The NCAA men's tournament "as we always have known it" returned yesterday for the first time in three years, and it "was as delectable a treat as ever." The bubble atmosphere in Indianapolis last year following the canceled '20 tourney was missing the "ridiculous atmospheres that somehow develop at what often begin as sterile neutral sites." That was not the case this year, as part of what made St. Peter’s "remarkable upset of Kentucky so fun Thursday was that the Peacocks happened to do it in front of a partisan Big Blue Nation crowd" at Gainbridge Fiedlhouse (L.A. TIMES, 3/18).

The first day of the tournament was "glorious," as instead of the "awkward silence -- literal and figurative -- of the last two years, this was March Madness as we know and love it." It was "raucous and chaotic and thoroughly entertaining." Memphis G Alex Lomax: “This is the March Madness we all grew up watching. With the commentators, a packed house, when the game is going back and forth, when it's like a roller coaster on the basketball court” (USA TODAY, 3/18).

Former Mavericks President of Basketball Operations & GM Donnie Nelson has sued the team, alleging that owner Mark Cuban "fired him in retaliation for reporting a 'high-level Mavericks executive sexually harassed and sexually assaulted a job applicant' and warning that team employees and players were at risk." The lawsuit states that Jason Lutin, Cuban’s chief of staff, "sexually harassed and sexually assaulted Nelson’s nephew during a job interview in February 2020 and that Cuban offered Nelson $52 million to withdraw his claim of wrongful termination and to sign a confidentiality agreement" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 3/18).

Cuban denied Nelson's allegations, writing in an email, "Everything in that filing is a lie. We did multiple complete investigations and the only person that did not live up to the standards of the Dallas Mavericks was Mr. Nelson. He was fired as a result. He was well aware of the investigation. He refused to fully participate. I will say it again, everything he said is a lie" (ESPN.com, 3/17).

The Titans, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and state lawmakers “are in negotiations over funding for a brand new stadium.” Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally indicated that the parties “have not decided on a contribution amount but Lee is expected to include money for the project in his upcoming budget amendment.” The state's entrance into the talks “comes nearly a month after Nashville and Titans officials put a renovation plan for Nissan Stadium on ‘pause’ with the aim of pursuing a brand new stadium instead” (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 3/18).

U.S. State Department officials “have not had access" to Mercury C Brittney Griner "since she was arrested in Moscow on Feb. 17.” A State Department official in a statement said, "We insist the Russian government provide consular access to all U.S. citizen detainees in Russia, including those in pre-trial detention, as Brittney Griner is." The statement is a “slight but significant change in the government's tone,” as it has “deliberately kept a low profile with her case, hoping not to increase her profile to the point where she might become a valuable political asset to the Russian government.” Despite that, a source close to Griner said, “We know she's OK" (ESPN.com, 3/17).

Renovations at Progressive Field are "near completion ahead of the new home opener date of April 15," with the "biggest piece of all of it" put into place on yesterday. Construction on the new script Guardians sign atop the ballpark scoreboard "was completed." The sign "is 81 feet wide by 28 feet high" (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 3/17). Workers from the Brilliant Electric Sign Co. "installed the final pieces." Work on the sign was "slated to be complete by Wednesday, but high winds and weather delayed installation by a day." Sources said that pieces of the sign are being "held in storage by Brilliant Electric until a suitable destination is determined" (CLEVELAND.com, 3/17).

An official announcement regarding the proposed F1 race in Las Vegas is “imminent,” according to a source. The race would take place in ’23 at the earliest, with plans “tentatively include drivers racing in and around the Strip, including areas around the Bellagio and further north.” F1 would be responsible “for temporary road improvements, including sealing sewer manholes and adding concrete barriers along Las Vegas Boulevard” (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 3/18). SBJ in January reported the two sides were advancing closer to a deal to make Las Vegas the third U.S. stop on the F1 schedule.

