Not many athletes can say they earned an Olympic medal, but Matt Kuchar is one of them. His final-round charge during the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio ultimately became an 8-under 63, good enough to claim a bronze medal.

 "That was an incredible run," Kuchar said Wednesday at the Sony Open during his pre-tournament news conference. "It felt Olympian."

Nearly four years later and Kuchar keeps a close eye on that medal; not in the trophy case in his house but rather stored away in his backpack.

No, seriously. In his backpack.

"Wherever my backpack goes it goes," Kuchar said. "Hadn't found a home anywhere other than my backpack."

Kuchar said traveling with it is easy and fun. He doesn't take it out much other than during airport screenings.

"They see this big medal blob and always take it out. I always bring it out and it's in a sock, and you know, even though I've put the sock out open in a bin, the screener always grabs a hold of it, pulls it out and [their] eyes kind of bug out."

Well, yeah. There are undoubtedly some odd things that appear during TSA screenings, but it's not every day they see an authentic Olympic medal.

"'Is this real? What's it for?,'" Kuchar recalls from the screeners. "They start showing it off to their friends. [I'm like] 'Hey, I got to catch a flight now.' "

With 2020 being another Olympic year, Kuchar has his eyes set on making a second appearance for the United States this summer in Tokyo, but he also understands the competition he's up against.

"It's a tough one to be a part of Team USA. You think of the chance of qualifying. It's a hard team to be a part of," Kuchar said. "It's a big goal of mine. I would be disappointed if I didn't make it, but I understand how challenging it is at the same time."

January 9: Brisbane Heat v Hobart Hurricanes

Our XI: Chris Lynn, Tom Banton, Matthew Wade, Max Bryant, Caleb Jewell, Ben McDermott, Ben Cutting, Qais Ahmed, Josh Lalor, Ben Laughlin, Scott Boland

NOTE: We might not always be able to tip you off about a late injury (or other relevant) updates. D'Arcy Short heads to India for at least two weeks for the Hurricanes while Riley Meredith (side) and James Faulkner (calf) are on the sidelines. Joe Burns is back for the Heat but is unlikely to get a starting place right away

Captain: Tom Banton

In-form batsman against a depleted bowling unit? The Heat's Tom Banton is the man to put all your money on. Only a slightly better pick than Chris Lynn for captain because he is the regular opener.

Vice-captain: Matthew Wade

With D'Arcy Short absent, Wade, last season's second-highest run-getter, would take the opener's slot straight away and by the standards he set last season - 592 runs at a strike rate of 146 - he could be a really good option as the vice-captain.

Hot picks

Chris Lynn

His 88 against the Hurricanes the last time around, a 170-plus strike rate this season and his reputation as a destructive T20 batsman all work in his favour for this game.

Ben McDermott

He's not only the best wicketkeeping option for the game, he will also be one of Hurricanes' main batsmen without Short and possibly David Miller, who could be out as a precautionary measure after an injury scare. Furthermore, the Hurricanes captain is the only other batsman in the side apart from Short who has a fifty this season.

Ben Laughlin

Heat's highest wicket-taker so far will be relishing the prospect of bowling against a batting side without Short and possibly Miller. The BBL's all-time leading wicket-taker, hence, could be another option as captain or vice-captain.

Value picks

Caleb Jewell

He is the kind of player who puts a price on his wicket. He has scores of 25, 27 and 26 in his last three outings, indicating that he might be ready to kick on and get a big one.

Qais Ahmed

Without Meredith and Faulkner, Ahmed could bowl at the Heat's big hitters, and if he finds his rhythm, there could be a few wickets in the offing. Besides, spinners have done better at the Gabba with an economy rate of 7, as opposed to the quicks who leak 8.69 runs per over.

Point to note

The average first innings score here is 150. If the Heat are batting first, best to pick a captain from their side and have more of their batsmen. If the Hurricanes bat first, you can gamble on having more of their bowlers.

