Victory for either Vauban or Absurde in the Lexus Melbourne Cup would rank alongside the highlights of Willie Mullins’ career, according to the multiple Irish National Hunt champion trainer.
There is barely a prize in jumps racing that Mullins has not won, with the County Carlow handler counting three Cheltenham Gold Cups, four Champion Hurdles and two Champion Chases among his 94 Festival winners, plus the Grand National and any amount of the jewels of the Irish season.
However, Mullins believes a win the Flemington Group One on November 7 would match any of those achievements.
He said: “Looking at the profile of our yard, I don’t think we’re going to win a Breeders’ Cup, the chance of winning an Arc is going to be tough, so to us, the type of horse we have, it would probably be the biggest race in the world we could win.”
The Closutton handler acknowledged the historic nature of such a win, with County Carlow native George Watson among the 25 founding members of the Victoria Racing Club and the starter for the inaugural Melbourne Cup in 1861.
Mullins explained: “The guy who started it all was only two miles over the road, George Watson. He left here in 1840-something with a pack of hounds, started the Melbourne Hunt, that in turn founded the racecourse and in turn started the Melbourne Cup.
“He was the starter for 30 years, he was on the board that started Flemington and the Melbourne Cup, so it would be sort of rounding off the circle if we could bring it back to Carlow.”
Mullins is no stranger to Flemington, having first sent Holy Orders to finish a distant 17th behind Makybe Diva back in 2003.
He has hit the crossbar since with Max Dynamite finishing a half-length second in 2015 before returning two years later to take third, but he ranks ante-post favourite Vauban and Ebor victor Absurde as his best chances yet.
He said: “We’re very happy with Vauban and Absurde, both seem very well in Australia and David (Casey, assistant trainer) is very happy with the two of them.
“Both horses will handle any ground I think down there – probably softer ground would suit us better than a lot of the Australian or foreign horses. The weather down there, there’s a lot 30-degree days but it changes all the time. It’s not an issue I think with either of our horses, they could both go on fast ground.”
Vauban is a three-time Grade One winner over hurdles and made an immediate impact on the level when strolling home by seven lengths from Absurde in the Copper Horse Handicap at Royal Ascot before a cosy Group Three win in the Ballyroan Stakes.
Absurde benefitted from an inspired Frankie Dettori ride to win the Ebor, but the Italian will not be in the plate again as even before he was given a 16-day ban that starts on November 7 for whip offences on Champions Day, he would not have been able to make Absurde’s weight of 8st 5lb.
Top Hong Kong jockey and old ally Zac Purton will instead take the ride as Absurde looks to make up the Ascot deficit with his yard’s number one hope.
Mullins said: “Zac Purton rides Absurde. He was third on Max Dynamite so I know Zac from before and he gave Max Dynamite a fantastic ride that day, so we were very happy when he became available. He can do the weight easily – Absurde has a light weight and it’s very hard to get top-class jockeys at that weight.
“I know their form ties in at Royal Ascot, Frankie gave him a good ride to get him settled and introduce him at the end but the race was over by the time he got going.
“You’d be hoping the Melbourne Cup would be a different pace and Zac can get Absurde settled. However, looking back on the Ebor, Frankie came up the wide outside from a wide draw which helped him to settle hugely.
“It might be harder for Zac to do something like that, although the straight in Melbourne is long enough from the two-mile start. We will have to see where we are drawn and what have you.”
Corach Rambler will start his season off at Kelso on Saturday, rather than Cheltenham.
The Grand National hero is all set for the Edinburgh Gin Chase at the Borders track, in preference to a handicap at Prestbury Park.
William Hill ambassador Russell said: “We could have gone to Cheltenham, but we just thought with this being a limited handicap it was the better option. He doesn’t have to give quite as much weight away and it should suit him nicely.
“He’s in really great form at home and everything he’s shown us so far suggests he’s still going as well as he did before the Grand National.
“You can never be sure how much these races take out of a horse, but he seems really well in himself and we’re looking forward to getting him going. He doesn’t take an awful lot of work to get fit and we took him for a racecourse gallop at Ayr which will have hopefully brought him forward too.
