HARRISBURG, N.C. — No one — and we mean no one — has ever accused Kenny Wallace of being a man of few words.

Keeping that in mind, it was certainly no surprise when our recent phone interview for a feature story that appears elsewhere in these pages produced considerably more words of wisdom than would fit in the allotted space. Instead of leaving portions of the interview on the proverbial cutting-room floor, we’ll use this space to share a few of Wallace’s thoughts on the state of short-track racing and something he learned this season about his priorities.

First, he discussed a topic that frustrates race fans across the country.

“I’ve got to be honest with you, so many of these race tracks are so poorly run — and I hate to say it but it’s the truth — most of these races don’t end until 11:30 or midnight,” Wallace said. “By the time these dirt races are done, everybody is gone. The fans immediately get into their passenger cars and leave.

“But we’ve had some highlights this year. For example, the track I own with Bob Sargent, Tony Stewart and Kenny Schrader — Macon Speedway — during the Summer Nationals, the whole event was over by 9:30,” Wallace added. “We ended up drinking beer until about 2 in the morning and we were there until the last fan left. We closed the place down.

“Typically, these dirt tracks really get it wrong. They think if the show runs longer, the fans like it. But in reality, they haven’t done a survey and they are wrong. If they would get these races over at a decent time, the fans would come to the pits and get to spend some time with the drivers. That’s one thing I wish these tracks would get right.”

Second, Wallace addres­sed the overall state of short-track racing and suggested it is probably time to rethink the concept of weekly racing.

“Here’s what I’ve learned. I learned that the special races are booming — they are skyrocketing,” Wallace said. “Look at the race we just had here 15 minutes from my house. On Saturday night, Aug. 3, we had the World of Outlaws sprint cars with the modifieds and the midgets at     I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo. — I ran second in the modified feature. It was standing-room only. They could hardly fit another human being in there, and the atmosphere was outrageously awesome.

“One month earlier, there might have been 700 people in the grandstands for a regular show, but the special races are drawing record crowds,” Wallace continued. “It leads me to believe that the local race fans want to do other things with their families. It would not be a bad thing if some of the local tracks ran every other week.

“I’ve been in conversations where fans say, ‘We want to go to the lake with our family,’ or ‘We’re taking that week off to go to Six Flags.’ Racing is healthy, but I think the game has changed. Racing every single weekend for five straight months, I think those days are gone.”

Finally, during his first season as a full-time short-track racer, Wallace took an inventory of his priorities.

“I did something horribly wrong this year that I’ll never do again,” he admitted. “We had a third birthday party for my grand­baby, Charlotte. It started out that the party was going to be from 11 to 1, but they changed the time and it started at 1. I ended up leaving the birthday party early because I had a race planned. I’ll never do that again. I’ll take off all day and not go racing. That was stupid on my part because family comes first.”

n The dirt-racing fraternity will once again visit our neighborhood Nov. 7-9 when The Dirt Track at Charlotte hosts the Can-Am World Finals, featuring the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series and the big-block modifieds of the Super DIRTcar Series.

Visit charlottemotorspeedway.com for full details.

BOSTON -- A year ago, the Boston Celtics entered training camp with championship expectations. This year, it remains to be seen just how good Boston can actually be.

"There are different kinds of questions [this year]," Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said Saturday before the team's annual open practice here at TD Garden. "I think that last year's questions were more based on, you know, how is it going to gel? There was not a question of how much talent we had.

"This year the question is, 'Are we good enough?'"

That very much is an open question -- particularly due to the departure of Al Horford, who signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia 76ers. That the Celtics were able to replace Kyrie Irving with Kemba Walker meant the loss of Irving -- who declared at this same event a year ago that he intended to re-sign with the Celtics this past summer, only instead to choose to join the rival Brooklyn Nets instead -- was minimized.

Signing Walker using cap space, however, meant that Boston had no way to retain Horford -- or to even find a reasonable replacement for him in free agency. So while Boston expects Walker to seamlessly step into Irving's shoes at the point, and hope Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward all take significant strides forward from where they all were last season, how the Celtics go about filling the hole left by Horford, one of the league's most versatile big men, will determine exactly how Ainge's question about his team is answered.

