NEW YORK -- Major League Baseball is reviewing Bryce Harper's rant at an umpire, trying to determine whether the Philadelphia Phillies star should be disciplined.

There was no decision Tuesday, a day after Harper went wild during a game against the New York Mets at Citi Field.

Harper was ejected for the 12th time in his eight-season career as he barked from the dugout four batters after being called out on strikes by Mark Carlson.

Phillies manager Gabe Kapler walked toward the plate to argue, then Harper bolted from the bench. He repeatedly yelled and pointed at Carlson from close range. While trying to hold back Harper, Kapler bumped into the umpire.

Kapler spoke to MLB executive Joe Torre and the umpires before Tuesday night's game against the Mets.

"I felt nothing," Kapler said. "Doesn't mean there wasn't contact."

Philadelphia's Jake Arrieta was the losing pitcher Monday night and later called out Harper, saying the high-priced All-Star slugger needs to keep himself on the field, no matter what.

Harper is in the first season of a 13-year, $330 million contract.

"He's fiery, he's competitive, he's aggressive and he's a strong figure," Kapler said. "I think he understands what he needs to do."

The AW contributor shares some of his favourite athletics books

I recently counted the athletics book on my shelves and was surprised to find about 50. Some were published as far back as the 1940s, others in the past year or two. For this article I have selected some of my favourites – a tall order indeed.

Eric Liddell, who won gold in the 1924 Olympics after switching from the 100m to the 400m because his Christian conscience did not allow him to run the shorter event on a Sunday, is the most written about athlete. I have 10 books on the shelves about him.

The best and most recent is For the Glory: The Life of Eric Liddell by Duncan Hamilton (Doubleday, 2016. ISBN: 9780857522597) which covers his athletics well but also the latter part of his life in a Japanese prison camp. The 1924 Olympic 100m title was won by Harold Abrahams, whose story is told in Running with Fire: The True Story of Chariots of Fire Hero Harold Abrahams by Mark Ryan.

Emil Zátopek was arguably the greatest distance runner of all time. Remarkably two books were published about him in 2016.

For me the better one was Today We Die a Little: The Rise and Fall of Emil Zátopek, Olympic Legend by Richard Askwith (Yellow Jersey, 2016. ISBN: 9780224100342). The book presents Zátopek as much more than just the greatest distance runner ever. It gets inside the man who achieved everything “with a grace and generosity of spirit that transcended sport”.

The men’s 100m is often seen as a highlight of the athletics programme. In 100 Metre Men by Neil Duncanson (André Deutsch/Carlton, 2016. IBSN : 9780233005027) the author writes about every winner of the Olympic race from 1904 onwards. It is gripping reading. The range is fascinating. “These fast men are an extraordinary blend of success and disaster, as well as glory and tragedy; ranging from amazing wealth to grinding poverty, superstar adulation and national hero status to bankruptcy, shame, prison, even suicide.”

My shelves have three Usain Bolt books but the one I like best is The Bolt Supremacy: Inside Jamaica’s Sprint Factory by Richard Moore (Yellow Jersey, 2015. ISBN 9780224092302). Moore sets out to investigate how Jamaica has managed to dominate sprinting in recent years and finds some interesting answers.

Modern British athletes Mo Farah, Jo Pavey, Jess Ennis-Hill and Greg Rutherford have all published autobiographies. As I have to choose one, I will go for Rutherford’s – Unexpected (London Simon and Schuster, 2016. ISBN: 9781471162527).

Rutherford starts the book with a clear statement: “I hate sports autobiographies. Most bore me to death. So before I started writing this, I had a clear condition in my mind: I had to be brutally honest. I didn’t want this to be a conventional, sugar-coated, bland tale of a developing sportsman.” The book is certainly not PC and bland.

I shouldn’t really mention my own contribution – Kriss (Marshall Pickering (Harper Collins), 1996. ISBN: 0551030291) – but I will!

For further assessment of a number of the athletics books I have read, see veritesport.org

British number two Cameron Norrie lost 6-2 6-2 to Spain's Albert Ramos Vinolas in the first round of the Barcelona Open on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old, who climbed to 45th in the latest ATP world rankings, lost serve at the start of both sets before losing the final three games.

Vinolas, 31, is ranked 38 places below the Briton and will now face Russia's Daniil Medvedev in the last 32.

