DUDLEY, England -- Troubled former England player Paul Gascoigne has pleaded guilty to a racially aggravated public order offense and has been fined.The ex-Tottenham and Lazio midfielder admitted used threatening or abusive words or behavior toward a black security guard in November at his stage show, An Evening with Gazza, in Wolverhampton, central England.The 49-year-old Gascoignes guilty plea came ahead of a trial at Dudley Magistrates Court which was due to start on Monday.Once one of Englands most talented players, Gascoigne has faced years of alcohol and mental health problems.Gascoigne was fined 1,000 pounds ($1,300) after his guilty plea.District Judge Graham Wilkinson told the retired star: You sought to get a laugh from an audience of over 1,000 people because of the colour of Mr Rowes skin.It is not acceptable to laugh words like this off as some form of joke, the judge said. Michy Batshuayi Belgium Jersey . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. Toby Alderweireld Jersey . Pierce was ejected in the third quarter of Indianas 103-86 win Monday. George Hill stole a bad pass and was going in for a layup, and Pierce hustled back and appeared to be trying to wrap him up. http://www.belgiumsoccerpro.com/Leander-Dendoncker-Belgium-Jersey/ . -- Playing time has been limited for Maxim Tissot this season, so the Montreal Impact defender made the most of his first scoring opportunity on Saturday. Toby Alderweireld Belgium Jersey . Peter Gammons, an analyst for Major League Baseballs network and website, drew the ire of hockey fans on Sunday when he criticized the two NHL teams on Twitter for their physical game the night before. Thomas Meunier Jersey . Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists. If what they say is true and everybody loves an underdog, 2016 will be remembered as one of the best years in the almanacs of sport.From the unheralded Danny Willett taking out the US Masters title to 5000 to 1 shot Leicester City winning the English Premier League, it has been a great year to be an outsider.Are the Cronulla Sharks also about to follow suit and write the next chapter in a growing collection of sporting fairy tales?Cronulla, for decades, have provided more punchlines than punch in the NRL but as they celebrate their 50th year they are circling a maiden rugby league premiership.Just two years ago, Cronulla claimed the wooden spoon after becoming embroiled in a supplements scandal that disrupted their season and threatened the clubs existence; how times have changed.When UBET tabled their first market for season 2016, the Sharks were quoted at a generous $17 to break the drought.They firmed into $11 ahead of the season opener but the initial odds appeared more than justified after two defeats in the first three rounds.Their slow start saw them slump to 10th on the NRL ladder, their premiership odds ease back out to $13 and left their long-suffering fans feeling as empty as their trophy cabinet.Fast-forward to round 20, and Cronulla are closing on their first minor premiership since 1999 with hope growing as fast as the odds are shortening that this could finally be their year. They are now $4.25 second-favouritess with UBET.dddddddddddd?Since their 22-12 loss to Manly in mid-March, they have gone on a 14-match unbeaten run and, as each round passes, interest in the Sharks has steadily increased from a nibble into a frenzy.?They are almost unbackable this Sunday to equal the fifth-best mark set by Souths, Manly and Melbourne with 15 straight victories when they take on the bottom-placed Newcastle.The Roosters team of 1975 hold the longest winning streak with 19 matches, but UBET rate the Sharks of 2016 as a genuine chance of breaking that record -- quoting $13 for them to reach 21 by the end of the regular season.And their draw looks favourable with winnable games in the following rounds until the week before the finals, when they will run into fellow premiership contenders Melbourne.?If Cronulla manage to clear that obstacle then the focus will shift to an inconceivable 24 straight wins through the finals; achieve that and nobody could deny them their first ever premiership triumph.ESPN columnist Brett Kimmorley is already a believer; hes predicted his former club will keep the run going, and rubbished the theory that they need to lose a game before the finals.Winning form is good form, Kimmorley said.They havent been at their best lately but theyve still found ways to win which is important in the finals. ' ' '