FOR MAJDI SHAMMAS, the early morning hours of Friday, Sept. 9 in Las Vegas were a manager's worst nightmare.

At approximately 4 a.m. local time, Shammas knew his fighter, Khamzat Chimaev, would not make weight for a UFC 279 main event against Nate Diaz. Chimaev and his team had done all they could, but with about five pounds left to cut to the 171-pound limit, Chimaev's body was seizing up. He was vomiting and cramping. Under the advice of physicians, the cut was called off.

Now, Shammas needed to tell the UFC. He needed to tell the biggest fight promotion in the world that its main event Sept. 10 couldn't happen as it was currently drawn up. UFC 279 was a massive opportunity for Chimaev -- a chance to beat one of the sport's biggest stars in his first pay-per-view headliner. To miss weight ahead of a gift like this was nothing short of disaster.

Shammas' phone call woke up UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell, who lives in Las Vegas. When chaos hits the UFC, Campbell is the one furiously operating behind the scenes. The UFC unmistakably follows the vision and lead of its president Dana White, but Campbell usually handles the act of seeing it through.

With the sun still yet to rise, Campbell and Shammas discussed Chimaev's weight, the inevitable fallout that was to come and potential solutions that might keep the card together.

At that time, the top of the UFC 279 lineup consisted of a welterweight bout between Diaz and Chimaev, a welterweight bout between Tony Ferguson and Li Jingliang and a 180-pound catchweight bout between Kevin Holland and Daniel Rodriguez. It was immediately clear that all three fights might need to change, as one change would lead to another and another in a domino effect. And all of this was taking place just hours before all six fighters involved were scheduled to weigh in at 9 a.m. PT.

"When we talked about pulling this off early that morning, it was just a fantasy," Shammas told ESPN. "Hunter was like, 'If we pull this off, it will be a miracle. An absolute miracle.'"

This is the story of those 14 hours in Las Vegas, based on information from multiple sources who were involved throughout the process of keeping the card alive.

CHIMAEV'S WEIGHT CUT began just after midnight Sept. 9, at New York New York Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. According to his longtime head coach Andreas Michael, Chimaev needed to cut around 15 pounds in the final 12 hours before the weigh-in, which is significant but not unheard of in professional MMA.

The Chechen-Swedish fighter ran in a sweat suit for about 90 minutes, then biked. The weight was coming off. After a couple hours, Chimaev was exhausted and within five to seven pounds of his target. Michael elected to stop cutting for the night and ordered Chimaev to bed. The team would wake up around 6 a.m. local time on Friday morning and finish the cut in a hot bath, as they have done before.

A few hours later, however, Michael woke up to some of his team members at his door. There was a problem.

"I always have friends observe the fighter all night during a cut, because you never know what's going to happen," Michael said. "They came to me in the middle of the night and said, 'It's not looking great.' I went there and saw what was happening and gave it a little bit of time. But I was thinking to myself, 'My God, I'm going to have to put him in a hot bath [like this]? This is dangerous.'"

Under the advice of physicians, Michael called off the cut. It wasn't safe to ask Chimaev to continue. This prompted Shammas to make his call to inform the UFC.

A little later that morning, before the start of the official UFC 279 weigh-ins at 9 a.m. local time at the Apex, Diaz's team was informed of Chimaev's expected weight miss. It's important to note that UFC 279 was the final fight of Diaz's UFC contract, and he already wasn't thrilled with the UFC's selection of Chimaev as his final opponent. He viewed it as the company trying to build another fighter off his name, turning him into "a fall guy."

"What they got me doing right now is acting like I called for this fight, which I didn't call for and I don't want and didn't want and still don't want," Diaz told ESPN earlier that week.

Diaz's representative Zach Rosenfield declined to provide detail on the events of Sept. 9, but did tell ESPN that when the UFC informed Diaz's team of Chimaev's situation, he was very specific about whether Diaz would still take the fight.

"We made it clear that we would fight Khamzat at the contracted weight of 171 pounds," Rosenfield said. "We did our weight cut as professionals, as well as everything else we were supposed to do."

Around 8 a.m. local time, one hour before the start of the weigh-in, the UFC reached out to Holland to inquire about his weight.

Holland immediately called his manager, Oren Hodak, to inform him of the call, which had caught him off guard.

"I think I'm in trouble," Holland told Hodak. "They're asking about my weight."

"Dude, you're not in trouble," Hodak responded. "If they're asking about your weight, something is up. There are some pieces moving."

When Holland arrived at the Apex to weigh in, the UFC filled him in on the situation. Chimaev was going to miss weight and weigh about what Holland weighed, 179.5 pounds. The UFC proposed a change: How would Holland like to fight Chimaev, whom he'd gotten into an altercation with the previous day during a news conference, instead of Rodriguez? Holland said he would, but they needed to call Hodak to iron out the details.

An hour later, Holland weighed in, looking noticeably annoyed on the scale. Shortly after that, he wrote on Twitter, "Professionals make weight."

Around the same time Holland found out about the proposed change, still before the start of the weigh-in, Campbell met Ferguson's representatives in person at the Apex. It was already obvious to Ferguson's team that something was going on. Holland had just met with Campbell, and now they were being summoned. Campbell gave them a piece of paper with a new fight card for UFC 279. At the top was 'Diaz vs. Ferguson.' A five-round main event.

