Lahore Qalandars 179 for 1 (Zaman 82*, Hafeez 73*) beat Quetta Gladiators 178 for 6 (Gayle 68, Sarfaraz 40, Rauf 3-38) by nine wickets

This might only have been a T20 game, but it felt like an epic by the time Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Hafeez chased Quetta Gladiators out of the contest. Ages ago, or so it seemed, Chris Gayle struck his highest PSL score, 68 off 40 balls - aided by several dropped catches along the way - to help Quetta post 178, the highest first innings score this tournament. It looked a match-winning total then, but a stunning onslaught from Hafeez and Zaman helped Lahore Qalandars make short work of the target, and they got there with more than an over to spare.

Hafeez was particularly destructive, grabbing a game that had looked like drifting by the scruff, forcing an asking rate that had soared above 11 back below a run-a-ball within the space of three overs. It was like stick cricket by the end; the sixes and fours Hafeez was striking appeared to come as easily as buttons being pushed on a keyboard, with Quetta skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed's apoplectic rage visible to the world's cameras. The unbeaten 115-run second wicket partnership came off just 58 balls, with Hafeez responsible for scoring 73 off them in the 33 deliveries he faced.

After being put in to bat, Quetta rejigged the batting line-up even if they didn't make any changes. Banton and Saim Ayub fell early once more, with Lahore Qalandars permitting them just 38 runs in the Powerplay, but Gayle and Sarfaraz would accumulate a 101-run partnership that put Quetta back on track. Sarfaraz appeared to be timing the ball more sweetly than has been in evidence for quite some time, and while Gayle wasn't at his fluent best, it didn't stop him from bludgeoning five fours and as many sixes on his way to top-scoring for his side. Mohammad Nawaz put in a cameo at the end and Quetta had all the momentum then, but Hafeez and Fakhar had other ideas.

Star of the day

There was some spice in the contest after a terse recent exchange between Hafeez and Sarfaraz on social media. When Hafeez was called upon to bowl with the Quetta captain at the crease, there was added jeopardy in the game. While Sarfaraz got him away for a couple of boundaries off his second over, the 40-year-old would more than get him back with the bat.

Hafeez would later tell Gayle he didn't have the muscles to bat like him, but what Hafeez does possess in his repertoire most could only lust after. With barely a shot looked like it was played in anger, he caressed - that word is used advisedly - his way to his fastest PSL half-century, off just 24 balls, capitalising on some wayward bowling and a fairly straightforward drop on the boundary by the young Saim Ayub. With the asking rate coming down so quickly it might have needed a parachute, he sped up even further, finishing with another 23 off just nine deliveries, the winning sot a disdainful drive over extra cover off the young Mohammad Hasnain.

It goes on to illustrate why Hafeez keeps backing himself to be a part of Pakistan's World T20 plans, and if he's in this sort of touch, he'll be pivotal to his franchise's hopes of finally landing a PSL title.

Miss of the day

In a game that was perhaps defined as much by errors as individual brilliance, there were several who vied for this role. Agha Salman was the early frontrunner, dropping Gayle twice at cow corner in what looked like decisive moments, while Tom Banton and Saim Ayub fell early once more and each put Fakhar and Hafeez down once. But Usman Shinwari's third over, which leaked 19 at a time Lahore needed in excess of 11 an over to seal the win, marked the moment the game finally turned as Quetta capitulated in spectacular fashion.

Sarfaraz, perhaps fuelled by the personal ambition to get one over Hafeez, would go on to rebuke Shinwari publicly after that over, and as the fours and sixes rained down, his mood would only grow fouler. The negativity around the fielding side appeared to have doomed them well before the winning runs were struck, and it already seems like Quetta might have an uphill task if they are to turn this campaign around.

Honourable mention

Zaman was Man of the Match, by the way, and with 82 off 52, it's an innings that deserves more than to be overshadowed by Hafeez's brilliance. He would relieve the pressure superbly as Sohail Akhtar at the other end struggled to get going, ensuring the required rate wouldn't get out of hand early on. And when Hafeez joined him, he wasn't second fiddle by any means, continuing to showcase why, even as his international form remains patchy, he remains one of the most sought-after players in the PSL.

Relief and cautious optimism appear to be the dominant reactions from around the English game, after Boris Johnson announced the UK's intended roadmap out of lockdown.

