On this day in 1910, U.S. President William Taft threw the first pitch on Opening Day of the American baseball season. 

It marked the start of a tradition for presidents to throw out the first pitch, which ended with Obama in 2010. 

Neither Trump nor Biden threw one during their presidencies.

Australia has never had an equivalent, which is probably for the best given what happened when John Howard tried to bowl during a 2005 visit to Pakistan.

9
The number of consecutive wins Canada has over Australia in women's rugby union, after the Wallaroos were beaten 24-0 in the opening round of the Pacific Four Series in Sacramento on Sunday. Australia has never beaten Canada in women's 15-a-side rugby union. The Pacific Four Series is an annual tournament between Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the U.S, with all six matches this year hosted in the U.S. across three weekends. New Zealand beat the U.S. 48-15 in the other opening round match.

“England arrived for the Ashes hell-bent on making history, and ended up being laughed out of town. England were feckless, reckless and legless… In the game's long history, it is hard to think of a privilege so carelessly squandered, a chance so blithely spurned.”
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack editor Lawrence Booth, delivering his verdict on England's 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia over the summer. The 2026 edition of ‘cricket's annual bible’ also named Mitchell Starc as the Leading Men's Cricketer in the World after the Aussie fast bowler took 31 wickets in the series against England and 55 Test wickets across the calendar year. India's Deepti Sharma was named the Leading Women's Cricketer in the World after starring in India's first One-Day World Cup victory.

The fastest any player has reached 300 AFL games is 12 years and 172 days, a record set by dual Brownlow Medallist Adam Goodes in a 2011 semi-final for Sydney, breaking Mark Ricciuto's previous mark by 274 days. This weekend, Geelong's Mark Blicavs will become the second fastest, reaching the milestone in 13 years and 16 days.

🏀 The NBA postseason begins tomorrow with the Play-In Tournament, a mini knockout format where the 7th to 10th placed teams in each of the league's two conferences compete for the final four playoff spots. From there, 16 teams will contest the playoffs starting this weekend in pursuit of an NBA championship. There will be plenty of Aussies in action, including Dyson Daniels and Jock Landale's Atlanta Hawks, who have already secured a first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks. Meanwhile, Josh Green's Charlotte Hornets and Matisse Thybulle's Portland Trail Blazers both need to win through the Play-In to get there. Josh Giddey's Chicago Bulls missed out for the fourth straight year.

🏀 Four Australians were selected in the WNBA Draft on Monday night (local time). Saffron Shiels, a 20-year-old guard who plays for the Opals and the Townsville Fire in the WNBL, and Charlise Dunn, a 23-year-old playing for Davidson College in North Carolina, were taken by the Toronto Tempo with the 26th and 36th picks. The Tempo is a new franchise coached by Australian basketball great Sandy Brondello. Fellow U.S. college player Amelia Hassett has gone from the Kentucky Wildcats to the LA Sparks, while the Southside Flyers’ Manuela Puoch went to the New York Liberty at 41.

🏉 Port Adelaide's Zak Butters is facing the AFL Tribunal this afternoon after being charged with using abusive and insulting language towards umpire Nick Foot during Port Adelaide's 14-point loss to St Kilda on Sunday. The AFL alleges Butters said "how much are they paying you?" after Foot awarded a free kick for a ruck infringement. The exchange was not picked up on the umpire's microphone. Butters has denied saying anything inappropriate, and Port Adelaide said it would defend him "in the strongest possible way". For context, Carlton's Dale Thomas was fined $7,500 in 2019 for calling an umpire a "f***ing cheat".

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World Aquatics has become the first major Olympic sport to fully reinstate Russian and Belarusian athletes since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Ukrainian officials have condemned the move, while Ukraine’s water polo team forfeited a World Cup match against Russian athletes in Malta in protest.

Here’s what you need to know.

World Aquatics is the international governing body for swimming, diving and water polo.

On Monday, it decided to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags, and have their anthems played when they receive a medal.

Both countries also resumed full membership rights, meaning they can host world and European events.

The organisation had initially banned athletes from both nations from its events after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

The following year, it allowed them to compete under neutral flags, with no anthem if they medalled.

World Aquatics President Husain Al Musallam said: “We are determined to ensure that pools and open water remain places where athletes from all nations can come together in peaceful competition.”

The move adds momentum to Russia’s push for a full return to global sport ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and Paralympics.

Judo and taekwondo have already reinstated Russian athletes, and the International Paralympic Committee allowed Russian flags and anthems at Milano-Cortina in March.

The International Olympic Committee still requires Russian athletes to compete under neutral flags at senior events, though it recommended easing restrictions for youth competitions in December.

In a statement to local media, Ukrainian Sport Minister Matvii Bidny said: “This decision devalues ​​the memory of over 650 Ukrainian athletes who will never again compete precisely because of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation... Our athletes are training under fire, and against this background, any talk about ‘neutrality’... looks shameful and disconnected from reality.”

Russian state media reported a statement from Dmitry Mazepin, head of the Russian Aquatics Federation, saying: “Sport has a unique power – it brings people together and allows them to communicate in a common language, the language of fair competition... We are now preparing for the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028, knowing that both athletes and fans will once again see the Russian flag and hear the national anthem.”

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St Kilda’s Lance Collard has faced the AFL Tribunal over using a homophobic slur during a Victorian Football League (VFL) match last month.

Collard denied calling an opponent a “f***ing f****t”, but the tribunal upheld the charge on Friday. 

The tribunal is now deliberating on Collard’s sentence.

Collard made his AFL debut in 2024 and has played 15 games since. The 20-year old has mainly featured in the VFL - the AFL’s second tier competition. 

He was also handed a six-game ban in 2024 after admitting to using homophobic slurs in a VFL match, with the sanction including mandatory Pride in Sport education.

Collard is accused of directing a homophobic slur at Frankston player and former teammate Darby Hipwell during a VFL match on 27 March. 

He is currently serving a two-match ban over a swinging arm offence from the same match. 

Collard has denied the allegation, maintaining he said “come here, maggot.” His lawyers argued he had been charged under the wrong rule and pointed to his past cooperation, including pleading guilty in 2024. 

The AFL asked for a ten-week suspension.

The tribunal met today for a ‘sanction hearing’ to determine if Collard will face the potential ten-game suspension being proposed.

It is now deliberating, meaning the panel members will meet privately to discuss the case further.

Lawyers for the AFL argued there should be “an increased sanction for repeat offending”.

The AFL also referred to similar conduct in the last couple years, where a string of players have been suspended over the past two seasons for their homophobic slurs, including Gold Coast’s Wil Powell, Port Adelaide’s Jeremy Finlayson, West Coast’s Jack Graham and Adelaide’s Izak Rankine.

Collard’s lawyer said: “This is one of those sliding door moments that could set Lance Collard back on the wrong path and ruin his life.”

He also made reference to Collard’s Indigenous background, referring to St Kilda’s Indigenous Player Development Manager Katrina Amon’s evidence on Friday that he had had “a very difficult background on different levels.”

It’s not known when the tribunal will hand down a final sentence.

Reporting by Pavitra Ravi.