Kirby Smart stood on stage bathed in glory, while his players celebrated an SEC championship, but even in this moment marked for celebration, Georgia’s coach set his sights on a new adversary.

When Smart gets on a warpath, he spares no one.

Even if that someone is college sports’ most powerful figure, the SEC’s commissioner, standing just a few feet away from Smart.

Smart roasted Greg Sankey after Georgia’s 22-19 overtime win Saturday against Texas in the SEC championship game.

Georgia’s victory unlocked a first-round playoff bye. When ESPN’s Laura Rutledge asked Smart during an on-field interview what that bye means, Smart sharpened his tongue.

“It means rest for a team that Greg Sankey and his staff sent on the road, all year long. We get to take a little bit of a break and get ready for the College Football Playoff,” Smart said. “This team needs some rest.”

Georgia fans cheered Smart’s acerbic jab at the SEC’s boss, while a grim-faced Sankey listened.

Fun though it might be to come after “the man,” when you unpack Smart’s comment, you realize how zany it sounds.

Georgia played exactly four true road games all season. One of those came against Kentucky, the SEC’s second-worst team.

The Bulldogs also played neutral-site games against Clemson and Florida, but neither Sankey nor his staff determined the location of those games.

Why Kirby Smart came after SEC’s Greg Sankey

So, what’s Smart miffed about? Probably, that Georgia drew road games against Texas, Alabama and Mississippi, all of which are ranked in the top 15 of the latest CFP rankings.

Three stiff road tests. Georgia lost two and won one.

Undeniably, Georgia’s schedule qualifies as one of the nation’s toughest, but it compares to the schedules faced by Florida, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Mississippi State, LSU and Vanderbilt.

Want to compete in the SEC? That means playing some tough games.

Anyway, Smart should thank Sankey instead of complaining.

Thanks to Georgia’s SEC schedule draw, no team will enter the playoff more battle-tested than Smart’s Bulldogs.

Also, as Smart well knows, road-home sites will flip next season, so Georgia will host Alabama, Texas and Ole Miss in 2025, when it plays just three true SEC road games, one against Tennessee and two against conference bottom dwellers Mississippi State and Auburn.

Think Smart will complain about that?

Kirby Smart sets up a new villain for Georgia to prove wrong

Smart, a motivational maestro, excels at creating straw men and rallying the Bulldogs to unite to take them down. Remember when Georgia’s Nolan Smith said the 2022 Bulldogs became fueled by experts projecting they’d go 7-5? Yeah, nobody sane said or thought Georgia would finish 7-5.

Sankey being cast as Georgia’s nemesis becomes the new “everyone thought we’d go 7-5!”

While playing the schedule the SEC handed down, Georgia built persistence and a healthy résumé. The Bulldogs own four wins against playoff-bound teams, more than any team under CFP consideration.

This won’t go down as Smart’s best team. Inconsistency became the theme of Georgia’s regular season. But, say this for these Bulldogs: They don’t go quietly into the night, even when they’re outplayed for most of the game – as they were Saturday, and as they were last week in an eight-overtime win against Georgia Tech.

Georgia rallied in the SEC championship game behind backup quarterback Gunner Stockton after Carson Beck exited with a first-half injury.

“We never panic,” Georgia running back Trevor Etienne said. “I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. It turns out being good for us. No matter what the situation is, no matter what happens, I believe in us.”

Georgia’s victory list includes a one-point escape against Kentucky, plus two overtime triumphs.

“Let’s find a way,” Etienne said of Georgia’s mentality. “That’s one of the best things about this team.”

Yes, indeed it is.

A lot of mental fortitude can be found within Georgia. It’s almost as if the Bulldogs were forged in the fires of playing difficult SEC opponents on the road.

“I’ve had more physically tough (teams, and) I’ve had more physically talented,” Smart said, “but I don’t know that I’ve ever had a more mentally tough team.

“They just keep coming and keep coming, and they never say die.”

Thanks a lot, Sankey, for preparing Georgia for the playoff’s rigors so darn well.

After Smart landed his postgame dagger at the commissioner, Sankey wrapped his arm around the Georgia coach later during the celebration and engaged him in conversation.

