REGGIO EMILIA, Italy – Scuderia Ferrari has revealed its Formula One challenger for this year, dubbed the SF1000.

The SF1000 name recognizes the fact that Ferrari will be the first team to take part in 1,000 Formula One Grands Prix later this year. The car, built entirely in Maranello, Italy, was launched Tuesday at the Romolo Valli Municipal Theatre in the town of Reggio Emilia.

The car’s unveiling was presided over by the Scuderia’s Team Principal and Managing Director Mattia Binotto, who recalled the words of the founder, Enzo Ferrari to sum up the emotions evoked by the Maranello marque.

“Give a child a piece of paper and some crayons and ask them to draw a car and it will definitely be red,” Binotto said.

Once the covers had come off the SF1000, Binotto asked the two drivers, Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc to join him on stage. They both said they couldn’t wait to get behind the wheel of the car as the team looks to stop the Mercedes squad that has claimed the F-1 title the last six years.

The car will make its on-track debut on Feb. 19 during pre-season testing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

“We are proud to represent Italy around the world,” said John Elkann, chairman of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. “Even though Ferrari has won 238 of the 991 Formula One races run to date, our thirst for victory is stronger than ever. In the coming season, we will continue to face very tough opposition, but that only serves to spur us on to do more and to do even better. What distinguishes us is the amazing collective effort of everyone in Ferrari’s Gestione Sportiva, both on and off the track. That is our strength.”

ROCKLIN, Calif. – Robert Ballou, the 2015 USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car Series champion, continues to recover from an arm injury suffered last year that will force him to miss the season-opening races this week at Florida’s Bubba Raceway Park.

Ballou suffered the injury during a crash on June 23, 2019, seconds after winning the Bob Darland Memorial at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway and has been sidelined since. He has undergone multiple surgeries.

“I am bummed not to be kicking my season off this weekend, but this injury was a lot more severe than we thought initially,” Ballou said. “The good news is things are going really well, and there seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel. I just hate it for my friends and partners that I am still sidelined.”

Undergoing his final surgery on Jan. 9 to remove some hardware from earlier surgeries, Ballou has been working to rehab and regain strength. He admits it has been a long process.

“My medical team has been great, and they continue to tell me things are going the right direction,” he added. “I definitely feel the strength coming back and to me that is a huge win.”

Ballou estimates he’ll be back in action by the end of March.

“I am excited to finally get back in the seat of my car and have some really cool things set for this season that I will release very soon,” Ballou said. “I want to thank everyone for the continued support as I continue to rehab.”

Retired NBA All-Star Dwyane Wade recently opened up about supporting his daughter Zaya, who identifies as a transgender girl.

In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres on "The Ellen Show" this week, Wade said that one day his 12-year-old came home and asked to have a discussion about using she/her pronouns and going by a different name than the one that she was given at birth.

"When our child comes home with a question, when our child comes home with an issue, when our child comes home with anything, it's our job as parents to listen to that, to give them the best information we can, the best feedback we can," Wade told DeGeneres. "And that doesn't change because sexuality is now involved."

Wade said that he and his wife, actress Gabrielle Union, are seeking more information to educate themselves about the LGBTQ+ community. Wade told DeGeneres that he reached out to the cast of "Pose," an FX series about LGBTQ+ African American and Latino dancers in New York City.

Wade said in December on the podcast All The Smoke that he has had to do some work on re-framing his stance toward the transgender and gay community.

"As we say in the hood, it's ignant," Wade said on the podcast. "I grew up with the same perspective as a lot of these people out here that's a little ignant. I had to look myself in the mirror and say, 'What if your son comes home and tells you he's gay? What are you going to do? How are you going to be? How are you going to act? It ain't about him. He knows who he is. It's about you. Who are you?'"

He went on to say he had "watched my son -- from day one -- become into who she now eventually has come into."

On Tuesday morning, Union posted a video to Twitter to introduce Zaya, who was assigned male sex organs at birth.

Forbes is listing the average value of NBA franchises above $2 billion for the first time, a figure that has grown nearly 600% in the past decade.

The average NBA franchise is now valued at slightly more than $2.1 billion, with Forbes saying the New York Knicks -- worth $4.6 billion by the magazine's calculations -- rank atop the league list and grew by 15% over the previous year.

The Los Angeles Lakers were listed with a worth of $4.4 billion, with the Golden State Warriors at $4.3 billion.

The rest of the top 10: Chicago ($3.2 billion), Boston ($3.1 billion), the LA Clippers ($2.6 billion), Brooklyn ($2.5 billion), Houston ($2.475 billion), Dallas ($2.4 billion) and Toronto ($2.1 billion).

Only five teams were listed with a value less than $1.5 billion: Detroit ($1.45 billion), Orlando ($1.43 billion), Minnesota ($1.375 billion), New Orleans ($1.35 billion) and Memphis ($1.3 billion).

