Mike Dean's future as a VAR is in doubt after he was taken off selection in the Premier League with performance levels part of the decision, sources have told ESPN.

Dean, 58, has not been appointed to a game in the Premier League or FA Cup for two months, when he was in the VAR hub for Leicester City's 4-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Feb. 11.

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That day proved to be a watershed moment for Howard Webb, who in December took over as chief refereeing officer for Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the organisation that oversees refereeing in English football.

Lee Mason, the second of two full-time VARs in the Premier League along with Dean, failed to identify Christian Norgaard was in an offside position before Ivan Toney scored Brentford's equalising goal in a 1-1 draw at Arsenal. The same day, VAR John Brooks applied the offside lines onto the wrong player to disallow a Brighton & Hove Albion goal in a game the Seagulls drew 1-1 at Crystal Palace.

A PGMOL statement said Webb accepted there were "significant errors in the VAR process" and the issues were being "thoroughly reviewed."

Mason, who was into his second season as a full-time VAR, left his position by mutual consent six days later, while Brooks was replaced as the VAR on his next two appointments as Webb made it clear there must be accountability for mistakes.

Later in February it was announced that Neil Swarbrick, the Premier League's head of VAR, would retire in the summer. As part of the transition he has taken on a role in the VAR hub since January, but has also faced controversy, including a missed red card for Liverpool midfielder Fabinho's horror challenge on Brighton forward Evan Ferguson in an FA Cup tie -- another incident which caused PGMOL to publicly admit to a mistake.

Now it seems Dean's future has been part of that review, while there is no confirmation if he will be appointed again this season or if he will return for the 2023-24 season after going through additional training.

While Dean was not at fault on the weekend of Feb. 11, he had made a number of high-profile errors across the season.

In August, he failed to identify a red card against Tottenham defender Cristian Romero for a violent hair pull on Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella deep into added time. From the resulting corner -- which would not have been taken had Dean advised a VAR intervention -- Spurs scored a 95th-minute equaliser.

Dean wrongly failed to intervene when AFC Bournemouth's Jefferson Lerma should have been sent off at West Ham United, though David Moyes' won 2-0. But Wolverhampton Wanderers should have been given a seventh-minute penalty at home to Arsenal when Goncalo Guedes was fouled by William Saliba, and Arsenal went on to win than match at Molineux 2-0.

In January, Dean intervened to award a 64th-minute penalty to Fulham at Newcastle United for a foul by Kieran Trippier on Bobby De Cordova-Reid. There should have been no VAR intervention, but Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic would miss the spot kick as Newcastle went on to net a late winner.

Dean retired as a referee last summer, and initially it seemed he would not move into a role with PGMOL, before his appointment as a VAR was confirmed in July. With it, Dean was provided with a media profile never before afforded to a serving referee. He was given a monthly column in the Daily Mail, in which he admitted to his mistake not to send off Romero, and an Instagram account. However, he has not written an article in the Mail, or posted on his social media since being taken off selection as a VAR in February.

Romelu Lukaku's management company reacted with outrage after the Inter Milan forward was shown a second yellow card and then sent off for a gesture toward Juventus fans who directed racist chants at him.

The incident occurred after Lukaku converted a penalty in stoppage time to earn Inter a 1-1 draw in the Italian Cup semifinals on Tuesday.

Lukaku held his finger to his lips as if to silence the crowd after scoring.

Lukaku's gesture enraged Juventus players and the game ended in a scuffle between the two squads, with Juventus winger Juan Cuadrado and Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic also sent off.

"Tonight's racist remarks made towards Romelu Lukaku by Juventus fans in Turin were beyond despicable and cannot be accepted," Roc Nation Sports International president Michael Yormark said. "Before, during, and after the penalty, he was subjected to hostile and disgusting racist abuse. Romelu celebrated in the same manner he has previously celebrated goals.

"The referee's response was to award a yellow card to Romelu. Romelu deserves an apology from Juventus, and I expect the league to condemn the behaviour of this group of Juventus supporters immediately," Yormark added. "The Italian authorities must use this opportunity to tackle racism, rather than punish the victim of the abuse."

The Italian league on Wednesday issued a statement in which Lukaku was not named but said that it "strongly condemns every episode of racism and every form of discrimination."

"A few people in the stands cannot ruin the soccer show and don't represent the thoughts of all the fans," the league said.

The league judge will likely open a disciplinary case into the matter, while Juventus said it would collaborate with authorities to identify the fans responsible.

It said: "Juventus Football Club, as always, are collaborating with the police to identify those responsible for the racist gestures and chants which took place last night. The Codice di Gradimento will be applied to those responsible."

Lukaku, who is Black, has been subjected to racist chants on numerous occasions during his two stints at Inter.

Lukaku, on loan at Inter from Chelsea, was also the target of offensive chants in 2019, which he condemned in a social media post at the time.

"History repeats... Been through it in 2019.. and 2023 again..," Lukaku said in a post on Instagram on Wednesday.

"I hope the league really take actions for real this time because this beautiful game should be enjoyed by everyone..."

Racism has been a long-running problem in Italian football and authorities have been criticised for not taking strong enough action.

Information from Reuters was included in this report.

If you were to show up an hour early to an Angel City game and skip the very cool fanfest activities happening outside BMO Stadium, you could behold the vision that is Jun Endo juggling: the stadium still mainly empty, the pink-haired 22-year-old Japanese midfielder is alone on the field with headphones on, in communion with the ball. Sometimes she wears only socks.

She listens to whatever music she feels like in that moment, whether calm and slow or fast-paced and intense, and she takes one exquisite touch after another. She can juggle the ball thousands and thousands of times in a row, high and low, low and high, outside foot, inside foot, laces, shins. (She can juggle a golf ball. She can also juggle while jump-roping.) When the ball drops, it's because she wants it to.

Watching her feels like witnessing something personal -- a private relationship between ball and human. And you are: her extraordinary control is born out of extraordinary circumstances, each touch informed by her story.

On a rainy March morning in Santa Monica, California, Endo walked into Angel City headquarters, a building with a warehouse vibe, a reclaimed shiplap wall and triumphant photos. She wore a cornflower blue beanie, a black zip up sweatshirt, floral bike shorts and white high tops covered with a rainbow of Adidas trefoils -- clothes that express her playfulness. In a conference room with a glass wall, she sat beside Saki Watanbe, a member of Angel City's street outreach team who also translates for Endo.

She started at the beginning. Here's how an earthquake, a nuclear disaster, a family's love and enduring bravery created one of the most electric young players in the game.

Shirakawa, Fukushima, once a castle town on the border between civilization and the wilder Kanto region, has an old-timey, picturesque charm. It's home to Nanko Park, the oldest park in all of Japan, where cherry blossom trees flourish along the rim of a lake. Endo and her family lived on a hillside, her parents' low-slung, more modern house next door to her grandparents' traditional Japanese wafuu home, with bamboo floors and kawara roof.

