LONDON -- It's not long after 10 a.m. on Friday. The Arsenal training ground in London Colney, just off the M25, is basking in the sun. The countless pitches of the complex are still, quiet.

Inside the main building, Freddie Ljungberg is facing his players for the first time. An hour earlier, he was still one of Unai Emery's assistants. Now, he is in charge of the Gunners first team following Emery's dismissal as manager. He has just accepted the caretaker job. He doesn't know how long he will be in the role, and he knows that this is quite the jump forward, but he feels ready.

This is his first speech to his team. He knows how important it is. His words need to have an impact. He has to inspire them. He tells his players that he wants them happy again so they can enjoy their football. He insists on going back to play the Arsenal way, with flair, movement and energy. He wants energy, spirit and belief. He also mentions the fans and the importance of getting their support, how he wants to put smiles back on their faces.

It's a strong speech, and the players are receptive, focused. They welcome the change of dynamic and message. Ljungberg is popular with the players. They like his energy, his ideas, his personality: full of life. In many ways, he is the opposite of Emery. He has also coached the U23, so he knows all the youngsters.

This is the first day of Ljungberg's new life, a life as Arsenal manager.

He has his UEFA Pro Licence, which means he is eligible to coach Premier League and UEFA matches. At the moment, the club is not in contact with anyone else. The hope is that Ljungberg does well and can steward the club through the end of the season, when it should be easier for Arsenal to choose a permanent manager for a long-term project. Halfway through the campaign, it's never easy to get someone, especially if they are already in a job.

Ljungberg's first training session is a light one, because Arsenal played on Thursday night against Eintracht Frankfurt. Those who started against the German side are on a warm-down, the rest practise properly. On Saturday, however, he will have his full squad available to prepare tactically for the Norwich game. Then, they will get to Norfolk by coach.

After lunch, it is time for him to think about his coaching staff. Who will come in? Will Steve Bould return to the first team after a short exile with the U23s? Who will be the goalkeeper coach? There is a lot to do, as well as analysing Norwich performances and working on the videos to present the players on Saturday. It has been a crazy morning. It has all happened so fast.

Emery's exit

Emery left a while ago. He cleared out his desk and his office. His staff did the same.

He arrived at the training ground with his staff early, as usual, to take the training session at 11 a.m. He was met by technical director Edu and head of football Raul Sanllehi. They informed Emery & Co. of their decision to part ways. There was no tension in the meeting; it was cordial, amicable and Emery and his assistants understood the decision. There was maybe even a sense of relief. The season has been difficult, almost from day one. Emery might have felt that he ran out of ideas and options.

He is now a memory. His 18 months in charge makes his tenure the fourth-shortest in the club's 133-year history.

- Arsenal sack Emery after worst run in 27 years
- Marcotti: Arsenal hung Emery out to dry, but he's not blameless

Making the decision

His dismissal was only a matter of time. He knew it when he left his house in Hadley Wood, an upmarket suburb in North London, on Friday morning to make the 15-minute drive to the training ground. On Thursday night, his team lost 2-1 to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League in a half-empty Emirates Stadium. The Spaniard knew the pressure on him had intensified. He heard the boos, he dodged the questions from the media about his future, but he knew that the chop was getting closer. The club have supported him for as long as they could. Since the start of the season, the board has backed him and given him opportunities to turn things around.

As a club, Arsenal don't sack managers. The club believe in stability and positivity. Edu, Sanllehi, managing director Vinai Venkatesham and the owners, the Kroenke family, were willing to keep Emery. Last week, Sanllehi and Venkatesham travelled to Los Angeles to meet Josh and Stan Kroenke. They regularly chat about the club, in person, over the phone or on their WhatsApp group. But this time, the purpose was solely to discuss Emery's future. They decided not to sack him then, agreeing to give him a bit more time.

Indeed, before the game against Southampton on Nov. 23, the manager was told that the club still believed in him. But things got worse in the past four days. On that Saturday, the last-minute draw against Saints was another poor performance, and the loss to Frankfurt sealed his fate.

Late after Thursday's game, as the rain was pouring down on North London, the decision was taken. Emery's position was untenable. He had to go. For the board, things had gone too poorly and the situation was too toxic. There was no way back.

Emery's strained relationship with the players

The players were due in at 10 a.m. for training on Friday. On Thursday night, they believed that Emery would still be in charge for the Norwich game on Sunday. Then, maybe, it would be the end if they suffered another bad game. As soon as they arrived at the training ground, though, they knew something was up.

