CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Browns have never won a Super Bowl. But nearly year ago, against the same team they'll face on Monday Night Football, it sure felt like they did.

After going 635 days without a victory, the woeful Browns had become the NFL's punching bag and punchline. From Tim Couch to Johnny Manziel, Cleveland cycled through so many quarterbacks it became laughable, even to languishing Browns fans. The ineptitude had gotten so bad that Bud Light promised free beer in Cleveland if the Browns ever won again.

But under the Thursday night lights with a massive national television audience gradually tuning in, that all changed in Week 3 against the New York Jets.

A rally opossum appeared. Twitter was exploding throughout. The Bud Light fridges were unlocked. And in one game, rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield, who had embraced hype and hate at every turn, gave Cleveland hope of a football savior, while joining the pantheon of NFL superstardom.

And, at least for one night, it seemed as if the entire sports world was pulling for the Browns.

WE'RE ALLLL BROWNS TONIGHT

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 21, 2018

'We got our guy'

Mayfield says now he had a premonition something special was going to happen that night. No, he didn't "wake up feeling dangerous," to borrow his own famous catchphrase.

"It wasn't one of those bulls--- terms," he told ESPN.com. "It felt like I was back in college game day, where the first two games, I was like, I'd wake up, it's not the same game day feeling knowing that I go out there and I play right away.

"When I woke up that morning, I just think, there was just a different energy about it, I just felt like I was going to play that day and I just had a feeling about it, I don't know. ... it felt different."

Would it ever.

Late in the second quarter with the Browns trailing 14-0, the No. 1 overall draft pick out of Oklahoma replaced injured starter Tyrod Taylor. Mayfield immediately would start talking trash before summarily taking over the game. The comeback culminated with Mayfield's game-tying two-point conversion catch off Cleveland's version of the Philly Special, the trick play the Philadelphia Eagles ran in their Super Bowl LII win.

The improbable 21-17 victory ended the NFL's second-longest winless streak since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.

Congratulations @Browns!!!!!

— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 21, 2018

"I mean, it was just one of those movie reels, like a surreal moment. Like OK, we've got the No. 1 overall pick and he's going to lead us to the promised land," Browns safety Damarious Randall said of Mayfield, who wound up delivering one of the greatest rookie debuts for a quarterback in NFL history, and the best statistically, according to Pro Football Focus, since at least 2006. "The whole city rallied behind him and we definitely rallied behind him. We broke open the [Bud Light] cooler.

"That was really the start of something new."

Browns fans poured out of FirstEnergy Stadium and into the streets chanting Mayfield's name. Others cheered and sang at bars, drinking free Bud Light into the night.

"The feeling coming out of that game was, 'We got our guy.' This guy has what it takes to be that franchise quarterback," said longtime Browns Pro Bowl offensive tackle Joe Thomas, now an analyst with NFL Network, who was on the FirstEnergy sidelines that night. "Baker gave that hope back to a franchise that was desperate for some hope. Those fans were desperate for hope."

The momentum Mayfield ignited carried through last season. He set a rookie record for touchdown passes as he narrowly finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting to New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley. Even though the Browns flopped last weekend in their most-anticipated season opener in decades, the promise of the foundation Mayfield helped put in place remains, as Cleveland seeks to end the NFL's longest playoff drought this year.

"That was a major starting point. You could physically see it," said Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward, also a rookie last season. "And Baker showed that he was our guy, our star quarterback."

The Cleveland Browns win a game for the first time in 635 days.

With titanic music.

It happened. pic.twitter.com/NtzDPW6b3G

— paco (@AllaireMatt) September 21, 2018

Since the franchise returned to Cleveland in 1999, the Browns have started 29 different quarterbacks. But not since Couch had Cleveland drafted a quarterback No. 1 overall, until Mayfield, who won the Heisman Trophy with the Sooners.

"Baker had a huge following because of his personality and the success he had in college," Thomas said. "So nationally, he was already a huge brand."

Yet unlike the Jets, who started fellow first-round draft pick Sam Darnold from Day 1, Cleveland coach Hue Jackson refused to give Mayfield the chance to win the starting job in training camp, deferring to Taylor instead. As the Browns' winless streak continued to balloon, so did anxiety among the fan base.

"'Put in Baker,' that's all we'd hear," Randall said. "The crowd would go crazy every time we didn't get a first down."

Fate would finally step in and overrule Jackson. With three minutes to go before halftime, Taylor was sacked and suffered a concussion.

