MADISON, Conn. — One of the northeast’s hottest young drivers is gearing up for big things in 2020.

After winning the Granite State Pro Stock Series title in 2018, 22-year-old Devin O’Connell slipped into a brief slump in 2019. Next year, however, things will be different.

O’Connell is excited about his brand new Port City Racecars chassis, now sitting in the shop at Crazy Horse Racing. He’s one of over a dozen regional race teams with renewed interest in next season, fueled by the precision technology that defines Port City products.

For O’Connell, it’s a happy time.

“I don’t think I’ve been this excited during an off-season in my career,” O’Connell said. “We had an off year this past season, with only a pair of top-fives as the highlight. We had some strong runs, but we wrecked our primary car in April at Hickory and that really hurt us. Things just didn’t click.”

In 2020, the father-son race team will approach the sport a bit differently, with a different focus.

“Next year, we’re actually going to slow the pace down a bit. We won’t race as often, but we’ll concentrate on the bigger races,” O’Connell explained. “There are a few major races, like the Oxford 250, the All American 400 and the Canadian Short Track Nationals at Jukasa we really want to run.

“We don’t want to just go there and run around in 15th place, we want to be competitive and run up near the front. We ran a race with a few Port City cars in it this season, and just couldn’t believe how fast they were the entire race. They never fell off the pace, so that’s when we made up our minds.”

O’Connell, like Maine’s Dan Mckeage and Ivan Kaffel, competes in the ultra-competitive world of super late model racing. In the northeast, talent lurks around every corner.

Veteran race teams know the ins and outs of chassis setups, so a brand new race car alone won’t guarantee success.

“What we are so excited about is the fact that now (that) we’ve bought this Port City car from Crazy Horse Racing, we get not only the great knowledge of Mickey and Mitch Green, but we gain from the R&D and chassis development they do down at Gary Crooks’ shop in North Carolina. It’s very cool.

“We’re excited and can’t wait to get rolling on next year.”

The struggling Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Mike Babcock.

Leafs president Brendan Shanahan announced Wednesday that Babcock had been relieved of his duties, and that AHL Toronto Marlies coach Sheldon Keefe has been named the club's new head coach.

"Over parts of the last five seasons, Mike has played an integral role in changing the direction of our franchise," Shanahan said. "Mike's commitment and tireless work ethic has put our organization in a better place and we are extremely grateful and appreciative of the foundation he has helped us build here. At this time, we collectively felt that it was best to make a change to Sheldon Keefe."

Toronto has been one of the NHL's biggest disappointments this season, stumbling to a 9-10-4 record. The Leafs have just one regulation victory since Oct. 26, and are in the midst of a six-game winless streak that features five losses in a row -- including Tuesday night's 4-2 loss at the Vegas Golden Knights. It was Toronto's second game of a six-game road trip, and apparently was seen as a critical stretch by management.

"I'm disappointed," Babcock said in a statement to TSN. "We didn't have the start to the year we wanted and that's on me. I want to thank the fans. I want to thank the media. I want to thank the city.

"It was spectacular. I loved every second of it. And I wish the new group nothing but success. Morgan Rielly has been here the whole time. I can't thank him enough. And all the players I got an opportunity to coach, it's been fantastic and I wish them nothing but success."

Babcock has a career record of 700-418-19-164 with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Detroit Red Wings and the Maple Leafs. He won the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 2008, and he returned to the Finals the following season before losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

He was hired by Toronto in May 2015, after stepping down from Detroit, and reportedly signed an eight-year contract worth $50 million to become the highest-paid coach in NHL history at the time.

After missing the playoffs in his first season, the Leafs reached the playoffs for three straight years but failed to advance out of the first round -- falling to the Washington Capitals in 2017 and the Boston Bruins in 2018 and 2019.

"I thought we did an amazing job taking a franchise from where it was to where we had 100-point seasons, we set franchise records if I'm not mistaken [and] got into the playoffs," Babcock said.

