On Sunday night, we will (or will not) have some new Hall of Famers. We probably will, given the results of the recent deliberations of the current version of the Hall's veterans committee. Those folks* will convene in San Diego this weekend, and they've got some serious work to do -- debating this year's 10-person ballot for possible inclusion among baseball's immortals.
(*Per the Hall of Fame: "The 16-member Hall of Fame Board-appointed electorate charged with the review of the Modern Baseball Era features Hall of Fame members George Brett, Rod Carew, Dennis Eckersley, Eddie Murray, Ozzie Smith and Robin Yount; major league executives Sandy Alderson, Dave Dombrowski, David Glass, Walt Jocketty, Doug Melvin and Terry Ryan; and veteran media members/historians Bill Center, Steve Hirdt, Jack O'Connell and Tracy Ringolsby.")
I follow a dizzying number of online forums where good Hall debates take place, though I am what the internet calls a "lurker." If you don't know what that means in an internet context, that means I read the debate but I don't participate. Sometimes it's hard to remain aloof. But one thing I've picked up since last year's selection of Harold Baines and Lee Smith, historically inclined fans are on the lookout for personal connections on the Hall committee. (Which, by the way, is a different group than the one that selected the 10 names for consideration.) That's why I listed this year's selectors.
The era up for examination this year is the "Modern Baseball" time frame, which includes those whose primary contributions fell in the range of 1970 to 1987. For Gen-Xers who peaked early, this might include you. But the names that the selecting committee landed on include nine players (Dwight Evans, Steve Garvey, Tommy John, Don Mattingly, Thurman Munson, Dale Murphy, Dave Parker, Ted Simmons and Lou Whitaker) plus the revolutionary head of the MLB Players Association, Marvin Miller. Each committee member can list up to four names on his or her ballot, but doesn't have to list any. Any person who is named on at least 12 of the 16 ballots will punch his ticket to Cooperstown.
PENSACOLA, Fla. – Many pundits across the country call the Snowball Derby the toughest asphalt race to make in all of motorsports, and the December classic proved why yet again on Friday night.
A bevy of heavy-hitters will have to try and race their way into the starting field for the 52nd edition of the super late model crown jewel, after all failing to crack the top 30 during pole qualifying.
Chief among those was soon-to-be NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Harrison Burton, who won the pole for the Derby in 2018 but finds himself on the outside looking in going into this year’s running.
Burton could only muster the 38th-best lap during time trials Friday night, touring the Florida half-mile in 16.682 seconds and falling nine hundredths short of locking into the field.
It was the continuation of a frustrating week for both Burton and Wimmer Motorsports, who brought back the same package they ran so well with a year ago to Five Flags Speedway but have yet to replicate that same success.
“Honestly, we’ve struggled all weekend for speed. We haven’t been good enough,” Burton told SPEED SPORT. “And that sucks, because these guys work so hard, and we’ve been working really hard all weekend trying to find things that will help us even more. We’ve been struggling for drive, struggling for drive, couldn’t get off the corner and then, all of a sudden we made a really, really small adjustment for qualifying … and it flipped the complete other way and we were plowing tight.
“I’m telling you, we have been throwing the kitchen sink at this thing all weekend. I’m sure I didn’t have a perfect lap either; I probably made a mistake here or there,” Burton added. “It’s hard to say in the moment, but it’s the Snowball Derby, right? It’s tough for a reason. That’s what makes it cool. I’m proud of our effort. We’ve been working our butts off all weekend trying to get the thing better. Everyone’s tried a different idea and I’m not quite any of them have worked the way we wanted them to, but at least we’re trying stuff and doing all we can.”
Knowing the prestige and history of the race, Burton is at peace with whatever happens Saturday.
“We’ve got an hour of practice tomorrow before the last chance race, which we can learn from hopefully,” said Burton, who starts seventh in the LCS. “If we get in, we get in. If we don’t, we don’t.”
The first man out of the grid, and thus leading the Last Chance Showdown to green Saturday afternoon, was Michigan teenager Carson Hocevar. His qualifying lap of 16.619 seconds missed the cut by a scant margin of .029 seconds in the final rundown.
