Don Cherry, an iconic Canadian hockey commentator, has been fired by Sportsnet for his on-air remarks on Saturday that alleged that the country's immigrants don't properly honor fallen soldiers.

Cherry, 85, used his "Coach's Corner" segment on "Hockey Night In Canada" to criticize individuals who didn't wear poppy pins leading up the nation's Remembrance Day. The pins are sold by veterans groups and are worn to symbolically honor those who served.

"I live in Mississauga [Ontario]. Very few people wear the poppy. Downtown Toronto, forget it. Nobody wears the poppy. ... Now you go to the small cities. You people ... that come here, whatever it is -- you love our way of life. You love our milk and honey. At least you can pay a couple bucks for a poppy or something like that. These guys paid for your way of life that you enjoy in Canada. These guys paid the biggest price for that," Cherry said.

After immediate backlash on social media Sunday, the majority of media reaction Monday morning called for Cherry's removal. By the afternoon, word spread that he had been fired.

"Sports brings people together. It unites us, not divides us. Following further discussions with Don Cherry after Saturday night's broadcast, it has been decided it is the right thing for him to immediately step down. During the broadcast, he made divisive remarks that do not represent our values or what we stand for," Sportsnet president Bart Yabsley said in a statement on Monday. "Don is synonymous with hockey and has played an integral role in growing the game over the past 40 years. We would like to thank Don for his contributions to hockey and sports broadcasting in Canada."

Cherry would not take back what he said.

"I know what I said and I meant it," Cherry told the Toronto Sun after he was fired. "Everybody in Canada should wear a poppy to honor our fallen soldiers."

He added to the newspaper that: "To keep my job, I cannot be turned into a tamed robot."

Yabsley had already apologized for Cherry's comments in a statement Sunday, writing that "Don's discriminatory comments are offensive and they do not represent our values and what we stand for as a network. We have spoken with Don about the severity of this issue and we sincerely apologize for these divisive remarks."

Both the National Hockey League and Hockey Canada distanced themselves from the comments in separate public statements. Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie called Cherry's remarks "despicable" on Twitter. "We're proud of diverse cultural heritage and we'll always stand up for it. New immigrants enrich our country for the better. We're all Canadians and wear our poppies proudly," she said.

Cherry's longtime co-host Ron MacLean, who gave a "thumbs-up" to Cherry's comments during that segment, offered apologies on social media and on the air during Sunday's Sportsnet NHL coverage: "Don Cherry made remarks which were hurtful, discriminatory, which were flat out wrong. We at Sportsnet have apologized. We know diversity is the strength of the country. I owe you an apology, too. I sat there, I did not catch it, I did not respond."

Cherry refused to apologize Sunday as well. "I have had my say," he told the Sun.

It was one controversy too many for Cherry. The former coach of the Boston Bruins and Colorado Rockies was hired in 1981 as a commentator for CBC's "Hockey Night In Canada." His loud suits and louder takes made him the most famous member of the Canadian hockey media for decades, as "Coach's Corner" became appointment viewing on Saturday nights across the country. His appeal spilled over to the United States, where he appeared on everything from national hockey coverage to beer commercials.

He extolled the virtues of fighting in hockey for decades, and into the current era of concussion awareness. He frequently took heat for his derogatory views of European-born players. In 2013, Cherry drew ire from viewers for saying, "I don't believe women should be in the male dressing room," in reference to female reporters.

Increasingly, Cherry would use his celebrity for political purposes, such as speaking on behalf of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford at his inauguration and calling those who believe in climate change "cuckaloos."

Speculation has been that Brian Burke, the former general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Anaheim Ducks, may follow Cherry in "Hockey Night In Canada's" spotlight segment. Rogers is in the midst of a 12-year agreement with the NHL for $5.232 billion (Canadian), signed in 2013. It's the largest media rights deal in NHL history.

Gordon Hayward will undergo surgery on his fractured left hand in New York on Monday afternoon, and a timeline on his return to the Boston Celtics will come after the procedure, his agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports, told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Hayward suffered the injury in Saturday's 135-115 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

The injury happened when he collided with Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who was trying to set a screen from behind that Hayward didn't see coming. Aldridge was called for an offensive foul on the play, and Hayward, whose left arm got caught between his body and Aldridge's, immediately began shaking his hand and went straight to Boston's locker room.

Hayward is averaging 18.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists in eight games this season while shooting 55.5% overall and 43.3% from 3-point range.

His play has translated into rave reviews from scouts who have seen Hayward early on this season, as he's clearly benefited from a full offseason that was solely dedicated to working on his body and game. After missing all but six minutes of his first season with the Celtics after suffering gruesome leg and ankle injuries in the opening game of the 2017-18 season against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Hayward looked tentative at times throughout last season.

Information from ESPN's Tim Bontemps was used in this report.

Houston, we have a Westbrook ... now what?

Following the initial shock of the Russell Westbrook trade to the Houston Rockets, there were three immediate questions about the superstar on the court:

• Can Westbrook shoot well enough to play in Houston's system?

• Can Westbrook and James Harden coexist?

• Does Westbrook make the Rockets better?

Let's try to answer those questions after eight Westbrook games -- he has missed one matchup during Houston's 6-3 start -- with the necessary caveat that it's still early.

Can Westbrook shoot well enough to play in this system?

Short answer: yes. There's no question he's a downgrade from Chris Paul as a shooter, and that's going to hurt. Still, Westbrook is launching 17.5 shots per game and Houston has the second-best offense in the league, trailing only the upstart Dallas Mavericks in offensive efficiency.

But so far the offense is working in spite of Russ' jumper. From a pure shooting perspective, we have a decade of evidence revealing who Westbrook is at this point -- a high-usage, low-efficiency gunner:

His jump-shooting numbers have been bad all decade. They're not any better in Houston. Per Second Spectrum tracking, out of 56 players to attempt at least 65 shots outside of the paint this season, Westbrook ranks last in effective field goal percentage (eFG%) at 31.1%. Yikes!