Ferguson arrived at the Apex himself not long after this meeting, ready to weigh in for his originally scheduled welterweight bout against Li. He drove himself to the Apex, and on his way in, he noticed a beautiful Bentley sitting in the parking lot. Ferguson is something of a car guy -- he appreciates a good ride when he sees one -- and he admired the Bentley on his way in.

Inside the Apex, Campbell and Ferguson met face-to-face for the first time that morning. The 38-year-old former interim champion calmly told the UFC he liked the idea of saving the card and he liked the fight. In fact, he and his camp had even joked about this very possibility weeks ago -- but he needed to speak to his wife before accepting. Ferguson said he consults his family on all decisions pertaining to his career.

After Ferguson weighed in, while everyone was still at the Apex, he went back to visit with Campbell. Some say he was half-joking, others say he was completely serious: He told Campbell he really needed to think about it more, and that he would probably do his best thinking behind the wheel of that expensive Bentley parked outside.

Campbell threw Ferguson the keys and said, "You take the car for as long as you want. I don't give a s--- about the car." About 45 minutes later, Ferguson and the Bentley were back, and he agreed to move into the main event.

About 250 miles away in Los Angeles, Tim Simpson was at home recovering from major shoulder surgery. Simpson is one of the key agents at Paradigm Sport Management, whose clients include Li. Simpson wasn't meant to be working because of his recovery, but he'd been monitoring Twitter all morning and he was anxious. Something was up with the main event. It had been reported that Chimaev was likely to miss weight.

Of course, Simpson's first thought went immediately to Li. He understands the sport well. He knew Diaz would likely refuse to fight Chimaev at a catchweight, and that no one would blame him for turning that down. What that meant, though, was a new fight for Diaz -- and Ferguson was the obvious backup. What did that mean for Li?

Simpson finally spoke to UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby at 10:25 a.m. local time. Everything was still fluid at that time. Campbell, Shelby and matchmaker Mick Maynard were working hard, but nothing was set. They did inform him, however, that Li's fight against Ferguson was likely getting blown up. They'd already offered Ferguson a new fight.

Simpson called Li to relay the news. The Chinese welterweight, who has fought in the UFC for more than eight years, immediately went into the bathroom by himself and refused to come out.

"People don't understand how big of a star Tony is in China," Simpson said. "Tony is a massive star there, so fighting him was a dream fight for the Leech. This was like a title fight for him. He was super devastated."

After a few moments, Li collected himself and he and his team started to discuss options. He could bail on the card and ask to be rebooked as soon as possible, or he could take a completely different fight against Rodriguez.

"It's D-Rod, but it's 10 pounds heavier," Simpson told Li over the phone.

"No problem," Li said. "I'll fight him."

"I'm so sorry this happened to you," Simpson said. "You did everything right. You don't deserve this."

"The only thing that matters is the moment of right now," Li answered.

Simpson accepted the change on Li's behalf at 1:05 p.m. local time. Rodriguez, who has a reputation for taking short-notice fights, also agreed.

It was early afternoon, and the UFC was making progress -- but it didn't yet have final approval from Diaz, Chimaev or Holland. And without those three, there would be no card.

CAMPBELL'S VIEW HAD turned from the simple act of saving UFC 279 to a bigger picture around the UFC's brand. He told other UFC staff this was an opportunity for the UFC to show its consumers that if you're one of those fans who saved up money and invested it into travel and event tickets, you could count on there being an event.

That resolve led Campbell to consider everything. As a last, last resort, the UFC was in contact with former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier, who had been training for weeks in Louisiana and already let the company know: 'If anything happens with Chimaev, give me Nate.' It would have been a long shot option, with a lot to hash out with the Nevada State Athletic Commission -- Poirier didn't weigh in during the allotted window -- but Campbell was willing to pursue it if need be.

Fortunately, it didn't come to that. At 2:30 p.m. local time, Diaz accepted a new main event opponent in Ferguson.

Meanwhile, Holland had still not come to terms on the Chimaev fight. After leaving the weigh-in, he called Hodak again and said he'd take the fight, but he wanted it to be five rounds. He felt five rounds were more in his favor than Chimaev's, and since it was Chimaev who blew this whole thing up, why should he dictate the length of the fight? Holland was adamant there would be no fight if it wasn't five rounds.

Holland's insistence created a last-minute hurdle. Chimaev was eager to fight Holland, but his team didn't love the idea of five rounds.

"Of course, after having the weight cut that we had, we wanted three rounds, which is logical," Shammas said. "Normally, I would embrace five rounds, because I know how Khamzat's conditioning is. He's like a truck for five rounds. But due to the weight cut, I would have loved to make it three rounds -- but we understood Kevin's demands."

As the UFC, Shammas and Hodak continued to negotiate terms of the new matchup, the fight had already started between Chimaev and Holland over direct messages on Instagram.

"Khamzat was running his mouth, claiming he missed weight on purpose just so that he could kick Kevin's ass," Hodak said. "Writing out a bunch of crying emojis."

"Khamzat was basically telling Kevin, 'Accept the fight. Accept the fight,'" Shammas said. "While Kevin was saying, 'Oh, it won't even be a fight, you just want to [wrestle].'"