Hocevar is hoping his pole starting position will allow him to stay out of trouble and advance cleanly.
“I feel like third-place and above is going to be clean,” Hocevar said. “At least it was last year. I was lucky that I fell back to third and didn’t fall further back. But there were so many cautions that there had to be a lot of crashing.”
Carson Hocevar looks on Friday during Snowball Derby practice at Five Flags Speedway. (Jason Reasin photo)
The whole week has been a struggle for Hocevar as far as his super late model has gone, including qualifying.
“I have no clue, in all honesty, what’s been going on. I was trying to live in the moment a little bit, and I got done with my qualifying lap … got through three and four and my guys asked me how it was, and I had no clue even how to explain it to them,” he noted. “I was out of breath, but I really thought we were a little bit better than that. We picked up four tenths. I drove with everything I had for it.
“It just wasn’t enough right there.”
RedBud 400 winner Johnny VanDoorn rolls off fourth in the LCS, while All-American 400 winner Mason Mingus was scheduled to start eighth but withdrew and headed home.
“We’ve run the last chance race four times and only survived one with a clean car,” Mingus said. “That’s the one that we started from the pole in.”
Five-time Derby winner Rich Bickle starts 16th, on the outside of row eight, and NASCAR Truck Series regular Jordan Anderson rolls from 19th in his first time back at the Derby in several years.
Anderson drew an apt comparison when asked what he expects the Last Chance Showdown to be like.
“It’s probably going to be like the Truck Series race at Daytona, where it’s like six laps to go and you just do whatever it takes to get what you need,” he said. “We’ve just got to get our car driving really well. We’ve got to get it to cut better. But the last thing I want to do is tear these guys’ car up. It’s a nice car.
“We’ll give it our best and see what happens.”
In addition to Mingus, Tim Curry also withdrew following qualifying Friday night.
The Snowball Derby Last Chance Showdown will take place following qualifying and the Last Chance Showdown for the pro late model Allen Turner Hyundai Snowflake 100. That action starts at 2 p.m. CT.
STARTING LINEUP: Snowball Derby Last Chance Showdown; Five Flags Speedway; Dec. 7, 2019
It is "by no means certain" that Moeen Ali will be available for England's tour of Sri Lanka, according to Ed Smith.
Smith, the national selector, admitted there was "no time frame" for Moeen's return to Test cricket after he was, once again, absent from England's squad for the tour of South Africa.
Moeen asked for a break from Test cricket at the end of the 2019 English summer and, despite conversations with Smith, fellow selector James Taylor and England captain Joe Root in recent days, remains unavailable by his own choice. His absence does not extend to white ball cricket and it would be a surprise if he did not return to the England party for the limited-overs part of the South Africa tour.
"He asked to take a break from Test cricket at the back end of last summer and that is what has happened," Smith said. "At this stage we don't know when he will return to being available for Test cricket but it's our hope that he does. We all know that Moeen is a talented and valued cricketer for England. But we don't know if and when that might happen."
Hopes that Moeen could return for the Sri Lanka tour, where he played a key role in England's 3-0 victory a year ago, in March were not boosted by his inclusion in the PSL draft. The competition takes place at the same time as the tour. But while Smith admitted there were no guarantees Moeen would return for that tour, he felt it was possible.
"I don't think it's ruled out and it's also by no means certain he will be available," Smith said. "At the moment there's no time frame. But what I did discuss with Moeen - what we all discussed with him - was our aspiration that he's available to play Test cricket for England. He's a valued England cricketer. From my point of view and a selection view, the sooner he was available the better and that would include Sri Lanka.
"He did say that there are more Test runs and more Test wickets in him and that was very encouraging. It's disappointing when a player of Moeen's ability and track record is unavailable for selection. In an ideal world, we'd like Moeen to be available."
