SPEEDWAY, Ind. – The 15th edition of Indiana Midget Week is nearly upon us, with the week-long tour kicking off Tuesday, June 4.

Indiana Midget Week features the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship as well as non-sanctioned sprint cars for six-straight nights on six of the baddest bullrings in the Hoosier State.

It all begins June 4 at Montpelier (Ind.) Motor Speedway.  The quarter-mile dirt oval joined the Indiana Midget Week slate in 2016, and over the last three years, have presented feature events that’ve kicked off the week in thrilling fashion.  Kyle Larson won the first visit in 2016.  Last year, he brought out the broom, sweeping the night while establishing a new track record in qualifying and setting a new standard in the 10-lap heat race.  In 2017, current series point leader Tyler Courtney earned his first series points-paying win at Montpelier.

Gas City I-69 Speedway is the next stop on the tour a night later on June 5.  The quarter-mile dirt oval has been a staple on the IMW schedule since the beginning in 2005.  Shane Cottle and Darren Hagen have each won twice there, most among all drivers, but interestingly enough, four of the 10 drivers who’ve won in Indiana Midget Week at Gas City, their win was the first of their USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget career.  Last year’s event was claimed by rain, but New Zealand’s Michael Pickens was the hero in the most recent race in 2017.

The round at Lincoln Park Speedway on June 6, brings us to the halfway point of Indiana Midget Week.  The world’s fastest five-sixteenths-mile dirt oval joined the Indiana Midget Week schedule in 2010.  Chad Boat won his first USAC Midget race inside the state of Indiana and his first outside the month of August in last year’s IMW race at LPS.  Clauson leads all drivers in terms of Indiana Midget Week wins with nine, three of which he picked up at the Putnamville, Ind., track in 2011, ’12 and ’15.

Bloomington (Ind.) Speedway starts the second half of Indiana Midget Week on Friday, June 7.  The quarter-mile, high-banked red clay oval has been on the IMW calendar every year since 2008.  Last year’s event was claimed by Mother Nature midway through qualifying. Christopher Bell dominated the event three-years-running between 2014 and 2016.  Kyle Larson won his first USAC Midget feature at Bloomington in 2011.

The penultimate round of Indiana Midget Week brings the tour to Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway on June 8.  Throughout the course of Indiana Midget Week’s history, the series has seen two iterations of the track, first starting out as a quarter-mile speedway for Jay Drake’s victory in 2005 – which was also the first race in the history of Indiana Midget Week – to today’s three-eighths-mile, high-banked venue that hosted Spencer Bayston’s victory a year ago.

The track has been host to some of the wildest races in series’ history, namely Rico Abreu’s win in 2017 in which Holly Shelton led 26 of the 30 laps, with her third-place finish ultimately being, thus far, the best dirt track finish by a female in USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget history.

Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway has served as the finale in 12 of the 14 years of Indiana Midget Week, and this year, the quarter-mile dirt oval will crown the series champion.  Kevin Thomas Jr. won last year’s round at Kokomo and is the most recent USAC Midget winner at Kokomo, taking April’s Kokomo Grand Prix finale on a last lap, last corner pass.  Clauson is the only driver to repeat Indiana Midget Week wins at Kokomo, where he owns three. Brady Bacon won his first USAC race during Indiana Midget Week at Kokomo in 2006 at the age of 16.

Shane Cottle won the first two IMW titles in 2005-06 and is one of two drivers alongside Abreu (2014-15) to have won the championship in consecutive years.  Jerry Coons Jr. picked up the title in 2007 and is the only past Indiana Midget Week champion expected to compete in all six events on the schedule.  Tracy Hines picked up the first of his two Indiana Midget Week crowns in 2008 before grabbing another in 2010 as co-champion with Brad Kuhn.

Unsurprisingly, the winningest driver in the history of the series is the one with the most championships.  That’d be Clauson, who scored titles in 2009, ’11 and ’16.  Darren Hagen (2012), Christopher Bell (2013), Shane Golobic (2017) and Bayston (2018) each earned individual titles.

