AC Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic reaffirmed his belief that athletes should "stick to sports" as he addressed comments aimed at L.A. Lakers star LeBron James.

Speaking in a news conference Tuesday ahead of the start of the Italian music festival San Remo, which Ibrahimovic is co-hosting, he addressed his comments.

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"Athletes unite the world, politics divide it," he said. "Our role is to unite the world by doing what we do best. Athletes should be athletes and politicians should do politics."

During an interview for UEFA for Discovery+ in Sweden last Thursday, Ibrahimovic had said: "[LeBron] is phenomenal at what he's doing, but I don't like when people have some kind of status, they go and do politics at the same time.

"Do what you're good at. Do the category you do. I play football because I'm the best at playing football.

"I don't do politics. If I would be a political politician, I would do politics. That is the first mistake people do when they become famous and they become in a certain status. Stay out of it. Just do what you do best, because it doesn't look good."

The comments prompted a response from James, who said he speaks "from a very educated mind, so I'm kind of the wrong guy to actually go at, because I do my homework."

Ibrahimovic was also involved in a high-profile clash with Inter Milan forward Romelu Lukaku during their Coppa Italia quarterfinal meeting, which ended with both players receiving a yellow card.

Though both men had to be restrained by their respective teammates as they traded insults, the Sweden forward said there is no bad blood between himself and his former Manchester United teammate.

"If he [Lukaku] wants to come [to San Remo], he's welcome," Ibrahimovic added. "What happens on the pitch stays on the pitch."

AC Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic reaffirmed his belief that athletes should "stick to sports" as he addressed comments aimed at L.A. Lakers star LeBron James.

Speaking in a news conference Tuesday ahead of the start of the Italian music festival San Remo, which Ibrahimovic is co-hosting, he addressed his comments.

- Stream LIVE games and replays on ESPN+ (U.S. only)

"Athletes unite the world, politics divide it," he said. "Our role is to unite the world by doing what we do best. Athletes should be athletes and politicians should do politics."

During an interview for UEFA for Discovery+ in Sweden last Thursday, Ibrahimovic had said: "[LeBron] is phenomenal at what he's doing, but I don't like when people have some kind of status, they go and do politics at the same time.

"Do what you're good at. Do the category you do. I play football because I'm the best at playing football.

"I don't do politics. If I would be a political politician, I would do politics. That is the first mistake people do when they become famous and they become in a certain status. Stay out of it. Just do what you do best, because it doesn't look good."

The comments prompted a response from James, who said he speaks "from a very educated mind, so I'm kind of the wrong guy to actually go at, because I do my homework."

Ibrahimovic was also involved in a high-profile clash with Inter Milan forward Romelu Lukaku during their Coppa Italia quarterfinal meeting, which ended with both players receiving a yellow card.

Though both men had to be restrained by their respective teammates as they traded insults, the Sweden forward said there is no bad blood between himself and his former Manchester United teammate.

"If he [Lukaku] wants to come [to San Remo], he's welcome," Ibrahimovic added. "What happens on the pitch stays on the pitch."

The last time we saw the American League East, the Tampa Bay Rays were the class of the division while the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays were putting together playoff runs of their own -- and the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles were battling at the bottom of the division.

Since then, an offseason filled with changes saw Blake Snell and Charlie Morton leave Tampa Bay, free agents George Springer and Marcus Semien ink deals with Toronto, and multiple high-upside pitching moves for New York and under-the-radar veteran additions in Boston. And a Baltimore team still waiting for a talented group of prospects to get to Camden Yards.

We asked ESPN MLB experts David Schoenfield, Bradford Doolittle and Joon Lee to take stock of where things stand in the revamped division entering 2021.

Are the Rays still a World Series contender after their quiet offseason?

