Mets Owner Steve Cohen took to Twitter this morning to say he had fired GM Jared Porter following a report from ESPN last night that Porter had sent unwanted text messages to a female reporter in '16. Cohen: "In my initial press conference I spoke about the importance of integrity and I meant it. There should be zero tolerance for this type of behavior" (TWITTER.com, 1/19).

ESPN's initial report last night noted that Porter sent "explicit, unsolicited texts and images to a female reporter in 2016, culminating with a picture of an erect, naked penis." The woman, a foreign correspondent who had moved to the U.S. to cover MLB, said that she "ignored more than 60 messages from Porter before he sent the final lewd photo." Porter acknowledged texting with the woman, but he initially said that he "had not sent any pictures of himself." When told the exchanges show he had sent selfies and other pictures, he said, "The more explicit ones are not of me. Those are like, kinda like joke-stock images." After "asking whether ESPN was planning to run a story, he asked for more time before later declining further comment" (ESPN.com, 1/18).

The content company formed by John Skipper and Dan Le Batard is starting to take shape. The duo will call the company Meadowlark Media, after one of the few species of birds that can sing while it flies. The firm will hire journalists and other sports media types to tell its stories. It will “emphasize a creator-centric point of view,” according to an early release. A formal announcement is due later today.

Skipper already has started talks with companies looking to carry “The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz,” a deal that will help fund, in part, some of Meadowlark’s initial projects. Part of Skipper’s sales pitch is that in the week after Le Batard left ESPN, his show was the seventh most popular podcast on Apple across all categories. Skipper will make an appearance Thursday on Le Batard’s show, where he will talk about next steps. The conversation, which took about an hour, will be spread across multiple episodes.

Tennis player Naomi Osaka has partnered with TAG Heuer and is "now the renowned watch brand's newest global ambassador." Activation will be tied to the brand's "Don't Crack Under Pressure" motto. Her comments indicated she will promote fashion-forward pieces as well as more functional ones: "On the court, my look is about ease of movement. ... Off the court, I will go for a more oversized or fashion-forward look" (HARPERSBAZAAR.com, 1/19). Osaka previously endorsed Citizen Watch. This deal adds to another recent fashion tie-in with Louis Vuitton. She is repped by Stuart Duguid at IMG Tennis (THE DAILY).

Now it’s officially official ☺️ happy to say I am now a brand ambassador for @TAGHeuer ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ITsUQ8giR0

— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) January 19, 2021

Scott Borchetta’s music company, Big Machine Records, is starting its own NASCAR Xfinity Series team that will debut this upcoming season. The new outfit will be named the Big Machine Racing Team and have driver Jade Buford behind the wheel of its No. 48 Chevrolet. The team is being revealed later this morning, and Borchetta said he will use the Big Machine brand as the usual primary sponsor. Borchetta said he is starting the team because he was in talks with a different organization to sponsor Buford the entire year but ended up deciding it would be best to do the venture himself. Big Machine is based in Nashville, but the team will be based in North Carolina.

Borchetta: “NASCAR has done a great job of keeping expenses down in Xfinity, so when I looked at it financially, I said, ‘We can make this make sense, because I was going to be spending money as a sponsor in the series anyway.” As a record label, Big Machine represents artists like Florida Georgia Line, Brantley Gilbert and Rascal Flatts. It joins a host of new NASCAR teams debuting this upcoming year, though several of the others are starting in the Cup Series.

DraftKings will launch its lineup of Super Bowl props and odds through a reveal show streamed live on Bleacher Report’s app, YouTube and Twitter channels at 6:00pm ET on Jan. 25, the Monday before the Super Bowl. Created as part of DraftKings' content deal with B/R parent Turner Sports, “B/R Drop Zone: DraftKings Big Game Prop Reveal” will feature analysts and celebrity guests running down 40 props from across five categories. Analysts will include Kelly Steward from B/R’s sports betting vertical and DraftKings Head of Sportsbook Johnny Avello.

The Islanders began their final season at Nassau Coliseum yesterday with a "new name surrounding the familiar logo at center ice: Nassau Live Center." That is the name of the Coliseum’s new leaseholder, led by Nicholas Mastroianni II, who in a statement said that the "words won’t be there for long." The ice eventually will read: "Nassau Live at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum." A county spokesperson said that Mastroianni "plans to use Nassau Live as a replacement" where arena references used to say "NYCB Live at Nassau Coliseum" (NEWSDAY, 1/19).

