FRISCO, Texas -- It's an hour before the Dallas Mavericks are to play the Denver Nuggets on April 11, 2017. On the practice court inside the American Airlines Center, two teammates are having a 3-point shooting contest.

On this night, Tony Romo and Dirk Nowitzki are those teammates.

"Dirk said, 'We've got to warm up -- 3-point contest,'" the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback remembered. "I'm thinking, 'I'm a pretty good 3-point shooter. Let's do this. I got a chance. It's the only thing I can do well. I make a few and sure enough, I have a little lead. Dirk's like, 'All right, I'm down three. There's four balls left.' He kind of looks at me and smiles."

The first shot goes in. Then the second. Then the third.

"He hits the fourth one and I swear he gave me the Michael Jordan shrug from the NBA Finals, as if he's sorry," Romo said. "He said, 'I was thinking about letting you win, but decided not to.'"

Nowitzki is expected to play the final home game of his storied 21-year career against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday (8:30 p.m. ET).

Along with shooting hoops with Romo, here are more key connections between Nowitzki and the Cowboys:

Romo: Dirk warned of career ebbs, flows

As a senior at Burlington High School in Wiscsonsin, Romo was an All-Racine County basketball pick along with Caron Butler, who would go on to be one of Nowitzki's teammates in Dallas. Romo had the chance to play college basketball but opted for football. His love of basketball never waned, playing in serious games across Dallas during his time as Cowboys quarterback.

After announcing his retirement from the NFL, the Mavericks wanted to honor Romo and decided to make him a player for a day. He went through meetings and practice as well as the pregame shootaround and warm-ups. He even sat in for the team photo. League rules prevented Romo from getting in the game, but that did not stop Nowitzki from playfully yanking off the warm-up to try to get him in for a minute.

"I can remember going through tough stretches early in my career," Romo said, "and Dirk would not only send me a text, but we saw each other at dinner one night and he made a point of telling me, 'You're going to have ebbs and flows in your career. Sometimes it's going to go great. Sometimes not. There's going to be some teams that will be better and some not as good, but just keep working.' And he was dead right."

Garrett: The 7-footer is a focal point

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett was quarterback Troy Aikman's backup when Nowitzki arrived in Dallas in 1998. He remembered going to Reunion Arena and seeing the gangly German play.

"I enjoyed seeing him and Steve Nash play," Garrett said. "Two guys that just played the game at such a high level and just real professional. Smart players. Seeing those guys playing individually but then playing together was really special and fun to follow."

Garrett left for the New York Giants as a free agent after Nowitzki's second season and did not return year-round to Dallas until he was named the Cowboys' offensive coordinator in 2007.

"He's so skilled, and literally being 7-feet tall," Garrett said. "We've seen skillful players around the basket who were 6-11, 7 feet, north of 7 feet, but he played away from the basket, around the 3-point line."

Garrett remembers reading about the hours Nowitzki would put in with Holger Geschwindner, his personal coach, on his balance while shooting.

"In football you call it 'funny body throws,'" Garrett said. "He'd make so many funny body shots, but if you'd look at him, he was in complete control and balance."

As a coach, Garrett has developed a tight relationship with Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle over the years, and they have spent hours discussing Nowitzki's greatness, while comparing notes on how to get the best out of players of any skill set.

"He's one of those players for me when I go to a game, you just watch him," said Garrett, who attended the Mavs' home game last Friday with his wife, Brill. "My eyes are drawn to watch him do everything. You watch him run down the court, set up, create his shot, get himself in balance. Then coming back the other way defensively, communicating. He's just one of those guys you watch through the game just beyond when the ball is in his hands. There's a handful of guys in the NBA that have become the focal point of where your eyes go and he's one of them for me."

Witten: We have similar work ethics

Nowitzki was 20 when the Mavericks traded with the Milwaukee Bucks for the No. 9 overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft. Tight end Jason Witten was 20 when the Cowboys drafted him in the third round of the 2003 NFL draft.

In 15 years, Witten became the Cowboys' all-time leader in games played, games started, receptions and receiving yards. He played in 11 Pro Bowls in his first 15 seasons.

Folks marveled at his longevity, just as they marvel at Nowitzki's.

"That doesn't happen by accident," Witten said. "He embraced new teammates. He embraced new systems. He's done it all while still playing at this extremely high level, from early on in his career with Don [Nelson], then with Avery [Johnson]. He's just seen so many different things. The thing I respect most about him is you hear guys like Nash talk about how smart he is, Jason Kidd how smart he is. His basketball IQ was just off the charts. He's so much more than a 7-footer that could shoot. He never got bored with improving, never got bored with anything, and for any athlete, that's the blueprint. That's how you go have success."