Only those two could tell you what was said in that moment, but if I could fill in the speech bubble, it would go like this: “Kirby, you’re welcome.”

President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday a new hire for the Department of Government Efficiency: William Joseph McGinley as the commission’s counsel.

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have begun sharing details about how DOGE will work, promising to staff their commission with “a lean team of small-government crusaders.” DOGE’s account on X, formerly known as Twitter, told those interested to send along their CV in a direct message. Various Silicon Valley leaders, including investor Marc Andreessen and Uber cofounder Travis Kalanick, have reportedly been involved with planning for the commission.

The DOGE co-heads have said they want to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget. In 2024, federal spending totaled $6.75 trillion, nine-tenths of which went to federal programs.

Representatives for Musk and Ramswamy did not respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.

Voters dejected by the presidential election results need to find a way to give back and remain involved, Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton said Saturday as they celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Clinton presidential library.

The former president urged audience members in a packed theater to remain engaged and find ways to communicate with those they disagree with despite a divisive political time. The two spoke about a month after former President Donald Trump’s win over Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election.

“We’re just passing through, and we all need to just calm down and do something that builds people up instead of tears them down,” Bill Clinton said.

Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state who was defeated by Trump in the 2016 election, said she understands the next couple of years are going to be challenging for voters who don’t agree with the decisions being made.

“In addition to staying involved and staying aware, it’s important to find something that makes you feel good about the day because if you’re in a constant state of agitation about our political situation, it is really going to shorten your life,” she said.

The Clintons spoke during a panel discussion with journalist Laura Ling, who the former president helped free in 2009 when she was detained in North Korea with another journalist. The event was held as part of a weekend of activities marking the 20th anniversary of the Clinton Presidential Library’s opening in Little Rock. The library is preparing to undergo an update of its exhibits and an expansion that will include Hillary Clinton’s personal archives.

Hillary Clinton said part of the goal is to modernize the facility and expand it to make it a more open, inviting place for people for convene and make connections.

When asked about advice he would give for people disappointed by the election results, Bill Clinton said people need to continue working toward bringing people together and improving others’ lives.

“If that’s the way you keep score, then you ought to be trying to run up the score,” he said. “Not lamenting the fact that somebody else is winning a different game because they keep score a different way.”

“And in addition, figure out what we can do to win again,” Hillary Clinton added, eliciting cheers.

The program featured a panel discussion with cast members of the hit NBC show “The West Wing” and former Clinton White House staffers.

The weekend amounted to a reunion of former Clinton White House staffers, supporters and close friends, including former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and adviser James Carville.

McAuliffe said he and Carville ate Friday at Doe’s Eat Place, a downtown restaurant that was popular with Clinton aides and reporters during Clinton’s 1992 White House run. He said he viewed the library and its planned expansion as important for the future.

“This is not only about the past, but it’s more importantly about the future,” McAuliffe said. “We just went through a very tough election, and people are all saying we’ve got to get back to the Clinton model.”

It was 24 years ago that baseball’s Winter Meetings, in this same location, produced one of the wildest free-agent runs in history.

Alex Rodriguez received a staggering 10-year, $252 million contract, twice as much as the biggest contract in sports history, and more than the total value of 18 MLB franchises.

Mike Hampton signed the richest pitching contract in history, an eight-year, $121 million deal with the Colorado Rockies. The Boston Red Sox signed Manny Ramirez to the second-largest contract in history with an eight-year, $160 million deal.

There was a record $739 million spent on 25 free agents at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas.

Now, nearly a quarter-century later, those meetings could look like a neighborhood bake sale with the amount of money that’s about to be distributed.

Juan Soto is on the verge of signing a monstrous deal that will certainly exceed a record $700 million – perhaps even reach $750 million – two officials with direct knowledge of negotiations told USA TODAY Sports. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly comment.

Soto’s deal will eclipse Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million deal last winter with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and will pay Soto an average salary of at least $47 million a year for 14 or 15 years. And, oh yes, it will include opt-outs just in case it’s somehow undervalued in a few years.

