Three of the country's biggest ticket sellers told a Congressional committee Wednesday that they would support a federal mandate to disclose "all-in" ticket prices, meaning ticketing fees would be revealed up front to fans, instead of only after a fan has entered personal information, the current industry-wide practice.

Ticketmaster's Chief Operating Officer Amy Howe told the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Committee that the total ticket price "should be disclosed from the outset, not at the end of the purchase process" and that there should be "robust enforcement of this requirement."

Her comments came as the committee opened hearings on practices among the nation's largest ticketing companies that some in Congress have called anti-consumer and deceptive.

The hearing centered on three common practices: speculative ticket sales, deceptive websites and hidden fees. The practices came up in a vast majority of consumer complaints between 2012 and 2017, according to a nationwide analysis of reports to state attorneys general conducted by ESPN.

Committee chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., said he was particularly concerned about high fees.

"Millions of Americans shop on the internet for tickets," Pallone said. "In some ways, the internet has made this experience more convenient, but it has also led to consumers being ripped off as they try to navigate a ticketing industry that for too long has operated in the dark."

Stubhub and AXS also said they would support "all-in pricing." Stubhub general counsel Stephanie Burns testified that the company tried all-in pricing between 2014 and 2015 but moved away from the practice because consumers found it confusing, as competitors' prices did not include fees and appeared lower in search engines.

Burns emphasized that any federal mandate on fees would need "universal consistent enforcement."

An ESPN investigation during the 2018 season found most of the major ticketing companies required customers to input their personal information, including name, address and email address, before revealing fees ranging from 8 to 40%.

Don Vaccaro, chief executive of Ticket Network, answered questions about resale websites referred to as "White Label Sites." Ticket Network sells secondary-market tickets directly to fans, but also offers its technology and website design to professional brokers. In 2014, the Federal Trade Commission found that some websites using the technology had created the false impression that their sites were the "official" website for event venues, prompting fans to mistakenly buy tickets at marked up prices.

Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., asked what Ticket Network was doing to protect consumers from deceptive sites. Vaccaro said affiliate sites no longer use the word "official" in their advertising.

Ticketmaster COO Amy Howe testified that her company worked with Google to identify and help shut down at least 30 deceptive websites last year.

Both Ticketmaster and Stubhub agreed that fans are also hurt by speculative ticket sales, or when someone sells a ticket before they actually possess it. An ESPN investigation found Seattle Seahawks fans lost more than $1 million on speculative tickets for Super Bowl XLIX in 2015.

But representatives of the companies testifying butted heads on the issue of transferability - the ease of transferring tickets digitally from one person to another. Stubhub's Burns testified that, for some events, fans who want to buy tickets originally issued by Ticketmaster must create an account with Ticketmaster to receive their seats, even if the resale purchase was made on a third-party site such as Stubhub.

Ticketmaster's Howe said the procedure is aimed at cracking down on fraudulent tickets. But Burns countered that the practice is just a way to prevent competitors from reselling its seats. Vaccaro, of Ticket Network, later noted that the practice also allows Ticketmaster to collect valuable data about the people buying and selling its tickets.

Howe confirmed her company does collect the name, email and phone number of anyone who transfers or receives its tickets, even if that ticket was resold on a third-party website.

Ryan Fitts, vice president of legal affairs at Vivid, said the company was also concerned about transferability as well as "holdbacks," when venues don't release all available tickets to the public but instead release them at a later date or sell them on the resale market. A study by the New York attorney general's office found that, on average, only about 46% of concert tickets are made available to the public.

Stubhub's Burns argued Tuesday that holdbacks create artificial scarcity that drives up prices and harms consumers.

Pallone, whose committee staff has been investigating ticketing industry practices since November, is pushing for passage of a bill known as the Better Oversight of Secondary Sales and Accountability in Concert Ticketing Act. The bill appears to have at least some bipartisan support.

"There's a lot of customer angst about what happens" when consumers try to buy tickets, said Rep. Bill Flores, R-Texas. "I urge you to look at this from the customer's eyes. If you did that, you wouldn't be in front of this panel today."

LOS ANGELES -- Lakers superstar LeBron James will miss Thursday's game against the Golden State Warriors with a sore groin, the team announced Wednesday.