With Prime Minister Johnson outlining his intention to lift all restrictions on social contact from June 21, English cricket can look forward to the realistic prospect of full-house crowds for the Test series against India (which starts in August) and the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan (which get underway on June 23). Recreational cricket should also be able to resume from March 29, boosting hopes of an uninterrupted season for club and school cricket.

There are various caveats in place should a new wave of Covid-19 take hold. However, it currently seems likely that grounds will be able to welcome crowds to the inaugural season of The Hundred (which starts in mid-July) and the majority of The T20 Blast (which starts in mid-June).

"It seems like good news for cricket fans," Surrey's chief executive, Richard Gould, said.

The changes would appear to come too late to allow full houses for England's Test series against New Zealand, however. The first Test gets underway at Lord's on June 2 with the second Test following at Edgbaston on June 10. Government guidelines currently state that outdoor seated events will be able to operate with 25 percent capacity from May 17. There will also be constraints on indoor hospitality, which is generally a crucial source of revenue at such events.

It is possible, however, that Lord's and Edgbaston will argue their Tests should be viewed as pilot events for the return of full crowds and, as such, request that 50 percent capacity is permitted. It is likely that discussion on the subject will take place between the game's representatives and The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) in the coming weeks.

There could be a similar request in regard to County Championship spectators. Although the competition generally attracts a modest number of spectators - a maximum of 3,000 might be expected for a typical day's play at an early-season match - attendance is probably disproportionately important to many county members, whose fees continue to play a crucial part in the survival of some clubs. News that they will not, at present, be able to attend matches before May 17 will therefore result in frustration.

At present, shops, outdoor zoos and theme parks will be permitted to open from April 12. Cricket is sure to argue that it seems illogical to allow shoppers indoors but prevent a modest number of county cricket spectators watching a match while sitting outdoors. As a result, the ECB may request permission to hold trial events during this period which could result in a limited number of spectators attending Championship games before May 17. The County Championship season is scheduled to start on April 8.

"With outdoor leisure attractions like Thorpe Park, London Zoo and pub beer gardens all allowed to reopen on Monday April 12th, we very much hope that we will be permitted to open up the Kia Oval to some Surrey Members for our first home game of the season, three days later," Gould said.

"After this, we will continue with a phased reopening of the ground, working towards the government's subsequent key dates of Monday May 17th and Monday June 21st, when we host a T20 match against Essex."

The chances of a major reworking of the schedule have diminished, however. There had been talk, in recent weeks, that the counties might seek to amend the domestic schedule to increase the chances of welcoming spectators to the T20 Blast competition which plays such a key role in their cashflow. But with the Blast starting on June 9, less than two weeks ahead of the proposed date for the lifting of regulations, the initial reaction to Johnson's announcement was that most want to stick to the domestic schedule which has already been published.

There is, however, one other option. It could be that the two rounds of Championship cricket scheduled for the weeks beginning July 4 and July 11 are swapped with rounds of T20 fixtures planned for the weeks starting June 7 and June 14 respectively to optimise the number of spectators at T20 games. This option will be discussed in the coming days.

"The ECB welcomes the Government's decision to permit grassroots cricket to return across England in time for the start of the 2021 season," the ECB said in a statement. "We will continue to work closely with the Welsh Government on the return of recreational cricket in Wales.

"We are also very pleased to see the return of spectators to grounds from mid-May. Our leading venues strongly believe they have the technology and know-how to return capacity crowds and we look forward to working in close partnership with the Government to identify ways in which this can be achieved in a safe and controlled manner this season."

There was also relief around the counties at the prospect of being able to renew the conferencing and events strands of their businesses which make up such an important part of the finances at many of the first-class counties. There will, however, be hopes that the government furlough scheme is extended until June 21, at least, so that staff costs can be minimised until clubs are able to open fully again.

So, there are complications and there is room for improvement. But, after a grim few months, the game can look to the future with more optimism than for some time.

Fans are coming back to New Jersey sporting events beginning March 1, according to Gov. Phil Murphy. It will be the first time since COVID-19 shut down much of the country last March that fans will be at professional and major collegiate games taking place in the state.

The governor announced during an interview Monday on WFAN that sports venues with a capacity over 5,000 can allow a small percentage of fans to attend events. Indoor facilities such as the Prudential Center, home of the New Jersey Devils, are allowed 10% of their capacity. Outdoor facilities such as MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Giants and Jets, can have 15% at events.

