RICK CARLISLE POUNCED.

The topic of Kristaps Porzingis' post-ups had just been broached after the Dallas Mavericks' 102-98 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Dec. 26, and Carlisle had already heard enough.

"The post-up just isn't a good play anymore," the Mavs' head coach said. "It just isn't a good play. It's not a good play for a 7-foot-3 guy. It's a low-value situation."

But Chris Webber, the color commentator during the game, had spent much of the broadcast imploring Porzingis to go to the low block more. Hall of Famers Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley loudly echoed the point during the halftime show.

"Our numbers are very substantial that when [Porzingis] spaces beyond the 3-point line, we're a historically good offensive team," Carlisle continued. "And when any of our guys go in there, our effectiveness is diminished exponentially. It's counterintuitive, I understand that, but it's a fact.

"We've got to realize," Carlisle said, "that this game has changed."

So has Porzingis' role as he moved to a new franchise. He spent his formative NBA years playing in the Knicks' post-heavy triangle. ("That offense is extinct," Carlisle said. "Look, it went extinct when Phil Jackson retired.")

Then Porzingis posted up even more often after Jackson's exit from the New York front office, when he earned an All-Star appearance despite the Knicks' losing record.

"Let's get off this stuff that KP needs to go in the post," Carlisle said. "He doesn't. He doesn't."

These are the habits the Mavs are working hard to break, part of the reprogramming of Porzingis.

He has been pushed to adapt his game to fit into a system as a sidekick and enhance the skills of a generational talent in 6-foot-7 point guard Luka Doncic, helping produce an offense that ranks as the second-most efficient in NBA history with 114.9 points per 100 possessions, despite his individual struggles.

And he's doing it all with one key development -- Porzingis had to decide he wouldn't allow his pride to get in the way of winning.

PORZINGIS TOOK TWO steps toward the middle of the floor, pivoted just above the free throw line to seal his man and reached out his right hand while making eye contact with his point guard. He wanted the ball. He wanted to go to work. Doncic ignored him.

Porzingis waited a few awkward seconds before accepting that the ball wasn't coming. He walked toward the left wing with his head down and back to the play. Doncic dribbled into the teeth of the LA Clippers defense and turned the ball over.

It might have looked like a relatively meaningless possession in the Mavericks' preseason finale victory on Oct. 17, but antennas raised in the organization. The on-floor rapport between the two young franchise cornerstones was in question.

"We've got a group of guys that are still at the stages of their career where they're trying to establish themselves," Carlisle told ESPN in his office after the Mavs' Dec. 4 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. "No matter what I say or anybody on the coaching staff says, these guys are going to have to go through certain growth stages on their own.

"Look, it's not a big problem, but there's an awareness. And it's getting better and better."

Early in the season, there were other blips -- bad body language and words muttered under their breaths -- but the duo presented a united front publicly. The media-shy Doncic was especially supportive when Porzingis struggled.

"We all believe in him," Doncic said after Porzingis' four-point, 1-of-11 performance in their Nov. 11 loss to the Boston Celtics.

Porzingis expected a quick return to All-Star level -- a bigger, stronger version of the "Unicorn" -- and to form one of the league's elite duos with Doncic. His hopes intensified when he scored 23, 24 and 32 points in the first three games of the season. The 20 months of rust after rehabbing a torn left ACL? It was chipping off before the calendar hit November.

"Throughout my career, a lot of times maybe my energy was based on if I score or not, and that leads to everything else. Now, it's not that I've changed my mindset. I'm still a scorer, but if it's not going in and things aren't going my way offensively, I'm still there for the rest of the other stuff. That's a big change for me."

Kristaps Porzingis

But it was fool's gold, and the struggles coaches warned Porzingis about would come. He often forced shots and cluttered the flow and spacing of the offense by calling for post-ups.

"It humbled me a little bit," Porzingis told ESPN in early December. "I thought how ready I was, and then you kind of hit a little bit of like, not walls, but hurdles.

"[I thought] 'Oh, I don't really have the rhythm for the game yet. Oh, it's a new system.'"

And the 20-year-old Porzingis considered his co-star? He had already emerged as an MVP candidate. The best chance opponents had to defend Doncic early this season was for Porzingis to be on the floor with him. Dallas averaged an astounding 123.9 points per 100 possessions when Porzingis wasn't on the floor over his first 10 games, per NBA Advanced Stats. The Mavs' offensive rating plummeted to 102.3 with Porzingis in the game.

That's the difference between being the most efficient offense in NBA history by several points and ranking dead last in the league this season.

Forced to prioritize between reestablishing himself as an All-Star or playing a secondary role for the overall benefit of a team with playoff ambitions, Porzingis chose the latter. The Mavs needed him to focus on how he could best fit with a phenom.

"I didn't expect -- nobody expected -- Luka to be hooping like this," Porzingis said. "Luka runs the show. He's been playing incredibly effective. I'm there to support him in any way I can -- stretching the floor or whatever so he can do his thing."

THE MAVERICKS LED by one point when Porzingis checked back into the Nov. 29 game with 7:58 left at Phoenix's Talking Stick Resort Arena. He was in jeopardy of going 0-for from the field for only the fourth time in his career. He had missed all seven of his field goal attempts in the game so far, his only points coming on a pair of free throws.

Porzingis made his presence felt on the ensuing possession. He stepped up to stop a Devin Booker drive, reaching his long left arm out to deflect the pass and come up with a steal when the Suns' star tried to dish to Dario Saric on the baseline. Porzingis' outlet pass to Doncic led to a foul in transition and a pair of free throws.

That started a 19-4 run for the Mavs that put the game away, and Porzingis was a dominant force despite touching the ball only twice on offense the rest of the game, missing his sixth 3-point attempt of the night with 5:53 remaining and swinging the ball a couple of possessions later to Seth Curry for an open corner 3 that pushed Dallas' lead to double digits.

