The Pistons fired Maurice Cheeks on Sunday after less than a year as coach, with his team languishing 21-29 despite offseason moves aimed at putting the struggling franchise back in contention. Although the Pistons still have a decent chance to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, their new roster has performed erratically. "This was a difficult decision for the organization to make but we needed to make a change," team president Joe Dumars said in a statement....

1. Jamal Mashburn, Kentucky (1990-93) At his peak: 21.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 49.2 FG percentage As much as it was necessary to have “Unforgettables” for teammates, Mashburn was the foundation on which Pitino built the Kentucky revival. He was a phenomenal college player capable of functioning — and excelling — at all three frontcourt positions. His talent made possible Kentucky’s program-changing run to the 1992 Elite Eight; he scored 30 points in the Sweet 16 game against John Calipari’s Massachusetts squad and 28 in the legendary East Region final against Duke....

Brown had disrespected his coach by declining to devote a few seconds of attention to Mike Tomlin’s locker-room remarks following the Steelers’ 18-16 AFC playoff victory Sunday at Kansas City, and embarrassed Tomlin by airing publicly his language in that setting through a Facebook Live chat. This is why Tomlin used several harsh terms (selfish, inconsiderate, foolish) to describe Brown’s actions and said he would face internal punishment. That ought to be the end of all this as the team approaches the AFC Championship Game on Sunday in New England, but given the operatic suffering some Steelers fans exhibit over the unsportsmanlike conduct penalties Brown has received for touchdown celebrations, we can expect it will not....

Giuseppe Badalamenti, a consultant and owner of small business Chicago Pizza Boss, published a picture he claimed was of a Grubhub invoice earlier this week that appeared to show just that, indicating one restaurant made under $400 from orders totaling $1,000, underscoring the high fees charged by delivery apps and revealing the harsh reality for restaurants. The image featured an order summary for March, indicating the app took hundreds of dollars in commission, fees and promotional costs from the unnamed outlet....

Pirlo loves MLS style Massimiliano Allegri’s men were beaten 2-1 by Inter on matchday three, but are nonetheless already sitting in pole position to successfully defend the title. Juve holds a four-point lead over second-placed Napoli, but Pjanic is taking nothing for granted. “The most consistent team will win the Scudetto. We have a huge desire to bring home the sixth title in a row. But we all know it will not be easy,” Pjanic told La Gazzetta dello Sport....

An OSC disclosure of wrongdoing, released on Tuesday, detailed the alleged misconduct. The information in the OSC report adds to scrutiny facing the Federal Aviation Administration over the crashes of two Boeing 737 MAX planes, which caused the deaths of 346 people and led to the grounding of the plane. The OSC said that the FAA’s independent Office of Audit and Evaluation, which looks at whistleblower allegations, found 16 of 22 safety inspectors did not complete their formal training....

Many of the Dutch government’s critics would agree, only they’re not smiling. The Netherlands’ social liberalism–what a conservative columnist in Boston called “the Dutch Disease”–is often portrayed as radical, weird, just short of demented. It’s not just a matter of marijuana. Prostitution–long and famously tolerated in the country’s red-light districts–has just been fully legalized, complete with value-added tax on services rendered. This year the Netherlands became the first country in the world to give same-sex marriages a status identical with heterosexual unions, and its Parliament made “mercy killing” the law of the land....

Yet the lawyers unveiled enough tantalizing goodies to ensure that O.J. II isn’t going to be a total rehash. The lawyers representing the Brown and Goldman families made it clear they didn’t feel bound by the prosecution’s failed strategy. Their plan: offer new evidence and use Simpson’s own words and actions–in his statement to police, in his suicide letter and in his Bronco chase–to nail him for the double murders....

MORE: Week 9 bowl projections Here’s the conference by conference breakdown of where things stand heading into Week 9. ACC Top contenders: No. 3 Clemson, No. 5 Louisville What we learned: Louisville is back in form. Shaking off a sluggish performance against Duke a week ago, the Cardinals blew the doors off NC State 54-13. The electrifying Lamar Jackson has accounted for 34 touchdowns this season. Jackson is the clear frontrunner for the Heisman....