In a joint statement, the Giants and Jets expressed hope that COVID-19 numbers will continue to improve throughout the spring and summer and that the number of people allowed into MetLife Stadium will "steadily increase." They're hoping to have even more than the 12,375 spectators currently permitted at 15% of capacity.

The NFL season doesn't kick off until September.

Governor Murphy announces plans for Giants fans to return to MetLife Stadium pic.twitter.com/3DrGjhUuF5

— New York Giants (@Giants) February 22, 2021

The Devils plan to open their doors to fans on March 2 when they host the New York Islanders at the Prudential Center. Ten percent of their capacity for a hockey game would permit approximately 1,650 spectators.

"This is a day toward which our entire staff has been planning, working, and looking forward to for the past 11 months," Devils president Jake Reynolds said in a statement. "Those who enter the building will feel confident that our process and protocols are focused on making their safety the number one priority. That includes maximizing social distancing, minimizing contact, and using products and technology to ensure the wellbeing, safety, and enjoyment of our fans and attendees. The fan's journey has been developed to provide consumer confidence from the street to the seat, and we can't wait to feel their energy welcome them back to the Prudential Center to cheer and celebrate Devils' victories in person."

Seton Hall basketball is also aiming to get fans back for its March 3 game against the University of Connecticut at the Prudential Center.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Evidently no amount of money will get quarterback Carson Wentz his No. 11 jersey with his new team, the Indianapolis Colts.

Colts second-year receiver Michael Pittman Jr., who currently wears No. 11, says he has talked to Wentz about the number, and the answer is no on a possible switch.

"I am number 11," Pittman Jr. told TMZ Sports. "... I don't think there's any deal that is gonna be done."

It's not uncommon for players on new teams to try and buy their preferred jersey number for a large amount of money from one of their teammates.

The Colts agreed to acquire Wentz to be their new starting quarterback from the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2021 third-round pick and 2022 second-round pick that could turn into a first-round pick on Feb. 18.

Wentz wore No. 11 while at North Dakota State University and during his first five years with the Eagles.

"Yeah, so I spoke to [Carson] and he was just seeing how locked in I was to No. 11, and I told him I was locked in -- and he was like, 'That's cool, bro, because I'm probably gonna switch anyway,'" Pittman Jr. told TMZ Sports. "... He asked me very respectfully and I just appreciated him for that. I think he's a great dude, because lots of guys with his status, they would come in and demand and stuff like that."

Pittman Jr. wore No. 86 in college at USC, but switched to No. 11 after being drafted by the Colts.

PITTSBURGH -- Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was recently diagnosed with COVID-19, sources told ESPN.

Tomlin, 48, was diagnosed last week. The Steelers could not confirm the head coach's diagnosis but said members of the coaching staff and personnel were sent home from the facility last week after a couple of positives came up in routine testing.

Tomlin, who is set to enter his 15th season at the helm of the organization, is in good health, a source said.

The virus also affected the Steelers' coaching staff during the season with then-quarterbacks coach Matt Canada and special-teams coordinator Danny Smith missing time due to COVID-19 protocols.

NFL Network first reported news of Tomlin's diagnosis.

Julius "Dr. J'' Erving is the latest NBA legend to reveal that he's gotten vaccinated against the coronavirus, doing so Monday.

Much like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Gregg Popovich and Bill Russell before him, Erving made the announcement in the form of a video distributed through the league.

"We were never afraid to take the big shot,'' Erving said in the video.

Erving turned 71 on Monday, meaning he is well within the current age guidelines for vaccine eligibility as established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The video he appears in also includes short clips of Jerry West, Dave Bing and Wayne Embry receiving their vaccinations.

The league has released these videos in an effort to help encourage members of the public to receive the vaccine when they are eligible and it is available in their community.

FOR DAMIAN LILLARD, the game wasn't over.

Yes, the Portland Trail Blazers were trailing the Chicago Bulls by five points with 11.5 seconds left on Jan. 30, but he wasn't about to give up. He made a 37-foot 3-pointer to cut the lead to two. After the ensuing inbounds pass, Blazers guard Gary Trent Jr. tied up Zach LaVine, forcing a jump ball with less than 10 seconds left.

