CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Bill Belichick cracked a few jokes, held up an old UNC sweatshirt that belonged to his dad and vowed to bring a professional model to North Carolina in his introductory news conference Thursday as the Tar Heels' new head coach.

Belichick was greeted with a standing ovation when he entered the room to speak to an overflow crowd of media and UNC supporters, including newly inducted College Football Hall of Famer Julius Peppers.

In many ways, it felt surreal -- a six-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots, a giant among coaches, sitting at a dais inside Kenan Memorial Stadium with Carolina blue seats just outside the suite doors.

Belichick, who spent his entire career in the NFL and is second only to Don Shula (328) with 302 regular-season wins, said he had always wanted to coach in college.

"It just never really worked out," Belichick said. "Had some good years in the NFL, so that was OK, but this is a dream come true. I grew up in college football with my dad. As a kid, all I knew was college football."

His dad, Steve, served as an assistant coach for the Tar Heels from 1953 to 1955. During his introductory comments, UNC chancellor Lee Roberts pulled out a copy from the 1954 North Carolina media guide and read an excerpt about Steve Belichick that ended with a line about his 2-year-old son, William Steven. "Coach, welcome back to Carolina," Roberts said.

Roberts presented Belichick with a gray short-sleeved hoodie, the coach's trademark look. Athletic director Bubba Cunningham then pulled out a suit jacket with the sleeves torn off, another ode to Belichick. At that point, Belichick said he had his own gear and pulled out a white hoodie his dad had during his time at Carolina.

"You can tell I liked it," Belichick said. "I've kept it a long time.

"It's great to come back home to Carolina and back into the environment that I really grew up in. When you're little, you don't remember everything. I was too young to remember a lot of things at Carolina, but as I grew up, you hear the same story over and over and over again. One story I always heard was, 'Billy's first words were, 'Beat Duke.'"

That line drew laughter and applause from the delighted supporters in the room. Belichick, 72, makes his first foray into college football after working in some capacity in the NFL from 1975 until he and the Patriots parted ways after the 2023 season.

He replaces Mack Brown, 73, the winningest coach in school history. Brown, who was fired after a 6-6 season, ended his second stint at the school with a 44-33 record over six years and a 113-79-1 overall mark with the Tar Heels.

"It beats working," Belichick said when asked why, at his age, he wanted to get back into coaching after a year off. "My dad told us, 'When you love what you do, it's not work.' I love what I do. I love coaching. I love the interaction with the players. I love building a team, game-planning, the game itself. Working with young kids, with the energy, enthusiasm -- it's great every day to come to that environment."

He also was asked whether he would return to the NFL if he has immediate success in college.

"I didn't come here to leave," Belichick said. "I feel like doing it a long time. I'm good to go."

Belichick said Michael Lombardi, a former NFL executive who was an assistant with the Patriots from 2014 to 2016, will serve as the general manager of the Tar Heels' football program. Belichick also said he will retain UNC interim coach Freddie Kitchens, the former Cleveland Browns head coach.

North Carolina has played football for 136 years, but its most recent ACC championship came in 1980. Football has largely taken a back seat to basketball, but bringing in Belichick represents a new era.

The school is making a significant investment in football with his hire.

"In the immortal words of Yogi Berra, 'the future ain't what it used to be,' and we are embarking on an entirely new football operation," Cunningham said. "We can't wait to have [Coach Belichick] leading the charge for us."

The five-year deal runs through December 2029 and is worth $10 million per season -- a $1 million base salary and $9 million in supplemental income. The first three years of the deal are guaranteed.

Belichick also could receive up to $3.5 million per season in bonuses tied to regular-season wins, ACC championship game and postseason appearances, ranking in the final CFP poll, coach of the year awards, and the team's academic standing.

He would be responsible for a $10 million buyout if he were to leave UNC before June 1, 2025. After that date, he'd have to pay $1 million to end his deal with UNC.

Cunningham told The News & Observer (Raleigh) that Belichick will continue to make his regular appearances on "The Pat McAfee Show" and the "ManningCast" on ESPN while he coaches UNC.