Porzingis essentially shut down the Suns' offense with his relentless energy and rim protection. He swatted a Ricky Rubio floater from behind after the Suns' point guard pushed the ball up the floor and attacked before the Dallas defense was set. Porzingis fought his way around a seal by wide-bodied Suns center Aron Baynes to reject a reverse layup when Rubio beat Doncic on a baseline drive, flicking the shot away with his left hand, keeping the ball in bounds for Curry to recover.

It's this outing -- a two-point, 13-rebound, two-steal, three-block performance -- that Dallas owner Mark Cuban points to when discussing Porzingis' importance to the Mavs.

"I've never, ever seen a situation where a max-level player is asked to change his game, does it and still impacts games the way he does," said Cuban, who gave Porzingis a five-year, $158 million maximum contract before he played a minute for the Mavs.

Part of Dallas' challenge to Porzingis was providing the constant energy for the dirty work his job entails, regardless of how active he is on offense.

Porzingis ranks fifth in the league with 2.1 blocks per game, and opponents have converted only 49% of attempts near the rim against him, the second lowest among 31 players with at least 150 such contests, per Second Spectrum tracking. He's also averaging a career-best 9.4 rebounds.

"Throughout my career, a lot of times maybe my energy was based on if I score or not, and that leads to everything else," Porzingis said. "Now, it's not that I've changed my mindset. I'm still a scorer, but if it's not going in and things aren't going my way offensively, I'm still there for the rest of the other stuff.

"That's a big change for me."

There would be times, Carlisle told him, when he wouldn't get the ball often if the Mavs played their preferred, free-flowing style of offense. Porzingis provides value in those situations by spotting up beyond the 3-point arc on the weak side, pulling an opposing center or power forward away from the paint.

The game in Phoenix was one of those nights, as Doncic sliced through the Suns' defense for 42 points and 11 assists.

"KP is showing a real maturity about our whole situation," Carlisle said. "He's making it about the team, and it's something that has really influenced our whole team in a very positive way."

There were times early this season, Carlisle acknowledged, that Porzingis showed "overt frustration" when he struggled offensively and allowed it to zap his energy on the other end.

"As we've gone along and the team has done better, on some of those nights where the shots aren't falling or there are some frustrating things with not getting calls or whatever, he is staying into the game and really into it on the defensive end," Carlisle said.

After a pause, Carlisle added with strong emphasis: "And he is a monster on defense."

Porzingis' individual offensive production (17.3 points per game on 40.3% shooting) still isn't close to his personal expectations, as his scoring has dipped more than five points per game from his injury-shortened final season with the Knicks. He's not satisfied, but he sees growth potential, not reason to gripe. "Hey man, we're winning," Porzingis said. "I'm here to do whatever it takes."

Porzingis pushed for a divorce with the Knicks because he didn't believe in that franchise's potential to build a perennial winner. He recognizes that it would be hypocritical to complain about his role as the Mavs are enjoying success and emerging as a potential long-term contender.

"That's why I'm here," Porzingis said. "That's why I'm not somewhere else."

PORZINGIS WAS A half-step from the deer's ear on the midcourt logo when he launched his last 3-pointer during the Mavs' Dec. 16 trip to Milwaukee. The 29-foot attempt was so far out that Giannis Antetokounmpo seemed too surprised to strongly contest it, even though Porzingis had knocked down a 30-footer the previous possession. This one was another swish.

Porzingis had one of his best all-around performances as the injured Doncic watched -- and tweeted -- from his couch in Dallas, as the Mavs snapped the Milwaukee Bucks' 18-game winning streak. Porzingis scored 26 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, dished out four assists and blocked two shots.

Porzingis was 9-of-19 from the field in that victory. His bucket distribution against the Bucks: four 3-pointers, all from 27 feet or farther; three pull-up jumpers off of dribble-handoff action; a driving dunk; and a monstrous putback slam over the reigning MVP. Porzingis' only shot attempt from a pure post-up was a missed midrange turnaround that was well contested by Milwaukee forward Khris Middleton.

As he vowed the night Doncic went down because of a sprained ankle, Porzingis stayed within the framework of the Mavs' system instead of trying to carry the offense.

"I'm just trying to get to the rim more and trying to shoot 3s," Porzingis told reporters after the win in Milwaukee. "It's still a bit weird for me to shoot eight or nine 3s a game. Like five is OK for me, that's what I was more used to. So now, I'm shooting a bit more from outside. I'm just trying to play the right way, how we want to play as a team, and it's working for us.

"I don't want to try to do my own thing out there because it's going to mess up our whole flow with offense, and we want to keep winning."

Porzingis put up big numbers in the four full games that Doncic missed, averaging 22.5 points and 13.8 rebounds -- a significant upgrade from his season statistics -- as Dallas went 2-2 without its superstar guard.

Porzingis had arguably his two most impressive outings as a Maverick during that stretch: the big game against the Bucks and a 22-point, 18-rebound, three-block effort in a road win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

But Dallas' offense remains a brand of basketball that feels foreign to Porzingis, particularly when he's paired with Doncic and rarely gets plays run for him. In New York, Porzingis was fed a steady diet of shots the Mavs' style of play minimizes.

"He effectively grew up playing one way in the NBA, and he's had to change it 180 degrees," Cuban said. "He's gone from the triangle [offense], multiple coaches, posting him up and midrange to no midrange, moving the ball and spread the court.

"You can see it. You can see the adjustment he's gone through."

"When any of our guys go in there, our effectiveness is diminished exponentially. It's counterintuitive, I understand that, but it's a fact. We've got to realize that this game has changed."

Mavs coach Rick Carlisle, on de-emphasizing the post-up

Porzingis' shooting numbers aren't pretty at first glance or after a deeper analytical dig. Carlisle has mentioned on multiple occasions that he needs to help Porzingis get better shots.

According to Second Spectrum tracking, Porzingis has an overall quantified shot quality of 47.9% this season, meaning that's the expected effective field goal percentage for an average shooter based on the types and locations of his shots and how closely they are contested. (Porzingis' effective field goal percentage this season is 47.5).

