MOORESVILLE, N.C. — The beginning of Donald Davidson’s career at the Indianapolis 500 coincided with what many consider the Golden Age of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

It was the mid-1960s when the race grew at such a pace that it became a worldwide phenomenon. More than 300,000 spectators came to the track to witness drivers racing at high speeds during what was a risky and dangerous event.

Ironically, when Davidson, a young Englishman, attended his first Indianapolis 500 in 1964, it was the year when Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald were killed in a fiery crash on the second lap of the race.

Davidson dreamed of attending the Indianapolis 500 and saved money for months to make his first venture to the United States. Frances Derr, the ticket manager at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, was impressed that Davidson was coming from so far away and helped arrange accommodations for him with a homeowner located outside of turn three.

She also arranged for Davidson to have a Bronze Badge, which gave him access to the pits and Gasoline Alley.

On his first day at the track, Davidson met legendary announcer Sid Collins. Collins gave him a Silver Badge and invited him to the broadcast booth during the race.

Soon, the world learned of Davidson’s incredible knowledge of Indianapolis 500 history by listening to the radio broadcast.

“I just happened to be on the radio broadcast,” Davidson recalled. “Radio was king. The broadcast, there had been radio going back to the ’20s, but it just exploded in the mid-’50s. Closed circuit TV began showing the race in 1964, but the radio was how the world discovered the Indianapolis 500.

“I think the claim was that the race could be heard in every country where English was spoken except behind the Iron Curtain or something like that.

“As far as it being the Golden Age, I think different people have their version of the Golden Age,” Davidson added. “When you ask a lot of people, no matter what the sport is, it happens in baseball a lot, when people say, my favorite era was such and such. Normally, that’s when they first discovered it and got into it.

“You sort of accept everything that’s going on now and what’s gone before. You have your heroes. As the new people come along that may be even greater, I think you tend to not hold them in the same esteem as the people when you first got interested.

“It was very, very exciting times.”

It was 10 years after Davidson attended his first Indy 500 that he began to understand his role in increasing the race’s popularity around the world.

“I was standing with some people the day before the race just talking, media, people outside the old press room,” Davidson recalled. “A guy came by. He said, ‘Excuse me, are you Donald Davidson?’ I said, ‘Yes, sir.’

“He said, ‘I recognized your voice.’

“I said, ‘Are you from around here?’

“He said, ‘No, I’m from Sydney, Australia, this is my first visit. I listen to the broadcast and I recognized your voice.’ That just gives me goosebumps.

“It was also a lesson to be aware that when you’re talking, any comment that you make, anything you say, you never know who you may be affecting that’s a kid that will come up to you years later and say, ‘Hey, I remember when you did this, that or the next thing.’

“I remember that. It was stunning. … It was a thrill to be part of the radio network for all those years.”

The British native found his home in Indianapolis. Henry Banks hired him at USAC and Davidson was a regular on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network.

In 1998, he was hired as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway historian. He gave speeches throughout the country, met with visitors at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum and guided tours.

In many ways, Davidson was as much a part of the history of the Indy 500 as the men who raced in it.

Davidson lived out his dream that started in the 1950s when he discovered the race through the pages of Autosport magazine and has become an integral part of the Indianapolis 500 by knowing its history as well, if not better, than anyone.

But on Dec. 31, Davidson retired as IMS Historian. He isn’t going away completely; he just isn’t going to work anymore. He intends to be back at the track for the Indianapolis 500 and the other races at the famed facility, but it will be on his time.

“I never expected to be able to do this as long as I did,” Davidson said. “As I sort of became a senior citizen, I began to think about a lot of other things I would like to do really locally, just around the house. I don’t want to go to every baseball park or any Formula One grand prix, anything like that. There’s just a lot of stuff. I bought a lot of books I never read, movies that I’ve never watched. I’ve been thinking about it for a while.”