Many of the questions Thursday revolved around how Belichick's NFL experience will translate to a college football model that looks more like the NFL -- with the transfer portal, NIL and upcoming revenue sharing that will serve as a salary cap.

Belichick said the head coach/general manager model he is bringing will help with the transformation of UNC into a professional organization.

"When I say a pro program, I would say through my experience, what we did in terms of training, developing players, running pro systems, pro techniques," Belichick said. "So when the players leave here, this isn't going from the wishbone to a pro offense. It will be similar terminology, similar techniques and fundamentals, similar training, similar preparation techniques that have been very successful for me through the years, whether other college teams use them or not. I mean, some are, some aren't, but I just know that these will prepare the players for that.

"So the general manager, head coach model, it's a similar type of situation for evaluating high school kids and college transfer portal players. NFL teams are evaluating college players and NFL free agent players. So again, there are some similarities."

There will be a $10 million pool for Belichick's assistant coaches, and $1 million for the strength and conditioning staff. The university also has allotted $5.3 million for a "support staff," which includes additional funding for the new general manager position.

Belichick said the time he spent around Washington, where his son Steve served as defensive coordinator under Jedd Fisch, has also prepared him for what is to come. He said Washington is modeled after a pro program and that gave him ideas.

Belichick also noted that he fields many calls from coaches across conferences -- from the Big Ten, ACC and SEC -- over recent rules changes that moved the game more toward the NFL -- from the two-minute warning to helmet-to-helmet communication and the use of tablets on the sideline.

As for recruiting, Belichick said that he looked forward to persuading players to come to North Carolina and that he will recruit nationally.

"The recruiting process belongs to everyone," he said. "Whatever helps our team, that's what I want to do."

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- San Francisco linebacker De'Vondre Campbell refused to enter Thursday night's game in the third quarter after losing his starting job when Dre Greenlaw returned from an injury.

Campbell had started 12 of the first 13 games of the season and played 90% of defensive snaps for the 49ers but was benched for San Francisco's 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams after Greenlaw came back for his first game since tearing his left Achilles tendon in last season's Super Bowl.

Greenlaw had eight tackles in the first half but left the game in the third quarter with soreness in his Achilles tendon. That's when Campbell refused to enter the game.

"He said he didn't want to play today," coach Kyle Shanahan said after the loss, which left the 49ers (6-8) on the brink of playoff elimination.

Shanahan said he has never seen that before in his coaching career and said the team will "figure out something" on how to deal with it going forward.

Campbell walked to the locker room, leaving his teammates bewildered and angry.

"He's a professional," cornerback Charvarius Ward said. "He's been playing for a long time. If he didn't want to play he shouldn't have dressed out. He could have told them that before the game. I feel like that was some selfish s--- that he did. It definitely hurt the team. Dre went down and we needed a linebacker. ... For him to do that, that's some selfish stuff to me in my opinion. He's probably going get cut soon."

The 31-year-old Campbell signed a one-year, $5 million deal in the offseason with San Francisco after being cut by Green Bay in March.

He had been an All-Pro in 2021 for the Packers but his play fell off the last two seasons in Green Bay. He had a few bright moments in San Francisco this season but struggled frequently with tackling and in coverage.

"It's one person making a selfish decision," tight end George Kittle said. "I've never been around anybody that's ever done that and I hope I'm never around anybody who does that again."

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Rams' 12-6 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night propelled them closer to the top of the NFC West and a playoff spot.

The Rams entered the game with a 35% chance to make the playoffs and a 32% chance to win the division, according to ESPN Analytics. Those figures went up significantly after the victory: The Rams' playoff chances now sit at 52% and winning the division at 49% entering the weekend.

And perhaps most importantly, the Rams continue to control their destiny with three games left. The Rams end their season at the New York Jets and home to the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals.

The Rams have made the playoffs in five of the previous seven seasons under head coach Sean McVay, including a trip to Super Bowl LIII and a victory in Super Bowl LVI.

At 8-6, the Rams now sit half a game back of the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks.

