The 2019 World Series comes down to a winner-take-all finale at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Our coverage team is on the ground for Game 7 of Astros-Nationals. First pitch is at 8:08 p.m. ET.

Must-reads: Everything you need to know for Game 7 | Game 7 facts

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Pregame interviews, news & more

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Go 1-0 today.#Scherzday // #STAYINTHEFIGHT https://t.co/bBRv4qQkxF pic.twitter.com/WGhJuYU7oR

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) October 30, 2019

#WorldSeries Game 7!

? CLOSED
⚾️ 7:08pm
? @MLBONFOX
? @SportsTalk790 & 850 AM#TakeItBack pic.twitter.com/oY5scnVhNo

— Houston Astros (@astros) October 30, 2019

AJ Hinch on Anthony Rendon: "He's one of the most impressive superstars in our game. But I hope he goes 0-for-4. And then gets a big contract in the offseason."

— David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield) October 30, 2019

Sam Burgess was "made a scapegoat" by rugby union during his ill-fated switch from rugby league, said former Great Britain coach Tony Smith.

Burgess was a controversial pick in the England rugby union squad that was eliminated at the group stage of the 2015 World Cup.

He said his heart "wasn't in" rugby union and was stung by criticism from ex-players.

"I think it was a pretty dark time psychologically for him," said Smith.

Former England rugby league captain Burgess announced his retirement from playing on Wednesday, because of a chronic shoulder injury.

Burgess, 30, is one of rugby league's biggest names and had played for South Sydney Rabbitohs in Australia's National Rugby League since 2010.

He previously played for Bradford Bulls and played 23 matches for England, and two for Great Britain.

He switched codes to join rugby union side Bath in 2014 and was fast-tracked into the England team, earning five caps, but returned to rugby league after just a year.

The 2015 World Cup was seen as a nadir for England's rugby union team and four years later they have reached the World Cup final.

Hull Kingston Rovers head coach Smith, who gave Burgess his Great Britain debut, told Radio 5 Live: "I think he was made a scapegoat by a sport that used him and chewed him up to some degree. Sam was hung out to dry.

"I thought he held a great account of himself in rugby union, to play at the highest level and do such a good job as he did - not many people could achieve that, and I know there wouldn't be many that could come the other way and do it."

Smith added: 'He's one of my most talented rugby league players I've ever coached - also one of my most impressive guys that I've coached as a human being."

CONCORD, N.C. – This Thursday through Saturday, several hundred cars across nine divisions of racing are expected to gather at The Dirt Track at Charlotte for the fourth annual Driven Racing Oil World Short Track Championship.

As the event’s tagline rings true, this is a giant opportunity for the weekly racers to come out and mix it up on a big stage against some of the best competition they’ll see all year.

Now in its fourth year of activity, several drivers have had the opportunity to make the journey to one of the most elite dirt track racing facilities in the world more than once. One of which will be in action this weekend on the FOX Racing SHOX Pro Late Model roster, Trent Ivey.

The 24-year-old from Union, S.C., has several years of Pro Late Model experience behind the wheel of his Ivey Construction No. 88 Longhorn, featuring the Chevrolet Crate performance engine. And he’s certainly no stranger to The Dirt Track or its victory lane stage, having competed in all three previous Pro Late Model events at the World Short Track Championships and winning the 2015 Circle K Shootout as part of the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series race at the venue.

Ivey’s nine years of experience driving a Crate engine Late Model will certainly come in handy this weekend as he and the crew prepare for some of the best competition the east coast has to offer. Fortunately, that big win four years ago has given him a ton of confidence and appreciation for the track.

“Ever since then, I’ve had a liking for the racetrack, and it’s liked me,” Ivey said. “Every time I’m there, I’m generally in the top three. I was racing for the lead at this race last year before I popped a right-rear tire.”

It’s true, his solid 2018 World Short Track efforts came to a screeching halt with five laps remaining after blowing a tire while running sixth, leaving him with a 23rd-place finish. Earlier in the race, he was on leader and eventual winner Michael Brown’s heels for the top spot before settling back outside the top five. But it’s finishes like these that motivate him to come back even stronger next year. And what better way to get stronger than to drive something a lot more powerful.

