The New York Mets, a multibillion-dollar corporation that moonlights as a comedy act, put on their finest show in years Monday. Rampant speculation about the job security of their embattled manager amid a sweep by baseball's worst team was merely the opening set. Then their first-year general manager announced that Yoenis Cespedes, their highest-paid player who already was on the injured list, had broken his ankle when he stepped in a hole at his ranch, and it was as though Heisenberg had cooked up this batch of news, because it was pure Mets, blue to the core.

The Mets habitually step in something else typically found on a ranch, and while some of their pratfalls can be chalked up to bad luck, enough are self-inflicted that they earn the scorn from fans and the schadenfreude from around the game. All of it is interconnected, from the losing to the managerial drama to the $29 million player rehabbing at his horse farm who says he didn't suffer multiple fractures in his right ankle due to an accident with a horse but rather an unfortunate dalliance with a hole.

It starts with owner Fred Wilpon and his son and chief operating officer, Jeff, the hub of everything Mets-related. Ownership did not give the new GM, Brodie Van Wagenen, the ability to hire his own manager, lame-ducking incumbent Mickey Callaway before the 2019 season even began. Ownership does not take the tens of millions of dollars collected via insurance money from Cespedes' and David Wright's injuries and reinvest it in major league payroll. Ownership for years has fomented organizational instability, and what to other franchises might register as tiny cracks in the foundation feel to the Mets like canyon-sized fissures.

And so there are days like Monday, when the Mets played arsonist and fire department simultaneously. Van Wagenen did his best to downplay the absurdity of it all, treating Cespedes' injury with understandable gravity and giving Callaway a vote of confidence following the Mets managing three hits over the weekend against the woeful Miami Marlins. It was a tepid vote, one without conditions, the sort one offers to buy time for some proper replacement back-channeling.

Multiple sources familiar with the team's thinking believe it will take an extreme turnaround to save Callaway's job, predicting his firing will happen sometime in June. In his first season last year, Callaway oversaw a 66-84 finish following an 11-1 start. He did not distinguish himself tactically, either, and Van Wagenen's hiring signaled an opportunity to start fresh on the field too. These are the Mets, of course, and $2 million remained on Callaway's deal, so that opportunity was sacrificed.

The Mets do a lot of senseless things because of money. The hiring of Van Wagenen, whose aggressive plan helped win over ownership, was the Mets' way of saying: It's time to build, not rebuild. They traded top prospects for Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano. They dropped some cash in free agency. And ... they stopped. With clear holes and available free agents to plug them, the Mets believed themselves good enough. And how could fans complain about an Opening Day payroll of $158 million, the club's highest ever?

Here's how: It's not $158 million. It's not close. The Mets have insurance that recoups 75 percent of Wright's and Cespedes' salaries if disabled because of injury. Wright is essentially retired. Cespedes underwent surgery on both his heels last year, and his return at all this season was in question. Between them, the Mets could collect upward of $33 million in insurance money.

So that $158 million payroll? It's actually $125 million. Top 10 in the game? Not even top half. The Seattle Mariners are paying out more than the Mets. They're rebuilding. The Milwaukee Brewers are paying out more than the Mets. They're located in Milwaukee, not New York. The Mets are the Ferdinands of baseball. They should be big bullies. They'd rather just go to the ranch and step in holes.

Now, it's worth noting that spending clearly does not solve every ill. The Cespedes deal is a disaster. The Jed Lowrie and Wilson Ramos deals from this winter look like messes. Cano will cost the Mets more than $20 million for the next four years, and as the team failed to put up a single run Sunday, he couldn't be bothered to run out a tapper that wound up a double play.

In the aftermath of that loss, pitcher Noah Syndergaard passionately defended Callaway, which was noble. And yet however powerful Syndergaard's words, it is the players' actions that will render judgment on Callaway's job. And with the Mets in the midst of a funk, with the manager's job quite clearly in peril, for a player to exhibit the sheer lack of effort Cano did illustrates a famine of awareness, a silent indictment of Callaway -- or perhaps both.

The double play put a bow on Sunday's shutout, which led to the Monday media conference, which served not as a sense into the Mets' psyche at the moment but how the organization cares to spin a team that entered the day 20-25 and occupying third place in the National League East. At one point, Van Wagenen actually uttered the words, "I don't have regrets from this offseason," and if he had unbuttoned his shirt, opened his collar and revealed a tattoo across his chest that said "NO RAGRETS," no one would've blinked an eye.

