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Hawks CEO pushes starting NBA season in Dec.

Published in Basketball
Friday, 06 March 2020 17:08

BOSTON -- Atlanta Hawks CEO Steve Koonin has a plan to increase the NBA's ratings: Start and end the season two months later.

Koonin spoke Friday afternoon at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston on a panel about possible changes to the league's schedule. The panel was moderated by ESPN's Kevin Arnovitz.

"Relevance equals revenue," Koonin said. "We've got to create the most relevance, and the revenue will fix itself.

Under Koonin's proposal, the start of the NBA season would shift from mid-October to mid-December, after college football has completed its regular season and has begun its bowl season. More important, the shift would allow the NBA to avoid having to compete with two months of the NFL's regular season, as it currently does in the first 2½ months before the "unofficial" start to the league's calendar on Christmas Day.

Meanwhile, the NBA Finals would take place sometime in August rather than June, with the draft and free agency to come after that. That would again allow the NBA to dominate more of the summer months, when it is going up against only Major League Baseball, instead of fighting with football for territory.

"A big piece is you don't have to reinvent the wheel to enhance ratings," Koonin said. "Sometimes, moving away from competition is a great way to grow ratings.

"If King Kong is at your door, you might go out the back door, rather than go out the front and engage in a hand-to-hand fight with King Kong. Many times, at the start of the NBA season, we are competing with arguably the best Thursday Night Football game with the NBA on TNT, our marquee broadcast, and we get crushed and we wonder why.

"It's because at the beginning of the season, there's very little relevance for the NBA. The relevance is now. That's when people are talking about it."

In order for Koonin's proposal -- or any significant change to the schedule -- to take effect, it would require buy-in from all sides who would be impacted by it, including the league's teams, its players and its broadcast partners. A natural point at which to make such a change would be the installation of the league's next collective bargaining agreement; the current CBA runs through the 2023-24 season. Another potential point would be the NBA's next media rights deal; the current one goes through the 2024-25 season.

More important than Koonin proposing the change, though, is that Evan Wasch, the NBA's senior vice president of strategy and analytics, said the league was open to such an idea -- as well as others that could reshape how the NBA's regular season plays out, as well as when it does.

"We certainly have no issue with reconsidering the calendar," Wasch said. "To Steve's point, you have to think about the other stakeholders. They need to get more comfortable with the Finals in August, rather than June, where traditionally the household viewership is a lot lower. But the flip side of that argument is there hasn't been a lot of premium content in that window, which explains why viewership is lower. We're open to that ... there's no magic to [the season going from] October to June."

Koonin said in markets in the South and Southwest -- such as Atlanta, Memphis, Miami, Orlando, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans and Washington -- the NFL, college football and even high school football all dominate the sporting consciousness of those cities in the fall and early winter.

"Let football have its time," he said. "Let's have our time, and let's go after it."

That the NBA is even open to such radical talk is a sign that the league's discussions about the potential for big changes -- including those reported by Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe earlier this season, which entailed shortening the regular season to 75 games, creating a "play-in" game for the final playoff spots in each conference and a new midseason tournament -- haven't stopped.

But while the overall length of the schedule remains a hotly debated topic, Wasch said the goal is not to just shorten the schedule for the sake of doing so, but instead to find ways to give more interest to the league's regular season.

"None of the ideas we are talking about now are new ideas," Wasch said. "The question is not, are we just reacting to what's happening with ratings or what's happening with injuries or player loads or things like that. It is a question of, 'Can you make a better product?'

"I think the general consensus is our playoffs are really entertaining, competitive product and teams are going all out in those games and our fans are engaging in it in a way that is commensurate with that. That maybe is not the case for each one of our 1,230 regular-season games.

"For us, the conversation is not just about, 'Do you cut games for the sake of cutting games?' It's, 'Is there a way to use the rest of our calendar that is not the playoff time to create a more exciting product, a more exciting game of basketball?'"

