Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc has said reports that Jose Mourinho is top of the club's list of managers to succeed Lucien Favre are "without any substance."

Prior to Dortmund's 2-0 Champions League defeat at Inter Milan on Wednesday, a report in German outlet Sport Bild claimed the former Real Madrid and Manchester United boss had been identified by Dortmund's board as the man to replace Favre, should the Swiss coach lose his job.

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Despite signing a new contract this summer, Favre has been on the brink since wasting a nine-point lead at the top of Bundesliga in his first year at the Westfalenstadion.

"Those Mourinho rumours are without any substance," Zorc said on Sky. "There is no discussion around our coach. We are delighted Lucien Favre is our coach."

Having picked up just 15 points from eight Bundesliga matches and sitting third in their Champions League group, Dortmund are in the middle of a season-defining run between two international breaks.

They travel to Gelsenkirchen for the Revierderby at Schalke on Saturday, play Borussia Monchengladbach in the cup next and then take on undefeated Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga.

Following the return leg against Inter they must go to Bayern Munich, where they have lost their last five league games, scoring three goals but conceding 22.

Aiden Markram is in a race against time to find fitness and form for South Africa's next international assignment against England at home. Markram fractured his wrist by "lashing out at a solid object," after his second innings dismissal in the second Test against India in Pune. He has been put in a cast until the end of November and will miss the Mzansi Super League. A full recovery could take eight weeks, which will run until mid-December. The England series starts on Boxing Day.

In the interim, efforts to speed up Markram's recovery are being made with such of hyperbaric therapy, which involves using high air pressure to accelerate healing. Markram is due to be reviewed by an orthopedic surgeon in five weeks' time.

By then, the MSL will be at its halfway stage and even if declared fit, Markram will play no part in the T20 tournament. He has been replaced in the Paarl Rocks' squad by Cobras batsmen Kyle Verreynne. With franchise suspended for the duration of the MSL, Markram could play in the second-tier provincial competition but the only other opportunity for Markram to have some game time will be in a round of four-day fixtures before the Test series, which begin on December 19.

Time in the middle will be important for Markram, who scored just 44 runs in four innings in India and bagged a pair in Pune. Both captain Faf du Plessis and coach Enoch Nkwe spoke about mental scars that teams can suffer from after touring India, and Markram appears to be one of the players affected. Like several batsmen on their first tour of India, Markram was undone by foreign conditions, but unlike touring teams of the recent past, he wasn't outspun. Instead, Markram was unable to cope with the intensity and unexpected bounce Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav generated, a style of bowling he would have been expected to counter, given conditions he usually bats in at home.

If Markram does not recover in time for the first Test against England, South Africa may consider using Quinton de Kock in makeshift capacity, as they did in Ranchi. But, de Kock, who is known for his aggressive batting style managed scores of 4 and 5, and said he didn't enjoy the experience but would do it again if needed. "I've done it quite a bit at the beginning of my franchise career for the Lions. It wasn't the best experience if I must be honest. I don't think I made too many runs or faced too many balls. If the team needs me to open the batting, I am happy to do it but for now, I think the two guys we have at the top there are pretty solid and leading from the front. We'll see what happens in the future," he said at the team's arrival in Johannesburg on Friday.

With de Kock also needed as a wicket-keeper lower down the order, South Africa may need to look elsewhere. If they do, Cobras' Janneman Malan, who has a first-class average of 53.05 may come into consideration, especially after his century in the latest round of first-class fixtures.

During his 17 years in the NBA, LeBron James has played with a lot of teammates -- 167 so far, to be exact. The former No. 1 overall pick had played with six other top picks -- Shaquille O'Neal, Joe Smith, Andrew Bogut, Greg Oden, Derrick Rose and Kyrie Irving -- entering this season, and that group expanded to eight earlier this week when James played a regular season game with Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard for the first time.

But which players have been the best of James' teammates? That's the question we put to our expert panel, made up of seven of our writers and a former NBA player who spent multiple seasons playing alongside James. We asked them to focus on each player's time alongside James, and to attempt to project where Davis will fall on that list. So you won't see O'Neal or Rose -- two players who won NBA MVP long before teaming up with LeBron -- on this list. You also won't seen names you might have forgotten like Edy Tavares (who played one game for the 2016-17 Cavaliers) or Eddy Curry (14 games for the 2011-12 Heat) or even Eddie House (56 games for the 2010-11 Heat).

What you will see are the players who, in the eyes of our panel, have made or will make the biggest on-court impact while playing alongside James.

Just missed the cut: Chris Andersen, Danny Green, Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, James Jones, Mike Miller.

15. Udonis Haslem

Team
Miami Heat | 2010-14

Haslem ranks second behind only Dwyane Wade in games played in a Miami Heat uniform, and his willingness to take less money in 2010 helped bring James to Miami. Though he struggled because of injuries during the Heat's four-year Finals run, he was an integral part of those teams, and -- like James -- is heading into his 17th season. The Heat lifer is Miami's all-time leader in total rebounds, and averaged nearly six per game during his four seasons alongside James.

14. Carlos Boozer

Team
Cleveland Cavaliers | 2003-04

Though he played only one NBA season alongside James, Boozer remains one of only two players to average at least 15 points and 10 rebounds (Kevin Love in 2016-17 is the other). After Boozer's contentious departure from Cleveland, he went on to play in two All-Star Games and the 2008 Olympics, leaving fans to wonder what might have been if he'd stayed.