Norrie is set to play at next month's French Open at Roland Garros.

The loss comes less than a week after Norrie exited the Monte Carlo Masters in the round of 16 to Italian Lorenzo Sonego, ranked 40 places below him.

Justin Gimelstob's future will be decided by the ATP after the leading tennis administrator was sentenced for assault in Los Angeles on Monday.

Gimelstob, a retired two-time mixed doubles Grand Slam winner, was handed three years probation and 60 days community service after pleading "no contest" to a battery charge.

The American is one of three player representatives on the ATP board.

Gimelstob, 42, has also worked as a coach and TV commentator.

An ATP statement read: "The decision was taken to let the judicial process run its course before any judgement was made on his future, so with that process complete this is now a subject for review by the board and/or the player council.

"As a related matter, the election for the role of the next Americas player representative on the ATP board - the position currently held by Gimelstob - will take place as scheduled on Tuesday, 14 May, in Rome."

The players' council, led by Novak Djokovic, has the power to remove him, but would need the consent of at least six of its 10 members.

Former friend Randall Kaplan alleged that early in the evening of 31 October, Gimelstob "punched him in the head and face more than 50 times" in front of Kaplan's pregnant wife Madison and two-year-old daughter.

Madison went on to have a miscarriage, which the couple believe was a result of the stress of the attack.

Gimelstob, who was also compelled to attend anger management classes by the court, partnered Venus Williams to win the Australian and French Opens in 1998 and twice reached the men's doubles quarter-finals at Wimbledon.

Leicester Tigers and Wales wing Jonah Holmes has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a torn hamstring.

Holmes is due to have surgery and will miss Leicester's final three games as they fight to avoid relegation from the Premiership.

The 26-year-old, who joined the Welford Road club from Yorkshire Carnegie in 2017 and has two Wales caps, has scored six tries in 19 games this season.

"I'm gutted to not be able to play a part in the next three games," he said.

"But I have every bit of confidence in the lads to get the job done and finish this campaign on a high."

Leicester are 10th in the Premiership table, just eight points above bottom club Newcastle Falcons, and host Bristol Bears on Saturday.

The regular season in the Pro14 reaches a climax on Saturday with seven matches in four countries.

Defending champions Leinster have clinched the Conference B title and with it a home game in the play-off semi finals.

But Glasgow and Munster can both still win Conference A, and there is a battle for third place in Conference B between Benetton, Edinburgh and Scarlets.

Can Benetton claim a Champions Cup spot for Italy, and will any Welsh region make it into Europe's top tournament?

The final weekend - where every game is a local derby - was designed to keep interest high when there was a danger of dead rubbers dominating.

As it turns out, there's a lot more than just local bragging rights at stake.

Here's a closer look:

Pro 14 final day fixtures

Pro 14 tables

Conference A

AT STAKE: Top spot and fourth place.

Glasgow and Munster are out to claim first place and a home draw in the Pro14 semi-finals.

Warriors face Edinburgh at home in a match that could also decide whether Edinburgh make it into the Pro14 play-offs and qualify for the Champions Cup by finishing in the top three in Conference B - more of those permutations below.

For Glasgow the equation is simple - win and they finish top of Conference A. Lose, and Munster can overtake them by beating Connacht, who are safe in third place and cannot catch Munster, who will be keen to secure home advantage in the play-offs after the disappointment of their Champions Cup semi-final defeat by Saracens.

Perhaps the most compelling match of the weekend is the Judgement Day clash at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, where the Blues tackle Ospreys with fourth place up for grabs.

Is it strange to be worried about finishing fourth? Not if fourth secures a chance to qualify for the European Champions Cup in a play-off against the team finishing fourth in Conference A.

It boils down to that in Cardiff, with Blues trailing their rivals by a point after consecutive defeats against Munster and Connacht.

In a season where there is still a danger of no Welsh region qualifying for the premier European tournament in 2019-20, it's a big incentive.

The Blues and Ospreys might be drinking in the second chance saloon, but it promises to be quite a session...

Conference B

AT STAKE: The final Pro14 championship play-off place and automatic qualification for European Champions Cup.

With the top two places sealed by Leinster and Ulster, it's all about third and fourth place in Conference B.

Benetton are currently third and strong favourites as they visit Italian rivals Zebre in their final match. It was close the last time the teams met in Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, when Benetton won 10-8.

