There are people out there, who, right now, are scared for their life. They’re scared that life as they know it will be forever changed – forever, and organically altered. Not just the common, average, everyday worries – they are faced with a seizure of fear – every day – each morning, among the first moments after they awake.
Maybe you are one of these. Maybe so am I.
But we have so much to feel good about – this is the good life, we’re livin’ – and it just gets better, honey!
Or does it?
Please stay with me.
Right about now, I suspect, some of you may be wondering…
What does that have to do with sports? And others of my readership may already be complaining…
“But, we want our sports – let’s hear about sports!!!!! – we’re supposed to be talking about sports – so, tell us something about sports!! What does any of that other bit have to do with sports!??!!”
Which is why I ask, as politely as this format will allow – for you to please stay with me…
Back to those paralyzed by fear…
Have you ever thought about courage? And what courage is? And what about freedom? Do you feel like you have your freedom? Does everyone have freedom in the same dosage? And what is the opposite of freedom? Is it bondage? To which I would say, perhaps, but also…the opposite of freedom is – fear.
Think about that. Debate it if you’d like. But think about it – and puzzle it out…
While you are, let me dip back to courage – you see…
Courage is the passport, when your old world disappears.
Courage is not the absence of fear – no, rather, courage is the mastery of fear.
So why should anybody be afraid for their life? Or, that their lives would be organically changed?
Ahh, my dear reader – deep down you know – that this we cannot truly understand unless and until we’ve walked for awhile – in someone else’s sneakers.
“So what’s the point of all this?,” you may be asking. And some of you may be saying – “Alright, already! We’ve been patient – now give us our sports!!! What does any of that – courage…freedom…and fear…what does any of that – have to do with sports!?!?!?!?!?”
Well, in a word…escape. A way out. A way to see – a way out. A way to find – a way out. A breath – but not just any breath, no – a breath for oxygen-depleted, -deprived lungs. Like that first breath – when you come up for air.
Yippee-ki-yay! Wow! There it is – ok. So – let’s go with that…Sports! Sports! Sports!!
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!?!? So, like, who cares if the tail is wagging the dog?
Huh!?!
Now get this –
Sports are not life. Even if sports are your life, sports are not life. Sports are important – but there are a host of things that are more important than sports. Even in the business of sports, there are a ton of things more important than sports.
Why do you think there are so many people in the world who don’t even care about sports? They actually have disdain for sports. Ohh, wow! Yeah? Can we even contemplate such a thing?
Right, I know – I promise – I’m not like, a crazy person. But like, crazy people are ok, yeah? We even admire crazy people, right? Like, even if they’re insane? Wait. Insane? Or, insane! Like, one of those words that can mean both good and bad…
Huh!?!
See, here’s the deal…
What sports, recreation, and leisure DO give us – are the very gifts that keep us alive…
Escape, which we said. But also – freedom from…whatever. Respectability. Control. A place among friends. Happiness. Empowerment. Freedom to…whatever. Satisfaction. Identity. Relief. Competence…and/or…a context to socialize…
All these – and more – through sports, and coming in different and varied dosages – each to her or his own individual cocktail of inevitability and purpose.
You see now? Sports are not life – they are, or can be, enjoyably – a reflection of life…
And they make life better…yet – sports, recreation, and leisure are probably most responsible for showing us visibly, and reminding us, daily – that we are…a long way from where we’ve been, and, at the same time…a long way from where we need to be.
By Dr. Rodney J. Blackman
Dr. Rodney J. Blackman is the Chair of Recreation Management at the United States Sports Academy, and can be reached at [email protected].
American football player turned long jumper Marquise Goodwin has vowed to continue competing in the National Football League (NFL) after being handed a one-year suspension by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for not updating his whereabouts information. Photo: CHARLIE RIEDEL / AP
American football player turned long jumper Marquise Goodwin has vowed to continue competing in the National Football League (NFL) after being handed a one-year suspension by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for not updating his whereabouts information.
Goodwin, the 2008 world junior long jump champion who also finished 10th at the London 2012 Olympics before winning Pan American Games silver in Toronto in 2015, accrued three whereabouts failures over a 12-month period.
This included one missed test as well as two cases of failing to process quarterly whereabouts date by the specified deadline.
“Goodwin’s one-year period of ineligibility began on April 1, 2017, the date of his third whereabouts failure in a 12-month period,” USADA said in a statement.
“As a result of the violation, Goodwin has been disqualified from all competitive results achieved on and subsequent to April 1, 2017, including forfeiture of any medals, points, and prizes.”
