Stuart Poynter has effectively called time on his international career with Ireland after committing to Durham in a new two-year deal.

Poynter, Durham's wicketkeeper and captain during this season's Vitality Blast campaign, was forced to choose between club and country following a change to the ECB's eligibility rules in September, in the wake of Ireland's promotion to a Full Test Nation in 2017.

Prior to that change, all Ireland players - along with other passport-holders from EU member countries - had been permitted to play as homegrown players in county cricket. Now they have to register as overseas players, which Poynter has chosen to do.

Born in Hammersmith, London, Poynter has previously spoken out about his disappointment at the change of ruling, telling The Telegraph "it is a strange scenario when you are born British and have entitlement to work as a local in your own country."

Poynter's decision was perhaps made easier by the disappointment he suffered earlier this year when he was dropped by Ireland following a run of poor form. He made 15 runs in four ODI innings in their series against Afghanistan in Dehradun and followed that with scores of 0 and 1 in the one-off Test that followed against the same opponents.

He was omitted in favour of Gary Wilson for the subsequent tri-series against West Indies and Bangladesh on home soil, and Wilson - who left Derbyshire last year to play full time in Ireland's domestic competition - then kept his place for their maiden Test against England at Lord's in July.

Poynter's decision comes a month after his Ireland team-mate, Paul Stirling, chose the alternative route, and ended his 10-year association with Middlesex to further his international aspirations.

Stirling's Middlesex team-mate, Tim Murtagh, is the other county-based Ireland player who has yet to confirm his decision. At the age of 38, Murtagh is nearing the end of his career either way, but remains a formidable performer, as shown by his haul of 5 for 13 on the first morning of the Lord's Test, when England were bowled out for 85.

With a highest score of 36 in 21 ODI appearances, Poynter never quite showed his best form in his Ireland career, although he did enjoy one notable moment in a T20 against the Netherlands in February, when he struck a last-ball six to seal a one-wicket win.

However, at the age of 28, he could also have anticipated plenty more opportunities in international cricket, given that Wilson turns 34 in the new year, and that Ireland's long-term keeper, Niall O'Brien, retired last year.

The announcement of his two-year deal with Durham comes as the club offered the same extension to two other players: Liam Trevaskis, who has cemented his status as the club's first-choice spinner across formats, and Jack Burnham, who served a year-long suspension for recreational drug use in 2018, but recorded four Championship half-centuries on his return to the team this summer.

Sri Lanka have made a whopping five changes to the XI that won them the first two T20Is in Lahore, as they bat first for the third time in the series, after winning the toss.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Sadeera Samarawickrama, batsmen Oshada Fernando and Angelo Perera, allrounder Lahiru Madushanka, and fast bowler Lahiru Kumara have all been brought into the XI, as Nuwan Pradeep, Isuru Udana, Shehan Jayasuriya, Avishka Fernando and Minod Bhanuka make way.

Pakistan, meanwhile, have dropped both Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad, with both batsmen having failed in the first two matches. They have been replaced by Haris Sohail and Iftkhar Ahmed. Young fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain has also been left out in favour of Usman Shinwari, who was menacing in the ODI series. Dew may form later in the evening, but it has not had a major effect on the game so far this series. There is no rain forecast.

Pakistan: 1 Fakhar Zaman, 2 Babar Azam, 3 Haris Sohail, 4 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt.) (wk), 5 Iftikhar Ahmed, 6 Asif Ali, 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Shadab Khan, 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Mohammad Amir, 11 Usman Shinwari

Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), 3 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 4 Oshada Fernando, 5 Angelo Perera, 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt.), 7 Lahiru Madushanka, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Lakshan Sandakan, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Lahiru Kumara

The feelgood factor generated by a remarkable summer of cricket in 2019 has spilled over into 2020 … but perhaps not in the manner that the ECB might have envisaged, after Edgbaston confirmed that it had already sold out for next September's Vitality Blast Finals Day.

According to a press release from Edgbaston, demand for next year's competition has never been higher in its 17-year history, with the initial allocation of tickets for Finals Day, on September 5, selling out ahead of the planned general sale period, and just two weeks after Essex beat Worcestershire in the 2019 final.

It comes also as the ECB begins to ramp up preparations for its new city-based competition, The Hundred. Last week they confirmed the names of all eight teams, with Edgbaston set to host Birmingham Phoenix, while the draft for the Hundred will take place on October 20, live from the Sky Sports studios in Isleworth.

To judge by the take-up of tickets in the Blast, existing English cricket fans appear to be voting with their feet - according to a recent poll in The Cricketer magazine, 84 percent of respondents were "opposed" to the tournament, with just 6.5 percent in support. However, the ECB understandably felt that such interest could only reflect well on the health of the sport, and insisted that it would be "investing more than ever" into next year's staging of the Blast.

"The record-breaking sell-out for next year's Vitality Blast Finals Day is exciting news and further illustrates the opportunity for cricket to build on a memorable summer in which attendances at international domestic matches broke the three-million mark for the first time," said an ECB spokesman.

"The Blast saw average attendances increase by 15% this year and the ECB is committed to investing more than ever into the tournament next season to help continue its growth while dovetailing with our other men's and women's fixtures to entertain core cricket fans and attract new fans to our game."

Neil Snowball, Edgbaston's chief executive, said that the "trusted format" of Finals Day made it a particular hit with regular cricket fans, but also felt that there was room for both the Blast and the Hundred to thrive alongside one another in future seasons.

"We've worked really hard with the ECB and its tournament partners over the last few years to make Vitality Blast Finals Day an unrivalled experience that can appeal to all supporters of county cricket, young and old," said Snowball.

"The trusted format of three games in a day and the increased programme of entertainment and activations make it a unique event in the global cricket calendar and one that the cricket fans clearly love and we are seeing a high proportion of ticket purchasers returning year after year.

"The launch of The Hundred along with another packed international schedule will make 2020 another very important summer of cricket in England and Wales and today's news of a Finals Day sell out is great for the game and highlights how the Vitality Blast can continue to thrive alongside this exciting, new tournament."

As in previous years, tickets were assigned to cricket supporters from across the country through a public ballot, and Edgbaston has held back an agreed allocation for members and supporters of the four teams that reach next year's semi-finals. A further tranche of general admission tickets will also be released next summer when the position of the pitch and sightscreen restrictions have been confirmed.

Edgbaston, which hosted the first Ashes Test in 2019 as well as five World Cup matches, including England's semi-final victory over Australia, has another Test against West Indies in 2020, as well as an ODI against Ireland in September.

"We may be in the early part of the off-season but the appetite for cricket following the golden summer of 2019 certainly isn't slowing down," said Snowball.

"We're approaching capacity for the Friday and Saturday of England's Test with West Indies and overall demand for this match is significantly stronger when compared with our last fixture between the two sides in 2017.