When Witten held a retirement party last summer, Nowitzki attended. Over the years, they became friends, relaying their "secrets in the dirt," but also their philanthropic work that both do in and around Dallas.

"He just loves the work to get ready to play," Witten said. "Even to this day I think he still enjoys all the intricacies that go into him being successful. It's kind of similar, to me, with route running. There's an art to all of that. When you hear guys like Rick Carlisle talk about how diligent he was in that approach and in shooting mechanics, that's the secret."

Ellis: Dirk lasted longer than I did

Nowitzki's perspective on the Cowboys is interesting. He started playing for the Mavericks when the Triplets (Michael Irvin, Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith) were trying to recapture their Super Bowl magic with the Cowboys and is likely ending it as a new trio (Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and Amari Cooper) try to bring the franchise back to Super Bowl relevancy.

The Cowboys' perspective on the sixth-leading scorer in NBA history is as interesting. Two months before the Mavericks traded for Nowitzki in 1998, the Cowboys selected defensive end Greg Ellis with the No. 8 overall pick of the NFL draft, famously passing on receiver Randy Moss.

In 11 seasons with the Cowboys, Ellis had 77 sacks. He led the team in sacks six times and was named to the Pro Bowl once.

"Well, he [Nowitzki] lasted a lot longer than I did," Ellis joked.

Ellis retired after the 2009 season with the Oakland Raiders. He's now 43 and producing movies and stage presentations. He played junior varsity basketball at North Carolina for Dean Smith and would practice against Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison, so he knows his basketball.

"I was 34 when I retired," Ellis said. "The reality of life in football especially is, 'OK, you're 34? Time to put you in a wheelchair.' But in the regular world, 'You're only 34?' It's like, wow. People way older than you look at you like you're a teenager."

A knee injury ended Ellis' career a year or so earlier than he expected. After 11 years, he reached all of his individual goals but admitted there were times he wanted to play again.

And now?

"I would rather take a chance playing a play on a basketball court then on a football field," Ellis said. "Maybe we can pre-arrange that they're going to run the ball to the other side where I can pursue at a nice steady pace."

Dallas has always been a football town with some of the most historical figures of the sport calling it home over the years, but Nowitzki has found himself alongside those greats in his 21 years with the Mavericks.

"Dirk Nowitzki is and will always be the Dallas Mavericks, the way we talk about the Roger Staubachs, Troy Aikmans, Michael Irvins, Emmitt Smiths and Bob Lillys," Romo said. "You just don't find in life somebody that you would argue is a top-10 player in the history of their sport -- and I can argue after getting to know him and his wife, Jessica, through the years -- that [he] might be better off the court. He's exemplified everything that Dallas and this community is about. He is genuine. He is real. He is caring.

"And he's 7-feet tall. Good luck finding that again."

You know what I remember?

Back before he made basketball matter in Miami, catapulting the Heat from a regional team to an international one. Back before he became Michael Jordan in the 2006 Finals, carrying Shaquille O'Neal to a championship. Back before he put together the most interesting sports team South Florida has ever known, LeBron Bleeping James producing a TV show just to announce that he'd be coming to him.

I remember the very beginning of his Miami journey. I remember how Dwyane Wade treated the janitors.

The ushers, the parking-garage attendants, the locker room security, the public relations interns ... this is where Miami first felt Dwyane Wade's touch. Back then, as he started to appear more and more in playoff games and news conferences and commercials and photo shoots on his way to global fame, Wade would walk through the bowels of the arena and reach out to the people who prepared the stage before his performance.

Basketball is ballet for giants, bathed in lights and noise, but Wade's grace extended beyond the court, to all those quieter places where truth and treasures are hidden. Over and over, as they saw him getting bigger, the little people in and around his growing Miami wake would say the same marveling thing aloud, and it was something between plea and prayer:

Please don't change.

Special from the start. Special to the end. Wade has lived a very public and accessible life over the past decade and a half, but try to find a journalist who has a bad word to say about him.

He did change, of course, but only in the ways that growth and fatherhood and heartbreak and learning require.

He went from taking out a loan so he could afford diapers while at Marquette to writing a book about fatherhood. He went from his first marriage falling apart messily in public to marrying a Hollywood starlet, and taking a paternity leave this season to help her become a mother through a surrogate. He went from being the other guy in the LeBron-Carmelo draft to one of the four best shooting guards the sport has ever known ... and the greatest symbol for athletic excellence in the history of South Florida sports.