Efficiency is a sacred utterance in H-town. And dumping Westbrook's shooting tendencies into Daryl Morey's analytical blueprint is akin to emptying a sack of raccoons into a yoga class. It's going to disrupt the mantras, folks.

In each of Mike D'Antoni's three years as head coach, Houston has ranked in the top three in shooting efficiency in part because of the Rockets' unmatched devotion to smart shot selection. Westbrook does not share that devotion. Through Houston's first nine games, he has taken more non-paint 2s than the rest of the team combined.

Westbrook's presence was bound to reduce the team's overall shooting numbers. Check this out:

• The Rockets have logged an eFG% of 54% or better in each of the past three seasons (Westbrook has never topped 50% on his own).

• Last year, the New York Knicks ranked dead last in the NBA in eFG% at 49%.

• Westbrook logged an eFG% of 46.8% last year, and his career mark is 46.5%.

As of today, the Rockets rank ninth in eFG% at 52.7%, which is just fine, especially considering that Harden and Eric Gordon have actually been less efficient shooters than Russ so far. Once those guys warm up, the Rockets' overall shooting numbers will be strong once again -- just maybe not as strong as they were in the CP3 era.

Can Westbrook and Harden coexist on offense?

Offense is a lot more than just shooting. The other things Westbrook brings to the table -- things like his passing, his frenetic spark and his explosive transition abilities -- are fundamentally changing the ways the Rockets play offense, and so far the chemistry between these two old friends looks pretty good.

If you want to understand how Westbrook is changing the Rockets, just look at their pace and transition numbers.

• Last year the Rockets ranked 27th in the NBA in pace -- this year they rank second.

• Westbrook currently ranks second in the NBA in transition points per game.

• Westbrook currently ranks first in passes leading to transition shots.

No other guard in the NBA is nastier on the fast break than Westbrook, whose speed, energy and stamina remain world-class even as he approaches age 31. To analyze Westbrook's true impact on offense, you have to look past his mediocre shooting numbers.

Before landing in Houston, Westbrook had become the NBA's most prolific shot creator. Over the past three seasons, Harden ranked second in the NBA in assist opportunities created, averaging 17.1. Westbrook ranked first with 21.0, far and away the most in the league, per Second Spectrum.

However, these fellas achieved these massive numbers in separate basketball ecosystems. One big question coming into the year: What would happen with they became co-pilots?

Everything looks pretty smooth so far. Westbrook is generating 17.1 potential assists (fourth in the league) and Harden is at 16.0 (sixth). And out of the 79 players with at least 50 assist opportunities this season, Harden's passes are generating the second-best shot quality with a 61.9 expected eFG%. Westbrook ranks No. 19, according to Second Spectrum data. That's encouraging stuff.

So, both are still creating a bunch of looks for their teammates, but Westbrook has become the leading shot creator. In a vacuum, this is a stunning development. But it also serves as a reminder that those seeking to reduce Westbrook's entire game to high-usage, low-efficiency chucking are doing it wrong. The passing numbers don't lie; he's a great catalyst.

If Westbrook can tame his shot selection and realize he's more Ben Simmons than Stephen Curry, the Harden-Westbrook pairing will be just fine.

Does Westbrook make the Rockets better?

Context here is important. The Rockets have been a really good team ever since D'Antoni showed up. They've averaged more than 57 wins per season. They were one nightmarish shooting night away from upending the Warriors in the 2018 Western Conference finals.

So this particular question is tricky, and its answer depends on just how untenable the reported strain between Harden and Paul had become. Chemistry is important, and the justification of the Paul-Westbrook swap could rest more on human relations than it does on analytics. By exchanging Paul for Westbrook, the Rockets flipped an untenable superstar marriage in favor of a tenable one.

Regardless, this team isn't great overall right now, especially with Westbrook on the floor. Look at this:

• Houston's 2019-20 net rating with Westbrook on the court: -1.1.

• Houston's 2019-20 net rating with Westbrook off the court: +7.8.

Compare those marks to the man whom he's replacing:

• Houston's 2018-19 net rating with Paul on the court: +8.3.

• Houston's 2018-19 net rating with Paul off the court: +2.5.

This early in the season, it's hard to find reasons to suggest the Westbrook-era Rockets will be better than the Paul-era Rockets (when healthy). In the 87 minutes that Harden has sat and Westbrook has played, the Rockets have a putrid net rating of minus-18.8, largely thanks to atrocious defensive numbers.

In each of the three previous seasons, the team paired a great offense with a decent defense and ended up in the top five of net rating. So far this season, the defense is poor enough that Houston is struggling to outscore opponents.

Therefore Westbrook optimists must lean on the hope that this team will get better with time, and to be fair, that's distinctly possible. Just look at last year's team for precedent. In 2018-19, the Rockets ranked 25th in defensive efficiency before the All-Star break. Then they flipped the switch, ranking second in that category after the break. This year's group has the talent and the time to make the defensive improvements necessary to become legitimate contenders. But will they?

It's too early to conclude too much about this squad, but it's not too soon to say that for this Westbrook experiment to succeed, the team's key markers with him on the floor -- especially on defense -- must improve between now and the playoffs.

British thrower breaks championship record to take F46 title, while Jonathan Broom-Edwards wins T64 high jump

Hollie Arnold and Jonathan Broom-Edwards gained two more gold medals for the Great Britain and Northern Ireland team on the fifth evening of action at the World Para Athletics Championship in Dubai.

With a championship and European record-breaking throw of 44.73m, Arnold won her fourth consecutive world F46 javelin title, while Broom-Edwards cleared 2.02m to take his first T64 high jump title.

After taking the lead in round one with a throw of 40.87m, Arnold moved down a place when New Zealand’s world record-holder Holly Robinson threw 41.60m in the second round. But the Briton regained the top spot with her eventual winning mark thanks to her third throw.

“I’m so happy, this season has been so, so long, so I’m really happy to go out there and get a PB and a gold medal,” said Arnold.

“That’s what I wanted to do and I had a really good series as well. Obviously, I really wanted that world record, but that’s where Tokyo is going to come into it and I can’t wait for that.”