If it's up to Koonin, it isn't a matter of making the game more exciting -- it's simply decreasing the level of competition for viewers.

"Television launches new shoes in the fall because that's when the new models of cars are introduced," said Koonin, who spent more than a decade running Turner's family of networks before coming to the Hawks. "The reason the Finals are in June is because there are more ad dollars in the second [fiscal] quarter. Why? It doesn't exist anymore.

"We have built the architecture of our season based on the ad market, not based on the consumer. What I'm saying is look at the spring, look at the summer, look at competing with baseball versus competing with the NFL, create more days, create time for practice, create longer training camps. Create time as your friend, rather than this artificial compression of second-quarter ad dollars being the arbiter for setting up our season."

Christian Yelich and Cody Bellinger walk into a bar

Published in Baseball
Friday, 06 March 2020 17:44

It's 4:30 p.m. on a Wednesday, and, my mom would be thrilled to know, I'm getting my butt kicked in a beer-chugging contest at a Scottsdale bar -- bringing up the rear in a three-horse race: 2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich, 2019 NL MVP Cody Bellinger and a dweeb who looks like he can't chug a beer.

As we slam down our empty pint glasses, the flip-flop-wearing postgame Cactus League crowd at this bar goes nuts -- but there appears to be some confusion. It's a tie! Or maybe not.

"Sam's definitely out," says Bellinger, the Dodgers star, dismissing me as nothing more than a mere annoyance before turning to his chief rival. "You and I tied."

"Nah, I won that one!" replies Yelich, the face of the Brewers. "I definitely beat your ass."

"We got cameras here," Bellinger points out. "Run it back."

ESPN's camera crew offers instant replay from multiple angles, all of which make embarrassingly clear that I finished last and almost coughed up my beer. Otherwise, the video evidence is inconclusive.

Then our audience of several dozen bargoers, who simply cannot believe their good fortune -- Yelich! Bellinger! Beer-chugging! At this bar?! -- breaks into a chant.

"Re-match! Re-match! Re-match!"

They, like the rest of us, can't get enough of Belli vs. Yeli, the rivalry that begat a friendship between two of baseball's brightest stars, who continue to improve on the field and grow closer off of it when they're not trying to absolutely destroy each other.

Today's tilt is, by their choosing, a three-person tournament comprising eight great American bar games, including cornhole, Skee-Ball, table tennis and, this being a lazy spring training afternoon at a watering hole called The Hot Chick, a beer-chugging contest. Advantage: my younger, healthier, stronger, more athletic opponents, who also happen to be on their home turf. Bellinger, 24, was born in Scottsdale. Yelich, a 28-year-old L.A. native, is renting a spot across the street.

We tried to conduct an interview too, but let's be real -- each man was far more focused on bludgeoning the others in bar games, which, as you'll read, included jumbo-sized Connect Four, a massive wooden contraption that could send one of these dudes to the injured list. What follows is a semi-sterilized Q&A patched together from 90 minutes of trash-talk-heavy conversation leading up to our eighth and final contest, the hotly contested beer chug.

ESPN: How did this friendship begin?

Christian Yelich: Probably on the field. He played first a lot. You get on base and talk about literally whatever.

Cody Bellinger: We got closer just this last year. I remember texting him when I robbed him of one of his home runs.

Yelich: I texted him back: "You f---er."

Bellinger: [Laughs] He did say that. And we just started texting back and forth.

Yelich: Was it going to be a homer, though?

Bellinger: One hundred percent.

Yelich: For sure?

Bellinger: One hundred percent.

ESPN: Does it feel better to rob him of a home run or hit one yourself?

Bellinger: It felt way better robbing him. [Laughs] That was the first time I've ever robbed a home run.

Yelich: Well, now I gotta rob him. I was robbed twice last year, by him and Mike Trout. Sucked. Worst feeling ever.

Bellinger: Then I stayed at his house in Malibu right before the California Strong charity event [in January, co-hosted by Yelich].