13. Mario Chalmers

Team
Miami Heat | 2010-14

The frequent target of James' ire during their time together, Chalmers was also the most consistent point guard during LeBron's Heat years. He shot better than 38% from 3-point range, and his 242 games started are the most for any point guard who has ever played alongside LeBron (and sixth most overall).

12. Anderson Varejao

Team
Cleveland Cavaliers | 2004-10, 2014-16

One of two players to play alongside LeBron during both of his Cleveland stints (Mo Williams is the other), Varejao ranks second in career games played as LeBron's teammate. However, he was on the losing end of LeBron's greatest triumph as a member of the Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals.

11. JR Smith

Team
Cleveland Cavaliers | 2014-18

Acquired from the Knicks midway through LeBron's first season back in Cleveland in 2014-15, Smith went on to be a key player in the Cavs' four consecutive Finals trips. Though NBA Twitter probably will remember him for his blunder in Game 1 of the 2018 Finals, James and the Cavs probably would not have won the 2016 title without the two big 3-pointers he made to open the second half of Game 7 in that series.

10. Tristan Thompson

Team
Cleveland Cavaliers | 2014-18

Thompson isn't just a former Cavs teammate of LeBron's, the two also are part of the Klutch Sports family together. On the court, Thompson averaged 8.3 rebounds in four seasons playing alongside LeBron -- only Boozer, Love and Gooden have pulled down more rebounds on a nightly basis while on LeBron's team.

9. Shane Battier

Team
Miami Heat | 2011-14

Battier joined LeBron and the Heat after the 2011 lockout and helped power Miami's small-ball lineup to consecutive NBA championships. Battier's most memorable moment as LeBron's teammate came when he set an NBA record by making six 3-pointers in Game 7 of the 2013 Finals (one more than James had in that same game).

8. Mo Williams

Team
Cleveland Cavaliers | 2008-10, 2015-16

During the 2008-09 season, Williams became just the second player to make an All-Star team while playing alongside LeBron (Zydrunas Ilgauskas had been the first in 2005). Williams averaged nearly 17 points during his first stint with James, then returned to Cleveland in 2015-16 to help the Cavaliers win their first NBA title.

7. Ray Allen

Team
Miami Heat | 2012-14

If his tying shot with 5.2 seconds left in regulation in Game 6 of the 2013 Finals had been the only shot he'd ever made as LeBron's teammate, Allen would probably still be worthy of this ranking. But he made more than 300 3-pointers in two seasons in Miami while shooting nearly 40% from beyond the arc as the Heat made the last two of their four consecutive Finals trips.

6. Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Team
Cleveland Cavaliers | 2003-10
Miami Heat | 2010-11

Among the players who've suited up as a teammate to LeBron, no one has played more games with him than Ilgauskas. The two were teammates for seven seasons in Cleveland and one in Miami, and LeBron's attendance at Big Z's jersey retirement ceremony helped set the stage for LeBron's eventual return to Cleveland later that year.

5. Kevin Love

Team
Cleveland Cavaliers | 2014-18

Acquired by the Cavs the same summer LeBron returned to Cleveland, Love went on to make two All-Star teams playing alongside James. His defensive stop on Stephen Curry late in Game 7 of the 2016 Finals helped secure LeBron's third career title. During their four years together, Love averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds.

4. Kyrie Irving

Team
Cleveland Cavaliers | 2014-17

Though Irving eventually forced his way from James and out of Cleveland, their three years together were memorable. Irving made the All-Star team three consecutive years while putting up 22 points and five assists per game. He also matched LeBron with 41 points in Game 5 of the 2016 Finals, and then made the go-ahead 3-pointer with under a minute left in Game 7 of that series.

3. Chris Bosh

Team
Miami Heat | 2010-2014

Frequently maligned during his time with LeBron in Miami, history has been kinder to Bosh, who helped usher in the era of small ball while playing center alongside LeBron. Bosh made the All-Star team during all four of LeBron's seasons in Miami, and went from shooting 24% on just 25 3-point attempts in 2010-11 to draining 34% of his 218 attempts in 2013-14. He also pulled down the rebound that led to Allen's tying 3 in 2013, and stuffed Danny Green at the buzzer of overtime in that same game.

2. Anthony Davis

Team
Los Angeles Lakers | 2019-20

Davis has played just one regular-season game with LeBron (the two were All-Star teammates each of the past two years), but it's hard to question his production before coming to Los Angeles. He has made six All-Star teams, been a three-time first-team All-NBA selection, and is still only 26 years old. However, it's entirely possible that this season is the only one he ever plays with James, as Davis is set to become a free agent in June.

1. Dwyane Wade

Team
Miami Heat | 2010-2014
Cleveland Cavaliers | 2017-18

Though it's debatable whether the 2019-20 version of Davis is better than the 2010-11 version of Wade, there's no debating Wade's track record while playing alongside LeBron in Miami. The two went to four consecutive Finals and won two titles. And while their "peanut butter and jelly" reunion in Cleveland didn't provide a storybook ending, they got one last opportunity to be teammates at the 2019 All-Star Game. Plus, their sons are now high school teammates, perhaps giving NBA fans a glimpse at James-Wade 2.0.

