We look for meaning -- especially these days -- and there was plenty to be had in an empty Camp Nou. Kylian Mbappe's hat trick -- only the second Barca conceded at home in the Champions League after Dynamo Kiev's Andriy Shevchenko in 1997 -- propelled Paris Saint-Germain past Barcelona 4-1 and, to some, it will symbolise him taking the baton from Lionel Messi.

That's nonsense. That's premature. Not just because Messi is Messi (and because that other guy in Turin might have something to say about this) but because Mbappe is writing his own history, one not defined by others. With Neymar (and Angel Di Maria) absent, he he guided PSG with the calm of a veteran, the exuberance of a kid and, above all, a rare blend of talent, athleticism and intelligence.

The image of him after the fourth goal -- arms open like Rio de Janeiro's Cristo Redentor, head nodding like a bobble-headed doll -- encapsulates just what he brings. That's meaning enough. The next decade belongs to him.

As for Barca, the night reaffirmed just how deep the rebuild ahead will need to be. There will be no Champions League band-aid to paper over cracks (and, perhaps, less Champions League revenue than anticipated), the seven straight La Liga victories mean little. This is a team that has been emotionally razed to the ground. They'll be back, building around Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Ansu Fati, Pedri, Frenkie de Jong (though maybe not Wednesday night's version) and possibly one or two others. Messi? We just don't know and won't for a while. But the boil had to be lanced and it happened against PSG.

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For many of Europe's super clubs, the Champions League knockout rounds are an early ritual of spring renewal. It's a chance to forget whatever woes afflict you domestically and relaunch your season. Both clubs had plenty of woes to consign to the past.

PSG, last year's beaten finalists, are embroiled in a legitimate three-way dogfight for Le Championnat with Lille and Lyon. It's not a role to which they're accustomed, given they've won seven of the past eight French league titles. But even beyond that, things have been far from comfortable at the Parc des Princes. They parted ways with manager Thomas Tuchel on Christmas Eve and have been fretting over things like Mbappe's new contract and Neymar's beach-house festivities.

Of course, that was positively halcyon compared to Barcelona's past six months. From Messi's Burofax to president Josep Maria Bartomeu's resignation to dire warnings of insolvency and financial meltdown to a freakish run of injuries that robbed them of Gerard Pique (the "other" resident icon and Mr. Shakira), Fati (the heir apparent wunderkind) and jack-of-all-trades Sergi Roberto, it's been a campaign to forget. And that's before you get into events domestically that, thus far, see them third in La LIga, eight points behind Atletico Madrid (who have played one fewer game).

Escaping from all of this was motivation enough, even before last week's "Affaire Messi," when the esteemed French magazine France Football put the Barca star -- who becomes a free agent in 134 days -- on its cover with a photoshopped PSG kit, prompting gnashing of teeth and pulling of hair back in Catalunya.

It's easy to forget that, for all the glamour and bon vivant imagery set against the backdrop of the City of Lights, there's plenty that's genuinely blue-collar about this PSG side. For every social media sensation that rocked up with a ready-made entourage and nine-figure transfer fee (read: Neymar and Mbappe), there are plenty of kids, grinders and second-chancers too.

Moise Kean and Idrissa Gueye arrived from -- with all due respect -- Everton. Marco Verratti landed as a teenager after a season in the Italian second division. Keylor Navas came after losing the starting job at Real Madrid. Alessandro Florenzi is on loan from AS Roma, where he was unwanted. Layvin Kurzawa has been at the club for five years and never started as many 20 league games. Leandro Paredes was a bust in Italy before reinventing himself, to a point, in Russia.

Mbappe would go on to take the headlines and rightly so. Not just for his hat trick, but for the leadership and precocious savvy he shows at 22 years of age, particularly with his favoured sidekick, Neymar, absent. But there was a lot of the supporting cast in his victory, plenty of "we're your foot soldiers, lead us to the promised land." That they would put so much of their trust speaks volumes: they know him best, they know what he offers.

Across the way, Messi has carried Barcelona for most of the past 15 years. And he had begun 2021 on a high, with nine goals in ten games, all of them from open play. When he nonchalantly stroked it on a dime to De Jong from deep, it led to Kurzawa conceding a soft penalty, which Messi himself converted. Less than half an hour had gone. He turned wordlessly to his teammates, his hooded eyes saying, "I got this."