Chicago birthed him, but Miami watched him grow up, becoming a made man in godfather Pat Riley's culture cartel. "This will be my last first-round exit for a while; I can tell you that," he spit after averaging 33 points per playoff game in 2009 against the Celtics of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. And then all he did that summer was build the superteam that would end them.

"Basketball is ballet for giants, bathed in lights and noise, but Wade's grace extended beyond the court, to all those quieter places where truth and treasures are hidden."

By the time he was standing on a scorer's table, shouting, "This is my house!" after a buzzer-beater against Chicago, it had already long been a noisy redundancy in these parts. The basketball arena in Dade County, sandwiched between the cruise ships and the all-night dance warehouses, had long since been renamed Wade County by locals because Wade hosted the noisiest parties in our fun-fueled city. Wade's greatness and grace combined to turn Miami from a football town to a basketball town during his time. As one sports generation passed away and another was birthed, Wade supplanted Dan Marino as the local sports legend with the most emotional connection to the city. No small mountain, that one. Marino, you should know, used his platform to build a hospital for children in the area.

Miami is a city of shiny things, a place of few attachments, filled with tourists and transients, so the connection between Wade and this place doesn't have a lot of precedent. But here's how it grew: Since Wade's very first game in Miami, the Dolphins have had nine coaches, swallowing even Nick Saban, and don't have a single playoff victory to show for it. For the Marlins -- 10 managers, zero playoff appearances. The hockey Panthers haven't won a playoff series since Wade arrived, either. Even the once dynastic University of Miami football team has failed to win the ACC so much as once since he got here.

During the formative years of sports fandom, South Florida youngsters became teens and then adults with Wade as their only guide and teacher on how to get to winning ... and how to behave once you arrived there. Never mind the Heat and basketball. Wade is the reason many South Florida kids came to love sports. Our city is filled with people in their 20s who know how good winning can feel only because Dwyane Wade taught them.

So, as his career comes to a close, how do you explain what he meant in ways that can be felt? Miamians can argue that Wade was more efficient than Kobe Bryant throughout his career, and better over a five-year run. Wade had more blocks than any guard ever. Made 13 All-Star Games. Won three championships. But résumés are cold. If what you want to do is remember, scrapbooks are better.

So there he is in his younger days, dunking on Jermaine O'Neal and Anderson Varejao in ways that still echo with kids who are now adults. There he is at the very end of the jubilant 2006 season in Dallas, tossing the ball to the heavens after dominating a Finals like almost nobody ever has. There he is at the start of the swaggy Big Three era, tossing the no-look pass over his shoulder to the swooping-in LeBron in Milwaukee, Wade spreading his arms like airplane wings and veering off to the runway's side because he knew before anyone what was about to land behind him in a way you can see spread across his face even in stills.

And there he is with his teammates in the middle of America's racial tension, head bowed in a hoodie, using his platform to remember Trayvon Martin as adulthood and fatherhood called him to activism.

Wade had three leaders in Miami, and he has imprinted them as much as they have imprinted him. Erik Spoelstra began as a video coordinator with him, chasing down his practice jumpers, and still spent this season 15 years later telling anyone who would listen that he'd "go to my grave" letting Wade close games for him even at 37 years old. Stan Van Gundy says there is no player -- not Kobe, not LeBron, not Michael -- he trusts more with the ball at deciding time. And it is poet-philosopher Pat Riley who puts Wade's voice at the center of the Heat's culture, in a quote on the hallway mural that leads to the practice court. They're the only words you'll find on a wall filled with championship photos.

"I ain't going out like this," is what it reads.

It's from 2006, long enough ago to feel like misty nostalgia now. The Heat were down 2-0 in the Finals and trailed by 13 at home in the fourth quarter of Game 3. Riley wrote the word "Season" on the dry-erase board, and he remembers how Wade emerged from that huddle spitting the words "I ain't going out like this" through clenched teeth. Miami won the next four games and its first championship, of course, Wade averaging an absurd 35 points (shooting 47 percent) and eight rebounds in the Finals. "Where there's a will, there's a Wade," is something you hear a lot around the Heat. And you have felt the echoes of "I ain't going out like that," even in this, an emotional farewell season stuck in the purgatory at the middle of the standings. Ask the champion Golden State Warriors. At 37, Wade ended even them at the buzzer.

