E3 USA TODAY z MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019 z SECTION CHamlin victorious in Kansas
NASCAR: Elliott moves into top 8 to advance 3CJustin Thomas wins in South Korea
Captures CJ Cup for 2nd time in 3 years 3CLatest Football Four
Ohio State, LSU, Oklahoma, Alabama lead way 5CIN SPORTSALABAMA QB TUA TAGOVAILOA BY JOHN DAVID MERCER/USA TODAY SPORTSFIRST WORD
This is one of the big-
gest wins that I’ve had
after everything, so I’m very
proud.”
Andy Murray claimed his first
ATP tour title in more than 2^1 ⁄ 2
years in the European Open on
Sunday in only his sixth singles
tournament since returning
from hip surgery in January.
The 32-year-old rallied to beat
fellow three-time Grand Slam
tournament champion Stan
Wawrinka 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in Ant-
werp, Belgium.
SCRATCH THAT RECORDChloe DeLyser of Marion High
School in Wayne County, New
York, has 319 career goals but
the National Federation of
State High School Associations
will not recognize them as the
national record because she
scored over six seasons, said
Bruce Howard, NFSHSA direc-
tor of communications. DeLys-
er scored 66 goals as a sev-
enth- and eighth-grader on
varsity and is at 257 (and
counting) for grades 9-12. She
will be recognized as the New
York state record holder. Es-
meralda Gonzales of South Hills
High in Fort Worth, Texas, and
her 316 goals from 2013 to
2016 is recognized as the rec-
ord holder.NOTABLE NUMBER147Games for Lions QB
Matthew Stafford to
reach 40,000 passing yards,fastest in NFL history. Twenty
other QBs have hit that mile-
stone.LAST WORDIf I’m brutally honest, I
just think it’s the Lions.
I just think (people) didn’t
put the respect on our team
like the Dallas Cowboys.”Lomas Brown to the Detroit
Free Press on why he thinks he
has never even been a Pro
Football Hall of Fame semi-
finalist. Brown, who played for
five teams in an 18-year NFL
career including 11 with De-
troit, is a seven-time Pro Bow-
ler with a Super Bowl ring and
started more games than all
but two offensive linemen in
NFL history. The preliminary
ballot for 2020 includes 22
candidates; it will be trimmed
to 25 next month, and 15 final-
ists will be debated in Miami
during Super Bowl week.FRANCISCO SECO/AP
SPORTSLINE
JACKSON POWERS RAVENSQuarterback Lamar Jackson, scoring on a rushing TD in the second quarter, and the Ravens ran roughshodover the Seahawks on Sunday at CenturyLink Field in Seattle for a 30-16 victory. Jackson rushed for 116 yards,which topped the Seahawks’ 106 total. NFL Week 7 game coverage, 4C; standings, 6CSTEVEN BISIG/USA TODAY SPORTSThere is no nightmare in
baseball, no feeling of compet-
itive vulnerability, quite like
seeing your pitcher getting
peppered by a lineup that
knows exactly what pitch is
coming.
It is a nightmare Andy Pet-
titte lived in Game 6 of the 2001
World Series, when the Dia-
mondbacks trucked him for six
runs in two-plus innings of a
15-2 victory, a pounding they
later acknowledged came with
the benefit of tipped pitches.
It is a nightmare Rays starter
Tyler Glasnow lived this
month, when he yielded hits to
five of the first six Astros in a
winner-take-all Game 5 of the
AL Division Series and said it
was “pretty obvious” he was
tipping his pitches based on the
position he held his glove.
And it’s a nightmare Ste-
phen Strasburg endured for
two grim starts against Arizonathat sullied an otherwise im-
peccable 2019 resume, before
he and pitching coach Paul
Menhart discovered and, so
they believe, swept up the
bread crumbs the Diamond-
backs followed to hit him hard.
Now, Strasburg and the Na-
tionals are heading into the bel-
ly of the beast: a World Series
date with the Astros, who not
only are perhaps the most tal-
ented team in baseball but also
carry the reputation as the
most resourceful at gleaningadvantages near the margins
of ethical competition.
Given the mini-storm that
passed through the AL Cham-
pionship Series, when a pub-
lished report raised the fairly
absurd notion that Astros in
the dugout were passing on
the Yankees’ signs via whis-
tle, it’s safe to say the Astros
don’t need to do much to get
into their opponents’ heads.
The Nationals know it’sParanoia may consume Series
Gabe Lacques
USA TODAY
See PARANOIA, Page 2CIn a personality-driven
league flush with talent like
the NBA, you don’t have to be
the biggest star or the most-
hyped prospect to get noticed.
You also don’t have to be one
of those playersto make an
impact on the court.
That’s the foundation of
this attempt to identify the
most interesting NBA players
for the upcoming season. We
all know stars like LeBron
James, Kawhi Leonard, Steph
Curry and James Harden will
make a huge impact for their
teams (and many are definite-
ly interesting dudes off the
floor). That’s obvious and it’s
obvious why we love watch-
ing them. This list is an at-
tempt to zero in on the players
who aren’t so obvious right
now and who will impact the
season in not-so-obvious
ways.
There are big names on this
list; any discussion of inter-
esting players will inevitably
have to include some big
names. However, their effects
will be seen and felt in subtler
ways on the court and in the
locker room — and perhaps
not until the playoffs roll
around in the spring.
There are promising young
players on the list, too, none
with a boatload of hype but all
with high expectations of pro-
gress. There are players at all
points in between, but they all
have the type of game, style or
personality that makes the
NBA so much fun to follow
over a long season.Stars (and near-stars)
who could swing the titleBen Simmons, Sixers:Can
he develop a jump shot? Does
he need to develop a jump
shot, at least right now? Sim-25 NBAplayersnot toforgetMatt Eppers
USA TODAYSee NBA, Page 2CEVERY MONDAY7 & 7 :30PM EDTPROUDLY SPONSORED BY:Times and dates
subject to change.
Please check
your local listings.For more information, visit http://www.stihltimbersports.com