The Automated Ball-Strike system (ABS), the tech powering what's colloquially known as robo-umps, is inching ever closer to the big leagues, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes.

Driving the news: The independent Atlantic League — which has partnered with MLB since 2019 — last week announced it was doing away with robo-umps after testing them for the past season-and-a-half.

• Yes, but: That wasn't because the experiment failed; on the contrary, the league explained that its own assessment of ABS was complete and that an MLB affiliate league would continue testing it.
• Simple sleuthing all but confirms that ABS is coming to Triple-A in 2022: this job posting is recruiting ABS techs in 11 Triple-A markets.

How it works: Though the informal term calls to mind a dystopian future ruled by robot overlords, ABS still requires a human umpire to stand behind the plate all game.

• Technology from Danish golf startup TrackMan determines if each pitch is a ball or strike. ABS then feeds its call to the ump via an earpiece, and he relays the call to the players.
• The ump still makes calls like check swings, interference and plays at the plate. ABS simply eliminates guesswork from the strike zone.

Between the lines: At any level — be it the Atlantic League, Triple-A or the (likely) eventual adoption in MLB — players face a steep learning curve to undo the decades of nuance born of human error.

• Light-hitting catchers who stay in the league thanks to elite pitch framing could be out of a job when their lightning-quick glove snaps fail to fool the computer.
• Pitchers who make a living stealing strikes just off the edge of the plate may start reaching full counts more regularly when those borderline pitches are called for the balls that they are.

The big picture: Robo-umps were one of many MLB-driven experiments last season, with the others mostly aimed at either speeding up games or increasing action. Three notable examples, and how they fared:

• Increased mound distance: The Atlantic League moved the mound back by a foot to help hitters, but results were inconclusive (and reviews were not good). The league scrapped this last week.
• 15-second pitch clock: Nine-inning MLB games lasted longer than ever last season. But in Low-A West, where a 15-second pitch clock was used, games decreased by 20 minutes.
• Limited pickoffs: Across Low-A, pitchers could attempt only two pickoffs per at-bat. Runners absolutely feasted to the tune of 30% more stolen-base attempts and a 13% increase in success rate.

The NBA made history Wednesday night, with stars putting up huge stat lines across a slate of 13 games.

• 26 25-point games (tied for most ever on any day)
• 15 30-point games (tied for most ever on any day)
• 8 30-point double-doubles (tied for most ever on any day)

Top 5 performers: Naturally, three of the top MVP candidates — Nikola Jokić, Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo — showed out.

• Jokić: 49 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists (DEN 130, LAC 128)
• Embiid: 50 points, 12 rebounds in 27 minutes (PHI 123, ORL 110)
• Luka Dončić: 41 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists (DAL 102, TOR 98)
• Trae Young: 37 points, 5 rebounds, 14 assists (ATL 134, MIN 122)
• Antetokounmpo: 33 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists (MIL 126, MEM 114)

Go deeper: Daily leaders (ESPN)

Most of NBC's event announcers for the Beijing Olympics, which open in 15 days, will make their calls from NBC Sports HQ in Stamford, Conn., rather than traveling to Beijing, because of China's strict COVID rules.

• "NBC's broadcasting teams for figure skating, Alpine skiing and snowboarding had been expected to be in Beijing, but those plans have been canceled," USA Today's Christine Brennan reports.
• NBC took a similar approach in Tokyo, but had on-site broadcasters for the most popular sports, including swimming and gymnastics.

Looking ahead: NBC has designated Feb. 13 as "Super Gold Sunday," as it will broadcast the Olympics and Super Bowl on the same day.

• Prime-time host Mike Tirico will anchor from Beijing from Feb. 3-10, then fly to L.A. to host the next three days and the Super Bowl.
• With Beijing 13 hours ahead of Connecticut, snowboarding analyst Todd Richards told USA Today he'll be on a "vampire schedule."

😷 Chart du jour: The Omicron wave is likely beginning to recede in the U.S., Axios' Tina Reed reports. It's still wreaking havoc in parts of the country, but experts are optimistic that relief is around the corner.

🎾 Djoker's stake: Novak Djokovic and his wife, Jelena, hold an 80% stake in a mysterious Danish biotech firm that's developing a non-vaccine COVID-19 treatment, per Reuters.

🎓 UM settlement: The University of Michigan has agreed to a $490 million settlement with more than 1,000 people who say they were sexually assaulted by a former physician in the athletic department.

🐎 Good read: As his doping case goes to trial, a veterinarian says it's horse racing that's corrupt (Gus Garcia-Roberts, WashPost)

"[Seth] Fishman's depiction of himself as a sort of racetrack St. Francis of Assisi is strikingly at odds with the government's version. To prosecutors, he is a chemical tinkerer who has preyed on horse racing's ineffectual patchwork regulatory system."