While Moeen lost his place in the England side during the Ashes - and the Test part of his central contract at the end of the season - his potential value as a Test cricketer may have been reappraised a little in his absence. Not only does his non-availability leave England with the prospect of a diplodocus-length tail - Jack Leach, James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer seem most likely to feature from No. 8 to No. 11 in South Africa - but his relative potency with the ball has been missed. After 60 Tests (and 181 wickets), he has a better strike-rate (60.6) than hugely respected spinners of the past such as Jim Laker (62.3), Derek Underwood (73.6) and Hedley Verity (77.5). Leach, after 10 Tests, has a strike-rate of 60.9.
Although Moeen was nowhere near his best with the bat - he averaged 10 in five Tests in 2019 - in his most recent Tests, England remain hopeful that a return to his best will give them greater penetration with the ball and an easier balance in the team. England claimed only 21 wickets in the two Tests in New Zealand and went into the second Test without a front-line spinner for the first time since 2013.
Smith also defended the selection of Ollie Pope as England reserve keeper for the New Zealand tour, but declined to clarify who had been selected as reserve keeper in South Africa with Jonny Bairstow recalled to the squad.
"That would be a question for the captain and coach to answer," Smith replied when asked who would keep should Jos Buttler suffer another back spasm on the morning of a Test in South Africa. "They've got pretty good options.
"We were very clear when we discussed the tour party to New Zealand that we were going to take a 15-man party for a very short time. We had discussed the possibility of a last minute injury to Jos and we were comfortable with Pope keeping wicket. He has kept a great deal in his life. I've seen him keep a lot, James Taylor has seen him keep a lot and not only for the Lions but for Surrey.
"In the last 10 years that's the only last minute injury to a keeper. Jonny got injured in a different format in Sri Lanka, which brought about a change when Ben Foakes came in. But for it to happen at the 11th hour is very unlikely. But it was discussed and we were comfortable with Pope coming into the side if a last minute injury happened to Jos. We knew he was a very capable keeper."
"Bairstow has been picked as someone who could add value to an England Test team. He's a talented batsman who has scored a hundred at No. 3 as well as hundreds lower down the order. And he's kept wicket in many games for England so he covers both of those possibilities.
"Since the moment he was selected as a batsman for England - he was the first of his generation to be selected, in 2012 - he has a non-Test first-class average of 57. He wants to get back into the team and he knows when he's playing well he has a number of routes."
The Carolina Panthers are giving linebacker Shaq Thompson a four-year, $54.2 million extension that includes $28 million guaranteed, agent Doug Hendrickson told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Saturday.
Hendrickson said the deal has a max value of $57 million and contains a $16 million signing bonus.
Thompson, 25, has three sacks in 12 games this season. The first-round pick out of Washington has 9.5 career sacks, two fumble recoveries and an interception.
"Shaq is our type of person and our type of player," general manager Marty Hurney said in a statement announcing the extension. "He's proven that he can play linebacker at a very high level, and he's got all the traits you want. He's smart, he's physical, he can run and he's very versatile. He fits the blueprint for what we want at the position."
The move keeps Thompson from hitting the free-agent market after the season. He is now under contract through the 2023 season.
Eli Manning will start in Jones' place. It will be his first start since being benched in Week 3.
Jones didn't practice this week while dealing with a moderate high ankle sprain. He was working on the sideline with a boot on his right foot at the beginning of the week.
"He's still sore. So he can't go," coach Pat Shurmur said Saturday.
Tight end Evan Engram was also ruled out Saturday for the fourth straight game with a foot injury -- one day after Shurmur cautiously said "all indications are he'll be ready to play." Engram insisted that there wasn't a setback, just that he wasn't able to explode the way he needs to in order to succeed.
Engram couldn't say for sure when or if he would be able to return this season, but he did say he would "try my best" to return in the final three weeks.
His absence also means the Giants still haven't had all their pass-catching weapons -- Engram, receivers Golden Tate and Sterling Shepard, and running back Saquon Barkley -- on the field together this season.
"Its crazy. It's something I've never really seen," Engram said. "Guys get back and another guy is out. It's just a tough hand we've been dealt a lot of the season. It's definitely been tough."
Tight end Rhett Ellison (concussion) and cornerback Corey Ballentine (concussion) also have officially been ruled out for Monday night's game against the Eagles. Starting safety Jabrill Peppers (back) and outside linebacker Chris Peace (knee) were placed on season-ending injured reserve.
