Before becoming a Friday night starter at Florida State, before becoming a first-round pick, before becoming a journeyman-starter-turned-vital-reliever in the Bronx, Luke Weaver grew up a shortstop honing his skills in his central Florida backyard.

Mark Weaver owns 30 acres in DeLand. On one of them, right by the family house, he built a hitting compound for his two sons. It became a haven for Luke and his younger brother, Jake. There were L screens and pitching machines and lights to help them barrel baseballs when the sun went down.

"It was awesome," Mark Weaver said. "I had the Cadillac. I had it all lit up. Just like a ballpark at night, man."

Teammates and their families would convene there. The kids swung away. The parents watched from benches. They had drinks and snacks while the aluminum pinged. Luke, if you listen to his dad, was "the man. He could crank it, man. Oh my gosh."

Mark Weaver didn't play baseball beyond high school -- he has run a construction company that specializes in large remodeling projects in DeLand for 31 years -- but he was heavily invested in his sons' passion for the sport. He provided the tools and challenged them.

Luke Weaver believes it was the time spent in those cages, the countless practices taking ground balls at the local park, the two-a-days and three-a-days, that prepared him for his current role under brighter lights -- a role far different from the one he envisioned while hitting line drives at home -- and all the adversity he has confronted.

Weaver isn't just excelling in his first season as a reliever. The wiry right-hander -- he's listed at 6-foot-2, 183 pounds -- has been a godsend for the New York Yankees, and the central figure for a bullpen that has exceeded expectations in the postseason.

"His personality just clicks," Mark Weaver said. "He just changes. He gets super competitive. And he does, he gets ferocious. He's a really nice guy and kind of soft spoken at times. But I wouldn't cross him."

The quirky closer of the Yankees, who will make their first World Series appearance in 15 years on Friday night, has likened escaping a jam to "when you see the ice cream truck and your parents say yes and you kind of black out," and attributed his vast fastball improvement to drinking "local orange juice with a little bit of pulp." Earlier this month, during the Yankees' clubhouse celebration after the team advanced to the American League Championship Series, he credited the "ferocious jungle cat" inside of him for his perfect, nine-pitch ninth inning.

"I kind of throw things together and the word 'ferocious' came to my mind," Weaver, 31, said. "And then the next word became 'jungle' and then the next word was 'cat.' So, no reason for it."

An anonymous middle reliever when the season started, Weaver now enters games at Yankee Stadium to a montage and Gary Wright's "Dream Weaver" amid "LUUUUUUUKE" chants from the crowd.

In the clubhouse, he likes to keep the mood light with one-liners. His dry sense of humor has become an unexpected source of entertainment. Aaron Judge knew about it a while ago. The presumptive AL MVP played with Weaver in the Cape Cod League in 2012. Judge was coming off his sophomore year at Fresno State. Weaver was one of the few freshmen invited to play in the prestigious summer league.

"The guy always had a smile on his face, but also when he got on the mound, he turned into this different guy," Judge said. "He was just focused, locked in. Kind of watching his career unfold, he's been the same guy."

That competitive side is the reason for his rapid ascent from failed starter to dominant bullpen arm. At one point last season, while posting a dreadful 6.87 ERA in 21 starts for the Cincinnati Reds, Weaver wasn't sure whether this pitching thing was for him anymore. He arrived in New York in September 2023 as a waiver claim with a 5.18 career ERA across eight seasons with five teams. The doubt was fleeting.

"I'm thinking: 'Is this something I want to do?'" Weaver said. "And there was just absolutely no way in my core that's allowed."

A year later -- after signing a one-year, $2 million deal with the Yankees over the offseason as starting rotation depth -- Weaver became the first Yankees pitcher since Aroldis Chapman in 2017 with multiple five-out saves in a postseason and the first pitcher on any team to save his team's first four postseason wins since Neftalí Feliz did so for the Texas Rangers in 2011. He didn't surrender an earned run from Sept. 2 until Jose Ramirez homered off him in Game 2 of the ALCS -- a stretch that spanned 17 innings, 13 appearances and an unofficial promotion.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone never officially named Weaver his closer when he announced Clay Holmes was moving off the role after blowing a save on Sept. 3. Boone instead said the team would get "creative" with its bullpen usage. But Weaver effectively became the ninth-inning specialist three days later when he notched his first career save with a scoreless ninth inning at Wrigley Field. In all, postseason included, he has converted eight saves in nine chances -- four in the regular season and four in the playoffs. He has secured at least four outs in five of his eight postseason outings.

