The LPGA will fittingly follow up its richest payday in history at the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship last month with its biggest party at the season-opening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions next month.

Diamond Resorts chief executive Mike Flaskey announced the real headliners for the Tournament of Champions (Jan. 16-19) during Monday’s media day at Tranquilo Golf Course at Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. He unveiled the musical stars that will perform in private parties for players, sponsors, dignitaries and Diamond Resorts members.

Boyz II Men will be the headline entertainment for the Tuesday draw party with Colt Ford the opening act. Counting Crows will perform after Thursday’s opening round with Sister Hazel as the opening act. The Saturday gala will feature Jake Owen as the headliner with Easton Corbin the opening act.

“With Mike Flaskey and Diamond Resorts, we are able to kick off the new season in as big a way as we finished this past season,” LPGA commissioner Mike Whan said.

The Tournament of Champions, a mixed event featuring 30 plus LPGA pros and an assortment of celebrities/athletes, made a successful debut a year ago. It’s a Pebble Beach-type celebrity pro-am with a modified Stableford scoring format for the celebrities/athletes.

“I told my wife on the way here [last year] to get ready for some competitive partying,” Whan said. “She said, `What is that?’ I said it’s competitive [golf] and there are nerves, but we’re going to end in a party.”

There’s even a party hole at the 18^th with a festive, musical atmosphere.

“Mike [Flasky] didn’t attack this like, `I’m going to make this a great golf tournament.’ He said, `I’m going to create a great time, with a lot of competition,’” Whan said.

Eun-Hee Ji will be back to defend her LPGA title in the season opener, with Fox baseball analyst and former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz back to defend his celebrity golf title. It’s a $1.2 million purse for the LPGA pros and $500,000 purse for the celebrity/athletes.

The event will once again be televised by Golf Channel and NBC.

Brittany Lincicome, the two-time major champion who took the second half of this past season off to give birth to her first child, Emery, plans to make her return to tour at the Tournament of Champions. Michelle Wie, who missed most of last season with injury, also is hoping to make her return to the game there. Rolex world No. 1 Jin Young Ko, top-ranked American Nelly Korda, Hall of Famer Inbee Park, Lexi Thompson, Ariya Jutanugarn and Brooke Henderson are among those scheduled to play.

“It’s different from any event we play all year,” Lincicome said of the festive nature of the competition. “I think it’s why we like it, because golf is so serious and you have to be so focused . . . This event allows you to be a little more free.”

It’s been said that the International team needs to win this year’s Presidents Cup in order for the biennial competition to continue.

Regardless of the outcome of the matches in Australia, there are at least three more Presidents Cups scheduled.

This year’s contest takes place, for the second time, at Royal Melbourne. The next edition, No. 14 overall, will be at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina, Sept. 30-Oct. 3, 2021.

The 15^th Presidents Cup will be contested at a to-be-determined site outside of the U.S. in 2023 and Harding Park, in San Francisco, California, will play host in 2025.

Napoli ended a nine-match winless run in all competitions to reach the Champions League last sixteen on Tuesday as a first-half Arkadiusz Milik hat-trick set up a 4-0 win over Genk in what could be coach Carlo Ancelotti's last stand.

Genk's Maarten Vandevoordt, who at 17 years and 287 days became the youngest goalkeeper to play in the UEFA Champions League, had a nightmare start as he gave the ball away under pressure and allowed Milik to score in the third minute.

The Pole fired the second in the 26th minute and converted a penalty in the 38th before Dries Mertens, on his 300th Napoli appearance, completed the scoring with another penalty a quarter of an hour from the end.

Napoli finished second in Group E with 12 points, one behind Liverpool, while their Belgian opponents finished bottom of the group with one point. Salzburg came third to qualify for the Europa League last 32.

Both Gazette dell Sport and Corrie dell Sport reported before the game that Ancelotti was set to be fired whatever the result and replaced by former AC Milan coach Genera Gattuso.