Manning, whose last victory as a starter came exactly one year to the date of Monday's game, enters with a 116-116 career record in the regular season. In his two starts this season -- both losses -- he completed 63 percent of his passes with two touchdown passes and two interceptions. Manning will have Tate at his disposal for the first time. The receiver was suspended the first four games of the regular season for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances. He missed last Sunday's loss to the Green Bay Packers with a concussion, but was he cleared from the protocol Friday and has been a full participant in practice most of this week.
"I'm excited about the opportunity to go out there and play with [Manning]," Tate said. "We'll see what happens. I thought, in the offseason, we did a pretty good job of building a connection."
The Giants (2-10) are looking to snap an eight-game skid. To fill out their roster, they activated outside linebacker Kareem Martin from injured reserve and signed safety Sean Chandler from the practice squad.
While Jones will miss his first game since being named the starter, the Giants are hopeful he will return this season.
"Absolutely," Shurmur said of the possibility earlier this week.
Shurmur also indicated Jones was feeling better and would be reinserted into the starting lineup when healthy. That shouldn't be that far down the road. Jones ditched the walking boot earlier this week and was seen doing light field work prior to Saturday's practice before heading inside with a trainer when the team began stretching.
Jones played through the injury last week and did the same last season with a similar injury on the other ankle while at Duke.
"He feels a little bit caged up, quite frankly. He's frustrated that he can't [play]," Shurmur said. "But that is the way it goes. We all know players get injured at times and they have to fight their way back. The one thing that I like about his demeanor is that he's frustrated and wants to play and doing everything in his power. We get here a very similar time in the 5 [a.m.] hour and he's getting treatment and doing everything he can to get ready to play. That is a good thing when you get a guy who wants it so badly."
Manning, 38, is in the final year of his contract. His future with the Giants and the NFL is up in the air for the first time since being the No. 1 overall selection in the 2004 draft. But he wasn't ready to say earlier this week whether he intends for these final four games to be the last of his career or if he wants to play elsewhere if his time with the Giants is indeed over.
"Just take it one week at a time. You never want to make decisions about the future while you're living in the present and don't know the circumstance of what can happen," Manning said. "Just have to go out there and try to get a win for the Giants, if I'm asked to do that. I'll analyze everything else after the season."
Bristol scored three second-half tries at Ashton Gate to beat Stade Francais with a bonus point win which tightens their grip on Challenge Cup Pool Four.
Luke Morahan's try and the boot of Ian Madigan helped give the hosts a narrow half-time lead, with winger Lester Etien replying for the Paris club.
But Pat Lam's side took full control after the break as hooker Thacker drove over before Charles Pituau scored too.
Toby Fricker's try with the last play of the game sealed maximum points.
Worcester Warriors perked up their European Challenge Cup hopes as they came from behind to beat Dean Ryan's 14-man Dragons at Sixways.
Dragons were leading through Aaron Wainwright's early try when Taine Basham was red carded on 18 minutes for a spear tackle on Gareth Simpson.
But Warriors turned it round with tries from Ryan Mills, Ollie Lawrence, debutant Noah Heward and Jono Kitto.
Tries from Rhodri Williams and Luke Baldwin earned Dragons a bonus point.
Warriors' win moves them to within a point of leaders Dragons at the top of Pool One ahead of the two sides meeting again at Rodney Parade next Friday night.
Dragons: Talbot-Davies; Jenkins, Morgan, T Griffiths, Hewitt; S Davies, R Williams (capt); Harris, Hibbard, Brown, J Davies, Screech, Wainwright, O Griffiths, Basham.
Replacements: Dee, Reynolds, Jarvis, M Williams, Taylor, Baldwin, Botica, Warren.
England winger Jonny May scored two of Leicester's nine tries as they beat Italian club Calvisano to take control of European Challenge Cup Pool 5.
May's tries came inside the opening 11 minutes after Manu Tuilagi had opened the scoring before Sam Lewis sealed a bonus point before half-time.
Tommy Reffell, Adam Thompstone, Jake Kerr, Noel Reid and Telusia Veainu completed Tigers' third pool win.