Yelich: We just wanted him to come to the charity softball game, so I'm like, "Hey man, just stay at my place. Whatever you want to do, just make sure you don't burn down the house."

Bellinger: Hey, it's a house right on the water -- I'm down! But it was a pretty solid weekend. Hung out on the beach. Annihilated Nobu sushi.

ESPN: In what ways are you two similar?

Yelich: In a lot of ways off the field, honestly. Personality-wise, we're laid-back.

Bellinger: Low-key. Maybe awkward. [Both laugh]

ESPN: Would you consider yourselves a little awkward?

Bellinger: I would, for sure.

Yelich: In certain situations, yeah. We just live life, man. I'm not trying to impress anybody, ever.

ESPN: Let's focus on your differences because that's more fun. Who's got the better hair?

Bellinger: Him. Oh, for sure -- look at that.

Yelich: There's a reason why he wore a beanie today.

ESPN: If they make a biographical film about the other guy, who should play him?

Yelich: James Franco should play Cody.

Bellinger: I was hoping for Mark Wahlberg.

Yelich: Or Seth Rogen, maybe?

Bellinger: That's pretty good. I'll take it. I like that guy. You're what's-his-name ...

Yelich: This one should be easy.

Bellinger: His twin! What's his name?

Yelich: Pete Davidson.

Bellinger: Yes! Boom. Pete Davidson. They're twins.

ESPN: What's one thing about the other guy that makes you jealous?

Yelich: His arm. How well he can throw. I can't do that.

Bellinger: His consistency with the bat.

Yelich: The hardest thing to do in baseball.

Bellinger: Mike Trout, he's done it for eight years -- it's amazing.

ESPN: Who's the better batter?

Bellinger: Say it, Christian. Say it.

Yelich: What?

Bellinger: You.

Yelich: Fine, me.

ESPN: Who's the better long-ball hitter?

Yelich: You probably have been so far in your career.

Bellinger: Yeah, I'll take that one.

ESPN: Who's the better fielder?

Yelich: Him for sure.

Bellinger: I'll take that -- although he does have a Gold Glove as well.

Yelich: He was in high school in Scottsdale, Arizona, when I won my first Gold Glove.

Bellinger: Yeah, I just won mine last year.

ESPN: Who's the better baserunner?

Bellinger: Him. He stole more bases. I could get better at baserunning.

Yelich: I don't know. He's pretty fast.

Bellinger: I think I'll take speed. But complete baserunner? Probably him.

Yelich: Should we line up and run the 40 out here?

ESPN: Who had the better MVP season?

Yelich: Statistically, he had more homers. I don't know how many RBIs he had.

Bellinger: It was 115.

Yelich: Yeah, I had either 110 or 111 in mine, only 36 homers.

Bellinger: You hit .330, no?

Yelich: Close to it, yeah.

Bellinger: I hit .305.

ESPN: When you hang up your cleats, you hope you finish with more MVPs than the other guy?

Yelich: Absolutely.

Bellinger: Hell yeah. One hundred percent.

ESPN: Who are your measuring sticks? To whom do you compare yourselves, past or present?

Bellinger: Growing up, my favorite player was either Derek Jeter or Manny Ramirez. I was a Yankees fan because Pops [Clay Bellinger] played for the Yanks, but then he got traded, so I went to their archrival, the Red Sox. Ramirez had so much swag to his game. It was so fun to watch.

Yelich: I was a Yankees fan. I went to more Dodger games, but Jeter was my favorite player too, so I followed the Yankees more.

ESPN: Christian, your Brewers have been in the playoffs two consecutive seasons for the first time since 1982. Make the case: This is the year the Brewers finish atop the mountain.

Yelich: The more times that you get there, the better chance you have of winning the whole thing. And we got a talented team -- a lot of the same guys, a lot of new guys, and we've got a lot of versatility, guys that can play a lot of different places. We'll see how it pans out. Obviously, we'll probably have to go through these guys [the Dodgers] at some point if we want to make it to the World Series.