"We had to replace Al Horford, who's a terrific player, and that's hard to do," Ainge said. "He was a 3-point shooter. He was a rim runner. He could defend multiple positions. And so he could do a lot of things on his own, and he was very versatile. But we're going to have to replace him with multiple players. There isn't a player like him that was available."

When asked what he thought would determine whether the Celtics are "good enough," Ainge had a number of things he'll be looking at to see just where Boston's season goes over the next several months.

"Can we make enough shots is always the key. But can we get the stops? Can we rebound the ball well enough? I think those are probably the biggest challenges," he said. "We've been good defensively over the last few years so I worry about our defensive taking a step backwards. We need to have everybody step up on defense."

One thing that would help the Celtics make the transition to a post-Horford world will be Hayward looking like the player he was before the gruesome injury he suffered six games into his first appearance as a Celtic on opening night in Cleveland in 2017.

Like Williams, Hayward has gotten lots of positive reviews for the work he's put in during the offseason, which he chose to spend here in Boston working out at the team's practice facility. But Ainge admitted he's concerned about expectations for Hayward's return performance this season getting ahead of what he can actually produce.

"I think right now there's been a lot of buzz about Gordon and his comeback and I'm worried that it's getting a little out of hand," Ainge said. "Like, I think he's Gordon. He's back to being Gordon. And we're very excited about that. I sometimes worry, like, 'Oh my gosh, they think it's somebody else.' But I'm excited about Gordon.

"Obviously statistics don't matter ... [But] Gordon, depending on how much defensive attention he's getting and who he's on the court with, I think that what I see in Gordon -- and what I've always seen in Gordon when he's been right -- is the ability to score, but also the ability to facilitate and create.

"Gordon is just a good basketball player. He can think, he can pass, he can shoot, he can create, he can defend, he can rebound. I mean, he's a complete player. And we need him to just be that. And we need lots of other guys to play up to their best. And I think we have a chance to be really good."

Saturday was the first time Ainge spoke to the media since training camp began, and one of the few times he's talked since the end of last season, when the Celtics fell far short of their championship expectations with a five-game loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals -- a finish that laid the groundwork for Irving and and Horford to go elsewhere.

But while others have been reflective about things they learned from last season, Ainge -- now about to enter his fifth decade in NBA life -- said there isn't much he hasn't seen at this point.

"I don't really think I learned anything new," he said with a smile. "There was a lot of things that we hoped wouldn't happen that we were worried could happen. But I've been around the game for 40 years so I think I've seen pretty much everything."

One thing that the way last year played out won't be doing, though, is placing pressure on Ainge's shoulders. When asked at the end of his press conference if he felt any pressure to keep up with the other teams in town -- all of whom have either one a title or been in their respective sport's championship series in the past couple of seasons -- Ainge quickly made it clear he did not.

"I feel more pressure over an eight-foot putt on the 18th hole for a $5 Nassau right now," he said with a smile. "I think that, listen, the championship standard in Boston is well documented. And we all know that. And that's what we love about this [city]. And we love the success of the other teams. And we love the success of the Boston Celtics and what they've done, and the people who have played here and been in uniforms here in our history.

"And so I think that that feeling of high expectations is always good for us."

Naomi Osaka will face world number one Ashleigh Barty in the China Open final after surging past defending champion Caroline Wozniacki.

Australia Open winner Osaka hit 30 winners in beating Wozniacki 6-4 6-2 in one hour 24 minutes in Beijing.

Barty, who won the French Open, earlier battled past Kiki Bertens 6-3 3-6 7-6 (9-7) in their semi-final on Saturday.

Sunday's final will be the fourth meeting between Japan's Osaka and Barty, with the Australian leading 2-1.

Osaka, 21, started strongly but Wozniacki held on until the ninth game, when Osaka broke and served out to claim the set.

The world number four, who hit five aces and saved all seven break points against her, broke the 29-year-old Dane twice in the second set as she raced to victory.