Just like he had so many times in the past.

But he didn't. Because with this Barcelona team, whenever the Messi ticker shifts from superhuman to merely outstanding, bad things are wont to happen. And PSG's riposte was near immediate. A brilliant pass from Verratti, a first-time low cross, a somewhat lucky control that froze Clement Lenglet and Mbappe had rifled the ball into the back of Ter Stegen's net. Quick feet, quick mind, quick turnaround.

Moments later, Kurzawa again got away from Ousmane Dembele and forced Ter Stegen to make a world-class stop. Pique, who had willed his 34-year-old body back into the starting lineup after a nearly three-month layoff, waved his arms and pleaded with his teammate. But there was a sense of foreshadowing for what would happen in the second half.

Barca boss Ronald Koeman spent much of the time haranguing his back line, ordering them to defend higher up the pitch and let Ter Stegen worry about the ball over the top. But when you play with fear and little confidence and weary legs, you get sucked back towards your own goal. And it's not a coincidence that at the half it was PSG who had the bulk of possession.

Ter Stegen again had to perform a minor miracle at the start of the second half after a driving Mbappe run -- there's plenty of horsepower under that hood -- and 20 minutes later PSG were in the lead. Paredes found Florenzi, Pique botched his clearance and the ball fell for Mbappe to make it 2-1. And, before Barca realised it, it was 3-1, with Kean somehow making himself invisible between Lenglet and De Jong to beat Ter Stegen.

By this point, the blow was as much psychological as it was physical and practical. Mbappe, on the break, made it four, which matters because a PSG defeat by four clear goals at the Parc des Princes -- which is, realistically, what it would take for them to go out -- appears about as likely as Cristiano Ronaldo replacing Messi at the Camp Nou next season.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- To say the Tennessee Titans are disappointed in 2020 first-round pick Isaiah Wilson would be an understatement.

Titans general manager Jon Robinson addressed Wilson's status during a virtual news conference with the local media Tuesday. He didn't seem pleased with how the 2020 season ended for Wilson, who played only four snaps last year despite being the 29th-overall pick.

"We put him on the reserve/non-football injury list and haven't spoken to him since. He's going to have to make a determination on whether he wants to do what it takes to play pro football. That will be on him," Robinson said when asked about Wilson.

"I know what the expectation level is here, and it's no different than any other player on the football team. We have a certain standard that we want players to prepare and perform at professionally, and as people, and there's a lot of work to be done there," he said.

The Titans placed Wilson on the NFI list in December to put a cap on a rather regrettable start to his NFL career. Wilson found himself on the reserve/COVID-19 list twice last season. The rookie right tackle also had a couple of run-ins with the law.

The first incident came when Tennessee State University police broke up an off-campus party that Wilson had attended during training camp. In their report, the police documented that Wilson went to the second-floor balcony, where he appeared to briefly consider jumping. He received a trespass warning.

The second incident occurred when Wilson was arrested and charged with a DUI in September when he lost control of his vehicle and struck a concrete wall.

Robinson said the Titans did extensive research on Wilson leading up to the draft and liked what they saw. They spent time with Wilson at the NFL scouting combine, where the 6-foot-6, 350-pound player first sized up coach Mike Vrabel during a meeting. Robinson joked that Wilson's chuckle reminded him of Hall of Fame wrestler Andre the Giant.

A lot has changed since their first impression of Wilson, and there is likely some degree of buyer's remorse.

"We did a lot of work on him leading up to the draft. The player that was here in the fall was not the player we evaluated," Robinson said.

Former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence underwent surgery on his left (non-throwing) shoulder Tuesday in California.

Lawrence, widely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2021 draft, can start throwing in four to six weeks and is expected to be ready for training camp, a source told ESPN's Dan Graziano.

The procedure, performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, was to repair damage to the labrum in his left shoulder.

NFL Network first reported the news that Lawrence's surgery was completed.

Lawrence threw for NFL teams last Friday, moving up his pro day because of the surgery.

He measured 6-foot-5 5/8 and 213 pounds with 10-inch hands, 34½-inch arms, and a 78¼-inch wingspan.

Kyrie Irving will not play against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. The Brooklyn Nets star is listed as out with a sore lower back.

