2022-23 statement of revenues and expenses submitted to the NCAA.

Remove the state and institutional subsidies, and the operating deficit soared to $45.6 million.

Seems like the $4.4 million handed over to Edwards could have been put to better use by the two professors of malpractice.

*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716

*** Follow me on Twitter/X: @WilnerHotline

*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.

LOS ANGELES  – For the last few years, Reggie Bush has been a phantom around the caverns of the Coliseum, one of his alma mater’s greatest alumni praised and revered verbally but always tangibly kept a Heisman’s arm-length away.

That was the reality, because there was no choice. In 2010, Bush was stripped of his 2005 Heisman Trophy after the NCAA deemed he’d received improper benefits while playing at USC, setting in motion a long and grueling back-and-forth that seemed destined to leave Bush’s hands empty. No banner of his former No. 5 jersey, once beloved by fans, has hung at the Coliseum. He’d been asked multiple times to lead USC’s team out of the tunnel, Bush said in August, but simply couldn’t.

“I can’t wait to do it,” Bush said then. “But I can’t do it without my Heisman Trophy, and without that banner in the end zone.”

He’ll get the chance now, and USC can fully open its arms to Bush, with a bombshell announcement on Wednesday by the Heisman Trust: Bush’s 2005 Heisman Trophy was being returned.

“I am grateful to once again be recognized as the recipient of the Heisman Trophy,” Bush said in a statement Wednesday. “This reinstatement is not only a personal victory but also a validation of the tireless efforts of my supporters and advocates who have stood by me throughout this arduous journey.”

And after originally welcoming Bush back in 2020, USC embraced the Heisman Trust’s decision with open arms, able to now re-claim a status no other collegiate football program has reached: eight Heisman winners. The Trust, USC announced, had returned Bush’s trophy to him and the replica to USC, set to be put on display in the lobby of Heritage Hall.

President Carol Folt, who helped bring about Bush’s original re-integration into USC shortly after she was hired in 2019, said they were “proud we were able to stand with him as an advocate.” Athletic director Jen Cohen, who has quickly integrated herself into USC life since her hire last year, called Bush’s impact on USC and college football “unmatched.” And head coach Lincoln Riley offered multiple forms of emphatic congratulations, calling it a “historic day.”

“We are thrilled that Reggie’s athletic accomplishments as one of the greatest to ever play the game can officially be recognized,” Riley said in a statement through USC. “For a long time, the Heisman and USC have been synonymous and being able to acknowledge all eight of our winners is extraordinary.”

Since Bush’s trophy was stripped, he and the NCAA have been in a bitter back-and-forth for nearly 15 years, a tug-of-war for a Heisman Trophy and recognition that’s never budged as both sides have dug their heels into the sand.

Bush, the former USC legend who dazzled his way to a 2005 season still standing as one of the greatest individual years by a running back in college football history, has made a continuous push for the renewal of his trophy and collegiate records  – in 2022 sitting for an hour-long interview on podcast “I AM ATHLETE” entitled “Give Me My Heisman Back NCAA!!”

“I want to make it abundantly clear that I have always acted with integrity and in accordance with the rules and regulations set forth by the NCAA,” Bush said in his statement Wednesday. “The allegations brought against me were unfounded and unsupported by evidence, and I am grateful that the truth is finally prevailing.”

The NCAA, meanwhile, has never budged in its stance on Bush, long years after their investigation and ruling that he had received payments from then-agent Lloyd Lake while playing at USC. But in July 2021, after changes to longstanding name, image and likeness rules, the NCAA cracked open a window when they asserted that “NCAA rules still do not permit pay-for-play type arrangements” in a statement issued to media on the possibility of Bush’s records being restored.

In August 2023, Bush and a team of lawyers launched a full-scale attack on the NCAA, suing them for defamation on the “pay-for-play” statement associated with Bush and condemning the NCAA’s original investigation  – which was called into question in a subsequent trial involving former USC assistant Todd McNair. Still, the NCAA hadn’t budged for months since Bush and lawyers held a press conference at the Coliseum that August to publicly denounce the NCAA and push for his Heisman.

“If history is any indication, they’re going to fight it to the death, which has been their litigation strategy for a long time,” Mit Winter, a lawyer and expert in sports law, told the Southern California News Group back in the fall. “They never settle on anything, for the most part. They generally aren’t very reasonable in litigation.”

It was the Heisman Trust, however, that ended up bending the knee as a third-party, capable all along of reinstating Bush’s Heisman Trophy but never willing to cross the NCAA. In 2021, in response to the NCAA’s ruling on NIL and statements seemingly pointing at Bush, the Trust established that he wouldn’t receive his trophy under rules of Heisman eligibility, saying in a statement that he’d be welcomed back as a Heisman winner “should the NCAA reinstate Bush’s 2005 status.”

Ultimately, though, the Heisman Trust appeared to take matters into their own hands. In a statement Wednesday, they referenced the Supreme Court’s decision in the NCAA v. Alston case from 2021, which opened the door for collegiate athletes to receive NIL benefits and thereby  – seemingly  – vindicate any details of the NCAA’s original investigation into Bush.

“Recognizing that the compensation of student athletes is an accepted practice and appears here to stay, these fundamental changes in college athletics led the Trust to decide that now is the right time to return the Trophy to Bush,” the Trust’s statement Wednesday read.

And the football world erupted Wednesday with widespread fanfare for Bush, from Caleb Williams draping a No. 5 Bush jersey over his shoulder in a congratulatory video while in Detroit, and Johnny Manziel  – a former Heisman Trophy winner and frequent Bush advocate  – telling Bush “you deserve it” in a Twitter post.

Bush’s fight against the NCAA, however, isn’t finished. Bush will hold a press conference Thursday morning with lawyers Levi McCathern and Ben Crump at the Coliseum, a continuation of the defamation suit filed in 2023.

“While today we celebrate, tomorrow we continue our work in achieving full justice for Reggie in his ongoing defamation case against the NCAA,” Crump said in a statement. “This legend deserves that and so much more.”

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MORAGA – Saint Mary’s College’s difficult offseason got even worse on Tuesday night when highly-touted three-star recruit Zion Sensley decommitted from the men’s basketball program.

He joins a growing list of high-profile losses the Moraga school has endured since falling in the first round of the NCAA tournament as a No. 5 seed. 

Aidan Mahaney, who went to high school down the road at nearby Campolindo, entered the transfer portal last week after two seasons in Moraga. Fellow sophomore Joshua Jefferson transferred to Iowa State. 

Sensley, a 6-foot-8 shot-making wing who will graduate from San Francisco high school Archbishop Riordan in May, made the announcement on social media platform X/Twitter. 

“After reflecting on the changes within the St. Mary’s Men’s Basketball program, I have decided to request release from my NLI and reopen my recruitment,” Sensley wrote. “I will take this time to decide which school I will attend next year. Thank you.”

Sensley spent his freshman year at Riordan before transferring and playing the next two seasons at Prolific Prep in Napa. He came back to the San Francisco private school for his senior year and excelled. 

The all-Bay Area News Group selection averaged 17.5 points and 6.4 rebounds while leading the Crusaders to a Central Coast Section Open Division title and an appearance in the NorCal Open championship game. 

Sensley had been committed to Saint Mary’s since last November. 

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“I would like to begin by expressing my gratitude to St. Mary’s College of California, the coaching staff, and the athletic department for believing in me and for their support throughout the recruiting process,” Sensley wrote. “I am deeply thankful for the hospitality and support that Moraga and the entire Bay Area have shown me, and I will forever consider it my home.” 

The Gales were, ironically, held up as an example of a thriving old-school team that was not affected by the transfer portal or Name, Image and Likeness endorsements before the tournament. 

Longtime coach Randy Bennett will now need to replace at least three players who were expected to contribute next season. 

As of Tuesday night, three-star Prolific Prep guard Mikey Lewis and Australian prospect Joshua Dent are the only high school players committed to Saint Mary’s in the class of 2024. 

NEWARK – Danger was all around James Logan pitcher Anastasia Marquez in the bottom of the sixth inning Tuesday. Baserunners ready to spring into action crouched to the right, left and directly behind the senior with two outs.

But in front of her was a familiar face in catcher Makayla Villapando, who had a simple message for her childhood friend.

“Take your time and take control of the game,’” Villapando told the senior pitcher. “You control the tempo, so slow it down and go at your own pace.”

In a situation where one hit could turn a five-run lead into a close game, Marquez took her catcher’s advice and a deep breath before striking out the next batter to wipe away the threat. 

James Logan’s ace pitcher struck out 12 in a complete game as the Colts beat host Newark Memorial 5-0, improving the Union City school’s record to 16-1 overall and 9-0 in the Mission Valley Athletic League. 