BOSTON -- Kemba Walker was called for two technical fouls and ejected for the first time in his NBA career as part of a chaotic sequence at the 5:49 mark of the third quarter of Boston's 129-114 loss to the San Antonio Spurs at TD Garden on Wednesday night.

Walker was irate after being hit with a bone-crunching moving screen by Spurs big man LaMarcus Aldridge that sent Walker flying to the floor in front of rookie referee Evan Scott, moments before Celtics center Daniel Theis fouled Spurs guard Derrick White.

After Walker got up off the ground, he turned to Scott and began shouting at him, causing Scott to call him for the first technical. Walker then appeared to say, "That was a f---ing foul, man," causing Scott to whistle him for a second technical in a matter of seconds and eject him from the game.

Doing that caused Celtics coach Brad Stevens to scream at the officials in Walker's defense, earning him yet another technical -- this time from referee Tyler Ford.

After it was announced that Walker was ejected, a fan threw a drink from behind San Antonio's bench -- though it was unclear if they were throwing it at the Spurs themselves, or simply throwing it at the court.

A Celtics official said the fan was immediately identified and arrested.

Boston, which never led in a game in which the Spurs scored the first eight points and led 22-3 in the opening minutes, had closed an 18-point halftime deficit all the way to 76-69 on a layup by Jayson Tatum at the 6:09 mark of the third quarter before the three technicals, as well as the personal foul, were called on that play.

The Spurs then made four of the five free throws they were granted, kick-starting a 23-11 run to end the quarter that saw San Antonio go back up by 20 points and put the game away for good.

Boston has now lost two games in a row, after losing in Washington to the Wizards on Monday night, heading into its game against their Atlantic Division rivals, the Philadelphia 76ers, on Thursday night.

PHOENIX -- Relief pitcher Hector Rondon and the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a $3 million, one-year contract, according to multiple reports.

Rondon would get a $2.5 million salary next season and would include a team option for 2021 with a $500,000 buyout.

The 31-year-old right-hander is a seven-year veteran who helped the Chicago Cubs win the World Series in 2016. He pitched last season for the Houston Astros and had a 3.71 ERA over 62 appearances, including one start.

Rondon has 92 saves and could be a candidate to close games for the D-backs, though Archie Bradley returns after handling the closer role for much of the second half of last season.

The Arizona Republic first reported Rondon's signing.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Before the two Carabao Cup semifinals this week, it didn't feel like there was a lot of tension about who would be meeting at Wembley in a few weeks. On Tuesday, Manchester City held up their side of the predictability bargain by handing United their behinds on a plate in a 3-1 win that wasn't nearly that close. On Wednesday, surely this season's thrilling surprise package Leicester would make short work of an injury-ravaged Aston Villa that is battling relegation.

Things didn't quite turn out like that. Despite Brendan Rodgers's side dominating possession (70%-30%) and out-shooting Villa (21-3), Leicester salvaged a 1-1 draw thanks to a decisive late strike by substitute Kelechi Iheanacho, eventually equalising Frederic Guilbert's first-half goal. We are obliged at this point to describe the tie as "finely-poised."

Afterwards, Rodgers seemed relatively content with the way things lie, but this felt like a missed opportunity for Leicester. This was essentially their first-choice side, aside from the injured Wilfred Ndidi, but set-up with three at the back as opposed to their usual 4-1-4-1, a change that seemed curious.

"We were just a bit too passive for me in the first-half," said Rodgers afterwards, admitting that he erred by not picking the terrific Hamza Choudhury. They looked much more dynamic when the midfielder came on in the second-half, and indeed it was his pressing that forced the mistake for the equaliser, bullying Douglas Luiz and feeding Iheanacho to lash high into the net.

Villa defended very solidly, but this was a team surely there for the taking for Leicester, second in the league and earning praise all season for their brilliant play, now with a superb chance of reaching a final and possibly having something to show for it all.

The Carabao Cup would be only Leicester's fifth major trophy in their history: they won the same competition in 1964, 1997 and 2000, and then some modest bauble or other in 2016. It's sometimes easy to think, after their implausible Premier League triumph four years ago, that anything beneath that miracle is an anticlimax, but this trophy remains a huge deal for Leicester, particularly when you consider how much they were drifting only a year ago.

