Manchester United want to sign players with the talent and attitude to play for the club this summer. Sounds simple, doesn't it? They also want recruits who can fit into the attacking style Ole Gunnar Solskjaer desires.

The club, who have a recruitment team of scouts and analysts packed with people with top CVs, enjoys a positive communication with their new-ish manager. United have a plan of which areas they need to strengthen, the type of players they want, and they intend to stick to that plan. They want a right-back, a right-sided midfielder, a central midfielder and a central defender. And they would want a forward should Romelu Lukaku or Alexis Sanchez move on.

The plan, however, is not rigid. How can it be?

United will be linked with hundreds of names in the transfer window. Transfer stories do well. Fans like them and enjoy imagining what the arrival of each touted player could mean for the club. It helps beat the close-season ennui, it offers a hope of a brighter future after United's disappointing season, even if only fleetingly. Better to think about future success than the wretched end of the season or a forthcoming Champions League final between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.

- When are the Premier League fixtures published?
- When does the transfer window close?

Yet Dan James of Swansea, whom United are hopeful of signing, is the most probable of the summer signings so far. Although a fee is yet to be agreed on for the flying winger, United have been in talks with his club, and it's understood the 21-year-old wants to move to Old Trafford. James is not like past big-name signings such as Angel Di Maria when he came from Real Madrid, the acquisition of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal or Radamel Falcao joining from Monaco.

It might not be a bad thing considering United fans are so tired of this decade's transfer profligacy that they won't write off their club signing a speedy young British player who most had never heard of until recently. And if James fulfils his potential it will be more satisfying than buying a supposedly world-class star off the peg, especially as the aforementioned names seem to regularly fail at Old Trafford.

Despite criticism, United also feel like their scouting has improved and become more extensive. Having fallen behind Manchester City, the club have invested heavily into scouting, recruitment and youth development. United have much bigger budgets to buy emerging talents from around the world -- not specifically players slated immediately for the first team. Expect more-talented arrivals to boost the quality of youth players, as well as younger, highly scouted players such as James over franchise-name stars. Nationality is not an issue.

It would also be satisfying to see a player improve rather than regress after signing for the first team, as has happened too often recently. Some of United's best-ever signings have been young and barely known from smaller English clubs. Several have been wingers, from Steve Coppell who joined from Tranmere Rovers in 1974 to Gordon Hill who came from Millwall a year later. Both became heroes of the Stretford End. Fleet-heeled winger Lee Sharpe was with fourth-division Torquay United. The job of a football scout is to identify talent, and United's scouting department has done that.

The signing of James, if it goes ahead as expected, won't be seen as cost-cutting exercise, but a shift away from the previous ready-made, marquee names. James, 21, won't get a million likes from United's global fan base. It doesn't matter. United's commercial arm have played up the impact on social media that came with signing Sanchez, Paul Pogba and more. Juan Mata arrived by helicopter. Much has changed since Gerry Daly walked through arrivals at Manchester airport smoking a cigarette or Roy Keane was smuggled in through a back entrance at the same airport.

There's more glamour and razzmatazz now, but fans have grown weary at this since so many have underwhelmed after the initial excitement. Is it not better to underpromise and overdeliver?

United know the levels of dissatisfaction among fans. They have also seen what Ajax have done in Europe with young talents who were hardly household names even a year ago. They have seen that Bernardo Silva, Manchester City's best player last season, was hardly a huge name when he arrived. United are not closing any avenues in the areas they're looking for any more than when Sergio Ramos said he wanted to join the club, but they're less likely to get their trousers pulled down by a has-been with a big name. Thrice bitten, thrice shy.

That's why United will be very cautious over players like Antoine Griezmann, the club's No. 1 target in 2017. There will still be big targets this offseason. After all, they can offer a lot, including wages. United are interested in Matthijs de Ligt, but they're aware that he wants to play for Barcelona, and the Catalans are confident that he will sign for them -- more confident than they are about getting Griezmann, which appeared a given a month ago. Griezmann was a target for United two years ago and was up for moving to Old Trafford and joining up with his friend Pogba. Then he changed his mind and stayed in Madrid, where his buyout clause drops to €120 million on the first day of July.

