West Indies captain Jason Holder elected to bowl after the toss was delayed by half an hour due to rain and wet outfield in North Sound. The resulting damp conditions would not have affected India's plans, captain Virat Kohli implied, when he said he would have batted first anyway. Only 15 minutes of play was lost.
West Indies stuck to their preferred combination of four fast bowlers, with Miguel Cummins coming back into the XI to accompany Holder, Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel. Right-hand batsman Shamarh Brooks was handed an international debut. Brooks had made two fifties in two matches against India A last month. He replaced Shane Dowrich, with Shai Hope taking over as designated wicketkeeper for the third time in his career.
India went in with four frontline bowlers, choosing Ravindra Jadeja as their spinner ahead of R Ashwin who was Man of the Series on India's last Caribbean tour. Rishabh Pant retained his place ahead of Wriddhiman Saha as the wicketkeeper, while Hanuma Vihari, who offers a fifth-bowling option, was picked ahead of Rohit Sharma. KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal were picked to open.
West Indies: 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 John Campbell, 3 Shai Hope (wk), 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Roston Chase, 7 Shamarh Brooks, 8 Jason Holder (capt), 9 Miguel Cummins, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Shannon Gabriel
Sam Billings has labelled the scheduling of a round of County Championship games halfway through the Vitality Blast season "completely brainless" after his Kent side was bowled out for 40 in their defeat against Essex.
"It's shocking, isn't it really?" he said. "For both sides. It doesn't help the quality of first-class cricket in England any which way. Twenty20 and first-class cricket are completely different games."
Billings made 0 and 1 in the defeat to Essex, in which 26 wickets fell on the third day after two rain-interrupted days, and said his comments were not intended as an excuse.
"It's the same for both sides and that's not an excuse at all, but for the good of the county game it's not right. It's completely brainless in my opinion. How you can expect people to transform their game just like that? It's not right. I'll probably get told off for saying that, but it's the right thing to say.
"Just put the white-ball cricket in a block and it makes it far easier for the players. Every single player you talk to will say the same thing. For the good of spectators coming to Canterbury Cricket Week, that's the least they could do."
The scheduling of the county game has come in for criticism for many years, but coaches and players have regularly found themselves bemoaning a lack of weekend and bank holiday games this year in particular, as well as the demands of switching between formats.
Worcestershire, for example, have had to content with three breaks in their Blast season due to first-class games, with first-team coach Alex Gidman admitting that his team's recent scheduling had been "very, very tough".
"This year was never going to be straightforward, particularly with the scheduling we've had," he said last week after their win against Durham.
"By this time next week we would have played three red-ball games in the campaign since the Blast started whereas everyone, apart from Gloucestershire, would only have played one which makes it very hard. The lads have admittedly struggled to find a playing rhythm."
Success is relative. A handful of NFL teams would be disappointed by anything short of a Super Bowl LIV win, like the Chiefs, Patriots, Rams and Saints. The second tier of teams would set their minimum at making the playoffs. A third tier might simply want to compete for a playoff berth.
There's a fourth tier of teams that might set their sights even lower. While they likely harbor dreams of playing competitive football in January, their realistic goals for the upcoming season have more to do with developing young talent or finding a solution at a key point of weakness on their roster. Let's run through the teams that probably don't have playoff football looming in 2019 and get a sense of what would help make their seasons feel more productive by the end of the year.
To figure out which teams are least likely to make the postseason, I used ESPN's Football Power Index's projections of the 2019 season and went with the 10 teams with less than a 20% chance to make the playoffs. Of course, there's still a chance that these organizations will buck the odds; their combined playoff odds top 100%, suggesting that one of these 10 will make it to the playoffs. Last season, FPI gave the Bears just an 18.3% chance of making it to the playoffs, but after trading for Khalil Mack and drastically improving their interception rate, they rode the league's best defense to a 12-4 record and a comfortable division title.
We'll start with the team that has the best (relative) playoff odds, which requires a trip one mile high:
Clear signs of development from their young receivers. John Elway has sought to rebuild his team's receiving corps over the past two drafts, drafting wideouts Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton in 2018 before trading down and taking tight end Noah Fant in the first round in April. The refresh is overdue; Elway traded away Demaryius Thomas last season and has 32-year-old Emmanuel Sanders entering the final year of his contract in 2019, while prior draft picks like Cody Latimer, Carlos Henderson, Jeff Heuerman and Jake Butt have failed to turn into useful pass-catchers.
The Broncos need at least one of these guys to look like a starting receiver and an offensive building block by the end of 2019. Fant has the loftiest draft pedigree as a first-rounder, but the list of rookie tight ends who delivered an immediate impact isn't long, as just four tight ends since the 1970 merger have topped 700 receiving yards during their debut campaigns. He also left Monday's preseason game against the 49ers with an ankle injury. Even beyond what appears to be a minor ankle issue, it might be more realistic to expect Fant to harness his potentially devastating athleticism in 2020.
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Dopp not 'super confident' in Sutton
Daniel Dopp isn't sure whether to take Courtland Sutton as the Broncos second wide receiver because of his production last season and Flacco as his QB.
First-time offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello might instead hope for one of his wideouts to make a second-year leap alongside Sanders, who made his return to the field on Monday night as part of rehabbing his torn Achilles. Sutton's role in the offense grew when Thomas was traded and was expected to rise further after Sanders went down, but during those final four games without either veteran, Sutton was third on the team in targets (25) and receiving yards (146), trailing both Tim Patrick and Hamilton. The latter's versatility led to 38 targets over four games, although Hamilton averaged just 7.3 yards across his 25 receptions during that stretch.
The problem for Hamilton, in a way, might be Scangarello. The Broncos imported their new coordinator from San Francisco, where Scangarello had worked under Kyle Shanahan. The former 49ers and Falcons offensive coordinator loves to use a fullback and runs plenty of plays with two or more tight ends on the field, and when the Broncos use either of those options, it will likely be at Hamilton's expense. The late addition of Theo Riddick also seems more likely to eat into Hamilton's targets than those of any of the other wideouts. Sutton didn't impress over the final month of the season, but he has the best chance of breaking out in 2019.
A turnaround from Garett Bolles. Teams that draft over-aged players take significant risk. The time frame for developing players who are older than typical rookies is shortened by their advancing age, and while the hope is obviously to find a more mature player who can step in immediately, that hasn't often worked out. Over the past 20 years, there have been eight first-rounders drafted as they entered their age-25 season or older. One -- Cowboys corner Terence Newman -- made a Pro Bowl. The likes of David Terrell, Danny Watkins, Peria Jerry and Brandon Weeden all failed to impress.
It's too early to give up on Ravens 2018 first-rounder Hayden Hurst, but the Broncos are on the precipice with their 2017 first-round pick. Having turned 27 in May, Bolles is one week older than the team's right tackle, Ja'Wuan James, who just signed a massive deal after completing his fifth pro campaign. Bolles just finished his second season and has a serious problem: penalties. Since entering the league, he has drawn 29 flags and a staggering 21 offensive holding calls. No other lineman in the league has topped 13 over that same two-year span.
Enter one of the league's most important offseason additions. No, not James; it's former Steelers offensive line coach Mike Munchak, who helped develop young linemen like David DeCastro and Alejandro Villanueva during his time in Pittsburgh. Munchak's most important project in 2019 is Bolles, who committed another holding penalty on one of his 33 snaps during Monday's loss to the 49ers. Camp reports have suggested that the Broncos are pleased with Bolles, but new coach Vic Fangio has also singled out utility lineman Elijah Wilkinson for praise, too. With Bolles' fifth-year option decision looming after the season, the Broncos need to figure out whether he's a building block.
