edy the issue, either via trade or free agency.

Leicester kick-started their European Champions Cup campaign and continued an impressive Welford Road record against French opposition by beating last seasons runners-up Racing 92.The Tigers knew they had to roar following a 42-13 drubbing by Pool One rivals Glasgow nine days ago - or face having their quarter-final hopes hanging by a thread.And even though it was far from pretty, they delivered after flanker Brendon OConnor scored an early try, before two Owen Williams penalties and then 16 points from second-half substitute Freddie Burns saw Leicester home 27-17.Burns booted three penalties, then he claimed a 70-metre interception try after collecting Maxime Machenauds pass to Chris Masoe, before converting the clincher as Leicester avenged a Champions Cup semi-final loss to Racing six months ago.New Zealand superstar Dan Carter scored 12 of Racings points through a try, two conversions and a penalty, while wing Juan Imhoff touched down five minutes from time, yet the reigning Top 14 champions never got going as Leicester made it 15 games unbeaten against French opponents at Welford Road since Biarritz beat them in January 2005.The Tigers have still got it all to do in a group that also includes Munster, and their December back-to-back meetings with the Irish province could prove pivotal.It was not all trouble-free for Leicester though, and there was a long delay near the end when full-back Telusa Veainu went down injured following an attempted tackle on Racing lock Francois van der Merwe before being carried off.Leicester handed a home debut to Australia Test centre Matt Toomua, while prop Marcos Ayerza and lock Ed Slater returned up-front. South Africa international wing JP Pietersen also made the starting line-up after missing the Tigers last three games.Carter, Imhoff and Joe Rokocoko all featured for Racing, whose scheduled opening Champions Cup game against Munster in Paris last weekend was postponed following the death of Munster head coach Anthony Foley.The trio were cleared of anti-doping breaches by the French Rugby Federation earlier this week after tests conducted following the Top 14 final victory over Toulon in Barcelona four months ago.But Carter had barely touched the ball before Leicester struck in impressive fashion with a fourth-minute try after securing close-range lineout possession and then shipping the ball wide, patiently going through-phase play before scrum-half Ben Youngs found an unmarked OConnor, who touched down wide out.Carter then opened Racings account through an eighth-minute penalty following an infringement by Leicester lock Dom Barrow, whose afternoon lasted only 10 more minutes before he went off following a clash of heads with his team-mate Dan Cole.Racing had their moments in attack, but were flustered by a combination of poor handling and aggressive Leicester defence, and the Tigers punished them through two Williams penalties during the second quarter, although not before Toomua departed injured.The games scrappy nature did not worry Leicester, with the result far outweighing performance following their capitulation at Glasgow nine days ago, but they allowed Racing back in by conceding a soft try just nine minutes after the restart.Carter scored it, courtesy of throwing two dummy passes and executing a hand-off on Youngs, yet Leicester were guilty of wafer-thin defending as they allowed the World Cup winner a ludicrously easy run.Carters conversion cut the deficit to a point, but then it became the Burns show as he kicked two penalties and converted his try for 13 points in six minutes, and Racing were finished, despite a late Imhoff touchdown that Carter converted, before Burns 77th-minute penalty sealed the deal. Gary Trent Jr. Jersey . While hell be dialed in to that tournament on a course he loves, you can forgive him if his eyes glance down the calendar just a bit, towards April. Terry Porter Jersey .05 million next season unless Graham and the Saints subsequently agree on a long-term deal. The designation was released Monday after the deadline passed for NFL teams to use franchise or transition tags on players becoming free agents. http://www.blazersteamofficial.com/Clyde-Drexler-Blazers-Jersey/ .25 million option on reliever Jose Veras. Anfernee Simons Jersey . After a lengthy wait, persistent rain finally forced the postponement of the Nationals game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday night. The teams, and a few thousand fans, waited nearly four hours from the 7:05 scheduled start time before an announcement was made shortly before 11 p. Brandon Roy Jersey . Tests earlier this week revealed a Grade 2 left hamstring strain for Sabathia, who was hurt in last Fridays start against San Francisco. Its an injury that will require about eight weeks to heal. He finished a disappointing campaign just 14-13 with a career-worst 4. The San Francisco Giants know whats not working, so the next step is to fix it.With the bullpen to blame for their postseason demise -- and largely for the teams collapse during the second half of the season -- the Giants realize they need to acquire an established closer for the 2017 season.We will explore every opportunity to make sure no ninth inning goes unstaffed, general manager Bobby Evans told reporters Thursday.?A bullpen that was so good for so long during all the teams title runs failed to hold a 5-2 lead in the ninth inning of the NLDS against the Chicago Cubs, with five relievers unable to end it. Manager Bruce Bochy never turned to demoted closer Santiago Casilla, and Sergio Romo couldnt finish off the Cubs.That result will cost the Giants, who led the NL West by as many as eight games this season, as management vowed to remedy the issue, either via trade or free agency. Among the closers eligible to hit the open market after this season: Mark Melancon, Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen.The Giants had llooked into acquiring Melancon, Chapman and Andrew Miller prior to the trade deadline this season, but came up empty on all fronts.ddddddddddddWe have every commitment for 2017 to return to a championship-caliber club, Giants CEO Larry Baer said. Resources will be expended as necessary to get us there.In addition, San Francisco will almost certainly go forward with new faces -- Derek Law, Steven Okert, Will Smith -- as the young relievers move into roles with greater responsibility in the later innings.Weve got to do everything we can to be clear on who is finishing our games, Evans said. The bullpen performs at a much higher level when you know who the ninth-inning guy is. It puts everybody at ease. It helps Boch as he defines roles. Ambiguity creates tension and unknowns that can ... detract to performance and ultimately lead to struggles.The Associated Press contributed to this report. ' ' '