Tigers could now seal a quarter-final with victory in Calvisano next week.
Tigers head coach Geordan Murphy picked a strong side, including England World Cup quintet Tuilagi, May, George Ford, Ben Youngs and Dan Cole.
The gulf in class between the sides was quickly apparent against opposition who have now conceded 99 points in two defeats so far in the competition.
Murphy also included a rising star in Wales Under-20 flanker Reffell, who began the scoring in the second half as Tigers became the first English side to win their opening three Challenge Cup games since Wasps in 2002.
The European Challenge Cup has provided succour in a poor season so far for Tigers, who have only won one of five Premiership matches, with only Saracens' 35-point deduction keeping them off the bottom of the table.
Leicester: Steward; Thompstone, Tuilagi, Reid, May; Ford, B Youngs; Gigena, T Youngs (capt), Cole, Lewis, Green, Coghlan, Reffell, Kalamafoni
PENSACOLA, Fla. — Thursday night’s Pro Truck division feature at Five Flags Speedway was thrust into the spotlight after the top three finishers were disqualified for various technical infractions.
Of that trio, the leading pair — apparent winner Cody Haskins and runner-up Grant Thompson — saw their finishing positions stripped due to engine issues related to the cylinder heads.
Third-place Donnie Hamrac lost his position thanks to a left-side weight violation, ultimately elevating Jarrett Parker to the win after he had finished fourth.
But it was the two engine-related disqualifications that caught the eye of many fans and onlookers.
Chief Snowball Derby technical inspector Ricky Brooks took some time Friday to speak with SPEED SPORT regarding some of the things he saw in the two engines that led to the disqualifications of Haskins and Thompson.
“The heads had been modified, mainly on the short turn radiuses and the intake and exhaust ports,” Brooks explained. “And then the valve job on one of them … and the valves had been changed on another one.”
Despite the look of two major technical infractions relating to engine components, Brooks said he didn’t put any of the weight of those infractions on the teams themselves.
Grant Thompson’s No. 54 sits in technical inspection Thursday night. (Jacob Seelman photo)
“Somebody had to do this prior to the engine being assembled and putting a seal on it,” Brooks noted. “The seals were not altered. The teams have to put faith in their engine builders … and they bought something with good faith that is supposed to be legal. By no means did I see anything that led to me to believe that either team did anything (of ill intent).
“This (technical issue) came from the engine builder.”
Both engines — the race-winning power plant of Haskins’ and runner-up Thompson’s — were prepared by KMF Racing Engines LLC, owned by Kevin Fisher of Burns, Tenn.
A statement of apology from Burns was issued to Thompson’s team on Friday in the wake of the disqualifications, a copy of which was provided to SPEED SPORT.
“KMF Racing Engines LLC would like to apologize to Grant Thompson for an engine failing to pass tech due to infractions on cylinder heads,” the apology read. “We were hired by Grant Thompson to built the best 602 engine of our ability that would pass tech. After post-race engine inspection, we were disqualified for infractions found in cylinder heads.
“KMF Racing Engines LLC sincerely apologizes to Grant Thompson and (his) team.”
But the north London club were much improved on Saturday as they struck twice early in a dominant spell.
Harry Kane blasted a long-range shot past Nick Pope to open the scoring on four minutes, then Lucas Moura pounced on a loose ball from a yard out five minutes later.
Son Heung-min, who provided the assist for Kane's strike, turned goalscorer shortly after the half-hour mark to extend the hosts' lead to 3-0.
The South Korea international embarked on a scintillating run from the edge of his own box, striding past Burnley players untouched before finding the bottom corner.
Kane then netted again in the second half as Burnley conceded four for the second game in a row before Moussa Sissoko added a fifth. Mourinho never once saw his United side score five goals in one game.
The result meant the visitors fell to a third successive defeat, while Tottenham closed the gap to fourth-placed Chelsea to six points, following the Blues' surprise defeat to Everton earlier on Saturday.
I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information. Today I Dig®attracts millions of users every month.r
Phone: (800) 737. 6040 Fax: (800) 825 5558 Website: www.idig.com Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: 
Email: 
