The Brooklyn Nets and LA Clippers have taken home-court advantage heading into pivotal Game 3s on Thursday.

What adjustments do the Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors need to make?

Let's start in Philadelphia, where all eyes are on the Sixers' point guard.

76ers-Nets

The Har-Ben-ger of things to come

If Joel Embiid's knee soreness keeps him at less than 100 percent, then Ben Simmons becomes an even bigger key in this series. Simmons was invisible in Game 1, and Philly lost. He dominated Game 2, and Philly rolled.

Here are two Simmons facts that summarize his importance to his team:

• He ranked third in the NBA in 3-point assists this season.

• He is the team's most prolific interior scorer (5.4 makes per game in the restricted area).

After logging just nine points and three assists in Game 1, Simmons was ferocious in Game 2, putting up 23 points and 12 assists in the win. All eight of his Game 2 buckets came near the bucket -- not surprising considering over 97 percent of Simmons' field goals came in the paint this season. But when Simmons is pressuring the rim, good things happen elsewhere, too.

After making just three triples in Game 1, Philly drained nine in Game 2. Spacing starts by pressuring the rim, and when Simmons has it going he fuels the offense by blending rim attacks with perimeter shot creation.

Simmons assisted on more 3-pointers this season than Klay Thompson made, and if the Sixers have any chance this postseason, they'll need him to make a lot of splashes for his teammates, since it's not in the team's DNA to jack up 3s.

Only the Spurs have launched fewer deep balls per 100 possessions in these playoffs, and only the Jazz and Thunder have shot worse. However, Philly ranks second in shot quality on 3-point attempts, according to Second Spectrum tracking. There's good reason to fire away if Simmons can generate clean looks.

And Brooklyn has been ignoring Simmons at the point of attack, sagging to an extreme. I mean, just look at this:

If Game 2 is any indication, Philly's counter is to give Simmons a running start and attack this disrespectful strategy in the heart of the paint. Simmons is at his best driving toward the basket and making plays for himself or his teammates. It's hard to see how giving him a running start helps Brooklyn slow down Philly's main catalyst.

Regardless, if the Sixers want to make a deep playoff run, they need to ramp up their 3-point activity. Simmons is the key to that.

Warriors-Clippers

The Warriors aren't going to lose this series, and it would be unwise to overreact to their Game 2 meltdown. Still, there are three somewhat concerning developments that could impact the champs later on in the postseason, starting with ...

Losing DeMarcus Cousins

The loss of Cousins is clearly a big deal. On offense, Cousins is a Swiss Army knife and one of the most versatile big men in the league. He can post up, spot up, pass, rebound and put back. Playoff basketball is matchup science and Cousins is a matchup nightmare. His replacements are not.

Andrew Bogut and Kevon Looney demand much less attention, and in turn opposing big men will suddenly become more available as help defenders and rim protectors. This may not be a huge deal versus the Clippers, but either Clint Capela or Rudy Gobert loom large in the second round.

On defense, Cousins led the team in both rebounds and blocks, but not by a wide margin, and the numbers per 100 possessions suggest that Bogut can fill those statistical voids. However, Bogut is 34 and it's fair to question just how much he can give this group right now. Can he switch onto smaller players? Can he keep up in transition? The rest of this series will provide some answers, and give the Warriors a chance to calibrate new approaches in the absence of Cousins.

The Warriors should be fine against LA, but in a world where they're facing James Harden next, the Cousins loss could prove disastrous. After all, the only time Golden State beat Houston in four chances this season was back on March 13 when Cousins had 27 points, 8 boards and 7 assists.

Still, if any team can absorb the loss of its starting center, it's this team, whose dominance is linked in part to small-ball lineups featuring Draymond Green at center.

Kevin Durant?

Kevin Durant needs to be better. Yes, Patrick Beverley is a good defender and a world-class agitator, but Durant can't get embroiled in Beverley's head games. After being ejected in Game 1, Durant fouled out in Game 2 thanks in large part to committing a whopping four offensive fouls in the second half. How bad is that? Check out these two factoids, from the Elias Sports Bureau:

• The last player with four offensive fouls in any half of a playoff game was Boris Diaw, who committed four in the second half of Game 4 of the Suns' 2008 first-round series against the Spurs

• The last time a player had four total offensive fouls in a playoff game was LeBron James in Game 4 of the 2012 Eastern Conference finals (Heat-Celtics). James fouled out in that game, the first of two career playoff games in which he has fouled out.

Durant needs to improve in Games 3 and 4. He had nine turnovers in Game 2, which cost the NBA's best offense too many possessions. The Warriors are virtually unbeatable when they take care of the ball. But with Cousins out and a thin bench, if they're as careless as Durant was in Game 2, they're as vulnerable as ever.