James Logan starting pitcher Anastasia Marquez (17) talks with catcher Makayla Villapando (14) as they face Newark High with bases loaded in the sixth inning at Newark High School in Newark, Calif., on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

It was a typically superb performance by James Logan, which has allowed six runs during its 14-game winning streak and is batting .458 as a team.

Malia Athey had two hits and EJ Delgadillo drove in a pair of runs for James Logan, which gained a game on second-place Newark Memorial (8-7, 6-3). 

But while a league title is nice, what the Colts truly aspire for is North Coast Section hardware. 

“Logan ball has always been about going far in and winning NCS,” coach Mandy Camuso said. “Winning league has always been secondary.”

That section-or-bust standard was set by legendary coach Teri Johnson. who won five NCS Division I titles, including three in a four year stretch between 2010 and 2013.

James Logan teammates look on from the dugout at the end of the sixth inning of their 5-0 win against Newark High at Newark High School in Newark, Calif., on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

None of the current players played for Johnson, who ended a 33-year run with the program in 2018, but they all acknowledge and embrace the expectations she set for the team.

Logan has had a winning season every year since Johnson’s departure, including a 20-4-1 last year.

But the team’s leaders see this year’s version as capable of far more than last year’s first-round NCS exit.

“Logan softball has always been good,” Marquez said. “And to have this group of girls, who know how to work together and are good at doing that, it’s special to have.”

James Logan’s Ava Medellin (6) is congratulated by teammate EJ Delgadillo (10) after scoring against Newark High during their softball game at Newark High School in Newark, Calif., on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

Logan looked every bit like a special team ready to compete for a sixth section title early in Tuesday’s game. While Marquez tossed a no-hitter through four innings, her offense put up at least one run in each of those first four frames. 

Senior left fielder EJ Delgadillo got the scoring started when she poked a ball into center field, driving in Janessa Parras and Ava Medellin. 

Medellin got on base three times without putting the ball in play, twice hit by pitch and once by a walk, but she made her biggest impact with her glove at third base. She had four putouts and two assists on the hot corner.

“It feels good to have a defense behind me, to have people I can rely on so I don’t feel pressure,” Marquez said. 

James Logan’s Ava Medellin (6) throws to first for an out against Newark High in the seventh inning of their softball game at Newark High School in Newark, Calif., on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

Newark Memorial was able to hang around though, with pitcher Grace Veloza getting many of Logan’s potent bats to pull her breaking pitches right into the waiting gloves of shortstop Andrea Tall and outfielder Nouvelle Bennett on the left side of the field.

Tall and Kayla Presley each had a hit, and Newark Memorial was able to get five runners in scoring position after its slow start. The Cougars just couldn’t capitalize on their opportunities, to the chagrin of coach Rachel Kahoalii.

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“We started slow, but we competed.” Kohoalii said. “When you get kids on, you have to execute offensively when you need to. We just weren’t able to execute today.”

James Logan hasn’t had any issue getting runs on the board this season, scoring an average of nine per game. The Colts are poised to continue their high-scoring ways against the rest of their league as the program prepares for a playoff run. 

But if the Colts are to make a section championship push, they’ll need their senior ace to be in top form.

They’re confident Marquez will be.

“She’s been a beast on the mound,” Villapando said. “She’s been starting every single game … and shutting down everybody we face.”

James Logan’s Selena Gonzales (2) is caught in rundown between first and second by Newark’s Andrea Tall (25) in the third inning of their softball game at Newark High School in Newark, Calif., on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  James Logan starting pitcher Anastasia Marquez (17) throws against Newark High during their softball game at Newark High School in Newark, Calif., on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  Newark starting pitcher Grace Veloza (9) throws against James Logan High during their softball game at Newark High School in Newark, Calif., on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  James Logan’s (3) makes a catch for an out against Newark High in the fourth inning of their softball game at Newark High School in Newark, Calif., on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  Newark’s Kayla Presley (3) fails to make a catch on a line drive against James Logan High in the fourth inning of their softball game at Newark High School in Newark, Calif., on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  Newark’s Kayla Presley (3) reacts after failing to make a catch on a line drive against James Logan High in the fourth inning of their softball game at Newark High School in Newark, Calif., on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  James Logan third base coach checks on Janessa Parras (11) after she was hit by a foul ball from teammate Gabriella Garcia (13) while waiting on-deck against Newark High in the fourth inning of their softball game at Newark High School in Newark, Calif., on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  James Logan third base coach, left, Gabriella Garcia (13) and Janessa Parras (11) react after Parras was hit on her torso by a foul ball from Garcia (13) while waiting on-deck against Newark High in the fourth inning of their softball game at Newark High School in Newark, Calif., on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. Fortunately, Parras didn’t suffer major injury and continued in the game. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  James Logan catcher Makayla Villapando (14) and Gabriella Garcia (13 ) share a light moment at the end of the sixth inning of their 5-0 win against Newark High at Newark High School in Newark, Calif., on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

By Ed White | Associated Press

DETROIT — The U.S. Justice Department announced a $138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.

When combined with other settlements, $1 billion now has been set aside by various organizations to compensate hundreds of women who said Nassar assaulted them under the guise of treatment for sports injuries.

Nassar worked at Michigan State University and also served as a team doctor at Indianapolis-based USA Gymnastics. He’s now serving decades in prison for assaulting female athletes, including medal-winning Olympic gymnasts.

Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mizer said Nassar betrayed the trust of those in his care for decades, and that the “allegations should have been taken seriously from the outset.”

“While these settlements won’t undo the harm Nassar inflicted, our hope is that they will help give the victims of his crimes some of the critical support they need to continue healing,” Mizer said of the agreement to settle 139 claims.

The Justice Department has acknowledged that it failed to step in. For more than a year, FBI agents in Indianapolis and Los Angeles had knowledge of allegations against him but apparently took no action, an internal investigation found.

FBI Director Christopher Wray was contrite — and very blunt — when he spoke to survivors at a Senate hearing in 2021. The assault survivors include decorated Olympians Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney.

“I’m sorry that so many different people let you down, over and over again,” Wray said. “And I’m especially sorry that there were people at the FBI who had their own chance to stop this monster back in 2015 and failed.”

After a search, investigators said in 2016 that they had found images of child sex abuse and followed up with federal charges against Nassar. Separately, the Michigan attorney general’s office handled the assault charges that ultimately shocked the sports world and led to an extraordinary dayslong sentencing hearing with gripping testimony about his crimes.

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“I’m deeply grateful. Accountability with the Justice Department has been a long time in coming,” said Rachael Denhollander of Louisville, Kentucky, who is not part of the latest settlement but was the first person to publicly step forward and detail abuse at the hands of Nassar.

“The unfortunate reality is that what we are seeing today is something that most survivors never see,” Denhollander told The Associated Press. “Most survivors never see accountability. Most survivors never see justice. Most survivors never get restitution.”

Michigan State University, which was also accused of missing chances over many years to stop Nassar, agreed to pay $500 million to more than 300 women and girls who were assaulted. USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee made a $380 million settlement.

Mick Grewal, an attorney who represented 44 people in claims against the government, said the $1 billion in overall settlements speaks to “the travesty that occurred.”

Associated Press reporters Mike Householder in Detroit; Dylan Lovan in Louisville, Kentucky; and Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington, D.C., contributed to this story.

Oakland native Zendaya crushes it down the line, and from the very opening moments, in “Challengers,” Luca Guadagnino’s magnificently sexy and sweaty beyond all realistic belief “Challengers.”

The refreshingly adult drama peers in on the games that limber, calculating athletes play both on and off tennis courts — a metaphor, naturally, that applies to the power dynamics adventurous lovers often negotiate.

Zendaya is a thunderbolt that strikes time and again in “Challengers” and she gives this passionate drama all the reverberating rumble it requires.

RELATED: How does Zendaya tennis film ‘Challengers’ rank with other Hollywood love matches

Working off an screenplay from stage dramatist and novelist Justin Kuritzkes, she proves she’s perfect to play Tashi, one of the most indelible, assured female characters we’ve encountered onscreen in some time. She’s fierce and strong in body, mind and confidence. She’s also driven, and knows exactly what she wants — to be at the top of her game at all times, regardless of which game she’s dealing with.

“Challengers” fluidly jumps back and forth in time as it reveals how the past influences the present. We are shown how Tashi became a tennis sensation at an early age; at 18 she holds the world and numerous fawning guys in the palm of her hand.

That includes two bros and up-and-coming tennis players —  the play-it-loose Patrick (indie heartthrob Josh O’Connor) and the more reigned-in Art (“West Side Story’s” Mike Faist). After watching her obliterate her competition on the court and hearing her release a primordial scream of victory that sends shivers down the spine, the hormonal guys find themselves stupidly gobsmacked and transfixed by her.

