CRUISE CONTROL: Shaunae Miller-Uibo (left) wins the 200 metres at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Tuesday. In a season’s best performance, she set another meet record.

Friday, July 12, 2019

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#While Shaunae Miller-Uibo, with her silver hairstyle, inked her name on another meet record in producing a season’s best performance, Steven Gardiner fell shy of eclipsing his own mark as they were both victorious in their respective events in Szekesfehervar, Hungary.

#On the eve of Independence Day on Tuesday, Miller-Uibo sprinted around her first half-lap race for 2019 to win the women’s 200 metres in 22.18 seconds at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial, a Hungarian Grand Prix meet.

#As the 2016 Olympic champion pulled away from the field, she went on to erase the meet record of 22.26 that was posted by Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell-Brown in 2011.

#In the process, the six-foot, one-inch Miller-Uibo left arch-rivals Marie-Josee Ta Lou and Jenna Prandini trying to catch her. Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast came in second in 22.76 and American Prandini was third in 22.88.

#Although she ran away from the field, the 25-year-old Miller-Uibo was just off the world leading time of 22.00 that was produced by Jamaican world champion Elaine Thompson at the Jamaica National Trials in Kingston, Jamaica, on June 23.

#The Bahamian double national record holder at 21.88 in the 200m and 48.97 in the 400m is tied for fifth place on this year’s world list with Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith with her win in 22.11 in Stockholm, Sweden, on May 30.

#Miller-Uibo also tops the 400m list with her 49.05 she established on April 27 in Gainesville, Florida. She is followed closely by Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain with 49.17 on Friday in Lausanne, Switzerland.

#While Miller-Uibo was enjoying her debut in the half-lap race in Szekesfehervar, Naser took care of business in the one-lapper in her winning time of 50.13 over American Phyllis Francis, who did 51.24 and Jamaican Stephenie Ann McPherson (51.76).

#Miller-Uibo, however, still holds the meet record of 49.54 that she recorded in her victory in the one-lapper last year. She now holds both the 200/400 records at the meet.

#Gardiner triumphed in 400m

#Gardiner, on the other hand, was almost as equally impressive over his one-lap victory.

#He clocked 44.45 to win the men’s 400m, but the world silver medallist was shy of surpassing his meet record of 44.30 that he posted in 2015.

#In securing the win, the lanky, 6-2 Abaco native came across the line well ahead of his American counterparts as Tyrell Richard got second in 45.59 and Vernon Norwood was third in 45.62.

#The 23-year-old Gardiner’s time in Hungary now has him at No.5 on the performance list for 2019.

#Four Americans are ahead of him, inclusive of Michael Norman with 43.45, Kahmari Montgomery at 44.23, Stewart Trevor at 44.25 and Rai Benjamin at 44.31.

#The double Bahamian national record holder at 19.75 in the 200m and 43.87 in the 400m is also 12th in the 200m, having ran a season’s best of 20.04 on April 13 in Coral Gables, Florida.

#American Noah Lyles leads 10 other competitors under 20 seconds with his world-leading time of 19.50 done in Lausanne, Switzerland on Friday. American world indoor champion Christian Coleman, in just his second 200m race since June 2017, crossed the line in a meet record of 19.91, well ahead of world champion Ramil Guliyev (20.23) and Canada’s Aaron Brown (20.24).

#Thomas missed a mark

#Donald Thomas also competed in the meet on Tuesday, but he didn’t post a mark in the men’s high jump that was won by Ilya Ivanyuk, an authorised neutral athlete from Russia, who cleared a world leading height of 2.33 metres or 7-feet, 7 3/4-inches.

#Thomas, the 2007 world champion, is not yet on the world’s list that includes Jamal Wilson, tied with eight other competitors at 2.25m (7-4 1/2) for his victory in Shanghai, China on May 18 and Trevor Barry, with 2.24m in his victory as well in Opole, Poland on June 23, matched by 13 others for 47th place.