Barca's board are split on whether Griezmann would be good value, especially as they have the highest wage bill in the world and need to trim it. They know that other clubs may offer more. With De Ligt, they have another issue in that the Dutchman wants assurances that he'll play regularly. Can Barca offer that when Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet have been so effective? United wouldn't admit to being interested in a player like De Ligt or Griezmann, they keep their cards extremely close to their chest; to admit they want a player publicly not only weakens their negotiating position, but if they fail to get the player, it could be seen as a failure. United still like to see themselves as being in the mix for the world's best, especially if they are young.

There is a fan consensus about what Man United need, too, but consensus can be wrong. United fans got it badly wrong when they went crazy because Mark Hughes, Paul Ince and Andrei Kanchelskis were sold in the summer of 1995. Sir Alex Ferguson knew that he had talent ready to break through.

Solskjaer, a man keen on promoting youth, has to take stock of the youth talent at the club. It's he who decides when Axel Tuanzebe is ready for first-team football. Tuanzebe, who has captained United at every level apart from the first team, is highly rated and just enjoyed an excellent season at Aston Villa. Solskjaer has met with Ed Woodward, Matt Judge and the rest in recruitment to push for the names he wants. Getting them without the sweetener of Champions League football is another matter, but United remain optimistic.

However unknown they are, the fans will give new signings a chance, but they also, like their manager, want to see those new signings arrive as early as possible, ideally before July 1. That's the the day United's first team are due back in training, with double sessions planned in preseason to counter concerns Solskjaer had about the fitness of his charges last season.

Nearly four years ago, when I visited Bart Starr in his Birmingham, Alabama, home, he did not remember the five NFL championships he had won, or the Green Bay Packers coach, Vince Lombardi, he had won them for. He could not place Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers, even though he studied Rodgers closely through the DirecTV package his wife and high school sweetheart, Cherry, had bought him as a Christmas gift.

Starr even asked me if I had played for Lombardi, the former coach at my New Jersey high school. We shared a small laugh over that before I brought up the 1967 Ice Bowl, one of football's most iconic games settled by one of football's most iconic players. Starr did not remember anything about that either.

The then-81-year-old former quarterback had suffered multiple strokes, a heart attack, four seizures, and significant brain damage within the previous year, and some doctors could not believe he was still alive. During one stay in the hospital, a doctor told Cherry her husband likely would not make it through the night. Bart woke up the next morning in much better shape.

He lost his memory long before he lost his life Sunday at 85. But Starr never lost his dignity while he reminded the world, in his last great comeback, that he was the toughest NFL player who ever lived.

When we think of old-school toughness on the football field, we often think of big and vicious hitters, fire-breathing defenders who played through injury and enjoyed cutting skill-position players in half. Chuck Bednarik, Ray Nitschke and Dick Butkus. Mean Joe Greene, Jack Tatum, Jack Lambert and Mike Singletary.

But at 6-foot-1, 196 pounds, the gentlemanly Starr made the most difficult championship play under the most difficult circumstances in a game that never should have been played. With the ball at the 1-yard line at Lambeau Field, down three points to the Dallas Cowboys with 16 seconds to go, Starr ignored his frozen hands and body, the subhuman Green Bay conditions (the wind chill was minus-48 degrees), and the fact that he was an aging, athletically-challenged quarterback who had already been sacked by Dallas eight times. Starr asked to keep the ball in a huddle with Lombardi, who ordered him to push it across the goal line. "And then let's get the hell out of here," the coach cried.

Starr scored, of course, behind Jerry Kramer's famous block on Jethro Pugh, and afterward his wife was stunned by the severe swelling in his face. No NFL player had ever been asked to give more on a single drive or a single play. Starr would be named Super Bowl MVP for a second straight time two weeks later, and he never again managed a winning record as a starter.