Lou vs. everybody

When the Warriors are at their best, they are both an offensive and defensive juggernaut. But they let the Clippers score 72 points in the final 19 minutes, 23 seconds of Game 2, mostly because Lou Williams caught fire and had 26 points and seven assists in that window.

The Warriors need to slow Williams down, and one easy way to do that is to keep him off the line. The dude scores almost a third of his points at the stripe, and those freebies are central to his overall efficiency.

So far, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala are doing the lion's share of the work on Williams, but even those illuminati-level defenders aren't doing enough. In Game 2, Lou did most of his damage on driving layups, on floaters and, of course, by drawing fouls.

Only one other guard in the league shoots more free throws per 100 possessions than Lou, and his name is James Harden. And just like Harden, you have to make him beat you from the field, not the line.

The Warriors should develop good habits now. They may come in handy later on.

Chicago White Sox starter Lucas Giolito has been placed on the 10-day injured list after he strained his hamstring during Wednesday's game.

Giolito was cruising early against the Kansas City Royals, with five strikeouts over 2⅔ innings, but he grabbed at his right hamstring while delivering a pitch to Alex Gordon in the third inning. After throwing a couple of warm-up pitches, Giolito was pulled from the game.

He told reporters Thursday that he underwent an MRI, which showed the Grade 1 strain, and added that he thought he could pitch through the injury if it were "a different situation, maybe a different time of year."

Giolito, 24, is 2-1 with a 5.30 ERA over four starts this season.

"It looks like he'll miss a couple starts and get all his treatments done. At that point, we'll reassess how he's doing," manager Rick Renteria said.

In related moves, the White Sox recalled outfielder Ryan Cordell and right-hander Carson Fulmer from Triple-A Charlotte.

ESPN's Bradford Doolittle and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

NEW YORK -- Boston Red Sox pitcher David Price thinks Major League Baseball made a mistake by having just 10 games Monday on Jackie Robinson Day.

Price tweeted about it Wednesday.

Hey @mlb every year on April 15th we celebrate Jackie Robinson Day...EVERYONE plays on that day next year deal? No one should have an off day let alone 10 teams!!

— David Price (@DAVIDprice24) April 17, 2019

African American players dropped from 18 percent of the majors leagues in 1991 to 7.7 percent in 2017, then rose to 8.4 percent in 2018, according to The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at Central Florida. Price, who won the 2012 AL Cy Young Award, thinks more efforts on Jackie Robinson Day are needed.

Jackie Robinson broke the major league color barrier for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947.

"1/3 of @mlb teams had an off day on Jackie Robinson day," tweeted Price, who is black. "I just can't wrap my head around that. We've had a problem for a while and this couldn't make it any more noticeable."

This year, April 15 fell on a Monday. Most teams' scheduled off days are on Mondays and Thursdays.

"In a perfect world, all teams would play on Jackie Robinson Day," Major League Baseball said in a statement. "Unfortunately, there are some scheduling challenges when April 15th falls on a Monday, which is a heavy travel day for clubs. MLB worked with the clubs who were not playing on Monday to ensure that their players would wear 42 and have festivities on Tuesday to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day. While it is not ideal, one benefit is that this extends the celebration and awareness of Jackie Robinson Day over two days and guarantees that every one of our players participates."

Red Sox manager Alex Cora agreed with his player.

"It makes sense to play that day," Cora said. "In my opinion, yes, he's right about that."

NEW YORK -- Remember "Club Dub" in Chicago? Well, meet the bouncing, bass-bumping version in the Bronx.

At times in what has been a difficult, challenge-filled season mostly marred by an ever-growing injured list, the New York Yankees have still found occasions to celebrate.

And when they have, boy, have they partied.

"You guys didn't know we had a nightclub in here?" outfielder and designated hitter Clint Frazier rhetorically asked reporters, smiling.

It was about 15 minutes after the Yankees' 5-3 win Wednesday night over the rival Boston Red Sox when media entered a home clubhouse that had a noticeably strange haze in the air.

No, nothing was on fire. There was no actual smoke -- just the suggestion of it. It came in the form of a foggy mist generated by a fog machine that has made an appearance or two this season. To a man, players contend they have no idea who put it there, how it got there or why it's even there.

"I don't know that it's a player," veteran outfielder Brett Gardner said, "but I'm not sure."

What the 25 men on the Yankees' current active roster do know is that they like seeing the fog machine ... and the strobe lights ... and hearing the booming music from right fielder Aaron Judge's victory mixtape. The presence of each of means the Yanks just won a hard-fought game.

"The idea was to play [the fog] after big games," Gardner said.

Wednesday's game certainly qualified as that, as the Bronx Bombers completed a sweep of the scuffling Sox thanks in large part to Gardner's seventh-inning grand slam. The homer was the 100th of his career and was the go-ahead blast the Yankees needed in a game they had spent most of the night trailing.