A 16th-place finish in pass defense DVOA. When the Lions fired former Colts coach Jim Caldwell, it was no surprise to see them opt for a defensive-minded coach in former Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. Year 1 didn't go great on or off the field, with Patricia's area of expertise the team's biggest problem. The Lions dropped from 19th to 27th in defensive DVOA, including a 31st-ranked finish in pass defense DVOA. They were the league's worst pass defense against No. 1 wideouts, sixth-worst against No. 2 wideouts, worst against third wideouts and seventh-worst against tight ends. There's room for improvement.
The Lions made major defensive investments this offseason, though general manager Bob Quinn did spend his first-round pick on tight end T.J. Hockenson. Detroit essentially swapped Ezekiel Ansah for Trey Flowers, which should be an upgrade in terms of sheer availability before even getting to how the two edge rushers play. The team then imported defensive tackle Mike Daniels after he was surprisingly cut by the Packers over the summer. The names are certainly impressive, and while the Lions finished fifth in adjusted sack rate last season, they were 29th in pressure rate. They weren't going to turn a league-high 30.5% of their pressures into sacks again, so adding Flowers and Daniels should increase the pressure figures for Patricia's defense.
When Detroit didn't get pressure, it ranked 30th in both passer rating and Total QBR allowed. Although the Lions have a Pro Bowl cornerback in Darius Slay, they need to do better in the secondary. Quinn's other major offseason investment was to sign Justin Coleman to a four-year, $36 million pact to take over as Detroit's slot corner. There are red flags in making this sort of deal for a player who was bouncing around the waiver wire in years past and just spent two years in service of Pete Carroll in Seattle, but even adequacy would be an upgrade for Detroit.
Detroit will pit disappointing 2017 second-rounder Teez Tabor against veteran Rashaan Melvin for the other starting spot, and there has been little evidence of Tabor playing well as a pro. His speed has been a notable problem, which shouldn't really be a surprise for a player whose 40-yard dash time was in the 11th percentile coming out of college. Melvin is coming off a messy year in Oakland but has impressed in the past as a man-to-man corner, which is how the Lions typically like to cover under Patricia. No team likes to give up on a second-round pick after two years, but unless Tabor suddenly morphs into a different player, the Lions might not have a choice.
The young player the Lions might need to come along quickest, though, could be safety Tracy Walker. They took Walker in the third round of the 2018 draft -- two rounds before Walker himself believed he would come off of the board -- and parted ways with veteran Glover Quin to create a starting job for Walker this offseason. The now-retired Quin had slipped after years of impressive play, and the Lions improved by 13.6 points of passer rating and 9.3 points of Total QBR with Walker on the field a year ago. They are deep with safety options in Quandre Diggs, Tavon Wilson and third-round pick Will Harris, but Walker is the most promising. If he has a breakout year, it will be that much easier for Patricia's defense to jump from 31st to league-average in 2019.
Get the Lions to a league-average pass defense, and Damon Harrison should take care of the rest. Detroit hasn't posted a top-15 defense by DVOA since 2014; that was also the last time the Lions topped nine wins.
Significant signs of growth from Josh Allen. This one's simple, right? The Bills finished second in the league last season in defensive DVOA. Combine that with a competent offense and they're probably a playoff team. They instead finished 31st in offensive DVOA and pass offense DVOA. Allen finished his rookie season with a 71 passer rating index, the third-worst mark for a first-round pick with 300 or more pass attempts in his rookie season since the merger. Allen was excellent as a scrambler, but he was far worse as a passer than predecessor Tyrod Taylor.
The natural argument from Bills fans was that Allen didn't have any talent around him. I agree that Allen had a subpar supporting cast and offensive line, but it's not as if his season was totally tanked by the other 10 guys on offense. Allen's receivers dropped 4.1% of his passes, which was above the league average of 3.5%, but Baker Mayfield, Patrick Mahomes, Philip Rivers and Andrew Luck all had a higher percentage of their passes dropped, and they still managed to piece together pretty good numbers.
The NFL's Next Gen Stats also have a say here. Allen threw deep more frequently than any other passer in the league, throwing an even 20% of his passes 20 or more yards in the air. Nobody else topped 14.7%. Even after you adjust for his target depth, though, Allen struggled. Given where Allen's receivers were relative to the defense when his passes were thrown, the league's model would have expected Allen to complete 59.6% of his throws. Allen instead completed 52.8%. The 6.8% difference between those two figures was the second-highest among passers with 300 attempts or more, topped only by Blake Bortles at 6.9%.
The good news, of course, is that Allen still has plenty of time to develop. He should work with a much more talented offensive core this season after the Bills acquired four new starting offensive linemen and the likes of John Brown, Cole Beasley, Tyler Kroft and Frank Gore in free agency, although Kroft is recovering from a broken foot and expensive new center Mitch Morse suffered what was at least his fourth documented concussion. There are no obvious superstars in the bunch, but general manager Brandon Beane replaced several replacement-level starters with players who are likely to contribute at or around the league average.
I wonder if the best sign of progress for Allen might be seeing his rushing numbers take a dramatic decline. The Bills ran a few designed runs for Allen in 2018, but it's not as if he was the focal point of a rushing attack a la Lamar Jackson. Allen was running because he wasn't comfortable in the pocket and saw openings. It's difficult to see him keeping up his prior level of success on scrambles over the long term, so if Buffalo can use its new weapons to keep Allen making plays in and around the pocket, it'll be to his benefit in the long run.
I don't think there's a specific number we can throw out there as a lone measure of Allen's growth, in part because his usage rate was so unique. If he continues to throw one of every five passes as a bomb and scrambles effectively, Allen can be productive and valuable with a sub-60% completion rate. If the Bills ask Allen to make intermediate throws more frequently and ask him to work through his progressions at the expense of scrambles, though, Allen could top 60% and still be well below league-average as a quarterback in a league in which passers completed 65.5% of their passes a year ago.
A step forward from Dion Dawkins. One of the players who was expected to serve as a valuable building block for the Bills' offense after that unexpected playoff run in 2017 was Dawkins, who stepped in as a rookie in 2017 and played effectively at left tackle in Cordy Glenn's absence. The Bills were enthused enough to ship Glenn off to Cincinnati last season and turn Allen's blind side over to Dawkins in the hopes that they had found their new left tackle of the future.
Dawkins struggled badly, committing 15 penalties, which was second in the league behind Morgan Moses. Those numbers included five holding calls and three unnecessary roughness penalties. The former second-round pick also allowed eight sacks, per Stats LLC. The Bills responded by signing veteran Ty Nsekhe from Washington, who filled in as a left tackle for Trent Williams, though it's clear that their long-term goal is still to keep Dawkins on the left side.
There are worse things to have around than a useful guard or tackle, and if Dawkins continues to struggle on the left side in 2019, it wouldn't be shocking if Buffalo moved him down the offensive line spectrum and went after a new left tackle. Dawkins' numbers also suffered by virtue of playing in front of Allen, who wasn't an easy quarterback in terms of pass protection. If Dawkins does show more of the form we saw in 2017, though, the Bills will have an answer at one of the league's most important -- and expensive -- positions.
A pass-rusher. Any pass-rusher.Khalil Mack is a sunk cost. He's gone and not coming back. The Raiders don't need a pass-rusher to help justify trading away Mack; they need one to keep their defense afloat. Oakland recorded sacks on just 2.6% of opposing dropbacks and pressures on 22.8% of those plays last season, both of which ranked last in the NFL. Asking the Raiders to come up with the next Mack is setting the bar unrealistically high. If they can find a defender who can approach eight sacks or 20 quarterback hits, that would be a victory.
The most obvious candidate on the roster could be fourth overall pick Clelin Ferrell, who is expected to start at defensive end. Ferrell is a promising two-way player, but I might lean toward 2018 third-rounder Arden Key, who racked up 11 knockdowns as a rookie. The added depth after signing Ferrell could push Key into more of a situational role, and while that might reduce his week-to-week snap count, it should keep the LSU product fresher when he does get to go after the quarterback.