For Rodgers, too. His reputation has been restored and polished by his work with this terrific Leicester side, but he's never won a trophy in England. Piling up stacks of them in Scotland wasn't enough, which is why he left Celtic in the final weeks of last season, eschewing the chance to win a "Treble Treble." Silverware isn't the measure of success it once was, but it's still more tangible than any other.

That sense seemed to sweep through the crowd, too. It was as if going into a cup semifinal as clear favourites made everyone recognise that the expectation is on Leicester, that they have essentially been underdogs for much of the season but now they're the ones to be shot at.

Frustration in the stands was vocalised on a few occasions, most notably about midway through the first half when Ricardo Pereira brought the ball out of defence on the right, crossed the halfway line but stopped, turned around, looked left and right and eventually played a sideways pass. Howls of irritation came from the crowd at what was a relatively minor, if not frustrating, passage of play.

"It's a semifinal," said Rodgers afterwards, when asked about that reaction. "The club hasn't been to a final in 20 years. You have to show patience, you can't panic, and I thought the players dealt with that really well. There are always times when you're going to suffer."

Of course, at 1-1 Leicester will still be confident of winning at Villa Park and making it to Wembley, but they have made it a little more difficult for themselves than it could have been. Particularly when you look at their fixtures after the second leg. In their following three games, they are scheduled to host Chelsea and Manchester City, matches which sandwich a tricky trip to Wolves.

FRISCO, Texas -- As Jerry Jones sought the ninth coach in the history of the Dallas Cowboys, winning experience mattered.

The Cowboys are entering their third decade since their most recent Super Bowl victory. And in introducing Mike McCarthy as coach on Wednesday, it was clear Jones believes McCarthy will get his team back to a place it has not been since 1995.

"One of our primary goals in selecting the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys was to focus on a proven team-builder and winner. Someone who's got a proven track record of winning not only consistently, but at the highest level," said Jones, the owner and general manager. "[In] Mike McCarthy, we found a coach who not only checked those boxes, but also has the experience of taking an NFL team to the biggest stage, the Super Bowl, and completing the job."

The 56-year-old McCarthy, who won one Super Bowl in his 13 years with the Green Bay Packers, said he understands the expectations.

"I'm just going to say this to the fans: The commitment will be unwavering," McCarthy said. "I won my first Super Bowl here in North Texas at AT&T Stadium. I just want to tell you I am anxious and excited to get to work on winning the next Super Bowl for the Dallas Cowboys."

McCarthy, who has a 125-77-2 regular-season record, was short on details regarding his staff, although Kellen Moore is expected to remain as offensive coordinator. In addition, Mike Nolan (defensive coordinator), John Fassel (special teams), Jim Tomsula (defensive line) and Joe Philbin (offensive line) will serve under McCarthy.

McCarthy did not want to get into whether Dallas would remain in a 4-3 defensive scheme or if he would call plays on offense, although he did say how his Cowboys will do things "will be similar to the way I've always done it."

Wide receiver Randall Cobb, who played for McCarthy in Green Bay and is scheduled to be a free agent, was among the players in attendance at Wednesday's news conference. So were linemen Travis Frederick, Zack Martin and Antwaun Woods. Staff circled the atrium at Ford Center at The Star as McCarthy and Jerry and Stephen Jones spoke for nearly 48 minutes.

If Wednesday wasn't about what is to come, it was about the excitement of what McCarthy inherits. He faced both quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott in 2016, when his Packers ended the Cowboys' season in the divisional round of the playoffs.

"I've always been impressed with him," McCarthy said of Prescott. "You're going to able to run the whole offense and then some. I think he has an incredible foundation to build off of. And our offensive system will be built around making the quarterback successful. That's the way I've learned it. That's the way I believe you play offense. We have a great one here to work with."

Elliott has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in three of his first four seasons and has been the focal point of the offense.

McCarthy doesn't expect that to change.