"I love what he's doing," Boone said. "He's a great person, and definitely a fun personality, too."

The foundation for his sudden success is a vastly improved four-seam fastball. Last year, in 25 starts and four relief appearances for three teams, batters hit .311 and slugged .543 with 17.5% whiff rate against the pitch. They batted .177 with a .331 slugging percentage and 30% whiff rate during the regular season this year.

Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake explained the difference stems from two changes: adjusting his grip on the baseball to create more vertical movement -- or ride -- and throwing it harder in shorter bursts as a reliever. Weaver's average fastball velocity increased from 94 mph to 95.7 mph this season. His strikeout rate climbed from 19.4% to 31.1%. In short, he became a different pitcher.

"It's kind of like one plus one equals three," Blake said.

The formula hasn't been perfect. Weaver experienced failure for the first time in his new role with the baseball world watching. One strike away from giving the Yankees a 3-0 series lead in the ALCS, he surrendered a double to Lane Thomas. Moments later, Jhonkensy Noel hammered a mistake changeup for a two-run home run to tie the game and give the Cleveland Guardians life in the series.

Weaver bided his time over the next 48 hours, thirsty for another chance. He wanted it "bad, really bad." He got it in the ninth inning in Game 5 with the score tied -- one mistake from another loss -- and retired the side in order.

"I told myself in there: 'If you give me one run, this game is over,'" Weaver said. "There's not anybody that is scoring across that plate."

Juan Soto gave him three with a go-ahead home run. Weaver then took the mound again to send the Yankees to the World Series for the 41st time.

"I wanted it," Weaver said. "I wanted it the whole time."

Mark Weaver watched from home. He, his wife and Jake will fly to New York next week to see Luke play in the World Series. It's what every kid dreams about in their backyard.

"He's finally coming to where he's figuring all this stuff out, and he's finding his role," Mark Weaver said. "I'm just so happy for him, that he's finally coming into his own."

Gloucester-Hartpury's trip to unbeaten Saracens this weekend is set to be a "physical battle" says coach Andrew Ford as they travel off the back of a first league defeat.

The two-time defending champions head to London after being beaten by Exeter last Saturday, only their fourth regular season league loss across the last three seasons.

Saracens, who won the Women's Premiership in 2018 and 2019, are top of the table having taken maximum points from their first three games.

"If you look at it on paper, they're the only team that beat us last year in the PWR [Premiership Women's Rugby]," Ford, the club's women's academy manager, told BBC Radio Gloucestershire.

"Saracens have really flown the flag for women's rugby over the last four, five, six years. It's a grudge match isn't it and we're looking forward to getting out there and hopefully putting the result our way."

Saracens were the only side to beat Gloucester-Hartpury last season as they powered to a second league title, and they also counted for one of their two losses during 2022-23.

Ford said the match was going to be "very physical".

"We want to go and show that we can perform away at Saracens. The girls are excited for it, we know that it's going to be a very physical battle and I think that's where the game's going to be won or lost this weekend," he said.

"That's probably a big focus for us this week. We're fully aware that any top four game - probably any top six game in this league - is going to be tough."

The Houston Texans on Wednesday signed former Pro Bowl linebacker Devin White, who was released by the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this month.

The Eagles signed White to a one-year, $4 million contract in free agency but he was inactive for Philadelphia's first four games and then missed their fifth game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, his former team, because of personal reasons.

A league source told ESPN's Tim McManus that the Eagles agreed to release him before the trade deadline so he wouldn't be subject to waivers and could pick his new team.

White, 26, played his first five seasons with the Buccaneers, making the NFL All-Rookie Team in 2019. In 2020, he led the team with 140 combined tackles (97 solo) during the regular season, with 9 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and 4 passes defended. Then. in the postseason, despite missing the wild-card playoff game due to COVID-19, he led the Bucs with 38 combined postseason tackles (27 solo), 2 fumble recoveries and 2 interceptions, including a pick-six of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in Tampa Bay's Super Bowl LV victory.

He received his only Pro Bowl nod in 2021 when he finished with 128 tackles and 3.5 sacks. He followed that up with 124 tackles and 5.5 sacks in 2022.

He started 13 games last season and finished with 83 tackles and 2.5 sacks but dealt with foot and groin injuries and was replaced in the starting lineup by K.J. Britt down the stretch. White requested a trade before last season but ended up playing last season for the Bucs on the fifth-year option in his rookie contract.