#Gaither split sprint double

#Coming off her victory in the women’s 100m at the Star Athletics Sprint Series in Montverde, Florida on Friday in 11.11, Tynia Gaither showed up at the 2019 Spitzen Leichtathlerik in Lucerne, Switzerland on Tuesday for the sprint double. In the straight-away race, she held on for fifth place in 11.29 in the final after placing third in the second of two heats of the 100 in 11.35 for the fourth fastest time.

#Gina Luckenkemper of Germany took the final title in 11.20.

#Gaither, 26, came back in the 200m and picked up the crown in 22.69 with Canadian Crystal Emmanuel trailing in 22.90.

#From the meet in Montverde, Gaither is now tied with six other competitors in the 100m and her time in the 200m in Lucerne has her pegged at No.12 with American Gabrielle Thomas after she won the half-lap in race in Lausanne on Friday.

#Elaine Thompson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce share the top of the 100m leaderboard after their photo finish at the Jamaica National Trials in Kingston, Jamaica, on June 21

#At the Star Athletics Sprint Series Meet, in Montverde, Florida, men’s double 200/400m national record holder Steven Gardiner made his presence felt in the men’s 200m, leading a few male competitors in action.

#In the 200m timed final, Gardiner gots second in 20.46. Michael Mathieu was 16th in 21.20, Stephen Newbold trailed in 17th in 21.22, Maverick Bowleg came 25th in 21.45 seconds, Kendrick Thompson was 28th in 21.54 and Andre Colebrook was 36th in 22.52.

#American Isiah Young won in 20.15.

#In the men’s 400m, Alonzo Russell came in third in 46.24 seconds, Newbold was 12th in 47.40, Bowleg 13th in 47.41, Colebrook 15th in 47.77, Thompson 18th in 48.26 and Ashley Riley 19th in 48.29.

Shaunae Miller-Uibo powers across the finish line to win the 400m at the Racers Grand Prix in Kingston, Jamaica.

Wednesday, June 12, 2019

#By Brent Stubbs

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#Shaunae Miller-Uibo shook off some unwarranted social media slander to power across the finish line in record-breaking time to win the women’s 400 metres at the Racers Grand Prix meeting.

#In her first one-lap race ever contested in Kingston, Jamaica, Miller-Uibo wasted no time in defying the report that she and her husband Maicel had drowned in Canada, by establishing a meet record in 49.54 seconds, well ahead of American world champion Phyllis Francis, who had to settle for second in 50.85.

#It wasn’t as fast as her season opening victory of 49.05 in April in Florida, but Miller-Uibo felt it was good enough to complete her return trip to the Reggae Island where she has dominated in the 200m in the past. “I think today wasn’t a really good run,” said the 2016 Olympic champion. “I’m working on a lot of things trying to perfect my race but I’m happy I finished healthy which is good.”

#Miller-Uibo, 25, admitted that the race went really well.

#“I’m in really great shape this year and we’ve been working on a lot of things so I’m happy with it and excited to see how the rest of the season plays out,” she stated.

#“Our main goal as with any year is to stay healthy and we know the times will show come end of the season.”

#With this being a major year as she gets set to compete in the IAAF World Championships in September in Doha, Qatar, Miller-Uibo is still undecided whether or not she will contest the 200m or the 400m to add her first world title to her résumé.

#But there’s one thing that is certain.

#The 6-foot, 1-inch double national 200/400m record holder will be heading to Boston June 19-20 for the Adidas Boost Boston Games for the street 150m race that she easily won a year ago in 16.23 that was listed as a world record.

#“I’m always really excited for that meet,” added Miller-Uibo, who posted back-to-back victories and is gearing up for an unprecedented three-straight crown.

#All jokes aside, Miller-Uibo said she was disappointed that someone would smear her character by indicating that she and her husband had drowned.

#“For the article that was posted, I have not much to say about it,” she summed up. “It’s pretty sad that someone feels it’s okay to make up such a thing. But my husband and I are fine and well.”

#Coming off her gold-medal performance at the Commonwealth Games in the 200m in the Gold Coast last year, Miller-Uibo is hoping this year to eventually surpass the bronze medal she won at the 2017 World Championships in London, England.

#While Miller-Uibo had a good showing at the meet, a few other female competitors struggled in their events.

