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Davey Johnson, former Major League Baseball player and manager, died on Friday. He was 82.

Johnson played 13 seasons in the majors, spending the majority of his career with the Orioles, where he was a stalwart at second base. He was a part of two World Series championship teams in Baltimore, in 1966 and ‘70, and was named an All Star four times.

After leaving the Orioles, Johnson spent a few seasons with the Braves, hitting alongside Hank Aaron, before stints with the Phillies and Cubs, as well as a brief stay with the Yomiuri Giants of NPB.

Just six years after his playing career, Johnson got his first shot as a manager, taking over the top job for the Mets in 1984. He found notable success in Queens, including a World Series championship in 1986. He also became the first NL manager in history to lead his team to at least 90 wins in his first five seasons at the helm.

After his time with the Mets came to a close, Johnson briefly led the Reds, Orioles and Dodgers before leaving the game in 2000. He would return in 2011 to lead the Nationals.

The Orioles celebrated the life of Johnson with a statement.

Those of a Liverpool persuasion are no doubt braced for the imminent return to action, with Arne Slot’s struggling champions hosting Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

It’s been anything but plain sailing for the Reds this season, and with only three points gained from their past six outings in the top flight, title-defending aspirations have devolved into fears that the Reds will miss out on Champions League qualification for only the second time in a decade.

Last season was nearly flawless until Slot’s champions eased standards toward the final stretch, save for Forest’s shock win at Anfield early in the campaign.

Liverpool will need to be at their best to ensure Sean Dyche does not heap more misery on his side. Set-pieces and long balls have been among the cruxes of this issue-ridden campaign, after all.

And they will have to make do without the creativity of Florian Wirtz, who has been ruled out with a muscle injury sustained with Germany.

The latest on Florian Wirtz's fitness

Wirtz is ruled out this weekend, having checked in after international action with a muscular problem. Conor Bradley is also sidelined, and for a longer period than the 22-year-old. However, Alisson Becker could make his anticipated return from injury.

Wirtz has been at the epicentre of Liverpool’s struggles this season, routinely hounded for his tough integration period after completing a £116m transfer from Bayer Leverkusen in July. The playmaker has yet to score across 16 matches in all competitions, and he has not registered an assist in the Premier League.

Though he struggled during the defeat at Manchester City two weeks ago, Wirtz has shown signs of progress in recent games, and his creativity will be sorely missed against a resilient Forest backline whose low block and resilience under pressure will prove a tough nut to crack at Anfield – last season bears testament to that.

While Cody Gakpo will fancy a return to the starting line-up in Wirtz’s stead, Slot may want to consider a more dynamic option for this one.

And Slot may have just the solution in Liverpool’s new version of Divock Origi.

Slot must unleash Liverpool's new Origi

Origi has achieved cult status at Liverpool. The Belgian striker only scored 41 goals across 175 appearances for the outfit, but his catalogue of big-game moments is something to behold.

His goal in the 2019 Champions League final over Tottenham Hotspur immortalised him on Merseyside.

Now, Liverpool find themselves enjoying the skill of a new version in Federico Chiesa, who has been unable to nail down a starting role in Slot’s team since completing a £12.5m transfer from Juventus in 2024.

Chiesa toiled through his first year in England, but he’s played a bigger role since the summer, having notched two goals and three assists across all competitions this season. He has played 12 times, yet only two of those appearances have come from the opening whistle.

In the words of reporter Lewis Oldham, “Chiesa has undoubtedly been a flop for Liverpool”, but he’s simultaneously emerged as a “Divock Origi regen” in that he is a rare trump card off the bench and a popular figure besides.

Because for all the hardship Chiesa has been through since joining Liverpool, he has enjoyed some big moments in red. It was the 28-year-old who bagged a consolation in the Carabao Cup final, and he ensured Slot’s side made it a winning start to the current campaign after restoring Liverpool’s lead over Bournemouth back in August.

Chiesa’s wizardry on the ball and natural striker’s instinct could see him slot right into Wirtz’s berth, playing off the left and drifting centrally to accommodate Liverpool’s tactical flow.

Given that the Italian has also won 55% of his ground duels and averaged 0.8 tackles per Premier League fixture this term in spite of not having started a game, he might even be an apt fit for the physical battle that comes with a clash against the Tricky Trees.

Liverpool cannot afford another slip-up at the moment and must secure three points against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. Given that Chiesa has been among the most coherent and dangerous forwards in Liverpool’s squad, surely it is time he earns a rare starting role in the big league?

Liverpool have a "ruthless" 19-year-old striker who could surpass Ekitike

Liverpool may have found the next big thing in their academy system.

By
Angus Sinclair

Nov 20, 2025

Former Tottenham star Gareth Bale has sent out a message to club legend Son Heung-min ahead of his return to Spurs on Tuesday. The South Korea international will make his first trip back to north London for the team's Champions League match against Slavia Prague where he will be given the chance to say a proper goodbye to fans following his summer exit.