The New York Mets remain the favorites, executives say, but officials caution that the Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox are all in the same $700+ million neighborhood. The deal certainly will be a blessing for teams with exorbitant contracts, suddenly making All-Star outfielder Fernando Tatis’ 14-year, $340 million deal look like a bargain if the San Diego Padres ever decide to move him.

Free-agent starters Corbin Burnes and Max Fried also are expected to receive deals exceeding $200 million at the meetings this week, and shortstop Willy Adames kicked off the meetings with a franchise-record seven-year, $182 million deal contract from the San Francisco Giants.

Baseball executives, scouts, managers, and agents are scheduled to descend upon Dallas on Sunday, and by the time they depart for their flights back home Wednesday afternoon, there could be nearly $1.5 billion spent on free agents.

Here at the five most intriguing free agents, top players who could be traded, and five teams to watch during the Winter Meetings:

Juan Soto, top free agents set to cash in

1. Juan Soto: The guy who turned down a 15-year, $440 million contract in 2022 will be laughing all the way to the bank. He made himself an extra $300 million by waiting. It took A-Rod nine years and a change of teams to win a World Series championship after his record contract. How long will it take for Soto to get that second ring – and will it be with the same team that signs him to this historic this contract?

2. Corbin Burnes and Max Fried: They haven’t thrown a pitch in more than two months, but their stocks have soared thanks to the contracts given to pitchers whose resumes pale in comparison. When Matthew Boyd receives a 2-year, $29 million contract without throwing more than 79 innings since 2019, when Luis Severino is getting $67 million over three years and Blake Snell is making an average annual salary of $36.4 million, Burnes and Fried should top $200 million. The San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox all lurk. The only drama is whether Fried goes ahead and signs before Burnes, or lets Burnes set the bar. Fried priced himself out of Atlanta, but is expected to sign with the Yankees or Red Sox. If Soto goes to the Mets, Fried could find himself in a nice bidding war between the Red Sox and Yankees.

3. Alex Bregman: Teams everywhere are being linked to Bregman, but the truth is that the Astros badly want him back, and the feeling is mutual. The trouble is that they are about $50 million apart. The Astros have a six-year deal worth $156 million sitting on the table – $5 million more than third baseman Matt Chapman received from the Giants but $26 million less than Adames – and Bregman is seeking in excess of $200 million. The Astros are expected to enhance their offer, but will it be enough to convince Bregman to stay?

4. Teoscar Hernández: Did the Dodgers meet with Soto and let people believe they actually are pursuing him just to help them sign Blake Snell, another Scott Boras client? Did they let the Soto rumors fester just to up the pressure on a Hernández reunin? Or did they jump into the original bidding to drive up the Soto price tag for everyone else? The truth is that the Dodgers should re-sign Hernandez to a three-year contract, with perhaps a fourth-year option, for somewhere in the $65-80 million range. The two sides have been seriously engaged in negotiations this week, but caution there’s still a gap.

5. Pete Alonso: Alonso says he loves the Mets and the Mets say they love Alonso, but something seems off. The Mets tried to sign him to an extension – seven years and $158 million, according to the New York Post – but it was flatly rejected. There’s no sign that the two sides have since talked, leaving everyone to wonder whether David Stearns, Mets president of baseball operations, even wants Alonso. He could easily turn to Christian Walker, the three-time Gold Glove first baseman, who should come at less than half the cost of Alonso. Alonso could be a perfect fit for the Seattle Mariners.

MLB trade rumors surround top players

1. Garrett Crochet, White Sox: No player will command as much on the trade market than Crochet, the ace of the Chicago White Sox. They are asking for team’s top prospects, and no one blames them. He’s young (25), he’s cheap (projected to earn $2.9 million by MLB Trade Rumors) and he’s a stud, striking out 209 batters in 146 innings last season. The White Sox have had serious talks with the Philadelphia Phillies, but rejected the concept of Alec Bohm and outfielder Justin Crawford. The San Diego Padres would love him, and have dealt plenty of prospects in the past, but told the White Sox they are hanging onto catcher Ethan Salas and shortstop Leodalis De Vries. The Red Sox lurk. In the end, the White Sox will trade him to the team that gives them the most prized prospects, and hope they never again experience anything like their embarrassing 41-121 season.