At 3 p.m. PT, Dana White scheduled a live broadcast from both his and SportsCenter's Instagram accounts. Speaking to ESPN's Michael Eaves remotely -- Eaves was already at the UFC's scheduled ceremonial weigh-in at MGM Grand Garden Arena, while White was at the UFC's headquarters -- White announced the new card.

Diaz vs. Ferguson, five rounds. Chimaev vs. Holland, five rounds. Jingliang vs. Rodriguez, three rounds.

Even as White made his announcement, Campbell was still working on finalizing the event. Several of the fighters officially signed their new bout agreements during the ceremonial weigh-ins at 4 p.m. local time. Others didn't get around to signing theirs until later that night or, in Chimaev's case, the day of the fight. All parties declined to divulge details of negotiations, only that discussions encompassed everything from financials to rounds to potential future matchups.

As they say, the rest is history. Rodriguez beat Li by controversial split decision. Chimaev dominated Holland in a first-round submission, and might have turned into the sport's biggest heel because of how it went. His future at welterweight is unknown. Michael has already said his next bout will likely take place at middleweight. Diaz went on to submit Ferguson in the fourth-round of their main event, and will head into free agency off a memorable win.

In a twist, many observers felt the revamped card actually played out better than the original would have, which has led some to even pose conspiracy theories that the UFC planned the entire thing. Why else did Chimaev and Holland get into it at the news conference, one day before weigh-ins? How could he have missed weight by that much? Was it all staged?

"If you think that the crazy dudes we had this week could be orchestrated into something ... you're literally out of your mind," White told ESPN's Marc Raimondi after the event.

In reality, the way in which the card was constructed from the beginning allowed the UFC some flexibility. Usually, UFC pay-per-views follow a formula of at least one title fight at the top. In the last two years, only four pay-per-view events have been headlined by nontitle fights. Two of those were Conor McGregor taking on Poirier. One was a grudge match between Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington. The fourth was UFC 279.

Because it was a unique card, the UFC purposefully added Ferguson just a few weeks before. He was, as it turned out, the perfect backup. And the fact Holland vs. Rodriguez was a 180-pound catchweight, rather than a 170-pound welterweight fight as it normally would have been, allowed flexibility with Chimaev's 178.5-pound miss.

This card had some built-in insurance, but considering everything that happened in that 12-hour span, no one would probably say Shammas' initial take was incorrect. It was something of a fantasy, before it became a reality.

"At the end of the day, everybody has a team, it's not just about what the managers want," Shammas said. "For the last two months, we've only had southpaws in the gym facing Khamzat in preparation for Nate. Now, all of a sudden he has to go to Kevin Holland, who is tall and different in every way. Same for Kevin, he had a striker, now he has a wrestler. If just one of those coaches say, 'Hell no, my guy isn't taking that fight,' it all falls apart.

"What the UFC and fighters were able to pull off, it's crazy."

The Minnesota Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 4-0 on Wednesday night but lost American League batting leader Luis Arraez to an early injury.

Arraez got an infield hit, raising his average to .320, and scored in the first, then left after the inning with left hamstring tightness. An MRI did not show "anything substantial," manager Rocco Baldelli said.

"My guess is we are going to, with the lefty tomorrow that we're facing, probably let him come in, get some treatment and see how he responds, see what he's going to be available for. I wouldn't see him being out or anything like that," Baldelli said.

The Twins, five games behind the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians with 21 games remaining, already have a pair of regulars on the 10-day injured list: center fielder Byron Buxton, out since Aug. 23 with a right hip strain; and second baseman Jorge Polanco, out since Sept. 3 with left knee inflammation.

Baldelli previously said Polanco might return this week, but Buxton is further away.

Twins outfielder Max Kepler, who left Sunday's game with a right leg contusion, missed his second straight game Wednesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

TORONTO -- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his 100th home run at age 23, becoming the 10th-youngest player in MLB history to reach the mark, and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 5-1 on Wednesday night to ensure winning a rare five-game series against a wild-card rival.

Toronto (81-62) has won three of four from the Rays (79-63), who dropped one game behind Seattle (80-82) heading into Thursday's series finale. Those teams are in the three AL wild-card positions for the expanded playoffs, with Baltimore (75-67) four games behind the Rays.

Guerrero homered off Drew Rasmussen in the first inning, his 28th home run this season. At 23 years, 182 days, he is the youngest Blue Jays player to reach 100 homers, a mark that had been held by Carlos Delgado at 26 years, 84 days.

Guerrero said he planned to give his Hall of Fame father the ball from his milestone home run.

"He's going to feel very proud of me," Guerrero said through an interpreter. "When your son does something like that, I'm sure any dad would feel proud."

Guerrero reached the 100-homer mark two years younger than his father, but Vlad Sr. did it in 438 games to Jr.'s 486.

Last season, Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. hit his 100th at 23 years old, and earlier this year, Juan Soto did the same while with the Washington Nationals.

Ross Stripling (8-4) allowed one run and three hits in 6⅓ innings, struck out four and walked one to win for the third time in five starts. He won for the first time in nine career appearances against the Rays.

Stripling has pitched at least six innings in six straight starts since returning from a hip injury.