.@HollieA2012 tells @stuartweir about her competition after winning a fourth consecutive world @ParaAthletics F46 javelin title, breaking the European and championship record in the process #Dubai2019 pic.twitter.com/nfFWnuEcUv

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) November 11, 2019

For Broom-Edwards, it was a successful return to the global stage after an Achilles injury in 2018.

“There are just so many different emotions flowing through me today,” said the three-time world silver medallist, who won ahead of Uzbekistan’s Temurbek Giyazov. “I don’t know if I’m going to sleep tonight, it’s been a long time coming and it’s been a hard 18 months, but I made it and it definitely gives me some relief.”

Back on the track, Cuba’s Omara Durand claimed an impressive 10th world title with victory in the T12 100m, clocking 11.66.

“I’m really happy because this is my 10th gold medal in the World Championships and I’m enjoying it as always, but now I have to run again,” said the world record-holder, who also raced in the 200m heats a short while later.

Germany’s Johannes Floors had broken the world T62 100m record with a time of 10.54 in the heats and he enjoyed further success in the final, winning the T64 title in a time of 10.60 ahead of South Africa’s Mpumelelo Mhlongo who ran a T44 world record of 11.00 for silver, the same time as Floors’ team-mate Felix Streng ran in third.

Germany’s Johannes Floors shares his story with @stuartweir after winning world @ParaAthletics T64 100m gold #Dubai2019 pic.twitter.com/dCJzR3RnfN

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) November 11, 2019

In the T38 400m final, Britain’s Kadeena Cox added a silver to the gold she won in London two years ago, running 62.20 in only her second 400m race of the season and her first in British kit since 2017.

Russia’s Margarita Goncharova broke the championship record with her winning time of 62.08, while Cox’s team-mate Ali Smith finished fourth in 65.45.

“It’s so nice to be back on the podium and just to be back at these championships is amazing,” said Cox, who has spoken openly about her disordered eating and struggles including injury in the lead up to the event.

“As frustrating as it is, I’ve got a silver so I can’t be unhappy with my championships and winning a medal, it’s just not my preferred colour.”

.@kad_c has spoken openly about her disordered eating and challenges in the lead up to the World @ParaAthletics Championships and after claiming T38 400m silver she shared insight into her race and struggles with @stuartweir #Dubai2019 pic.twitter.com/fekVTP23Ux

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) November 11, 2019

Her team-mate Thomas Young also secured silver in the T38 100m, just missing out on gold as his 11.00 European record matched the time recorded by winner Dening Zhu of China as he crossed the line just 0.007 of a second behind.

“It’s a European record again and a PB again and you can’t do much more than that really other than win gold,” said Young, who had broken the record earlier on in his heat. “I’m slightly disappointed but I know that I have lots to work on as we head towards Tokyo.”

The morning session had seen more silver for the GB team as Jo Butterfield claimed her first medal on the world stage for four years in the F51 club throw.

The Paralympic champion’s first round throw of 21.67m placed her second behind Ukraine’s Zoia Ovsii’s world record of 25.23m.

After her F51 club throw silver at the World @ParaAthletics Championships, @Jo_shuni spoke with @stuartweir about her performance in Dubai, how she got into the sport and her life as an athlete #Dubai2019 @BritAthletics @scotathletics pic.twitter.com/GsNGiLKkxi

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) November 11, 2019

Uzbekistan’s Khusniddin Norbekov improved his own men’s world F35 shot put record to get gold after a throw of 17.32m, while Ukraine’s Anastasiia Moskalenko broke the women’s F32 shot put championship record with 6.92m.

China’s Paralympic marathon champion Zou Lihong won the women’s T54 1500m in 3:34.09, just ahead of world record-holder and Commonwealth Games winner Madison de Rozario of Australia. The men’s title was won by Thailand’s Prawat Wahoram in 3:00.20 ahead of China’s Zhang Yong and Switzerland’s Marcel Hug, while Britain’s Richard Chiassaro and Nathan Maguire both qualified for the semi-finals of the T54 400m.

There was a world record broken in the heats of the T47 100m as American Deja Young, who is coached by 1984 Olympic 800m champion Joaquim Cruz, clocked 11.92 to improve the global T46 mark.

.@USParalympics’ @_DejaRae speaks with @stuartweir about her world record run in the World @ParaAthletics Championships T47 100m heats, being coached by 1984 Olympic 800m champion Joaquim Cruz and always seeing the glass half full #Dubai2019 pic.twitter.com/pzE3AvIjBD

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) November 11, 2019

Full results can be found here, while further Dubai 2019 news and coverage can be found here.

NAPLES, Maine – This week the sounds of race engines will again permeate the hills and countryside of North Georgia when the Pro All Stars Series super late models hit the pavement at Lanier Raceplex.

Throwing back to the original name of the speedway which has been shuttered for the better part of the last decade, the Lanier National 200 will pay $6,000 to win and $1,000 to start the feature on Saturday, Nov. 16.

Along with the 200 lap contest, PASS National points leader Mike Hopkins will look to be crowned the 12th PASS National champion.  Joining the PASS super late models in action will be feature events for Legends Pros/Masters, Semi-Pros and Young Lions, along with racing for Bandeleros.

Opened as a dirt track by Bud Lunsford in 1982, the .375-mile speed plant hosted the World Of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series six times, with open wheel legends Steve Kinser and Sammy Swindell each taking the checkered flag twice.  In 1987, Lanier National Speedway was paved and the late Darrell Brown scored the win in the first big event there on pavement for the NASCAR Winston All-American Challenge Series.

From 1989-1992, Lanier hosted the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series with Ronald Cooper, Chuck Bown, David Green and Bobby Labonte all taking home checkered flags.  The track continued to host some of the biggest super late model events in the country through the 1990s as short track pavement legends like Mike Garvey, Freddie Query, Billy Bigley Jr. and Wayne Willard among those taking home wins at Lanier.  A new generation of drivers came up through the ranks at Lanier in the 2000s, including Bubba Pollard, Casey Roderick and Paul Kelley.

