Demaryius Thomas thought he would be a New England Patriots wide receiver this season but instead is with the New York Jets after a short stay in New England that he considers a waste of his time.
Thomas is now a starting wide receiver for the Jets after being acquired by New York from the Patriots in a rare trade between the AFC East rivals. He told the New York Daily News that he was insulted to be jettisoned by New England when they needed a roster spot to sign Antonio Brown, who was released by the Patriots less than two weeks later.
The Jets (1-4) host the Patriots (6-0) this week on Monday Night Football (ESPN, 8:15 p.m. ET).
The Patriots had released Thomas in their final cuts before the season only to re-sign him three days later. Eight days after that, he was traded.
"It was insulting, for sure," Thomas told the newspaper. "Once I got cut, I could have just come here (to the Jets) and not stayed there and re-sign. When they re-signed me, I was thinking that I was good. Two weeks later, I was gone. So, it's like, 'Why did I waste my time?' Because at the end of the day, it was kind of a waste of time for me."
Thomas was drafted by current New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels in the first round of the 2010 draft when he was the Denver Broncos' head coach. Thomas also had a previous connection with Jets head coach Adam Gase, who was the Broncos' offensive coordinator while the wide receiver was in Denver. He said he thought his connection with McDaniels would help him stick with the Patriots. Instead, once Brown became available after he was released by the Oakland Raiders, "they kicked me (to the curb) and shipped me out like I'm just a rookie," he told the newspaper.
The 31-year-old Thomas, a four-time Pro Bowl selection in his NFL career, told the Daily News that he appreciates that the Patriots allowed him to recover from a torn Achilles he suffered last December with the Houston Texans and said New England is "doing a hell of a job" this season. But New England's roster maneuvering involving him still bothers him.
"It was disrespectful to me," he told the newspaper. "Like, you know, you could trust me and I could trust you. You told me when you cut me at the (final) cut, sit around you'll bring me back. And I stayed. I could have easily become a Jet once I got cut ... I could have been here the next day after I got released. But I chose to stay."
Patriots coach Bill Belichick was asked about Thomas' comments on Thursday.
"Demaryius is a great kid. I have a ton of respect for him ... I felt like I was always truthful with him, but things changed, so what I'd said to him was not the same as what I'd said previously. It is what it is," he said.
Thomas, who has battled a hamstring injury this season, is healthy now and had four receptions for 62 yards in the Jets' 24-22 victory over the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday with Sam Darnold back at quarterback.
One playoff team has punched its ticket to the World Series, two continue to battle for the other spot and seven have seen their Octobers end in unceremonious fashion. With the month just past its halfway point, it's time to answer 20 questions about what has been a most excellent MLB postseason -- and take a slight look ahead to what should be just as fascinating a winter.
Let's get right to the point. Who's the favorite to win the World Series?
The Houston Astros. They hold a 2-1 lead in the American League Championship Series over the New York Yankees, boast a pair of star starting pitchers in Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander, run out an extraordinarily deep lineup and have enough relief options. As good as the Yankees are -- and they're really good -- Wednesday's Game 4 rainout takes arguably their greatest strength, a dominant back end of the bullpen, and places enormous strain on it.
All that said: The Washington Nationals are not pushovers. The longer the ALCS goes, the better the chance for the Nationals, whose National League Championship Series sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals put them in an enviable position. The Nationals get to set their rotation, meaning Max Scherzer can start Games 1 and 5 on full rest and Stephen Strasburg can do the same with Games 2 and 6. Between that and a week of rest for a thin bullpen, the Nationals bought themselves quite the cushion by dispatching the Cardinals in such painless fashion.
But ... but ... but ... the Nationals are going to be rusty, right?
Ah, rust. A time-tested October narrative. Is it real? Does it exist? The answer is: Of course it can. But that doesn't mean it will. And that especially doesn't mean teams like the Nationals, who will have six days off after the NLCS, can't avoid it.
Just last year, the Boston Red Sox went into the World Series on four days' rest while the Los Angeles Dodgers entered with two. The Red Sox won the series in five games. It broke a nine-year streak in which the team with less rest had won a championship. Which came after a 14-year stretch in which the team with more rest captured the World Series. Since the wild card came into existence in 1995, there have been 24 World Series. The team with more rest has won 12 times. The team with less rest has won ... 12 times.
So, yeah. Rust unquestionably exists in granular form, with individual players, but in terms of an entire team oxidizing simultaneously? No. If the Nationals lose, it won't be because of the layoff.
I bet you have another interesting factoid prepared to reveal, don't you?
How did you ever know! As the crack staff at ESPN Stats & Information pointed out, since the league championship series became a best-of-seven affair in 1985, eight teams have swept the round. Their record in the World Series: 1-7. The winner was the 1995 Braves -- and of course that was the only year out of 14 consecutive division titles that they won the championship. The losers: '88 A's, '90 A's, '06 Tigers, '07 Rockies, '12 Tigers, '14 Royals, '15 Mets.
So what is Washington rooting for?
Utter chaos in the ALCS. A seven-game series. Extra-inning games. Offense, offense and more offense. For whichever pitching staff emerges victorious to enter gassed.
A Yankees win on Thursday in Game 4 would be a nice start. The chain of events that sets into motion can be a little complicated, so let's tease out the possibilities:
Yankees win Game 4, win Game 5: Panic time for the Astros. With their season on the line, they likely move up Cole to start Game 6 on three days' rest to save their season.
Yankees win Game 4, lose Game 5: The Astros head back to Houston with a 3-2 lead. Game 6 almost certainly would be a bullpen game. If they lose it, they could throw Cole on full rest in Game 7.
