Newey: ‘I have seen great talent within our team’
Current chief Andy Cowell to become strategy officer
Adrian Newey, regarded as one of the best engineers in Formula One history, will become Aston Martin team principal next season,
Newey committed his long-term future to Aston Martin in September 2024 after his departure from Red Bull sparked a bidding war for the Brtion’s services.
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Luka Doncic set the tone with 24 points in the first quarter. LeBron James picked up the baton with 18 over the next two quarters. Austin Reaves put the finishing touches on the Lakers' 135-118 win over the Clippers on Tuesday by scoring 18 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers Big Three each starred in their solo parts while harmonizing almost perfectly together to propel the Lakers (13-4) to their fifth consecutive win. Doncic starred with 43 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds. Reaves added 31 points and nine rebounds, and James scored a season-high 25 points and six assists.
Here are three takeaways from the win:
Read more:Luka Doncic owns the Clippers again as Lakers win NBA Cup matchup
During parts of Sunday’s game in Utah, James desperately motioned toward the Lakers bench for a sub. When asked after the game about a particularly labored stretch during the second quarter, James quipped that it wasn’t just that moment.
“First, second, third and fourth,” James joked Sunday in Utah. “Come get me.”
Two days later, James looked almost back to normal as he had season-high 25 points, showing he had no trouble pushing the pace in transition while the team was plus-18 with him on the court.
“It will get better every game,” James said Tuesday of his conditioning. “Today was another … testament to that. So great win for us, but I'm starting to feel better and better.”
Coach JJ Redick said the Lakers will be tracking James’ three-point shooting, play-making and transition points as indicators of how he is progressing in his return from sciatica that sidelined him for 14 games.
On a team that was struggling to find its three-point shot, James can be a much-needed laser. James has shot 41.3% on catch-and-shoot threes during the past three seasons while increasing the volume of his shots. He has taken at least 184 such three-pointers in each of the past four seasons after taking no more than 148 in any of the prior eight seasons for which tracking data is available.
That skill came through in the perfect moment Tuesday with a corner three off an assist from Reaves in the fourth quarter, helping the Lakers start the fourth quarter on a 14-4 run. James made two of five three-pointers as the Lakers shot a season-best 44.8% from three to snap out of their shooting slump.
The Lakers locked up their spot in the NBA Cup quarterfinals, but there are still meaningful Cup games to be played.
With a 3-0 record in West Group B, the Lakers can clinch home-court advantage in the quarterfinals with a win Friday against the Dallas Mavericks in the group stage finale. A win would be the simplest way to avoid resorting to the point differential tiebreaker that could still be in play to decide the No. 1 seed in the West. Outscoring opponents by 36 points, the Lakers' point differential is 27 points behind West Group A leaders Oklahoma City (2-0 in group play) for the potential No. 1 seed. The top-seeded team will host the wild-card team, which earns its spot in the quarterfinal by virtue of being the best second-place team in group play. Portland and Denver are tied atop West Group C with 2-1 records.
The three-year-old NBA Cup, inspired by similar in-season tournaments in European leagues, has sparked confusion about the colorful courts and ever-changing group stage scenarios. The potential extra road trip and extra championship game could end up putting more wear on teams that have larger playoff ambitions, but the prize makes it worth the trouble: $500,000 for each player.
“Obviously I’ll accept money,” Doncic said with a sarcastic smile. “That's easy. ... I played it in Spain, something like this, so I like it. Just the courts, please.”
Doncic said the Lakers’ NBA Cup court — bright yellow with the gold and black trophy painted into the key — caused problems for a few players as they slipped on the new hardwood. An area near the free-throw line in front of the Clippers bench appeared to be especially slippery. Doncic said he could tell immediately during warm-ups that the surface could be a problem.
“I slipped a lot of times and you could see a lot of players slipped,” Doncic said. “And that's dangerous, man.”
Redick said he noticed players slipping, but also that they were falling prior to that. He said the team will look into the court.
With the $53,000 earned from advancing to the quarterfinals, Doncic can easily cover the fine that Jaxson Hayes incurred on Doncic's behalf late in Tuesday’s game.
With 3:36 remaining in a 10-point game, Doncic was positioning himself for a potential rebound under the rim when Clippers gaurd Kris Dunn shoved him in the back. Doncic called it a “cheap shot” and shouted back at Dunn, who answered by pushing the ball in Doncic’s chest. Hayes then stepped in and pushed Dunn away from Doncic.
“I didn’t like the way he shoved him,” Hayes said. “I just wanted to help.”
