DENVER -- Yes, Charlie Blackmon has picked up a bat since retiring from Major League Baseball last fall. Not the wooden kind. One of those big, fat colorful ones his young kids play with.

"Sometimes Daddy needs an at-bat, can't play defense all the time," Blackmon cracked Saturday after the Colorado Rockies announced he has taken on a new role with the club as a special assistant to the general manager following 14 seasons as their sparkplug center fielder.

"It's really great to have the opportunity to continue to be involved with the organization and the game," Blackmon said. "I'm super excited, and I'm sure the Rockies are happy to have me around a little bit."

Blackmon, who spent his entire major league career in Colorado, said he's not the type to just turn baseball off. In his new role, he'll assist GM Bill Schmidt in all facets of baseball operations, but he'll start out on a part-time basis and work out of his Atlanta-area home.

Initially, he'll focus on scouting and player development, two areas that have long intrigued the former pitcher-turned-outfielder.

"All the players think they know what's best, we think we've got it all figured out," Blackmon said. "We always play GM on the bus and talk about players and personnel from other teams. You know, minor league players they saw or contracts that were signed. Players are interested in that. We have other interests, but we talk about baseball a whole lot."

Schmidt said Blackmon will visit spring training for a week, splitting his time between the major and minor league camps. "I think it's important to developing a relationship with the young kids down below," Schmidt said.

Blackmon retired last year after 14 seasons with the Rockies, for whom he batted .293 with 1,805 hits and 227 homers. A four-time All-Star, Blackmon ranks first in franchise history in triples (68), along with second in games played (1,624), doubles (334), runs scored (996) and extra-base hits (629).

Blackmon was selected by the Rockies in the second round of the 2008 amateur draft after playing at Georgia Tech. He won the 2017 NL batting crown with a .331 average. He also helped the team to back-to-back postseason appearances in 2017 and 2018.

"His leadership, deep understanding of the game and passion for this franchise make him the perfect fit to step into this new role," Schmidt said. "We're thrilled to have him bring his unique insight and experience back to the Rockies players and front office."

The Rockies sent Blackmon off in style in his final day at Coors Field as a player in September. His wife, Ashley, and two young kids, Josie and Wyatt, joined him on the field for a pregame ceremony, where he was presented with a plaque. He also received a Toyota truck that had been perched on top of a sign in left field. His kids each threw a pitch to him.

Blackmon said the best part of retirement is spending more time with his family, something he'll be able to continue doing this season as he figures out which direction he'll ultimately take in his post-playing days.

"I do think that this first year I'm going to spend a whole lot of time with my family and I'm just glad to be able to have that baseball outlet," Blackmon said. "I'll come to spring training, I'll be at instructs and hopefully I'll get to scout some. And I'll do a lot of things but it's not a full-time role and so I don't know what it'll look like in the future.

"But I do think this first year it'll be good to have a lot of different experiences around the big league side, the scouting side, some amateur players, some minor league players.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Carlos Correa has gone to great lengths to get his feet back to full strength.

After plantar fasciitis interrupted a second consecutive season with the Minnesota Twins, the three-time All-Star shortstop will be ready for spring training next month without restriction.

"I've been sprinting. I've been running around. I've been doing about everything," Correa said Saturday at the team's annual fan festival at Target Field. "I've been focused on not only just treatment but also strengthening, a lot of walking barefoot around the house now. All that's helping work on my toes and all that. So I'm in a really good spot."

Correa was enjoying his most productive season with the Twins, and by most accounts his best season since 2017 with the Houston Astros, until a three-game series on the artificial turf in Arizona triggered the pain around his right heel in late June. He played through it for a couple of weeks, but the All-Star break didn't provide the relief he was counting on.

Correa wound up missing more than two months, and the Twins ultimately collapsed while one of their most important players was sidelined. He rejoined the freefalling team for the final few weeks, but his presence wasn't nearly enough. The Twins finished a bitterly disappointing 82-80 after losing 27 of their last 39 games.

"It was tough, but you've got to just flush it down the drain and just focus on the next one. I feel like we have a great team," said Correa, who was limited by plantar fasciitis in his left foot in 2023. "We have a lot of young guys with so much potential, and if we put in the work we're going to be in a great spot."