The long jumper has juggled his athletics exploits with his main career as a wide receiver in the NFL.
He spent three years with the Buffalo Bills before switching to the San Francisco 49ers for the 2017 season.
However, the 26-year-old claims that he “discontinued all practices associated with competing in track and field” after missing out on a spot in the United States team for the Rio Olympic Games last year.
He thus claims that the suspension is more due to a clerical error meaning that he has not been removed from the whereabouts pool.
This will not affect his NFL career as it is not a signatory of USADA.
“Never in my life have I failed a test,” Goodwin said in a statement released by the 49ers.
“I have never been opposed to testing and, in fact, have always been compliant with each and every protocol and policy associated with my competitive career in track and field.
“More than a year ago, I decided to cease competing in the sport in order to concentrate 100 per cent on my NFL career.
“Therefore, I discontinued all practices associated with competing in track and field, including submitting my whereabouts information.
“It appears that because I did not inform USADA of my plans, my name was inadvertently included in their 2017 testing pool.
“I greatly appreciate the support of the San Francisco 49ers and the NFL as I work to clarify this matter.”
The San Francisco 49ers have also claimed that they had been told by Goodwin that he had given up his athletics career to focus upon American football.
They claimed that, after discussion with the NFL, they will take no disciplinary action under the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances.
Brazil and Croatia match at the FIFA World Cup 2014-06-12. By Agência Brasil, via Wikimedia Commons
Given the state of the world, it is probably a wise thing that North America’s bid for the 2026 soccer World Cup is a three way partnership between the United States, Canada and Mexico. It has been common wisdom that the three countries would get the 2026 event with no opposition but there is now a late entry into the race: Morocco. The North African country has bid for the event before but it seems highly unlikely that soccer’s governing body will do more than say thank you for being on our show and please enjoy your parting gifts maybe try again in 2030.
Canada, Mexico and the United States have decided to bid together for the 2026 soccer World Cup, which economically makes an awful lot of sense. The World Cup needs as many as 12 different sites but Qatar is only building eight for the 2022 event. The US can easily offer East Rutherford, NJ, Los Angeles, Houston, Washington, Arlington, Texas and other places. Canada has facilities in Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto. Mexico can suggest Mexico City, Monterey and Tijuana just down the road from San Diego.
The soccer federations of the three countries think they can co-exist and by 2026, there will be another person sitting in the Oval Office. It is not exactly a state secret that the Trump Administration has major disagreements with Mexico along with various soccer federations around the world because of immigration policies. FIFA plans to award the 2026 World Cup to the top bidder in 2020. Cities and countries are shying away from bidding on the mega world events like the Commonwealth Games, World Cup and the Olympics. Boston, Hamburg, Rome, Budapest and Toronto didn’t want the 2024 Summer Olympics, a canton in Switzerland voted against holding the 2022 and 2026 Winter Olympics. The North America plan is less costly. Event expenditures have become a major sports issue.
Maria Sharapova of Russia looks back to challenge as call as she plays Nadia Petrova of Russia during their match at the US Open women's singles tennis tournament in New York, September 2, 2012. Photo: REUTERS
Maria Sharapova is expected to make her first Grand Slam appearance in over 18 months after being handed a a wildcard invitation for the US Open today.
The Russian, who completed a 15 month drugs ban in April after a positive test for meldonium, is among seven women handed direct entries into the main draw today.
She will be hoping to match her singles title at the US Open in 2006 and improve upon her haul of five Major titles.
The 30-year-old, who has plummeted to 148th in the world rankings, was denied a wild-card for this year’s French Open.
She then missed the grass court season, including Wimbledon, as she struggled with a thigh injury.
Sharapova has also suffered an injury-plagued start to the hard court season.
She suffered an arm injury during her first-round win over Jennifer Brady in the Stanford Classic earlier this month.
This forced her withdrawal from the Rogers Cup and the Cincinnati Open as a precautionary measure.
“Her suspension under the terms of the tennis anti-doping program was completed and therefore was not one of the factors weighed in our wildcard selection process,” a spokesperson for the United States Tennis Association (USTA) told BBC Sport.
“Consistent with past practice, a wildcard was provided to a past US champion who needed the wildcard for entry into the main draw.
“Previous US Open champions who have received US Open main draw wildcards include Martina Hingis, Lleyton Hewitt, Kim Cljisters and Juan Martin del Potro.
“Additionally, Sharapova has volunteered to speak to young tennis players at the USTA National Campus about the importance of the tennis anti-doping program and the personal responsibility each player has to comply with the program’s requirements.”