Read more:Luka Doncic helps Lakers hold off Jazz for fourth win in a row
Hayes was assessed a technical foul while Dunn picked up a technical for shoving the ball toward Doncic and was ejected with a second technical for retaliating against Hayes. Doncic immediately told Hayes that he would cover the $2,000 fine for Hayes’ first technical foul of the year.
"That says a lot about him," Doncic said. "That says a lot about this team. Everybody has got each other's back.”
Hayes and Doncic have grown so close in less than one season playing for the Lakers together that they have explored opportunities for Hayes to become a naturalized Slovenian citizen to play for the national team with Doncic. A high-flying athletic center, Hayes is the type of player who excels next to a pick-and-roll artist such as Doncic, who loves to put on a show with flashy lobs.
They paired for an exclamation point on the win when Doncic tossed up a pass for Hayes to slam down with two hands to put the Lakers up by 14 with 1:52 remaining. Hayes, who started for injured center Deandre Ayton, had eight points, four rebounds and three assists. Ayton is game-to-game because of a right knee contusion and Redick said he could return by the end of this week.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
When you think about the Mets' offseason and what the team will look like at the start of the 2026 campaign, there are a few things that immediately come to mind.
One is the future of the offensive core, which was broken up when Brandon Nimmo was traded to the Rangers for Marcus Semien.
Another is the free agency of Pete Alonso, who could return but whose power would have to be replaced externally if he signs elsewhere.
The bullpen also needs to be overhauled, and how it looks will have a lot to do with Edwin Diaz, who -- like Alonso -- is a free agent the Mets would like to bring back.
Then there's the starting rotation, which will very likely be bolstered in a big way -- with a trade for a top-of-the-rotation arm seeming likely.
As New York goes about rebuilding the starting staff, here's how things are shaking out...
There are currently eight realistic starting pitching options on New York's roster. They are:
Nolan McLean
Sean Manaea
Clay Holmes
David Peterson
Kodai Senga
Brandon Sproat
Jonah Tong
Christian Scott
Of those eight, it's fair to believe that three of them might be in ink when it comes to inclusion in the rotation out of spring training. Those three are McLean, Manaea, and Holmes.
Beyond McLean, Holmes, and Manaea, there are lots of question marks.
Peterson seems like a safe bet to be in the rotation if he's healthy, and there have been no rumblings about the Mets dangling him via trade.
The left-hander struggled for most of the second half of the 2025 season and was borderline unpitchable down the stretch, but it's possible fatigue played a factor. Peterson threw a career-high 168.2 innings last season, up from his previous high of 121.0 in 2024.
As far as Senga, his Mets future is in doubt.
After a 2024 season that was almost entirely lost to injury, Senga got off to a terrific start in 2025. But his season was interrupted by a hamstring injury, and he was never able to find his groove following his return. There were constant battles with his mechanics and comfort, and an eventual trip to the minor leagues -- where he attempted to get things right but was unable to do so.
Given how things have shaken out the last few years for Senga with the Mets, it feels like he'll be playing elsewhere in 2026.
Then there's Sproat and Tong, who both showed flashes when called upon late last season.
Sproat seems like the better bet to crack the Opening Day rotation, while Tong -- whose ups and downs were more stark during his brief big league stint -- could likely use some more time to refine his stuff and approach in Triple-A Syracuse, where he made only two starts last season before being promoted.
However, there's also the possibility that Sproat and/or Tong get traded this offseason.
The Wild Card in the mix is Scott, who opened eyes during his first taste of the majors in 2024 before undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Scott, 26, should be healthy entering spring training, when he'll be roughly 17 months post-surgery. But it could be a bit of a stretch to expect him to be in the mix for a starting spot right away. There's also a likely innings limit to consider.
It was the failure of the starting rotation that was most to blame for the Mets' 2025 season spiraling out of control.
Some of that had to do with really bad injury luck, but the depth that was assembled simply wasn't good enough. Beyond that, president of baseball operations David Stearns was not quick enough to act when the team needed reinforcements -- something he lamented during his end-of-season news conference.
With that as the backdrop, the expectation is that the Mets will add significant pieces to the rotation this offseason.
And it can be argued that the most sensible plan would be to seek a top-of-the-rotation starter via trade (given the Mets' glut of infielders and advantageous situation they're in with their farm system) and land a mid-rotation starter with upside via free agency.
Three of the most high-profile free agent starters -- Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez, and Michael King -- aren't ideal fits. Valdez is entering his age-32 season and had a troubling on-field incident last season, Suarez's fastball velocity has been steadily dropping, and King has serious injury concerns.