But if the Rams are to make a playoff run, it will require some consistency from their offense, an area that has been a struggle.

Just four days after scoring a season-high 44 points against the Buffalo Bills -- a team that had already clinched its division -- Los Angeles struggled to move the ball on a rainy night.

In the first half, the Rams had 89 yards of offense, which is a season low. They picked it up in the second half, finishing with 302 yards in the victory.

Los Angeles Rams (8-6)

QB breakdown: Quarterback Matthew Stafford entered Thursday having four straight games with multiple passing touchdowns and no interceptions, which is tied for the longest active streak in the NFL and is tied for the longest streak of his career. He did not continue that streak Thursday, completing 16 of 27 passes for 160 yards in a game with no touchdowns on either side.

Eye-popping stat: For the first time since McVay was hired in 2017, the Rams failed to get a first down on their first four offensive drives, according to ESPN Research. A week after scoring a season-high 44 points, Los Angeles finished the game with only 14 first downs.

Describe the game in two words: Slow start. Against the 49ers, the Rams failed to score in the first quarter for the ninth time this season. According to ESPN Research, that is tied with the Bears for second in the NFL. In the extremely wet conditions, they failed to find ways to consistently establish the run or get the ball to wide receivers in space, putting additional pressure on the defense. -- Sarah Barshop

Next game: at Jets (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Dec. 22)

San Francisco 49ers (6-8)

For the better part of the past five years, whenever the 49ers needed a galvanizing win to push them forward to a postseason appearance, they've often earned them against the Rams.

On paper, Thursday night set up perfectly for the Niners to write another successful chapter in their rivalry with Los Angeles and breathe life into their fledgling playoff hopes. The return of linebacker Dre Greenlaw and defensive end Nick Bosa from injury figured to offer an additional spark for a team that has spent the past two weeks speaking of the desperation it needs to make a postseason push.

As has been the story of the season in San Francisco, none of that was enough. For a team that has won its share of old-fashioned NFC West slugfests, Thursday's defeat hammered home the point that the Niners are no longer kings of the division.

Although it was only three points, the Niners blew a fourth-quarter lead of three or more points against an NFC West opponent for the fourth time this season. It makes them the first team to do that since the 2000 New England Patriots and effectively kills San Francisco's hope of a third straight division crown and a playoff berth.

Sure, there are distant mathematical methods for the Niners to still sneak in, but at 6-8 overall and 1-4 in the division, they'd have to win out. Considering they haven't won more than two games in a row this season, it's difficult to imagine that's even possible.

The next four weeks should only reveal more about where the Niners are headed in 2025.

Promising trend: In a tight, low-scoring game such as Thursday's, special teams figured to play a prominent role in the outcome. Though the Niners entered ranked 32nd in the league in expected points added via special teams, there were no fingers to be pointed at that unit against the Rams.

Kicker Jake Moody made his field goal attempts, punter Pat O'Donnell was solid, and punt returner Jacob Cowing averaged 10.2 yards per return. It wasn't a perfect performance (they had a pair of 5-yard penalties on punts) but the Niners generally had no back-breaking mistakes in the third phase. That's enough to qualify.

QB breakdown: Brock Purdy was mostly solid despite the rain doing him no favors, but the decision to throw deep that turned into an interception was the biggest mistake of the game.

Although Purdy has struggled in poor weather conditions in other games, his numbers Thursday should have been better than they were. Receivers Jauan Jennings and Deebo Samuel Sr. combined for multiple drops, including a potential touchdown to Samuel on a third-quarter slant over the middle. Purdy finished 14-of-31 for 142 yards with an interception.

Pivotal play: With a little more than 5 minutes to go, the Niners faced second-and-10 at the Rams' 33. With Moody already converting a pair of long field goals, that was field goal range.

But quarterback Purdy lost sight of the situation and attempted to force a deep ball to wideout Jennings deep down the right sideline. Rams cornerback Darious Williams picked it off in the end zone for a touchback to kill the drive. -- Nick Wagoner

Next game: at Dolphins (4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday, Dec. 22)

Bronny James' first road game in the G League resulted in the highest-scoring output of his young career Thursday night.