"Hosting Ireland for the first time in an ODI will also be a great occasion as we welcome back Eoin Morgan and England's ICC Men's Cricket World Cup winners to Edgbaston for the first time since their incredible success last season."

Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio will have to answer questions under oath about the recruitment and vetting of former player Auston Robertson.

A federal judge decided Tuesday afternoon not to limit the time or scope of Dantonio's upcoming deposition in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by his former recruiting director. The judge said Dantonio would not need to schedule the deposition until after Michigan State's football season is over.

Thomas Kienbaum, an attorney representing Dantonio, said he was delighted with the outcome of Tuesday's hearing and with the judge's offer to stay closely involved in the process of the deposition.

"The main ruling we were seeking was to not have [Dantonio] interrupted during the season," Kienbaum said Wednesday morning.

Curtis Blackwell is suing Dantonio and others at Michigan State. He says he was made into a scapegoat as the football program and the university responded to a series of sexual assault issues in the early months of 2017. University police arrested Blackwell on suspicion of obstruction as part of a sexual misconduct investigation involving three former Michigan State football players in January 2017. He was not charged with a crime. He was suspended indefinitely in February 2017, and four months later, his year-to-year contract was not renewed.

Blackwell's attorneys filed a motion last month to compel Dantonio to schedule a deposition for the lawsuit. In that motion, Blackwell claimed that Dantonio had ignored the advice of multiple assistant coaches when he decided to offer Robertson -- a highly touted defensive line prospect -- a spot on the Spartans' roster. Robertson, who had a documented history of sexually violent behavior, sexually assaulted the girlfriend of one of his teammates less than a year after he arrived at Michigan State.

Dantonio's attorneys argued that Robertson's recruitment was not relevant to Blackwell's termination or to the original claims Blackwell made in his lawsuit. When asked in the summer of 2017, Dantonio said Blackwell's contract was not renewed due to "philosophical differences." Blackwell believes he was let go so that the football program and university could blame him for a recruiting class that featured four players who were all convicted of crimes related to sexual incidents within their first year on campus. Blackwell says it was Dantonio's decision -- not his -- to bring the most controversial of those players to East Lansing.

Dantonio would later acknowledge that Robertson was "a risk," but said that he decided to offer the 6-foot-5, 260-pound pass-rusher a scholarship after a "thorough vetting." Robertson had been kicked off his high school football team and banned from the school's campus when Dantonio offered the scholarship.

According to Blackwell's testimony under oath, the two coaches who took part in that vetting process did not want Michigan State to offer Robertson a spot. Blackwell said assistant coach Ron Burton told Dantonio that he didn't want Robertson on the same campus as his daughter. Then-offensive coordinator Dave Warner, according to Blackwell, told Dantonio that they "couldn't really find anybody that could say anything good about Auston."

Dantonio declined requests to answer questions about those claims last month. Dantonio has yet to answer any questions specifically about Robertson since the former Spartan player was arrested on charges of rape in April 2017. Dantonio kicked Robertson off the team at the time of the arrest and issued a written statement explaining the decision. He declined to answer questions about Robertson at a news conference several months later. When asked for more details about their vetting process by ESPN in the fall of 2018, Dantonio and others at Michigan State declined to provide any answers.

Dantonio asked the judge presiding over Blackwell's lawsuit to prohibit Blackwell's lawyer from asking questions about Robertson's recruitment. Through his attorneys, Dantonio also asked that the deposition be limited to 3½ hours. Michigan law typically allows attorneys up to seven hours to depose witnesses in a lawsuit.

The judge denied those requests Tuesday. The judge also denied a request from Blackwell's attorney to depose Dantonio during Michigan State's bye week in mid-October.

Dantonio asked the judge presiding over Blackwell's lawsuit to prohibit Blackwell's lawyer from asking questions about Robertson's recruitment. Through his attorneys, Dantonio also asked that the deposition be limited to 3½ hours. Michigan law typically allows attorneys up to seven hours to depose witnesses in a lawsuit. The judge denied those requests Tuesday.

Kienbaum said the judge has offered to monitor the deposition closely, potentially hosting it at the courthouse, which would be a rare occurrence. Kienbaum said the crux of Dantonio's deposition should be about why Blackwell's contract was not renewed. Blackwell's original lawsuit claimed that he was fired because he declined to participate in a pair of investigations -- one conducted by police and another conducted by a firm hired by Michigan State -- about the January 2017 sexual misconduct incident. If asked why Blackwell was let go, Kienbaum said, Dantonio intends to answer that question in detail.

"And Blackwell isn't going to like that," Kienbaum said. "It's not going to be good for him."

SUNRISE ISN'T FOR at least another hour. The air reeks of that sweet, sweet Florida sulfur. The only light comes from the glint of a rusted streetlamp off the community trash compactor, yet still -- still -- Gardner Minshew is smiling as he pulls out of his apartment complex in Jacksonville on a dank morning last week.

He is talking about escapes.

"I've been learning to play the guitar," he says, gesturing toward the radio that's playing the Allman Brothers. His grin is wider than his (considerable) mustache. "It's been going ... slowly. But I kind of love it."

As we cross the bridge into downtown, Minshew asks if I have heard of something called Yousician (I haven't). He explains that it is an app, created in Finland, that features instrument tutorials and -- critically, he says -- a virtual instructor that listens and corrects you as you try to play. Each night, after he's done with football practice and football study and football preparation, Minshew puts in his earphones and slips away from all that is bubbling around him, zoning out with his automated music teacher as he tries to master the chords and frets.

Minshew took up the guitar about a month ago, he says, which makes sense because that is also when the speed of his life suddenly went from a syrup drip to a freight train. There was the injury to Jaguars starting quarterback Nick Foles and coach Doug Marrone calling Minshew's name. Then came the string of completed passes that first day -- 13 in a row to start his career in a 22-for-25 performance -- followed by the closer-than-close rally in the second game. Then came Thursday night bedlam against Tennessee. And the fourth-quarter miracle a week later in Denver.

Now there are T-shirts with Minshew's face on them and beer cans with Minshew's face on them. There are awards and endorsements. The Jags are selling Minshew-branded ticket plans, and there is a litany of stories about Minshew's glorious facial hair and his rakish headband and his tattered jean shorts and his (occasional) preference for stretching while wearing nothing but a jockstrap.

In a season that has seen backup quarterbacks dominate the headlines -- seven took the field for an injured starter in the first four weeks alone -- the fascination with Minshew is its own universe, where interviews and candy deals and so, so, so many memes mesh together with the endless speculation on the radio and the TV and just about every dive bar east of Tallahassee: Can Minshew, who was expected to be little more than a serviceable backup, actually keep this up? Is he for real? And, if he is, what will the Jags do in another month when Foles is healthy and they have to choose between their $50 million franchise player and a guy who looks like Florida Man crossed with Peyton Manning?

