KENT, Wash. – When Clay Millican competes in this weekend’s Magic Dry Organic Absorbent NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways, his DENSO Top Fuel dragster will bear logos of a cause that is an inspiration and passion for the Memphis-based multi-time drag racing champion.

One of the most successful and popular competitors in the NHRA’s Mello Yello Top Fuel series, the Drummonds, Tennessee native is eager to put the DENSO, Parts Plus, B.R.A.K.E.S. Top Fuel Dragster into the winners circle this weekend. Fans will get a first-hand look at Millican’s DENSO dragster with the logos of the B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe) national teen defensive driving program established by Millican’s close friend, NHRA Top Fuel veteran racer Doug Herbert. DENSO, the world’s second largest mobility supplier and a longtime Millican sponsor, also sponsors B.R.A.K.E.S. as part of its efforts to reduce accidents and increase road safety.

Following the tragic loss of his two sons in a car crash in 2008, Herbert established the 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which provides free lifesaving defensive driver training in weekend sessions across the country. B.R.A.K.E.S. addresses the number-one cause of death among teens – car crashes – helping improve road safety to prevent other parents from facing the heartbreak of losing a child.

To honor his close friend and show his continued support for the program, Millican will proudly display the B.R.A.K.E.S. logo as a way of helping spread the word about its importance and impact on saving teen lives.

“What Doug and his team have done over the past 11 years is nothing short of incredible,” Millican said.  “Since the earliest stages, it’s been especially important for me to show my support, through hosting schools in Memphis to fundraising and public service announcements. It’s been my pleasure and my honor to help B.R.A.K.E.S. in every possible way.”

“We continue to be amazed and deeply appreciative of all that Clay and his team have done to show their dedication to our program,” said B.R.A.K.E.S. Founder Doug Herbert. “Clay personifies what it truly means to be a ‘superstar,’ going well beyond his dominance on the drag strip.  Since day one, his passion for our has been invaluable in our growth both in Memphis as well as on a national scale. The drag strip in Seattle is one of the locations that we have held our classes and we are looking forward to the next time we are able to bring our life saving program back to the North West.”

PITTSBURGH -- Recently retired forward Matt Cullen is sticking with the Pittsburgh Penguins, joining the hockey operations department.

The team announced Thursday that Cullen will have a player development role. General manager Jim Rutherford called Cullen a "valuable asset" who will put his 21 years of NHL experience to use while working closely with Rutherford and coach Mike Sullivan.

Cullen retired from the Penguins last month after more than two decades in the NHL. He won three Stanley Cups -- with Pittsburgh in 2016 and 2017 and the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006.

Cullen scored 266 goals to go with 465 assists and 502 penalty minutes in 1,516 games with eight teams. He also had 19 goals and 39 assists in 132 career playoff games.

Drafted 35th overall by Anaheim in 1996, Cullen's best season came in Carolina's run to the Cup, when he set career highs in goals (25) and points (49).

The New York Rangers bought out the last two years of Kevin Shattenkirk's contract Thursday after deciding the defenseman doesn't fit into their ambitious rebuild.

Shattenkirk, 30, played 119 games with the Rangers over the past two seasons, scoring 51 points (7 goals, 44 assists) with a minus-29. But his game never recovered after an injury-filled first season with the team, and his 1.4 shooting percentage last season was the worst of his career.

His contract carried an average annual value against the salary cap of $6.65 million through 2021. According to Cap Friendly, the Rangers will save $5,166,667 million against the cap this season, as Shattenkirk's cap hit would be reduced to $1,483,333 in 2019-20.

The buyout will be spread out over the next four seasons, with the Rangers also paying him $6,083,333 in 2020-21, and $1,433,333 in 2021-22 and 2022-23.

"Today's decision was a very difficult one," Rangers president John Davidson said. "Kevin is a great person and teammate and he was extremely proud to be a New York Ranger. We wish him and his family all the best going forward."

After handing out big contracts to new acquisitions in winger Artemi Panarin ($11,642,857) and defenseman Jacob Trouba ($8 million), the capped-out Rangers needed room to sign restricted free agents Brendan Lemieux and Anthony Deangelo.

The cap hit for Shattenkirk next summer still leaves New York with more than $16 million in projected room under the ceiling.

His tenure with the Rangers will be filed under "be careful what you wish for." After a year splitting time with the St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals, Shattenkirk became a coveted unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2017 as one of the NHL's better puck-moving defensemen. Spurning longer-term deals, he signed a four-year, $26 million contract with the Rangers on July 1, his favorite team as a child while growing up in New Rochelle, where his parents still live.