Irving is coming off a season-high 40-point performance against the Sacramento Kings on Monday night. He played 31 minutes in the 136-125 win against the Kings while going 15-of-22 from the field and 9-of-11 from behind the arc.

The Nets are already without Kevin Durant, who missed Monday's game against Sacramento with a strained left hamstring and was ruled out against the Suns as well.

The Nets' big three of Irving, Durant and James Harden have played only seven games together since Harden was traded to Brooklyn in January.

It will be Irving's 10th missed game of the season. He had an extended absence for personal reasons in January.

Irving is averaging a career-high 28.3 points to go along with 5.7 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game this season.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard D'Angelo Russell will undergo arthroscopic surgery Wednesday to remove a loose body in his left knee and is expected to miss four-to-six weeks, the team announced Tuesday.

Russell had missed Minnesota's previous three games with what the team said was a sore left leg.

He's averaging 19.3 points and 5.1 assists in 20 games (19 starts) this season for the Timberwolves, who are 7-20 overall entering Tuesday night's matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Also Tuesday, the Timberwolves said forward Jarrett Culver, who suffered a left ankle sprain last month, has been cleared to resume on-court activities and could be cleared to play by late next week.

The Atlanta Braves beat Dansby Swanson in salary arbitration, and the shortstop will earn $6 million rather than his request for $6.7 million.

Arbitrators Richard Bloch, Walt De Treux and Robert Herman made the decision Tuesday, a day after hearing arguments.

The 27-year-old player hit .274 with 10 homers and 35 RBIs last season in an NL-high 237 at-bats. He earned $1,666,667 in prorated pay from a $3.15 million salary.

Teams have won four of seven cases, with Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ and San Francisco second baseman Donovan Solano remaining scheduled for hearings this week.

Atlanta pitcher Mike Soroka ($2.8 million) won, as did St. Louis pitcher Jack Flaherty ($3.9 million) and Tampa Bay first baseman Ji-Man Choi ($2.45 million).

Rays reliever Ryan Yarbrough ($2.3 million), New York Mets third baseman/outfielder J.D. Davis ($2.1 million) and Baltimore outfielder Anthony Santander ($2.1 million) lost.

Because of the pandemic, all cases are being argued over Zoom this year rather than in person.

Left-hander Brett Anderson and the Milwaukee Brewers are in agreement on a one-year, $2.5 million contract, a source familiar with the deal told ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Anderson, 33, returns to the Brewers and can make an additional $1 million in incentives.

The deal is pending a physical.

Anderson signed a one-year contract with Milwaukee in December 2019. He went 4-4 in 11 appearances (10 starts) with a 4.21 ERA over 47 innings pitched during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, missing the Brewers' wild-card series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers because of a recurring blister issue.

Anderson has been hurt throughout his 13-year big league career. He had back surgery for a herniated disk at the end of the 2014 season and again in 2016 for a bulging disk. He had Tommy John surgery in 2011, and he has missed time with an oblique strain and broken finger.

During the 2019 season, he went 13-9 with a 3.89 ERA in 31 starts with the Oakland Athletics. Despite posting the lowest strikeout rate of any qualifying starter in baseball (just 12.1% of batters faced), he boasted a 2.7 bWAR (Baseball-Reference's wins above replacement) thanks to a low walk rate and the third-best ground ball rate among starters.

For his career, Anderson is 63-65 with a 4.06 ERA and 714 strikeouts in 186 starts and 13 relief appearances for the Athletics (2009-13, 2018-19), Colorado Rockies (2014), Dodgers (2015-16), Chicago Cubs (2017), Toronto Blue Jays (2017) and Brewers (2020).

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

DETROIT -- The Detroit Tigers are considering using a six-man rotation for at least some of this season as they return to a normal schedule with a pitching staff that will likely include some of the team's top prospects.

General manager Al Avila spoke with reporters Tuesday, the day before Detroit's first workout for pitchers and catchers.

"In our meeting today, we did discuss a six-man rotation, and then really, getting through the season and having relievers mixed in," Avila said. "You might see more players being brought up and optioned throughout the season, as you need fresh arms from week to week."

Last year's abbreviated schedule lightened the workload for pitchers throughout baseball. Matthew Boyd led the Tigers in innings with 60⅓.