The two free agent pitchers who arguably make the most sense for the Mets? Dylan Cease and Tatsuya Imai.
Cease, who is entering his age-30 season, brings the floor of a solid innings-eater and the upside of a Cy Young candidate.
Imai, who has a fastball that sits in the mid 90s and reaches 99 mph, is viewed by many experts as a mid-rotation starter in the majors with room for more. And he's entering his age-28 season.
As far as the trade market goes, I'll buy that the Tigers are keeping Tarik Skubal when he takes the ball for them on Opening Day.
If Detroit is not serious about paying Skubal what it will take to keep him beyond 2026, he should be dealt now, which would allow them to import a massive influx of talent -- and the Mets have the assets needed should he be truly available.
Beyond Skubal is Brewers ace Freddy Peralta. And while Milwaukee's front office recently tried to shoot down rumors of him getting dealt, they certainly didn't say he was staying. There's also Joe Ryan of the Twins and Sandy Alcantara of the Marlins, who could both be on the move.
No matter who they wind up with, the Mets must find a way to properly address the rotation -- something they failed to do last offseason, which resulted in their undoing.
The Red Sox have been looking for a number two pitcher behind Garrett Crochet atop their rotation and may have just found their guy in Sonny Gray.
He didn’t come cheaply though. Boston had to part with a young starting pitcher in Richard Fitts and high-upside prospect Brandon Clarke to get it done.
The Cardinals also chipped in a cool $20 million to push this deal over the line. That brought Gray’s money due by the Red Sox down to $15 million before a mutual option for 2026 with a $5 million buy-out.
Let’s break it all down here.
D.J. Short
Starting with Gray, he’s been remarkably steady with a 3.53 ERA (39th among qualified pitchers) over 650 and 2/3 innings (17th among qualified pitchers) since 2022. In terms of volume and consistency, he's as solid as they come.
Yet, there are some troubling signs for the 36-year-old. His average fastball velocity has fallen from 93 mph to a shade under 92 mph over the last two seasons. With that, it has gotten absolutely destroyed by opposing hitters and has never been the most effective pitch.
Luckily, Gray still has one of the best breaking ball combos in the league with his sweeper and curveball.
Sonny Gray's 11Ks.
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 28, 2025
That rhymes. pic.twitter.com/SiC2osiJ8w
They are straight up nasty and give him an out-pitch for hitters from both the right and left side of the plate. His sweeper is so good it’s proven effective against lefties as well.
Sonny Gray, Sick 86mph Back Foot Sweeper...and Sword. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/JULgElUGBY
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 5, 2025
Despite his breaking ball quality, he wound up with an ugly 4.28 ERA last season. That was his worst mark since that one disastrous season he spent with the Yankees back in 2018.
His underlying stats hint that he pitched far better than that due to a strikeout minus walk rate that was seventh-highest in the league at 21.6%. That led to the 11th-lowest FIP and 6th-lowest SIERA in the league.
Striking out more batters and walking fewer is always good. It’s especially important in a hitters’ haven like Fenway Park where balls in play are more likely to do damage. That seemed like a key reason why the Red Sox targeted Gray.
They’ve found success over the last few years helping starters work around bad fastballs too.
Brayan Bello picked up a cutter in June that helped him reach another level. Garrett Crochet’s fastball and cutter were elite, but he developed a sinker last season that became his most used pitch against lefties by season’s end. It also had the highest Run Value in his arsenal.
Helping Gray find more consistency with his cutter and sinker could be the key to him achieving that number two starter production the Red Sox seek.
Again, the St. Louis got a huge return in Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke for one guaranteed season of a pitcher approaching their late 30s with a diminishing fastball.
Originally acquired by the Red Sox ahead of the 2024 season for Alex Verdugo (seriously) as one of the first moves Craig Breslow made in Boston, Fitts is a hefty, imposing right-hander listed at 6’3” and 230 lbs that has an interesting profile.
He’s pitched to a 3.97 ERA across 65 2/3 major league innings over the last two seasons, but struggled with both consistency and durability. He struck out far fewer batters than many expected (17.5 K%) given what appears to be a deep arsenal of seemingly plus pitches.
His fastball has sat between 94 and 96 mph with a cut-ride shape and great extension that should miss more bats at the top of the zone. He also has a trio of impressive breakers with a sweeper, tighter slider, and curveball that have all taken a jump in quality since joining the Red Sox organization.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see him become a stable back-end to mid-rotation starter if he can stay healthy and grow as a pitcher.