As the youngest of four kids -- a sister and two brothers, all of whom played soccer -- Endo learned to dribble when she learned how to walk. Her father's a coach, and balls were everywhere. "Don't play in the house" was never a rule. She played on a coed team, mostly boys, a few girls -- no one paid much attention to gender. When her father was on the field, he was coach, but at home he was solely a dad. He never talked soccer. "At home, he always let me be free," Endo says.

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As a family, freedom and expression are important. Her mother is a schoolteacher who she describes as bubbly, warm and colorful. Time at home had no set routine. Often, the kids played in the yard between the two houses and their dad never intervened, wanting them to know what it's like to play on their own.

Some siblings occasionally allow their kid sister to win -- "Not mine," Endo says with a smile. They'd try to cheer her up when she lost -- Jun, you are five and six years younger than us, of course you're not going to win. She wasn't consoled. Here Jun, her brother would say, offering the ball -- come take a shot. She'd wipe her eyes and run over and right as she wound up to take a shot, her brother would yank it away -- she'd trip and fall over and cry, all the more maddened.

Often after school, while her parents were at work, she hung with her grandmother. They went on walks together around Nanko Park. In spring, swans floated across the lake and the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. In November, the ginkgo trees turned a riot of yellow. In winter, snow blanketed the park. "We liked to look at the birds and the changing of the seasons," Endo says. Her grandfather was more of a foreboding figure, stern, unsmiling, never one to issue a compliment directly. But when she won the races at school or scored a goal, he'd tell everyone: That's my granddaughter. My granddaughter is incredible.

She was 11 when her life changed. The 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck during gym class. The boys were changing clothes in the classroom, the girls in the locker room. Everything shook, windows shattered, kids screamed, teachers screamed -- "I could not handle the screaming," Endo says.

She thought to herself, If we stay here, we're going to die. Even though they'd been trained to get under a desk during an earthquake to take cover, Endo took off running down the hallway -- she thought for some reason that everyone had forgotten about the girls. She was running to find someone to help them. When the six minutes of shaking ended, when everything finally went still, the teachers found her and consoled her: it's OK Jun, all the girls are OK.

The students went outside into the open space. The playground was split open. No one could leave until their parent came to pick them up, but the roads were ruined and it took hours for families to show up. "It felt extremely long -- I remember it getting colder and darker," Endo says. Her father and brother, Wataru, came for her. Her brother ran to her and swept her up in his arms.

No one talked on their walk home. Jun sobbed. All the homes they passed had been destroyed, flattened into piles of rubble. Her home was on strong ground on the hillside -- it was OK. But the surrounding wreckage was staggering and the news kept coming: the tsunami was hitting, walls of water triggering catastrophic meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The death toll mounted -- 18,500 people were gone. Endo thought to herself: this is the end.

The flooded reactors at the nuclear power plant released microscopic radioactive cesium and uranium particles into the air. Shirakawa was outside of the evacuation zone but harmful radiation and strict safety regulations meant they could not play outside for months. Endo missed the walks with her grandma to see the swans -- but more than anything, she missed playing soccer.

She played by herself, at home, inside. She couldn't hit long balls, make long runs into space or play freely on an open field -- but she could juggle and she could dribble. The ball was the one thing she could control.

Gym space was coveted and precious when practices for her coed team began again -- all the teams shared, small kids and big kids crammed together. Sometimes they played in hallways on tatami mats. She always loved to dribble -- "It is still my favorite thing," she says -- but this period of her life, after the nuclear meltdown, she identifies as a starting point: there in the hallways and cramped spaces, she began to explore just what she could do with a ball at her feet. She made the most of the five or so meters of space that was hers, and it was in those confines that Endo shaped her identity as a player: a master of technique.

She and her teammates were only allowed to play outside by traveling hours by bus to nearby cities. The bus ride atmosphere was one of both excitement -- they are going to get to play! -- but also unease: players from outside the radiation zone treated Endo and her teammates like they were contaminated. More than 50 countries and regions banned the importation of food from Fukushima on the grounds that it might be radioactive, and kids from Fukushima were treated like they too might be radioactive.

"They treated me like I was a germ," Endo says. During one-on-ones, the opposing defenders would recoil: "Don't touch me," they'd say, a memory burned into Endo. She never said anything in response -- "I didn't believe I could change how people saw me now," she says.

"If that happened today, I'd be totally fine. I wouldn't care," Endo continues. "But as a kid, hearing that from someone else who's the same age? I thought, I can't continue. There's no future for me."

And then, a miracle: the 2011 Women's World Cup. Just four months after the devastation of the triple disaster, the Japanese women's national team -- Nadeshiko -- pulled off one spectacular victory after another.

For the final against the United States, people across Japan set their alarms for the 3:45 a.m. kickoff. Endo watched the TV at home with her family -- and when they beat the USA on penalties and became the first Asian country to win the World Cup, she was shaking. Midfielder Aya Sameshima had even worked at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant during the disaster.

"Watching these players, who experienced the same earthquake, the same struggles, play in the World Cup, made me think, I can do this too," Endo says. She told herself: one day I will be on that pitch.

At 12 years old, she left home to attend a prestigious football academy, JFA Academy Fukushima LSC.

"When I was packing, I was super duper excited, thinking I can't wait ... but when I got there, as soon as I was about to fall asleep, that's when I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I miss home,' " Endo says. The strict rules and hierarchies of the academy were a world apart from a childhood that had been all freedom, no routine. On the phone, Endo cried. Sometimes she said: "This is too much. I don't want to do this anymore. I want to quit," and no matter which family member she was talking with -- mom, dad, sister, grandma -- their response was always the same: in a soothing voice, they'd say, "OK, quit. Come home."

"And then I'd be like, 'No, I don't want to,' " she says now with a laugh. "It sparked a fire in me."

As a sixth-grader, she was asked to play up with the high schoolers -- it was difficult but she loved proving herself against the older kids. Her mother, the one who knows her best, can tell when she's doubting herself, usually because she's comparing herself to others. She's the steady voice in Endo's ear, saying, "Jun, you are yourself -- be Jun, be yourself."

By the time she was finishing high school, Endo was playing for Nippon TV Beleza in the Japanese WE league, and at 19 she was the youngest member of the 2019 Japanese World Cup team. In July 2021 she played in her first Olympics. The Nadeshiko failed to advance out of group, losing to England and tying eventual champ Canada. Afterwards, she visited the memorial for her grandpa, who had passed on earlier that year. She put her ball on his grave and talked to him: even though it didn't go as we planned, I hope you would be proud.

She was fresh off Olympic disappointment when her agent called: a new NWSL team in America, founded by female superstars -- the likes of Natalie Portman, Serena Williams and Abby Wambach -- wants her to play for them. Endo was immediately interested.

"I felt like I had plateaued and I wanted a new environment to take me to another level," Endo says.

Angel City FC manager Freya Coombe describes their recruiting criteria: "If you can't cover ground quickly, you're unable to make it in this league. We looked at her data, her athleticism and saw how technical and quick she was. There was also a willingness to be brave and experience American culture -- to have an adventure."

At 22-years-old, Endo followed her dream to the other side of the world. She came to the United States alone, and she cried on the plane because she was so anxious. She felt proud of herself when she made it through customs -- she'd been scared she wouldn't be able to answer the questions. She speaks no English.

