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Sources: Rams open to trading away CB White
LOS ANGELES -- The Rams and cornerback Tre'Davious White are discussing options for his future, including a potential trade, sources told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler on Saturday.
The former All-Pro has been inactive for the Rams' past two games, a move made after Darious Williams returned from a hamstring injury.
The Rams are open to keeping White, knowing things can change over a long season, or they could look to move him to a team with a cornerback need, sources told Fowler.
Rams coach Sean McVay said earlier in the month that White has handled the situation as "a pro in every sense of the word."
In four games this season, White has 12 tackles and two passes defended.
Judge, Ohtani top Players Choice Award winners
LOS ANGELES -- New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge was voted player of the year and the American League's outstanding player for the second time by fellow major leaguers in the annual Players Choice Awards of the Major League Baseball Players Association.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani was voted the National League's outstanding player, the union said Saturday.
Judge led the major leagues with 58 homers and 144 RBIs, hitting .322. He also won both awards in 2022.
Ohtani became the first player with 50 homers and 50 stolen bases, batting .310 with 54 homers, 130 RBIs and 59 steals. He was voted the AL's outstanding player in 2021 and 2023 when he was with the Los Angeles Angels and won the overall player of the year in 2021.
Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins won the Marvin Miller man of the year award, given to a player whose leadership inspires others, and the philanthropist of the year award. Along with his wife, Jayme, Hoskins has raised over $1 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Dave Winfield was given the Curt Flood Award for advancement of players' rights and devotion to the union. Winfield, a longtime union leader, is special adviser to union head Tony Clark.
Atlanta's Chris Sale was selected the NL outstanding pitcher and comeback player.
Detroit's Tarik Skubal was picked as the AL outstanding pitcher and Boston outfielder Tyler O'Neill as the AL comeback player.
San Diego outfielder Jackson Merrill and Baltimore outfielder Colton Cowser were the outstanding rookies.
British number one Jack Draper has reached the Erste Bank Open final by beating Italian Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets in Vienna.
Seventh seed Draper, 22, broke sixth seed Musetti, also 22, five times in Austria to win 6-2, 6-4 and reach his first ATP 500 final.
Draper has won one ATP 250 title - the 2024 Stuttgart Open.
"I suppose it is my biggest final yet," Draper said.
"I have been in 250 finals, Grand Slam semis, obviously a bigger match than tomorrow, but at the same time to be in the final of a 500 after all the work I put in this year and the season I have had, I am incredibly grateful."
One difference between ATP 250 and ATP 500 titles is the amount of points a player earns for winning a tournament.
Victory over Musetti also moved Draper to world number 15, leapfrogging the Italian who sits in 16th.
Draper will play either Australia's Alex de Minaur or Russian Karen Khachanov, who play later on Saturday, in Sunday's final.
'England rejection hurt' - Infante retires from rugby
Former England scrum-half Leanne Infante said it "hurt" when she was frozen out by the national side as she announced her retirement from professional rugby.
The 31-year-old Saracens player won three Six Nations titles with the Red Roses but has not been selected since the World Cup in 2022.
In an exclusive interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, Infante said she had not had any conversations with selectors.
"They've made it pretty clear I'm not part of their future plans so I kind of let go of that a long time ago," Infante, nee Riley, said.
In an 11-year career, Infante won the Women's Premiership with Aylesbury Bulls in 2017, before the club was taken over by Harlequins, and then won the Premier 15s with Quins in 2021.
Infante made her international debut against South Africa in 2013 and went on to earn 57 caps.
"The reality is professional sport is cruel, there's not many people who get to retire on their own terms internationally," Infante said.
"It hurt for a while and there were peaks and troughs between that time period.
"I thought I was over it and then I'd take a backward step, but that's all probably far in the past now and I can talk about it openly and non-emotionally."
Stormers: Gelant, Nel, Du Plessis, Willemse, Zas, Libbok, De Wet, Harris, Venter, Malherbe, Schickerling, Van Heerden, Theunissen, Dixon, Morabe.
Replacements: Dweba, Lyons, Fouche, Smith, Engelbrecht, Nel, Jantjies, Hartzenberg.