This year has been Ivey’s rookie season at the controls of a super late model around his home track of Cherokee Speedway. Garnering two wins at the track in super late model regional series competition already this year, Ivey said he’s learned a lot from moving up, and it’s made him a more well-rounded pilot.

“Driving a crate and then going to a super and making sure I do everything I can behind the wheel has helped me the most,” he said.

“A lot of people say that super late model experience helps in driving a crate car. I say it’s the opposite. In a Super, you’ve got all this motor and you can get yourself out of trouble. But with Crates, you’ve got to hit it perfect if you’re going to be the man to beat.”

Now a two-time South Eastern Crate Ass’n Late Model champion after his second crowning last year, Ivey’s had a chance to race at several tracks in his region. But to him, there just isn’t anything like The Dirt Track.

“Charlotte’s a big venue, and everybody likes to go race there,” he said. “But I like the track the most. Charlotte’s unique because you can race all over it. You get to see who really can drive.

“The clay gets slick and the track’s really wide, it’s one of the widest tracks we race on,” Ivey continued. “It’s got a top, it’s got a bottom and a middle at times, and that’s everything a racecar driver wants. You pull into a racetrack that you can race all over on, that’s like finding gold.”

Ivey will, no doubt, be putting his super late model knowledge to good use as he chases a win on Saturday.

“I like my chances, especially knowing what I know now from racing supers, I can incorporate it into my crate car,” Ivey said. “When the track gets slick, you can do more things with it.”

With all of his super late model racing efforts this season, he’s only had time for one crate late model start this year. Ivey ran third to Brandon Overton and Ross Bailes in a 75-lap, $50,000-to-win event at Virginia Motor Speedway in September. That solid finish gave him a boost of confidence as he prepares for another real test against his familiar foes of the Southeast this weekend.

“It showed me that maybe I still got it in a Crate, hopefully it’ll carry over into this race,” Ivey said. “It’s a pretty big deal. It’s a big event for the local guys, and I guess I’m still a local guy.”

Carlota Ciganda isn't sleeping on the lead in the battle for the Aon Risk Reward Challenge's $1 million prize, but she's resting with it.

Ciganda leads the season-long competition to see who sports the best scoring average on the week-to-week's designated risk-reward holes, but she won't be defending her position in the competition's final two events, this week's Taiwan Swinging Skirts and next week's Toto Japan Classic. Ciganda has reached the required number of holes played to qualify for the big prize and has withdrawn from these last two qualifying events.

So it's up to Ariya Jutanugarn, In Kyun-Kim and the other closes pursuers to see if they can overtake her.

"It has been a long year, and I am mentally exhausted," Ciganda told LPGA media. "I have played a lot during the summer, including the Solheim Cup. I won in Spain a couple of weeks ago, and I have just run out of gas. I am choosing to listen to my body at the moment."

Ciganda sports a -0.841 scoring average in relation to par on the risk-reward holes this year. Jutanugarn is second at -0.8000 and Kim is third at -0.750. Both Jutanugarn and Kim are in the field this week.

"I am leading the Aon Risk Reward Challenge, but deciding not to play I don't give myself a chance to improve my position," Ciganda said. "I just did not want to play these two weeks against the best players in the world when I am not mentally fit. Also, we have the most important tournament of the year coming up [CME Group Tour Championship], and I want to be ready for that week because my goal is to win."

Ciganda has a chance to take home a wheelbarrow full of money in the last month of the season. She could win the $1 million Aon Risk Reward Challenge before going to the CME Group Tour Championship, where a $1.5 million winner's check, the largest in women's golf, is up for grabs.

The designated risk-reward hole at Miramar Golf Country Club in New Tapei City this week is the 342-yard, par 4 8th hole. There are multiple tee boxes, with the LPGA planning to use the forward tees (255 yards) during at least two rounds.

The Aon Risk Reward scoring system has been identical on both the LPGA and PGA Tour this year, with players taking their best two scores from each Aon Risk Reward Challenge hole. Players must play a minimum of 40 rounds throughout the season.

Barcelona are not contemplating letting Arturo Vidal leave in January but are open to offers of €25-€30 million for Ivan Rakitic, various sources have told ESPN FC.

Inter Milan have expressed an interest in both players in recent months, although Barca have made it clear they do not want to lose Vidal midseason. The Chile international plays an important role in the squad and, even though he doesn't start every week, the Spanish champions feel he will be needed as the season progresses.