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Shortly thereafter, the threesome meet up at a motel — the selling point of the film’s trailer — for one hot make-out session reveals the robust, if subconscious, attraction all three have for each other. It’s a smoldering cinematic exchange and director Guadagnino — who so expertly navigated the insistent desire in “Call Me By Your Name,” with Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer — toys with how these two handsome straight guys are drawn to each other in ways they might not even realize. The ever-aware Tashi, notices right off.

The dynamics of the threesome radically change once Tashi and Patrick start a fiery relationship while a jealous Art — who loves to be the “good guy” — frets on the sidelines. A brutal injury Tashi sustains while playing for Stanford (the film was not shot there) shuts down her playing days, leading her to later become coach to Art, who eventually starts to loosen his passionate grip on the sport.

As you can tell, there’s a lot of volleying back and forth — in various ways — in “Challengers,” which sets it apart from traditional “sports-related” films. Then comes the nail-biting showdown between two erstwhile friends and now competitors – Patrick and Art. Both actors are game for it: O’Connor embodies the soul of a slacker here and is ever so sexy while Faist brings just the right amount of empathy and resignation to his part as a good person that lacks a certain spark.

RELATED: Zendaya reflects on being ‘breadwinner’ in family with Oakland teacher parents

The adrenaline-pumping “challengers” match takes place some 13 years after the threesome have met. It is here when Guadagnino calls out all the stops — and opens the faucets on geysers of sweat torrenting down from the brows of these two adversaries and former besties. If that doesn’t amp you up, the throbbing, caffeinated soundtrack from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross will. It hits you hard like a triple shot of espresso that’s been washed down with a Red Bull. And if that doesn’t do it, perhaps the tennis ball POV will do the trick.

“Challengers” gets unruly, passionate, tempestuous and downright impossible as its three lovers get tangled up in their desire and ambitions. That’s why it makes such grand-slam entertainment, especially in its delicious excessiveness.

Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.

‘CHALLENGERS’

3½ stars out of 4

Rating: R (language, some sexual content, nudity)

Starring: Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, Mike Faist

Director: Luca Guadagnino

Running time: 2 hours, 11 minutes

When & where: Opens April 26 at theaters nationwide

 

Bill Polian calls it the “draft industrial complex” — the tendency for the NFL media machinery to generate unrealistic expectations for quarterbacks projected as first-round selections.

“They can’t live up to it,” said Polian, a six-time NFL Executive of the Year and one of the greatest talent evaluators in league history. “The adjustment from college is huge.

“And usually, the better the arm, the harder the lessons.”

Pac-12 quarterbacks included.

No conference has a better collection available in the 2024 NFL Draft, which begins Thursday in Detroit.

USC’s Caleb Williams is the presumptive first overall pick, seemingly destined for Chicago, with Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon’s Bo Nix as potential Day One selections, as well.

All three face a steep learning curve, Polian told the Hotline earlier this week.

Their chief hurdle: Adjusting from the spread offense to the NFL system, which features a higher percentage of throws from the pocket and often requires quarterbacks to make three or four reads before delivering the ball into tighter windows than exist in college.

“You can’t put the ball in harm’s way in the NFL and get away with it,” said Polian, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame after his run as general manager of the Bills, Panthers and Colts.

“Additionally, college quarterbacks haven’t faced the ferocity of the pass rush they will see in the NFL. And they haven’t faced the post-snap sophistication of the defenses that they will see in the NFL.”

Polian likes what he has seen from Williams, Penix and Nix but believes all three will have a tougher adjustment than Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, who played a Pro Style offense under coach Jim Harbaugh.

“Williams is an arresting talent,” Polian said. “His arm talent is undeniable, and he can make off-schedule throws. He’ll be drafted No. 1 no matter what. But he’s going to have a breaking-in period … McCarthy is further along in his development.”

Polian believes Penix will be selected in the first round but is wary of the shoulder and knee injuries sustained at Indiana.

“His size, his arm, his maturity, his competitiveness — everything’s fine. And he’s a quick processor. He sees the field very well,” Polian said.

“The injuries issues are the only thing that troubles me with him. He’s going to have to be careful running the ball and recognize the need to protect himself.

“But if I was a betting man, I’d bet he goes in the first round.”

Polian was slightly more skeptical about Nix, largely because of Oregon’s spread offense.

“It’s a big jump in the style of play,” he said. “He’s mature and has enough escapability to make you worry about him as a defender.

“He certainly has a chance to be pretty good, but I don’t know if he’s necessarily a first-rounder. He might be a second-rounder.”

One thing is certain: Nix won’t be the first quarterback selected; neither will Penix.

But recent history suggests there’s a path to stardom nonetheless.

It has been eight years since the quarterback voted first-team All-Pro was the top quarterback selected in his draft class. Atlanta’s Matt Ryan, the first-teamer in 2016, was the first quarterback off the board in 2008.

Since 2016, none of the first- or second-team All-Pro selections — the list includes Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Drew Brees and Russell Wilson — was the top quarterback selected in his draft.

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So many of the essential traits, from mental processing power and toughness to work ethic and the ability to handle pressure, cannot be quantified.

“That stuff is 55 percent of the grade,” Polian said of his method for evaluating quarterbacks.

“Peyton Manning threw 28 interceptions as a rookie. That’s the real world. But in the world of the draft industrial complex, all these guys are going to make the playoffs in Year 1.

“The transition is hard, and if you don’t have good players around you, especially at receiver and offensive line, it’s really hard.”

*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716

*** Follow me on Twitter/X: @WilnerHotline

*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.

SANTA CLARA — Less than a month after Fred Warner and Brock Purdy experienced one of the most bitter defeats imaginable, the real world took over and bestowed both with life-altering events that altered the trajectory of their existence.

The last time the 49ers’ defensive and offensive leaders were in a press conference setting was on Feb. 11 in Las Vegas following a 25-22 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII.

Warner was speaking in hushed tones about how much it hurt, with the added heartbreak of teammate and close friend Dre Greenlaw suffering a torn Achilles in the first half while simply running onto the field.

Purdy was doing his best to explain how the 49ers’ offense managed just 19 points in regulation. He led the 49ers from behind three times and it wasn’t enough to conquer Patrick Mahomes.

Twenty-five days after the Super Bowl, Warner was a father for the first time, as his wife Sydney gave birth to Beau Anthony Warner on March 7. Two days after that, Purdy and his fiancee Jenna Brandt were married in Des Moines, Iowa.

From the lowest of lows in a sports sense to pure bliss.

Both men touched on their offseason life changes Monday in a media availability session following a pre-draft press conference with John Lynch. The grind continues, with the goal of winning the last game to share with families.

“Obviously I had to get over that loss pretty quick because I had something that was really important coming up,” Warner said. “I think now I have even more to play for in this game. I already had a lot of motivation, a lot of inner drive, but to look at my son every day and know I’m playing for something else as well, it could get pretty scary.”

For Purdy, his wedding and honeymoon in the Turks and Caicos Islands were a welcome respite from a non-stop whirlwind: Last pick in the draft. Goes from No. 3 quarterback to No. 2 and eventually the starter. Tears the UCL of his throwing elbow in the NFC Championship Game loss to Philadelphia. Surgery. Non-stop rehab through the offseason. On a gradual throwing program in training camp.

Finally, a second season in which he was a Most Valuable Player candidate, passes for a club record 4,280 yards and authors a remarkable 34-31 win over the Detroit Lions for the NFC title, erasing a 17-point halftime deficit. When the Super Bowl ended, Purdy found himself with something resembling free time for the first time since he was in college at Iowa State.

“It’s nice that I don’t have to be on this schedule and regime of rehab, rehab, rehab, get healthy and stress about if I’m going to make it back for the season or not,” Purdy said. “It’s been nice to marry Jenna and have an offseason to breathe and reflect because the last two years it’s been go, go, go.”

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) looks to throw the ball against the Green Bay Packers in the first quarter of their NFC divisional playoff game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) 

With the 49ers having advanced to at least the NFC title game in four of the last five years, Warner conceded it’s a mind trick to start all over again.

“The emotional toll of, ‘Damn, we were so close,’ it takes everything out of you,” Warner said. When you come back you’ve got to be ready to go because nobody cares about what happened last year. I’m rejuvenated, ready to go. Everything’s set, so let’s go.”

As usual, Warner is relentlessly positive about new defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen and assistant Brandon Staley, who will attempt to reshape the 49ers’ defense in its own image after it faltered at times under Steve Wilks.

He’s fired up about De’Vondre Campbell, a former All-Pro from Green Bay, and Ezekiel Turner, a linebacker and special teams demon from Arizona.

Greenlaw, Warner said, is making strides in his Achilles’ rehab.

“His boot is getting smaller every day,” Warner said.