The NBA season officially began Tuesday night with a New York Knicks-Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers-Minnesota Timberwolves doubleheader.

Karl-Anthony Towns debuted with the new-look Knicks and Bronny James made history alongside his father, LeBron James. The night was full of 3-point action and rookie debuts, and that was only the beginning. Several other teams kick off their seasons tonight, including the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) and the Phoenix Suns and LA Clippers (10 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Injuries have already taken a toll on several stars this season. The 76ers' new duo of Paul George and Joel Embiid will have to wait on their debut, as both are sidelined with injuries. George's former teammate, Kawhi Leonard, will be out indefinitely as he continues to rehab a lingering knee injury. And the Bucks will open the season without Khris Middleton.

But the Chicago Bulls, however, will open the season getting one star back from a prolonged injury. How does Lonzo Ball fit into the Bulls' offense after two years?

Can Mike Budenholzer turn the Suns into contenders? Has Steve Kerr found the Warriors' starting five? Are the Sixers and Clippers in trouble without their stars?

ESPN's NBA insiders break down the biggest questions for Wednesday's slate of games.

How have Giannis and Dame found ways to connect during the offseason?

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard have one season under their belts playing alongside one another, and they're counting on that experience to benefit them in Year 2 of this partnership. Bucks fans were disappointed to learn the two did not spend any time with each other during the offseason -- Antetokounmpo was busy playing in the 2024 Paris Olympics, rehabbing an injury after and then got married -- but the two stars said they were in constant communication about their goals for this season. Combine their increased familiarity along with a full season under Doc Rivers, who was brought in because of his history coaching stars, and the Bucks believe continuity will lead to a bounce-back season. -- Jamal Collier

How will the Joel Embiid and Paul George injuries impact Philadelphia's start to the season?

The story of Philadelphia's season was always going to be centered around the health of Embiid and George. But the team certainly was hoping to have its stars in uniform rather than on the bench in street clothes to start the season. Both players have said they don't believe they're far away from playing, and this could just be a small speed bump for the 76ers. At the same time, though, there's already lots of skepticism around the league about these two making it to the playoffs healthy. Opening the season with both on the bench will do nothing to quiet the skeptics who think this will just be another disappointing season for the Sixers. -- Tim Bontemps

What's Chicago's plan to keep Lonzo Ball healthy this season and how will he fit on the team?

After more than 1,000 days, Ball is back on an NBA court. The Bulls and Ball have acknowledged managing his health will be a work in progress throughout the season, especially considering Ball is the first NBA player to return to action after a cartilage transplant surgery. Ball played without issues through two preseason appearances and said he hasn't had to think about his knee during game action. He will start the season on a strict minutes restriction coming off the bench and he is almost certain to avoid back-to-backs. But if his first two preseason games are an indicator -- 21 points, four assists and 5-of-11 from 3 -- he can be a valuable contributor for the Bulls coming off the bench. -- Collier

Do Ja Morant and the Grizzlies look poised for a bounce-back season?

There's little doubt that Memphis will bounce back after bottoming out as a 27-win team last season, when the Grizzlies stumbled out of the gates during Morant's 25-game suspension and had any hopes of rallying doomed by all sorts of medical misery.

Can the Grizzlies return to their 50-plus-win standard from the previous two seasons? That will be tough in a loaded Western Conference that saw the Dallas Mavericks, Oklahoma City Thunder and Timberwolves blossom into contenders since the Grizzlies last made the playoffs (and fizzled out in the first round).

If the Grizzlies are granted at least reasonable injury luck -- and it's not a great start that a hamstring injury will sideline Jaren Jackson Jr. to open the regular season -- rookie center Zach Edey might be the determining factor in Memphis' ceiling. If his 23-point, nine-rebound preseason performance against the Pacers is a sign of things to come, the Grizzlies could be as good as ever. -- Tim MacMahon

Can Mike Budenholzer turn the Suns into contenders?

The biggest problem that Budenholzer needs to fix is Phoenix's fourth-quarter offensive woes. With all that firepower, the Suns ranked dead last in fourth-quarter offensive efficiency last season, scoring only 105.1 points per 100 possessions.