Glasgow Warriors: McKay, Cancelliere, Jones, Tuipulotu (c), Rowe; Hastings, Horne; Bhatti, Matthews, Talakai, Brown, Gray, M Fagerson, Darge, Dempsey.
Replacements: Hiddleston, Sutherland, Z Fagerson, Cummings, Williamson, Venter, Dobie, Jordan.
Referee: Andrew Brace
Trent: I want to be 1st full-back to win Ballon d'Or
Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold has said his primary career goal is to become the first full-back to win the Ballon d'Or, adding that he would like to be remembered as the greatest right-back of all time.
The 26-year-old said he would prefer to claim the prestigious individual prize than become captain of the Merseyside club, fuelling further uncertainty around his future given his contract expires at the end of the season.
Asked by Sky Sports how he would like to be remembered, Alexander-Arnold said: "Someone who changed the game -- that's the main thing that I have -- so yeah, I just want that legacy of being probably the greatest right-back to ever play football, to be honest.
"I know that there's been many out there but, you know, I've got to reach for the stars, and that's where I believe my ceiling can go."
The England international said the Ballon d'Or would be more important than winning a trophy with the national team.
"I want to be the first full-back to ever do it. I said it in that interview with England, it's only the morning after you retire that you're able to look in the mirror and say: 'I gave it everything I got.'
"It doesn't matter how many trophies you win, or how many medals you've got. It matters what you give to the game and if you reach your full potential.
"I've heard potential being thrown around my name since I was six ... If you reach that potential and you know you've hit that potential and you've given it everything to maximise that potential and be the player that you think you can be, one of the best ever, then you'll be happy, doesn't matter how many trophies you win.
"Some people may call me deluded but I believe I can."
Alexander-Arnold has been linked with Real Madrid as his existing deal heads towards expiry, particularly in the wake of Dani Carvajal's anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Madrid winger Vinícius Júnior is arguably the favourite for this year's Ballon d'Or, which is set to be handed out in Paris on Monday. Manchester City midfielder Rodri is another of the outstanding candidates.
Chido Obi-Martin showed off why he is considered one of football's most prodigious young talents on Saturday, scoring a hat trick inside 14 minutes in his first game for the Manchester United under-18s having left rivals Arsenal in the summer.
Obi-Martin, 16, saw his star grow last season after scoring 10 goals in a game for Arsenal's academy, before turning down the opportunity to sign his first professional contract with the north London club.
Playing for United's U18s against Nottingham Forest's age-group team, the Danish-born striker pounced on a mistake from the opposition's defenders to score his first before 15 seconds had passed in the game played at Carrington.
Obi-Martin then reacted fastest to a bouncing ball in the box four minutes later, coolly slotting into the bottom-left corner, before completing his hat trick with a first-time finish after a cutback from the left-hand side of the penalty area.
United eventually won the game 5-0.
Obi-Martin's exploits last season included the 10-goal performance against Liverpool's U16s as well as a gluttonous 28 goals in 10 U18 games for Arsenal.
He represented Denmark's U17s at that age group's European Championship in the summer and was elected to the team of the tournament as they reached the semifinals.
Simeone won't rush Le Normand after brain trauma
Atlético Madrid cannot provide a timeline for defender Robin Le Normand's return from a traumatic brain injury, manager Diego Simeone said on Saturday.
"We still don't have a clear idea about his return. The important thing is that he comes back well. That's the only thing we care about," Simeone told reporters on Saturday at a news conference ahead of his side's visit to Real Betis in LaLiga.
The 27-year-old player collided with Real Madrid's Aurélien Tchouaméni late in their 1-1 draw on Sept. 29, and needed medical attention on the pitch.
Le Normand suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) with subdural haematoma, the club confirmed earlier this month. He had made eight appearance since joining from Real Sociedad in the close season after winning the Euros with Spain.
"Once he is healthy, he can start anew with us like he has just arrived having rested after winning the European Championship," Simeone said.
Atlético have played four games across all competitions since Le Normand was sidelined, losing twice, winning once and drawing once, while conceding nine goals.
Asked about the team's poor defence following their 4-0 loss at Benfica and 3-1 home loss to Lille in the Champions League, Simeone said it came down to decisiveness.
"Both defence and offence prowess make you better ... but the reality is decisiveness in the areas and the team that is better in those situations will always be the one closer to winning," he said.