Davidson is prepared to enjoy his Golden Years after playing a major role in the Golden Age of the Indianapolis 500.

Columbus Blue Jackets center Pierre-Luc Dubois has requested a trade from the team, which is why interest around the league was piqued when he didn't take a regular shift during the second period of the team's 3-2 win over Detroit on Monday afternoon.

Coach John Tortorella denied he "benched" the 22-year-old scorer.

"You guys are really dissecting this benching and sitting. I guess I benched Max [Domi] the other night, you said. Slow down, boys. You'll know when I bench someone. I have to make decisions when the game is being played, when I think someone is going at certain times. But don't try to manifest something as far as the benching. That's all part of a three-period hockey game."

Dubois only played one shift in the last seven minutes of the second period.

"No, he didn't say anything. It's just stuff that happens. Other guys are playing well," Dubois said, when asked if Tortorella had indicated anything to him about the decision.

Perhaps coincidentally, Dubois scored his first goal of the season in the third period, which was also his first point in the Jackets' first three games.

Dubois said that despite those early struggles, the trade request is not weighing on him.

"I have one job and it's to play hockey and help the team. I just have to go out there and try to help [the team] get two points every night. It's a short season, so every game matters even more," he said. "The only thing I can control is how I play. I can't control anything else."

Liverpool and Manchester United's Premier League match on Sunday prompted "hundreds" of complaints from supporters affected by colour blindness, with United's green change strip proving impossible to distinguish from Liverpool's traditional red shirts.

Despite using a white-and-black change kit for the majority of games this season when their red shirts clash with the home team, United wore an outfit described by kit supplier Adidas as "legend earth green" for the 0-0 draw at Anfield.

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And with many television viewers unable to tell the two teams apart, the UK-based Colour Blind Awareness organisation saw its Twitter account, @colourblindorg, deluged by fans struggling to watch the game.

"It happens all the time; we have had a bad year this year," Kathryn Albany-Ward, the Colour Blind Awareness CEO, told ESPN. "We have had Southampton vs. Sheffield United and recently Liverpool vs. Man United. We have had loads.

"But Sunday was the most kit clash complaints we have ever had. We had hundreds and spent all morning trying to collate them all.

"It is a really common problem, and it is a big problem because of the amount of people affected. It affects 1 in 12 people."

Sources have told ESPN that the Premier League uses computer software to ensure that all fixtures are played with clubs wearing identifiably different colours. The software has recently been updated to include a "colour blind friendly flag" to ascertain the best kit combinations for individuals who are colour-blind.

In 2015, the NFL issued a statement pledging to improve its awareness of colour-blind fans after hundreds of complaints following a "Color Rush" game between the all-red Buffalo Bills and all-green New York Jets. Albany-Ward is calling for a similar move in English football.

"The NFL game was played and it was a red kit against a green kit and the whole of America who are colour-blind rose up," Albany-Ward said. "That is about 14 million colour-blind people.

"The NFL had to change their kit regulations to make sure that it didn't happen again.

"I think they do need to rise up to a large extent in the UK. People are aware of it, but they don't retain the information long enough to do something about it.

"If a major broadcaster was to take this on, and present what it is like to be colour-blind and watch a game to the right people. I think that would be great.

"The Premier League does act, and they do notify the clubs, as they know when these clashes will happen. I know because I was in touch with them today.

"They told United of this issue and United suggested a solution, but what they decided was not sufficient."

Sources have told ESPN that United were made aware of a kit issue by the Premier League 10 days before the Liverpool match but only asked to change socks from green to white.

To compound matters for United, who once changed an all-grey kit at half-time in a game at Southampton due to manager Sir Alex Ferguson complaining about his players being unable to see each other, midfielder Bruno Fernandes is currently an ambassador for colour blindness awareness in Portugal

"As part of our EU project, the Portuguese FA have two ambassadors; one is Bruno Fernandes, but I don't think he is aware of this kit clash," Albany-Ward said. "The other is Jessica Silva, who plays for Olympique Lyonnais.

