WEEDSPORT, N.Y. – The DIRTcar Sportsman division will visit Weedsport Speedway on five different occasions this year, including two DIRTcar Sportsman Series tour stops on July 2 and Oct. 9.

All Sportsman events at Weedsport will once again pay a minimum of $1,000 to win with $100 to start.

A vital component of the Weedsport Speedway schedule for several years, the DIRTcar Sportsman will make their first stop on Monday, May 27 alongside the Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds and the CRSA Sprints as part of Heroes Remembered Weekend.

The May 27 main event will serve as a tune-up for the sixth annual Sportsman Classic 75 presented by Stirling Lubricants and Champion Racing Oil on Tuesday, July 2.  The annual DIRTcar Sportsman Series stop will see a lucrative $2,500 paycheck handed out to the winner of this crown jewel Sportsman event.

The Sportsman will again be paired with the Super DIRTcar Series big-block modifieds on Hall of Fame Weekend on Saturday, July 28 presented by Coca-Cola of Northern New England.

The Sunday, Aug. 11 ESS Legends Reunion powered by Pit Stop Convenience Stores will feature the winged Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints along with the DIRTcar Sportsman’s fourth main event of the year.

The racing calendar will draw to a close on Wednesday, Oct. 9 for the Super DIRT Week Kick-Off Party as the DIRTcar Sportsman Series returns to compete on the same card as the DIRTcar 358-Modified Series.

The 2020 Copa America will mark a tournament revamp, with six teams beginning the campaign in a north zone in Colombia and six playing in a south zone in co-hosts Argentina, the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) said on Wednesday.

Argentina will be in the southern group, alongside Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and an as yet undisclosed guest.

Brazil will feature in the northern group with Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and another invited nation.

The teams will play each other once in their groups, and the top four sides in each group will then qualify for the quarterfinals. The final is to be played in Argentina.

The changes are part of a widespread attempt to revitalise South American club and international competitions and bring them more into line with Europe.

CONMEBOL have abandoned their six-decades long tradition of playing the Copa Libertadores final on a home-and-away basis, and will this year play the final at a neutral ground for the first time, much like the Champions League.

Next year's Copa America will be the fourth in six years. Officials want the tournament to be played at the same time as the European Championship, Europe's equivalent.

Big picture

King's XI Punjab return to a venue where KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya brought the jersey swapping ritual to a cricket field. Before that game, Kings XI were in control of their own fate, but defeat that night meant they fell into the proverbial lottery of the IPL, having to depend on other teams to ensure progress into the playoffs.

The Wankhede stadium itself can be quite a lottery, exemplified by Mumbai Indians' inconsistent record here. Since last year, they have won only four out of nine matches in Mumbai.

Both teams beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in their previous fixtures, but where Mumbai wrought a comeback out of thin air, Kings XI nearly did the opposite, before Rahul held his nerve to take his team home.

After battling form for most of last year in India colours and losing his place in the Test and ODI set-ups, Rahul has emerged as King's XI's highest run-getter this season. Furthermore, he averages an incredible 94.5 against Mumbai playing for Kings XI.

But while the visitors can celebrate the form of their top order, a largely untested middle order will be a worry. Their other concern at a high scoring venue where the fingerspin of R Ashwin - their highest wicket-taker so far - might be nullified by the conditions, is the lack of a sixth bowling option. David Miller loyalists since 2012, will Kings XI leave him out for Moises Henriques to attain the desirable balance for the venue?

Conversely, Mumbai are so well balanced that they are often accused of not utilising some of their players. So far, their middle order has come to the fore, as has their bowling. The openers are yet to fire, but perhaps it's an ominous sign for oppositions that Mumbai are healthily placed in the table without a major contribution from Rohit Sharma or Quinton de Kock.

In the news

Lasith Malinga continues to live two lives. Having led his side Galle to a win in the Super Four Provincial Limited Over Tournament three days back, Malinga was back training at the Wankhede on the eve of the match. A little snag: his replacement Alzarri Joseph produced the best bowling figures in IPL history on debut in the last match. As a result, Malinga's mere availability is unlikely to guarantee him a place in the XI.

Previous meeting

Mumbai faltered with the bat towards the end in Mohali, managing just 56 runs in the last seven overs, despite wickets in hand. On a flat pitch, their eventual total of 176 was gunned down by a strong top-order performance which included forties from Chris Gayle and Mayank Agarwal - the player of the match - and an unbeaten 71 from KL Rahul.