Now it was Dame Time.

"Once he went to the jump circle, in my head I was like, 'It's about to happen,'" Lillard said afterward. "The ball is going to end up in my hands, I'm not gonna have much time, but like this is one of those ambitious moments that never happens. It never comes to life, but this time it did."

Trent edged out LaVine, a two-time dunk contest champion with a 46-inch vertical leap, on the tip. The ball ended up in the hands of Robert Covington, who, after a brief scramble, shoveled it to Lillard.

With less than four seconds remaining, the opportunity Lillard had visualized was playing out. He took one dribble to the right, then rose and fired over the outstretched arms of 7-foot forward Lauri Markkanen.

Lillard's third career buzzer-beater winner -- most in Trail Blazers history -- lifted Portland to an unlikely 123-122 win. In a situation where many players concede defeat, Lillard never stopped fighting.

Fighting is in Lillard's nature. It was instilled in him as a child, when he would watch major boxing bouts with his entire family. That's where his love for the sport -- a sport he calls his favorite to watch -- was seeded. He developed a passion for the fighting spirit in boxers, and eventually turned his passion into production, making boxing an integral part of the offseason workouts that have molded him into one of the most clutch players the NBA.

For Lillard, no challenge is too great. He always gets off the mat. And, for those in boxing who know him best, it's easy to explain why.

"Damian Lillard is not a basketball player," trainer Cem Eren said. "He's a fighter who plays professional basketball."

"I TOLD YOU so," Lillard trash-talked via FaceTime to retired champion Andre Ward, now an ESPN analyst.

Although the former pound-for-pound king was still on the SportsCenter set in Las Vegas as a ringside commentator following Teofimo Lopez's unanimous decision victory over Vasiliy Lomachenko, Lillard did not miss the chance to rub it in Ward's face that he was right.

"I'm still on set, this brother is FaceTiming me," Ward recalled, laughing. "I'm like, 'Bro, can I get done working? Man, OK, you was right ... All right, you was right.'

"But Dame, he knows his stuff."

? this moment?@Dame_Lillard FaceTiming @andreward while we're taping Sportscenter to say, "I TOLD YOU SO!"
Dame predicted @TeofimoLopez would win. pic.twitter.com/FEHVBLH6op

— Joe Tessitore (@JoeTessESPN) October 18, 2020

Ward, a fellow Bay Area native, has become close with Lillard. They have bonded over their shared passion for the sport Ward once dominated. Lillard often is on Twitter commenting on fights big and small. Sure, he'll make predictions about Lopez-Lomanchenko, or the first Andy Ruiz Jr.-Anthony Joshua bout (which Lillard correctly tabbed as an upset win for Ruiz), but he's also knowledgeable about fighters who might not be household names to the casual fan.

"Aw, Dame, that's my guy. We conversate all the time on big fights," said current welterweight titlist and pound-for-pound king Terence "Bud" Crawford. "I wish him nothing but the best; he wishes me nothing but the best. He'll hit me up and ask me what I think about this fight or what I think about that fight. I'll give him my input on it."

"Damian Lillard is just real to me," added undisputed female champion Claressa Shields.

WBC lightweight titlist Devin Haney, another Bay Area fighter, developed a relationship with Lillard through his passion for boxing. Lillard proposed his boxing wish list via Twitter the day after Lopez's win over Lomachenko, which included Lopez facing Haney -- in addition to a dozen more matches, such as Caleb Plant versus David Benavidez and Crawford against Errol Spence Jr.

"I'm surprised at how much he actually knows about boxing. It's rare," Haney said. "Most basketball players may know who I am, but they don't really know the art and the matchups and the real business and the politics behind boxing. He actually, like, knows."

Authenticity is the best way to describe it. Lillard's fandom isn't casual.

"He's thorough. He helps the community and is real encouraging. A solid brother," said Haney's father and trainer, Bill. "He's like a 100 dude. He's not a knucklehead, but he ain't no square cat either, though."

Ward personally invited Lillard to Las Vegas for his highly anticipated 2017 rematch versus Sergey Kovalev, which would end up being the final fight of Ward's Hall of Fame career. Lillard even joined Ward onstage for his interview following the official weigh-in.