Mayfield doesn't know who told him he was going in, but he does remember what he was saying to himself as he watched Taylor gingerly leave the field.

"It's never the way I want go in, but just the energy, you know I was thinking to myself, 'Not a lot left in the second quarter, get some points, get some momentum, just because the crowd's going to be a different animal in the second half,'" he said.

All it took for the crowd to erupt, however, was Mayfield grabbing his helmet.

"I remember Baker, the camera zooms to Baker and Baker's snapping his helmet on and he runs in there and I'm at home and I could feel the crowd from my house," said then New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., not knowing at the time he'd be joining the Browns in a few months.

"I get chills thinking about it. I could feel it."

Critters in Section 149

Mayfield's morning premonition wasn't the only pregame omen.

Greg Pleasant was in his seat in Section 149 about an hour before the game when he noticed a stir two sections over. An opossum had hunkered down along one of the rows in the southwest corner of the stadium, and was scaring fans from their seats. Pleasant had no experience wrangling critters. But he decided to take action, anyway.

"I'm not afraid of a opossum, man," he recalled to ESPN. "I'm not afraid of animals."

Pleasant bravely made his way to the opossum, scooped him up by his tail and placed him in a box provided by a security guard.

That possum needs to be at every Browns game from now on.
(Also Baker Mayfield) pic.twitter.com/J41uogMc8W

— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) September 21, 2018

Pleasant, who said he doesn't use Twitter or Facebook, went back to his seat next to his wife to get ready for the game -- unaware he was about to go viral.

"The guy that took the videos informed us that he posted the video on, I don't know, on YouTube or something," Pleasant said. "I was around my section until we were leaving the game, so I thought that just people from my section were complimenting me on grabbing the opossum. But then we were leaving the stadium and people were coming up to me outside of the stadium. I'm like, 'Well, these people aren't from our section.'"

Pleasant couldn't believe it when the following morning, driving his daughter to school, the local sports talk radio station was talking about him.

Security had released the opossum humanely outside the stadium. And Browns fans had an impromptu mascot to commemorate the night.

Three weeks later, the Browns made Pleasant an honorary Dawg Pound captain.

Coincidentally, that same morning, an opossum -- the same one? -- was spotted outside FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns would win that game against the Baltimore Ravens, too.

That wouldn't be the end of critters for Pleasant, though. This past May, he was changing the tires on his car when he noticed a baby raccoon with a wounded foot.

"Vets won't touch a raccoon," Pleasant said, "so I had to fix him up myself."

"Chomps" now lives at the Pleasants' house.

"He's more of a pet now," Pleasant said. "We have a dog kennel that he sleeps in. ... Yes, he likes the trash. He's big enough now that he just climbs into the trash can."

Talking trash

In his first career NFL huddle, Mayfield told the offense, "Let's get this s--- done," according to tight end David Njoku.

"[Mayfield] just took complete control," Njoku said. "And we all bought in."

Mayfield was also talking trash -- a lot.

"It's funny because you could see Baker's confidence, but also at the same time you're like, 'Baker, you're not the one blocking these guys,'" veteran offensive lineman Joel Bitonio said. "I look back on it now, and that's how I knew Baker was going to be confident and have this swagger to him.

"But at the time I was like, 'Quit talking! We haven't done anything yet.'"

The most memorable banter came as he was kneeling the ball before halftime.

"One of the linebackers was like, 'I'm coming for you, rookie,'" Mayfield recalled. "I was just like, 'Turn around, man. I don't know your last name, I don't know who you are.' Just one of those."

Nobody, fittingly, can remember who that Jets linebacker was who attempted to rattle Mayfield. But it obviously didn't work.

"That's a true story, that definitely happened," Tretter said.

"If someone wants to challenge Baker, Baker will be open for the challenge. That's just his personality. He's going to talk back. That's just who he is."

Despite the talk, Mayfield was focused on getting points before halftime. He completed his first pass to Jarvis Landry for a first down. The second, he found Njoku for another.

"You definitely felt the momentum shift when he came in," said Jets defensive end Henry Anderson. "He started to complete some passes and obviously the fans were feeling it, too. They were pretty hyped."

Mayfield eventually did as he hoped, leading the Browns to a 45-yard field goal before halftime. Cleveland trailed by 11. But it felt like it had the lead.

And that's when the rest of America seemed to begin tuning in to what would become the NFL Network's highest-rated Thursday game in three years.