"They are aware of the issues it may cause, and they want to raise the profile of it, which they did in September on colour blindness awareness day."

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Monday he didn't know whether Patrick Mahomes would clear the NFL's concussion protocol in time to play in next Sunday's AFC Championship Game. But Reid indicated Mahomes may have felt well enough to have returned to Sunday's divisional round game.

After taking a hit and being knocked to the ground, Mahomes got up and momentarily staggered. He then headed for a brief exam in the sideline medical tent before bounding quickly down a set of steps and then running up the Arrowhead Stadium tunnel to the Chiefs' locker room.

"There was a chance back in the day that Patrick comes back in [the game],'' Reid said. "You saw him run up the tunnel. By the time he got to that point he was feeling pretty good. But there's a certain protocol you have to follow and that takes it out of the trainer's hand and the player's hand and the doctor's hand.''

Mahomes was replaced in the third quarter by Chad Henne, who finished the Chiefs' 22-17 win over the Cleveland Browns.

The Chiefs face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at Arrowhead in the AFC title game. Reid said they would have a plan whether Mahomes or Henne starts at quarterback.

"Because of the protocol, it's a no-brainer from a coaching standpoint,'' Reid said. "You don't have to think about it. You just have to go forward and make sure you have an answer if he's there and an answer if he's not there. I can't tell you from a medical standpoint. I don't know that. That's their decision and I just follow it.''

MGM GRAND GARDEN Arena was packed with great fighters that night. It was Sept. 27, 2014, and the headline bout of UFC 178 had a championship at stake. The Las Vegas spotlight was also shining on the return of a long-gone former champ. There were even three future titleholders sprinkled throughout the undercard. One of them would soon take over mixed martial arts.

Conor McGregor was stepping into the Octagon for only the fourth time. He had won his first three UFC outings, and he had done so with gusto, intoxicating an expanding fan base with brazenness in his fights and at the microphone. He was a disruptor on the rise, but on this night, he faced a sizable step up the ladder. His opponent was a fellow young climber named Dustin Poirier, who was more seasoned with 10 trips inside the UFC cage.

Even at that early stage of his MMA rise, McGregor had established himself as a polarizing figure. His thunderous fists inside the Octagon were widely acclaimed, but his hard-hitting mouthiness was drawing a mixture of bouquets and backlash. There were those who envisioned McGregor's well-timed precision with strikes and callouts as a rocket ship to the top of the sport, and there were those who grumpily discredited him as no more than a hyped-up, promotional darling who would crumble like a house of Joker cards once the matchmaking got tougher.

McGregor had something to prove that night in Las Vegas, and it came forcefully and surgically in the beating he put on Poirier. By barely breaking a sweat in a first-round knockout, McGregor coaxed all but the most stubborn skeptics onto his full-steam-ahead, hype express. The victory over Poirier was rocket fuel.

Six and a half game-changing years later, the pair will renew their acquaintance on Saturday in the main event of UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. While the circumstances surrounding the two fights might appear totally different, at their core they are fundamentally the same.

Once again, McGregor faces a career-pivoting test. This is his first fight in over a year, and his most important since an unsuccessful challenge against lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018. A victory would legitimize the 32-year-old Irishman's claim to another shot at the title belt he once owned. A defeat would send McGregor tumbling from the top tier of fighters in MMA, a sport that revolves around him in both storyline and bottom line. He would be relegated to a spectacle -- a main event spectacle, to be sure, because his name will still sell fights.

But would it be enough for this proud fighter to see his name at the top of the marquee even as a noncontender?

MCGREGOR HAS HAD a grander impact on the sports world than any MMA fighter in history. He cannot be defined by just bluster and oversized hype. McGregor has authored some breathtaking performances, most notably a 13-second knockout of longtime featherweight king Jose Aldo in 2015. That was Step 1 in McGregor's march toward becoming the first to reign as champion in two UFC weight classes simultaneously. It was an accomplishment that will always shimmer on his résumé.