David Schoenfield: Sure. Yes, it won't be easy replacing Blake Snell and Charlie Morton in the rotation. But remember, the Rays won two-thirds of their games last season even though those two were more good than great in the regular season. They went a combined 6-4 with a 3.88 ERA while averaging just 4.4 innings per start. Tampa Bay won't be able to rely as heavily on the bullpen over 162 games as it did over 60 (with expanded rosters), so a couple of guys in the rotation need to step up and chew up some innings, with Tyler Glasnow foremost in that group. Still, these are the Rays, they have a lot of good baseball players on their roster and that depth will keep them near the top of the division.

Bradford Doolittle: Well, I don't think it was all that quiet. Parting ways with pitchers like Snell and Morton is pretty noisy. The Rays are among the seven or eight teams in the American League that if they won the pennant, it would not be a great surprise. The pitching staff figures to have less stability in the starting rotation, and with some teams, that would worry you. With the Rays, you assume that it's just a matter of trading rotation production for bullpen production. They will be leaning a bit more on the transition of prospects into producers than with last year's team, but the Rays are so good at development that that doesn't seem like a crisis, either. Tampa Bay can get to the playoffs, and if it does, the Rays will again be tough to beat.

Joon Lee: I think it's incredibly tough to rule out the Rays as a legit postseason contender, even without Morton or Snell at the top of their rotation. The rotation certainly won't be the same, but this is the same squad that seemingly adds lockdown previously no-name relievers who all throw 98 mph on an annual basis, to the point where it wouldn't surprise me if we one day learned that the Rays actually have a machine that creates these pitchers out of thin air somewhere in Tropicana Field. Most of the offense returns here, so I think they'll be right in the mix as one of the stronger squads in the American League.

Have the Yankees become the team to beat in the division?

Schoenfield: While the Rays perhaps lack star power, the Yankees are loaded with it, but it comes with a big asterisk: Can all those stars remain healthy? When Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton battled injuries in 2019, remember that the second string stepped up big time and the Yankees won 103 games. That didn't happen in 2020 and the Yankees scuffled to a 33-27 season. Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon were certainly great in 2018, when they were last healthy, but will their ultimate value be much different from what Masahiro Tanaka and J.A. Happ provided in recent years? I'll put the Yankees as the best team in the division since their upside is clearly highest in the division, but they're not a big favorite in my book. I just worry about all the injury risk.

Doolittle: Yes, the Yankees are the clear preseason favorite. It's fair to worry about the collective health of the starting rotation given the number of red flags in that group. But even if New York ends up having to piece things together in that area more than they like, they'll still have a terrific bullpen and the best all-around offense in the division. The Yankees have the most complete roster in the AL East. The teams behind them are good enough to make them work, though, so marking the Yanks as favorites is only the starting point for a very good division.

Lee: Barring injuries, yes, but that feels like a potentially big if. There was a lot of panic last season about the Yankees missing the playoffs when their big bats went down with injuries and the team's depth didn't step up to fill that production at the same levels. The team is replacing Masahiro Tanaka and J.A. Happ with Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon, and the rotation will need them to produce in order for the Yankees to live up to the expectation that the talent on this roster demands.

How good are the Blue Jays after adding Marcus Semien and George Springer?

Schoenfield: I love the offense, especially when you factor in a bounce-back season from Semien, a potential breakout from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and a full year from Bo Bichette (and more of the same from Teoscar Hernandez). But that rotation could be a hot mess. Hyun-Jin Ryu is the only reliable arm at this point, and I don't know if the bullpen is good enough to cover if Robbie Ray and Steven Matz don't have better seasons after struggling in 2020.

Doolittle: Toronto is right there with the Rays as the second-best on-paper team in the division. If the Jays can get consistent starting pitching, they will be a much-improved team. If their young hitters -- Guerrero, Cavan Biggio, Bichette -- progress as a group, then a run at the Yankees is within the realm of possibility. However, because there is some uncertainty in the rotation that could be exacerbated by what to me doesn't look like a very good team defense, it's possible that Toronto could end up having to outscore teams more than they'd like. Because of that, I'd say the range of outcomes for the Jays is wider than that of the Yankees and Rays.