We rarely allow our heroes to age with grace in the cruel ecosystem of professional competition. Younger legs and sharper teeth emerge to chase down the aged when the fight is for glory and money. Even in the age of player empowerment, you often don't get to choose your ending. It is hard to let go -- confidence is the last thing to go, and the mirror is the last to know -- so there is a desperation to how tightly even legends can hang on. Vince Carter is in Atlanta, and Tony Parker is toiling in Charlotte, and Carmelo is in street clothes. Older now, slower now, Wade spent this last season rising above that cruelty in his adopted city and from arena to arena around America, accepting gratitude and tributes at every last stop, a Miami ambassador from the very beginning 'til the very end.

So, thank you, Dwyane Wade.

For everything you represented while wearing our city's name over your heart.

You carved a forever space on our sports landscape.

You left us better than you found us.

And sports relationships don't get much better than that.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Seattle Mariners slugger Edwin Encarnacion homered twice in the sixth inning against the Kansas City Royals on Monday night, becoming the fifth player to do it twice in a career.

Encarnacion also accomplished the feat with the Blue Jays against the Astros on July 26, 2013. The only other players to homer in the same inning twice are Alex Rodriguez, Jeff King, Andre Dawson and Willie McCovey, per STATS data.

Encarnacion is the first to hit two home runs in an inning in almost three years. Mark Trumbo of the Angels did in on April 15, 2016, at Texas. The last Mariners to do it were Bret Boone and Mike Cameron, who did it in the same game at the Chicago White Sox on May 2, 2002. Cameron hit four home runs in that game, tying the major league record.

"When [Encarnacion] hits it, it just sounds different,'' said teammate Daniel Vogelbach. "He's done it for a long time, and he does it every single year. I think I've seen most of them against us. It's a lot better to see them when he hits them for us.''

The hot-hitting Mariners combined for five homers in Monday night's 13-5 win and improved to 10-2, the first team in the majors with double-digit victories.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

BALTIMORE -- Somewhere, Eugenio Velez is toasting.

Baltimore Orioles slugger Chris Davis went 0-for-3 in his first three plate appearances in a 12-4 win over the Oakland A's on Monday night, extending his hitless streak to 47 consecutive at-bats. In doing so, he broke Velez's record for the longest hitless streak by a position player in major league history, according to data from the Elias Sports Bureau.

Velez, a former utility man, started his streak by going hitless in his final nine at-bats for the San Francisco Giants during the 2010 season. In 2011, his final year in the majors, he had 37 at-bats with the Los Angeles Dodgers and failed to record a hit.

Facing Oakland starter Marco Estrada to lead off the top of the second inning, Davis hit a line drive that A's right fielder Stephen Piscotty caught. In his second at-bat, with two on and one out in the third, Davis tied Velez's record by hitting a liner to left that Robbie Grossman gloved.

In his third trip, facing reliever Yusmeiro Petit in the fifth inning, Davis set the new record with a lineout that sent Grossman racing back to the warning track. All three of Davis' outs had an exit velocity of at least 90 mph, including 104 mph on the record-setter.

"First three at-bats were really good," Baltimore's rookie manager Brandon Hyde said. "So I'm taking that as a positive moving forward."

Davis' last two at-bats weren't as impressive. Facing reliever Liam Hendriks with a runner on second and two outs in the bottom of the seventh, he struck out looking. Then, against Fernando Rodney with two out and one on in the bottom of the eighth, he struck out swinging. That made him 0-for-49.

In stark contrast to the heavy boos he received during the O's home opener on Thursday, Davis got a warm reception from the tiny Monday night crowd at Camden Yards, which greeted him with ovations in each of his first two trips to the plate. The announced attendance was 6,585 for a new Camden Yards record. The previous record of 7,915 was set on April 9, 2018.

"Everybody in here is pulling for CD," said Orioles starter Andrew Cashner, who scattered nine hits in 5 ⅓ innings to pick up the win. "The guy used to be one of the most feared hitters in baseball. So it doesn't just affect him, it affects us. We don't want to see him do bad. We want to see him to do well."

Davis, who didn't speak with reporters after the game, hasn't recorded a hit since doubling against White Sox right-hander James Shields on Sept. 14 of last year. The Baltimore first baseman went hitless over his final 21 at-bats of the 2018 campaign, then started this season by going 0-for-23 with 13 strikeouts in the Orioles' first nine games, prior to Monday.

Davis led the majors with 53 home runs in 2013, when he finished third in the voting for American League MVP. In 2015, he led the league again with 47 homers. Following that season, Davis signed a seven-year, $161 million contract with the Orioles. Since then, he has been a huge disappointment. He set an MLB record last season by hitting .168, the lowest average ever by a qualified hitter.