The Newcastle United-Everton EPL match yesterday “was held up for almost seven minutes when a protester tied himself to one of the goalposts.” The man wore a T-shirt “supporting a group called Just Stop Oil” and “attached himself to a post by wrapping what appeared to be a cable tie around his neck.” He was “eventually cut free using a heavy duty pair of bolt cutters.” The same group tried to interrupt Wednesday’s Arsenal-Liverpool match, though a protester “did not make it to the pitch” for that match" (LONDON TIMES, 3/18).

Today marks the "deadline for prospective buyers to submit bids to purchase Chelsea" from Roman Abramovich at 5:00pm ET. There is "now thought to be seven front-runners" (London INDEPENDENT, 3/18).

The Orioles are again “allowing fans to bring their own food and non-alcoholic beverages to games at Camden Yards this season.” The team removed the policy last season “citing health-and-safety protocols” due to the pandemic (BALTIMORE SUN, 3/17).

The Islanders on Saturday afternoon will host the second annual Nickelodeon Day, with game experience at elements. Nickelodeon IP integrated at the game will include "SpongeBob SquarePants," "Paw Patrol" and "Fairly OddParents," (and of course, slime) in the digital space and in arena (NHL).

"We're very far past the hypothetical stage" -- Arlington Heights, Ill., Mayor Tom Hayes, on the Bears' mindset to moving to the city after hiring architects for a proposed stadium at Arlington Park (Chicago DAILY HERALD, 3/18).

"Man, Lily's got more commercials than Shaq" -- Turner's Charles Barkley, commenting on the AT&T character's frequent appearance during NCAA tournament coverage ("Marquette-North Carolina," TBS, 3/17).

The WINNIPEG SUN goes with the header, "The silence from Russian hockey players is deafening." The NHL and Capitals F Alex Ovechkin's "'we just play hockey' defence grows more glaring as the bodies pile up in Ukraine." While sports bodies around the world "quickly took action in response to Russia’s illegal invasion," Russian athletes performing in Western leagues "presented a stickier question." Should someone who is "not representing Russia in their sport be sanctioned just because they are Russian?" So far, that has "largely been answered in the negative."

Also:

• Ovechkin’s potentially life-threatening "social media dilemma."
• NFL in bind on potential Deshaun Watson punishment.

Kentucky spends 12.5x as much on men's basketball as Saint Peters. I am almost certain this is the biggest upset by expenditures ratio ever.

— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) March 18, 2022

The lack of big college sports is one of NYC area’s few cultural demerits. This is fun to see for the local angle especially. https://t.co/Rcxd87qXwr

— Ben Fischer (@BenFischerSBJ) March 18, 2022

Lia Thomas' swimming is a complicated matter. And we'd all be better off admitting such. It's not black or white. It's not obvious. There's nuance, complexity, etc. You're not an idiot for thinking it's unfair. You're not an idiot for thinking it's totally fine. There's a lot.

— Jeff Pearlman (@jeffpearlman) March 18, 2022

very excited for all-pro NFL linebacker Bobby Wagner to sign with a team so I can finally stop getting 20 tweets an hour from people telling me I should come to their city

— Bobby Wagner (@bwags) March 17, 2022

Last night’s "Final Jeopardy!" category was "Nonfiction."

Last night’s edition of “Jeopardy!” featured the category “Sports With No Balls.”

$200: “What you’re playing or watching if a drop pass is followed by a pas save.”
$400: “Put on your gauntlet & wire mesh mask.”
$600: “A shammy towel is key; Olympian Jennifer Abel used a black one.”
$800: “A grand champion is called yokozuna in this Asian sport.”
$1000: “Lots of open space, 7 players per team & one disc.”

"What is 'Silent Spring'?"

The correct responses to the “Sports With No Balls” category were:

$200: “What is hockey?”
$400: “What is fencing?”
$600: “What is diving?”
$800: “What is sumo?”
$1000: “What is ultimate frisbee?”