Osaka said she barely slept before the semi-final after ending US Open champion Bianca Andreescu's 17-match winning streak in the quarter-finals late on Friday.

"I went to sleep at 4:00 am, I woke up at 6:00 am, so solid two hours, I can't really sleep after my matches," she said.

"I just feel like my adrenaline's up more during the tougher matches so it makes it harder to sleep."

Barty, 23, had to save match point in a thrilling tie-break decider against the Netherlands' Bertens, also committing 52 unforced errors in a nervy showing.

The top seed dominated the first set only for Bertens, 27, win the second by the same score.

Bertens broke in the fifth game of the decider but could not serve out for the match as Barty hit back to take it to a tie-break.

The Australian trailed 3-0 in the tie-break but rallied to set up match point at 6-5, before Bertens won the next two to get a match point of her own.

But Barty drew level and reeled off the next two points to wrap up victory in two hours 20 minutes.

Barty credited a "massive growth" in her mental strength in playing decisive points.

"It's gone hand-in-hand with adding some new people to my team, trying to work with them behind the scenes," she said.

"Not just for my tennis - it's for my life, my health and wellbeing, as well, which has been the best thing.

"I have never been happier off the court, never been happier on the court."

Stefanos Tsitsipas is through to his fifth final of the year after a straight-set victory over Alexander Zverev at the China Open.

Tsitsipas - ranked seventh in the world - beat his German opponent 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 in one hour 51 minutes.

The Greek booked his place in the final on his sixth match point to defeat the world number six in Beijing.

He will face Austrian top seed Dominic Thiem, who beat Karen Khachanov, in Sunday's decider.

Thiem battled back from a set down to beat the Russian 3-6 6-1 6-1 earlier on Saturday.

This year, Tsitsipas reached the finals of the Madrid Open, Millennium Estoril Open, Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and in the men's doubles at the Miami Open.

Meanwhile, Britain's Jamie Murray and partner Neal Skupski missed out on a place in the men's doubles final, losing 6-4 6-4 in 76 minutes to Croatia's Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek of Slovakia.

Eden Hazard scored his first goal for Real Madrid as they beat Granada 4-2 at the Bernabeu on Saturday to remain top of La Liga.

Karim Benzema, Luka Modric and James Rodriguez also scored as Zinedine Zidane's team extended their lead at the top of the table to four points.

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Granada fought back from 3-0 down with second half goals through Darwin Machis and Domingos Duarte but failed to earn a point.

It was an important victory for Madrid, who drew 2-2 to Club Brugge at home in the Champions League in midweek.

The hosts opened the scoring within the first two minutes as Gareth Bale produced a wonderful cross with the outside of his left boot to find an unmarked Benzema to tap home.

Madrid dominated the game in the first half with Sergio Ramos and Dani Carvajal coming close to grabbing a second.

Just before the break, Madrid made it 2-0 after Hazard went through one-on one with the Granada goalkeeper and scored with a fantastic chip.

The Belgium international has struggled to find form since his summer move from Chelsea and recently admitted he needed to play much better for his new club.

Substitute Modric wrapped up the game after the hour mark, with a superb effort from outside of the box.

Granada were awarded a penalty less than 10 minutes later when Madrid goalkeeper Alphonse Areola brought down Alvaro Vadillo and Machis converted from the spot.

The visitors grabbed a second from corner through Duarte late on but Rodriguez scored in injury time as Madrid secured the victory.

Madrid defender Dani Carvajal did not hide his unease about conceding the two late goals, which brought back memories of a nervy 3-2 win over Levante earlier this season.

"We can't afford to suffer like that after leading 3-0, we need to correct this tendency. We got away with it today and against Levante but if we keep doing this we're going to drop points," he told reporters.

"It's not a sign that we're very reliable and we need to be more ruthless but whatever happens this weekend we'll still be top."

Liverpool ensured that Brendan Rodgers' return to Anfield would not be a happy one, with a late 2-1 win. It was a match designed to test the Reds' title credentials, with Sadio Mane's strike cancelled out by James Maddison, but James Milner converted a penalty in the 95th minute to maintain Liverpool's 100% record in the Premier League.