“He owes us absolutely nothing and he’s just a real joy to have in the yard.”
Tom Curry starts England’s World Cup bronze final against Argentina despite receiving online abuse in response to the allegation that he was the victim of a racist slur against South Africa.
Curry claimed that hooker Bongi Mbonambi called him a “white c***” in Saturday’s 16-15 semi-final defeat at the Stade de France, prompting World Rugby to launch an investigation that is ongoing.
The Sale flanker continues in the back row despite being in the eye of the storm, however, and will win his 50th cap in a rematch of the pool victory over the Pumas.
Owen Farrell leads a team showing eight changes in personnel and two positional switches, one of them Curry’s move to blindside flanker to accommodate Sam Underhill’s first appearance of the World Cup in the number seven jersey.
Marcus Smith is restored at full-back after passing the HIA that forced him to sit out the South Africa showdown and the knock-on effect is that Freddie Steward moves to the right wing.
Bluestocking will be back again next year after a frustrating winless season ended with her finishing second in another Group One on Champions Day.
Ralph Beckett’s filly chased home Savethelastdance in the Irish Oaks and just failed to reel in Poptronic at Ascot on Saturday.
She was also placed in the Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot and finished fourth in the Yorkshire Oaks but failed to get her head in front even when dropped to Listed company at Chester in September.
Barry Mahon, racing manger for owners Juddmonte said: “She ran another cracker, she’s having a break for the winter but she’ll be back next year.
“The owners had said before Saturday that they would like to keep her in training.
“Rossa (Ryan) gave her a lovely ride on Saturday, I thought the winner would have come back to her a little more but in fairness to her, she kept going.”
Roger and Harry Charlton’s Time Lock ran in the same race but disappointed back in seventh.
“The ground was too testing for her,” said Mahon. “William (Buick) said he knew after a furlong she wasn’t in love with the ground, it was just too soft.”
Unfortunately similar comments applied to 2000 Guineas winner Chaldean in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, he ended up being beaten 49 lengths.
“Frankie (Dettori) said he travelled great for five or six furlongs but then, having been off the track for a while, that ground found him out,” added Mahon.
“He couldn’t quicken off that really deep ground so he looked after him. We haven’t fully decided if he’s coming back next year or not.”
Next year promises to be another good one for Juddmonte either way, with the Middle Park runner up Task Force and Skellet, a narrow runner-up in the Oh So Sharp likely to take high order.
But Mahon also said it was too early to rule out Mill Reef winner Array from being a leading player despite him disappointing in the Dewhurst, for which he was supplemented.
“The horse we ran in the Dewhurst is a very nice horse but he came out of the that with an injury, so we didn’t see his true running there. I think he’ll be a nice horse next year, it’s not serious but enough to cause a below-par effort,” said Mahon.
Tom Curry’s club have hit out at the “disgusting abuse” directed at the England player since he alleged he was racially abused in Saturday’s World Cup semi-final against South Africa.
The flanker alleged he was called a “white c***” by Springboks hooker Bongi Mbonambi in the first half of the match and World Rugby is now investigating the matter.
Curry has been subjected to online threats since he made the allegation and his team Sale Sharks issued a statement expressing their strident support for him on Wednesday.
“Sale Sharks’ owners, players, coaches and staff are absolutely appalled by the nature and level of disgusting abuse directed at Tom Curry and his family in relation to an incident in the England v South Africa World Cup semi-final,” the post on X, formerly Twitter, read.
“Everyone at the club stands fully and proudly behind Tom and we look forward to welcoming him back to Carrington.”
Leigh Halfpenny has announced he is to retire from international duty with Wales following the team’s exit from the Rugby World Cup.
Wales were knocked out by Argentina at the quarter-final stage, with the Pumas clash in Marseille the 34-year-old’s final game for his country.
He retires having won 101 caps, and with 801 points scored he is third in the all-time Welsh list behind Neil Jenkins and Stephen Jones.