After a visit to a specialist in California during his extended absence last year, Correa began shockwave treatments on the affected area of his foot designed to increase blood flow and regenerate damaged tissue. That'll be part of his regimen moving forward, along with extra arch support in his cleats to alleviate pressure on his heels. He was so desperate for a fix last year he started trimming his cleats and poking holes in his insoles.

"The one thing that everyone knows about Carlos: He's going to prepare himself about as well as anyone can to do all the things that are needed both on and off the field to manage it," team president Derek Falvey said. "I'm hopeful that we'll get there."

This season, the Twins will consider additional games at designated hitter to help keep Correa off his feet more. Their infield depth -- with Royce Lewis, Brooks Lee, Jose Miranda, Edouard Julien and Willi Castro -- should help with that goal. The question to be answered during spring training is who will play where. First base is the most obvious position there for the taking, following the departure of Carlos Santana.

With the club currently for sale and essentially in a spending freeze, the major league roster has not had any notable additions yet. The healthy return of Correa would go a long way toward making that status-quo strategy work for the Twins in 2025.

Though Correa's name was circulated through the major league rumor mill this winter, he said he didn't concern himself with such noise because of his no-trade clause.

"Let me tell you something: I love Minnesota, and I love the fishing here," Correa said.

NEW YORK -- The New York Mets held their first winter event for fans in five years at Citi Field on Saturday, and there was one notable absence. Pete Alonso wasn't in attendance because, for the first time since the 2016 draft, he isn't a member of the Mets' organization.

The homegrown star first baseman remains a free agent, and though a reunion remains possible, he might have played his last game as a Met.

Owner Steve Cohen bluntly said as much Saturday after taking the stage for a fireside chat with fans to chants of "We want Pete!"

"Personally, this has been an exhausting conversation and negotiation," Cohen explained. "I mean, [Juan Soto's negotiation] was tough. This is worse. A lot of it is, we've made a significant offer. I don't like the structures that are being presented back to us. I think it's highly asymmetric against us and I feel strongly about it."

Alonso, along with third baseman Alex Bregman, is one of the two best position players left in free agency. The first baseman, who is represented by Scott Boras, originally sought a long-term deal, but he is open to returning to the Mets on a three-year contract and the Mets have been open to such a deal, according to a source. The obstacle has been money.

"I will never say no," Cohen said. "There's always the possibility. But the reality is we're moving forward and we continue to bring in players. As we continue to bring in players, the reality is it becomes harder to fit Pete into what is a very expensive group of players that we already have and that's where we are.

"I'm being brutally honest. I don't like the negotiations. I don't like what's being presented to us. Maybe that changes. I'll always stay flexible. But if it stays this way, I think we're going to have to get used to the fact that we may have to go forward with the existing players that we have."

Boras, meanwhile, responded to Cohen's comments later Saturday.

"Pete's free agent contract structure request are identical to the standards and practices of other clubs who have signed similarly situated qualifying offer / All Star level players," Boras said. "Nothing different. Just established fairness standards."

The Mets recently re-signed outfielder/designated hitter Jesse Winker to a one-year, $7.5 million contract and added left-handed reliever A.J. Minter on a two-year, $22 million deal. They've also signed Soto (15 years, $765 million), Sean Manaea (three years, $75 million), Clay Holmes (three years, $38 million), and Frankie Montas (two years, $34 million), among other moves, this winter.

Preparing for life without Alonso, the Mets recently instructed third basemen Mark Vientos and Brett Baty to work out at first base. Vientos and Baty both confirmed the organization's request Saturday.

"We all love Pete, and we've said that many times," Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said. "And I think, as we've gone through this process, we've continued to express that. We also understand that this is a business and Pete, as a free agent, deserves the right and has the right and earned the privilege, really, to see what's out there. We also feel really good about the young players who are coming through our system who have the ability to play at the major-league level."

Vientos, 25, enjoyed a breakout season as one of the best hitters in the National League after solidifying himself as the Mets' every-day third baseman in May and helping fuel the team's run to the NL Championship Series. Baty, a former top prospect, was the club's opening day third baseman last season. He struggled after a hot start before he was demoted to Triple-A and didn't return to the majors.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza also named veterans Jared Young and Joey Meneses, both of whom signed this winter, as other options at first base if Alonso doesn't return.