Former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayer Munich coach Ancelotti led Napoli to second place in Series A last season but his team has suffered a loss of form this term and he fell out with club owner Aurelia De Laurent after he ordered the players to be confined to a week-long training camp.

"I haven't resigned and I'm not going to resign. I am meeting the president tomorrow and we'll decide together," Ancelotti told Sky Sports Italia after the match.

The downbeat mood continued when the hosts came out to a lukewarm reception, with the San Paolo stadium less than one quarter full, but Napoli responded brightly, Kalikow Koulibaly scraping the crossbar with a header before the opening goal.

Vandevoordt collected a pass in his penalty area but was pressured by Napoli forwards and Milik had an easy job to score as the teenager lost the ball.

After Joseph Paints skimmed the post for Genk, Napoli went further ahead when Allan sent Giovanni Di Lorenzo down the right and his cross was turned in at the near post by Milik.

Allan then sent Calderon through and he flicked the ball over Vandevoordt, was tripped and Milik converted from the spot.

When Casper de Nor gave away another penalty with a handball it was Mertens who converted with a Panenka-style chip down the middle of the goal to complete Nepali's first win since Oct. 23.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- A flu-ridden Le'Veon Bell wasn't well enough to play Sunday for the New York Jets, but that didn't stop the star running back from late-night bowling on the eve of the game -- a decision that didn't sit well with coach Adam Gase.

Gase said he won't discipline Bell because no team rules were violated, but he acknowledged it was a bad optic for Bell and the organization.

"Yeah, I'd say so," Gase said Tuesday.

Bell battled the flu last week and missed two practices plus the Saturday walk-through. At 5 p.m. Saturday, the Jets announced Bell had been ruled out for their game against the Miami Dolphins. More than five hours later, he was spotted at a bowling alley in Boonton, New Jersey, according to a New York Post report.

Bell, wearing orange leather pants, was bowling with a group of friends, the newspaper said. There was alcohol at their table, but it was unclear whether Bell had been drinking. He bowled from 10:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., when the alley closed.

"That wasn't his fault that we said he's still contagious," Gase said. "I mean, that's what the doctors told him. I'd rather him not be [bowling]. I'd rather him be at home, getting better. But that will be a conversation we have."

Bell wasn't immediately available for comment. He's expected to speak with reporters after the Jets' Tuesday afternoon walk-through. The Jets (5-8) are on a tight schedule this week because they're on the road Thursday night against the Baltimore Ravens (11-2). Bell is expected to play.

"Yeah, he'd better," Gase said. "We're out of guys."

Bilal Powell, who replaced Bell last week and rushed for 74 yards (a team high for the season), has an ankle injury and also has the flu.

Bell didn't attend the Jets' 22-21 win over the Dolphins. He also wasn't with the team at its New Jersey hotel, where it stays on the eve of home games.

"We didn't want him coming to the hotel or the locker room because he was still contagious," Gase said.

Gase said he wasn't aware of Bell's bowling jaunt until late Monday night. Asked if he plans to impose a penalty, the coach replied, "What am I going to discipline him for? I can't tell him, 'You have to stay in your house.'"

This has been a disappointing season for Bell, who arrived with big expectations after signing a four-year, $52.5 million contract in March. He hasn't rushed for more than 70 yards in a game, and his numbers for the year are the worst of his career -- 589 yards, a 3.2 yards per carry average and three touchdowns. He's second on the team with 55 catches.

Bell seemed particularly frustrated after the Jets' Week 13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, a game in which he rushed only 10 times. Gase, who sources say was opposed to signing Bell, was criticized for underusing the former Pittsburgh Steelers star.

Four days after the game, Bell became ill. By late Saturday, he was listed as out.

"Oh, he wanted to play, but they said he was still contagious," Gase said. "They didn't want him around all the other guys because they thought it would spread through the team. We didn't want to have a situation like some of these other teams are having, with 20 guys out during the week. ... I know he didn't feel great, but he was probably thinking he could still go."