Bellinger: Happened in 2018.

Yelich: Went to a Game 7 in the NLCS. We should have had you guys. Honestly, we should have beat them in the series, but that's the thing. You got to execute.

ESPN: Cody, your Dodgers have been to, like, 70 consecutive playoffs. Why is this year the year?

Bellinger: Well, we were good last year, then we traded for the best, or second-best, or third-best player in the game, Mookie Betts. Veteran presence, MVP, consistency, good defense as well. We also improved our bullpen a lot, so I like our chances.

Yelich: I like my chances now. What's left, just beer-chugging? I've already done this once. I've got video evidence of it [during a Bucks playoff game in 2019]. You're about to be awful at this, aren't you?

Bellinger: I'm going to be terrible. Eight ounces, right?

Yelich: I'm gonna stick with eight.

Bellinger: Yeah, eight is good. We got early mornings.

Yelich: Can you handle that, Sam? Can we get you a straw?

Bellinger: At least you don't have a splinter you're dealing with.

ESPN: Did you seriously get injured playing Connect Four?

Bellinger: [Laughs] I did.

Yelich: Is it bleeding? Are you going to bleed out?

ESPN: Tomorrow we're going to read: "Bellinger, 15-day IL -- splinter via Connect Four."

Bellinger: It's a real splinter. If I lose, it's because of this.

Yelich: You got to be kidding me.

British number one Johanna Konta saved two match points before sealing a place in the Monterrey Open semi-finals by beating Russia's Anastasia Potapova.

Konta trailed 5-2 in the deciding set and saved match point on the 18-year-old's serve at 5-4 before levelling.

The second seed, ranked 16th in the world, denied world number 89 Potapova again in the third-set tie-break and came through 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 7-6 (9-7).

She will play Czech world number 57 Marie Bouzkova in the last four.

Konta had gone out in the first round of her three events in 2020 before the run in Mexico.

Seeded no.11 in the women’s singles race, Wang Yidi’s campaign began on Thursday 5th March in opposition to fellow compatriot Zhang Rui. A lively conflict between the two, it was Wang who held the upper hand across five games (11-8, 11-4, 11-7, 6-11, 14-12).

The arrival of a new day and with it a new opponent, a much sterner test awaited as Wang brought the battle to Japanese no.8 seed, Kasumi Ishikawa. All three previous head-to-head meetings had gone in Wang’s favour and their fourth heralded yet another win for the Chinese player.

Dictating the pace right from the word “go” Wang denied Ishikawa any real opportunity to establish a foothold on the match. Try as she may the Japanese competitor just couldn’t find an answer as Wang emerged victorious 4-3 (11-3, 8-11, 11-7, 11-6, 8-11, 12-10), raising her fist in the air in celebration at the match’s conclusion.

Highly impressive work from Wang to reach the last eight but that was where her journey was halted, falling to two-time Qatar Open champion Chen Meng 4-1 (11-5, 11-8, 13-15, 11-6, 11-6).

Positive experience

So, a quarter-final exit for Wang but on the whole the 2020 Qatar Open has been a positive experience for the Chinese player who continues to show her potential.

Gold medallist at the 2019 ITTF World Tour Hong Kong Open, Wang progressed to achieve semi-final finishes in Germany and Austria before replicating the result at the World Tour Grand Finals in Zhengzhou, China. Heading into 2020 with a spring in her step, Wang accounted for Chinese Taipei’s Cheng I-Ching and China’s He Zhuojia to reach the quarter-finals at the 2020 ITTF World Tour Platinum German Open and is now a top eight finisher in Qatar.

The signs continue to look very promising for Wang Yidi but can she take the next step and break into the leading pack?

by Ian Marshall, Editor

Five points to note on a day of high quality action………

Wang Chuqin at speed

Quick to seize the initiative, Wang Chuqin proved too fast for Ma Long, the no.3 seed, not the speed of his footwork, the speed in which he executed the first attack; the no.9 seed, he prevailed in seven games (13-15, 14-12, 4-11, 11-8, 3-11, 13-11, 11-6).