• Son set for emotional Spurs visit

  Son left Tottenham in the summer after a decade with the club and joined MLS side LAFC on a free transfer. The popular star ended his stay on a high by captaining Spurs to a first trophy in 17 years by beating Manchester United in the Europa League final. The 33-year-old subsequently departed after the club's pre-season tour of Asia, meaning he is yet to say a proper farewell to Spurs supporters. That will all change on Tuesday night when Son will make his first return to the club for Tottenham's Champions League game against Slavia Prague. Son will be on the pitch before kick-off and will address the crowd in what promises to be an emotional occasion.

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  Bale has sent a special message to Son ahead of the fixture and hopes he enjoys what promises to be a very special occasion: "Hi Sonny, Just wanted to say a massive congratulations on your time here at Tottenham. Not many players get to bow out with their last game for their club with a trophy. You are a living legend here. Hopefully you will enjoy the evening. You deserve all the plaudits you get and good luck with my old club, LAFC, and hopefully you can bring home the title there as well."

• Spurs pay tribute to Son

  Tottenham have also unveiled a mural in tribute to Son ahead of the match. The artwork displayed on Tottenham High Road features Son's trademark celebration and the Spurs star with the Europa League trophy. Son paid a visit to the mural during his return to London and added his signature to the bottom.

  Son has also spoken about how important the trip back to his former club is for him, telling the club's media: "When I announced my difficult decision to leave Spurs in the summer, it was in Korea and I never got a proper chance to say goodbye to fans at the stadium. Now I am so happy because I am going to come back to London on 9th December, for the Champions League match, and be able to tell the Spurs fans in person just how much their support and love over 10 years has meant to me and my family. It will be emotional, but it's important for me and the club that this happens.”

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• Tottenham hoping to enjoy home comforts

  Son will no doubt be hoping to cheer Spurs to victory on Tuesday, with Spurs having been in good form at home in the Champions League. Head coach Thomas Frank is hoping his team can build on the weekend's win over Brentford and deliver another victory for fans. He told reporters: "It's always good to build momentum, to get more consistent performances. We will try to build on that tomorrow night, we have a good opportunity against a Slavia Prague side who are very direct and physical, man mark all over the pitch. That can particularly make it difficult for us. It is about us making sure we perform well, with forwardness and directness in attacking play."

James Rew scores unbeaten ton batting with younger brother, Thomas, for first time in senior match

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay06-Aug-2025Somerset brothers James and Thomas Rew combined in a dominant century partnership to steer Somerset to a comprehensive six-wicket victory over Middlesex at Radlett and get their county’s Metro Bank One Day Cup campaign off to a winning start.Batting together for the first time in senior cricket, James struck a magnificent unbeaten 106 from 90 balls (15 fours), while younger brother Thomas displayed his big-hitting form from the recent England Under 19s series. His 51 from 54 balls with three fours and three sixes was his first senior half-century. But while he fell with 58 runs still required, his brother was there to steer the side home with 15 balls to spare.For Middlesex, Josh de Caires hit a fine 71 in 86 balls, his maiden List A half-century to lay the foundation for Middlesex’s total of 289 for 7.While he shared an opening stand of 63 with Joe Cracknell (23), wickets fell at crucial times as Middlesex’s run rate slowed against tight Somerset bowling. It was new skipper Ben Geddes (40) who wrestled back the initiative before Jack Davies blazed a brilliant 64 during a fifth-wicket stand of 61 with Luke Hollman, 98 runs coming in the final 10 overs.Jake Ball, who also had two catches dropped off his bowling, finished with figures of 3 for 43, while Jack Leach took 3 for 47.Earlier, de Caires started confidently against Alfie Ogborne, cutting and pulling consecutive short balls and was strong on the drive too.Ball bowled a consistent probing line but was left frustrated during an excellent first over when two chances went down behind the wicket. Ben Green at wide first slip failed to hold a low chance offered by de Caires on 25, while keeper James Rew put down a regulation catch off Cracknell on 15.Ball and Green kept things tight, challenging the stumps with the scoring rate slowing significantly, just 23 runs coming in nine overs. Feeling the pressure, Cracknell flashed outside off-stump to Ball, Green making no mistake as he took a slip catch above his head.Finally, de Caires got one away, driving through midwicket, the first boundary for seven overs. Shackles released, he came down the pitch to dispatch Green for six before reaching his fourth consecutive half-century after three Championship fiftiesIt was Leach who made a double breakthrough. First, he got one to grip and turn to take the edge of Sam Robson’s bat, then, while the sweep had proved effective for de Caires, the reverse sweep proved his undoing. The Middlesex opener was adjudged lbw, leaving him frustrated as replays suggested the ball struck glove rather than pad.Geddes picked up the mantle, cutting and pulling dismissively. He picked a delivery from Ball off his hip for six as Middlesex’s rate climbed back above five but was caught attempting a big shot against Leach.Davies was soon on the charge, collecting two sixes as he slog-swept Archie Vaughan and hooked Green into the pavilion before smashing three boundaries over the covers.Ball broke the partnership, castling Hollman (21) as he dragged on and having Davies excellently caught by a diving Vaughan at long-on. Toby Roland-Jones was last to go, caught in the deep in the final over off Green.Middlesex strayed in line and length as Somerset openers Tom Lammonby (38) and Vaughan accumulated steadily, Lammonby clipping three boundaries stylishly off his legs.Noah Cornwell separated the pair, pushing one across Vaughan who edged to a diving Cracknell before Josh Little built steady pressure, finding consistent bounce and movement, eventually drawing Lammonby into the edge.Lewis Goldsworthy (38) took consecutive boundaries off wide deliveries from Little, while James Rew got off the mark swinging a Little free hit over the slips before stroking through midwicket. He cut a rare bad ball from Hollman to bring up the 50-partnership before Henry Brookes removed Goldsworthy as he deflected onto his stumps.The Rews settled into their work adding 107 in 16 overs, James showing beautiful timing as he gloriously drove Brookes before pulling Roland-Jones through midwicket. His brother drove nicely too but also dispatched Roland Jones for a big six.James cut Roland-Jones for consecutive boundaries and with Somerset passing 200 in the 36th over, Thomas audaciously reverse slog swept de Caires for six.Thomas pulled Hollman for another maximum to bring up the 100 partnership but with 60 needed off the last 10, he was caught pulling a short ball from Cornwell straight to midwicket.James though continued in the same vein before hitting two boundaries off Brookes to go to three figures and win the match.Josh Thomas (24) proved good support, winning a reprieve when he was dropped in the deep off Cornwell with 19 needed.