Lee: I view the Blue Jays in the same way that I viewed the White Sox a few years ago, which is an incredibly fun young team with an enormous potential. Between the trio of sons of former big leaguers, I view Bichette as the biggest potential game changer, although I'm hoping we see Guerrero fulfill more of the enormous potential he so clearly possessed with the bat. I don't think this will necessarily be a playoff team this year, but it's a group I view as making a big splash next season.

What do you make of Boston's series of under-the-radar moves this winter?

Schoenfield: It reminds me a little bit of 2013, when the Red Sox were coming off a 69-93 season and signed a bunch of veterans to fill some holes. That strategy worked to perfection and the Red Sox won the World Series (and then fell off to 71-91 in 2014). Maybe Hunter Renfroe is the 2013 version of Shane Victorino and Enrique Hernandez is Stephen Drew. Most likely, however, the Red Sox won't find the same good fortune. They will be better than in 2020, but that's because they have Eduardo Rodriguez back in the rotation, with Chris Sale joining him later on.

Doolittle: They look like something of a run prevention mess to me and yet have a good enough offensive profile to still project at right around .500. Chaim Bloom was part of a Rays front office that was better than anyone at figuring out how to keep teams off the scoreboard. It's possible that even as the Red Sox look to 2022 and beyond, he's got a plan for this year's pitching and defense that ends up being better in practice than it looks in projection. Right now, though, this looks like a stopgap kind of season between last year's bottoming-out and what I presume will be next year's leap back into serious contention.

Lee: David stole my thunder! I view this team structurally as very similar to 2013. The team's front office framed that season as a bridge year, but of course, they ended up winning the World Series. Bloom made a lot of similar signings this offseason, working to build the group's depth. The main difference between 2013 and 2020 is that because Sale is coming off of Tommy John and won't be back until well after the season is underway, this feels like a potential fringe playoff team. I do wonder how much patience John Henry will have for the team's current long-term organizational philosophy if this group doesn't make the playoffs this season. Ben Cherington approached building the Red Sox with a similar philosophy and was kicked out the door for Dave Dombrowski when things didn't happen fast enough for Henry's liking.

What would a successful 2021 season look like for the Orioles?

Doolittle: How many under-25 players have established themselves as legit major leaguers by the end of the year? How many players new to the organization have been improved by the Orioles' big league development processes? The baseline is somewhere in the range of 95 to 100 losses and if they beat that, it's a good season. The arrival of Adley Rutschman should get everyone in Baltimore excited by what's to come. Then again, if he comes up and flops and the O's lose 110 games at this stage of their rebuild, it's going to be hard to be excited about what's going on.

Schoenfield: I think Brad nailed it. They need the younger starters -- Keegan Akin, Dean Kremer, Zac Lowther -- to show something that suggests they can pitch in the major leagues, because right now John Means is really the only starter who has shown the ability to pitch at this level. They have a couple of highly rated pitchers in the minors in Grayson Rodriguez and DL Hall, but the hope has to be when those two are ready they will be joining two or three other established starters.

Lee: Continue to build a solid foundation for an organization moving forward. I am really excited to see what Rutschman looks like at the major league level, considering there hasn't been much of an offensive influx at the catcher position prospect-wise in a considerable amount of time. We're starting to hit the point of the Orioles' rebuild where this team needs to begin seeing something resembling results this year after the seasons of losing.

Britain's Cameron Norrie is targeting a place in the top 30 of the world rankings this season.

British number three Norrie beat Nikoloz Basilashvili on Monday to reach the second round of the Rotterdam Open.

"It's really tough to set the ranking goals at the moment because it's tough to know what's going to happen," the Scot said.

"I'd like to finish the year top 30. That would be huge for me. I just really want to focus on putting my best level on the match courts."

Norrie and Andy Murray are expected to represent Scotland at Jamie Murray's Battle of the Brits event later this year.

"When Jamie first told me about that, I was so excited," Norrie said. "It's going to be a great event. Hopefully, by that point we can get some fans in."