"It's an opportunity that may only come once in my career, and I felt like this was my chance," Shattenkirk said at the time. "It's a team I'm extremely excited about. A lot of the factors outside of money and term came into play, and that's ultimately what won the decision for me."

But in his first season with the Rangers, the team's objectives changed. Veterans Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller were traded, and the team announced to its fans that it was entering a rebuild. Now, with a slew of young players that includes No. 2 overall pick Kaapo Kakko and big-name additions like Panarin and Trouba, the Rangers' timeline and economics no longer sync up with their need for Shattenkirk.

The pressure has intensified on the BCCI to comply with National Anti-Doping Association (NADA) after Prithvi Shaw's positive drug test that led to a backdated suspension of eight months. The sports ministry of India has written a stern letter to the BCCI questioning its authority and its protocols in matters of dope tests, the Indian Express reported. The letter was written days before the Shaw matter came to light but gains further significance in light of the handling of the issue.

Shaw was tested in February, his results returned positive in May, but he earned an eight-month sentence in July, half of which was retrospective. During that period, Shaw had played the IPL and the T20 Mumbai League.

Refusing to work with the government agency NADA, the BCCI is the exception in the world of cricket: every other country complies with its national anti-doping body, which in turn complies with the world body, World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). It is understood the BCCI has communicated to the ICC and WADA that it doesn't trust NADA. Its argument to NADA has been that the BCCI is not a national sports federation, which doesn't bring it under the ambit of the government agency.

The BCCI, in its report, said it was convinced Shaw had taken the banned substance terbutaline inadvertently when he took a cough syrup. However, almost presciently, the sports ministry of India asked BCCI questions the world is now asking after the Shaw incident, the biggest being the conflict of interest involved. The letter said that in cases of positive tests, NADA forms an independent panel that has no "prior involvement" with the parties involved.

"BCCI mechanism for adjudication in the event of positive dope result is not in accordance with the principles of natural justice," the ministry has told the BCCI. "BCCI as an interested party and also the appointing authority for the appointment of officers, tribunal members or appellate authority for adjudication."

The letter also questioned the BCCI's authority. "Article 5.2 of WADA code provides for sampling of athletes only by an anti-doping organisation with testing authority. It is a matter of fact that the BCCI is neither an anti-doping organisation with testing authority under WADA code nor it can acquire such a status," the letter said.

The BCCI does send the samples to the WADA-accredited National Drug Testing Laboratory (NDTL) in Delhi, which also does the testing for NADA.

England 10 for 0 trail Australia 284 (Smith 144, Broad 5-86) by 274 runs

Steven Smith finished the last Ashes series having scored 687 runs in seven innings so, really, there was little surprise that he began the next contest in similar vein. Except, of course, for everything that has happened since. He marked his return to Test cricket after 16 months with one of his finest hands, lifting Australia from an almost down-and-out 122 for 8 - with considerable help from the tail - to a position from which they could consider themselves ahead of the game, psychologically if nothing else.

Having gone to 98 with a six off Moeen Ali then tucking a single, a drive through the covers against Ben Stokes from his 183rd delivery brought up his 24th Test hundred - and it was no ordinary milestone. The emotions came flooding out as he celebrated then tried to compose himself with a few deep breaths and a look to the sky, taking in the applause along with a few remaining and largely foolish-sounding boos.

He had been beaten early on by the excellent Stuart Broad - most batsmen would have been - but once he settled there was barely a moment when he did not look in control despite the many problems of his team-mates, although was thankful for the DRS on 34 when he was given lbw playing no shot at Broad. By the end he was flaying England's bowlers to all corners of (Fortress) Edgbaston including a monstrous, dismissive swing over the leg side off Broad three balls before he finally missed to end one of the great Test innings.

Away from the personal landmarks and epic backstory he had turned around Australia's day in partnership with Peter Siddle, who earned the final place in the XI ahead of Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon. The last two wickets added 162 with Siddle contributing a superbly constructed 44, in a stand that firstly frustrated England and then began to deflate them, before Smith dominated the last-wicket alliance of 74 in 13 overs with Lyon which left them looking forlorn.

While Broad and Chris Woakes had done so much to put England in command, the absence of James Anderson to a recurrence of the calf injury he sustained in the lead-up to the series hurt in the final session. Anderson only managed four overs before leaving the field for the first time and by lunch was already off for a scan. With Stokes below his best, Joe Root suddenly didn't appear to have many options to turn to. It was probably not Plan A, B, or C to use Joe Denly's legspin with Australia eight down.