The first week of Angel City's preseason, a weeklong camp, she was a duckling: whenever she saw her roommate change into practice gear, she'd change into it. During mealtimes, when someone stood up, she thought, the meal must be over, time to stand up too. Because she understood nothing, she observed everyone, watching closely, paying attention.

"A teammate said, 'Jun, why are you looking at me so much?' And I was like, 'Uh, I'm just trying to figure it all out,' " Endo laughs. They rely on Google translate to communicate, passing back and forth the phone. She has learned one joke in English -- when they ask her "What's up?" she responds, "The sky." (Her friends groan, like, who taught you that?)

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A post shared by 遠藤純/Jun Endo (@jun_soccer524)

On the field she is playful, but also fierce. For all her infinite patience while juggling, come game time there's a directness, an urgency. Three minutes into last year's opener against the North Carolina Courage, in front of a sellout crowd of 22,000 fans, she chased down the ball near the end line, cut it back with a simplicity that made the charging defender look foolish and sent in the cross to set up Angel City's first goal in history. Ten minutes later, she scored the game winner -- tearing down the field with as few touches as possible, slotting it side netting. "She's been a fan favorite ever since," Coombe says.

In 2023, she has continued to thrill. Playing for Japan during the SheBelieves Cup in March, she nutmegged Canada's Kadeisha Buchanan in the box with fanatic, I-will-go-through-you energy, drawing a penalty kick that Japan converted. In the 77th minute, she charged through open spaces and scored one on her own. She is playing the best soccer of her life.

Coombe recounts a moment during preseason when, post-practice, Endo was laying on top of one of the inflatable dummies used in training sessions for free kicks. She tried to balance herself on the cylinder-shaped object -- she rolled and fell off, got back on, rolled and fell off, got back on, determined -- no idea that a practice camera happened to be recording it all. The coaching staff edited the video footage to music and played it for the team: Endo, fully absorbed in this challenge she'd made for herself.

"She's a creative spirit and I don't want to be a joystick coach -- now go here, go there -- I want her to be able to operate with a little freedom, to explore the space," Coombe says. "Her teammates are starting to understand her and the movement -- we're finding the rhythm."

Before last season's opener, Endo remembers walking out onto the field. "I knew that no one in this stadium knew who I was," Endo says. But she made a vow to herself: I'm going to leave an impression. I will make sure everyone remembers me.

Not the kind of history Angel City wanted to make. ?

We have the first ever VAR goal reversal in the history of women's club soccer on Jun Endo's rocket from midfield. ? pic.twitter.com/FxLkCmM9HF

— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) March 27, 2023

At this season's home opener on March 26, Endo stepped on the field and the 22,000 in the sellout crowd roared. She had undoubtedly become a fan favorite -- if not the fan favorite. Men and women scattered throughout the stadium wear pink wigs in her honor. She didn't disappoint, although the same could not be said for VAR: in the 15th minute, she rocketed through the midfield and launched a stunner from 40 yards out, catching the keeper off her line -- it was goal-of-the-year caliber stuff.

Endo grinned and hopped while her teammates pounced on her. Thousands of fans wildly waved pink Angel City flags -- until VAR put a stop to the jubilation. No one in the stadium had any idea why, and the broadcasters watching video of it were just as puzzled -- nothing was clear in the replay, although eventually it was declared that Angel City teammate Dani Weatherholt committed a foul in the buildup. The goal was called back. As Angel City supporters booed the decision, Endo walked the field, eyes sparkling, lips pursed.

On Instagram, she posted video of the whole sequence -- her ridiculous goal, the joyful hopping, the ref making the ominous VAR sign with his fingers, followed by the dismaying, no-goal gesture of his arms. Almost assuredly using Google Translate, Endo wrote, "Where is my score?!" and she tracked the progression of her facial expressions through a series of emoticons, from the ultimate happy face all the way down to distraught.

Then she vowed: "I'll get this score back," as if to say: one day, I will score this beauty again. The post captures the traits that make her Jun: she is spirited, playful -- and undeterred. Come July, the kid from Fukushima will get the chance to represent her country in the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. She will no doubt be making more vows to herself -- to win a World Cup and to dazzle the way the Nadeshiko once dazzled her.

The first golf major of the year beings at the 2023 Masters from Augusta National grounds in Georgia. This year, we will get to see PGA Tour and LIV Tour golfers competing against each other. The field is littered with experienced past champions like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth. Let's not forget defending champion Scottie Scheffler who will be looking to add another major title to his resume.

Where is the betting value? Will the favorites prevail? Our golf and betting experts break down everything thing you need to know to bet the 2023 Masters Tournament.

Jump to a section:
Experts' picks to win | Betting value picks to win | Notable golfers odds | Props and more

Expert picks

Matt Barrie, ESPN
Winner: Scottie Scheffler

Tory Barron, ESPN.com
Winner: Cameron Smith

Elizabeth Baugh, ESPN.com
Winner: Jordan Spieth

Michael Collins, ESPN.com
Winner: Scottie Scheffler

Michael Eaves, ESPN
Winner: Rory McIlroy

Peter Lawrence-Riddell, ESPN.com
Winner: Collin Morikawa

Andy North, ESPN
Winner: Jordan Spieth

Mark Schlabach, ESPN.com
Winner: Rory McIlroy

Curtis Strange, ESPN
Winner: Jon Rahm

Wright Thompson, ESPN.com
Winner: Tiger Woods

Paolo Uggetti, ESPN.com
Winner: Jon Rahm

Scott Van Pelt, ESPN
Winner: Xander Schauffele

Betting value picks to win

Our betting experts give you picks to win based on value. We look at the betting board and tell you who has the best chance to cash your ticket.

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- AS RORY MCILROY started his pre-Masters news conference on Tuesday, he glanced to the side at a videoboard, which featured a photo of him triumphantly raising his arms after he chipped in from a bunker on the 72nd hole of the 2022 tournament.

It was the final shot of McIlroy's latest attempt at becoming only the sixth golfer to complete the career Grand Slam in the Masters era, and although he once again fell short, he seems convinced that it was a turning point in his quest to join the most elite fraternity in the sport. It was an exclamation point on an 8-under 64 final round, which put him solo second on the leaderboard, 3 shots behind winner Scottie Scheffler.

"The only thing that I can say is that I proved to myself that I could do it," McIlroy said. "As much as I didn't really get into contention, there was a part of me on that back nine last year that felt that I had a chance, and to play the way I did and to eagle 13 and to have those feelings, in my mind, anyway, I felt like it was a breakthrough."

McIlroy has won four major championships and captured victories 23 times on the PGA Tour and 15 times in Europe. He has been ranked No. 1 in the world nine times during his career, most recently just two months ago. Now ranked behind only Scheffler, he is once again among the favorites to win the Masters and add an elusive green jacket to his wardrobe.

To finally complete the career Grand Slam in his ninth attempt and end a more than eight-year drought without a major championship victory, McIlroy will have to battle more than the lightning-fast greens of Augusta National and a field that includes the best players in the world. He'll also have to tackle the ghosts and scar tissue of past Masters failures that have plagued him.