This season has been a dud so far for the Leafs. Injuries to center John Tavares and winger Mitch Marner were a factor, but the team's offense (3.14 goals per game) could no longer compensate for its porous defense (3.43 goals against per game). The Maple Leafs had the sixth-best combined record in the NHL over the previous two seasons with a .625 points percentage. This year, they ranked 25th (.478).

Keefe, who has long been considered the heir apparent to Babcock, coached for current Toronto general manager Kyle Dubas with the Soo Greyhounds in the OHL, and he was hired by Dubas in June 2015 to coach the Marlies. The 39-year-old Keefe, a former NHL player, led the Marlies to at least the second round of the playoffs in each of his seasons there, and he won the Calder Cup in 2018.

Babcock is one of seven head coaches in NHL history with at least 700 victories. In the first eight seasons of his head coaching career, he made three Stanley Cup Finals and his team finished first or second in their division seven times. In the next eight seasons, his teams never finished higher than third in their division.

Despite all of the disappointment and controversy, the Leafs sit just two points out of the last wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, although the Philadelphia Flyers have two games in hand.

The firing of Babcock arrives on an interesting anniversary: The St. Louis Blues fired head coach Mike Yeo on Nov. 20 last year, turning their season around under new coach Craig Berube and eventually winning the Stanley Cup.

The Toronto Maple Leafs fired head coach Mike Babcock on Wednesday after a 9-10-4 start to the 2019-20 season. It marks the third time since the start of the 2011-12 season that the Leafs have made an in-season coaching change, this one coming amid a five-game losing streak.

Babcock was a splashy hire in 2015 and helped the Maple Leafs to three 40-win and playoff trips in four full campaigns. But each ended in a first-round exit, despite high expectations. The Maple Leafs now turn to Sheldon Keefe.

So what does it mean? Our NHL insiders Greg Wyshynski and Emily Kaplan answer the biggest lingering questions, including what happens next for both Babcock and the Maple Leafs, and how they grade the move.

Did the Maple Leafs really have to do this? It's not even Thanksgiving yet!

Kaplan: No, they didn't need to. They could have given Babcock a little more time -- especially with a healthy roster. Last season, the Leafs' best line was John Tavares, Mitch Marner and Zach Hyman, and the three have barely been able to play together (Marner is out at least another three weeks). They also could have blamed porous backup goaltending (that's an issue management could have fixed) or found a variety of different excuses.

But this is clearly a signal that management -- specifically team president Brendan Shanahan and GM Kyle Dubas -- thought Babcock's message had grown stale on the players, and there needed to be a fix before the team truly spiraled. At least now there's a chance to salvage the season. And I wouldn't look past this as a coincidence: Babcock was fired on Nov. 20. Mike Yeo was fired by the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 19. The team then went from last place to eventual Stanley Cup champions.

Wyshynski: Yeah, I think it was necessary. The season was spiraling, with a six-game winless streak that featured five straight losses. They looked like a group of individuals that had no interest in hearing whatever message that Babcock was selling, and the stats reflected that: Underwhelming offense (3.13 goals per game) that could no longer overcome the porous defense (3.43 goals against per game) that had become a hallmark of Babcock's teams. Three straight seasons, the Leafs failed to advance out of the first round. Their current quality of play combined with that lack of results would have sent any head coach packing, even a brand name like Mike Babcock.

Wait, didn't Babcock just sign a massive eight-year, $50 million contract a few years ago? This is a pretty shocking firing, no?

Wyshynski: The only reason this feels like a surprise is because Babcock has four years left on an elephantine contract, and because he's Mike Babcock, a coach whose reputation was inflated by an all-time goalie performance by Jean-Sebastien Giguere in 2003, a Stanley Cup-winning Red Wings team carried by the likes of Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk, and gold medals with the unbeatable superstars of Team Canada. A critical look at this Leafs team shows systemic problems. That's either construction or coaching. Team president Brendan Shanahan, who was instrumental in bringing in Babcock four years ago, apparently has decided it was coaching.

Honestly, the only surprise is the timing: Babcock didn't have all three of his stars -- Auston Matthews, John Tavares and Mitch Marner -- in the lineup at the same time for but a few games this season. One assumed he'd get that shot. But apparently time had run out.