Cleveland Special

Because they utilized it to beat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, the Eagles get the credit for the reverse-pass-back-to-the-quarterback trick play. But in actuality, a few weeks before that Super Bowl, Oklahoma executed a version of the Philly Special with Mayfield during the Rose Bowl against Georgia.

While preparing for the Jets, Cleveland installed a copy of the play. Problem was, the Browns practiced it exclusively with Taylor catching the pass; Mayfield didn't get a chance to run it once.

After Mayfield's 29-yard strike to Landry set up a touchdown in the closing seconds of the third quarter, the Browns had the chance to tie the game on a two-point try. Their first attempt failed, but was negated by offsetting penalties. So the Browns dialed up their version of Philly Special, which for them had the banal designation of "reverse pass."

Mayfield, whose pregame routine throughout his college career included mimicking catching touchdown passes, told Landry he "was gonna get open for him." Admitting he had no idea whether Mayfield could catch, Landry remembers Mayfield also saying to throw the ball to him "no matter what."

After running back Duke Johnson took the direct snap and flipped the ball to him on the reverse, Landry saw Mayfield was open. With his left hand, he flipped the ball to Mayfield, who comfortably hauled in the pass at its highest point with two hands.

LANDRY TO MAYFIELD!

The two-point conversion is good! #NYJvsCLE pic.twitter.com/52OQ5iE2WI

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 21, 2018

"That was huge for us," Mayfield said. "The stadium was going wild, too."

Mayfield wouldn't be stopped after that. On the game-winning touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, he converted two third downs with a pair of completions, to finish 17-of-23 for 201 yards in just over a half.

"He's relentless, he just competes," said Browns coach Freddie Kitchens, who was an offensive assistant last season. "Didn't really know what the reads were and stuff like that.

"But he just made stuff happen."

'Oh God. The free beer thing'

Robert Costanzo has managed the Grindstone Tap House for 17 years. And he's not sure he has ever had a night like the one when the Bud Light fridge was opened.

"We were at standing room capacity, it was ridiculous," said Costanzo, whose Berea bar is located just around the corner from the Browns' practice facility. "Everyone was so pumped up. And I'm not sure if they were more pumped up about the refrigerator getting open or that we had won the game."

Cleveland, the @Browns won. The fridges are open. Go celebrate with a Bud Light. You've earned it. pic.twitter.com/RvjJ0WvpyO

— Bud Light (@budlight) September 21, 2018

Partnering with the Browns, Bud Light had proposed several ideas to leverage Cleveland's lovable losing. Finally, they came up with the Victory Fridge.

Bud Light provided 10 different bars across Ohio with locked fridges stocked with 200 cans of beer apiece. Bud Light also parked two fridges at FirstEnergy Stadium. Once the Browns finally won, those fridges would be unlocked, giving fans free Bud Light to celebrate.

Privately, team officials were concerned if the Browns remained winless and the fridges stayed locked deep into the season, the gimmick might turn the team into a bigger joke. But thanks to Mayfield, Cleveland didn't have to wait long for free beer.

We WON!!! --Wait....Oh God. The free beer thing...Ok Cleveland. Stay calm. GO BROWNS!!! @Browns @budlight #CLE

— Cleveland Police (@CLEpolice) September 21, 2018

The marketing ploy was such a smashing success, Bud Light followed up this month by creating a mock pop-up appliance store with the Browns to sell commemorative victory fridges. The inventory ran out in hours, with more than 2,000 fridges selling in the store and online. Net proceeds went to Browns charities.

"People were [lined up] at like 4 a.m.," said Landry, who along with defensive end Myles Garrett and wrestling star "The Miz" attended the event. "It was crazy."

Day 1 of a winning streak

After the game, Thomas was exhausted from a day of work with NFL Network. But like the rest of Cleveland, he wasn't about to go to bed, either.

"The city was on fire," he said. "It was just such a special moment. ... There were just people everywhere. Nobody wanted to leave the stadium, nobody wanted to leave the streets, the bars were packed until [closing] time, and even then the police that night were like, 'All right, you guys can stay out a little longer.'"

Thomas went to eat at a restaurant near the stadium and ran into legendary Browns running back Jim Brown. Together over drinks and appetizers, they talked about Mayfield and the team for hours.

"I just remember how optimistic he was about Baker leading that franchise," Thomas recalled. "How excited he was to see that stadium as excited as they were, with as much hope as they had. He hadn't seen the fans that optimistic, that excited about a team or a player in a long time."

It didn't stop the next day.