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who played in only three games last season due to an ongoing knee injury, has been activated off the injured list and will start in the team's home opener Tuesday, the team announced.

The Red Sox are schedule to raise their championship banner prior to Tuesday's home opener against the Toronto Blue Jays. Pedroia will hit seventh in the batting order.

After a season-opening road trip -- a long, miserable, soul-searching trip -- the Boston Red Sox already have learned what the 18 previous World Series winners learned: In the current era of baseball, repeating as champion is a formidable task.

Since the Yankees won three World Series in a row from 1998 to 2000, no team has repeated. Only two champions managed to return to the World Series -- the 2000 Yankees and the 2008 Phillies. (Three other teams have played in back-to-back World Series: the 2010-11 Rangers, 2014-15 Royals and 2017-18 Dodgers.) Nine of the 18 champions failed to make the playoffs the following season. As Ron Washington might say about going back-to-back, "It's incredibly hard."

The Red Sox began their title defense with an 11-game road trip to Seattle, Oakland and Arizona, not exactly Murderers' Row considering the Mariners and Diamondbacks lost or traded away most of their best players in the offseason. The Red Sox went 3-8, and it wasn't an unlucky 3-8. They were outscored by 26 runs, the worst run differential in the majors. They lost games by scores of 12-4, 7-0 and 15-8. The starting rotation has a 8.57 ERA, worst in the majors. The A's shut them out in consecutive games.

It was an ugly start that puts a bit of damper on Tuesday's home opener and pregame ring and flag-raising ceremony. After all, Boston fans have grown to expect only the best -- at all times -- from their teams. Still, I would expect the fans to greet the Red Sox mostly with cheers on Tuesday. Flags do fly forever.

Some have blamed the slow start on the Red Sox limiting the innings for their starters in spring training, an understandable approach given all the work they had in the postseason. Still, the first two trips through the rotation suggested the starters were perhaps rusty from the lack of work in Florida and the 1-0 win to close out the road trip Sunday actually came courtesy of a bullpen game, with Hector Velazquez starting and pitching three innings.

"We played in the last game of the year, so there's obviously a longer effect," Chris Sale told ESPN's Pedro Gomez over the weekend in Phoenix, "but like I've said, we're not going to say we're making excuses. I can't wait to get to Fenway. It's part of the business. It's what we signed up for. At a certain point, we have to show up and win."

All eyes will be on Sale on Tuesday against the Blue Jays as he makes his third start. His first game against the Mariners was one of the worst starts of his career with seven runs in three innings. He allowed just one run against the A's in six innings, but he also struck out just one batter. With his velocity down, he reverted to throwing a lot of breaking balls.

Sale just signed a five-year, $145 million contract extension and the Red Sox wouldn't have shelled out that money without being comfortable with his medical reports, so the hope has to be that Sale is simply easing into the season. It's worth noting that he was sitting 93-94 mph last April with his fastball before ramping up and sitting in the upper 90s in June and July, when he destroyed opponents. He then landed on the injured list in August.

Obviously, the Red Sox were likely to have fewer than the club-record 108 wins they had last year no matter what kind of start they had. During the divisional era since 1969, 12 previous teams won at least 100 games and the World Series. Here's how those 12 teams did the following year:

Better record: 1 (2017 Astros)
Same record: 1
Worse record: 10
Won division: 6
Missed postseason: 5
Won World Series: 3
Average win regression: 10.3

The three teams went on to win 100 games, then repeat as World Series champs: the 1975-76 Reds, 1977-78 Yankees and 1998-99 Yankees. If they Red Sox can follow up with another title, they should deservedly go down as one of the best teams of all time.

But is it possible?

Repeating is even more difficult in the wild-card era (since 1995), due to the extra round of the playoffs. Now you have to beat three teams in the postseason instead of two, and that's assuming you've avoided the wild-card game. Winning six straight postseason series -- no matter how good you are -- is a Herculean task, which puts the Yankees' streak of 11 straight postseason series wins from 1998 to the 2001 World Series in remarkable perspective.

Another reason we've gone 18 seasons without a repeat champion is that several of the champs in this stretch haven't exactly been powerhouses. Good enough to get hot in October and win a World Series, not good enough to make it back to the playoffs the next season. Consider a few of these World Series winners:

• 2002 Angels: They fell from 99 wins to 77, the second-biggest decrease of the 18 teams. That team milked the last good season from Kevin Appier, and Jarrod Washburn and Ramon Ortiz had career seasons.