All of it would be a lot for anyone to take, let alone a sixth-round draft pick who wasn't sure he'd even make the team this season. Given the hysteria of his newfound circumstances, then, Minshew knew he needed to find an outlet, which is where the guitar comes in.

His initial goal, he tells me from the same well-worn sedan he drove at Brandon High School in Mississippi eight years ago, is simple: Get good enough to play "Wagon Wheel," the Southern classic about a man hitchhiking his way toward a woman in North Carolina. He has a venue in mind too: Every summer, Minshew's family takes over Cabin 1, right by the entrance at the Neshoba County Fair, known more colloquially as Mississippi's Largest House Party. Minshew loves the fair and giggles like a little boy when I ask what it would be like for him to sit outside of Cabin 1 and strum "Wagon Wheel" while everybody he knows and loves in the world sings along.

His eyes go wide. "Man," he says as he parks his car and heads into work as a starting quarterback in the NFL. "You know what? Honestly, if I could do that it would really be the pinnacle."

THERE ARE, OBVIOUSLY, some considerable physical skills that helped Minshew -- who is barely 6 feet tall and who attended four colleges in search of consistent playing time -- find success. To offset his (relative) undersize, he is so strong he can lift weights with the linebackers, and his intensity during practice runs so hot that one of his old quarterbacks coaches, Alex Williams, remembers Minshew literally hitting himself in the face if he missed an easy throw during a training drill. ("Not hard or anything, but still," Williams says.)

Nearly everyone who comes into contact with Minshew, however, ends up with the same conclusion: His biggest weapon is his brain. Mike Leach, who coached Minshew at Washington State in his last (and best) college season, tells me, "He has genius tendencies," and those smarts were a big part of what led the Jags to take a flier on Minshew in the sixth round of April's draft. Tom Coughlin, the Jags' head of player personnel, immediately highlighted Minshew's ability to be "quick" in carrying what he learned in the film room to the field. "He's very smart; he's very sharp," Coughlin said then. "He will suck up all that information, and then, based on what we have seen, he will go onto the practice field and carry it with him."

Turns out, Coughlin was right -- only it wasn't on the practice field. When Minshew thrived so quickly after taking over in Week 1, Marrone was legitimately surprised, he says, because the playbook had been designed for Foles, not Minshew.

"The game plan is written for a different quarterback and he just goes in there and executes it?" Marrone tells me after the team's workout one day. "A lot of players don't have the head to do that."

Minshew has always had the head to do that, even before it was quite this on-display. After two unremarkable seasons at East Carolina, Minshew had actually agreed to take a job with Nick Saban at Alabama as a graduate assistant, thinking he'd probably get into coaching once his college eligibility was done. Before he made it official, though, Leach recruited him to Washington State, asking Minshew just one question -- "How would you like to lead the nation in passing?" -- that led Minshew to play one more season (in which he finished the year second in passing) and sent him on his course to the NFL.

Minshew doesn't have a good explanation for his mental acuity; football plays, and football players, just unspool in his mind. It happens in fantasy sports too: Tre Polk, who is one of Minshew's closest friends from Brandon, says Minshew stunned their dynasty league this past summer when he opted to redraft nearly his entire team (which is named Trust the Process) and start from scratch.

"It was ridiculous," Polk says. "He must have known something about Melvin Gordon, and he worked out with Josh Jacobs and liked what he saw so he took him, and he took the Patriots defense, and he grabbed Austin Ekeler ..." Polk goes on for a few minutes like this before putting on the bow. "Bottom line: He redrafted, like, his whole team, and he's tied for first place. He just sees the game in a different way."

I ask the obvious follow-up: Who is Minshew's quarterback?

"That's the thing," Polk says. "I keep waiting for him to pick himself up, but no one took him. Gardner Minshew is available in Gardner Minshew's fantasy league."

Polk laughs. "Gardner actually took Kyler Murray."

IT SHOULD BE said: Minshew has some experience with sudden celebrity. He became the starter at Brandon during his sophomore year, when Polk, who had been playing in front of him, broke his arm. (Stop me if you've heard this before.) Minshew entered, cinched a hammerlock on the starting job and promptly led the team to the state title game twice in three years. "They've been putting microphones in his face since before his voice broke," says his dad, Flint. "He threw for 11,000 yards and 105 touchdowns -- he's used to people knowing his name. But this is on a different level."

The ingredients, though, remain the same. Sports -- particularly high school sports -- all but demand conformity, but Minshew's devotion to being himself is both fierce and endearing. In high school, his closest group of friends included football players, sure, but also John Wilson and Connor Aultman, two "uncool nerds" -- Wilson's words -- whom Minshew sat with in an advanced English class. Since Minshew often had to skip lunch for football work, the trio persuaded their teacher to let them grill paninis on Wilson's George Foreman Grill in the few minutes before the lesson began.

But simply cooking the sandwiches wasn't enough. "We all like to do stupid stuff," Aultman says, and so they christened themselves the Panini Party club, with Wilson as president, Minshew as the undersecretary for Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce and Aultman as chairman of the butter department (necessary for greasing up any panini). Initially, they began each meeting by saying the Pledge of Allegiance to a pair of American flag pants that Minshew wore with remarkable frequency but ultimately hung up a flag on the wall outside the classroom, Aultman says, in order to "class it up."

That is Minshew: a jock who will explain his various feats on the field by saying things like "It's just ball" but is also comfortable getting weird and talking about "The Things They Carried" with the guys from English. Another friend, Michael Sanderson, says he'll never forget how, during Minshew's senior season, when he was setting state football records, Minshew barely put any football highlights on Instagram but proudly posted his ACT score when he registered a 30.

(As an aside, Sanderson also plays a key role in a possible origin story for Minshew's trademark jean shorts. Sanderson's recollection: "We were at my house playing video games one night, and Gardner left to, like, go to the bathroom. I have an older sister and she wasn't home, and when Gardner came back in the room he had put on her denim shorts and was like, 'I think these look good!'" Sanderson adds, "It wasn't great.")

For his part, Minshew doesn't see any particular novelty in any of this; he just likes who he likes. After a big road win his senior year, Minshew motioned for Wilson, who kept stats, to sit next to him on the bus ride home rather than sitting with one of his receivers or linemen. ("He could have left us in the dust years ago for someone cooler," Wilson says now.) In a few weeks, when the Jaguars have a bye, Minshew won't spend it on vacation or decompressing on the beach; he'll put on a tuxedo and go to Memphis to be a groomsman in the wedding of another friend, Josh Stowers. After Minshew became the starter, Stowers wondered to himself whether that meant Minshew might want a more relaxing week off and back out.

"But then I actually went to the game in Houston [in Week 2]," Stowers tells me, "and when I saw Gardner afterward, the first thing he said wasn't about playing or anything. He sees me, grabs me and shouts, 'I'm so excited for Nov. 9!'"

