Sussex232 and 59 for 3 (Rushworth 3-11) need a further 378 to beat Durham 384 and 284 for 3 dec (Lees 143, Harte 77)

It was only three summers ago that Alex Lees was praised to the heavens by both Geoffrey Boycott and Dickie Bird yet still seemed certain to play for England. He carried accolades easily and batted as if it were his calling. So when Lees drove Chris Jordan for successive boundaries on this third morning, he disturbed memories of those days when cricket's table was laid out before him. But when he thick-edged Delray Rawlins to the third man boundary in mid-afternoon to bring up his century it was also salutary to note he had reached three figures for only the second time since September 2017.

Lees' batting at a Hove of sun and sea breezes recalled his early years with Yorkshire when the runs flowed from his bat and an England call did indeed seem a matter of time. But time passed and with it went Lees' consistency and application. He would play himself in, only to find a way to get himself out. Before long his place in the Yorkshire side was in jeopardy and his move to Durham last August appeared to make good sense after an early season in which he had scored only 50 runs in four Championship matches for the White Rose.

The geographical cure did not work at once. Lees managed only 256 runs in 11 Championship innings for Durham last season, meaning that his tally in the format that matters most to professionals had more or less halved in each of the two seasons following 2016, when he made 1165 runs. No one with a feeling for the game could take any pleasure in such a decline, so Lees' revival this summer has been greeted with satisfaction far beyond the County Palatine.

That said, the recovery has been relatively modest. Lees had made only 309 runs before this game against Sussex but that total included 63 and 107 in the win against Derbyshire, Durham's only four-day victory of the season, and his 143 this afternoon may well set up a second triumph. Cameron Bancroft's declaration on 284 for 3 challenged Sussex to score 437 in a minimum of 126 overs and by the close they had reached 59 for 3 after 30 wonderfully tense overs.

Sussex's pursuit began atrociously when Chris Rushworth's fifth ball of the innings hit Luke Wells high up on the right pad and the opener was caught by Jack Burnham at third slip. Most people at the1st Central County Ground, including, to judge from his non-involvement in the appeal, Rushworth, thought the ball had hit nothing but the batsman's leg. Umpire Ben Debenham took a different view of matters. Wells was aghast and Rushworth made a mental note to buy an extra couple of lottery tickets.

Four overs later there was a far less controversial dismissal when the wretchedly out-of-form Harry Finch drove a catch back to Rushworth, thereby collecting a pair. But Will Beer and Stiaan van Zyl prevented Durham making further breakthroughs until Beer was leg before wicket to Rushworth when only six balls remained of a long evening session in which Hove was at its glorious best. The sunlight was sharp crystal and the slips' flannels fluttered in the breeze like Eric Morecambe's plus fours. The only thing spoiling home supporters' satisfaction was their team's travails. Even a draw would be a very significant achievement and victory cannot be contemplated. Sussex's batsmen are in the foothills of Shishapangma.

Yet the current plight of the third-placed team in Division Two this season reflects very well on the bottom side, Durham, whose cricketers have dominated this game since midway through the second day. With the second ball of this morning's play the admirable Brydon Carse collected his maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket when he bowled Rawlins. Reasonably enough on a good pitch but one taking some turn, Bancroft opted not to enforce the follow-on, and naturally enough, Durham's innings began badly when the skipper played forward to a ball outside his off stump but only edged a catch to Finch at second slip. Not since April 8 have Durham's openers put on more than 14 for the first wicket in a Championship and they have had 11 attempts at it.

The rest of the innings was controlled by Lees and to a lesser degree by Gareth Harte. The pair put on 215 for the second wicket with Harte making 77 before he drove Wells to Rawlins at short cover. The pitch was flat and the bowling unthreatening but Lees maintained his focus on the task of piling up runs. There were times late in his Yorkshire career when he seemed capable of getting out to the Brownies on the beach. This afternoon he batted as if the crease might once again become his kingdom.

UFC fighter Desmond Green is facing four DUI manslaughter charges for his alleged role in a five-vehicle crash last August that killed two people.