Porzingis has been especially poor on post-ups, averaging only 0.57 points per possession, the worst among 62 players with more than 30 post-up possessions this season.

"That's my stuff, man," Porzingis said, shaking his head about his struggles in the post. "That's my stuff."

But that stuff isn't part of the Mavs' plan, though Carlisle says Porzingis needs to be able to punish smaller defenders on switches for his two-man game with Doncic to take off.

Carlisle prefers to focus on the positive, though, and there's plenty of it for the 21-12 Mavs.

It's a bit hyperbolic for Carlisle to call Porzingis a "historically great all-time 3-point shooter with unbelievable efficiency," as he did during his anti-post-up soliloquy a week ago. However, the Mavs believe Porzingis' long-range accuracy will trend from its current 34.3% toward the 39.5% he shot during his final season with the Knicks, and they benefit from how he stretches defenses even when his jumpers don't fall.

And Carlisle raves about the "great synergy" he sees developing between his franchise cornerstones. He specifically points to the Mavs' Dec. 12 win over the Detroit Pistons as proof. Doncic put on a show for the Mexico City crowd with 42 points and 11 assists, including five dimes to Porzingis. The highlights were a couple of alley-oops, when Doncic drove and Porzingis randomly cut from the corner, spectacular plays that required them to be on the same page.

That game wrapped up an 11-2 run for the Mavs, during which Dallas generated an eye-popping 124.7 points per 100 possessions with Doncic and Porzingis playing together. That eliminated any doubt about Porzingis being able to enhance Doncic's excellence instead of interrupting it.

"Obviously, I'm always looking to score and I want to be aggressive, but I want to do what's best for the team," Porzingis said, minutes after Carlisle went viral for his post-up rant following the win over the Spurs. "And if that's the way we're effective and we're good on offense, I'm with it. If we're winning, I'm with it.

"Imagine we're No. 1 [-ranked offense] with me shooting, what, 40%? Something like that from the field. So once I become more efficient with my own shots and my own stuff, then those numbers will go up even more as a team. So as long as we're winning, we'll stick to it and I'll do what's right."

A reporter in the scrum started asking a question about Doncic's return when Porzingis politely interrupted, realizing his last sentence might be misconstrued. He didn't want to leave any room for misinterpretation.

"That sounded a little bit off, what I said at the end," Porzingis said. "But you know what I mean. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to win. That's what I want to say.

"I'm with whatever coach wants us to do."

New York Yankees pitcher Domingo German has been given an 81-game suspension for violating the MLB domestic violence policy, commissioner Rob Manfred announced Thursday.

German, who had already been placed on administrative leave for the final 18 games of the 2019 season, including nine postseason games, will sit out the first 63 games of the 2020 season.

German was put on administrative leave on Sept. 19 while MLB investigated alleged domestic violence involving his girlfriend, with whom he has at least one child.

"My office has completed its investigation into the allegations that Domingo German violated Major League Baseball's Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy," Manfred said in a statement. "Having reviewed all of the available evidence, I have concluded that Mr. German violated our Policy and that discipline is appropriate."

German will not appeal the discipline, which also includes participation in an evaluation and treatment program supervised by MLB's Joint Policy Board. He also has agreed to make a contribution to Sanctuary for Families, a New York City-based nonprofit organization dedicated to aiding victims of domestic violence.

"We remain steadfast in our support of Major League Baseball's investigative process and the disciplinary action taken regarding Domingo German," the Yankees said in a statement issued Thursday. "Domestic violence -- in any form -- is a gravely serious matter that affects every segment of our society. Major League Baseball has taken the lead in our industry to make domestic violence awareness and prevention a priority, and we will continue to back those efforts. We are encouraged by Domingo's acceptance of his discipline, and we sincerely hope this indicates a commitment to making a meaningful and positive change in his personal conduct."

German's ban is the longest levied by MLB under its domestic violence policy for a player who was not formally charged. Addison Russell of the Chicago Cubs was suspended 40 games spanning the 2018-19 seasons following a series of allegations by his ex-wife.

Former San Diego pitcher Jose Torres was banned 100 games in 2018 following an arrest on domestic violence charges.

German, a 27-year-old right-hander, was the top winner for the American League East champions last season, going 18-4 with a 4.03 ERA in 24 starts and three relief appearances over 143 innings this season.

German had a $577,000 salary but will not be paid for the time he missed after being placed on leave. He is expected to make a similar salary for 2020 but again will not be paid while suspended.

New York has been preparing to go on without German for much of 2020. The club signed right-hander Gerrit Cole to a $324 million, nine-year contract last month, the largest deal ever for a pitcher in total dollars and average annual value. Cole is expected to be followed in the rotation by left-hander James Paxton and right-handers Masahiro Tanaka and Luis Severino, with lefties J.A. Happ and Jordan Montgomery also available.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

With the Moto2 World Championship secured, adding to his Moto3 World Championship from 2014, Alex Marquez finds himself moving to the Repsol Honda Team in MotoGP for the new season.

Racing alongside his brother and eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez, he will done the orange, navy and white of the Repsol Honda Team for the first time. Alex Marquez outlines his ambitions for the year and what it feels like to step inside the garage of MotoGP’s most iconic team in this Q&A.

Q: This is the first time wearing the Repsol Honda colors, what does it mean to you?

A: “Well it’s a dream come true, it’s an incredible honor to have these colors on and to have this shirt on. I’m really happy with this opportunity to go to MotoGP with the Repsol Honda Team. I’m really proud. It’s a new situation for me, I’m used to seeing Marc in these colors but not me. It’s special.”

Q: What does it mean to you to be a rookie in a historic team like the Repsol Honda Team?