Forbes also calculated the revenue of the 30 NBA teams at a combined $8.8 billion last season, a record, and forecast it would exceed $9 billion this season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani, who is recovering from elbow and knee surgeries, will not be ready to pitch in the majors until at least mid-May, general manager Billy Eppler told reporters Tuesday.

After having Tommy John surgery in October 2018, Ohtani continued to contribute to the Angels in 2019 as a designated hitter. He then had season-ending surgery last September to address a rare condition in his left knee, which prompted him to shut down his throwing progression for a couple of months.

"The knee surgery pushed back his rehab and his throwing progression to complete the Tommy John rehab protocol," Eppler told reporters Tuesday. "So we're targeting about a mid-May return on the mound. He will be able to begin the season as a DH, pending no other unforeseen things happening."

Ohtani, 25, has made only 10 major league starts as a pitcher since joining the Angels from Japan -- all in 2018, when he was named American League Rookie of the Year. In those starts, he was 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA and 63 strikeouts.

Ohtani will continue his throwing program on the side and will participate in spring training games, which start March 22, as a hitter.

Last season as a hitter, he had a .286 batting average with 18 home runs and 62 RBIs.

Before he returns to the majors as a pitcher, Ohtani will make some minor league starts, Eppler said.

"I think we will target a handful of those," Eppler told reporters. "There's value in him facing guys in a different uniform."

After that, it will be up to new manager Joe Maddon on how often to put Ohtani on the mound. The Angels used a six-man rotation when Ohtani arrived in 2018.

"I do expect Shohei to pitch once a week to stay on that kind of program," Eppler told reporters. "We have a lot of off days in April this year and that was part of our calculus when we were walking through this stuff.

"If we have a lot of off days, we can stay with a five-man [rotation]. If we go through a time when our pitchers can use some rest, we can insert somebody."

MESA, Arizona -- Chicago Cubs boss Theo Epstein pushed back on former manager Joe Maddon's assertion that he wanted to leave the team after his contract was up, regardless of whether the front office wanted him back.

"That would conflict with some of the things that he and his agent were saying and doing towards the end of the season," Epstein said from Cubs camp on Tuesday. "If that's how he feels, I'm not going to dispute it. That doesn't reflect the conversations we were having."

In a wide ranging interview with ESPN, Maddon opened up about the end of his tenure as Cubs manager. Under his leadership, the Cubs made the playoffs four straight years and won the 2016 World Series -- the organization's first championship in 108 years. However, the Cubs won 11 less games in 2019 than they did in 2018, missing the playoffs for the first time in five seasons.

After leaving the Cubs, Maddon would sign a four-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels, the organization that previously employed him for decades as a player and then a coach.

"Philosophically, Theo needed to do what he needed to do separately," Maddon said. "At some point, I began to interfere with his train of thought a little bit. And it's not that I'm hardheaded. I'm inclusive. But when I started there -- '15, '16, '17 -- it was pretty much my methods. And then all of a sudden, after '18 going into '19, they wanted to change everything."

What were those changes? At first, Epstein said he preferred to take the high road but then got into specifics.

"Joe and I aren't exactly the same," Epstein said. "His approach was more 'things will work themselves out. These are great players. Let them play. This will work out.' From my perspective, there was a little bit more cause for concern."

Before his final season, the team challenged Maddon to be more hands-on and to change some work habits for his players. The "less is more" mantra, which was so effective when Maddon arrived in Chicago, may not have been the best way forward.

"There was just, you can say, philosophical differences," Maddon said. "But he and I are still good friends. And I like the man a lot. It was just time for him to get someone else, and time for me to work somewhere else. That's all. A five-year shelf life in Chicago is almost equivalent to five to 10 somewhere else.

"At the end of the day, man, there's nothing to lament there. That was the most successful five years that the Cubs have ever had."

Epstein made it clear the front office wasn't interested in taking on more control of clubhouse matters, but he said there were times going into and through Maddon's final season that it became necessary.

"In 18 years, there have only been two instances where those organizational standards for work, preparation and behavior were not getting met and I had to get involved and give feedback and remind about expectations," Epstein said. "But it doesn't work best that way."

Epstein was asked if Maddon's Cubs were one of those instances.

"I'll hold those two instances to myself, but I guess Joe indirectly alluded to it with his comments today," Epstein said. "I love Joe. Nothing is going to get in the way of that. I don't think he meant any ill will with his comments."

After Joel Sherman's report on the revamping of the baseball playoffs was published Monday in the New York Post, the Reds' Trevor Bauer was among many who reacted strongly on Twitter.

No idea who made this new playoff format proposal, but Rob is responsible for releasing it, so I'll direct this to you, Rob Manfred. Your proposal is absurd for too many reasons to type on twitter and proves you have absolutely no clue about baseball. You're a joke.

— Trevor Bauer (@BauerOutage) February 11, 2020

Presumably, Bauer will eventually detail his objections to the proposed changes, and I'm sincerely curious about what they are -- because I can't see a lot of potential downside to the plan for the players or the sport.