As was the case at the time of the first Poirier fight, though, McGregor is now the focal point of a split in perceived reality. One way to view the McGregor of 2021 is as a transcendent star who has spent the past several years becoming MMA's richest athlete by expanding his brand beyond the cage. He has done that by taking on an unthinkably lucrative boxing match with Floyd Mayweather and by launching a hugely popular global whiskey brand. The other perspective on today's McGregor is that, with only one victory in the past four years and just two dates inside the cage to his name, he is more celebrity than fighter. An athlete who lost focus, strayed and only now is getting serious again, perhaps too late.

The luster of McGregor's success in the Octagon has been tarnished by troubles outside of it. He has been arrested multiple times for transgressions caught on video -- attacking a bus full of UFC fighters, punching a Dublin pub patron and destroying the phone of a fan trying to snap a picture. His rants during the buildup to the Mayweather and Nurmagomedov fights devolved into racism and xenophobia. There also were reports of sexual assault investigations in Ireland and France. McGregor's name has been in the media for all the wrong reasons.

If McGregor can score an impressive win over Poirier, who is ranked No. 2 in a lightweight division in which No. 1 Nurmagomedov has announced his retirement, that would instantly erase questions about McGregor as a fighter that have arisen during his largely inactive recent years.

If McGregor loses? His status as a UFC cash cow is not in jeopardy -- he'll remain a box office draw no matter what happens this weekend -- but a defeat would deliver a serious blow to his relevance among 155-pound contenders and could throw a bucket of cold water on his competitive fire.

Remember that fire? The last time we saw it truly ablaze in the UFC, it was consuming Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 12, 2016. That was the night McGregor became the promotion's first champ-champ by knocking out Eddie Alvarez to add the lightweight belt to the featherweight strap he already owned. McGregor came into that fight already a star, but his performance at The World's Most Famous Arena set him apart. As he celebrated atop the cage with UFC belts slung over each shoulder, a sight never before seen, McGregor was sitting on top of the world.

Then, the world stopped and spun the other way. Never again would we see those two hunks of shiny brass and leather in McGregor's possession. He did not defend either belt, and by the spring of 2018, he was stripped of both for inactivity. By then, he had also detoured to a boxing sideshow and, predictably, been knocked out by Mayweather.

His glorious swagger knocked off-kilter, McGregor returned to the Octagon in October 2018 and became just another victim of a Nurmagomedov mauling. McGregor did not have it in him to engage the champ in a back-and-forth blockbuster, as many expected to see. McGregor had always seemed a step above the rest, capable of more because he expected more from himself and for himself. But has the McGregor magic been spread so thin in recent years that it has disappeared like a rabbit in a top hat?

SATURDAY NIGHT'S REDO with Poirier is a formidable challenge, much more so than McGregor's dance last January with a faded Donald Cerrone, whom he demolished in 40 seconds. McGregor made quick work of Poirier, too, when they met in 2014, but the 2021 version of the Louisiana lightweight is more mature, resilient and dangerous.

It's admirable that McGregor is even taking this fight. His star power alone could have qualified him -- in the eyes of UFC matchmakers and bean-counters, at least -- for a title challenge. McGregor, like he did so often during his rise in the sport, is taking a risk to earn his chance to grab for the old golden ring.

This weekend will test McGregor's readiness and put his standing in the sport in peril. Getting beat up by the indomitable Nurmagomedov is one thing, but dropping a fight against Poirier -- an excellent fighter, to be sure, but one lacking the aura of the champ -- would bury McGregor in the hierarchy of title contenders. Would McGregor have the resolve to build himself back up? Would he have that fire? Or would he be preyed upon by lightweights suddenly emboldened by spotting a previously undetected vulnerability?