Golobic (2017), along with Cottle (2005), Hines (2008) and Clauson (2016), are the only drivers to capture the Indiana Midget Week title without the aid of a win.  For nine of the 26 drivers who’ve won an Indiana Midget Week feature, it was the first USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget win of his career: Johnny Rodriguez (Terre Haute 2005), Cottle (Gas City 2006), Bacon (Kokomo 2006), Steve Buckwalter (Gas City 2010), Larson (Bloomington 2011), Bell (Lincoln Park 2013), Tanner Thorson (Gas City 2015), Bayston (Gas City 2016) and Courtney (Montpelier 2017).  For Rodriguez and Buckwalter, it remains their only career series wins.

Putting Gary Bettman in charge of hockey labor peace is like putting a cat in charge of rodent safety. There are just some things that are inherently, instinctually part of an individual's comportment, and there's nothing they can do to suppress the urges.

For Bettman, it's labor stoppages. The only person who doesn't seem to realize this is Gary Bettman. "I think labor peace is important," he recently told Sports Business Journal's brand engagement and content summit.

OK, great. Let's have more of it.

Here's where the National Hockey League and the NHL Players Association stand: The current collective bargaining agreement ends after the 2021-22 season. The NHL can opt out of it on Sept. 1 of this year. If it chooses not to, then the NHLPA has the option to do the same. If either of them do so, then the CBA ends in September 2020.

"We've engaged in a number of discussions and meetings with the players' association. They're ongoing. Nothing much to update other than the fact that we expect to continue to have discussions over the summer," said deputy commissioner Bill Daly.

"Everybody has their own thoughts. It depends on what happens. We've got a board meeting in a couple of weeks. Then we'll have player meetings all summer long. If we need another board meeting the end of August, first month of September, we will," said Don Fehr, the NHLPA's executive director.

So everyone's on pins and needles, as per usual. Taylor Hall told ESPN this season that he's nervous. "Well, I was pretty confident there wouldn't be one last time and, sure enough, we didn't play until January," Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said. "So it's not really in our hands. The league has been known to do that quite a bit in the last three opportunities they had, so it's unfortunate. So I'd say, I'm not confident at all."

Yikes.

In an odd twist, you know who is confident there might not be a work stoppage?

"In my 26-plus years, this has been the most constructive time. The dialogue has been professional. We seem to understand each other better than ever," Bettman told the conference. "If the union thinks that things are good, maybe that'll be encouraging to both sides to maintain labor peace for as long as possible."

This, in the end, is the question: Are the NHL's salad days leafy enough that the players and owners don't want to do this again?

Here are the cases for labor peace and all-out war.

Also in this week's Wysh List: Week in Gritty | Jersey Fouls
Boston's food options | Player tracking update | Puck Headlines

The case for peace

Things are good right now in the NHL. The quality of play is better than it's been in recent memory, especially when it comes to offense. The average of 3.01 goals per game was the second highest since 1996.

Bettman's artificial parity is paying off. Attendance, for the most part, is strong. Ratings, for the most part, are good. The league is squeezing revenue streams for all they can produce, with more to come. The projected cap ceiling for 2019-20 is $83 million. League revenue has soared to $4.85 billion. Player salaries continue to grow, but apparently not to the point where owners feel the need to pound the negotiating table and demand that they're rolled back.

The reason these talks have started in earnest is because the owners aren't looking to drop an anvil on the players this time. Oh, sure, they want to win the negotiation, grab more of the pie than they already have. But there isn't the same obsession with changing the system there has been in previous Bettman-led CBA talks.

"The thing that stands out to me the most is we're able to have these discussions with a lack of tension," said Mathieu Schneider, the NHLPA's special assistant to the executive director. "When you start bargaining meetings like we did in 2012 ... You could cut the tension with a knife in those first couple meetings, and in most meetings. And we're able to have these discussions now without that tension, without walls being built up, and it's been very positive so far."