Emery's relationship with many in the dressing room was complicated this season. Some of the players didn't understand some of his decisions. When Arsenal were 2-1 down to Frankfurt with just 15 minutes to go, Emery brought on defensive midfielder Lucas Torreira while three attacking players -- Alexandre Lacazette, Nicolas Pepe and Reiss Nelson -- were sat on the bench. Emery's choices have baffled them all season. The constant tweaking, changing and tinkering lost them. The lack of clear communication and instructions was felt heavily by the squad. There was a feeling among them that Emery had lost his way.

In the same way, the former manager's man-management was poor all season, not just in the cases of Mesut Ozil and Granit Xhaka. There was not much of a relationship left between the players and the manager, and the gap was too big to be bridged. The players respected him, but they had had enough. He had to go.

It's a new chapter now starting at Arsenal. Another one. They desperately need this one to go better.

Ole Miss and receiver Elijah Moore apologized Friday for the dog urinating celebration in the final moments of the Egg Bowl that contributed to the Rebels' loss to Mississippi State.

"I apologize to my teammates, coaches and Rebel Nation for my actions at the end of the game," Moore said in a statement. "It was an emotional moment, and I deeply regret it. It does not represent who I am or who we are as a team, and I will grow stronger from this mistake."

Moore scored a touchdown in Thursday's game with four seconds left to bring the Rebels within one point of tying the game and sending it to overtime. Moore then crawled on all fours through the end zone, lifting his leg to imitate a dog urinating. That drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and pushed the extra point attempt back. Kicker Luke Logan missed the 35-yard attempt wide right and Ole Miss lost, 21-20.

Ole Miss head coach Matt Luke and athletics director Keith Carter issued a joint statement about Moore's celebration, apologizing as a program to the Ole Miss family for the "disappointing and unacceptable action" that occurred during the game.

"Elijah is a fine young man who lost control of his emotions in the moment," the statement said. "This incident does not reflect in any way the type of student-athletes on our football team or the culture of respect that permeates our locker room. Discipline is a staple of our program as evidenced by being the least penalized team in our league, and we will continue to uphold uncompromising standard of behavior on and off the field."

The statement continued to say that the issue will be addressed and disciplinary action will be handled internally.

It was not the first time an Ole Miss player had simulated a dog urinating in the Egg Bowl game. Wide receiver D.K. Metcalf also drew a penalty for the celebration in 2017 after scoring a touchdown. Ole Miss went on to win that game 31-28.

Arizona Cardinals cornerback Josh Shaw has been suspended through at least the end of the 2020 season for betting on NFL games multiple times this season, the NFL announced Friday.

Shaw is currently on injured reserve.

The NFL said its investigation didn't uncover any evidence indicating that Shaw used inside information or that any games were "compromised in any way." The league said that there was no evidence that any of Shaw's teammates, coaches or players on other teams were aware of Shaw's betting activity.

"The continued success of the NFL depends directly on each of us doing everything necessary to safeguard the integrity of the game and the reputations of all who participate in the league. At the core of this responsibility is the longstanding principle that betting on NFL games, or on any element of a game, puts at risk the integrity of the game, damages public confidence in the NFL, and is forbidden under all circumstances." commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "If you work in the NFL in any capacity, you may not bet on NFL football."

The NFL said that Shaw can apply for reinstatement on or after Feb. 15, 2021. He also can appeal the suspension by filing notice within three days, per the collective bargaining agreement.

Shaw, 27, was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 2015 draft. After playing his first three seasons in Cincinnati, Shaw split time between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season.

Shaw made headlines in 2014, while at USC, when he said he suffered a high ankle sprain jumping from a second-story apartment to save his 7-year-old nephew who was struggling in a pool. Shaw later admitted to lying about that story and was suspended indefinitely by the school.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – MX Sports Pro Racing has announced that tickets for the upcoming Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, are now on sale.

Special pricing for each respective National has been made available for a limited time for early purchasers.

The championship will once again consist of 12 rounds, bringing the riders to the most storied motocross tracks on the planet. The summer schedule will travel to every corner of the United States, in the Southwest, Southeast, Northeast, and Northwest, in addition to the heart of the country in both the Great Lakes and Rocky Mountain regions.

The season gets underway with the oldest race in American motocross, the Hangtown Motocross Classic on May 16, and will crisscross the country, visiting 11 different states en route to crowning a pair of champions at the Ironman National, just outside the motorsports mecca of Indianapolis, on Aug. 29.

Twenty-four motos will determine which two riders emerge triumphant at season’s end across a pair of divisions, in the 450 class and 250 class. In the 450 class, reigning three-time champion Eli Tomac will be in search of even more history in 2020, as the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider looks to become just the second rider in 49 years of the championship to win the Edison Dye Cup for four straight seasons.

