Mississippi’s House of Representatives passed a bill Sunday by a 91-23 margin, and it now moves to the state Senate. Mississippi’s Republican governor, Tate Reeves, said he would sign the bill into effect if it reaches his desk. Mississippi is the last state in the U.S. to have a Confederate symbol on its flag. Republican Rep. Philip Gunn, the state’s Speaker of the House, has been trying for years to change the flag that’s 126-years-old, but it hasn’t been an easy task in the deep Southern state....

The Bulldogs trailed the Razorbacks 30-9 at halftime after shooting just 2-of-21 from the field. They were led at the half by junior guard Fred Thomas’ four points. MORE: Winslow helps Duke dominate | High Point’s vicious slam | Bonnies beat buzzer again The Bulldogs committed 14 turnovers and went the final 14:40 without a field goal, missing their last 16 shots before halftime. Last time Mississippi State (11-11, 4-5 SEC) was held to 10 or fewer points in a half was in 2013 against Missouri when it totaled 10....

The proposed amendment to the Missouri constitution would expand eligibility to include residents between the ages of 19 and 64 whose income is at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level—roughly $18,000 for a single person and $35,000 for a family of four. Medicaid expansion has been a rife partisan debate ever since it was enacted in 2014, but it’s become an even more timely discussion amid the COVID-19 health crisis....

This is apparently a big no-no in the NCAA as this was called “excessive celebration” by the referees. The touchdown was called back, and Mizzou was assessed a 15-yard penalty from the 2-yard line. The Tigers couldn’t find the endzone, and had to settle for a field goal instead. But let’s get back to that penalty call. Was that really necessary? Here’s what the rulebook says: Sure, the dive wasn’t needed and so that could be determined as attempting to “focus attention upon himself....

While just seven Republican senators voted alongside all 50 members of the Senate’s Democratic Caucus to convict Trump, the vast majority (43 senators) of Republicans voted to acquit the former president for inciting the violent insurrection against the U.S. Capitol on January 6. As the constitutional threshold for a conviction requires two-thirds of senators to vote “guilty,” Trump was acquitted despite the most bipartisan presidential conviction vote in U.S. history....

The MVC Presidents Council unanimously voted to extend Valparaiso an invitation, effective July 1, 2017, according to the conference. Two MVC representatives pushed for the addition of Murray State, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander, who also reported that the conference will remain at 10 teams instead of seeking further expansion. However, Missouri State’s president, Clif Smart, tweeted that the MVC’s expansion committee will continue to meet for the next nine months to evaluate further expansion opportunities....

The Democrat figureheads sent a letter to McConnell on Tuesday, urging him to negotiate with them this week in order to facilitate a bipartisan COVID-19 relief bill amid the ongoing pandemic. Following this message, McConnell indicated that his stance remains that a “targeted rescue package” should be passed—bemoaning Democrats for having rejected the prospect of slimmed down measures. “Republicans have tried for weeks to pass another targeted rescue package. It would send hundreds of billions of dollars to schools, unemployment aid, another round of the job-saving PPP, and healthcare,” he tweeted....

Biden was hailed by environmental groups for blocking the pipeline that would have transported 830,000 barrels of oil each day from western Canada to Steele City, Nebraska, and then supplied refineries in the U.S. Gulf Coast. Last week, attorneys general from 21 states filed a suit arguing that the president had overstepped his authority because the pipeline’s origin in Canada and its route across state lines meant it fell under the regulations of “international and interstate commerce....

After having read a summary of the July phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that sparked House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry into the president, McConnell said on Wednesday that it was “laughable to think this is anywhere close to an impeachable offense.” “If this is the ’launching point’ for House Democrats’ impeachment process, they’ve already overplayed their hand,” the Senate Majority Leader said. In the hours following the White House’s release of a rough transcript of the phone call, in which Trump can clearly be seen pressing Ukraine’s leader to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son, McConnell still appeared unmoved....