McGregor is a master of mind games. That has always been his superpower. His self-belief is off the charts, and his flair for browbeating his opponents has worked like a crisp jab to fill their heads with rage and undermine any strategy they brought into the cage. McGregor can counteract out-of-control aggression. But if Poirier maintains his poise and cuts through the gamesmanship, why can't the next guy? If McGregor can no longer intimidate, can he still shine at the highest level?

McGregor's appeal is not wholly dependent on him being untouchable in the cage. It helps, of course, because in all sports, there's an aura around athletes who are unstoppable. But so much of what makes a McGregor fight special is contained in the pomp and circumstance, the weeks of anticipation building to the spectacle of him entering the bright stage on fight night. Even if McGregor gets evicted from Contenderville on Saturday night, he'll continue to reside in a majestic mansion on Money Fight Avenue. His swagger will always sell.

Still, what has made McGregor fights so grand is that they've meant something more enriching than dollars and cents. The two championship fights he won, and even the one he lost, all produced as much heat as the spotlights shining down on them. Those and pretty much all of his other fight nights have been memorable in the biggest way possible -- from the mastery and artistry of the fighter to the decibels and joyousness of the crowd. There is no other fighter in combat sports whose presence lifts an arena off the ground and into the stratosphere. That happens only when the gold is within McGregor's reach.

On Saturday night, we find out if the MMA world will still orbit around that Conor McGregor.

Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard CJ McCollum's sprained left foot will be reevaluated in a week, coach Terry Stotts said Monday.

McCollum left the Blazers' 112-106 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday at halftime because of the injury. Stotts said after the game that X-rays ruled out a more serious injury.

McCollum had 16 points in the first half. It was unclear when he was hurt, but it appeared that the Hawks' Clint Capela stepped on his foot following a layup in the opening quarter.

Rodney Hood started in McCollum's absence in Monday's game against the San Antonio Spurs.

McCollum is averaging a career-best 26.7 points and 5.0 assists in 13 games this season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Patrick Cantlay is now the favorite to win this week in Palm Springs.

Cantlay began Monday with the second-best odds to win The American Express, at +1400, according to PointsBet Sportsbook. But after +600 favorite Jon Rahm's withdrawal, Cantlay was bumped up to +1300.

Rahm was coming off a solid showing at Kapalua two weeks ago in which he tied for seventh in his first tournament using Callaway equipment. Rahm has had success at PGA West, too, winning three years ago and finishing solo sixth in 2019. Cantlay was T-9 in 2019, his first AmEx start since his debut in 2013.

This year's event will be played sans its traditional pro-am format and on just two courses, PGA West’s Stadium and Nicklaus Tournament courses in La Quinta, California. 

Patrick Reed (+1600) has the next best odds, followed by Scottie Scheffler (+1800), Tony Finau (+2000) and Brooks Koepka (+2000). Koepka is making his first start of 2021 and first appearance since missing the cut at Mayakoba in November.

Also, the European Tour resumes action this week in Abu Dhabi. Rory McIlroy (+600) and Justin Thomas (+600) are co-favorites at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Tyrrell Hatton (+1200), Matthew Fitzpatrick (+1300) and Tommy Fleetwood (+1300) are also in the field.

Here is a look at the notable odds to win The American Express:

+1300: Patrick Cantlay

+1600: Patrick Reed

+1800: Scottie Scheffler

+2000: Tony Finau, Brooks Koepka

+2200: Sungjae Im, Matt Wolff

+3000: Kevin Na, Abe Ancer

+3300: Russell Henley

+4000: Rickie Fowler

+5000: Phil Mickelson, Paul Casey, Adam Long, Sam Burns, Cameron Champ, Patton Kizzire, Lanto Griffin, Si Woo Kim

Click here for completed odds.

The betting favorite is out at The American Express.

Jon Rahm, who was listed at +600 odds by PointsBet Sportsbook, withdrew from the Palm Springs event on Monday, GolfChannel.com confirmed with the PGA Tour, which did not provide a reason for Rahm's WD.