"Dre doesn't do no trash-talking and nothing like that, and Dre was like, 'You got what you asked for. We're about to see.' When I seen him do that, I was like, 'This dude is getting stopped,'" Lillard told ESPN. "When he said that, he was like, 'Yeah, we're here now. You're gonna end my career? You're gonna get what you asked for,' and I was sitting right there. I was like, 'Oh, yeah. I came for the right one.'"

Which he certainly did.

Ward ended up winning by eighth-round TKO after landing three consecutive hooks to the body.

Those prefight moments are a big reason that Lillard is drawn to boxing.

"I just love the charisma and the confidence. It's a fight," Lillard said. "You've got to have real confidence and real belief. I enjoy that part of it. So like the press conferences, the buildup, the callouts, the tale of the tape. I just love that part of it as much as I love the actual fight."

GROWING UP IN East Oakland, California, Lillard had his love of boxing shaped by his family, which gathered to watch big fights. Well before you could stream a bout, various family members would host viewing parties for pay-per-views. Sometimes Lillard's parents would host Oscar De La Hoya's marquee bouts at their home, such as the one against Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker in 1997.

Just 6 years old at the time of that bout, Lillard still feels strongly about the outcome of Whitaker-De La Hoya. He rewatched it as recently as last season with those same feelings.

"I thought Whitaker beat him," Lillard said.

"I just love the charisma and the confidence. It's a fight. You've got to have real confidence and real belief. I enjoy that part of it. So like the press conferences, the buildup, the callouts, the tale of the tape. I just love that part of it as much as I love the actual fight."

While watching boxing was a popular family pastime, Lillard found his calling on the basketball court, starting on the varsity team as a high school freshman despite standing just 5-foot-5. But he always maintained his love of the sweet science. When he left the Bay Area to attend college at Weber State, he kept up with boxing by reading online coverage, a routine he maintains to this day.

It wasn't until years later that he turned his passion into a project.

Lillard's older brother, Houston, connected Damian with Eren in 2014 when Houston was competing for a spot on the Portland Thunder, an Arena football team. The two have regularly worked together in the offseason at Gem Fitness in Tigard, Oregon, ever since.

For Lillard, who had previously used a heavy bag at his home to "blow off steam," getting into the ring wasn't something he took lightly. He knew if he was going to work out like a boxer, he needed to be all-in.

"I was in there every day, literally like a fighter," he said. "I've got boxing shoes and all that, trunks -- I've got everything."

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A post shared by Damian Lillard (@damianlillard)

Lillard increased the intensity of his workouts during the NBA's coronavirus-induced hiatus last season, using the break as a modified offseason. After leading Portland to the first round of the playoffs in the NBA bubble, he resumed his offseason ring work to stay sharp, not knowing when this season would begin.

When Lillard is in training mode, he begins work as early as 7 a.m. with lifting and conditioning. Then he slips on the gloves, going through as many as eight to 10 three-minute rounds on the mitts. Lillard focuses on throwing proper jabs, combination punching, operating at different angles and moving his feet. He's seeing what it feels like to counterpunch, using his hips to punch, snapping and following through on his jabs and transferring power into his shots.

"Not anybody can be a fighter," Eren said. "[Lillard] challenges himself. There's times where I'm like, 'You know what, keep going.' And he'll be like, 'Aw, naw, my shoulders,' and I'm like, 'Nope, I want you to keep going.' So when it comes to boxing training, his ability to work is second to none."

Lillard puts the gloves away during basketball season so he doesn't risk injury, but the offseason work has paid off in noticeable ways for the five-time All-Star.

"I feel like my legs are a lot stronger because I train in the ring so much," he said. "My legs don't wear out as fast.

"[In boxing] you've got to keep moving. Your arms are up. I feel like I've been able to shoot the ball easier from deep probably because my shoulders are more broad now. I'm stronger up top because this is hard to do. It's hard to keep your hands up, and you feel it. I feel like in small ways like that, it's probably played a part."

Ward praised Lillard for adding boxing to his workout regimen.

"That's what I respect about him," Ward said. "I see him in the boxing gym, incorporating that in his game ... I mean, there's no better cross-training workout than boxing for any athlete. Football, tennis, basketball, you name it."

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A post shared by Damian Lillard (@damianlillard)

Although he doesn't participate in intense sparring -- "Obviously, [the Trail Blazers] would never really approve it," he said -- Lillard once toyed with the idea of participating in an exhibition bout. Former NBA guard Nate Robinson's stunning knockout loss to YouTube sensation Jake Paul last November on the Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. undercard isn't the reason Lillard gave up that idea, but it certainly didn't help.