"I went out to eat and I couldn't sit down," Garrett said. "People were bum-rushing me, [saying], 'Did you see that?' It was like, 'Yeah, I was there. I remember the whole thing, I'm still sore from it.'"

The reaction of the crowd as he ran into the tunnel that night has stuck with Mayfield. And at that moment, it cemented his connection to them and to the city.

"It meant so much more for them," he said. "The mood and culture of this town of 'Here we go again,' it was critical for us. ... We got the first one. Let's put all the bulls--- aside of, 'Oh, they're gonna have another 0-and-16 year,' and let's just go to work."

Mayfield went home that night with his parents and brother, who were in town. He had a celebratory beer, went to team meetings the following morning, then caught a flight to Oklahoma to watch the Sooners play that weekend.

Bitonio, now in his sixth season with the Browns, is Cleveland's longest-tenured current player. Prior to last season, he'd played in nine wins -- total -- in his NFL career. He'd been through Manziel, three head coaches and all 635 days of that streak. Bitonio, too, confessed he was growing desperate for hope.

In Mayfield's performance against the Jets, he finally found it.

"I never felt so much relief and so much joy after a game," Bitonio said. "I hope we win a championship coming up here soon, and people are like, 'That was the turning point. That was Baker Mayfield's start.' It'll be one of those ESPN classic games where you have the Philly Special play, and you had that rally possum and the Bud Light fridges, and 635 days. ...

"Down the line, people are going to be like, 'That was the start of it. That's when the tide shifted.'"

BOSTON -- When Michael Jordan decided to get into the tequila business, he could have slapped his name on the label, maybe autographed a few bottles and sold out the whole run in hours.

No matter what it tasted like.

Instead, the basketball hall of famer and owner of the Charlotte Hornets teamed up with owners from the Celtics, Lakers and Bucks to create an ultra-premium blend of the agave liquor that has already won prizes at tasting competitions from New York to Los Angeles.

"It's not about the ownership group. It's not a celebrity-endorsed brand," said Emilia Fazzalari, the CEO of Cincoro Tequila and the wife of Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck. "It was never about that. For us, it has always been about the liquid first."

The idea came about three years ago, when Jordan bonded over a love of tequila while having dinner with Grousbeck, Fazzalari, Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and Milwaukee Bucks owner Wes Edens.

"We wanted this tequila that tasted great," Fazzalari said in a telephone interview Monday. "We are competitors on the court. We stand across from each other and compete throughout the season. But we are collaborators by nature."

The basketball magnates didn't just write a check and then watch from afar.

Jordan was involved in the design of the bottle, working with Mark Smith, the vice president of innovation special projects at Nike. They came up with a five-sided crystal container -- a reference to the five leaves of the agave plant -- that tilts up at a 23-degree angle -- a nod to Jordan's uniform number.

"Michael's influence was really as a true tequila lover and a person who only does things right," Grousbeck said.

Edens brought knowledge of supply chain logistics to the group. There were weekly conference calls, and meetings. Together the partners tasted 1,000 different blends before settling on a flavor.

"All the partners are actively involved in the company, and we all have been from Day 1," Fazzalari said. "They're not silent partners."

Cincoro is bottling four different tequilas, starting with the unaged Blanco that sells for $70. A limited edition Extra Anejo, aged 40-44 months, is listed at $1,600 and comes in a black crystal bottle that is inlaid with real gold.

According to Russ Pareti, Cincoro's chief marketing officer, the tequila market is growing by 10% a year. But the ultra-luxury market is expanding by 40% annually.

"There's really a large runway," he said.

Fazzalari would not disclose specific sales or reveal production numbers, except to say they have sold out in some of the 12 U.S. markets they have launched in so far. They hope to be in all 50 states next year, and then take it to Asia and Europe, Grousbeck said.

Grousbeck said NBA owners have been known to go into business together before, on occasion investing in the same company or fund. But he could not recall a time where four or more teams have joined up on a project.

"It's pretty rare," he said. "But there is a good bond among team principals in general."

Dave Martinez will not manage the Nationals in St. Louis on Monday because he stayed in Washington to undergo a heart procedure.

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo told the media that Martinez experienced chest pains during the team's home game against Atlanta on Sunday. The manager left in the sixth inning and was taken to a hospital.

Martinez, 54, underwent a cardiac catheterization and will remain in the hospital undergoing tests. Rizzo said that Martinez was "upbeat" but that there was no timetable for his return.