"Not every experience is going to be a good experience," McIlroy said. "I think that would lead to a pretty boring life. You know, you have to learn from those challenges and learn from some of that scar tissue that's built up. I felt last year that I maybe shed some of that scar tissue and felt like I sort of made breakthroughs."

FROM THE TIME McIlroy first showed up at Augusta National in 2009 with his floppy hair and yet-to-be-chiseled physique, the Northern Irishman seemed destined to win the Masters. With the way he smashes drives past competitors on rolling fairways, bends shots around tight corners with his natural draw and hits approach shots high into the air, Augusta National Golf Club seemed tailor-made for his game.

Now, 14 years later, we're still waiting for him to win.

"What does he have to do?" 1992 Masters champion Fred Couples said. "I don't know. Is it surprising he's never won this? Of course, it is [with] the way he plays and the way he putts and how high he hits it and how far he hits it. But it's not that easy."

McIlroy has come close to winning. Along with his runner-up finish last year, he finished fourth in 2015 and tied for fifth in 2018 and 2020. His chances at joining Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Gene Sarazen as the only players to win each of golf's four majors were ultimately undone by one bad round at Augusta National.

"They said the same thing about Ernie Els [and] Greg Norman," McIlroy said. "There's been players before that that has been said. You know, this course is tailor-made for those players, and they haven't [gone] on to win a green jacket. That's always in my mind, too. It's not just because a place is deemed, you know, perfectly set up for your game, it doesn't automatically mean that you're going to win it one day. There's more to it than that."

So can one final round or shot out of a greenside bunker erase everything bad that's happened in the past? Ben Crenshaw knows a thing or two about pain and scar tissue. Although Crenshaw won two green jackets by capturing the Masters in 1984 and 1995, he went 0-for-8 in playoffs during his PGA Tour career, including a loss to David Graham in the 1979 PGA Championship, one of his five runner-up finishes in major championships.

Standing under the iconic oak tree between the clubhouse and the first tee at Augusta National Golf Club this week, the pain still seemed fresh for the 71-year-old Texan, even all these years later.

"You always remember pain out there," Crenshaw said. "All of us in some regard are going to feel it because we've all experienced it. Sometimes a bounce-back happens and it erases in your brain. It's hard to explain how you get rid of it."

MCILROY'S SCAR TISSUE from Augusta National is thicker than most. As a 21-year-old, he had a 4-stroke lead heading into the final round in the 2011 Masters. McIlroy seemed nervous from the start in a final pairing with the intimidating Angel Cabrera. He carded a bogey on the first hole and had to scramble from a bunker to make par on the second. He held things together and was 1-over in the round after the first nine holes.

Then, with everyone from Woods to Jason Day to Adam Scott to Charl Schwartzel trying to chase him down, McIlroy buckled under pressure. On the par-4 10th hole, he snap-hooked his tee shot into the towering pines on the left. Somehow, his ball settled in pine straw between two cabins, about 70 yards from the fairway.

Three-time Masters champion Nick Faldo, working as an analyst on the CBS Sports broadcast, couldn't believe where McIlroy's ball ended up.

"My goodness," Faldo said. "He must have hit a tree. That's not much more than 150 yards off the tee."

"I know he's anxious to get to Butler Cabin," CBS Sports play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz said of the cabin where the Masters champion traditionally slips on a coveted green jacket, "but it's a little early."

After finding his ball, McIlroy chipped out to the fairway. Then he hooked another shot with a 3-wood. He couldn't get up and down after his fourth shot hit a tree limb and carded a triple-bogey 7. He fell from first to seventh on a crowded leaderboard.

Things would only get worse for McIlroy at Amen Corner. He three-putted for bogey on the 11th and four-putted for double bogey on the 12th. After McIlroy hooked his tee shot on the 13th into Rae's Creek, he buried his head in his right arm with a look of defeat.

McIlroy posted an 8-over 80, the worst score for a final-round leader in the 75-year history of the tournament. He tied for 15th place at 4 under, 10 shots behind Schwartzel, the unlikely South African champion.

AFTER EMERGING FROM the clubhouse, McIlroy spoke to reporters about his forgettable round.

"Well, it's going to be hard to take for a couple of days," said McIlroy. "But I'll be OK. I didn't see it coming even though I know it's happened before. It's very disappointing."

"I don't know," he said. "I unraveled."

McIlroy later acknowledged that he cried the next day, after talking to his mother, Rosie, on the telephone. She tried to assure him that everything was going to be OK, but he wasn't so sure.

"It was one of those things," McIlroy told the Guardian in December 2011. "There were so many thoughts and emotions going through my head. At the time it felt like the only chance I would have of winning at Augusta and I blew it.

"It could have been the crossroads of my career," he said. "I could have done what I did on Sunday at Augusta and let it affect me and let it get to me, and maybe go into a slump or feel down or feel sorry for myself."

McIlroy came out on the right side in the end. While there were concerns that McIlroy would never get over his collapse at the Masters, he claimed his first major championship about two months later when he won the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club by 8 strokes, setting records for the lowest 72-hole total (268) and lowest score under par (16 under). He added PGA Championship titles in 2012 and 2014 and the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool in 2014.

"If anything, it made me more determined to go back and prove to a lot of people, not just the media but everyone, and prove to myself as well that I wasn't this person they were making me out to be in the press -- a choker [who] can't handle the pressure," McIlroy said in 2011. "I was determined to show them that that wasn't me."

AND YET, WINNING a green jacket remains elusive. At 33 years old, time is still on McIlroy's side. But with each passing year, the pressure to win the Masters only gets greater. Ahead of the 2017 Masters, McIlroy told Golf Digest that the stress from wanting to win a green jacket made it difficult for others to be around him before the tournament.

"I am, ask anyone who knows me, a complete p---k in the week leading up to Augusta," McIlroy said. "But they understand and know that. It's a stressful situation."

McIlroy said Tuesday that he's been working with renowned sports psychologist Bob Rotella, who has written a dozen books about golf and psychology. Rotella, a former director of sports psychology at the University of Virginia, has a simple philosophy when it comes to what golfers should be thinking about in their pre-shot routines.

In his 2004 book, "The Golfer's Mind," Rotella wrote that people have been programmed to remember bad things that have happened since they were young. In the fourth grade, for example, teachers mark incorrect answers on a test with a red marker but leave the correct ones alone. Golfers remember their bad shots, but not their good ones. Mark Twain famously said that "the inability to forget is infinitely more devastating than the inability to remember."

"Ideally, a golfer would remember eternally his best shots," Rotella wrote. "When he confronted a difficult tee shot, or a lob from a tight lie, or a slippery putt, he'd recollect all the great shots he'd hit in similar situations in the past. He'd step up to the ball confidently, and this confidence would greatly enhance the chance that he'd hit another great shot. Unfortunately, too many of us have the opposite tendency. We remember our bad shots, and we forget our good ones."

McIlroy planned to meet with Rotella in Augusta on Tuesday night.