Development in the secondary. The Raiders have four highly drafted players who could figure into their future at defensive back, including three first-rounders in cornerback Gareon Conley (2017) and safeties Karl Joseph (2016) and Johnathan Abram (2019). Rookie second-round cornerback Trayvon Mullen is the fourth.
Daryl Worley and free-agent import Lamarcus Joyner, who appears likely to move from his free safety role with the Rams back into the slot as a cornerback, will get reps. The Raiders will otherwise want their four young defensive backs to grow into meaningful roles. The most important of the four is Conley, who went through a wasted rookie season and was benched early in 2018 before improving during the second half of the season. His coming-out game, ironically, was an excellent performance against now-teammate Antonio Brown.
If Conley continues to blossom and develops into a No. 1 corner, Jon Gruden & Co. will be delighted. Anything they can get out of Joseph in the final year of his rookie deal might be a bonus, but Oakland will hope that Abram can turn into its version of Landon Collins.
Kolton Miller locking down the left tackle spot. When the Raiders signed Trent Brown to a four-year, $66 million deal this offseason, it seemed likely they would be installing the 6-foot-8 behemoth at left tackle. Given that left tackles make far more on average than right tackles and how Brown had impressed during his debut season at left tackle in 2018 with the Patriots, the tea leaves pointed toward Brown taking over Derek Carr's blind side and Miller moving to right tackle.
Instead, the Raiders have decided to opt for stability. They've kept Miller at left tackle after an uneven rookie season and will move Brown back to the right side, where he played the first three seasons of his career with the 49ers. Stats LLC suggests that Miller allowed a staggering 13 sacks last season, but he has the frame to play on the left side at 6-foot-8, and moving him to right tackle would force him to rebuild his footwork anew. It's too early to give up on Miller as a left tackle, and I can't fault the Raiders for keeping things the way they were in what's likely to be a trying season. If he doesn't improve in Year 2, though, the Raiders will have to give serious thought to swapping their tackles in 2020.
Building an effective infrastructure around Dwayne Haskins. It's an inevitability that Washington will eventually turn things over to its first-round quarterback. While the presence of Colt McCoy might have put a second temporary roadblock alongside Case Keenum ahead of Haskins, it's unclear whether McCoy will even be healthy enough to play this season as he recovers from several surgeries on his fibula. It would be a surprise if Haskins isn't the starter by Oct. 1 and a shock if the former Ohio State star is still on the bench come Halloween.
If we assume Washington doesn't have the horses to compete for a playoff spot this season, the next-best thing would be the team developing some sustainability around Haskins as it works toward 2020 and beyond. Finding a reliable wide receiver would be a start, though getting much out of Josh Doctson or Paul Richardson would be a surprise given their past performance. If rookie third-rounder Terry McLaurin or slot receiver Trey Quinn impresses, it would be a pleasant surprise for Jay Gruden's offense.
Naturally, figuring out the left tackle conundrum would also help solidify things for Haskins. Trent Williams continues to hold out over what has alternately been described as financial and medical concerns, and while the organization has publicly suggested it has no intention of trading the star left tackle, there has been no sign of him softening his stance on not returning to the team. Whether the organization simply waits out Williams or hands him a new deal to return, this is a much better offense with the seven-time Pro Bowler in the fold.
If Washington does decide to trade him, I wonder if it would consider moving star guard Brandon Scherff back to left tackle, where the Iowa star excelled in 2014 while winning the Outland Trophy. The current short-term solution at left tackle appears to be Donald Penn, as the organization doesn't want to push former Giants disappointment Ereck Flowers from his new role at guard back to tackle. A pending free agent, Scherff is probably best at guard at this level, but Washington might want to get creative in the long term to put its best player at the most important position on the line.
Get ownership away from the quarterback position. One of the reasons the Giants have become a laughingstock over the past two seasons is how ownership has meddled publicly and privately in the team's quarterback decision-making. Owner John Mara insisted that the Giants weren't tanking when they benched Eli Manning for Geno Smith in 2017, only for ownership to see the fan base's visceral reaction to the Manning move and reverse it the following week, firing coach Ben McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese in the process.
Now, with the Giants drafting Daniel Jones in the top 10, Mara is back in the news by publicly suggesting how Manning would start all 16 games "in a perfect world" for the Giants in 2019. Coach Pat Shurmur then publicly agreed with Mara in a news conference.
Here are two things I know. One is that organizations say they're going to sit their rookie quarterbacks for as long as possible before the season, only to invariably stick them into the lineup at the first sign of their veteran incumbent slipping. The other is that nothing good ever comes from ownership getting involved in personnel decisions for nostalgia's sake. If Shurmur wants to sit Jones all season and play Manning for 16 games, that should be his decision without any interference or public quotes from Mara.
Find a pass-rusher. While general manager Dave Gettleman has attempted to rebuild the Giants around the sort of running game and physicality the team enjoyed during the Bill Parcells era, he has curiously neglected to find the sorts of pass-rushers the Giants have been built around for decades. Gettleman used Olivier Vernon as a trade chip to acquire another offensive lineman this offseason in Cleveland's Kevin Zeitler, and while the Giants used a first-round pick on nose tackle Dexter Lawrence, their other key moves to address the edge were signing former Cardinals standout Markus Golden and using a third-round pick on Oshane Ximines.
Golden has the best pedigree of the three, given that the former second-rounder racked up 12.5 sacks in his sophomore campaign with the Cardinals, but injuries limited him to 2.5 sacks over the ensuing 15 games. He is signed to only a one-year deal, so New York probably would prefer 2018 third-round pick Lorenzo Carter to make the leap after generating four sacks and 10 knockdowns as a rookie, given that the Giants have him under contract through 2021. They need one of these guys to break through before making a bigger addition at the position (Jadeveon Clowney?) next offseason.
Come to a conclusion on Jameis Winston. With a coach who turns 67 in October, the Bucs can't afford to let the Winston saga leak into 2020 without making a long-term decision. Tampa obviously hopes that its former first overall pick rounds into form and delivers a full season of the promise he has shown in bursts over the past few years, but it would be better for Winston to crater and the Bucs to subsequently pursue a new path at quarterback in 2020 than it would be for Winston to play just well enough to justify a franchise tag or prove-it deal.
Discover at least one (and preferably two) starters at cornerback. Like the Raiders, Tampa is loaded with high draft picks in the secondary. In addition to 2016 first-rounder Vernon Hargreaves, the Bucs can call on 2018 second-rounders Carlton Davis and M.J. Stewart, 2019 second-rounder Sean Murphy-Bunting and 2019 third-rounder Jamel Dean. All five will make the roster, but can the Bucs finally find some building blocks in an oft-leaky secondary?
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Yates all-in on Jameis this season
Field Yates likes Jameis Winston in Bruce Arians' offense and sees him having a big year with all the weapons around him.
Even given the receiver depth in the NFC South, Tampa wouldn't have invested quite as much as it has at cornerback if Hargreaves had lived up to expectations as the 11th overall pick. Coaches and teammates have raved about the former Florida standout in camp, with our Jenna Laine naming Hargreaves as Tampa's camp MVP. If Hargreaves delivers on his potential, the Bucs would still have him under contract for 2020 on a fifth-year option at just under $10 million.
Davis and Stewart appear likely to start alongside Hargreaves, but given what we know about Todd Bowles' preferred style of defense, it's likely that we'll see the Bucs rotate plenty of defensive backs through the lineup as both cover men and blitzers. Every Bucs defensive back seems to be raving about how the new, aggressive scheme fits them in a way that the zone scheme preferred by Mike Smith did not, but that's par for the course in a training camp with a new defensive coordinator. We won't know whether the shoe actually fits until we see Davis & Co. on the field in the new season.
Find a plan at running back. Tampa has been rumored as a possible destination for plenty of free-agent backs over each of the past two offseasons, but the only veteran runner the Bucs have imported since then is Andre Ellington, Bruce Arians' former charge in Arizona. Peyton Barber retained the job by default last season when second-round pick Ronald Jones lost the coaching staff's confidence and struggled to stay healthy. The Bucs have generally kept Jones out of the lineup so far this preseason, which might be a positive sign pending what happens in their third practice game.