"I feel like he got in there really feeling like he could win, but I don't think boxing is a sport you can take six months or eight months and be like, 'All right, I'm gonna go in here and fight,'" Lillard said. "Basketball for me is a lifetime investment. I've spent my whole life doing it. I've got a Ph.D. at this. I'm comfortable every night when I get on the court because I know that it's been my whole life just going. So, if I just go take a few months to train and work at something and all that, it's like, 'What you expect to happen?'"

Lillard is confident in his skills in the ring, but likened the idea of him taking on a real fight to a casual basketball player trying to join the NBA at 28 years old. When it comes to professional boxing, he's content to remain a spectator.

"I would just be out there like, 'All right, I'm gonna box just to box,'" he said. "I think that's a mistake that people make. You can get hurt in boxing. You don't play boxing."

For now, Lillard will continue to play basketball, using his fighter's mentality to help keep Portland in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race. The Blazers are in fifth place, having won six of their past seven games largely thanks to Lillard, who is averaging nearly 33 points during the recent run. He has been at his best in the fourth quarter -- Dame Time -- as the offseason workouts that have increased his stamina and leg power continue to pay off.

Terry Stotts has coached Lillard throughout his nine-year tenure in Portland and still struggles with words to describe those special moments when Lillard can will his team to victory. After his game-winning shot in Chicago, Stotts called it "easy to see, but it's hard to describe."

"It's innate. It's God-given," Stotts said. "He's born with it, and you can't teach it."

The Major League Baseball Players Association, with just over nine months remaining in the current collective bargaining agreement, has been soliciting insight from some of its most prominent players -- and Mike Trout seemingly is among them.

Trout said Monday that he speaks with MLBPA executive director Tony Clark "probably once a day" as the union and MLB approach a critical juncture regarding negotiations for a new CBA.

MLB and the MLBPA have long been divided -- a reality that was evident in their inability to come to an agreement on the 2020 season amid the coronavirus pandemic.

This year, with only weeks left before the originally scheduled start to spring training, MLB proposed a 154-game season at full pay. But the union rejected the proposal and didn't counter, citing a litany of concerns. An expanded postseason and a universal designated hitter were left on the cutting room floor, and there is growing concern that negotiations over a new CBA -- the current one expires Dec. 1 -- could prompt a work stoppage in 2022.

Trout, entering his 10th full season with the Los Angeles Angels, has "no idea" what will ultimately happen.

"I'm just learning new stuff about it, and when stuff comes up about it, that he asks me, I answer it," Trout said of his relationship with Clark. "Hopefully it gets resolved, and everything coming up, because Major League Baseball is a great thing for our country, especially now during the pandemic. And we need it to go forward."

Trout will turn 30 in August and is still in search of his first postseason victory, an astonishing development for someone who is still widely considered baseball's best player. While Trout navigated through his first offseason as a full-time dad, Perry Minasian -- the fourth general manager employed since Trout's major league debut -- struck an assortment of short-term agreements in hopes of getting the Angels over the hump.

Minasian added a shortstop (Jose Iglesias), a closer (Raisel Iglesias), a catcher (Kurt Suzuki), an outfielder (Dexter Fowler), a lefty reliever (Alex Claudio) and two starting pitchers (Jose Quintana and Alex Cobb), all of whom will be free agents at season's end.

Trout appears hopeful, as is usually the case, but admitted that the annual disappointment is starting to wear on him.

"I hear it every year," Trout said Monday morning, before the Angels' first full workout. "The only way to change that is just get to the playoffs, no matter how that is."

The Angels' only postseason appearance with Trout on the roster came in 2014, which resulted in a first-round sweep at the hands of the Kansas City Royals. They then finished below .500 in four of the next five years, including a 90-loss season in the first and only year under manager Brad Ausmus in 2019. Last year, in the COVID-shortened season under first-year manager Joe Maddon, the Angels started 12-24 but won 10 of 24 games in September, giving Trout hope that the Angels might be better than their record indicated.

Trout had a strong relationship with former GM Billy Eppler, whose vision for the organization stood as a major reason Trout put off free agency to sign a 12-year, $426.5 million extension in March 2019.