Deontay Wilder is ready and willing to take on Anthony Joshua next, insisting it would be a “major disaster” if they never fought each other.
Wilder and Joshua were unable to agree terms for an undisputed showdown when they held all four major world heavyweight titles between them, but speculation has been building recently that the two former champions could finally square-off in 2024.
Joshua intimated last weekend the highly-anticipated bout could be part of a blockbuster card topped by Tyson Fury taking on Oleksandr Usyk next spring.
Even though he has not competed since knocking out Robert Helenius inside one round 12 months ago – his first fight since losing a trilogy bout against Fury in October 2021 – Wilder is primed to face Joshua.
“(It is) a fight everyone is looking forward to and hopefully it happens and I’m doing everything in my power to make it happen, and I’m referring to the Anthony Joshua fight,” Wilder said on Instagram.
“Anthony, you’re getting it from the horse’s mouth himself: I’m here, I’m ready to go.
“I heard some things your promoter (Eddie Hearn) said that my last fight only lasted a short period of time and I haven’t fought in a year and he doesn’t know if I want to fight or not.
“But I’m letting you know I’m ready to fight – let’s make this the best time of our lives. This would be a major disaster if we were never able to get in the ring and put our stamp down in history.”
Despite his recent inactivity, Wilder, who turned 38 on Sunday, is renowned for his ferocious punch power, with 42 of his 43 victories in 46 professional contests have been inside the distance.
Joshua has rebounded from a pair of losses to Usyk, who snatched the Briton’s WBA, IBF and WBO titles, with underwhelming performances in wins over Jermaine Franklin and Helenius this year.
Joshua (26-3, 23KOs) is planning another tune-up in December before taking on former WBC champion Wilder, who rubbished suggestions his British rival might be biting off more than he can chew.
“When people think about classics and great fights, I want them to think about us as well,” the American added. “Being able to do that, we’ve got to get in the ring.
“The silliest thing I’ve heard is people saying you’re not ready and that’s the silliest thing because I don’t believe that – I hope you’re ready, I think you’re ready. Let’s make this happen.”
Seven Betfred Super League clubs have been awarded Grade A status in the indicative phase of the new club grading process which effectively makes them immune from relegation from the start of the 2025 season.
The grades have been introduced as part of a strategy between Rugby League Commercial and sports media giants IMG to “reimagine” the sport and award points for five key factors including support base, performance, finances, facilities and community integration.
The indicative stage of the process gives clubs the chance to make improvements prior to the start of the 2025 season, at which point the identity of the 12 Super League clubs will be determined by the rankings, rather than solely next season’s on-field success.
The seven clubs given Grade A licences – which come with the assurance they cannot be relegated – are Leeds, who lead the way with a score of 17.49 out of the maximum available 20, Wigan, St Helens, Catalans Dragons, Warrington, Hull KR and Hull FC.
Based on the current rankings, Toulouse and Wakefield, who stand 10th and 11th respectively, would be promoted back into Super League at the expense of 13th-placed Castleford and newly-promoted London Broncos.
Castleford have indicated they intend to appeal their indicative grade based on confusion over a point relating to finance, which if accepted would move them into the top 12 at the expense of Challenge Cup winners Leigh Leopards.
The rankings are also a huge blow to London Broncos, who were promoted back to the top flight this month but rank a lowly 24th, meaning they are almost certain to be demoted at the end of next season, irrespective of their on-pitch performance.
RFL chief executive Tony Sutton said: “Rugby League embarked on a bold journey with the launch of the strategic partnership with IMG in May 2022, and 18 months into that journey, the publication of these indicative club gradings is a highly significant step.”
Carl Frampton suspects Tyson Fury might be unnerved by Francis Ngannou having Mike Tyson in his corner for Saturday’s showdown.
Born in August 1988, several weeks after Tyson cemented his status as the undisputed world heavyweight champion by knocking out Michael Spinks, Fury was given his forename in honour of the American great.
Fury has a legitimate claim to being the best in boxing’s blue riband division now and is a prohibitive favourite against mixed martial artist Ngannou in a crossover fight which is ostensibly an exhibition.