Sunday's opponents Betis, who are seventh in LaLiga, have lost only once in their five home matches this season, earning 10 of their 15 points from home fixtures.
Simeone's side are third in LaLiga with 20 points, four behind second-placed Real and seven behind leaders Barcelona.
Asked if he would be following Atleti's rivals Real and Barcelona in the Clásico later on Saturday, Simeone said, "My thoughts are irrelevant; what matters is giving value and importance to the game we have to play tomorrow.
"We have a difficult, tough match against a Betis side that plays better each time."
Atletico have decided not to sell tickets to some of their supporters for five away games in all competitions -- including their LaLiga games at Betis and Mallorca -- after sanctions from UEFA and the Spanish football federation (RFEF).
Stokes bullish after defeat: 'We've got the best top six in England'
England initially planned to announce their squad for their three-match series in New Zealand immediately after the third Test in Rawalpindi, but have opted to let the dust settle and will wait until early next week to do so. But Stokes and Brendon McCullum suggested firmly that there are unlikely to be major changes to their batting line-up.
"They're the best players in England," Stokes told Sky Sports. "We play all around the world and going to New Zealand in a couple of weeks' time is going to be completely different [to Pakistan]. But there's no doubt in my mind, no doubt in Brendon's mind, that we have got the best top-six players in England.
"You can't shut the door on everything, because then you're just being very single-minded towards what you want to do. But going back to the point before, there's no doubt in my mind that we have got the best top-six batsmen in England. Sometimes guys will reap the rewards of performing well out in the middle, and unfortunately, some other guys will miss out."
McCullum gave a clear indication that Pope will be retained at No. 3 despite his lean run. "It is not an easy place to bat at No. 3," he told the BBC. "I know Popey will be disappointed with the volume of runs he got in this series, but I expect him to bounce back strongly in New Zealand and we will make sure he's got the required support around him to do so.
"Obviously, Popey's had a bit of a tough tour in terms of his output of runs [but] we know that when Popey gets in, he makes big scores - and makes defining scores as wellWe've got a pretty good idea of what the make-up of the squad will be for New Zealand, with the conditions that we'll be confronted with."
Stokes also conceded that England's fingerspinners had been outbowled by Pakistan's on favourable surfaces, yet claimed they had still done "a fantastic job". Across the second and third Tests, Sajid Khan and Noman Ali took 39 wickets between them at a combined average of 17.38, while Shoaib Bashir and Jack Leach managed 17 wickets at 35.47.
"The difference between [the teams in] these two games was the understanding of how to bowl in these conditions the Pakistan spinners showed, but that's not taking anything away from how our spinners have played in this series," Stokes said. "I think they've done a fantastic job to take the wickets that they've done.
"Shoaib in particular, I said to him the other day, 'You are getting to learn on the job here. You're getting to learn about yourself as a bowler through the Test match. You're being able to work out how to bowl in different conditions at different phases of the game, and how exciting, how good is that?' He's absolutely loved it."
Stokes himself returned from a torn hamstring in the second Test and did not bowl a ball in the third, but insisted he is fully fit. "I worked very, very hard to get back in for that second Test," he said. "I just didn't feel like my bowling was going to be anywhere near as threatening as the [other] options we had in terms of my fitness with me not bowling, that's got nothing to do with it."
England's first of three Tests in New Zealand starts on November 27 in Christchurch, with the squad arriving in time to play a warm-up match in Queenstown on November 23-24. Their white-ball squads leave the UK on Monday ahead of three ODIs and five T20Is against West Indies.
Matt Roller is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @mroller98
He glanced across at the surface two strips across. It would host the second Test. Under the blazing Multan sun, which hadn't let up all game, the surface had a veneer that made it look like a sheet of glass; Dar could have combed his beard in the reflection. He looked back at the used pitch, dry as a tinder box waiting for a spark. The seed of an idea was beginning to form in his mind.
Giant industrial fans were brought in over the weekend to dry the surface out in an effort to induce spin as early as possible. The only problem? Pakistan's only spinner was still in hospital with suspected dengue fever, and so the selection panel soon put their sweeping powers to good use.