The US Open is due to take place in Flushing Meadows from August until September 10.
Other players handed wildcards include young last year’s US Open junior champion Kayla Day and former junior world number one, Taylor Townsend.
A salesman delivers tickets to a sport fan after he bought them at the 2016 Rio Olympics ticket office in Rio de Janeiro Brazil, June 20, 2016. Photo: REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes
Patrick Hickey has criticized Justice Cearbhall Moran’s report into the Olympic Council of Ireland’s (OCI) ticket controversy at Rio 2016 as the document cleared him of any criminal wrongdoing.
Hickey, a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), claims the report contains “significant inaccuracies.”
The 226-page document alleges that there was a “failure by so many principal participants” to cooperate with the inquiry, including Hickey, the IOC and Rio 2016.
Moran’s report also claims there may be “information significant to issues herein of which the inquiry is unaware by reason of the silence of the parties not participating.”
In response, Hickey claimed that he was told not to help with the investigation pending the outcome of Brazilian proceedings against him, launched after he was arrested during the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
The former OCI President has still not been put on trial in Brazil.
The report was also hampered by the fact it could not compel anyone involved to come forward or cooperate.
Despite the allegations against him in the South American country – reportedly including criminal organization, ticket touting, ambush marketing, larceny, money laundering and tax evasion – the 72-year-old has always denied the charges and said he is “looking forward to resuming my international Olympic duties.”
The report was also scathing about the deals between the OCI and THG Sports and claims the agreement with the ticketing company was used to disguise the continuing role of THG.
THG was rejected as the Authorized Ticket Reseller for the OCI by Rio 2016.
Pro10, set up by THG, then took over but their ticket service has been blasted as “unfit for purpose” and was described as “chaotic” in the report.
Moran believes that Hickey was more concerned with the commercial arrangements of the OCI’s deal with THG, owned by Britain’s Marcus Evans, than ensuring that supporters from Ireland wanting to attend the Olympic Games were properly serviced.
“I have read the report of Judge Carroll Moran S.C. and while the report contains significant inaccuracies I am pleased to see my reputation and good name have been cleared in that there is no allegation of criminality or financial impropriety,” Hickey said in a statement sent to insidethegames.
“The report contains significant flaws and inaccurate assumptions.
“Because of the ongoing trial in Brazil now is not the time to address these serious inaccuracies, in time I propose on the proclamation of my innocence to address all issues.
“Regrettably the Moran Inquiry has failed to include the full suite of correspondence between my solicitors and the Moran Inquiry that addressed all of the issues in dispute.”
In a continuation of their bitter dispute, Hickey blames Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Shane Ross for the cost of the report, thought to be $369,000 since the inquiry began in September of last year.
“On the 16th of August 2016 a procedure was agreed as and between the OCI, the Chairman of Sport Ireland and Minister Ross whereby a committee of inquiry comprising representatives to include the Assistant Secretary of the Minister’s Department would be empowered and entitled to look into the subject matter of the remit of the Moran Inquiry,” Hickey said.
“Had this procedure been implemented it would have resulted in substantial saving to the Irish taxpayer, the OCI and other participants in the Moran Inquiry to include myself.
“It is regrettable that the Minister did not bring to the attention of Dail Eireann the procedure he agreed on in or around the 16th of August 2016.”
Hickey was arrested during the Olympic Games on August 17 and is currently at home in Ireland waiting to find out whether he will ever stand trial.
Moran employed forensic lawyers to study the OCI’s accountancy practices and did not find any mismanagement of funds.
The report is critical, however, that a sterling bank account set up with Lloyds Bank before London 2012 continued to be used by the OCI after those Olympic Games.
Hickey is criticized for a number of governance issues, including failing to keep proper records of all meetings of the OCI Executive Committee.
An annual honorarium of $71,000 paid by the OCI to Hickey is also questioned.
“At all times I acted in the best interests of the Olympic Council of Ireland with a view to maximizing revenue for the Olympic Council of Ireland which in turn was channeled into the management of current and future Olympic athletes in Ireland,” said Hickey.
“Sponsorship is the life blood of sport and more particularly successful Olympic participation.
“At the time I announced my retirement in January 2016 and subsequent thereto I left a credit amount in the bank account of the Olympic Council of Ireland to the order of $3 million.”
Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Cody Bellinger (35) celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium. Photo: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
You walk the halls of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ baseball operations department at your own risk, never quite knowing what’s around the corner.
You may stumble into a vicious whiffle ball game, with Dodgers president Andrew Friedman smashing the ball off the light fixtures, or firing a fastball into your rib cage.