OK, but how much of the Leafs' struggles can we put on the coach?

Kaplan: There is certainly an element of this team not looking prepared and not looking energized. Consider that the Maple Leafs have played in 23 games this season. In 18 of them, the Leafs have allowed the first goal. (In games where Toronto scores first, they are 3-1-1). We knew the defense was supposed to be mediocre, but the Leafs were built to have a dynamic offense. The fact that they always fell behind, and couldn't overcome those deficits, is an issue, especially considering the sizable chunk of their salary cap they're spending on the forward group. The Leafs are the only team in the league with three forwards making more than $10 million.

What is your lasting memory of Babcock's time in Toronto?

Wyshynski: His hiring. For decades, the Maple Leafs chased big-name, Ontario-born free agents to come "home" and help the franchise win its first Stanley Cup since 1967. Babcock, it could be argued, was the first one that actually took up the challenge. I'll always remember his introductory press conference, which was as grandiose as one you'd expect for a star player getting signed. (And contentious, too, as reporters from Buffalo peppered him with questions about spurning the Sabres and their money for the Leafs.) It was a moment where you felt Babcock was either going to have a statue built in his honor or become just another disappointing chapter in the Leafs' book of failure. And now we know.

Does he get hired again quickly somewhere? Who might be in need of his services?

Kaplan: The NHL is a retread league. General managers rarely think outside the box for coaching hires. Consider that Rikard Gronborg, the Swedish national coach, made his rounds for NHL interviews for nearly two years before he ultimately signed a deal in Switzerland. Nobody wanted to take the risk, even though Gronborg was the guy who coached nearly every elite Swede in the NHL. So yes, Mike Babcock will find a new NHL home. I'm just not sure when. There currently aren't any other openings, and there aren't any coaches on an extremely hot seat.

One situation to monitor is in New Jersey. The Devils need to make the playoffs in order to convince Taylor Hall to stay. They're not looking close to a playoff team now, so maybe management parts with John Hynes and makes a desperate attempt to save the season with Babcock. Otherwise, I see Babcock doing what Joel Quenneville did last season. Take the rest of the campaign off and relax. Then in the offseason, Babcock can be choosy about what situation is best for him. He's being paid $6.25 million not to coach, so there's no urgency other than pride -- or restlessness.

What about the new head coach? Who is Sheldon Keefe?

Wyshynski: Keefe played 125 games in the NHL with the Tampa Bay Lightning, but mostly bounced around the American Hockey League. In 2012-13, he was hired by current Leafs GM Kyle Dubas to coach the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League. Dubas hired him again in 2015 to coach the Leafs' AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. The 39-year-old led them to at least the second round of the playoffs in each of his seasons there, and won the Calder Cup championship in 2018. So this is Kyle Dubas's guy. After years of reported friction between the 33-year-old GM and Babcock, perhaps this puts things in better alignment behind the scenes.

What does this move do for the star players?

Kaplan: This is serious adversity for Auston Matthews, who hasn't had to deal with a coaching change in his career thus far. Ditto for Mitch Marner. It's a situation like this where I think management feels good about their decision to make John Tavares the captain. He's been there, done that. When Tavares was captain of the Islanders, the team fired Jack Capuano midway through the 2016-17 season and replaced him with Doug Weight, so Tavares can fall back on experience there. Though Keefe helped develop a lot of Leafs players during his time with the Marlies, he never had Marner or Matthews so there's no familiarity there (William Nylander did spend parts of two seasons with the Marlies). Keefe is detailed-oriented and will demand structure, which the star players are all capable of delivering; they just need to buy in.

Does it improve the Leafs' chances for this season?

Wyshynski: Yes. As the prophet Alex Ovechkin said this season, when asked to analyze the Leafs: "For them, they're still a young group of guys. I hope they're going to learn, but it's up to them how they want to do it. If they want to play for themselves or if they want to win a Stanley Cup they have to play differently." They were not going to play differently under Babcock. They hadn't for three seasons. The only chance this team had to contend this season was with a different voice behind the bench. Hopefully Keefe is that voice. If he isn't, then the Leafs have some serious configuring of their roster to do -- and very little cap space with which to do it.