According to Broward County Jail records, Green, 29, was arrested Tuesday. Along with the manslaughter charges, the Broward County Court lists 19 total charges, including DUI causing serious bodily injury (four counts), DUI causing property damage (five counts), operating with a suspended license, and possession of cocaine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

His total bond was set at $194,000, according to the jail records.

In August, Alvaro Feola, a spokesman for the Florida Highway Patrol, told reporters that Green lost control of his Dodge Durango just before 6:15 a.m. on Interstate 75 in Davie, Florida. The SUV veered into the path of a tractor-trailer, causing a chain-reaction crash with three other vehicles.

Two people -- Emelina Morfa, 67, and Emma Suarez Hernandez, 76 -- were killed. Two others were seriously hurt. Green suffered minor injuries.

Green (21-7) has fought three times since the crash, winning his last two bouts.

ESPN's Greg Rosenstein contributed to this report.

Bob Ley, after a 40-year career at ESPN, announced his retirement from the network Wednesday.

Ley, who had taken a leave of absence in October, said in a statement that he will be retiring at the end of this month. He was ESPN's longest-tenured anchor.

"To be clear, this is entirely my decision. I enjoy the best of health, and the many blessings of friends and family, and it is in that context that I'm making this change," he said.

Ley, 64, thanked ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro and the network's senior leadership team "for their understanding and patience over the past months."

Too many folks to thank individually, right now, but know that I have you all in my mind and my heart. Some news to share: pic.twitter.com/Qydhpcy4MV

— Bob Ley (@BobLeyESPN) June 26, 2019

"Through the decades, and my innumerable experiences at ESPN, I have built many deep and fulfilling friendships. You know who you are. I hope you also know how much you mean to me. We have shared an American story unlike any other. And we will continue to do so in the years ahead," Ley said.

"I have been gifted by our viewers and consumers with a precious commodity -- your trust. To be invited into your homes was a privilege I never took for granted, one I worked each day to uphold. Thank you for that.

"In September, I signed off my last show saying, 'I'll catch you on the flip side.' Now it's time to take that vinyl off the turntable (ask your folks), flip it over, and drop the needle on the B-side. There are always great cuts, and hidden gems on the B-side.

"Thank you for a great run."

Ley joined ESPN as a SportsCenter anchor on Sept. 9, 1979 -- the third day of the network's operation. In 1980, he hosted the first NCAA selection show and live broadcast of the NFL draft and continued in that role for the next nine years.

He was the host of Outside The Lines, ESPN's investigative news program, since the show launched in May 1990 and also hosted ESPN's weekly E:60 show on Sunday mornings, leading the coverage of several important stories. As host of OTL, Ley was a leader in reporting on concussions and CTE and the NFL's handling of domestic violence cases.

Ley joined Jeremy Schaap on Wednesday's episode of Outside the Lines.

Norby Williamson, executive vice president of event and studio production, said in a statement that Schaap and Ryan Smith "will handle the bulk of anchoring duties" for OTL going forward.

Ley won 11 Sports Emmy Awards during his time at ESPN, including an Emmy for outstanding studio host in 2018. Ley and OTL won the DuPont Award in 2014 for reporting on issues in football at the youth level. Ley and OTL also won four Edward R. Murrow Awards.

"The standard of excellence that has become a hallmark of ESPN began in the early days when we were a start-up with a bold vision. Bob was there for all of it and, over the years, his unwavering commitment and unparalleled work ethic drove our journalistic ambitions. The best way we can thank Bob for what he's meant to ESPN and to sports fans is to continue to uphold the journalistic integrity and principles he's instilled in ESPN for nearly 40 years," Pitaro said in a statement.

Ley was inducted into the National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame earlier this week.

Saying it's time to become "just another retiree in South Florida," goalie Roberto Luongo of the Florida Panthers announced his retirement from the NHL on Wednesday after a stellar 19-season career.

Luongo had three more seasons on his contract at a $5,333,333 salary-cap hit.

