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Adrián Beltré, Todd Helton, and Joe Mauer were elected to the Hall of Fame on Tuesday, joining manager Jim Leyland in Cooperstown’s 2024 class, Jeff writes.

By the numbers: Beltré (95.1% of the vote), Helton (79.7%), and Mauer (76.1%) were the only players to be named on at least 75% of the 385 ballots cast.

• Beltré (first year on the ballot): The fifth Dominican-born player in the Hall of Fame is one of 12 players with 3,000 hits and 400 HR. His 477 HR and 93.5 WAR rank third among third basemen.
• Helton (sixth year): The slugging lefty first baseman joins Larry Walker as the only Rockies in Cooperstown. A career .316 hitter, his .372 average in 2000 is tied for the best mark this century.
• Mauer (first year): Catchers have won just seven batting titles in MLB history. Three of those belong to Mauer, who also won three Gold Gloves and the 2009 AL MVP.

The other candidates:

• Just missed: Billy Wagner (73.8%) fell five votes shy in his penultimate year.
• Too little, too late: Gary Sheffield climbed from 11.6% in his first year to 63.9% in his final year and now must rely on the Contemporary Era Committee.
• Remains on the ballot: Andruw Jones, Carlos Beltrán, Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramírez, Chase Utley, Omar Vizquel, Jimmy Rollins, Bobby Abreu, Andy Pettitte, Mark Buehrle, Francisco Rodríguez, Torii Hunter, David Wright

Calls to the hall: One of the best parts of this process is seeing these guys find out they’ve achieved baseball immortality, so please enjoy Beltré, Helton, and Mauer’s calls to the hall.

Looking ahead: Next year’s first-timers will be headlined by Ichiro, Félix Hernández, and CC Sabathia.

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Louis Rees-Zammit should be preparing to lead Wales in next month’s Six Nations Championship. Instead, the rugby star has his sights set on a different goal: playing in the NFL, Jeff writes.

Switching sports: Rees-Zammit, 22, has announced that he’s joining the NFL’s International Player Pathway program, aiming to grow the league’s global footprint.

• Rugby players have made the switch to football before, but Rees-Zammit is a superstar.
• The 6-foot-3 speed demon nicknamed “Rees Lightning” is perhaps the best athlete to ever join the program.

What they’re saying: “If you talk to his teammates, they’ll tell you his speed is ridiculous,” former Welsh rugby star James Hook told Fox Sports.

How it works: Rees-Zammit is one of 16 people in this year’s class transitioning from sports like rugby, basketball, track, and Australian rules football. They will spend the next 10 weeks at a training camp in Florida before showcasing their talents for NFL scouts in March.

Easier said than done: Since the program’s launch in 2017, only 37 players have signed with an NFL team and just five have made an active roster.

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The Australian Open semifinals are nearly set. If No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz comes back to beat No. 6 Alexander Zverev, the semis will comprise the top four seeds.

Men: No. 1 Novak Djokovic, No. 2 Alcaraz/Zverev

Women: Dayana Yastremska is the second qualifier to ever reach the Aussie semis, and Coco Gauff vs. Aryna Sabalenka is a rematch of the US Open final.

Full coverage: Stats, scores, schedules

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🏀 NBA mock draft 4.0

Colorado freshman Cody Williams, the younger brother of OKC’s Jalen Williams, tops our latest 2024 NBA mock draft, courtesy of Yahoo Sports’ Krysten Peek.

What we’re hearing: The general feel from NBA scouts and executives is that this draft is wide open. Unlike last year with Victor Wembanyama, there’s no consensus No. 1 pick.

The lottery:

1. Pistons: Cody Williams, F (Colorado, Fr.)
2. Wizards: Alex Sarr, C (Australia)
3. Spurs: Zaccharie Risacher, G/F (France)
4. Hornets: Ja’Kobe Walter, G (Baylor, Fr.)
5. Trail Blazers: Ron Holland, G/F (G League Ignite)
6. Grizzlies: Nikola Topić, G (Serbia)
7. Spurs: Rob Dillingham, G (Kentucky, Fr.)
8. Rockets: Matas Buzelis, F (G League Ignite)
9. Hawks: Zvonimir Ivišić, F (Kentucky, Fr.)
10. Trail Blazers: Stephon Castle, G (UConn, Fr.)
11. Thunder: Reed Sheppard, G (Kentucky, Fr.)
12. Bulls: Dalton Knecht, G (Tennessee, Sr.)
13. Pelicans: Kyle Filipowski, C (Duke, So.)
14. Thunder: Isaiah Collier, G (USC, Fr.)

Full mock draft: All 30 projected first-round picks

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📆 Jan. 24, 2016: One final matchup

Eight years ago today, Peyton Manning’s Broncos beat Tom Brady’s Patriots, 20-18, in the AFC title game — the 17th and final matchup between the legendary QBs, Jeff writes.

By the numbers: Brady won their all-time series, 11-6, but his loss in this game gave Manning a 3-2 edge in the playoffs, making him the only QB to beat Brady more than twice in the postseason.

More on this day:

• 🏀 2014: Carmelo Anthony scored 62 points in a win over the Bobcats, the most ever scored at the current Madison Square Garden.
• ⚖️ 2018: Larry Nassar was sentenced to upwards of 175 years in prison for sexually abusing more than 150 young gymnasts.

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📺 Watchlist: Chet vs. Wemby, Round 2

Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren face off for the second time tonight when the Spurs host the Thunder (9:30pm ET, ESPN). The two 7-footers have been phenomenal and find themselves locked in a tight battle for Rookie of the Year.

More to watch:

• 🎾 Australian Open: Day 11 (7pm, ESPN+) … Semifinals: Aryna Sabalenka vs. Coco Gauff (3am)
• 🏀 NBA: Suns at Mavericks (8:30pm, ABC)
• 🏒 NHL: Hurricanes at Bruins (7:30pm, TNT/Max); Blackhawks at Kraken (10pm, TNT/Max)
• 🏀 NCAAM: No. 8 Auburn at Alabama (7:30pm, ESPN); Kansas State at No. 23 Iowa State (9pm, ESPN2)
• 🏀 NCAAW: Oklahoma at No. 10 Texas (7pm, ESPNU)
• ⛳️ PGA: Farmers Insurance Open (11:45am, ESPN+; 3pm, Golf) … At Torrey Pines.
• ⚽️ Women’s Champions League: Matchday 5 (12:45-3pm, YouTube) … Four matches.

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🏈 NFL trivia

All four starting QBs in this weekend’s conference championship games are in their 20s.

Question: Rank them by age, oldest to youngest.

1. Jared Goff
2. Patrick Mahomes
3. Lamar Jackson
4. Brock Purdy

Answer: Jared Goff (29), Patrick Mahomes (28), Lamar Jackson (27), Brock Purdy (24)

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🏒 14 and counting…

The Oilers won again on Tuesday, beating the Blue Jackets, 4-1, for their 14th straight victory.

History on the horizon: The NHL record for consecutive wins is 17 by the 1992-93 Penguins. The 2016-17 Blue Jackets are second with 16 straight.