Success for Wang Chuqin, it was the same for his colleagues Fan Zhendong, Xu Xin and Liang Jingkun, the player Wang Chuqin faces in the quarter-finals.

Fan Zhendong, the top seed, beat compatriot Xu Chenhao (11-4, 11-5, 11-9, 11-3), Xu Xin and Liang Jingkun both ended Japanese hopes. Xu Xin, the no.2 seed, overcame Koki Niwa, the no.11 seed (15-13, 11-5, 11-3, 11-8); Liang Jingkun, the no.8 seed, prevailed against Jun Mizutani, the no.12 seed (10-12, 6-11, 10-12, 11-4, 11-6, 11-2, 11-8).

Liking for Japanese adversaries

A first round win the previous day against 16 year old Tomokazu Harimoto, the no.5 seed (9-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-9, 11-7), Chinese Taipei’s Chuang Chih-Yuan, now 38 years old, once again displayed his liking for teenage Japanese opponents.

In the second round of the men’s singles event, he ended the hopes of 18 year old Yukiya Uda (9-11, 11-5, 9-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-5), the runner up just under two weeks ago on the ITTF World Tour in Hungary.

Chuang Chih-Yuan emerged one of two qualifiers to book a quarter-final men’s singles place; the one other name is Jon Persson, in the second round he accounted for Swedish colleague, Mattias Falck, the no.7 seed (11-7, 11-5, 11-3, 10-12, 13-11).

English pair set two records in space of six days

On Sunday 1st March, Paul Drinkhall and Liam Pitchford set a new record at the 2020 English National Championships, they won the men’s doubles title for a seventh time; thus they surpassed the achievement of Alan Cooke and Desmond Douglas who won six times between 1990 and 1998.

In Doha, having been required to qualify, they ended the hopes of Hong Kong. They beat Lam Siu Hang and Ng Pak Nam (11-7, 11-7, 9-11, 11-5), followed by success against Ho Kwan Kit and Wong Chun Ting, the no.2 seeds (11-7, 12-10, 4-11, 9-11, 11-7) to set another record.

It is the first time ever that an English pairing has reached the final of a men’s doubles event on either the ITTF World Tour or at an ITTF Challenge Series tournament; since the ITTF World Tour started in 1996, the men’s doubles event has been held on 323 occasions, add 35 Challenge Series tournaments, after 358 events, at last for England.

Later Liam Pitchford, the no.15 seed, beat Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus (11-7, 11-7, 6-11, 13-10, 8-11, 18-16) to reach the men’s singles quarter-finals.

Ominous signs

Unbeaten in women’s singles events on the international stage since Friday 11th October, when on the ITTF World Tour in Germany she lost to Singapore’s Feng Tianwei, Chen Meng, the top seed continued her winning ways. She beat Austria’s Sofia Polcanova, the no.12 seed (11-7, 11-6, 11-2, 11-7) and colleague Wang Yidi, the no.11 seed (11-5, 11-8, 13-15, 11-6, 11-6).

Additionally, compatriots Ding Ning and Wang Manyu, the defending champion, made their intentions clear.

Ding Ning did not surrender a single game. The no.6 seed, she beat Japan’s Miu Hirano, the no.9 seed (11-4, 12-10, 11-8, 11-7), before ousting colleague, Chen Xingtong, the no.10 seed (11-6, 11-4, 11-8, 11-1).

Meanwhile, in contests involving former world junior champions, Wang Manyu, the no.4 seed, ended to hopes of teammates. She beat Qian Tianyi (11-5, 117, 11-8, 11-8), prior to ousting Zhu Yuling, the no.5 seed (11-3, 11-3, 3-15, 9-11, 11-9, 12-10).