Again, things are good. Really good for the owners. Pretty good for the players. But good enough?

The case for war

There are two basic issues for the players in this CBA: Getting back to the Olympics, and figuring out a solution to escrow, the bane of their professional existence.

On the Olympics, it's an interesting battle. The NHL slowly pivoted from making this an "Us against the IOC" situation to making it a CBA bargaining chip, but lingering in the background is the fact that the owners truly don't want to do this again if the IOC doesn't sweeten the pot by easing marketing and revenue generating rules.

"Why don't you give us the same rights as the top sponsor?" Bettman asked. "We get to go as an invited guest, with no ability to advertise that we're there?"

Everyone expects the NHL will go back to the 2022 Olympics in Beijing because of how much groundwork they're laying in that market. The players probably know this, too, so it'll be interesting to see if they're willing to concede anything to get there.

Escrow is another story. This is going to be a fight.

In the current CBA, players and owners receive a 50-50 split of hockey-related revenues. But a percentage of a player's salary is withheld every season to cover potential shortfalls. After the season, total revenue is calculated, and players may be refunded a portion of the escrow. "We're paying so much on our checks every two weeks, it's like astronomical," said Hall.

"Obviously it's an irritant. From time to time it can be big one. The question is how do you fix it," said Fehr. "We can fix escrow by cutting salaries. The players aren't interested in doing that. So it has to become something you address in a way that makes sense for the players and addresses their concerns."

What makes sense? "If you change some of the preliminary inputs, you change the outputs," said Fehr.

Therein lies the fight. It's not over the existence of escrow, which is just going to be a necessary evil under a capped league. (And the players have neither the desire nor the patience for the biggest fight, which would be abolition of the salary cap.) It's over how escrow can be eased, which either means a recalculation of hockey-related revenue or, as the New York Post noted, the way long-term injured reserve players count against the cap:

"Under the current onerous system, players bear the cost and subsidize the league when other players go on LTI. If a $6 million player goes on LTI, his team can exceed the cap by $6 million. That extra $6 million is included in total payroll and therefore increases escrow under the 50-50 agreement. If the league eliminates additional payroll dedicated to LTI as part of the mix, that would reduce escrow. It would also slightly tilt the 50-50, so the NHL obviously would need something tangible in return -- perhaps a redefinition of Hockey-Related Revenue that would benefit the teams."

Will there be war or peace?

I'm a players guy. Part of that is growing up in a union house. Part of that is seeing what happens to players after their days are done in the NHL, and wanting them to maximize their profits. I'd like nothing more than to see them plant their flag on the battlefield and fight for the abolition of the salary cap and the end of false parity in the league. But we all know that's not going to happen.

What is going to happen: The owners will give the players their version of a new CBA. The players will undoubtedly balk at ratifying it. And then it's a staring contest as training camps and the season draws near, where we either get a deal or a lockout.

Here's hoping it's a deal. Yes, escrow sucks, and one hopes there's a good-faith effort to ease that burden on the players. But the NHL should take its cue from the NBA, which surprised everyone with a fairly swift and painless collective bargaining agreement. As commissioner Adam Silver said, "The fortunes of the league, the fact that there is more money to distribute among our players and teams, has created an atmosphere that makes it more conducive to continue a deal that looks a lot like the current deal. I think there is a sense across the table that we have a system that we both fought hard for in the last round of collective bargaining that for the most part is working pretty well."

The NHL's system, imperfect as it is, would appear to be working the same way. So for the first time in over 25 years, maybe it's time for a bloodless agreement and labor peace. If, in fact, that's something Gary Bettman is capable of achieving.

BRB, going to hit the gym

As you might have heard, the Boston Bruins brought in some additional food items to the Stanley Cup Final, in an effort to ... I don't know, fatten us up enough to then eat us?