Likely XIs

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Rahul Chahar, Alzarri Joseph, Jasprit Bumrah, Jason Behrendorff

Kings XI Punjab: KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Sarfaraz Khan, David Miller/Moises Henriques, Mandeep Singh, Sam Curran, R Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Mujeeb ur Rahaman, Ankit Rajpoot

Strategy punt

• R Ashwin has been flexible with his own introduction into the attack. During the last match at home, he came on once the field was spread. But he faces a curious dilemma in Mumbai, where dew could play a part. If it does, he may want to get some tight overs out of the way with the new ball, a move also merited by the presence of the left-handed de Kock. But if they stick with Mujeeb ur Rahman in the XI, then the Afghan can get the Powerplay out of the way, and Ashwin can target coming on during the middle overs, in particular to have a crack at Kieron Pollard, whom he has dismissed four times in 39 balls, going at a little more than seven an over.

• Contrary to conventional wisdom, Mumbai Indians have a far better record defending totals at home in the last two years, than chasing them. They have won five of the eight times they have batted first at the Wankhede in the last two years, as opposed to suffering five losses in the nine matches they have chased in this period. Will they stick to their strength or let the reputation of the venue for being a tough defending ground, dictate terms?

Stats that matter

• Of all the bowlers to have bowled 90 or more balls to Rohit Sharma in T20s, Ashwin (and Piyush Chawla) has dismissed him the least number of times: one. While he has taken Chawla for 146 in the 113 balls he has faced from the leggie, against Ashwin, Rohit has been watchful, explained by a strike-rate well under a hundred. In fact, among all bowlers to have bowled 50 or more balls to Rohit, Ashwin has the best economy rate of 5.12, having conceded just 82 from 96 balls.

• Even though both Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga have kept Chris Gayle tied down, they have collectively dismissed him only thrice in 147 balls. Curiously, Ben Cutting has dismissed Gayle four times, the most for any Mumbai bowler. Cutting, however, has been taken for 63 in 37 balls as well.

• Before losing by three runs to Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede last year, Kings XI had won three on the trot at the venue, having batted first on each of those occasions. On two of those occasions, Kings XI posted scores in excess of 220 - 226 against Chennai Super Kings in the 2014 playoffs, and 230 against Mumbai Indians in 2017.

AUGUSTA, Georgia -- Patrick Reed arrived at Augusta National Golf Club this week a little lighter, with seemingly a little less game and a much heavier burden as the defending Masters champion.

Reed, who held off Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth and Jon Rahm in the final round last year to win his first major championship, will attempt to become only the fourth player to win back-to-back Masters tournaments and the first since Tiger Woods in 2001-02.

"I would always feel like it would be harder to win the first because every guy out here believes that they can win a major, and you know, you feel like you have the game to do it," Reed said Tuesday. "But until you actually do it, there's always that kind of self-doubt in the back of your mind that's always like, 'Well, you know, even though I believe I can do it, well, I haven't done it yet, and am I going to be able to do it?'

"So once you get over that hurdle and you do it once, then all of a sudden now your confidence goes even higher because you start believing; not only do you believe that you can win but you've also already done it, as well. To me, I was always thinking that the first one would be the hardest."

Given the current state of Reed's game, it might be much harder for him to win a second Masters title this year. Since sliding on a green jacket a year ago, he hasn't won a PGA Tour event and has slipped to No. 18 in the official world golf rankings. He finished fourth at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in June, but didn't finish higher than a tie for 19th in his final eight events in 2018.

This season, Reed has one top-10 finish in 10 tour events; he tied for 24th or worse in the past four tournaments. He ranks 91st in driving distance (294.5 yards) and 194th in driving accuracy (54.3 percent).

"I feel like the game now is where it needs to be," Reed said. "You know, we've put in a lot of hard work throughout the entire year. When you come here, you need to be mentally as well as physically ready to go out and play. I've been really close. I've put myself in position in some events. It's just one round here or there that has kind of hurt me. I just need to go out and put four solid rounds together."

Before Reed attempts to do that, he'll host the storied champions dinner on Tuesday night, which has been a Masters staple since Ben Hogan started the tradition in 1952. Reed selected a menu of bone-in ribeye steaks, mac and cheese, creamed corn, steamed broccoli and creamed spinach.

It's quite a buffet for a player who has lost to 10 to 12 pounds since last year.

"It's going to be a very fun night," said Reed, who is sharing a locker in the champions locker room with 1946 winner Herman Keiser. "Honestly, I just can't wait to go out and spend time with the past champions and hear different stories and be able to talk to the guys about, you know, how their experience was winning their first, whether it was a couple years ago, last year, whether it was a long time ago."