Yankees win Game 4, win Game 5, lose Game 6: Zack Greinke would be on two days' rest, Verlander on one and Cole on none. Which would mean: bullpen game for the Astros to save their season.
Yankees win Game 4, lose Game 5, win Game 6: Assuming manager AJ Hinch goes with his bullpen for Game 6, this leaves Cole for Game 7. For the Nationals, it doesn't matter if Cole goes in 6 or 7. Either situation would keep him out of the World Series on full rest until Game 3. If Cole goes in Game 6 of the ALCS, Hinch could bring him back on short rest again for Game 2 of the World Series, then give him five days' rest before Game 6.
Worth noting: Cole never has started on short rest.
Uh, Passan. You know, the Yankees are still in this series. What about their pitching?
Sorry to give them the short shrift. If they were ahead in the series their outlook might look a bit better. As you'll see in the same scenarios outlined above -- with one additional possibility -- it's not great.
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Olney: Astros may benefit from Game 4 being postponed
Buster Olney analyzes the possibility of Game 4 being postponed due to rain and the Astros having an advantage because of the Yankees' reliance on their bullpen.
Yankees win Game 4: New York manager Aaron Boone on Wednesday said he plans to start James Paxton in Game 5. Now, if the Yankees are going to win this series, they're going to need to pitch at least one bullpen game too. Unlike Hinch, Boone can't postpone his until Game 7 because he won't start Luis Severino on short rest. So does he feint and go with his bullpen in Game 4 -- or perhaps act like he's going to in starting Chad Green, only to use him as an opener and bring in Paxton? Probably not, but it's not an impossibility, either.
Yankees win Game 4, win Game 5: This one is easy. Bullpen game in 6, Severino on full rest in 7.
Yankees win Game 4, lose Game 5: Outside of losing Game 4, this is the worst scenario. Remember, because of Wednesday's rainout, the teams are scheduled to play four consecutive games. Even if Masahiro Tanaka and Paxton pitch well, Boone presumably will need at least four innings out of his bullpen -- after which he'd need nine in Game 6. Among J.A. Happ, CC Sabathia, Jonathan Loaisiga and Luis Cessa, the Yankees have pitchers who can provide length. The balance is length vs. quality, and it's a perilous one to strike. It would be a shame to have the season on the line with a bullpen game, which is why if the Yankees do win Game 4, Boone has to at least consider using it in 5.
Yankees win Game 4, win Game 5, lose Game 6: This one is set: Severino.
Yankees win Game 4, lose Game 5, win Game 6: Same. Though -- and the applies as well to the above -- depending on how many pitches Tanaka throws in Game 4, perhaps he can return to offer an inning of relief.
How does the rest of the Nationals' rotation line up?
Scherzer in 1, Strasburg in 2, Patrick Corbin in 3, Anibal Sanchez in 4, Scherzer in 5, Strasburg in 6, Corbin in 7, all on full rest. If the Nationals are down 3-0, perhaps Scherzer returns on three days' rest. Or if Nationals manager Dave Martinez sees an opportunity to grab a win and burns a starting pitcher to do so. Martinez's nimbleness with his bullpen this October has been impressive.
Why are you taking up so many questions with starting pitching?
Because it's back, baby! Through 27 games this postseason, starting pitchers have thrown 57% of all innings. Last year, that number dipped to 50.3%. In 2017, it was 53.5%. In 2016, just under 57%.
To what is it owed? Well, it being back is an exaggeration. The teams with the two best rotations happen to remain alive. Had the Tampa Bay Rays beaten the Astros in the division series, the numbers might have looked much different.
So about that. The Rays really almost beat the Astros?
Yes.
This is supposed to be conversational. You don't have to answer yes-and-no questions with a literal yes or no.
OK.
Just answer the stupid question.
Fine. The Rays pushed the Astros because they managed to match them in nearly every fashion. Their offenses were similar with runners in scoring position, similar in hitters' counts, similar in pitchers' counts. Their pitching statistics were nearly identical, except for one area: Houston's starters excelled, Tampa Bay's bullpen was phenomenal. And in the deciding Game 5, Cole was masterful and Tyler Glasnow surrendered four runs in the first inning.
I said it before the series: Whoever won the wild-card game between the Rays and Oakland A's was going to give the Astros trouble. They were similar teams with similar strengths and a similar ability to make the Astros look mortal. The Rays are primed to join the Yankees and Boston Red Sox in the upper echelon of the AL East for the next half-decade, and Oakland is going to be a thorn in the Astros' side next year, particularly if Cole leaves.
Hold on. The Astros would actually let Cole leave?
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Gerrit Cole shuts down the Yankees in Game 3
Gerrit Cole pitches seven scoreless innings in Game 3, allowing four hits and striking out seven.
When he's pitching his way into the largest pitcher contract in baseball history, yeah, it's certainly a possibility. Here's a reasonable way to put it: Cole could return to Houston, but the Astros would need to either increase their payroll significantly or get awfully creative in moving money.
This season, their payroll is somewhere in the $170 million range, factoring in the $24 million they received in the Greinke trade as a lump sum. Even after losing Cole, ace reliever Will Harris, starters Wade Miley and Collin McHugh, and relievers Joe Smith and Hector Rondon to free agency, the Astros are staring at more than $156 million alone for Greinke, Verlander, Jose Altuve, Michael Brantley, Alex Bregman, Josh Reddick, Ryan Pressly and Yuli Gurriel.
George Springer could make the case for upward of $20 million in arbitration. Roberto Osuna could get a bump to the $10 million range. Carlos Correa will be around $7 million. MLB Trade Rumors projects all of the Astros' arbitration-eligible players to earn more than $60 million.