Here's the Doughnut Burger, "a double cheeseburger sandwiched between two glazed doughnuts with bacon, fried jalapeños and crispy onions."

Oh my god pic.twitter.com/uzqL6GDNgG - Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) May 26, 2019

You may find it both unsurprising and disgusting that I've actually had a doughnut burger before, back when a minor league baseball team debuted a Krispy Kreme Burger some years back. Not much has changed here: The salty grease of the meat partners well with the sweetness of the doughnut, and the onion straws bring some texture. But two bites of this thing and you'll be feeling like a cement truck just dumped its payload into your stomach.

Meanwhile there was also this monstrosity:

This is the bacon wrapped hot dog covered in steak and cheese and it's a bit of a mess to eat. The bacon donut burger, on the other hand ... ������ pic.twitter.com/FrV9YWqUgm - Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) May 26, 2019

Yes, it's the "Cheese & Steak Hot Dog," which is (spoiler warning) a "footlong, bacon-wrapped hot dog, topped with steak and cheese." It's an absolute mess to eat. You know what a hot dog wrapped in bacon doesn't need? Help.

Puck tracking update

Another point of conversation in Bettman's recent State of the NHL address was puck and player tracking, on which he remains bullish about a debut next season. As we've covered previously in this space, the NHL is using a combination of sensors on players and the puck along with an optical tracking system. While the technology of the former has been touted as revolutionary, the technology of the latter was previously seen as inefficient.

Is the NHL at all concerned about this?

"No. We've always taken the approach that we'll do both, and figure out which one we like better and which one works best for us. I think having the optical is helpful in determining how we ultimately want to do this," said deputy commissioner Bill Daly. "I don't think [optical] was ever rejected I think there was a decision at one point that we wanted to do chip-based technology only, and that was changed for a variety of reasons. I think they were good reasons. We're actually pleased we have both technologies for that."

I still feel the NHL's initial pitch on player and puck-tracking was the chip-based, antenna system, with optical added later when they realized there were holes in the tracking. I'm still not sold on the hybrid concept, but I sure do hope it works.

The Week in Gritty

The Triangle Tavern in Philadelphia has a mural of the Philadelphia Flyers' orange nightmare fuel on it. Like a giant furry moth to a flame, it was also discovered by Gritty himself:

never meet your heroes. pic.twitter.com/qyNDhSZs0W - Gritty (@GrittyNHL) May 29, 2019

A couple of questions:

1. Is Gritty showing us he loves and appreciates this artwork, or does Gritty think this is actually another Gritty, much like a parrot will believe there's a second parrot in its cage if you put a tiny mirror next to it?

2. No, actually, that's our only question.

Jersey Fouls

From a St. Louis Blues fan who is canceling their former captain:

Before -> After @StLouisBlues>@Barbashev2295>#stlblues>pic.twitter.com/6loqJxUrYb - Emily Hummel (@little_hums) May 29, 2019

A well-executed Traitor Jersey, as David Backes' name and number are repurposed, and a Blues fan saves some money in creating a new sweater. One problem: That jersey was put out of circulation in the season before Ivan Barbashev's rookie debut. So, in the end, it's a Jersey Foul.

Puck headlines

Frank Seravalli really captured the spirit of the thing after Carl Gunnarsson's bathroom prediction in Game 2.

This is fun: Ranking all the jersey matchups through the entire playoffs, as well as making a visual brand-based prediction for the Finals.

The new Vancouver Canucks jerseys may have leaked. Say goodbye to "Vancouver" on the front.

Nice piece here on Canadian hockey announcer Harnarayan Singh.

Whatever WalletHub is, it believes that Boston is the best hockey city in the U.S. while Minneapolis is ranked behind South Bend and Schenectady. So, who's to say, really?

Pushing back on "heavy hockey."

The 10 blockbuster trade candidates this summer in the NHL.

Hockey tl;dr

What the hiring of Dave Tippett means for Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl ($).