Ireland captain Johnny Sexton has agreed a one-year contract extension with the IRFU which will take him to the end of the 2021-22 season.

Sexton, 35, will be 38 when the 2023 tournament in France takes place.

The Leinster fly-half, who made his Ireland debut in 2009, won his 97th cap in Saturday's 48-10 win over Italy.

Sexton's longevity has led to concerns over the lack of a succession plan for the Ireland number 10 jersey.

Munster's Joey Carbery has been regarded as the heir apparent but has suffered injury problems in the past couple of years.

Amid Sexton's own regular injury issues, Leinster team-mate Ross Byrne and Ulster's Billy Burns have played in recent matches, but Sexton is still regarded as Ireland's most accomplished fly-half.

Before the Italy game, Sexton said he "might not" be part of the full World Cup tournament cycle but later said that was a "throwaway comment".

Speaking on Tuesday Sexton said he is still "really enjoying my rugby", adding: "I want to keep learning and adding value to both the Ireland and Leinster environments.

"I am enjoying the challenge of captaincy and the added responsibility that it brings.

"My appetite for success is the same as it ever was and the ambitions of both the Ireland and Leinster squads match my own."

Liverpool legend Ian St John has died at the age of 82.

St John, a forward, made 425 appearances for Liverpool between 1961 and 1971, scoring 118 goals and winning two First Division titles. Capped 21 times by Scotland, St John was inducted into their hall of fame in 2008.

St John's family said in a statement: "It is with a heavy heart that we have to inform you that after a long illness we have lost a husband, father and grandfather.

"He passed away peacefully with his family at his bedside.

"We would like to thank all the staff at Arrowe Park Hospital for their hard work and dedication during these very difficult times.

"The family would be grateful for privacy at this extremely sad time."

A statement from Liverpool read: "Liverpool Football Club is deeply saddened by the passing of Reds legend Ian St John, aged 82. St John sadly passed away on Monday evening following illness."

Everton posted a tribute to St John on Twitter that read: "A real loss to the game and one felt heavily in our city. A rival for many years but a popular figure on and off the pitch. Our thoughts are with Ian St John's loved ones and everyone at Liverpool at this sad time."

St John joined Liverpool from hometown team Motherwell in 1961 for a club record £37,500. Following his playing career, St John went on to co-host the popular television show Saint and Greavsie with England legend Jimmy Greaves.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher wrote on Twitter: "RIP Ian St John. Another Liverpool Legend sadly passes away. One of the players along with Bill Shankly who made this club what it is today. I'll remember him most on the best football show on tv, The Saint & Greavsie. X."

Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson wrote: "A man of warmth, humour, knowledge, wisdom and joy. Scotland and Liverpool has lost a true giant. My love goes to his family. Rest in peace Ian St John."

Prince of Malaysian state Johor Tunku Ismail ibni Sultan Ibrahim has expressed interest in purchasing Spanish club Valencia from Singapore businessman Peter Lim.

The 36-year-old posted a series of stories on Instagram that included screenshots of articles about Valencia and a page that places the club's value at €408 million followed by a statement about why he is interested in purchasing the club.

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Owner of Malaysia Super League club JDTFC, Prince Johor said that money doesn't motivate him but "glory and creating history" does.

"I'm not new in football," he said.

"I've created a Club [JDTFC] from every year fighting relegation to a dominating champion. I've won 16 titles in eight years. We are the biggest in South east Asia and one of the biggest in Asia.

"I want to expand my Empire, spread my wings, and go for new Challenges. I'm not someone who will change your club logo or tradition.... I'm here for glory, success and history...What does Valencia need? You need someone who knows about football, hungry for success, passionate and understand how big Valencia is as a club."

Lim has not indicated he is interested in selling the club.

He acquired the then debt-ridden Valencia in 2014 but has not been a popular figure, with the club having regularly been forced to sell their top players to reduce the club's high debts.

The ownership of Valencia has been widely criticised in Spain with popular players Dani Parejo and Rodrigo sold last summer, with the club making no signings to strengthen the squad.