"Since I came off the IL, I've been able to really use my pitch mix to my advantage and keep guys off balance," he said.

Adam Cimber replaced Stripling and gave up a one-out single to Manuel Margot. Christian Bethancourt followed with a potential double-play grounder, but second baseman Santiago Espinal lost track of outs and threw to first. Isaac Paredes walked, but Cimber got pinch-hitter Jonathan Aranda to ground into a forceout.

Yimi Garcia gave up back-to-back singles to begin the eighth, then struck out Randy Arozarena, Harold Ramirez, and Ji-Man Choi.

"Garcia kicked it into another gear and got really nasty, really quick," Rays manager Kevin Cash said.

Guerrero and Bo Bichette each drove in a run in the third as Toronto pushed its lead to 3-0, and Espinal singled home Danny Jansen's double in the fourth.

Rasmussen (10-5) allowed four runs and six hits in four innings, snapping a six-start unbeaten streak that dated to Aug. 2 against the Blue Jays.

"They kind of timed everything up pretty well," Cash said. "I don't think they knocked the cover off the ball but they certainly did a good job of putting balls in play, putting pressure on us, and found holes."

Rasmussen allowed more than three runs for the third time this season, and the first time since June 10 at Minnesota.

"They had a really good approach and they were really aggressive," Rasmussen said. "My execution was bad with two strikes in particular."

Jansen hit a two-out double off left-hander Josh Fleming in the sixth and scored on Raimel Tapia's hit to make it 5-0.

Ramirez hit a leadoff homer in the seventh.

With the victory, Toronto improved to 13-3 in its past 16 games against AL East opponents.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

While Will Zalatoris is still recovering from a season-ending back injury, fans of the 26-year-old are getting an in-depth look into his philosophies, mentality, personal life, and more thanks to a new interview.

Zalatoris won for the first time on Tour last month after a long season of almosts, catapulting to the top of the FedExCup standings before a back injury forced him to withdraw from the BMW Championship and Tour Championship and dashing any hopes of him competing in next week’s Presidents Cup.

That doesn’t mean he’s gone radio silent as he recovers.

With a little more free time on his hands, Zalatoris recently sat down for an interview with journalist Graham Bensinger on his show “In Depth with Graham Bensinger”. The two touched on typical topics that you’ll find in a profile-esque interview: his fiancée, sacrificing for his sport, go-to meals, and pranks, but the interview is far from fluff. Most notably, Bensinger asked about the Wake Forest alum’s decision to turn down rival league LIV Golf, playing with Tiger Woods, and why Zalatoris thinks Rory McIlroy should be president – if he could be president.

On the ongoing PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf saga…

Of course, the biggest golf story of the year is the upstart, Saudi-backed LIV Golf league.

Zalatoris, like many other Tour players, was once rumored to be considering an offer from the 54-hole series, which is flush with cash. Instead, he released a statement back in June saying that he was “fully committed” to both the Tour and DP World Tour. He reiterated that with Bensinger, explaining his decision.

“If you look at the guys that have gone – and I’ve got no problem with the guys going, I mean everyone can make their own decisions – no disrespect to them at all, but a lot of them are older or they’ve been injured or they’ve been on the road for 20-plus years,” Zalatoris said. “They don’t want to do it anymore, and they want to play for another couple more years and get a nice nest egg and call it quits.”

“I’ve never done this for money – ever,” he continued. “If the U.S. Open had a $100,000 purse, I’d still show up to the U.S. Open.”

The self-proclaimed major specialist has backed up his specialty, finishing runner-up in three of his nine major championship appearances, and he’s not about to give up the chance to continue to pursue that goal.

“I’m in this to go win a major,” he said. “That’s my career goal.”

LIV’s application for Official World Golf Ranking points is currently under consideration, but after chasing this dream for “20 years”, he’s not going to give the majors up for money.

“There’s no amount of money, to me, that can make me give up on my dreams, especially with the amount of silver medals I’ve got hanging around my house now,” Zalatoris said. “I’ll happily trade them all in for one win.”

Outside of the actual competition, the big-ticket topic as it pertains to LIV is its backers, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, and whether it is ethical to accept money from the country.

“The moral, ethical side of that is obviously very tricky, and that’s why a lot of us just want to leave it be and just don’t want any part of it,” Zalatoris said, but he openly wonders with Bensinger, “If we are independent contractors, why can’t we do both?”

If he had to guess, Zalatoris thinks, at some point, players will be able to do both, but he’s still “through and through PGA Tour.” It’s the history that he cares about more than the money, more than the constant fight for bigger purses.

“I haven’t won yet, and I’ve made over $10 million on Tour.” That’s the response Zalatoris gives when asked why he wouldn’t want to go make guaranteed millions at LIV. “If I sat there and said I feel like I’m under-compensated as a PGA Tour pro, what does that say about me? The money that these guys are given right now, it’s just more money. It’s not life-changing money, it’s just more.”

Later on, Zalatoris drove the point home when talking about the future of the sport and the changes the Tour is making to counter LIV’s presence.

“I couldn’t be happier with what’s going to happen with the Tour over the next few years,” the Player Advisory Council (PAC) member said. “We looked at the projections, and in 2025, you might make $3 million and not keep your card. How can you argue with being underpaid at that point? I think that the more and more that we talk in terms of how we can make the PGA Tour better, the more and more transparent it is, to me, that it’s the best job in the world.”