In the 250 class, the departure of defending titleholder Adam Cianciarulo to become Tomac’s 450 class teammate leaves a wide-open field of exceptional talent, all chasing the Gary Jones Cup in hopes of becoming the newest 250 class champion.

“It’s hard to believe that there’s still nearly six whole months until the start of the 2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, but before you now it the summer will be upon us and we’ll once again be treated to this one-of-a-kind piece of Americana,” said Davey Coombs, President of MX Sports Pro Racing. “There’s nothing quite like the exhilaration of attending a motocross National, and now is the perfect time to take advantage of these promotional ticket prices to ensure that friends and family can all have a chance to experience this summer tradition. I can’t think of a better gift for the race fan in anyone’s life.”

Tickets to all 12 Nationals can be purchased online by visiting ProMotocross.com.

MALELANE, South Africa – Pablo Larrazábal opened a healthy three-shot lead after two rounds of the European Tour’s season-opening Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa on Friday.

The Spaniard carded a 69 to go 9 under overall and ahead of first-round leader Wil Besseling (73) and home favorite Branden Grace (70).

Larrazábal was one of just five players to break 70 on a hot, windy day at Leopard Creek Country Club.

Larrazábal had a run of four straight birdies from Nos. 10-13 to respond to a double bogey on the par-3 No. 7 when he sent his tee shot right of the green and into the water. The birdie on No. 12 came when Larrazábal holed a 100-foot putt from one end of the green to the other.

This is the first European Tour event to allow players to wear shorts during the tournament because of the heat but Larrazábal declined to take advantage of that in the first two rounds, saying he felt more like he meant business in trousers.

Phil Mickelson has graced us with many memorable (and straight-up hilarious) Twitter moments in 2019, so let's take a look back at his best tweets of the year. 

Phil joined Twitter on August 22, 2018 by tweeting this awesome gif of himself winking at the Presidents Cup. This is the moment we knew we were in for some premium content. 

This tweet was the first of Phil's famous calf series. When the PGA Tour began allowing pros to wear shorts during practice rounds is when we really got to see all that Phil’s lower legs had to offer us. 

About a month later, Phil began his “Phil Kwon Do Calves” series on Twitter. He gave his followers step-by-step instruction on how to get “Calves like Adonis.”

Before Saturday’s round of this year’s Masters, Phil made a hilarious video saying he was going to be “hitting bombs” all over Augusta as he was driving up Magnolia Lane. Bask in its glory. 

We all know Phil is famous for his thumbs-up to the crowd after a good shot or putt, but at the PGA Championship this year he aimed to break a record. 

Record: Shattered.

Phil’s “Phireside Chats” are introduced with a story from the Memorial Tournament where “someone took a dump in the cup!”

Phil sports a slim figure and admits to a time of struggle on and off the golf course. He also outlines a “hard reset” he did where he said he lost 15 pounds in 6 days.  

No explanation here. We don’t get it either.

Phil continues to sport his slim figure by drinking a thousand-dollar bottle of wine (straight from the bottle) shirtless by the pool. 

We will never forget his calves, but he made sure of it by posting this slow-motion video of himself running on the beach with dumbbells in his hands. Flex on, and thanks for the memories.

Tshwane Spartans 127 for 2 (De Villiers 69*, Klaasen 36*) beat Paarl Rocks 126 (Delport 25, Van der Merwe 3-15, Morkel 2-22) by eight wickets

The Tshwane Spartans moved to the top of the Mzansi Super League table, with an eight-wicket bonus-point victory over the Paarl Rocks. Three teams - the Spartans, Rocks and the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants are tied on 19 points - with the Spartans leading the pack on net run-rate. As things stand, these three teams will battle it out to host the final, but the Durban Heat and the Cape Town Blitz will have opportunities in the coming week to make up some ground.

AB gets a move on, a let-off and the win

The Spartans' chase seemed to be drifting despite the team knowing the importance of a bonus point and they reached the halfway stage of their innings on 63 for 2, effectively half the total of the Rocks. And then AB de Villiers had enough. In his 300th T20 match, de Villiers reminded viewers who the boss of this circuit is. He took 19 runs off Hardus Viljoen's third over, which also contained a wide, and three of the biggest sixes seen at this tournament.

Viljoen went short too many times and de Villiers sent him over the leg-side boundary each time, with his sixes flying progressively further as he went. In the next over, de Villiers placed and timed a pull off Tabraiz Shasmi perfectly to bisect the fielders on the leg-side boundary but then made a mistake when he top-edged the left-arm wristspinner. Wicketkeeper Mangliso Mosehle and Henry Davids at first slip were both going for the catch, which should have been Mosehle's, and the ball eventually fell between them. De Villiers went on to finish with an unbeaten 69 off 37 balls to take his side home in 15 overs.