There have been calls for Lim, who is rarely in Valencia, to move aside and sell the club. Since his takeover of Los Che in 2014, Lim has appointed seven coaches.

Valencia coach Javi Gracia is under fire with the team having won just two league games since the start of the year.

Defender Gabriel Paulista could not hold back tears when he was asked after Saturday's 3-0 loss at Getafe about his team's situation.

Los Che are 14th in the league, five points clear of the drop zone ahead of Friday's game against Villarreal.

England opener Tammy Beaumont has jumped five spots to become the top batter in the women's ODI rankings following a fruitful tour of New Zealand.

England beat the hosts 2-1 in the recently concluded series, which also helped allrounder Natalie Sciver, captain Heather Knight and wicketkeeper-batter Amy Jones make gains in the table.

Beaumont made a half-century in each of the three matches with 71, 72* and 88* to be the leading run-scorer for the series with 231. That gave her 49 points to overtake Stafanie Taylor of West Indies and New Zealand's Amy Satterthwaite and move into the No. 1 spot. This is the first time in her ODI career, spanning nearly 12 years, that Beaumont has topped the rankings, bettering her previous best of No. 4 in July 2019.

Team-mate Sciver made multiple gains in the rankings by climbing up all three charts, for batters, bowlers and allrounders. She hit 96 runs in the series, including 63 in the second ODI to help England seal the series and moved to No. 10 among the batters. Sciver's five wickets - the most on either side - helped her jump 12 places to No. 22 among bowlers. In the allrounders' rankings, her efforts pushed her up to fifth position, gaining three places.

Knight and Jones also rose in the batting rankings to sit at No. 13 and joint-25th, respectively. Other England bowlers to have gained from their performances against New Zealand include Katherine Brunt, who moved up two places to ninth, Sophie Ecclestone, up one place to 14th, and Sarah Glenn, up three places to 44th.

Although New Zealand lost the ODI series, Amelia Kerr - with her all-round show - Brooke Halliday - with a fine debut series - and Hannah Rowe made gains. While Kerr's 72 not out and figures of 4 for 42 in the third ODI took her to 13th among allrounders, she also moved up to No. 47 among batters and No. 11 among bowlers.

Halliday, who hit half-centuries both times she batted, also entered the rankings at No. 59, while Rowe reached No. 43 in the bowlers' charts.

Two more overseas cricketers and one support staff have tested positive for Covid-19 a day after the game between Islamabad and Quetta Gladiators had to be postponed aftter Fawad Ahmed, the Islamabad legspinner, had returned a positive test. The new positive tests include another player from Islamabad United, but that game is going ahead as rescheduled today, and all players and others to have tested positive have been isolated.

The three new positives came from a total of 244 tests carried out this morning, with one team's results - about 40-45 tests in all - are still awaited. Rapid tests were carried out yesterday, and members of all franchises underwent another round of testing - the PCR test - today, and a special request had been made to process the results of the Islamabad and Quetta contingents first so that their game can go ahead as planned.

A second positive test in Islamabad is not yet a cause for concern with regards to their game; ESPNcricinfo understands that the status of a match is unaffected until five players in one squad test positive.

"We have a virtual meeting with franchise owners and team managements to give them the confidence, assurances, to take their support, reminding them of the protocols and the way forward," PCB's media director Sami-ul-Hasan Burney said at the National Stadium in Karachi on Tuesday. "The organising committee has already sent out a reminder to every stakeholder to exercise extra caution and nobody has been told to go into self-isolation, just a caution that involves using face masks, avoid wandering on the hotel floor, and members who have tested positive will remain in ten days' quarantine. And since yesterday, now PCR tests will be carried out every fourth day."

The 2021 edition of the PSL has had its share of Covid-19 scares, even before these latest cases. On February 21, Peshawar Zalmi captain Wahab Riaz and coach Daren Sammy had to go into a three-day quarantine, which was later relaxed, after meeting a person - later confirmed to be their team owner Javed Afridi - outside the bio-secure bubble.