Until the bowling party, Bell had been lauded by coaches and teammates for his positive attitude. This was his first instance of questionable behavior.

When the New Orleans Pelicans wrap up any practice or a shootaround, the team splits into different groups on goals scattered around the practice facility to get up extra shots.

So far this season, almost without fail, one of the last players on the court is Lonzo Ball.

Day by day, practice by practice, shot by shot, frame by frame, he and the Pelicans are doing everything they can to rebuild what had been a broken jump shot.

Prior to this season, Ball's shooting form involved him bringing his right hand -- his shooting hand -- across his body and releasing the ball to the left of his head. This year, with the help of Pelicans assistant coach Fred Vinson, the third-year guard has modified his shooting form, in hopes of turning around what has been a dreadful start from the field to his NBA career.

Now, Ball's shot looks a little more traditional. The ball is being released on the right side of his head. And it took some work getting there.

"We just take it step by step," Ball told ESPN. "It wasn't a drastic change from the beginning. I kind of got here and he just started with my follow-through. We started with legs after that. Then we started from the left to the middle to get it to the right."

Ball said his revamped shot is still a work in progress. He says sometimes when he's moving left he has a tendency to shift his shooting hand over to the left side of his body, muscle memory formed from shooting that way his entire life.

But as he works through rebuilding his motion, the results are starting to show up on the stat sheet.

Entering Wednesday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks (9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and the ESPN App), Ball is shooting 38.2% overall, a dip from the 40.6% he shot last season. However, he has seen his 3-point percentage jump to 34.0%. He also is letting it fly more often, averaging 6.3 3-point attempts per game, second on the Pelicans behind only sharpshooter JJ Redick.

"They've been available to him," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. "We'd like to see him make a few more. I think he has made the ones where it's been a catch-and-shoot. I think the step-back dribble one is one we have to cut out. But I don't want to discourage him from shooting it, especially when he's open."

Of Ball's 34 made 3-pointers this season, 25 have been of the catch-and-shoot variety, and he's shooting 38% on those attempts.

That's a far cry from his two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, when he put up some of the worst shooting numbers in NBA history.

According to research by ESPN Stats & Information:

• Over Ball's first two seasons, only Russell Westbrook (29.3%) shot worse from deep among players to attempt 500 3-pointers.

• His 31.5% mark from deep in his first two seasons was the sixth-lowest percentage for a player's first two seasons in NBA history of the 82 players who have attempted at least 500 3-pointers in their first two years.

• No other guard in NBA history has multiple seasons shooting under 46% from the free throw line with at least 40 attempts.

It's at the free throw line where the work Vinson and Ball have put in has shown up most noticeably. Despite shooting just 14 free throws in 16 games, Ball is making his free throws at a 71.4% clip.

Last week against the Suns, he went 4-for-4 from the line, marking the first time in his NBA career that he attempted at least four free throws and made each one in a single game.

"I think now my shot is just more consistent," Ball said. "It feels the same throughout the game instead of how I had it last year when it was kind of adjusting throughout the game. It just comes with hard work. I'm going to keep working and hopefully [shooting percentages] will keep going up."

Consistency has been the challenge for Ball, not just with his shot, but with his availability. He missed six games with an adductor injury, and when he returned, he shot a combined 6-for-21 from 3-point range in the subsequent three games. He then missed two more games with a stomach virus. Upon returning he alternated good performances (4-for-8 and 4-for-5 from deep) with bad ones (2-for-10, 0-for-7).

Ball was traded to New Orleans in June but wasn't cleared for basketball activities until early September, due to the ankle injury that ended his 2018-19 season. As soon as he was cleared to go, he started working with Vinson, who Ball says has been there every step of the way.

"He's really good at communicating and letting understand that these are the areas you have to get better in with the mechanics of your shot," Gentry said of Vinson. "He's outstanding in what he's done."