Voting panel: Tim Bontemps, Chris Herring, Zach Lowe, Jackie MacMullan, Dave McMenamin, Kevin Pelton, Marc Spears, and a former teammate of LeBron James.

When he suited up for the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this week, LeBron James joined an exclusive club. Prior to this season, only 66 players had played at least 17 seasons in the NBA. Further, only seven have been All-Stars this deep into their NBA careers.

While we'll have to wait until February to see if James will officially join Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Karl Malone, Dirk Nowitzki and Shaquille O'Neal in that club, it's a safe bet based on what he's done in his previous 16 seasons. But which of those 16 seasons was his best? And, perhaps more importantly for the near future, was his most recent season -- his first in a Lakers uniform -- his worst?

That's the question we posed to our expert panel, in addition to having them rank James's best teammates. We had each of our panelist rank each of James's previous 16 seasons, encompassing both the regular season and playoffs for each year, then compiled those rankings to determine when James was at his best, worst, and everything in between.

16. 2003-04 Cleveland Cavaliers

Record
35-47, missed playoffs

Stats
20.9 PPG | 5.5 RPG | 5.9 APG | 41.7% FG | 29.0% 3FG

What would've been a career year for most players from an individual standpoint was a near-unanimous pick by our panel as the worst of James' career -- and it was still good enough for him to win Rookie of the Year honors in 2004. At the time, James was just the third rookie in NBA history to average at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists per game. The two to do it before him? Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan.

15. 2018-19 Los Angeles Lakers

Record
37-45, missed playoffs

Stats
27.4 PPG | 8.5 RPG | 8.3 APG | 51.0% FG | 33.9% 3FG

James' season changed on Christmas Day, when he suffered a strained groin that would keep him out for weeks and eventually lead to an early end to his first year in Los Angeles. He played a career-low 55 games, but still managed to do enough in those games to earn a 15th consecutive All-NBA nod. Only Abdul-Jabbar, Bryant and Duncan have made 15 All-NBA teams, and no player has made 16, something James can shoot for in 2019-20.

14. 2004-05 Cleveland Cavaliers

Record
42-40, missed playoffs

Stats
27.2 PPG | 7.4 RPG | 7.2 APG | 47.2% FG | 35.1% 3FG

James improved across the board in his second season, leading the league in minutes per game and finishing behind only Allen Iverson and Bryant in points per game. However, it wasn't enough to lead the Cavaliers to the playoffs. Head coach Paul Silas was fired with 18 games left in the season, with the Cavs fifth in the East at the time. However, they skidded to an 8-10 finish, despite James upping his scoring to 30.3 points per game in that stretch.

13. 2005-06 Cleveland Cavaliers

Record
50-32, lost in Eastern Conference semifinals

Stats
31.4 PPG | 7.0 RPG | 6.6 APG | 48.0% FG | 33.5% 3FG

Averaging a career-high 31.4 PPG, James led the Cavaliers to the postseason for the first time and finished second in MVP voting behind Steve Nash. It was the first of 13 consecutive seasons in which he finished in the top five of MVP voting, a streak that only came to an end last year. James also earned All-Star Game MVP honors for the first time in his career. In the playoffs, James was electric in leading Cleveland to a 4-2 series win over Washington in the first round, posting a triple-double in his postseason debut and averaging 35.7 points per game in that series. The Cavs took a 3-2 lead over the top-seeded Detroit Pistons in the second round before eventually falling in seven games, one of just two times (in eight tries) that James has lost a Game 7.

12. 2007-08 Cleveland Cavaliers

Record
45-37, lost in Eastern Conference semifinals

Stats
30.0 PPG | 7.9 RPG | 7.2 APG | 48.4% FG | 31.5% 3FG

That other Game 7 loss? It came to end this season, when James and the Cavs fell to the eventual champion Boston Celtics, despite James' 45-point effort in Boston. It was a bitter end to a season that saw James lead the league in scoring for the first and only time in his career and saw the Cavs overcome a midseason roster shakeup to return to the postseason a year after coming up short in the NBA Finals. This was also the season in which James became the Cavaliers' all-time leading scorer, passing Brad Daugherty despite having played 100 fewer career games.

11. 2006-07 Cleveland Cavaliers

Record
50-32, lost in NBA Finals

Stats
27.3 PPG | 6.7 RPG | 6.0 APG | 47.6% FG | 31.9% 3FG

During the regular season, James' numbers dipped across the board, though he still led the Cavs to their second consecutive 50-win season. However, by the time the postseason rolled around, he was once again locked in. He led Cleveland to the conference finals for the first time since 1992, and there against the Pistons, he produced one of the most iconic games of his career. With the series tied 2-2, James put up 48 points in Game 5, including 29 of the Cavaliers' final 30 points and their final 25 consecutively. The double-OT win helped propel Cleveland to its first NBA Finals appearance, where the Cavs were swept by the San Antonio Spurs.