It remains to be seen how easily pitchers can readjust to a 162-game schedule, and Detroit has several young options who are still trying to establish themselves as big leaguers -- and whose arms might need to be handled carefully. A six-man rotation is one potential solution.

"I just don't know how you're going to get through all the innings that you need," Avila said. "Now in saying that, there will be flexibility. I don't know that we need it right at the beginning of the season, but certainly once we get underway, and we'll make adjustments."

Boyd (12 starts last year) and Spencer Turnbull (11) both return. Casey Mize, the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft, and Tarik Skubal, another highly regarded prospect, made seven starts each for Detroit in 2020, with mixed results.

Michael Fulmer made 10 starts but never went more than three innings in his return from Tommy John surgery.

Daniel Norris and Tyler Alexander might start more games if necessary, and Avila said Matt Manning -- a first-round draft pick in 2016 -- could make his major league debut at some point this season.

Avila also left open the possibility of bringing in more help from outside the organization. Detroit signed right-hander Jose Urena in December, and they agreed to a minor league deal with left-hander Derek Holland that includes an invite to major league spring training.

"We're definitely looking for more pitching as we speak," Avila said. "Whether it be a major league contract or a minor league with an NRI (non-roster invite), I'm not really sure, but we're definitely looking for more pitching. ... I think at least one more starter would be ideal."

HAUBSTADT, Ind. – To discourage the need for the chemical altering of tires and to keep the competition as equal as possible, seven Indiana sprint car tracks have mutually agreed to modify their respective track tire rules.

After careful consideration, the promoters agreed to allow an additional right-rear tire to be used by their 410 non-winged sprint car competitors. The tire choices will be the Hoosier 105/16.0-15 medium or the recently approved Hoosier H15 softer compound tire.

The group of dirt tracks includes Bloomington Speedway, Gas City I-69 Speedway, Kokomo Speedway, Lawrenceburg Speedway, Lincoln Park Speedway, Paragon Speedway and Tri-State Speedway.

The Midwest Sprint Car Series will also adopt the same rule for 2021.

“We feel this is an opportunity for teams to choose a tire that is more suitable for the various track conditions they encounter throughout the season,” said Tom Helfrich, promoter of Tri-State Speedway and president of the Midwest Sprint Car Series. “All seven tracks involved have a little different character to them in regards to track surfaces.”

Kokomo Speedway promoter Reece O’Connor said the group also considered the economic upside to adding the Hoosier H15 as an option.

“I strongly feel the addition of the H15 is a cost-effective alternative to adding or enhancing the current $3,000-to-$4,000 shock packages many teams are utilizing,” O’Connor said. “This gives the lower-budget teams a better opportunity to compete on a more level playing field. Bolting on a $200 right-rear tire is a lot cheaper than the further development and increased expense of shock technology, $1,600 tire bleeder systems, and other handling technology that’s taking place. I also think you’re going to see less dust, better track conditions, and a higher level of close, competitive racing that our fans deserve.”

Currently the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series offers the same two tire compound choices, while the Hoosier H15 is common in World of Outlaws and All Star Circuit of Champions competition.

FORT WORTH, Texas  – The season-opening event at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track, which is being promoted by X.CELERATED this year, has been postponed until further notice due to the state of emergency caused by extreme cold weather throughout Texas.

The Revival, originally scheduled Feb. 18-20 for Open (Outlaw) Modifieds, Limited Modifieds, Factory Stocks, Hornets and Eco Mods, will be rescheduled at a later date.

“The safety of our racers, fans and track workers is always our primary concern so we’ve made the decision to postpone The Revival to a later date when temperatures are warmer and things are more back to normal at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track,” said X.CELERATED CEO Barry Braun. “We’re thrilled to be partnered with Texas Motor Speedway for a full season of X.CELERATED dirt racing but we have to do it correctly from the start so we will regroup to determine the best and earliest dates to do so.”

Texas Motor Speedway reached a multi-year strategic business agreement in late January with the Silver Bay, Minn.-based motorsports promotor for 18 nights of sprint car, super late model and modified racing on the half-mile dirt track. The schedule includes a NASCAR All-Star Race sprint car companion event in June, a Monday night summer racing series, and a $50,000-to-win super late model event in September.