Vinson previously worked his magic on Tyreke Evans. The former Rookie of the Year shot a dismal 27.6% from the 3-point arc in his first four seasons with the Sacramento Kings. After struggling mightily from deep in his first season in New Orleans (22.1%), he improved all the way to 38.8% just two seasons later.

The Pelicans are hopeful they'll see the same kind of improvement from Ball, who did shoot 41.2% from deep in his lone season at UCLA before being drafted second overall by the Lakers in 2017. But they know that improvement won't come unless Ball is willing to put in the work, something he has done religiously so far this season.

Before practice, Ball and Brandon Ingram -- who has shot 42% from deep this year after shooting just 32.9% from beyond the arc in his three seasons with the Lakers -- work out with Vinson getting shots up.

The duo has a practice routine in which they shoot set shots from seven different spots on the court. They have to make 10 shots from each spot before moving on to the next junction. If they miss two in a row, the shot count starts over. After that, they work on different scenarios -- getting to the corner, dribble handoffs, etc. -- while observing the same count.

"Fred has been a big confidence builder every single day just coming in here for both me and Lonzo," Ingram said. "Just coming in and trying to find a proper way to shoot the basketball in a way that's comfortable for us. He's done a good job of building our confidence every single day that we come in here."

After practice, Ball gets in more work with Vinson getting extra shots up before finishing with the first part of the pre-practice routine and then adding free throws.

In total, Ball is getting at least 250-300 makes per day with Vinson before and after practice as he continues to shift his shot.

Following games, once he and Vinson are done with the post-practice shooting routine, they sit in Vinson's office and go over every shot Ball takes. Sometimes they'll throw in spots where he should have shot instead of passing the ball on.

They break down the film frame-by-frame as they continue to tweak the shot. The results have been gradual, but positive. And while Ball is happy with his improvement, he isn't satisfied yet.

"I'm trying to get it down," Ball said of his reworked shot. "Hopefully I can get it to where it's over 40 percent from 3 and 50 from the field."

The New York Yankees have offered Gerrit Cole a contract worth more than the record-breaking seven-year, $245 million deal that Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals agreed to Monday, sources told ESPN's Buster Olney.

It is unclear specifically what the Yankees offered to Cole, who also reportedly has attracted interest from the Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported last week that signing Cole, 29, was the Yankees' top offseason priority and that general manager Brian Cashman has ownership-level approval to offer the right-hander a record-setting deal.

Strasburg's deal with the Nationals surpasses the previous high for a pitcher's contract, set by David Price when he signed a seven-year, $217 million deal with the Boston Red Sox.

Strasburg also has the highest annual average value, eclipsing Zack Greinke's $31.5 million. Both records might not last long, however, given the interest in Cole from the Yankees and other teams.

The Yankees' willingness to play in that financial range signals a shift from recent years, in which they have avoided big-money free-agent signings. Their last nine-figure commitment to a free agent was to pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, on whom they spent $175 million in January 2014; he is entering the final year of his deal.

In December 2017, New York traded for outfielder Giancarlo Stanton and assumed $265 million of the $295 million left on his contract.

It wasn't until a January 2018 trade that Cole unlocked the stuff that has him in the conversation for the best pitcher in baseball. In his first season after being dealt to the Houston Astros, he went 15-5 with a 2.88 ERA. This year, at age 29, he was even better: 20-5 with an AL-leading 2.50 ERA and a major league-best 326 strikeouts in 212⅓ innings. He finished second in American League Cy Young voting to teammate Justin Verlander.

Over his seven MLB seasons, Cole has a 94-52 record with a 3.22 ERA and 1,336 strikeouts in 1,195 innings -- his ratio of 10.062 strikeouts per nine innings ranks sixth among active players and eighth all time.

Major League Baseball will play regular-season games in Mexico City for the first time in 2020.

MLB announced Tuesday that the Arizona Diamondbacks will play the San Diego Padres on April 18-19 at the new Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium.