A: “Well I think for every rookie it’s a dream, or the target, to be in a factory team. After winning the Moto2 Championship your target or your wish is to be a factory rider, so this has come true for me. To be in the Repsol Honda Team, a team with the most history in the MotoGP paddock is an honor. I know it’s a challenge, but it’s a nice challenge. From the first moment I said I wanted this opportunity, 100 percent and now I try to enjoy it.”

Q: What is your goal for the season?

A: “I can say that I want to be the Rookie of the Year – that’s the first goal. But to put a goal about positions or something like this, right now I am focused on understanding the bike and aiming to have more feeling to build my confidence. Before the Qatar race, I will be able to see a little better what our real position is and what we can do from the first race.”

Q: What was it like being in the Repsol Honda garage for the first time, knowing you’re a factory rider?

A: “It’s really special. In the stomach you have butterflies when you put on your leathers, you walk in and you see your team and you know it’s your team. Both bikes sitting there, it’s like continuous special feelings during the first test. Now in Malaysia I think everything will be more under control, less nerves and more relaxed but the team already helped me to relax a lot in Jerez.”

Q: You will be one of the tallest riders in MotoGP – do you think it can help you?

A: “Being tall can have some advantages such as maybe moving the body and how you can use your weight. Maybe in the wet it’s a bit easier but maybe there are disadvantages and some things can be a little bit worse. But you know, you need to live with this and be strong where you can and lose as little time as possible where you are weaker.”

Q: You will be a rookie but being a Repsol and an HRC rider isn’t new for you, you’re back after your past in the Spanish Championship and Moto3. Did you ever imagine coming back to Repsol and HRC?

A: “When you start, you imagine things like this can happen in your best dreams but it’s difficult. There are many hours of training, many races, many things that can happen in a rider’s career. I started already in the Spanish Championship with Repsol where we won in 2012 and it was really special. Then in 2014 we started a new project with the Honda Moto3 and HRC, the factory was behind me and it was incredible that year to win in the first year of the project. After all these years to come back to Honda is a dream, I’m looking forward to working with these amazing people, this factory and of course Repsol.”

Q: It’s the first time in history that two brothers will share a garage in MotoGP.

A: “It’s a special moment, a special year but we need to be natural and approach it like a normal situation. We know we are brothers but inside the team we need to be professional, we are different riders. We each have our own teams, so we need to work in our own way. For sure for me it’s an advantage to have a six-time MotoGP World Champion in my garage because I can see a lot of data from him and see how I need to ride this Honda machine, to help find the secrets. So, I will try to take all the information from him and all the Honda riders to try and learn as much as possible.”

WATERBURY, Vt. – Two of the most reputable names in Northeast Modified racing will be part of the operations team for the inaugural Northeast Classic.

American-Canadian Tour and Pro All Stars Series officials have announced that Ed Bennett and Greg Felton will oversee the Modified Open at Loudon’s New Hampshire Motor Speedway on April 17-18.

Bennett and Felton have been part of the regional modified racing scene for decades. Each currently holds a major role with the Tri-Track Open Modified Series. Bennett joined the series in January 2019 as a managing partner in charge of race day operations. He is also a longtime modified car owner who has fielded rides for drivers such as Matt Hirschman, Jimmy Blewett, Chuck Hossfield and Erick Rudolph.

Felton was named series head of race tech for the Tri-Track Modifieds in February 2019. Felton has been a successful Modified crew chief for decades, winning races and championships with Woody Pitkat, Kirk Alexander, Todd Szgedy, and others. He transitioned to a race official in recent years and served as a technical advisor for Modified Racing Series prior to joining Tri-Track Open Modified Series.

Bennett and Felton now bring their expertise to the first-ever Northeast Classic. The Modified Open will be a 50-lap event as part of a packed schedule at New Hampshire Motor Speedway that includes the season-openers for the ACT and PASS North series’ as well as an open event for eight-cylinder Street Stocks.

“We’re excited that Ed and Greg have agreed to take the reins for the Modified Open,” ACT managing partner Cris Michaud said. “When Tom (Mayberry) and I were putting the Northeast Classic together, we knew getting the right people for the Modified portion was a must. Ed and Greg’s resumes speak for themselves. They’re doing great things with the Tri-Track Modifieds and they’ll do a great job for us at NHMS.”

“To run a successful Modified event, you need people who understand Modifieds,” PASS president Tom Mayberry added. “Cris and I are full-fendered guys, so we knew we had to find people for the Modified side that were in their element. Getting Ed and Greg on board was a priority for us, and we’re happy they’ll be part of the team putting on the first-ever Northeast Classic.”

DALLAS -- Jason Dickinson knew his coach would be no match for Alex OINK-vechkin.

As the Dallas Stars forward stood at his team's bench during a timeout, he caught a glimpse of the pig races being held near the Winter Classic rink inside the Cotton Bowl, part of the game's celebration of all things Texas. Coach Rick Bowness was talking to his players about structure and strategy. Dickinson felt his mind starting to go hog wild.

"I saw it on the big screen. I had to look away. I knew I'd get in trouble," he told me with a laugh. "This game was everything and more."

Everyone was making their Stefon from "Saturday Night Live" jokes about the 2020 Winter Classic, because this place had everything: knife jugglers, rodeo clowns, a mechanical bull, line dancers [pause for comedic effect] ... Alex OINK-vechkin.

That was on the field. Outside the Cotton Bowl, there was a midway of carnival games, a giant Ferris wheel, and corn dogs the size of Zdeno Chara's hockey stick.

"This is our 29th outdoor game. We try to dress up the stadium a little bit differently to reflect a local ambiance," said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. "I understand Twitter is going nuts, in a good way, over the pig races. They want more of them."

Yes! We want more pig races, literally and symbolically. Because the NHL's outdoor games are at their best when they're at their weirdest.

The 2020 Winter Classic was the rare total package. The Stars and Nashville Predators played an intense, meaningful game that had controversy and physicality as well as flurries of goals. It was the kind of hockey that isn't often seen on a rink in a football stadium.

"That was great hockey, man," Bowness said, succinctly.

