The NHL's emergency goalie system has created new celebrities, like 42-year-old former Zamboni driver David Ayres, who was thrust into action last month for the Carolina Hurricanes.

Now Hall of Famers are signing up for the job.

Larry Walker, the longtime Colorado Rockies outfielder who was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, will serve as the Colorado Avalanche's honorary emergency goalie in Sunday night's game against the Vegas Golden Knights.

The 53-year-old Walker, a native of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, grew up dreaming of becoming an NHL goalie. Walker was on the cover of the first Canadian edition of Sports Illustrated in 1993. According to the cover story, "one of [Walker's] idols was Billy Smith, the cantankerous netminder for the New York Islanders who seemed to skate around some rink holding the Stanley Cup over his head every year."

Walker's NHL dreams died out, according to the Sports Illustrated article, when he was cut from two Junior A teams as a teenager. He then focused on baseball.

In Walker's 17-year MLB career, he won seven Gold Gloves and an NL MVP award in 1997. He will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in July.

NHL general managers discussed the league's emergency backup goaltending protocol at their meetings last week in Boca Raton, Florida, in light of the Ayres situation. Ayres, who regularly practices with the Maple Leafs, was forced to face Toronto in a game when both of the Canes' goalies were injured. After giving up goals on the first two shots he faced, Ayres stopped eight straight shots to seal a win.

The NHL decided not to make any changes to their emergency backup goaltender procedure.

"At the end of the discussion, the majority was happy with where we are at on it," NHL director of hockey operations Colin Campbell said. "It's a good human-interest story. I think the process works ... our general managers are fine with where it's at right now."

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday will announce a ban on gatherings and events of more than 250 people in virtually the entire Seattle metro area to try to stop the spread of the coronavirus, according to multiple reports.

The ban will include sporting events and concerts, according to The Seattle Times.

The Seattle Dragons host the Los Angeles Wildcats in an XFL game Sunday at CenturyLink Field. The Seattle Sounders of MLS aren't home until March 21. The Seattle Mariners open their MLB season at home against the Texas Rangers on March 26.

It wasn't immediately clear how long the order would last or if it would extend to other parts of the state. Spokane was scheduled to host the first and second rounds of the 2020 NCAA men's basketball tournament on March 19 and March 21.

It's also unknown how teams would handle the reported ban. Options could include playing elsewhere, postponing games or playing in front of limited audiences.

The order would not prohibit the operation of workplaces and was not expected to include school closures, The Associated Press reported.

At least 24 people in Washington have died from the coronavirus, most of them in the Seattle metro area.

Late last month, Inslee declared a state of emergency over the virus outbreak. There are more than 260 confirmed cases in the state, most of them in the King, Pierce and Snohomish counties that would be affected by Inslee's order.

MESA -- Yu Darvish is the only human being on the planet who has the following two abilities: He can throw nine different pitches on the mound and then, while hanging out in the clubhouse after the game, the Chicago Cubs righty can guess your blood type.

Wait. What?

It might be the strangest party trick anyone's ever heard of, but for those who know the Cubs right-hander, it's just another quirky aspect of his ever-emerging personality. Blood types are more commonly talked about in Japanese culture but even with that knowledge, Darvish isn't exactly sure how he came about this unique ability. It's just something he can do.

"It's what I might use in casual conversation," Darvish explained recently at Cubs camp. "Like [catcher] Victor Caratini might walk by and we'll carry on the conversation." And from that conversation, Darvish can guess his blood type. He explains:

"So there is Type A. That person is organized. Type B isn't exactly selfish but he goes his own way. Type O is laid back, a 'whatever happens' type of guy. AB is weird or different."

As he says all this, his catcher actually walks by. Darvish points back at Caratini as he passes.

"He's Type B," Darvish says with a smile. "I know it."

But was he right? That's the one problem with this party trick. Who actually knows their own blood type?

In Japan, it's common, but only a couple of Cubs players actually knew theirs and the information is not kept in their regular medical charts. When a few teammates heard Darvish could guess blood types, they went scrambling to find out their own.

"I almost gave my mother a heart attack," first baseman Anthony Rizzo said with a laugh.

Rizzo called his mom to find out but without any explanation, she got worried. Alas, no transfusions were needed for her son, but she didn't know his blood type. Neither did Kris Bryant's mom or dad. However, Darvish's agent, Joel Wolfe, did know his -- which Darvish guessed correctly.