While the Bucs have given reps to Dare Ogunbowale this preseason, it's likely that their 2020 starter at running back is either Jones or a back not currently on the roster. They should be one of the more aggressive teams in the league when teams make cuts at running back this offseason, although they also shouldn't be in position to devote serious draft capital to acquiring a back. They should be giving serious consideration to pursuing backs like LeSean McCoy, Jerick McKinnon and Corey Clement if they're cut by their current teams.
Get through one season with competent kicking. This might be too much to ask.
Develop a third pass-rusher behind Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins. With the jewels of Cincinnati's 2010 class now on the wrong side of 30, the Bengals have to start preparing for a future without their two star defensive linemen. Atkins and Dunlap combined for 18 sacks and 40 quarterback knockdowns last season, and the only other Bengals player to top 2.5 sacks was Sam Hubbard, who managed six on just nine knockdowns. Defensive linemen typically turn about 45% of their knockdowns into sacks, so it's unlikely that he will be able to keep that ratio going in 2019.
Hubbard is promising and still the most likely candidate to step up into the 15-knockdown range this season, but the Bengals have another option in line with Carl Lawson, who had 8.5 sacks and 21 knockdowns as a rookie in 2017 before going down with a torn ACL a year ago. If the Bengals can get continued growth from Hubbard and a return to form from Lawson, they'll be blessed with one of the deeper pass-rush rotations in the AFC.
Find a young guard. The best-laid plans for the Cincinnati offensive line went down in tatters this offseason when longtime starting guard Clint Boling retired and first-round pick Jonah Williams underwent season-ending surgery on his labrum. Backup guard Christian Westerman, who was one of the options in line to replace Boling, also appears to be retiring. Cordy Glenn, who moved back to left tackle after Williams went down, is out with a concussion. This is all before the season has even begun.
The 2020 line is going to include Williams at left tackle and 2018 first-rounder Billy Price at center. That's settled. The Bengals signed guard John Miller and tackle Bobby Hart to three-year deals this offseason, but neither deal would preclude Cincy from moving on after 2019. Trey Hopkins, who has served as a utility lineman for the team, is on a one-year deal.
The Bengals are likely to start Miller and former Giants lineman John Jerry on the interior to start the season, but the player who could figure into the lineup by the end of the year is rookie fourth-round pick Michael Jordan. As the first true freshman to start regularly at Ohio State since Orlando Pace, Jordan has been on NFL radars for a while, but the 6-foot-6 lineman still needs some refinement. If the Bengals can help mold Jordan into a viable starter by the end of the season, it would allow them to focus their efforts elsewhere next season.
Come to a conclusion on Andy Dalton. The Bengals finally made up their mind and moved on from longtime coach Marvin Lewis this offseason after 16 years of moderate accomplishment. Dalton will be entering only his ninth season as Cincinnati's starting quarterback, but the TCU product has been slightly above or below league-average in seven of his eight completed campaigns, with one down-ballot MVP season in 2015 as the exception.
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Schefter not high on drafting Green in fantasy
Adam Schefter expresses concerns about drafting WR A.J. Green, since he will be missing the first few games of the season.
That was a season in which Dalton had arguably the best offensive line in football and a deep, healthy group of receivers, and given that the Bengals are already down Williams and will likely start the season without A.J. Green, he won't have that same sort of support in 2019. It might seem unfair to slate Dalton for how he might struggle without his starting left tackle or his top wide receiver, but we have yet to see him transcend his teammates for any stretch of time. It would have been tough to move on from Dalton when the Bengals were producing winning seasons, but after starting 50-26 through that 2015 campaign, he has gone 18-24-1 as a starter over the past three seasons.
He has two years and $33 million left on the extension he signed in August of 2014. There's no reason the Bengals should enter 2020 with Dalton as their lame-duck option at quarterback. If Dalton proceeds to piece together another 2015 season, the team should extend his contract. If the 31-year-old delivers another adequate campaign, it should be time to move on, either in free agency or through the draft.
Signs of life from Josh Rosen and his pass protection. The Dolphins were smart to take a flier on the 2018 first-round pick after the Cardinals drafted Kyler Murray No. 1 overall in April, but the same issues that haunted Rosen in Arizona are likely to follow him. Rosen played behind a disastrously bad offensive line, with the Cardinals down to street free agents and practice-squad guys by the end of the season. The Dolphins have one standout in left tackle Laremy Tunsil, but they might have the worst line in the league between left guard and right tackle.
If Rosen can overcome the line woes and exhibit consistent positive traits under new offensive coordinator Chad O'Shea, the Dolphins will have acquired a player they can build around for a fraction of his typical value. That would be a huge victory. It would also be a positive if the Dolphins manage to pass protect for the duo of Rosen and Ryan Fitzpatrick. They could start a pair of rookie guards in third-round pick Michael Deiter and undrafted free agent Shaq Calhoun; it's on new offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo to help mold them into building blocks.
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Dolphins' QB competition far from over
Jeff Darlington explains how Ryan Fitzpatrick being named the front-runner for the Dolphins' starting quarterback job affects Josh Rosen.
Find a pass-rusher. The Dolphins are rebuilding throughout their roster, but no position has been wiped clean like defensive end. Miami moved on this offseason from Andre Branch, William Hayes, Robert Quinn and franchise legend Cameron Wake, and while those were all reasonable decisions for a team looking toward the future, the cupboard is now thin on the edge.
The obvious hope is to get more out of 2017 first-round pick Charles Harris, who will see his role grow after playing as a reserve in each of his first two campaigns. The Missouri product has just three sacks across 847 snaps, but his 17 quarterback knockdowns over that time frame suggest he might be more productive than that sack total. After that, the next guys up are a pair of former disappointing second-rounders in Tank Carradine and Nate Orchard. Rookie first-round pick Christian Wilkins will help from the interior, but unless Harris takes a star turn, the Dolphins will likely be in the market for pass-rushing help next offseason.
Proof the Air Raid works. The uniqueness of Kliff Kingsbury's offensive scheme is overstated in a league in which teams like the Chiefs, Patriots and Rams have been integrating Air Raid concepts for years. Nothing Kingsbury is going to run this season is something that will blow the minds of opposing defenders, especially given that so many of them have come through the high school and college ranks against Air Raid offenses. He will have the smallest playbook in the league, though, likely by a considerable margin.
Where the Cardinals can stand out is in their execution of those concepts and their ability to control games with tempo. The original concept underpinning the Air Raid was to beat teams with superior athletes and deeper playbooks by executing a thinner, faster scheme to perfection. If Kingsbury can continue to do that with his offense at the highest possible level, Arizona will be in great shape moving forward.
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Ryan: Cardinals' offense is boring to watch
Rex Ryan contends that Kyler Murray and the Cardinals' offense are going to get smoked in Week 1 of the season.
A successful season from Byron Murphy. Arizona's cornerback depth chart for the first six weeks of the season is in horrific shape. Patrick Peterson is suspended. Robert Alford, a mess with the Falcons in 2018, was signed to an inexplicable three-year, $22.5 million deal by the Cardinals, and now the 30-year-old will miss much of the year with a broken leg.
The cornerback depth chart consists of journeyman Tramaine Brock, special-teamer Brandon Williams, several undrafted free agents and Murphy, the 33rd pick in April's draft. Murphy was regarded during the draft process as a player who could step in quickly, but rookie cornerbacks -- even the ones who eventually turn into stars -- often struggle during their debut campaigns.
It's asking a lot of him to step in and immediately serve as Arizona's top cornerback, especially given that the Cardinals might have realistically expected to start the season with Peterson and Alford on the outside while starting Murphy off in the slot. If he can turn into the No. 2 corner Arizona has long sought across from Peterson and do so by the end of the season, it would be a revelation.