The Los Angeles Lakers rookie scored a game-high 30 points on 13-of-23 shooting as his South Bay Lakers fell to the Valley Suns 106-100 in Tempe, Arizona.

The No. 55 pick in this year's draft added three rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block. He's now averaging 14.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists across four G League games overall.

James, 20, was recently sidelined for several weeks while dealing with a bone bruise in his left heel. The Lakers were cautious in his recovery, sources told ESPN on Wednesday, because the heel injury was affecting the same leg that required left knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus when he was in high school.

James has played seven games in the NBA this season, most recently Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers, but is averaging less than 3 minutes per contest.

James' father, LeBron James, will miss a second straight game Friday when the Lakers take on the Minnesota Timberwolves. He's dealing with foot soreness, according to the team.

The NBA's Last Two Minute Report confirmed that officials made the correct call when Jonathan Kuminga was assessed a personal foul on Jalen Green on a loose ball scramble, resulting in Green hitting the winning free throws during the Houston Rockets' 91-90 win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.

A livid Steve Kerr said after the game that the officiating crew, led by crew chief Bill Kennedy, had made an "unconscionable" call that the Warriors head coach had never seen in his NBA career. Kerr argued that the officials had allowed physical play up until that foul call with 3.5 seconds left.

Green's free throws sent the Rockets to Las Vegas to play in the NBA Cup semifinals against Oklahoma City on Saturday.

"I'm pissed off," Kerr said, echoing how his team also felt on late Wednesday night. "I wanted to go to Las Vegas. We wanted to win this Cup and we aren't going because of a loose ball foul, 80 feet from the basket with the game on the line. I've never seen anything like it in my life, and that was ridiculous."

On the possession that Kuminga fouled Green, Stephen Curry missed a 3-point attempt. A chaotic scramble for the loose ball ensued. Gary Payton II was able to gain possession of the ball on the floor as Fred VanVleet dove for the ball, too. Payton then tried to pass the ball to Kuminga, resulting in Green diving on the ball. The NBA said Kuminga "reaches over Green in an attempt to get to the ball and pulls his shoulder down."

As for Payton and VanVleet, the NBA determined it was a correct non-call as both made "incidental contact with each other in pursuit of the loose ball."

"I've never seen a loose ball foul on a jump ball situation, 80 feet from the basket with the game on the line," Kerr said. "I've never seen that. I think I saw it in college one time 30 years ago. Never seen it in the NBA. That is ... unconscionable. I don't even understand what just happened. Loose ball, diving on the floor, 80 feet from the basket, and you're going to give a guy two free throws to decide the game when people are scrambling for the ball. Just give them a timeout and let the players decide the game. That's how you officiate. Especially because the game was a complete wrestling match. They didn't call anything.

"So you've established you're just not going to call anything throughout the game. It's a physical game. And call a loose ball foul on a jump ball situation with guys diving on the floor? With the game on the line? This is a billion-dollar industry. You got people's jobs on the line."

This is the second loss in eight days in which the NBA confirmed a late call was correct that Kerr believed cost the Warriors a game. At the end of a 119-115 loss at Denver on Dec. 3, Kerr argued that Denver's Christian Braun signaled for a timeout after securing a loose ball while Denver had no timeouts left. The officials said they did not see Braun clearly signal for a timeout, which would have resulted in a technical foul and possession for the Warriors with 1.9 seconds left down four. The officials called for a jump ball instead.

"I am stunned," Kerr said after the Houston loss. "I give the Rockets credit. They battled back. They played great defense all night. But I feel for our guys. Our guys battled back, played their asses off and deserved to win that game or at least have a chance for one stop at the end to finish the game.

"And that was taken from us by a call that I don't think an elementary school referee would've made because that guy would've had feel and said, you know what? I'm not going to decide a game on a loose ball, 80 feet from the basket."

The trial of Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, who is due to stand trial on charges of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation against a minor and human trafficking that could result in a sentence of up to 20 years, was postponed on Thursday until June 2, 2025 after a judge in the Dominican Republic ruled that key witnesses were not located in time to meet the originally scheduled Dec. 12 date.