Warner’s sense of humor has remained intact as he attempted to describe an indescribably bad Opening Day first pitch at Oracle Park after being invited by the Giants. (Deebo Samuel wasn’t much better.)

“I guess that’s what happens when you don’t warm up,” Warner said.

Fred Warner and Deebo Samuel threw out the ceremonial first pitches
#BayAreaUnite pic.twitter.com/VmYvX4wVHc

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 5, 2024

Given an out when it was suggested newborn-induced sleep deprivation was the problem, Warner took the excuse and said he hoped for another shot at it.

“Sleep deprivation, I like that,” Warner said.

Purdy, who spoke with the Bay Area News Group at his football camp at Levi’s Stadium on April 14, reiterated how excited he was to get going again, his desire for incremental improvement and and setting aside a massive contract he’ll be due after the 2024 season.

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With the draft coming up Thursday, Purdy will be fodder for another round of “Mr. Irrelevant” and debates about how quarterbacks are scouted and developed. He said no borderline prospects have sought him out for advice.

“Everyone’s story and path is different,” Purdy said. “To live out the same way that some other guy did, that isn’t right. Everyone’s got their own story. Obviously I’m a big believer that it doesn’t matter where you’re drafted, it’s what you do when you get there with that opportunity.”

“Challengers,” a sexy tennis love triangle from acclaimed director Luca Guadagnino and budding superstar Zendaya, has generated enough buzz and rave reviews that it may reach No. 1 in the rankings. 

But even if the story, directing and acting are all aces, to achieve greatness the movie still needs to provide genuine excitement and realistic drama on the court.

To provide an air of credibility, the film hired former pro and veteran analyst Brad Gilbert to consult on the film and to train Zendaya for three months; Guadagnino says she got so good he barely had to use her tennis stunt double in the film.

• Even if the story, directing and acting are all aces, a tennis movie still needs to provide genuine excitement and realistic drama on the court. (Getty Images)

• This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Will Smith, right, with Demi Singleton, left, and Saniyya Sidney in a scene from “King Richard.” (Chiabella James/ Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

• KIRSTEN DUNST as American tennis champ Lizzie Bradbury in the romantic comedy Wimbledon. Film Title: Wimbledon. Copyright: © 2004 Universal Studios. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Credit: Laurie Sparham. No Mags, No Sales, No Internet, No TV

• Borg vs McEnroe, is a 2017 English-language Swedish biographical sports drama film focusing on the famous rivalry between famous tennis players Bj+¦rn Borg and John McEnroe at the 1980 Wimbledon Championships – Shia LaBeouf, Stellan Skarsgard

• Even if the story, directing and acting are all aces, a tennis movie still needs to provide genuine excitement and realistic drama on the court. (Getty Images)

• This image released by Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures shows Mike Faist, from left, Zendaya and Josh O’Connor in a scene from “Challengers.” (Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures via AP)

• Even if the story, directing and acting are all aces, a tennis movie still needs to provide genuine excitement and realistic drama on the court. (Getty Images)

• Melinda Sue Gordon/wentieth Century Fox Film

  Emma Stone and Steve Carell in the “Battle of the Sexes,” coming to DVD on Jan. 2.

• Zendaya portrays a tennis star in director Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers.” (Photo credit: Niko Tavernise / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures)

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It should be an improvement over “Wimbledon,” with Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany, and not just because of “Wimbledon’s” flimsy dialogue. When Bettany reaches the Wimbledon finals, director Richard Loncraine relies on quick cuts, distracting camera movement, and close-ups of footwork and foreshortened shots from the players’ backs – they feel like shortcuts and drain away any sense that real tennis was played.

By contrast, “Battle of the Sexes,” which is less about tennis and more about Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and the fight for women’s equality, gives its tennis showdown between King and Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) its proper due. Directors Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton often shot from above and behind like a typical tennis match on television. This provides a familiar vantage point and allowed them to use tennis doubles, future pro Kaitlyn Christian and former pro Vince Spadea to have real rallies. (Rigg’s former coach and King herself consulted on the grips the players used and other details.) They also trusted the viewer and let points develop, including the moment of triumph where King shrewdly lobs to Riggs’ backhand and then finishes him off with a slice down the line. 

Good tennis cannot save a bad movie like “16-Love,” an insipid 2012 teen romance featuring Lindsey Shaw and Chandler Massey. Massey was cast partly because of his tennis skills and Shaw’s rival was played by Susie Abromeit, who had been a top-ranked junior but a weak script and poor directing renders all that irrelevant. 

On the other hand, good tennis can enhance a stronger movie, like the acclaimed 2020 French drama “Final Set.” Director Quentin Reynaud had played competitively as a youth and the star, Alex Lutz, trained enough to look believable during practice. For Lutz’s opponent in the big match, Reynaud cast French pro Jurgen Briand, who gives the points a thrilling realism, which makes Reynaud’s arty shots – swinging shadows and fancy footwork in the red clay as well as balletic slo-mo close-ups – feel earned, adding to the drama instead of distracting from it. 

There are plenty of movies and TV series that give tennis a cameo, typically for main characters who are amateurs. They frequently play the scenes for laughs – it’s often clichéd as in “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” which wastes Andy Roddick as a coach in a scene that falls flat. But when done well, or with charming stars, it can still be effective: a brief scene in “Annie Hall” with Diane Keaton’s title character playing with a carefree glee perfectly introduces her “la-di-da” character; on “Seinfeld,” Jerry’s one good forehand launches a ball machine attack that nails Kramer in the head; and “Bachelor Party” is silly and forgettable but watching Tom Hanks childishly launch home runs while playing his future in-laws is still a delight. 

Then there’s the tennis as combat, whether played broadly in “Bridesmaids” to the soundtrack of AC/DC’s “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap,” or with more nuance as dramatic marital warfare between Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney in Noah Baumbach’s “The Squid and The Whale.” (The cheesiest version of this is “Hart to Hart,” the 1980s crime show that once featured Martina Navratilova as herself playing in a mixed doubles match; the overuse of closeups wasted Navratalova’s talent before the contrived plot devolved into an on-court shooting.) 

The exception is “Red Oaks,” a coming-of-age series that featured tennis prominently, with Craig Roberts as a tennis pro at the club and Paul Reiser, as a wealthy but aging weekend warrior. Set in the 1980s, it was able to capture the game as played at that level in that time. (Reiser’s opponent in the big season finale club match is none other than Brad Gilbert.)

Most movies with tennis as a notable part of the plot focus on elite athletes. Alfred Hitchcock’s 1951 classic, “Strangers on a Train,” depicts a tennis star Guy Haines (Farley Granger) caught up in the murder scheme of a psychopath, Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker). Taut and tense, but with little tennis, Hitchcock starts off the climactic match with long shots that capture the sport’s dramatic potential. But as the tension builds, Hitchcock, intercutting between Guy’s match and Bruno’s escapades, dilutes the tennis with close-ups, odd angles that don’t suit the sport and intrusive music. 

More impressive, tennis-wise, was “Pat and Mike,” the 1952 romcom with Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. While the movie pales compared to their other films like “Adam’s Rib,” it was written to display Hepburn’s tennis and golf skills. Hepburn had no stunt double and in one big match played Gussie Moran, a recent Wimbledon finalist. The rallies are realistic and well shot and there’s also an entertaining section when Hepburn’s character’s controlling fiance shows up and she becomes so distracted that her game falls apart as she hallucinates her fiance in the umpire chair and her racket shrinking while Moran’s grows.

Wimbledon, unsurprisingly, frequently commands center stage… or Centre Court. Beyond “Wimbledon,” there’s “Borg-McEnroe,” about the epic 1980 Wimbledon final. John McEnroe (Shia LaBeouf miraculously pulls out a 20-minute fourth set tiebreaker, 18-16, before Bjorn Borg (Sverrir Gudnason) coolly prevails 8-6 in the final set. 

While the film devotes 20 minutes to the match, it fails to do the tiebreaker justice. It does show dynamite points like McEnroe nailing a leaping backhand volley off a Borg lob, or Borg whipping a passing shot down the line. While the scenes can appear like actors doing impressions of the players in between their tennis doubles hitting the real shots, the rallies have an air of authenticity. But as tension mounts, director Janus Metz Pedersen loses interest in the tennis itself, shifting to close-ups to show emotional and physical strain along with montages that feel cliche. 

In “7 Days in Hell,” the tennis, such as it is, exists outside of criticism. This riotous Andy Samberg mockumentary parodies the longest match in tennis history, a three-day Wimbledon battle between John Isner and Nicholas Mahut that finished with the score of 70-68 in the final set. Samberg’s Aaron Williams ups his game by snorting cocaine he had hidden in his water bottle and the court’s lines. In this never-ending match, Williams and Kit Harrington’s Charles Poole have a lengthy rally at the net while both are prone after diving for shots. It’s as far from realistic as possible but it works perfectly on its own terms.