Keep an eye out for a stray rubber ball coming toward you, too, the one Friedman fires at any unsuspecting visitor, checking your reflexes.
Duck into their offices, and if there was ever an Olympic gold given for waste basket, bank shots, Friedman is the Michael Phelps of Nerf basketball.
Come by after work, and you may get recruited to play in a pickleball or spike ball game, just as the Dodgers’ brass did until nearly 2 a.m. the night of the trade deadline, with senior vice president Josh Byrnes and assistant farm director Jeremy Zoll the last ones standing.
You want to know the secret behind the Dodgers’ success, reaching 83 victories faster than any National League team since 1944, there’s no need to look any further than their front office.
Its brand is Analytic Geek Squad, a group boasting Wall Street resumes, MIT diplomas and Ph.Ds.
Yet, while they routinely pore over statistical data with their players, they’re actually accepted and embraced within the clubhouse culture as one of their own – averting the chasm so often seen between players, field staff and front-office executives.
“The communication from Andrew, Farhan (Zaidi) and the multiple GMs around here is extremely comfortable,’’ Dodgers veteran pitcher Rich Hill says. “It’s not like, ‘Oh, wow, I can’t talk to him because he’s the president or the GM.’ There are no barriers or walls. The level of respect is there for everybody, and you just don’t find that in every organization. Hopefully, other organizations will look at this as a model for everyone.’’
Make no mistake, this is an organization that thrives on data. Players are given charts before each game on everything from defensive positioning to opposing pitchers’ tendencies to secretive injuries. Catcher Yasmani Grandal has a color-coded cheat sheet on his wrist band. Outfielders carry index cards in their back pockets during games, reminding them of their defensive placement. Players are given access to a proprietary statistical website.
Manager Dave Roberts is provided so much information before every game that he could launch a NASA program.
“But the perception that those guys are just kind of number guys,’’ Roberts says, “couldn’t be further than the truth. They’re down in the clubhouse all of the time, interacting with players and coaches, and bouncing ideas off one another. We talk just as much about clubhouse chemistry, and the right type of player we need, as much as we do the data.’’
And, please, the notion that the front office is making out the lineup card, Roberts says, is a narrative that needs to go away.
“That has never, ever happened,’’ Roberts says. “There’s always been that collaboration, bouncing thoughts off one another. We use all of the data from lineup construction to positioning to pitcher’s usage and matchups, but as far as the lineup cards, that’s my call.
“Ultimately, it’s my decision who is going to play.’’
It’s really no different, the Dodgers will tell you, than the internal front office collaboration, despite its “League of Rivals” makeup: Six former GMs from six different organizations.
Let’s see, you have Friedman from Tampa Bay, GM Zaidi from Oakland, Byrnes from San Diego and Arizona, Alex Anthopoulos from Toronto, Gerry Hunsicker from Houston and Ned Colletti, who’s technically now in the broadcast booth after being the Dodgers’ GM.
When it’s time to make those ultimate decisions that can make or break an organization, Friedman has gathered everyone together, debated the intricacies of every potential moves, and acted boldly, with conviction.
“I think at first when I saw all of the experienced guys they hired,’’ says Hunsicker, Dodgers senior adviser, “it was a bit of a head scratcher. That went away quickly. I think it gets down to Andrew’s ability to not only evaluate talent on the field, but talent in the front office.
“We not only changed the culture in the dugout, but changed the culture in the front office.’’
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw. By Arturo Pardavila III on Flickr via Wikimedia Commons
They now are the architects of a team that’s on the greatest tear in 105 years. The Dodgers have gone 48-9 since June 7, even with three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw on the DL, and are now on pace to win 115 games.
Their .709 winning percentage would be the greatest in the franchise’s 134-year history.
This is a staff that has built an organization so deep and talented that it not only has the best 25-man roster in baseball, but one of the top top five farm systems, too.
In the last year alone, they refused to include prized prospect Cody Bellinger in trade talks for Chicago White Sox ace Chris Sale, and have now watched him emerge as an MVP candidate with 34 home runs. They traded former first round pick Zach Lee last summer to the Seattle Mariners for struggling infielder Chris Taylor, only to watch him hit .310 with 17 homers and a .933 OPS this year.
They snubbed the entire free-agent market last winter, wanting to reduce their payroll for the second consecutive year, but made sure to bring back their own, spending $192 million in retaining closer Kenley Jansen, third baseman Justin Turner, and Hill.