10. 2014-15 Cleveland Cavaliers

Record
53-29, lost in NBA Finals

Stats
25.3 PPG | 6.0 RPG | 7.4 APG | 48.8% FG | 35.4% 3FG

James' first season back in Cleveland after his four-year run in Miami resulted in the Cavaliers' first trip to the Finals since 2007. Though the regular season got off to a bumpy start, James and Cleveland turned things around after James took a two-week winter break to deal with back issues. He averaged 27.6 PPG in the Eastern Conference playoffs, then upped that to an incredible 35.8 PPG in the Finals, nearly becoming the second player in NBA history to win Finals MVP while playing on the losing team.

9. 2010-11 Miami Heat

Record
58-24, lost in NBA Finals

Stats

26.7 PPG | 7.5 RPG | 7.0 APG | 51.0% FG | 33.0% 3FG

If not for three dreadful games in June, this season would likely be four or five spots higher. James didn't win MVP in his first season in Miami, but he was certainly worthy of consideration, leading the league in win shares over Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard (MVP winner Derrick Rose was fifth). James and the Heat steamrolled their way through the Eastern Conference playoffs and had a 2-1 lead in the Finals before the Dallas Mavericks forced James into perhaps the worst three-game stretch of his career.

8. 2016-17 Cleveland Cavaliers

Record
51-31, lost in NBA Finals

Stats
26.4 PPG | 8.6 RPG | 8.7 APG | 54.8% FG | 36.3% 3FG

Another year, another Finals trip. This was the seventh in a row for James, as the Cavs looked to defend the first title in franchise history. James averaged eight rebounds and eight assists in the same season for the first time in his career and led the league in minutes per game at 32 years old. Once the playoffs rolled around, James averaged 32.5 points per game as the Cavaliers went 12-1 against East opponents (with the one loss coming on a buzzer-beater). In the five-game Finals loss to the Warriors, James became the first player in Finals history to average a triple-double, finishing the series with 33.6 PPG, 12.0 RPG and 10.0 APG.

7. 2009-10 Cleveland Cavaliers

Record
61-21, lost in Eastern Conference semifinals

Stats
29.7 PPG | 7.3 RPG | 8.6 APG | 50.3% FG | 33.3% 3FG

This was the second of James' four MVP-winning seasons, as he and the Cavaliers bounced back from the disappointing finish to the 2009 playoffs to once again top 60 wins and lead the Eastern Conference. James' 8.6 assists per game were at that point a career high, buoyed by a stretch in January and February where he was forced into playing point guard and averaged 10.4 APG over a 20-game period. While James closed out the postseason with a triple-double, this year is mostly remembered for the game before that, when he had 15 points on 3-for-14 shooting in a 32-point loss to the Celtics in what would end up being his last home game as a Cavalier until 2014.

6. 2017-18 Cleveland Cavaliers

Record
50-32, lost in NBA Finals

Stats
27.5 PPG | 8.6 RPG | 9.1 APG | 54.2% FG | 36.7% 3FG

It's a testament to James' accomplishments and skill level that a regular season in which he finished third in the NBA in scoring, second in assists and 15th in rebounds didn't rank among his top five career seasons -- and itself was wildly overshadowed by James' postseason. In the East playoffs, James averaged 34.0 PPG, 8.2 RPG and 8.8 APG, sandwiching a sweep of the Toronto Raptors between seven-game wins over the Pacers and Celtics. He made a pair of game-winning buzzer-beaters, and had seven 40-point games. Then in Game 1 of the Finals, he put up a playoff-career-best 51 points in a losing effort, before a broken hand limited him the rest of the way as the Warriors swept the Cavaliers.

5. 2013-14 Miami Heat

Record
54-28, lost in NBA Finals

Stats
27.1 PPG | 6.9 RPG | 6.3 APG | 56.7% FG | 37.9% 3FG

James' final season in Miami didn't have the highs of the previous one, but it did have two specific highs worth noting. First, the 56.7% shooting from the field is the best in a single season in his career. Second, this was the season in which he dropped 61 points on the Charlotte Bobcats, setting a Heat record and a personal best in the process. Though the Heat lost in the Finals to the Spurs, James' 28.2 PPG in that series was the best among all players on both teams by more than 10 points per game.

4. 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers

Record
57-25, won NBA title

Stats
25.3 PPG | 7.4 RPG | 6.8 APG | 52.0% FG | 30.9% 3FG

In the end, the numbers for this season don't really matter (though, to be clear, they were still good enough to earn James his 12th consecutive All-Star appearance, his ninth consecutive first-team All-NBA selection and a third-place finish in MVP voting). For James, the 2015-16 season will always be defined by the number 52, the year total of the title drought in Cleveland that he and his Cavaliers teammates ended. After falling behind 3-1 to the Warriors in the NBA Finals, James averaged 36.3 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 9.7 APG, 3.0 SPG and 3.0 BPG over the final three games of that series, shooting 50.6% from the field and 42.1% from 3-point range. The only way the finish could've been better is if he'd completed the final dunk over Draymond Green with 10.6 seconds left in Game 7.

3. 2008-09 Cleveland Cavaliers

Record
66-16, lost in Eastern Conference Finals

Stats
28.4 PPG | 7.6 RPG | 7.2 APG | 48.9% FG | 34.4% 3FG

This is the highest ranking of James' seasons that didn't end with an appearance in the NBA Finals, and with good reason. John Hollinger wrote in March of that year, "[James is] having what is arguably the greatest individual season in history, and it's time we gave him his due for it." He got his due in May, when he collected the first of his four MVP awards. And while the Cavaliers lost in six games to the Orlando Magic in the conference finals, it's hard to fault James for that. His numbers in that series? 38.5 PPG, 8.3 RPG and 8.0 APG. He scored at least 41 points three times in that series; the Cavaliers lost all three games.