Rocks crumble

The Rocks had raced to 29 off their first two overs but things swiftly went wrong from the their third.They added seven runs in the first four balls before Henry Davids was bowled by a Morne Morkel snorter than rattled middle and off stump. The Rocks lost all 10 wickets for 90 runs and their next highest stand was only 22. They were bowled out with two balls to spare.

The Dupscoop

Forget the Dilscoop, Faf du Plessis has invented a shot of his own and he brought it out against his old national team-mate Morne Morkel. Before Morkel had even released the delivery, du Plessis walked outside his off stump, bent his right knee to the ground and then flicked the length ball over his left shoulder and down to fine leg. Dane Piedt, on commentary, confirmed it's called the Dupscoop. Unfortunately, du Plessis did not have the chance to do it again. Four balls later he gifted a catch to mid-off and was dismissed for 19.

Best figures in MSL 2019

Roelof van der Merwe is now the holder of the best figures this season after his 3 for 15 in this match. His first victim was Sibonelo Makhanya who holed out to deep square leg and his third was du Plessis' but it's the second that van der Merwe will be particularly pleased was attributed to him. Bjorn Fortuin played across the line and missed an attempted leg-glance. The ball hit his back pad as he dragged his foot outside the crease and even seemed to think about a leg-bye. Heinrich Klaasen, though, reacted quickly to throw the ball onto the stumps and find Fortuin short of his crease. On the scorecard, the wicket was recorded as a stumping, and so counts towards van der Merwe's tally, and not a run-out. It also put van der Merwe into the top-ten wicket-takers in the tournament.

SELINSGROVE, Pa. – Selinsgrove Speedway and the United States Auto Club will present the Bill Holland Classic for the USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series on Aug. 9, 2020.

The first-ever visit by the Silver Crown division to the Selinsgrove half-mile oval will feature the wingless warriors in a 74-lap race that will not only honor the memory of late Hall-of-Fame driver Bill Holland, but also commemorate the speedway’s 74th anniversary.

Holland, of Reading, Pa., won the first race at Selinsgrove Speedway on July 20, 1946, and went on to win the 1949 Indianapolis 500. Although Holland never won a USAC race, his career was legendary in AAA competition, the predecessor to USAC’s formation in 1955.

Holland died in 1984 from complications of Alzheimer’s disease, and was inducted posthumously into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2005.

The Silver Crown Champ Car Series drivers will race for $8,000 to win and the inaugural Holland Classic trophy out of a $33,000 purse.

“A Silver Crown Champ Car race at Selinsgrove will be the perfect homage to one of auto racing’s most accomplished drivers,” said speedway general manager Steve Inch. “Several Silver Crown drivers visited the speedway last summer and noted the track’s size and sweeping turns will make it an ideal venue for a Champ Car event.”

Similarly, USAC series director Levi Jones, a two-time USAC Silver Crown champion driver himself, is honored to have the series makes its debut at the central Pennsylvania track.

“Pennsylvania is a hotbed of dirt track auto racing and it’s a thrill to bring USAC’s brand of racing to Selinsgrove Speedway,” Jones said. “The Silver Crown series has a legendary legacy with many of the greatest names in the sport winning races and championships that continues to this day. It will be exciting for all of us to see the kind of show that the Silver Crown cars and the drivers will put on at Selinsgrove for the first time.”

With the pit area moved outside of the track in 2018, fans will have an unobstructed view of the wingless open wheelers on Aug. 2.

In its storied history, USAC has sanctioned only one previous event at Selinsgrove, a wingless sprint car race won by Hall-of-Famer Mitch Smith of Linglestown, Pa., in 1971.

Additional details on the event, including support divisions, will be released as they become finalized.

CONWAY, Ark. – The COMP Cams Super Dirt Series presented by Lucas Oil season-ending Topless Turkey Nationals at Lone Star Speedway on Saturday have been canceled because of rain.

As a result, Prattsville, Ark., driver, Timothy Culp is officially the COMP Cams Super Dirt Series Champion. Additionally, Scott Crigler is the Midwest Sheet Metal Rookie of the Year.

“You hate to end the year with two rainouts but Mother Nature got us at the beginning of the month at Jackson Motor Speedway and now it got us at LoneStar Speedway,” said first-year CCSDS CEO Chris Sullivan. “Congratulations to Timothy Culp on his first-ever COMP Cams Super Dirt Series championship as well as Scott Crigler on his Rookie of the Year title.

“Thanks so much to each-and-every person, who supported the tour in 2019. We are finalizing the 2020 schedule now and hope to release it in the week. There’s a lot of exciting things in store for fans and racers alike next season.”

Culp scored the title by 23 points over Missouri’s Tony Jackson Jr.