"Pete's been here since I've been here," said Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, who has starred for the franchise since 2021. "He was here before me. So, yeah, it would be different if he goes somewhere else. Yeah, it would be different. But I think he should take his time. I think he should make the best decision for himself and not feel that he's rushed."

Alonso, 30, became a fan favorite while becoming a franchise cornerstone over his six seasons in Queens. He's hit 226 home runs since making his major league debut -- the second-highest total in baseball behind only Aaron Judge. His 53 home runs in 2019 set a rookie record. He's been a reliable everyday presence; he's never missed more than nine games in a season and played in all 178 games, postseason included, in 2024. He's made four All-Star teams and won the Home Run Derby twice.

But he rates as a poor defender and baserunner whose offensive production has declined over the past three seasons, creating a free agent market that hasn't been as fruitful as projected when he declined a seven-year, $158 million contract extension in 2023.

Outfielder Brandon Nimmo, the longest-tenured player on the roster after debuting in 2016, signed an eight-year, $162 million contract to remain with the Mets two offseasons ago. Like Alonso, Boras is his agent. Unlike Alonso, he reached a resolution in December, not with spring training around the corner.

HOUSTON -- The door to re-signing free agent Alex Bregman is "cracked" open for the Astros, but keeping the third baseman with the team might still be a long shot, general manager Dana Brown said Saturday.

Speaking at the team's fan fest, Brown talked at length about the possibility of re-signing Bregman, who has spent his entire nine-year career with the Astros.

"The interesting thing is, when we made some trades and some moves this offseason, we never realized that Bregman would still be on the market at this time," Brown said. "We've had some conversation and I could kind of leave it there, but we've had some conversations."

He added those conversations were positive before he was asked whether that means that the door for re-signing Bregman is still open.

"I would say it's cracked, right," Brown said. "The fact that he's still available, it just makes it interesting like, man, this guy is such a good player, he's done so many wonderful things here. And so, we'll stick with the cracked door and see what our conversations lead to."

If Houston brings Bregman back, it would create a crowded situation in the infield. They traded outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs for infielder Isaac Paredes before signing free agent first baseman Christian Walker this offseason.

"Our group is pretty set," Brown said. "We made some moves and some trades and solidified our top five in our lineup, and so it's a long shot, but the fact that [Bregman's] a free agent, we'll have discussions about him like we have discussions about every other free agent."

The day that Walker was introduced in Houston, Brown said Walker would be the team's first baseman and that Paredes would play third. But Brown said Saturday that Bregman would play third base if he were to re-sign.

"I love watching Bregman play third base, so I can't imagine putting Bregman or having [manager Joe Espada] put Bregman in any other position other than third base," Brown said. "That's his home. He puts on clinics when he's playing third base, and he's just as special as anybody, Gold Glove there, and so I can't picture him playing anywhere else."

Bregman is a two-time All-Star who won a Gold Glove last season and a Silver Slugger Award in 2019 when he came in second in American League MVP voting.

Espada said he has kept in touch with Bregman, 30, throughout the offseason and that while he tries to give him space, he wants to make sure he understands that he wishes he would stay in Houston forever.

"I tell him all the time ... this is home," Espada said. "I understand the process. You sit down with your family, you're trying to do what's best for you, your family and your kids. But this is home, and this is his family."

While Bregman would remain at third base in Houston, it's unclear whether his return would force Jose Altuve to move from second, a position he has played his entire 14-year career.

Altuve was vocal at the end of last season about his desire for Bregman to remain with the team, but Espada wouldn't say whether he has spoken to him about the possibility of changing positions to facilitate that.

"If we get there, we'll have that conversation with him, but his willingness to do whatever it takes to win -- it's important to us," Espada said. "He's a cornerstone of this team. He's the heart of this organization. He understands that ... but if we get to that point, I'm sure that we'll have that conversation and we'll talk about how that's going to look moving forward."

Altuve said those conversations haven't happened but that he would be open to whatever the team needs.

"Alex, he's one of the best players in the whole league, but he's definitely one of the best players on the team, so we want him to stay," Altuve said. "So whatever I have to do for him to stay, I'm willing to do it."