In the meantime, here are some of the arguments we've seen so far on social media, along with our counterarguments:

A 14-team playoff field could undermine the integrity of the 162-game season.

Edinburgh head coach Richard Cockerill says he would have dealt with the Finn Russell situation in "exactly the same" way Gregor Townsend has.

Russell has been out of the Scotland reckoning since leaving the team after a breach of team protocol prior to the opening Six Nations defeat by Ireland.

Cockerill insists he is not taking sides but says any coach has the right to decide the standards adhered to.

"He has no choice - the players can't set the rules," he said.

"He has to decide how environments are run and the culture of the team. You have input from players but the coach decides because it's his team.

"Everybody has to conform in some way, shape or form and you work together to get on with your job."

Cockerill believes Racing 92 fly-half Russell, 27, could end up regretting his decision to speak to a newspaper about the matter and therefore extending his exile from the national team.

"After the '99 World Cup I wrote a book and criticised Sir Clive Woodward," recalled Englishman Cockerill.

"He asked me to apologise, I said no and never got picked again. He then won the World Cup and I watched it on television.

"There are some things you regret in life, hopefully common sense will prevail and everyone will get together."

For Edinburgh, next up is a tough test as they travel to face Scarlets, the side hot on their trails at the top of Pro14 Conference B, and Cockerill is optimistic about their chances in turbulent conditions.

"We've had a little bit of help from Gregor in releasing guys," he said.

"WP Nel, Gilchrist, Nick Haining, Luke Crosbie and Matt Scott are all back to play for us and that gives us a real boost. Scarlets are going to be missing a lot of guys, the weather is going to be horrific.

"It's going to be tight, a tough game, and we just have to make sure we come out the right side of it. We've played ten games so being top is irrelevant. What matters is where we are after round 21."

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – American Flat Track and Yamaha Motor Corp. have announced an expansion of their relationship for the upcoming season.

Yamaha joins AFT’s family of official OEM partners for 2020.

Following a banner year of competition for the manufacturer, including an AFT Production Twins Championship won by Cory Texter and two premier class wins from Estenson Racing’s J.D. Beach, the industry leader in racing technology scored a total of 12 victories throughout all three classes of AFT competition.

Athletes who compete on Yamaha machinery will benefit from the brand’s generous contingency offerings for the 2020 season. Totaling $444,550 across all three classes, Yamaha’s 2020 contingency package represents the largest thus far for the upcoming season.

Yamaha will also return as the entitlement sponsor of the Yamaha Atlanta Short Track at Dixie Speedway on March 28. The Atlanta-based company will be present in full force at its hometown event. Members of the Yamaha family will gather to experience the world’s fastest dirt track motorcycle racing at one of the most-competitive tracks on the circuit.

“The Yamaha brand is woven deep into the fabric of AFT,” said Michael Lock, CEO of American Flat Track. “From the pioneer era of Kenny Roberts in the ‘70’s, to the present-day factory-backed team of Estenson Racing campaigning in the debut season of AFT SuperTwins, Yamaha is a valued partner to our series. With Cory Texter defending the number 1 plate in AFT Production Twins and a bounty of over $400,000 available to Yamaha-mounted racers, this promises to be a great year for all fans of Yamaha and American Flat Track.”

“We’re super excited to be able to increase our support for the sport this year,” said Steve Nessl, Motorsports Marketing Manager of Yamaha. “From our partnership with AFT and investment in Estenson Racing, to the contingency program and employee activation at our home round, everyone here is looking forward to 2020 and continued success at the track.”

GAFFNEY, S.C. – South Florida accounting firm Kabat, Schertzer, De La Torre, Taraboulos & Co. has announced that it will once again be renewing of its annual sponsorship of JD Motorsports with Gary Keller.

KSDT CPA first worked with JDM in 2017 as an associate level sponsor at select Xfinity Series races to becoming the primary sponsor of Garrett Smithley’s No. 0 Chevrolet Camaro at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2018. Last season, the firm took its biggest steps yet with the team, as it partnered with local Miami entities in UniVista Insurance and Florida International University to sponsor three JD Motorsports Chevrolets at Homestead.

This season, KSDT will partner with Series Seating, an industry leader in the design, manufacturing, and installation of ergonomic seating systems. Series Seating is also based in Miami, Fla., and has more than 35 years in the seating industry.

“Although racing and accounting couldn’t be more different, we feel that JDM represents us with regard to the honesty, integrity and hard work they put in year after year,” said Jeffrey Taraboulos, Managing Partner, KSDT CPA. “We feel that we are more than a sponsor but part of the JDM family and are proud to ride onboard for our 4th season.”

The two Miami-based companies will be displayed on all four JD Motorsports Chevrolets on an associate sponsor level for each race this year and will also be on board for multiple primary races as well.

On the primary side, Series Seating and KSDT will be listed as the primary sponsor for Jesse Little in the No. 4 Chevrolet at Daytona Int’l Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Homestead-Miami Speedway. The two companies also plan on sponsoring Jeffrey Earnhardt at additional races to be announced later.