And now, in the third season together since Friedman, Zaidi and Byrnes joined the organization, they have constructed perhaps the greatest Dodgers’ team ever assembled, favored to win their first World Series since Ronald Reagan was president.
“It’s World Series or Bust!’’ Dodgers utilityman Kiki Hernandez proudly tells USA TODAY Sports. “We are the best team by far on paper, so it’s not about making the World Series. It’s about winning the World Series. I don’t think just making it to the World Series is any different than making it to the NLCS, if you don’t win it.
“We don’t want a ring that say NL champions. We want that big ring that says World Series champions. That’s all that matters.
“Our club is even nastier now. Good luck to whoever has to play us. That’s the attitude we have right now.’’
The only player on the Dodgers who has a World Series ring is veteran second baseman Chase Utley, but please, don’t bring it up to Friedman. You see, it was Friedman’s former team, as GM of the Tampa Bay Rays, that lost to Utley and the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008. To this day, it still haunts Friedman, who wonders what would have happened without those two days of rain that put the skids on a Rays Game 5 rally.
Friedman never did bother wearing that AL championship ring, handing it over to his father. He’s waiting for the real thing. Who knows, a World Series perhaps could even lead him to the man he always wanted to meet: Larry David.
“That’s my goal, to meet Larry David,’’ says Friedman, a diehard Curb Your Enthusiasm fan. “I really want to meet him. I feel like I’ll be incredibly self-conscious when I’m talking to him, he’s made a career out of those interactions.
“I’m a little intimidated by it, but I’m excited as well.’’
In the meantime, with NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson creating a buzz when he stopped into the Dodgers’ offices last week during the trade deadline, and Hollywood celebrities sitting behind the plate each night, the Dodgers have suffocated the suspense out of the regular season.
They lead the NL West by 18 games, the biggest lead at any time in a season in franchise history. They are bludgeoning everyone in their wake, outscoring the opposition by 208 runs.
These victories are becoming so routine that the peanut vendors are showing more emotion after their victories than the actual players. The Dodgers briefly crank their clubhouse stereo after games, with a disco ball twirling on the ceilings, but by the time the clubhouse opens to the reporters, you would have thought the Dodgers just walked in from mowing the yard.
They refuse to get giddy about their 115-victory pace, or even accept praise for their accomplishments, insisting it’s too early for victory laps. They may have a legitimate shot to win more regular-season games than any team in baseball history, but to a man, no one is even concerned with the possibility of immortality.
Why, when Roberts was asked if he could even remember the last time the Dodgers lost a series, he knew it was against the Washington Nationals, but had no idea it was back on June 6-8, 19 series ago.
“No one even brings up the streak, how many games we’re winning or anyting like that,’’ says Taylor. “I mean, we know we’re winning, but no one keeps track of how many wins or how many games we’re up, or anything like that.
“We’re having too much fun together to worry about that stuff.’’
This is a unified, and cohesive clubhouse last seen in these parts since the days of Kirk Gibson and Orel Hershiser when they last won the World Series in 1988. As much as Friedman, Zaidi and their staff have brought analytics and sabermetrics to this storied organization, they each believe their greatest accomplishment has been changing the clubhouse culture.
“I sat down with Andrew for about six, seven hours the first week he got here,’’ said Ned Colletti, who led the Dodgers to five postseason trips in nine years as GM. “I told him, ‘If you want to win, the clubhouse culture has got to change. There’s a lot of talent in here, but the God-given talent is a waste if you don’t play it that way.’
“In my opinion, that was my greatest failing, and that was his greatest challenge.’’
Now, you walk around the clubhouse, and you’ll see a cap like the one in veteran outfielder Andre Ethier’s locker, reading: “Make the Clubhouse Great Again.’’
“When I first got here,’’ Dodgers All-Star closer Jansen says, “there were a lot of islands in the clubhouse. A lot of islands. A lot of egos. A lot of me-type personalities.
“We had the best talent in the league, but it never clicked. We couldn’t go any farther. There are no egos. Everyone understands that we need everyone to win. And no one takes anything for granted.
“Finally, we are a real team.’’
If this were a couple of years ago, Jansen acknowledges, he would have walked out the door as a free agent. The Washington Nationals actually offered more money. The Miami Marlins made an attractive bid. Yet, when it was time to make a decision, he just couldn’t leave.
“No disrespect to the people that were here before them,’’ Jansen says, “but these guys are so honest with me. Andrew and Farhan and Doc [Roberts], they’ve had my trust since Day 1. They told me how they were going to change the organization, made me believe it, and they proved it.
“That’s why I couldn’t leave. The culture we have, the group of guys we have, it’s just so special. How could I leave this?
