SUN PRAIRIE, Wisc. — SLS Promotions and Hans Lein have reached an agreement with the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department to operate the historic Angell Park Speedway.

Lein, who has been attending races at Angell Park Speedway since he was a child in the 1960s, has been involved at the track over the years as a driver, crew chief and car owner.

Lars Lein, his father, was the 1971 Badger Midget champion and competed at Angell Park Speedway for a couple of decades.

“I’ve always loved Angell Park Speedway and am really excited for this opportunity,” said Lein. “We want to bring back the friendship and camaraderie that helped make the track what it was and show that to a new generation. When the gates are open, we want people to know they are welcome and that the track is the place to be on a Sunday night.”

Angell Park Speedway is owned by the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department on land which was originally donated by Colonel William Angell to the Department in 1903.

Erin Yeargin, from the Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department, serves as the current general manager of the track.

“We at Angell Park Speedway are very excited for this new partnership starting in 2021,” said Yeargin. “After the devastating season of 2020 we are looking forward to new beginnings with a great group of individuals. Their roots and history at Angell Park run deep. SLS Promotions along with Hans Lein have a proven track record of honesty and integrity, and we are honored to have them on our team.”

The tentative Angell Park schedule has 10 dates, with the opener set for Sunday, May 16. The Badger Midget Racing Ass’n, which has longed called the track home, will be a part of each and every night of racing.

Badger has sanctioned midget racing at Angell Park Speedway since 1946. The tradition of Sunday night midget racing at Angell Park began in 1948, when lights were installed at the track for the first time.

“Angell Park is my favorite track and I grew up there going to the races,” said Quinn McCabe, President of the Badger Midget Auto Racing Ass’n. “We are just thankful and glad to get back to racing this year, after last year being a wash due to COVID. To be back up and running will bring a sense of normalcy back for the racers and fans.”

On the winged sprint car front, the Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprint Series will make two visits to Angell Park Speedway this season, including an event during the annual Corn Festival. The Midwest Sprint Car Ass’n will hit the track twice at Sun Prairie this year.

The Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions will also make a stop at Angell Park this season.

The AutoMeter Wisconsin wingLESS Sprint Series will compete at Sun Prairie on five occasions this coming season. The Wisconsin Dirt Legends, which compete weekly at the nearby Beaver Dam Raceway, will visit Angell Park seven times during the year.

The famed Pepsi Nationals will cap the season for Angell Park Speedway on its traditional Labor Day weekend date, with the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series on hand, as well as the Badger Midgets and the Wisconsin wingLESS Sprint Series.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Dale Coyne Racing announced Friday that it is entering into a collaboration with Rick Ware Racing for its No. 51 and No. 52 entries in the NTT IndyCar Series.

The team, which will run under the Dale Coyne Racing with RWR banner, will field the No. 51 car (previously the No. 19 and No. 55 cars) as a full season entry alongside its sister No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan entry.

The team also plans to run the No. 52 car at the Indianapolis 500 as a third entry under the Dale Coyne Racing banner. The No. 52 car will also compete in additional races that will be announced at a later date.

The partnership between Dale Coyne Racing and Rick Ware Racing started last season, when the two entities partnered to field an entry for James Davison in the Indianapolis 500.

“We were introduced to Rick Ware at last year’s Indy 500 where he ran James Davison in our third entry,” said Dale Coyne Racing owner Dale Coyne. “It was interesting to see how similar his efforts in the NASCAR Cup Series and IMSA were to ours. We have talked ever since that event and we are excited to welcome Rick Ware Racing into our family at DCR.”

The primary sponsor of the No. 51 car will be announced in the coming month, with the driver of that season-long entry expected to be announced next week.

“I met Dale last year through our Indy efforts with David Byrd and struck up a friendship with him and his team,” said Rick Ware Racing owner Rick Ware. “I have thought a long time about expanding into IndyCar from our efforts in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and IMSA, so this collaboration, was an easy and logical step. We look forward to a competitive 2021 and beyond together.”

The addition of the NTT IndyCar Series program further grows Rick Ware Racing’s overall racing program. The team fields multiple full-time entries in the NASCAR Cup Series in addition to competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. During the last 20 years, Rick Ware Racing has also competed in the Super Trofeo Series, the Asian Le Mans Series, ARCA and several other smaller series.