Carlos Correa is back.

One day after the Twins traded Correa back to the Astros, Correa was present with the team ahead of their game against the Red Sox on Friday.

"It's been great. [His former Astros teammates] treated me like I never left," Correa told reporters. "It feels good to be in this clubhouse again and spend the time with great guys and great players."

At just 17 years old, Correa became an Astro when they selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2012 draft. He made his MLB debut in 2015, and by 2017, made his first All-Star Game and helped the Astros win the World Series. He went on to make three All-Star Games with the Astros and was part of the organization for nearly a decade before signing with the Twins in March 2022.

Correa has spent the past three and a half seasons with the Twins, but with Minnesota trading away many players and not looking like contenders anytime soon, Correa opted to waive his no-trade clause and return to Houston.

" I never thought this would happen," Correa said. "When it started developing, we were in constant conversations with the front office of Minnesota. When it finally happened, I called my wife. That's when it started kicking in. It was surreal."

The Gold Glove-winning shortstop will now play third base as he re-joins the Astros. He will look to help Houston maintain their lead in the American League West and go after their third World Series title.

A look ahead to the auction, highlighting a few significant trends that could be in play at the event

Nagraj Gollapudi23-Nov-202412:15

Pant? Rahul? Which Indian player will get the big bucks at the auction?

Will there be a 25-crore buy?

Following the record bids at the IPL 2024 mini auction by KKR and SRH to buy the Australian pair of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins respectively, there is an anticipation that the INR 25-crore ceiling might be broken this time.There are two likely reasons this could happen. Firstly, Rishabh Pant. Pant is listed in the first set of marquee players that will ring in the auction on Sunday. He will be among the most sought-after players because several teams are on the lookout for an Indian captain-cum-wicketkeeper. Pant is the first big-name India player to come up in an auction in a long time, and the expectation is that the teams with the biggest purses – PBKS (INR 110.5 crore), RCB (INR 83 crore) and LSG (INR 69 crore) – will bid for him.Then there is DC (INR 73 crore), the franchise Pant played for since 2016 and led since 2021 until last season. Pant opted to head to the auction after retention talks with DC failed, which he recently clarified had nothing to do with money. DC still have the option to buy him back as they have two right-to-match (RTM) options available. And it is the modified RTM rule that might just escalate the bids.

How will the modified RTM rule impact the bidding?

When it has been used in the past, the RTM option allowed franchises to buy back a player by simply matching the price at which that player was sold at the auction. But in the modified RTM rule, which will be in play at this mega auction, if the previous franchise wants to use the RTM card, the franchise that makes the final bid will be given an additional opportunity to raise their bid. In case that happens, the original franchise will need to match that bid using the RTM card to secure the player.Related

• Iyer, Pant, Rahul among marquee players to kick off auction

• IPL retention FAQs: What is the modified RTM rule?