If the two tours do end up coexisting in a peaceful manner, Zalatoris is candid about his openness to future opportunities.

“If they get world golf ranking points, and let’s say, the top 48 players in the world are playing, I’d be doing myself a disservice not playing against the best players in the world, but at the same time, I will never jeopardize my PGA Tour membership and jeopardize the majors, first and foremost,” he concluded.

On Tiger Woods and chasing the “GOAT” moniker…

Zalatoris isn’t focused on some big, grandiose goal, like being the best to ever play. He’s simply laser-focused on his next goal: winning a major championship. So, it’s no surprise that he wants to play with Tiger Woods before he retires.

“I would love to play with Tiger at least once before he’s done done, just to do it,” Zalatoris said of Woods.

The young gun admits that he has a selfish wish that Woods would take the golf cart exemption for his injuries so he can play more: “Dude, get in a cart. I’m gonna play with you. I want to see you when you’re 50. You’ve proven people wrong countless times, like even coming back from injuries, and I’m like, get in the damn cart.”

On Rory McIlroy’s leadership…

While they haven’t had the chance to play together in a competitive round of golf, Zalatoris was quick to praise Rory McIlroy for his leadership on Tour.

“If Rory was born in the United States, I’d vote him for president because he’s just one of the most intelligent, well spoken, introspective people I’ve ever met,” Zalatoris said about the Northern Irishman. “I loved him growing up, watching him play, but now that I’ve gotten to know him and see how he’s been such a good custodian of the game, it’s so cool. We’re lucky to have a guy like that around.”

Most of Zalatoris’ interactions with McIlroy have been on the PAC or in passing at player dining, but he and the rest of the Tour players listen when their leader speaks.

“He just thinks of the general interests,” Zalatoris elaborated. “I guarantee you 75% of the guys on Tour probably look at what Rory says, and then they just try to put it in their own words just because it’s just so well thought out and well said. So, he’s always got my vote.”

INDIANAPOLIS -- The summertime family football games on the Jersey Shore were as competitive as they were physical.

And, if we're being honest, Matt Ryan had no business participating.

He was the youngest of the cousins, brothers and uncles recklessly throwing their bodies around for bragging rights. In the grand scheme, that never got them very far, unless you include the distance to the local emergency room.

But all these years later, even after beginning his 15th NFL season -- his first with the Indianapolis Colts -- Ryan knows he shouldn't have been out there, underage and undersized as he was, and in a family that boasts numerous high-level athletes.

"I had to make sure I could keep up, shut up, not cry, not whine, not do any of those things, so that they would include me," Ryan said. "And you had to be good enough to where they were like, 'Yeah, he's cool.'

"It was not me competing against the other 10-year olds. For whatever reason, I just always felt like I could keep up and probably had this irrational sense of self-confidence and self-belief."

It's now more than a quarter-century later. Everything has changed and nothing has changed.

Ryan is no longer the youngest kid on the field. In fact, at 37, Ryan was the oldest player on the field Sunday when the Colts and Houston Texans played to a 20-20 season-opening tie. But that irrational sense of self-confidence still defines him.

The difference now? It has him believing he can compete at the highest level of his sport against men whose parents aren't much older than him.

Actually, there's another important distinction: Ryan no longer is playing in pursuit of mere respectability. He earned that long ago with an NFL Most Valuable Player Award and through his accumulation of just over 60,000 passing yards. Now, the potential prize is much bigger, one that for so long has been frustratingly elusive, but one Ryan still chases with abandon: A Super Bowl victory. The next step will be Sunday in Jacksonville, where the Colts were eliminated from playoff contention last season with a Week 18 upset loss that helped pave the way for a quarterback change.

"At this stage of my career," Ryan said, "that's what I'm in it for."

AS RYAN SITS down for an interview, it's nearly dinnertime. It is still more than a week and a half before the Colts' season opener, but heading home early is not an option. Ryan sets his leather briefcase down before he begins the chat. This man is here for business.

It's not difficult to understand why he's in Indianapolis after 14 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. When the notion of a trade finally became real, Ryan sought to land someplace that would enable him to compete for a championship. After his own exhaustive research -- including culling intel from former Colts quarterback Peyton Manning -- there was just a singular answer in Ryan's estimation: the Colts.

Ryan is one of several NFL megastars to change teams during the offseason who now hope to change their new team's fortunes. Some of the others -- Russell Wilson, Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams among them -- have dominated the headlines while Ryan has not. But if this experiment that has brought together Ryan and the Colts achieves its objective, the headlines will come when it matters most.

That objective?

"He wants to put a ring on his finger," said Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez, Ryan's former Atlanta teammate. "And he's on a team that he thinks can take him there."

This season is all about the Super Bowl for Ryan even while the Super Bowl is something of a sore subject for him. Ryan's Falcons endured arguably the most infamous loss in the game's history. The phrase "28-3" has become a punchline, a reference to the seemingly insurmountable lead the Falcons enjoyed over the New England Patriots in the third quarter of Super Bowl LI. Atlanta ultimately lost the game after a historic Tom Brady-led comeback.

