Ozzie Guillen’s number to be retired

CHICAGO (AP) — Ozzie Guillen got quite a surprise when the Chicago White Sox informed him on Friday that they will retire his No. 13 this season.

The team caught the former All-Star shortstop and World Series-winning manager off guard by announcing he will be honored prior to the game against Cleveland on Aug. 8.

“What a great surprise it was,” Guillen said. “Especially opening day, the way they did it.”

Former White Sox star Scott Podsednik broke the news to his old manager during the telecast of the home opener against Toronto. Guillen, a pregame and postgame analyst for Chicago Sports Network, got choked up as the crowd chanted “Ozzie! Ozzie!”

“I always try to represent the White Sox the best I can,” he said. “It’s something I will appreciate for the rest of my life.”

Guillen will become the first manager and 13th member of the organization to have his number retired. That includes Hall of Famer Frank Thomas, pitcher Mark Buehrle and slugger Paul Konerko — players he managed on the 2005 championship team.

Guillen was a three-time All-Star for the White Sox from 1985 to 1997 during a 16-year career. He compiled a 678-617 record as their skipper from 2004 to 2011 and became baseball’s first Latino manager to win a World Series when the 2005 team captured the franchise’s first championship since 1917.

“Ozzie is truly one of a kind, and his passion for baseball and the White Sox is unmatched. Ozzie’s knowledge of the game, combined with his energy and ability to motivate his teams, helped deliver a World Series Championship to White Sox fans and the city of Chicago after an 88-year drought,” chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said. “The number 13 has always belonged to Ozzie in the hearts of our fans, and this season, we wanted to make it official by retiring his number. Like many of the White Sox legends, there will never be another 13.”

Former Laurel player is All-American

GLENDALE, Arizona — Saniyah Hall showed why she is the best high school girls basketball player in the country.

The 6-foot-2 senior from SPIRE Academy (Ohio) was named the MVP at the 25th annual McDonald’s All-All-American Girls Game Tuesday at Desert Diamond Arena.

Hall scored a game-high 21 points, including 13 in the first half, to lead the East to a 91-71 victory.

She is heading to Southern Cal where she will join JuJu Watkins and Jazzy Davidson as the Trojans appear loaded for an NCAA national championship run.

Hall played her freshman and sophomore seasons at Shaker Heights Laurel (Ohio) High School, where she was a finalist for Ohio Ms. Basketball. She helped Laurel defeat Crestview and West Branch.

Stars investigate Nazi salutes

DALLAS (AP) — The home arena of the Dallas Stars has launched an investigation into a video that apparently shows four fans celebrating a goal with a Nazi salute.

A spokesperson for the American Airlines Center told WFAA-TV in Dallas that the arena has “zero tolerance for any acts of hate and/or discrimination.”

“We strongly denounce the actions that appear to be depicted in the video footage and are conducting an internal investigation,” the spokesperson said. “All fans and attendees are expected to adhere to AAC and, as applicable, NBA or NHL Codes of Conduct when attending events.”

A Stars fan, Courtney Ripley, told the television station she took a 12-second video at a game against Toronto in late December. It shows four fans reacting to a goal by appearing to raise and extend their right arms with a straightened right hand facing downward. The video gained traction this week on several social media platforms.

A Stars spokesperson told ESPN on Thursday that the team is “fully aligned with the arena’s statement and working with them to find out exactly what happened.”

Fan codes of conduct are prominent throughout the NHL. Every team has a scripted segment that is shared on their video boards, through their public address system or both, telling fans about their respective codes of conduct.

The NHL also has a multipoint fan code of conduct that opens by stating, “The best hockey experiences happen in environments that are inclusive, safe and respectful.”

The NHL said possible punishments for violating the code of conduct include ejection, suspension or a lifetime ban from future events.

SEC brass don’t want championship games

Three months after Alabama narrowly squeaked into the College Football Playoff despite a Southeastern Conference title game loss, athletic director Greg Byrne is calling for an end to the 34-year tradition.

“I think the ship has sailed. It’s run its course,” Byrne said in a recent interview with USA Today.

Alabama lost to Georgia 28-7 in the SEC championship game in its poorest showing since a Week 1 setback against Florida State. With a 10-3 record, the Crimson Tide left Mercedes-Benz Stadium with the impression that their last game of the season could have already been played.

“It’s a great event,” Byrne said. “I don’t like the idea of it going away, but I think it’s reality with an expanded playoff.”

Expansion is likely coming, but the College Football Playoff will stay at 12 teams for the upcoming season.

Last year, the selection committee turned to Alabama’s regular-season success as evidence that the Tide were a playoff-worthy team. Alabama was ranked No. 9 and knocked off Oklahoma in the first round before losing in the second round to Indiana in the Rose Bowl.

Byrne’s opinion isn’t necessarily an unpopular one. Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte suggested moving the playoffs up to the week of conference championship games. Lane Kiffin called the game “a pretty big risk” in 2024 while saying that coaches didn’t want to play in it.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart, who has led his team to an SEC title game victory in three of the past four seasons, said he can see both sides of the argument.

“I’d want to know the parameters of it before we did anything,” Smart said Thursday in an interview with On3. “Where we are right now with 12 teams, I don’t necessarily agree that it needs to quit being played. But if it gets to 16 or 24 and we’ve got to move the end of the season up and we’ve got to get everything done by the second week of January, then I’d say it probably has to go.”

Smart went on to say that the most important thing is that something is gained from the removal of the game, whether that’s an expedited timeline or an expanded playoff.

But regardless of its future, being a four-time SEC champion is one of his proudest accomplishments.

“I will never apologize for winning an SEC title,” Smart said. “I think it’s the hardest thing to do in sports, winning the dang SEC title in almost any sport, because our conference is so hard.”