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Sources have told ESPN FC that a meeting took place between Barca and Inter officials around the Champions League game between the two sides at the beginning of October, which Barca won 2-1.

Both Vidal and Rakitic were discussed but Barca told the Italian side that they were in no rush to reach an agreement with January still a couple of months away. However, they stressed that even then they will not entertain any offer for Vidal, who has a contract with the club until 2021.

Vidal, 32, has only started twice this season but he has made nine appearances in total and has already contributed three goals. He was on target in Tuesday's 5-1 win over Real Valladolid. Sources at Barcelona told ESPN FC that he is a major character in the dressing room, while pointing out that he offers something different to the other midfielders in Ernesto Valverde's squad.

Inter coach Antonio Conte is one of Vidal's biggest advocates. The two worked together at Juventus and Vidal, speaking this week, expressed his gratitude to Conte for the role he has played in his career at the same time as revealing he would like to be playing more regularly.

"I had some great moments under Conte and was able to really progress thanks to him," he said. "The most important thing in football is confidence and when a coach with his prestige gives you that, you improve a lot."

Inter, though, may have more luck in their pursuit of Rakitic as sources have told ESPN FC that Barca need to raise €124m in sales before June 30. The former Sevilla midfielder said he would be open to leaving in January, having seen his minutes plummet this season.

A source close to the situation has told ESPN FC that Inter continue to "insist" on signing Rakitic. There is interest from Paris Saint-Germain, too, who bid for him in 2018. Juventus also made an enquiry in the summer.

Rakitic, 31, has started just one game this season. He had previously been an ever-present under first Luis Enrique and later Valverde after joining the club in 2014 for €18m.

NEW YORK -- Fresh off their first Final Four appearance, the Ducks are ranked No. 1 in The Associated Press' poll for the first time in school history.

Oregon, led by sensational guard Sabrina Ionescu, received 25 of the 28 first-place votes from the national media panel to grab the top spot in the preseason rankings released Wednesday.

"I think it validates our vision that we had going in here," coach Kelly Graves told the AP. "It validates the hard work from my staff that's been with me the whole journey. On this stage, we had a better opportunity to be in position we now are."

No. 2 Baylor, the defending national champion, received the other three first-place votes. Stanford, Maryland and UConn round out the top five; the Huskies have been ranked in the top five for 239 consecutive weeks, since January 2007.

"That's nuts," Graves said of UConn's streak. "I think I'd be in my mid-70s by the time we reached that."

No. 6 Texas A&M has its best ranking since the Aggies were fifth on Dec. 29, 2014. Oregon State, South Carolina, Louisville and Mississippi State complete the top 10.

Graves knows no one tends to remember who was ranked first in October. He also feels his team, which was ranked third in the preseason last year, is mature enough to handle the pressures of being No. 1.

"I think it's really neat and we're adult enough and smart enough to handle this," he said. "We've kept our heads down and continued to work. Stay humbled and hungry."

Tennessee isn't ranked in the preseason for the first time since 1976, ending a 42-year streak. The Lady Vols, who saw their remarkable run of 565 weeks ranked in the poll end in 2016, fell out of the rankings Jan. 14 last season and didn't return to the Top 25. They changed coaches in the spring, bringing back former star Kellie Harper to coach the team.

No. 16 Notre Dame, coming off two trips to the national championship game, is out of the top 10 for the first time since Jan. 17, 2011. Coach Muffet McGraw lost all five starters to the WNBA, and two top reserves from last year transferred. It is the team's worst preseason ranking since the Fighting Irish were also ranked 16th in 2008.

Ranked Razorbacks

Coach Mike Neighbors has No. 22 Arkansas in the preseason Top 25 for the first time since 2002. In the past decade, the team has been ranked a handful of times but not since a one-week stay in the Top 25 in 2014 when Jimmy Dykes was the coach.

"We're honored by it and definitely not going to take it for granted," Neighbors said.

The Razorbacks return six of their top seven scorers from last season's team that lost in the third round of the postseason WNIT. Junior Chelsea Dungee leads the way.

"My grandpa used to say things are different when the deer gets the gun," Neighbors said of being ranked. "There's a different approach for us with teams having motivation against us. It requires a different level of preparation and understanding, and that's really new for us."

Tip-ins

• No. 24 Indiana has only its second preseason ranking in school history. The Hoosiers were 23rd in the 2016 preseason poll.