Kaplan: I think this could give the players a jolt, just like what we saw from the Blues last season. They know they are on the clock and mediocrity will not be accepted. I don't know much about Sheldon Keefe's style, but I do know this anecdote from the Blues last season. When Craig Berube was brought in as the interim coach, in some of his first meetings with the teams he laid into everybody. He called out players for being selfish. He criticized them for not being a team. The result speaks for itself. Guys responded to the new message.

How would you grade the decision to move on from Babcock?

Kaplan: B. If Babcock truly was on such a short leash, I wish they would have made the move over the summer. A change was necessary, though.

Wyshynski: A-minus. Surprised it happened now, not surprised it had to happen after the Leafs' postseason flops, regular-season struggle and the canary in the coal mine that was his assistant coaches getting replaced. But don't weep for Mike Babcock. He's got four years left on a blockbuster contract. And hey, maybe Team Canada needs a coach.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Davis Love III doesn’t have a lot to prove in his career.

He’s a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, a lifetime PGA Tour member with 21 victories, a major champion and a winning Ryder Cup captain.

But at 55 years old he still has some goals he’d like to accomplish.

Love explained Wednesday at the RSM Classic, which he has hosted since 2010, that if he can stay healthy, he has his sights set on the Tour’s ultimate “Ironman” mark.

“I've had a few injuries or I would have already passed Mr. Mark Brooks,” Love said.

Brooks holds the Tour record with 803 starts and Love is currently fourth on the all-time list with 769 starts. Despite being slowed in recent years by various injuries and recent news that he will be joining the CBS Sports announcing team, Love said he still wants to catch Brooks.

“He's been saying that if you go to pass me, I want to caddie in that tournament. So, we've been back and forth on the Champions Tour a lot about that record,” Love said.

Love said he still plans to compete on the PGA Tour but will start limiting his starts to courses where he feels he can compete.

“I would like to play [the RBC Heritage] a couple more times maybe and some other places,” said Love, who is a five-time winner in Hilton Head. “I love the PGA Tour, but I know I'm not going to play it forever.”

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Charles Howell III just happened to be the first player to visit the RSM Classic media center following Wednesday’s news that U.S. Presidents Cup captain Tiger Woods had selected Rickie Fowler to replace Brooks Koepka on this year’s team.

“Did he pick Rickie?” Howell asked when told that Koepka had to withdrawal from the matches with a knee injury.

It was a common reaction from players at Sea Island Resort when they were told that the world’s top-ranked player won’t make the trip next month to Royal Melbourne.

“It's extremely unfortunate. No. 1 player in the world on your team and he can't play?” said Zach Johnson, one of Woods’ three vice captains. “There's nothing positive about that. It's an injury, nothing positive about that.”

There was, however, plenty of support for Fowler as the late addition to the team.

“Rickie loves the stage. A lot like a Phil Mickelson or now hanging around Kevin Kisner some, there's some guys that like to walk out on the final green and make that putt, they want the ball with no time on the clock and Rickie's that guy,” Davis Love III said. “It's unfortunate for Brooks, but I think they picked up an all-around team guy both playing and in the team room, so I'm excited for him.”

NAPLES, Fla. – Stacy Lewis rarely sneaks into a tournament.

The former world No. 1, the only American to win the Rolex Player of the Year Award (twice) or Vare Trophy (twice) in the last 25 years, remains a formidable presence in the game, albeit one in transition as a new mom on tour.

But even Lewis didn’t expect to make it into this week’s CME Group Tour Championship.

After withdrawing from the Solheim Cup with a fractured rib two months ago, Lewis fully expected her season was over. She was resigned herself to completely mending for next year while fully devoting herself to her infant daughter, Chesnee.

And then her caddie, Travis Wilson, called two weeks ago, with the LPGA in Japan.

“He said 'I think we’re going to make it into the CME,’” Lewis said. “I was 54th on the CME points list when I thought my year was over. I wasn’t even following the tour. I just assumed I was going to drop out of the top 60 that qualify. I missed six tournaments.”