"I think he was just waiting for the right moment. I think that was it: bases loaded, against Boston," Judge said about the milestone shot. "That was a special moment, a special swing, and there's nobody else I'd rather have up at the plate in that situation."

Along with Gardner's homer, the Yankees got a strong 6⅓-inning outing from starter J.A. Happ, who had not pitched out of the fifth inning in his first three starts of the year. A midgame adjustment got the lefty past a rough first two innings in which he gave up two home runs. He has allowed homers in all four starts he has made this season.

"We deserved the fog because we won a hard game out there," Frazier said. "That was a good game. Everybody played a part in some way. It's huge to beat the Red Sox right now."

Frazier played his own key role in the win, going 3-for-3 with a pair of singles and an RBI double. Barely a year removed from a serious concussion, Frazier has taken full advantage of his opportunities playing in relief of the injured Giancarlo Stanton. Through 13 games, Frazier is hitting .333 with four homers and 12 RBIs.

At one point in Wednesday's celebration, the fog was so intense that Frazier said he had trouble identifying individual players until they stumbled far out of the fog.

"It's been like a nightclub after we win," Frazier said. "It's fun, man. It's a way to get it going after a win."

Last football season, the Chicago Bears made headlines when their post-win celebrations were posted to the team's social media channels. Players were regularly singing and dancing as strobe lights bounced erratically off the locker room's walls.

The venue of those postwin celebrations was affectionately nicknamed "Club Dub" -- a concept inspired by their crosstown baseball team, the Chicago Cubs, who have made a similar celebration part of their team persona since winning the World Series in 2016.

Asked if the Yankees clubhouse could be baseball's latest version of "Club Dub," Frazier quickly retorted: "Yeah. Why not?"

Oakland Athletics slugger Khris Davis has signed a two-year extension that will keep him under contract through the 2021 season, the team announced Thursday.

The A's did not disclose financial terms, but sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan that the deal is for $33.5 million.

Davis, 31, is batting .260 with a major-league-leading 10 home runs this season. He also has 20 RBIs.

"Oakland has been a special place for me since I arrived," Davis said in a statement issued by the team. "I love playing here in front of our fans, and my teammates make this feel like a family. I never hid the fact that I wanted to stay in Oakland because that is how I feel and I'm glad that I can continue to call the city of Oakland my baseball home.

"This team has a bright future, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it."

Davis led the majors with 48 home runs last season. He has belted 143 homers since joining Oakland before the 2016 season, the most in the majors over that span.

His three seasons with at least 40 home runs are tied with Mark McGwire and Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx for the most in A's history.

"Khris is a special talent who has made a tremendous impact both on and off the field during his time here," said Billy Beane, the A's executive vice president of baseball operations. "He's become one of the most beloved players to have worn an A's uniform, and his commitment to Oakland has never wavered. He made it clear from the beginning that he wants to play, and win, right here. We're thrilled Khris will continue to be an A."

Free agency might or might not be alive and well, and that might have spurred the recent run of long-term contract extensions. Travis Sawchik examined the spike of signings at FiveThirtyEight and reported that March saw not only the highest dollar amount in extensions ever for one month (over $1 billion), but the most total years as well (58). That doesn't even include Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies, who signed their recent extensions in April.

For teams that cleared future money off their books in anticipation of spending more in free agency in upcoming seasons, losing the likes of Nolan Arenado, Aaron Nola, Luis Severino, Chris Sale, Xander Bogaerts, Justin Verlander and others as potential targets obviously changes the landscape. That doesn't mean future free-agent classes will be devoid of talent, however. Let's examine what the next groups look like, focusing on the current top 10 for each class ... and wait until you see who might be available in the 2021-22 offseason.

Jump to ... :
Names to know this winter | Mookie and the rest of the 2020-21 crop | The absolutely loaded 2021-22 class

2019-20

1. Gerrit Cole, RHP, Astros

2020 age: 29

Possible destinations: Astros, Dodgers, Angels, Yankees, Rangers, Cubs

As cold as the free-agent market was this past offseason, there should be vast interest in Cole, who turned the corner last season with the Astros as he started relying more on his explosive four-seamer up in the zone and less on the two-seamer the Pirates preferred he throw. That took his game to a new level, as his strikeout rate jumped from 8.4 per nine innings with Pittsburgh to 12.5 the past season-plus with Houston.

Cole grew up in Southern California and went to UCLA, so going to the Dodgers or Angels would be a homecoming of sorts. The Dodgers haven't signed a $100 million free agent under Andrew Friedman, but Cole could be an exception, giving them another ace in a rotation that currently has depth but lacks a workhorse at the top given Clayton Kershaw's limitations and health concerns. Cole is better than Patrick Corbin, who signed a six-year, $140 million deal with the Nationals (although it was heavily backloaded, lowering the present-day value of the contract) and younger than Yu Darvish was when he signed his six-year, $126 million deal with the Cubs.