Bench coach Chip Hale will manage the team Monday. He replaced Martinez on Sunday.

The Nationals currently own the first wild-card spot, 1.5 games ahead of the Chicago Cubs. This is a key three-game series against the NL Central-leading Cardinals.

Martinez is in his second season managing the Nationals. After winning 82 games last season, the Nats have matched that total this season with 14 games to play.

Martinez had a 16-year MLB career with nine teams.

Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo will have his sprained right ankle immobilized in a boot for five to seven days and then will be evaluated, keeping open the possibility that he will play again this season.

Rizzo had to be helped off the field Sunday after turning his ankle while fielding a sacrifice bunt. He underwent an MRI on Monday that revealed a moderate lateral right ankle sprain, according to the team. X-rays on Sunday did not reveal a fracture.

"I have every intention of doing everything I can with the training staff to be back on the field with the boys," Rizzo told reporters before the Cubs-Reds game Monday night. "I think in a few days, really, will tell us a lot more."

Victor Caratini was in the lineup at first base Monday. Manager Joe Maddon said that Ian Happ, who replaced Rizzo Sunday, will also see time there.

Rizzo, who is known for charging hard on bunt attempts, broke toward the plate in the top of the third inning when Pirates pitcher Trevor Williams squared to bunt. As he neared the ball, Rizzo's foot appeared to dig into the turf and his right ankle turned.

After being tended to by a Cubs trainer and manager Joe Maddon, Rizzo was helped to the dugout, not putting much weight on the right foot.

"We're gonna miss Riz, we already miss Javy, but I really believe the rest of the group is up to the task,'' Maddon said, referring to Chicago's postseason pursuit already being hindered by a fractured-thumb injury to shortstop Javier Baez.

The Cubs hold the second wild card, one game ahead of the Brewers. They trail the Nationals by 1.5 games for the first wild card and the Cardinals by two games for the NL Central lead. They play St. Louis seven times down the stretch.

Cubs president Theo Epstein said the team will know more about its options for Rizzo once he is out of the walking boot.

"Once we get past that period of time then we can see if there are ways to manage the discomfort," Epstein said. "If there ways through taping to give him some stability to give him at least a chance to contribute in some way down the road.

"We're not shutting any doors but we're realistic that this was a legitimate injury that under ideal circumstances would take some time to heal."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

A round-up of the squads set to compete at the global showpiece from September 27 to October 6

More than 2000 of the world’s top athletes will be competing for the 192 medals on offer across 49 finals during the 10-day IAAF World Athletics Championships, which gets under way in Doha, Qatar, on Friday September 27.

Here we list links to some of the squads heading to the global showpiece.

Australia
A team of 57 athletes will represent Australia, including Commonwealth high jump champion Brandon Starc.
The team list can be found here

Brazil
Olympic pole vault champion Thiago Braz da Silva is among the 41 athletes set to compete for Brazil.
Click here for team list

Canada
Athletics Canada has selected 52 athletes, with sprinters Aaron Brown and Andre De Grasse plus pole vaulter Alysha Newman among those on the team.
Read the full team list here

Ethiopia
A 37-strong Ethiopian team has been named, including defending champions Muktar Edris (5000m) and Almaz Ayana (10,000m).
Find the team listed here

France
Kevin Mayer, Yohann Diniz and Pierre-Ambroise Bosse will all defend their titles as they feature on France’s 57-strong team.
Click here to read the full team list

Germany
The German Athletics Federation has named a 71-strong team, featuring defending javelin champion Johannes Vetter and world long jump No.1 Malaika Mihambo.
Click here for the team list

Great Britain and Northern Ireland
A team of 73 athletes, including triple European champion Dina Asher-Smith and British 1500m record-holder Laura Muir, has been selected.
Click here to view the full team list

India
The Athletics Federation of India has selected a 25-member team.
The team list can be found here

Jamaica
Sprinters Elaine Thompson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and hurdler Omar McLeod are among those named on the Jamaican team.
View the team list here

Japan
Sprinter Hakim Sani Brown is among those named on Japan’s team.
Find the team listed here

Kenya
Athletics Kenya has named a team of 47 athletes, including defending champions Conseslus Kipruto, Faith Kipyegon and Hellen Obiri. Elijah Manangoi is out with an ankle injury.
Click here for the team list

New Zealand
A team of 13, including shot putter Tom Walsh, has been confirmed, with Nick Willis a potential addition to take the team to 14.
Find team news here

Poland
A total of 44 athletes are set to compete for Poland, including defending hammer champion Paweł Fajdek and national pole vault record-holder Piotr Lisek.
The team list can be downloaded here

Spain
A 40-strong team, including hurdler Orlando Ortega, has been announced for Spain.
Click here to read the team list

United States
Eight reigning world champions including Sam Kendricks, Emma Coburn, Brittney Reese and Christian Taylor and 13 Rio Olympic gold medalists lead the 141 athletes on the USA team.
Click here for team list

More to follow…

INDIANAPOLIS – While the NTT IndyCar Series will be making its debut at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca during this weekend’s Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey, a group of current team owners enjoyed immense success on this scenic but demanding layout during their driving days.