Add that to the weird and you have what's easily in the top three of Winter Classics, and a contender for most satisfying outdoor game experience in NHL history.

It's the weird that usually sticks in the mind long after these games are done. The palm trees, along with KISS playing in the Dodger Stadium game. The winds of Wrigley Field, where Ryne Sandberg sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" with Stan Mikita. Nelly -- Nelly! -- and the alumni game in St. Louis. Quick: Who scored the game-winning goal in South Bend last year? You probably have no idea, but you remember the leprechaun falling down on the ice and the Bruins dressing like "Peaky Blinders," don't you?

But the true memorable weirdness of the 2020 Winter Classic wasn't the giant cowboy boots or the honky-tonk dancers or even the aforementioned Alex OINK-vechkin.

It was the Nashville Predators and the Dallas Stars being chosen to play in one. Especially for the players who never thought they'd get this chance while a member of either franchise.

"To be honest, no," Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis told me before the game. "It's not that we're forgotten down there at all, but you see a lot of the previous games go to the bigger markets. To the Chicagos and Torontos."

This was the first Winter Classic not to feature either at least one Original Six team or the Pittsburgh Penguins in it.

"Coming from Boston, not getting to play in [the Fenway] one and then getting traded, I always wanted to play in one. I wouldn't have said in my head when I got traded here that I would be playing in an outdoor game as a Dallas Star. It was surreal when we found out the news," said center Tyler Seguin. "Coming to Dallas, I didn't know what to expect. I expected cowboy hats and horses riding around, stuff like that. But I think the NHL got a glimpse at the fans we have here at the NHL draft, and liked what they saw, and now we have this game."

One of the consistent complaints about the NHL from fans is the lack of variety in the teams it promotes the most. The old joke that goes "wait, you can play an outdoor game without the Blackhawks?" is grounded not only in the actual tally (six outdoor games, the most in the NHL) but in the cynicism that the league and its television partners don't want to mix up the playlist from the traditional standards.

The Stars and Predators were a new tune, and it was an instant earworm.

It's a feeling we'll get again when Nashville and Raleigh host their Stadium Series games in the next few years, each becoming an open celebration of their hockey cultures. We'll be overwhelmed by it when Las Vegas gets a stadium event. Tampa would be great as well, as evidenced by the All-Star Game party there. And while it might take the Penguins as an opponent to help fill all 104,851 seats at the Horseshoe, a Columbus outdoor game at Ohio State would be epic.

The NHL is going to Minnesota for the Winter Classic next year, after the team played a Stadium Series game previously. That's fine. The freezing temps will present a unique challenge. It's wild the Wild have been in only one outdoor game. But as weirdness goes, it's not the most inspired choice.

Now, if the league really wanted to get freaky, it'd throw Winnipeg in as the opponent, as a convoy of Jets supporters cross the border and invade the game like the Predators fans did in Dallas. I've had some people inside the league tell me that this would be their preference too but that there's little chance the NHL's television partners would agree to a Minnesota vs. Winnipeg game on New Year's Day. (Best guess for a 2021 foe: the St. Louis Blues.)

No matter the opponent, I just hope the NHL continues to throw everything it has at these concepts to make it as weird as possible. The charm of the Winter Classic isn't some utopian "boys on the pond" vision of hockey. That's boring and repetitive. The charm of the Winter Classic is a community coming together to celebrate the game, party with one other and wallow in the silly traditions of the host city. That's weird and captivating.

What's the Minnesota version of a pig race, anyway? A deer derby? A wolf rally?

"It was kind of neat, having pig races during a hockey game," said Dallas goalie Ben Bishop.

"Top that," Seguin said.

Jersey Fouls

From Kristopher Martel at the Winter Classic:

Wrong game, buddy. (cc @wyshynski) pic.twitter.com/CLkO9ROmIR

— Kristopher Martel (@kmartel_sports) January 1, 2020

Two things about this "Shirsey Foul." First, you have to at least acknowledge that an attempt was made to rock the green in support of the Dallas Stars. Second, Jersey Fouls at the Winter Classic are dicey. It's essentially a celebration of hockey. My rule of thumb: Wear whatever jersey you'd like as long as it's not a team either of the participants would consider a primary rival. And 2017 Stanley Cup Final aside, the Penguins aren't really one for the Stars or the Predators. Now, had this been a Patrick Kane shirsey ...

Three more things about the 2020 Winter Classic

1. I know this is going to come as a surprise, but I've never scored a goal in the National Hockey League. I always assumed that if I did, I would marinate in the crowd's roar and hear every single joyful shout that my feat had inspired.

Turns out, that's not how it works for NHL players, as I found out when I asked Dallas forward Mattias Janmark -- who was dressed like Vincent Vegas cosplaying as line dancer -- about the feeling you get when you score a goal in front of 85,000 fans, as he did for the Stars in the Classic.

"I don't know. Honestly, when you score, you kind of block that out," he told me.

Huh.

"You're so emotional. In those moments, you wish you could take it all in, but you kind of get caught up in your own [emotions]. In the minutes after, it's amazing to see."

Was he an outlier? Not really. I asked Stars forward Blake Comeau, who also scored in the Winter Classic.

"I didn't hear the crowd right when I scored, just because you're so excited on the ice with the guys. It's an important game division-wise, but it's also so important to give our fans something to cheer about as well," he said. "After I got to the bench and sat down, I was able to soak it up. Thinking about my family in the stands, being able to see it in person. It was so cool."

So there you go: Even if NHL players don't hear your deafening roars at first, they will eventually.

2. I've covered upward of a dozen outdoor games, and I think this one was the best in terms of swag design:

Winter Classic shirt designs part 2 pic.twitter.com/VZ62fwx4iY

— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) January 1, 2020

The "hockey armadillo" one is just delightfully weird. (It was also available on a hat.) I met an out-of-towner in my hotel elevator wearing one and told him I thought they were great. He didn't know what the armadillo signified, or why it was holding a hockey stick. I told him that, as far as I could tell, the animal is found throughout Texas, and the highway sign was a reminder that they frequently end up as roadkill.