Canadian food delivery network SkipTheDishes is now the NHL’s official food delivery app in the country. Financial terms of the multiyear sponsorship deal, which started at the beginning of the ‘20-21 season, were not disclosed. This is the first time an NHL league sponsor has had the designation of official food delivery app. SkipTheDishes can activate at marquee events like the Stanley Cup Playoffs and Final. SkipTheDishes has sponsorship deals with six of the seven Canadian NHL teams. Hockey Canada last month announced a multiyear deal with the brand, which is also the governing body’s official food delivery app.

NHL Senior VP/North American Business Development & Global Partnerships Kyle McMann and Senior Dir of Business Development Chris Falkiner led talks for the league; SkipTheDishes Dir of Partnership Marketing Alanna Rubino and VP/Marketing Cheryl Radisa led talks for the company. Toronto-based sponsorship and experiential marketing agency XMC assisted on the deal.

With the MLB season scheduled to begin April 1, Alex Rodriguez said sports bring “people together more than anything around the globe,” noting MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred “expects a full season, not sure what the fan situation will be.” Appearing on “The Tonight Show,” Rodriguez said he has had "two big kind of goals" in his life, and those are the "two B’s, baseball and business." On the business side, he and Jennifer Lopez have "done some really awesome things in 2020 through a very, very difficult time." Rodriguez: "We’ve given tons back to the community. But we’re happy we’re taking a company, Hims & Hers, one of the great telemedicine companies that we have, public. And then we’re taking another one public later in the year. It’s been a very active, busy year, been growing a lot” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 1/18).

TIDL Sport

Fighter Conor McGregor is launching a new line of workout recovery products -- TIDL Sport -- ahead of his upcoming return to the octagon against Dustin Poirier at Saturday's UFC 257. McGregor partnered with The Anthos Group to launch TIDL, which "focuses on plant-based therapy" (PEOPLE.com, 1/19).

Steelers WR Chase Claypool has joined supplement brand No Days Wasted as an ambassador and spokesperson (No Days Wasted).

“I think we're gonna make it. I think we're gonna play it” -- Michigan State men's basketball coach Tom Izzo, on the likelihood of the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments being held this year (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 1/19).

"Total nightmare" -- An unnamed VP of a Dallas-area pro team, on the TV dispute keeping FS Southwest off Hulu and YouTube TV, affecting the Stars, Mavs and Rangers (Ft. Worth STAR-TELEGRAM, 1/19).

“Somebody was happy about that” -- ESPN’s Jay Bilas, on Kansas banking in a long three-point basket at the buzzer to cover the eight-point spread against Baylor (“Kansas-Baylor,” ESPN, 1/18).

SI.com goes with, "Back To The Bubble? Press Pause? Doctors Weigh In on Sports Under A COVID Variant." A new variant of the virus has the U.K. "wondering whether it's time to pause sports again." And if they are "asking now, we'll be asking soon." In the U.S., it was "hoped that these issues were left behind last summer, when leagues emerged from early-pandemic hibernation to resume playing in so-called bubbles; instead, like the virus itself, they have been growing in force of late." As bad as that may seem, the U.K. "offers a sobering look at what could soon be coming stateside."

Also:

• Four NBAers becoming "further entrenched with initiatives to address racial inequality."
• Bucks G Jrue Holiday pledges to to "make profound impact" through social justice fund.
• The NFL "received kudos for following its own player safety rules."
• Harnarayan Singh "bringing a breath of fresh air to Hockey Night in Canada."

Let the record show that the #Mets Era of Good Feeling lasted exactly 73 days.

— Mike Vaccaro (@MikeVacc) January 19, 2021

When Jared Porter got hired, many, many people lauded the move for his character and integrity. Let this be a lesson. Character is not defined by who confirms trade rumors or answers your calls.

— Britt Ghiroli (@Britt_Ghiroli) January 19, 2021

Random one Re: #TigerWoods doc, which is really well done. I know I have a sickness with 35 years of watching #golf on TV. They keep showing him with a shot (Masters, Barclays at Liberty Nat’l, etc.) and cut to B roll of the crowd and it’s always the Open Champ...

— Mike Ryan (@mryan311) January 19, 2021

The Venn diagram of Bachelor and golf fans is probably very small, but this is a big week with the AMEX heading to LA QUINTA.

— Stephen Hennessey (@S_HennesseyGD) January 19, 2021

Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was "Movie Settings."

"In 2017 this New York City luxury store opened its first café, with truffle eggs, waffles & croissants on the menu."

"What is Tiffany (& Co.)?"