Owners Bobby Rahal of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Michael Andretti of Andretti Autosport, Bryan Herta of Andretti Herta Autosport with Marco & Curb-Agajanian and Jimmy Vasser of Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan combined for nine victories and six poles during the Championship Auto Racing Teams era at the 2.258-mile permanent road course in Monterey, Calif.

WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca will be the setting for the NTT IndyCar Series season-closing Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey on Sunday to determine the series champion among the remaining contenders. Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden leads Andretti Autosport’s Alexander Rossi by 41 points, teammate Simon Pagenaud by 42 and five-time series champion Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing by 85.

“Laguna, with its ups and downs, a lot of elevation change, differing amounts of grip level depending on where you are on the track, just a very intense circuit,” Rahal said. “When you win there, you feel like you’ve really done something.”

Rahal should know.

He is the track record holder for most Indy car wins with four, which came consecutively from 1984-87. One of those victories also came from the pole in ‘85.

“Anytime you win, it’s pretty favorite, right?” Rahal said. “Probably the fourth (win was most special) because that was the race that really won the championship for me in ’87. Of course, I won in ’86 and won the championship, but we had to go to Miami to finish the job. But ’87, winning there, that just put the nail in the coffin for the championship and for other people’s hopes, so that was a good race to win. My first big win was in Can-Am there in 1979. I think we’ve had, either me as a driver or as a team owner, I’ve had somewhere around 10 or 11 wins at that track – IMSA, INDYCAR, Can-Am – so naturally, we always look forward to going back.”

Andretti won back-to-back races from the pole in 1991-92 and added four more podium finishes at Laguna Seca during his career. That first win, however, carried the most significance for him.

“Actually I would say that’s probably where has been my greatest moment – was at Laguna in ’91. At that time, there was (also) the Marlboro Challenge,” said Andretti of the CART non-points, all-star race that was part of that year’s season finale weekend. “I won the Marlboro Challenge, (then) I started on the pole, won the race and won the championship in ’91. Dad (Mario Andretti) was on the podium (finishing third) with me actually to share that moment. So that was a very, very special weekend.”

Herta is tied with Mario Andretti for most career poles at Laguna Seca with three (1997-99), two of which resulted in victories in ‘98 and ‘99. He also was the race leader in 1996 when Alex Zanardi made the dramatic move simply known as “The Pass” in the Corkscrew to overtake Herta on the final lap for the win.

“Going back to Laguna for me is great. It’s, I guess, kind of a home race, Long Beach is more my home, but it’s just less than four hours up the road for me and obviously (I) had a lot of races there,” said Herta, who grew up in Valencia, Calif. “I was able to win some races there, lost one kind of infamously there. Going back there feels really great for me and I’m so excited to watch Colton (Bryan’s son) now race on that track, a track that I had success on and see how he does. I think that will be a lot of fun.”

Vasser won the championship the year his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Zanardi made “The Pass” and also notched a victory there the following year. Given that he grew up roughly 50 miles for the track, it holds a lot of memories for him.

“I grew up just north of Laguna Seca in Morgan Hill, California, so that was really my home track,” Vasser said. “My father and I would go out to the races; I think it was the Camel GT and the INDYCAR races and really got kind of interested in Formula Fords, so we bought a Formula Ford.

“I had my first big race win there in 1984 in front of the INDYCAR crowd in Formula Ford. I won the Formula Atlantic race there in 1987. I won my INDYCAR title there in ’96, won the INDYCAR race in ’97 the same day Zanardi won the championship in ’97 that day. I just have so many great memories of Laguna Seca. Magical things have seemed to happen for me there.”

Click below to keep reading the story.

The NHLPA announced that it will not exercise its option to reopen the collective bargaining agreement following the 2019-20 season. The NHL previously decided not to trigger its opt-out clause, meaning the current CBA will remain intact through the 2021-22 season.