IN JACKSONVILLE, Minshew's everyman approach has had a similar effect. While team leaders such as star running back Leonard Fournette praise his authenticity -- "You can tell none of this is an act" -- the affection trickles down the food chain too: A handful of guys on the Jags' equipment staff have started growing Minshew mustaches, and Andrew Wingard, who plays mostly on special teams, and Michael Walker, who is on the practice squad, say their celebrity roommate is the same as when they could actually go to dinner without getting interrupted for 50 picture requests.

There have been some concessions, though: Topgolf, for the moment, is out. The trio still try to go to the movies but saw "It: Chapter 2" last week at a smaller theater and made sure to slip in the back just before it started. A favorite local restaurant, River and Post, has promised to seat the group in the back going forward so they can actually get through a salad without being interrupted.

"We used to go to Publix on Tuesdays to grocery shop, but last time we tried that, we couldn't even make it in the door before people stopped him," Walker says. "I had to give Gardner my keys so he could sit in the car. We'll have to get a list from him from now on, I guess."

Wingard confirms that they'll shop for Minshew but says it's no problem "because Gardner did a thing with Snickers, so we've got a lifetime supply of dessert now, plus he just drops clothes and hats and whatever else is suddenly getting sent to him on our beds for us."

Wingard shakes his head with appreciation. "The other day he got me this dope Florida Snapper beanie. It's maroon, and it's awesome."

Outside the team, Jacksonville's fascination with Minshew runs deep. Part of it, naturally, is what he does on the field: Minshew has thrown nine touchdown passes against only one interception, has won the Rookie of the Week award three times in five weeks, and is the first player in NFL history to pass for at least 200 yards and have a rating of at least 95.0 in each of his first five career games.

That is only a piece of it, though. Dan Hicken, a longtime sports anchor and radio host in Jacksonville, says the love for Minshew is also about what he represents. In a city that has forever been insecure when it comes to the NFL -- Is the team going to get moved? Will the Jags ever get any national respect? -- the discovery of a seeming gem like Minshew is made even more enthralling because of the litany of nightmares that came before.

"This is a team that took Blaine Gabbert and passed on J.J. Watt," Hicken says. "We haven't seen too many quarterbacks who can take the team down the field in the fourth quarter. We haven't seen too many guys that get the national TV shows talking about us. We like that the mustaches are everywhere; we like that people are noticing Jacksonville. Fans here care about that stuff."

They care too about that Southern mix of bravado and humility. They like that Minshew was a star in high school but then struggled to find his way. They like that he went to Troy and then a junior college and then East Carolina and then to Washington State, "just searching for an opportunity," as Minshew puts it. When the story emerged about how Minshew, in hopes of getting a medical redshirt so he wouldn't lose a year of eligibility after things went sour at East Carolina, actually attempted to break his own hand with a hammer, Jags fans "went nuts," Hicken says, because it showed that "he just wanted what everyone wants: to never stop playing."

(That scheme, by the way, wasn't impulsive; Minshew's best friend, Houston Smith, tells me that he actually conspired at some length with Minshew on the phone before Minshew attempted it, discussing other ways Minshew might try to hurt himself. "Slamming a car door on his hand was the other top choice," Smith says, somewhat ruefully. "I wouldn't say I endorsed the decision, but I also knew I wasn't going to be able to stop him.")

Ultimately, all of it melds together to make Jags fans feel like Minshew is one of them. Minshew doesn't hide his pleasure about playing in the South either -- "These are my type of people," he says -- and the fascination with Minshew, Hicken says, might well rival the love Jacksonville had for Tim Tebow.

"He's even got the look," Hicken tells me. "Look at him: He's basically the guy that like 95% of Jacksonville wants to go drink a beer with."

ABOUT HALF AN hour after the Jags game ends this past Sunday, Minshew slips on a hooded sweatshirt and goes to the interview room at the stadium in Charlotte. The Jaguars have lost to the Panthers 34-27, and Minshew -- despite throwing for 374 yards and two touchdowns -- is appropriately stricken.

He talks in a hushed tone about the team's effort and takes full responsibility for three fumbles -- "They're all on me" -- even though one came when an offensive lineman was pushed straight into him and another was during a desperation drive in the final moments. He returns to the locker room and wraps tight end James O'Shaughnessy, who is on crutches and wearing a knee brace after a second-half injury, in a long bear hug.

In some ways, the whole scene feels just a little bit surreal: As recently as this summer, the Jaguars were reportedly considering other options because they weren't sure Minshew was ready to be their backup. Now he looks comfortable and assured as the starter and does all the things a starting quarterback is supposed to do -- the game, the media, the locker room -- including waving to a group of Jags fans with mustaches and headbands who have congregated near the path to the team bus. Even after a loss, the Minshew myth will only grow because, if nothing else, Minshew was one of the few reasons the Jags even had a hope of winning on a day when their run defense was shredded.

Walking just ahead of Minshew is Foles. The Super Bowl winner with the Eagles isn't doing interviews, but he is continuing to work out with the Jaguars as he recovers from his broken collarbone. The earliest Foles could return is the Jaguars' Nov. 17 game against the Colts, and Marrone doesn't have a plan for what will happen then because, he says, "I don't have to have a plan right now."

That's fair enough, certainly -- Marrone has plenty on his plate that is more pressing. But it also won't do much to stop the speculation about whether the Jaguars -- who were so sure they'd found their quarterback of the future that they promised Foles about $50 million in guaranteed money -- might consider now going with Minshew, who won't make anywhere near even $1 million in any of the next three seasons.

Around the league, the consensus seems to be that money will talk -- Minshew "is playing well and is a gamer like in college, but they'll go back to Foles," says one AFC front-office executive -- but the groundswell of adoration for Minshew among the fans doesn't figure to wane anytime soon. "If they're playing well, it'll be almost 100% in favor of Minshew," Hicken says. "Foles hasn't had the chance to connect here."

Watching from afar, Leach, Minshew's former coach, says the one thing he isn't worried about is Minshew regressing because he gets caught up in the blossoming frenzy surrounding him. Minshew had a similar appeal during his time in Pullman, and Leach says that for all of Minshew's quirks and idiosyncrasies, he always saw Minshew's love for football over fame as the ultimate trump.

"In varying degrees, everyone in this business and in this world has some phoniness to him, and Gardner's got far less than most," Leach says. "All the attention in the world is not more important to him than playing well, and I get the feeling that it has always been that way."

Minshew says as much during our car ride, even admitting that there are moments when his sudden notoriety is more tiresome than exhilarating. "I'm glad people are excited," he says, "but I could take it or leave it." He adds, "I'm a little sick of mustache questions, to be honest. I just want to focus on the stuff that's real."

At this point, that isn't a short list. Real is working on making quicker decisions in the pocket and not dancing around quite as much. Real is the fact that, with O'Shaughnessy out, one of his favorite passing options is suddenly unavailable. And real is the 4-1 Saints, who arrive in Jacksonville this Sunday.