Of the 36 witnesses scheduled to testify, only three were present in the courtroom in Puerto Plata on Thursday.

Dominican judge Yacaira Veras postponed the hearing at the request of prosecutors. Franco's lawyers asked the court to reconsider the postponement, arguing Franco must report to spring training in mid-February.

"There is no case against Wander, for as many witnesses as they present, there is no case now," Franco's lead lawyer Teodosio Jáquez told The Associated Press after the hearing.

The judge replied that Franco is obligated to continue with the trial schedule and his conditional release from detainment.

The 23-year-old shortstop said that his career is not over yet, that he wants justice to be done and that "everything is in God's hands."

Franco was a little upset when reporters ask him if his MLB career was over.

"I did not had a career," he said, implying that he still has it. "This is not over."

Franco, who was present in the courtroom to hear the news of the rescheduled trial, was placed on indefinite administrative leave from Major League Baseball on Aug. 22, 2023 in the midst of his third season. He was added to MLB's restricted list in July of 2024, sources had told ESPN, after prosecutors in the Dominican Republic accused him of having a sexual relationship with a then-14-year-old girl.

Documents that prosecutors presented to the judge in July and were viewed by The Associated Press alleged that Franco, through his mother Yudelka Aybar, transferred 1 million pesos (about $17,000) to the mother of the minor on Jan. 5, 2023, to consent to the abuse. The mother of the minor has been charged with money laundering and is under house arrest.

Prosecutors say the minor's mother went from being a bank employee to leading an ostentatious life and acquiring assets using the funds she received from Franco. Prosecutors say $68,500 and $35,000 were found during raids on the house of the minor's mother, which prosecutors allege Franco delivered.

Franco is also under an MLB investigation based on its domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy until the case is resolved.

The new court date for Franco and the mother of the girl now extends three years past the time that an investigation was opened in 2022. The case will be heard by a panel of three or five judges.

Franco is also facing charges of illegal use and possession of a firearm related to his arrest in an armed altercation in the Dominican Republic countryside last month. No court date has yet been set for his arraignment in that case. Prosecutors said a Glock with its magazine and 15 rounds of ammunition but no registration papers was found in Franco's black Mercedes-Benz at the time of the altercation.

The Rays gave Franco an 11-year, $182 million extension in 2021, just 70 games into his major league career.

He made the All-Star team for the first time in 2023.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Willy Adames wasted little time making one thing clear: He wants to play all 162 games for the San Francisco Giants.

So when introduced as their new shortstop Thursday, Adames looked to his left and gently put a hand on manager Bob Melvin's right shoulder, smiled and said, "if he lets me."

Melvin might not need much convincing, thrilled to suddenly have stability at a position that lacked continuity this year in his first season as skipper.

Adames didn't hesitate to also offer a thought to new boss Buster Posey: He plans to win a few championships with the Giants just like the catcher-turned-executive did here.

Surrounded by his parents and other family and friends, Adames was formally introduced and welcomed at Oracle Park after signing a $182 million, seven-year contract - the first big, splashy move made by Posey since he became President of Baseball Operations in late September.

"There's no words to describe my feeling right now to be here in this beautiful city, I'm just so happy to be here," Adames said. "... This is a dream come true for me. I'm thrilled to be here, I'm so excited. Hopefully we can win a few championships like you did, and that's one of the main reasons I'm here."

Everyone who has encountered Adames so far can't wait for him to get to work as an example both on the diamond and in the clubhouse.

"He's a unique connector of people," Posey shared from Craig Counsell's description of the 29-year-old infielder from the Dominican Republic. "That really struck me because I think to win championships you have to have personalities like Willy that they're able to identify with everybody in the clubhouse, and that's not just players. I heard from multiple people that Willy treats everybody with the utmost respect. He plays with energy, he plays with joy and I know that our fans are just going to be thrilled to watch him compete on a daily basis."

Adames' deal marks the richest contract for San Francisco since Posey reached a $167 million, nine-year pact in 2013.