Japanese hopes alive

Mima Ito very much kept Japanese hopes alive. The no.3 seed, in the women’s singles event, she beat colleague Hitomi Sato, the no.14 seed (11-7, 11-4, 11-5, 10-12, 11-7), before overcoming Singapore’s Feng Tianwei, the no.7 seed (11-6, 11-7, 12-14, 5-11, 11-5, 11-7), to reserve her place in the semi-finals.

Partnering Jun Mizutani, the top seeds, there was also mixed doubles success. The pair beat Romania’s Ovidiu Ionescu and Bernadette Szocs (11-8, 12-10, 11-6), prior to overcoming Hong Kong’s Ho Kwan Kit and Lee Ho Ching, the no.4 seeds (11-7, 11-6, 11-5) to reach the final. In the title decider they meet China’s Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha.

A place in the final for Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito; in the women’s doubles it is the same for their teenage colleagues Miyuu Kihara and Miyu Nagasaki. The top seeds, they beat Hong Kong’s Minnie Soo wai Yam and Zhu Chengzhu (11-7, 11-7, 11-6), before ousting Singapore’s Lin Ye and Yu Mengyu (11-3, 14-12, 8-11, 12-10). In the final they face China’s Wang Manyu and Zhu Yuling, the no.2 seeds.

Wales have not won at Twickenham in the Six Nations since 2012, but England head coach Eddie Jones and his men will be under no illusion about the size of challenge that awaits them this weekend.

Victory for England will secure the Triple Crown and keep alive their hopes of a third title in five years, while Wales will be motivated to avoid a third consecutive Six Nations defeat under new coach Wayne Pivac.

Former England fly-half Paul Grayson and ex-Wales fly-half James Hook look at four key battles that could decide the match.

Fly-half - George Ford v Dan Biggar

Paul Grayson: "This will be a proper head-to-head. George Ford is a natural flat-to-the-line 10 who manipulates defenders. Sometimes he stops doing that with Owen Farrell at 12 when England look to move the ball through another set of hands, but they play better when Ford takes the ball to the line.

"Dan Biggar is less natural at that but he has added it to his game since he has moved to Northampton. What he has is a ferocious competitive streak and he is a Test match animal that is absolutely desperate to win. His strength is his relentless pursuit of excellence, but it can spill over sometimes and he gets animated if things aren't going his way."

James Hook: "They are different 10s. Ford is more attacking and he takes the ball to the gain line and engages defences much more. Biggar is more of a threat aerially and his winning mentality is right up there. He is very confident in his own ability and he drives the team on."

Wing - Anthony Watson v Liam Williams

Grayson: "Both players are important in the team and each starting XV would always have their names in it if they are fit. Anthony Watson coming back to Test match level instantly after the Achilles injury is amazing. Fully fit, he is a dead cert to start for England and Liam Williams is the same for Wales - he has emerged as a genuine Test player at full-back or on the wing.

"I think they're slightly different in the way they play. Both are aerially very strong, Watson just edges it on pace but Williams is more physical. Both teams will be looking to get the ball to them and they are exceptionally good rugby players.

"Pivac is under some pressure for results so he has gone for his most experienced side. Off the back of the Gatland era there is external pressure from the Welsh public, and having lost at home to France, it will be tough to win at Twickenham."

Hook: "It's a huge battle. Watson has magical feet and Williams has been picked as part of a fantastic back three to defuse those high kicks from England. It's a tried and tested back three."

Second row - Maro Itoje v Alun Wyn Jones

Grayson: "That is a battle of the generations, you can see Maro Itoje being around for as long as Alun Wyn Jones, who is a phenomenal performer. His leadership and his physicality is immense. Itoje is showing all the same traits. He got to the top very quickly and he has had a few distractions with Saracens but he is back to his best form, and when he is playing well he is as influential in his pack as Wyn Jones is in his.

"He is a good line-out operator and he is a great spoiler. He has a sense of the big occasion and he comes up with the big play when he needs it. It is a genuine Test battle between a guy that is coming to the end and a youngster who has already scaled the heights who could become a legend."