Zebre have won only three league matches all season - all at home against Southern Kings, Edinburgh and Cardiff Blues.

Zebre's motivation is pride, while Benetton have a Pro14 end-of-season play-off and a guaranteed place in the European Champions' Cup at stake.

Edinburgh travel to Glasgow hoping for a win and a slip-up by Benetton.

The fact the Warriors need a win to seal the Conference A crown and with it a home draw in the Pro14 semi final is an issue for the visitors. Finishing top means one game fewer in the play-offs.

It is a tough ask for Edinburgh, who could miss out on even fourth place and a play-off for Champions Cup qualification if they lose and Scarlets beat Dragons in Cardiff.

Scarlets were Pro12 Champions two years ago and Champions Cup semi-finalists last season, but have been a shadow of that side this season.

However, if Benetton and Edinburgh slip up they could still find themselves sealing third with a bonus-point win against their Welsh rivals at the Principality Stadium.

The omens are good on that front. Scarlets have won the last 10 meetings between the sides - but they need a bonus point this time in what could be the final game in charge for the coaching team of Wayne Pivac, Stephen Jones and Byron Hayward, who all join Wales next season.

Even then, Scarlets could miss out on fourth place if other results go against them. Finish fourth, however, and there will be an all-Welsh showdown with Cardiff Blues or Ospreys on 17 or 18 May, with the winners qualifying for the Champions Cup.

Scarlets have appeared in the tournament every year since the advent of regional rugby in 2003.

Play-off schedule:

Quarter finals (4 May): Ulster v Connacht (QF 2); 2nd Conf B v 3rd Conf A (QF1)

Semi finals: (17 or 18 May) - Leinster v Winner QF 1; Glasgow or Munster v Ulster or Connacht

Final: (25 May) Celtic Park, Glasgow

Champions Cup play off: (17 or 18 May) - 4th Conference A v 4th Conference B (venue TBC).

Four Premiership rugby players tested positive for cocaine last season, which the Rugby Football Union say reflects increasing drug use in society.

There were three more cases in 2017-2018 compared to the previous campaign.

"The positives reflect risks 18-35 year-olds are exposed to when going out socially," RFU's Dr Simon Kemp says.

"We are trying to have a policy which continues to protect the game, but recognises illicit drug use in society is becoming increasingly common."

Dr Kemp added that the players who tested positive for recreational drug use had found themselves peripheral figures at their clubs.

"These positives are not from players who are typically playing and training every week," the medical chief explained.

"These are players who [have become] somewhat dislocated from their clubs, either through injury or non-selection.

"All of these players were reviewed by an independent specialist psychiatrist, and plans to manage any ongoing problems were created."

The RFU run an illicit drugs programme independent of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and carried out 332 tests during the 2017-2018 season, 94% of which were hair samples and have a 3-5 month detection period.

"We are confident that this level of testing, which is over and above what we are required to do under the WADA code, tries to cover off both protecting the reputation and integrity of the game and addressing some of the health issues we know are associated with illicit drug use," Dr Kemp added.

Under the programme, players are guaranteed anonymity for a first offence, but are fined and required to undergo a rehabilitation programme, which the authorities insist is enough of a deterrent.

"With 300-plus tests, covering three to five months worth of use, if this was a broader problem and it hadn't been a disincentive, we would see more positives," said Premiership Rugby's Phil Winstanley.

'Anti-doping programme comprehensive'

The two anti-doping violations - Ashley Johnson of Wasps and Brandon Staples of Yorkshire Carnegie - were announced at the time of their failed test.

Johnson received a back-dated six month suspension for taking a banned diuretic, while Staples was banned for four years last April after testing positive for steroids.

Last year it emerged a Premiership player could go a whole season without being tested once, and while this remains the case, there has been an 18% increase in the number of samples taken due to an increase in funding.

"The programme was comprehensive and has now been further improved through UKAD's increased testing investment, so it is still one of the most comprehensive programmes we run," said Hamish Coffey of UK Anti-Doping (UKAD).

"But testing is not just about numbers, it is about the quality of those tests."

"It is about striking a balance that not only deters and detects, but is unpredictable," added the RFU's Anti-Doping and Illicit Drugs Programme Manager, Stephen Watkins.

"It is about running something players don't necessarily expect. But we are always looking for ways to improve our programme."