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Good morning to everyone but especially to...

RAFAEL DEVERS AND THE BOSTON RED SOX

Just one day after agreeing to a one-year deal to avoid arbitration, third baseman Rafael Devers and the Boston Red Sox pulled a complete 180, agreeing to an 11-year, $331 million deal. It's the richest contract in Red Sox history by more than $110 million in total value. 

Devers, 26, has been an All-Star each of the last two seasons and received MVP votes in three of the last four campaigns. Over the last four seasons, Devers leads MLB in extra-base hits and is third in hits and RBI. In terms of total money, this is the sixth-largest deal in MLB history.

  • Mike Trout, Angels: $426.5 million (2019-30)
  • Mookie Betts, Dodgers: $365 million (2021-32)
  • Aaron Judge, Yankees: $360 million (2023-31)
  • Francisco Lindor, Mets: $341 million (2022-31)
  • Fernando Tatis, Padres: $340 million (2021-33)
  • Rafael Devers, Red Sox: $331 million (2023-34)

It's a huge, worthwhile commitment to a winning future, writes Matt Snyder.

Honorable mentions

Not so honorable mentions

Damar Hamlin update; potential options for Bills-Bengals game 🏈

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Bills safety Damar Hamlin remains in critical condition in the ICU of University of Cincinnati Medical Center after suffering cardiac arrest during Monday night's game against the Bengals.  The NFL said that the game will not be made up this week and that Week 18 will go on as planned around the league. That includes the Bills facing the Patriots and the Bengals playing the Ravens, both at 1 p.m. Sunday.

The decision for resuming the Bills-Bengals will come in the coming days, the league said. It's an unprecedented situation, notes our Jonathan Jones, but not a completely unsolvable one. The easiest solution is likely not making up the game. But that would make determining playoff seeding a tough task.

  • Jones: "If it's ruled a no-contest, that would require a manipulation of the playoff seeding qualifications that would be carried out by Goodell in consultation with club ownership groups. Would the AFC seeding be based off winning percentage? That seems to be the clearest path forward. ... The league has long been resistant to moving its playoff calendar. Moving the playoffs back a week in any sort of form would either add a week of rest for teams who didn't earn a one seed or potentially strip a top seed of their own bye."

Concern first and foremost remains with Hamlin, of course. Joe Burrow even said there were "side conversations" about not playing against Baltimore this weekend during "a scary and emotional time." The Bills, meanwhile, conducted a walkthrough Wednesday and did not have media availability for players or coaches.

Explaining the Berhalter vs. Reyna family controversy ⚽ 

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More details have emerged surrounding the controversy surrounding the US men's national soccer team.  On Tuesday, Gregg Berhalter -- whose contract to coach the USMNT ended at the conclusion of 2022 -- released a statement detailing a "physical" dispute with his then-girlfriend (and now-wife), Rosalind Berhalter, that occurred over 30 years ago.

Berhalter then alleged that he was targeted by a blackmail attempt during the World Cup. U.S. Soccer also released a statement, saying it learned of allegations against Berhalter on Dec. 11 and hired a law firm to investigate immediately.

The newest details in this saga are stunning:

  • Dec. 11 was eight days after the USMNT was eliminated and, crucially, the day reports emerged that Berhalter said Gio Reyna was nearly sent home for "clearly not meeting expectations on and off the field." Reyna played just 52 minutes in Qatar.
  • On Wednesday, Danielle and Claudio Reyna, Gio's parents, disclosed that they were the ones who contacted the U.S. Soccer Federation to reveal information regarding the domestic incident. Danielle Reyna also said she forgave Gregg Berhalter for the incident and that she "expected him to give the same grace to Gio."
  • The couple also admitted to talking with U.S. Soccer sporting director Earnie Stewart to express their frustrations regarding their son's playing time.
  • Danielle says that she was Rosalind's "roommate, teammate and best friend [who] supported her through the trauma that followed" and that Gregg Berhalter's words "significantly minimize the abuse on the night in question."

Roger Gonzalez put together a detailed explainer of how we got here, and I strongly encourage you to read it. Also, here's how a pair of former USMNTers reacted.

Stewart appointed Anthony Hudson to oversee the team's January camp and pair of friendlies. Hudson has been an assistant with the USMNT since 2021. Stewart also said Berhalter is still in consideration once the coaching search resumes.

Bobby Petrino joins Texas A&M as offensive coordinator 🏈

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Texas A&M has added another big name to its coaching staff: Bobby Petrino is finalizing a deal to become the Aggies' offensive coordinator. The move comes just weeks after Petrino took the UNLV offensive coordinator job.

Rebels head coach Barry Odom confirmed Petrino's resignation Wednesday.

  • Petrino comes to Texas A&M after three years as head coach at FCS program Missouri State. The Bears went 1-10 the season before Petrino arrived and then went 18-15 under Petrino.
  • Prior to his time at Missouri State, Petrino had stints as the head coach of Louisville (2003-06, 2014-18), the Atlanta Falcons (2007), Arkansas (2008-11) and Western Kentucky (2013). He's regarded as a very good offensive mind whose quarterback success stories include 2016 Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson.
  • This is a big call for Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher, who has called plays his entire career. However, the Aggies went 5-7 last year, missed a bowl game for the first time since 2008 and scored just 21.1 offensive points per game, 103rd in FBS.

Petrino does have a controversial past, notes Shehan Jeyarajah.

  • Jeyarajah: "He resigned as Falcons coach after just 13 games to take the Arkansas job, the third-shortest coaching tenure in NFL history. During his last stint in the SEC as coach at Arkansas, Petrino was fired after engaging in an affair with a football staffer which was inadvertently revealed following an infamous motorcycle crash."

Ranking the 41 college football bowl games 🏈

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Graphic by Mike Meredith

It's always fun to predict which bowl games will be best and which ones will be worth skipping to do some last-minute holiday shopping. But we also like to hold ourselves accountable.

So that's exactly what Tom Fornelli did, looking back and ranking all 41 bowls played so far. It's no surprise which one came out on top.

  • Fornelli: "1. Peach Bowl -- No. 1 Georgia 42, No. 4 Ohio State 41:  This was the greatest College Football Playoff game of all time. I had high expectations for it going in, and it surpassed them all. ... C.J. Stroud was brilliant against one of the best defenses in the country, evading pressure and making fantastic throws. The Buckeyes had the defending champions on the ropes late, taking a 38-24 lead into the fourth quarter. It looked as though we were going to get the least-expected title game matchup of all, but never count out a champion."

The other College Football Playoff semifinal -- TCU's win over Michigan -- came in fifth, which may seem low, but when you consider the ones ahead of it, that ranking is not too far off. You can see the entire rankings here.

What we're watching Thursday 📺

🏀 No. 1 Purdue at No. 24 Ohio State, 7 p.m. on FS1
🏒 Capitals at Blue Jackets, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Celtics at Mavericks, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Clippers at Nuggets, 10 p.m. on TNT