2. Cody Bellinger: He may make too much money. No one is going to assume the entire $52.5 million left in Bellinger’s contract (if he opts back in for 2026 at $25 million). The Cubs would love to dump the contract, even for a lesser return, but they’re finding precious little interest. Still, there’s got to be a team out there that is willing to bite the bullet on the cash, and realize he’ll be a significant upgrade. We’re talking about you, Mariners and Yankees. He’ll definitely be moved, but it may not be until later this winter or spring.

3. Jordan Montgomery, Diamondbacks: When your boss calls you one of the worst decisions in his baseball career and is angry that you opted back into your contract at $22.5 million, you don’t need a therapist to know that you’re not wanted. The Diamondbacks are shopping him everywhere. They tried to get the Cubs interested in a swap for Bellinger. So far, they’re striking out, but considering the soaring price of pitching, and the brilliance he showed on the Texas Rangers’ World Series championship team, there’s a better shot of snow flurries in Phoenix next summer than Montgomery wearing a D-backs uniform.

4. Alec Bohm, Phillies: The Phillies realize they can’t run it back with the same offense again in 2025. It can be the most explosive in baseball, but as they’ve learned in the postseason, their lineup can also be awfully easy to navigate for opposing pitchers. Something has got to change, and Bohm easily has the most trade value among Nick Castellanos, Brandon Marsh and himself. If the Astros lose Alex Bregman in free agency, you can be assured that Phillies president Dave Dombrowski will be immediately on the phone offering Bohm for Astros reliever Ryan Pressly – who’s being extensively shopped.

5. Nolan Arenado, Cardinals: Let’s be honest, the Cardinals want him off the books and Arenado wants out of St. Louis if they’re not trying to win. He still has three years, $74 million left in his deal but if a team is willing to assume the entire contract, they’ll have to only send only a few Imo’s pizzas in return. Arenado has a full no-trade clause, but would be Ohtani’s personal driver if the Dodgers were willing to take him. The Red Sox could present a nice alternative, too. There are only a few suitors who have expressed the slightest of interest, but both sides know that if Arenado is still on the team when they report to Jupiter, Fla., the distractions of potential trade talks could be a nightmare for everyone.

Most intriguing teams at the Winter Meetings

New York Yankees: In case the Yankees are ready to drown their miseries if they don’t re-sign Soto, all they have to do is look at the Padres to give them a $700 million shot of confidence. The Padres had Soto the entire 2023 season. You know what happened? They missed the playoffs. They traded him to the Yankees in the offseason, and they got better. The Yankees, if they don’t land Soto, can easily sign free agent Christian Walker for first base, sign Bregman or trade for Arenado for third base, trade for Bellinger to play center, move Aaron Judge back to right field, and still sign a frontline starter. Losing out on Soto could turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

2. Boston Red Sox: They’ve talked a huge game all winter, and have been in strong pursuit of Soto. Yet, whether they land Soto or not, they can’t stop now. They have to sign Fried or Burnes, or even both. They could trade for Arenado too. The expectations are simply too high to sit back and tell everyone that they tried.

3. Baltimore Orioles: Yes, the days of losing 110 games a season are over. They’ve made the playoffs each of the past two seasons. But now much, much more is expected than just signing slugger Tyler O’Neill to a three-year, $49.5 million contract Saturday, especially with new ownership. The Orioles still have the best young players in the game, but if they’re not careful, that window will close in a hurry. Just ask the 2016 Cubs. If they don’t bring back Burnes, they better come up with a replacement. It’s also time to use those prized prospects as capital and Crochet should be in their sights.

4. San Diego Padres: The Padres, about to be hit with massive pay raises for Manny Machado, Tatis and Xander Bogaerts, could lose starters Dylan Cease and Michael King in free agency after the year. They need to win. And they need to win now. They’ve traded away a dozen prospects to become one of baseball’s most powerful teams, but painfully realize this could be their final year to compete for a title without taking a step back. They need at least one frontline starter, if not two starters, with Joe Musgrove out for the year and questions about how many starts Yu Darvish can make this season. Their dream scenario is landing Japanese sensation Roki Sasaki. He may be more essential to the Padres’ future than any team in baseball.