2. Anthony Rendon, 3B, Nationals

2020 age: 30

Possible destinations: Nationals, Phillies, Yankees, Rangers, Angels, Tigers

Since his breakout season in 2014, Rendon has arguably outperformed his more famous former teammate:

Rendon: .290/.367/.488, 101 HRs, 432 R, 401 RBIs, 21.9/25.9 WAR
Bryce Harper: .282/.401/.526, 146 HRs, 453 R, 414 RBIs, 18.8/22.9 WAR

Will Rendon get $300 million, then? No, he's older and he doesn't have that monster upside (or marketability) that Harper possesses. If he doesn't re-sign with the Nationals, he'll also face some of the same obstacles that Manny Machado faced in that third base is pretty stacked right now and most of the best teams are set at the hot corner. The Rangers are an interesting team to watch as they move into Globe Life Field and could be active for a big free agent or two.

3. Madison Bumgarner, LHP, Giants

2020 age: 30

Possible destinations: Giants, Phillies, Yankees, Cubs, Rangers, Braves, Padres

Bumgarner's career-worst ERA remains a 3.37 mark in 2012, so even though his stuff has ticked down a notch the past couple of seasons, he's still pretty good -- plus, given his history in the postseason spotlight, you know teams would want this guy on the mound in October. His ultimate demand and payout on the market will be determined by how he pitches this season, and he's off to a solid start, with a better strikeout rate than last season and an improvement from mixing in his changeup more often.

Teams also will have to evaluate how effective he'll be away from Oracle Park -- he has a 2.73 career ERA at home, 3.33 on the road. There are some similarities to Dallas Keuchel as a lefty without a blazing fastball, but Keuchel is a year older than Bumgarner will be this coming offseason, doesn't throw quite as hard and had some shoulder issues in his past.

4. J.D. Martinez, DH, Red Sox (opt out)

2020 age: 32

Possible destinations: Red Sox, Rangers, Blue Jays, Giants, Angels

Martinez would make $62.5 million if he remains with the Red Sox instead of opting out. It's a tough call on whether he'd do better than that as a free agent. On one hand, if he hits this season like he did in 2018, then the answer is probably yes, even though he'll be entering his age-32 season. He's clearly one of the best hitters in the league and doesn't appear to be slowing down, so even a five-year contract that takes him through his age-36 season could be possible.

The problem: the same one he faced a year ago. Teams prefer not to invest heavily in a designated hitter, even one this good. That would seem to eliminate National League teams from going after him (although the Giants could really use his bat and live with his defense). The Red Sox remain the best fit, even if he opts out and does a new deal.

5. Marcell Ozuna, LF, Cardinals

2020 age: 29

Possible destinations: Giants, White Sox, Tigers, Cardinals

Ozuna is a two-time All-Star, but his production has been all over the map. He had a big first half in 2016 but a poor second one; he had a monster season in 2017; he played through a shoulder issue in 2018 and his numbers dropped off. He's off to a big start in 2019. After investing heavily in Paul Goldschmidt and extending Matt Carpenter, the Cardinals might let Ozuna walk. He'd be a good fit for the Giants or a rebuilding club like the White Sox or Tigers that is desperate for a bat in the outfield.

6. Zack Wheeler, RHP, Mets

2020 age: 30

Possible destinations: Mets, Rangers, Mariners, Angels, Yankees, Nationals, White Sox, Twins

Wheeler had a lot of helium heading into 2019 after posting a 1.68 ERA and holding batters to a .179 average in the second half of 2018, but he's off to a slow start thanks to some control issues (14 walks in 22⅔ innings). He made 29 starts last season, so he's healthy after missing all of 2015 and 2016 with Tommy John surgery and missing time in 2017 with a stress reaction in his right arm.

He's sitting 96-98 mph with his fastball, and even though he'll be 30, all the injuries also mean he doesn't have that many innings on his arm, which could be a good thing, and maybe he's one of those guys who will be better in his 30s than his 20s. Assuming he starts throwing strikes again and stays healthy, there should be a lot of interest in Wheeler. He's similar to Nathan Eovaldi in a lot of ways -- big-time heater, Tommy John history -- and Eovaldi got four years, $68 million from the Red Sox.

7. Yasiel Puig, RF, Reds

2020 age: 29

Possible destinations: Reds, White Sox, Giants, Angels, Tigers, Marlins

Puig hit .305/.386/.502 his first two seasons and looked like a future star. Instead, he has settled into being a good-not-great player and is simultaneously overrated (not as good as his fame warrants) and underrated (better than the haters acknowledge even if he hasn't fulfilled that early potential). He has struggled against lefties the past couple of seasons but still averaged 3.2 WAR.

