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Do Scotland dare to dream of Six Nations success?
The alarm that forced the evacuation of the building where Gregor Townsend was about to talk about his squad for the Six Nations - a portent of doom for the Scots or a siren signalling their intent?
For the eighth time in his coaching life, Townsend named a Six Nations squad.
A band of 37 players with newcomers in the exciting Saracens fly-half Fergus Burke (the Kiwi has a Glasgow grandad) and Glasgow Warriors number eight Jack Mann.
There's the return of the prodigal lock, Jonny Gray, close to two years since he won the last of his 77 caps.
Seven of the forwards have six caps or fewer. Seven of the backs have 10 or fewer.
If that gives the impression of callowness, it's a false one. This is one of the most experienced groups that Townsend has ever put together since he became Scotland coach in the summer of 2017.
What's different between this season and last is that many of his players have won titles in the meantime. He has the core of the Glasgow side that won the URC and he has Blair Kinghorn, who won the double with Toulouse.
Time was when less than a handful of his squad had actually won anything. Now a bunch have - and recently.
And there's also Gray, who won a Premiership and Champions Cup double with Exeter before moving to France where his team, Bordeaux, sits atop the French league.
Whither Scotland? Is it now or never for the team with the Hollywood backline? Is this the season when they finally deliver after all the false dawns?
Two home games to start. A relatively clean bill of health compared to other years. A team with class and nous and more physicality than last time.
Do you dare to dream, Scotland? Is this it?
Five-Time Winner Sammy Swindell Leads Wednesday Field
TULSA, Okla. Five-time Chili Bowl Nationals powered by NOS Energy Drink winner Sammy Swindell tops the entry list for Wednesday nights York Plumbing Qualifying Night for the 39th annual event inside the SageNet Center.
Swindell, who will drive his own No. 1 midget, won the event in 1989, 1992, 1996, 1998 and 2009.
Recently having signed a NASCAR contract with Hendrick Motorsports, Corey Day will drive Willie Kahnes No. 4 midget in the Chili Bowl. Its the same car in which Day became the youngest (19) Turkey Night Grand Prix winner in November.
Reigning USAC national midget champion Daison Pursley returns to the Chili Bowl aboard a Chad Boat Industries entry, while Emerson Axsom, Kale Drake and Taylor Reimer will steer Keith Kunz Motorsports Curb-Agajanian machines.
USAC Triple Crown champion and longtime NASCAR driver J.J. Yeley makes another attempt to win the prestigious event, while Mitchell Moles, brothers Tim and Steve Buckwalter, frequent non-winged sprint car winner Kyle Cummins and eight-time USAC Silver Crown champ Kody Swanson are also entered on Wednesday night.
Other notables include Colby Copeland, Alex Bright, Steven Snyder Jr. Blake Hahn and Jake Swanson.
Local Favorite Akeel Rides To Dakar Stage Triumph
HARADH, Saudi Arabia Wednesdays Dakar Rally Stage 10 in the Empty Quarter Desert saw remarkable comeback stories as local favorite Dania Akeel rode up front with former bike and car class winner Nani Roma to give themselves a boost, after they had been ruled out of title contention earlier in the 47th edition.
Saudi driver Akeel suffered a broken wishbone on her vehicle that saw her Challenger class podium quest slip away, however she hit back to pull off one of the most incredible results in the entire history of the Dakar as she not only won the stage but her Taurus T3 Max was the third fastest four-wheeled machine as she beat all but two Ultimate class cars.
Akeel, who earned five precious World Rally-Raid Championship points, said, I saw the board at the end of the stage and it said we were third overall! The dunes were so much fun, it was a bit like sailing a boat on the sea.
Akeel was joined on the Challenger podium by fellow Taurus T3 Max drivers Pau Navarro and Gonçalo Guerreiro with Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team driver Guerreiro cutting Nicolas Cavigliassos lead to 26 minutes with two stages left.
This was our first big dunes of the rally, Guerreiro said. I think we have the pace to do better.
Spaniard Roma, who won the 2004 Dakar on a bike and 2014 race in a car, picked up his first Ultimate stage win this year his first Dakar stage win since 2015 and a first-ever for Ford M-Sport. The 52-year-old, who finished 18 seconds ahead of Brazilian Lucas Moraes.
Im happy for the team because of all the hard work they have been putting in, Moraes said. We saw a positive outcome for all we have been doing to improve the car.
Time is running out for Mattias Ekström and Nasser Al-Attiyah to make a play for the Ultimate title as they still lie third and fourth respectively around half an hour behind new leader Henk Lategan of South Africa.
The target was not to win today, but to have a good starting position for tomorrow, Ekström said. Finishing on the podium would be nice, but theres still two tough days.
Chilean Francisco Chaleco López picked up his fifth SSV stage win, but he will need Brock Heger and Xavier de Soultrait to lose considerable time on the final two days if he wants to improve his third position overall.
The sun was so bright, so that complicated things, López said. We pushed as much as we could and were happy with our result.
Australian Daniel Sanders increased his bike lead to 16 minutes, 31 seconds in his bid to win a first Dakar title with Argentine Luciano Benavides needing to take seven minutes out of third-placed Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren to get on the podium too come Fridays finish.