These are the Mets. These sorts of things happen, and they are funny, or at least funny to those who don't suffer through season after season of the same mistakes. Those fans see rookie sensation Pete Alonso, hitting savant Jeff McNeil, steady outfielder Michael Conforto and athletic shortstop Amed Rosario and think: That's a plenty solid core. And they see Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler and say: That's a pretty good rotation, too. And then when a bad patch hits, it gets amplified because there are so many things to question -- not allowing Van Wagenen his own manager and forcing Ramos to catch deGrom when deGrom clearly is more comfortable pitching to Tomas Nido and thinking $125 million is going to be enough to beat Philadelphia and Atlanta and Washington, let alone the rest of the NL and the best of the American League.

And that's the point, right? That the Mets should exist to win championships, to erase the three decades since their last one? That every little decision should lead to that goal? That should be the point, but then the New York Mets and "should" have something of a toxic relationship, with the former telling the latter to go kick rocks -- or step in a hole.

No, the Mets do things the Mets' way, and after all the disappointment, one would think the processes might change. Not under an ownership regime that has failed to learn from its mistakes. So whatever bad luck crops up, it gets swept away in a deluge of issues that long preceded those who arrived to cure the Mets' ills. Mickey Callaway was one of those people, taking over after Terry Collins got run out of town following what felt like two years of lame-duckery himself, and he'll ride that same wave eventually.

Some of it is bad luck and some of it bad timing and some of it just baseball, and all of those things showed themselves Monday, when the Mets beat the Nationals 5-3. Callaway was no better a manager, the Mets no better a team, baseball no different a game. It was, in fact, the perfect capper to the most Mets day in a good while. A manager still employed for the wrong reasons, a GM standing by what he did for questionable reasons and an ownership group dead silent throughout it all, content to let this multibillion-dollar corporation flop about like a fish on the dock. So sad, it's funny. So funny, it's sad.

British runner intends to cover almost 100 miles every day as he aims to break Land’s End to John o’Groats mark

James Williams is attacking the world record for Land’s End to John o’Groats and, if things go to plan, he will consign the controversial current mark to history.

Williams, a 2:30 marathon man from Belgrave Harriers, has prepared meticulously for the challenge. But he will need an extraordinary performance to beat the world record of 9 days 2hrs 26min, which was set by Andi Rivett in 2002 under dubious circumstances and without any of the stringent record ratification requirements needed today.

Such are the doubts over Rivett’s performance, Guinness World Records are investigating its validity. But, with the kind of stubborn determination typical of an ultra-distance runner, Williams says he has no option other than to aim for the mark.

“Lots of people say it’s one of the toughest records out there,” says Williams. “My view is that it’s the one Guinness has credited and it’s the one in the record books so that’s what I’m going for. I’ve said I’m always going for the 9 days 2hrs and 26min record and I’m not going for the second best time just because there’s a bit of controversy around it.”

Williams will start at Land’s End on Saturday (May 25) and hopes to cover close to 100 miles per day during the journey of over 800 miles. He will be accompanied by a small team, including a masseur, in two camper vans. Their roles will be to support his efforts and also make sure his performance is ratified.

In sharp contrast to Rivett’s 2002 effort, nowadays such attempts require not only GPS tracking data but much more.

“Guinness have provided an extensive list of all the evidence that I have to provide and it’ll be one of the key responsibilities of my team,” says Williams, who adds he needs to provide print-outs of GPS data, plus photographs, videos and witness statements at various checkpoints – so much so that it will take Guinness an estimated 12 weeks to wade through it all.

Williams’ preparations have included getting up at 4am for several months. Sometimes he has run up to 50km in the morning before starting a day’s work as a Performance Controller for Sky. In addition, he has a wife and two young daughters.

His employers have been hugely supportive, to the extent that they plan to give some TV coverage to his attempt. He is coached by the adventurer Mimi Anderson, while Saucony is also sponsoring his efforts with clothing and multiple pairs of his favourite Kinvara shoe.

Williams describes the Sky coverage as “an added bonus”, though. “My main reasons for doing this are, firstly, I genuinely want to break the record,” he says. “Secondly, I want to inspire people to challenge themselves. Thirdly, it’s about creating awareness for the charity Hope for Children.”

During the challenge he expects to get up at 4am every day and collapse into a bed in one of the vans at 10-11pm.

In the build-up he has run on average 150-180 miles a week, much of it alone near his home in Putney and he believes the slow pace combined with yoga, strength and conditioning and regular massage helps him avoid injury.

Unusually for an endurance runner, Williams also has a low-carb diet, which he feels teaches his body to burn fats during the long efforts.