He would endure profound tragedy in his life, losing his son Bret to cocaine addiction at age 24 in 1988, when he found his boy's body on the floor of his home. Only Starr didn't quit, because he would never quit on anything. He was a fighter, the son of a tough-love World War II veteran and Air Force master sergeant who lost his favorite child, Hilton, to tetanus when the boy was 11, and who didn't think Bart would amount to much. Starr was the 200th overall pick in the 1956 NFL draft, a non-prospect who was benched during his final, winless season at Alabama and who was only drafted in the 17th round because the school's basketball coach had a connection with the Packers' front office.

Starr played 10 postseason games for Lombardi, and he won nine of them. He willed himself into the Hall of Fame; no quarterback has ever been drafted as late as Starr and still made it to Canton.

After the strokes and seizures, Starr tried to will himself back to health. Cherry and his personal aide and nursing assistant would wrap their arms around him and, on a count of three, lift him out of his chair and get him going through his day. He underwent stem-cell treatments, and rigorous exercise sessions with his trainer, Brian Burns, who kept reminding the old quarterback of his greatness to motivate him to keep a scheduled farewell appearance at Lambeau in 2015 for the halftime unveiling of Favre's retired No. 4.

Starr barely survived a bronchial infection in late summer to make that trip, and his trainer saw considerable gains in his physical and mental capacities. "I ask him what his number was, and he says, 'Fifteen,'" Burns told ESPN.com at the time. "I ask him who he played for, and he says, 'Vince Lombardi.' I ask him what position he played, and he says, 'Quarterback.' One time he said, 'Linebacker,' and we got a good laugh over that. But he's made incredible progress. He is really coming back."

On a desk in Starr's study stood a captioned photo with the Lombardi quote, "Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence." By all accounts, the quarterback didn't just chase perfection on the field. Strangers from all over would show up at his Green Bay doorstep, and Starr was forever willing to pose for their pictures or even invite them inside. As a young boy at Packers training camp, Bart Jr. asked his old man why he had just spent so much time signing autographs for so many fans.

"Everybody who wants an autograph will get one as long as I'm not holding up the team," Starr explained to his son. "One thing you have to remember: These are the individuals who make this team possible."

Starr was the individual player who made Lombardi's dynasty possible. In the end, Cherry, his wife of 65 years, never stopped pushing him forward. She helped feed him and transport him from one appointment to the next. Even on nights when sundown syndrome dramatically altered his serene disposition, Bart asked Cherry to play him Il Divo's rendition of "Unchained Melody" before he fell asleep. Starr once asked her to promise she would play that song at his wedding. He meant to say his funeral, and his wife wouldn't stop teasing him about that.

Cherry believes that football contributed to her husband's decline; she saw too many concussive hits, and too much postgame pain, to think otherwise. His fingertips remained pale in later years, she thought, because of what he put himself through in the Ice Bowl. But Bart was not a man defined by regret, even if he had trouble finishing a sentence in the hours I spent with him in his home.

On exit that day in 2015, I told Starr that I thought he was the toughest man to play in the NFL.

He looked at the floor, as if the compliment embarrassed him. "Well," he responded, "I've been the luckiest football player ever."

Go look at the film of the Ice Bowl. When it came to Bryan Bartlett Starr, luck had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert was hospitalized Sunday after experiencing stroke-like symptoms, according to a statement released by Quicken Loans, the company Gilbert founded and chairs.

The company's statement did not indicate where Gilbert was hospitalized, but The Detroit News reported the 57-year-old was admitted to Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak in suburban Detroit.

"Early this morning, Dan Gilbert sought care at a local hospital after experiencing stroke-like symptoms," Quicken said in the statement. "He received immediate medical attention and is currently recovering comfortably. Our collective thoughts and prayers are with Dan for a speedy recovery. The Gilbert family respectfully requests privacy at this time."

Gilbert has owned the Cavaliers since March 2005. Under his stewardship, Cleveland has made five NBA Finals and won the title in 2016.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Luke Weaver exited Sunday's 6-2 win over the San Francisco Giants because of forearm tightness after pitching five innings of six-hit ball.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said the severity of Weaver's injury wasn't immediately known.

"We're going to obviously continue to evaluate him,'' Lovullo said. "He may be potentially a little banged up right now. If that's the case, it'll be an opportunity for somebody else to step up.''