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has branded the racist abuse directed at Axel Tuanzebe and Anthony Martial following the defeat to Sheffield United as "disgusting."

The club condemned the number of abusive messages sent to the pair on social media after the 2-1 defeat on Wednesday and the United manager said those responsible were not welcome to support the club.

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"It's just incredible we have these scenes still, this abuse in 2021," Solskjaer told a news conference on Friday.

"We've been campaigning for a long time now with the Premier League and I think it's working but there are still some people that haven't got it.

"They hide behind social media and be anonymous. It's unacceptable and it's disgusting. They're not Man United fans when this happens. We're all standing behind every single one of our players.

"Axel is fine, I've spoken to him, and of course it's not nice but he's a strong boy, strong character."

Meanwhile, Solskjaer said he wants Jesse Lingard back at United after his loan spell at West Ham United.

The 28-year-old is set to move to the London Stadium until the end of the season and Solskjaer said he expects the midfielder to return to the club "revitalised."

"We want Jesse to come back here revitalised and having shown at West Ham how good a player he is," Solskjaer added.

"He's just been unfortunate with a couple of issues, some periods he's had to stay away from us with COVID -- isolation and close contact.

"The rest of the team has done well, we've had little to no injuries and he's not forced his way into the team. We want him to come back and show he's a Man United player through and through."

Solskjaer is also expecting Marcos Rojo to join Boca Juniors before the end of the January transfer window but goalkeeper Sergio Romero could remain at the club until the summer despite not featuring at all this season.

"It's likely that Marcos goes back to Argentina, there's little bit of paperwork left to be done," Solskjaer said. "With Sergio, I've not heard anything there apart from that he'll be with us for the rest of his contract."

United travel to Arsenal on Saturday looking to bounce back from the shock home defeat to Sheffield United on Wednesday.

Solskjaer has defender Eric Bailly available after being sidelined in midweek through injury.

"He's travelling to Arsenal," Solskjaer added. "Apart from that we didn't get any other losses from Sheffield United and the players are all fit and raring to go."

Marcus Rashford has been ordered to take extra finishing lessons at Manchester United -- ESPN's Insider Notebook has the latest. PLUS: The extent of Barcelona's cash crisis.

Jump to: Madrid must sell to fund Mbappe, Haaland moves | Barca cash crisis laid bare | Diallo set for Man United debut | Dzeko's fury, Roma's incredible admin blunders | Di Maria's PSG talks | Arsenal coach angers Southampton | Alli, Lingard need a fresh start

Rashford's finishing concern at Man United

Marcus Rashford has been given additional finishing lessons by Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, sources told ESPN, amid concern among club coaches he is becoming too predictable.

The 23-year-old has scored seven goals in 20 Premier League games this season and drew a blank in United's shock 2-1 defeat at home to bottom side Sheffield United on Wednesday.

There is a view within United's coaching team that Rashford has become over-reliant on his favoured technique of attempting to beat goalkeepers with power. Sources told ESPN Solskjaer believes Rashford will score more if he develops a broader repertoire when he has chances to score. The United manager has urged Rashford to work on other elements, such as controlled finishing by passing the ball into the corners of the goal, beyond the reach of the goalkeeper.

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Rashford has had 46 shots on goal, according to official Premier League data for this season, with 22 hitting the target. He has hit the woodwork once and missed seven so-called big chances this season. His shooting accuracy of 48% compares favourably with the Premier League's top scorers, Son Heung-Min (56%), Mohamed Salah (46%) and Harry Kane (38%), but United believe he can do better and improve his accuracy by developing his technique and making it more difficult for goalkeepers to decide how he will shoot at goal.

While Rashford's finishing let him down in Wednesday's loss to Sheffield United, his additional work on the training ground paid off last week when he calmly slotted past Allison in United's 3-2 win over rivals Liverpool in the FA Cup fourth round.

United manager Solskjaer scored 126 goals in 366 appearances during his playing career at Old Trafford and was regarded by Sir Alex Ferguson as one of the most natural finishers during his 27-year reign in charge. -- Mark Ogden

Madrid must sell to land Mbappe, Haaland

Real Madrid need to sell a collection of fringe players this summer if they want to compete with their rivals to sign Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe and Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland, sources told ESPN.