• 2003 Marlins: The Marlins won the wild card with 91 wins. That offseason they traded Derrek Lee and lost Ivan Rodriguez as a free agent and fell to 83 wins and haven't returned to the postseason since.

• 2006 Cardinals: St. Louis sneaked into the playoffs with just 83 wins courtesy of a weak division. They had only three players exceed 2.0 WAR -- Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen and Chris Carpenter. Not surprisingly, they fell to 78 wins the next year.

• 2010 Giants: The Giants won 92 games and had a strong rotation, but fell to 86 wins in 2011. It wasn't just because of Buster Posey's injury. Their two best position players in 2010 had been Aubrey Huff (5.7 WAR) and Andres Torres (5.3), who combined for just 0.8 WAR in 2011.

• 2013 Red Sox: The Red Sox were certainly great for one season, winning 97 games and outscoring their opponents by 197 runs, but it was kind of a fluke season, with several one-season wonders (remember Mike Carp and his .885 OPS?) or older guys near the end (Shane Victorino, Ryan Dempster). They lost 93 games in 2012, 91 in 2014 and 84 in 2015.

• 2014 Giants: They won 88 games and the wild card, and then Madison Bumgarner had the October to end all Octobers. The Giants won 84 games in 2015.

The past 18 World Series winners declined an average of 6.7 wins. If the Red Sox decline only 6.7 wins, that will be good! That will still mean 101 or 102 wins, which will get them back in the postseason.

The stars will carry them

I was curious how important it is to have a strong base of stars. Do World Series teams decline because they get less value from their best players or less value from the supporting cast? I took the top four players in WAR from the World Series winners and compared them to the team's top four players the following season (not necessarily the same four players).

Overall, a team's WAR from its four best players dropped 1.7 wins, so this explains only 25 percent of a team's decline the following seasons.

There's some good news for the 2019 Red Sox. Here are the top six foursomes from the World Series winners (plus the Red Sox):

2001 Diamondbacks (Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, Luis Gonzalez, Reggie Sanders): 30.1 WAR

2018 Red Sox (Mookie Betts, Chris Sale, J.D. Martinez, David Price): 28.5 WAR

2016 Cubs (Kris Bryant, Jon Lester, Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Hendricks): 23.9 WAR

2008 Phillies (Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Cole Hamels): 23.2 WAR

2017 Astros (Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, George Springer, Dallas Keuchel): 23.1 WAR

2007 Red Sox (Josh Beckett, David Ortiz, Mike Lowell, Kevin Youkilis): 22.6

2009 Yankees (Derek Jeter, CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano): 22.6

The previous six teams with the best foursomes all returned to the postseason. Those six dropped an average of only 1.8 wins the following seasons (with the 2016-17 Cubs having the biggest drop-off from 103 to 92 wins). If Betts, Sale, Martinez and Price perform close to what they did in 2018, the Red Sox are a good bet to bounce back from this 3-8 start.

No newcomers

The Red Sox are the third straight 100-win team to win the World Series. The 2017 Cubs suffered from a self-admitted World Series hangover and were under .500 at the All-Star break at 43-45. They recovered to go 49-25 in the second half. The Astros, on the other hand, got off to a great start at 20-10 last April and were 49-25 through June 18 after a 12-game winning streak (although the Mariners were hot on their tail at just two games back).

The Red Sox, like the Cubs, essentially brought the same team back. The Astros, however, had two significant new additions: Justin Verlander (who had made only five regular-season starts for the team in 2017) and Gerrit Cole. Because of the addition of those two, the Astros were able to withstand a big drop in runs scored and still win two more games than in their championship season.

The Red Sox will have Nathan Eovaldi and Steve Pearce for the entire season, but otherwise have the same team minus Craig Kimbrel and light-hitting catcher Sandy Leon. Maybe a little new blood would have helped.

Of course, that's just speculation. The Red Sox have played only 6.8 percent of the schedule. It was a bad 6.8 percent and puts them five games behind the Rays, and in what projects as a tight AL East race, that means it is more likely Alex Cora will end up having to push his starters hard during the summer.

That's down the road. For now, there's one last chance to celebrate maybe the best Red Sox team in history. Then it's time to move on and start winning some games.

The British 400m record-holder shares his experiences and offers his advice on the power of the mind and dealing with adversity

I think mental strength is literally everything. Unless you’re in an Olympic final and you’re up against Usain Bolt, pretty much eight of you in a race are going to be of a similar ability. It’s the one who believes in themself the most and the one who executes their game plan.