2. 2011-12 Miami Heat

Record
46-20, won NBA title

Stats
27.1 PPG | 7.9 RPG | 6.2 APG | 53.1% FG | 36.2% 3FG

The extended summer due to the NBA lockout gave James and the Heat time to regroup following the devastating end to the 2010-11 season, and gave James an opportunity to reclaim his spot atop the NBA. He won his third MVP trophy for his regular-season efforts, then stepped up his game in the playoffs, averaging 30.8 PPG and 9.6 RPG in the first three rounds, helping carry the Heat during the extended absence of Chris Bosh. His Game 6 performance in Boston in the conference finals ranks among the best for any player ever. "That was his moment of, 'Yeah, I'm the greatest player in this league and I'm not letting anybody get in my way of a title.' We just knew right then," said David Fizdale, then an assistant coach with the Heat. James closed out the season by posting a triple-double in Game 5 of the Finals to earn his first championship ring.

1. 2012-13 Miami Heat

Record
66-16, won NBA title

Stats
26.8 PPG | 8.0 RPG | 7.3 APG | 56.5% FG | 40.6% 3FG

This was James at his most efficient, and, in the eyes of our voting panel, his best. He earned the fourth of his four MVP awards by leading the Heat to a 66-win season, including a 27-game win streak, the second longest in NBA history. This remains the only season in which he shot better than 40% from 3-point range. After two dominating series wins to open the playoffs, he started the Eastern Conference Finals with a game-winning buzzer-beater against the Indiana Pacers, then ended the postseason by putting up 37 points and 12 rebounds in a Game 7 win over the Spurs. "I want to be, if not the greatest, one of the greatest to ever play this game," James said after that game. "And I will continue to work for that."

Voting panel: Tim Bontemps, Chris Herring, Zach Lowe, Jackie MacMullan, Dave McMenamin, Kevin Pelton, Marc Spears

I was born and raised in Bethesda, Md., and attended Walter Johnson High School, named after the greatest pitcher of all time. I wrote for the school newspaper, The Pitch, and I did some work for the yearbook, The Windup. It was a privilege and a thrill to wear a baseball and basketball uniform with Walter Johnson written on it. But for some reason, we were the Spartans, not the Big Train, which was the nickname given to Walter Johnson in 1911 by one of the greatest sportswriters ever -- Grantland Rice.

I tell people about my high school and I often get quizzical looks, as if there's no way a school could be named after a baseball player. But Walter Johnson was much more than that, on and off the field. He won 417 games, had a 2.17 ERA and registered a record 110 shutouts, a record 38 of them by a 1-0 score. He held the career strikeout record for 55 years and hit 41 triples -- 18 more than any other pitcher in history. The son of a Kansas farmer, he was working for the telephone company when he was discovered pitching in the Idaho State League in 1907. He was bigger, stronger and threw harder than most any pitcher of his time.

He played his entire career for the Washington Senators. As a Senator, he lived, among other places, in Germantown, Md., which is one town away from where I live in Darnestown, Md. He's buried in a cemetery in Rockville, Md., which is also one town away. He died from a brain tumor on Dec. 10, 1956. Ten years later, I was born ... on Dec. 10.

Walter Johnson.

The Pitch.

The Senators.

Washington, D.C.

Dec. 10.

The 2019 World Series between the Nationals and Astros is, for me, the Small World Series. I have a personal connection to this one unlike the previous 38 World Series I have covered because it involves my hometown and a team, once removed, that I adored as a kid. I am not rooting for the Nationals. I am, as always, rooting only for the story. This is the story of a great but tormented city, a mostly terrible baseball team, the best pitcher ever and a dinky little kid who's now a dinky little 62-year-old who loves the game more than ever.

The only year the Senators won the World Series was 1924. Walter Johnson, who had gone 23-7 that season at age 36, had lost Games 1 and 5 of the World Series to the Giants. But he pitched four scoreless innings in relief to close out Game 7 and win the Series.

The Senators lost to the Pirates in the 1925 World Series. From 1926 to 1932, Babe Ruth outhomered the Senators 343-327. The Senators lost to the Giants in the 1933 World Series, the last time it was played in Washington, D.C. -- that is, until Friday, when Game 3 brings the World Series back.

There hasn't been much baseball to celebrate in Washington since then. From 1934 through 1960, the Senators had two winning seasons, birthing the famous saying: "Washington: First in War, First in Peace, Last in the American League." The Senators were so bad, owner Calvin Griffith moved the team to Minneapolis-St. Paul after the 1960 season. Washington was immediately awarded an expansion franchise in 1961. That team had only one winning season over the next 11 years.

But the 1969 season was glorious for any fan of the Senators. RFK Stadium hosted the All-Star Game. The Senators miraculously won 86 games. Frank Howard hit monstrous home runs. My favorite player, Eddie Brinkman, was a terrific defensive shortstop. And my oldest brother, Andy, served as a ball boy on occasion for the Senators because our family was close to the Baxter family; Fred Baxter was the team's equipment manager.