The pair have been linked with Real in the transfer rumour gossip columns for over a year but sources said the club's priority is to bring in €60-70m in player sales this summer with Isco, Marcelo, Alvaro Odriozola and Luka Jovic among those that could leave. Europe's elite football clubs are expected to miss out on over €2bn ($2.43bn) in revenue by the end of the 2020-21 season due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, and Madrid's aim is to balance their books through player sales before focusing on arrivals.

Last summer, the club did not make a signing for the first time since 1980 and instead recouped €100m in player departures, including Sergio Reguilon, Achraf Hakimi and Oscar Rodriguez. They also reduced their wage bill by €40m after James Rodriguez's free transfer to Everton and Gareth Bale's season-long loan to Tottenham.

Mbappe and Haaland both remain on Madrid's radar but aside from looking to fund a move for one or both of them, the club are also focusing on contract renewals for key players.

Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric and Lucas Vazquez's renewals are all a pressing concern, and sources said talks over a new deal for Ramos will resume soon. Sources added that Modric's one-year extension is expected without too many problems but that Vazquez has turned down one offer of a new deal, which included the same terms he is on at present. -- Rodrigo Faez

Barcelona cash crisis concern for incoming president

Barcelona are desperately trying to renegotiate their debt amid fears at the club they could default on payments for Philippe Coutinho and Frenkie de Jong, among others, sources told ESPN.

Barca owe installments for players totaling €126.2 million before June 30, including €30m for Coutinho and €16m for De Jong. They must be made to a third-party financial institution as Liverpool and Ajax have sold the debt. It is standard procedure for transfer fees to be paid across several years but the club's lack of liquidity means they will struggle to make the payments if the incoming president doesn't find a solution.

Beyond June 30, Barca still owe another €196.7m for players (€52m for Miralem Pjanic, €48m more for De Jong and another €40m for Coutinho) while their gross debt, which includes money owed to banks, has risen to nearly €1.2 billion. Barca say their net debt stands at €488m.

The club's cash flow problem extends to paying players. A source close to the first team squad confirmed they didn't receive their full salaries last month and they would be "surprised" if the missing amount was made up soon.

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"The financial pressure to beat Paris Saint-Germain and progress in the Champions League will be huge," the source said.

The interim board, presided over by acting president Carles Tusquets, are looking for solutions with the banks but the problem is they don't have the authority to make big decisions.

Barca have been without a president since the end of October and will remain without one until March 7, when either Joan Laporta, Victor Font or Toni Freixa will be elected. Whoever is elected will then have just over three months to try and get the debt re-organised before the club's accounts are closed on June 30.

Sources told ESPN the candidates for the presidency haven't ruled out having to sell some of the club's assets to help offset the debt, although they're hopeful they won't have to accept offers for their best players. -- Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens

Diallo set for Man United debut

Manchester United are ready to hand a debut to new signing Amad Diallo on Saturday when the Under-23s play Liverpool, sources told ESPN.

The 18-year-old winger, signed for €21 million plus another €20m in add-ons from Serie A side Atalanta, has been training with the first team since arriving in January.

Solskjaer has been impressed with Diallo, who only made five senior appearances for Atalanta, since joining the squad and is planning to give the teenager his first-team debut before the end of the season.

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Diallo is the only addition during the January transfer window after remaining in Italy for the first half of the season and the United manager believes he could be the answer to his side's problem position on the right wing.

The player's first taste in English football could be a feisty affair, with bitter rivals United and Liverpool both having a player sent off in the corresponding fixture in the Premier League 2 Division One match last September, that Liverpool won 5-3. -- Rob Dawson

Fonseca, Dzeko could leave Roma over admin blunders

Two scarcely believable administration mistakes at Roma are likely to signal the end of either manager Paulo Fonseca or striker Edin Dzeko's time at the club, sources told ESPN.

Roma have broken competition rules twice this season and been handed a 3-0 defeat after a match was defaulted. The latest mistake in the Coppa Italia round of 16 against Spezia -- when the coach made six substitutions instead of the allocated five -- led to Dzeko confronting Fonseca, along with several key players.