"I have a sense of urgency all the time," Minshew tells me, "because I've never had a reason not to." And so he grinds and pushes and presses, uncertain and unconcerned about what comes next. It can be stifling sometimes, but when he wants a break, he says, there is always Yousician. Truth is, "Wagon Wheel" still needs work.

BOSTON -- Nothing went as expected for the Boston Celtics a year ago. Jayson Tatum's season was no exception.

The Celtics entered the season as a favorite to reach the NBA Finals, in part because Tatum, who had been brilliant in the postseason as a rookie, was expected to take a major leap. Instead, the Celtics fell flat, as did Tatum's progress.

When Celtics assistant coach Jay Larranaga sat down with Tatum before the start of this season, he told Tatum that was all behind them.

"I made a deal with him the day before training camp that we would not discuss last year at all," Larranaga told ESPN last week. "This is my first year working with him, and so I just said, 'We're just starting from right here, doing what we know is right, playing the right way and working the right way.'"

Tatum started that process himself almost as soon as the season ended. Now the Celtics hope that they will see an improved version of their young forward -- one that hews more closely with what is required in today's NBA.

Amid everything that was going wrong for the Celtics last season, one thing was clear: Tatum didn't look right.

"[I was] making the game tougher than I probably should have," Tatum said last week.

He'd dribble into difficult midrange shots, including fadeaways. Those were shots Kobe Bryant, who worked with Tatum in the summer of 2018, made a living taking -- and making. But the NBA has since evolved into a league hyper-focused on shots at the rim and beyond the arc -- and, last year, Tatum didn't take enough of either.

Among the 96 players who had at least 100 direct isolations last season, according to data from Second Spectrum, Tatum ranked dead last in efficiency, with an average of .70 points per play.

Yet, despite those struggles, Tatum was isolating more than he did as a rookie (going from 2.89 isolations per game to 3.25, per Second Spectrum) and driving to the rim less (6.47 to 5.76).

"Last year was kind of funky in all aspects," Tatum said. "I understand that. I acknowledge that, and I'm just trying to be better this year."

His struggles offered Tatum a vision of what he needed to do to take his game to another level.

"Focus on getting to the basket much more," Tatum said. "Shoot more 3s, and layups, and free throws."

This summer Tatum's trainer, Drew Hanlen, put Tatum through the program he had used with Bradley Beal early in Beal's career. The Wizards wing became a two-time All-Star after eschewing long 2-point jumpers and concentrating on more efficient shots.

Hammering his point home, Hanlen sent Tatum a text breaking down how his shot diet contrasted with some of the NBA's elite perimeter scorers: LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, Paul George and Devin Booker. All of them attempted significantly more than Tatum's 2.9 free throws and 3.9 3-pointers per game.

"I basically said, 'If you just shoot six free throws per game and six 3s per game at the same percentages you did last season, then you'll raise your [scoring] average from 15.7 to 20.7,'" Hanlen said.

"'That makes you an All-Star.'"

That knowledge in hand, they broke the process into six parts:

• Using stats to show how Tatum compares to the best players, and where he needs to improve.
• Watching video to see when he passed up open 3-pointers or driving opportunities to instead dribble into long 2-point shots.
• Creating more separation to shoot 3-pointers.
• Working on his dribbling skills to add both shiftiness and hesitation moves and give him more options to get around defenders.
• Practicing driving through contact and finishing over defenders at the rim.
• Doing drills designed to increase Tatum's playmaking ability.

In addition to that skill work, much of Tatum's improvement this season will boil down to two things: thinking less, and taking what the defense gives him.

Virtually everyone who talked about Tatum's play last season, himself included, described him as thinking too much, or not making decisions quickly enough.

"We just need him to go out there and play," Marcus Smart said. "If you have an open shot, shoot it. Don't force it."

"One of his advantages is how smart he is," Larranaga said. "He can make quicker decisions than the average player. When he slows down and plays slower, he's not using one of his greatest strengths."

That was a point of emphasis for Tatum this summer with USA Basketball coach Gregg Popovich, who preaches the .5-second system -- meaning players have a half-second to shoot, drive or pass after they catch the ball.

While Tatum's FIBA World Cup in China was ended early by a sprained ankle, he'd shown progress in changing his game. That carried over to Boston's preseason opener, when he attempted eight 3-pointers and took three free throws as he scored 20 points in just 23 minutes of action against the Charlotte Hornets.

Playing faster can set up opportunities. Dribbling into contested 2-point jumpers not only played into the defense's hands but also gave his defenders a reason not to fully commit to running him off the 3-point line.

"When the 3 is open, he's got to knock it down," Larranaga said. "And be willing to take it. He's an elite shooter. But he's used to playing with the ball in his hands, he's used to putting it down [on the floor], so I think the biggest thing to getting fouled for him is people really have a fear of him shooting that 3 on the catch. Then all of his drives are going to be easier, and just naturally will get to the line more."

The phrase "fresh start" has been worn out over the past two weeks in Boston. But, at least so far, it applies to Tatum.

"He's been great," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said, adding that this year's training camp has "by far" been Tatum's best yet. "He's shot it. He's drove it. He's been aggressive. He's not hesitating on his 3.

"I think that whatever he needed to improve on, it's been pretty obvious, but you still have to build those habits, and it takes time. He's really made great strides. I thought it started at the end of last year, continued through the summer, and now you can see it. [He knows], 'This is what we are doing.'"

The Celtics are a collection of question marks. Kyrie Irving and Al Horford are gone. Kemba Walker has arrived, as have several rookies. The talent level appears below what it was a year ago -- as are expectations for the team.

Of the many things Boston has to sort out, the single most important question is just how good Tatum can be.

He has the tools to be the go-to scorer every contender needs. And, as he showed with his thunderous East finals Game 7 dunk over James two seasons ago, playing on the game's biggest stage isn't too much for him.

"Jayson has set a level of expectation for himself because he did what very few rookies have done," Stevens said last week. "And that is help win playoff series."

Now, the Celtics are hoping these changes to his game will allow him to do so again.

"He's going to be a star," Walker said. "He really is. Just because of the way he works. Especially now, being around him in training camp and seeing the way he's playing.

"He'll be all right, man. He'll be all right."

Does postseason performance matter for impending free agents? It might, at least a little, although modern-day front offices are less prone to emotional buying based on small sample size performances. Does Joe Kelly get a three-year, $25 million contract with the Dodgers coming off a 4.39 ERA if not for his dominant run in October for the Red Sox? Probably not. Do the Red Sox re-sign Nathan Eovaldi to a four-year, $68 million if not for his clutch postseason pitching? He probably doesn't get $68 million.

Here are the top 10 notable free agents among the eight teams who participated in the division series this year.