"I didn't know 'til it was done. I was like 'wow,'" Adames said.

From afar, Adames watched the legacy left by his hero Derek Jeter that went far beyond the baseball diamond.

And that's as important to Adames as playing all 162 after he appeared in 161 games last season for Milwaukee. He considers part of his role to help the young players learn "to be a professional" and lead a club that has missed the playoffs the past three years in winning the right way.

"For me that comes first, it comes first to be a great human being. I've got to thank my parents for that, they raised me the right way, to try to treat everybody the same, it doesn't matter what you're doing," Adames said. "I think that's something that I'm really proud of, just to be the same guy every day, to be kind, just to give love back to people because there's a lot of hate out there and I don't really like that."

The Giants know Adames' positive influence could go far.

Asked about the instability at shortstop, Melvin noted, "Well, it's not a problem now."

Adames gives the Giants a power bat and reliable defense at his position. This year for the Brewers, he produced his best offensive season in the big leagues, batting .251 with a career-high 32 home runs and 112 RBI.

"Look, every team wants a Willy Adames on their team. I think the thing that strikes me the most is when I'd watch him play a couple times a year on the other side was he never looked like he had a bad day," Melvin said. "It always looked like every day was opening day to him. That enthusiasm when your best players are like that - Matt Chapman is like that, too - it's easy for everybody to have to fall in and play in that type of style. It's easier said than done but really for me that's the thing that struck me most is how much he loved playing baseball."

Adames is close friends with former Giants third baseman Matt Duffy, who shared his own experiences being part of the San Francisco franchise.

It all became real when Adames pulled on his new cream-colored Giants jersey and buttoned it up, saying, "I'm a little nervous about this."

A few moments later, the cap went on his head and he felt right at home.

"It looks amazing."

NEW YORK -- Juan Soto's decision to sign with the New York Mets not only bolstered the organization's chances to win World Series titles for years to come. It also doubled as a blow to their crosstown rivals after Soto thrived in his only season with the New York Yankees.

On Thursday, after his introductory news conference at Citi Field, Soto said the Yankees "did everything in their power" to sign him, but he ultimately thought the Mets were a better fit.

"I don't think it was the Mets over the Yankees," Soto said. "I think it was five teams that [were] right there on the table. I don't think it had anything to do with the Mets over the Yankees. I think we had all five teams pushing until the last moment, until the last time of making the decision. And we went over to the Mets."

Soto shined in the Bronx, clubbing a career-high 41 home runs, finishing third in American League MVP voting and helping the Yankees reach their first World Series since 2009 in his age-25 season. Their final offer -- 16 years for $760 million with no deferrals, according to sources -- was competitive with the 15-year, $765 million deal he chose to sign with the Mets.

It also would have been the largest contract in professional sports history. But it wasn't enough.

"I had other four teams doing the same thing and trying to make me comfortable," said Soto, who didn't talk to any of his former Yankees teammates during his time as a free agent. "And at the end of the day, we looked at everything. We looked at the chances, and we looked at what the other teams wanted to do and what everyone wants to do for the next 15 years. And I think we have the best chance over here."

Mets owner Steve Cohen said Soto made a request for a family suite in his contract from the beginning of negotiations and he did not hesitate to include it, a step the Yankees were not willing to take based on precedence with other star players. The deal includes a $75 million signing bonus and an opt-out after the fifth year that the Mets can avoid by adding $4 million to Soto's annual salary over the final 10 years of the contract, raising the potential total value to $805 million.

"When you get to those numbers, you're in a stratosphere," Cohen said. "And so you got to make a judgement call that this is really going to matter to the Mets and be something that's going to drive our goal to win championships. To get a player of his caliber is really unusual. So you got to step a little bit further than you would expect."

Soto emphasized the Mets' vision for the future, the financial commitment Cohen insisted he would make and the way the organization treated players and their families as the drivers for his decision. He mentioned building a "dynasty" multiple times.