Hook: "Always a tough battle. Itoje grows every game and Wyn Jones keeps delivering. They are two winners. England are strong up front so you know which way they will go but just having Wyn Jones around, with his mentality and presence, is so important for Wales. When he is not playing you notice it."

Number eight - Tom Curry v Josh Navidi

Grayson: "Taulupe Faletau, coming back from injury, has played OK but he hasn't had a lot of rugby. Josh Navidi has been excellent for Wales over the last year and his selection is not surprising. Eddie Jones has decided Tom Curry could be a better number eight than he is an openside flanker, a position which he is probably in the top three or four in the world at the moment.

"He has grown so much physically and in terms of his performances at international level. He did not have his best outing for the first time at eight in France and he made some rookie mistakes but he is a quick learner. England probably have a bit more physicality than Wales, who want to play a bit more on the edges under Pivac and you need that bit of pace to get there. Navidi suits that style and Curry is a powered-up flanker who is learning number eight skills."

Hook: "It's a big call by Wales. Navidi gives 100% and he is a great ball carrier. He is a different player to Faletau, who is more of a natural number eight, but Navidi carries well and he is good on the floor. Curry is a great prospect. Jones is not afraid to put people in and he has been rewarded by his form for Sale."

Paul Grayson and James Hook were speaking to BBC Sport's Mantej Mann

Kyle Busch Leads Final Phoenix Xfinity Practice

Published in Racing
Friday, 06 March 2020 15:22

AVONDALE, Ariz. – Kyle Busch put his Toyota Supra at the top of the speed charts during final practice Friday for the NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Phoenix Raceway.

Busch turned a fast lap at 129.510 mph during the second of two practice sessions to lead the way as he prepares for his first Xfinity Series start of the season.

Justin Allgaier was second fastest in the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, followed by Austin Cindric, Chase Briscoe and Alex Labbe.

Qualifying for Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Phoenix Raceway is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. E.T., with the LS Tractor 200 scheduled to begin shortly after 4 p.m E.T. on Saturday afternoon.

Elliott Fastest In Final Phoenix Cup Practice

Published in Racing
Friday, 06 March 2020 15:51

AVONDALE, Ariz. – Chase Elliott gave Hendrick Motorsports a sweep of both NASCAR Cup Series practice sessions Friday at Phoenix Raceway.

Elliott was one of two drivers to top the 134 mph barrier in the final practice, leading the way in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a speed of 134.213 mph. William Byron led the first practice earlier in the day. 

Kyle Busch, who led the second and final NASCAR Xfinity Series practice earlier in the afternoon, was second fastest at 134.203 mph.

Aric Almirola was third fastest for Stewart-Haas Racing, followed by Fontana winner Alex Bowman and Ty Dillon.

Qualifying for the FanShield 500 is scheduled for 2:35 p.m. E.T. Saturday, with the field set to go racing on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. E.T.

Tyrrell Hatton and Sung Kang share the 36-hole lead at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Here's everything you need to know from Friday's second round at Bay Hill:

Leaderboard: Hatton (-7), Kang (-7), Danny Lee (-6), Harris English (-5), Sungjae Im (-5), Rory McIlroy (-5)

What it means: Hatton continues to show no rust from late November surgery on his right wrist. The Englishman hadn't played since the DP World Tour Championship in November before returning two weeks ago at the WGC-Mexico Championship, where he tied for sixth. He now has another great chance to nab career PGA Tour victory No. 1. Kang won the AT&T Byron Nelson last season and recently was T-2 at the Genesis.

How it happened: Hatton started the day inside the top 5, but as Bay Hill showed its teeth and claimed a few victims atop the leaderboard (first-round leader Matt Every shot 83), Hatton held on nicely. He birdied three of the four par-5s and hit a beautiful tee ball at the par-3 17th hole to 5 feet to set up one of his five total birdies. Kang did most of his damage late, birdieing three of his past six holes, including hitting his final approach to 5 feet at No. 18.

