METAIRIE, La. -- New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton said he might wait until Sunday to name his starting quarterback. But Drew Brees hopes to make the decision easy for him.

When asked if he is playing Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, Brees said, "That's the plan. We'll see."

Brees said he felt good throwing the football when he returned to practice on a limited basis Wednesday -- just five weeks after having thumb surgery on his throwing hand. He said the decision will come down to "just making sure I can be me."

And when asked if it will strictly be his decision, Brees said, "I'll tell Sean if I'm ready, and he'll believe me."

Payton told the Arizona media that Brees has been medically cleared, and that it is just a matter of making sure he has the proper strength "and all those things necessary" to throw the ball effectively.

When Brees was asked if there is any greater risk of re-injury now than there would be after the Week 9 bye, he seemed to suggest that is not a factor in the decision.

"I mean listen, it's not fully healed I think until three months. But that internal brace obviously provides some stability and support, as does the splint," Brees said of both an internal brace that was installed when he had surgery to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb on Sept. 18 and an external splint that he is likely to wear when he returns.

When asked what would prevent him from playing, Brees said, "If I felt like, you know, hey, the ball is not coming out the way it needs to, right? Not as comfortable, not as confident, not as accurate. Those things will be factored."

But he said that so far, there hasn't been an issue.

"I do (feel like me). But I gotta get into practice and get some live reps," Brees said. "I need some competition."

Brees went into great detail about each step of the rehab process Wednesday -- even grabbing a football out of his locker to demonstrate how much strength and extension is required to grip a football and apply pressure with the thumb. (He also showed off his scar to those who were interested.)

He said he had to start by throwing smaller footballs -- and that he literally "raided" his kids' supply of Nerf balls and flag footballs so that he could gradually go up in size and weight. He said he has been throwing a regulation NFL ball for the past two weeks.

"That was probably the hardest part was just getting it to where I could grip the ball again and grip it with authority," Brees said. "You know, grip it with strength, and then be able to guide the ball and maneuver the ball out of my hand."

The Saints (6-1) have continued to thrive in Brees' absence, with veteran backup Teddy Bridgewater going a perfect 5-0 in his place. But Payton made it clear that when Brees is healthy, "he'll be in starting and playing."

Payton said the timing of the bye week will have zero factor on his decision -- nor will the opponent.

"Look, this game coming up this week for Arizona and for us is a unit. It's just as important as a game three weeks from now or five weeks from now," Payton said of the Cardinals, who have won three straight games to raise their record to 3-3-1 despite having a bottom-five defense in both yards allowed and points allowed. "That's something I think a lot of people from the outside say, 'Well, let's rest him one more week, then we have a bye week.' Look, if he's ready to play, he's ready to play. This game's an important game, just as the first game after the bye is important. So our approach will be just that."

As for the rest of the Saints' banged-up roster, running back Alvin Kamara (ankle, knee), tight end Jared Cook (ankle) and cornerback Patrick Robinson (hamstring) were among those who did not practice during Wednesday's light walk-through session. The Saints did release backup running back Zach Zenner on Tuesday without replacing him on the roster -- which could be a sign of optimism for Kamara. But we should learn more about his status based on his practice participation on Thursday and Friday.

MIAMI -- Jimmy Butler's debut for the Miami Heat will be delayed by a few days.

Butler was ruled out of Miami's season opener against Memphis on Wednesday for what the team is calling "personal reasons.''

Butler was with the Heat Wednesday morning for their game-day shootaround and told the team around midafternoon that he wasn't going to be able to play.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said "everything's fine'' and that there is no reason for concern over.

Butler was a big offseason acquisition for the Heat this past summer, agreeing to a four-year deal in a sign-and-trade with Philadelphia.

Miami is also without guard Dion Waiters for the opener while he serves a one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team.

Snow-capped mountains will be the setting for NBA All-Star Weekend in 2023.

The league announced Wednesday that Salt Lake City, Utah, will be its upcoming host.

Utah last hosted NBA All-Star Weekend on Feb. 21, 1993, where hometown heroes John Stockton and Karl Malone shared co-MVP honors.

Returning in 2023 will mark the 30th anniversary of the star-studded showcase.

Commissioner Adam Silver was on site at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Utah to officially announce the news.

