Is David Ortiz really going to retire? It’s a fair question. The Red Sox slugger announced in November — on his 40th birthday — in a video on the Player’s Tribune website that the 2016 season would be his final year as a player. He talked about how he’d miss the game and the fans, but he said he was ready for the next chapter in his life. MORE: 11 MLB stars who were still stars in their final season...

Villa surpassed the 50-goal mark in MLS on Saturday, converting a questionably-awarded penalty kick before delivering a back-post volley winner in the 75th minute of NYCFC’s 2-1 victory over the Seattle Sounders. Timothy Weah to sign PSG deal It was another trademark performance from Villa, who has become Major League Soccer’s poster boy for designated players. Just three days removed from starting in NYCFC’s U.S. Open Cup loss to the New York Red Bulls, Villa took the field at a waterlogged Yankee Stadium and once again delivered late-game heroics....

So when I set up extra early at Belk Arena before Davidson’s game with George Washington, I made sure to pay attention to the pregame dunk/layup line. Good thing I did, because I saw this … And then Barham did this … Not too shabby for a 6-4 guard, eh?

It seems likely Murray will focus on singles play in the competition, but he isn’t ruling out a doubles match if needed. Murray is No. 5 in world rankings, making him the best player in the weekend’s best-of-5 competition. Young is playing well and is No. 47. Play each day begins at 8 a.m. ET. TV coverage is by The Tennis Channel. Great Britain’s other singles player in James Ward, who enters as a decided underdog against the United States’ best player....

Not all daycare facilities are created equal, however. In addition, the laws about the care offered vary from private to public daycare facilities, and from state to state. Therefore, it is important to research all aspects of a facility before placing your child in daycare. A good first step is to make sure you check out the top childcare options for children with disabilities. Your child’s daycare environment can play a big role in their later success....

Hamlin becomes the third active driver with three or more Daytona 500 qualifying race wins, joining Earnhardt (six) and Kyle Busch (three). MORE: Starting grid finalized for Daytona 500 “We definitely had a strong car, but so much of that race was single file, and so it was really tough to show what we could do in the pack once we got two and three wide,” said Hamlin, who worked his way back to the front after a penalty for rolling through too many pit boxes under a competition caution on Lap 27....

Despite leading a race-best 87 laps, Jeff Gordon finished 33rd because of a crash on the last lap. Also of note: Regan Smith, replacing Kurt Busch, was 16th. Matt Crafton, making his first Sprint Cup run in place of Kyle Busch, was 19th. Here are the unofficial race results. Starting position in parentheses. Because of a late crash, the race with 203 laps instead of 200. (5) Joey Logano, Ford, 203 laps, 125....

Then, following just 20 laps, rain returned and the race was postponed until 4 p.m. ET Monday. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Alex Bowman earned their places on the front row for the start of the 2020 Daytona 500 with their pole qualifying speeds, and the rest of the 40-car field was set by the results of Thursday night’s Duels. MORE: How to watch to Daytona 500 live online free...

MORE: Gilliland’s rare pole win | Lineup breakdown | Video | Nationwide no-call The National Weather Service predicts a high of 89 today with temperatures 78-82 degrees during the race. There is a 51 percent chance of rain during the day and 26 percent after 8 p.m. NASCAR has 20 of its new Air Titan drying devices at the track. On Friday night, it took 1 hour, 40 minutes to dry the track as rain delayed the start of the Nationwide Series race....

Oranje sacked Danny Blind on Sunday, less than 24 hours on from a damaging 2-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to Bulgaria. Former Ajax boss De Boer has been touted as a possible replacement, with Netherlands facing the prospect of missing out on a second consecutive major tournament. But his representative Guido Albers told AD Sportwereld that the 46-year-old, who won 112 caps for his country, remains committed to a return to club management despite a swiftly curtailed stint in charge of Inter this season....

Palace largely stuck to the template that any side hoping to take points off City will have to deploy this season; sit back, counter-attack, and hope it’s your day. It so, so nearly was in stoppage time, when Wilfried Zaha won a penalty. Ederson saved Luka Milivojevic’s effort. It seemed that even when City’s luck was out, it was in. But they were very quickly dealt what initially appeared to be a bigger headache....

Pep Guardiola’s side have already shown themselves to be a class above their rivals, with title glory secured in some style this season. Big spending in 2017 allowed them to address areas of supposed weakness, and nobody has got close to them as they have swept to the top-flight crown. Rather ominously for those hoping to close the gap in 2018-19, De Bruyne believes further additions will be made this summer as City seek to establish an era of domestic dominance at the Etihad Stadium....

Since overcoming a testing start to his career at Old Trafford to establish a reputation as one of the top performers in world football, the 27-year-old has long been linked with a switch to the Santiago Bernabeu. Real have never made any secret of their desire to return a former Atletico Madrid star to his roots, with several attempts having been made to get a deal over the line....

Messi sat out Argentina’s 2-0 win over Italy in Manchester last week but is expected to feature in the game at the Wanda Metropolitano. And while the inclusion of the deadly 30-year-old could make it a busy night for De Gea, the Manchester United shot-stopper is not daunted by the prospect. “As a goalkeeper it is a challenge to face Messi,” De Gea said. “But we want the best players to be on the pitch and Messi is one of them....

The Spain international made 14 saves in an incredible display for Manchester United on Saturday as they beat Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium. De Gea’s performance saw many, including coach Jose Mourinho, hail him as the best in the world, while he said he felt “unstoppable” when upsetting Arsene Wenger’s side. And Redknapp has also been left impressed and pointed to two saves in quick succession that resembled the heroics seen in the hit film starring Keanu Reeves....

A local resident found the shark, which measured between seven and eight feet long, on the morning of July 20 in Quogue. After investigating pictures from the scene, the Department of Environmental Conservation confirmed the dead shark was a juvenile male great white. However, the body was washed back out to sea before it could be taken in for study. Great whites, which can grow up to around 20 feet long, are classified as “vulnerable” according to the IUCN Red List, having seen a reduction in population worldwide by between 30 and 49 percent over the last three great white generations (approximately 159 years)....

John Lock admits he called the police but says he had to because one of his sons was on the verge of “kicking the door down.” He concedes he didn’t pay the $1,100 monthly child support for nine years, and admits he fled to Costa Rica for three years because he was “physically, emotionally, financially devastated.” But he says he had paid regularly prior to 1977, owes “significantly less” than the state claims and thinks that his ex-wife and the state of Illinois are obsessed with trying to put him in jail....

The Steelers running back loves to provoke people with tweets, and the division-rival Browns were Wednesday’s target. MORE: Week 4 NFL picks To be fair, Terrelle Pryor asked for it. Cleveland’s do-it-all wide receiver apparently told reporters his 0-3 Browns can turn things around this season and win all 13 of their remaining games. Yeah … Williams thought it was funny, too. He took a screen shot of the article he found and took his jab at Pryor and the Browns....

Four riders died in the event last year and another was killed in 2015. The race is one of the highlights of the motorbike racing calender. Each year thousands of fans travel to the island in the middle of the Irish Sea to watch riders compete in the 37-and-a-quarter mile lap exceeding speeds of 200mph. MORE: Former NFL receiver Michael D. Jackson killed in motorcycle crash The riders are going so fast, some fans have trouble snapping a photo of them....

Saber toothed cats and dire wolves used to hunt wild horses around 12,000 years ago, across North America. However when these predators died out, the continent’s thriving population of horses and donkeys were left to roam free, without any predators capable of hunting them. Feral horses and donkeys have become so well established in the wild that they are often considered pests and the government implements initiatives to remove them....