In case you missed this from your friends at ESPN

Catching up with Hayley Wickenheiser about the future of women's hockey.

Alistair Dobson, a senior marketing manager from the AFL, will replace Kim McConnie as the head of the Big Bash League. The appointment comes at a pivotal time for the tournament amid turmoil in Victoria and after its rapid growth into a property worth up to half the total value of Cricket Australia's A$1.2 billion domestic broadcast rights deal.

Having worked in Australian football for more than 20 years, including 14 of those at league headquarters, Dobson will arrive at the head of the BBL - reporting to the executive in charge of events and leagues, Anthony Everard - at a moment marked by plenty of growing pains for the league and major ructions in Victorian cricket's governance.

On Thursday, it emerged that the Cricket Victoria Board has resolved to bring the management of the Melbourne Stars and the Melbourne Renegades completely in-house. This after a decade of the two clubs operating with their own chief executives - Clint Cooper and Stuart Coventry - and their own independent boards.

Eddie McGuire, president of the Collingwood Football Club, is president of the Stars and the former Hawthorn full forward Jason Dunstall is chairman of the Renegades, while the Sport Australia chairman John Wylie is McGuire's deputy on the Stars board. Each BBL club has a CV board director on their boards: Paul Jackson at the Renegades and Claudia Fatone at the Stars.

It is believed that the boards and chief executives of the Stars and Renegades are set to meet with CV, its chairman Paul Barker and chief executive Andrew Ingleton on Friday afternoon to be formally advised of the decision. An agitated Dunstall was seen leaving CV's headquarters at St Kilda's Junction Oval on Thursday.

Talk of a major restructure for Victoria's two BBL clubs has circulated for some weeks, although there is believed to be anger both at the fact of the change being made after previous indications were given that any such move had been shelved and also the way it has been handled. The Renegades bet the Stars in the BBL final this season, and both clubs have been successful both as performing teams and commercial entities over their nine seasons in existence.

However the Victorian structure has differed markedly from that chosen in New South Wales, the other state with dual BBL clubs. The Sydney Thunder and Sixers teams have no more senior figures than general managers, while matters of wider strategy and commercial considerations are dealt with directly by the Cricket NSW management and board. CV are believed to have been recently recommended this course of action by an external consultant, amid efforts to cut costs and reduce duplication within the state association.

The tournament schedule, meanwhile, has been the subject of feverish discussions since last summer's expansion to a full 14 game home and away season, with a revised program and finals series set to be announced next month after major input from the broadcasters Seven and Fox Sports.

Dobson's roles at the AFL have included those of brand manager, fan development manager, head of programs and market development and finally head of marketing, participation and market development since October last year.

His predecessor McConnie left CA after being offered a marketing job with Foxtel, having overseen two seasons of the competition. Dobson's first season in charge will feature the inaugural standalone edition of the WBBL in October and November, after the women's tournament grew strongly in quality and commercial value overs its first three seasons running parallel with the men's season.

There has been notable disquiet about the travails of equivalent AFLW competition, which was launched ahead of schedule for its first season in 2017 and has since found itself squeezed between demands for more clubs, commercial and scheduling pressures and a groundswell for greater support and prominence for female athletes in professional sport.

Cricket Australia and Cricket Victoria declined to comment.

Duke's Zion Williamson -- one of the most anticipated NBA draft prospects in a generation -- has signed with CAA Sports, the agency announced Thursday.

CAA basketball agent Austin Brown and CAA executive Lisa Joseph-Metelus will represent Williamson, sources told ESPN.

Williamson, 19, has been pursued with great enthusiasm from potential endorsers, including shoe companies. Williamson is expected to command one of the largest rookie shoe deals in history.

The New Orleans Pelicans plan to choose Williamson with the first overall pick in next month's NBA draft.

Williamson, a 6-foot-7 forward, was the consensus NCAA Player and Freshman of the Year.

