MLB’s new ABS challenge system is incredible.

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

MLB’s 2026 season has been officially underway for more than a week now, and baseball’s newest change, the ABS challenge system, is here with it. And it has been glorious. ABS, which stands for automated ball-strike, is a computerized zone, custom fitted to every single player in baseball to ensure exact balls and strikes are called. It had been tested in the minor-leagues since 2022 and was finally given the green light for the big leagues this season.

Before I get into some of the interesting moments it has already caused, I want to start with a fun side effect that has happened. The entire MLB got a bit shorter. What do I mean by that? Well, so that teams are ensuring their players have the exact strike zone, they had to submit precise heights for all players. So, all of the players who were fudging their heights (for whatever reason) now have exact measurements. Per the Athletic, opening day rosters lost nearly 20 combined feet compared to their previous heights. That’s hilarious.

It also means that we get a whole new stat — and baseball fans love their stats. ABS Challenge Win-Loss Records. So far, the Baltimore Orioles are leading the way with a 12-2 record on challenges. Impressive. Right behind them is the New York Yankees at 13-3. The Minnesota Twins have the most successful challenges thus far with 16 to 6 losses. The Cleveland Guardians are having a rough go, currently sitting at a dismal 2-10.

Some umpires have struggled more than others. Take C.B. Buckner, who is quickly earning the title of Worst Umpire in Baseball. As of three days ago, Bucknor has been challenged eight times and had six of his calls overturned. In the Boston Red Sox vs. Cincinnati Reds game, Bucknor missed 20 — yes, 20 — calls. Teams only have two challenges, so once they miss on those, they are out. But, if you get the call correct, you get to keep it. Bucknor was challenged a whole bunch of times in this game and could’ve been challenge a whole lot more. That’s a longer video, but Jomboy Media makes some of the best baseball-related content in the space.

The most beautiful part of it all is that it is fast, efficient, cut and dry. The NBA has implemented challenges within the last few seasons. Generally, they get the call right, but it takes entirely too long to get to that point. In the NFL, challenges also take a long time, and they STILL get calls wrong. But not in the MLB. Players must challenge within two seconds of the call. The pitch gets displayed on what the exact strike zone is a few seconds later, and the call is either upheld or overturned. Quick, simple and exact. The MLB has been masterful at implementing changes to its game over the last few seasons, and they can add this one to that list.

Reach out with comments, suggestions, story ideas and more to cyote@dmcityview.com.

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

I had a friend ask me earlier this week, “Why is it called March Madness if the most important games are played in April?” I didn’t have a good answer. The entire Final Four and National Championship are played in April in a tournament with March in the name. Maybe that’s just part of the madness.

Last week I highlighted the Iowans and Iowa universities participating in March Madness, and I’m feeling quite vindicated right now. As of writing this column, Iowa and Iowa State are into the Sweet 16. This has become a habit for the Cyclones under T.J. Otzelberger as they make their third Sweet 16 appearance in five years under Otz. Iowa’s new head coach, Ben McCollum, in his first year with Iowa, has the team into the Sweet 16 for the first time since the 1990s.

I also highlighted Iowans who were on the rosters of teams in the NCAA tournament. Now, while a great few of them were knocked out in the first weekend, plenty still remain. Incredibly, three Waukee Northwest Wolves alone are playing in the Sweet 16. Cade Kelderman at ISU. Pryce Sandfort at Nebraska. And Peyton McCollum at Iowa. How cool is that?

Last year, the general public bemoaned the historically chalky results of last year’s tournament. This year has not been too different, but there have been some incredible moments along the way. Here are some of my favorite moments from the opening weekend.

Arguably, No. 9 Iowa’s win over defending national champions and No. 1 Florida on a last second three was the coolest, craziest moment so far. I always root against the Hawks, but watching that moment live, even for me, was hard not to love.