"Along with a rich basketball tradition, Salt Lake City has proven to be a world-class destination for large-scale events and sports competitions," Silver said. "I want to thank the Miller Family and the Utah Jazz organization for their commitment to hosting our All-Star festivities and to developing a program that will leave a lasting impact on the community."

Jazz owner Gail Miller was also in attendance for the presser to welcome the event back.

"Thank you to the NBA for your confidence in our ability to make the 2023 All-Star Game the best game and experience in the history," Miller announced. "Our newly remodeled Vivint Smart Home Arena is designed to enhance the fan experience from top to bottom."

The 72nd NBA All-Star Game is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023, with additional events scheduled throughout the city at Salt Palace Convention Center and Huntsman Center on the University of Utah's campus.

Over the years, Salt Lake City has hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics, the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals, plus annually plays host to the Sundance Film Festival.

Major League Baseball is looking into a since-deleted tweet by longtime major league umpire Rob Drake, according to a league spokesman.

Drake tweeted late Tuesday that he planned to buy an assault rifle "because if you impeach MY PRESIDENT this way, YOU WILL HAVE ANOTHER CIVAL WAR!!! #MAGA2020", according to a copy of the tweet obtained by ESPN.

The tweet, which was deleted soon after it was posted, followed one earlier in the night regarding the House of Representatives' impeachment proceedings with President Donald Trump.

The other tweet, which remains active on Drake's account @thedrake30, says: "You can't do an impeachment inquiry from the basement of Capital Hill without even a vote! What is going on in this country?"

Drake deactivated his account Wednesday. He did not return phone and text messages.

Joe West, the president of the Major League Baseball Umpires Association, declined comment when reached by phone.

Drake, 50, made his major league debut in 1999 and has been a full-time major league umpire since 2010. He worked postseason games in 2010 and 2012-15, and was on the crew at the All-Star Game in 2013.

Born in Pennsylvania, Drake now lives in Arizona.

The World Series opener between the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros narrowly averted setting a record low.

Washington's 5-4 victory Tuesday night averaged 12,194,000 television viewers, according to national numbers from Nielsen. That edges the 12,191,000 who tuned in for San Francisco's 7-1 win over Kansas City in the 2014 opener.

The numbers are down 11.4% from last year's Game 1 between the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers, which averaged 13.76 million viewers.

The 2017 opener between Houston and LA averaged 14.7 million viewers.

The game Tuesday still won the night for Fox. It was also the most-watched game of the postseason, surpassing the 7.47 million who watched Saturday's Game 6 of the AL Championship Series between Houston and the New York Yankees.

According to Major League Baseball, the League Championship Series averaged 5.15 million viewers, which is down slightly from the 5.31 million average last season.

HOUSTON -- George Springer set a World Series record in Game 1 with a home run in his fifth consecutive World Series game, but in the wake of the Houston Astros' 5-4 loss to the Washington Nationals, Springer's failure to sprint out of the batter's box in the eighth inning became a hot topic.

With the Astros down 5-3 and Kyle Tucker on second base with one out, Springer launched a long fly ball into the right-center field corner. Springer initially watched the ball for a split second and then hopped six or seven times on his way down the first-base line and didn't run hard until he had reached first base. Nationals right fielder Adam Eaton made a leaping attempt at the ball, but it bounced off the heel of his glove and was retrieved by center fielder Victor Robles.

Tucker, who had gone back to second to tag up, did score on the play, but Springer had a double instead of a potential triple. The next batter, Jose Altuve, flew out to right field, a ball Springer may have scored on if he had been on third base. He was left stranded when Michael Brantley then lined out to left field.

In the initial aftermath of the game, Springer said he couldn't have made third base on the play even if he had run hard. "I was watching (Eaton) the whole time," Springer said. "That's one of those things where I don't want to necessarily run as fast as I can, because for some reason, if (Tucker) tags or whatever the case and I run by him, it's not good. So I was just kind of watching the outfielder."

He added that he wasn't kicking himself for not making it to third. "I can't go to third right there because the guy on second had gone back to tag," he said. "If I had gone to third, I'm out."

Before Game 2, however, Astros manager AJ Hinch said Springer had called him later to talk about the play, surprised that the play had become a focal point of discussion and wanted Hinch's reaction. "I felt like it was an honest mistake," Hinch said, adding that he wasn't going to beat Springer up over it.