Brown represents several top NBA players, including Brooklyn Nets All-Star D'Angelo Russell, Denver Nuggets guard Gary Harris, Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton. He has a law degree from Washington Lee University and played college basketball at DePauw University.

Joseph-Metelus worked closely with future Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade throughout his career, guiding much of his brand-building away from the floor.

The great free-agent freeze of 2018-19 is still going on even as summer approaches -- Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel, after all, remain unsigned -- but two months into the season is a good time to look back on what transpired in the offseason and give some early grades. Here are some of the major offseason signings and how they have worked out so far:

Jump to ...: The $300 million men | Big-money pitchers | Rays | Dodgers | The former MVP | Big-name outfielders | Twins

The $300 million men

Bryce Harper, Phillies (13 years, $330 million) -- There are a lot of positives here as the Phillies are in first place, attendance is up more than 9,000 fans per game and Harper has played every game. His defense has been vastly better than last season and he has hit three of the 30 longest home runs of the season. On the other hand, he is hitting .243/.364/.475 with 10 home runs -- a relatively soft number considering 69 players had already hit 10 before Harper reached double digits Wednesday -- and was tied for the major league lead in strikeouts entering Wednesday. He ranked 84th in the majors in wOBA and the Phillies didn't give Harper $330 million to be the 84th-best hitter in the game.

He's drawing walks and one hot streak will increase his current pace of 27 home runs to 30-something. Still, the strikeouts are a growing concern -- up 7.2 percent from last season and more than 10 percent from two seasons ago. One thing to wonder about is his approach at the plate, especially with nobody on. He's hitting .306 with runners in scoring position and .299 with men on base, but just .168 with the bases empty. The same thing happened last season, when he hit .290 with runners in scoring position, .303 with men on and .214 with the bases empty. Maybe he's trying too hard to hit home runs with nobody on. Maybe he needs to view himself as a hitter more than a power hitter. Selling out for power with nobody on isn't working. Grade: C-

Manny Machado, Padres (10 years, $300 million) -- Machado is hitting .264/.348/.433 with nine home runs, numbers that are below his establish norms as he has averaged .284/.345/.511 with 36 home runs the past four seasons. His strikeout rate is high for him, but there may also be some park effects going on here:

2015-2018 home (Camden Yards): .304/.368/.568

2019 home (Petco): .250/.333/.380

2015-2018 road: .268/.324/.463

2019 road: .283/.363/.495

The sample sizes for 2019 are too small to make a judgment just yet, so this is more of a "keep an eye on it" situation for now. Machado has also hit .301/.374/.516 in May and he did seem to be pressing a bit in April, perhaps overeager to justify the big contract right way. His versatility has been important as he has slid over to handle shortstop in the absence of Fernando Tatis Jr.

In the long term, the early bet is that Machado's contract looks like the better deal, in large part because he's going to have much more defensive value and Harper's strikeout problems remain an unsolved issue. In the short term, Machado has helped make the Padres relevant and exciting again. Grade: B

The pitchers

Patrick Corbin, Nationals (6 years, $140 million): It's not Corbin's fault the Nationals have been the most disappointing team in the majors. He's 5-2 with a 2.85 ERA and strong peripherals. (By the way, FanGraphs ranks Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Corbin first, second and 16th in pitching WAR, proof only that even a great trio of starters can't always carry a pitching staff.) Corbin hasn't been quite as dominant as he was in 2018 -- his swing-and-miss rate is down 6 percent -- and there are some who believe that throwing as many sliders as he does is a risky bet for long-term health, but for now he has been terrific. Grade: A-

Nathan Eovaldi, Red Sox (4 years, $67.5 million) -- I liked this signing as Eovaldi had made some adjustments last season, most notably adding a cutter to his upper-90s fastball, while also walking just 20 batters in 111 innings. There was some concern that he was getting paid for his big postseason performance, but there were reasons to believe in his improvement.