No. 12 High Point had the biggest upset of the first round, defeating No. 5 Wisconsin on a last second layup, scored by a player who had not made a single two pointer the entire season. High Point then took No. 4 Arkansas down to the wire in a 94-88 classic. Their Cinderella story ended there, but they made the most of their opportunity.

In a matchup of college basketball blue bloods, No. 5 St. Johns defeated No. 4 Kansas on a last-second layup, sending Bill Self and the Jayhawks packing, much to my delight.

Also in the second round, Nebraska, who had not won a single NCAA tournament game until their first-round win over No. 13 Troy, defeated No. 5 Vanderbilt to advance to the Sweet 16. Coached by ISU legend Fred Hoiberg, and led by his son and point guard Sam Hoiberg, the Huskers defeated Vandy in another classic, 74-72. Vandy’s Tyler Tanner’s half-court heave at the buzzer missed by inches.

The bracket is once again mostly filled with the favorites (except for Florida). The NIL era and lax rules on transfers means the talent has slowly but surely continued to amass at the top of the college basketball landscape. This makes for less shocking upsets but does make for some incredibly entertaining games. The talent level is arguably as high as it has ever been for college basketball, and the Sweet 16 has plenty of amazing games happening tonight and tomorrow for our viewing pleasure.

Reach out with comments, suggestions, story ideas and more to cyote@dmcityview.com.

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. No, not Christmas, but March Madness — a paradise for college basketball fans. Whether your favorite team made it or not — and if you’re an Iowan, it’s likely your team did — the 68-team tournament takes the basketball world by storm at the end of March to crown both the men’s and women’s national champions.

The talent level and overall interest in basketball in Iowa have been increasing in recent years, and that’s reflected in the talent coming out of the state, even from private universities. During my high school years, you would expect a handful of basketball players to earn Division I offers. And if they did, it was rarely to a Power Five — or these days, Power Four — school. After watching the Iowa high school basketball state championship playoffs, there were dozens of D-I players for both boys and girls across multiple classes. Some teams, like Waukee Northwest, had as many as three players with major D-I offers, and they didn’t even make the semifinals. It just goes to show the level of basketball talent the state possesses.

Part of that comes from the success of various university basketball programs. There is the obvious firestorm that Caitlin Clark caused in her record-breaking years at Iowa, which surely inspired a generation of girls to hit the hardwood. The Iowa men also have a solid basketball team. Sure, they can’t seem to make it to the Sweet 16, but they are consistently one of the better teams in the Big Ten. With Ben McCollum at the helm, they could break that curse sooner rather than later.

Fred Hoiberg brought the Iowa State men’s team back into the national spotlight for several years, and T.J. Otzelberger elevated that success during his five-year tenure. Bill Fennelly has led the ISU women’s team for 30 years and is one of the winningest women’s basketball coaches in sports history. He currently has one of the game’s top talents in Audi Crooks.

At UNI, Ben Jacobsen has led the men for 20 years, producing several tournament teams during his tenure. That’s no small feat coming from Cedar Falls. Even Drake has a well-respected basketball program that consistently produces successful men’s and women’s seasons.

With five programs in total making it to the national tournament, there is plenty to root for if you call the Hawkeye State home. Even if your allegiance doesn’t tie to any of those programs, Iowa natives are spread across the country on various teams. Bound Iowa put together a graphic highlighting homegrown talent on some of the nation’s best basketball teams.

So kick back, relax, throw some games on, look for an Iowan, and enjoy the fun.

Reach out with comments, suggestions, story ideas and more to cyote@dmcityview.com.

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

If you are an Iowa State fan, you know that point guard Tamin Lipsey played his final home game for the Cyclones on Saturday, March 7. His final game inside the storied Hilton Coliseum looked like many other Tamin Lipsey performances: 16 points, six assists and six steals.

Tenacious and unwavering on both sides of the court, he embodied what it meant to be an ISU basketball player — made even more impressive by the current college basketball landscape.