Ryan seems, um, thrilled when the subject comes up.

"It sucks," he said. "There's no getting around it."

The feeling is, perhaps, further complicated because Ryan played well in the game, completing 17 of 23 passes with two touchdowns and no interceptions. His passer rating, 144.1, is the fourth-highest in Super Bowl history.

Really, what more could he have done? Ever the professional, Ryan confronts the matter head on.

"There's a burden that comes with leadership," he said. "And it's taking ownership of success and failure. That's something that can weigh on you, at times. It can be a heavy thing. But I've always embraced that. I understand the nature of how quarterbacks are judged."

Good thing, because if Ryan was looking for a team that might allow him to avoid expectations, he should've looked elsewhere. The Colts, who return seven 2021 Pro Bowlers, have high aspirations and aren't afraid to say it. Sunday's uneven performance might have been concerning, but it's a message Ryan heard from Manning months ago, and one that's been reinforced since.

"We're set up for excellence," owner Jim Irsay said last month. "Now, we just have to go do it. And Matt Ryan has that same feeling in his heart.

"He's here to get his Lombardi."

RYAN HAS BEEN friends with Brady and Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford for years. Both changed teams in recent seasons after lengthy stints in New England and Detroit, respectively. Those moves resulted in Super Bowl wins for each in Year 1.

Ryan took note, but the idea of leaving Atlanta was never at the front of his mind -- not until the Falcons made the first move.

Atlanta dived head-first into the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes earlier this year, pursuing the quarterback who was shopping himself to teams interested in executing a trade with his former team, the Texans. Ryan never has publicly expressed anything more than slight irritation about this.

It cannot be overlooked that the Falcons did this while Watson was, at the time, facing 22 lawsuits alleging sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions. He was eventually traded to the Cleveland Browns.

"I'm not naïve," Ryan said. "I know how this business works."

That's putting it mildly.

"Nobody wants to go through that and feel disrespected," said retired Atlanta center Todd McClure, a longtime friend of Ryan's. "I love my Falcons, but the way that whole deal went down was a slap in the face."

Ryan wrestled with his emotions. He had always seen himself retiring as a Falcon and maintained a devotion to his teammates and the franchise -- even in spite of the torn-down roster and porous pass protection. But it was deeper than that. Ryan had a commitment to an entire region. Atlanta was the only NFL city he'd known.

"He is the best quarterback in that franchise's history," Gonzalez said. "Obviously the community had a big connection to Michael Vick as well. But Ryan, simply, he's the best."

And that connection grew deeper in recent years when the George Floyd protests of 2020 prompted Ryan and his wife, Sarah, to create ATL: Advance the Lives, a charitable organization whose mission statement is to "work to combat the systemic barriers that Black youth face." That followed a personal $500,000 donation to area grassroots organizations and comes after many years of other involvement in the community.

Falcons fans were drawn to Ryan's humility as much as his proclivity to throw touchdown passes.

"When he walks in a room, he introduces himself," said Taylor Stanley, program director at ATL. "He says, 'Hi, I'm Matt.' Yeah, we know. You've been the franchise quarterback for 14 years!"

Given the relationship with Atlanta, accepting that the Falcons were making plans that did not include him was jarring. But Ryan did what needed to be done.

"There comes a time where [change] might be best," he said.

With that, Ryan asked for a trade. The Falcons dealt him to Indianapolis for a third-round draft pick -- an anticlimactic ending to a 14-year relationship.

"His dedication to Atlanta has not changed," Stanley said. "That's something they let me know throughout the whole ordeal. We will continue to focus on Atlanta. But going to Indy, it's an opportunity for him to flourish."

COLTS HEAD COACH Frank Reich spent the 12 days between the Colts' trade of 2021 starting quarterback Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders on March 9 and their deal to land Ryan in a perpetual state of uncertainty.

After the embarrassing loss to the Jaguars, Irsay summoned Reich and general manager Chris Ballard for a meeting during which Irsay was "demanding," according to Reich, and holding people accountable. Now, here was Reich, under pressure to win but without a starting quarterback even while alternatives like Wilson were off the board. Was the Wentz decision about to backfire?

Then, a potential Ryan trade came onto the Colts' radar and Reich perked up. He'd been essentially cycling through quarterbacks for years, with the Colts deploying a different starter in each of the previous four seasons. But Ryan's thoroughness would require a sophisticated pitch. Reich had to turn on the charm.

He did just that, joined by Ballard and the Colts' offensive assistants, during a Zoom call with Ryan.

"It's like when you go on a first date," Reich said. "You wear your best outfit."

In this case, that meant pulling together a reel of about 30 plays that embodied what the Colts were seeking to do on offense. Reich shared his screen and let the conversation flow.

"I showed some of our core runs with Nyheim [Hines] and [Jonathan Taylor]," Reich said. "And [Ryan] was like 'Oh, I get to play quarterback in an offense that runs the ball this well?' And then I said, 'Now, watch what we do with play-action off of this, and the defense's reaction.' And naturally, I'm showing him all the best plays. I'm not showing him the plays where we messed up.

"We were on for two hours, but it literally felt like we were on the phone for 15 minutes. And I think for all of us who were on the call, we knew it was something special. We all keep talking about it, even now."