When PASS initially began sanctioning super late model races in the south, Lanier was one of the first tracks to come on board to host an event.  Georgia native Jason Hogan won the first PASS race there in 2006, while Maine’s Corey Williams took the checkered flag the most recent time PASS held a race at Lanier in 2007.

In addition to the grandstands being open, Lanier’s trackside parking will be available to fans for this event for $10.  The track was repaved and all infield buildings were torn down when the facility was transformed to host drifting events and Go-Kart racing for the public.

All race cars will be pitted outside the track so fans will be able to enjoy an unobstructed view of the action from any vantage point at the speedway.  For $20, fans and teams can camp at the speedway as well.

Joining earlier entrants like hometown favorite Shane Chastain and former PASS champions Derek Griffith and Tate Fogleman, Ben Ashline, Ryan Moore and Randy Gentry are also entered.

Lanier Raceplex officially roars back to life on Friday with practice for PASS super late models and Legends cars from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.  On Saturday, pit gates will open at 8 a.m., followed by practice at 10 a.m., heat races for PASS super late models, Legends and Bandoleros at 12:30 p.m., followed by the Lanier National 200 and remaining features.  Sunday is reserved as a rain date if needed.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Coyotes have signed general manager John Chayka to a long-term contract extension.

Terms of the deal announced Monday were not disclosed.

Chayka has built the Coyotes into playoff contenders since becoming the youngest general manager in North American major sports history at 26 in 2017.

Arizona came up four points short of the postseason in 2018-19 and is off to a 9-6-2 start this year.

Chayka has overhauled the Coyotes' roster, adding players like Phil Kessel, Nick Schmaltz, Antti Raanta and Michael Grabner through trades and free agency.

Arizona also drafted Clayton Keller, Jakob Chychrun and Barrett Hayton under Chayka.

Missed some of the action around Europe this weekend? Have no fear: Gab Marcotti is here to catch you up with all the talking points in the latest Monday Musings.

Jump to: Lessons from Liverpool vs. Man City | Bayern thrash Dortmund | Juve play poorly, beat Milan | Sarri vs. Ronaldo? | Arsenal, Emery are a mess | Taison abused in Ukraine | Real Madrid win again | PSG should buy Icardi | Man United improving? | More woe for Napoli | Barca aren't playing well | Conte keeps complaining | Chelsea's winning youth movement | Gladbach set pace in Germany

Man City's season is not over, but Liverpool are in control of title race

A nine-point gap in November? Yeah, that's a lot, but most of all, it's a morale boost. So many football folk are, if not outright superstitious, easily convinced that "it's not their year." And you can see how Manchester City might be coming around to that idea. There are the long-standing injuries to Leroy Sane and Aymeric Laporte (the latter, arguably, is City's least replaceable player) and the more recent injuries that kept Ederson in the stands and David Silva on the bench in their biggest game of the season to date. And then there's Sunday's 3-1 defeat to Liverpool, broken down to its component parts, namely the goals that left them 2-0 down inside a quarter of an hour.

Let's clear up the first one. The ball did ricochet off Bernardo Silva's hand, but it's not a punishable handball in any way. Not as deliberate handling (which would have resulted in a Liverpool free-kick) nor as the sort of "accidental handball" that leads directly to a goal, which would disallow the goal (there was no goal, a possible penalty is not a goal).

What about Trent Alexander-Arnold's handball? Contrary to popular belief, it's not black and white. There is still discretion, which is why the new rules use the term "usually." The factors to consider are whether he had the opportunity to get his arm out of the way -- to do this, you look at the speed at which the ball is traveling toward him, whether it was unexpected and the distance traveled -- and whether his arm was in a natural position.

Referee Michael Oliver chose not to give a penalty. With the help of multiple replays I, like many others -- including Pep Guardiola -- disagree. His arm was not in a natural position and the only unexpected mitigating factor to consider was the ricochet off Silva, but that is outweighed by the other factors (distance and speed). So as I see it, it should have been a penalty, which means Fabinho's goal at the other end would have been struck off.

Would Oliver have changed his mind if he had seen the replays, which he's effectively barred from doing because of the Premier League's absurd do-it-yourself version of VAR? We'll never know. Maybe not. But in what was, to me at least, a decision that could easily have gone the other way, I'd have a heck of a lot more faith in it if the guy deemed to be one of England's top referees had seen what the VAR and what hundreds of millions of viewers across the world saw: the replays.

Would it have led to a different outcome in the game itself? Maybe. But it was the sort of decision that leaves you fuming if you're Pep (witness the rabid, sarcastic handshake with the match officials at the end) and if you're a less than steel-minded City player, plants that awful seed of doubt that "this isn't our year."

While we're at it, it's worth mentioning a point Julien Laurens brings up on the Gab & Juls podcast. After the ball strikes Alexander-Arnold's arm, Sergio Aguero stops playing and appeals for the penalty despite the fact that the ball is there at his feet and a wide-open Raheem Sterling is a few yards away. Aguero has been a pro for 15 years: he should know better. A simple square ball for Sterling might have given them a goal anyway. What's more, he ought to know that appeals in an age of VAR serve even less purpose than they did before.

As for the game itself, Liverpool were exceptional for long stretches. The way Andy Robertson and Alexander-Arnold switched play and distributed the ball, especially the latter, was breath-taking at times, as was the speed and intensity displayed. Equally though, if you play at that rate you will inevitably have periods in which you slow down and against technically gifted opponents, you will concede goals, which is what happened. It wasn't enough to turn the game, but it's a reminder that Liverpool probably should save these types of performances for opponents of this caliber. Doing it week in, week out is neither necessary nor wise.

Pep lavished praise on his City side, and it smelled a little bit of misdirection. Whether it was Aguero on the goal, Kyle Walker losing Sadio Mane on Liverpool's third, Ilkay Gundogan letting Fabinho take all the time in the world to shoot on the opener, City failing to counter Liverpool's endless fullback-to-fullback switches ... there are plenty of things they could have done better. Sure, praise them for their belief and hard work until the very end, but frankly, we've come to expect that from City and it really should be a given.