5.Atlanta: Come on, you know GM Alex Anthopoulos has some tricks up his sleeve after spending the first month creatively trimming about $38 million in payroll by trading Jorge Soler, letting catcher Travis d’Arnaud leave and restructuring two deals. They need at least one starting pitcher, if not two, with veteran starters Charlie Morton and Fried likely out the door. They also need a closer with Joe Jimenez expected to miss most of the season after undergoing knee surgery. They could also use a corner outfielder with Ronald Acuña expected to be out at least until late May. Keep an eye on Anthopoulos, who pulled off coups last winter by acquiring Chris Sale from the Red Sox and signing Reynaldo Lopez.

Jeff Bezos stepped down as CEO of Amazon over three years ago, but he’s still putting in the hours at the company to help it in the AI race.

Speaking at The New York Times’s DealBook conference on Wednesday, the billionaire said he’s still deeply involved and hasn’t fully left the company he founded 30 years ago.

“My heart is in Amazon, my curiosity is in Amazon, and my fears are there and my love is there,” Bezos said. “I’m never going to forget about Amazon. I’ll always be there to help, and right now, I’m putting a lot of time into it. I can help, and it’s super interesting, so why not?”

Bezos said that 95% of his time at Amazon is spent focusing on AI within the company, which he said is building 1,000 AI applications internally. One such application is a multimodal model that can process images, video, and text, The Information recently reported.

The company requires a significant amount of computing power to scale its AI ambitions, so it’s building a supercomputer using its own chips alongside Anthropic, the AI startup that it has invested $8 billion in, to give it an edge against its Big Tech rivals.

Bezos, who remains at Amazon as its executive chairman, also said one of his jobs is to ensure the success of its CEO, Andy Jassy, and the leadership team.

The world’s second-richest man said on an episode of the “Lex Fridman Podcast” last year that the main reason he left his role as the CEO of Amazon in 2021 was so he could focus his time on his rocket company, Blue Origin. At the DealBook Summit, Bezos said it was “not a very good business yet” but predicted it would eventually surpass Amazon and become “the best business” he’s been involved in.

Bezos also told the Dealbook Summit audience that he’s not worried about Donald Trump’s second term, saying he’s “actually very optimistic this time around.”

Bezos is not the only tech founder to return to a company after taking a step back. Google cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin both got back in the mix to work on AI initiatives after leaving their executive roles in 2019.

Their return to Google appeared to be sparked by the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in 2022, which led to Google’s management issuing a “code red,” The New York Times reported at the time. ChatGPT’s successful rollout caught Google off guard and triggered concerns about the future of its search engine, so its CEO, Sundar Pichai, turned to Page and Brin for help, according to The Times.

Amazon didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.

On May 22, the 43rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors, which honors five people or groups for their contribution to American culture through the arts, took place. Choreographer and actress Debbie Allen, musician Joan Baez, violinist Midori, Dick Van Dyke, and Garth Brooks were selected to be honored in 2021.

To honor these incredible legends, Derek Hough, Vanessa Hudgens, Pentatonix, Gladys Knight, Emmylou Harris, Jimmie Allen, Yo-Yo Ma, and Kelly Clarkson took the stage for a ceremony that will be aired on Sunday, June 6th on CBS and will be available to stream on Paramount+.

Clarkson had the task of paying tribute to Garth Brooks, who she has known for a long time and has even had as a guest on her talk show a couple times in recent years. She performed his already emotional song, “The Dance,” but somehow took it to another level with her delivery.

Standing on the stage in Washington D.C., Clarkson’s voice quivered at times singing the song Brooks released over 30 years ago.

The Emmy-winning talk show host expressed to Brooks late last year that “The Dance” had been helping her get through her divorce.

“So I’m going through a divorce and there’s been like a lot of books and people always give you stuff to help, especially when you have kids and stuff,” she said at the time. “And there’s so much shame and guilt.”