Ultimately, the greatest tennis film of all time is “King Richard,” directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green. In telling the story of Venus and Serena Williams and their father, Green featured more drilling and match play than any other film. He also frequently shot the tennis shots with a low camera angle from behind the players, allowing the viewer to see the action in a way that, say, “Wimbledon” did not, while still creating a sense of immediacy and urgency.

And in the final match at the end between 14-year-old Venus and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, he repeatedly mixed in mid-range shots with long shots while giving the points time to build dramatically as they would in a real tennis match. While the teen loses that match, it is fitting that when it comes to tennis movies, the undeniable champ features the unsurpassable Williams sisters. 

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Bay Area News Group Baseball Top 20

(Mercury News & East Bay Times)

(Records through Monday)

No. 1 ACALANES (17-1)

Previous ranking: 1

Since last ranking: Beat College Park 4-3, lost to College Park

Up next: Tuesday vs. Benicia, 4 p.m.

No. 2 GRANADA (19-1)

Previous ranking: 2

Since last ranking: Beat Foothill 5-1,10-3

Up next: Wednesday at Dublin, 4 p.m.

No. 3 SERRA (17-3)

Previous ranking: 3

Since last ranking: Beat Bellarmine 7-0, Saint Francis 22-7

Up next: Tuesday at St. Francis, 4 p.m.

No. 4 VALLEY CHRISTIAN (19-3)

Previous ranking: 4

Since last ranking: Beat St. Francis 3-1, Archbishop Mitty 5-3

Up next: Tuesday vs. Mitty, 4 p.m. 

No. 5 DE LA SALLE (12-4)

Previous ranking: 5

Since last ranking: Beat San Ramon Valley 11-0, 12-2, lost to Jesuit 5-2

Up next: Wednesday vs. Monte Vista, 4 p.m.

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No. 6 LOS GATOS (17-3)

Previous ranking: 6

Since last ranking: Beat Overton-Tennesee 10-5, Lebanon-Tennesee 12-5, Friendship Christian-Tennesse 9-2 

Up next: Wednesday vs. Cupertino, 4 p.m.

No. 7 HERITAGE (15-3-1)

Previous ranking: 8

Since last ranking: Beat Pittsburg 6-2, 4-3

Up next: Tuesday at Freedom, 4 p.m. 

No. 8 SACRED HEART CATHEDRAL (15-6)

Previous ranking: 11

Since last ranking: Beat St. Ignatius 9-7, Bellarmine 4-0

Up next: Tuesday vs. Bellarmine, 4 p.m.

No. 9 JAMES LOGAN (14-3)

Previous ranking: 9

Since last ranking: Irvington 15-1, 9-1

Up next: Wednesday at Mission San Jose, 4 p.m.

No. 10 COLLEGE PARK (11-6)

Previous ranking: 15

Since last ranking: Lost to Acalanes 4-3, beat Acalanes 5-1, Berkeley 8-0

Up next: Tuesday vs. Northgate, 4 p.m.

No. 11 ST. IGNATIUS (13-6)

Previous ranking: 10

Since last ranking: Lost to Sacred Heart Cathedral 9-7, beat Archbishop Riordan 8-0

Up next: Tuesday vs. Riordan, 4 p.m.

No. 12 SAN RAMON VALLEY (12-7)

Previous ranking: 7

Since last ranking: Lost to De La Salle 11-0, 12-2

Up next: Wednesday vs. Amador Valley, 4 p.m.

No. 13 ARCHBISHOP MITTY (13-8-1)

Previous ranking: 12

Since last ranking: Beat Riordan 10-1, lost to Valley Christian 5-3

Up next: Tuesday at Valley Christian, 4 p.m.

No. 14 WOODSIDE (15-2-1)

Previous ranking: 16

Since last ranking: Beat San Mateo 1-0, 4-2, University 10-7

Up next: Tuesday at Mills, 6:30 p.m.

No. 15 BURLINGAME (12-5)

Previous ranking: 9

Since last ranking: beat Menlo-Atherton 4-1, lost to Menlo-Atherton 2-1, beat Palo Alto 5-4

Up next: Wednesday vs. Sacred Heart Prep, 5 p.m.

No. 16 LEIGH (13-6)

Previous ranking: 14

Since last ranking: Beat Pioneer 3-2, 8-6, lost to Prospect 5-3

Up next: Tuesday vs. Leland, 4 p.m.

No. 17 CAPUCHINO (14-7)

Previous ranking: 18

Since last ranking: Beat Sequoia 2-0, lost to Sequoia 6-5

Up next: Wednesday vs. Hillsdale, 4 p.m.

No. 18 BERKELEY (10-7)

Previous ranking: Not ranked

Since last ranking: Beat Bishop O’Dowd 3-2, 3-2, lost to College Park 8-0, Monte Vista 13-8

Up next: Wednesday vs. Arroyo, 4 p.m.

No. 19 MENLO-ATHERTON (12-9)

Previous ranking: 20

Since last ranking: Lost to Burlingame 4-1, beat Burlingame 2-1, lost to Mountain View 16-11

Up next: Wednesday vs. Carlmont, 4 p.m.

No. 20 THE KING’S ACADEMY (11-7-1)

Previous ranking: Not ranked 

Since last ranking: Beat Carlmont 11-1, 4-2

Up next: Wednesday vs. Sequoia, 4 p.m.

Teams eligible for the Bay Area News Group rankings come from leagues based predominantly in Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.

  Bay Area News Group softball Top 20

(Mercury News & East Bay Times)

(Records through Monday)

No. 1 ST. FRANCIS (17-0)

Previous ranking: 1

Since last ranking: Beat Salinas 5-1, Sacred Heart Cathedral 17-0

Up next: Wednesday at Presentation, 4 p.m. 

No. 2 ARCHBISHOP MITTY (13-3)

Previous ranking: 2

Since last ranking: Beat St. Ignatius 8-0, 11-1

Up next: Wednesday at Valley Christian, 4 p.m. 

No. 3 LIVERMORE (16-4)

Previous ranking: 4

Since last ranking: Beat Carondelet 5-0, California 5-1, lost to Casa Grande 7-1, beat Sheldon-Sacramento 5-3

Up next: Tuesday vs. Foothill, 4 p.m.

No. 4 BENICIA (13-1)

Previous ranking: 10

Since last ranking: Beat Clayton Valley Charter 5-0, Granada 14-10, Alhambra 9-1, Amador Valley 4-0, California 4-3

Up next: Tuesday at College Park, 4:30 p.m. 

No. 5 WILLOW GLEN (14-4) 

Previous ranking: 7

Since last ranking: Beat Siobrato 7-1, Leigh 12-1, Notre Dame-Salinas 5-1, Hillsdale 5-4

Up next: Wednesday vs. Notre Dame Salinas, 4:30 p.m.

No. 6 ALAMEDA (12-2)

Previous ranking: 3

Since last ranking: Lost to Bishop O’Dowd 2-1, beat Mt. Eden 2-1

Up next: Wednesday at Castro Valley, 4 p.m.  

No. 7 AMADOR VALLEY (11-6)

Previous ranking: 9

Since last ranking: Beat Monte Vista 6-3, Dougherty Valley 14-0, lost to Benicia 4-0, beat California 4-3

Up next: Tuesday at Carondelet, 4 p.m. 

No. 8 HILLSDALE (18-3)

Previous ranking: 8

Since last ranking: Beat Aragon 12-0, lost to Carlmont 6-4, beat Santa Teresa 7-4, lost to Willow Glen 5-4

Up next: Tuesday vs. San Mateo, 4 p.m. 

No. 9 GILROY (15-5)

Previous ranking: 12

Since last ranking: Beat Live Oak 6-0, Leigh 10-0, Westmont 15-2

Up next: Wednesday at Sobrato, 4 p.m. 

No. 10 LIBERTY (12-3)

Previous ranking: 11

Since last ranking: Beat Deer Valley 29-0, 30-0, lost to Granada 8-3

Up next: Tuesday vs. Pittsburg, 4 p.m. 

No. 11 FOOTHILL (11-6)

Previous ranking: 6

Since last ranking: Lost to Dougherty Valley 9-3, San Ramon Valley 5-1, beat Vintage 5-4

Up next: Tuesday at Livermore, 4 p.m. 

No. 12 CALIFORNIA (10-7) 

Previous ranking: 5

Since last ranking: Beat Granada 4-3, lost to Freedom 2-1, Livermore 5-1, Benicia 4-3, Amador Valley 4-3, beat Clayton Valley Charter 12-2

Up next: Tuesday vs. Monte Vista 

No. 13 BRANHAM (14-7) 

Previous ranking: 13

Since last ranking: Beat Leland 5-0

Up next: Wednesday vs. Live Oak, 4 p.m. 