Prosecutors in New York have convened a grand jury as part of a criminal investigation into Trump and his business practices, The Washington Post first reported this week. Although Trump and his business—the Trump Organization—have been under investigation for some time, legal experts have said the convening of a grand jury demonstrates the seriousness of the charges being considered. But Romney and other Republicans are skeptical that the investigation or any possible charges will have much influence on GOP voters....

The Armenia international has enjoyed a strong start to 2017-18, registering one goal and five assists in his side’s first six league matches. Man Utd to win & Lukaku to score first 9/2 It marks a stark contrast to Mkhitaryan’s fortunes at the start of last season following his move from Borussia Dortmund, with manager Jose Mourinho dropping him from the side for several weeks after a poor display in the Manchester derby defeat at Old Trafford in October....

With so much talent across MLB now, All-Star debates are more lively than ever: unfortunately, only so many players make it in. This year, with a new voting system in place (and the dreadful Final Vote ousted), players who are finalists in the voting don’t automatically get selected to the All-Star game. Rather, the reserves and pitchers are selected from the Commissioner’s Office and the players. MORE: Watch ‘ChangeUp,’ a new MLB live whiparound show on DAZN...

It’s not as mentally jarring as knowing that nobody won the 2004 national championship in college football, even though it sure looked like that title belonged to USC at the time. Darvish’s bit of near history not existing also is not for reasons of skullduggery, but a simple rules interpretation. Even so, it’s hard to wrap your head around the fact that Major League Baseball decided to give a big fat middle finger to its own rulebook to deny Darvish his membership in the Dave Stieb Always The Bridesmaid Club, and give Ortiz another hit....

Minutes later, Manfred is giving his opening remarks, when the microphone pops, eliciting a gasp from the assembled team representatives, families of prospective draft picks and media. MORE: Who is Dansby Swanson? | All the first-round picks | Royals draft pick’s outfit turns heads | Worst No. 1 picks The No. 1 pick, new hope for the Diamondbacks, is Dansby Swanson, who is not on hand for the event because of a previous engagement, either leading Vanderbilt to the College World Series or starring in a prequel to early 1990s TV sensation “Major Dad” as a young Gerald McRaney....

Among the biggest names in this year’s class of draft prospects are the sons of former outfielders Andruw Jones, Matt Holliday and Carl Crawford, all of whom enjoyed careers of at least 15 years in the big leagues. Leading up to the draft, The Sporting News is taking a look at the names to know in this year’s class, breaking down each of the top 30 prospects and running through our list of the top 100 prospects in the field....

While speaking about the upcoming MLB Home Run Derby with his First Take co-host Max Kellerman, Smith said “I understand that baseball is an international sport itself in terms of participation…But when you talk about an audience, gravitating to the tube, or to the ballpark, I don’t think it helps that the number one face, is a dude that needs an interpreter so you can understand what the hell he’s saying, in this country!...

On March 10, the two sides reportedly agreed to a new CBA, thus ending the months-long owner implemented lockout and reopening the business of baseball, fast-tracking spring training and, ultimately, the start of the 2022 season. Some of baseball’s best, including Freddie Freeman, Carlos Correa and Kris Bryant, have found new homes since then. Keep checking back here for additional moves as Opening Day approaches. Here’s the latest on MLB free agency, rumors, deals and more:...

I spent a couple hours scrolling through season-by-season transaction lists at Baseball-Reference.com to find the most important deals. Not as many of these, but still plenty that made a big impact on the MLB landscape, whether immediately or a couple of years down the road. MORE: Spring training reporting dates for all 30 MLB teams 1. Cubs land Rizzo When: Jan. 6, 2012Details: Cubs trade Andrew Cashner and Kyung-Min Na to Padres for Anthony Rizzo and Zach Cates....

One attention-grabbing option reported late Wednesday by The Associated Press: canceling this year’s amateur draft and adjusting the international signing period. The draft is scheduled for mid-June in Omaha, Neb., site of the now-canceled College World Series. The new signing period begins July 2. It’s unclear whether draft-eligible players could still sign as free agents instead of being selected. This option would be important for pitchers in particular considering the frequency of injuries at the position and possible lost income should they be forced to remain an amateur and then hurt an elbow or shoulder....