Which means before even considering signing Cole, the Astros on salaries alone could be in excess of the luxury-tax threshold.
So what's Cole going to cost?
Put it this way: The last time a free agent had anything close to as good a walk year as Cole was Greinke in 2015. Let's compare them:
A few things worth noting: The league-average ERA in 2015 was 3.96, and this season it's 4.51, so this is a far more difficult environment. Dodger Stadium was the 23rd-hitter-friendliest park in the major leagues in 2015, whereas Minute Maid Park was seventh this year. And -- here's the big factor -- Greinke was 32 years old in 2015, while Cole is 29.
Greinke received $206.5 million over six seasons. With deferrals factored in, the deal was valued at approximately $194 million -- a little more than $32 million a year. If a 32-year-old with inferior stuff performing in a far better environment is worth $32 million, how much is a 29-year-old with a high-octane repertoire who conquered the superball worth?
That's what I'm asking.
Eight years, $250 million.
Eight years!
That's not a question.
Eight years?
No free-agent pitcher has received eight years since Colorado gave $121 million to Mike Hampton nearly 20 years ago. Perhaps it never will be offered again. But if David Price at 32 years old warranted a seven-year, $217 million deal, Cole -- a better pitcher, a younger pitcher -- warrants something bigger. Could be that teams just offer a higher per-year value. But considering the need for starting pitching and the paucity of front-line types today, if it takes the extra year or those extra dollars to get Cole, one would have to believe at least one team will go there if it means getting the player.
Well, that's good. At least it means teams are going to be spending now, right?
Bahahahahahaha.
Uh ...
Executives, agents and personnel from the league and union all have adopted some serious gallows humor with regard to the coming market. Consider:
1. For years now, teams have turned a wait-and-see strategy into policy. It angers the players, often forces them to accept lower-valued deals than they anticipated and, truthfully, is a strategy that all but the most valuable players have difficulty avoiding.
2. What do Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon, Stephen Strasburg, J.D. Martinez, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Marcell Ozuna, Nicholas Castellanos, Dallas Keuchel and Mike Moustakas have in common? Two things: They comprise nearly half of the top 20 potential free agents this winter, and they're represented by Scott Boras. While Boras isn't against signing players before the new year, he is perfectly content to wait out the market. And, increasingly, teams are perfectly content to wait with him. If the most desirable free agents do not sign early, teams may be loath to commit money elsewhere, which could clog the rest of the market.
But I thought all the oldest teams in baseball are really successful. Shouldn't that mean teams start recognizing the value of old players?
Certainly the pendulum has swung excessively in the other direction, and some reassessment is warranted. But come on. Do we really need to go over causation and correlation again? Just because age and success exist side by side doesn't mean the age is prompting the success. The Nationals are winning because they have -- drum roll -- good players! And, yes, some of those good players are old. Max Scherzer, who is a clear Hall of Famer, is probably not the best example. Anibal Sanchez, who signed this winter for two years and $19 million, was a phenomenal deal and a good reminder that pitchers in their mid-30s aren't all lost causes. (Just most of them.)
Oh, and if you're going to note how old the Nationals are, please at least acknowledge that two of their starting outfielders combined are the same age (42) as one of their relievers. The greatest equation this October: Juan Soto + Victor Robles = Fernando Rodney.
Who is the breakout star of October?
Gleyber Torres is 22 years old, a member of the New York Yankees and has been arguably the best player this October. He hits big home runs. He works at-bats. He is slashing .417/.481/.958 in the playoffs. And as he showed this season, he can play a capable shortstop, which could allow the Yankees to let Didi Gregorius walk this winter and use any money earmarked for him to make a run at Cole.
What's the most impressive thing you've seen so far this October?
What's the most impressive thing you've seen on the field so far this October, you dolt?
Aside from Cole? Here are a few, in no particular order:
-- Rendon, the rejoinder to Torres' arguably-the-best-player-this-postseason claim
-- Tanaka looking to stake his claim as the best Japanese pitcher ever to come to MLB
-- Strasburg's competitiveness -- and his changeup is purty, too
-- Bregman's plate discipline
-- Sanchez's two changeups, which together sound like an indie-band record name: The Splitter and The Butterfly
-- Soto and Robles and the knowledge that for the next five years Washington gets to see them side by side
-- DJ LeMahieu hitting the ball tremendously hard with just as tremendous consistency
-- Howie Kendrick's grand slam
-- Mike Soroka's sinker
-- Will Harris showing off his diploma from the Kirby Yates School of Sneaky Elite Relievers
-- Diego Castillo's everything
-- Walker Buehler's energy
-- Adam Wainwright's implicit confirmation that the Fountain of Youth exists
-- Jesus Luzardo frightening the other four teams in the AL West with 46 pitches
-- Tyler Glasnow's fastball at 100 with cut
-- Daniel Hudson's slider against Corey Seager in Game 2 of the division series
-- Mike Shildt's speech, which was completely wrong, which makes it all the more hysterical
-- Drew Pomeranz, reborn as an overpowering, Andrew Miller-style lefty reliever
-- Max Muncy's quality at-bats
-- Nick Anderson's breaking ball
-- Ronald Acuña, fully engaged, which leaves zero room for criticism because it's so, so good
-- Jose Altuve, made for October: As ESPN Stats & Info notes, Altuve's 12 home runs over the last three postseasons are tied for second most over a three-way playoff span and two shy of Nelson Cruz's record
While we play the postseason, seven manager jobs and one GM job are open. What does that say about the state of the game?
tl;dr answer: Managers are fungible. They are cheap, easy to criticize and often underappreciated. It's like scapegoat bingo.