Positives

Perhaps most pleasing to Jurgen Klopp will be the contributions of players like James Milner and Dejan Lovren, with both coming into the starting line up in place of key players. Milner was brilliant throughout, assisting for Mane's goal, while Lovren provided some security in the back line, forming a solid enough partnership with Virgil van Dijk.

Negatives

Liverpool could have, and perhaps should have, been 3-0 up at half-time, with Mane managing to squander a fine opportunity just after the break. On today's evidence, chancer conversion -- which was also an issue against Sheffield United -- will surely be Klopp's biggest source of frustration.

Manager rating (out of 10)

7 - After a calamitous defensive performance in the 4-3 win against FC Salzburg in midweek, Klopp took the bold call of dropping Joe Gomez, with the forgotten man Lovren, coming into the XI. The decision paid off, with the Croatian responsible for a number of key defensive contributions. Milner's inclusion was also inspired, with his late penalty proving to be the match winner.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK: Adrian, 7 -- The Spanish stopper will feel frustrated with his afternoon's work, after 80 minutes of solid goalkeeping was undone by Maddison's goal which squeezed through his legs. An unfortunate end to a solid display.

DF: Trent Alexander Arnold, 8 -- The England international was Liverpool's biggest source of creatively in the first half, threatening throughout with deadly throughballs and whipped crosses. He will wonder how he didn't end the game with at least one assist.

DF: Dejan Lovren, 7 -- Was brought back into the side for his first league start of the season, not that you'd know it. Alongside Van Dijk, he looked solid throughout, despite failing in a last-ditch attempt to stop Maddison's goal bound strike.

DF: Virgil Van Dijk, 7 -- The big Dutchman was uncharacteristically sloppy in midweek against Salzburg, but this spelled a return to normality. Liverpool looked much more secure here with Van Dijk, as usual, dominant in the air.

DF: Andrew Robertson, 6 -- The Scotland captain was on the scoresheet in midweek and could have been on target again had he have not fired straight at the keeper. Robertson was not as influential as his full-back partner, Alexander -Arnold, but nor was he responsible for any glaring errors either.

MF: James Milner, 8 -- The veteran midfielder was arguably one of Liverpool's best performers, showing that much like a fine wine, he continues to improve with age. The former England star grabbed an assist, playing a throughball for Mane's goal, before grabbing one of his own as he stayed cool from the penalty spot to secure a last minute win for Liverpool.

MF: Fabinho, 7 -- The Brazilian picked up his now customary yellow card for a tactical foul but, that aside, it was another dominant midfield display. Alongside his defensive duties, he was central in launching a series of Liverpool attacks, playing a number of threaded balls to perfection.

MF: Gini Wijnaldum, 6 -- The quieter of Liverpool's midfield trio, Wijnaldum kept things simple to great effect in the side's engine room. As ever, the Dutchman was energetic and combative, but was arguably outdone in terms of creative output by his fellow midfield partners.

FW: Mohammed Salah, 7 -- Began the afternoon as the brighter of Liverpool's front three, with fine movement and link up play. But as Mane and Roberto Firmino started to enforce their will on the match, Salah's involvement somewhat waned. Still, his contribution throughout was vital to Liverpool's victory.

FW: Roberto Firmino, 7 -- The industrious forward enjoyed another fine afternoon, linking play well and coming close to scoring on a couple of occasions. He was replaced late on by Divock Origi.

FW: Sadio Mane, 8 -- The Senegal forward continued to stake his claim as Liverpool's best player so far this season, with another well taken goal. He may have left his finishing boots at home last weekend but, back at Anfield, Mane stole the show once more, in another wonderful display.

Substitutes

Divock Origi, N/R -- Came on too late to make a major impact.

Jordan Henderson, N/R -- Held things together OK towards the end.

BOSTON -- Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter said he will remain an outspoken critic of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the wake of being harassed outside a local mosque alongside teammate Tacko Fall Friday afternoon.