He seemed significantly less enamored with his purchase all of a sudden.

3. The Dallas Winter Classic wasn't entirely rainbows and pig races. We'd be remiss if we didn't mention the absolute cluster that was the entry to the fan fest "midway," filled with rides and games of chance, as well as Marty Turco signing autographs for fans with membership cards to a Vegas casino operator.

It was a claustrophobic terror: Lines for corn dogs and spiked seltzer, colliding with lines of fans trying to enter the fan fest, colliding with lines for entirely different food offerings, colliding with thousands of fans just trying to make their way to the main gate of the Cotton Bowl. I stood in this mess for 25 minutes and didn't move, like being stuck on the world's largest overcrowded subway car. One woman said to me, "Stay out of the midway if you like moving. It's a nightmare." Another pleaded to me, "Don't blame this on Dallas. Blame the NHL."

Whoever was to blame, it was a disastrous bit of planning that thankfully didn't lead to greater disaster. There were 85,000 people at this game, and there wasn't a single divider to keep foot traffic flowing, or anyone trying to direct it. It's a shame that so many people probably bailed on the midway because they couldn't get through that perfect storm. The Texas State Fair fun was one of the event's true charms.

Listen to ESPN On Ice

Emily Kaplan and I counted down the top 10 stories of 2019 on the latest podcast, which was a good reminder that other things happened last year besides all the coaching scandals from the final five weeks. Listen to it here.

Winners and Losers of the Week

Winner: John Tortorella

Kudos to the Blue Jackets coach for taking a stand against poor officiating and the league's enabling of it. Columbus wins that game against Chicago in overtime if the clock was managed correctly, and Joonas Korpisalo never gets hurt in that shootout because there wouldn't have been one. Tortorella's volcanic eruptions aren't always justified, but this one was.

Loser: Also, John Tortorella

He got a $20,000 fine for those comments, but more notable was the sword of Damocles hanging over Torts' head in the form of an additional $25,000 fine that will be collected if he commits an act of "similar inappropriate behavior" before Dec. 29, 2020. This is the first "delayed fine" I can recall from the NHL. It's like probation, I guess? Keep yourself clean and you won't be back in NHL jail? I wish Tortorella would just pay the $25,000 now in a show of defiance, like a frustrated parent loading up on swear jar credits.

Winner: Anthony Duclair

The Duke has 21 goals in 40 games for the Ottawa Senators after very much looking like he was headed for journeyman status as late as last season. And now he's an NHL All-Star. In the span of one year, he's gone from being "un-coachable" to having a career season in a contract year. Incredible.

Loser: Brad Marchand

Marchand is tied for third in the NHL in points (59) and points per game (1.44). He's a legit Hart Trophy candidate. Yet he wasn't named to the NHL All-Star Game, and he wasn't named to the "last man in" voting potentials for the Atlantic Division. Which is a shame, because the guy loved being on the All-Star stage. My theory: The game is in St. Louis. They beat Boston for the Cup last season. Marchand was booed in Tampa as an All-Star. Imagine the reception from the St. Louis faithful that will pack the All-Star Game?

Winner: Craig Leipold

Gary Bettman said that the Minnesota Wild owner pressed him and the NHL for years to get the Winter Classic in Minneapolis. Mission accomplished, as the Wild will host the event at Target Field in 2021. (A plea: Keep Bruce Boudreau for one more season. He's really fun in the lead-up to these things.)

Loser: "Perfect" weather

Bettman said the temperature (54.9 degrees Fahrenheit) and the overcast day made for perhaps the ideal weather conditions for the Winter Classic. Those conditions will not be repeated in Minnesota a year from now.

Winner: Pete DeBoer

After going 15-16-2 before head coach Pete DeBoer was fired, the San Jose Sharks have gone 2-5-1 under interim coach Bob Boughner and have two wins overall since Dec. 3. Their most recent defeat was at the Detroit Red Wings, for whom it was the first win in seven games and first shutout of the season. So, Pete: Maybe it wasn't you, pal.

Loser: Peter Laviolette

The Predators' Winter Classic loss to the Dallas Stars had some of the same hallmarks as other frustrating losses this season. (Although it was nice to see the power play produce for a change.) The Predators keep treading water, with inconsistent play (especially between the pipes) preventing any sustained success. Laviolette shut down a question in his postgame news conference about feeling any pressure personally. But something has to change with this team. And better coaches have taken the fall for an underwhelming team save percentage.

Puck Headlines

Bruce Arthur presents the best sports quotes of the decade, including this hockey classic: "I don't know what that word means, but he's weird." -- Canadian center Brayden Schenn on whether his World Juniors roommate, Louis Leblanc, was eccentric.

Among the connections between the Chicago Blackhawks and the University of North Dakota: "Chelsea Dagger."

The Cleveland Monsters AHL team inadvertently pranked their fans into thinking they were changing their name to the Lumberjacks.

Women's hockey had a heck of a decade.

Stan Fischler on the history of Seattle hockey nicknames. Clearly, the NHL should bring back the Shurfine Groceries Hockey Club.

If you have an extra $1.9 million in the couch cushions, you can own Vladimir Tarasenko's old house, including the 18-foot mini hockey rink that comes with it.

Has divisional imbalance ruined the NHL's playoff races? Travis Yost writes that the Metro division "will be a knife fight for no more than two wild-card spots and a guaranteed bloodbath matchup in the first round between the two and three seeds in the division."

Alexis Lafreniere, the great Quebecois hope.

Will Artemi Panarin surpass Alex Ovechkin as the top Russian in the NHL? Said Gillian Kemmerer, global hockey reporter and host of The Faceoff for the KHL: "One interesting thing to note about Panarin is that he is an outspoken critic of [Russian] President Vladimir Putin -- a public position rarely, if ever, taken by a professional athlete in Russia. ... This may endear him to Western audiences who support athlete-activists, but it would not be a universally popular opinion in Russia."