No. 14 FREEDOM (10-4)

Previous ranking: 17

Since last ranking: Beat Antioch 11-1, California 2-1, Antioch 13-2

Up next: Tuesday vs. Heritage, 4 p.m. 

No. 15 DUBLIN (10-6-1)

Previous ranking: 14

Since last ranking: Lost to San Ramon Valley 6-4, beat Monte Vista 5-3

Up next: Tuesday at Granada, 4 p.m. 

No. 16 JAMES LOGAN (15-1) 

Previous ranking: 18

Since last ranking: Beat Kennedy-Fremont 6-1, Moreau Catholic 11-1

Up next: Tuesday at Newark Memorial, 4 p.m. 

No. 17 COLLEGE PARK (8-5)

Previous ranking: 15

Since last ranking: Beat Northgate 12-2, Alhambra 7-1, lost to Clayton Valley Charter 2-0, Granada 7-6

Up next: Tuesday vs. Benicia, 4:30 p.m.  

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No. 18 LOS GATOS (13-5) 

Previous ranking: 16

Since last ranking: Beat Los Altos 9-3, lost to Maria Carrillo 3-2, Monterey 6-0

Up next:Wednesday at Mountain View, 4 p.m. 

No. 19 GUNN (17-1)

Previous ranking: 19

Since last ranking: Beat Palo Alto 4-0, Menlo-Atherton 13-6

Up next: Tuesday at Saratoga, 4 p.m. 

No. 20 SOBRATO (13-5) 

Previous ranking: 20

Since last ranking: Beat Lincoln-San Jose 10-0, lost to Willow Glen 7-1, beat Leland 10-9

Up next: Wednesday vs. Gilroy, 4 p.m. 

Editor’s note: Teams eligible for the Bay Area News Group rankings come from leagues based predominantly in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. The rankings were compiled by BANG’s Joseph Dycus, Darren Sabedra and Nathan Canilao.

SANTA CLARA — John Lynch should be out of a job.

The 49ers’ general manager was responsible for one of the worst moves in recent NFL history — three first-round picks for the right to select quarterback Trey Lance.

The quarterback is now gone, traded away before the 2023 season, and all the 49ers received in return was a Day 3 draft pick.

No GM should survive a disaster like that.

Yet Lynch remains, and he’s as entrenched as ever.

“Thank god for Mr. Irrelevant,” he said Monday.

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Indeed, three years after going all-in and trading for Lance, the outside perception is that the Niners are none the worse for wear.

After all, San Francisco played in the Super Bowl—their second NFC title in four years—and they have elite players at top positions, as well as Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy, who they believe is a franchise quarterback.

But don’t let the outside perception fool you — beneath the surface, things are murky in Santa Clara.

Now, Lynch’s seat is ice cold, but this week’s NFL Draft is a critical moment for the Niners’ GM.

This team might not have glaring needs heading into three days of selections, but the 49ers’ roster desperately needs to build depth for the upcoming season (and bring in starters for the not-too-distant future). With all those highly-paid veterans (and with another, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, coming soon) on the roster, that depth can only be found via the draft.

The 49ers have 10 picks in this draft, including the team’s first day-one selection since picking Lance. This is a critical crop.

And Lynch will be heading into this draft with new voices in his ear.

This draft not only needs to produce depth for the football roster, but it’ll thoroughly test the depth of Lynch’s football operations department.

Lynch has lost a top lieutenant from his staff the past three of the last four seasons. Like Kyle Shanahan’s offense has proliferated the league in recent seasons, with coaches being poached left and right in the process, the Niners’ football operations department has also been raided. In 2021, Martin Mayhew went to Washington to be their GM. Last season, Ran Carthon took over as the Titans’ head man. But this offseason brought the most significant loss, as Lynch’s right-hand man, Adam Peters, replaced Mayhew in Washington.

It was a different kind of California exodus. You could even call it a brain drain.

“It gets annoying. Like, ‘Leave us alone,” Lynch said at the NFL Scouting Combine in February.

And heading into this offseason, and particularly this draft, one has to wonder: Is what’s left enough?

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It’s cruel timing. Right as the roster needs to establish a new foundation, Lynch needs to build one in the front office, too.

Add it all up, and this draft becomes a proving ground for a GM who has been in place since 2017 and has done an excellent job overall.

Let’s be honest about how Lynch came into the fold: When Shanahan hired him, Lynch was to be a figurehead—someone to execute the head coach’s desired moves and be a universally beloved figure in the increasingly political world of the NFL.

Lynch proved to be more than that, and he quickly gained Shanahan’s trust when it came to actually building and maintaining a roster. In turn, he’s taken on far more than initially anticipated.

But the backbone of that success was the dynamite staff Lynch assembled (in addition to the aforementioned, Lynch’s original director of football research and development, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, is now the GM of the Vikings). Collectively, Lynch’s team helped build the Niners into the perennial contenders they are today, despite not having a superstar quarterback throughout the tenure.

That foundation of on-field success was built in the draft. I’d argue no team in the league has been more bespoke with their draft rankings than the Niners. Big hits from later-round picks (Fred Warner, George Kittle, Purdy) became something of a 49ers specialty. Peters has received a lot of external credit for that success.

But how much of that success can be attributed to Lynch? How much of that was his staff? Does Shanahan get a bad rap when it comes to drafting?

So long as Lynch always credits the collective for everything, we’ll never fully know.

And Lynch isn’t going to abandon his belief in the power of the group, even with new folks taking on larger roles.

But while this is a group project, the hierarchy remains. Tariq Ahmad — previously the Niners’ director of college scouting and Peters’ one-time right-hand man — is now Lynch’s No. 2 on draft matters.

We’ve already seen some changes with how the 49ers handle their roster with RJ Gillen — who, alongside Ahmad, was promoted to director of player personnel this offseason — stepping into the role as Lynch’s consigliere on free agency this offseason.

Ahmad has been in the room for the hits and misses of drafts past, but with his voice carrying more sway these days, it’ll be fascinating to see if the 49ers’ approach sticks to the team’s tried-and-sometimes-true formula or changes.

One change we know has been made. Lynch says the Niners are “much more data-driven” regarding the draft these days.

What does that mean?

We’ll have a read on it all by the end of the weekend.

As for the true results of the annual player selection meeting, we won’t know if it was a hit or miss for years yet.

But for this team, there’s only one viable result at this time: It better be a hit.

SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks intend to be a better team next season after they finished this year with the NHL’s worst record.

Step One is preventing opposing players from believing it’ll be a point night whenever they arrive at SAP Center — or gleefully see Team Teal come into their building.

For a variety of reasons, the Sharks were the worst 5-on-5 team in the NHL this season, allowing a league-high 226 goals, while scoring a next-to-last 119. On average, in all situations, they allowed roughly 10 more shots per game (35.1) than they took (25.2) – the NHL’s widest discrepancy.

Few would argue the rebuilding Sharks were hard to play against.

“There were just way too many nights where we didn’t look like we belonged on the ice with the other team,” Sharks center Nico Sturm said, “and that’s the truth of it.”

Maybe the issue was puck management, game management, the lack of talent to possess the puck more, the lack of know-how and confidence to prevent small deficits from becoming big ones, a size disadvantage, or simply inexperience in some cases.

What it cannot be, in the eyes of the Sharks captain, is a lack of will.

“Every single guy on the ice, you need to have pride to not give up goals,” Logan Couture said. “It’s not just about scoring offense in the NHL. Everyone comes into the NHL and they produce at whatever level they played at to get to this point. Very few of those players had to play defense. They could just outscore their opponents.

“So you have to learn how to defend and you have to want to defend and unfortunately this year, we didn’t have the want or the pride in keeping the puck out of our net. Obviously, it reflected on the scoreboard every single night.”

The Sharks hope to solve that, at least to some degree, this summer.

Unlike recent years, the Sharks now have tens of millions of dollars in salary cap space available this summer to make personnel changes. But no one should expect general manager Mike Grier to hand out long, expensive contracts to top-of-the-line free agents.

At this stage of the Sharks’ rebuild, Grier correctly feels that wouldn’t make much sense.

Followers of the team can expect Grier to use some of that money to acquire players – on the back end and up front – who can help establish the tougher identity the Sharks so desperately need.

“We’ll go after the players we think kind of fit the mold of what we want the identity (to be),” Grier said Saturday. “So it’s nice to have that ability, to (spend) some money to go do that and have the space where they can kind of see where they could fit in the lineup.

“So whether that’s this offseason — or next offseason — I think we’ll have the ability to hopefully get in on some players that we want.”