Some believe that Altuve would need to move to the outfield if Bregman returns. He was asked about how difficult it would be to make the transition after never playing outfield at any level of his career.

"For Alex, nothing will be difficult," he said with a smile.

Altuve said he has gone through a range of emotions in the past few months as he has tried to figure out where Bregman would sign.

"I thought he's going to be back for sure," Altuve said. "Then I thought he's not coming back for sure. Now I'm like, OK, in the middle."

From a teenage prodigy to a tour stalwart with "gnarly" injuries, Madison Keys' road to Grand Slam glory has been long and complicated.

The newly-crowned Australian Open champion broke through on the WTA Tour when she was just 14 and was instantly tipped as a future major winner.

Now, a few weeks before her 30th birthday, the American has finally achieved her goal.

Keys capped an impressive run at Melbourne Park with a shock win over two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday's final.

"From a pretty young age, I felt like if I never won a Grand Slam then I wouldn't have lived up to what people thought I should have been," Keys said.

"That was a pretty heavy burden to carry around."

Keys' journey to the Melbourne title has not been easy.

In April 2009, aged 14 years and 48 days, she became the youngest player since Martina Hingis in 1994 to win a Tour-level match.

Six years later she reached the Australian Open semi-finals before going a step further at the 2017 US Open.

But Keys froze in her first major final. She won just three games against Sloane Stephens in a match she thought of "endlessly for the past eight years".

Although she has reached five other major semi-finals since, Keys has battled injury problems and dropped out of the world's top 50 in 2022

"I had to go through some tough things," said Keys, who will now rise to seventh in the world.

"It forced me to look at myself in the mirror and try to work on the internal pressure I was putting on myself.

"I finally got to the point where I was proud of myself and my career, with or without a Grand Slam.

"I feel like letting go of that kind of internal talk gave me the ability to go out and play some really good tennis."

Mohamed Salah moved up to seventh in the Premier League's all-time goalscoring chart with his 35th-minute strike during Liverpool's clash with Ipswich Town at Anfield on Sunday.

The Egypt international has been in inspired form for Arne Slot's table-topping side this season and netted his 176th goal in the division to move clear of Thierry Henry (175) and one behind Chelsea legend Frank Lampard (177).

• Liverpool vs. Ipswich Town - follow live on ESPN

DENTON, Texas -- Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is in attendance for the East-West Shrine Bowl, but he won't participate in practice or the game.

Sanders met with teams Friday, including the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and New York Giants.

The Titans, who have the first overall pick, met with Sanders for 45 minutes. The meeting also included a surprise FaceTime call from Shedeur's father, Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders.

"He's really poised and had mature way about him," Titans coach Brian Callahan told ESPN. "You can tell he's been in the spotlight and knows how to handle it."

The Browns have the second pick in the draft, followed by the Giants.

Shedeur's older brother Shilo, a safety, is also in Texas for the game, which is Thursday. Colorado is also represented by wide receivers Will Sheppard, LaJohntay Wester, Jimmy Horn Jr. and cornerback Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig.

Shedeur Sanders will meet with reporters Saturday afternoon.

ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi contributed to this report.

Hewett was world number one when Oda emerged as wheelchair tennis' new star by winning his first major title at the 2023 French Open - just one month after turning 17.

The pair have met 19 times, with Oda winning on 10 occasions.

However, Hewett has proved the better player on hard courts and was emotional as he claimed his ninth win over Oda on the surface.

"I didn't expect me to start blubbering on the court, to be honest, but I'm probably harbouring a few feelings from the last couple of matches that we've played," said Hewett.

"It does knock you deep down, your belief and confidence in the big moments. For me to do it and prove to myself more than anyone that I can rise to the occasion against a player like him, it was very overwhelming."

Hewett compared his contests with Oda as wheelchair tennis' version of the Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's rivalry.

"Tokito has come on tour and made us all just be better because we have to be," he said. "Otherwise, he will dominate.

"You have to be challenged. You have to be pushed to your limits. We have a good relationship, and I'm glad he's pushing me, and I'm sure I'll be pushing him, and he will say the exact same. It's a bit of a Federer-Nadal situation - wheelchair version."