Wilson did the math and knew Lewis was going to squeeze in as the 60th and final player to make the field. His only question was whether his player would be ready and willing to play.

“My back felt better, but I didn’t know if I could hit balls,” Lewis said. “I went out the next day, hit some balls, and I felt fine.

“So, I said, 'Let’s give it a go.’”

There were 1.5 million reasons ($$) to try, with the richest first-place check in women’s golf up for grabs in Naples, Florida.

Lewis is a 12-time LPGA winner, but it’s been a challenging year balancing motherhood and competition. She gave birth to her daughter a little more than a year ago. Playing the tour with Chesnee in tow has been the ultimately juggling act, even with help from her husband and mother.

“It was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be,” Lewis said. “Looking back, I would advise people to take maternity the year after [giving birth]. It was still a good year. I still had a couple good finishes.”

Lewis, 34, came out of the gate firing on all cylinders in her return to the tour this season. She tied for sixth at the season-opening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions, but conceded it was a bit of a mirage. Lewis had two other top 10s the rest of the year. She did learn a lot about how to go about things next year.

“Chesnee gets easier every day,” Lewis said. “She’s walking now. She can feed herself. So, there’s a lot of things she can do herself that she couldn’t do six months ago. There’s more a rhythm to things, and my body’s feeling better. So, I’m excited about next year.”

LONDON -- The speed is the most surprising part. In the span of just 11 hours, timed between Tottenham's club statements on Twitter, they went from firing Mauricio Pochettino and unveiling Jose Mourinho as their new manager. After five-and-a-half years under the former, it took half a day to move on in a decisive, risky new direction.

It seems remarkable that it could play out so quickly and yet sources tell ESPN FC that this was merely the conclusion for something that had been a long time in the making. Here's how it played out in North London after one of the most tumultuous days for Tottenham in recent memory.

- Mourinho promises "passion" at Tottenham

With reporting and contributions from Julien Laurens, Gab Marcotti, Mark Ogden, Rodrigo Faez, Eduardo Fernandez-Abascal and Moises Llorens

How Spurs players found out

The players are always the last to know. None of Tottenham's players, either those away on international duty or returning to training following a brief break, were aware that this change was coming. Sources tell ESPN FC that many of Spurs' senior players understood how broken the relationship was between Pochettino and his bosses, namely club chairman Daniel Levy, but they still had support for their under-fire manager even after his dismissal. A lot of the dressing room still bought into Pochettino's principles and were shell-shocked by the change.

Equally, the squad was even more stunned by Mourinho's appointment. Nobody saw him coming; sources tell ESPN FC that some figures are skeptical about the complete change of philosophy and style. None of the players were consulted over the appointment of Mourinho, as you'd expect; what stood out was how the hire marked a break from Levy's usual operations. Equally, sources say that his intermediaries were telling clubs in recent weeks that he wasn't solely waiting for the Real Madrid job, as some reports had suggested, so as to hint at his interest in other jobs.

The change was discussed heavily in the first team squad WhatsApp group as soon as news of Mourinho's appointment was made public. But no amount of chatter or discussion could really prepare the players: the mood was strange on Wednesday morning when they began arriving at the training ground and saw him and not Pochettino.

The Portuguese arrived at around 6:30 am. He had breakfast with some members of the club and put his new club tracksuit on before going straight to work: a session of video analysis, some tactical analysis and preparations for his first training session. He wanted training to take place in the afternoon so all his new staff would be there, including Joao Sacramento, his new assistant, who came from Lille and remarkably made it on time.

"Back me and I'll make you winners"

Mourinho had prepared everything in his head; he'd planned the whole day. The early arrival, the work to be done regarding his new team and new players, the act of meeting the club's staff at the training ground but also planning the first training session. He knew the most important part of the day would be his first chat to the players: for this transition in power to work, Mourinho had to win the dressing room. Of course, he excels in those situations. He is so good at rallying people and finding the right words to galvanise a crowd.

