With a new manager at the helm, the Giants are set to make big changes for the 2024 season. Here are the potential signings that could bolster the team's roster for a World Series run.

Wales captain Aaron Ramsey is to return to boyhood club Cardiff on a two-year contract...

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff suggested marshals had turned the Monaco Grand Prix into a circus act following their unusual removal of Lewis Hamilton’s car. Hamilton crashed out of final practice on Saturday after he lost control of his Mercedes under braking at Mirabeau. Hamilton’s stricken machine was hoisted high into the air by a crane, allowing photographers to capture the underbelly of the seven-time world champion’s upgraded machine. The car’s floor is a heavily guarded secret in Formula One, but Mercedes’ new design – which broke cover for the first time here in the principality – was put on show for their rivals to see. “Whoever performed the crane has probably worked for Cirque du Soleil before,” said Wolff. “Honestly, that I don’t even comprehend. The car was on the road. You could have put it on a truck. You’re showcasing a car to everyone in the world. That was suboptimal for us, to say the least.” Wolff added: “We should not thrash the stewards. Everybody is doing their best and I don’t want to be a team principal that lashes out at stewards who are doing their job.” After giving up on this season’s car on the eve of the opening race in Bahrain, Mercedes have spent the ensuing dozen weeks working on a new design philosophy. The Silver Arrows have abandoned their controversial zero-sidepod concept and introduced a new front suspension, new floor and cooling system in a drastic change of development on a car which has contributed to the longest losing streak of Hamilton’s career. Mercedes are keen not to draw too many conclusions at this week’s unique Monte Carlo configuration – and believe the following round at the well-trodden Circuit de Catalunya venue on the outskirts of Barcelona will present them with a better understanding of where they stand. Hamilton starts fifth on Sunday following Charles Leclerc’s three-place grid penalty. George Russell lines up eighth in the other Mercedes. “This car is a son of a gun,” said Hamilton. “I was pushing so hard and overdriving which is the worst place to be. “If I underdrive, or I drive the car to its limit, we might not get into the top 10. But the upgrades were good this weekend, so I’m grateful for those.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Fernando Alonso ready to pounce if Max Verstappen makes a slow start in Monaco Max Verstappen fends off Fernando Alonso to take pole position in Monaco Lewis Hamilton: Racist abuse of Vinicius Junior really hits home for me

An LGBTQ+ activist from Qatar says “people need to be worried” about Sheikh Jassim’s bid to buy Manchester United. Dr Nasser Mohamed, who now lives in San Francisco in the United States, sees the efforts to acquire United as part of a “pattern” of purchases by individuals or funds connected to Qatar, and says global brands in multiple sectors are “surrendering control to an authoritarian regime”. Sheikh Jassim made an improved fourth bid to buy 100 per cent of the club and clear United’s debts on Tuesday but faces competition from chemicals billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Sources close to Sheikh Jassim have repeatedly insisted he is bidding alone as a private individual, without any direct or indirect support from the Qatari state or any of the country’s sovereign wealth funds. Many United fans appear to see Sheikh Jassim’s bid as preferable, amid reports Ratcliffe’s bid would be structured to allow current co-owners Avram and Joel Glazer to maintain a minority stake. But Dr Mohamed, whose Alwan Foundation seeks to advocate on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community across the Middle East, told the PA news agency: “The sad reality is that everybody has a price. “People need to be worried. Surrendering control to an authoritarian regime, giving them more and more with the money that they have… (Qatar) is doing this everywhere. By controlling a big team like (United), they will continue to grow in their influence and their voice and their presence. Dr Nasser Mohamed “They’re doing it through real estate. They’re doing it in fashion, they’re doing it in sports, they’re doing it in tech, and they’re gaining control. And you really need to be worried. “It’s the same pattern, right? It’s establishing dominance and having influence over people. And by controlling a big team like (United), they will continue to grow in their influence and their voice and their presence. “As a global community, should we let people with money basically do what they want to unchecked, with nobody stopping them? “Can anybody stop them from doing anything? People want oil and gas from the region and that is impacting our ability to push back on it. “There are people with this insane amount of power that can just go in and do whatever they want, and nobody can stop them.” Even if the Premier League did establish there was state involvement or control of United, it is unclear if new rules around human rights in the league’s owners’ and directors’ test would be a barrier, because Qatar and members of its government are not the subject of human rights sanctions from the UK government. Dr Mohamed says conditions in Qatar for its LGBTQ+ community have returned to how they were prior to the World Cup. Dr Mohamed, who says he is directly in contact via social media with more than 100 members of the community, spoke prior to the World Cup about the persecution he alleges the community faced from the country’s Preventive Security Department, including detention, beatings and forced conversion therapy. He said there had been a period of calm in the two months immediately after the World Cup, but said shortly before the start of Ramadan in March “the crazies came back out”. “Arrests happened again, another round of them,” he added. “And the intrusive searches in the airports, the hunting, all of the things that they were doing (before the World Cup) are back again as of a month and a half ago.” The Qatar government said in October last year that claims of mistreatment of the LGBTQ+ community contained in a report by Human Rights Watch were “unequivocally false” and that the country “does not tolerate discrimination against anyone”. He also criticised the countries involved in the OneLove campaign during the World Cup for failing to offer practical support to the Alwan Foundation, which recently was able to provide a scholarship for a transgender person from Qatar who has resettled in England. FIFA threatened the seven European nations involved, including England and Wales, with sanctions starting at a yellow card for their captains if the rainbow-coloured armbands were worn. Germany’s players covered their mouths in a team photograph prior to their match against Japan, with their coach Hansi Flick saying they had wanted to convey the message that FIFA was silencing them. “I did meet the presidents of the FAs who were going to wear the OneLove armband. I gave them an hour’s talk about driving change. They were like, ‘cool, that’s good to know’ – and they just walked away,” Dr Mohamed said. “You have the Germany team, they made the whole gesture – they didn’t put a single dollar towards the cause. Why are you making a scene? What’s the point? “If you’re going to speak about an issue that’s difficult, let’s be solution-oriented. Let’s not just be provocative for the sake of being provocative. You know, like that just is not helpful.” The Football Association declined to comment. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Michael Vaughan to return to BBC cricket coverage this summer Manchester United could be without Marcus Rashford for Bournemouth game Sam Allardyce wants positive Patrick Bamford response to social media threats