Round of the day: Through nine holes, Lee had just one birdie. He then caught fire on the back side, making birdies at Nos. 11, 12, 15, 16 and 18 to shoot 67. He would've been bogey-free, too, if it weren't for a bogey at No. 17.

Best of the rest: Harris English began the season with limited status, playing out of the category for Nos. 126-150 in FedEx points. He already has four top-6 finishes this season and is No. 29 in points, and on Friday he shot 70 to climb inside the top 5 at 5 under. Also, Past API winner Marc Leishman birdied four of his first seven holes en route to a second-round 69. He is part of a group at 4 under.

Biggest disappointment: A day after carding a bogey-free 65, Every, a two-time winner here, made four double bogeys, shot 83 and punched an early ticket home.

Shot of the day: Last week's winner, Im closed out a second-round 69 in style by holing out for birdie from a short-sided lie at the par-4 ninth.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Rather than add fuel to the social-media firestorm surrounding Paul Azinger’s comments last week at the Honda Classic, Tyrrell Hatton chose a more diplomatic approach than some of his other European comrades.

Do players such as Hatton and Tommy Fleetwood, the subject of Azinger’s remarks, feel the pressure of needing to win on the PGA Tour?

“I heard the comment, but it doesn't make any difference to how I go about playing, how I feel about trying to win on both tours,” Hatton said Friday at Bay Hill, where he co-leads the Arnold Palmer Invitational with Sung Kang. “… When you look back at the end of your career you would like to win on both tours, obviously, you would love to win WGCs and majors. That's the goal for everyone and I'm no different from that.”

Suffice to say Hatton, twice a winner on the European Tour but still winless in the U.S., didn’t bring his gas can with him to Arnie’s Place this week. You can bet, however, that he’s loaded up on fuel of a different sort.

Hatton revealed Friday that there is at least one advantage to spending more time in America.

“The Napa Cab Sauv, that was dreamy,” Hatton said of his new favorite wine.

The likely future Safeway Open competitor will surely celebrate with a few bottles if he breaks through for Tour victory No. 1 at Bay Hill this weekend. Then again, maybe he’ll still enjoy a few glasses should he not close the deal.

No matter the end result, the fact that Hatton is even in this position is somewhat remarkable. This is just his second start back from right-wrist surgery last November, shortly after the European Tour final in Dubai. 

Hatton first injured the wrist during his Masters debut. He was playing in the Par 3 Contest when play was called for inclement weather. As he was heading back to the clubhouse, he took a fall.

“I was just walking on the pine straw on a side slope and just where my lead foot went there was like a steel rod or something, and I just went with the slope and put my hand out,” Hatton recalled.

He played that week and missed the cut, and then tied for 29th a week later in Hilton Head.

That next Friday? “I couldn't even hit a 50-yard pitch shot,” he said.

Tyrrell Hatton and Sung Kang share the 36-hole lead at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.

The next 18 months or so included three steroid injections, but eventually Hatton’s wrist joint accumulated so much scar tissue that it was affecting his range of motion and causing him severe pain.

Now, he’s nearly pain-free – and rust-free. Upon returning to competition two weeks ago in Mexico, Hatton tied for sixth. Through 36 holes on a difficult Bay Hill layout with thick, penal rough, Hatton is 7 under and has just three bogeys. 

“I'm a little bit surprised that I'm currently top of the leaderboard,” said the typically self-deprecating Hatton.

Maybe he shouldn’t be, though. Hatton has developed a reputation for losing his head in pressure situations, but he is coming off the longest break of his professional career, and Friday in the media center he appeared as relaxed as ever.

“To be honest, it was probably nice to have an escape from playing golf,” Hatton said.

Months of no golf, red wine and, oh yeah, lots of video games.

“When the cast came off and I was told I could play Xbox,” he said, “I didn't hesitate.”

He’ll hope he doesn’t waver Sunday if in contention, either, as he eyes a maiden triumph on this side of the pond.

Either way, the cab will be flowing.

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