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Though Roma had lost the match 4-2 in extra time anyway, the latest clerical blunder led to major tensions at the club. Sources told ESPN Fonseca blamed the gaffe on team manager Gianluca Gombar, who was sacked after the match. Gombar received messages of support from Roma players following his exit and Dzeko led a revolt, with players refusing to take part in training last week. Roma exacted some revenge over Spezia by beating them 4-3 in Serie A but Dzeko was dropped from the matchday squad after refusing to train in the lead-up to the game. Sources told ESPN the Bosnia international is now training again, but away from the first team.

The Coppa Italia error followed another clerical oversight on the opening day of the season. Roma's match at Verona was declared a 3-0 defeat for Fonseca's men when midfielder Amadou Diawara, who was 23 at the time, played 89 minutes as a registered under-22 player. Teams are permitted to register up to 25 players over the age of 22 at the start of the campaign, so Roma were accused of trying to free up space in their senior squad selection, with no limits on the number of U22 players. Roma director Pantaleo Longo, who was at fault, resigned from his position in the aftermath only to join Verona, the team he made the mistake against, in November.

The relationship between Dzeko and Fonseca first became strained following Roma's dismal exit to Sevilla in the Europa League round of 16 last season, when they produced a poor display to lose 2-0 and exit the competition, with Dzeko confronting Fonseca after the match, sources said. The former Manchester City striker has been linked by reports in the Italian press with a return to England, as well as Inter Milan, and is unlikely to face Verona on Saturday, with coach Fonseca's future on the line as well. -- Andrew Cesare Richardson

Di Maria in PSG contract talks amid reports of Tottenham interest

Paris Saint-Germain have started contracted renewal negotiations with Angel Di Maria, sources told ESPN, with the forward rejecting the club's first offer.

Reports in Italy have claimed Tottenham are watching developments between PSG and Di Maria but sources said the Ligue 1 giants are hopeful over finding an agreement to extend the player's stay at the club.

Di Maria, who spent an unhappy season at Manchester United in 2014-15, is settled in Paris with his family. He arrived in a €63m deal and has been a success, with 86 goals and 102 assists in 243 appearances.

The 32-year-old is ready to lower his salary, which is €12m gross a year, but wants a two-year deal, sources said. New PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino is a fan of Di Maria and has used him in a new role since taking over, with the forward playing in a more central position than he did under former coach Thomas Tuchel.

PSG sporting director Leonardo is also eager to keep Di Maria at the club, with both parties hopeful an agreement can be reached soon. -- Julien Laurens

Saints and sinners in Arsenal's 3-1 win at Southampton

Hearing interactions between players and staff is one of the few benefits from an absence of fans inside stadiums but Southampton's substitutes in this week's 3-1 defeat to Arsenal proved it isn't always welcome.

To conform with COVID-19 social distancing measures, substitutes and some backroom staff members sit in the empty stands behind the dugouts at matches but many still want to make their voices heard. During Arsenal's win at St Mary's on Wednesday, coach Carlos Cuesta could be heard furiously contesting decisions and barking instructions, telling players to "organise" when they lost the ball or "squeeze" to close down space.

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The incessant noise irritated several Southampton substitutes and staff, including goalkeeper Fraser Forster, who was heard at one point telling Cuesta to "shut the f--- up."

Cuesta later responded: "You play your game, we play our game."

One Saints member replied: "We're just trying to watch the game in peace and f------ quiet." -- James Olley

Lingard, Alli's Euro 2020 hopes in balance

England manager Gareth Southgate has left the door open for Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard to make a late run into his Euro 2020 squad, sources told ESPN, if two of his best performers at the 2018 World Cup can get their season back on track.

Lingard is set to move to West Ham on loan until the end of the season in a desperate bid to play after featuring in three matches at United this season while Alli continues to be linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain after falling out of favour under Jose Mourinho at Tottenham.

The duo played key roles during England's run to the semifinals in Russia three years ago but have been absent from Southgate's team since playing in the Nations League third/fourth place play-offs against Switzerland in Portugal in June 2019.