Weaver said he left the game for precautionary reasons. He felt the cold weather might have been a factor in the injury. Arizona had a 6-1 lead when he left the game.

"With the conditions, and how the game was shaping up, I just felt like in my best interest going forward, play it safe,'' Weaver said.

The 25-year-old right-hander said he experienced discomfort throwing his changeup. He felt his mechanics were a bit off.

"I felt like I was rushing, so sometimes you just put your arm in a spot that's just a little bit funky,'' Weaver said.

Weaver spent his first three years in the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals, before being traded along with Andy Young and Carson Kelly to the Diamondbacks for Paul Goldschmidt.

Weaver has a career-best 3.14 ERA in 57⅓ innings pitched this season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

It's Memorial Day, which means one extra little thing for MLB fans: You're now officially free to look at the standings page!

We asked Buster Olney, Jeff Passan and Sam Miller to do just that -- and help us make sense of the 2019 season so far.

1. What's the first thing that jumps out at you when you look at the standings right now?

Buster Olney: The National League East is not nearly as competitive as I thought it would be after the Nationals invested in the most expensive pitcher of the offseason and after the Mets made no secret of their intention to spend big (within the Mets' context anyway) and try to win this season. To date, no managers have been fired, but it's conceivable that the first three to lose their jobs will all come from this division: Mickey Callaway, Dave Martinez and Don Mattingly.

Jeff Passan: I picked the New York Yankees to go to the World Series, so the idea that I'm surprised by their topping the American League East isn't entirely logical. But I didn't expect them to have placed 17 players on the injured list for a total of 733 days. That's more than Houston, Philadelphia, Arizona and Seattle had all of last season. For the Yankees to have run out so many replacements and remained not just competitive but on a 105-win pace is remarkable.

Sam Miller: It's not just that the Twins are in first place -- the only real upset at the top of the standings to this point -- but that the Twins are absolutely burying Cleveland. The playoff odds in that division have completely flipped, from 80-20 in Cleveland's favor to 80-20 for Minnesota. We could soon be speculating about Trevor Bauer as a trade candidate in July.

2. Which team is headed for a big rise or drop in the standings in the future?

Olney: The Braves have a much deeper and stronger lineup than they did last year, and bit by bit, they look like they're putting together their pitching. Alex Anthopoulos doesn't have a lot of money to spend, but he seems to be saving some financial ammunition for the staff additions in the last four months -- maybe a reliever such as Craig Kimbrel (though I bet Kimbrel's price tag is too high) and maybe a veteran starter such as Marcus Stroman.

Passan: Everything is coming together for the Atlanta Braves. Austin Riley looks like a star. Mike Soroka's angry sinker is shot-put heavy. Max Fried's curveball is made for the Pitching Ninja. And that's just the unexpected stuff. Freddie Freeman remains a hitting deity. Ronald Acuna Jr. is back in center doing Ronald Acuna Jr. things. There's depth in the bats and the rotation. If general manager Alex Anthopoulos can cobble together a worthy bullpen -- Mr. Kimbrel on line 1 -- the Braves are the team to beat in the NL East.

Miller: I still believe the Nationals, despite having the second-worst record in the NL, can get back in the race. Max Scherzer is having, by FIP, his best season, Stephen Strasburg is, by FIP, the NL's second-best pitcher (after Scherzer) and Patrick Corbin, by FIP, would be the No. 1 starter on half the teams in this league. "By FIP," he says. That's because Washington's defense has abandoned its pitching staff, and "by ERA" wouldn't paint nearly so rosy a picture. But defense shouldn't be a liability for this roster going forward, especially with the return of Trea Turner at shortstop.

3. Which team's place in the standings right now is the most disappointing (and do you think it can turn things around)?

Olney: The Nationals, unquestionably. They were so confident in spring training that their run prevention would be much better, with Victor Robles stepping into the outfield in place of Bryce Harper and Brian Dozier at second instead of Daniel Murphy. But the defense has been terrible, the lineup production has been sporadic, and the bullpen is the worst of any team since the Dodgers and Giants were still in New York.