Rahm was replaced in the field by Brandon Hagy.

After tying for seventh two weeks ago at Kapalua in his first event with Callaway equipment, Rahm skipped last week's Sony Open. He has made three career starts at PGA West, including winning in 2018 and placing solo sixth in 2019.

Even before the ink on India's glorious and eventful tour of Australia dries, the selection committee is set to pick a squad for the first two Tests of home series against England. Comprising four matches, this series will be played in February, in a bio-secure environment, without spectators, with back-to-back Tests scheduled in Chennai and Ahmedabad.

This selection meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, will be the first of a brand new panel led by Chetan Sharma (chairman) and made up of Sunil Joshi, Abey Kuruvilla, Debashish Mohanty and Harvinder Singh.

The England series will mark the return of Virat Kohli back in the fold after he left the Australia tour to attend the birth of his first child. With all the games being played in a bubble it is likely that an enlarged squad will be picked - at least 25 players including net bowlers. The success of several young players over the past several weeks will embolden Kohli and the selectors, but they will will need to figure some key questions.

Will it be a five-pronged fast bowling attack?

A strong series result for India is a must for them to keep their chances of making the World Test Championship final alive. Consequently, India are likely to favour spin-friendly pitches to assist R Ashwin and co. Still the selectors are likely to pick five frontline fast bowlers in the primary squad. It is understood that Jasprit Bumrah, who was forced to sit out of the Gabba Test, will be fit to play his first home Test series.

It is understood Ishant Sharma, who missed out on travelling to Australia since he was completing his rehab from an injury picked during the IPL, will bolster the pace attack. Ishant is currently three matches short of becoming only the second Indian fast bowler to play 100 Test matches after Kapil Dev. As on Monday, he had featured in four T20s for Delhi in which he picked up five wickets at an economy of 7.76.

Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur and T Natarajan are likely to be the remaining three fast bowlers.

As for Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is also playing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s for Uttar Pradesh, it is learned that the selectors want him to get used to bowling a lot of overs before opening him up to the rigours of Test cricket. Bhuvnewshar was injured during the early part of the IPL and has not played any fist-class cricket for a while. The pair of Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav are likely to be considered for the final two Tests, provided they recover completely from the injuries picked during the Australia tour.

Three spinners or more?

It is likely to be three spinners in the first squad with Ashwin leading the spin attack. In the absence of Ravindra Jadeja, who could return for the final two Tests, the selectors are likely to pick the left-arm pair of Kuldeep Yadav and Shahbaz Nadeem. Yadav last played for India in January 2019, in the final Test of the last Australian tour, taking a five-for. Despite Ashwin being unavailable for the Brisbane Test, the Indian team management picked a rookie in Washington Sundar over Yadav, who missed out on playing in any of the four Tests on this Australian tour. Sundar, who travelled to Australia originally as part of the white-ball squads, went on to make a fine Test debut but is only likely to be part of the net bowlers for the England series.

Three openers or four?

It is understood that the selectors are likely to include at least three openers, while also looking at options who can double up as a middle-order batsman. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill will be persisted as the opening pair along with Mayank Agarwal as the back-up. The selectors could also include one of the uncapped Priyank Panchal or Abhimanyu Easwaran as fourth opener with the aim of getting them to spend time with the first team. Both Panchal and Easwaran have been leading run-makers in first-class cricket as well as for India A and the selectors want them to get a higher level of exposure.

Prithvi Shaw, who made a century on Test debut in 2018, is is likely to dropped from the squad to allow him the time to strengthen his technique. Shaw was dropped after an uneventful outing in the day-night Test in Adelaide where his technical frailties were highlighted by experts including Sunil Gavaskar and Ricky Ponting. KL Rahul, who sprained his wrist in Melbourne, will be assessed in February before the selectors consider whether to include him for the final two Tests against England.

Additional reporting by Shashank Kishore