However, according to Frampton, former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou might have a slight mental edge after employing Tyson as his trainer for his professional debut this weekend in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Frampton told the PA news agency: “It might not be a massive issue for Tyson, but it’s definitely something he will feel a bit uncomfortable with, that the guy who he’s named after and a hero to him is going to be in the opponent’s corner.
“Mike Tyson was a small heavyweight, he knew how to fight on the inside and Francis is smaller than Tyson Fury. I think the way Francis wins the fight is to get close and land shots from close distance and there’s no better man to teach you that than Mike Tyson.
“Francis been completely written off by the majority of boxing fans and, to be honest, I understand why. I’m not as sure that he has zero chance of winning – he has a chance but it’s very small.
“He’s an athletic guy, explosive, very, very powerful, but the biggest attribute is that he is highly unorthodox. If he’s throwing shots from every angle, it’s actually really difficult.”
The most prominent crossover fight saw Floyd Mayweather face an early barrage before wearing down Conor McGregor to gain a 10th-round stoppage in their highly-lucrative contest in August 2017.
But Dan Hardy, the first Briton to challenge for a UFC title, urged Ngannou not to be as gung-ho and preserve his energy for the duration of the 10 three-minute rounds.
Hardy told PA: “The faster he starts, the quicker he’s going to tire and the easier it’s going to get for Fury. The longer he can maintain that composure with the threat of a big punch, the more chance he’s got of landing it.
“I would like to see a bit of patience from him, a bit of footwork and good defence, but then ultimately when he does decide to go, to really commit because that’s his strength in this fight.
“Starting in the first minute of the first round would most likely just walk him on to something straight away.”
Fury’s WBC title will not be on the line for a fight many view as a mere tune-up for a bout against WBA, IBF and WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk, who will be ringside to get a close-up view of his rival.
The pair have agreed a deal for an undisputed world heavyweight title clash, possibly as early as December, but Frampton insists the unbeaten Fury is accomplished enough to keep his focus on Ngannou.
The Northern Irishman, a former two-weight boxing world champion, added: “He’ll almost be looking ahead to the Usyk fight because it’s made and he’ll already be preparing for that fight, even though the Francis Ngannou fight hasn’t taken place.
“But I still do think that he’ll be professional enough to know he has a fight on his hands against Francis, who’s looking to switch his lights out.”
:: Fury v Ngannou will be exclusively live from Riyadh Season, Saudi Arabia, on TNT Sports Box Office on Saturday 28 October. For more information, visit: tntsports.co.uk/boxoffice
The NBA champion Denver Nuggets picked up right where they left off, opening their 2023-24 season with a dominant 119-107 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Just as he did in Denver’s Finals series victory against the Miami Heat, Nikola Jokic was at his brilliant best for the home team, orchestrating the Nuggets’ performance behind a 29-point triple-double.
Denver exploded out of the gates to open a 14-point lead at the end of the first quarter, before LeBron James helped the Lakers claw their way back to within 10 by half-time.
However, the Lakers struggled to compete with James off the floor, Denver ultimately coasting to a 12-point win.
Jokic added 13 rebounds and 11 assists to his game-high points total, while James top-scored for Los Angeles with 21, despite only playing 29 minutes.
Meanwhile, Kevin Durant was successful in his first trip back to Golden State since leaving the team in 2019, helping the Phoenix Suns defeat the Warriors 108-104.
Both teams traded massive momentum swings and substantial leads throughout the game before the Warriors nabbed a slight advantage as the clock ticked into the final five minutes.
But Devin Booker was able to reclaim the lead for Phoenix with a go-ahead layup and later sunk a crucial three to get the Suns over the line.
He finished with 32 points, while Durant contributed 18.
Steph Curry top-scored for Golden State with 27, while former Sun Chris Paul finished with 14 points, six rebounds and nine assists in his Warriors debut.
Nikola Jokic opened his season with another triple-double and Jamal Murray scored 21 points as the Denver Nuggets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 119-107 on Tuesday after raising their NBA championship banner.