Few Masters champions have been as complex and vilified as Reed. He grew up in Houston, but played golf at the University of Georgia before leaving under controversy and leading Augusta State (now Augusta University) to back-to-back NCAA team titles. His parents live only 3 miles from the gates of Augusta National Golf Club, but he hasn't been to their home since 2012 because of a family rift.

Reed's father, Bill; mother, Jeannette; and younger sister, Hannah, watched on TV with friends as their son and brother fulfilled his boyhood dream last year. His father told ESPN's Ian O'Connor last year that Reed's estranged family members embraced and wept when he sank the winning putt.

"As we were all hugging as a family," Bill Reed said, "we said, 'This is for Patrick, too. We are all hugging him, too.'"

Reed's parents have never met his two young children, their grandchildren.

"We will pray every day like we have that we will get to see Patrick and those two kids," Bill Reed said last year. "We pray every day that our families will be together."

By all accounts, they're still apart as Reed returns to Augusta National as the defending Masters champion. He told The New York Times in a story published Tuesday that he "wouldn't at all be surprised" if his parents and sister showed up at the tournament this year, even against the wishes of Reed and his wife, Justine.

Reed's complicated family history and brash demeanor -- he publicly criticized Team USA captain Jim Furyk and his teammates after the Americans' ugly loss to Team Europe in the Ryder Cup in Paris last year -- has left many golf fans yearning for the day he puts a green jacket on someone else.

That might happen Sunday -- or Reed might very well be slipping on a slimmer version of the one he wore last year.

"I feel like I have a lot of fans around here," Reed said. "That's one great thing about the sport we play is whether it's here, whether it's anywhere else we play or whether it's around the world. A lot of the fans, they respect great golf and they want to see great golf.

"It all depends on how you handle yourself, and the more interactive you are with the fans, the more they are going to respect you. Because at the end of the day, the more the fans and the people get to know you, the more they realize that you're just a normal guy out there playing golf and you're just doing your profession."

One hundred days since UCLA fired Steve Alford, the Bruins finally have their new head coach.

Mick Cronin, who led the Cincinnati Bearcats to nine consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, has agreed to a six-year, $24 million contract with UCLA, it was announced Tuesday.

"Mick Cronin is a fierce competitor, and I'm excited to welcome him to Westwood," UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero said in a statement. "Mick has built a fantastic program at Cincinnati, backed by integrity and discipline, and he has instilled an undeniable toughness in his student-athletes. I am confident he will build this program the right way and lead UCLA basketball back to national prominence."

We're thrilled to announce that Mick Cronin will become our program's next head coach.

Welcome to Los Angeles, Coach Cronin! ??☀️

NEWS: https://t.co/wBvFYog3ep pic.twitter.com/fM065dqda0

— UCLA Basketball (@UCLAMBB) April 9, 2019

Cronin heads to Westwood after 13 years at Cincinnati. He has won at least 20 games in each of the past nine seasons and has an 89-18 record over the past three seasons with the Bearcats.

The Cincinnati native is one of six coaches to lead his team to the NCAA tournament in each of the past nine seasons, along with Mark Few, Tom Izzo, Mike Krzyzewski, Bill Self and Roy Williams. Only once did Cronin advance past the first weekend of the tournament (2012).

Before joining Cincinnati, Cronin spent three seasons at Murray State, where he led the Racers to two NCAA tournaments.

"I am incredibly humbled and honored to become the head coach at UCLA," Cronin said. "I'm especially grateful to Chancellor [Gene] Block and to Dan Guerrero for this opportunity to join the Bruin Family. UCLA is a very special place with a strong tradition of excellence. To be able to join such a world-class institution is truly a privilege, and I can't wait to get started in Westwood."

Cronin has a reputation as a tough, hard-nosed coach and will look to rebuild the Bruins after a 17-16 campaign and drawn-out, public coaching search.

UCLA pursued Kentucky's John Calipari, but he wound up signing a lifetime contract with the Wildcats. The Bruins then turned their focus toward TCU's Jamie Dixon, but the two sides couldn't work out a buyout with the Horned Frogs. This past weekend, UCLA offered $5 million per year to Tennessee's Rick Barnes, but he opted to remain with the Volunteers.

Cronin replaces Alford, who was fired on New Year's Eve after five-plus seasons at UCLA. He led UCLA to three Sweet 16 appearances in his four NCAA tournament berths.