Privately, some of the selectors wondered if three spinners was overkill, but Aaqib was adamant; this was the way forward. Aaqib has become the public face of this selectorial coup in an astonishingly short span of time, seen as the man who effectively runs Pakistan cricket right now. To reflect that elevated status, he resigned from his role as director and head coach at Lahore Qalandars, a position he had held for eight years. On the second day in Pindi, Mohammad Rizwan, ever the astute judge of where the balance of power lies in Pakistan cricket, chirped into the stump mic as one spun sharply into Harry Brook, "This is Aaqib-ball now, we are members of Aaqib-ball."
***
Being in the wilderness comes naturally to Sajid. He says he has tended to the last-in, first-out through his career stretching back to his junior days. If he failed to deliver when Pakistan had ripped up their long-term plan and publicly declawed their coaches to create bespoke conditions for him, there might just be no way back.
He found an area of rough on what was by now a day-seven pitch, and flighted it wider into the degraded dirt. Joe Root didn't appreciate the changed length and went for the sweep anyway. It is a shot that batters have put away gradually over the past two Tests, and this was the first moment its perils became apparent. Root dragged on, Sajid and Noman ripped through the middle order, and the series turned on a dime.
"Pakistan have performed a weird interpretive dance, insisting it's a team game in a series that has been all about individuals. Masood and Gillespie, who had their wings clipped. Aaqib, who has become cricket director, selector and coach in all but name. Sajid and Noman, of course, but also Shakeel and Salman"
Before the pair had even finished cleaning England up in the second innings, Aaqib and Dar were speeding along the M-2, making a beeline for Rawalpindi. Until last week, making a spinning track in Pindi was considered impossible; you might as well be planting palm trees in the Arctic Circle.
It's not quite wedding season in Islamabad yet, so the PCB was able to pick up a few of those giant heaters, positioning them close to the pitch five days out from the toss. Giant industrial fans and windbreakers ringfenced the surface, with garden rakes diligently working around the footmarks. People did assume the pitchforks would be out by this stage of the series, but this probably isn't what they meant. The following day, Dar and Aaqib were among a sizeable group of people working around the pitch; if there were signs asking people not to step on it, they certainly weren't visible from the media centre.
Pakistan have performed a weird interpretive dance, insisting it's a team game in a series that has been all about individuals. The individuals, like Masood and Gillespie, who had their wings clipped, and those, like Aaqib, who has become cricket director, selector and coach in all but name. Sajid and Noman, of course, but also Saud Shakeel and Salman Ali Agha, who can counter these spinning conditions with the patience that comes with familiarity.
Rizwan, perhaps the best keeper in the international game, barely missed a beat in these trying conditions. Jamie Smith's wicketkeeping credentials were fully put to the test, and missed chances - crucially a drop off Salman's bat early in his second innings in Multan - began to mount. Individually brilliant players with specific skills in specific conditions, the rest of the team sacrificed to maximise those advantages.
The rest of the batters, as Masood pointed out, faced the same problems as England's did. England's top four comfortably outscored Pakistan's over the last two Tests, 118 more runs between them during this time. But contributions through the middle order were scarce, and there was a consistent inability to shoot Pakistan's lower order out cheaply; four of Pakistan's seven largest partnerships this series came for the bottom four. Domestic cricket in Pakistan is a scrap, and this very domestic of Pakistani sides was doing just that.
***
This has been a series played in terrific spirits. England have barely peeped about the spinning surfaces, while Sajid's boisterous send-offs have been treated as harmless pantomime villainy. No one ever quite mentioned it again, but Pakistan hadn't forgotten what Duckett had said during the second Test with Pakistan in a position of advantage.
He was right, of course. Pakistan had lost each of their last six Tests by falling apart in their second innings, often surrendering a position of relative advantage. In the dying light of the second day in Pindi, though, the tables were turned, and England had to come out in the third innings negotiating a tricky deficit.
Pakistan may have produced an overnight formula to come back in the series, but it was far too late for England's batters to find one that countered Sajid and Noman. They had bowled all but 12 overs since England's second innings in the second Multan Test, and the rust had been cast off. Before light intervened, Duckett, Crawley and Ollie Pope had their series brought to a close.
This, indeed, as Rizwan senses, is Aaqib-ball. Meet Pakistan's newest revolution, but keep that matchbox by you.
Danyal Rasool is ESPNcricinfo's Pakistan correspondent. @Danny61000
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