Jokic had 29 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists for his 106th career triple-double, which trails only Russell Westbrook (198), LeBron James (107) and Jason Kidd (107) on the career list.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 20 points, Aaron Gordon added 15 and Michael Porter Jr. contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds for Denver, which went 16-4 in the playoffs last season, including a sweep of the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
All of Los Angeles’ starters scored in double figures, led by James’ 21 points in 29 minutes as his playing time was being monitored at the start of his 21st season.
Denver led by as many as 18 points, but the Lakers whittled the lead down to three on James’ 3-pointer with 9:42 remaining.
James’ basket got Los Angeles within 103-96 with just over five minutes to play, but the Nuggets responded with a 10-3 run featuring 3s by Murray and Porter.
Booker sparks Suns past Warriors
Devin Booker scored 32 points and the Phoenix Suns got past the Golden State Warriors 108-104 in Kevin Durant’s return to the Bay Area in a back-and-forth season opener for the Pacific Division powerhouses.
Booker shot 13 of 21 and had eight assists and six rebounds, while Jusuf Nurkic added 14 points and 14 boards – including a key driving layup in the closing seconds - in his Suns debut.
Josh Okogie sank a baseline jumper with 69 seconds left, and Eric Gordon drained a 3-pointer with 45 seconds to play before Stephen Curry’s 3 drew Golden State within 106-104 with 31 seconds to go.
Nurkic’s layup made it a four-point game and Paul’s missed 3 ended the Warriors’ hopes.
Durant scored 18 points on 7-of-22 shooting with 10 rebounds in his first game in front of Bay Area fans since leaving the Warriors after the 2019 NBA Finals.
Curry had 27 points and Chris Paul had 14 points, nine assists and six rebounds in his Warriors debut facing his most recent team.
Lewis Hamilton was crowned Formula One world champion for the third time after winning the United States Grand Prix, on this day in 2015.
Hamilton, then 30, became only the second British driver after Sir Jackie Stewart to achieve the feat after edging Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg in a thrilling race.
Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, who would have kept the title race alive with three grand prix remaining had he finished second in Austin, came third.
Hamilton also became the 10th Formula One driver to win at least three world titles and went on to win his seventh in 2020 and joined Michael Schumacher at the top of the all-time list.
On a wet track in Austin, Hamilton started second on the grid behind Rosberg and made an aggressive start by pushing the German wide at the first corner to take the lead.
Rosberg slipped to fourth behind Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo, but – as the track dried – the Red Bull pair lacked the pace to challenge and the race developed into a battle between the two Mercedes team-mates.
Hamilton trailed with eight laps to go, only to pounce on a mistake by Rosberg, who ran wide after losing traction out of a hairpin on turn 12, allowing the Briton to retake the lead and comfortably hold on for victory.
It was his 10th win of the season and sealed his third drivers’ title after previous successes in 2008 and 2014.
Hamilton went on to equal Schumacher’s Formula One record by winning four consecutive world titles in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.
The Arizona Diamondbacks completed a stunning run to the World Series with a 4-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday in Game 7 of the NL Championship Series.
Corbin Carroll went 3 for 4 with two RBIs, two runs and two stolen bases as Arizona – the lowest seed in the NL - advanced to the World Series for the first time in 22 years.
They will face the AL champion Texas Rangers, with Game 1 set for Friday in Arlington.
The Diamondbacks rallied from an 0-2 deficit in the NLCS, winning Games 6 and 7 in Philadelphia, where the defending NL champions had been 12-2 over the past two postseasons – including 11-0 in NL playoff games.
After Brandon Pfaadt allowed two runs and struck out seven in four innings, five Arizona relievers combined to pitch one-hit ball over five scoreless innings.
Kevin Ginkel retired Trea Turner and Bryce Harper on flyouts in the seventh after entering with runners on first and second and one out.
Ginkel then struck out the side in the eighth and Paul Seward pitched a perfect ninth for his sixth save this postseason.
Arizona took the lead for good with a pair of runs in the fifth as Carroll singled home a run before stealing second and scoring on Gabriel Moreno’s base hit.