"It all started during his free-agent year [2018], when we were meeting with teams," Wolfe explained. "We were at one of his favorite spots in Dallas for dinner, after meeting with all these general managers and assistant general managers. All these new people for him. And he mentions something about one of them being Type A blood type. That struck me as odd. He says unusual things, sometimes, so I pressed him. And he said he could guess most people's blood type if he knows them. So he guessed mine. I had to call my mom, but he got it right.

"Then he was guessing a few people we knew in common."

As far-fetched as it all sounds, no one was completely shocked that Darvish could do something so outlandish. After signing a six-year, $126 million contract with the Cubs a couple of seasons ago, his personality went into hibernation for about a year coinciding with an arm injury. As he got healthy, things started to change. He came out of his shell, getting to show his teammates a side of himself they hadn't seen while at the same time, turning around a fan base that had turned on him that first year.

"He's got a great personality," teammate Tyler Chatwood said. "His first year here he was a little shy, getting to know everyone. That's normal. Now he's being able to show it. You're getting to see what kind of a person he is and I think it's released his ability on the field which is cool to see."

The Cubs believe that as Darvish has become more comfortable, his performance has improved. He's a must-follow on Twitter and now his most unique ability is known.

"Hmmm, Chatwood," Darvish says in deep thought. "He's a Type B or O. ... He's kind of too himself but also laid back."

In fact, Chatwood is Type O blood. He was one of the few Cubs who knew his own blood type. We'll give Darvish credit for that one.

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"That's a strange, hidden talent," infielder Daniel Descalso said. "Some guys can juggle. Some guys can do card tricks. I've never heard of guessing blood types."

Has anyone?

"That's crazy," newcomer Steven Souza said. "I played with Zack Greinke, who's an interesting character. I love him. He's different but sometimes different is better. If you're going to be elite in this game, you're going to be a little different. You think a little different than the rest of the group. I think that's what makes [Darvish] special. The way he calculates is different than everyone else."

Souza may have hit the nail on the head in assessing Darvish. What makes him quirky might be part of what makes him elite. As for guessing Souza's blood type, Darvish isn't ready.

"I don't know him well yet," he said. "I need to spend some time with someone."

OK, so who does he feel comfortable guessing?

"I talk to Kyle Hendricks a lot," Darvish said. "He's definitely a Type A. He's organized. A lot of Japanese players are Type A as well. It's really about how they carry a conversation. I know Kyle because we have many conversations."

When informed of the ability, several players went to Darvish to get the truth.

"I asked him," Chatwood recalled. "It's something they study or is part of their culture. It's crazy."

So add another chapter to the ever-emerging persona of Yu Darvish. He can spin the ball with the best of them but none of the rest of baseball's top pitchers can guess your blood type.

The new MLB Rank from ESPN of Major League Baseball's top 100 players is out, and as usual, my compulsive need to project the future already has me thinking about the 2021 list. After all, who likes waiting?

Since I'm curious about what next year's top 20 could look like, rather than travel into the future and ask the rest of the writers -- and besides, I don't actually have a time machine -- I asked the ZiPS projection system to rank the 10 players most likely to join the top 20 next year who didn't make it this time around. I'm also including where ZiPS has them pegged as far as their ranking for next year.

LEEDS, Ala. – Inclement weather struck the Birmingham area on Tuesday morning, creating a wet Barber Motorsports Park and not a lot of track activity in the early sessions of the first day of MotoAmerica preseason testing.

Things cleared for the afternoon and it was business as usual with M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Toni Elias barely besting four-time MotoAmerica Superbike champion Cameron Beaubier in the final session to top the Superbike timesheets on the opening day of the two-day MotoAmerica preseason test.

Elias was fastest on the day by virtue of his 1:25.371 on his 21st and final lap of the final session to best Beaubier, the Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha rider not going on track until the last session and even then only doing seven laps. Beaubier’s best was a 1:25.992.

For comparison’s sake, the best race lap in the 2019 MotoAmerica season finale at Barber Motorsports Park was set by Beaubier in race one with a 1:23.871.

“Well, it’s a long time without riding the bike,” Elias said. “Since the last race here, it’s been great. We did some laps in Talladega two days ago. Was great to have the feeling back, but it’s a new team. We need to understand each other, whether my request. I’m also open to listen to their solutions. But we need to find a way to do everything together and everyone agree to make the solid moves. That’s a relationship and takes some time to arrive to the perfect point. Anyway, just is the first day and it’s the beginning. But from the problems I had during the last years with this bike and the problems I suffered at the last race here, I’ve been very focused and very determined to give the information to find a different solution. We tried very different things and it worked. It worked in wet. It worked in dry. But it’s just the first day. It’s not clean. Yamaha guys have much more miles than us, much more work in advance. So, it’s going to be difficult. Probably tomorrow they’ll be faster than us. It’s good and feels good after five months arrive here and kind of lead the first day in both conditions. So pretty happy.”