"The Mets are a great organization and what they have done in the past couple of years, showing all the ability to keep winning ... to try to grow a dynasty is one of the most important things," Soto said. "What you were seeing from the other side was unbelievable. The vibes and everything. The feel and the future that this team has, it has a lot to do with my decision."

Cohen said he found Soto to be a very detail-oriented person, peppering Mets officials with questions. At one point during Soto's second recruitment lunch with the club, held Friday in Florida, Cohen said the superstar right fielder asked him how many World Series titles he envisioned winning over the next 10 years.

Cohen told Soto he'd like to win two to four.

"I think this accelerates our goal of winning championships," Cohen said Thursday.

Accelerating the goal with Soto onboard was on Cohen's mind long before this offseason. President of baseball operations David Stearns said Cohen told him the Mets would make a strong push for Soto if he reached free agency this winter during discussions before Stearns was hired to lead the front office in October 2023.

"We talked about some of the generational players in our game and the difficulty of accessing some of those generational players and certainly Juan is one of them," Stearns said.

Stearns said the preparation to pursue Soto began in earnest in August. Scott Boras, Soto's agent, indicated that eight teams showed sincere interest in bidding for his services, but Soto chose to narrow the field to five: The Mets, Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Soto held meetings with four of the clubs at a hotel in Newport Beach, California, in November. The Mets were the only team not to meet Soto there. Instead, the Mets held their gathering at Cohen's $32 million mansion in Beverly Hills.

There, the Mets presented Soto a video, in English, created by Cohen's son, Josh, inside the home's movie theater. His wife, Alex, impressed Soto's camp with her focus on family with her 93-year-old father, Ralph, known at Citi Field as "Mets Grandpa," flying cross-country to be in attendance.

"My father-in-law is at every game, every home game," Steve Cohen said. "I wanted [Soto] to see how important baseball is to this family. You know, Alex grew up with one TV in her apartment and that Met game was on every night."

Over 30 members of Soto's family were in attendance for Thursday's news conference. The Mets served lunch with Dominican food items.

"It looks good on you!" a member of his family yelled out in Spanish when Soto put on his new No. 22 jersey standing between Stearns and Boras.

In the end, Soto wore that number only one season across town. The Yankees ultimately fell short of the ultimate goal. In Queens, the Mets made an unexpected run to the National League Championship Series a year earlier than expected on strong vibes and a solid foundation. Now it's about winning championships.

"It's been a Mets town for a long time," Soto said. "I think we just got to bring it to the top. Championships are going to tell you if it's a Yankees or a Mets town at the end of the day."

An England XV will host a France XV in an uncapped match at Allianz Stadium on Saturday, 21 June.

The game will act as a warm-up for England's three-Test summer tour of Argentina and the United States, while France are scheduled to play a three-match series in New Zealand.

Players involved in the English Premiership final on 14 June and those selected for the British and Irish Lions training squad will not be involved.

France will also be without players involved in their domestic Top 14 play-offs.

It follows an announcement last month by the French rugby union, which said it would not select players competing in the Top 14 final for the national team's summer fixtures.

"This game presents an exciting opportunity to see some of the rising stars of the game in action," said England head coach Steve Borthwick.

"It's always an incredible occasion when England faces France, and we're looking forward to creating a memorable experience for everyone involved.

"The match will be a valuable opportunity for the players to test their skills against a tough opponent and strengthen their chances for tour selection."

Sale: Carpenter; Roebuck, R du Preez, James, O'Flaherty; Ford, Warr; Rodd, Cowan-Dickie, Harper, Bamber, Hill, JL du Preez, B Curry (capt), D du Preez.

Replacements: McElroy, McIntyre, John, Beaumont, Dugdale, Quirke, Nayacalevu, Wills.

Racing 92: Tedder, Arundell, James, Chavancy, Spring; Lancaster, Le Garrec; Gogichashvili, Chat, Sordoni, Kpoku, Rowlands, Woki (capt), Baudonne, Dayimani.

Replacements: Escobar, Julien, Kharaishvili, Sanconnie, Diallo, Le Bail, Gibert, Naituvi.

Referee: Craig Evans (Wal)