The manager of the Senators from 1969 to 1971 was Ted Williams, my father's baseball hero. Williams taught Brinkman how to hit: His average went from .187 to .266 in the first year with Williams. Ted Williams didn't love managing; he loved hitting. One spring, his coaches were arguing about the proper way to conduct a rundown. They went to Williams to settle it. He listened to both sides, then called off the drill, saying with disgust, "Aw, f--- it, let's hit!''

After a terrible 1970 season, Senators owner Bob Short traded Brinkman, third baseman Aurelio Rodriguez and pitchers Joe Coleman and Jim Hannan for the Tigers' Denny McLain, who had won the AL Cy Young in 1968 and 1969. McLain would later say, "I was traded to hell.'' We would pass McLain's house in the Drumaldry neighborhood every day on our way to North Bethesda Junior High School. McLain went 55-15 in 1968 and '69. For the Senators in 1971, he went 10-22. The team was terrible. Short moved it to Arlington, Texas, after the 1971 season.

Washington had lost a team for the second time in 11 years. I was 14. I cried.

And yet, 10 years later, I was covering the Texas Rangers, formerly the Senators, for The Dallas Morning News. On my first day of spring training 1982 in Pompano Beach, Fla., I looked at a map of the area. In the right corner was a picture of a ballpark. It read: Municipal Stadium, Spring Home of the Washington Senators. I laughed.

My job as a baseball writer brought back my childhood, in a way. I had lunch with Eddie Brinkman. I had beers with Frank Howard. At the winter meetings one year, the security guard at the door of the press room was Paul Casanova, who was a catcher for the Senators 35 years earlier. He was shocked that anyone would recognize him. We talked about the old days for an hour. I interviewed Williams in 1999, and among other things, he told me how much he enjoyed his days in Washington but said, "We had some bad teams.''

I befriended Shirley Povich, one of the greatest baseball writers of all time, one of my heroes in journalism. He covered Walter Johnson. The University of Maryland, which I attended, is home to the Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism, which I take an active role in supporting any way I can. There is a baseball field in Bethesda named Shirley Povich Field; I played most of my games there as a kid. The team that plays there now is part of the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League. Fittingly, it is called the Big Train.

Shirley died in 1998, seven years before the Expos moved to Washington, ending 34 years without baseball in the nation's capital. The return of the Nationals has been great for the city, and they have been largely successful, making the playoffs five times, albeit with three excruciating Game 5 losses along the way. But here they are in the World Series, looking like a team of destiny with the way they have won in this postseason.

And they are playing the Astros, who provide another connection to Washington baseball -- and to me. Third baseman Alex Bregman, an MVP candidate, is the grandson of Stan Bregman, who served as general counsel for the Senators from the late '60s until the team moved to Texas.

"I grew up to stories of Ted Williams,'' Alex said.

As I did, with my father.

Bregman's father, Sam, and his uncle, Benny, also went to Walter Johnson High School. Sam and I have talked several times about our high school, his son and the bond that we share. My cousin Bill makes sure to visit Sam when he comes to town.

Sam didn't work for The Pitch or The Windup. His birthday isn't the same as the death date of Walter Johnson, the greatest player ever to play in Washington. But Sam will be there for the World Series. It will be extra special for him and Alex.

For me, it is the Small World Series. And my biggest World Series ever.

Brit seeks Olympic qualifying mark, while Lonah Salpeter and Tsegaye Mekonnen head fields for German race

Steph Twell is aiming for a PB and an Olympic qualifying time at the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon on Sunday (October 27).

The 30-year-old ran 2:30:11 on her debut in Valencia last December, so she will be trying to beat the 2:29:30 standard for Tokyo in the German city.

Twell comes into the race in good form after a 70:51 half-marathon PB at the Simplyhealth Great North Run in addition to a 31:44.79 for 10,000m in 15th place at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, plus a 55:02 time for 10 miles at the Cabbage Patch event earlier this month – a time that ranks her No.2 in the UK behind Eilish McColgan.

Earlier this year she also won the women’s race at the Highgate Night of the 10,000m PBs in 31:08.13.

Twell currently ranks 23rd on the UK all-time lists for the marathon but will hope to rise up the rankings this weekend, in addition to nailing the Tokyo qualifier.

After collapsing across the line in London in April in 2:33:59, Hayley Carruthers tackles her second marathon of 2019 in Frankfurt and forms part of an England team alongside Jenny Spink, Peter Le Grice, Paul Navesey, Aaron Scott and Nick Torry.

The women’s field is led by Lonah Salpeter, the Kenyan-born Israeli who has a best of 2:19:46. Among her rivals is the course record-holder and last year’s women’s champion, Meskerem Assefa from Ethiopia, who ran 2:20:36 in 2018.

Other sub-2:22 runners in action are Kenyan Valary Aiyabei, whose PB is 2:20:53, plus Bedatu Hirpa of Ethiopia (PB 2:20:53), who finished third in Frankfurt last year.

Local Frankfurt runner Katharina Steinruck (nee Heinig) will be in the mix, while Britain’s Jess Piasecki is also among the entries as she looks to take on the marathon again after tearing her plantar fascia during her debut in 2015, while well on target for a Rio qualifying time.