• No. 15 Texas has the second-most appearances in the preseason poll with 35. Maryland and Stanford are tied for fourth with 32, one behind third-place Georgia.

• Oregon became the 15th different team to be No. 1 in the preseason. UConn and Tennessee are tied with 12 each.

• Michigan State at No. 17 was one of five teams in this poll that weren't ranked in the final poll last season. The Spartans were joined by Arkansas, Minnesota (23), Indiana and Michigan (25).

Conference supremacy

The Atlantic Coast Conference led the way with six teams ranked. Behind No. 9 Louisville are Florida State (12), NC State (14), Notre Dame (16), Miami (18) and Syracuse (21). The SEC, Big Ten and Pac-12 each had five teams ranked. The Big 12 had two teams, with the American Athletic and Big East each having one.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors big man Willie Cauley-Stein and veteran swingman Alec Burks will make their respective season debuts on Wednesday night against the Phoenix Suns. Cauley-Stein, who signed with the team over the summer, missed all of training camp and the first three regular-season games after injuring his left foot in a workout.

"Finally," he said with a bit of a smile, after Wednesday's shoot-around. "[The wait] was long. But they kept me busy. They kept me always doing something. I was always doing conditioning or weights. Or just spot shots. So I haven't been just sitting around. I've been watching and being tortured. Man, I'm just so excited to be out there again."

Cauley-Stein's return gives the Warriors some more big man depth as the organization waits for test results for Kevon Looney. Looney, who played only 10 minutes in a season-opening loss to the Clippers, is expected to see several specialists as the Warriors evaluate "an ongoing presence of a neuropathic condition in his body." Young big man Marquese Chriss started the team's first two games, while Warriors head coach Steve Kerr went small in Monday night's win over the New Orleans Pelicans, replacing Chriss with rookie guard Jordan Poole.

"I'm the biggest guy out there," Cauley-Stein said. "So that mismatch won't be there anymore. But it's not being able to practice and really feel the jell. This will be the first time I even practice with these dudes in a game setting, so it's going to be a lot of learning on the fly."

Cauley-Stein isn't sure how many minutes he will play Wednesday night, but he is looking forward to helping his new group out as it continues to build a new identity after so many years of winning with a veteran core. After four seasons with the Sacramento Kings, Cauley-Stein has enjoyed his brief time being in the Warriors organization.

"It's a different vibe culturally," Cauley-Stein said. "They've got a winning experience so that lingers here, you can feel it when you walk into the building. You can feel it when you talk to fans, so that comes with a big target on your back. When everybody else comes and plays you, we're going to get everybody's best regardless of what everybody thinks of us."

In the midst of his answer, Cauley-Stein revealed that Burks, who also missed most of camp and the first three games of the season because of a right ankle sprain, will make his debut on Wednesday night.

"[Draymond Green] already said it, it's going to take a few games for us to jell," Cauley-Stein said. "Especially now that me and Alec [Burks], this is our first game to get minutes and stuff. For us to really jell, it's going to take a few games for us to get that pace of how we're playing. They're playing extremely fast right now watching, so it's like a lot of fast-paced learning."

HOUSTON -- Ticket prices for Game 7 of the World Series have been falling since the Washington Nationals beat the Houston Astros 7-2 on Tuesday night, forcing a winner-take-all game at Minute Maid Park on Wednesday.

According to a spokesperson from VividSeats.com, the "get-in" price -- or the cheapest seats available for Game 7 -- were going for $337. The average ticket was selling for $840, down from $950 for Game 6. According to the spokesperson, the four World Series games have been the most in-demand tickets for any live event in the state of Texas this year.

Earlier in the series, VividSeats had average ticket prices as high as $1,175 for Game 4 in Washington. The prices were also lower relative to recent Game 7s in other sports.

The trend was the same for other secondary ticket entities. According to StubHub.com, the get-in price on Wednesday was running $370, with a ticket inventory of over 6,300. The average price was $991. While overall sales have grown by 145 percent since Monday, the average price is down by $350 and the get-in price is down by about 33 percent.

"Tonight's Game 7 is exciting for a number of reasons. We will witness the crowning of a champion, but what's particularly exciting for fans is that this is the most affordable game of the World Series, with tickets starting at $370," said Jill Krimmel, GM of Sports at StubHub. "The unexpected comeback of the Nationals in Houston has incited 145 percent growth in the last 24 hours, the highest daily growth of the entire series."