As I see it, despite dropping into fourth place a point behind Chelsea and Leicester, City are still Liverpool's most realistic opponents and it's not over yet. There's the return leg at the Etihad, there's the mad pileup of fixtures caused by the Carabao Cup and FIFA Club World Cup, there's the fact that Liverpool have been relatively fortunate with injuries and certain players (Robertson, Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Virgil Van Dijk) are hugely difficult to replace and, more importantly, force you to play differently.

Still, after Sunday, it's another giant step toward what the Anfield faithful have been waiting 30 years to celebrate.

Bayern, post-Kovac, thump Dortmund with ease

With hindsight, maybe it was predictable. The post-Niko Kovac era began with a low-key 2-0 win over Olympiakos and continued with a 4-0 drubbing of Borussia Dortmund. It's too easy to simply say Borussia Dortmund were terrible (they were) or that it was just about Bayern getting rid of Kovac in order to shine. Hans Flick may be an interim manager (for now... it might not be a bad idea to keep around him until the end of the season), but he's not afraid to get under the hood.

Like he did in the Champions League, Flick dropped Philippe Coutinho for Thomas Muller not necessarily because the Brazilian is underperforming, but because in games like this, Muller gives you a lift and enough raw energy to rattle any opposition. The artist formerly known as "Der Raumdeuter" helped pin Dortmund back to the point that they achieved virtually nothing in the final third until a Paco Alcacer chance at the hour mark.

Flick's solution to the injury crisis in the back four was unconventional -- David Alaba and Javi Martinez in the middle, with Benjamin Pavard and Alphonso Davies in the full-back positions -- but it worked, not least because so much of the action was at the other end of the pitch. Whether he appealed to their pride or simply got it right tactically is immaterial: Bayern looked like a side that who suddenly remembered who they were.

As for Dortmund, the second-half comeback against Inter in last week's 3-2 win felt like just a blip. Losing Jadon Sancho to injury in the first half didn't help, but the lack of creativity and inability to get out of their own half, except by mindless long balls for Thorgan Hazard to chase, cost them dearly.

So, if you're Bayern, do you stick with Flick? The impression is that they might well do. The Ralf Rangnick trail seems to have gone cold. Arsene Wenger would have done himself no favours by going on TV and announcing that he had been contacted by Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, despite the club suggesting privately it was the other way around. So if you're going to go with a caretaker, why not Flick?

Juventus do just enough (again) and beat Milan

Juventus looked a lot like an off-brand replica of the Max Allegri version in overcoming Milan 1-0 on Sunday night. It helps when you play poorly and then can chuck on Douglas Costa and Paulo Dybala, with the pair combining to score the winner. Evidently, there's still plenty to work on but this was easily Milan's best performance of the season and Juve's difficulties have a lot to do with the way the opposition played.

Stefano Pioli chucked in the newcomers, Ismael Bennacer (who was outstanding) and Rade Krunic, and for long stretches, Milan had the upper hand. Only Krzysztof Piatek's lost mojo and some great Wojciech Szczesny saves stopped them from scoring. You don't want to get carried away and say Milan have turned a corner, but if Sunday night wasn't a one-off, they won't be dropping too many points between now and the end of the season.

Sarri shows spine with Ronaldo

It speaks volumes about the sort of player Cristiano Ronaldo is and was for much of his career that before Sunday, he'd only been substituted in consecutive games three times in the last decade. (The last time, in the build-up to the 2018 Champions League final, doesn't really count.)

Maurizio Sarri said Ronaldo had a slight niggle that had been dogging him for several weeks. Ronaldo didn't seem to take it well, walking straight down into the tunnel and then, according to local media, showering and leaving the stadium three minutes before the final whistle. Sarri said it was normal for a player to get annoyed when substituted, let alone a competitor like Ronaldo, and it was no big deal. Time will tell, but what's undeniable is that Ronaldo, possibly because of his physical problems, was having a rough night and that Sarri showed backbone.

Arsenal and Emery are regressing in real time

It's pretty much a horror show right now at Arsenal. You can budget for a defeat away to this Leicester City side that is flying right now, but it's difficult to fathom the choices and sense of drift enveloping Unai Emery's side. Switching to a back three (and dropping Sokratis Papastathopoulos, one of the few players with leadership qualities on this team) against the rampaging Ricardo Pereira and Ben Chilwell makes little sense. Playing Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang so wide is equally baffling particularly when Mesut Ozil is in the hole. As for Nicolas Pepe, why spend all that money on a guy who doesn't fit into your system?

The result was a single shot on goal and a growing discontent among Arsenal fans, who have seen their side win just two Premier League games since August and just one game of any kind in the past month (and that came only as a result of a last-ditch goal from Pepe).

Emery is idiosyncratic: We get it. Man-management isn't really his thing, so the way he gets buy-in from players is by being smarter than the opposition and getting a tactical edge. When it works, no problem. When it doesn't, things go downhill very fast because he can't rely on his personal charisma to turn it around.

Arsenal insist his job is safe. There's no reason it shouldn't be in terms of results: They're fifth in the Premier League. The problem is the sense of forward progress, or lack thereof. Part of being a successful manager is being able to sell your vision. Right now, nobody is buying.

Taison abused in Ukraine

A week later, it happens again this time in the biggest match in Ukrainian football, Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Dynamo Kyiv. Shakhtar Donetsk's Brazilian midfielder, Taison, had a reaction to racist abuse that eerily mirrored Mario Balotelli's a week ago: the ball punted up into the stands, the incredulous look, the march towards the sideline, teammates and opponents surrounding him, first to try to understand and then to support. What was different here is that having suspended the game and taken the teams off the field in accordance with the protocol, referee Mykola Balakin sent Taison off back in the dressing room, possibly for his reaction to the abuse, which included a raised middle finger.

As we wait for more confirmed facts to emerge (including Balakin's report), early indications are that this was not an impromptu incident but a planned provocation. The fact that some of Dynamo's hard-core supporters showed up with stickers like this one, with its mocking "Like to racism" message rather gives it away. Actions like this aren't just about racist abuse but about certain fans' willingness to test boundaries and the resolve of authorities. As with Serie A and the rest of Europe, the world is watching.