All that said: I don't think anybody has any idea what kind of market there will be for Puig. Some teams will dismiss him altogether because of all the extraneous baggage he comes with -- showing up late, showboating and so on. Some teams might see a bargain. He could return to L.A. (with the Angels) as a replacement for Kole Calhoun.

8. Khris Davis, DH, A's (Editor's Note: Davis and the A's agreed to a two-year extension Thursday afternoon)

2020 age: 32

Possible destinations: A's, White Sox, Angels

Davis has said multiple times that he wants to stay with Oakland, and given that he's a worse outfielder than Martinez and not the same level of all-around hitter, his market is even tougher to figure out. He's on his way to a fourth consecutive 40-homer season after a monster start to 2019, however, and that should earn him a multiyear deal from somebody. Heck, only 25 players in major league history have had four 40-homer seasons in their career.

9. Cole Hamels, LHP, Cubs

2020 age: 36

Possible destinations: Cubs, Phillies, Yankees, Angels, Mets, Brewers

You might think Hamels would be entering the one-year contract phase of his career, but J.A. Happ was entering his age-36 season this past offseason and got two years and $34 million from the Yankees (with a third-year vesting option). Hamels obviously has had the better career, but seems pretty comparable to Happ, depending on how 2019 plays out, of course. How about if Hamels replaces CC Sabathia with the Yankees or returns to the Phillies? One thing for sure: Hamels will want to sign with a contender, as his game seemed to amp up after going from the Rangers to the Cubs.

10. Josh Donaldson, 3B, Braves

2020 age: 34

Possible destinations: Braves, Tigers, Nationals, Rangers

Donaldson signed a one-year deal with the Braves, betting on himself to bounce back after an injury-plagued 2018 campaign. The Braves do have prospect Austin Riley waiting in the wings (although he's off to bad start in Triple-A), so a return to Atlanta will be determined by Donaldson's production at the big league level, Riley's readiness for 2020 ... and the cheapness of the club's owners.

Others of note: Didi Gregorius, Scooter Gennett, Rick Porcello, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Jose Abreu, Francisco Cervelli, Nicholas Castellanos, Dellin Betances

Gregorius could end up as a top-10 player if he shows he's healthy later this season from Tommy John surgery. ... Cervelli is an older catcher, but still productive, and with the state of catching, there will be a lot of interest in him. ... Given all the money the Red Sox have poured into other players already, they'll let Porcello walk. He has been terrible so far, with 22 hits and 12 walks in 11⅓ innings.

Mutual options: Yasmani Grandal, Mike Moustakas

Unable to strike a big deal last offseason, Grandal could go back to Milwaukee for $16 million. The Brewers probably will let Moustakas walk, as prospect Keston Hiura should be ready to take over second base.

Noteworthy club options: Anthony Rizzo, Nelson Cruz, Adam Eaton, Sean Doolittle, Starling Marte, Edwin Encarnacion, Chris Archer, Jose Quintana

I would expect all of these to be picked up, with the exception of Encarnacion and possibly Cruz's $12 million salary if Father Time finally catches up to him this season.

Opt-outs unlikely to be exercised: Stephen Strasburg, Kenley Jansen, Elvis Andrus, Jake Arrieta

Arrieta's opt-out is an interesting one: If the Phillies don't exercise a two-year, $40 million option, he can opt out of the final year at $20 million.

2020-21

With Mike Trout off the board, this class of free agents is a lot less interesting. Still, there's the guy who beat out Trout for MVP honors last year and a potentially strong group of starting pitchers.

1. Mookie Betts
2. Trevor Bauer
3. Andrelton Simmons
4. J.T. Realmuto
5. George Springer
6. James Paxton
7. Robbie Ray
8. Marcus Stroman
9. Masahiro Tanaka
10. Jackie Bradley Jr.

Betts will be entering his age-28 season, two years older than Bryce Harper this year, but could command a similar contract if he stays close to his MVP level of play. ... Bauer said this offseason that he intends to maximize his earning potential by signing only one-year contracts. ... Simmons has quietly become a solid hitter to go with his Gold Glove defense. He'll be 31, but like Ozzie Smith and Omar Vizquel has the range and instincts (and arm) to remain at shortstop well into his 30s. ... Realmuto seems like a good candidate to sign an extension with the Phillies. ... The Astros tried to lure Springer into a long-term contract with a lowball offer before he even made his major league debut, so don't necessarily count on Springer staying with Houston. ... Paxton is older than you think and will be entering his age-32 season. ... Maybe Ray will learn to throw more strikes by 2021. ... Stroman has to bounce back from a rough 2018. ... Tanaka has been pitching since 2014 with a partial tear in his ulnar collateral ligament. ... Bradley will be 31 and he hasn't been able to replicate his 2016 offensive numbers, so a big deal rests on teams believing he can remain in center through his mid-30s.