It was a hot and hard and tricky stage, Sanders said. The sand was super soft and the stage was very technical. Now were ready for a big day tomorrow.
Everything is still up for grabs on Thursdays penultimate Stage 11, the unpredictability of Empty Quarter Desert sand dune racing meaning that big time gaps can soon be wiped out by one false move.
Brooks Super Excited For Chili Bowl Feature Run
Sprint car driver Landon Brooks proved hes still crafty behind the wheel of a midget during Tuesdays Chili Bowl Nationals preliminary night.
Brooks, who last climbed aboard a midget at last years event, looked like a seasoned pro as he wheeled his Matt Wood Racing No. 57w to victory.
I ran the Chili Bowl last year and then this is the only one Ive ran since then, Brooks said. (I) dont run them often. I ran them for a little while a couple years ago with the Xtreme Outlaws.
But, obviously, dont run them full time.
Brooks became the 54th driver to win a prelim feature at the Chili Bowl. His teammate, Shane Golobic, nearly gave the team a perfect two-for-two sweep of prelim features on Monday.
However, Kyle Larson got the better of Golobic. Less than 24 hours later, Golobic helped tune Brooks midget to victory.
It felt good for the whole team, Brooks began. Obviously Shane wants to win really bad. We all wanna win really bad. But, Shanes been fighting for a long time.
I was so bummed yesterday when I seen that yellow come out. I see us pretty much staring at the checkered flag. Just happy to get it done for the team. Shane had me in an absolute rocket ship.
I could go anywhere. I felt like we built off of last year and obviously we went the right way.
With Matt Wood Racing firing on all cylinders and both drivers locked into Saturdays A-main, the pole shuffle may be the difference in a potential victory.
For Brooks, itll be a new experience, but one that he feels will help him get up to speed and prepared for the 40-lap feature.
Im super excited for it, Brooks said. Im looking forward to getting around that caliber of cars and seeing how my pace is compared to them and trying to get up to their pace before the feature.
MOORESVILLE, N.C. Cody Ware will contest the entire NASCAR Cup Series schedule behind the wheel of the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse, the team revealed Wednesday.
Billy Plourde will be his crew chief.
Last year, Ware competed in nine Cup Series races and earned the second-best average finish among drivers who ran a limited Cup Series schedule. Wares average result of 21.0 was second only to A.J. Allmendinger, who competed in 16 races and earned an average finish of 20.5. Buoyed by a career-best finish of fourth in the Aug. 24 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) Intl Speedway, Ware bested Shane van Gisbergen (12 starts, 22.8 average finish), B.J. McLeod (seven starts, 28.3 average finish), Kaz Grala (24 starts, 28.5 average finish), Derek Kraus (six starts, 29.7 average finish), Jimmie Johnson (nine starts, 30.6 average finish), Austin Hill (four starts, 31.8 average finish) and J.J. Yeley (eight starts, 33.6 average finish).
The NASCAR Cup Series is where every driver wants to be and Im grateful to be back full time, Ware said. Ive improved as a driver and RWR has improved as a team, and this is, by far, the best opportunity Ive had in NASCAR. I aim to make the most of it and earn the respect of my competitors.
Ware began racing at 16, following in his familys footsteps as a fourth-generation racer. It was a late start considering many drivers begin their careers at age five in go-karts, but since climbing into a Legend Car and running upward of 50 races in his first season, Ware has seemingly been making up for lost time.
After racing Late Model stock cars in 2012-2013, Ware began his NASCAR career in earnest in late 2013, securing a handful of starts on the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour before racing across the NASCAR Mexico Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2014. On March 5, 2017, Ware made his Cup Series debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Outside of NASCAR, Ware has made his mark in sportscar racing. He won the 2019-2020 LMP2 championship in the Asian Le Mans Series with co-driver Gustas Grinbergas. In a prelude to that title, Ware was the 2014 Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Rookie of the Year. Last January at Daytona, Ware piloted a Ligier JS P320 to a podium finish in the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge LMP3 class. Ware has also competed in Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup and the NTT IndyCar Series.
Cody made a lot out of the nine races he ran for us last year and proved that he was deserving of a full-time opportunity, said team owner Rick Ware. Running a part-time schedule isnt easy because its hard to develop consistency when youre out of the car for weeks on end. But Cody made it work and he and crew chief Billy Plourde developed a good rapport.
It made sense to see what could come of their collective efforts when theyre working alongside one another week in and week out. A full season together provides the best chance for everyone to succeed.
Penguins place starting goalie Jarry on waivers
The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed starting goaltender Tristan Jarry on waivers.
General manager Kyle Dubas signed Jarry to a five-year extension in July 2023. His contract, which carries a 12-team no-trade clause, runs through 2027-28 with a salary cap hit of $5.375 million.
Jarry, 29, is 8-8-4 in 22 games this season with an .886 save percentage and a 3.31 goals-against average. He has a minus- 5.3 goals saved above expected this season per Stathletes.