Passan: With Trevor Bauer two years from free agency and Francisco Lindor, Corey Kluber and Brad Hand three years away, the Indians recognize that their window for this bountiful era is closing. So how did they bulk up for the 2019 season? By signing left-handed one-out guy Oliver Perez to a one-year deal. That was the entirety of the Indians' offseason free-agent moves, and the subsequent weakness throughout their lineup has manifested itself in an offense worse than Baltimore's. The bright side is there's room for improvement. The question is how motivated the Indians are to actually improve.

Miller: I'm disappointed that the Rockies are irrelevant again. One can't help fearing that baseball in Colorado is forever doomed, that the disadvantage of playing at altitude will never permit a truly great team. Last year gave us real promise: an entirely homegrown rotation, with a top three of starters who could rival almost any in the league. But the collapses of Kyle Freeland, Tyler Anderson and Antonio Senzatela this year might send the Rockies back to the brink of existential hopelessness.

4. Which team's place in the standings is the biggest surprise in a good way (and do you think it can keep it up)?

Olney: Given the dominance of the Houston Astros in the AL West, the trajectory of the Texas Rangers seemed inevitable: a slow start, a midseason sell-off, a late-season tank. But Joey Gallo keeps getting better, Mike Minor is healthy and has had a breakthrough, and the Rangers are much more competitive than I ever imagined. I still think they will become deadline sellers, however.

Passan: The Minnesota Twins aren't entirely a surprise. They won a wild-card spot in 2017 and returned arguably a better roster this season. But to see what they've done -- set a pace to obliterate the single-season team home run record -- is one of the great stories of the early season. They've built their AL Central lead into double digits, and their run differential shows that it is no fluke. Aaron Boone is the AL Manager of the 1/3 Season, but first-year Twins manager Rocco Baldelli isn't far behind. This is real, and the Twins are now the favorites in the division.

Miller: It's certainly the Twins, who are scoring almost one-and-a-half more runs per game than they did last season. Can they keep it up? Can their catchers continue to hit more home runs than any other AL team has hit at any other position? Can the suddenly .600-slugging Jorge Polanco continue to match Mike Trout WAR for WAR and win the MVP award? Can the Twins keep producing an .890 OPS -- Harmon Killebrew's career, basically -- with men on base? Let's say ... yes.

5. Looking at the standings, which is a team you think should go into sell mode between now and the trade deadline?

Olney: There already are teams in sell mode: The Giants, Blue Jays and others have signaled to teams that they are prepared to listen to offers for Madison Bumgarner, Stroman, Aaron Sanchez et al. The Padres might have the toughest decision of any team forthcoming. They're probably still a year away from seriously contending, so it might make sense for them to dangle the 32-year-old Kirby Yates and a couple of others. But their ownership is impatient and wants to win now.

Passan: It's difficult to argue that a team with the game's best pitcher and two more frontline-type starters, plus a handful of All-Star-caliber players, ever should sell. Yet the Nationals find themselves with a record better than only those of the Marlins, Orioles, Tigers, Blue Jays, Giants and Royals, mired nine games back in the NL East and in fourth place. The case in favor of their retooling for future seasons is rather compelling. The Nationals could reap a bounty for prospective free agent Anthony Rendon and closer Sean Doolittle. They tried last year before ownership put the kibosh on a deal that would have sent Bryce Harper to Houston. Fool them once, shame on you. Fool them twice ...

Miller: Besides the usual suspects -- the teams that are already six-sevenths sold off -- the Angels might have the most reason to radically reevaluate what they have. This was a team that, for a few years, invoked feelings of regret by narrowly missing the playoffs. But they've quietly become plainly bad. This looks like it will be their fourth consecutive losing season, and none of those losing seasons has so far reoriented them toward something better. The problem, though, is that there's not much to sell, especially at midseason.

6. How many games do you think the Red Sox will win this season?

Olney: Ninety-four. They are gathering momentum, and it seems like they'll continue to get better as the summer plays out. Given what's at stake for this group -- the opportunity to become the first team in almost two decades to win back-to-back titles -- I'd expect Dave Dombrowski will do his thing and work to improve the bullpen before the deadline.