At the same time, let's recognize this is cyclical. There almost certainly won't be eight managing jobs open at this time next year. But as the New York Post's Joel Sherman pointed out, the managerial deluge of 2019 could bleed into a GM overhaul in 2020. Among the teams: the Angels, Padres, Rockies, Mariners, Tigers, Reds, Pirates, Phillies, White Sox, Mets -- and, considering the unpredictability of the season, some surely will join the list while others may win themselves off.
You are 3,000 words into this and you still haven't addressed the Dodgers. What's wrong with you?
I honestly don't know.
Fine. We'll figure that out another day. What happened to the Dodgers, and what can they do about it?
Baseball happened, man. I don't mean to get all philosophical about it here, but five-game series are potential nightmares for the better team. And if in a five-game series you happen to be going against a team with really good starting pitching, it multiplies the trouble.
Yes, plenty went wrong in the series. The Dodgers' hitting never really showed up. Beyond Buehler, their pitching wasn't great. And they still led 3-1 going into the eighth inning of Game 5. Then Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made a number of strategic errors, Clayton Kershaw blew the lead and that was their season.
Right now, the Dodgers have Kershaw, Justin Turner, Kenley Jansen (who can opt out), A.J. Pollock, Joe Kelly and Kenta Maeda signed for 2020 at around $111 million. Add in another $50 million in arbitration salaries, and ... the Dodgers have plenty of room to sign Cole or Rendon. Or, if they really wanted, both. Because they're the Los Angeles Dodgers, and they should not be bowing out before the NLCS, even if the randomness of baseball sometimes causes such havoc.
Remember, if the regular-season ball is in play, Will Smith's drive to right field off Hudson goes over the fence, and instead of all this talk about the Nationals, the Dodgers are the ones beating the Cardinals and getting ready to face the Astros or Yankees.
Speaking of the ball, what is up with it, and what can MLB do about this constant storyline?
The drag on the ball is down, which means air resistance is holding it back more than it did during the regular season. Why? How? Huh? All of those questions have not been answered.
MLB has a panel of scientists studying the ball. Again. Perhaps instead of telling us what's happening, as the last report did, this one can answer the why and how. Until then, a little bit of transparency goes a long way. If MLB is going to say handmade products can have manufacturing imperfections, the logical thing is to streamline the manufacturing process, build a better ball (from scratch if need be) and restore the credibility in the scoreboard that the ball has bastardized.
For Zhu Yuling, coming up in an age of Chinese heroines like Ding Ning, Chen Meng and even her opponent in this tournament – Liu Shiwen, it is often that she is overlooked as potentially the best of them all. This to be fair, would be very ignorant given her track record at elite level over the past few years.
The triple ITTF Asian Cup winner in 2017, 2018 and 2019 – has been rightfully seeded first for this World Cup, which also happens to be her fourth appearance at the tournament, having reached the final twice and winning it once (2017). Will the World no.3 justify her top seeding? It would be a tough bet to make against her.
Liu Shiwen (CHN)
In table tennis, there’s a very young age at which athletes are termed as ‘veterans’. At 28, Liu Shiwen has reached that pedestal where she is practically both a veteran and in her prime. World champion Liu has been exemplary in her career to date, picking up trophies left, right and centre and none more so than the World Cup she is about to contest in – she attempts to win an unprecedented fifth gold medal!
Winner in 2009, 2012, 2013 and 2015 Liu has made this territory her own in a fashion like no other. At the 2012 event, Liu lost a grand total of two – yes, just two – games on her way to glory. She repeated the feat in 2015 and is probably the nightmare draw for any of the warriors qualifying from the groups. You don’t want to miss out on her matches!
Kasumi Ishikawa (JPN)
Japanese attacker Kasumi Ishikawa is certainly fired up to reach the World Cup here in Chengdu, as her performances in the Asian Cup provided further evidence of that. Reaching third place in such a highly-contested tournament was no mean feat, and speaks to her ability to battle it hard for what she wants.
Making her seventh appearance at the Women’s World Cup, Ishikawa looks to be in the mood to push on from her previous best finish of runner-up in 2015. Having lost in the final to a menacing Liu Shiwen that time, Ishikawa can feel the luck of the draw might just favour the third seed this time around.
Miu Hirano (JPN)
At 19 years of age, Miu Hirano has a quite a huge fan following across Asia, let alone her native Japan. Finishing sixth in the Asian Cup qualified her for the World Cup, which is a tournament she knows well as she makes her third appearance here. Funnily enough, it was her debut appearance which made her the apple of everyone’s eye in 2016.
Winner by sheer youthful exuberance, Hirano had a stunning run of victories over fellow compatriot Mima Ito, Singapore’s Feng Tianwei and Chinese Taipei’s Cheng I-Ching in the final. The then 16-year-old made people look up and since that time, the teenager has often left other athletes in her awe. Is that the fate of her opponents this year too?
Cheng I-Ching (TPE)
When an athlete has not finished outside the top three at the Women’s World Cup for three consistent years, you have to take her challenge for the crown seriously. For the fifth seed from Chinese Taipei, Cheng I-Ching plans on being her same consistent self in the coming few days.
Making her 6th appearance at the tournament, the 27-year-old has a host of experience to rely on as she battles to make it to another final following her 2016 run. Qualifying with her eighth place finish at the Asian Cup, Cheng will want to show her talent again on the grand stage in Chengdu.
Doo Hoi Kem (HKG)
Doo Hoi Kem has had a pretty impressive 2019, with consistent finishes across the ITTF World Tour, however more so in doubles than singles. This will be her fourth World Cup, having enjoyed a previous best finish of reaching the quarter-finals in 2018.