Carroll added a sacrifice fly in the seventh to close the scoring.
Alec Bohm hit a solo home run in the second and the Phillies took a 2-1 lead in the fourth when he scored on Bryson Stott’s double.
The Arizona Diamondbacks will face the Texas Rangers in the World Series after completing a comeback series win against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Corbin Carroll had three hits as the unheralded young Diamondbacks side, who scraped into the play-offs by clinching the final wildcard spot, won 4-2 in game seven of the National League Championship Series (NLCS).
The Phillies had won the first two games of the NLCS and were 3-2 ahead going into the final two games at home, but the Diamondbacks took early leads in both matches and hung on.
It will be only the second World Series for the Diamondbacks, who won in their only previous appearance in 2001.
The Rangers, who are searching for their first World Series triumph, reached their first Fall Classic since 2011 with a seven-game American League Championship Series win over the Houston Astros.
Both teams finished last in their divisions with more than 100 losses just two seasons ago.
The World Series gets underway on Friday with game one in Arlington, Texas.
New upcoming NBA star Victor Wembanyama must "remember to be a kid" as expectations grow on the San Antonio Spurs' 19-year-old, who has already been likened to LeBron James.
That was the message from the Chicago Bulls' Andre Drummond, who is well qualified to offer such advice given he has his eyes on a significant milestone of his own.
Drummond is just 37 boards away from reaching 10,000 rebounds in his impressive NBA career, having initially started at the Detroit Pistons with expectations on his shoulders, too.
The Bulls' 30-year-old has been in basketball long enough – and from a similar young age as well – to feel capable of offering advice to the exciting Wembanyama.
The Chicago center told Stats Perform: "For Victor, if I had to give him some advice, I would always tell him to just remember to be a kid.
"I feel like that is something that I didn't take advantage of coming in at 18 years old.
"I feel like I'd stepped into this realm of basketball and like, instantly became a man.
"I had to do everything as a man when I still had my mom and my sister, I still had a family base too, and I think that's the best thing I did do, was bring them out.
"I was so focused on, 'Alright, how do I fit in?' So, I will just tell him to always be himself."
Drummond was rated as the number-one pick of the 2011 class by ESPN after featuring in a gold-medal winning United States team at the Under-17 World Championship.
Having experienced similar pressures in his early career, Drummond sees aspects of his own challenges in Wembanyama.
"Similar to him, I came in and played right away," Drummond added. "I had to figure it out on the fly.
"I was going to a team that was rebuilding and a lot of pressure was on me too, along with him.
"He has a lot of pressure on his back too, because now they're looking at him to be the guy to bring the Spurs back to the calibre that they were.
"For me coming into Detroit, it was like 'well, you have to bring us back to the playoffs, you got to bring us to being a contending team' because all they know in Detroit is winning, they are a blue-collar city.
"So similar stories, different guys. We're all going on the same path at the end of the day, we want to win a championship and we want to be the best we can be."
While likening his experiences to what Wembanyama will face, over a decade on from his NBA introduction Drummond now has milestones in his sights.
"Being 37 away from 10,000 rebounds," he continued, "it puts a lot of perspective for myself and just for the public because I always tell everybody, I feel like I'm the best ever to do it, [regardless of] me having, or about to have 10,000 rebounds.
"I think just my body of work and my percentages and numbers help prove that and honestly, for me it just shows the amount of work I put in.
"Every year I set a goal to be the best rebounder each and every season and to have the honour of reaching 10,000, not too many people have the chance to do that. I am with a group of high-calibre guys."
While delighted to feature in a group that includes the likes of legends Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, which Drummond labelled as "truly an honour", the Bulls star wants to use his experience to help teammates now.
"For myself this year, it's just, I think it's everything away from basketball, I feel like it's just staying with it, controlling things that I could control," he said.
"Focusing on the things that matter, being a good team-mate, being there for the guys, playing hard each and every time I'm out there.
"In practice, pushing our starters to be better each and every day, being a vocal leader. I feel like that's something that I lacked last year, not using my voice for someone who's been around for 12 years now.