"I think first off with Zeke, he's going to get the football. Let's make no mistake about that," McCarthy said. "I think you have to clearly understand when you saw the offense is going to make a quarterback successful, the best way to make him successful is a great run game. We clearly understand what we have here and how we could build off of that."

The five-year agreement between the Cowboys and McCarthy came together after an interview that lasted 12 hours last Saturday. It became clear to Jones and his son, Stephen, the executive vice president, that McCarthy would be their guy.

As only Jones can, he spun a family tale to connect to his affection to McCarthy.

"My sister explained to my dad one time when she was explaining why she wanted to divorce," Jones said. "Dad loved her husband and he said, 'What's gotten into you?' And she said, 'I don't hear bells.' He said, 'Bells? Bells? I haven't heard bells for the last 30 years.' The bottom line is that is a dad trying to advise his daughter on the right move.

"But the bottom line is, I heard bells."

McCarthy smiled as Jones told that story and had one of his own about the interview.

"Jerry is telling a story about the purchase of the Dallas Cowboys and at the end of the story, he leans over to me and he grabs me by the forearm and reaches out to shake my hand and he says, 'You need to be the coach of the Dallas Cowboys,'" McCarthy said. "I jumped up and hugged him. I'll stop right there. We had a hell of time.

"Now that's a moment. And that's a story I'll be telling the rest of my life."

PLAYA VISTA, Calif. -- After allowing a total of 272 points in their last two home games, the LA Clippers started a rare two-day practice stretch on Wednesday trying to find their defense and rediscover some of that underdog grinding mentality they had a season ago.

The Clippers are 26-12 despite shuffling injured players in and out and having little to no practice time. Still, a few of the players from last season's core that overachieved its way into the playoffs want to see the team play as hungry as it did last season.

"I think we just got to get used to understanding what we represent to other teams around the league," reigning sixth man of the year Lou Williams said of the Clippers' contending status now. "We've dropped some games because of that, because we went into some games without the same mindset (from last season) and not giving ourselves an opportunity to win. So I think we got to develop some of that (mentality) back and just get back to the grind."

"... We didn't expect to go undefeated, you know?" Williams also added. "So it's not like we're ringing no alarm or anything."

Doc Rivers and Paul George say the Clippers haven't played their best or as locked in as they were on Christmas when they beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 111-106. After the Clippers were hammered by the Memphis Grizzlies, 140-114, on Saturday at home, Montrezl Harrell harped on a notion that Rivers had repeatedly said to the media about how the Clippers are not a great team yet and people needed to stop saying that.

"Yeah, we haven't won anything, so that's pretty much the truth," Williams said when asked about Harrell's comments from Saturday. "Great teams have championships. We don't have one, so I agree with that."

The Clippers rebounded with a 135-132 win over the New York Knicks on Sunday at home but they surrendered 45 points in the first quarter to the Knicks. The Clippers were off on Monday and Tuesday to decompress and rest before focusing on defense in practice on Wednesday.

Last season, the Clippers went 48-34 despite trading their leading scorer, Tobias Harris, before the trade deadline. They still made the playoffs and lost in six games to the Golden State Warriors in the first round. The season was considered a success by many because the Clippers far exceeded expectations and overachieved.

But Rivers pushed back hard on that sentiment last weekend.

"What I know about last year, we were the eighth seed, we were 19th in defense," Rivers argued. "And we lost in the first round. And I just will reject that that was such a great year. ... We did some good things, but it wasn't good enough."

"I hate using that as a benchmark," he added. "... It's frustrating as hell to me. Like everyone brings it up. It's not a benchmark. That's a losing organization crap."

The players who were on that team last season don't use that record and playoff appearance as a measuring stick. But they do remember the hungry attitude and grinding mentality they had a year ago and hope they can rediscover some of that underdog mentality again in 2020.

"We got two superstars on our team now," JaMychal Green said. "It seems everybody we play has like a target on our back and give us their all. It's just a different feel to the game once we come into it."