Gerrit Cole, Houston Astros

The lowdown: After an absolute monster of a season in which he led the American League in ERA, strikeouts and FIP, Cole will head into free agency for his age-29 season poised to receive the largest contract ever for a pitcher. Right now, that belongs to David Price for the seven-year, $216 million deal he signed with the Red Sox in 2016. Compare Cole's two seasons before free agency to Price's:

Cole: 2.68 ERA, 412.2 IP, 285 H, 602 SO, 164 ERA+, 12.1 WAR

Price: 2.88 ERA, 468.2 IP, 420 H, 496 SO, 135 ERA+, 10.5 WAR

Price carried the bigger workload, but was also a year older. Cole trumps him in dominance and WAR. He's going to get a megadeal.

Most obvious fit: Cole grew up in Los Angeles, attended Orange Lutheran High School in Orange and then UCLA after declining to sign as a first-round pick out of high school. Every team can use Cole, of course, but if he wants to go back home, the Angels are desperate for staff ace. Even the Dodgers could finally pursue the big free agent they haven't signed in the Andrew Friedman regime. And don't rule out the Astros -- although they are paying Justin Verlander $33 million the next two seasons and Zack Greinke $35 million the next two and should get Lance McCullers Jr. back from Tommy John surgery.

Anthony Rendon, Washington Nationals

The lowdown: Rendon should finish in the top three of the NL MVP voting after hitting .319/.412/.598 and leading the league in doubles and RBIs. He's hit .300 the past three seasons, walked nearly as often as he struck out and plays a good third base. He's also entering his age-30 season and we know teams have been reluctant to give the huge deals to players in their 30s. Still, compare Rendon's past two seasons to the final two for Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, last winter's big free agents:

Rendon: .314/.393/.567, 58 HR, 145 OPS+, 10.5 WAR (age 30)

Harper: .279/.401/.539, 63 HR, 143 OPS+, 5.9 WAR (age 26)

Machado: .278/.339/.505, 70 HR, 126 OPS+, 9.2 WAR (age 26)

The big difference isn't production and value, but age: Rendon is four years older. He won't get a 10-year, $300 million contract and did have some injury issues in college and early in his career, but a six-year deal running through his age-35 season sounds reasonable.

Most obvious fit: Aside from a return to the Nationals, how about a return to his home state of Texas? He's from Houston, but the Astros seem pretty set at third base. The Rangers, however, received a meager .699 OPS from their third basemen and could use a big star as they move into their new park.

Josh Donaldson, Atlanta Braves

The lowdown: After an injury-plagued 52-game season in 2018, Donaldson signed quickly with the Braves as a free agent, taking a one-year, $23 million contract and betting on himself to have a productive season and test free agency for the second straight offseason. He bet right. After a slugging start, he turned it on in June and finished at .259/.379/.521 and his WAR ranked higher than teammates Ronald Acuna Jr. and Freddie Freeman at 6.1, close to his 2013 to 2017 average of 7.3 per season. That total is boosted by his best fielding metrics since 2014, however, as his offense -- after adjusting for a hitter-friendly environment in 2019 and his home park -- was down a notch from his MVP peak. A late bloomer, he'll be entering his age-34 season.

Most obvious fit: The Braves have a potential replacement in Austin Riley, who was forced into left field as a rookie but came up as a third baseman. Riley also struggled after a blazing start, with poor plate discipline that exposed some holes in his swing. Other than the Braves: How about division rival Philadelphia? With Maikel Franco getting most of the playing time, the Phillies ranked 24th in the majors with a .725 OPS at third base. Their lineup wasn't quite as imposing as hoped, and Donaldson's age means they could probably get him on a shorter-term deal.

Hyun-Jin Ryu, Los Angeles Dodgers

The lowdown: Ryu was a free agent last offseason and accepted the Dodgers' qualifying offer to return Los Angeles. He then had his best season, leading the majors with a 2.32 ERA and allowing no runs in 10 of his 29 starts. He averaged just 1.2 walks per nine innings. Under the rules of free agency, the Dodgers can't extend a qualifying offer again (although they can attempt to re-sign him). He'll be 33 and missed 2015 with shoulder surgery and all but one game in 2016 with an elbow injury.

Most obvious fit: It's not often that a team will let the majors' ERA leader walk without much of an effort to re-sign him, but consider the Dodgers' rotation options for 2020 (Rich Hill is also a free agent):

1. Walker Buehler

2. Clayton Kershaw

3. Kenta Maeda

4. Julio Urias

5. Ross Stripling

6. Tony Gonsolin

7. Dustin May

8. GERRIT COLE?

Maybe they can find a way to keep him on a shorter deal or maybe Ryu heads across town to the Angels or south to the Padres (assuming he wants to stay in California).

Marcell Ozuna, OF, St. Louis Cardinals

The lowdown: Ozuna hit .263/.327/.452 in his two seasons with St. Louis -- solid production, but nothing like the huge season he had with the Marlins in 2017. He played through some injuries both seasons and hit just .219 in the second half of 2019, so that 2017 season now stands out as a fluke year. He's a solid defender in left (he won a Gold Glove as a left fielder), although shoulder issues have zapped his arm strength the past couple of year. He'll be entering his age-29 season.

Most obvious fit: White Sox outfielders hit a pathetic .252/.303/.385. Ozuna would provide a nice fit in a corner and could DH some to help prevent of the injury issues. The Cardinals have top outfield prospect Dylan Carlson, who reached Triple-A in 2019, plus super-sub Tommy Edman can play the outfield, so they probably let Ozuna walk.

Didi Gregorius, SS, New York Yankees

The lowdown: After averaging 24 home runs and hitting .277 from 2015 to 2017 with the Yankees, Gregorius missed the first half of 2019 after needing Tommy John surgery at the end of 2018. He returned to hit .238/.276/.441 in 82 games, although with 16 home runs. His fielding metrics have always been average at best, but fell to minus-6 defensive runs saved in his half-season. His arm strength seemed fine, but as he's become bigger and stronger, he may be losing range in the field. He'll be entering his age-30 season.

Most obvious fit: The Yankees can slide Gleyber Torres over to shortstop and install DJ LeMahieu as the full-time second baseman, so any money they spend in free agency is more likely to be directed at the rotation. There isn't an obvious fit here. Most of the teams that need a shortstop (Royals, Orioles, Marlins) are bad and rebuilding and teams may be concerned about his ability to stick at shortstop for more than a season or two.

Dallas Keuchel, Atlanta Braves

The lowdown: The 2015 Cy Young winner was looking for a big deal as a free agent last offseason and didn't get one, finally signing a one-year deal with the Braves in June and going 8-8 with a 3.75 ERA over 19 starts. He's a bulldog on the mound and the kind of leader you want in the clubhouse, but he doesn't have the velocity that teams covet these days, and he's had injuries in the past that limited him to 26 starts in 2016 and 23 in 2017. At 32, and with a career-worst 4.72 FIP, it's not like demand for him is suddenly going to increase (at least at his demands last offseason).