KWR Ducati Team’s Kyle Wyman ended the day third, the racer/team owner having a good opening day to his season with a lap that was .925 of a second off Elias’ best.

Altus Motorsports’ Cameron Petersen was a surprise fourth, the South African – like Beaubier – also sitting out the wet sessions but jumping to fourth fastest when it counted. Petersen lapped at 1:26.667, .331 of a second slower than Wyman and .352 faster than Monster Energy Attack Performance Yamaha’s Jake Gagne, the Californian rounding out the top five.

Sixth fastest on day one was FLY Racing’s ADR Motorsports’ David Anthony. Four-time AMA Superbike Champion Josh Hayes, filling in for the injured Mathew Scholtz on the Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1, was seventh fastest. M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Bobby Fong was eighth with Thrashed Bike Racing’s Max Flinders and Celtic HSBK Racing’s P.J. Jacobsen rounding out the top 10 on opening day.

Scheibe Racing BMW’s Josh Herrin crashed in the second of four sessions and sat out the rest of the day with an injured right shoulder. Herrin said he will attempt to ride tomorrow.

The Supersport class was led by M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Sean Dylan Kelly, the Floridian lapping at a best of 1:30.263 to lead Celtic HSBK Racing’s Brandon Paasch by .711 of a second. Kelly’s M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammate Lucas Silva was third fastest with his 1:31.711.

“Really good day one,” said Kelly in his first ride since breaking his tibia/fibia two months ago. “Happy to be back, first of all. Nice to jump back on my Team Hammer 600 and nice to be working with the guys again. Good feeling with the bike. Just been working at it. We’ve been trying out some different things. Haven’t really focused too hard on a fast lap or anything. I’ve just been out there and getting the confidence up. That’s important for day one. Just happy to be back and looking forward to tomorrow. We’ll definitely be testing out some more stuff and seeing how we continue.”

The Liqui Moly Junior class was led by Quarterley Racing/On Track Development’s Benjamin Gloddy, the New Hampshire resident lapping at 1:40.6321 on his Kawasaki Ninja 400.

“This morning I didn’t go out for the first session,” Gloddy said. “I didn’t want to risk anything in the first with the wet. Then it kept raining all day, so the second session I just decided to go out and was able to lead that session towards the end and came on top with P1 at the end. I didn’t go out for the third session, either. Just it was half dry, half wet. I didn’t want to ruin a set of rain tires. Just decided to stay in. Then we went out for the fourth session and came in and ended up being P1 on an almost completely dry track.”

Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly was activated off injured reserve Tuesday and was in the lineup as the Maple Leafs hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Rielly, 26, missed 23 games because of a broken foot and is a welcome addition to a Toronto team fighting for positioning in a congested Eastern Conference playoff race.

Rielly, who last played Jan. 12, has three goals and 27 points in 46 games this season. Although the Maple Leafs went 11-9-3 without him, he should occupy major minutes on the back line as Toronto prepares for the playoffs, especially with Jake Muzzin (broken hand) out of the lineup.

The Maple Leafs have been waiting for Rielly to return to the type of offensive production he posted last season, when he finished with 20 goals and 72 points. On Tuesday, he drew the start alongside Cody Ceci.

As play began Tuesday, Toronto, with 79 points, owned the No. 3 playoff spot in the Atlantic Division, behind Tampa Bay and Boston.

Tottenham Hotspur went crashing out of the UEFA Champions League after an emphatic 3-0 defeat at the hands of RB Leipzig in Germany.

After trailing 1-0 from the first leg, it was clear to see from an early stage that last year's finalists just didn't have an answer for Leipzig's quality. A Marcel Sabitzer brace set the hosts on their way to the quarterfinals before a late Emil Forsberg strike wrapped up the tie.

Positives

Spurs were able to prevent the German side from controlling possession, allowing themselves to get their foot on the ball and forge a few opportunities here and there. Whenever they did pour forward, they did so with real intent. In the second half, they knew they had their backs against the wall, and they put together a few nice pieces of passing play as a result.

Negatives

There was a real confusion about how Tottenham lined up, with every single player on the pitch looking uncomfortable in their positional play. They left far too many gaps open in defence and almost invited the pressure from Leipzig. With every single counter came a tendency for the visitors to drop back and sit behind the ball -- despite Jose Mourinho's men being the ones who needed to get into the final third.