"He wants to put a ring on his finger, and he's on a team that he thinks can take him there."

Tony Gonzalez

After one date, the Colts had found their match.

The connection has only grown since. Ryan has ably taken his place alongside the Colts' young players, who have gravitated to him. Even in season No. 15, Ryan exudes enthusiasm and intensity.

"I remember on rookie report day, he was just so fired up," receiver Parris Campbell said. "The vets weren't even here yet. But he was so juiced up. I was in the training room three hours before practice, and he was just so ready. That's not a fluke. That's him every single day."

But be aware: That passion can take different forms.

"He'll blow up. He'll let you know if you're not doing things right," said Gonzalez, now an NFL analyst for Prime Video. "There were a couple times where I remember he told everybody in the huddle to shut the f--- up. He told me that, and I was the old guy. I was like, 'Hey, hold on, now!' But I loved it."

Ryan isn't young anymore. He's more than 16 years older than the youngest Colt, rookie safety Nick Cross. But he's still got that ridiculous ability to believe he belongs, the one he first exhibited at 10 years old.

And it's that same boyhood confidence that has convinced Ryan the Colts can win it all.

LeBron James detailed his disappointment with the NBA's punishment of Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver, writing "our league definitely got this wrong" in a series of social media posts Wednesday.

Sarver was banned from the NBA for one year and fined $10 million after the league on Tuesday released its findings from a 10-month independent investigation into allegations of workplace abuse during Sarver's tenure as managing partner of the Suns that has spanned nearly two decades.

behavior. I love this league and I deeply respect our leadership. But this isn't right. There is no place for misogyny, sexism, and racism in any work place. Don't matter if you own the team or play for the team. We hold our league up as an example of our values and this aint it.

— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 14, 2022

Suns point guard Chris Paul, who also served two terms as president of the National Basketball Players Association, expressed similar sentiments as James, writing, "I am of the view that the sanctions fell short in truly addressing what we can all agree was atrocious behavior."

I am of the view that the sanctions fell short in truly addressing what we can all agree was atrocious behavior. My heart goes out to all of the people that were affected.

— Chris Paul (@CP3) September 15, 2022

Earlier Wednesday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver conducted a news conference in New York following the league's board of governors meeting and addressed concerns he has fielded from the player base, which is nearly 75% Black.

Among the litany of allegations first reported by ESPN last November and corroborated by the investigation conducted by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, Sarver was found to have, on at least five occasions, repeated the N-word when recounting the statements of others.

"I've talked to some players," Silver said Wednesday. "Those have been private conversations. I'll leave it for the players to speak directly how they feel."

Silver continued to describe his conversations with players as "disheartening" because, he said, "I think, for those players to see that we continue to deal with these issues."

Later Wednesday, Tamika Tremaglio, the executive director of the NBPA, issued a statement, saying that "Sarver's reported actions and conduct are horrible and have no place in our sport or any workplace for that matter."

Tremaglio added that she has "made my position known to Adam Silver regarding my thoughts on the extent of the punishment, and strongly believe that Mr. Sarver should never hold a managerial position within our league again."

James' statement echoes his stance from 2014 when the league was investigating alleged racist misconduct from then LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling.

"There's no room for Donald Sterling in the NBA -- there is no room for him," James said prior to a Miami Heat playoff game against Charlotte. " ... They have to make a stand. They have to be very aggressive with it. I don't know what it will be, but we can't have that in our league."

James has spent the last half of his NBA career, which is entering its 20th season this fall, as a public advocate for social change.

Silver said from a personal standpoint he was in "disbelief" when informed of Sarver's transgressions, but that many of the players and coaches in the league that he spoke to found the situation all too familiar.

"Look, I think it's no secret this is a league where roughly 80 percent of our players are Black. More than half our coaches are Black," Silver said. "I will say that none of them maybe are as shocked as I am, living their lives, that I don't think they're reading this saying, oh, my God, I can't believe this happens."

ST. LOUIS -- Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright and catcher Yadier Molina made their 325th career start together on Wednesday night, setting a major league record for most as a battery.

The St. Louis duo eclipsed the regular-season mark of 324 by the Detroit Tigers pair of Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan from 1963-1975.

Wainwright and Molina received a standing ovation from the crowd at Busch Stadium as they walked from the bullpen to the dugout prior to the game against Milwaukee.

"A lot has taken place in that time span, and that's why I think this record is pretty darn cool," St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said before the game. "I don't see anyone coming close to ever reaching it again."

Towels with the No. 325 were given out to fans as they entered the ballpark.

Wainwright threw a first-pitch strike to Christian Yelich to begin the game. Highlights from the career of both players were displayed on the scoreboard after the opening inning as the NL Central leaders hosted the Brewers.

Wainwright and Molina made their first start together on April 6, 2007, in Houston. Wainwright recorded a 4-2 win, the first of his 212 victories with Molina behind the plate.

Molina, 40, has indicated he will retire at the end of this season. Wainwright, 41, has yet to make a decision on his future.

The next active pair behind Wainwright and Molina is the Chicago Cubs battery of Kyle Hendricks and Willson Contreras, who have 105 starts together.

Wainwright has thrown 2,136 of his 2,548 innings (83.8 percent) to Molina. He and Molina have teamed up to record 1,812 strikeouts.