Paris Saint-Germain are keen to sign attacking midfielder Alli and reunite him with former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, while Lingard will hope ex-Manchester United boss David Moyes can inspire a turnaround in form.

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Despite both players spending so long outside the England squad, sources said they remain in Southgate's thoughts and that a move for both will boost their chances of returning to the international stage.

England begin their World Cup qualifying campaign with games against San Marino, Albania and Poland in March and sources said that, if Alli and Lingard can return to club action within the next two months, they will be considered by Southgate due to the manager's knowledge of the two players and their previous contribution to the squad. -- Mark Ogden

New York Red Bulls defender Aaron Long has caught the attention of English Premier League giants Liverpool with an eye towards taking the defender on loan, multiple sources have told ESPN.

Liverpool has been beset by injuries to their backline, with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip all sidelined. Such has been the Reds need that midfielder Jordan Henderson has been forced to deputize in the center of Liverpool's defense. Long would provide a short-term depth option to alleviate the Reds' shortage of backline options.

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Manager Jurgen Klopp made it clear after Liverpool's 3-1 victory at Tottenham Hotspur that he would be keen to add a new central defender in this month's transfer window.

"If you have a center-half available at a reasonable price, and one with the quality we need, then send me a message," he said on BT Sport.

"We thought [about making signings] and we think the whole time but it's about doing the right thing. We need to find the right player. It's incredible what's happening in the defensive line."

Liverpool did not officially confirm interest in the defender when approached by ESPN for comment.

The link with Long comes amid increasing European interest for the USMNT international defender. The Washington Post reported that English Championship side Reading want to bring Long in on loan, while MLSSoccer.com said there was "interest from clubs in England and France."

A league source told ESPN on Thursday that the Red Bulls had yet to receive any formal offers for Long. The transfer window in Europe closes Monday night.

Long, 28, is something of a late bloomer. He was drafted by the Portland Timbers in 2014, but was released in midseason having had loan stints in the USL Championship with Sacramento Republic and the Orange County Blues.

He soon latched on with the Seattle Sounders and spent 2015 playing for their reserve team. In 2016 Long went on trial with the Red Bulls and was signed to their reserve team, New York Red Bulls II, and spent the entire 2016 season in the USL.

In 2017, Long made a breakthrough into the Red Bulls first team, and has been a mainstay ever since, making 120 league, cup and playoff appearances, scoring nine goals. He was named MLS Defender of the Year in 2018, a season in which the Red Bulls claimed the Supporters Shield, which goes to the team with the highest regular season points total.

Long's form then caught the eye of U.S. men's national team manager Gregg Berhalter, with Long making 18 appearances for the U.S. while scoring three goals. Long is in training camp with the U.S. side, and is expected to suit up in a friendly against Trinidad & Tobago this Sunday in Orlando.

Graham Thorpe has called on England's batsmen to follow the example of their captain, Joe Root, and rise to the challenge of taking on India in their own back yard, as they seek to overcome their lack of standard preparation time ahead of Friday's first Test in Chennai.

Speaking from his hotel room during the squad's third day of quarantine since arriving from Sri Lanka, Thorpe warned that a steep learning curve would lie ahead for several of his players - not least those on their maiden tours of Asia, such as Zak Crawley, Dom Sibley and Ollie Pope, who may yet come into contention as he continues his recovery from a shoulder injury.

However Thorpe, whose outstanding displays on England's 2000-01 tours of Pakistan and Sri Lanka were integral to England's twin Asian victories that winter, added that testing oneself against the best should be the goal of all international cricketers, and singled out Root as "a great student of the game" as he prepares to play in his 100th Test.

"There's a hell of a lot of hard cricket ahead of us and we're not under any illusions about that," Thorpe said. "But as a cricketer at the highest level, it's where you want to test yourself in many ways. It's a challenge we're looking forward to."

For the first Test, England are set to welcome back their other most senior batsman, Ben Stokes, following his absence in Sri Lanka. However, Root is sure to go into the series as India's most sought-after wicket, following his immense display in the Sri Lanka Tests, in which he racked up 426 runs including a big first-innings hundred in each of England's victories.