Piasecki, who won last month’s Mattoni Ústí nad Labem Half Marathon in 71:34, is coached by Robert Hawkins, father and coach to Callum and Derek, with 2:12 runner Derek among the men’s race entries in Frankfurt.

Last year Mark Kiptoo of Kenya ran a world masters record of 2:07:50 in Frankfurt and he returns again aged 43. But favourite in
the 14,000-strong field is Tsegaye Mekonnen of Ethiopia, who has run 2:04:32, with a total of eight men with sub-2:08 PBs on the start line.

Also competing are 2:06 men Dawit Wolde, Bernard Kipyego, Martin Kosgey and Fikre Tefera.

“What we put into our body, is what will come out. So the training we have been doing means I have confidence the body is capable of going through half way in 62:30,” said Kiptoo.

On running well as a masters athlete, he added: “I am sure that the reason why I can run so fast these days is because I began late as a runner. It wasn’t until I was 28 that I realised I had talent.

“The key is that I don’t have any physical problems and have also been able to do good speed work sessions. Age is only a number.”

Around 14,000 runners are expected on the start line for the IAAF Gold Label race.

MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. — Jordan Thomas romped to victory in Thursday night’s 360 sprint car feature at Orange County Fair Speedway.

Thomas drove his No. 79 to victory in the 25-lap event on the five-eighths-mile dirt track, earning $3,000 for the triumph.

Billy VanInwegen finished second, with Lucas Wolfe, Davie Franek and Justin Barger rounding out the top five.

The finish:

Jordan Thomas, Billy VanInwegen, Lucas Wolfe, Davie Franek, Justin Barger, Joe Kata, Mike Walter, Eric Jennings, Matt Turner, William Glover, Larry McVay, Dallas Schott, Bobby Tersillo, Zack Burd, Mark Sasso, Christian Rumsey, Ryan Stillwagon, Scott Goodrich, Brett Wright, Thomas Radivoy, Scott Flammer.

MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. — Stewart Friesen banked $10,000 for winning Thursday night’s Hard Clay Finale for the Short Track Super Series at Orange County Fair Speedway.

The event on the historic five-eighths-mile dirt track was the kick-off to Eastern States Weekend at the track.

Friesen drove his No. 44 to a convincing triumph with Anthony Perrego coming home second. Andy Bachetti was third.

Matt Sheppard finished fourth and was crowned STSS champion, worth $12,500. Billy Decker finished fifth.

The finish:

Stewart Friesen, Anthony Perrego, Andy Bachetti, Matt Sheppard, Billy Decker, Jimmy Horton, Mat Williamson, Billy Pauch Jr., Mike Gular, Erick Rudolph, Brett Hearn, Mike Maheney, Dan Creeden, Bobby Varin, Mike Storms, Billy Van Pelt, Brian Gleason, Craig Hanson, Daniel Morgiewicz, J.R. Hulburt, Leo Fotopoulos Jr., David Schilling, Joe Bonetti, Rick Laubach, Jeff Strunk, Allison Ricci, Matt Stangle, Dillon Steuer, Jeff Heotzler, Michael Trautschold, Craig Mitchell, Larry Wight.

After advancing to the final game of the Stanley Cup Final last season, the Boston Bruins picked up where they left off to start 2019-20: Going 6-1-2 in their first nine games of the season.

They're a plus-6 in goal differential, with the league's second-best team save percentage (.935). Their top line remains perhaps the best in the NHL, with David Pastrnak (10 goals, seven assists), Brad Marchand (five goals, nine assists) and Patrice Bergeron (two goals, six assists) accounting for 17 of the team's 26 goals.

"Standings-wise, we're in good shape," said coach Bruce Cassidy, in his fourth season behind the bench. "Our game, like most teams at this time of the year, has lots of work to be done on it. We have a competitive group, so we're in every game, and so far we've gotten some good results."

We spoke with Cassidy on the ESPN On Ice podcast this week about the state of the Bruins, his dominant top line, lessons from last season's playoff run and his considerable hockey card collection.

ESPN: David Pastrnak is having an incredible season, with 10 goals and seven assists in nine games. The Boston Globe recently made the case for you to take him off the top line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, to spread the wealth in the lineup. I've always wondered: When you have a line that good, how you deal with the temptation to break it up vs. knowing it's a line that can carry the team?

Bruce Cassidy: Typically I'm not gonna break it up until I'm comfortable with the line that Pasta's going to go to. Right now David Krejci's out with an injury. Pasta has good chemistry with him. I'm not gonna drop him know, simply because I don't think it makes us better. Now, you never know what you're going to find out. But the first [test] is always whether you're going to make yourself a better team by doing it. I'm not always convinced it is. I just like the chemistry with those three. It's also [about] who can go up with them? How can go up there and sustain it? That's the next part of it: We haven't found a guy. Danton Heinen's gone up there and done well in spurts, but we've seen drop off eventually. Now, maybe he's a year older, a year stronger, and a year more mature and can handle it. But until Krejci gets back, that's probably not even in the cards right now.

ESPN: During last year's playoff run, Tuukka Rask said one of the things that helped him was not playing as much last year. It really seems like you're divvying the load between him and Jaroslav Halak. What's your philosophy towards goalie workload management? Do you have to rely on two guys to have a winning club?