Mourinho met Daniel Levy on Wednesday morning as well. The night before, once Pochettino's exit had been confirmed, Mourinho was waiting at home, being informed of every little development. Pini Zahavi, who is very close to both Mourinho and Levy, brokered the deal and both parties had total faith in him to conclude things swiftly. According to ESPN FC sources, the Israeli "super agent" had pitched the idea of Mourinho taking over Pochettino to Levy three weeks ago, making Tuesday night's negotiations more of a formality than a complicated back-and-forth.

In front of the players on Wednesday, Mourinho was typical Mourinho. He displayed plenty of energy, charisma and belief in his new team, according to ESPN FC sources. He told his new players that they formed a talented squad capable of achieving great things. He reminded his new team that he'd won trophies everywhere he went -- even at Manchester United, where he created endless friction but still claimed the League Cup/Europa League double in 2016-17 -- and that he wants to win at Spurs, too. Mourinho has reportedly planned a series of one-on-one interviews with his new players in the coming days but reminded them that he was prepared, telling them at training that he knew everything about them and had done his homework.

This captured the squad's attention and focus, according to sources. They were all ready for his first training session following the team talk and Mourinho ran quite a playful, relaxed session, free of much complication. After all, there will be plenty of time to work on more specifically and exactingly what he wants the team to improve.

Why Pochettino left the club

As ESPN's Mark Ogden wrote yesterday in the aftermath of Pochettino's exit, the signs of a split have been there at Tottenham for some time. Fundamental issues of communication and confusion between the former manager and Levy were seemingly ever-present since the Champions League final defeat and events over the summer contributed to the inevitability of Pochettino's departure.

The key broker between Levy and Pochettino, former Head of Recruitment and Analysis, Paul Mitchell, left in February 2018 and with him went the main conduit between the coaching staff and boardroom. Without a guiding hand on player scouting and transfers, the pair were fatally indecisive. With Mitchell, who joined Tottenham shortly after Pochettino's appointment in 2014 and worked with him at Southampton, the club was able to sign core players; without him, Pochettino and Levy couldn't figure out how to work together, including the crucial summer of 2019 in which they had to navigate unhappy Spurs players, expiring contracts for several first-team members and identify the right transfer targets to help rebuild the squad.

There's also a sense that Pochettino took business a little too personally while in charge. Sources tell ESPN FC that he would be upset whenever players turned down a contract extension. While Levy would then look to find a buying club following such snubs, Pochettino deferred to his boss. But Levy's unwillingness to take ownership of selling popular players that wouldn't commit to the club left them stuck in limbo, retaining unhappy players and having no money from their sales to regenerate. A crucial breakdown in their relationship came whenever Pochettino did take charge: when suggesting possible replacements for out-bound players, Levy rarely acted with speed to fulfill the manager's wishes.

This confusion continued when it came to outgoing players, particularly those whose contracts were winding down and had, at that point, refused offers of new contracts, such as Danny Rose, Jan Vertonghen, Christian Eriksen and Danny Rose. Pochettino and Levy agreed in principle that the strategy ought to be to either sell them or increase the club's offer, rather than risk losing them for free or at a deep discount in the final years of their respective deals. But while a source confirmed that multiple offers came in for these players, none of their sales came to fruition. Again, it was an issue of indecision on many fronts. Levy played hardball (Spurs felt the offers were too low), Pochettino dithered about whether he should let them go or push Levy for improved contracts and they couldn't collectively agree on potential replacements and how to value them.

Meanwhile, people close to Pochettino deny that there were credible offers. This disconnect speaks to the rift between Pochettino and Levy: the offers were likely genuine but the club's inaction is covered by the idea that four marketable players could walk for free in the summer of 2020. This is one place where the unhappy pair seemed happy to deflect.

Another issue that was a constant frustration for Pochettino came in the lack of "football people" around the team. Sources tell ESPN FC that Levy's only contact beyond Pochettino within Spurs for footballing insight was chief scout Steve Hitchen, choosing instead to solicit feedback from outside the club. This noise contributed to Levy's indecision; Pochettino would tell friends and confidantes that Harry Kane would have been loaned out again in past years or sold to a Championship club had he not insisted on bringing him through into the first team.