Jarry has been the Penguins' primary starting goaltender for the past four seasons. He is 144-93-29 in 279 career games for Pittsburgh beginning in 2016-17, with a .910 save percentage and a 2.75 goals-against average. But he has been particularly maligned for his playoff performances: 2-6 in eight career games, with a .891 save percentage.
The breaking point for the Penguins was Tuesday night's 4-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken at home, in which they blew a third-period lead. Jarry gave up goals to Seattle defenseman Jamie Oleksiak and forward Eeli Tolvanen just 50 seconds apart. Jarry surrendered three goals on 17 shots.
Barring another move, Pittsburgh's goaltending battery will feature veteran Alex Nedeljkovic (7-7-4, .886 save percentage in 19 games) and rookie Joel Blomqvist (3-5-0, .904 save percentage in 8 games). The Penguins have the third-worst team save percentage (.882) in the NHL, ahead of only Columbus and Philadelphia.
The Penguins have struggled to find consistency in a tightly packed Eastern Conference playoff race despite a veteran core that includes Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Pittsburgh entered Wednesday trailing Columbus by four points for the final wild-card spot in the conference, although the Blue Jackets had two games in hand.
Bill to honor 'Miracle on Ice' team reintroduced
WASHINGTON -- A bill to award Congressional Gold Medals to the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" Olympic hockey team was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate on Wednesday.
The ongoing effort, which included the bill being first introduced in October, needed to be submitted for consideration again in the 119th Congress.
Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., reintroduced the Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act in the House along with co-sponsors Reps. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., Mike Quigley, D-Ill., and Bill Keating, D-Mass. Sens. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., reintroduced it in the Senate.
USA Hockey executive director Pat Kelleher said he encourages fans to contact their congressional representatives to express their support for the bill's passage. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league enthusiastically supports the legislation.
February marks the 45th anniversary of the Americans beating the heavily favored Soviet Union on the way to the gold medal on home ice in Lake Placid, New York.
Injured Caps goalie Lindgren returns to practice
Washington Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren practiced with the team on Wednesday for the first time since his upper-body injury on Friday.
He will travel with the team to Ottawa but is still on injured reserve and isn't eligible to play in Thursday's game against the Senators. Lindgren, 31, can be activated on Saturday, when Washington hosts the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"Not quite ready with being on the IR and that, but another positive step being on the ice today," Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said.
Lindgren took a hit to the head and left the Capitals' home game against the Montreal Canadiens on Friday. In the first minute of the second period, he was struck in the side of the head by Montreal's Nick Suzuki, who was checked into the goalie by Brandon Duhaime. The game resumed, but Lindgren was pulled approximately two minutes later, and the Canadiens went on to win 3-2 in overtime.
Lindgren is 10-8-2 with a 2.65 goals-against average and .900 save percentage in 21 starts.
He has a career record of 63-47-14 with a .277 GAA and .907 save percentage in 131 regular-season games (123 starts) for the Montreal Canadiens (2015-20), St. Louis Blues (2021-22) and Capitals.
Washington forward Sonny Milano participated in his first full practice since sustaining an upper-body injury on Nov. 6 against the Nashville Predators. Milano, 28, wore a non-contact jersey as he continues his recovery. Milano has played in three games this season.
He has 137 career points (62 goals, 75 assists) in 313 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets (2015-20), Anaheim Ducks (2020-22) and Capitals.
Tiering 12 NHL teams' playoff hopes: From 'we can still fix this' to 'resigned to their fate'
Hard as it might be to believe, the 2024-25 NHL season is already more than halfway over: The average team has played 53% (or 43.1 out of 82 games) of the regular-season schedule by now. That means struggling squads are quickly running out of time to turn things around -- a feeling of urgency made even more acute by the looming March 7 trade deadline, just 52 days from today.
There's a hierarchy to teams in the panic-mode category, too: Some are still right in the mix, such as the Boston Bruins, with playoff odds around a coin flip despite an underperforming start. Some are hanging on by a thread, such as the Pittsburgh Penguins, knowing that they have to run up a string of wins while their rivals in the standings falter. And some, such as the Buffalo Sabres, need a miracle to keep their playoff hopes alive (or must simply decide to give up any pretense of competing down the stretch).
Let's look at 12 teams who had designs on the playoffs before the season but have found themselves with a postseason probability around 50% or lower -- sorting them into categories based on their current playoff odds and level of panic within each group.
Jump to a panic level:
Can fix this | Hanging on | Resigned to fate
We can still fix this
These are teams with playoff odds near 50-50 -- so they could still make it in, but they have a lot more work to do over the next few months.
Swedish football manager Sven-Göran Eriksson, the first foreign coach to lead the England national team, died with debts of over 3.8 million ($4.64 million) following years of financial mismanagement.
Eriksson, who died in August last year at the age of 76 having earlier announced that he was terminally ill with pancreatic cancer, left assets worth 4.8m but owed 8.64m.
Most of Eriksson's debts were tax-related in the UK, owing 7.25m to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), according to Swedish media reports.
Eriksson, who managed England between 2001 and 2006, had previously spoken of losing 10m to a financial adviser and admitted that he had no idea how much money he had or where it was.
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