Most obvious fit: The Angels had a 5.64 rotation ERA, second-worst in the majors. Are they going to continue wasting Mike Trout's best years? The Padres could also use a veteran presence and mentor for their young starters.

Jake Odorizzi, Minnesota Twins

The lowdown: Odorizzi went 15-7 with a 3.51 ERA in his second season in Minnesota, making 30 starts but pitching just 159 innings as the Twins kept him a tight workload (he pitched more than six innings just twice). Odorizzi has averaged 30 starts a season since 2014 and is coming off a career-high strikeout rate and his first All-Star appearance. He'll be 30 years old and is a fly ball heavy pitcher, so park factors are an important consideration here.

Most obvious fit: The Twins. Fellow starters Kyle Gibson and Michael Pineda (who missed the postseason after being suspended late in the season after a positive test for a banned diuretic) are also free agents, so the Twins front office has some work to do.

Edwin Encarnacion, New York Yankees

The lowdown: Encarnacion had a busy year, getting traded from Cleveland to Seattle in the offseason and then from Seattle to the Yankees in June. He missed most of the final two months with an oblique injury, but bashed 34 home runs in 418 at-bats. He's hit just .246 and .244 the past two seasons, but draws enough walks that he posted a .344 OBP. He has a $20 million team option, but the Yankees will probably exercise a $5 million buyout, making him a free agent. He'll be 37 and did start 57 games at first base, but he's best suited for a designated hitter role.

Most obvious fit: As bad as the White Sox outfielders were, their DHs were even worse, hitting .208/.285/.362. Yuck. Given the limited interest in DHs these days on the free-agent market, Encarnacion won't cost must and give the White Sox a nice upgrade.

Avisail Garcia, Tampa Bay Rays

The lowdown: Non-tendered by the White Sox after a 0.3-WAR season in 2018, the Rays signed him to a one-year deal as a platoon option in the outfield, but injuries opened up some playing time, and he produced a 2.0-WAR season. He hit .282/.332/.464. He doesn't walk much and doesn't lift the ball in the air enough to take advantage of his raw power, so his offense his heavily predicated on BABIP (very high in 2017, when he hit .330; low in 2018 as he hit .236; and a high .340 in 2019).

Most obvious fit: The five teams with worst production from their corner outfielders: Marlins, White Sox, Giants, Diamondbacks, A's.

Other free agents:

Astros: Wade Miley, Will Harris, Joe Smith, Hector Rondon, Collin McHugh, Martin Maldonado

Yankees: Brett Gardner, Dellin Betances, Cameron Maybin, Austin Romine

Rays: Travis d'Arnaud, Eric Sogard

Twins: Kyle Gibson, Michael Pineda, Jonathan Schoop, Jason Castro, Sergio Romo (Nelson Cruz has a $12 million team option)

Braves: Julio Teheran ($12 million team option/$1 million buyout), Nick Markakis ($6M/$2M), Tyler Flowers ($6M/$2M), Billy Hamilton ($1M buyout), Francisco Cervelli, Darren O'Day, Chris Martin, Brian McCann, Adeiny Hechavarria, Josh Tomlin, Matt Joyce, Jerry Blevins

Cardinals: Adam Wainwright, Michael Wacha, Matt Wieters

Nationals: Adam Eaton ($9.5 and $10.5 million team options for 2020 and 20201), Ryan Zimmerman ($18M/$2M Yan Gomes ($9/$1), Sean Doolittle ($6.5 club option), Howie Kendrick, Brian Dozier, Fernando Rodney, Asdrubal Cabrera, Gerardo Parra, Daniel Hudson, Jeremy Hellickson

Dodgers: Rich Hill, Russell Martin, David Freese, Jedd Gyorko ($1M buyout)

Relive the best world championships in history by checking out our highlights

The 17th edition in Doha was the highest quality IAAF World Championships in history, with six championship records set, 21 area records broken and 86 national records revised.

IAAF president Seb Coe described the athletes as having “put on the best show” during the 10 days of competition in Qatar.

“For those who follow our sport closely, you will know that we rank our championships on the performances of the athletes,” he said.

“The world’s athletes have put on the best show in the history of the IAAF World Athletics Championships, according to the competition performance rankings which are used as an objective measure of the quality of international competition.

“We are proud of the fact we reach more countries than any other sport. Just look at the breadth and depth – 43 countries on the medals table and 86 national records set. We want our athletes to experience different cultures and different conditions. It’s what makes our sport so accessible.”

But which were the moments that stood out the most to the AW team members out in Doha? Here editor Jason Henderson, editorial director Euan Crumley, MD Wendy Sly and results editor Steve Smythe share theirs.

Have a read and then let us know yours by commenting on Twitter or Facebook or on our forum.

The dedicated Doha 2019 section of our website – featuring reports, news, interviews and more – can be found here.

Jason Henderson

Like many runners and athletics fans, I’m fascinated by the Ingebrigtsen brothers. So when Jakob Ingebrigtsen went to the front of the 5000m final with 300m to go, it was the kind of moment that made the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. Some have even described it as reminiscent of Steve Prefontaine going to the front at the 1972 Olympics.

Earlier in the race he had fallen well behind the leaders but clawed his way back into contention when it mattered and, despite turning 19 only days earlier, he took it to the East Africans with an all-or-nothing bid. Ultimately the winner Muktar Edris had too much firepower and the Norwegian’s legs turned to lead around the final bend, but he kept battling away and dramatically threw himself over the line to snatch fifth place in 13:02.93.

Dusting himself off, he then walked off the track with his legs covered in cuts, swigging a bottle of cola as he went along. He might have lost the race but he earned plenty of admirers in the process.

REPORT: Ethiopian one-two as Ingebrigtsen 5000m challenge falters

Euan Crumley

When Callum Hawkins suffered so badly in the Australian heat during the Commonwealth Games marathon last year, many feared he might never be the same athlete again.

To see him utterly disabusing that notion on the Corniche Road in Doha, then, was truly uplifting.

The young Scot did not rush his comeback from that infamous collapse and a fine performance at the London Marathon showed he was well on the road to a full recovery.

Yet, the soaring temperatures in Doha – and a return to major championships racing – were another challenge entirely.

That he used some supermarket heaters to create a makeshift heat chamber in his shed as part of his preparations added further colour to the story but it also belied the fact this was a well-trainied, organised athlete who clearly meant business.

The bloody-minded grit of his mentor Steve Jones was in evidence in Qatar when Hawkins ran his heart out to catch the leading group in the latter stages and give them an almighty scare. It may ultimately not have landed him a medal but the confidence he showed in blowing right past them into the lead was a sign that he was back to the peak of his powers.