Cassidy: I don't know if you have to. We do it that way because the data's told us that Tuukka has a certain workload where he's performed better. It's a lot closer to 50 games than it is to 65. The other part of it is that we have a really good backup. We trust him. It started with [Anton] Khudobin who was good for us, and then Halak. Part of it is that. If your team doesn't have confidence in the guy going in 35 times a year, then that's a problem. So we're lucky that way. That's how we go about it, and we're not going to change. The game is harder on goalies. It's faster, more physical around the net. I think their workload is harder than it was in the past.

ESPN: Were there any lessons you personally took from last season's run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final?

Cassidy: What I learned was the ups and downs of the playoffs, and how you have to stay consistent. I'm an emotional guy. Typically during the year when you lose a game, there's a learning curve to it. You try to get better from it. I think in the playoffs, you almost have to shut the door and move on quicker. I haven't had many playoff runs in the NHL, so that was the biggest thing for me: Put the previous game behind you, get ready for the next one and put the players back in a good place. A lot of that is just about positive energy than it is necessarily details or video or structural stuff. That's what I learned personally. Whether the players took to it, I don't know.

ESPN: Are there any trends around the league that you've noticed early on in the season?

Cassidy: I feel that teams are a little more wide open this time of year. That's typical. Most players are healthy, have lots of energy, feeling really good about themselves. But I'd think in the next two or three weeks, guys will start to get a little banged up. Look at when we played Toronto: They're already down [John] Tavares. We're down Krejci. The players drop a little bit. Plus, coaches get a better feel for their teams and tighten it up. I've also noticed the top guys playing a little more early on. Coaches run with them because they're healthy. You want to get points on the board. So maybe that balances itself out too, as minutes get more equitable among players. But I gotta tell you: I haven't paid attention a ton to the rest of the league. We have some new players here, and ton of injuries, so we have to take care of our own business.

ESPN: You're a busy dude. I think you get a pass on that one.

Cassidy: Well, listen. I love hockey. I watch games. But I also have two young kids. I'm in a hockey rink now, and I'm on my way to one in about 15 minutes. Sometimes it's nice to get away from the NHL and watch 8- and 10-year-olds play sometimes.

ESPN: So what are the trends for 8- and 10-year-olds these days?

Cassidy: Yeah, there's one kid that's usually really good on every team and you gotta stop'em, or else you have no chance. [Laughs] They ruin it for everybody.

ESPN: Unless you've got that kid on your team.

Cassidy: Or it's your own kid.

ESPN: You've been in this Bruins culture for so long. I was looking at the stats. The last two years, the Bruins were third in the NHL in goals-against average as a team. Go back five years, and they're second in that category. Is it as simple as 'we have Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron and great goaltending,' or is there something else to this formula?

Cassidy: It all started with [Claude] Julien. That was his culture. When I was in Providence [in the AHL], we played a similar style so when you're coming up you don't have to change a lot. We made some adjustments to the neutral zone to try to defend the blue line a little better, because our D-corps got more mobile over the years.

But you said it: With Z and Bergy and Tuukka, they're constants. They're part of the fabric of how we play. It's a credit to the older guys that they buy in and understand what it takes to win. I've always been a believer in good team defense. We opened up things a bit more in the last few years offensively, but we tried not to lose our identity on the defensive side. For us, it's all about layers. That's been the big debate in hockey: layers vs. man-to-man defense. What's the better style? Layers always worked for us. And we've been able to coach it over time so the players coming up are playing the same way.

ESPN: In the playoffs last year, Zdeno Chara suffered a jaw injury when the puck hit him. You have to be tight-lipped about it -- pardon the pun -- but looking back on it, what was it like behind the scenes with him being able to come back to the ice in the Stanley Cup Final?

Cassidy: He went in for surgery the morning before the game, and we didn't see him that whole day. We're assuming he's not going to play because of the damage it did to him. I don't know if it was revealed at the time, but he had two fractures in his jaw. We tried to downplay the fact that he had metal plates in there and wiring in there. Here's a guy that had major surgery. He hadn't eaten. And he walks right into the room the next morning, ready to go. You're in awe of the guy. His pain tolerance was through the roof.

ESPN: Finally, you said recently in an interview that you had 5,000-7,000 hockey and baseball cards in your collection. When did you stop collecting -- if in fact you have -- and what's your most prized card?

Cassidy: I'm going to work backward here. I have a Bobby Orr card. It might be from 1972 or 1973. It's a purple backdrop, and he's got a white jersey on, and he had all his trophies in front of him. I used to tape the cards to my bedroom wall. I know it's in my attic somewhere. I just have to find it.

I must have stopped collecting when I was 12 years old. I grew up in Ottawa and had a paper route, so I started collecting at about 8 or 9 years old. My brother did it too. A lot of kids did. Did you ever play that game at school where you bring in your extra cards, fire them against the wall and see if you have a leaner to win the cards? We didn't have video games back then. We had to entertain ourselves somehow.

My cards are all up in the attic. The funny thing is that I once looked through them and found, like, "Charlie's Angels" and "Planet of the Apes" cards mixed in. And I was like, 'where the hell did these come from?' But the packs were a nickel back then. And the gum was sugary. So you couldn't lose.