She has had an upward curve in this tournament, as she started in 2016 with a group stage finish, reached the round of 16 in 2017 and the last eight in 2018. In every single event, she has proved a difficult opponent for her rivals, often pushing them to a deciding game. Can she use that as confidence to finish even higher in Chengdu?
Feng Tianwei (SGP)
What a fortnight it has been for the Singaporean veteran. Not only did she beat the World no.1 Chen Meng at the ITTF World Tour Platinum German Open, she did so in straight games – something unheard of against Chen. This happened in conjunction with her amazing comeback against Germany’s Shan Xiaona who led 0-3, but Feng spun the tables to win 4-3.
By finishing fourth at the Asian Cup, she qualified for a gigantic ninth World Cup since her debut in 2008. She has finished in the top four on six occasion and by no means does she plan on finishing any lower than that this time out!
Sofia Polcanova (AUT)
Finally, the eighth seed hails from Austria, making her the top European seed. Sofia Polcanova finished third at the 2019 Europe Top 16 Cup event, displaying her very powerful forehand across every match she played.
The 25-year-old left-handed attacker reached the quarter-finals in 2018, seeing off Doo Hoi Kem in the process, going one better than her finish in 2016. Being in the main draw from the off will favour her this time out, as she will want to prove her seeding and her place amongst the table tennis elite.
While England remain in contention to win the World Cup in Japan, almost 6,000 miles closer to home 12 clubs are about to embark on another Premiership season.
Before Eddie Jones' side renew their rivalry with Australia in their quarter-final in Oita on Saturday, a West Country derby will provide the curtain-raiser to the domestic campaign when Bristol Bears host Bath on Friday (19:45 BST).
Saracens are bidding for a third successive crown but the champions are lacking several of their big names, who are in the Far East.
Closest challengers Exeter Chiefs have lost to the north Londoners in the past two Premiership finals, after director of rugby Rob Baxter had plotted a way to their maiden title in 2016-17.
Behind the top two, competition for the play-offs is as fierce as ever, with just five points separating fourth from ninth in the table last season.
With four rounds of the Premiership Cup played before the start of the regular campaign, clubs will be eager to get the ball rolling following an extended pre-season.
Sarries dominance to continue?
There is no denying that Saracens have begun to dominate the English domestic scene, while also establishing themselves as a major force in Europe.
The Allianz Park outfit have won four of the past five Premiership titles and three of the past four European Champions Cups.
"We talk a lot about being humble," full-back Alex Goode told BBC Sport.
"What that transcends into is a group who are constantly looking to get better, and never happy with resting on our laurels.
"Even when we win by a big margin the coach is always pushing to how we can improve. You have got to keep adding layers to your game."
Director of rugby Mark McCall is unable to call on 11 senior stars, who are still on international duty, for their first game against Northampton Saints.
However, Goode is backing Saracens' young players to step up and make the most of starting opportunities.
"The club backs those young guys," he said. "The boys at the World Cup will be naturally tired, and will have given a lot to the World Cup and that training.
"Ultimately those young guys are going to play a lot. It is not going to be one-off games - they are going to play throughout the season."
Chiefs to mount another challenge
Exeter have finished the past two campaigns at the top of the table but have eventually fallen at the final hurdle at Twickenham.
Director of rugby Baxter admitted their 37-34 defeat "took a bit of getting over".
"I like to think the indicator of a strong side is not necessarily what you do after winning, but what you do after losing," added the 48-year-old.
"We have often shown that brings the best out of us and that is what we have to show again. We can only do one thing, which is use it as motivation."
With England backs Jack Nowell and Henry Slade among five Chiefs players still in Japan, Baxter is not overly concerned about the impact the World Cup will have on Saracens or any of the chasing pack.
"The reality is the final gets played at the end of the season," he said. "We have got players away as well and need to re-bed players just the same as Saracens have.
"I don't ever really go into a season [thinking] about it being about us and Saracens.
"The reality is there are 10 other really good sides there, and it's actually how you perform against those guys that defines where you end up and if you get involved in the big games at the end of the season."
Leicester start comeback trail
Last season proved to be an annus horribilis for Leicester Tigers, as the 10-times English champions found themselves in a relegation scrap.
They ended 11th - their first-ever bottom-half finish in the Premiership - and appear to be at the start of a long road back as they aim to recover their glory days.
"Everyone has made themselves accountable to why it hasn't been going right," said captain Tom Youngs.
"The likes of Saracens and Exeter have really set the bar and pushed on forward, and now it is about us playing catch-up and then pushing on past if we can.
"It is not going to happen in one season. It is a two, three or five-year plan for that to be executed."
Leicester finished 15 points off the top four last season, but may take solace from the fact the middle of the Premiership concertinaed - with one bonus-point win effectively separating six clubs in the final standings.
"We know how close the top four was contested last year," said Northampton forward Tom Wood.
"There were about eight teams who could have made it until the last week or so - and we are taking nothing for granted in that respect. We will need to go up another level."
Hooker Youngs, who is entering his 15th season with Leicester, can see the shoots of recovery at Welford Road.
"It feels like a new environment, which has been needed after what happened last season," said the 32-year-old. "We are moving on from that and changing a few things.
"I feel like we are in a good spot and feel far more confident in the foundations we have built this pre-season compared to what we had in previous pre-seasons."
The Exiles have lost to Harlequins, Bristol and Sale in the Premiership Cup before their first league game at Wasps, but director of rugby Declan Kidney has seen the benefits of those contests.
"This competition has been brilliant for us as the promoted side," the former Ireland coach told BBC Radio Berkshire.
"There is a difference between the style of play in the Championship and the style in the Premiership. The ball is in play for a little bit longer and there are fewer set-pieces.