Others of note: Justin Turner, Blake Treinen, Yadier Molina, Michael Brantley, Joc Pederson, Jurickson Profar, Mike Zunino, Yoenis Cespedes

2021-22

Now this will be a winter of drama if all these players reach free agency. Just look at the shortstops. Then look at all the Cubs. Then check out the starting pitchers. Then check the expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement: Dec. 1, 2021. This could be a winter of chaos for the wrong reasons.

1. Francisco Lindor
2. Carlos Correa
3. Kris Bryant
4. Corey Seager
5. Noah Syndergaard
6. Javier Baez
7. Trevor Story
8. Freddie Freeman
9. Max Scherzer
10. Michael Conforto

The Indians already have said they won't be able to afford Lindor, who seems like a clear bet to join the exclusive $300 million club. ... Hard to believe that Correa is still just 24. ... Will Bryant join his buddy Harper in Philly? ... Seager could move off shortstop and replace Justin Turner at third base by this stage in his career. ... The Mets signed Jacob deGrom to an extension and have plenty of time to do the same with Syndergaard. ... Baez is proving once again that he can put up big numbers despite his poor control of the strike zone. ... Story is a year older than Lindor and Seager and two years older than Correa. We'll have to see if he can match his 2018 season. ... Freeman is Mr. Consistency and will be 32 when he's eligible for free agency, but Paul Goldschmidt just signed a five-year, $130 million extension for his age-32 through age-36 seasons. ... I wouldn't bet against Scherzer still being one of the best pitchers in the game in 2021. ... Conforto will be 29 by this time. He has power and draws walks and could be on his way to some really good seasons the next three years with the Mets.

Others of note: Anthony Rizzo, Mike Foltynewicz, Byron Buxton, Corey Kluber, Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Kolten Wong, Kyle Schwarber, Salvador Perez, Tommy Pham, Aroldis Chapman, Raisel Iglesias, Brad Hand, Roberto Osuna, Kenley Jansen (if he didn't opt out in 2019-20)

Balance is essential to performance and to healthy ageing. Here are some facts that may surprise you

Your body’s ability to balance is among the most important – yet often overlooked – aspects of training. In groundbreaking research being led by exercise scientists at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), physiologists are beginning to understand how and why it is essential we maintain and improve our powers of equilibrium.

Here we uncover some of the surprising facts that underpin your ability to stay upright:

Your brain – not your muscles – controls balance

It’s widely assumed that poorer powers of balance as we age are down to the loss in muscle mass and strength that occurs with age. But the brain plays a more important role.

In our twenties and thirties, we each have about 70,000 specialised nerve cells – motor neurons – in the lower part of the spinal cord that connect with our leg muscles to control balance and movement.

By the age of 75, 40 per cent of these motor neurons have been lost, resulting in lower levels of co-ordination and balance in people with all levels of physical fitness.

“It’s as much a part of ageing as greying hair,” says Jamie McPhee, professor of musculoskeletal physiology at MMU. “And there’s no evidence at all that staying fit even as a top level masters athlete will prevent the decline.”

Hard training won’t prevent balance losses

In MMU research funded by the European Union and the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) and conducted with members of the British Masters Athletics Federation, McPhee and his team have identified a simple exercise as the most important in balance preservation.

They showed that young adults – even those who are not very athletic – can easily stand on one leg, eyes closed, for 30 seconds. By the time the average person is 70 years old they manage only four to five seconds doing the same test. In theory, the masters athletes who participated in the studies, some of whom were training for up to 14 hours a week, should have managed more than the general population of their peers, their superior muscle strength perhaps expected to provide a stronger base. But that was not the case.

Even with well-trained masters athletes, they found that those in their seventies could hold the position only for around seven seconds, which is not significantly better than average.

“It is appealing to think that regular exercise and training might prevent the death of motor neurons during ageing. Unfortunately, we found no evidence to support this idea,” McPhee says. “All older athletes (endurance and sprinters alike) showed signs of a similar degree of motor neuron loss.”

You should start balance training now

According to the MMU findings, the only way to hold on to balance and prevent falls is to practice balance-specific training.

Encouragingly, while the loss of motor neurons that control balance is irreversible, the master athletes studied by McPhee and his colleagues appeared better able to “rescue” muscles that had lost their nerve connection.

“This rescue is realised by the sprouting of nearby, healthy nerves, that can establish a new connection between the muscle and nerve,” McPhee says. “And athletes can also learn to better control the nerves that remain by practising new balance and co-ordination exercises.”

Starting balance training as early as possible – in your forties if not sooner – provides the best protection.

“We recommend you include it into your warm-up and cool-down programme,” McPhee says.

Try standing on one leg every day

Balance is needed in every aspect of sports performance, from spatial awareness (being aware of your body’s position in relation to what’s around you) to proprioception (the body’s sense of movement and position).