"Defensively, just got to get back to our identity, playing hard," Green added. "We haven't been playing hard defensively, pick and rolls have been a little bad, close outs have been a little bad. We are just not ourselves. We are just trying to get back to us."

SALEM, Ind. – Reigning Vore’s Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman champion Zachary Tinkle will compete with the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour presented by Chevrolet Performance this season.

Tinkle Family Racing will compete for both rookie-of-the-year honors and for the series championship after a very successful 2019 season that saw Tinkle win not only the Vore’s Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman Championship, but that series Triple Crown title also.

Tinkle secured one Triple Crown Series win at Mt. Lawn Speedway and won the series season championship event at Winchester Speedway.

Tinkle was also the Anderson Speedway MEP Late Models champion and Rookie of the Year in 2019.

“I can’t wait for the race season to start,” remarked Tinkle. “The JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour schedule has several iconic tracks on it that we can’t wait to race on and includes some of my personal favorite tracks like Anderson and Winchester. Our team may be small, but it’s devoted. That’s why we hope to unload and be competitive wherever we go.”

Former Central Indiana racer Danny Trent, a multi time winner with the Vore’s Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman and at Anderson Speedway, will once again crew chief for Tinkle Family Racing and Tinkle, after the two hit it off in 2019 with some great results.

“From the first test session with Zachary, I knew we had something I could work with and could win races,” noted Trent. “It’s been an honor to see how much Zachary has grown the past year. I’m excited and looking forward to this next journey of working with Zachary and Tinkle Family Racing and competing in the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour.”

The team has already tested with their race car set up as a JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour car at Winchester Speedway, doing so the week following the Winchester 400, with good results.

Tinkle was officially crowned the 2019 Vore’s Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman Champion at the recent CRA Awards Banquet, where he officially announced his intentions for the 2020 season.

Tinkle finished fifth in Vore’s Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman points in 2018, when he was that series Sportsman of the Year and the series Most Popular Driver.

Tinkle is a former Super Cup racer, where he was the 2017 Central States Region (CSR) Super Cups and 2016 Rockford Speedway Wild Wednesday Super Cup champion.

LOS ANGELES — The 79th running of the oldest midget racing classic in America, the Turkey Night Grand Prix, ran for the fourth consecutive year over the Thanksgiving holiday at the scenic fifth-mile clay Ventura Raceway, just across the street from the Pacific Ocean.

Ventura also was the 1997 TNGP site. Spectator and participant attendance was impressive despite rainy weather.

• The unique perpetual Aggie Trophy has one of his personal Stetson hats bronzed atop the trophy. It honors late-race organizer J. C. Agajanian, who revived the TNGP in 1955. No races were held from 1951-1955. His three sons (Cary, J.C. Jr. and Chris) have presented the TNGP since 1984 at five speedways.

• J.C. Jr. told me his family appreciates Ventura promoter Jim Naylor’s tireless efforts preparing the track on his grader throughout the TNGP despite rain interruptions. He really knows the sea level water table and how it affects his clay track. It was rougher this year because of rain.

• Midget drivers came from 13 states and two foreign countries. California led with 38 of 68 drivers. Australia and New Zealand each sent one driver.

• The 360 sprint car field represented USAC West Coast and VRA circuits. The 28 sprint car drivers came from five states and New Zealand. California led with 23 drivers.

• Last year the TNGP had 12 chassis builders and this year had 14. Spike led with 35 midgets.

Last year 18 midget engine builders had engines in the TNGP field and this year had 17 different engines. Speedway Toyota led with 18.

• The 2018 TNGP sprint car field had 14 different chassis and 16 engine builders. This year the sprint field named seven chassis and 12 engine builders. Maxim led with 11 cars. Chevy was the engine listed for 12 sprint cars.

• The 2018 TNGP had seven female drivers in midgets. This year, there were five females (Randi Pankratz, Holley Hollan, Maria Cofer, Audra Sasselli and Karsyn Elledge) racing midgets and none in the sprint division.

• Ron “Sleepy” Tripp is the eight-time USAC Western States champion, 1975-76 USAC National Midget champion and winner of 161 midget features. He was co-TNGP Grand Marshal with his longtime winning midget car owner Gary Zarounian.