“Everything they said they were going to do, they’ve done.’’
It was no different than at the trade deadline when Friedman and Zaidi quietly vowed to several of the veterans that reinforcements would be coming. The players expected to acquire a left-handed reliever. The Dodgers instead grabbed two of them, Tony Watson of Pittsburgh and Tony Cingrani of the Cincinnati Reds.
And, oh yeah, Texas Rangers ace Yu Darvish, too.
“We already were a great team, but to do what they did, and have a guy like Yu in our rotation for the playoffs,’’ Hernandez says, “it makes such a huge difference. I mean, we weren’t going to go out and blow the front office up, and answer questions the way the Astros are doing now, but we are so happy.
“Our club is even nastier now. Good luck to whoever has to play us. That’s the attitude we have right now.’’
Friedman and Zaidi, deflecting any of the credit for the team’s success, will quickly point out that Roberts and Utley are the ones most responsible, at least, for the mood swing. Utley, told by Friedman just to be himself when he came aboard on Aug. 19, 2015, became the team leader. Roberts, hired after the 2015 season, drew everyone together with his overwhelming optimism and enthusiasm, earning the NL manager of the year award last season.
There was never any scintilla of insecurity shown by Roberts with front office personnel infiltrating his clubhouse. He instead embraced the input, welcoming their involvement, whether it’s simply coming down and saying hello, or sitting down with players offering advice.
“I remember I was struggling so badly last year,’’ Turner says, “that I was on the trainer’s table when Andrew came in. I just said, ‘Hey dude, uncle. I’m out of answers. What you got for me?’
“He basically said, ‘Well, looking at it from a numbers standpoint, I don’t know if this is going to help you, but if you do this, you’ll become a better player. It just seems like you’re not pulling the ball in the air like you were the last couple of years.’
“Well, things resonated after that from conversation, and things have gotten a lot better for me.’’
You might say. After hitting just three home runs through his first 50 games of 2016, Turner hit 24 from June to the end of the season, prompting the Dodgers to re-sign him for four years and $64 million. He has a 1.009 OPS this season and earned his first All-Star bid.
Such interactions are no different than the conversations Friedman and Zaidi have had with each member of the pitching staff. Every 40 games or so, they’ll sit down with the pitchers and break down their strengths and weaknesses, making sure they understand what’s working and isn’t.
“I went through a tough stretch in Cincinnati and Cleveland,’’ reliever Ross Stripling said of a two-game stretch where he gave up seven earned runs while retiring just 11 batters, “and they kind of sat me down. Andrew wasn’t even looking at anything, but he was just spitting out stuff he knew about me.
“He had these stats in his mind, like, ‘Look, you get ahead with your curveball X amount of times against righties, but only X amount of times against lefties. Maybe we should throw more cutters against lefties early.’
“I’m like, ‘Man, how do you know all of that about me? I don’t even know that about myself.’ ’’
The execs are like a rotating band of big brothers: Wherever you turn in the Dodgers’ clubhouse, it could be Friedman and Zaidi one day, or Byrnes and Anthopoulos the next, or Colletti giving advice to players like Corey Seager and Bellinger who were drafted and developed under his watch.
“We try to be accessible to players, and a resource to them,’’ Zaidi says. “Ultimately, everything we do is to help us become as good a team as we can be. And being around and having a more interactive relationship with the players can help in certain ways.’’
In ways the players can barely even begin to describe.
“Those guys are the backbone of our team with their information,’’ Grandal says. “Whenever we need some information, we just ask, and it’s there. I mean, if a guy’s right pinkie hurts, they somehow know, and tell us why they’re swinging a certain way and what pitch they can’t hit.
“They encourage you to prove their system wrong, but every time I take something back to them, they show I’m wrong. I don’t even try anymore.
“I know we’re the ones people talk about because of what we’re doing on the field, but what they do for us, come on, they’re the ones making us look so good.
“Hopefully, we can repay them with a World Series.’’
And perhaps leave a Game 1 ticket for Larry David, too.
Usain Bolt of Jamaica during a lap of honor at the IAAF World Championships in London. Photo: REUTERS/Phil Noble
Usain Bolt insisted he had no regrets over his decision to prolong his career beyond last year’s Olympic games and stressed his legacy would not be tarnished by his failure to win a gold medal at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships, which finished Sunday.
The 30-year-old Jamaican endured an anticlimactic end to his career after he pulled up injured in the home straight of last night’s 4×100 meter relay.