Trout still keeps in touch with Eppler, but Angels owner Arte Moreno and president John Carpino kept him in the loop during the search for a new GM in October, and Minasian kept Trout updated as he went about augmenting the roster in the weeks that followed. Trout believes the team is "going in the right direction" under Minasian.

"I'm trying to get to the playoffs," Trout said. "Obviously you guys know that. We all are. If that's not the mindset, you shouldn't be here. Every year that's why I come in. I put that in my mind.

"We have one goal: to get to the playoffs and win a World Series here. It's still the same goal, obviously. A lot of new faces this year. They kinda cleaned house a little bit. I'm looking for a fresh start. I'm getting older, for sure, but I'm still young. I still feel great. It's a lot different now this year -- I'm a dad. I don't know if that's something different, but maybe it'll change our luck."

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Right-handed reliever Jeremy Jeffress agreed to terms with the Washington Nationals on a minor league deal that is pending the successful completion of a physical exam.

"He's got to come in, take his intake test, take a physical, and then we'll know more after that. But if everything goes well, I'm excited that we'll have him," Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Monday. "A veteran guy that knows how to pitch out of the back end of the bullpen."

He's another addition to the back end of a Nationals relief corps that already included Brad Hand, Daniel Hudson, Will Harris and Tanner Rainey.

The 33-year-old Jeffress was taken by Milwaukee in the first round pick of the 2006 amateur draft and has pitched for five teams over 11 years in the majors. He was an NL All-Star in 2018 for the Brewers when he appeared in 73 games producing a 1.29 ERA to go along with 15 saves.

Last season, Jeffress went 4-1 with a 1.54 ERA and eight saves in 10 chances for the Chicago Cubs.

"The guy takes the ball every day. He's a competitor. You never have to ask him whether he's OK to pitch," Martinez said. "What we liked is, he pitched well last year. He got back to that form like he was when he was an All-Star."

Note:

• RHP Max Scherzer threw from 60 feet on flat ground Sunday as he deals with an ankle injury, Martinez said. "He said he's about 80 to 85 percent. I know he worked out today, said he felt no pain," Martinez said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Over the course of a 45-minute chat to a local Rotary Club in early February, Seattle Mariners CEO Kevin Mather disparaged a Japanese player for not learning English, belittled a star prospect from the Dominican Republic for his language skills and derided another top prospect while admitting to manipulating his service time. He called his team's best pitcher "very boring" and embellished the pitcher's actions in a clubhouse incident, told another falsehood about a well-respected veteran and complained that the franchise's best player over the past decade was "overpaid."

Any one of these blunders is incalculably foolish. Together, they expose pathological levels of arrogance, hubris and myopia. This is one of the 30 people entrusted to run a Major League Baseball franchise.

It wasn't just that Mather said what he did. It's that he thinks it in the first place. And that he believed a group of Rotarians represented the right audience to tell his warped version of the truth. And that in an apology, he deemed the episode a "lapse in judgment," as if bigotry is a one-time thing you try out on a call with strangers, or telling fake stories about the people who are the heart of the business you're supposed to be running constitutes good management.

However the organization proceeds with Mather, the mistrust sown by his comments reverberated deep in the player ranks Sunday, sources told ESPN. The gamut of feelings ranged from "angry" to "sad" to "what the [expletive] was he thinking?"

Apparently Mather emptied his reservoir of candor during the Q&A, because his statement alternated between disingenuous -- him trying to take ownership of his comments on baseball operations decisions when they clearly reflect organization-wide priorities -- and hollow.

Mather's statement that he is "committed to make amends" and will "do whatever it takes to repair the damage I have caused to the Seattle Mariners organization" sounded rather familiar. Perhaps it's because in 2018, after a Seattle Times report exposed two complaints from female employees against Mather, he said: "I am committed to ensuring that every Mariners employee feels comfortable and respected."

I wonder whether Julio Rodriguez feels comfortable and respected. He is 20 years old and one of the best prospects in baseball, a slugging right fielder from the Dominican Republic. When asked about him, Mather said: "He is loud, his English is not tremendous." Two years ago, the Mariners thought enough of Rodriguez's English to post a video of him speaking in it on their YouTube channel. His English sounds pretty good, and I don't imagine it has worsened since.