James, 35, is coming off a season-high 40 points on Tuesday in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Last Christmas, he suffered a torn left groin against the Warriors, which was the first major injury of his career. It submarined both his and his team's season.

The 17-year veteran came back a model of good health this season, averaging 25.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and a league-best 10.6 assists per game for the Western Conference-leading Lakers.

He has played in 54 of the Lakers' 56 games this season, with one of those games he missed also caused by groin discomfort.

Lakers forward Anthony Davis is listed as probable for the Warriors game with a sore left elbow.

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- George Springer could only stand there all alone and listen.

The Houston Astros leadoff man had no choice when he stepped into the batter's box a bit too early and was showered with loud boos Wednesday at a spring training game against the New York Mets.

Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard turned and looked at the scoreboard clock that showed 1:09 p.m. -- he waited for the minute to change so the game would officially reach the 1:10 start time, leaving Springer nowhere to go as the crowd heckled him.

"Cheater! Cheater! Cheater!" one Mets fan along the first-base side chanted at Springer.

The normal tranquility of a February game again was broken as a split squad of Astros continued the team's latest stop on its spring training tour of derisive boos and catcalls, the result of Houston's exposed sign-stealing scheme.

Springer said he's not focusing on the fans when he's at the plate.

"I'm focused on the pitcher. I know who I have to face," Springer said after the game. "Any of that outside [noise], you just have to attempt block it out. At that point in time, it's [focus on] whatever is on the field and you play."

Two days after Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa and Yuli Gurriel got jeered for a game at Detroit's park in Lakeland, it was the Mets' turn to host at newly renovated Clover Park.

Vilified this offseason by the baseball world due to their scam, the Astros brought a pedestrian lineup from their West Palm Beach complex to face the Mets. Springer and fellow outfielder Michael Brantley were the top Astros who started.

So it wasn't mainly the names on the backs of the jerseys that angered the small midweek crowd in attendance at New York's spruced-up ballpark, which had $57 million of renovations and additions put in starting a year ago.

It was the logo and colors worn by Houston, ironically a similar orange-and-blue color pattern to what the Mets wore.

Jim Masotti, a Connecticut native who lives in Port St. Lucie seven months of the year, sported a dark New York Yankees T-shirt and deplored the cheating scam. But he stopped short of saying the title should be stripped from the Astros.

"As a Yankees fan, it's extremely discouraging," said Masotti, who followed Springer's career as a star at UConn. "I think it's a travesty for the integrity of baseball. What happened is something that may not go away for a while, unfortunately."

After Springer worked a two-out walk in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series in Houston last October, Altuve hit a walk-off homer off Yankees reliever Aroldis Chapman that sent the Astros to their second World Series in three years.

"The Yanks ended up being on the short end of this whole thing. As a Yankees fan, I'm very disappointed," Masotti said.

A native of New Britain, Connecticut, and the MVP of 2017's scandalous World Series, Springer drew the loudest boos. He had three at-bats and departed after a fifth-inning bloop single.

"The only guy I feel for -- I'm a UConn alum -- is Springer. I saw him play in college. I feel bad for him, I really do," Masotti said.

Springer flied out in the first, and Brantley batted next. Brantley grew up playing baseball in this area, starred in high school in nearby Fort Pierce and is an offseason resident of Port St. Lucie.

Despite the local roots, he also drew a heaping dose of boos from his locals, though not like Springer did. Brantley joined the Astros last year and struck out to end the World Series.

The Astros did have a few supporters.

Wearing a dark Astros T-shirt with the No. 1 of Correa on the back, Jeff Edwards traveled from his home in Cypress, Texas, to see the club in spring training.

"I wanted to come over and support them," said Edwards, who was taking in spring training for the first time. "There's joking, but there always is. We knew this was coming."

Edwards questioned why Houston would try to pull off such a stunt -- "It's a damn stupid scheme," he reiterated -- and said many of the Astros on the field receiving criticism don't deserve it.

"Many of these players weren't even part of it, and they're getting the brunt of it," he said. "But the Astros have a chance now to go out and prove how good they really are."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Justin Verlander's spring training debut will be postponed at least a few more days while the Houston Astros ace deals with tightness in his groin.

Verlander had been scheduled to start Thursday against Washington. Instead, he will throw a simulated game at the Astros' complex prior to that exhibition.