"I think the best way for me to feel like I'm in a good headspace is to be as prepared as I possibly can be, and I feel really prepared," McIlroy said. " I think when you feel that way and you feel like you've done everything that you need to do, you sort of just get into a different level of comfort. I think I'm pretty much there."

When McIlroy was asked whether his problems at Augusta National were more physical or mental, he said, "I would say the majority of mental or emotional struggles rather than physical. I've always felt like I have the physical ability to win this tournament. But it's being in the right headspace to let those physical abilities shine through."

"It's been tentative starts, not putting my foot on the gas early enough," McIlroy said. "I've had a couple of bad nine holes that have sort of thrown me out of the tournament at times. So it's sort of just like I've got all the ingredients to make the pie. It's just putting all those ingredients in and setting the oven to the right temperature and letting it all sort of come to fruition. But I know that I've got everything there. It's just a matter of putting it all together."

AFTER MAKING ADJUSTMENTS with his driver and changing putters before the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play last month, McIlroy's game is in pretty good form. He has won three times since August, including the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake.

McIlroy hasn't won a major since he hoisted the Wanamaker Trophy for a second time as the PGA Championship winner at Valhalla in August 2014. There have been plenty of near-misses, including a tie for fifth at the U.S. Open and a solo third at the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews last year. After having the lead or a co-lead at the end of rounds 17 times in his first 25 major championships, McIlroy didn't hold a lead again in the next 30 until the final round of The Open in August. He shot a 2-under 70 over the final 18 holes and lost to Australia's Cameron Smith by 2 strokes.

It was an all-too-familiar feeling for McIlroy. Since his last victory at Valhalla, there have been 31 majors played, which were won by 23 different golfers -- but not him. It was the 17th time McIlroy had finished in the top 10 in a major, the most by any player since 2015, according to ESPN Stats & Information. He has finished in the top five nine times in majors, including in three of four last season.

"I'm only human. I'm not a robot," McIlroy said at St. Andrews last year. "Of course you think about it, and you envision it, and you want to envision it. ... And every time I go out, I'm trying to envision McIlroy at the top name on that leaderboard and how did that feel?

"I'll be OK," McIlroy said. "At the end of the day, it's not life or death. I'll have other chances to win the Open Championship and other chances to win majors."

GIVEN THAT MCILROY has become a statesman of sorts for the PGA Tour during its ongoing battle with the LIV Golf League, the timing would be right for him to complete the career Grand Slam. McIlroy has sparred with Norman, the LIV Golf CEO, and had a dust-up with LIV Golf player Patrick Reed, a former Masters champion, at the Dubai Desert Classic in January. McIlroy and Woods were instrumental in reshaping the PGA Tour after several of its members, including major championship winners Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Brooks Koepka and others, left for the LIV Golf League.

Starting at the JP McManus Pro-Am in Ireland in July, McIlroy and others began restructuring the PGA Tour to ensure that its top stars would be competing against each other more often -- and for a lot more money. Woods and McIlroy led a meeting of the tour's top players during the FedEx Cup playoffs in Wilmington, Delaware, in August, which led to many changes that were announced earlier this year. McIlroy's role has opened him to criticism from lesser-ranked PGA Tour members, who are worried they'll be left out of designated events with bigger purses.

"The thing that's been so impressive about what he's done and having seen where we were coming out of Delaware last year to where we are now, his leadership has manifested itself in a way where he has a very good grasp on and balance on the full picture and on the entire membership, and where we were last summer to where we are now is largely a reflection on the amount of time and energy he's put into understanding that," PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said.

After missing the cut at the Players Championship last month, McIlroy said he was "ready to get back to being purely a golfer."

If McIlroy can figure out how to win at Augusta National Golf Club this week, he'll be firmly among the game's greatest players.

"Rory has the talent," Woods said. "He has the game. He has all the tools to win here. It's just a matter of time. A lot of things have to happen to win at this golf course. A lot of things have to go right. I think Rory has shown over the years he's learned how to play this golf course, and you just have to understand how to play it.

"He's been there. Last year he made a great run [and] put himself there. But I think that it's just a matter of time, whether it's this year or next or whenever it comes, he will get it done, and he will have a career Grand Slam. It's just what year it will be; it will definitely happen."

The bottom seven seeds in the Western Conference postseason picture are still a toss-up, but there is another serious NBA race that will be determined in the final week of the regular season. This year's MVP race between Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo will be decided in the next few days.

Jokic, the reigning back-to-back MVP, is looking to become the first player since Larry Bird to win a third consecutive MVP award. Jokic looked like a near-lock to win it in February, but a slide by him and the Denver Nuggets combined with a surge by the Philadelphia 76ers thrust Embiid into the lead, according to ESPN's latest straw poll. Embiid might have put the race to bed with his 52-point performance against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday -- his third 50-point performance of the season.

Antetokounmpo is the only other contender in the race, as he has led the Milwaukee Bucks to the best record in the NBA -- an accolade they can clinch for the season with one more win.

Note: Throughout the regular season, our panel (Kendra Andrews, Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Nick Friedell, Andrew Lopez, Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin and Ohm Youngmisuk) is ranking all 30 teams from top to bottom, taking stock of which teams are playing the best basketball and which teams are looking most like title contenders.

Previous rankings: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 | Week 16 | Week 17 | Week 18 | Week 19 | Week 20 | Week 21 | Week 22 | Week 23

1. Milwaukee Bucks
2022-23 record: 57-22
Previous ranking: 1

The Bucks moved closer to wrapping up the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and best record in the NBA with a victory over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday. They lead the Celtics by three games with three remaining, and their magic number to clinch the top seed is two. The Bucks have the next two games at home against Chicago and Memphis before closing out on the road in Toronto. -- Collier

2. Boston Celtics
2022-23 record: 54-25
Previous ranking: 2

Boston's loss to Philadelphia all but cements the Celtics into the second seed in the East. Now, Boston will wait to see who will emerge from the play-in tournament as a first-round matchup. -- Bontemps

3. Denver Nuggets
2022-23 record: 52-27
Previous ranking: 3

The Nuggets have been the best team in the Western Conference all season long. They head into the playoffs with a fully healthy roster for the first time in years and are led by Nikola Jokic -- who could soon be picking up his third straight MVP award. There isn't much room for failure in the postseason for Denver, and certainly no excuses for any, even though the West still feels wide open for anyone to take. The pressure is on for the Nuggets to make a run. -- Andrews

4. Philadelphia 76ers
2022-23 record: 52-27
Previous ranking: 4

Joel Embiid's latest incandescent performance not only might have wrapped up the MVP race, but it also has left Philadelphia with little to play for over the final few days of the regular season, as the 76ers are pretty much locked into the third seed in the East. -- Bontemps

5. Memphis Grizzlies
2022-23 record: 50-29
Previous ranking: 5

The Grizzlies traded for Luke Kennard to address their glaring need for another 3-point threat, and he certainly has fulfilled expectations. Kennard has shot 53.1% from 3-point range since arriving in Memphis. He is poised to repeat as the NBA's 3-point percentage leader, shooting 48.4% for the season. The Grizzlies are 14-4 when Kennard has played at least 20 minutes and average 120.8 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor. -- MacMahon