"The D-backs are committed to spreading our game internationally and specifically throughout Mexico, where we have thousands of loyal fans across the country," Diamondbacks president and CEO Derrick Hall said in a statement. "As a member of MLB's International Committee, I've seen first-hand the incredible efforts made on a league-wide level to help grow the sport of baseball across the globe and we are honored to be selected to play in Mexico City next season."

"The Padres are honored to be a part of the first regular season series in Mexico City in Major League history," Padres president Erik Greupner said. "We are also excited to play at the beautiful new Estadio built by Padres minority owner Alfredo Harp Helú. Our connections to Mexico run deep, including Alfredo's part ownership of the Padres and our bi-national fan base that extends into Baja California and throughout the country. We are thrilled to compete in Mexico's capital city and showcase our players on a global scale."

The Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium was completed in March 2019 and holds a capacity crowd of 20,000, according to MLB.

SAN DIEGO -- The Los Angeles Dodgers could do everything and nothing. They could draw from their abundant prospect capital to pull off a major trade or take advantage of a more flexible payroll to sign a star free agent or sit out the winter entirely, reconvene in the spring and field a team capable of once again capturing the National League West.

It is both their gift and their curse.

Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman acknowledged from baseball's winter meetings on Monday that his targets make up "a much more narrow group" than in recent years. He agreed that the list extends to roughly 12 players, the vast majority of them elite, which simplifies his approach but also limits his options.

The Dodgers have won seven consecutive division titles but have yet to capture the World Series. Through the annual disappointment, Friedman has been unable to pinpoint a common denominator for thriving in October.

He doesn't believe there is one.

"At the end of every World Series," Friedman said, "there's a narrative that comes out about whoever won and what the composition of their roster looked like, like, 'Now, this is the thing that you have to have.'"

The only obvious component, Friedman said, is talent. As constructed, the Dodgers would head into 2020 with a wealth of young starting pitching, a deep and versatile position-player group and a better-than-advertised crew of relievers. Their only real need, if you want to call it that, is superstar players whose impacts get magnified when the sample shrinks to a five- or seven-game series in October. That is the extent of the Dodgers' focus.

But who? More specifically, where? Below is a positional ranking of the Dodgers' offseason shopping list.

1. Bullpen

Options in free agency: RHP Will Harris, RHP Blake Treinen
Fits via trade: RHP Edwin Diaz, LHP Josh Hader

This one is less obvious than one might think. The Dodgers' bullpen was thoroughly criticized in 2019, but it finished the regular season with the lowest ERA in the NL. When the postseason came and the starting-pitching depth allowed the Dodgers to convert Kenta Maeda and Dustin May into temporary relievers, it only got better. Still, Joe Kelly's volatility and Kenley Jansen's decline are enough to make this the Dodgers' greatest area of need, a department they would ideally shore up with a consistently dominant arm who could at least occasionally relieve Jansen of the ninth inning.

The problem is that the options seem limited. Treinen is an intriguing alternative as a reclamation project. Hader is an ideal fit -- in a baseball sense. The racist and homophobic tweets that were unearthed from a few years ago could make him a bad fit in L.A.

2. Starting pitching

Options in free agency: RHP Gerrit Cole, LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu
Fits via trade: RHP Corey Kluber, RHP Noah Syndergaard

Four spots in the Dodgers' rotation are basically locked up with Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urias and Maeda. May, Tony Gonsolin, Ross Stripling, Dennis Santana and Caleb Ferguson are currently vying for the last slot. The Dodgers' depth here is impressive, even with Ryu and Rich Hill becoming free agents this offseason.

But this is a crucial question: Can the Dodgers win a championship if this version of Kershaw -- still considerably effective over a six-month regular season but increasingly more vulnerable in October as his stuff diminishes -- is their No. 2 starter? They would feel a lot better if they could slot Cole in at the top, but Friedman's track record suggests that a seven- or eight-year contract at a record-setting price is out of the question. That's what makes the availability of guys such as Kluber and Syndergaard on the trade market so intriguing. (Ryu as a free-agent fallback makes sense too.)