• The 34-page color printed program from Harold Osmer and Neil Nissing (the program guys since 2001) was another winner and cost only $5. It included accurate midget and sprint car entry rosters, all Ventura track records, a TNGP crossword puzzle, point standings for all USAC series and VRA, numerous color photos, a USAC story about co-grand marshals Tripp and Zarounian, the usual top five finishers in all TNGP events starting in 1934, plus pages to write-in lineups, ads and an autograph page.

• Midget and sprint car counts for the TNGP during the last four years at Ventura have been impressive. In 2016 there were 96 cars (53 midgets and 43 sprints); 2017 – 99 cars (50 midgets and 49 sprints); 2018 – 105 cars (63 midgets and 42 sprints); 2019 – 96 cars (68 midgets and 28 sprints). USAC’s Richie Murray revealed 68 midgets this year was the highest TNGP midget count since 1992 at Bakersfield Speedway.

• After the 98-lap midget feature concluded six midgets and drivers came to the finish line for podium trophy presentations and for the official crowning of the series champions. It probably was the latest (12:20 a.m.) and coldest (39 degrees) presentation in memory.

• USAC Western Midget 2019 champion Robert Dalby and Western Midget rookie star Ben Worth, 24, were there. Dalby said, “We hit our stride in the middle of the year.”

He won three consecutive features from July-September. He said he plans to move to Indiana in 2020 to race more frequently.

• Tyler Courtney was fresh from his white-flag flip across the finish line in his Clauson-Marshall No. 7bc about 10 minutes earlier. His crew had to wheel out the team’s NOS Energy Drink No. 17bc driven by Chris Windom for photo purposes.

Courtney’s flipped midget (taken to the pits) had front wheels pointing in opposite directions and would not roll. The USAC National Midget Series champion Courtney sprayed champagne on his racing team following their group photo.

• TNGP runner-up Cannon McIntosh received the Basile Rookie of the Race award. The teenage sensation from Bixby, Okla., spoke to remaining fans who had not fled to the warmth of their cars.

“My legs lost feeling at the end,” he explained. “I drove hard for the first 30 laps. I knew something was wrong with my car near the end but didn’t know what it was (broken rear suspension). I was not intimidated by Kyle Larson. I just drove my race. He drove around me (on lap 88 inside in turns three and four). It’s not a win, but it’s cool being up here. I want to thank my dad (car owner Dave McIntosh).”

The 80th running of the TNGP will be run at Ventura Raceway for the sixth time and fifth consecutive year. The dates will be Nov. 25-26.

Michelle Wie won’t be teeing it up in next week’s LPGA season opener at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions at Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Sources told GolfChannel.com that she's also not likely to play in the following week’s Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio in Florida.

Wie, who turned 30 in October, is still rehabilitating from the lingering hand and wrist injuries that caused her to shut down play early in each of the last two seasons. In October of 2018, she underwent surgery to repair an avulsion fracture, bone chips and nerve entrapment in her right hand.

In her return last February, she tied for 23rd at the Honda LPGA Thailand, but pain followed her the rest of the year. She withdrew in the first round of her title defense at the HSBC Women’s World Championship, the week after Thailand. She missed cuts playing through pain at the ANA Inspiration, the Lotte Championship and the KPMG Women’s PGA before shutting down play again to rest and rehabilitate in the second half of last season.

Wie declined an interview request this week but told GolfChannel.com late last year that while she wanted to play the Diamond Resorts, she wasn’t going to rush her return.

“I’m very determined to play next year,” she said last fall. “There is no hard, set date for my return . . . I’m doing everything I can to get there, but at the same time, I have to learn to listen to my body. If I’m not ready, I’m not ready.”

Wie’s time away was still newsworthy. In August, she got married to Jonnie West, the Golden State Warriors director of basketball operations and son of Los Angeles Lakers legend Jerry West. Also, last month, CBS announced that she signed on to do broadcasting duties for a select number of the network’s PGA Tour events, including the Masters.