And Thorpe, who has been closely involved with Root's development, both as England's batting coach and in his previous work with the Lions squad, said that the 100-Test landmark - which Thorpe himself brought up in his final England appearance in 2005 - would serve as a mark of Root's character as much as his obvious talent as a cricketer.

"It is a real achievement because of the longevity of it," Thorpe said. "You need a good sense of humour to play that amount of cricket because you will experience highs but there will some moments in there where you have your lows.

"You have to show a bit of character and resilience, and you have to keep adapting and sometimes you will have to tinker with your technique and you have to manage all of that.

"What I saw early on - and I was fortunate enough to see some of his early games - was character. He just had a great work ethic and he certainly tried to work things out for himself.

"So to play 100 Tests no mean feat. He will be very proud, and his family will be very proud. The players in the team with him have a very good example to watch about how he goes about his business. His work ethic is fantastic and he's also kept his love for the game which is so important.

"He's always remained very humble, he is a great student of the game and loves watching other people play. He loves learning and doesn't want to stand still. He has a great hunger to score runs."

That hunger was plain to see in Sri Lanka, where Root's exemplary shot selection against the spinners proved to be the hallmark of his series-sealing performances. With his judicious use of the sweep, allied to a confident reading of length, he set a template for success that Thorpe has urged all of his team-mates to seek to emulate.

However, he also warned that India's attack - spearheaded by the fit-again Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma, and with R Ashwin also back from injury to partner either Axar Patel or Kuldeep Yadav in the spin department - is likely to offer a more all-round challenge than Sri Lanka's.

"The Indian bowling attack is not just about spin," Thorpe said. "Their seam attack also is strong so we mustn't get sidetracked completely into the spin side of things.

"Coming from Sri Lanka to here, we're going to have to stay in the games," he added. "The first innings is going to be very important, whether we bat first or second. The blueprint we have been trying to stick to [is] scoring big runs and being in a position where our bowlers can challenge the opposition batsmen."

That goal of big runs will require all the batsmen to know their scoring areas, and Thorpe was particularly impressed with the strides taken by Sibley during the second Test against Sri Lanka, as he overcame a grim haul of six runs in three innings to anchor a tricky run-chase with an unbeaten 56.

"Coming out of the English season, he was looking at how he can be more proactive," Thorpe said. "He has been brave in the nets, he is getting his foot movement in a much better place to allow him to score runs in three areas - defensively, rotation or attacking. He has made progress in that time but the hardest thing is getting it out into the middle, so it's great for him to get those runs in the last innings."

Despite a clear gulf between Root's confidence in his technique and a work in progress for many of his junior team-mates, Thorpe insisted that the fundamentals for success in Asian conditions were similar for all the England batsmen.

"Players will generally try to have similar movements," he said. "They are generally looking to come forwards but that movement allows them to push back once you've picked the length. If the ball is full you try and stay forward and drive it off the front foot.

"It's about understanding that method and the options it gives you. We know the challenges are going to get harder but I think if you keep your game-plan relatively straightforward, then I think the players understand what they are trying to follow."

Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell refused to remain silent on social justice issues off the court, becoming a go-to guy in NBA circles.

His commitment to advance social justice coupled with his passion for education earned him the Offseason NBA Cares Community Assist Award.

The award honors Mitchell's efforts between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, including a $12 million pledge to Greenwich Country Day School, which he and his sister, Jordan, attended and where his mother, Nicole, taught for over 10 years.

It was the largest single donation in school history.

"I'm honored to receive the NBA Community Assist Award. We, as athletes, have a responsibility to do our part to give back to our communities and raise the bar for the next generation," Mitchell said in a statement. "Not too long ago I was one of those kids that looked up to professional athletes, and I recognize how blessed I am to be in this position to give back to the multiple communities that have contributed to my growth not only as an athlete but as a person.

"My goal is to continue to inspire and encourage youth, from coast to coast with an emphasis on the importance of education."

Mitchell also was named to the inaugural board of the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition and reached out through his SPIDACARES nonprofit foundation.

Over the summer, he teamed up with Adidas and the University of Louisville, his alma mater, to launch an exclusive edition of his signature sneaker, the D.O.N. Issue 2, with more than $200,000 benefiting scholarships and academic aid.