Bolt, an eight-time Olympic gold medalist and 11-time world champion, also had to settle for bronze in his final 100m individual race last Saturday (August 5).
London 2017 marked the first time Bolt had not clinched a World Championships gold medal since Osaka in 2007.
He also claimed he had no intentions to return to the track and the decision to call time on his illustrious career was final.
“I don’t think one Championship is going to change what I’ve done,” said Bolt.
“I remember after I lost the 100m, someone said to me, ‘Don’t worry Usain, Muhammad Ali lost his last fight so don’t be stressed about it’.
“I have proven myself year in and year out throughout my whole career and the fact that I didn’t win my last race is going to change what I have done in the sport.
“I’ve seen too many people retire, come back and shame themselves – I won’t be one of those people.”
The disappointing finale to Bolt’s career ended in some acrimony after members of the Jamaican team were furious with organizers, claiming they were at fault for his injury because a medal ceremony delayed the start of the relay.
Bolt also admitted here that the problem he sustained during the last leg of the relay might be worse than he first thought and is likely to be assessed tomorrow.
“The wait was unusual,” said Bolt.
“I knew I had to warm up and I felt a bit tight.
“My coach told me to make sure I stay as warm as possible.
“When they took us to the area behind the billboard, it was for a while and we were there for both medal ceremonies.
“We asked one of them why they brought us out as we just had to stand there.”
Following the final race of the Championships tonight, Bolt embarked on a lap of honor and was presented part of the track from the Olympics in 2012, where he won gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay.
He received the memento from IAAF President Sebastian Coe and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
“I was saying goodbye to fans and saying goodbye to my events also, I’ve dominated them for years,” said Bolt.
“They have been everything to me.
“I almost cried, but it didn’t come.”
Bolt fired a parting shot at those who have cheated the sport during his career and reiterated his stance that dopers should be banned for life.
He claimed that athletics was “on the way back up” after it reached “rock-bottom” following the accusations of a state-sponsored doping scheme in Russia.
“I have always been strong on doping – I’ve said it, athletes should get life bans if you go out of your way to cheat an athlete,” he said.
“The sport is now on the way back up and we have to do everything to keep it in a good light.
“I’ve shown that you can do it without doping so that’s what I hope the young athletes will take from it.”
American swimmers Caeleb Dressel and Katie Ledecky have been named the United States Sports Academy’s Male and Female Athletes of the Month for July.
Dressel won seven gold medals at the International Swimming Federation (FINA) World Championships in Budapest in July, tying a meet medal record set by Michael Phelps in 2007. He won individual gold in the 50 meter freestyle, 100 meter butterfly and 100 meter freestyle and collected four gold medals in relay races.
This is Ledecky’s second consecutive Academy Athlete of the Month award. She won six medals – five gold and one silver – at the International Swimming Federation (FINA) World Championships in Budapest in July. Ledecky took gold in the 400 meter freestyle, 800 meter freestyle, 1500 meter freestyle and two relays and captured silver in the 200 meter freestyle. Ledecky’s medal haul catapulted her to the top of the all-time women’s medals table for the FINA World Championships with 14 gold medals.
The second place finisher on the men’s side was Swiss tennis star Roger Federer and third place went to American golfer Jordan Spieth.
Federer won his eighth Wimbledon men’s singles championship on 16 July 2017 at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. Federer defeated Croatia’s Marin Cilic in straight sets – 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 – to capture a record 19th Grand Slam title. Federer is the first man since Sweden’s Bjorn Borg in 1976 to win Wimbledon without dropping a single set throughout the tournament.
Spieth shot a 12-under-par 274 to win the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, on 23 July 2017. At age 23, Spieth became just the second player ever to win three out of the four PGA major tournaments before age 24, with the first being Jack Nicklaus. He also became the first player to post scores in the 60s in all four rounds on the course, which has hosted the Open Championship 10 times.
The second place finisher on the women’s side was American swimmer Lilly King and third place went to Australian soccer star Sam Kerr.
King set two world records and captured two gold medals at the International Swimming Federation (FINA) World Championships in Budapest in July. King broke world records in the women’s 100 meter breaststroke (1:04.13) and the 50 meter breaststroke (29.4 seconds), winning gold in both races at the event.
Kerr scored a “hat-trick” of three goals in the first half of a 4-2 win against Japan in the Tournament of Nations on 30 July 2017 in San Diego, Calif. Kerr also scored a hat-trick for Sky Blue Football Club (New Jersey) in a win against Kansas City on 9 July 2017, which made her the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) all-time leading scorer with 34 career goals.