"It has been disappointing for results and our supporters but, for us developing as a side, it has been nothing but a positive for us.
"Getting these four games and the friendly against Munster under our belts was a great learning experience for our lads who haven't experienced this level before.
"We will be everybody's favourites to go back down again but that is going to be the fun in it for us."
Irish are entering their final season at Reading's Madejski Stadium, with the club set to return to London for the 2020-21 campaign after agreeing a groundshare at Championship football club Brentford's new stadium.
I think England coach Eddie Jones' decision to move Owen Farrell to fly-half for Saturday's quarter-final against Australia is the right one.
In fact, so long as Henry Slade was fit to replace him in the centres, I think it was inevitable.
I feel for George Ford, who has started every match of this World Cup at 10, because he has played really well in Japan - but maybe his previous form in the big matches has counted against him.
In the handful of huge pressure games at international level in his career he has maybe slightly wobbled.
It might be a bit harsh on him because he is further down the line and more confident now. But certainly in the past when he has played in knock-out games with big decisions, I would not have necessarily said he would be my first pick.
Farrell, with Manu Tuilagi and Slade outside him was a good combination during the Six Nations.
It is a combination that the opposition struggled to get any change out of in defence, and which was very threatening in attack.
It shuts down a lot of options for the opposition in terms of where they can attack because Farrell is so solid there - they have got to come up with something different.
But there is going to be a question mark over Slade, who has not played more than 40 minutes of rugby since May because of a knee injury. Will he be sharp enough?
Certainly during the Six Nations he was on a bit of a run. He looked very dangerous going forward. He ran great supporting lines, showed great skill and feet - kicking as well as running.
Defensively, he read the play brilliantly - so I like that combination.
Expect the unexpected from Wallabies
Australia are going to come out with something that England have not seen before and will not expect.
England's focus will be on Petaia, so you can guarantee that Australia are thinking about going somewhere else and playing in a different way so that England will have to tweak their defence.
They are a very clever bunch and England need to be very open-minded about what Australia can bring.
The one surprise for me in Australia's selection for Saturday is Will Genia playing at nine, because I don't think he's been on great form. I think Nic White has been more solid as a starter and Genia has come on when the game is open.
If I was in that England side I would be thinking, there's the guy we will squeeze. They need to try and put pressure on the ruck so that Genia gets static ball and becomes a bit indecisive. I think England will embrace that scrum-half selection.
In addition, Genia and fly-half Christian Lealiifano have only started together once before. Compared to Ben Youngs and Farrell, there is a huge difference there.
Chance for Underhill and Curry to become stars
In the back row, Australia will want to make sure the experience of David Pocock and captain Michael Hooper gives them an advantage over England flankers Sam Underhill and Tom Curry.
But it could just ignite Underhill and Curry to be the stars of this World Cup. If they get it right against Pocock and Hooper, who are up there as the best in the world as a partnership, the England boys are going to put their name in lights.
Pocock and Hooper will be well aware that their reputation is up for grabs and this game is going to get all their focus and then some.
In all of these quarter-finals you are going to get every last ounce of effort and experience - everything is going to be thrown out there. Nothing will be left to chance.
When you have built up to it for four years, nothing else matters. There are no warm-up games, there is no qualification from the pool. This is it. This is why they sacrificed themselves, why they have been playing for as long as they have and what they dreamt of from when they were at school.
You have got Pocock and Hooper who have been around the block, played some big games, but never won a World Cup. It will be their last chance.
Then you have got the young pretenders coming through who were probably inspired by Pocock and Hooper and now want to take their mantle.
Is there a leader of the pack for England?
The question hanging over England's performances has always been, can they win the game if they are behind with 20 minutes to go?
Of course, I would prefer England not to be in that position. But it could come down to the leadership within the team. You have got Farrell as captain, but who is the pack leader? It is not easy to say. If you ask eight people they would probably name eight different players.
When it comes to pressure moments, one voice in the forwards has to make things happen.
There are plenty of players with 50 or more caps. They should be, by now, good enough at making those decisions.
It is whether they do it in a quarter-final of the World Cup when there is no tomorrow, no debrief. It is win and move on or go home.
Matt Dawson was speaking to BBC Sport's Becky Grey.
SPEEDWAY, Ind. – Everybody has to start somewhere.
The same rings true for everybody who’s ever won a USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget feature. They’ve all earned that first win somewhere, some place.
Entering this weekend’s double-dip over a three-night span, this season has already produced four first-time winners with the series, the most in any year since 2008: Cannon McIntosh (Southern Illinois Center), Chris Windom (Lawrenceburg), Jason McDougal (Jefferson County) and Tanner Carrick (Sweet Springs).
This Thursday, the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midgets enter the eighth-mile bullring of Wayne County Speedway in Wayne City, Ill. for the 6th running of the Jason Leffler Memorial, a race which was won by a first-time winner in Tyler Thomas in 2018.
The namesake of the event, Leffler, was the winner of the second race held at the new 16th Street Speedway, which was constructed inside the former Bush Stadium, home of AAA Baseball’s Indianapolis Indians. That night in May of 1997 served as Leffler’s first career series win, which was also the first for car owner Pete Willoughby, a team which has thrived since that night more than two decades ago, a team now known as Keith Kunz Motorsports.
Leffler’s black No. 71 from his 1997 championship season remains relatively cosmetically unchanged from the cars campaigned by the team to this day for series rookie Jesse Colwell, who is on the lookout for his first series win. The team’s No. 71, with a K, was victorious this year with another first-time USAC winner, Carrick at Missouri’s Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex.
Windom joined an interesting and exclusive club of drivers who’ve won a USAC National Sprint Championship prior to winning their first career USAC National Midget feature race, along with Greg Leffler and Levi Jones.