"I know how hard he plays," Hinch said. "I know he leaves it all out on the field. I talked to him late last night on the phone. He called me. He initiated the conversation. We followed up today with a personal meeting and walked through the different scenarios. I'm not sure if the play ends any differently, but everybody understands the look when it's a late entry into a play like that."

Still, Hinch admitted it wasn't the best of baserunning plays. "I think George got caught up in the moment of the play, in the anxiousness to see if the ball was leaving," he said. "It wasn't an egregious showmanship kind of pimp job, as they call it. It was a delay in reading the play correctly to where once he started running he ran into Tucker who was coming back to tag up because Eaton looked like he was camped underneath the ball."

NAPLES, Maine – For only the second time since 2010, the final race for the Pro All Stars Series North super late model season will be at a track other than Oxford Plains Speedway.

On Saturday afternoon, New England’s fastest super late models will complete for 150 laps at Seekonk Speedway in Massachusetts, along with the Haunted Hundred for the Tri-Track Open Modified Series.

Last year, the series returned to Seekonk for the first time since 2012, with Travis Benjamin taking the win and D.J. Shaw claiming his third PASS North title.

The championship fight for the Northeast’s most prominent super late model championship has come down to a battle between former PASS champions. Defending PASS National champion Derek Griffith took over the points lead from Shaw last weekend at Oxford Plains Speedway by just eight points.

Five-time PASS national champion Ben Rowe still has an outside shot at claiming his fifth north title, as he sits 60 points behind Griffith.

After being involved in the same heat race crash at Oxford Plains, Griffith was able to salvage a seventh-place finish, while Shaw struggled to finish 15th, one lap down.

Since the Oxford 250 in August, Griffith has consistently outpointed Shaw to move ahead in the standings as they head to Seekonk Speedway on Saturday afternoon.

“I love Seekonk, it’s a fun place for us and we’ve had some good runs there before,” says Griffith, driver of the LCM Motorsports Chevrolet No. 12g. “The championship would be a cool deal for us. We never try to go out and win a championship, more so we focus on winning races. The points, I would like to think, will play out as they should.”

While the PASS North season will conclude this weekend, the PASS National Championship will finish up on Saturday, Nov. 16 with the highly-anticipated Lanier National 200 at Lanier Raceplex in Georgia.

Richmond Raceway winner Mike Hopkins leads the national championship standings over Griffith, Benjamin, Rowe, Ray Christian III and Jake Johnson. Prior to Lanier, however, all of those drivers and more will also be racing for national points at Seekonk this weekend.

Last week’s winner at Oxford Plains, Reid Lanpher, and multi-time Seekonk track champion Tom Scully will be among the favorites to challenge the championship contenders on Saturday afternoon at Seekonk.

Former Oxford 250 winners Curtis Gerry, Benjamin, and Rowe will be in the field, along with 2018 Oxford Plains Speedway champion Gabe Brown.

A strong group of drivers from Massachusetts will look to defend their home state honor as well, including Fred Astell, Dylan Estrella, Jake Johnson and Ryan Kuhn, along with Rhode Island’s Ryan Lineham and New York’s Michael Scorzelli.

SUZUKA, Japan – Both Renault Formula One Team entries have been disqualified from the Japanese Grand Prix, after a protest brought by rivals Racing Point was upheld.

The disqualification means the French marque loses the nine points it scored in Suzuka, where Daniel Ricciardo finished sixth and Nico Hulkenberg came home 10th.

Racing Point’s protest regarded an alleged breach of the Sporting and Technical Regulations and the FIA International Sporting Code, relating to a ‘pre-set lap distance-dependent brake bias adjustment system’.

Having determined the protest was admissible, the FIA standard electronic control units and the steering wheels used by Ricciardo and Hulkenberg were sealed and impounded after the race for further investigation.

The result of that investigation means that Racing Point’s Lance Stroll and Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat will now be classified ninth and 10th respectively.

Meanwhile, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly, and Racing Point’s Sergio Perez move up to sixth, seventh and eighth in the final rundown.

LAS VEGAS – The plan for Jack Beckman is to have a chance to race for an NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series world championship at the final race of the season.