"I feel like I should have spoken more and said a lot more to our younger guys, so I think just being that vet that everybody sees me as I'm really showing it."
The San Francisco Giants didn't look too far to find their next manager.
Bob Melvin is reportedly leaving his job as the manager of the San Diego Padres to take the same position with the division rival Giants.
The Athletic was the first to report the hiring, which is expected to be made official Tuesday night.
The 61-year-old Melvin had one year remaining on his contract with the Padres, but reportedly had a frosty relationship with general manager A.J. Preller.
He managed San Diego for just two seasons, leading the team to a berth in the NL Championship Series in 2022 before underachieving this season by finishing in third place in the NL West with a disappointing 82-80 record despite having the third-highest payroll in MLB.
Prior to joining the Padres, Melvin managed the Oakland Athletics from 2011-2021. He led the A's to six playoffs trips in those 11 seasons, and was named the AL Manager of the Year in 2012 and 2018.
He won his first Manager of the Year Award in 2007, while leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to the NL West title and a trip to the NLCS. He spent five seasons in Arizona after beginning his managerial career in 2003 with the Seattle Mariners.
In 20 seasons as a manager in the majors, Melvin has compiled a 1,517-1,425 record with eight post-season appearances.
A native of the Bay Area, the former big league catcher played for the Giants from 1986-88.
Melvin replaces Gabe Kapler, who was fired with three days remaining in the season.
Kapler was 456-411 over four seasons as manager in San Francisco and helped the team win a franchise-record 107 games in 2021. However, the Giants missed the playoffs each of the last two years, finishing this season in fourth place in the NL West with a 79-83 record.
A defiant Andre Drummond suggested the Chicago Bulls can utilise an underdog mentality as his side prepare to face a host of "super teams" in the new NBA season.
The Bulls have missed out on the NBA Playoffs in five of the last six seasons, finishing 40-42 in their last campaign and failing to make the eight-seed position in the Eastern Conference.
Chicago's task in the upcoming season will be no easier, although Drummond believes the Bulls can mix with the best as numerous teams assemble impressive rosters.
"I'm looking to beat every team that we play," the 30-year-old center told Stats Perform.
"That's my mindset, but there are definitely some circles on my calendar for teams that I'm looking forward to playing. Phoenix being one of them. Denver, Boston, the Bucks, the Spurs.
"I'm really looking forward to [facing] these teams that are being formed, like these super teams everybody's talking about.
"I love when the underdog team beats them."
While the Bulls once again failed to make the postseason, Drummond took some comfort in seeing his former teammates win the championship with the Denver Nuggets.
"The Nuggets winning almost feels like I won because it's kind of personal for me," he continued.
"Four of my former teammates play for that team – Ish Smith, Reggie Jackson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown – and the fact those guys have done it [makes it feel personal because of] how much work we all put into our games.
"We played for Detroit together, and to see them win it almost felt like I got a piece of that championship to see that success for them."
The Nuggets are tipped as a potential repeat champion, which has happened on just three occasions since 2010, with the talent of Nikola Jokic a key to their success.
In 20 postseason games, Jokic accumulated 600 points, 269 rebounds and 190 assists. Never before in NBA history had a player reached those numbers over a 20-game span.
Jokic also became the first player in NBA history to have 25+ points and 15+ rebounds on 75 per cent shooting in a championship-clinching win after the Game 5 victory over the Miami Heat.
Those record-breaking numbers were no surprise to Drummond, who is preparing to face a new era of NBA stars.
"It is the new age of basketball now with guys like Jokic, Giannis [Antetokounmpo] and the new kid Victor [Wembanyama] who is taking the league by storm right now," he added.
"The game is changing and changes every year, something new happens and it becomes a wave, and everybody wants to follow that trend for that year until the next wave goes on.
"I always say history repeats itself at some point in time, the true center position is going to come back around, which it already kind of has due to everybody getting out-rebounded.