Scarlets have appointed New Zealander Glenn Delaney as their defence coach following the departure of Byron Hayward.

Delaney is currently the defence coach of Super Rugby side Highlanders and was a former London Irish head coach.

He will join new Scarlets head coach Brad Mooar who takes over from Wales bound Wayne Pivac.

"I am excited by the vision that has been put out and the way we are going to attack it," said Delaney.

Hayward left the Scarlets at the end of the season and is expected to join Pivac's backroom staff after the World Cup, although his role has yet to be confirmed by the Welsh Rugby Union.

Delaney spent seven years as director of rugby at Nottingham before becoming London Irish's forwards coach, head coach and finally head of rugby operations.

He returned to New Zealand to join Mitre 10 Cup side Canterbury in December 2016 and led them to a ninth title in 10 years, before joining the Highlanders in 2018.

Delaney will link up with a familiar figure in Mooar.

"We have known each other since school days in Christchurch, we go back a long way and Brad was coaching with the Crusaders while I was at Canterbury," said Delaney.

"I am looking forward to linking up with Brad and being part of his vision for the Scarlets."

Scarlets have yet to name an attack coach to replace Stephen Jones who will join Pivac's Wales coaching team.

Gloucester's Richard Whiffin and Wales Under-20s backs coach Dai Flanagan have been linked with roles in Mooar's staff.

For the latest Welsh rugby news follow @BBCScrumV on Twitter.

Exeter's former Scotland prop Moray Low has announced his retirement.

The 34-year-old, who won 37 caps for Scotland, has spent the past five years at Sandy Park after eight years at Glasgow Warriors.

Low is going to focus on a property development business he has set up with former team-mate and current Chiefs defence coach Julian Salvi.

Exeter have reached three Premiership finals and topped the league on two occasions in his time at the club.

Chiefs host Northampton Saints on Saturday in the 2019 play-off semi-final.

"I knew when I came down five years ago that the club were going places and that's certainly been the case," Low told the club website.

"For me, personally, it's been great to be part of a great journey, seeing where the club has come from to where it is now.

"To retire now at the end of the season, it's definitely the right time for me.

"I'm very happy with what I've done, what I've achieved, and I know the club will continue to move in the right direction in the future.

"We've got a number of internationals props - on both sides of the scrum - and behind them we've got a really good group of young lads who are coming through."

Full-back Simon Hammersley has exercised a relegation release clause to leave Newcastle Falcons and remain in the Premiership with Sale Sharks.

The 26-year-old went past 100 games for the Falcons this season, and departs having played 103 matches.

Newcastle were relegated from the Premiership after finishing bottom.

"We spent a huge amount of time and effort developing him into a quality Premiership player," director of rugby Dean Richards said.

"We had hoped to keep our squad together, with everyone fighting together to regain our top-flight status.

"Whilst I understand Simon's motivation to play at the highest level it is really disappointing to lose someone of his ability, who we have invested a huge amount of time and effort into."

Three-time Formula One champion Niki Lauda died Monday at the age of 70. Widely respected across all motorsports disciplines, Lauda was an inspiration to many in the motorsports world.

In the hours after his passing, many in the motorsports world took to Twitter to pay tribute to the Austrian racing great. SPEED SPORT has collected some of those messages below.

“From success, you learn absolutely nothing. From failure & setbacks, conclusions can be drawn. That goes for your private life as well as your career.” – Niki Lauda.

A true icon of our sport. Saddened for the entire Motorsport community. #RIPNiki

— Ryan Hunter-Reay (@RyanHunterReay) May 21, 2019

RIP Champ ?? Hard to believe anything could happen to the drivers who survived that period. A real motorsport legend, Niki Lauda ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Q3CXcfrOBw

— Jack Harvey (@jack_harvey42) May 21, 2019

RIP the Great #NikiLauda. Here’s our last meeting in #MonteCarlo in ‘18 We first met while making the movie Rush. The F1 world knows of his grit & intensely competitive spirit, but that matched w/his keen intelligence & wisdom made him a distinctively remarkable man. a force. pic.twitter.com/SMizNt9Hge

— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) May 21, 2019

My heart is heavy today, mourning the loss of a colleague and friend. Niki Lauda… a true-blue wonderful man pic.twitter.com/iOLPAZ9NG1

— Mario Andretti (@MarioAndretti) May 21, 2019

Very sad to hear the world has lost Niki. He’s always been a driver who’s story and work ethic I’ve really admired. Rest In Peace champ. pic.twitter.com/SOlkBoCI16