Manager rating out of 10

5 -- While the options on the bench were limited, there's something to be said for Mourinho's decision not to seek answers from potential substitutes after a string of poor performances from his starting lineup. The decision to seemingly stick with three at the back didn't pay off, and there didn't appear to be any real urgency or leadership on display from a man who simply has not been able to deal with Tottenham's injury crisis.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Hugo Lloris, 3 -- It was another disastrous night at the office for the Frenchman who almost certainly should've pushed away both of Leipzig's first-half goals.

DF Ryan Sessegnon, 4 -- We saw a case of boy vs. men in Germany, with Sessegnon looking scared to make a challenge and hesitant in his decision-making from start to finish.

DF Japhet Tanganga, 4 -- He was struggling massively to cope with the pressure of Leipzig's attacking prowess and, in particular, Timo Werner, with the lowlight being his impression of a statue for the second goal.

DF Toby Alderweireld, 5 -- The Belgian looked off the pace all night long with his experience overshadowed by poor marking and lazy tracking back.

DF Serge Aurier 5 -- The fact that he was drifting forward so often showcased a real lack of vision, with his misjudged header leading to Leipzig's second.

DF Eric Dier, 5 -- From sloppy passes to poor tracking back, Dier probably shouldn't be trusted at the back again for Spurs anytime soon.

MF Harry Winks, 5 -- He was chasing shadows for the first goal, and following that, Winks' drive and determination couldn't make up for his lack of control in the middle of the park.

MF Erik Lamela, 4 -- He continues to come across as more of an impact sub than anything else, with this display highlighting his complete lack of awareness and confidence on the ball.

MF Dele Alli, 4 -- Woeful end product, horrendous attitude and seemingly no real interest in entering the discussion for England's UEFA Euro 2020 squad this summer.

MF Giovani Lo Celso, 7 -- The most creative man on the pitch by far for Tottenham with his brightest chance coming with a nice 41st-minute shot that forced a save from Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi.

FW Lucas Moura, 6 -- Hard work and busting a gut to get to loose balls can get you only so far when your service isn't up to scratch, as Lucas discovered this evening.

Substitutes

DF Malachi Fagan-Walcott, N/R -- The teenage sensation gave Tottenham fans a glimpse into the future during his brief stint in injury time.

MF Gedson Fernandes, N/R -- A short cameo that did nothing aside from giving Lo Celso a few more minutes to rest ahead of the weekend.

England will begin the defence of their Women's World Cup title against Australia in Auckland the day after New Zealand open the tournament on February 6, Waitangi Day.

The 30-day, 31-match tournament concludes with the final at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on March 7.

In total there will be six venues: Eden Park, Dunedin, Hamilton, Mount Maunganui, the Basin Reserve in Wellington and Christchurch.

Wellington will host the trans-tasman match between New Zealand and Australia on February 13.

Currently four of the eight teams have secured their spots in the tournament: Australia, New Zealand (as hosts), England and South Africa. The remaining four will teams will be decided after the conclusion of the Women's Championship and the qualifying event in Sri Lanka in July.

As with the men's World Cup last year there will be reserve days for the semi-finals (at Mount Maunganui and Hamilton) and the final. There was controversy in the recently-completed T20 World Cup with the lack of a reserve day for the semi-finals with India-England washed out in Sydney.

Prize money for the event will be NZ$5.5 million compared to NZ$3.1 million in 2017.

"The ICC has made a long-term commitment to elevating women's cricket as part of our strategy to grow and develop the global game," ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney. "We want to build a sustainable foundation for women's cricket.

"We are extremely proud of the significant progress we have made in increasing prize money for ICC events over the last few years, with the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2021 in New Zealand having $NZD5.5 million dollars available in prize money compared to $NZD3.1m in 2017 and $NZD316,000 in 2013."

U.S. Soccer doubled down on its contention that the wage discrimination lawsuit filed last year by USWNT members lacks merit because it says players on the women's and men's national teams do not perform equal work, according to court filings Monday night.

Lawyers for both the players and the federation faced a deadline to file responses to earlier motions for summary judgment, motions that essentially asked Judge R. Gary Klausner to rule in their respective side's favor without a jury trial based on facts already presented.

The trial is scheduled to begin May 5 in federal court in California, with players seeking at least $66 million in damages.

The motion filed on behalf of U.S. Soccer on Monday reiterated a number of objections made throughout the lawsuit. But among the most stark were repeated assertions that, regardless of any other consideration, players from the two teams do not perform equal work -- either in terms of revenue potential or the actual physical labor required.