Hannah Wilkinson scored the only goal as co-hosts New Zealand recorded a historic 1-0 victory over Norway in the opening game of the...

Although the Minnesota Vikings are still seeking that elusive Lombardi Trophy, this franchise has given the league some great teams and tremendous players.

A busy summer transfer window saw one of the biggest names in the Women’s Super League switch sides, while a Japanese World Cup standout is set to play English top-flight football for the first time. Here, we pick five players to look out for in the WSL as the new campaign gets under way. Alessia Russo (Arsenal) Arsenal tried and failed – with a rumoured world-record bid – to reach an agreement with Manchester United to sign England forward Russo during the January transfer window, but the Gunners finally landed their coveted target on a free transfer in July. Russo hit 10 goals in the WSL last season as United finished runners-up to champions Chelsea and was boss Sarina Wiegman’s first-choice centre forward for the World Cup, where she netted three times for the runners-up. With Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema also set for imminent returns from their respective anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, head coach Jonas Eidevall will boast an intimidating wealth of options in attack. Hinata Miyazawa (Manchester United) While Brazil international Geyse, a Champions League winner last season with Barcelona, will likely be seen as the most direct replacement for Russo, boss Marc Skinner will also be buoyed by the arrival of Japan international Miyazawa from WE League side MyNavi Sendai. Versatile Miyazawa’s five goals in four games at the World Cup were good enough to secure her the tournament’s Golden Boot, and her breakthrough performance also landed the 23-year-old nominations for both the Ballon d’Or and FIFA Best Women’s Player of 2023. With United playing more matches this season after securing a Champions League berth for the first time, Miyazawa adds pivotal depth to Skinner’s squad. Mary Fowler (Manchester City) While Fowler is not a new face at Manchester City, where she signed a four-year deal last June, the forward may find herself under a much brighter spotlight this season after helping Australia reach a first-ever semi-final in a Women’s World Cup. Fowler was instrumental in ensuring the Matildas secured safe passage out of the group stage even without prolific striker and skipper Sam Kerr, who returned for the knockouts following a calf injury. The 20-year-old netted in Australia’s 4-0 group stage victory over Canada, teed up Caitlin Foord with a brilliant through ball in her side’s last-16 victory over Denmark and scored a perfect penalty against France in a nervy quarter-final shootout – the longest in Women’s World Cup history – to solidify her status as one to watch. Catarina Macario (Chelsea) Macario became one of the many victims of the ACL injury crisis plaguing women’s football whilst playing for Lyon in June 2022 and has yet to return to action – but that did not stop WSL title-holders Chelsea from signing the 23-year-old to a three-year deal in July. Though still in the early stages of her career, the American forward, who joins the Blues after two seasons with Lyon, has already accomplished something her decorated new boss Emma Hayes has not: winning a Champions League trophy. Macario, who can play as a central striker or an attacking midfielder, scored 23 goals in 33 games for Lyon in 2021/22 and could prove a key component of Hayes’ European plans once deemed fit to return. Daphne van Domselaar (Aston Villa) Aston Villa boss Carla Ward was in search of a new goalkeeper after former first choice Hannah Hampton, whose contract had expired, also joined Hayes’ ranks over the summer. Villa, who finished fifth last season, have signalled their intent to take on the league’s top sides with a busy transfer window and were delighted after beating big European challengers to secure the services of Netherlands goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar from FC Twente for the next three years. The three-time Eredivisie Vrouwen winner, who joins Villa from FC Twente, was also the Netherlands’ first-choice shot-stopper at the World Cup. Read More Can anyone stop dominant Chelsea? – WSL talking points ahead of new season Aston Villa women ‘dreading’ WSL opener due to ‘wet kit’ design error Women’s football sees ‘wild’ record transfer spending ahead of new WSL season Changes on and off the pitch as a new era approaches for Women’s Super League Jose Mourinho ruing ‘worst start’ of his career after Roma thrashed 4-1 at Genoa Barcelona and Spanish refereeing committee under investigation for ‘active bribery’

The Miami Marlins claimed left-handed reliever Matt Moore off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians to solidify their bullpen for the last 10 days of the regular season

Kansas remained at No. 1 in the first Associated Press men's college basketball poll of the season

Spanish Formula One great Fernando Alonso and his compatriot Carlos Sainz said on Thursday they remain close friends despite the former's Aston Martin car being more competitive...

The Chargers are trading cornerback J

Justin Fields threw touchdown passes to prized newcomer DJ Moore and Khalil Herbert on Chicago’s first two possessions, then watched as the Bears beat the Tennessee Titans 23-17 in the preseason opener