6. Cleveland Cavaliers
2022-23 record: 50-30
Previous ranking: 6

Cleveland reached the 50-win plateau for just the 12th time in franchise history with a 117-113 victory over Orlando on Tuesday. Donovan Mitchell (four straight 40-point games) and the team (winners of seven of its past 10) appear to be peaking ahead of the postseason. -- McMenamin

7. Phoenix Suns
2022-23 record: 44-35
Previous ranking: 8

The Suns are streaking, winners of six in a row to cement their hold on the West's No. 4 seed. Tuesday's win in San Antonio was just the second time in Kevin Durant's seven games with Phoenix that he shot under 50% from the field, but Torrey Craig and Bismack Biyombo combined to shoot 12-for-16 off the bench to make up for it. -- McMenamin

8. Sacramento Kings
2022-23 record: 48-31
Previous ranking: 7

The Kings are heading back to the playoffs for the first time in 16 years, and while they aren't feared by most at the 3-seed, it doesn't matter. Sacramento is exceeding all expectations this season, taking far more strides in its quest to just get a bit better under a new head coach this season. Whatever happens from here is just icing on the cake. -- Andrews

9. New York Knicks
2022-23 record: 46-33
Previous ranking: 9

A four-game winning streak has virtually locked New York into the fifth seed in the East -- and into what should be a very entertaining first-round series with Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The big question now, though, is what state will Julius Randle's sprained ankle be in by the time that series begins in a week and a half. -- Bontemps

10. Golden State Warriors
2022-23 record: 42-38
Previous ranking: 12

Andrew Wiggins is back after 50 days away from the team, but it's unclear how quickly he'll be able to help the Warriors. Golden State is fighting to stay out of the play-in, not only avoiding an early elimination but also giving Wiggins more time to get his conditioning back. Either way, the Warriors' margin for error is very small as they enter whatever version of the postseason they're in. -- Andrews

11. LA Clippers
2022-23 record: 41-38
Previous ranking: 10

The Clippers began the season with championship expectations but find themselves fighting to stay out of the play-in tournament in the final week of the regular season. Steve Ballmer's team has been plagued by injuries and inconsistency all season, and Paul George (sprained knee) remains out for the rest of the regular season. If the Clippers can't find a way to keep their regular-season dominance (10 straight wins) over the Lakers going on Wednesday, they will be staring at a three-game losing streak at the worst time of the season. -- Youngmisuk

12. Brooklyn Nets
2022-23 record: 43-36
Previous ranking: 13

Brooklyn dropped a tough one to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday but remains on track to finish the season in the sixth spot in the East and avoid the play-in tournament. Spencer Dinwiddie had 30 points in Tuesday's loss, and Mikal Bridges continues to improve each night. Bridges finished March averaging 28.8 points in 35.6 minutes per game. -- Friedell

13. Miami Heat
2022-23 record: 42-37
Previous ranking: 11

The Heat have won two straight, but they're still seventh in the East, a game behind Brooklyn, after dropping three straight games to the Nets, Raptors and Knicks earlier in the week. The good news for Miami is that Jimmy Butler is still rolling and continues to put up big numbers on most nights. He had 27 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in Tuesday's win over the Pistons. -- Friedell

14. Los Angeles Lakers
2022-23 record: 41-38
Previous ranking: 16

The Lakers escaped with a 135-133 overtime win in Utah on Tuesday after blowing a 10-point lead in the final two minutes of regulation. The victory meant they finally achieved their goal of securing the No. 6 seed in the West ... for about an hour. Golden State beat Oklahoma City later in the night to go back up a half-game on L.A. and push the Lakers back to No. 7. -- McMenamin

15. New Orleans Pelicans
2022-23 record: 40-39
Previous ranking: 15

The Pelicans have won seven of their past nine games, and a lot of that has had to do with the play of Brandon Ingram. He recorded his first two career triple-doubles in March and had his streak of consecutive 25-point games end at nine Tuesday. The only other player in franchise history to have a nine-game streak of scoring 25 or more points is Zion Williamson, who did it on two separate occasions. -- Lopez

16. Atlanta Hawks
2022-23 record: 40-39
Previous ranking: 17

Atlanta picked up a 123-105 victory Tuesday night over Chicago to improve to 3-5 in games Trae Young doesn't play this season. There's an outside chance Atlanta could slip out of the play-in tournament altogether, but it's likely the Hawks will be playing for seeding in their final three games. If they can finish in the Nos. 7 or 8 spots, they'll have at least two chances to make the postseason. The Hawks finish the year with games against Washington and Philadelphia at home before ending the season at Boston. -- Lopez

17. Toronto Raptors
2022-23 record: 40-39
Previous ranking: 21

After beating Charlotte on Tuesday night, the scenario for Toronto is pretty simple: win the remaining three games and hope Atlanta drops one of them to get into the eighth seed -- and, with it, two chances to win one game to make the playoffs. With two of Toronto's remaining games in Boston, that won't be easy. -- Bontemps

18. Minnesota Timberwolves
2022-23 record: 40-40
Previous ranking: 14

The Timberwolves are a big question mark. Will they make the playoffs? Or the play-in? And if they do, what will they look like? Yes, they've been plagued by injuries this season, but even before Karl-Anthony Towns was sidelined for four months, the Timberwolves weren't clicking. Will they be able to put it together in time to be competitive? -- Andrews

19. Oklahoma City Thunder
2022-23 record: 38-42
Previous ranking: 18

The Thunder improved to 36-36 on March 21, but things have gone slightly awry since then as they dropped six of their past eight games. The Thunder remain in 10th place in the West and a game up on the Dallas Mavericks with the tiebreaker. If Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has 45 30-point games this year, can score 30 in both of the Thunder's final two games, he'll tie Kevin Durant for the most 30-point games in a season since the team moved to Oklahoma City in 2008-09. Kevin Durant had 47 such games in 2009-10 and 2013-14. -- Lopez

20. Chicago Bulls
2022-23 record: 38-41
Previous ranking: 19

The Chicago Bulls clinched a spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament Tuesday thanks to a loss by the Orlando Magic. However, with a chance to move up in the standings, the Bulls lost by double digits at home to the Hawks, all but cementing their status as the No. 10 seed in the East. -- Collier

21. Dallas Mavericks
2022-23 record: 37-42
Previous ranking: 20

The Mavs are 4-11 when Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are both in the lineup. The .267 winning percentage is by far the worst for a pair of teammates who both made the All-Star Game that season since the ABA-NBA merger, which includes 473 duos that played at least 10 games together, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. -- MacMahon

22. Utah Jazz
2022-23 record: 36-43
Previous ranking: 22

Talen Horton-Tucker, who has been starting at point guard since the All-Star break, has four of the six highest-scoring performances of his career in the past month. That includes a career-high 41 points in a win over the Spurs last week. Horton-Tucker, 22, has averaged 20.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.6 assists in the past 14 games. -- MacMahon