"Thinking about getting onto the ice in late July, for the first time in my career, I wasn't excited about it. That was the sign for me. It's not that I don't love playing hockey anymore, but I had to listen to my body. I'm at the point where my body was telling me it just needed a rest. It didn't really want to get going," said Luongo, in a letter posted to the Panthers' website.

I've decided to take my talents to a South Beach retirement home ✌? pic.twitter.com/BTuZIo8XT8

— Strombone (@strombone1) June 26, 2019

"So I've decided to retire, and it's been really tough. One of the hardest things I've gone through in making this decision was when I told Gianni and Gabriella, my kids. Seeing them cry when I told them about it because they loved coming to the games and watching me play so much, it really broke my heart. We cried together. It was hard, it was really sad."

Luongo ends his career as one of the most accomplished goaltenders in NHL history. In 1,044 games with the New York Islanders, the Panthers and the Vancouver Canucks, Luongo amassed a record of 489-392-124, with a .919 save percentage and a 2.52 goals-against average. He ranks third all-time in wins, second all-time in games played, and second in shots faced (30,924) and saves made (28,409). His save percentage is 10th best all-time.

Luongo never won the Stanley Cup, although he helped push the 2011 Stanley Cup Final to seven games against the Boston Bruins. He won Olympic gold twice in 2010 and 2014, and golds at the world championships (2003, 2004) and the World Cup of Hockey (2004). A three-time finalist for the Vezina Trophy for the NHL's top goalie, his only award was the Jennings Trophy in 2011 for the lowest goals against in the NHL.

Off the ice, Luongo has made headlines from the moment he entered the league. He was drafted fourth overall by the Islanders in 1997, only to be traded to Florida in a lopsided deal in 2000 when the Islanders selected goalie Rick DiPietro first overall. He remained there until a blockbuster deal in 2006 sent him to Vancouver, where he played 448 games.

In September 2009, Luongo signed a massive 12-year, $64 million contract with Vancouver, a deal that proved too elephantine for the Canucks, who traded Luongo in 2013.

"My contract sucks -- that's what's the problem," Luongo said at the time. "I'd scrap it if I could now."

The Canucks found a taker for that contract in Florida in 2014, as Luongo relocated back to where his family still had a home.

After a strong 2017-18, his last season was statistically his worst in the NHL, with an .899 save percentage and a 3.12 goals-against average. There was speculation that Luongo could be placed on long-term injured reserve to get his cap hit off the books, but instead he chose to retire.

There are cap implications for both the Canucks and Panthers because of this decision. The latest NHL collective bargaining agreement retroactively punished teams that gave out contracts like Luongo's that front-loaded money in what was seen as an attempt to circumvent the salary cap. This "recapture penalty" costs the offending team the difference between what the player is really making and the annual average value of the deal. Since Luongo was slated to make significantly less than his $5.33 million AAV, the Canucks will be hit with a $3.03 million penalty for the next three seasons, while the Panthers are on the hook for $1.09 million for three seasons.

Luongo plans to live in Parkland, Florida, home of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School where 17 people were killed in a shooting in February 2018.

"I'm building a home in Parkland and it's going to be my family's permanent home for the rest of our time on this earth," he said. "I'm proud to be a Parkland resident. We've been through a lot, but we came together. We've tried to heal together and we've tried to make our community and our world a better place."

Luongo wrote that this is not the time to discuss future plans, though he expressed an interest in remaining involved in hockey.

Where are Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson heading in NBA free agency? Will the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets or LA Clippers be able to land two max stars?

The signings can officially begin at 6 p.m. ET Sunday, and so far there's little certainty about how this potentially league-altering offseason will shake out.

Our ESPN Forecast panel predicts the destinations for the top players and which franchise will be the title favorite when the summer is over.

More: Latest NBA free-agency buzz

On which team's roster will Kevin Durant be next season?

Durant is likely to miss most or all of next season after suffering a ruptured right Achilles in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, making his offseason move even more unpredictable.

In the February edition of these predictions, the Knicks were clear favorites. Now it's a toss-up, with the Golden State Warriors having a slight edge.