That doesn’t necessarily mean going out and finding the biggest guys in the league – although the Sharks certainly believe some extra size would not be a bad thing.

It’s finding forwards who know where to be on the ice and can bring something to the table when they’re not scoring goals. It’s defensemen who can end plays in their own zone, make the right reads and an accurate outlet pass, and not get caught watching the puck as it zips around the Sharks’ goal.

It’s guys who can pressure the puck all over the ice.

Acquiring players who have those habits, from the Sharks’ standpoint, will positively affect the team’s younger players, thereby building the culture the team has strived to attain since Grier’s first day on the job.

“A lot of it is DNA driven,” Sharks coach David Quinn said of being harder to play against, “but it’s also a culture and attitude amongst the group that can draw it out in young players.”

As the Sharks’ season started to spiral, there were times when some players — not all, but some — were looking to pad their stats rather than committing to the wider team concept. Predictably, it did more harm than good.

Players and coaches know this approach can’t happen going forward if the Sharks want to build this the right way.

“When seasons get tough like this and you’re competing for jobs, there are guys that don’t know if they’re going to be here, guys are trying to find a way to look good themselves, and that can’t happen,” Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro said. “That’s never going to happen on a winning team.”

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Playing a smarter, sounder, all-around team game should make things a bit easier for their goalies, too, as the Sharks allowed a league-high 2,881 shots on net this year. Of the 12 best shot suppression teams in the NHL, nine made the playoffs.

“Individually, guys are going to have to buy into whatever system we decide to play,” Sharks goalie Mackenzie Blackwood said. “So whatever the coaching staff decides that they want to start the year with, it’s on everybody to buy in 100% and be committed to playing that style.

“I think once maybe we can get everyone on the same page, it’s going to lead to a lot of (good) things.”

None of this guarantees the Sharks will be vastly improved next season. But this is a huge phase of the rebuild and the Sharks have an idea of how they want to proceed.

“You need to have players that want to do it,” Couture said. “I think there’s guys in here that do, but you need to have that pride where you’re going to go on the ice and not get scored on.”

If everything breaks right for the conference where so much has gone wrong, the Pac-12 will make history before it becomes history.

The 2024 NFL Draft could be the most productive on record for the Pac-12, which is expected to produce the No. 1 overall pick with USC quarterback Caleb Williams heading to Chicago on Thursday night.

(Williams will be the sixth No. 1 selection in USC history, joining offensive tackle Ron Yary, running backs O.J. Simpson and Ricky Bell, receiver Keyshawn Johnson and quarterback Carson Palmer. No other college has produced more than five.)

At least three dozen of Williams’ former Trojans teammates and Pac-12 opponents will hear their names called over three hotly anticipated days in Detroit.

A recent seven-round mock draft published by NFL.com analyst Chad Reuter showed 42 players selected from the Pac-12. Another mock, published this week by The Athletic, assigned 40 selections to the Pac-12. And Pro Football Focus, the analytics-based website, showed the Pac-12 with 38 picks.

Since the NFL trimmed the draft to seven rounds 30 years ago, the conference record is 39 selections, set in 2015 — a few months after one of the most successful regular seasons in conference history.

Also within range this week: The Pac-12 record for first-round selections.

Nine players were picked on Day One back in 2015, with Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota leading the way as the No. 2 selection (to Tennessee).

This week, five players are considered locks for the first round: Williams, Washington receiver Rome Odunze, Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga, Washington offensive tackle Troy Fautanu and UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu.

In addition, quarterback Bo Nix of Oregon and Michael Penix Jr. of Washington are viewed by many as possible, if not likely first-round selections.

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(Two Pac-12 quarterbacks have been picked in the first round on several occasions, with USC’s Sam Darnold and UCLA’s Josh Rosen in 2018 as the most recent instance. The conference has never had three quarterbacks picked in the first round.)

Another handful of prospects are considered borderline Day One picks, with Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson, Arizona offensive tackle Jordan Morgan, Oregon receiver Troy Franklin and Washington State safety Jaden Hicks leading that list.

To break its nine-year-old record, the Pac-12 would need 10 of those 11 players to be selected on Thursday.

While that scenario seems unlikely, little goes according to script with the Pac-12, which will cease to exist as we know it this summer when 10 of the 12 schools depart.

The two left behind, Washington State and Oregon State, will be well represented this weekend in Detroit.

Fuaga will become Oregon State’s first Day One selection since receiver Brandin Cooks a decade ago. Safety Kitan Oladapo and receiver Anthony Gould are expected to be picked, as well.

Washington State should generate at least three picks: Hicks is the top prospect, followed by end Brennan Jackson and cornerback Chau Smith-Wade.

Of the departing schools, only Arizona State is considered unlikely to generate a selection.

Washington should lead the way with as many as 12 players picked. (The school record during the seven-round era is 10 selections, set in 1998.)

Oregon and USC have a slew of prospects, as well.

*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716

*** Follow me on Twitter/X: @WilnerHotline

*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.

The San Jose Earthquakes’ miserable season continued Sunday night with a loss to one of their longest and fiercest rivals.

The Earthquakes fell behind by three goals by the 30th minute in the first half, digging a hole they couldn’t fully escape in a 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy in the Cali Clasico in Carson.

The Earthquakes, in their 100th meeting with the Galaxy, trailed 4-1 when Los Angeles midfielder Riqui Puig scored in the 56th minute.

San Jose later rallied to cut Los Angeles’ lead to one.

Twelve minutes after Benjamin Kikanovic scored in the 58th minute, Galaxy defender Eriq Zavaleta was given a red card, opening the door for Earthquakes forward Jeremy Ebobisse to score on a penalty kick in the 72nd minute.

But with the Galaxy playing with 10 men, the Quakes could not find the equalizer as they were sent to their fourth straight loss.

A year after finishing in ninth place in the Western Conference’s regular season standings with a 10-10-14 record, San Jose, at 1-8-0, remains in 14th place this year. The Earthquakes are already nine points back of ninth place, the final postseason spot.

San Jose is also last in MLS in goals allowed (24) and goal differential (-11),

The Earthquakes trailed 3-0 by the 30-minute mark as Gabriel Pec, Joseph Paintsil, and Maya Yoshida scored for the Galaxy. Paintsil’s goal came on a penalty kick in the 24th minute and gave Los Angeles a 2-0 lead.

Yoshida has two goals this season and three in a career spanning 21 starts over the past two seasons.

Rodrigues scored San Jose’s first goal in the 32nd minute. Cristian Espinoza set up Rodrigues’ second career netter.

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John McCarthy totaled four saves for the Galaxy (5-1-3), who lead the Western Conference. William Yarbrough has three saves for San Jose.

The Earthquakes return home to face Nashville SC (1-3-4) on Saturday.

The Associated Press contributed to this story. 

CLEVELAND — The Oakland A’s might have entered this 10-game road trip feeling somewhat upbeat about the way they had been playing so far this month.

The A’s three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians demonstrated that several improvements still need to be made.

Left-handed reliever T.J. McFarland gave up a three-run double in the seventh inning to Josh Naylor, turning a close game into a rout Sunday as A’s lost 6-2 to the Guardians, who completed a three-game sweep of Oakland and continued their best start in 25 years.

With the A’s trailing 3-2, Naylor, who celebrated a two-run homer on Saturday by bashing the top of his helmet with his bat before rounding the bases, fell behind 0-2 in the count before doubling with the bases loaded off McFarland.

“He’s something else right now,” said Guardians first-year manager Stephen Vogt said of Naylor, who is batting .406 (13 of 32) with 14 RBIs in nine home games.

The A’s were likely all too eager to get to New York and start a four-game series with the Yankees Monday in the Bronx. Sunday’s loss was Oakland’s seventh straight in Cleveland, and the A’s have now gone 3-17 against the Guardians in the past three years.

A’s manager Mark Kotsay bemoaned his team’s missed chances.

“That’s what really good teams do,” Kotsay said. “They capitalize on mistakes. From a hitting standpoint, you make mistakes and they end up taking advantage of it.

“They put the ball in play. They don’t strike out a ton. And that’s where we really battled today with getting ahead of guys and just not being able to finish.”

The A’s managed two runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings against Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee (2-0). Bibee gave up a two-out RBI single in the sixth before Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt dipped into his bullpen, which came in with a 2.19 ERA.

Tim Herrin, Nick Sandlin, Cade Smith, and closer Emmanuel Clase held the A’s scoreless over the final 3 1/3 innings.

Will Brennan homered for the Guardians, who finished off the A’s while All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez got a day off.

A’s starter Ross Stripling (0-5) is now 0-10 over the last two seasons with Oakland and San Francisco. He’s the first A’s pitcher to lose his first five starts since Mike Morris dropped six straight in 1979.

Stripling was solid, allowing three runs and five hits in five innings.