Managing Pochettino's exit

The writing was on the wall for Pochettino for some time. His staff expected him to leave the club following his summer holidays and were surprised when he came back to work, according to sources. Yet his frustration continued despite being in the job; sources tell ESPN FC that he was very open to leaving before the start of the 2019-20 season but stayed put because he didn't get an offer from one of the few clubs he'd have considered as a viable next move.

As understood, his sights were set on specific positions but none were available following the Champions League final defeat in Madrid. Manchester United gave Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a new deal following Mourinho's exit, Real Madrid convinced Zinedine Zidane to return to the role, while Bayern Munich and PSG decided to stick to Niko Kovac and Thomas Tuchel respectively. Sources indicate that Pochettino is confident that things will change soon: at least one of the aforementioned will be back in the market for a new, long-term coach -- Bayern have since fired Kovac, appointing interim boss Hansi Flick for the foreseeable future -- and that there are not many top managers in the market. Even Barcelona refuse to completely rule out him to replace Ernesto Valverde, say sources, despite Pochettino's insistence in the past that he'd never take that job given his allegiances to Espanyol. One link to the club: he's close friends with a key member of their staff, who worked briefly with Spurs during Pochettino's tenure.

Equally, the reasons for Pochettino being fired are understood, per ESPN FC sources, on two levels. First, he didn't not want to resign or come to a "mutual consent" arrangement. He was only going to leave if another club came in or if Levy sacked him. Exiting under better conditions, according to sources, would have looked like an admission of failure in Pochettino's mind and would tarnish his ability to command another job at a big club. His gamble is simple: if things go massively wrong under Mourinho (something Pochettino is confident will happen), the blame shifts to Levy for a lack of patience rather than Pochettino giving up on the club.

The other reason is financial. Sources tell ESPN FC that his expected exit package from Tottenham will be significantly larger following a sacking than if he'd negotiated a mutual content/resignation. Unlike other top-tier manager, Pochettino's earnings weren't as significant as that of his peers while at Spurs, at least with his first contract that was extended in 2018, or at previous clubs Espanyol and Southampton.

One thing's clear: Pochettino will get plenty of interest. He's had informal inquiries from both Real and Man United over the past two summers but never followed through, per sources. He sees the timing of his exit as beneficial to his career, leaving Spurs with a big reputation and a healthy pay-off. He also believes that he leaves with a job well done given that he helped set Tottenham on course to reach the last-16 of the Champions League: they hold a four-point lead over Red Star Belgrade with two matchdays remaining and host last-place Olympiakos on Nov. 26.

The reason to go with Mourinho

The most intriguing side of Mourinho's appointment -- sources told ESPN that he's signed a contract worth around 15 million a year, behind only Pep Guardiola in Premier League managers, and running until the end of the 2022-23 season -- involves the future direction of the club well beyond the pitch.

Hiring a manager with his pedigree and global brand has been floated as a first step on the road to potentially selling the club. Sources tell ESPN FC that Tottenham owners, ENIC Group, are interested in selling and the high-profile hiring of Mourinho will make them more appealing to a prospective buyer. With their new stadium, position in London, track record of Champions League play in recent seasons, Mourinho adds further polish to a potentially compelling investment.

ENIC Group have been majority owners of Tottenham since 2001 and have since purchased further shares to take their position to 85% control of the club. The club was ranked No. 9 by Forbes as the ninth-most valuable soccer team worldwide in 2019.

Nelson Mandela Bay Giants 187 for 5 (Smuts 73, Marais 40*) beat Cape Town Blitz 186 for 9 (de Kock 39, Livingstone 39) by five wickets

The Nelson Mandela Bay Giants leapfrogged the Cape Town Blitz to the top of the Mzansi Super League (MSL) table with a successful chase of 187 under lights at St George's Park. The Giants recovered from 4 for 2 after nine balls to win with four balls to spare in dramatic fashion. Chris Morris swung hard at a Sisanda Magala delivery to deep midwicket, where George Linde attempted a diving catch but dropped the ball onto the boundary rope to allow the Giants to complete a record chase at their home ground.