Passan: Let's go with 89. To get there, the Red Sox would need to play at a .554 pace the rest of the season, which seems fairly reasonable. They still have 17 games against a superior Yankees team and 14 against Tampa Bay. Although their May has proved an unequivocal success and propelled them back into the playoff race, the Red Sox's depth is questionable, their starting pitching is iffy, and their bullpen is outpitching its peripherals to the point that regression is inevitable.

Miller: I think this is something like a 95-win team, so applying that to the rest of the season gets them to 92 or 93. Of course, an injury to Chris Sale would be devastating (as we saw early this year, when Sale was, effectively, pitching like his hypothetical replacement). But on the flip side, we should expect to see the Red Sox land a pretty substantial piece at the trade deadline.

7. How many games do you think the Orioles and Marlins will lose this season?

Olney: The streaking Marlins? The plucky Marlins, who took down the Mets and Tigers? If the Marlins win 58 games, it would be a shocker because even as they play the struggling Mets and Nationals, they will get more than a fair share of games against Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin and Jacob deGrom. The Orioles won 47 games last season, and they will struggle to match that total this year. Based on the body language we saw from the Baltimore outfielders in last week's Yankees series, as balls soared over their heads, they might agree.

Passan: Miami's offense is so dreadful -- its current OPS+ of 67 would be the worst since the dead-ball era -- that not even a solid core of young starting pitching can save the Marlins from triple-digit losses. How bad will it get? The record won't match the offense in terms of historic awfulness, but 104 losses sound about right. If the Marlins were in the AL East, it might be 110. The Orioles are in the AL East, so 110 it is.

Miller: They don't play each other in interleague this year, so "the rest" is one option. Will either team be favored for a single game on the rest of the schedule? Maybe when Caleb Smith starts against sub-.500 opponents. Maybe when the Orioles host the Royals in Baltimore (Aug. 19-21, tickets going fast!). The Orioles will lose 113 games. The Marlins will lose 100.

8. Now that the Yankees have overtaken the Rays in the AL East, how many days do you think New York will spend outside of first place the rest of the season?

Olney: The greatest quandary for Yankees GM Brian Cashman might be trying to decide what to prioritize before the trade deadline because he can't really count on Giancarlo Stanton to come back, and though Didi Gregorius' rehab work has been seamless, you don't know what he'll be. But Cashman's default position has always been to overload on pitching, so he'll upgrade the staff before the deadline, and the Yankees will roll to the title.

Passan: Seven, just because the Rays are good enough to hang with the Yankees for the remainder of the season and scratch their way into first for a few days at a time. By the end of the year, though, provided they get and stay healthy -- and that's one whale of a caveat -- the Yankees will hold on to the division crown.

Miller: I think the only logical answer to this question, if one thinks the Yankees will win the division, is "zero." But the playoff odds that give both the Red Sox and Rays honest, 1-in-5 shots at the division also seem right to me. My answer is zero, but this is a very good race among three teams, two of which will probably meet in the wild-card game.

9. The Dodgers and Astros have been arguably the two best teams in baseball so far. Do you think they're on a World Series collision course?

Olney: This is where the safe money would be. The Astros are clearly the best team in baseball, and the Dodgers are the best team in the NL. Remember, too, that Jeff Luhnow has not been shy about spending big for in-season improvements. He landed Justin Verlander, he took the (deserved) criticism for the addition of Roberto Osuna, and he almost landed Bryce Harper last summer. The Astros will do something big in July (I'd love to see them add Trevor Bauer).

Passan: Well, it certainly looks that way. Houston will add Yordan Alvarez -- the best hitter in the minor leagues this season -- to an already unfair lineup. The Astros' aggressiveness at the trade deadline could help them wind up with the starting pitcher they need. The Dodgers, like the Astros, boast a deep major league lineup, excellent starting pitching and enough organizational depth to play buyer at the deadline. The playoffs being the playoffs, either could stumble over a five-game series in October, so anointing them now is a bit much. Just know this: They are the best teams in each league.