I wonder whether Jarred Kelenic feels comfortable and respected. He is 21 years old and the Mariners' other prized outfield prospect. The organization thinks so much of Kelenic, Mather told the Rotarians, it offered him a six-year contract with three club options. Because Kelenic turned it down, he said, he will be starting 2021 in the minor leagues, though the Mariners plan on bringing him up in mid-April, at which time they'll have ensured he remains under team control for an extra year. Everybody knows a foundational element of comfort and respect is service-time manipulation.

I wonder whether Marco Gonzales feels comfortable and respected. He is the Mariners' ace, a 29-year-old whom Mather considers "very boring" because ... he doesn't throw very hard? Anyway, Mather delighted in telling a story about Gonzales "pushing [former teammate Mike Leake] into the locker" after Leake resisted team rules. The problem, a source familiar with the situation told ESPN, is that the story is untrue. While Gonzales did confront Leake, he did not lay hands on him.

I wonder whether Mitch Haniger feels comfortable and respected. As was the case with most of Mather's comments, they included compliments, and initially he spoke well of the 30-year-old who has missed the past 1½ years due to injury. After suggesting Haniger will be an All-Star this season, Mather said, "he has a little bit of a chip on his shoulder as we talk about our prospects and these young kids. He's mentioned more than once: What about me?" According to a source close to Haniger, he has not discussed his standing with regards to the coming prospects.

I wonder whether Kyle Seager feels comfortable and respected. Since he debuted in 2011, Seager has compiled 32.2 wins above replacement. That's more than that of Evan Longoria, Anthony Rizzo, Nelson Cruz, Justin Upton, Justin Turner, Michael Brantley and a host of others who played in the previous 10 seasons. Before the 2015 season, Seager signed a seven-year, $100 million contract extension. Over the past six years, according to FanGraphs, he has produced $147.7 million in value. But Mather wants to say he's overpaid.

I wonder, most of all, whether Hisashi Iwakuma feels comfortable and respected. In January, the Mariners brought back Iwakuma, who pitched very well for the team over six seasons after coming over from Japan, as a special-assignment coach. After explaining the hiring, Mather's first words to the Rotarians were: "Wonderful human being. His English was terrible." Mather felt comfortable enough to air a grievance: "I'm tired of paying his interpreter." He smiled and laughed as he said it.

Iwakuma is 39. He made nearly $50 million with the Mariners. He doesn't need this job. He doesn't need this organization. He doesn't need someone who is going to look at his desire to be understood as a weakness. And he damn sure doesn't need to be judged by someone who was promoted even after he was the subject of sexual harassment complaints for allegedly rubbing one female employee's back without permission and making inappropriate jokes about women in the office to another employee.

This is how bad culture takes root. More than a decade ago, two women reported Mather to human resources -- a department he oversaw at the time. They left with settlements, according to the Seattle Times, totaling more than $500,000. He remained employed. Mather then kept ascending -- to president and, eventually, CEO. It took a newspaper to expose his past misdeeds.

He did it himself this time. And whether he was puffing himself to sound like someone who matters -- he spoke with confidence of an electronic strike zone being implemented within two years -- or actually is a person of consequence no longer matters. He is the CEO of an organization -- and the kind of guy who tells stories in which people from foreign countries where they may not have had the opportunity to learn English are the punchline.

Actually, Mather did that on the Rotary call, too. In talking about the improvements Seattle had made to its Dominican academy and educational programs for players, he recounted that the team would give teenagers from Latin America a $30 per diem.

"Surprise, surprise!" Mather said. "They'd get in trouble because they wouldn't know how to speak the language or make change or even buy dinner."

Surprise, surprise. Just like that. Never considering what so many teenagers in baseball need to do: go to a foreign country, one with as many potential hazards as the United States, and pack into a tiny apartment, five or six blow-up mattresses on the floor because the sport doesn't pay its minor leaguers enough to get a place with your own bedroom, and try to learn how to navigate all that while spending the rest of the day figuring out how to hit 98 painted on the corner.

It's the easiest thing in the world to sit in a tower of privilege and look down on others, to denigrate, to act with impunity because history showed you could without consequence. That's the lesson here. That's the takeaway. I couldn't help but think of one other thing, though, after hearing Kevin Mather blather on for 45 minutes.

He's the last person who should be talking about others being bad at speaking English.