Sports Puzzle Alert: Today's NYT Connections Hints & Answers

Ever tried solving a sports puzzle? The New York Times has a new game called Connections: Sports Edition. It's not too hard, but there are no photos or logos, so it might be just right for you. The game is currently in beta, meaning the Times is testing if it's popular enough to stick around. Today's puzzle has themes ranging from hitting batters in baseball to famous NASCAR flags and basketball legends. The easiest group, in yellow, is all about hitting batters with a pitch. The words are bean, drill, hit, and plunk. The green group is about NASCAR flags with checkered, red, white, and yellow. For the blue group, think of the Golden State Warriors dynasty with Curry, Green, Kerr, and Thompson. Lastly, the purple group is named after Steve, like the actors Buscemi and Carell. The answers are Carlton, McNair, Prefontaine, and Yzerman.