23. Washington Wizards
2022-23 record: 34-45
Previous ranking: 23

The Wizards have been in shutdown mode with Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma out. But Monte Morris and Deni Avdija have joined them on the sidelines as Washington gives Corey Kispert and Johnny Davis the green light in the final week. Having won just four of their past 17 games, the Wizards hope to increase their lottery odds yet again. -- Youngmisuk

24. Orlando Magic
2022-23 record: 34-45
Previous ranking: 26

Orlando is now officially out of play-in contention after Tuesday's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers -- but despite the setback the Magic are confident there are a lot of positive signs for the future. Markelle Fultz had 23 points on Tuesday and continues to get better. Paolo Banchero added 20 points and should be named the Rookie of the Year after the season. Franz Wagner added 17 points and had plenty of big games throughout the season. The Magic play hard and should improve even more with the addition of a couple more lottery picks this summer. -- Friedell

25. Indiana Pacers
2022-23 record: 34-45
Previous ranking: 24

The Pacers were officially eliminated from play-in contention earlier this week, and it's unlikely guard Tyrese Haliburton (ankle) will play again this season. He will miss his fifth consecutive game Wednesday and has missed 11 of the past 13 games because of the injury. -- Collier

26. Portland Trail Blazers
2022-23 record: 33-46
Previous ranking: 25

Even when the Blazers are trying to stack the deck to increase their lottery odds, they find a way to win at Minnesota on Sunday, picking up only their fifth victory since the All-Star break. At least it's Shaedon Sharpe season for three more games. -- Youngmisuk

27. Charlotte Hornets
2022-23 record: 26-54
Previous ranking: 27

The good news for Charlotte is it only has two games left. The Hornets dropped three straight and need to start hoping that lottery luck is on their side. Charlotte has given up at least 120 points in four straight games. -- Friedell

28. San Antonio Spurs
2022-23 record: 20-59
Previous ranking: 28

San Antonio was a 16-point underdog when they toppled the Sacramento Kings 142-134 in overtime Sunday. It was the largest upset victory the team has had under Gregg Popovich. They did it with a pair of firsts, too -- Julian Champagnie (26 points) and Doug McDermott (30 points) marked the first time in Spurs history they've had multiple 25-point scorers off the bench in the same game and Tre Jones (17 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds) had his first career triple-double. -- Lopez

29. Houston Rockets
2022-23 record: 20-60
Previous ranking: 29

Some of the teams we saw during March Madness have older rotations than the Rockets. The nine players on Houston's active roster who have played the most minutes this season are all 22 or younger. The Rockets have two first-round picks in this draft, but Houston also has more than $60 million in salary cap space and plans to target established veterans. -- MacMahon

30. Detroit Pistons
2022-23 record: 16-63
Previous ranking: 30

The Pistons have lost 10 games in a row as they close out the final week of a disappointing season. Detroit is one loss away from securing the worst record in the league and has clinched top-three odds in the 2023 NBA draft lottery. -- Collier

A Google search for "Houston Astros" and "evil empire" generates more than 1 million results, with headlines such as: "Are the Houston Astros the new evil empire of baseball?" and "Jose Abreu signing helps Astros approach evil empire status" and "The new evil empire: Houston Astros look to erase stain of cheating scandal."

Back in December 2002, then-Boston Red Sox president Larry Lucchino tagged the New York Yankees with that moniker because of their run of championships in the late 1990s and early 2000s. New York embraced the idea, playing "Star Wars" music at Yankee Stadium and even staging a legal battle to protect use of the "evil empire" term when used in a baseball context.

Like those Yankees, the description is applied to the Astros for more than just their success on the field -- and there has been plenty of that, with a record six consecutive ALCS appearances since 2017, plus four World Series trips and two titles. The one thing these Astros haven't accomplished, however, is back-to-back World Series titles. Indeed, no team has done it since the Yankees won three in a row from 1998 to 2000.

The oddsmakers in Las Vegas made the Astros the preseason World Series favorite. While they lost Justin Verlander in free agency, they brought back all the other key players and added Abreu. Can they end the back-to-back World Series drought?

ESPN MLB expert Dave Schoenfield considers what worked for the Yankees and gives five reasons why the Astros will repeat, followed by Jeff Passan, Brad Doolittle, Alden Gonzalez, Joon Lee and Jesse Rogers naming five other teams that can knock off the reigning champs.

Why Houston can repeat

1. Star power in the lineup

The Yankees had Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill, Tino Martinez, Jorge Posada and Chuck Knoblauch anchoring the offense. The Astros counter with Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Jeremy Pena and now Abreu. Which group would you take?

Over their three championship seasons, the Yankees averaged 22.6 bWAR, peaking at 27.5 in 1998 and falling to 17.2 in 2000. The Astros' top five had 26.6 WAR in 2022, nearly matching what the Yankees did in 1998. Even with Altuve missing the first couple of months in 2023 with a thumb injury, FanGraphs projects these six at 24.9 WAR.

Indeed, if there's one difference between the Yankees and Astros, it's that the Yankees didn't have a hitter of Alvarez's level. In those three aforementioned seasons, their highest single-season OPS+ was Williams' 160 in 1998. Alvarez hit .306/.406/.613 last season, good for a 187 OPS+. He followed with 14 RBIs in 13 postseason games, including three clutch home runs. He can carry an offense in October.

2. A dominant bullpen

No, Ryan Pressly won't be confused for Mariano Rivera, but he has been one of the best closers in the game. Consider that from 1998 to 2000, Rivera converted 89% of his save opportunities in the regular season. Pressly has converted 91% of his chances the past two seasons. The Yankees had more than Rivera, however, with Jeff Nelson, Mike Stanton and Ramiro Mendoza pitching key innings in the postseason. From '98 to 2000, that trio went 5-1 with a 3.21 ERA in the playoffs.

The Astros' bullpen goes even deeper -- as modern bullpens must do. With Rafael Montero, Hector Neris, Bryan Abreu and Ryne Stanek leading the way in front of Pressly, the Astros led the majors last season with a 2.80 bullpen ERA and 28.3% strikeout rate. All those guys are back, and there's also depth in Phil Maton and Seth Martinez. The Astros' starters led the majors in innings last season, but without Verlander and perhaps with the intent of conserving innings early in the season, manager Dusty Baker has the depth to rely on the pen -- and then turn it loose in October. In case you forgot: Houston's pen had a 0.83 ERA last postseason, allowing just six runs in 54⅓ innings.

3. One big addition

After winning it all in 1998, the Yankees added Roger Clemens in 1999 (trading away David Wells). In 2000, they added David Justice in late June and he was a monster, hitting .305/.391/.585 with 20 home runs and 60 RBIs in 78 games. He then dominated Seattle in the American League Championship Series. Abreu replaces Yuli Gurriel at first base for the Astros -- and that projects as a big improvement given Gurriel's struggles last season.