"While players have concerns with the current CBA, we agree with the league that working together to address those concerns is the preferred course of action instead of terminating the agreement following this season," NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr said in a statement. "We have been having discussions with the league about an extension of the CBA and expect that those talks will continue."

The NHL has had three lockouts in commissioner Gary Bettman's tenure. Both sides are hoping to avoid another one.

The current CBA was ratified after the most recent lockout, in 2013. In that span, the league has seen a steady growth in revenue, which has pleased the owners. The Vegas Golden Knights joined the NHL in the 2017-18 season, and the league is set to add a 32nd team in Seattle for the 2021-22 season. Seattle's expansion fee is $650 million, up $150 million from what the Vegas ownership paid.

The NHL's players have benefited from the CBA, although many players have still expressed frustration over the escrow system, in which a percentage of a player's salary is withheld every season to cover potential shortfalls on the part of the owners -- with a portion refunded at the end of the season.

It's a huge point of contention for players and something they hope can be amended.

"The No. 1 thing fans don't know about is that we're paying 10 to 20% [of our salary] in escrow every year," Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews told ESPN in 2018. "So that's the biggest thing on our list."

Added 2018 league MVP Taylor Hall: "We're paying so much on our checks every two weeks, it's like astronomical. Hopefully we can bring something back."

NHL players would also like some resolution about international play. Specifically, they would like the NHL to take a break for them to go to the Olympics. The NHL did not send its players to the 2018 games in PyeongChang, ending a streak of five-straight Olympic games with NHL player participation.

The Beijing Winter Games are set for 2022. The Olympic issue will be difficult to solve. Players and the NHL aren't the only ones with a stake in the issue. It's also a matter of the NHL finding an agreement with the IIHF and IOC.

The NHLPA not reopening the CBA brings some optimism that the NHL can avoid another lockout.

"Of course the players are not looking for a fight," Fehr told ESPN in January, "The players' view is what it always has been. And what I expressed in the last go-around ad nauseam, is that from the players' standpoint a work stoppage is the last resort you come to. You only do it when that's a better option than the agreements that are on the table. That hasn't been the management practice in a number of sports in the last 35 or 40 years. But hopefully this time will be different. We'll see."

ESPN's Greg Wyshynski contributed to this report.

The Philadelphia Flyers wrapped up another of their key free agents by signing forward Travis Konecny to a six-year, $33 million deal.

"We are happy to have Travis under contract for the next six seasons," general manager Chuck Fletcher said in a statement Monday. "Travis has shown progression in each of his three seasons and is an integral part of our group of young forwards. His speed, skill and tenacity sets him apart in today's NHL."

Playing a lot of top-line minutes, the 22-year-old responded with 24 goals and 25 assists last season -- production remarkably similar to his first full season the year before (24 goals, 23 assists).

Konecny was one of a few key restricted free agents for the Flyers -- led by defensemen Ivan Provorov and Travis Sanheim. Provorov got a six-year, $40.5 million deal Saturday, while Sanheim signed a two-year, $6.5 million deal in June.

The Flyers have been bold this offseason, trading for the rights to center Kevin Hayes and then signing him to a seven-year, $50 million deal. Philadelphia now has a solid mix of youth and experience in the forward corps, with veterans Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier, Jakub Voracek and James van Riemsdyk joined by Nolan Patrick, Ryan Hartman and Konecny.

Middlesex 39 for 6 (Bailey 5-16) trail Lancashire 259 (Livingstone 84, Croft 55*, Sowter 3-42, Harris 3-59) by 220 runs

At just after 4.30 on the first day of this game at Emirates Old Trafford Adam Rossington was caught by Alex Lees for 82 off the bowling of Matt Salisbury. The dismissal took place at Wantage Road, which is 135 miles from Emirates Old Trafford, but news travels fast in cyberspace and it confirmed what had long been virtually certain in any case: that Lancashire would end this season as the champions of Division Two. Northamptonshire's haul of one bonus point, combined with the two Dane Vilas's side picked up in their first innings against Middlesex, decided the matter.