You’ve also got to deal with the fact that it’s not always going to go your way. There will be times when you have a race or you do a run and you feel absolutely terrible and you can’t work out why. The body and the mind is a strange thing. Even when I was a professional athlete – many a race I’d turn up for, I’d feel great and I’d have an absolute shocker. Other days I’d warm up, I’d feel heavy-legged, I’d feel terrible, and I’d have a really good run. There’s no reason why. I just think the body is a strange tool.

When you have those off days, you’ve just got to remember – at least you’ve done it. At least those miles are in the bank or the training session has been done and don’t be too tough on yourself. Whatever walk of life, whatever job you have, you’re going to have good days and you’re going to have bad days – it’s the same as sport.

Since I’ve retired I like to keep fit and I have done the London Marathon eight times. I use running as my tool for a bit of ‘me’ time as well. If I’m really stressed out or I’ve had a bad day, I’ll quite often go for a three-mile run in the village and I really find it helps clear my head and I just feel really good when I come back afterwards.

On dealing with injury and adversity

Injuries are part and parcel of running. Unfortunately for me, if I’m dead honest, with my professional career I probably didn’t listen to my body enough. There was many an injury I had where if I’d rested for two weeks I would have been fine but two days later I’m like no I’m all right, I need to train. The injury would become worse and I’d be out for two or three months.

You do need to listen to your body. It’s the worst thing because, especially if you’re competitive, if you’re not running you know your rivals are and suddenly you’ll start to question your own fitness levels. You’re tempted to get back out there. The problem is, the quicker you go back off an injury your body will compensate and you’ll hurt somewhere else. I think you just have to try and be smart.

Rest and recover. Training is one thing but you have to really recover from training and listen to your body. When you are injured just try not to worry about it. I remember towards the end of my career whenever I’d get injured everyone would say ‘stay positive, you’ll heal quicker’. And I was like ‘what a load of nonsense, I’ve torn my hamstring, I’m not going to heal quicker if I’m happy’. Towards the end of my career I tore my hamstring again and I remember thinking ‘I’m going to experiment, I’m going to be really happy, I’m going to be fine’. I didn’t dwell on the injury, I just got on with it and honestly 10 days later I’m sprinting and I healed so quick.

I think the mind is really powerful. You have to believe you will get better and don’t focus on anyone else. Don’t worry about your rivals and what they are doing when you’re injured, just worry about getting yourself better and try not to stress.

Britain's Kyle Edmund will play Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the last 16 of the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech.

The 24-year-old third seed beat Frenchman Ugo Humbert 6-3 6-2 in the first round, while French wildcard Tsonga beat Cedrik-Marcel Stebe in straight sets.

Edmund lost to Spaniard Pablo Andujar in last year's final - his first at ATP level.

Britain's Jamie Murray is top seeded in the men's doubles alongside John Peers.

They start their campaign against Denmark's Frederik Nielsen and the Netherlands' Matwe Middelkoop on Tuesday.

World number three Alexander Zverev is top seed in the men's singles and faces Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin in the first round.

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MOORESBURG, Tenn. — Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer Scott Bloomquist, who is currently sidelined after being injured in a motorcycle accident in March, has forged a business partnership with promoter Cody Sommer.

Sommer, who promotes the Gateway Dirt Nationals and Ohio’s Mansfield Motor Speedway, will manage all business aspects of the Bloomquist brand while also taking on the role of president of the newly-formed organization.

The duo began discussing a possible partnership in 2018 and have officially reached an agreement that sets the stage for the future of the Team Zero organization now and after Bloomquist decides to retire from racing.

Sommer is slated to fill a void by managing the business, which will allow Bloomquist to focus on recovering and racing once he returns to competition.

“When you walk in this shop and you see the history, you understand where this man (Bloomquist) has been and what he is cable of if the pieces of the puzzle all fit right. This decision is something that we are taking very seriously and we have very specific goals in mind,” said Sommer. “Scott’s accomplishments behind the wheel have always set the bar for which the entire sport has strived to be on the race track. This partnership will also allow us the opportunity to set that same bar for the industry off of the race track.”

The team will begin taking on more developmental projects, including building a new car specifically for testing and R&D purposes, a dedicated pull-down area within the race shop headquarters, custom equipment for aerodynamic research and several other functions dedicated to performing on the race track.