MORE: Warriors to talk future with KD, Klay this week

On which team's roster will Klay Thompson be next season?

Like Durant, Thompson is expected to miss a large chunk of 2019-20 after tearing the ACL in his left knee during the NBA Finals. Both players are still projected to command max offers in free agency despite the injuries, and our panel is unanimous in predicting Thompson will return to Golden State.

MORE: Ten free-agency and trade targets for Warriors

Where will Kawhi Leonard play next season?

The NBA Finals MVP is tough to read, but our panel now predicts a Toronto Raptors return as most likely. In February, the Clippers got 66.7% of the vote.

Wherever he ends up, pay attention to the number of years on Leonard's next contract. A two-year deal (maybe with a player option) would let him hit the market again with 10 years of service, and he then would be able to earn significantly more long-term money.

MORE: Which NBA teams can chase superstar free agents?

Where will Kyrie Irving play next season?

The Boston Celtics have gone from favorites to keep Irving in February to out of the running in these predictions following a disappointing season.

Now Brooklyn is the front-runner for the All-Star point guard.

MORE: 'Busy week' ahead for Ainge, recalibrating Celtics

Where will Kemba Walker play next season?

Walker has said that the Charlotte Hornets are his first priority in free agency and he would consider taking less money if it helped build out the rest of the roster.

Walker will receive interest from plenty of other teams with point guard needs, though no clear favorite has emerged to recruit him away from Charlotte.

MORE: Biggest NBA free-agency and trade decisions for all 30 teams

Where will Al Horford play next season?

Horford is expected to leave Boston after talks on a long-term deal fell apart, according to a report by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Dallas Mavericks are the favorites here, with Horford joining the dynamic core of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis (if he returns in restricted free agency).

Others receiving votes: Brooklyn Nets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz

MORE: How the NBA draft sets up a league-altering free agency

Will the 76ers re-sign their big midseason additions?

In February, keeping Tobias Harris but losing Jimmy Butler was the top choice at 63.9%. Since then, Butler's clutch showing in the postseason has made him look crucial to the Philadelphia 76ers' offense.

The Houston Rockets will make a run at recruiting Butler for a sign-and-trade, according to a report by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, though even if Butler is interested the cap mechanics there are complex.

MORE: The latest intel on this loaded free-agent market

Who is the next best free-agent target?

Khris Middleton and D'Angelo Russell get the nod here.

Middleton was essential to the Milwaukee Bucks' earning the league's best regular-season record, and the Bucks won't have many ways to replace him if he walks. Russell enters restricted free agency, but Brooklyn will need to renounce his rights to add two max players.

Others receiving votes: Julius Randle, Nikola Vucevic

MORE: 2019 NBA free-agent rankings: Top 30 players and potential fits

How many max-contract players will the Knicks add in the offseason?

The Knicks cleared room for two stars in the Porzingis trade, with Durant pegged as the favorite to take at least one of those max slots prior to his injury. Now the Knicks appear to be total wild cards.

If New York can't land the top free agents, all indications are that the team will pursue short-term deals, according to a report by ESPN's Zach Lowe.

MORE: The NBA draft's best, riskiest and most surprising moves

How many max-contract players will the Nets add in the offseason?

The Nets have telegraphed their intention to pair Irving with a second superstar, and Durant has been widely assumed to be that star, according to Lowe's report.

Our panel predicts Brooklyn gets at least one star -- and maybe two.

MORE: Kyrie or D'Angelo? How Brooklyn might handle a difficult decision

How many max-contract players will the Clippers add in the offseason?

The Raptors winning the title -- seemingly increasing their odds to keep Leonard in Toronto -- likely shifted these L.A. predictions.

The Clippers were projected in February to have an 86.1% chance to land at least one star, but that's down to 66.7% now. Still, those are strong odds at improvement for a team that took a healthy Warriors squad to six games in the playoffs.

MORE: How the Clippers can make their anti-pitch to Kawhi Leonard

Which team will be the 2019-20 NBA title favorite when the season begins?