But for that to happen, the former Funny Car world champion knows he must perform at the penultimate race of the season, the Dodge NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil, Oct. 31-Nov. 3 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Beckman heads to the race second in points, 70 behind leader Robert Hight going into the final two events of the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.

The veteran standout has had his share of big moments in this year’s playoffs, advancing to a pair of finals in his 11,000-horsepower Infinite Hero Founder Dodge SRT Hellcat, but rising to the occasion in Vegas will be imperative if Beckman has any hopes of chasing down Hight to end the year.

“Our goal is to win a championship,” Beckman said. “I think it will be a big mistake for any team to look past Vegas and look toward Pomona just because Pomona is going to offer points-and-a-half. If you stumble first round in Vegas, you’re not going to get those rounds. We can’t look past the next run right now. You can’t afford to give away any points.”

The NHRA’s return to Las Vegas marks the fifth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship and comes around at the perfect time for the 2012 Funny Car champion.

Two of his six final rounds have come in the playoffs, including a victory at the opening race of the Countdown to the Championship, allowing him to move into the title conversation. But Beckman suffered a red light in the final round at Charlotte and has just one round win at the other two playoff races, meaning the goal is consistency in Las Vegas.

It can be a tense time with a world title on the line, but Beckman will look to remain focused down the stretch.

“In a perfect world, you treat Q1 the same as the final round at Pomona,” said Beckman, who has 29 career wins. “In reality, driving the car is no easier or more difficult whether it’s qualifying or a final round, it’s just the pressure we put on ourselves. I stumbled in the final round at Charlotte and you can’t do that. If we’re going to win this championship, the car has to be to right and the driver has to be right. I just have to go up there and do my job.

“I can thrive under pressure, I just didn’t have my head where it needed to be in the final round, and it’s time to get it back.”

It’s far from a two-car race for the title as well, raising the stakes in Vegas even more. Beckman leads John Force by just four points, while Dallas winner Matt Hagan and Bob Tasca are also lurking.

But Beckman is confident at this point in the season, praising a team, led by crew chiefs John Medlen and Dean Antonelli, that has made the most of its opportunities.

The team didn’t test during the preseason and has limited those sessions, but they’re currently performing as well as they have all year heading to Las Vegas.

“It forced us to be more efficient with our testing and incorporate more of it during the regular season,” Beckman said. “But that’s over. Now every single run counts. You want to do everything you can to come out on top. The faster the horse you ride, the better a jockey you become. From a driver’s standpoint, your confidence is always going to be best when you’re driving a fast car.

“Being confident helps me perform better and having a fast car never hurts your confidence.”

LASALLE, Ill.— Track owner Kerry Izzo is reportedly selling LaSalle Speedway and $2 million is the asking price.

On Tuesday, OneDirt.com reported the quarter-mile dirt track on a 50-plus acre plot is for sale.

The track, then known as Tommy’s LaSalle Speedway, opened in May of 1986 with Tommy Glynn the owner and promoter. Racing took place for a number of years with Glynn having health issues that led to operations ceasing at the track.

In August of 1991, Tony Izzo Sr. and Kerry Izzo purchased the raceway with plans set for the track to reopen in the spring of 1992. Weekly stock car racing was held from 1992 through 2015. Numerous special events were held over the years with the World of Outlaws sprint car series and several “national” touring late model associations competing at the LaSalle oval, located 90 miles west of Chicago on Route 6.

In 2000, Kerry Izzo took over sole ownership of the speedway with her children — Tony Jr., Kerrianne and Joe — assisting her in various capacities. In 2016, the track began running a limited schedule, special events only with the speedway’s annual two-day “Thaw Brawl” late model special in late March/early April highlighting the season.

Texas racer Tyler Erb won this year’s $15,000-to-win, eighth annual Thaw Brawl 75 lapper on Sunday afternoon, March 31, as weather hampered the promotion.

On May 30 of this year, Kerry Izzo posted on Facebook that she was ceasing “any and all operations at the LaSalle Speedway.”

The past months have had both fans and competitors wondering the fate of the Illinois raceway.

The LaSalle speed plant is located on the site that use to be the Tri-County Speedway. The dirt track was built by Francis Conerton in 1948 and hosted a limited schedule of midget and hot rod racing before closing.

During the 1950s an outdoor movie theatre was built at the site with the big outdoor screen still present when the new track opened in 1986 and for many years after that.