“He just couldn’t finish,” Kotsay said. “We played good defense overall. They found holes. He still gave us an opportunity to be in the game, be competitive. Back-to-back days at 3-2 in the seventh and we let it get away from us.”

The A’s were 7-8 this month before they arrived in Cleveland, and after their series with the American League East-leading Yankees, they go to Baltimore for three against the Orioles (14-7).

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“We’re going to learn a lot about ourselves on this road trip,” Stripling said.

Brent Rooker homered for the A’s.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Oakland has nine players on the injured list. The A’s have had at least eight players on the IL since June 16, 2023.

UP NEXT

The A’s open a four-game series today at Yankee Stadium with JP Sears (1-1, 4.35 ERA) facing LHP Carlos Rodón

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

SAN FRANCISCO — As an encore to one of their most complete offensive performances of the season, the Giants laid a dud Sunday.

A day after breaking out for a season-high 16 hits and a win, it took the Giants until the fifth inning to record their first against Diamondbacks starter Slade Cecconi, who helped hand them a 5-3 loss to split the four-game series between the National League West foes.

Manager Bob Melvin and third base coach Matt Williams were forced to watch the final two innings from the clubhouse after being ejected arguing with home plate umpire Stu Scheurwater.

“Wasn’t really what we were looking to do,” said Mike Yastrzemski, whose two-run home run in the fifth inning amounted to the Giants’ lone offense until Matt Chapman and Thairo Estrada manufactured a run with a pair of doubles against Diamondbacks closer Kevin Ginkel in the ninth.

San Francisco fell to 3-8 when scoring three or fewer.

Plagued by inconsistency through the first three weeks of the season, the Giants are undefeated when scoring at least five runs, as they did in Saturday’s 7-3 win, but they have reached that total only six times in 23 games, fewer than all but three teams (A’s, White Sox, Twins).

“We also put some pressure on them and had some opportunities today,” Melvin said. “We just didn’t get the big hit.”

Only learning the opposing starter shortly before first pitch, the Giants should have caught a break when they learned it would be the rookie right-hander starting the series finale and not Merrill Kelly. Their longtime nemesis was scratched with shoulder soreness, so Cecconi was called up from Triple-A.

• San Francisco Giants' Jung Hoo Lee (51) is tagged out while attempting to steal second base by Arizona Diamondbacks' Kevin Newman (18) in the eighth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, April 21, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

• San Francisco Giants pitcher Jordan Hicks (12) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, April 21, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

• Arizona Diamondbacks' Corbin Carroll (7), right, beats his teammate Arizona Diamondbacks' Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (12) to catch a hit by San Francisco Giants' Thairo Estrada (39) in the third inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, April 21, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

• San Francisco Giants' Mike Yastrzemski (5) gestures after hitting a two-run home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fifth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, April 21, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

• Arizona Diamondbacks' Corbin Carroll (7) leaps to catch a hit by San Francisco Giants' Michael Conforto (8) in the third inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, April 21, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

• San Francisco Giants pitcher Erik Miller (68) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the sixth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, April 21, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

• San Francisco Giants' Thairo Estrada (39) connects for a one-run double in the ninth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, April 21, 2024. The Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the San Francisco Giants 5-3. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

• Home plate umpire Stu Scheurwater yells at San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin in the ninth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, April 21, 2024. The Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the San Francisco Giants 5-3. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

• San Francisco Giants pitcher Sean Hjelle (64) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the eighth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, April 21, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

• San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin argues with home plate umpire Stu Scheurwater after being ejected from the game in the ninth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, April 21, 2024. The Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the San Francisco Giants 5-3. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

• San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin and third base coach Matt Williams (9) return to the locker room after being ejected from the game in the ninth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, April 21, 2024. The Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the San Francisco Giants 5-3. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

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With hardly any experience against the spot starter — eight plate appearances among four players — the Giants took an aggressive plan of attack. They were seeking to jump on first-pitch fastballs, a pitch they have laid off of this season, but Melvin said, “just didn’t do anything with it early.”

Retiring them in order his first time through the lineup, Cecconi needed only 23 pitches to complete his first three innings and didn’t require more than 11 in an inning until the Giants broke through in the fifth.

“We were probably a little underprepared to face him,” said Yastrzemski, whose homer was his first of the season. “But he threw really well. You’ve got to give him credit. I think we need to do a better job of sticking to our plan early in games. I think we got away from it a little bit and the game just crept up on us.”

 

Cecconi’s efficiency provided quite the contrast to the Giants’ starter, Jordan Hicks, who also didn’t allow a hit for three innings but still allowed a run on two walks and used almost triple the pitches (68). He settled in to complete five innings and was in line for the win until Erik Miller allowed the first two batters of the sixth to reach and score.

“I feel like I didn’t start making the pitches I wanted to make until the fourth or fifth,” Hicks said. “Not giving up a hit and still giving up a run, I think that tells the story of what it was today. But at the same time, I found a way to keep us in it and got through five. That was important for me.”

An astute 35,922 on hand recognized the significance of Thairo Estrada’s dribbler toward third base after Cecconi retired the first two hitters of the fifth. The volume rising as he raced down the first base line, Estrada beat the throw from Eugenio Suarez by half a step to give the Giants their first hit of the game.

Five pitches later, the Giants had broken through in the run column, too.

Working a 3-1 count, Yastrzemski whacked a changeup over the outer half of the plate and pulled it into the air above right field. Leaving the bat at 95.5 mph, the pop fly caught just enough of the jetstream blowing out to McCovey Cove to carry an estimated 335 feet, just beyond the Levi’s Landing sign, to give the Giants a brief 2-1 lead.

Coming up with runners on second and third and two outs in the seventh after Arizona pulled ahead again, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo opted to intentionally walk Yastrzemski, loading the bases. Melvin countered with Jorge Soler, pinch-hitting for shortstop Nick Ahmed, but he bounced out to third, ending the threat.

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Signed to be a run producer in the middle of their order, Soler has six RBIs in 23 games — tied for seventh on the team — and two hits with 18 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

“Obviously I put him up there,” Melvin said, reiterating his confidence in the designated hitter they guaranteed $42 million this winter. “You sign him for a reason. I felt like it was a good spot for him.”

The Diamondbacks extended their lead in the ninth against Nick Avila, after Scheurwater, the home plate umpire, ruled that Kevin Newman had fouled off a would-be strike three, prolonging the at-bat. Newman eventually poked a double into left field, leading to two more runs.

Melvin was ejected protesting the call, the second time he has been given an early exit this season.

“It was strike three,” Melvin said. “It’s an out instead of a hit and a run. It looked to me just from the naked eye, but I’m not an umpire.”

BOSTON — Dave McCarty, a member of the Boston Red Sox championship team in 2004 who played with seven MLB teams in an 11-year career, has died. He was 54.

The Red Sox announced McCarty’s death in a statement, saying the former first baseman and outfielder died Friday after suffering a cardiac event in Oakland.

McCarty was in Boston earlier this month and was at Fenway Park as part of the club’s 20-year celebration of the ’04 championship team that claimed the World Series for the first time since 1918.

McCarty played his last three seasons in the majors with the Red Sox from 2003-05. In 118 games with Boston, he hit .286, with five home runs. He appeared in 89 games in Boston’s title-winning season, with 25 starts at first base and six in the outfield, in addition to three pitching appearances.

A native of Houston, Texas, he was selected by Minnesota in the first round, third overall, of the 1991 draft out of Stanford.

After three seasons with the Twins (1993-95), he went on to play for the San Francisco Giants (1995-96), Seattle Mariners (1998), Kansas City Royals (2000-02), Tampa Bay Rays (2002) and Oakland A’s (2003) before closing his career in Boston.

McCarty batted .242 with 362 hits, 36 home runs and 175 RBIs in 630 big league games.

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After ending his playing career, McCarty was an analyst for the New England Sports Network from the summer of 2005 through the 2008 MLB season.

By Bharatha Mallawarachi | Associated Press

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — A race car veered off the track during a competition in Sri Lanka on Sunday and rammed into a crowd of spectators and race officials, killing seven people and injuring 20 others, officials said.

Thousands of spectators looked on as the mishap took place during a race in the town of Diyatalawa in the tea-growing central hills, about 180 kilometers (110 miles) east of the capital Colombo.

It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the mishap.

Police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa said one of the cars veered off the track and crashed into spectators and officials of the event. Seven people, including four officials, were killed and another 20 were being treated at a hospital, said Thalduwa. He said three of the injured were in critical condition.

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Thalduwa said police have launched an investigation into the accident, which was the 17th out of 24 events scheduled. The race was suspended after the accident.

About 45,000 spectators had gathered at the race circuit at a Sri Lankan military academy. The event was organized by the Sri Lankan army and Sri Lanka Automobile Sports.