Only six current major league players -- Albert Pujols, Nelson Cruz, Miguel Cabrera, Zack Greinke, Rich Hill and Justin Verlander were active when Wainwright and Molina made their first start together.

Wainwright and Molina are best friends off the field as well. Wainwright introduced Molina to NHL hockey. The pair attended several games together during the St. Louis Blues' run to the Stanley Cup championship in 2019.

Wainwright and his family celebrated Thanksgiving at the Molina residence in Puerto Rico in November.

Julio Rodriguez continued to strengthen his rookie of the year campaign with another big accomplishment Wednesday, stealing his 25th stolen base of the season to lead the Seattle Mariners to a 6-1 victory over the San Diego Padres, securing a key two-game split.

Rodríguez was hit by a pitch by San Diego starter Mike Clevinger and increased his season's stolen base total to 25 in the fifth inning, making him the third rookie in league history to have at least 25 steals and 25 homers in their first season. But unlike Chris Young in 2007 and Mike Trout in 2012, Rodriguez reached the 25/25 plateau in his debut season. Both Young and Trout reached in the majors late in the previous season, but were still considered rookies.

"I don't see myself as a rookie. I see myself as a player like anybody else and I'm just happy that I'm being able to deliver for the team any time," Rodriguez said.

With his steal, Rodríguez also became just the fourth player to reach 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases in a season at 21 years old or younger, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. He joins Ronald Acuna Jr. in 2019, Trout in 2012 and Andruw Jones in 1998.

"For me one of the coolest things I've seen in a while is when he's at second base after the 25th stolen base and the crowd is on its feet and they put the thing on the scoreboard, (he) flashes across his chest," Seattle manager Scott Servais said motioning across the front of the Mariners' jersey. "It's about the Mariners. That's Julio Rodríguez."

Rodríguez earlier hit his fourth leadoff home run of the season, checking another box on a growing list of accomplishments that are only strengthening an already robust case for rookie of the year. He hit the first pitch thrown by Clevinger 385 feet into the left-field bullpen for his 26th home run of the season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Ottawa Senators agreed to terms with Tyler Motte on a one-year, $1.35 million contract, the team announced Wednesday, securing one of the last remaining veteran forwards on the market.

Motte, 27, started last season with the Vancouver Canucks before a March 21 trade to the New York Rangers in time for a memorable playoff run.

"Tyler is a tenacious checker who plays the game with pace," Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said. "He's a strong penalty killer and another competitive person who adds to the depth of our group."

While Andrew Copp and Frank Vatrano -- also late-season forward additions by the Rangers -- landed on top lines, resulting in more scoring opportunities, Motte became a staple on the fourth line in New York.

He did not register a point in nine regular-season games for the Rangers, but he averaged 12:33 time on the ice as the club secured its postseason position in the Eastern Conference. In the playoffs, where the Rangers won two series, Motte scored twice while still topping 12:00 a game.

On a team with less offense than New York, Motte almost assuredly would move up to a third-line role, which is possible in Ottawa. But he has proven the versatility to play anywhere in a lineup.

He has yet to play a full season in the NHL -- 74 games was his maximum, back in 2018-19 -- and that could be something his camp hopes to achieve with his latest deal.

A native of St. Clair, Michigan, Motte was drafted in the fourth round by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013.

Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi combined superbly as Paris Saint-Germain's near-perfect start to the season continued with a 3-1 win at Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Messi cancelled out Tjarron Chery's surprise first-half opener after being set up by Mbappe and he returned the favour for the France forward after the break before Neymar grabbed a late third as PSG were made to sweat by the Israeli champions.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.)

PSG top Group H with six points, level with Benfica who claimed a 2-1 victory at Juventus.

Christophe Galtier's French side travel to Benfica on Oct. 5, while Juventus and Haifa meet with the threat of early elimination looming.

Mbappe, however, admitted his team's performance was far from perfect.

"The pitch was not great but that's not an excuse," Mbappe said. "We made some adjustments after the break and it paid off. But we've got to work hard to get results in terms of the way we play because we've got some big games coming up."

PSG got off to a lively start with Mbappe threatening twice in the opening minutes, but they quickly fell into a lull and they were punished midway through the half.

As Haifa increased the pressure, Dolev Haziza whipped a perfect cross for Chery, who stretched out his leg to beat Gianluigi Donnarumma and put the hosts ahead.

PSG struggled to find their rhythm but Mbappe beat two defenders in the box and his cross was deflected into the path of Messi, who fired home from close range to make it 1-1 eight minutes before the break.

Argentina international Messi has now found the back of the net against a record 39 different teams in the Champions League.

PSG were still too passive after the interval, allowing Haifa to create chances for Frantzdy Pierrot and Omer Atzili.

Vitinha's work in the midfield, however, proved vital for the Ligue 1 champions and Messi went close at the hour after being set up by the diminutive Portuguese.

PSG's individual talents eventually made the difference as Mabppe collected a fine through ball from Messi to give his side the advantage with a low shot in the 69th minute.

Haifa did not lie down, but Neymar wrapped it up in clinical fashion on a counter-attack after collecting a fine pass from Marco Verratti two minutes from time to end an 11-match run without a goal for the Brazil forward.