Of course, Eovaldi has a long list of injuries, including two Tommy John surgeries, and has qualified for the ERA title just once in his career, so the $67.5 million contract came with an even greater caveat than usual of "if he stays healthy." He made four starts and is now on the injured list after surgery to remove "loose bodies" from his elbow. He's scheduled to throw a simulated game Thursday or Friday, so he could be back in a few weeks. Grade: Incomplete

Yusei Kikuchi, Mariners (3 years, $43 million): Kikuch's contract includes a bunch of options, including a fourth-year player option at $13 million or a series of team options that could raise the total value of the contract to seven years, $109 million. He has been solid, pitching like the mid-rotation starter he was projected to be. The Mariners have been careful with his pitch counts (over 100 just once) and the porous Seattle defense hasn't helped, but he has kept his ERA under 4.00. Grade: B

J.A. Happ, Yankees (2 years, $34 million): Happ had been one of the most consistent starters the four previous seasons, going 58-29 with a 3.48 ERA while averaging 172 innings. After going 7-0, 2.69 with the Yankees after a trade with the Blue Jays last season, re-signing him felt like a pretty easy call for Brian Cashman, even though Happ was entering his age-36 season. Two things have happened on the way to his 5.09 ERA: His fastball velocity has dipped from 92.0 mph to 90.6 and he has been one of those pitchers burned by the rabbit ball (14 home runs in 58⅓ innings, including nine in 30⅓ innings at Yankee Stadium). There was always going to be some home run risk with Happ at Yankee Stadium, so there is a chance this could turn into another Sonny Gray situation in which he struggles at home. Grade: C-

The most expensive free agent in Rays history

Charlie Morton, Rays (2 years, $30 million) -- This looks like one of the best bargains of the winter as Morton is 5-0 with a 2.54 ERA while ranking in the top 10 among MLB starters in batting average allowed and strikeout rate. He doesn't go deep into games (he hasn't recorded an out in the seventh inning all season), but he limits hard contact and gives the Rays a chance to win. Grade: A

The Dodgers' big gamble

A.J. Pollock, Dodgers (5 years, $60 million) -- Pollock had three big strikes against him in free agency: 1. He has been injury-prone; 2. He had a sizable home/road split in his Diamondbacks days, hitting .266/.324/.434 on the road; 3. He was a 31-year-old center fielder at a time when you don't see many 32-year-old center fielders. The Dodgers gave him $60 million anyway, which ... well, good for A.J. Pollock. The Dodgers weighed all these risks against their need for a right-handed bat and a center fielder who would allow them maximum flexibility with Cody Bellinger. Sure enough, Pollock played 28 games, didn't hit and landed in the injured list with a staph infection in his right elbow. He's expected to miss two months. The Dodgers haven't really missed him. The reasoning behind signing Pollock was obvious and he was in demand as the only legit center fielder on the market, but all the concerns about him popped up one month into a five-year contract. Grade: D

The former MVP

Josh Donaldson, Braves (1 year, $23 million) -- Donaldson was one of the first free agents to sign, agreeing to a deal with the Braves in late November -- and betting on himself to have a big season after an injury-marred 2018. That hasn't quite happened as Donaldson's strikeout rate is sky high and the home run total -- at least in comparison to the going rate -- doesn't stand out. He has been a valuable contributor and gets on base, but the emergence of Austin Riley (playing left field for now) also means Donaldson will probably be shopping for a new team next season. Grade: B

Big-name outfielders

Andrew McCutchen, Phillies (3 years, $50 million) -- Given the way the market unfolded, the Phillies probably overpaid a bit for McCutchen. He's basically produced the same numbers as Harper -- .257/.375/.446 entering Wednesday -- at a much lower salary. He has even started nine games in center field and his defense in left has been very good. Grade: B