Lancashire knew they had won the division after they had posted 259 but before they went out to bowl. They celebrated not by larking around but by ripping the heart out of Middlesex's batting and reducing the visitors to 39 for 6 by the close. Ripper-in-Chief was Tom Bailey, whose accurate medium-quick bowling with all the variations of his craft helped him take five wickets in 24 balls and finish with 5 for 16 from nine overs with power to add on the morrow. Nick Gubbins and Dawid Malan were caught behind; Martin Andersson and Miguel Cummins were lbw; Max Holden was brilliantly caught and bowled, low to Bailey's left. If Vilas scorns the current fashion and opts to enforce the follow-on, a two-day finish cannot be discounted. This is a pitch which repays tight lines and it was the failure of the Middlesex attack to string enough good balls together that partly explains the strife they are in now.

To be sure, Lancashire's Liam Livingstone batted well for his 84 and would have got a century had he not fallen lbw when playing across the line to a ball of full length from Ethan Bamber; Steven Croft then played cannily with the tail and scored the fourth first-class fifty of what has been a lovely season for him. But both batsmen knew that if they gutsed it out long enough, a half-volley or a wide long hop would come along in due course. Not many, mark you; this Middlesex attack had Lancashire 129 for 5 when Vilas pushed all too firmly at Cummins and edged to Malan at slip for a duck. But there were enough loose ones to sustain the batsmen's patience and Lancashire's ability to double that total may well have decided this match.

The reaction of Lancashire's supporters to their side's success could be gauged almost immediately. Old Trafford's PA announcer, John Gwynne, is still a newsman to his fingertips and he announced the side's success to the crowd. There was a warm round of applause although warmth of a slightly different nature may be apparent at the Members' Forum which is being held after today's play. We shall see; or rather, we shall hear.

But what even the most stubborn curmudgeon surely cannot doubt is that Lancashire have been by far the best side in Division Two this year. They rested Richard Gleeson for this match and have not been able to call on James Anderson since the game against Durham at Sedbergh. But their seam attack is the equal of any in Division One. Their young batsmen, most obviously Josh Bohannon and Rob Jones, are improving with every month. Yes, this is Lancashire's third promotion in seven seasons. Yet they can go up with greater optimism than in any of the others.

And on a day when one issue was finally resolved it was curious to recall the occasion in April when these sides last met in the Championship, nothing at all was decided and optimism was on tap at all counties. That game took place at Lord's in April and a few saw it as a top of the table clash in the first fortnight of the season. Well, so much for hubris. Northamptonshire and Gloucestershire have a short way with such careless arrogance. Lancashire won that game and did so partly because Jones made a patient century.

But another Lancashire batsman also reached three figures at Lord's and batted outstandingly well. That, of course, was Haseeb Hameed, who was released by Old Trafford last month. Hameed's hundred against Middlesex was thus his last for the county of his birth. It is sometimes difficult to accept such simple facts; and for those who saw the young batsmen in the wonderful springtime of his career, it is even more poignant this autumn to write them down and know them for the truth.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The attorney for New England Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown said the player denies a claim of sexual misconduct with a female artist who was working in his western Pennsylvania home in 2017.

Antonio Brown has reviewed the sexual misconduct allegations made by an unnamed artist included in a recently published Sports Illustrated article and denies that he ever engaged in such activities. There will be no further comment at this time.

— Darren Heitner (@DarrenHeitner) September 16, 2019

The allegation was part of a Sports Illustrated report that detailed domestic incidents involving Brown, a charity auction theft and multiple unpaid debts.

The report comes in the wake of ESPN's Jeff Darlington reporting that Brown declined to a sign a $2 million-plus agreement with Britney Taylor to settle a sexual assault allegation made by Brown's former trainer.

The NFL was scheduled to meet with Taylor on Monday as part of its investigation into the matter, sources told ESPN.

According to the Sports Illustrated report, Brown had hosted a charity softball game in Pittsburgh to benefit the National Youth Foundation, a Pennsylvania-based volunteer group of women that promotes inclusion and gender equality, as well as developing academic skills in kids. The event had an auction that included artwork, and Brown agreed to purchase a portrait of himself before befriending the artist who created it.

Brown invited the artist to come to his home to create another painting of him, according to the report, arranging for transportation from New York to western Pennsylvania. The artist told SI that she was thrilled by Brown's willingness to share her work on social media, but on her second day, things changed.

According to the report, which did not include the artist's name, the artist "was in a kneeling position while painting and turned to find Brown behind her, naked, holding a small hand towel over his genitals." The artist said she didn't stop painting before telling SI "after that, it all ended abruptly."

Brown paid her $2,000, according to SI, and didn't contact the artist thereafter.

The artist is not pursuing charges or remuneration, according to SI, but said that friends with whom she had shared the experience pointed out the lawsuit Taylor filed against Brown last week.