A similar story was unfolding at SeatGeek.com, where the average ticket price ($1,014) was down 36 percent from Game 7 of the 2017 World Series, when the Los Angeles Dodgers hosted the Astros, according to a company spokesperson. The get-in price at SeatGeek was running $462 as of mid-afternoon.

According to data provided by SeatGeek, the average ticket price as of mid-afternoon Wednesday ($1,006) ranked fifth among the seven games. The prices peaked in Game 3 at Nationals Park in Washington ($1,555), with Game 4 in D.C. ranking second ($1,492).

In downtown Houston, a couple of blocks from Minute Maid Park, Astros fan Mike Hensley was trying to find companions to attend the game with him while pricing tickets in the secondary market.

"Game 2 tickets were $1,200 plus fees. Today's are $600 plus fees," Hensley said. "Houston's depressed and ticket prices reflect that."

Hensley surmised that Houston fans are not thrilled with the trajectory of the series, which has seen the road team win all six games. And Washington has ace Max Scherzer taking the mound. Finally, Hensley ended up procuring three tickets for $600 less than two tickets cost to attend Game 2.

"The whole city is depressed as hell," Hensley said.

ESPN's Dan Mullen contributed to this report.

World number one Novak Djokovic moved into the third round of the Paris Masters with a 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 victory over France's Corentin Moutet.

Djokovic, 32, has won this competition four times and proved too good for 20-year-old Moutet, 97th in the world.

After winning the first set on a tie-break, Djokovic gained a break of serve early in the second on his way to the win.

Elsewhere, four seeded players were knocked out in round two on Wednesday.

Canada's Denis Shapovalov came from a set down to beat Italian 11th seed Fabio Fognini 3-6 6-3 6-3, while American 15th seed John Isner, who lost to Britain's Andy Murray in the 2016 final, was eliminated, losing 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-4) to Cristian Garin of Chile.

Twelfth seed David Goffin of Belgium was beaten 7-5 6-3 by Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov and Spanish ninth seed Roberto Bautista Agut fell to a 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-1) loss to Australia's Alex de Minaur.

Fifth seed Dominic Thiem of Austria beat Canada's Milos Raonic 7-6 (7-5) 5-7 6-4 and Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas, seeded seventh, overcame American Taylor Fritz 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.

Great Britain's Kyle Edmund, who ended an eight-match losing run with his first-round win over Lithuanian qualifier Ricardas Berankis, plays Argentina's 14th seed Diego Schwartzman later on Wednesday, with the winner taking on Djokovic.

World number two Rafael Nadal is also in action against French wildcard Adrian Mannarino.

MANSFIELD, Ohio — Mansfield Motor Speedway, which returned to racing three years ago as a dirt track, has been listed for sale.

Cody Sommer, who has run the facility as owner and president of Mansfield Motor Speedway LLC the last few seasons, will not return to operate the venue following the closure of the calendar year.

“It was my goal to build MMS into a destination and a showplace and in so many ways I think we did that successfully. We have had a lot of success, but we have also faced some major challenges over these last three years and it is part of what makes this a difficult decision,” said Sommer. “I have several different ventures I’m involved with and likely more in the future. Sometimes you have to step back and just look at where your life is and where it is going, where you want it to be and make a decision for what is best for you and your family.”

Sommer, the promoter of the Gateway Dirt Nationals who earlier this year began working for Scott Bloomquist, took over promotion of the property in early 2017 before converting the track back to dirt for the first time since 1998.

Since then the facility has hosted a number of events, including the Dirt Million dirt late model race and the $100,000-to-win Sprint Car World Championship. The Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions, Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series have all raced at the track under Sommer’s leadership.

“My vision all along was to develop a showplace,” Sommer told SPEED SPORT in April of 2018. “I often say we have a world-class facility. Therefore, there should be world-class events. Year one was phase one of probably four or five phases I’d like to do there. You can’t push too hard. We saw enough that made us feel comfortable to go to phase two. I don’t feel like it stops there.”

Prior to Sommer’s leadership and subsequent return to dirt, the track hosted NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series races from 2004 to 2008. Donny Lia won the final NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race at the track in 2008.