But Budenholzer isn't the only newcomer in Phoenix who should have a major hand in cleaning up that mess. He has a luxury that one-and-done Suns coach Frank Vogel -- who also brought a championship pedigree to the desert -- did not enjoy: A legitimate, seasoned NBA point guard. Tyus Jones, the league's all-time leader in assist-to-turnover ratio, should instantly provide a sense of calm and structure down the stretch of games that the Suns lacked last season.

Assuming Jones starts and closes alongside the three stars, the Suns lack a primary perimeter defender in the lineup. Budenholzer has earned a reputation as an elite defensive coach, and he'll need to live up to it for the Suns to emerge as contenders. -- MacMahon

What should the Clippers expect from Kawhi Leonard this season?

It is difficult to set expectations on Leonard this season due to the inflammation he is dealing with in his right knee. Entering training camp, Lawrence Frank and Leonard said they felt they had a better handle on the inflammation than they did during the postseason when he was limited to two games in the six-game first-round loss to Dallas. They both said they wanted to take every precaution to get all of the inflammation out of the knee before returning to action.

With Leonard out indefinitely to start the season, the two-time Finals MVP won't return until his knee is back to 100%. And then once he is on the court again, Leonard must be able to keep the inflammation from returning in his surgically-repaired right knee. -- Ohm Youngmisuk

Has Steve Kerr found his go-to starting 5?

The lineup Kerr uses in the opener against Portland isn't guaranteed to be the five players he starts every night. Kerr has been transparent on the difficult choices he faces naming starters and an 11-man rotation, saying he feels he could play every player on his roster.

Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are guaranteed starting jobs, but the other three spots could be filled by a combination of Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, De'Anthony Melton, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Kevon Looney. Kerr has also said there are some nights where the starting lineup will be determined by their opponent, but his goal is to still find a group he can count on on any given night -- a luxury the Warriors did not have last season. -- Kendra Andrews

Forwards (19): Ryan Baird (Leinster), Finlay Bealham (Connacht), Tadhg Beirne (Munster), Caelan Doris (Leinste, capt) Tadhg Furlong (Leinster), Cian Healy (Leinster), Dave Heffernan (Connacht), Iain Henderson (Ulster), Rob Herring (Ulster), Cormac Izuchukwu (Ulster), Ronan Kelleher (Leinster), Joe McCarthy (Leinster), Peter OMahony (Munster), Tom OToole (Ulster), Andrew Porter (Leinster), Cian Prendergast (Connacht), James Ryan (Leinster), Nick Timoney (Ulster), Josh van der Flier (Leinster)

Backs (16): Bundee Aki (Connacht), Craig Casey (Munster), Jack Crowley (Munster), Ciaran Frawley (Leinster), Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster), Mack Hansen (Connacht), Robbie Henshaw (Leinster), Hugo Keenan (Leinster), James Lowe (Leinster), Stuart McCloskey (Ulster), Conor Murray (Munster), Calvin Nash (Munster), Jamie Osborne (Leinster), Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne/Leinster), Garry Ringrose (Leinster), Jacob Stockdale (Ulster)

Training panellists: Thomas Clarkson (Leinster), Alex Kendellen (Munster), Shayne Bolton (Connacht), Jack Boyle (Leinster), Gus McCarthy (Leinster)

Forwards: Ewan Ashman (Edinburgh), Josh Bayliss (Bath), Jamie Bhatti, Gregor Brown, Scott Cummings (all Glasgow Warriors), Luke Crosbie (Edinburgh), Alex Craig (Scarlets), Rory Darge, Jack Dempsey (both Glasgow Warriors), Freddy Douglas (Edinburgh), Matt Fagerson, Zander Fagerson (both Glasgow Warriors), Grant Gilchrist, Patrick Harrison (both Edinburgh Rugby), Will Hurd (Leicester), Ewan Johnson (Oyonnax), Nathan McBeth, Elliot Millar Mills (Northampton), Ben Muncaster (Edinburgh), D'Arcy Rae (Edinburgh), Dylan Richardson (Sharks), Jamie Richie (Edinburgh), Alex Samuel (Glasgow Warriors), Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh), Rory Sutherland, Max Williamson (both Glasgow Warriors)

Backs: Matt Currie (Edinburgh), Jamie Dobie (Glasgow Warriors), Darcy Graham (Edinburgh), Adam Hastings, George Horne (both Glasgow Warriors), Rory Hutchinson (Northampton), Huw Jones, Tom Jordan (both Glasgow Warriors), Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse), Stafford McDowall (Glasgow Warriors), Harry Paterson, Ali Price (Edinburgh), Arron Reed (Sale Sharks), Kyle Rowe (Glasgow Warriors), Finn Russell (Bath), Mosese Tuipulotu (Edinburgh), Sione Tuipulotu, captain (Glasgow Warriors), Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh), Ben White (Toulon)

Fenerbahce head coach José Mourinho has said he expects his former club Manchester United to succeed "sooner or later" despite the ongoing turbulence at the Premier League club.