MELBOURNE, Australia -- Kemba Walker scored 23 points and Myles Turner added 15 to give Team USA a 102-86 win over Australia on Thursday in a World Cup warm-up game.
The attendance at Marvel Stadium, which normally hosts soccer, cricket and Australian rules football, was 51,218, billed as the largest crowd ever to watch a basketball game in Australia. The stadium was transformed into a makeshift basketball arena for two games against the Americans before the World Cup starts this month in China.
After Australia briefly took the lead at 45-44 early in the second half, the Americans scored 13 unanswered points, including three straight 3-pointers by Turner, Harrison Barnes and Donovan Mitchell, to go up 57-45.
"The way we bounced back in the second half shows the character of this team,'' Mitchell said. "We played in front of 55,000 people -- there's going to be nerves, guys are going to be geeked up and ready to go. But once we settled down and started playing our basketball, we were in good shape.''
Walker was one the keys for the second-half resurgence for the Americans, scoring 21 of his 23 points after halftime.
"I'm one of the leaders of this team, so it's important for me to set that tone,'' the Celtics guard said.
The roof of Marvel Stadium was closed for the game and a raised basketball court was dropped in the middle of the field, surrounded by hundreds of white chairs, more than 20 rows deep, for fans who paid for floor seating.
"Everyone came out tonight,'' Mills said. "Fans being able to show their full support, it's really cool, really good to see and hopefully we keep this up for years to come.''
Despite the huge crowd, Australian media reported that some fans were issued refunds because they bought tickets based on promotional materials depicting Stephen Curry and LeBron James. Neither is on the team.
Australia was also without its biggest star, Ben Simmons, who has opted not to play in the World Cup. Still, the Boomers' starting lineup included four NBA players: Mills, Aron Baynes, Joe Ingles and Matthew Dellavedova.
Both teams needed time to adapt to the unusual conditions in the cavernous stadium. Walker tossed up an air ball with the first shot of the game, while Baynes missed his first two free throws for the Boomers.
The crowd was subdued as well, producing only a smattering of applause for American baskets. However, cheers erupted when the Boomers erased the U.S. lead before halftime on back-to-back 3-pointers by Goulding and six straight points by Mills.
The win was the 78th in a row in major international exhibitions and competition for the U.S. national team, a streak that started with the bronze-medal game of the 2006 world championships. It encompasses gold-medal runs at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, the Olympics in 2008, 2012 and 2016, and the FIBA Americas tournament in 2007.
It also made the U.S. 2-0 under coach Gregg Popovich, after last weekend's exhibition win in California over Spain.
TIP-INS
Boston's Marcus Smart, who is still working his way back from a calf injury that popped up about two weeks ago during training camp in Las Vegas, did not play. San Antonio's Derrick White also didn't play for the U.S. until the final minutes. ... It was the first meeting between the national teams since the Americans won 98-88 at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics on their way to a gold medal.
Australia: Actor Russell Crowe, who spends most of his time living in Australia, was part of the massive crowd. ... In a sight that NBA fans are used to, Dellavedova dived on the floor for loose balls three times in the game's first three minutes, including on the opening tap. ... Mills gave Popovich, his longtime coach in San Antonio, a massive hug courtside just before the game started.
INJURY SCARE
Jayson Tatum got knocked over by a defender in the third quarter and tumbled backward somewhat awkwardly, the back of his head falling into Walker's knee. Tatum was shaken up briefly but remained in the game.
Last season, the Golden State Warriors received every first-place vote available when we asked the ESPN NBA forecast panel for the most likely team to win the NBA title. This year, four teams received at least one first-place vote. This is going to be a different season than what we got used to under the Warriors' dynasty.
The LA Clippers lead the way in the NBA champion voting results for 2019-20, but the Milwaukee Bucks aren't far behind. (Voters were asked for their top three most likely title teams, and we calculated a weighted point total).
What is the greatest advantage for each of the seven teams that received votes this season? What's the biggest lingering question?
Greatest advantage: If not quite a requirement for winning a championship, having a big wing who can create his own offense and excel defensively has been a huge boost to teams' chances. Since the most recent lockout, seven of the eight champions -- all but the 2015 Warriors -- have had one of Kevin Durant, LeBron James or Kawhi Leonard on the roster. With Durant unlikely to play in 2019-20 following his ruptured Achilles, I'd say four players qualify for this designation: LeBron, Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Paul George. The Clippers have two of those four players, and we haven't seen a duo quite like that since LeBron and Dwyane Wade combined for two titles in Miami.
Biggest question: The answer is health, which will be a concern for every team and particularly for the Clippers, given Leonard's past issues with a mysterious quadriceps tendon injury and George's undergoing surgery on both shoulders this offseason. Besides that, I'd say the question will be how the Clippers deal with teams with quality size at power forward, including their co-tenants at Staples Center, assuming Anthony Davis starts at the 4. The Clippers' best lineups will surely include George and Leonard at the two forward spots, but they could be forced to adjust by playing bigger with JaMychal Green at the 4 to deal with Davis, which would give them a little less mobility and floor-spacing by taking sharpshooting guard Landry Shamet off the court. -- Kevin Pelton
2. Milwaukee Bucks | 85 points
First-place votes: 36.4%
Greatest advantage: Their reigning MVP.
Giannis Antetokounmpo's secret sauce is how he responds to disappointment. After Milwaukee lost the 2019 Eastern Conference finals, Giannis sat silent at his temporary locker in Toronto. He didn't say it, but you could feel his brain whirring. This is what Antetokounmpo does: He asks himself what went wrong and how he could've been better. It took 24 hours for reflection to set in, he said at exit interviews. He had to shimmy off the sadness and frustration. But then, he said, those emotions turned into fuel.
Antetokounmpo has had a busy summer: releasing his first signature shoe, playing for the Greek national team, attending the MVP ceremony. Videos surfaced on social media of him lifting weights with his brother and shooting 3-pointers with new teammate Kyle Korver. If Antetokounmpo is able to take the next step in his game -- shoot a bit better and make a few more free throws -- the Bucks will be scary. Yes, Eric Bledsoe and Khris Middleton must contribute. Sure, Milwaukee's bench would be wise to pick up where it left off last season. But Antetokounmpo -- the Bucks' biggest and best weapon -- sets the tone for all of that. And he knows it.
Biggest question: Last season, the Bucks were playing with house money, but that luxury of operating under minimal pressure is gone. The Bucks were the little engine that could: huffing, puffing, defying odds, winning games and proving doubters wrong. Milwaukee made it all the way to the conference finals before being eliminated at the massive hands of Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors. Then free agency came, and the Bucks have emerged as East favorites.
The question for Milwaukee now: How will the team respond to that new external pressure? The ramifications of this season are great. The Bucks have the free agency of their franchise star looming. Milwaukee has an excellent locker room culture. Led by Antetokounmpo, the team has the unique ability to wick away outside opinions. But those voices will get louder, and the Bucks' culture must prove strong enough to not only endure it but also spin it into ammunition. -- Malika Andrews
3. Philadelphia 76ers | 38 points
First-place votes: 6.1%
Greatest advantage: Size and versatility. Philadelphia is going to turn back the clock and roll out an enormous starting five featuring 6-foot-10 Ben Simmons, 6-foot-6 Josh Richardson, 6-foot-9 Tobias Harris, 6-foot-10 Al Horford and 7-foot Joel Embiid. That size will translate to a defensive identity. With the addition of an elite defender in Richardson on the wing and Horford and Embiid anchoring the frontcourt, the 76ers should jump from No. 14 into the top five in defensive rating.
Although there are questions about the Horford/Embiid fit, the addition of the former Celtic gives head coach Brett Brown an insurance policy when Embiid is out of the game. Philadelphia has the flexibility of putting Harris at power forward (his true position) to pair with Horford. The same holds true when it comes to moving Richardson to small forward, a position he has played the majority of the past three seasons.