The Kennedy Center Honors aired on CBS on Sunday night (June 6) and showed Clarkson’s entire performance of the legendary song. She started it off a cappella before her music director accompanied her on the piano. Cameras kept cutting to Brooks, who can be seen saying “That’s so great” during the performance.

At one point, Brooks began to cry and after Clarkson sang the final note, he jumped to his feet, took off his hat, and yelled, “Damn!”

With the NBA’s Feb. 6 trade deadline quickly approaching, general manager Mike Dunleavy and Co. are contemplating a move for a star, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported.

The star would complement four-time NBA champions Steph Curry and Draymond Green.

“I’m told that the Warriors are on the real hunt for a star, a playmaker, a scorer alongside Stephen Curry,” Charania said Friday on “NBA Today.” “And you think back to the summer when they pursued Lauri Markanen with the Utah Jazz. They made a pitch for Paul George as a free agent with the Clippers.

Even though the Warriors lost out on marquee players such as Markkanen and George, they have benefited from offseason additions such as Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson, De’Anthony Melton and Lindy Waters 21 games into the 2024-25 season.

Although not an offseason acquisition, the same could be said of Golden State’s No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft, Jonathan Kuminga, who erupted for a career-high 33 points in the Warriors’ 99-93 victory over the Houston Rockets on Thursday night.

But can Kuminga find consistency and establish himself as the third star Golden State needs to compete for another NBA title this season?

Charania alluded to the fact that Golden State’s brass, as it continues to build a championship-caliber roster, is factoring the 22-year-old forward’s trajectory.

“And the debate with the Warriors and teams that look into that situation is, for them, are they going to find that externally, outside of this roster currently?” Charania asked. “Or will it be in-house, with a player like Jonathan Kuminga?

“Last night, [he] scored 33 points the first time he played 30 minutes in a game all season. He’s shown with his output that as his role elevates so does his stats and different points in that relationship between Joanthan Kuminga and Steve Kerr.

“[It’s] something Warriors officials have been monitoring over the last year or so, and how he fits in when Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are back in the lineup.”

Time remains on Dunleavy’s side, but as Charania suggests, Golden State is ready to engage in a blockbuster trade for another star before time runs out.

“[It] will be interesting to monitor, but the Warriors’ future will be shaped over the next few weeks and the next couple of months before the trade deadline,” Charania concluded.

“How can they get that next championship with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green?”

The New York Rangers are set to make goaltender Igor Shesterkin the highest-paid player at his position in NHL history. The Rangers and Shesterkin have agreed to an eight-year contract extension with an average annual value of $11.5 million, reports ESPN’s Kevin Weekes and Emily Kaplan.

With that annual salary, Shesterkin will overtake left wing (and leading scorer) Artemi Panarin as the Rangers’ highest-paid player. Panarin makes $11.6 million per season as part of a seven-year, $81.5 million deal he agreed to in 2019.

Carey Price was previously the highest-paid goalie in league history, with an average annual salary of $10.5 million as part of his eight-year, $84 million contract with the Montreal Canadiens, signed in 2018.

Shesterkin, 28, is in his sixth season with the Rangers and the last year of a four-year contract that pays him $5.66 million per year. He and the team have been negotiating since the offseason, attempting to work out a new deal before Shesterkin became a free agent.

He was the team’s fourth-round selection (No. 118 overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft from SKA St. Petersburg in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League.

This season, Shesterkin has an 8-9-1 record in 18 games with a 3.05 goals-against average and .908 save percentage. For his career, he’s compiled a 143-68-18 record with a 2.48 GAA and .920 save percentage.

Shesterkin had his best season during the 2021-22 campaign in which he finished with a 36-13-4 record and led the NHL with a 2.07 GAA and .935 save percentage. He was awarded the Vezina Trophy, given to the league’s best goaltender.

The Rangers are currently fourth in the Metropolitan Division with a 13-10-1 record and 27 points. They hold the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference by percentage points over the Philadelphia Flyers and one point ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

New York just traded defenseman and team captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks. Clearing Trouba’s $8 million salary off the payroll may have helped get the deal with Shesterkin done.