On Saturday, Oct. 19, the series heads across the border over to Indiana’s Tri-State Speedway for 10th appearance by the mighty midgets of USAC. Three of the first nine of those events have produced first-time USAC National Midget feature winners: New Zealand’s Barry Butterworth (1979), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2007) and Zach Daum (2011).
Many contenders lie in wait for their turn to live out their aspirations of joining the list of USAC National Midget winners. Among them are USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car point leader C.J. Leary, Tucker Klaasmeyer, Andrew Layser, Colwell, Karsyn Elledge, Holley Hollan, Ethan Mitchell and 2013 World of Outlaws champ Daryn Pittman, who’ll make his annual appearance at Thursday’s Leffler Memorial.
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C – Joe Gibbs Racing confirmed Thursday that Harrison Burton will make the move to the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2020 competing fulltime in the No. 20 Dex Imaging Toyota Supra.
Burton will contend for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors.
The 18-year-old made his Xfinity Series debut at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 6 and competed in a limited schedule throughout the season, sharing the No. 18 Supra with fellow JGR drivers Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Riley Herbst.
With six Xfinity Series races to his credit, Burton recorded a career-best finish of fourth at Iowa Speedway on June 16 in just his second-career start in the series.
Burton has two more opportunities this season to earn his first win in the series before turning his attention to the full season in 2020 and contending for the Xfinity Series title.
“Next year is going to be a really cool opportunity for me because I grew up watching my dad race in the Xfinity Series, said Burton. “Making my first start at Bristol this year was really surreal. I remember being a little kid and watching him race there and now, I will have the opportunity to compete for the Xfinity Series championship next year. On top of that I’ve got Dex Imaging continuing their support of me for a majority of races next season. That’s really cool because I’ve had them as a sponsor since I was 13 and to bring them from pro-late models all the way to the Xfinity Series is pretty wild.
“I want to finish this season strong, but I’m excited to get 2020 started,” Burton added. “My time with JGR this season will really help me, because I’ve already gotten to know so many people there and it’s such a great team and organization. They have a long history of helping to develop drivers and this is big for the next step in my career.”
Looking to continue building their relationship with Burton, Dex Imaging will move with Burton to JGR as his primary partner on the No. 20 Supra.
“Dex Imaging has been a supporter of Harrison’s since he was 13 years old,” said Dan Doyle, CEO of Dex Imaging. “We are extremely excited to continue our relationship as he continues his advancement in the sport.”
Burton is currently running fulltime in the NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports, where he has earned seven top-five and 10 top-10 finishes with three races remaining this season.
With 35 career Truck Series starts, Burton has 11 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes.
Burton has also made 33 career starts in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, putting together an impressive 2017 season in which he earned five wins, 12 top-five finishes and finished inside the top seven for each of the season’s 14 races.
“As Harrison (Burton) moves up to the next level of his career, we’re happy to have him join JGR fulltime and go behind the wheel of the No. 20 Supra,” said Steve DeSouza, Executive Vice President of Xfinity Series and Development for Joe Gibbs Racing. “Harrison has continued to show progress this season in his limited starts and I know that will only continue to develop with more seat time while contending for the Xfinity Series championship.”
The crew chief for the No. 20 Toyota Supra will be announced at a later date.
Every year, NHL team marketing departments brainstorm new slogans and campaigns to get fans fired up for the upcoming season. Some of them are clever. Many of them aren't. So we decided to help.
After scanning the websites and social media feeds for all 31 teams, these are our best guesses at their official team slogans this season. In this week's NHL Power Rankings, we analyze them and offer our own suggestions for improvements.
How we rank: The ESPN hockey editorial staff submits polls ranking teams 1-31, and those results are tabulated to the list featured here. Teams are rated through Tuesday night's games, taking into account overall record, recent success and other factors such as injuries. Previous ranking refers to the team's spot in last week's edition of our Power Rankings.
"Boston's Team Since 1924." The Bruins sit atop our power rankings this week for a terrific start to the season. As for the slogan, 1924 is actually 23 years after baseball's Americans (who would be renamed the Red Sox in 1908) became Boston's team, so you have to respect that level of hubris. Really only needs a slight edit.
New slogan: "Bahston's Wicked Team Since 19-Whatever, Kid, Presented By Dunkie's."
"Go Avs Go." In winning their first five games of the season, the Avs had a plus-10 goal differential and looked very much like they might be the best team in the Western Conference.
New slogan: "And I For One Welcome Our New Hockey Overlords."
"Vegas Born." Through seven games, the two leading scorers for the Golden Knights are Mark Stone (acquired last season) and Max Pacioretty (acquired in summer 2018).
"Leafs Forever." Through seven games, the Leafs are fourth in goals per game (4.00) and 18th in goals against per game (3.29). Which is great for entertainment, if not necessarily for Mike Babcock's blood pressure.
"Smashville." I wrote about the origins of "Smashville" a few years ago. Did you know that the guy who came up with the term received season tickets for life? Anyway, the Predators won four of their first six games and recently skated out of Vegas with a win.
"ALL CAPS." Nothing like the wildest sports month in recent D.C. history to overshadow the burgeoning goaltending controversy between Braden Holtby and Ilya Samsonov, which coach Todd Reirden recently said didn't exist "at this point."
"2019 Stanley Cup Champions." The Blues were 3-1-2 in their first six games, looking more like the team from the second half of last season than the one from the first half. Which is good news for Craig Berube, one assumes.
"Be The Thunder." The Lightning are finally starting to look like the Lightning again ... minus that hiccup against Ottawa recently. It's going to take a while to wash off the stink from the playoffs, though.