"No, what I'm doing is huge because I'm talking about human rights," Kanter said Saturday morning, before the Celtics held their annual open practice for fans here at TD Garden. "I'm talking about democracy, freedom, freedom of speech, religion, and expression. I'm talking about justice.

"So, just because I'm talking about these issues and that stuff, I'm going to get threats? [Then] I'll take that. I'll be OK having security next to me 24/7. But those issues that I'm talking about are way bigger than myself and basketball."

Kanter tweeted out a video of the incident Friday, saying the men were Erdogan supporters.

"There's Turkish people attacking us. I told you, America, this is crazy, right?" Kanter said in the video, which showed at least one of the men -- who were speaking in Turkish -- filming Kanter at the same time.

Hello Everyone!#DictatorErdogan @RTErdogan thugs attacked and threatened me today after Friday prayer in Boston at a mosque

Turkish Government don't even let me practice my religion freely in America let alone my freedom of speech is under attack@FBI@FBIBoston@bostonpolice pic.twitter.com/FH2Ixe6QcY

— Enes Kanter (@EnesKanter) October 4, 2019

He also said that he's planning on getting full-time security in the wake of the incident, which took place at the Islamic Society of Boston mosque in Cambridge, which is a short drive from the team's practice facility. Kanter said he and Fall chose to go there in between the Celtics' two training camp practices Friday.

"After the the first practice, me and Tacko went to that mosque, because it was really close to our facility," Kanter said. "Our second practice was at 3 p.m. So I went to this mosque, we prayed and me and Tacko were about to leave and then we were just outside and there were just these two guys. You can see on the video they were just waiting for us. They were screaming, they were yelling, they were cursing.

"It was pretty crazy, because this is America. You should be safe to come in a mosque and pray peacefully. It was the first time it's happened to me in America, but it was definitely scary because I looked at Tacko and said, 'Tacko, don't worry about it. I've got it. We're fine.' But we were just waiting for our Uber, so it was crazy and scary."

Kanter said he believed the incident happened because of something he had previously posted on his Twitter feed -- video from the week before about Turkish ministers discussing him a meeting in New York that included discussion of him praying at the mosque he attended Friday, the Islamic Center of Boston.

"I don't know if they even prayed or not," Kanter said. :They were just waiting for us out there and they were just saying some very ugly words. They were calling me a traitor because I talked about these issues. Just some very terrible stuff."

Kanter reiterated that what happened Friday was a first for him in the United States.

"In America, yes," he said. "Most of the time they're scared because they just don't wanna -- I'm 6-foot-11 they don't come around me and stuff. And I got Tacko next to me, who is 7-foot-7.

"But it was just sad because right next to me there was a rookie and it was Tacko. He felt very uncomfortable so I was like 'This is weird, we have get out of this situation.'"

He also went on to say, however, that he had no ill will for anyone in Boston over the incident, which he blamed directly on the Turkish government.

"I was just scared," Kanter said. "How about if they do something? I mean, more than me, it's Tacko ... I [wanted] to protect my Tacko.

"But it's not about Boston. It's about Turkish people. I would never, ever blame Boston or people in Boston. I would definitely blame the Turkish people and the Turkish government."

Kanter said he'd reached out to the FBI, and had been in touch with several local politicians -- including Boston mayor Marty Walsh, who he said texted him about the incident later in the day Friday.

The Celtics said Saturday they wouldn't be sending out any additional statements on the matter, while both Celtics president Danny Ainge and coach Brad Stevens said they were planning to speak to Kanter after the open practice Saturday had concluded about the incident.

Kanter has clashed with the Turkish government for years, to the point where he's had his Turkish passport canceled in 2017, and fears leaving America over the prospect of being deported back to Turkey. Fears over the possibility of being in harms way if he leaves the United States has prevented him from playing in Toronto in recent years -- something Kanter is hoping will change in time for him to play for the Celtics on Christmas Day in Toronto against the defending champion Raptors this season.

Turkish prosecutors have previously sought an international arrest warrant for Kanter, citing his ties to exiled Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is blamed for a failed coup in 2016.