Root had not been unhappy to lose the toss and the challenge to Australia's top order was clear inside the first couple of overs. While Smith's Test comeback would go on to take the headlines, David Warner's stay was a bizarre affair. He edged his first ball from Broad down the leg side but it wasn't spotted by umpire Aleem Dar (the first of a host of errors for the on-field officials) and England didn't review. Then they did review for an lbw that was going over before Broad won a decision off Dar that was missing leg stump. And that was all before the end of fourth over.

Cameron Bancroft, who was handed a nine-month ban compared to the year for Warner and Smith, was worked over by Broad before edging low to first slip and when England successfully reviewed for a thin edge by Usman Khawaja shortly after drinks it was 35 for 3.

Travis Head enjoyed a promising first season in the Test side as the post-Newlands rebuilding began and looked in good order as he made the bowlers come to him before working off the pads. However, five overs after lunch, Woakes swung one back to win a leg before and did the same to end Matthew Wade's first Test innings in two years - although the latter, again, needed recourse to the third umpire.

England, and especially Broad, could not believe their luck when Tim Paine pulled a short delivery straight to deep square leg - it wasn't quite 60 all out or Stokes' Trent Bridge catch, but the #Broadface made an appearance - and two balls later James Pattinson was given lbw to one which replays showed was sliding down leg. By then it was hard to keep up with what should and shouldn't have been out.

When Pat Cummins offered no shot to a booming Stokes inswinger Australia had lost 5 for 23 in 11 overs and were heading for something very similar to the 136 they were bundled out for in the 2015 Test at this ground. That was the point in the series, level at 1-1, where it swung England's way with considerable haste. Being skittled out early this time could have opened up some old wounds.

Smith hadn't even reached fifty by this point and when he quietly acknowledged that milestone off 119 balls it seemed like being not much more than a face-saver in the bigger picture. But Siddle, who has averaged over 30 for Essex this season, showed that he has learnt about batting against the moving Dukes ball (Paine will hope the bowling follows tomorrow). At times early on he scored more freely than Smith, who was intent on seeing through the innings, and showed some deft placement until he lunged forward at Moeen and inside-edged to short leg. For a few balls it appeared Smith would try to slog his way to a century, but Lyon has a solid technique and did not let his former captain down.

The timing of Smith's dismissal meant two overs for England's openers to face. With no nightwatchman this time, Rory Burns and Jason Roy got through but Australia were the buoyant side with plenty more plaudits for Smith as he left the field again. There is one indisputably great Test batsman on show in this series. It's very early days, but he could be the difference.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- New York Jets running back Le'Veon Bell doesn't second-guess himself for sitting out last season, a decision that cost him $14 million in salary. His big regret is that he wasn't able to share his intentions with fantasy owners.

"I wish I could've told fantasy owners some type of way, like, 'I'm not playing this year,' so they wouldn't have picked me," he said Thursday at training camp. "That's the only thing I really apologized for, because a lot of people picked me not even knowing if I was coming back."

Bell apologized Tuesday on Twitter, telling his followers it was long overdue. He elaborated after his sixth practice with the Jets.

"That's why I was sorry, not because I sat out," he said. "I'm sorry about not being able to communicate with the fantasy owners that I'm not playing. A lot of people felt like they wasted their money and things like that. That's why I apologized. So, sorry again."

Bell took a controversial stance with the Pittsburgh Steelers, opting to sit out the season rather than playing on the franchise tag. That didn't deter the Jets, desperate for playmakers, from signing him to a four-year, $52.5 million contract in free agency. The deal includes $27 million in fully guaranteed money.

After an 18-month layoff, Bell, 27, is being eased into the flow of the offense, sharing reps with backup Ty Montgomery. Plagued by leg cramps in Sunday's practice, Bell said he feels "a million times better" than he did at the start of camp.

On Thursday, he got banged around a little, as the Jets practiced in full pads and emphasized the running game. Bell said he welcomed the contact because it was "game-like conditions." The Jets still haven't said if he will play in the preseason.

Bell is optimistic he can be the player he was in 2017, when he was named All-Pro for the second time in his career. He believes the long layoff will be beneficial. He's so excited that he said he should be the No. 1 overall pick in fantasy drafts.

He called coach Adam Gase a "mastermind" who will utilize his diverse talents. Bell also said quarterback Sam Darnold has "scary" potential. This is the first time in Bell's career, dating to high school, that he has a quarterback younger than him. In Pittsburgh, of course, he had Ben Roethlisberger, 37.

"I'm watching (Darnold) and it's unbelievable because I see him literally growing up," Bell said. "I'm excited. I want to see what he can actually do, because the sky is the limit for him."