With the new pitch clock showing early success at speeding up the sport, baseball's brain trust is already trying to figure out what might come next in its efforts to make the games more exciting and keep them moving along. Panelists at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference say they would like to see things such as robot umpires and other rule changes to help cut further down the time of baseball game. And the people running the sport are using the same kind of number-crunching analytics that caused the problem to solve the problem.

American skier Mikaela Shiffrin finished in fourth place in a World Cup super-G and missed out on a record-tying 86th career victory. Shiffrin was the ninth starter and trailed leader Elena Curtoni of Italy by 0.15 seconds. The race was eventually won by Cornelia Huetter. The Austrian edged Curtoni by a mere 0.01 seconds. Shiffrin needs one victory to match Ingemar Stenmark's victory total on the all-time list. The Swede competed in the 1970s and 80s. Shiffrin's next race is a downhill on Saturday.

Welcome to our fast-paced world, Major League Baseball. There's still some catching-up to do, but at least the national pastime has finally arrived in the 21st century. Ignore the inevitable grumbling from players and long-term fans about new rules that are designed to speed up the game and create more action. Baseball was in desperate need of a makeover if it was to have any chance of enticing new fans who don't qualify for an AARP card. The only gripe should be: Why did it take so long to realize the games were boring and far too long?

Today is Friday, March 3, the 62nd day of 2023. There are 303 days left in the year.

Consider some gifts for kids that will keep on giving long after the blocks, action figures and game systems get relegated to the back of a closet or attic.

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara and three other men have pleaded not guilty in Nevada to charges they beat a man unconscious at a Las Vegas Strip nightclub before the NFL’s 2022 Pro Bowl. Plus other news from around the NFL on Thursday.

American ski racer Travis Ganong announced he will retire at the end of the season. The 34-year-old from Alpine Meadows, California, has won two World Cup races over his career and a downhill silver medal at the 2015 world championships in Colorado. His retirement plans include more time skiing powder.

The path to the 2024 Paris Olympics for Ukrainian athletes is clouded by war, anger and pain. Russian bombardments have wrecked training venues. Air raids disrupt training sessions. Athletes have lost family members and friends. Or they worry that they will. Traveling to international competitions has become arduous because Russia’s invasion has closed the country’s airspace.

Juan Soto was very good after he came to the San Diego Padres in a midseason blockbuster deal. His excellent start in spring training this season is a reminder of how much of a game-changer he can be. The outfielder had six hits in his first eight spring at-bats, including three doubles, a homer, a stolen base and six RBIs.