Miller: The Astros are the best team in baseball, and the Dodgers are the best in the NL, and the longer you stare at their rosters trying to find a reason to dislike them, the better they look. But there are no collision courses in the baseball postseason. Every course is meandering and half-chance. The Twins have outplayed the Astros over two months, so they (or a more predictably good team!) could certainly outplay them over a week.

10. Quick predictions reset: Give us your division winners and wild cards based on what you've seen so far this season.

Olney:

AL East: Yankees
AL Central: Twins
AL West: Astros
AL wild cards: Red Sox, Rays
NL East: Braves
NL Central: Cubs
NL West: Dodgers
NL wild cards: Phillies, Brewers

(And the Cardinals will be the most dangerous team outside of those five.)

Passan:

AL East: Yankees
AL Central: Twins
AL West: Astros
AL wild cards: Rays, Red Sox
NL East: Braves
NL Central: Cubs
NL West: Dodgers
NL wild cards: Phillies, Brewers

Miller:

AL East: Yankees
AL Central: Twins
AL West: Astros
AL wild cards: Red Sox, Rays
NL East: Phillies
NL Central: Brewers
NL West: Dodgers
NL wild cards: Cubs, Braves

Fiji climbed to the top of the standings in the World Rugby Sevens Series after winning the London Sevens for the second year running.

They beat Australia 43-7 at Twickenham to go two points clear of the USA, who beat France 31-14 in the bronze final.

The final leg is next week in Paris but the top four sides - and direct Olympic qualifiers - are already assured.

Despite losing both games on Sunday, South Africa will join Fiji, the USA and New Zealand at Tokyo 2020.

England still had a small chance of catching 'the Blitzboks' but were beaten 24-19 by Samoa in the Challenge Trophy quarter-finals. The hosts then beat Spain (40-21) before losing to Japan (29-14) in the 13th-place play-off.

England can still reach Tokyo 2020 via a European qualifying tournament in July.

Wales beat Japan 17-0 in the Challenge Trophy quarter-finals to ease their relegation fears while Scotland overcame Kenya (29-21) and Wales (33-7) to reach the Challenge Trophy final, where they lost 26-17 to Samoa.

Ireland upset the hosts on Saturday by beating them in Pool C and despite losing 33-24 to Fiji in Sunday's Cup quarter-finals, they beat Canada (33-14) before losing to New Zealand (35-14) in the fifth-place play-off.

WILMETTE, Ill. — There is a familiar refrain that sports and politics should not mix.

Many feel strongly that government should stay out of the sports business and allow fans to enjoy the field of play without the outside distractions of everyday life.

However, maintaining a firewall between the two ignores reality. At the state and local level, sports may depend on government assistance. This may include subsidies, tax breaks, infrastructure improvements and first-responder staffing support.

At the federal level, leagues receive antitrust exemptions, favorable tax rulings and workplace regulations.

The motorsports industry is active in creating a positive approach on a wide range of issues that may impact the business and the sport.

Recently, the National Motorsports Coalition hosted a reception in Washington, D.C., to focus on matters that impact various stakeholders in the racing industry.

Held in conjunction with the Congressional Motorsports Caucus, the coalition serves as an informal bipartisan group of members dedicated to celebrating motorsports of all varieties and understanding racing’s impact on American culture and the economy.

There are more than 40 members representing districts across the country and they are working toward a common goal. The co-chairs are Florida Rep. Bill Posey and California Rep. Mike Thompson.

The gathering featured a discussion with leaders from IMSA, IndyCar, NASCAR, NHRA, SCCA, SMI, USAC and others. George Silbermann, president of the Automobile Competition Committee of the United States, provided highlights of the industry.

Several notable drivers attended, including Mario Andretti, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Austin Cindric, Steve Torrence, Clay Millican, Trent Hindman, Tommy Milner, Tracey Gardiner and Samantha Tan.

Legislation was introduced for the Motorsports Fairness and Permanency Act, which makes permanent the seven-year cost recovery for motorsports entertainment complexes, giving these facilities the tax certainty needed to make long-term investments in safer racing environments.