Clarke is the wild card in this deal. He’s a huge lefty with nearly seven feet of extension, a fastball that touches triple digits, and an outrageously good slider.
Brandon Clarke was a Top 5 prospect in Boston’s system & finished 2025 w/ a K/9 of 14.2 pic.twitter.com/Lc0pLy6IvU
— Ryan (@The_Ryan_Shull) November 25, 2025
He’s a project though with only thrown about 140 total innings under his belt between junior college and the minor leagues. He struck out 34.5% of the batters he faced last season across 38 IP split between low-A and A-ball, but ran a 15.5% walk rate.
This is a high-variance prospect whose most likely outcome is a high leverage reliever with the upside and raw stuff to potentially be a front-end starter if things break perfectly right.
It’s likely the $20 million the Cardinals included in this deal to pay down half of the guaranteed money on Gray’s deal helped them get these two exciting arms. If a team is going to tear it down, it’s encouraging for their fans that the club is willing to put money up to maximize their return.
Gray is going to be pitching in a worse park, but in front of a better team. His current Steamer projection is for a 3.45 ERA and the 11th best starting pitcher in 5x5 formats according to the FanGraphs Auction Calculator.
That feels like something closer to a high-end outcome to me though rather than an expectation. However, there is probably some upside just from the strength of the Red Sox’s major league pitching program and having the best outfield in baseball in terms of Outs Above Average behind him.
Fitts could factor into the Cardinals’ depleted rotation immediately and will be a fun dart throw in deeper leagues moving to a much better pitchers’ park if he’s healthy heading into spring training.
The motto that underscored the Colorado Avalanche’s magical run to the 2022 Stanley Cup championship was “Find a Way,” and Gabe Landeskog echoed a similar sentiment on Tuesday morning.
The Avalanche enter Wednesday’s game against the San Jose Sharks as the NHL’s top team, carrying a 16-1-5 record through 21 games. Having just one regulation loss at this stage of the season is almost unheard of—usually that’s a cliché, but in this case it’s fact. This level of dominance has been achieved only four times in the past 97 years. What we’re witnessing is historic.
And yet, there’s still room for improvement. The power play remains the one area of this team that could use a reset. But it’s early in the season, and the Avalanche are dominant enough right now that it makes sense for them to experiment with a few ideas.
Beginning with this past weekend’s road series against the Nashville Predators and the Chicago Blackhawks, the Avalanche began experimenting by moving Landeskog onto the first power play unit in place of Victor Olofsson. Landeskog told The Hockey News how he felt the group performed over those two games.
“The power play is one of the things we continue to work on,” he stated. “We’re understanding where we’re at; we’re understand that if our power play can start chipping in goals on a nightly basis, obviously that makes a big difference.”
But this Avalanche team has repeatedly demonstrated that even on nights when they lack their sharpest form, they still manage to manufacture wins. With that in mind, Landeskog remains confident that the group will eventually solve its power play issues.
“It’s early on in the season; we’re working on a few things and trying a couple different looks. It’s one of the things when it’s not working, it’s easy to start overthinking it, start pointing fingers, try to re-invent the wheel, but at the end of the day, sometimes you just got to stick with it.
“Sometimes there are tweaks to be made we make them no problem, but I think the power play is kind of the same as the rest of our game as we continue to work on it; we’re going to find ways (to succeed), and I’m not worried about it.”
Find a way, eh? What does remind of you of? We have an idea.
The Avalanche (16–1–5) have recorded 13 power-play goals this season, converting at a 15.7 percent clip—a rate that places them in a four-way tie for 15th in the NHL alongside the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, and St. Louis Blues.
Colorado dropped a 3–2 overtime decision to the San Jose Sharks in their previous meeting on October 1 at SAP Center. Tonight, the Avalanche have an opportunity to even the season series on home ice at Ball Arena. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. local time.
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The Florida Panthers are back in Sunrise and will kick off their longest homestand of the season on Wednesday night.
Florida will welcome the Philadelphia Flyers to Amerant Bank Arena for the final time this year after defeating Philly 2-1 back in the second game of the season.
It’s also the last time these teams will meet, barring a playoff series, as the Flyers took down the Panthers 5-2 on Oct. 13, which was subsequently Philadelphia’s home opener and the first road game on Florida’s schedule.
Former Panthers first round pick Owen Tippett has been a consistent source of offense for the Flyers of late.
He’s logged seven points over his past five games, and he’s placed the team in scoring over the past couple weeks.
New Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar has enjoyed a strong start in Philly.