Don't look now, but Real Madrid are finding form

It was less than a month ago, after a 1-0 defeat at Mallorca, that some wondered whether Zinedine Zidane made the second-worst mistake of his life in agreeing to return to the Bernabeu and if the Jose Mourinho bandwagon was picking up steam. Fast-forward and they've taken 13 of a possible 15 points -- and it should be five wins in a row, given how Betis were battered a week ago -- bagging 10 goals in their last two outings.

Eibar may not be much of a test but the way in which Real went 3-0 up inside half an hour, on their way to a 4-0 win, was a statement and a half. Federico Valverde feels necessary in the starting lineup these days, Rodrygo (who sat out Saturday) is an exciting bonus and Karim Benzema, who has 41 goals in 68 games since Cristiano Ronaldo's departure, is proving the haters wrong. Oh, and all this without Toni Kroos, Marco Asensio and Gareth Bale.

If anything, the test will be how Zidane fits the pieces together when everybody is fit, but as they say, it's a good problem to have.

Icardi might be the long-term answer for PSG

Paris Saint-Germain's lead at the top of Ligue 1 stands at eight points and they've virtually won their Champions League group, so you can't really blame Thomas Tuchel for using these games as a chance to assess what he has. At home to Brest, in addition to the injured Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, he left out Marquinhos and Mauro Icardi, giving Edinson Cavani his first start since August. Cavani did hit the post but it was Icardi, the heir apparent, who came on and won the game, grabbing the winner five minutes from time.

Icardi has nine goals in 10 appearances this season, including three in the Champions League. He's on loan and it will take 70 million Euros ($75m) or thereabouts to make his deal permanent. If he keeps this up, PSG will have no choice but to keep him around to fill Cavani's boots.

What we learned from Man United's win (hint: not much)

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United keeps doing this. They tumble close to the edge -- going into the weekend, this was their worst start to the season since the early Sir Alex Ferguson Era -- and then scramble back. This week, it was a 3-1 victory over Brighton that saw Solskjaer field the youngest starting lineup in the Premier League this season.

The thing about days like these is they tell you very little. United scored early and at home, they were able to hit on the counter the rest of the way: Brighton had 57% possession at Old Trafford, which rather confirms this. We know they can counterattack -- with Daniel James, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial up front, you'd be shocked if they couldn't -- what's still not clear is what they can do beyond that. Truth be told, we likely won't know until Paul Pogba -- really, the only reliably creative force in midfield -- comes back. Until then, expect more of the same: one step forward, two steps back.

More frustration for Napoli

The most frustrating aspect of Napoli's current plight -- no wins in their last five games, president Aurelio De Laurentiis threatening legal action against players after they refused to be sequestered in training camp for a week, furious fans booing the team and club officials, with coach Carlo Ancelotti caught in the middle of it all -- is how self-inflicted it all is.

De Laurentiis feels, perhaps rightly, that he had built a side that would challenge for Serie A this season and was disappointed by the results. That's true, but it's equally true that making the team stay at the training ground for a week (a practice straight out of the 1970s) is grandstanding and counterproductive. Taking it out on Ancelotti, after he signalled that he didn't believe in such steps is also foolish. You suspect that it's mostly about players' contractual situations and here too, De Laurentiis hasn't helped himself by saying that if the likes of Jose Maria Callejon and Dries Mertens didn't like his offer, they could go "live a crappy life in China" for all he cared.

On Monday, local media was rife with reports of a fire sale, with not just Callejon and Mertens but also Kalidou Koulibaly, Lorenzo Insigne and others leaving the club, driving Ancelotti (who has a hefty contract through 2021) to resign as well. You hope that's not the case. Napoli fans deserve better than De Laurentiis cashing in his chips in what amounts to a sudden about-face after years of good stewardship.

Barca are winning, but not playing well

Barcelona joined Real Madrid at the top of the table with a 4-1 hammering of Celta, but it felt like far more of you-know-who carrying the side. Lionel Messi bagged a hat-trick (two gorgeous free-kick goals and a penalty) and turned in another G.O.A.T. candidate performance. He waited until October to score his first goal of the season but has nine in seven appearances since. And he has scored six of Barcelona's last eight goals.

Another way to look at it, is this team are not playing well. Against a side who had lost four in a row and replaced their manager, they scored once from open play (with Sergio Busquets no less). Antoine Griezmann struggled, Ansu Fati played like what he is (a guy who turned 17 on Halloween), the midfield didn't create and Junior Firpo still looks out of place. Ernesto Valverde has got work to do. Again.

Conte keeps moaning even as Inter win again

In mid-week, Antonio Conte delivered the sort of tantrum that has his loyalists ooh and aah at how badly he wants to win and his critics getting a sense of deja vu, the one where when his team wins, it's down to him and when they lose, it's down to the club not supporting him enough. My colleague James Horncastle summed it up nicely here.

Among his complaints was that while his rivals were lavishing huge amounts on brand-name superstars, he had to make do with guys signed from Sassuolo (Stefano Sensi) and Cagliari (Nicolo Barella). Well, the guy from Sassuolo has been arguably Inter's best player this season and the guy from Cagliari scored a gorgeous winner to overcome Verona and keep Inter in touch with Juve at the top of the table.

Lampard, Chelsea continue to impress

Frank Lampard's Chelsea made it six wins in a row with a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday that could easily have been greater. At the rate he's going in terms of chucking in the kids -- Reece James started his first Premier League match and showed just why folks are so excited by him -- the next challenge will be managing the squad and doling out enough minutes to keep everyone happy.

It's all part of the growth process for a guy who has been a manager for less than 18 months.

Gladbach keep setting the pace in Bundesliga

It looked as if it was going to be a very tight Bundesliga season, with as many as six or seven clubs packed within a few points at the top. Now, you're not so sure. One club is pulling away (and it's not Bayern): Borussia Moenchengladbach have taken 21 of a possible 24 points in their last eight league matches, and they probably should have won the one game they lost as well, against Borussia Dortmund last month.