This law has been introduced and passed before only to expire. Making this aspect of the tax code permanent is the goal.

If this law passes, it will help family-owned race tracks across the nation improve the driver and fan experience, create jobs and enhance safety features.

The RPM (Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports) Act support efforts are underway to make it legal under federal law to modify the emissions system of a motor vehicle that is converted for racing use.

Individual states are also establishing bills to supporting racing in their areas. North Carolina, Indiana, Florida, New York and other states have laws favorable to motorsports.

South Carolina created a racing study commission to look at how the state can encourage all forms of racing present in the state. It will also examine important economic and civil value that additional motorsports can provide, along with aiding and incentivizing construction of motorsports complexes.

West Virginia created a motorsports committee that is tasked with aiding the development of racing events and facilities throughout the state. The committee will seek opportunities to promote economic growth and manufacturing jobs related to motorsports.

Hawaii has a resolution supporting the construction of a race track on the island of Oahu, which would serve as a gathering place for local racers and fans. Creating a venue would increase tourism and provide a legal alternative to street racing.

The combination of racing and politics may not be desired by race fans. However, it is important to support efforts to maintain the legality and heritage of this important economic engine.

INDIANAPOLIS – Simon Pagenaud survived a late-race duel with Alexander Rossi to win the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 Sunday afternoon at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Pagenaud and Rossi were engaged in a late-race war, with the pair exchanging the lead half a five times in the last 13 laps before Pagenaud made the race-winning pass entering turn three with two laps left.

“It’s hard to believe right now, it’s been such an intense race,” said Pagenaud, who led a race-high 116 laps from the pole.

Rossi had just taken the lead from Pagenaud, who won the IndyCar Grand Prix earlier this month, on lap 178 when the final caution flag of the race waved for a crash involving Sebastian Bourdais, Graham Rahal, Zach Veach, Charlie Kimball and Felix Rosenqvist.

After a lengthy red flag period for cleanup the field returned to racing, with Pagenaud immediately taking the lead away from Rossi entering turn one. Rossi returned the favor one lap later, but Pagenaud took the lead back again entering turn one with 11 laps left.

Rossi stayed in line behind Pagenaud for the next several laps, shadowing the Frenchman around the 2.5-mile speedway as they battled for the lead.

With three laps left Rossi made his move, using a big run on the outside down the frontstretch to take the lead away from Pagenaud into turn one. Pagenaud tried to get a run on Rossi entering turn one with two laps left, but couldn’t get close enough to make the move stick.

Down the backstretch Pagenaud got a run on Rossi and quickly bolted to the outside, pulling clear of Rossi as they raced into turn three.

Rossi stayed right on Pagenaud’s rear wing on the final lap, but Pagenaud did everything he could to hold Rossi back. Down the backstretch he swerved back and fourth across the track, breaking the draft so Rossi couldn’t get a run on him into turn three.

Coming out of turn four Rossi wasn’t close enough to get a run on Pagenaud coming to the checkered flag, allowing the Frenchman to cross the finish line and win the Indianapolis 500 for the first time.

“This is a dream come true,” said Pagenaud, who delivered Roger Penske his 18th victory in the Indianapolis 500. “I’m just speechless. This is just incredible. I never expected to be in this position, but I certainly was trying to make it as hard as I could.”

Rossi, who won the 100th Indianapolis 500 as a rookie, settled for a frustrating second.

“They did a great job. Obviously he was on pole and led the most laps, but I think we had the superior car,” Rossi said. “Just didn’t quite have enough at the end.”

Takuma Sato, Josef Newgarden and defending race winner Will Power completed the top-five.

MORE TO COME

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – With additional storms called for in the weather forecast, the Springfield Mile I originally scheduled for Sunday has been rescheduled for Aug. 31.

The rescheduled event will provide fans with an American Flat Track doubleheader on Labor Day weekend, as the 2019 Springfield Mile II will take place the following day on Sunday, Sept. 1.

All tickets purchased for this weekend’s event will be honored at the rescheduled event on Aug. 31.