Hockey tl;dr (too long; didn't read)

I enjoyed Ken Wiebe's look back at the 2005 Canadian World Junior team. ($)

In case you missed this from your friends at ESPN

What's in, what's out for hockey in 2020.

The LA Galaxy have acquired former Liverpool left-back Emiliano Insua from Stuttgart, the club announced on Thursday.

Insua, 30, will occupy an international roster spot.

"Emiliano is an experienced defender who has played for decorated clubs throughout the world," Galaxy general manager Dennis te Kloese said in a team statement.

"We think he will boost our team on the defensive side and will add a veteran presence to our club. We are glad to add Emiliano to our team and are excited that he will represent the LA Galaxy."

?? @EmilianoInsua is coming to Los Angeles ?? pic.twitter.com/YmckAI344g

— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) January 2, 2020

The Argentina international began his career at Boca Juniors, where Galaxy manager Guillermo Barros Schelotto spent many years as a player and manager.

He left the club to join Liverpool, where he was on the books for four seasons. He's also played for Galatasaray, Sporting Lisbon, Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano.

At international level, Insua has made five appearances for the Albiceleste.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Colts are not fully committed to Jacoby Brissett as their next franchise quarterback.

"The jury is still out," Colts general manager Chris Ballard said during his season-ending news conference Thursday. "That's why we did the short-term deal with Jacoby. One, to give us some security that we had a player we knew we liked and could go forward with. But also, two, to give us time to figure out if he is the guy or not.

"Jacoby did a lot of good things. He also did some things that I think he would tell you he needs to get better at. But it's a constant evaluation."

Ballard's comment is opposite from what he said in late August, on the night that Andrew Luck shocked the sports world by retiring. Ballard said then that the franchise had complete confidence in Brissett to lead the team.

Brissett, helped by a strong running game, had 14 touchdown passes and just three interceptions through the first seven games of the season, including wins over playoff teams Houston, Tennessee and Kansas City. He appeared capable of leading an Indianapolis offense that didn't have Luck or Peyton Manning as part of the organization for the first time since 1997.

His play and accuracy regressed during the second half of the season, bringing into question whether Brissett was the right person to be the Colts' quarterback going forward. He only threw four more touchdowns and had three interceptions in the final eight games he played in while dealing with a sprained MCL -- which caused him to miss a game -- and injuries at receiver and tight end.

Brissett didn't complete more than 52.9% of his pass attempts in the final four games of the season, including just 48% in a Week 17 loss to Jacksonville.

"It's almost like the tale of two seasons," Ballard said. "At one point, the world is talking about him as an MVP. And then the next moment, they're talking about wanting to run the kid out of town. I mean, it's never as good as it seems and never as bad as it seems."

Nobody expects Brissett to be Luck or Manning, but finishing 29th in NFL in passing yards per game (196.1) and 26th in completion percentage (60.8) isn't easy to deal with. Brissett put up those numbers despite taking the majority the team's first-team reps since offseason workouts last spring.

"I think there is some unfair criticism, but that is just playing the position," Colts coach Frank Reich said. "You are always going to get some unfair criticism. He knows that. We know that. Anyone who has played the position knows that and you guys know it too.

"We all have a job to do and he has a job to do. As a quarterback, you take that. He gets too much credit when we were doing great. When we were 5-2, it was like, 'Andrew who?' For seven games, he was playing great. He was that good. So yeah, he is going to get unfair criticism, but I get that. It's just part of the nature of the beast."

What the Colts have in their favor is the two-year, $30 million contract extension through 2020 that Brissett signed prior to the start of this season. They can go in a different direction at the position if Brissett continues to struggle.

"I'll say this: Right now, yes, Jacoby is our starting quarterback," Ballard said.

As for "right now," Ballard and his staff have the entire offseason to try to upgrade the quarterback position through free agency, trades or the NFL draft. The Colts have the 13th overall pick in the April draft.

"He's a young quarterback that's played two seasons," Ballard said of Brissett. "I'm taking that one out in '17 when he got the crap beat out of him. This is really his first season. I know we want guys to come in and light the league up right away, but sometimes they have to go through it and continue to rep it and see it.

"One or two years does not make a successful quarterback in this league. I think you can just look at the history of the position. Some guys have early struggles. ... He had a good start, good first half of the season, and did some good things in the second half of the season, too. We just need more consistency out of him. He knows that."

One player the Colts don't expect back is Luck.

"Look, Andrew's retired," Ballard said. "Do I talk to Andrew? Yes, I do. Haven't talked to him here in a few weeks. I'm sure he's been busy being a father. But Andrew is retired. I think we all need to accept that. That's where he's at. He's retired."

Miami Heat small forward Jimmy Butler and the Jordan Brand have mutually agreed to part ways, bringing his multiyear footwear and apparel endorsement deal with the company to an end 10 months before its original Sept. 30, 2020, expiration date, industry sources have confirmed.

The split makes the four-time All-Star and four-time all-defensive wing the highest-profile sneaker free agent across the league. Butler is expected to now begin discussions with multiple brands toward negotiating a new multiyear endorsement deal that would begin this season, potentially in advance of All-Star Weekend.

An unheralded final draft pick of the 2011 first round, Butler had initially signed a shoe deal with Adidas as a Chicago Bulls rookie. Three seasons later, he took a reported 75% pay cut to instead sign with Jordan Brand, just as he would go on to be named the NBA's Most Improved Player and become a first time All-Star by the end of the 2014-15 season.

During his time with Jordan Brand, Butler could often be seen supporting its annual Air Jordan model and the recent SuperFly, Supreme Elevation and Diamond team models. The brand had made a variety of player-exclusive colorways of its latest sneakers for Butler, in addition to a special PE edition of the Retro 10, his favorite Air Jordan model.

