Francona wants vets to ignore ABS

Reds manager Terry Francona says he’s told players not to use the experimental Automated Ball-Strike System in spring training. Francona told The Athletic he’s OK with younger players challenging calls via the ABS, which has been in use in the minors. But he figures there’s little point for veterans since the system won’t be in effect in the majors during this coming regular season. “Why work on a strategy we’re not going to use?” Francona said. “It just muddies the waters.” The computerized system is being tested during major league spring training exhibition games after four years of experiments in the minors. Starting last year, MLB focused testing on a challenge system in which the human umpire makes each original call. Data from the spring training test could cause MLB to make alterations to the system for Triple-A games this year. Francona sounds more interested in preparing the Reds for the season — his first as their manager — than helping add more data in an ABS test run. “I don’t want to make a farce of anything, but we’re here getting ready for a season and that’s not helping us get ready,” he said.

Shiffrin finishes outside the top 30

Mikaela Shiffrin is not yet competitive in her tentative return to racing in giant slaloms. Federica Brignone is currently close to unbeatable. In just her second GS race Saturday three months after a serious crash, Shiffrin did not qualify for a second run for the first time since 2012 by placing outside the top 30. Shiffrin finished 2.50 seconds off the first-run lead set by Alice Robinson with more than 30 faster racers ahead of her who advance to the second run in the afternoon. Shiffrin had finished 25th in Brignone’s win Friday in her first giant slalom since suffering severe trauma to her oblique muscles and a deep puncture wound during a GS crash in November when she was within sight of a 100th career win. Brignone made it back-to-back wins on home snow Saturday, nine days after taking gold in giant slalom at the world championships. The 34-year-old Italian was exceptional in the second run to extend her lead in the overall World Cup standings in pursuit of a second career title. “I felt the crowd all over the slope cheering for me. It was an incredible feeling,” Brignone said.

Manchester United rallies to draw

Manchester United rallied from two goals down before benefitting from a last-gasp video-review call to draw 2-2 at Everton in the Premier League on Saturday. Uruguay midfielder Manuel Ugarte grabbed the 80th-minute equalizer for United with his first goal at club level in four years, eight minutes after Bruno Fernandes, pictured, started the visitors’ fightback at Goodison Park by curling in a free kick. United had been on course to slip to a third straight loss — and ninth defeat in 15 league matches since Ruben Amorim took charge in November — after first-half goals by Beto and Abdoulaye Doucoure for resurgent Everton. There was a late scare for United when Everton was awarded a penalty for what appeared to be a foul by Harry Maguire on Ashley Young, who fell to the ground dramatically under pressure from Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt in the third minute of stoppage time. Following a video review, on-field referee Andrew Madley was advised to view the incident again on the pitchside monitor and changed his initial decision. “I think it was a soft penalty, it was clear,” Amorim said. —AP