Marco Rose's side downed Werder Bremen 3-1 at the weekend and while they were the beneficiaries of a missed penalty, they were generally on top throughout. Even in a league accustomed to high press/high intensity play, teams are struggling to come to grips with Rose's approach. And with Bayern and Dortmund having their own problems, you wonder if Gladbach's main rival this season might not end up being Leipzig.

Rookie Dwayne Haskins will be the Redskins' starting quarterback for the remainder of the season, interim coach Bill Callahan said Monday.

Case Keenum will be Haskins' backup and Colt McCoy will be the No. 3 QB.

Haskins made his first start in Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills, completing 15 of 22 passes for 144 yards in a 24-9 loss, but Callahan declined to commit to him as the starter before Monday.

The Redskins were on a bye in Week 10.

Haskins, who was selected 15th overall in the 2019 draft out of Ohio State, has completed 27 of 44 attempts with zero touchdown passes and four interceptions in three games this season. He has been sacked eight times.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- Joshua Griffin is running a few minutes behind schedule, which is unusual for him, but understandable. An early-morning weightlifting session is a must to stay in shape during the football season, as is the extra time required in an ice bath afterward. His muscles and joints just don't bounce back like they used to, so he's vigilant when it comes to staving off inflammation. Some of his Colorado State teammates have taken to calling him Bengay because he rubs the stuff all over his body.

When the junior running back does leave the football facility, he hurries across the street to an on-campus dining hall to rejoin his teammates, many of whom have already finished their breakfast. He's a little fidgety as he gives an interview, pushing around a handful of wobbly hard-boiled eggs on his plate. A reporter has joined him today, and the attention is unsettling since he's always been one to do his job and get out of harm's way.

Look around, he says, diverting attention elsewhere.

Look around and see all the other stories worth telling.

He points to another table, where Andre Neal is sitting. Like Griffin, Neal had to give up football for a few years. He didn't have the money to keep going after his freshman year at a junior college in California. So he got a job at Walmart, saved up for two years and clawed his way back. Look at him now: He landed on his feet at CSU and recorded the Rams' first interception this season against Utah State.

Griffin then turns to Logan Stewart, who grew up 15 minutes from campus and used to pass out water bottles at the football stadium as a kid. He wasn't much of a high school prospect, so he walked on to the team, too. Only at one point, he hit a wall with no money and nowhere to stay. Griffin let him crash at his place, even slipped him a few dollars. Griffin says he nearly cried when Stewart earned a scholarship and became a starter on defense.

"To me, this team is filled with stories like mine," Griffin says.

Respectfully, that's not exactly true. Nowhere in college football is there a story quite like his.

"I've never been around anything like it," says CSU coach Mike Bobo.

Griffin isn't just a walk-on who at one point had to turn away from the game he loved. He put football aside for more than a decade, trading in one uniform for another after high school when he joined the Army and fought overseas. He's still an active-duty staff sergeant today, and this season he's college football's eldest statesman at 33 years old.

"When I'm on that field, I'm having fun," he says. "I'm living."

Tom Ehlers has been in this business long enough to know that a lot of the guys who say they want to walk on to the football team don't really mean it. They just aren't prepared for all the work involved and all the hoops you have to jump through. A lot of the time they don't even bother to follow up after an initial email.

So when CSU's director of football ops got a message from Griffin out of the blue one day, he didn't think much of it. It wasn't the first time a member of the military had reached out. He replied and said that sure, he'd be happy to talk him through the process.

Then Ehlers' phone rang. It was Griffin, saying, "I'm out in the lobby."

Ehlers couldn't figure out how he got in the building -- "It's like Fort Knox" with all the security said one staffer -- but Griffin made it past the front door and found Ehlers' number on the counter. Ehlers sized him up, impressed by his firm handshake and how well built he was.

Ehlers guessed that Griffin, a 5-foot-10, 208-pound ball of muscle, was maybe 25 years old, 26 tops. Then the Houston native explained that he was in his 30s.

"Obviously he was doing something," Ehlers said. "Even for a soldier to be that fit at that old, he wasn't afraid to work."

The two talked about Griffin's workout routine, his military service and his experience playing football, which most recently featured games of two-hand touch in the Army. Playing the Rangers always went a little overboard, Griffin explained.

"It would start off as touch and then all of the sudden you'd see a bunch of guys playing tackle football on concrete," he said. "Then we'd get the call to mount up and then we're outside the wire."

For CSU's purposes, that didn't count, of course. The last time Griffin played organized football was at Ross Shaw Sterling High School in Texas, where he also ran track as a junior and senior. But because it was so long ago, they couldn't exactly pull up his Hudl highlights. "I live in a VHS world," Griffin joked.

But Ehlers thought Griffin had the right attitude. He figured they could find out if Griffin could play easily enough, and his military background could certainly be useful on a young football team in need of leadership. How could a 20-year-old look at him and say, "I'm tired," Ehlers imagined. So he passed Griffin along to David Stenklyft, the team's director of player personnel who runs the walk-on program.

"Obviously he didn't have any high school tape and he's older than I am," Stenklyft, who was 31 at the time, said. "I was here a couple of months and he shows up and I'm like, 'Oh, s---.'"

With no game film and no access to SAT or ACT scores, Stenklyft had his hands full, digging through the archives just for a simple transcript. If not for his affinity for walk-ons -- Stenklyft's brother was a 12th man at Texas A&M -- he might have thrown in the towel.

But Griffin kept showing up. An exhausted Stenklyft would call Ehlers and tell him, "Josh Griffin called me again. He just won't leave me alone."

Finally, Stenklyft told Griffin, "Why don't you come out and do the walk-on tryout and we'll go from there?"

Stenklyft laughs thinking about it now, how over-prepared Griffin was, how he showed up to the tryout in tights as if he were going to run in the NFL combine.

Ehlers chuckles, too.

"He was a determined old guy. ... When you see Josh coming, you can't help but feel like, 'Good for him.' And good for us. He's done it right."