With Kawhi expected to return, the Raptors take this one. Their Eastern Conference finals foes from Milwaukee are a close second.

MORE: NBA free agents: Team-by-team lists for 2019 and 2020

_{Image credits (in order of appearance): Ezra Shaw/Getty Images; Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images; Brian Babineau/NBAE/Getty Images; David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images; Greg M. Cooper/USA Today; Michael Reaves/Getty Images; Paul Sancya/AP Photo; Michelle Farsi/NBAE via Getty Images; Noah K. Murray/USA TODAY Sports; Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images; Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images}

Once free agency starts on Sunday, the Rockets are planning to recruit Jimmy Butler to push the Philadelphia 76ers for a sign-and-trade deal that would allow the All-Star forward to join James Harden and Chris Paul in Houston, league sources tell ESPN.

The Rockets don't have the salary-cap space to sign Butler, so they'd need the threat of the Sixers losing him for nothing to a team with the available room to motivate Philadelphia into a trade. The Rockets also would potentially need to make this a multiteam deal to satisfy the rules of base year compensation that would cover Butler's outgoing salary.

The Sixers plan to be aggressive in signing Butler to a new deal, sources said, and they could blunt a Rockets push with a full five-year, $190 million offer at the start of free agency on Sunday night. The Sixers could offer Butler a four-year, $146.5 million deal, too.

Butler would be eligible to sign a four-year, $140 million contract on the way to the Rockets, but Houston likely would need to include two of these players -- center Clint Capela, guard Eric Gordon and power forward P.J. Tucker -- to make the financial deal work, sources said.

Sources tell ESPN that the Rockets are offering the three players individually to teams with cap space to absorb salary, trying to acquire the best available first-round draft pick for any of those three, hoping to redirect the pick to the 76ers in pursuit of a Butler sign-and-trade.

The 76ers are facing a free agency that includes Butler, Tobias Harris and JJ Redick. They're expected to make a significant four- or five-year offer to keep Butler, whom they acquired in a trade with Minnesota for Dario Saric and Robert Covington in November.

The Rockets offered Minnesota four future first-round picks for Butler before the Timberwolves agreed to the trade with Philadelphia, league sources said.

In a potential trade with Houston, the 76ers could turn Butler into a large trade exception and redirect the Rockets' assets to additional teams.

If the Sixers were to lose Butler in free agency -- and were in position to keep Harris and Redick -- it is possible they could simply want the payroll flexibility and dismiss the potential idea of a sign-and-trade scenario for Butler.

ESPN's Zach Lowe contributed to this report.

The NBA is formally exploring how it might use its 75th anniversary season as an opportunity to test some of its bolder initiatives -- not only a mid-season cup and postseason play-in tournament, but also a reduction in the 82-game regular season schedule.

On a June 17 conference call, a committee that consists of approximately a dozen top team executives from both basketball and business operations discussed with the league office ideas for alternatives to the traditional NBA schedule for the 2021-22 season. In what sources characterize as a wide-ranging brainstorming session with accompanying documents, participants contemplated how the NBA could introduce the aforementioned tournaments, as well as an abbreviated slate of regular-season games to accommodate the additional events.

According to those with knowledge of the conversation, which sources regard as very exploratory, the proposed reforms would be adopted initially as a pilot program. The NBA would have the chance to observe the trial run and evaluate the long-term viability of such a schedule design.

Supporters of a new mid-season cup-style tournament acknowledge the difficulty of its implementation without a corresponding reduction in the number of regular-season games. For instance, trimming games off the current 82-game schedule would have vast revenue implications for teams which have commitments to local broadcast partners and rely on revenue from attendance at live games.

The length and density of the current 82-game NBA schedule has come under some scrutiny in recent years. Superstars such as Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard routinely sit out regular-season games to preserve their bodies for the NBA's intense nine-week playoff run. But apart from issues surrounding load management, voices at both the team and league level have made an economic case for making the NBA's regular-season games more scarce and meaningful in an increasingly competitive entertainment marketplace.