During that span, he was incorporated into global campaigns from time to time. A limited apparel collection featuring his 'Jimmy Buckets' moniker and logo atop T-shirts and hats was released in Chicago during the spring of 2016, along with a limited-edition red and black Air Jordan 29 Low.

Competing brands are just now learning of his sudden sneaker free-agent status, but are expected to take strong interest in signing Butler to be a featured endorser, according to industry sources.

In the past two years, both Puma and New Balance have looked to sign All-Star-level and emerging players as part of their relaunch efforts in the NBA and in releasing new basketball sneakers. Former Miami Heat icon Dwyane Wade recently signed Warriors guard D'Angelo Russell to his Way of Wade sub-brand with Li-Ning, providing his ongoing signature shoe line with visibility now that he's retired from the NBA.

It remains to be seen if Wade would have interest in pursuing Butler to also support his sneaker line with the same franchise he helped lead to all three of its NBA championships. Wade had helped to provide feedback to Butler about the Heat franchise as he navigated unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career earlier this summer.

"He just told me how he could see me being a part of the organization, and a part of the culture," Butler told ESPN's Rachel Nichols.

After officially joining Miami via sign-and-trade, Butler has found early success with his new franchise, with the Heat currently touting a top-three record through the opening three months of the regular season.

Through 29 games, Butler is averaging 20.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game. He was recently named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week after averaging 27.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game during the opening week of December.

"You're talking about an organization that you have to work in order to survive here -- every single day, every second of every day, everything that you do is championship-caliber," said Butler. "And it's to the end goal of winning a championship, and everybody's built like that here ... So, I guess it is a great fit."

Now, Butler will begin discussions with athletic companies as he similarly looks for a great fit with a new brand and a new endorsement deal partnership.

NEW ORLEANS -- Everywhere you turn in New Orleans, someone is asking when rookie Zion Williamson will make his NBA debut. Things are becoming a bit clearer because the No. 1 overall pick in last year's draft went through his first full practice since he had surgery on the meniscus in his right knee on Oct. 21.

New Orleans Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry was in Walmart when a lady on a motorized scooter stopped him to ask about Williamson's return. Williamson himself said little kids are coming up asking him about getting back on the floor because they see him on the court in their video games.

"I'm like, 'I'm not ready man, I'm not ready,'" Williamson said. "They'll look at me and beg me to come back, and it sucks to look at them and go, 'Not yet, lil' man.'"

Going through a full practice is a milestone Williamson has been itching to hit.

"If it was up to me, I would've been out there two weeks ago or something," Williamson said. "It was just good to get back out there."

Gentry said that while Williamson did everything the team did on Thursday, it was still a light practice by their standards. The Pelicans are set to travel to the West Coast on Thursday afternoon for a Friday game against the Los Angeles Lakers and a Saturday contest against the Sacramento Kings.

When asked if Williamson could play on the upcoming road trip, Gentry said, "No. That won't happen. I'm pretty sure of that one."

Gentry also added that the team does not have a date in mind for when Williamson will play in a game, but they are monitoring his progress in practice to see when the best time for that will be.

"I know that's typical, but we really do have to take it a day at a time to see what kind of progress he makes," Gentry said. "See what happens after he goes through practices and things like that. Like we said and will continue to say, he'll play when the time is right for him to do that. When that is, I'm not real sure of. But I know he's making progress, that's the thing that matters most."

When asked if he had a particular date in mind for a debut, Williamson said he wasn't quite sure about that either. He said it'd be like his college decision when he went to Duke: "I just wake up and I know."

He said at that point he'd go to Pelicans' executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin, general manager Trajan Langdon, the coaching staff and the trainers to let them know he felt ready. But he does know there's a concrete thing he has to do in order to play.

"I gotta pass the assessments," Williamson said. "Once I pass those, Griff will let me go."

Griffin has said in the past that the team has certain benchmarks that Williamson must clear from a preseason test in order to be cleared to take the floor.

Williamson isn't sure exactly when he injured the knee, but after the Pelicans' fourth preseason game, he had the team look at it, and an MRI confirmed the meniscus tear.

Williamson was initially expected to be out for 6-8 weeks, but that has stretched into January. During his absence, the team wanted to focus on the kinetic chain in his body which would require some tweaking of how Williamson walks and runs. He said it was similar to the process he underwent at Duke when he injured his right knee after blowing out the bottom of his shoe.

"It's been a different process," Williamson said of his recovery. "Just working on mobility and strength in areas that I don't really use my strength and balance."

The Pelicans are riding a four-game win streak into their game against the Lakers on Friday night. After a 6-22 start to the season, New Orleans has won five of six games and is somehow just four games back of the final spot in the Western Conference playoff race.

Gentry has started to settle in on his rotations after injuries had the Pelicans scrambling for most of the first two months of the season.

Soon, he'll have another piece to integrate back into the offense, but he doesn't see much problem with adding Williamson back.

"It'll be a good process," Gentry said with a laugh. "It'll be good to try and figure that one out. I don't see a negative in that in any kind of way."

At practice on Thursday, Williamson was seen catching up with Pelicans assistant coach Jeff Bzdelik, and at games last month, he slid down the bench to give the coaching staff his input.

He averaged 23.3 points and 6.5 rebounds during the preseason, and the Pelicans believe he'll make an immediate impact once he returns.

"I think you'd just have to go back to preseason and see what he was doing in those situations," Gentry said. "He's a very good passer. He can get you into the bonus because of the physicality that he plays with. Those are some of the things that you see. We'll have to look at things again and obviously we had some things that were specific to him we'll have to put back in. That'll happen when the times come.

"Our concentration is on the guys we have right now, and we're playing pretty good basketball. How do we maintain that, and how do we improve."

For Williamson, he sees a team coming together at the right time.

"I think that's the process of a great team," Williamson said. "You're not going to be great immediately. The rare ones probably are. But for this team, it's like riding a bike. Once you got the hang of it and everybody got used to each other, we're coasting now."