There's a large field visible just over Griffin's left shoulder as he eats, a field located down a flight of stairs and through a set of double doors. It's sort of level and mostly meant for relaxation purposes, with students picnicking on its lush grass on sunny days.

Griffin couldn't practice on the team's football field as he awaited tryouts. So that's where he went, putting himself through drills over and over again to prepare.

He was kind of fanatical about it, if he's being honest. Every day for two weeks, he'd drive the two hours from his base in Colorado Springs to Fort Collins just to watch the team practice. He was the self-proclaimed "weird guy" standing on the steps, watching closely.

"I would study what the coaches had them doing during individuals and then after practice I would go to these fields right here and I would do exactly what they would do," he said.

He knows how crazy this all sounds. He nearly tried out for the NFL during the brief lockout in 2011, and when a new collective bargaining agreement was reached, he didn't think he'd give football another chance.

But that's the funny thing about military service. Everyone wants to know the war stories, but it's the in-between time that's the most difficult to fill. It's boring. Some people play "Call of Duty." Others call their significant others back home. Griffin was the guy who put on his full uniform, packed his parachute and ran laps with it strapped to his chest to stay in shape.

People laughed at him for that back then, and he paid them no mind. And he ignored them again when he started talking about his dream of going to college and playing football.

At some point, he just got tired of his superiors bossing him around just because they had a degree and he didn't, and he decided to do something about it. After researching different opportunities he landed on the "Green to Gold" program, the name a nod to an enlisted soldier's bare green suit and the gold bars signifying an officer's rank. After completing two years of college, he could get his degree and return to service with the bars of an officer.

The Army accepts a maximum of 200 soldiers into the program per year, and it typically doesn't come close to reaching that quota because of its rigorous standards that take into account the recommendation of superiors, school transcripts and fitness testing. A perfect fitness score is 300, and according to Maj. Jonathan Parker, "all his [Griffin's] last few years were 300s."

Upon his acceptance into the program, Griffin said, "The love of football was ignited." His initial plan was to go to one of three schools: USC, Houston or Temple. But then he missed his flight from Denver one morning, decided to check out Colorado State, and the rest is history.

He had to push hard to get his quick-twitch muscles back, working with a local trainer leading up to tryouts. He'll never forget the day of tryouts: Aug. 21.

"I was nervous, kind of like in a daze," he said.

Out of the 20 or so people to try out, only three were accepted: one wide receiver, one running back and Griffin, a defensive back at the time.

Bobo said he was impressed by Griffin's attention to detail and his effort. He thinks of him almost like an assistant coach now, the way he affects his teammates in the weight room and on the practice field.

"He's a serious guy that is still a kid at heart because he feels this is a big void in his life and he's trying to fill it by playing ball," Bobo said.

"He earned his way and earned the respect."

A lot of Griffin's military service is redacted. You can count the five bars on his jacket -- each signifying a six-month deployment -- and tell he has spent a total of 2½ years overseas. Some of it was in Iraq, some Afghanistan. "The places I can talk about," Griffin said.

He specialized in communications but can't go into detail. He was attached to the 10th Special Forces for a while. Then he joined the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, which goes by the nickname the Night Stalkers. Their motto: "Night Stalkers don't quit!"

He has had broken ribs and multiple concussions. At one point during breakfast, he extended a mangled finger.

"Right here, I take it and hmm" -- Griffin said as he manipulated the second joint of his finger to make a near-perfect right angle -- "then I break it back."

He said he continues to carry the stress of his wartime experience "each and every day."

"I barely sleep," he explained. "Any unsettling noise wakes me up. I'm always on alert."

Asked what sticks with him most, though, and he said it's the "brotherhood and tomfoolery." And in that way, the camaraderie and structure of a football team feel eerily reminiscent.

"It's the same spirit but in a different church," he said.

An injury set him back several weeks during training camp, and he has struggled to crack the depth chart. It's been frustrating. He doesn't want to be seen as the "rah-rah" guy on the team. If he's an inspiration to anyone, he says it's only because of who he is and what he does and not because he's trying to be. He thinks it's funny when he beats younger guys during practice.

But at the same time, he understands his role goes beyond touchdowns and tackles. Twice he's been asked to get up and speak in front of the team. He said he shares very little of his military experience, "Just enough to shut them up."

Ehlers said it's been remarkable how players have gravitated toward him. Before Griffin's injury, Bobo put him on the nine-man leadership council -- "That ought to tell you what we feel about him," Bobo said -- which drafted players from the team that they'd be accountable for throughout the season. Some guys drafted the most talented players or the ones who would be easiest to deal with. Griffin chose the ones who needed structure the most.

"I see a little bit of me in all of them," Griffin said.

They rag on him all the time, calling him everything from Old Man to Father Time. One player cracked during breakfast that if you see a white handicap van parked outside, it's Griffin's. Oh, and after practice, Griffin supposedly gets Ensure instead of Gatorade.

But coaches see through the heckling.

"When he talks, the kids listen because he has real-life experience," Bobo said. "He's been in battle. That's hard to imagine. I'm coaching football when I was 32 years old. He's 22-30 and he's fighting for our country. It's just an amazing story."

Not everyone knows it yet, but that story will be coming to an end soon. Griffin told Stenklyft recently that he wants to go through Senior Day this year. Unless something extraordinary happens, he'll return to the Army upon graduation.

He's only a junior in terms of eligibility and could petition the military for an extra year in school, but he doesn't see the point. He has already proved he can compete. All he ever wanted to do was show he could do it and be someone his teammates could count on, and he has done both.

"I'm done," Griffin said. "I know that I can play. I know I can play with them."

He doesn't want to make this about himself -- he never has -- but there's a sense of satisfaction when he speaks. Getting to try out and make the team felt like heaven, he said.

"If there's anything I want to come out of this, it's that, to stop placing your limitations on others," he said. "Don't let others put their limitations on you."

Griffin's words and his story have already resonated with others. Stenklyft has received multiple emails from soldiers interested in trying out.

Who knows who will come knocking on the door next?