These more substantive conversations about contemplating new ways to construct the NBA's seasonal schedule demonstrate momentum for reformers inside the league. Advocates for change believe that robust revenue generated from new products such as the play-in tournament and mid-season cup posed recently by commissioner Adam Silver could, over time, recoup losses that would result from a reduction in traditional regular-season games.

The number of games in a reduced regular season discussed on the conference call ranged from 58 -- ensuring every team would host each of the 29 other teams in their arenas over the course of a season -- to a marginal cut of only a handful of games. According to sources on the call, the appetite among team officials for a major reduction in the number of games was limited.

Realizing wholesale changes to the schedule in a little more than two years' time doesn't come without major complications. The NBA would need the cooperation of numerous stakeholders, from the players union to ownership groups to national and local broadcast partners, sponsors, among others.

For example, the NBA's collective bargaining agreement requires the league and its teams to "act and use their commercially reasonable efforts to increase [Basketball Related Income] for each Salary Cap Year." If players interpreted a deliberate drop in the number of games as an abdication of that effort, they could potentially have grounds to object to such reforms.

The committee was formed as an advisory group to grapple with structural issues that touch on both basketball and business operations -- matters like playoff format and the contour of the NBA schedule. The committee has no official governing authority but can make recommendations to the NBA's Board of Governors.

Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant has declined his $31.5 million player option and will become an unrestricted free agent, league sources told ESPN.

Durant's business manager, Rich Kleiman, informed Warriors general manager Bob Myers of the decision in recent days.

Durant and Kleiman are together in New York, where they've been mulling Durant's free-agency options. So far, it has been a fairly clandestine process.

Durant is still considering a number of scenarios in free agency, including a return to Golden State, league sources tell ESPN. The New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and LA Clippers are also believed to be considerations, sources said.

Durant, 30, can sign a four-year, $164 million deal with another team, and remains eligible to sign a five-year, $221 million deal with the Warriors.

Durant, a two-time NBA Finals MVP with the Warriors, suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Game 5 of the Finals on June 10 and is expected to need the 2019-20 season to fully rehabilitate the injury.

Every team pursuing him is expected to still offer him a full max contract.

SMYRNA, Ga. -- The widow of a beer tap inventor who died inside a walk-in cooler at the Atlanta Braves' stadium is blaming a faulty door mechanism and lethal carbon dioxide leaks.

Angela Keeling made the allegations in a wrongful death lawsuit filed Friday against the team and its contractors.

Todd Keeling, 48, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, had worked an overnight shift to install his beer tap invention at SunTrust Park when he died in June 2018, his relatives told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Colorless and odorless carbon dioxide filled the cooler, and Keeling became trapped inside because the interior door mechanism failed to work, the lawsuit states. His body was found by a co-worker before a game against the Cincinnati Reds.

A partnership of the stadium's builders, based in Georgia, Alabama, Minnesota and Michigan, "received an email before Todd Keeling's death that there were issues with the door release mechanisms in coolers throughout the stadium,'' the lawsuit states.

The construction companies involved also knew about carbon dioxide leaks in the coolers, but allowed them to go unfixed; and Cooler 331, where Todd Keeling died, lacked a functioning carbon dioxide monitor or alarm, the lawsuit states.

Braves spokeswoman Beth Marshall declined to comment "due to ongoing litigation.''

The Kansas City Royals have designated reliever Brad Boxberger for assignment, opening a roster spot for Eric Skoglund's return from an 80-game PED suspension.

Boxberger, who had joined the Royals on a one-year, $2.2 million contract after earning 32 saves as the Arizona Diamondbacks' closer in 2018, had a 5.40 ERA with one save and three blown saves in 29 games this season.

In January, Skoglund was suspended for the first 80 games of 2019 after testing positive for two performance-enhancing substances.

Skoglund, 27, who was 1-6 with a 5.14 ERA last season, was optioned to Triple-A Omaha.

Left-hander Tim Hill was recalled from Omaha in a corresponding move. He has a 6.75 ERA in four innings (six games) for Kansas City this season.