— Zach Veach (@ZachVeach) May 21, 2019

RIP Niki ??#legend pic.twitter.com/E2dM5emEYU

— Valtteri Bottas (@ValtteriBottas) May 21, 2019

Everyone at Ferrari is deeply saddened at the news of the death of our dear friend Niki Lauda. He won two of his three world championships with us and will always be in our hearts and in those of all Ferrari fans. Our sincere condolences go to all his family and friends.#CiaoNiki pic.twitter.com/mbzZBNZiRZ

— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) May 21, 2019

Niki Lauda was a pure example of hard work pays off! He said he had a great ass & could feel everything the car was doing. My Hero and I wish I was a Senna but I often think I was born more like a Lauda! Thank you Niki for all that you gave the sport, sad you have left us ? pic.twitter.com/XcAW1AfGco

— Simon Pagenaud (@simonpagenaud) May 21, 2019

Very sad day.
Rest in peace Legend. ? pic.twitter.com/aN5w32MAe5

— Charles Leclerc (@Charles_Leclerc) May 21, 2019

Shocked by the loss of Niki Lauda. He was a true legend in our sport and someone I had great respect for. May he rest in peace #RIPNiki pic.twitter.com/NCCduqNQuU

— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) May 21, 2019

Immense sadness to hear that Niki Lauda died – Ouch – one of my hero’s – gladly raced in his era – strong, focused, dedicated to the end result, no matter what, admired, brilliant, RIP my friend. pic.twitter.com/RkUYDA27GD

— Derek Daly (@DerekDaly500) May 21, 2019

The only reason Scott Berry was in Las Vegas back in January was to operate a booth at a sales conference. A casual gambler, he likes blackjack and craps but hadn't gotten a chance to hit the tables on this work trip.

But before his trip to McCarran International Airport to head home, the St. Louis native made a few fateful futures bets on his favorite teams --- $400 on the St. Louis Blues to win the Stanley Cup at 250-1 and $100 on the St. Louis Cardinals to win the World Series at 15-1 -- at the Caesars sportsbook at Paris Las Vegas.

Four months later, his Blues bet -- which would win $100,000 -- has a legitimate chance to cash as St. Louis heads into Game 6 of the Western Conference finals with a 3-2 series lead over the San Jose Sharks.

"I bet with the heart on this one," Berry told ESPN. "Before I hit my flight I decided that had I been here gambling I probably would've lost around $500, so I pulled that out of the bank account. My max withdrawal was $500, so that was all I could take out. I put $100 on the Cardinals at 15-1 and dumped the rest on the Blues."

After looking at the odds at a couple of sportsbooks (the Blues were only 150-1 at The Bellagio), Berry placed the wager, got on the plane and texted his brother and father about the bet. With the Blues out of the playoff picture in January, they weren't as optimistic as Berry about St. Louis' chances.

"Preseason, I knew they had a good squad," Berry told ESPN. "But I'm no pro. My brother and father are a little more risk-adverse than I am. They probably thought I was an idiot."

Berry said he didn't start thinking the ticket had a legitimate chance to cash until the Blues crept into the playoff picture a few months ago. He has bought tickets to every home game throughout the playoffs on StubHub.

Through PropSwap, a third-party marketplace not associated with any casinos that allows bettors to buy and sell futures bets, Berry has received several offers to buy his ticket. He turned down a $20,000 offer for the ticket before Game 7 against the Dallas Stars ... and then watched the game in the stands with a potential $100,000 pay day riding on the outcome.

"That was tough, probably not the smartest move," he said. "People were trying to talk to me during the game, but I wasn't really responding. My face was as white as a ghost. After Pat Maroon, the St. Louis native, buried that goal, I was in tears there for a hot minute. It was pretty emotional."

Berry doesn't have a price threshold he's looking for in order to sell the ticket, instead trusting his gut and fandom to lead him.

"I'm not a millionaire by any means; I could obviously use the money," he noted. "It's one of those things where you're stubborn and betting with your heart."

While his brother wants him to take the payout, Berry remains undecided, though he joked that he needs the money to pay his StubHub fees. If the Blues make the Stanley Cup Final, he'll "be there for as many games as possible."

On Monday afternoon, Berry received a new high offer of $24,000.

"I heard about that Texas Tech guy [in the NCAA tournament], and that was a shame," Berry lamented. "I don't want to be that guy. I want this to have a happy ending."

The San Jose Sharks are down 3-2 to the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference finals. But they've come back from such a deficit before, as they engineered a comeback against the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round. Do they have another such run in them? Our experts debate.

Will the Sharks come back and win the series?