He’s played very well in both games against Florida this season, stopping 56 of 60 Panthers shots in the two outings.
League-wide, there are 27 goaltenders who have played in at least 13 games, and of those 27 tendies, Vladar is tied with Vegas’ Akira Schmid for the fewest goals allowed at 31.
Entering play Wednesday, Vladar ranks sixth in the NHL in both goals against average, which is at 2.42, and save percentage, currently at .912.
Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Wednesday’s battle with the Flyers:
Mackie Samoskevich – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand
Jesper Boqvist – Evan Rodrigues – Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – A.J. Greer
Noah Gregor – Luke Kunin – Jack Devine
Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Uvis Balinskis – Jeff Petry
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Photo caption: Oct 9, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones (3) moves the puck against Philadelphia Flyers right wing Owen Tippett (74) during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
Last year, when the NHL paused to host a best-on-best tournament, two members of the Montreal Canadiens were asked to play for Team Finland: Patrik Laine and Joel Armia. The latter is no longer a member of the organization, having signed with the Los Angeles Kings over the offseason, while the former is still part of the team but, once again, sidelined by an injury.
According to the timeline provided by the Canadiens, when he underwent core muscle surgery, Laine could be back either in January or February. Even if he were back in January, would it be realistic to try to play in a best-on-best tournament? Probably not.
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There is, however, another member of the Habs who could have earned himself a spot with the Finnish national team thanks to his season debut: rookie center Oliver Kapanen. The 22-year-old is currently playing on a line with Ivan Demidov and Juraj Slafkovsky, after skating alongside Alex Newhook for the 17 games he played before his injury.
In 21 games, the youngster has put up 11 points, but he’s also been an essential part of the Canadiens’ penalty kill. Armia and Christian Dvorak’s departure created a need for the Canadiens in that role, and Kapanen jumped on that opportunity.
The center is currently fourth in rookie points with 11 and in a three-way tie when it comes to goals with seven.
The Canadiens’ coach describes him as having an elite NHL-level computer, praising his ability to read the game and the plays, which make him a very responsible two-way forward, precisely the kind of forward you need if you want to stand a chance in a best-on-best competition. The Finns will already be without one of the best two-way forwards in the game because of Aleksander Barkov’s injury, not that Kapanen can replace the Florida Panthers’ captain, but no one can replace Barkov.
Finland took the gold medal at the last tournament, but that was without NHL players competing. The last time NHLers skated in the event, at Sochi in 2014, the Finns left Russia with the bronze medal, and they’ll no doubt be aiming for the podium again.
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It's championship weekend for the City and Southern Section. Here's a look at some of the matchups Friday and Saturday.
With one week to go before college football conference races are settled, there's a multitude of possible tiebreakers in play ahead of Week 14.
Michigan's big jump in the College Football Playoff rankings raising questions, while Oregon jumped up, but not by as much as it could have.
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has stated he wants to stay at California, but the firing of Justin Wilcox could lead teams to entice him to transfer.
There's so much great women's college basketball left before the new year, including seven top-15 matchups. Here are the biggest through December.
The final remains curious in a Celtic context because it is the showpiece occasion the club would rather forget
It feels cruel in part to use Thursday’s meeting of Feyenoord and Celtic to reflect upon illustrious times. The Dutch side are 29th in the 36-team Europa League table, with Celtic’s position in 27th only more slightly more palatable to supporters because Rangers are bottom of the pile.
Those fans disrupted an annual general meeting to the point of abandonment last week, demonstrating the disharmony that has engulfed Celtic for months. A club that progressed to the Champions League’s knockout phase last season, looking an overdue but serious European force, have starkly regressed. Celtic have the spending power to outshine clubs who routinely embarrass them in a bigger pond than St Mirren and Motherwell occupy.
Continue reading...Kerry O’Keeffe has called the veteran left-armer ‘one of the most underrated cricketers Australia have produced’, and the figures back him up
When I close my eyes at night, Mitchell Starc is at the top of his run. It might be punishment for forgetting to vote for him in the Guardian’s all-time Ashes players list.
His 6ft 6in frame elongates and stretches until he’s uncomfortably filling my mind’s eye and then the legs start, a nightmare-beautiful rhythmic run. The arms piston, the eyes steady, the head as still as a marble mantelpiece. He’s a cheetah in giant white wristbands, a moon-marauding wolf, a river of melted chocolate, that expensive, unpalatable, 95% stuff.
Continue reading...The weight of The Game — the unique pressure Sherrone Moore avoided by circumstance for two seasons — now rests squarely on the Michigan coach.