Although Mitchell is in the concussion protocol and his playing status remains questionable for Friday's home game against the Dallas Mavericks (10 p.m. ET, ESPN), he will be recognized during the game after being presented with the award in a virtual ceremony.

Kaiser Permanente, the award's sponsor, and the NBA will donate $10,000 on Mitchell's behalf to The Children's Village in New York.

Mitchell, 24, is averaging 23.4 points, 4.9 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game in his fourth season.

Former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson is in agreement on a one-year, $7 million deal with the Chicago Cubs, sources confirmed to ESPN.

The Athletic was first to report the agreement.

Pederson, 28, batted .234/.339/.479 with 123 homers and 108 doubles in 687 regular-season games for the Dodgers from 2015 to 2019, making an All-Star team and posting an .864 OPS against righties.

Originally an 11th-round pick out of a Northern California high school in 2010, Pederson was best utilized in a left-field platoon and provided rare power from the leadoff spot. He stopped batting leadoff when Mookie Betts joined the Dodgers and struggled through the shortened, unconventional 2020 season, batting only .190/.285/.397 in 138 plate appearances.

But Pederson continued to be a force in the postseason, boasting a .382/.432/.559 slash line through four rounds in 2020 and playing a major role in the Dodgers' first World Series championship since 1988. By the end of it, Pederson's Dodgers teammates had invented a new month in his honor: "Joc-tober."

ESPN's Alden Gonzalez contributed to this report.

With just three weeks before spring training is scheduled to start, the free-agent market has finally headed up -- well, for some teams at least -- but one true ace remains unsigned.

Here's the latest MLB offseason buzz Jeff Passan is hearing about the teams who haven't spent at all this winter, how Trevor Bauer's free agency could play out, an All-Star pitcher drawing trade interest and if spring training will actually start on time.

Graham Kitchener plays his first game of the season for Worcester after recovering from a stress fracture, one of two changes to the side that lost at Sale earlier this month.

Scotland captain Stuart Hogg returns for Exeter after a hamstring injury.

Exeter make eight changes in total from the side which lost to Bristol in their top-of-the-table encounter.

Hogg replaces Jack Walsh at full-back and Tom O'Flaherty comes in on the wing, with Ian Whitten moving to centre in place of England's Henry Slade.

Joe Simmonds is fit to play after spraining his ankle against the Bears and partners a recalled Jack Maunder in the half-backs.

In the front row, Jack Yeandle and Tomas Francis come in for England duo Luke Cowan-Dickie and Harry Williams.

Scotland Jonny Gray returns to partner Sam Skinner in the second row, as Jonny Hill is away with Eddie Jones' England squad, and Dave Ewers and Richard Capstick are picked at flanker.

Worcester head coach Jonathan Thomas told BBC Hereford and Worcester:

"We're really excited about the challenge.

"We're relishing the opportunity to test ourselves against what has been the best team in England in the last 18 months, so we're really looking forward to that opportunity."

Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter told BBC Sport:

"It feels like over the next month we'll become progressively stronger, despite having our internationals away, so it feels like we're going to have a really interesting block of eight games now.

"It's going to challenge us, but challenge us in the way we need to be challenged.

"We need something quite exciting and challenging and new and I think this could be the making of us. If we come through this period looking stronger than we go into it then that will really excite me about how we could end the season."

Worcester: Pennell; Humphreys, Morris, Beck, David; Searle, Hougaard; Waller, Annett, Schonert, Clegg, Kitchener, Hill (capt), Kvesic, Mama.

Replacements: Cutting, Thomas, Palframan, Bresler, Lewis, Simpson, Weir Venter.

Exeter: Hogg; Woodburn, Whitten, Devoto, O'Flaherty; J Simmonds, Maunder; Hepburn, Yeandle (capt), Francis, Gray, Skinner, Ewers, Capstick, S Simmonds

Walsh; Woodburn, Slade, Devoto, Whitten; J Simmonds (capt), Hidalgo-Clyne; Hepburn, Cowan-Dickie, Williams, Witty, Hill, Skinner, Armand, S Simmonds

Replacements: Innard, Kenny, Street, Armand, Lonsdale, Hidalgo-Clyne, Skinner, Hendrickson

Referee: Tom Foley (RFU).