It aids jumping and prevents falls since our ability to stay upright is down to the brain knowing the precise position of the body, even when our eyes are closed.

“The brain knows what’s stable and what’s not,” McPhee says. “One of the simplest and most effective balance training exercises is to stand on one leg, eyes closed, every day. It sounds simple – until you try it.

“Once you can do the eyes closed single leg stand for several seconds, you need to challenge yourself more,” McPhee says.

“Try moving your centre of mass by swaying on one leg with eyes closed and then try tying your shoelaces on one leg.”

Balance affects long-term health

It is not just your times and distances that can suffer as balance diminishes. Your general health can take a downturn, too.

A study of people in their fifties by the UK’s Medical Research Council showed that those who could stand on one leg for 10 seconds with their eyes closed were the most likely to be fit and well over the next 13 years.

If they managed only two seconds, they were three times as likely to die before the age of 66.

Another study published in the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke by a team from the Centre for Genomic Medicine at Kyoto University School of Medicine in Japan asked 841 women and 546 men with an average age of 67 to stand on one leg for as long as they could.

They also had the health of their brain vessels evaluated using MRI scans.

The maximum time anyone managed the one-leg stand was 60 seconds, but those who wobbled before 20 seconds were found to have small blood vessel damage, which indicates “an increased risk for brain disease and cognitive decline,” the researchers said.

The triple European champion faces Marie-Josee Ta Lou when she makes her individual race season debut

After her 4x400m exploits at the Southern Athletics League last weekend, Dina Asher-Smith will make her individual race season debut by running the 200m at the Doha Diamond League on May 3.

Asher-Smith conquered the European stage last year, winning gold in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay at the European Championships in Berlin. Her times in the 100m and 200m – 10.85 and 21.89 – were both British records and world-leading marks, while the GB team’s time of 41.88 in the relay was also the fastest time in the world in 2018.

The 23-year-old started her summer by stepping up to form part of Blackheath & Bromley’s 4x400m team in Gillingham on Saturday, clocking 52.60 for the first leg.

Now her attention returns to the 200m and the opening meeting of the IAAF Diamond League series, taking place at the same venue that will host the IAAF World Championships later this year.

On May 3 she will line up alongside athletes including Ivory Coast’s double world silver medallist Marie-Josee Ta Lou, who also ran 10.85 for 100m in 2018, plus USA’s world 400m champion Phyllis Francis.

“Last year was an incredible year and I would like to build on this in 2019 and 2020,” said Asher-Smith.

“I am excited to start my season in Doha for the first time and test out the track at the Khalifa International Stadium ahead of the World Championships.

“The female sprints have so many extremely talented women at the moment and I expect Doha to be a great race.”

Also racing over 200m will be Turkey’s world and European champion Ramil Guliyev.

“I started my 2018 season in the Doha Diamond League last year and I look forward to returning to compete at the Khalifa International Stadium,” said Guliyev, who finished third last year in 20.11.

“Breaking the championship record and my lifetime best in Berlin was fantastic but I am sure I can go even faster. Of course my big aim is to defend my world title in Doha and I know I will probably have to break my lifetime best to do that.”

Guliyev will face four other sprinters who broke the 20-second barrier last year including world bronze medallist Jereem Richards from Trinidad & Tobago, Panama’s Alonso Edward, Ecuador’s Alex Quinonez and Canada’s Aaron Brown, plus Britain’s world fourth-placer Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake.

Jamaica’s Janieve Russell and Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad from the United States will also renew their rivalry in the 400m hurdles in the Doha Diamond League.

They will be joined by Britain’s Meghan Beesley, USA’s Georganne Moline and Ukraine’s Hanna Ryzhykova.

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – Toyota Racing Development driver Jesse Love will take the biggest step in his young career to-date on Friday night when he straps into a Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports midget for the first time.

The 14-year-old native of Menlo Park, Calif., will jump behind the wheel for the flagship Toyota midget team during Barney’s Pub Midgets and More Night at the quarter-mile bullring, the opening race for the Jacksonville Summer Midget Series.

Track manager Ken Dobson devised the 10-race series – open to drivers with less than two national midget victories in either POWRi or USAC competition over the past year – as a way for some of the division’s rising stars to go toe-to-toe against the stout local competition the track has to offer.

Not only does Love fit the “rising star” moniker, he’s hoping that Friday night is just the beginning.

The Easter weekend program is Love’s first of roughly 25 races with KKM this season, a package put together as part of the Toyota Racing Development pipeline that the teenager hopes will allow him to travel the same path up the racing ladder as now-NASCAR stars Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell did.

That path has to start somewhere, however, and Love recognizes that Friday is his maiden voyage.

It’s a voyage he’s been eager to get started on ever since working with the team for a week during the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, Okla., back in January.