"The Golden Season." This is in reference to the 50th anniversary of the franchise, and it has been quite a party so far thanks to a 5-0-1 start that was the Sabres' best in 12 seasons. Seriously, though, Buffalo: You're a hockey team. Hence ...
"Let's Go Pens." Yeah, that's it. Just "Let's Go Pens." This is what you get when Sidney Crosby is both your captain and chief marketing officer. Pittsburgh won three of its first four games without the sidelined Evgeni Malkin, because that's what the Penguins do.
"Let's Go Oilers." Edmonton's start -- five wins in six games -- has been one of the season's biggest surprises, fueled by James Neal's goals and a solid defense under coach Dave Tippett. Things look pretty good. But, as always, we must echo the sentiments of all hockey fans during these past few seasons.
"C of Red Lives Here." One of hockey's truly great puns, even if the "C" on their sweaters is frequently white or black. But it doesn't really capture the current campaign for the inconsistent Flames, who dealt James Neal to Edmonton in exchange for Milan Lucic this offseason.
New slogan: "It Is Our Belief That A Player Leading The League In Penalty Minutes Is Just As Impressive As One Leading The League In Goals."
"Rise Together." That the Jets aren't an utter disaster given what has happened to their blue line in the past four months -- including the uncertainty around Dustin Byfuglien's leave of absence -- is one of the biggest surprises of the season. Those 3.13 goals per game help.
"This Is Florida Panthers Territory." Please don't weaponize this slogan when the Panthers finish outside the playoff bubble, missing the cut by just a few points, as they often do.
New slogan: "Hiring Joel Quenneville Is Its Own Championship."
"Go Habs Go." The 2-2-2 start for Montreal seems about right, although one assumes Carey Price is going to be better than the .896 save percentage and 3.33 goals-against average where he now sits.
"Fly Or Die." While perfectly capturing the fatalistic worldview of the Philadelphia sports fan, this seems a little harsh for our sensitive times, no?
New slogan: "Orange You Glad We Have Goaltending Now?"
"Our Barn, Our Family." Sneaky good player: defenseman Devon Toews. He had four points in his first six games, including an overtime winner against St. Louis. A strong player in either Brooklyn or Nassau.
"Let's Go Ducks." The Ducks actually have a really cool name for their season-ticket holders: The Orange Alliance. So some variation of "join the Orange Alliance" would be pretty cool. But seeing as how the team remains one John Gibson away from choking on mediocrity ...
"Teal Together." Hey, who knew that adding a 200-foot veteran forward who leads by example and is a positive presence in the locker room would help fill the void left by the departure of a 200-foot veteran forward who leads by example and is a positive presence in the locker room?
"Hockeytown." The Red Wings have been sold with the Hockeytown name forever. But at 3-3-0 after a decent start, and with many expecting this to be another rebuilding season for the Wings ...
"We Are All Canucks." Apparently we are all silently praying that a generation of youngsters comes together to form newfound leadership and boldness to turn around a flailing existence. Wait ...
"Our Pack." Stop me if you've heard this one before: The Coyotes are getting outstanding goaltending but are last in the NHL in shooting percentage through five games, at 6.5%.
"Be Loud. Wear Green. Go Stars." Coach Jim Montgomery's team has been one of the season's biggest disappointments thus far, with one win in its first five games.
New slogan: "Shoot wide. Stop nothing. Ugh, Stars."
"Out Of Our Blue. We Rise." We get the sentiment here -- what with what happened in the offseason -- but what kind of fridge magnet word salad are we looking at here? This reads like Don Draper had a stroke in the middle of his pitch to Labatt's.
"Go Kings Go."Jonathan Quick, two-time Stanley Cup champion and a Conn Smythe winner, is statistically the worst goalie in the league thus far this season, at a .793 save percentage.
"We Are The Ones." The Devils' winless start through six games has punctured the hype balloon for the team that inflated so impressively thanks to significant moves during the summer.
New slogan: "We Are The Ones Who Win The Draft Lottery Again."
Nasa Hataoka should be getting more worldwide attention.
With two Japan LPGA Tour major championship victories in her homeland over the last month, she arrived for the start of this week’s Buick LPGA Shanghai on fire.
And she didn’t cool off in Thursday’s first round.
A 5-under-par 67 at Qizhong Garden Golf Club gave Hataoka a share of the lead with South Korea’s Amy Yang.
They’re one-shot ahead of Americans Jessica Korda and Angel Yin and two ahead of a pack of seven players that includes defending champ Danielle Kang, Lydia Ko and Brooke Henderson.
In her last start two weeks ago, Hataoka won the Japan Women’s Open, the most prestigious title in her country. She is seeking her fifth worldwide title in the last 12 months.
“I’m very proud of how I play and win tournament in Japan,” Hataoka said. “But my goal is to win a major [on the LPGA]. So, I want to keep working to achieve the goal.”
Hataoka, 20, climbed to No. 3 in the Rolex Women’s World Rankings with her Japan Women’s Open victory but slipped back a spot to No. 4 this week.
Korda likes her position making her first start since the Solheim Cup, where she and her sister, Nelly, were both undefeated for the week (3-0-1 records).
“A little rusty with a couple shots,” Korda said. “I’m going to the driving range to try to figure that out a little bit. But, yeah, I was really proud of myself today.”
Notably, Korda is one of six participants in last month’s Solheim Cup who are sitting T-5 or better after the first round in China. Kang and Yin are among them on the American side. England’s Bronte Law (69) and Jodi Ewart Shadoff (69) are on the Euro side, as is England’s Mel Reid (69), who was a vice captain at the Solheim Cup.
Rolex world No. 1 Jin Young Ko opened with an even-par 72.
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