Biggest question: The promise of this starting five comes with uncertainty about how it all works. Harris will revert to small forward, a position he has not played consistently since his rookie year. Horford is sliding back down to the 4. And although this group can defend, who will close at the end of games with Jimmy Butler and JJ Redick gone? In 12 2019 playoff games, Butler led the team in fourth-quarter scoring (6 PPG). -- Bobby Marks
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Stephen A. not worried about Lakers after Cousins' injury
Stephen A. Smith contends that the addition of Anthony Davis and the re-signing of JaVale McGee offset the significance of DeMarcus Cousins' injury for the Lakers.
4. Los Angeles Lakers | 29 points
Greatest advantage: The Lakers have two of the top five players on the planet in LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Both will come into this season incredibly motivated. James is fresh off having his playoff streak snapped at 13 consecutive postseasons. After missing a chunk of last season with an injury, he will be hungry to remind everyone that he is the best player in the game. Davis spent much of last season stuck in purgatory. Now he has a new team and new life.
With Kyle Kuzma and a veteran supporting cast of shooters led by Danny Green, the Lakers are built to make a deep playoff run. If James and Davis can stay healthy, there aren't many teams -- if any -- that can match up with the Lakers' duo.
Biggest question: The health of James and Davis is vital for the Lakers' championship success. But the Lakers also have a lot of new pieces to incorporate this season, and chemistry will play a major role. Along with six new players who could be part of the rotation -- not including whomever the Lakers pick up to help offset the loss of DeMarcus Cousins -- the Lakers have a new coaching staff trying to make it all work. Frank Vogel replaces Luke Walton, and that means James will have to adjust to a new system for the second straight season, while Vogel will have to try to develop a rapport with James quickly.
There are a lot of moving parts, and a trip to China in the preseason accelerates the timeline. That said, the opening part of the schedule is favorable. The Lakers will want to get off to a quick start, or else Vogel and James could face early pressure. -- Ohm Youngmisuk
5. Golden State Warriors | 15 points
First-place votes: 3.0%
Greatest advantage: The Warriors return the foundation of a team that has been to the past five NBA Finals. Two-time MVP Stephen Curry and former Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green are healthy and motivated to resume their roles as offensive and defensive anchors, and that shouldn't be underrated. They also have chips on their shoulders to show that they can still contend after Kevin Durant's departure and in the face of Klay Thompson's injury.
With D'Angelo Russell giving them a third All-Star-caliber player and the potential of a Thompson return by the playoffs, the Warriors could quietly be fielding four All-Stars who have a lot to prove just in time to push for a sixth straight conference championship.
Biggest question: Will Russell be able to maximize his production and coexist in this system? If he can give Golden State the offensive boost it needs as the secondary scorer and tertiary ball handler, the Warriors could be among the best teams in the league even before Thompson's return. If not, the Warriors lack quality depth to maintain their spot at the top. -- André Snellings
6. Houston Rockets | 11 points
Greatest advantage: The Rockets rank at or near the top of the NBA in raw talent. Houston features two of the past three MVP winners with Russell Westbrook joining James Harden. GM Daryl Morey didn't have to gut the team's core to get a perennial All-Star to pair with Harden, parting with Chris Paul and future picks to land Westbrook, a significant upgrade in terms of production who has a lot more prime left than the future Hall of Famer he is replacing. Eric Gordon, Clint Capela, P.J. Tucker and Austin Rivers return as high-caliber, proven fits for a contender's supporting cast. A historically elite offensive team added firepower.
Biggest question: Are the Rockets too combustible to be contenders? Westbrook is in Houston due in large part to a mutual desire to play with Harden, but there are questions about how the former Thunder teammates will mesh now that they've developed into the league's two most ball-dominant stars. There could be some hard feelings to smooth over with the team's key complementary pieces, considering that Capela, Gordon and Tucker are well aware that they were shopped in the summer trade market, particularly when the Rockets were pursuing a sign-and-trade deal with Jimmy Butler. And it appears that coach Mike D'Antoni will work under lame-duck status after occasionally contentious discussions about extending his contract beyond this final year of his deal broke down twice over the summer. -- Tim MacMahon
7. Utah Jazz | 3 points
Greatest advantage: The Jazz aren't a superteam in any traditional sense, but with their offseason, they've built a super team. Depth was something of a question for Utah last season, but now it's an expected strength. There's a balance to the roster and a talent base that hasn't been there in the past. A large amount of the potential still resides in Donovan Mitchell's evolution, but having Mike Conley should both ease the pressure of that and possibly accelerate it.
The Jazz have always been a stout defensive team, and that will almost assuredly remain the case. But with an uptick in shooting, scoring and creating, they are more of a true two-way team than they've been under Quin Snyder.
Biggest question: How well will the Jazz integrate their new pieces and shift their identity (at least a touch) in the process? Mitchell will face some adjustment playing with Conley, and he will need to develop more as a catch-and-shoot threat. The Jazz will miss Derrick Favors' physicality and will rely heavily on Ed Davis plus small lineups with Jeff Green. The Jazz are built to endure an 82-game schedule, but the postseason will offer new examination and test their adjusted approach. -- Royce Young
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- Alex Anderson wants the Yankees to go away.
A die-hard Red Sox fan, the 11-year-old New Englander would like his team's archrival to disappear. Not just from the 2019 American League pennant race, but from baseball. Like, for good.
Last week, I spent two days in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, home of the Little League World Series. My mission? To find out how today's youth feel about the current state of Major League Baseball. To learn what an international cross-section of young stars thinks about the sport most of them dream of playing for a living, but that has come under siege in recent years for being too slow. Too boring. Too dangerous. Too not basketball or football.
"Get rid of the Yankees," says Anderson, when asked what one thing he would change if he could about the big leagues. Standing on a shaded knoll on the campus of the Pennsylvania College of Technology, where he and roughly 200 fellow LLWS participants are indulging in burgers and dogs and playing cornhole as part of a welcome barbecue, he's 48 hours from taking the mound as the starting pitcher for Barrington, Rhode Island, winner of the New England regional. But right now, he's the ad hoc commish of MLB. He's Mini-Manfred. As such, he has the power to do anything he wants. And what he wants more than anything -- more than extended safety netting or automated strike zones, more than faster games or fewer shifts -- is to ban the Bronx Bombers. "Eject all the Yankees players," he says. "And then get all the scrubs on their team, so then they'll never win a game."
"It's like having lots of explosions. It's nice to watch."
Lincoln Gruppelaar, 11-year-old from Sydney, Australia, on MLB's home run surge
The Yankees aren't the only part of MLB that Alex Anderson doesn't like. "It's boring," he says of watching his beloved BoSox on TV. "That's why I don't watch 'em very much. It takes too long. Games are three hours, and pace of play is really slow." It's worth nothing that Anderson's favorite baseball team did, in fact, win the World Series last year. On top of that, his favorite player (Mookie Betts) won the MVP. Still, the rising sixth grader and part-time point guard would rather tune in to the Celtics than the Sox. "I like watching basketball better."
When an 11-year-old boy who's really good at baseball and whose team is riding the world champion wave (albeit just barely) would prefer to watch some other sport, it's hard to argue that there's not a marketing problem. Major League Baseball is aware of this, which is why the powers-that-be are experimenting with anything and everything to make the game as fan-friendly as possible. Fewer mound visits and shorter breaks between innings. Revamped All-Star voting and heightened Home Run Derby stakes. Automated umpires and, depending on which conspiracy theories you do or do not accept, doctored baseballs that even your Grandma Goldie would have no problem hitting over the fence. In San Francisco. With the wind blowing in. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Labrador's not the only youngster who's all aboard the tater train.