Erik ten Hag's team are 12th in the standings after winning just three of their opening eight league games and are winless in the Europa League.

Speaking ahead of his team's showdown against United on Thursday, Mourinho told a news conference: "Having analysed them with my team, there is work there and they will succeed sooner or later.

"I want them to be successful. I wish the best for the coach and players.

"I want the best for them. If things are not going amazingly well for them, it's not something that makes me happy."

Mourinho said he understands United fans' frustration after a run of just one win in nine European matches.

Ten Hag's side ended a five-match winless run in Saturday's 2-1 league win over Brentford.

"They have a better team than the results are showing," Mourinho said.

Despite their struggles this season, Mourinho said United can lift the Europa League.

"If I have to say now who are the two biggest candidates to win the Europa League, I think it's easy, I would say Manchester United and Tottenham," he said. "The Premier League is a different level of quality, a different level of intensity, of pace, of tactical culture, of everything. Tomorrow we are going to play against one of the two strongest teams."

United coach Ten Hag took over in April 2022 and has led United to two trophies -- the Carabao Cup in 2023 and last season's FA Cup.

"They keep faith in the coach," Mourinho said of United's backing of Ten Hag. "They support the coach, the coach is staying season after season and that means stability, it means trust."

Mourinho, who coached United from 2016 to 2018, winning a Europa League and Carabao Cup, was sacked with his team 11 points adrift of the Champions League places in December 2018.

"They are giving him [Ten Hag] conditions to keep developing his job," Mourinho said. "That was a difference in relation to me."

Meanwhile, Mourinho is still hopeful he could become a Premier League Champion with United if Manchester City are retroactively docked points due to Financial Fair Play breaches.

City are facing 115 charges of breaking Premier League financial regulations and could be stripped of their titles or docked points if found guilty.

"We finished second in the Premier League [19 points adrift of Manchester City in the 2017-18 campaign]," Mourinho said.

"I think we still have a chance to win that league because maybe they punish Man City with points and maybe we win that league and they have to pay me the bonus and give me the medal."

LaLiga continue to work on staging Barcelona's home fixture against Atlético Madrid in Miami on the third weekend in December, but several pieces still need to fall into place for the plan to go ahead, various sources have told ESPN.

The Spanish league has been working on taking a game to the United States for several years, but have previously been met by opposition from the Spanish Football Federation [RFEF], FIFA and U.S Soccer, among others.

However, sources say some of those issues have now thawed and that there is a real possibility of taking Barça's game against Atlético to the Hard Rock Stadium.

Relevent Sports Group, who are working on the project in collaboration with LaLiga, would not comment on any recent developments.

A source at FIFA acknowledged that LaLiga and the clubs are working on the plan but did not make the governing body's new position immediately clear.

The Miami Dolphins are set to host the San Francisco 49ers at the Hard Rock Stadium on Dec. 22.

LaLiga president Javier Tebas has repeatedly spoken of his desire to play a regular season game abroad, while sources told ESPN that the news "would not have come out" if both clubs did not maintain an interest in being involved.

Barça and Atlético have both been involved in previous plans to take a game to the States, although neither Barça's match against Girona nor Atlético's with Villarreal ended up being moved in the end.

At the time, that was due to resistance from several sporting bodies, although the stances at some of those organisations have altered following a landmark court case earlier this year.

In April, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Relevent's antitrust lawsuit to go forward against FIFA and the U.S. Soccer Federation over the world governing body's policy of not permitting a country to host league matches involving teams from other countries.

Despite that win, there remain other unanswered questions. The situation at the RFEF is the most complicated, for example, as the institution is without a president until Dec. 16. However, a source suggested the interim board would be able to sanction the playing of a match abroad.

UEFA, who govern football in Europe, would also have to green light the plans.

"UEFA has not been approached regarding this matter," a spokesman for the body told ESPN. "The process to follow in such cases is to have agreement from the clubs, the RFEF, U.S Soccer, CONCACAF and only then from UEFA."