Blitz quick out the blocks

Quinton de Kock has made more of an impression on this tournament as a captain than a batsman so far but showed glimpses of his destructive potential at St George's Park. De Kock had to wait 14 balls before he faced a delivery after his opening partner Janneman Malan kept strike early on and he wasted little time showing what he can do. After two balls to get his eye in, de Kock hit back-to-back sixes off the Giants' best bowler Morris and then 18 runs off Junior Dala's first over which included three fours and a six. De Kock's first 31 runs came off 11 balls and he looked set for a fast 50 and more but fell for 39.

Morris issues selectors a reminder

The Blitz's top five all scored 20-plus but their middle and lower order fell away to ensure that the Giants kept them under 190. he Blitz lost 6 for 33 in the last 5.4 overs of their innings and it was Morris who put the squeeze on. His penultimate over cost only two runs and included the wicket of Liam Livingstone, caught at fine leg, and the run-out of Wahab Riaz, who tried to test the arm of Heino Kuhn, to further Morris' claims on a place in the T20 World Cup squad.

Reprieve for Jon-Jon Smuts, twice

A target of 187 needed a strong start which the Giants' didn't get and it was left to captain Jon-Jon Smuts to steady the ship and mount a challenge. He managed both but was almost thwarted in his efforts, twice. Smuts was on 16 when he was caught by Greg Mahlokwana at deep backward square leg off Wahab and was walking off the field when the umpires check for the no-ball revealed Wahab had overstepped. He added 15 runs to score and kept the scoring rate above eight an over when he swept Magala to Linde at short fine leg. Linde dived forward to take the catch but wasn't sure if he had done it cleanly and neither were the umpires. Smuts survived again. His fifty came off 41 balls and he took the Giants to within 37 runs off a win.

But not a third time

Smuts was on 73 when he slashed Wahab to backward point where Magala claimed a catch low down. Initially it seemed the umpires were looking at whether the catch was clean but replays focused on whether Wahab had overstepped again. His front foot appeared to be just on the line and slid over milliseconds after he landed but the delivery was ruled as fair and Smuts had to go.

Dale and Wahab who?

Dale Steyn was brought back on mid-innings to break the 46-run fourth-wicket stand between Smuts and Kuhn and he did exactly that. Kuhn miscued a pull shot to midwicket where Asif Ali took the catch. That brought Marco Marais, from the farming town of Stutterheim, to the crease and reputations don't seem to bother him. Marais cut Steyn behind point for four off the ball he faced and then uppercut Steyn over the third man boundary for six. Then, two balls after Smuts was dismissed, Marais outside-edged Wahab to third man for four before sending him straight down the ground for six to create another of those "remember the name," moments.

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Toss England chose to bat v New Zealand

England captain Joe Root called correctly at the toss and chose to take first use of the batting surface at the Bay Oval, as Mount Maunganui made its Test debut.

Both Root and Kane Williamson, his New Zealand counterpart, took the view that the pitch was good for run-scoring, despite a greenish tinge. First-class games have only been played in Mount Maunganui since 2015, but several of the New Zealand side have experience of the ground in Plunket Shield.

The teams for this Test had been confirmed in advance, with England handing a cap to opener Dom Sibley, a recall to Ollie Pope and preferring Sam Curran to Chris Woakes as their third seamer.

With Williamson fit to resume in charge of the side after missing the T20Is with a hip niggle, New Zealand were able to go with a settled XI, Mitchell Santner preferred to Todd Astle as the team's spinner after missing all of the 2018-19 home summer with injury.

New Zealand are currently ranked No. 2 in the ICC Test rankings, with England a place below. The series will not contribute points to the World Test Championship, however.

New Zealand: 1 Tom Latham, 2 Jeet Raval, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 Colin de Grandhomme, 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Neil Wagner, 11 Trent Boult

England: 1 Rory Burns, 2 Dom Sibley, 3 Joe Denly, 4 Joe Root (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Ollie Pope, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Sam Curran, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Jack Leach, 11 Stuart Broad