My first experience watching Lipsey came when he was a Little Cyclone at Ames High School. A friend of mine, who played at my alma mater, Des Moines Lincoln, faced Lipsey in a second-round substate playoff game. I was living in Ames at the time, so a few friends and I decided to attend. Lincoln lost, 68-41, but Lipsey shined, scoring 27 points. Little did we — and my fellow Cyclone fans — know at the time that he would become one of the greatest ISU basketball players of all time.

Lipsey spent all four years at Iowa State. It was a shock that he even kept his commitment at the time. He committed to ISU when the team went a dismal 2-22 — including 0-18 in Big 12 play. T.J. Otzelberger immediately turned the program around, winning 22 games the next season. Lipsey joined the team the following year and never looked back.

How rare is that? At the end of this season, there were only 22 major scholarship players who spent their entire college careers at one school. Just 22. There are 68 schools in the Power Four conferences. If each team had a maxed-out roster, that would be more than 1,000 players. Only 22 stayed at one school for their entire careers, and Lipsey was one of them.

Winning certainly played a role in why he stayed. He and the Cyclones have done plenty of it. With the Big 12 Conference Tournament semifinals and championship game still ahead — along with the NCAA Tournament — Iowa State has gone 100-38 with Lipsey on the roster.

The list of accolades he accumulated during that time could fill a column of its own. Here are a few eye-popping Lipsey statistics and numbers.

Lipsey holds the ISU record for the most career starts in program history with 127. He ranks fifth all-time in total games played and total minutes played. He is the 14th three-time All-Conference selection in school history. He ranks sixth all time in assists, first all time in defensive win shares and first all time in steals with 302.

Those are just a few of the jaw-dropping numbers Lipsey put up over the years.

It was recently announced that the Cyclones — for the first time in a long time — will retire a jersey number: the No. 3 worn by Melvin Ejim, another all-time program legend. If you have watched ISU games recently, you might notice another player wearing No. 3: Tamin Lipsey.

I like to think they held off on Ejim’s jersey retirement because they knew that someday they will likely add Lipsey’s name to that banner in one way or another a few years from now.

Iowa State posted a heartfelt tribute video for Lipsey, and he can still make history for the Cyclones with the NCAA Tournament looming. Whether the season ends with cutting down the nets or not, I simply want to thank Lipsey for his service and for providing Cyclone fans with countless memories during his time in Ames.

Go make some noise this March — and go make your mark in the NBA.

Reach out with comments, suggestions, story ideas and more at cyote@dmcityview.com.

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

The Winter Olympics have come and gone, and, I have to say, as someone who hadn’t tuned in for the last few events, I thoroughly enjoyed the 2026 Milano Cortana Winter Olympics in Italy. It felt like a breath of fresh, cold air for a number of reasons. The three countries at the top of the medal table by the end were Norway with 41, the U.S. with 33, and the Netherlands with 20.

The most recent major headline to come from the event was that both the men’s and women’s hockey teams won gold medals. On the women’s side, Megan Keller scored the goal of a lifetime to secure the women’s place atop the hockey world. The overtime winning goal effortlessly shifted past the defender and slid underneath the goalkeeper. On the men’s side, they also won in overtime thanks to Jack Hughes. It was the men’s first gold medal since 1980, which many of you might remember as the Miracle on Ice.

Staying to the ice, Alysa Liu’s captivating free skate performance cemented a glorious comeback to competitive skating. Liu had retired from skating at 16 after the 2022 Beijing Olympics, hoping to find herself outside of skating. She was tired of the lack of autonomy she was given throughout her youth. Once she decided to return, she said to her coaches, “I get to pick my own program music. I get to help with the creative process of the program. If I feel like I’m skating too much, I’ll back down. If I feel like I’m not skating enough, I’ll ramp it up. No one’s gonna starve me or tell me what I can and can’t eat.” Sounds like she knew what she was talking about, as she dominated the competition on the way to a gold medal in an incredible performance.