3. Corner infield

Options in free agency: 3B Anthony Rendon, 3B Josh Donaldson
Fits via trade: 3B Kris Bryant, 3B Nolan Arenado

Signing Rendon could push Justin Turner to first base, which could certainly help keep him healthy as he heads into his age-35 season. From there, the Dodgers would suddenly have a ton of flexibility on the trade market.

Max Muncy would become expendable coming off two remarkable seasons, a name the Dodgers could use to upgrade their rotation or their bullpen. Or Muncy could become an everyday option at second base, a position he made major strides at this past season, which would allow the Dodgers to dangle the more appealing Gavin Lux or Corey Seager in trade talks.

The point is the Dodgers would have options, even more so than the plethora they currently possess. They would also have added versatility, with Rendon capable of playing second base. Donaldson is a nice fallback option, but his list of suitors will probably be extensive. Bryant seems almost likely to be traded, but the asking price will be high. Arenado is probably a long shot.

4. Middle infield

Fits via trade: SS Francisco Lindor, SS Trevor Story, 2B Whit Merrifield

Besides Joc Pederson, who is heading into his final season before free agency, it seems as if Seager is the most likely to be traded. But moving him to third base, the position scouts once projected for him long term, might also be an option. That's why Lindor has been linked to the Dodgers since the beginning of this offseason. Lindor is a .284/.346/.495 hitter the past four years, with 118 home runs, 81 stolen bases and 23.2 FanGraphs wins above replacement, fifth most in the majors. But the Cleveland Indians might be more inclined to hang on to him until July. Merrifield, a .298/.348/.454 hitter since 2017, is more likely to be moved and would certainly help. His presence would probably make the Dodgers more willing to part with Lux, whom they have been hesitant to trade.

5. Outfield

Fits via trade: RF Mookie Betts

If the season began today, the Dodgers would probably play Cody Bellinger in center and Alex Verdugo in right, with Joc Pederson starting against righties -- in other words, most of the time -- in left field. That would make A.J. Pollock, signed to a $55 million contract less than 11 months earlier, a platoon player. And it would leave Chris Taylor as a utility guy who plays only sparingly.

The Dodgers would be better suited to extract from their outfield depth to free up some playing time, like they did last offseason. Adding someone else is almost unthinkable -- unless it's a superstar with a magnetic personality who would instantly make them a powerhouse, like, say, Mookie Betts.

TULSA, Okla. – Paul Nienhiser has partnered with team owner Jim Neuman for the 34th edition of the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa, Okla., next month.

Nienhiser will race as a teammate to 2006 Chili Bowl champion Tim McCreadie, Jake Neuman and Mike Hess.

“It will be great to get another shot to work with the Neuman’s, and get back to the Chili Bowl,” Nienhiser said. “I raced with them at Belleville in 2018, and I grew up racing with Quarter Midgets and Micros with Jake Neuman, so it’s been a pretty long-standing friendship.”

Looking like he would be on the sidelines at this year’s Chili Bowl one year removed from his best showing at the event, a deal Jim Neuman came together last minute and the Chapin, Ill., driver couldn’t be more excited.

“After Charlotte, I really didn’t think I was going to have anything to run in at Chili Bowl, but this whole deal came together pretty late, and I am excited to get back in some really good equipment,” Nienhiser explained. “I had some great people step up and make this all possible, and I have to thank CAM2, Mike and Caleb Wankel with AB&C Mini Storage and American Rentals, Renaissance Hotel, Premier Powder Coating, Tim Hughes with Big T’s Video Poker and Slots, and the Auringer Family with Innovative Designs.”

In what will be his first midget start since last year’s Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, Nienhiser will look to keep his trend up of bettering his previous Chili Bowl. During the 2019 event, a part failure while leading the Saturday night C Main would bring his week to an end.

“I am really looking forward to getting underway in Tulsa, Okla.,” Nienhiser said. “The Neuman’s have built a great team, and I am looking forward to working with everyone involved.”