REPORT: Ethiopian marathon one-two as Callum Hawkins is fighting fourth

Wendy Sly

There were several stand out moments performance wise as it was statistically the best world championships ever, but the top moment for me has to be Mutaz Essa Barshim winning the high jump.

It was incredible in so many ways. The way he came back from a really bad injury, the way he coped under immense pressure as local hero and against tough competition, but also the way the crowd reacted. I don’t think I will ever forget the sight of hundreds of people cheering as he cleared the final height having failed his first attempt, with hundreds of locals dressed in white robes jumping up in the air, some losing their headdresses in the process.

REPORT: Mutaz Essa Barshim rises to the occasion in Qatar

Steve Smythe

Tomas Walsh thinks he has won the world title towards the end of the final round with the best throw since 1990 – before he was born – thanks to a 22.90m championship record-breaking opening throw in the best ever shot put competition.

Then Joe Kovacs throws 22.91m and Ryan Crouser 22.90m and he is third! Poor Darlan Romani throws 22.53m – much further than every world champion in the previous 36 years – and isn’t remotely close to even a medal.

Kovacs only scraped into the final as the 12th best qualifier and then set a near one-metre PB to go equal third all-time.

REPORT: Joe Kovacs wins greatest ever shot competition

Ireland forwards coach Simon Easterby has praised the competition levels within the squad ahead of their final Pool A fixture on Saturday.

In need of a victory to ensure qualification to the quarter-finals, Ireland are expected to name a strong side to take on Samoa in Fukuoka.

"You want to come to a World Cup with 31 players who are all challenging for starting spots," said Easterby.

"If they don't get in the starting team there is a bit of disappointment.

"There is an edge and there is a bit of 'I'll show you I can be the one'."

Earlier this week defence coach Andy Farrell indicated that Ireland were now into the "business end" of their tournament, adding that they would be selecting their strongest available side against Samoa.

With Jordi Murphy set to recover in time for the weekend, Ireland's coaches will be able to select their starting side from a fully-fit 31-man squad.

Of Ireland's forwards, only Sean Cronin and Andrew Porter are yet to start a match during the tournament, while only flanker Peter O'Mahony has started all three.

"In this group there is a good competitive nature," Easterby said.

"The scrum session [during Tuesday's training] was tasty.

"There was a little bit going on in there and that's good, that's what you want. You need those sessions and you need that competitive edge."

While any win secures Ireland a top-two finish in Pool A, even a bonus-point win would not guarantee them top spot.

They will not know their fate until Sunday when Japan face Scotland in Yokohama, and if the hosts win or collect two losing bonus points they will advance as group winners.

VERNON, N.Y. — Defending DIRTcar Sportsman champion Kevin Root extended his lead in this year’s race for the title as he captured the NAPA Auto Parts Super Dirt Week Pre-Game 40 lapper at Utica-Rome Speedway.

After a three-car battle with young lion Jackson Gill and veteran Alan Fink, Root finally took the lead for good on lap 12 as he went from third to first.

“Alan and Jackson got together and I steered so I could just diamond off the turn,” said Root. “You had to get things done on the restarts and tonight the car was phenomenal. It was a hell of a race track and you could just go anywhere. It is the best Utica-Rome has been all year.”

Fink settled for second and early on in the race he found himself alongside and battling his nephew Tyler Corcoran and Gill.

“Tyler, Jack and me were three wide for a long time, and there was no room to give anything out there,” Fink said. “We didn’t hit. I could have been better on the restarts tonight, but it was a wide-open track out there and good restarts were needed if you were going to move forward. This is my old number eight which is ‘Old Faithful’ just with new body panels. There’s nothing wrong with finishing second to Kevin.”

Third-place Kyle Inman appeared to have to settle for fourth, but with a lap and a half to go third-place running Brianna Ladouceur ran out of fuel and Inman found himself with a podium finish.

“I was really tight and it was not turning,” Inman said. “This wasn’t the regular Utica-Rome surface. It had plenty of bite and the cooler temperatures kept that bite in it. I handle better on black and slick surfaces. I’ll take it. It is a good way to start Super DIRT Week and I had one car and it is in one piece.”

The fans were quite attentive in the opening laps as Corcoran and Gill took turns in leading the first four laps. A couple of laps later Fink joined the duo to make it a three-car battle.

Root, who started eighth, found himself in fourth at the quarter point on lap 10 as the restart on that lap after a Dave Moyer off track excursion saw Fink go to the point.

Moments later Root was leading the field and the rest was history.

Entering the night Root was the series point leader with Utica-Rome track champ Matt Janczuk chasing him.

Janczuk was running fourth, but brake problems forced him to the pits only to have him restart at the rear of the field with well more than half the race remaining.

However, Janczuk saw his title hopes dashed on lap 19 as his 33x along with A.J. Filbeck took a wild ride on the front stretch coming out of turn four.

Action saw Cedric Gauvreau, Jeff Taylor, Ed Lukas, Payton Talbot, Rocco Leone along with FIlbeck and Janczuk involved.

“I really don’t know what happened, but the track was completely blocked by the time I got there,” Janczuk said. “I saw the ground a couple of times and the car is heavily damaged.”

At the halfway point Root, Fink and Gill were comfortably in front with Inman back in fourth followed by Tim Falter, Ladouceur, Brian Calabrase, Adam Pierson, Zach Sobotka and Chris Mackey.

Gill, who eventually finished fourth, began to falter slightly and later noted, “We were just over tight and it is the second straight race this has happened to us. We’ll take notes and move on. It was just getting too hard to drive.”

So Ladouceur continued to advance and on the 27th lap restart after a yellow for a damaged Ed Lukas 77l she took over third from Inman. She remained there until the fuel starved engine quit in the closing moments.

Charlie Tibbitts completed the top five after starting 22nd. “When you are starting that far back early on you just have to be careful not to get collected in an accident,” he said. “Then you have to wait for the field to spread out a little bit and start making your moves. I guess I am happy with a top five tonight.”

The finish:

Feature: 1. Kevin Root ($1,000), 2. Alan Fink, 3. Kyle Inman, 4. Jackson GIll, 5. Charlie Tibbitts, 6. Zach Sobotka, 7. Adam Pierson, 8. Chris Mackey, 9. Tim Falter, 10. Shane Pecore, 11. Tyler Corcoran, 12. Jessica Power, 13. Brad Rouse, 14. Brian Calabrase, 15. Bob Henry Jr., 16. Dave Moyer, 17. Mark Yorker, 18. Addison Bowman, 19. Moise Page, 20. Cedric Gauvreau, 21. Rocco Leone, 22. Brianna Ladouceur, 23. Daryl Nutting, 24. Jack Miller, 25. Ed Lukas, 26. Payton Talbot, 27. Jeff Taylor, 28. A.J. Filbeck, 29. Matt Janczuk, 30. Mike Richmond.