Another skater took gold at this Olympics, but he has been in the limelight for a while now. Ilia Malinin is doing things on the ice that were once thought to be impossible. A backflip was once deemed too dangerous for competition. Malinin now regularly performs the move, much to his delight. France’s Surya Bonaly was the first to complete the move (3:55).

You likely heard or saw what happened to Lindsey Vonn, one of the United States’ most famous Olympians of the 2000s. Vonn’s story was less about victory and more about perseverance. She came out of retirement to compete at these Olympics. In the final event before the Olympics, she ruptured her ACL. Despite this, she decided to compete anyway. Vonn ended up crashing early into her Olympic performance, which included a complex tibia fracture. She said she nearly had to have her leg amputated due to the damage. Vonn has been open about her recovery.

I tuned in several times to the Olympics. One of the best parts was how it felt like it truly was the peak of sporting entertainment, one that has not yet been tainted by gambling and advertisements. What you tune in for is what you get — the best athletes, from all over the world, showing their skills at some of the most difficult sports the globe has to offer. And it was great.

Reach out with comments, complaints, story ideas and more to cyote@dmcityview.com.

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

ACGC and Panorama postseason updates

The most wonderful time of any sports season is upon ACGC and Panorama: the postseason. This week, the ACGC boys basketball team won a playoff game against CAM and face a massive test against Coon Rapids-Bayard. It will certainly be an uphill battle for the Chargers, but they have been facing that all season. After a rough start at 3-8, ACGC began to turn its season around, rattling off six wins in its next eight games. Kudos to the players and coaching staff.

It would be an upset if the ACGC boys manage to defeat CR-B. They should take a lesson from the Panorama girls team after knocking off fellow WCAC member ACGC in the regional playoffs. Panorama had lost the last four games against ACGC, including two this season. One of them was a 30-point blowout just a few short weeks ago when Panorama only scored 11 points. It just goes to show that anything can happen when the postseason begins. Panorama takes on Westwood, a team they defeated in the state semifinals two years ago during the Panthers’ historic run. Let’s see if they can call upon some of that magic from two seasons ago tonight.

ACGC and Panorama wrestlers are also in the midst of the postseason. Wrestling is arguably the state’s most popular sport, and the state wrestling tournament is the most attended high school sporting event. The Casey’s Center (it’s still Wells Fargo Arena in my heart) has been packed once again to see which wrestlers can come out on top.

Plenty of ACGC wrestlers won first round matches, some are still battling in the consolation bracket. Panorama’s Blake Scwartz and a few ACGC wrestlers are still alive in the consolation brackets with a chance to hit the podium. I will be rooting for all of them to keep the wins coming and make their respective schools proud.   

The Indiana Bears?

A few weeks ago, when I was ranting about the death of outdoor stadiums, I mentioned the possibility that the Chicago Bears could be moving to Indiana. What was a joke at the time is all of the sudden starting to feel very real.

News broke yesterday morning (Feb. 19) that an Indiana House Committee unanimously advanced legislation creating a stadium finance authority that would help the state build a dome in northwest Indiana. The Bears released a statement saying it was “the most meaningful step forward” in the saga so far. A Bears spokesperson added that Hammond, Indiana, population 76,000, is the site the Bears are focused on.

The most likely site for where the Bears would move is a golf course that is within a stone’s throw of an oil refinery.Indiana would be giving all of the revenue from the proposed stadium to the Bears. That certainly is leverage — that would likely anger every taxpayer in Indiana. If the Bears move out of Chicago, it will anger much of the fanbase as well.

The original plan for the Bears was to move to Arlington Heights, which is still in play for the team. The Bears already own the property they wish to build on. It comes down to these three things: 1) Illinois lawmakers have no interest in giving the Bears nearly a billion dollars in tax funds (the Bears are committing $2 billion themselves to the project); 2) the Bears want tax certainty; and 3) Indiana wants to set itself on fire. I, the Packers fan, am enjoying every aspect.