"It's like having lots of explosions," says Lincoln Gruppelaar of why he's all-in on MLB's current homer-happy climate. An 11-year-old second baseman from Sydney, Australia, Gruppelaar had only been to one major league game prior to Sunday's Little League Classic. It was the beginning of the 2014 season, when the Dodgers and Diamondbacks went Down Under to kick things off with a two-game set in which there were a grand total of two home runs. Five years later, taters are up roughly 60 percent across the league and Gruppelaar is loving it. Leading the charge is Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich, who as of Monday had hit 62 bombs in his past 162 games, a pace that helped him become the 2018 NL MVP. Not to mention a certain Aussie amateur's favorite player. Says Gruppelaar of the dinger deluge: "It's nice to watch."
Watching isn't the only thing homers are good for.
Santiago Leija came this close to catching a real live home run ball. It was 2017, and the young hurler from Mexico was at Yankee Stadium to take in a big-league game. As fate would have it, New York catcher Gary Sanchez went deep, depositing the ball in the very section where Leija was sitting. "It was right next to me," says the 12-year-old from Monterrey, "but I couldn't grab it." Two years later, with parks across the league preparing to roll out expanded safety netting, the odds of a young fan grabbing a game ball are dropping like a Masahiro Tanaka splitter. And the kids are less than thrilled about it.
"I don't like it," says Leija of the extended netting initiative, a response to the recent spike in high-profile fan injuries. "Because you can't get foul balls anymore."
"Even little people are hitting home runs now, and they're hitting the ball way harder. So that's really going to affect how people get hit and how bad the injuries are."
Ryder Planchard, 12-year-old from Louisiana, on extended safety netting in ballparks
Based on the conversations I had with players in Williamsport, Leija's opinion is hardly a hot take. "It's sad because you can't catch foul balls and everybody wants an MLB ball," says Ryder Planchard, a 12-year-old third baseman on the Southwest regional champion squad from Louisiana. "It just really sucks that sometimes you can't get that now."
That's not to say Little Leaguers don't get the big picture. "Even little people are hitting home runs now," says Planchard, "and they're hitting the ball way harder. So that's really going to affect how people get hit and how bad the injuries are."
Even though the spike in exit velocity and homers leads to more offense and a supposedly more exciting product, some of the future leaders of America's pasttime aren't entirely sold.
"Lately, the games are a little more boring because everybody's just hitting home runs," says Jonathan Rangel, a 12-year-old Venezuelan whose favorite big leaguer is Rangers second baseman (and fellow countryman) Rougned Odor. "I like it when the game is more fast-paced. When it's 3-2, you know the game is good. But if it's like 15-0, it's boring."
Free passes can be boring, too, which is why Gruppelaar would make that his cause if he were commish for a day. "I'd make it like five balls instead of four because I want more hits to be made," he says. "I don't want everybody to be walked."
"Lately, the games are a little more boring because everybody's just hitting home runs. I like it when the game is more fast-paced. When it's 3-2, you know the game is good. But if it's like 15-0, it's boring."
Jonathan Rangel, 12-year-old from Venezuela
Brett Triplett agrees that the more bats on balls (and the more balls in yards), the better. "The best part is watching the players make diving plays," says the 12-year-old from South Riding, Virginia. "And hitting the ball hard up the gaps and seeing how fast they run to get to the next base."
As fate would have it, the last time Triplett attended an MLB game, he got pretty much everything his heart desired. With the Nationals and Royals squaring off in D.C., he got to see several of baseball's blurriest burners, including Washington's Victor Robles and Trea Turner (Triplett's favorite player), and K.C.'s Billy Hamilton and Adalberto Mondesi. He got to see Max Scherzer toss seven scoreless innings during a 6-0 shutout in which the two teams combined for 18 hits, 17 of which were non-homers. As if that weren't enough, he got to see the Nats rocking their throwback Expos unis.
Perhaps most important, he got to see it all in an unusually kid-friendly 2 hours and 44 minutes, one of Washington's quickest contests of the year. Not that he was paying any attention to the time.
"I don't really care that much," says Triplett about the whole pace-of-play issue.
"It can be slow and boring. But it's mostly fun and exciting. Because no matter what happens, like even if the game's going slow and boring, if someone does something good, it feels like having fun. So baseball's always just fun."
Brett Triplett, 12-year-old from South Riding, Virginia
Truth is, he's too busy watching the game to be watching the clock. "Twenty-four/seven," he says when asked about his baseball viewing habits. "I watch it on TV, and then I check ESPN on my phone. I look at the scores and the highlights. I go to YouTube and I look at the highlights."
Like many of the athletes in Williamsport, he's a young man caught between childhood and adulthood, well aware that the game he loves is imperfect, but more than willing to accept it for what it is.
"It can be slow and boring," says Triplett. "But it's mostly fun and exciting. Because no matter what happens, like even if the game's going slow and boring, if someone does something good, it feels like having fun. So baseball's always just fun."
Former international distance runner and British Triathlon chief executive takes on the position left vacant by Niels de Vos last year
Zara Hyde Peters has been announced as the new chief executive of UK Athletics (UKA).
The appointment of the former international distance runner, who previously worked for the national governing body from 2000 to 2008, ends the search for a successor to Niels de Vos, who left the organisation last September.
Nigel Holl, who held the interim CEO position, moves on to become executive performance director at British Curling.
“I’m delighted to be returning to the sport I love and to do so as chief executive of UK Athletics is a massive honour,” said Hyde Peters, whose previous roles at UKA included head of potential, technical director for endurance and director of athlete development – an executive director board level role.
“It is an exciting time for the sport.
“We have a huge opportunity to build on recent successes and I’m excited about being part of the team helping to realise that potential and cement our reputation as a leader in world athletics.”
After leaving UKA, Hyde Peters spent a successful spell leading British Triathlon as CEO from 2008-2014 before taking on leadership positions within the NHS.
She has also worked with UK Sport and Sport Birmingham and currently sits on the board of Birmingham 2022, the local organising committee of the Commonwealth Games.
Hyde Peters’ career as an elite athlete saw her represent Great Britain in endurance events during the 1990s and compete for England in the 1994 Commonwealth Games 10,000m, while she received an OBE for services to athletics and triathlon in 2010.
Chris Clark, who became UKA chair in June, said: “We are thrilled Zara has accepted the offer to be UKA’s next CEO.
“Our sport has a fantastic heritage and a bright future and with Doha and Dubai 2019 and Tokyo 2020 we have some exciting events to look forward to. The board and executive team recognise that there is much work to do.
“We have a great team and wonderful support through the whole sport from our colleagues in the home country governing bodies to the network of volunteers coaching and supporting clubs and competitions; from the IAAF and UK Sport to our sponsors and our partners. I am confident that Zara’s track record of achievements of delivering in sport, coupled with a business background and her recent experiences of the complexities of leadership in the NHS, give us a unique and potent set of skills to set our future direction.
“I am also personally grateful to Nigel Holl who has held the interim CEO post for the last 10 months and moves on to his next challenge to lead British Curling. He has been a great help to me in my first few months and will be much missed by all at UKA.”
Dame Katherine Grainger, chair of UK Sport, said: “Zara brings a wealth of knowledge and understanding of sport to her new role having been both an athlete and hugely respected sports administrator. In addition, her wider business expertise will be a huge asset leading the national federation of this global sport.
“Most importantly, she clearly loves and cares deeply about the future of athletics and I look forward to working in close partnership with her and all the team at UK Athletics to make sure UK Sport’s support through National Lottery funding continues to enable future generations of British athletes to achieve their dreams and inspire the nation.”
Following a two-day qualification phase, the stage is set for the main event to take place between Thursday 22nd and Sunday 25th August 2019.
Who will be the big winners this time around, you ask? Here’s a look at some of the key contenders…
History made. Now what for Harimoto?
Fresh from his men’s singles success at last week’s Bulgaria Open, Tomokazu HARIMOTO (JPN) is seeking consecutive titles on the ITTF World Tour in Olomouc.
The Japanese star has fond memories of the Czech Open: the scene of his very first triumph on the ITTF World Tour in August 2017, when he became the youngest ever singles champion in the history of the competition at just 14 years and 61 days of age.