The Abreu addition does more than add an RBI machine in the middle of the order, making it more difficult to pitch around Alvarez. Once Altuve returns, the top five should go: Altuve, Bregman, Alvarez, Abreu, Tucker. They hope to get Michael Brantley back at the end of April. If he's healthy, the lineup looks deeper than last year's. Plus, Abreu was known as a good clubhouse leader with the Chicago White Sox, and he's the perfect guy to make sure the Astros don't suffer any World Series hangover. He wants a ring, too, after all.

4. They still have an ace -- or two

That was what made the Yankees so tough: It didn't matter where the rotation fell and who started the first game of a series -- whether it be Clemens or David Cone or Andy Pettitte or the underrated Orlando Hernandez (who went 8-1 with a 2.20 ERA in the postseason from 1998 to 2000, making him the true ace of that run).

Verlander is gone, but the Astros still have Framber Valdez and Cristian Javier as a lethal 1-2 punch. Javier had a breakout season of sorts in 2022, going 11-9 with a 2.54 ERA and holding batters to a .170 batting average. Batters struggle to make contact with that four-seamer he throws up in the zone. Then we saw what he did in the postseason: 5⅓ scoreless innings against the Yankees and six hitless innings against the Philadelphia Phillies. With more innings added to his workload, Javier should be a Cy Young contender in 2023.

Then add in Lance McCullers Jr., no stranger to big games in the postseason. He's out now with an elbow strain but is expected back at some point. In October, Baker will feel comfortable lining up any of Valdez, Javier or McCullers to start the first game of a series and that's something few teams can match.

5. Just get in

The Astros won 100-plus games in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022 -- including 106 wins last season. They will be hard-pressed to match that mark again and maybe don't even reach 100 with a tougher AL West. But they don't have to. All they have to do is get into the postseason and anything can happen, especially with their bullpen. Just look at the 2000 Yankees. After the Yankees won 114 games in 1998 and 98 in 1999, they stumbled to an 87-74 record in 2000, including losing 15 of their final 18 games. Luckily for them, the AL East was bad that year and they won the division, while 90-win Cleveland missed the playoffs. They turned it on in the playoffs -- and caught a lucky break when Seattle's Jamie Moyer fractured a kneecap in a simulated game and missed the ALCS.

Like then-Yankees manager Joe Torre, Baker isn't going to panic if the Astros get off to a slow start or if the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers or Los Angeles Angels push them for a division title. In fact, now that Baker finally has his ring, the Astros should be more relaxed and confident than ever in October. If they can just get there, they'll be tough to beat. -- Schoenfield

Who can stop the Astros?

Atlanta Braves

Perhaps it's a cop-out to go with the last non-Astros team to win a championship, but give me the Braves. Compared to their 2021 championship team, this year's incarnation boasts far more talent. The additions: Matt Olson, Michael Harris II, Sean Murphy and Spencer Strider, plus Kyle Wright in a prominent role and Ronald Acuña Jr. healthy. Gone are Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson -- no doubt two vital players, but, sized up against the half-dozen who weren't there, not even close in terms of impact.

Losing Max Fried for an unknown period because of an Opening Day hamstring tweak doesn't help matters, but it's not thought to be serious. A playoff rotation of Fried, Strider, Wright and Charlie Morton, backed by a deep bullpen and manager Brian Snitker's canny use of it, will give Atlanta the pitching advantage in most series. And that's to say nothing of a lineup with Olson, Harris, Murphy, Acuña, Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, Travis d'Arnaud and more. Talent is great. Talent with experience is dangerous. -- Passan

San Diego Padres

We came within a whisker of an Astros-Padres World Series last year. I'm not sure San Diego was as ready for that matchup as it would figure to be if the teams face off this October, though of course anything could have happened in the seven-game series. The teams look even across the board in 2023, and if they do both survive what will be challenging league playoff brackets and clash in the Fall Classic, there are dozens of small things that could be a tipping point for one team or the other.

If the Padres make it that far, you have to assume their biggest stars will be on point. Not even the Astros can match the lineup foursome of Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado, Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr. The rotation battle probably favors the Astros, but it's a slight edge at best. As for the bullpen, the Padres will have to solidify it over the course of the season to reach the World Series, but once there, they would have Josh Hader to lock down late leads.

San Diego has spent big to reach its current status as a leading contender, and when you build a roster like this, each current season is going to be the best chance you have to win for the foreseeable future. The Padres have been building for this season for, well, over five decades. If their star power is rolling in October and gets them to the World Series, no one will be able to stop them once they get there. -- Doolittle

Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays' lineup is one of very few that can rival that of the Astros. Combine that with a starting rotation that might have a higher ceiling, a defense that significantly improved over the offseason, a bullpen that looks better -- and can definitely be bolstered further in the summer months -- and what do you get? A title contender.

Don't believe it? Let's go step by step. The Blue Jays boasted the highest adjusted OPS in the majors last season, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (24 years old) and Bo Bichette (25) will probably keep getting better. The rotation saw Alek Manoah emerge as an ace, but Kevin Gausman was a stellar No. 2 who pitched even better than his 3.35 ERA would indicate -- and now they've added Chris Bassitt to form a formidable trio.

The bullpen is a concern, but Jordan Romano is one of the game's best closers and newcomer Erik Swanson stands as a respectable back-end complement. And an outfield defense that was subpar last season, with minus-three outs above average, has received a major boost from the additions of Kevin Kiermaier and Daulton Varsho, two players who should help a fly ball-heavy starting pitcher like Jose Berrios bounce back from a rough 2022. If he does, the Blue Jays might become the best team in the world. -- Gonzalez

New York Yankees

The Yankees might not be the trendy, young Jays oozing with potential or the analytically savvy Tampa Bay Rays that seem to pull stars out of thin air year after year, but they still have one of the most talented rosters in the entire sport. Aaron Judge continues to anchor this lineup and the hope is that top prospect Anthony Volpe cements his place as a long-term shortstop for years to come.

While New York still has issues with pitching depth, it signed Carlos Rodon to a massive contract during the offseason to take some weight off of Gerrit Cole's shoulders. Rodon starts the season on the injured list, highlighting the Yankees' biggest concern this season: health. If their core contributors manage to stay on the field, this team will be a threat to make a deep run into the postseason and topple the Astros. Much of that weight will lie on the shoulders of Rodon and Volpe, the roster's two most noteworthy additions this season. If Volpe can meet expectations and provide more offensive production at shortstop, and if Rodon can stay healthy, the Yankees will be tough to beat in October. -- Lee

Seattle Mariners

Maybe this is the Mariners' year, or maybe it's next year, but at some point, they will overtake Houston as the best team in the AL West -- or, at the very least, upset the Astros to advance in the playoffs. First off, no team has repeated since the Yankees won three consecutive years from 1998 to 2000, so picking against the Astros is already a good idea.

Secondly, why not go with the team that knows them best? People may have forgotten about the Mariners' offseason, but they added All-Star Teoscar Hernandez, defensive master Kolten Wong and veteran hitters AJ Pollock and Tommy La Stella. While those additions may not have been the biggest headline-worthy moves, Seattle doesn't need to be splashy -- it just needs to take another step with what it has. Julio Rodriguez is a true star and the Mariners have a solid starting staff -- including a full season of Luis Castillo. They can do this. -- Rogers