As a result, U.S. Soccer said, women's players do not qualify for relief under the Equal Pay Act or Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

"The overall soccer-playing ability required to compete at the senior men's national team level is materially influenced by the level of certain physical attributes," the defense motion stated at one point, "Such as speed and strength, required for the job."

That followed the original motion for summary judgment, in which U.S. Soccer stated that women's players did not perform jobs requiring "equal skill, effort and responsibility under similar working conditions."

Referencing the players' earlier contention that "WNT players and MNT players expend equal amounts of effort performing on their respective national teams," U.S. Soccer said the statement could not be considered undisputed fact for the purpose of deciding on summary judgment.

"It is not sufficient to render it undisputed that the jobs of WNT player and MNT player require equal effort," one defense filing stated.

U.S. Soccer went on to allege that beyond physical differences, women's and men's players did not perform equal work because, in effect, women's soccer is easier than men's soccer.

"There is also evidence that MNT players face tougher competition, even on a relative basis," the defense motion stated. "There is a significantly deeper pool of competition in men's international soccer than there is in women's international soccer, even when assessing the issue in relative terms."

The federation went on to say that the men's team played in more difficult environments, such as those found in World Cup qualifiers in Mexico and Central America.

"This ridiculous 'argument' belongs in the Paleolithic Era," said Molly Levison, a spokesperson for the players. "It sounds as if it has been made by a caveman. Literally everyone in the world understands that an argument that male players 'have more responsibility' is just plain, simple sexism and illustrates the very gender discrimination that caused us to file this lawsuit to begin with. So [I'm] looking forward to trial on May 5."

U.S. Soccer noted that the World Cup is the only tournament the women's team competes in that generates prize money (there is no prize money for the Olympics), while the men's team competes in revenue-generating events such as the Gold Cup and Copa America.

The federation also presented viewership statistics it said proved more people watched the men's team, thereby placing greater responsibility on the shoulders of those players. The federation said the men's team earned better television ratings in its last Men's World Cup appearance than the women did in the 2019 Women's World Cup. It did not note in that section of the motion that the men's team failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup or that the 2014 World Cup it referenced was played in time zones in Brazil more in sync with U.S. markets.

In their response Monday to U.S. Soccer's original motion for summary judgment, lawyers for the players involved in the suit again noted U.S. Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro's statement while running for his current position that "female players have not been treated equally."

The plaintiffs pointed to the example of male and female firefighters, jobs that require "the same skill and effort and responsibilities." If that is the case, unequal pay would not be allowed just because male firefighters might be stronger than their female peers, on average.

"That biological distinction is not a justification for discrimination," the plaintiffs said. "It is the prohibited discrimination itself."

With less than two months remaining until the scheduled trial date, the filings left the impression of the federation digging in and the two sides being far apart on fundamental philosophical questions, let alone smaller-scale financial details.

"The job skills and effort and responsibilities are the same," lawyers for the plaintiffs said. "It is all equal work requiring equal pay under the [Equal Pay Act]. Arguing that the WNT did not win its two World Cups 'against the most elite male soccer players in the world' is not a defense under the EPA; it is a tone deaf admission of blatant gender-based discrimination."

Two NFL teams have proposed the addition of a booth umpire to each officiating crew for the 2020 season, one of seven team-based rule changes that league owners will consider this offseason.

None of the proposals have been vetted or endorsed yet by the competition committee, which will meet later this month to discuss them and develop its own list of potential new rules. But the idea of a booth umpire, sometimes referred to as a "sky judge," has circulated in the NFL for years.

Discussion intensified in 2019, when all 32 head coaches asked owners to consider adding it as a backstop to inaccurate calls on the fields. League leaders, however, did not think they could identify and hire 17 qualified sky judges in short notice last year. Instead, owners voted to add pass interference calls and non-calls to their list of reviewable plays.

At the NFL scouting combine last month, competition committee member Mark Murphy acknowledged that the results of pass interference review were "not great." It's unclear whether the rule will be renewed for 2020.

The Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers formally submitted proposals for a booth umpire as well a senior technology adviser to assist the referee.

Owners are scheduled to gather in Palm Beach, Florida, starting March 29 for their annual meeting. Other notable team-based rule change proposals, all from the Philadelphia Eagles, include:

• Establishing an alternative to the onside kick. After a score, the trailing team would have one play to gain 15 yards from its own 25-yard line. If it succeeds, the trailing team would maintain possession. Owners voted down a similar proposal last year, and Murphy said last month that he thought it was "gimmicky," but the league did test it in the 2019 Pro Bowl.

• Restore overtime to 15 minutes. The NFL moved it back to 10 minutes in 2017.

• Make changes to the new blindside block rule that would prevent unnecessary fouls.