Ahmed, it has emerged, tested positive three days ago and was in isolation, but the news became public only before yesterday's game.

"It's tough to find out how these cases have developed and we don't know what are the causes," Hasan said. "But life in a bubble is very difficult and managing it is also very tough. This is happening in other different sports in the world - NFL, NHL, Formula 1 or Australian open - breaches do happen but that doesn't mean the bubble is weak or there are loopholes. So we are carrying out Covid tests all over again on Thursday, and then after every third day.

"It's everyone's responsibility, especially PCB, to protect the credibility of the event, its integrity and its reputation, and that is why we are taking all the measures. Other than this, we have taken some extra steps, making sure the groundstaff at National Stadium use gloves as well, and that we don't reuse the balls that go into the crowd. If it is thrown back into the ground, it is properly sanitised.

"So we are doing every possible thing to make sure the event's credibility isn't affected. But we are operating in a very different environment, even the world is facing similar challenges. Every sports in the world is meeting these challenges and overcoming them and carrying on with their events. We are also putting our efforts with the help of franchises to carry on with the event in a good way, keeping all the excitement and quality and hoping to end it on a high note."

Western Australia 5 for 369 (Green 114, Marsh 113, Worrall 2-62) beat South Australia 356 (Head 142, Nielsen 110, Guthrie 2-55) by 13 runs

Cameron Green and Travis Head traded spectacular centuries at the WACA but it was a South Australia collapse that decided the game as Western Australia secured the win in a contest that had 725 runs, including four centuries.

Green scored his first one-day hundred from 82 balls, powering the latter part of Western Australia's innings with some fierce strokeplay, but Head responded in kind with a brilliant 68-ball century, which put his team on course in a rollicking stand of 226 in 25 overs with Harry Nielsen, who struck a maiden one-day hundred too.

However, when Head was run-out - beaten by Green's strong arm - it started a collapse of 9 for 76 as the middle order lost its cool. Alex Carey was also run-out, through an excellent gather by wicketkeeper Josh Inglis, without facing a ball before Nielsen and Callum Ferguson brought the equation down to 55 off 43 balls with seven wickets in hand.

Ferguson missed a hack across the line against Aaron Hardie, who then had Nielsen caught at deep cover, and the lower order couldn't recover. Cam Valente gave South Australia an outside chance of getting 15 of the last over but he became the fourth run-out of the innings as he tried to keep the strike but failed.

It meant another agonising near-miss for the Redbacks on their trip west after they came within one wicket of securing victory in the Sheffield Shield.

While the game was decided by a collapse and some rather headless batting, there was some outstanding strokeplay throughout the day.

Green, who scored an unbeaten 168 in the Shield game, had taken time to lay himself a base and was 33 off 45 after playing out a maiden from Daniel Worrall in the 33rd over. He then cut loose, bringing up his half-century with three consecutive sixes off Head and there was no stopping him after that. The last 56 balls of his stay brought 111 runs as he carted the ball to all parts of his home ground, which included five fours off the first five balls of Worrall's ninth over.

Shaun Marsh had earlier brought up his 19th hundred in the format off a comparatively sedate 99 deliveries in a stand of 156 in 22 overs for the third wicket with Green. Green and Inglis then added the finished touches with a partnership of 88 in seven overs.

Remarkably, though, it did not look like it would be enough as Head produced a thrilling display of striking, which followed his double-century in the Shield earlier in the week. He struck his first ball for four although he wasn't consistently above a run-a-ball until passing 20.

He went to his fifty from 39 balls with a six off Charles Stobo in the 24th over, which cost 21 and really kick-started the chase when the required rate had passed nine an over. After celebrating the hundred, which required just a further 29 deliveries, he was sending the ball to and over the boundary almost at will until he was caught just short coming back for a second.

Western Australia had an opening and they made it count, although the Redbacks will know a stunning chase slipped from their grasp.