“It has been a long wait,” Love told SPEED SPORT. “I’ve been ready for this for three months, and it’s been so hard to be patient knowing that this has been on the horizon for me. These last few days, I’ve basically been focused on how to get (to Jacksonville) as quick as I can and how to make the time pass as fast as possible. There really aren’t words to tell everyone how ready I am for this opportunity.

“I’m really looking forward to the whole first experience and I know it’s going to be a fun race,” Love continued. “I feel ready – mentally, physically and emotionally – and I know this team has what it takes to come out and be successful right out of the box. I’m so thankful to Toyota Racing for believing in me.”

For Love, who has spent time in pavement and dirt midgets, Legend cars, winged sprint cars and late models already this season, his preparation process has had no lack of seat time.

But for his debut in a Kunz car, the young gun has added to his off-track learning curve as much as possible, including plenty of film studies and time in the gym.

“I’ve been doing a lot of physical and mental training, as well as watching every video of midget action at Jacksonville on Loudpedal and YouTube that I can find,” Love noted. “I’ve seen as many laps of racing there over the last four or five years as I feel like I can, just trying to learn and figure out as much as possible before I actually get out on the track. The simulator has helped as well, for sure.

“It’s a lot of little pieces going together to make sure I’m as ready as I can possibly be.”

Love already has confidence coming into the event, thanks to its unique style of competition and the rough-and-tumble action he’s grown to love over his career.

“Jacksonville is definitely a track that I can already see myself loving, because it’s similar to some of the micro tracks in California that I’ve experienced in the past,” explained Love. “I believe we’ll be fast there and I could even see us being able to win there, as long as I can find the feel that I need to have for speed.

“It’s elbows up racing and keeping the car pinned where you need it to be; that’s short-track racing and the style of racing I grew up with,” he added. “I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Making Friday night’s event even more special for Love will be his car number – No. 97k – for the event.

That number is the same one that Larson, Bell, Rico Abreu and Spencer Bayston all campaigned during their earliest days with Kunz’s operation.

All four drivers went on to win multiple races with KKM, while three of the four – Bell, Abreu and Bayston – earned USAC national midget championships as part of the organization.

Love is hoping to join that select fraternity and do the historic number proud in his debut start.

“When I found out that was going to be my number, I was ecstatic,” Love smiled. “I haven’t even seen the car yet; I know it’s going to have a JBL wrap on it, but my emotions won’t be complete until I get to lay eyes on it for the first time before Friday’s race.

“I have a really good feeling going in, and to be able to run the same number that those guys did … it’s a real honor and I’m probably going to be a little teary-eyed before we get down to business.”

A resurgent Mohamed Salah scored one and set up another to inspire a clinical Liverpool to a 4-1 win at Porto in their Champions League quarterfinal second leg on Wednesday that teed up a last-four clash with Barcelona.

The Reds, who eased through 6-1 on aggregate, held off Porto in the early stages before Salah and Sadio Mane combined for the Senegalese to put them ahead with their first shot on target following a VAR review.

Egypt striker Salah doubled the tally after the break and goals from Roberto Firmino and Virgil van Dijk wrapped it up late on.

Porto had briefly reduced the arrears through Eder Militao, but having lost the first leg 2-0 at Anfield, they never seemed in a position to overturn the deficit.

Barcelona advanced on Tuesday when they won 3-0 in their second-leg against Manchester United, completing a 4-0 aggregate victory.

Five-times European champions Liverpool, who had produced a scintillating display to beat Porto 5-0 in the last-16 at the Dragao stadium last season, had a totally different approach this time.

They soaked up the pressure as Porto made an adventurous start, with Jesus Corona curling a powerful shot just over the bar in the opening minute.

Juergen Klopp's side looked temporarily toothless, but they were just waiting for their moment -- which came in the 26th minute.

Mane latched onto a cross from Salah to beat Iker Casillas from close range but he was initially flagged offside, only for referee Danny Makkelie to check the VAR.

After a two-minute review, the goal was eventually given.

Facing the huge task of scoring four goals to qualify, Porto looked stunned, despite having attempted 15 shots before the interval.

Salah, who endured a goal drought in March, confirmed he was getting close to his best again when he coolly slotted the ball past Casillas after collecting a perfect diagonal through ball from Trent Alexander-Arnold in the 65th minute.

It was Salah's first Champions League goal since December, and his first away from Anfield in the competition in 12 months.

Militao soothed the home fans' suffering a little, beating Roberto Firmino in the air to head home in the 69th minute.

Brazilian Firmino, who had started on the bench as Klopp handed a rare start to Divock Origi, made it 3-1 with a downward header with 13 minutes left and Van Dijk headed home a fourth from a corner eight minutes later.

Tottenham Hotspur will face Ajax Amsterdam in the other semifinal tie.