The surprise package back then, this time Harimoto enters as top seed and the favourite to claim the honours again; albeit he will likely face stiffer competition for silverware than in Bulgaria.
An eye-catching quarter-final against Chinese Taipei’s fast-emerging talent, Lin Yun-Ju, could well be on the cards if the in-form 9th seed and T2 Diamond Malaysia champion can get past a potential meeting with 5th seed Koki NIWA (JPN) in the previous round.
Boll and Calderano back in contention
Timo BOLL (GER) is back after a two-month absence from the World Tour. The 38-year-old legend and 3rd seed leads Europe’s challenge for what would be the continent’s first singles title on this year’s World Tour.
Fellow Germans, Dimitrij OVTCHAROV (4th seed) and Patrick FRANZISKA (10th) could potentially meet at the quarter-final stage, while the likes of Liam PITCHFORD (ENG), Vladimir SAMSONOV (BLR) and Simon GAUZY (FRA) will also be fighting Europe’s corner in Czech Republic, who have Pavel SIRUCEK representing the host nation.
Hugo CALDERANO (BRA) enters as 2nd seed and is bidding for his first ever ITTF World Tour title, off the back of his gold medal at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games earlier this month.
Will Japan win first women’s singles title of 2019?
As in Bulgaria, the leading women’s seeds in Olomouc hail from the Land of the Rising Sun: Japanese trio, Kasumi ISHIKAWA, Mima ITO and Miu HIRANO occupy the top three positions, the former aiming to retain her 2018 Czech Open crown.
However, Chinese duo HE Zhuojia (6th) and CHEN Xingtong (11th) will have their own designs on the direction of medals. The Bulgaria Open finalists could face off again in another showdown this Sunday; or will this be the time that another nation’s female representative breaks up China’s monopoly on this year’s ITTF World Tour?
Korea Republic’s key challengers, SUH Hyowon (4th) and JEON Jihee (9th) could meet as early as the round of 16. FENG Tianwei (SGP) offers experience to the main draw. Europe’s seeds come in the form of Sofia POLCANOVA (AUT), Petrissa SOLJA (GER) and the host nation’s Hana MATELOVA (CZE), while Adriana DIAZ (PUR) will be hoping to build on her glorious triple crown at the Pan American Games.
Diaz sisters join doubles party…
LEE Sangsu and JEON Jihee (KOR) are top seeds in a competitive mixed doubles line-up, which also features 2019 European champions Patrick FRANZISKA and Petrissa SOLJA (GER).
An all-Japanese showdown is the pick of the first round matches: Tomokazu HARIMOTO and Kasumi ISHIKAWA (JPN) will be keen to bounce back from their semi-final defeat in Bulgaria against eventual champions Mima ITO and Jun MIZUTANI.
Puerto Rican sisters Adriana and Melania DIAZ are hoping to light up the women’s doubles after their recent heroics in Lima, winning Pan American Games gold.
HO Kwan Kit and WONG Chun Ting (HKG) are favourites for the men’s doubles title, but could face a tough final against LIN Yun-Ju and LIAO Cheng-Ting (TPE).
All the action from Olomouc!
Stay tuned on all the action as it unfolds by following these links:
As recently as 10 months ago, Alex Dunbar was one of Scotland's leading Test centres. But by June, he had failed to make even the 41-man training squad for the Rugby World Cup, was out of contract, and wondering about a future outside the sport.
A frustrating 2017-18 season with Glasgow Warriors - one scarred by injury and a lack of game-time - seemed to have been consigned to history when the 29-year-old was trusted by Gregor Townsend to start in midfield in Scotland's first two Autumn internationals.
But while his international team-mates are in Japan, Dunbar will be in France, having signed a one-year deal with Top 14 side Brive.
Here, he talks to BBC Scotland about coping with the prospect of unemployment, removing himself from the spotlight, and his hopes of reigniting his career.
'I wasn't ready for a proper job'
Dunbar's 2018-19 season is encapsulated by the way it ended. On loan at Newcastle in a bid to play the matches necessary to keep him in Townsend's thoughts, he played the second-last game of the season against Gloucester and injured his shoulder after 20 minutes, curtailing any chance he had left of impressing potential suitors and the national boss.
Back home in Glasgow, injured and without a club, Dunbar remained positive about his future but naturally there were creeping concerns rugby could give up on him as he lived the "unemployed life".
"When I was getting the operation, that's when it sunk in most and it suddenly hits you that you need to work on a Plan B," he says. "Obviously you're a little bit stressed because it's your career, it's what you want to do. I wasn't ready to finish and go back into a proper job if you like. I still feel like I've got an awful lot to give.
"You kind of need someone to want you. You get little bits of interest but until it gets beyond interest and you get a bit more serious there's a little bit of doubt in the back of your mind."
'You're not scrutinised as much away from Glasgow'
The stint at Newcastle was not as successful as Dunbar might have hoped - a groin injury made sure of that - but the change of scene ignited a desire for a fresh challenge. He found a new environment refreshing, a release from the expectation of playing for Glasgow for nine years.
"It felt you weren't under as much pressure; you just enjoyed rugby again a little bit more," he says. "I've been speaking to a few other guys and they say the same as well. When you move away it's obviously a big challenge but they always relish the challenge and the opportunity of doing something different - you don't feel like you're being scrutinised as much."
The pressure, at least partly, must have come from the desire to reassert himself in the Glasgow side, as the rise of Kyle Steyn, Stafford McDowall and Sam Johnson increasingly restricted his minutes on the pitch. Dunbar credits the ability of his former team-mates but he still struggles to understand his demotion to the wilderness.
"It wasn't like I was having a shocker or anything," he says. "But any time you would speak to coaches or ask them why you're not playing, you'd just get told they were picking on form. But then you're coming in, having a couple of good games, going away to play international rugby and then coming back and being told you're not playing again. So I found it a bit weird and a bit odd."
'I wasn't surprised to miss World Cup'
At his best Dunbar provides strong, direct running, solidity in defence and a threat over the ball in the loose. It is arguable that Scotland, despite the wealth of talent in the centres, do not possess another player with his particular attributes.
Nonetheless his lack of minutes and absence from the Six Nations squad meant his omission from the 42-man World Cup training group came as little surprise. Least of all, to Dunbar himself.
"I'd have been very, very, very surprised if I'd even been involved," he says. "In my head, I kind of knew. It was obviously disappointing the way last season went and not to be involved in the World Cup squad after the heartache of last time [in 2015] when I did my knee and didn't manage to come back in time. I'd kind of dealt with it."
So while Dunbar will not begin his season in Japan as he may have hoped, he faces the exciting prospect of a new life in France and the opportunity to reignite his career. Having signed a one-year deal, he knows he faces a fight to earn another contract at Brive or elsewhere. But Dunbar's priority is far more simple, yet fundamental.
"I probably haven't been enjoying rugby as much the last couple of years but hopefully I can have a good season now and hopefully stay injury free and get back enjoying rugby again.
"It's a great opportunity to come and play against some of the best players in the world and test myself. If I can get back fit and being on the field, the way I play, and with my strength, I could do well."
Serie A should consider having earlier kickoffs to help grow the Asian audience and boost clubs' finances, Juventus chief revenue officer Giorgio Ricci has said.
The "big five" European Leagues enjoyed record revenues in the 2017-18 season, earning a combined €15.6 billion, but Serie A lags behind the Premier League, Bundesliga and La Liga.
"We have to find the right balance between domestic and global audiences," Ricci told BBC Sport.
"It is not just about the broadcasting times, it is also about the rights distribution and who is showing the games.
"In that sense, the difference between the Premier League and Serie A is huge. This is a very old story and one of the more frequent reasons for fights with the league."
Juve say the evening kickoffs in Italy reduce the scope to attract viewers in Asia. The current television rights deal for Serie A matches runs until 2021.
The new Serie A season kicks off on Saturday with champions Juve playing at Parma.
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