Each month, the public is invited to participate in the Academy’s worldwide Athlete of the Month program by nominating athletes and then voting online during the first week of every month. The online votes are used to guide the Academy selection committee in choosing the male and female monthly winners, who then become eligible for selection to the prestigious Athlete of the Year ballot. A worldwide public vote on the annual ballot is used to guide the committee in making the final selection.
The Athlete of the Year Award is part of the United States Sports Academy’s Awards of Sport program, which each year serves as “A Tribute to the Artist and the Athlete.”The Academy presents the awards to pay tribute to those who have made significant contributions to sport, in categories as diverse as the artist and the athlete in several different arenas of sport.
The awards honor exemplary achievement in coaching, all-around athletic performance, courage, humanitarian activity, fitness, and media, among others. The Academy’s American Sport Art Museum and Archives (ASAMA) annually recognizes these men and women through its Sport Artist of the Year, Honorary Doctorates, Medallion Series, Distinguished Service Awards, Outstanding Athletes, and Alumni of the Year awards. This is the 33rd year of the Academy’s Awards of Sport program.
The United States Sports Academy is an independent, non-profit, accredited, special mission sports university created to serve the nation and world with programs in instruction, research and service. The role of the Academy is to prepare men and women for careers in the profession of sports.
Founded in 1984, ASAMA is dedicated to the preservation of sports art, history, and literature. The ASAMA collection is composed of more than 1,800 works of sport art across a variety of media, including paintings, sculptures, assemblages, prints and photographs. The museum is open free to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. For more information, go to www.asama.org.
The Academy is based in Daphne, Ala. For more information, call (251) 626-3303 or visit www.ussa.edu.
By Eric Mann
Eric Mann is the communications assistant at the United States Sports Academy.
As the biggest sporting event Taiwan has ever hosted is entering the countdown stage, Taipei 2017 Universiade’s athletes’ village opened on August 12. Photo: Taiwan News
Government officials expect the Taipei 2017 Summer Universiade to provide significant economic benefits to Taiwan during the multi-sport event.
Scheduled to take place from August 19-30, the Universiade will be the biggest sporting event that Taiwan has ever hosted.
The Ministry of Education have reportedly claimed that benefits are already being felt in Taipei.
According to Focus Taiwan, the Ministry has confirmed that more than 15,000 jobs have been created as a result of the Universiade.
It is expected that the economic benefits of the Universiade could reach $393 million.
A total of $33 million from the estimate is expected to be attributable to increased consumer spending, which is expected to rise sharply during the event.
Organizers are currently preparing for the official start of the Universiade on Saturday (August 19), when the Opening Ceremony will take place at Taipei Stadium.
A crowd of around 12,000 is expected to attend.
Nations are currently arriving in Taiwan prior to the start of competition.
Around 141 countries are due to have delegations present.
Figures from the organizers state that a total of 7,708 athletes from around the world will feature at the event, due to take place until August 30.
This is fewer than the 2013 edition of the Summer Universiade, when 7,880 athletes took part in Kazan in Russia, but is larger than the 7,432 participants at Gwangju 2015.
Events in the 21 sports being contested at Taipei 2017 are scheduled to be held in venues in Taipei, Keelung, New Taipei, Taoyuan and Hsinchu.
This was the week sports video delivery started to change. CBS has decided to begin a sports streaming video service that will be modeled after the CBS news streaming service and so has Disney, which will leave Netflix in 2019 and start two streaming video services.
One of the Disney streaming channels will be dedicated to sports, which may seem a bit odd as Disney owns ESPN. But ESPN is on cable TV and ESPN is facing a difficult time as people are moving away from cable television and leaving the so-called World Wide Sports Leader behind. Disney invested in a sports streaming service and now owns 75 percent of Bamtech, a streaming service that was created by Major League Baseball. Disney has seen millions upon millions of cable TV subscribers end their reliance on cable TV.
ESPN was been hard hit by the defections as the loss of millions of subscriber fees may approach $700 million per year. ESPN has some really high end TV contracts including a recently signed deal with the NBA that requires the cable TV network to pay the league $1.4 billion annually through 2025. ESPN pays the NFL billions and has a large commitment to college sports either through TV rights or TV partnerships with conferences. The model appears to be unstainable in terms of profit.
Since the news of Disney establishing a sports streaming service came down just last week, it is too early to see how the business will actually operate. The first question is this: Are there enough sports fans who will be willing to pay money for ESPN’s services? How much will ESPN and CBS charge for sports streaming? How will the business partners, the NFL, the NBA, Major League Baseball, the colleges react?