“If you sit back and look at the accomplishments he has had with little structure and organization…it really is remarkable,” said Sommer. “Allowing Scott the ability to focus on speed is essential. It will create more accomplishment. I don’t think anyone would disagree that when he is able to focus, he is going to be very hard to beat on the race track, he has proven that over and over again in the past.”

“Over the years I’ve had a lot of great people help me accomplish many things,” said Bloomquist, who is recovering from injuries to his right leg and hip. “This partnership is going to allow us together to accomplish even more. We are going to win more championships, more Dreams, more World 100s and more major events. This is going to allow me the ability to focus on that now more than ever. I’m not dead yet, so just get ready.”

The team will be hiring additional help to support the No. 0 car, but also plans to start a second team in the future.

The post Bloomquist Teams With Promoter Cody Sommer appeared first on SPEED SPORT.

BROWNSBURG, Ind. – The Don Schumacher Racing tradition of fielding giving cars began thanks to the late New Mexico philanthropist and drag racing enthusiast Terry Chandler.

By bannering the Infinite Hero Foundation and Make-A-Wish Foundation on the Funny Cars driven by Jack Beckman and Tommy Johnson Jr., Chandler’s giving car program has raised tremendous awareness for two organizations that were dear to her heart.

Sadly, in 2017, Chandler lost a hard-fought battle with glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer. Her husband, Doug Chandler, knew how important the giving car program was to his wife and has generously continued the program in her honor.

At this weekend’s MOPAR Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals Presented by Pennzoil in Baytown, Texas, Doug Chandler has chosen to recognize The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center with a special tribute livery on one of his late wife’s giving cars, the Beckman-piloted Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat.

Throughout her battle with glioblastoma, Terry Chandler received treatment at MD Anderson, the world-renowned cancer treatment and research facility based in Houston. By campaigning an MD Anderson car, Doug Chandler wishes to thank the team and medical staff for their care of his wife and raise awareness for glioblastoma.

“Before Terry’s diagnosis, I had never heard the term ‘glioblastoma’ and I know I’m not in the minority when I say that,” said Doug Chandler. “Finding out my wife had been diagnosed with cancer, and that it was the most lethal form of brain cancer and was incurable was devastating. I asked Terry’s team of doctors why there was no cure and they said cures are developed through research, and of course, research takes money. Essentially, funding is what finds a cure.

“By running this car, it’s my goal to raise awareness for glioblastoma and other lesser known forms of brain cancer, which will hopefully lead to more funding for medical research. With this race taking place in MD Anderson’s backyard, this was the perfect place to run this car.

“The team at MD Anderson treated Terry so well. There was no question where we would take her to receive treatment; they’re the best,” added Chandler, who through his TLC Foundation, has awarded two grants to MD Anderson for glioblastoma research. “My wife championed great causes to bring awareness to others, whether it be military veterans or sick children. I honor Terry by joining in the fight to find a cure for glioblastoma.”

Don Schumacher Racing owner Don Schumacher is also no stranger to cancer, or the services provided by MD Anderson. Upon his 2014 diagnosis of head and neck cancer, Schumacher also elected to receive treatment at the center. He describes his experience there as “the most effective and best treatment I could have received for my disease” and credits the team for helping him to overcome cancer.

“MD Anderson is truly amazing, and I’m grateful that both Don and Terry were able to receive treatment there,” said Megan Schumacher, daughter of Don Schumacher and Vice President of DSR. “I was able to see first-hand their abilities at work while Don underwent treatment. The care that MD Anderson offered was first class; they really helped you feel at home. The doctors and staff were incredible to our family, making sure we understood every step of the process.

“We are glad that we will be able to help share how amazing MD Anderson is when the car hits the track this weekend thanks to Doug Chandler,” added Schumacher, who oversees Chandler’s giving car program. “I am forever thankful to MD Anderson for the care they offered to two of the people closest to me. I miss Terry every day but know that she would be so happy to see MD Anderson receiving national attention for what they do.”

Beckman, a cancer survivor himself, who battled and overcame non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2004, describes the opportunity to pilot the MD Anderson Cancer Center Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car as an honor, saying, “I’m a cancer survivor; my mom didn’t beat it. It’s something that hit my house hard and then came back years later. I drive for a man who is a cancer survivor, who went to MD Anderson for treatment, and that’s part of the reason he’s still here.

“I drive the car as a tribute to Terry Chandler, a woman who didn’t survive cancer. The folks at MD Anderson did everything they could for her so I feel a debt of gratitude to the people who work there, and I feel upon the people who are patients there. I can’t think of a better way to pay it forward and pay it back than to fly their colors into the winner’s circle at Houston.”

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