Houston manager Dusty Baker said the tightness first appeared "a couple of days ago."

"He said he's doing good, so we'll just have to keep an eye on him and analyze him," Baker said.

Baker added that he isn't worried about the injury lingering and expects that, if all goes as planned on Thursday, Verlander would make his next scheduled start, likely early next week.

"I would think so," Baker said. "It just depends on how he feels."

Verlander won his second Cy Young Award last season by going 21-6 with a 2.52 ERA. His 225 career wins are the most among active players.

The change of plans thwarts what would have been a marquee Grapefruit League pitching matchup.

Washington is still planning to send Max Scherzer to the mound on Thursday. Scherzer tossed two scoreless innings at Houston in the Grapefruit League opener for both teams.

Right-hander Christian Javier is now expected to get Thursday's start for Houston against Scherzer.

PERRIS, Calif. – This spring from March 28 to April 18 the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will invade six cities across California.

The series will make stops at Perris Auto Speedway in Perris, Santa Maria Raceway in Nipomo, Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Merced Speedway in Merced, Ocean Speedway in Watsonville and Stockton Dirt Track in Stockton.

The first stop of the Spring California Swing on Saturday, March 28, at Perris Auto Speedway for the SoCal Showdown will be the series’ 20th visit to the half-mile track.

Then on Sunday, March 29, the World of Outlaws will return to Santa Maria Raceway for the first time in 21 years. All drivers on the tour will be competing for their first win at the third-mile raceway.

Carson Macedo, the 2019 World of Outlaws Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year, will then be on the hunt for a home win during the Thunderbowl Raceway doubleheader on April 3-4. The Kyle Larson Racing driver’s hometown of Lemoore is 30 minutes from the third-mile track. He earned an impressive four wins in his rookie campaign and will be poised to grow his resume this year.

Merced Speedway will be another new stop for the World of Outlaws this year on Friday, April 10. It will be the Series’ fifth appearance at the track. David Gravel, who returns for his second year with Jason Johnson Racing, won the last race at the quarter-mile track in 2014.

The next night, on Saturday, April 11, the World of Outlaws will return to Ocean Speedway for the Ocean Outlaw Showdown. It will be the Series’ first visit to the track since 2016. Reigning Series champion Brad Sweet, of Grass Valley, Calif., holds the crown as the last World of Outlaws winner at the quarter-mile track. He’s already off to a strong start with his Kasey Kahne Racing team this season, winning the second race of the year in Florida.

For the conclusion of the Spring California Swing, the Series on Friday, April 17, and Saturday, April 18, will run the FVP Platinum Battery Showdown doubleheader at the Stockton Dirt Track. Logan Schuchart swept both races at the three-eighths-mile track last year. He’s already off to a career best start in 2020 with a win at the DIRTcar Nationals.

Fellow elite drivers, such as 10-time series champion Donny Schatz and 2013 series champion Daryn Pittman – who drives for California-based team Roth Motorsports – will also aim for good runs during the swing as they try to position themselves for another championship run.

COLUMBUS, Ind. – Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports has welcomed yet another young driver into the ranks of its midget team for the 2020 season.

Brenham Crouch, from Lubbock, Texas, will contest a part-time schedule of midget races for the Toyota-powered team, starting April 3 at Jacksonville (Ill.) Speedway.

Crouch, 14, is a micro sprint graduate and will compete primarily on the local level this season, while also testing his skills in selected Lucas Oil POWRi National Midget League shows.

He’ll also run a handful of NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series events late in the season, once he crosses his 15th birthday, before embarking full time with KKM in 2021.

“I’m really looking forward to getting Brenham behind the wheel and seeing what he can do for us,” said team owner Keith Kunz. “I had the chance to watch him race at the Tulsa Shootout back in January, and he impressed me right away. Our goal right now is just getting him comfortable in the midget as his development begins.”

Following his KKM debut at Jacksonville, Crouch will tackle the summer swing with POWRi, including races in Missouri, Kansas and Illinois. His USAC foray will begin Oct. 9-10 with a doubleheader at Illinois’ Wayne County Speedway and Indiana’s Tri State Speedway.

The Jason Leffler Memorial at Wayne County will mark one of the biggest short-track events the young Crouch has competed in during his racing career so far.