This week, we’ll find a couple volume bargains on running back so we can splurge at quarterback and receiver. When Antonio Brown’s at $8,100, you click Antonio Brown. PLAYOFF DFS:FanDuel GPP lineup | FD cash | DK GPP | Values | Stacks | Lineup Builder Divisional Round DraftKings Picks: Lineup, advice for playoff NFL DFS cash games QB Tom Brady, NE vs. TEN ($7,000): Paying up for volume-boosted floor as no quarterback threw more passes during the regular season....

As a result, pre-orders everywhere sold out in minutes, while launch day saw retail websites crash as so many people tried to get on and buy any stock which hadn’t been pre-ordered. Many people were disappointed as launch day stock sold out almost instantly as well, but there is still hope that new stock will arrive before the end of the year. This always leaves FIFA fans in a bind as they wait to get their hands on the new console before playing next-generation FIFA 21....

Spurs head into their mouth-watering Premier League clash against leaders Chelsea at White Hart Lane on Wednesday in fine form, having won their last four games with eight goals scored in the last two alone. Alli has been key to Tottenham’s fine run of performances over the festive period, scoring four of those strikes against Southampton and Watford in the space of four days. Guardiola: Man City are TEN years behind Man Utd...

Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez scored stunners to leave the Foxes two goals to the good by half-time and, despite Harry Kane scoring as part of a late onslaught from the visitors, Spurs fell to a first Premier League defeat at the King Power Stadium. Spurs 4/5 to beat Watford Tottenham have now lost three consecutive league games for the first time since March 2014 and boss Pochettino has noticed a worrying trend in matches....

Griezmann has been shortlisted in the final three of FIFA’s newly-created The Best award alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi after a wonderful 12 months in which he starred for club and country. RUMOURS: Man Utd open Griezmann talks Having scored 32 goals for Atletico over the course of the 2015-16 campaign, he netted another six to land the Golden Boot at Euro 2016 as hosts France reached the final....

The France international midfielder was a late withdrawal from the Red Devils fold to face Liverpool in Premier League competition on Saturday. A knock picked up in training kept him out of that match, although United were able to pick up a 2-1 victory in his absence. It is now possible that will also miss a crucial European fixture on Tuesday, with Jose Mourinho in the process of finalising his plans for the second leg of a last-16 showdown with Sevilla....

Pogba’s performances for United had been the subject of great scrutiny due to his seemingly deteriorating relationship with Mourinho prior to the Portuguese’s exit on December 18. The pair often seemed to be at loggerheads, with Mourinho saying Pogba would not be captain again under him at United earlier in the season, while the midfielder was dropped towards the end of the coach’s tenure. Pogba was left on the bench for Mourinho’s final game, a 3-1 defeat at Liverpool, while he was also kept out of the starting XI for Premier League fixtures against Arsenal and Fulham....

There’s a lot going on in the world of Pokémon Go right now. The Pokémon World Championship event runs through Tuesday, August 23, at 8 PM (local time). During this time, players get three opportunities to participate in a Pokémon Go Twitch code giveaway, which will grant them the special Team Building research quest. Additionally, there will be two Go Battle League bonuses running concurrently alongside the event. One bonus lets you play in up to 10 Go Battle League matches, and the other bonus will net you three Stardust items when you win....

The best Pokémon players from around the world converge in the nation’s capital to prove they are the very best like no one ever was. Starting Friday, August 16 through Sunday, August 18, competitors from over 45 countries will battle it out to determine who the best Pokémon TCG, Pokémon VGC and Pokken Tournament players are. Pokémon Go fans will also want to check out the first Pokémon Go Invitational taking place on Day 1 of the World Championships....

According to a report from the Associated Press (AP), Duda said Poland’s officials did not know for sure who fired the missile, but that it “most probably” came from Russia. “We are acting with calm,” Duda said, according to the report. “This is a difficult situation.” Poland, along with officials from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), have approached the situation with caution and have not yet stated whether they believe the missile was a misfire or deliberate attack from Russia....

This is after Chiefs recorded their second PSL defeat of the season when they lost 2-1 to Baroka FC at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. As a result, pressure mounted on Komphela, who is yet to win a major trophy with Amakhosi since being appointed in June, 2015. The former Bafana Bafana defender was escorted out of the stadium by security personnel after the game as Chiefs fans became restless and started chanting ‘Steve Must Go’....