Michael Brantley, Astros (2 years, $32 million) -- The Astros needed a left-handed bat and Brantley looked like the perfect match from the outset of free agency. The Astros got him on a fairly risk-free, two-year deal and he's off to a great start with a .330/.386/.547 line with 10 home runs (he hit 17 in 143 games with Cleveland in 2018). Looks like he'll be headed to his third straight All-Star Game. Grade: A

The Twins

Prior to the 2018 season, coming off a wild card in 2017, the Twins waited out the market and signed Logan Morrison and Lance Lynn on the cheap (along with relievers Fernando Rodney, Zach Duke and Addison Reed). The moves didn't help much as the five players produced a combined 1.1 WAR, but Derek Falvey and Thad Levine deployed a similar strategy this offseason and the early returns are much better.

Jonathan Schoop, Twins (1 year, $7.5 million) -- An All-Star in 2017, Schoop hit just .233/.266/.416 last season and the Twins jumped on him with an early December signing. He still swings at everything, but -- like everyone on the Twins -- he's hitting for power and is making enough contact to hit .260. Grade: B+

Nelson Cruz, Twins (1 year, $14.3 million) -- The Twins also hold a 2020 option on the 38-year-old slugger. He was off to a solid start before a wrist strain sidelined him. Cruz is also a good clubhouse presence and it's hard to go wrong with a one-year deal on a player who hit at least 37 home runs the past five seasons (four of those playing home games in a tough park in Seattle). Grade: B

Marwin Gonzalez, Twins (2 years, $21 million) -- Despite his value as a utility guy, Gonzalez didn't sign until late February and was viewed as one of the winter's best bargains. He promptly hit .167 in April. He has turned it around in May and has started at four positions, plus DH. Grade: C

Martin Perez, Twins (1 year, $4 million) -- This could be the best bargain of the winter as Perez, coming off an absolutely dreadful season with the Rangers when he was one of the worst starters in the majors, added a cutter, ditched his slider and is 7-1 with a 2.95 ERA. He has one of the best soft contact rates in the game, which has allowed him to work around the walks and so-so strikeout rate. Grade: A+

In addition, the Twins claimed C.J. Cron off waivers and he's hitting .271/.337/.536 with 13 home runs. Falvey and Levine didn't break the bank -- those five players will make $41.8 million in 2019, $13.2 million less than division-rival Detroit is paying Miguel Cabrera and Jordan Zimmermann -- but all five transactions are paying dividends. Guess who has the best record in the majors?

Kyle Edmund is out of the French Open after retiring during his second-round match against Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas because of a left knee injury.

The British number one, 24, trailed 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 2-1 when he called the trainer.

After a lengthy chat the 28th seed told Cuevas he could not continue and shook hands with his opponent.

Edmund's exit means Johanna Konta is the only Briton left in the singles at Roland Garros.

Edmund was bidding to reach the last 32 of the French Open for the third successive year, having ended a five-match losing streak on clay this year with a gutsy five-set win over France's Jeremy Chardy in the opening round.

But the Yorkshireman never looked comfortable from the start against 33-year-old Cuevas, a clay-court specialist who has won all of his six ATP Tour singles titles on the surface.

After losing his opening service game of the match, Edmund fought back to level the first set at 4-4 before Cuevas ran away with the tie-break.

Cuevas caused problems with his dominant backhand as Edmund struggled to unload his favoured forehand, the Briton winning just four points on his way to losing the final four games of the second set.

That left Edmund needing to do something he had never done in his career - win from two sets down.

From this position he had lost 13 previous matches and another exit followed when he shook hands with world number 47 Cuevas, who will face Austrian fourth seed Dominic Thiem in the last 32.

A management reshuffle at Bristol Bears will see Mark Tainton appointed as the club's chief executive.

Bristol's all-time record points scorer held the role of interim head coach in 2016/17, before being appointed to a senior management role.

Following head coach Pat Lam's role changing to director of rugby, Tainton will also join the board of directors.

The Bears won nine out of 22 matches to finish ninth in their first season back in the Gallagher Premiership.