• Pant, Starc, Rahul and others in line to earn big

• England players in the auction: Five things to look out for

For example, say any franchise apart from DC has made a final bid of INR 18 crore for Pant. DC decide to use the RTM. The other franchise then decides to hike their final bid to INR 25 crore. DC, to buy back Pant, will need to match that price or lose out.Officials at franchises have pointed out that the new RTM rule gives no assurance that a team can get back a player at a fair price. Consequently, several franchises have retained at least five, or in the case of KKR and RR, the maximum of six players.ESPNcricinfo has learnt that a few franchises suspect the RTM rule is also responsible for some big-name players opting to head to the auction after receiving an assurance from another franchise that they would be paid a bigger price.

Impact Player – a hot buy

The Impact Player rule was a significant factor in record totals being smashed in IPL 2024. Most Impact Players were predominantly Indian. Many of those were also uncapped. In 2023, Dhruv Jurel announced himself initially as an Impact Player at RR. In 2024, the success of Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma at PBKS, or the massive INR 8.4 crore CSK paid acquire power-hitter Sameer Rizvi, were examples of how seriously franchises were paying attention to having a player who can be earmarked as the Impact Player.Sameer Rizvi could get a lot of attention at the mega auction•BCCIThis time around, too, franchises will be on the lookout for uncapped Indian names for the role. A few players that could potentially attract a significant bid include Ashutosh and Rizvi, who are back at the auction, Jharkhand wicketkeeper-batter Robin Minz, and Karnataka batter Abhinav Manohar.

Uncapped players that could attract strong bids

The quality and importance of uncapped Indian players have grown as franchises have been investing in scouting and in helping these players grow. Importantly, the players are now looked at from a long-term perspective. The success stories of Rinku Singh (KKR) and Tilak Varma (MI) are the two recent examples of uncapped players graduating into top performers, who now play for India.In addition to the names listed for Impact Player role, here’s a short list of uncapped players who are likely to fetch strong bids at this auction: Harpreet Brar, Nehal Wadhera, Anshul Kamboj, Rasikh Salam, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Gurjapneet Singh.

Newcastle United are reportedly preparing to launch a stunning big-money offer to sign Eduardo Camavinga and Real Madrid have now made their stance on selling the Frenchman clear.

The Magpies could certainly do with the statement that signing such a player would create. Eddie Howe’s side have been incredibly inconsistent so far this season, particularly going forward, and were made to pay for that against a struggling West Ham United side on Friday.

After suffering a 3-1 defeat, Howe told reporters: “The dynamism wasn’t there. The physicality and the energy were missing. We scored early and could have grabbed hold of the game but we didn’t and let it slip away.

“It didn’t look like a Newcastle team that we’ve seen in recent seasons. The body language, the collective spirit on the pitch, loads of little things weren’t there. It was a by-product of us just not being where we needed to be mentally.”

Those at St James’ Park are now facing the consequences for a chaotic summer in which they lost one of the world’s best strikers, Alexander Isak. Whilst his replacement, Nick Woltemade, has made an impressive start, it’s clear that Newcastle’s attack in its entirety is still struggling to click again.

0 tackles won: Newcastle duo must now never start together again for Howe

Eddie Howe must never select this Newcastle United duo together again after their disastrous performances against West Ham United.

By
Kelan Sarson

Nov 3, 2025

The eventual return of summer signing Yoane Wissa may still help things, but Newcastle sit as low as 13th in the Premier League as things stand – six points adrift of top four.

The January transfer window could also provide the Magpies with some much-needed solutions. The likes of Elliot Anderson and Hayden Hackney have already threatened to steal the headlines on that front, with Anderson particularly one to watch.

Whether it’s the Nottingham Forest star, Hackney or perhaps even Camavinga, it seems clear that those in Tyneside are attempting to overhaul their midfield with the future in mind.

Newcastle readying £60m+ Camavinga offer

It’s not just Anderson and Hackney who find themselves on the list of targets at St James’ Park. According to reports in Spain, Newcastle are now readying an offer to sign Camavinga worth as much as €70m (£62m).

Camavinga has started just two of Real Madrid’s 11 La Liga games so far this season, but the Spanish giants are reportedly maintaining their position that they won’t sell the France international without welcoming an adequate replacement.

Xabi Alonso’s recent praise reflects that position, handing Newcastle a frustrating obstacle to overcome if they want to secure the midfielder’s signature.

The dynamism that Alonso mentioned would be vital for Newcastle. It would take Howe’s midfield from robust to controlling and that change would only help bridge the gap on the Premier League’s top sides.

PIF have the money to spend and Camavinga would certainly start in Tyneside. Whether Real Madrid are willing to change their sale stance remains to be seen, however.

Newcastle star is "all over the place" after West Ham defeat