"I just think it's unique man, Jokic is a unique basketball player, the way he sees the floor, he thinks like a guard and plays like a guard, but is 6'11 and almost 300 pounds.
"He's just a really smart, a great decision maker, great basketball player overall and he's very, very fun to watch and play against."
Having started with the Detroit Pistons in 2012, Drummond believes the game has changed – and will continue to evolve – albeit perhaps not for the better.
He said: "I've been a part of a lot of good basketball, and to like where it is now, where it's a little bit softer, you can't touch anybody and everybody is free flowing.
"Everybody's there for the show instead of the game of basketball, I feel like it's a lot easier now because you can't touch anybody, so it makes the game a lot easier for both the offense and defense."
Trinidad and Tobago secured their first medal of the Pan American (PanAm) Games courtesy of the Men’s 3X3 basketball team, which edged Venezuela 21-20 in the third-place playoff in Santiago, Chile on Monday.
The twin island republic, who had knocked off Brazil in Sunday’s quarterfinal, lost in their semi-final contest 21-9 to the United States. The Americans eventually won gold, 21-15 over hosts Chile in the final.
Trinidad and Tobago's National Basketball Federation vice president of organising and development Daron Lall was over the moon and said the fraternity appreciates every effort the team put out.
“We are extremely proud of our team. These guys have been working extremely hard over the last eight to ten weeks. We played some powerhouses. Thank you to the team and the coaching staff for all they did. We know the struggles they went through and the obstacles that happened, but we are grateful as a country for putting us on the map. It’s emotional," Lall said.
At the Centro Acuatico, TT swimmer Nikoli Blackman had another tough day in the pool as the settled for sixth place in the men’s 100m freestyle B final. He clocked 50.81s.
In the earlier heats, Blackman placed sixth in heat three of four, in 51.01s. His time was 17th fastest overall but good enough for the B final. Racing out of heat four was compatriot Zarek Wilson, who was eighth fastest to the wall in 58.37s.
Meanwhile, one of CARICOM’s best hopes for a PanAm Games boxing medal in Chile, Keevin Allicock was eliminated Monday.
The Guyanese lost his featherweight quarter-final bout to American Jahmal Harvey, the 2021 world champion in the 57kg division. Top Barbadian Charles Cox also lost his light heavyweight quarterfinal, going down 4-1 to Haiti’s Cedric Belony-Duliepre.
Cheltenham Festival victor Stage Star is due to make his seasonal debut at the Cotswolds track in the Paddy Power Gold Cup.
The Paul Nicholls-trained gelding had a successful time of things last season, enjoying a graduation to novice chasing when banking four wins including in the Grade One Turners Novices’ Chase at the showpiece fixture in March.
After a summer break the seven-year-old is now being prepared to return to action over the same course and distance in November, where he heads the ante-post market with the sponsors at 6-1.
“We’re very happy with him and we’re hoping to run him first time out in the Paddy Power,” said Dan Downie of Owners Group, to whom Stage Star belongs.
“He’s summered really well and Paul’s been delighted with him in recent weeks, so the plan is to go to Cheltenham with him.”
Stage Star – who was also a Grade One winner as a novice hurdler – has been very effective over a trip of two and a half miles, though connections do consider him capable of stepping up in distance in time.
“We’ll just see how we go, we’ve always thought he would get further but I suppose this will tell us a bit more and we’ll go from race to race,” said Downie.
Donald McCain’s Maximilian also runs in the silks of Owners Group and he too is limbering up for a first run of the campaign after Storm Babet scuppered plans for a Carlisle debut this week.
The chestnut was a Graded-winning hurdler last term when taking the River Don before finishing second in Aintree’s Sefton, with a novice chasing campaign the plan this time around.
“He’s good, he was going to run at Carlisle on Thursday but we missed a bit of work last week because of the storm,” Downie said.
“Donald’s gallops were affected a little bit so he will run in the next couple of weeks, the plan at the minute is to go novice chasing with him.
“You’ve got to keep an open mind and be flexible but he jumps very well at home and really enjoys it, so we’d be thinking of a novice chasing campaign at the moment for him.”
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