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has released his first 2022 NFL mock draft, (subscription), three months ahead of April's festivities in Las Vegas.

Why it matters: Though Kiper's projections are often wrong, his mock drafts — along with those of other "draft gurus" — are based on legitimate insider knowledge and drive the pre-draft news cycle for months.

The intrigue: Kiper doesn't project any QBs to be taken in the top 10, which has happened just twice this century: 2013 (first QB was E.J. Manuel at No. 13) and 2000 (first QB was Chad Pennington at No. 18).

1. Jaguars: Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan
2. Lions: Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon
3. Texans: Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
4. Jets: Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
5. Giants: Ikem Ekwonu, OT, NC State
6. Panthers: Charles Cross, OT, Miss. State
7. Giants: David Ojabo, OLB, Michigan
8. Falcons: Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU
9. Broncos: Nakobe, Dean, ILB, Georgia
10. Jets: Drake London, WR, USC

Zoom out: Kiper has four QBs going in the first round: Malik Willis (Liberty) to Washington at No. 11, Kenny Pickett (Pitt) to the Saints at No. 18, Matt Corral (Ole Miss) to the Steelers at No. 20 and Sam Howell (UNC) to the Lions at No. 28.

What's next: The Senior Bowl (Feb. 5) is expected to feature six of the top seven QBs — Willis, Pickett, Howell, Desmond Ridder, Carson Strong and Bailey Zappe — plus several other potential top-50 picks.

"Cheer," the much-buzzed-about reality series about junior college cheerleading, has been a smash hit for Netflix and turned the stars of the show into celebrities.

Yes, but: The two cheering programs at the heart of the series — Navarro College and Trinity Valley Community College, rival two-year schools near Dallas — haven't benefited nearly as much.

• Navarro, the subject of Season 1, signed a deal with the show's production company in 2018 that pays the school $30,000 per season, Sportico reports (subscription).
• TVCC, which starred alongside Navarro in the recently-released Season 2, received the same $30,000 location fee.

What they're saying: "Everybody thinks we made a million dollars off of the show, and as you can see from the contract, we did not," Stacie Sipes, Navarro's director of marketing and public information, told Sportico.

LEICESTER, England — What a finish! Steven Bergwijn scored two stoppage time goals — one in the 95th minute and one in the 97th minute — to lift fifth-place Tottenham past 10th-place Leicester City, 3-2.

• 🎥 Watch: The game-winner (Twitter)

MELBOURNE, Australia — Australian wildcard Maddison Inglis is through to the last 32 after wins over U.S. Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez and American Hailey Baptiste.

• Of note: Inglis has already pocketed $221,000 for her two victories, which would boost her career prize money by nearly 50%.

GREAT EXUMA, Bahamas — Akshay Bhatia, 19, won in the Bahamas on Wednesday, joining Sungjae Im (2018) and Jason Day (2007) as the only teenagers to win on the Korn Ferry Tour (one level below PGA Tour).

• 🎥 Watch: Bhatia's unconventional road (YouTube)

No. 4 NC State hosts No. 3 Louisville tonight (7:30pm ET, ESPN) in a matchup that could ultimately decide the ACC women's title.

• Where it stands: Both teams lost their season-openers. Since then, the Wolfpack (7-0 in league play) and Cardinals (5-0) have combined to go 31-1 overall, and they won't meet again in the regular season.
• By the numbers: NC State ranks third in the nation in scoring margin (22.9 points), and Louisville ranks sixth (21.1). They're both incredibly deep, each featuring 10 players who average 10+ minutes per game.

More games:

• ⛳️ Golf: The LPGA season kicks off with the Hilton Grand Vacations TOC, the European Tour's 2022 calendar begins with the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the PGA Tour resumes in California with The American Express, all on the Golf Channel.
• 🎾 Australian Open: No. 23 Reilly Opelka (U.S.) and No. 14 Denis Shapovalov (Canada) face off in a North American clash(9:30pm, ESPN2). Full schedule.
• 🏀 NBA: Suns at Mavericks (7:30pm, TNT); Pacers at Warriors (10pm, TNT)
• 🏀 NCAAM: No. 1 Gonzaga hosts San Francisco, one of its toughest league foes (11pm, CBSSN).
• 🏒 NHL: Avalanche at Kings (9:30pm, ESPN)

Five of the remaining eight NFL playoff teams — the 49ers, Packers, Chiefs, Buccaneers and Rams — have won at least one Super Bowl.

• Question: How many has each franchise won?
• Hint: Only two have won the same number.

Answer at the bottom.

YouTube: Red Bull

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