Greg Wyshynski, senior NHL writer: I'm about 80 percent on the St. Louis Blues closing out the series in six games, and about 20 percent on the Sharks rallying to win it. That 20 percent is based less on logic than it is based on the fact that ... look, I've covered San Jose for three rounds. I've seen stuff you wouldn't believe. A rally from down three games to one. A phantom major penalty in a Game 7 and their power play scoring four times during the ensuing man advantage. An obscurely enforced offside play caught by a coach's challenge, taking away a goal in another Game 7. A blatant hand pass in an overtime before a game-winning goal in this series.

I've seen enough to consider there's something cosmic going on here. But I've also seen Erik Karlsson looking like he should be getting prepped for offseason groin surgery, and a Sharks offense that has gone drier than day-old toasted ravioli, with just one goal since Game 3. What the Blues took away from that game wasn't frustration with that blown hand pass call, but an acknowledgement that it should have never reached that moment via Logan Couture's 6-on-5 goal near the end of regulation. Game 5 was the culmination of that education, as the Blues never took their feet off the gas pedal in a 5-0 rout. That killer instinct -- the Blues are 4-0 in elimination games or games that forced one -- and Jordan Binnington's continued unflappability tell me to believe in the 80 percent ... while side-eyeing the 20 percent. Blues in six.

Emily Kaplan, national NHL reporter: I like the Blues to win this series, since they only need to win one of the next two. The Sharks are banged up, and Game 6 feels like it will be played without at least some of their hobbled stars, or some not playing at 100 percent (Peter DeBoer is playing coy on Erik Karlsson, Tomas Hertl and Joe Pavelski updates).

But say it goes to Game 7. St. Louis is the best road team in these playoffs, going 7-2 so far. The Blues' forecheck is stifling right now. They're getting production from all over -- 18 different players have scored -- while the top-end forwards such as Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz are finding their stride. What's more, they have a locked-in, hot goaltender. Those are the same elements that helped guide the Bruins into the Stanley Cup Final, and I see St. Louis joining them there.

Chris Peters, NHL draft and prospects writer: There is only one way the Sharks can get back into this series, and that is Martin Jones playing out of his mind. As the Sharks' offense stagnates, it's almost entirely on Jones to at least give them a chance. However, if that's San Jose's hope, the odds don't seem to be in their favor. Jones has given up three or more goals in four of the five games so far this series, and hasn't had a level of consistency this season that gives one faith he'll find it now. Jones has a .902 save percentage in these playoffs, by far the lowest mark of his career, and a minus-8.51 goals saved above average. Even with those numbers, he's still a goalie who is capable of flashes of brilliance, and we've seen that at times this postseason.

This Sharks team has gotten some bounces and they've also been very good for stretches of this postseason, but they're losing the proverbial war of attrition here. You wonder if maybe their luck has finally run out. I believe the Sharks can come back, but only if Jones locks it down and San Jose's depth steps up in a major way. This team has thrived on emotion and have had their backs against the wall enough times this postseason that they will fight back. In the end, there is no rational reason to pick the Sharks, but how much of this postseason has been rational? I'll bite. Sharks in seven.

Dimitri Filipovic, hockey analytics writer: I'd love to play the role of devil's advocate here, because it's boring when we all agree about something. But after what we just witnessed over the weekend, it really feels like we can't in good conscience pretend that things are anything but bleak for the Sharks right now. It's not just that the Blues beat them by a decisive margin on the scoreboard, but it's the manner in which they did it that's awfully difficult to shake right now for anyone hoping that San Jose can turn this series around. Whereas St. Louis looked like a well-oiled machine that was firing on all cylinders, the Sharks were dropping like flies. That's ultimately why it's hard to talk yourself into picking them, because it's impossible to know what you're going to get from their best players.

At various points during Game 5, Hertl, Pavelski and Karlsson were all in the locker room tending to their ailments. Even if each of them do play in Game 6, it's fair to wonder what kind of shape they'll be in, and how much they'll have left in the tank to contribute. That's especially the case for Karlsson, who hasn't been able to properly finish back-to-back games now, and has looked like a shell of himself physically as he tries to fight through the injuries that have completely sapped him of his trademark mobility. Not only is he having trouble going back to retrieve pucks, but when he does get it, he's struggling with navigating the Blues' forecheck without that elusiveness.

For the Sharks to win this series, they need to beat St. Louis off the rush with their speed advantage, but without Karlsson being able to consistently transition the puck up the ice, they've been completely neutralized at 5-on-5. Health can often be the deciding factor this time of year, and the Blues certainly have the edge there at the moment. St. Louis wins this series.