#Tynia Gaither had the best showing, clocking 22.88 seconds for third place in the women’s 200m that also included Anthonique Strachan, who was sixth in 23.31 seconds. American Brittany Brown won the race in 22.65 seconds.

#Bahamian national record holder Tamara Myers had her share of problems in the women’s triple. After she failed to get on the board, fouling her first two attempts, she mustered a leap of 13.20m or 43-feet, 3-3/4-inches on her third attempt for eighth place. Jamaican Shanieka Ricketts won with a jump of 14.69m (48-2 1/2.

#And Devynne Charlton had to settle for eighth in the women’s 100m hurdles in 13.43 seconds. American world record holder Kendra Harrison was the winner in 12.54 seconds.

Shaunae Miller-Uibo. (File photo)T

uesday, June 6, 2017

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#Shaunae Miller-Uibo is the first Bahamian female to hold an individual world record in an athletic event after she stormed to victory in the straight 200m at the Adidas Boost Boston Games on Sunday.

#Before the race, Miller-Uibo was the holder of the Bahamas women’s 200 metre and indoor 300m national records, while sharing the world’s fastest time in the mixed gender 4 x 400 relay with Steven Gardiner, Anthonique Strachan and Michael Mathieu.

#But in Sunday’s competition, which took place on an elevated straight track constructed between Boston Common and the Public Gardens, Miller-Uibo sped down Charles Street in to make history.

#Although the event was not on an official track and it wasn’t in a normal half-lap race, Miller-Uibo ran a blazing 21.76 seconds to erase the previous straight world record (22.55) held by American Allyson Felix that was established in Manchester, England on May 15, 2010.

#In that same race in London, former national record holder Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie got second in 22.96, which at the time was the second fastest ever recorded.

#Ferguson-McKenzie’s time is now listed at number four with retired American Sanya Richards-Ross posting the third fastest in 22.71, set in London two years later on May 20, 2012.

#Running out of lane three in the limited field that was reduced to four after Bahamian Ty’Nia Gaither didn’t start, Miller-Uibo opened a gap on the remaining Americans to easily win the race on the streets of Boston.

#Natasha Hastings was second in 22.50, followed by Kimberlyn Duncan in 22.81 and Phyllis Francis in 23.10.

#Miller-Uibo, representing the host shoe company Adidas, was one of three Bahamians competing in the meet.

#Also competing on Sunday was men’s 400m national record holder Steven Gardiner. He went down to his specialty in the 200m where he placed fifth in 31.28 after he slipped and fell in the straight away race – only suffering a few bruises.

#Wayde Van Niekerk, who produced a world record in the men’s 400m at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil out of lane eight, won Sunday’s 200m race in 19.84. However, Niekerk’s effort was short of the world record of 19.41 posted by American Tyson Gay on May 16 in Manchester.

#Meanwhile on Friday when the meet was held at Dilboy Stadium on Alewife Brook Parkway in Somerville, Massachusetts, national record holder Jeffery Gibson finished seventh in the men’s 400m hurdles in 51.06.

#The USA took the top two spots as Michael Stigler won in 48.69 over Michael Tinsley, who did 49.28. Jamaican Roxroy Cato got third in 49.41.

Shaunae Miller-Uibo celebrates after she won the women’s 300 metres event in a new world record, at the Golden Spike athletics IAAF World Challenge in Ostrava, Czech Republic, Thursday. (Jaroslav Ozana/CTK via AP)

Friday, June 21, 2019

http://youtu.be/zysL71Oe-GA

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#Olympic 400 metre champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo left everybody watching in awe as she raced to a world record-breaking performance in the rarely contested women’s 300 metres at the 58th edition of the Golden Spike Ostrava.

#Yesterday’s historic performance at the IAAF World Challenge Meeting in the Czech Republic came just before Steven Gardiner added a Bahamian double delight with his season’s best showing in the men’s 400m.

#Running her first outdoor 300m, the 6-foot, 1-inch Miller-Uibo used her lanky height with a newly red coloured hairdo to control the race coming off the curve.

#She accelerated down the final straightaway to take the tape at the finish line in 34.41 seconds to smash the previous world’s best of 35.30 set by Ana Guevara at altitude in Mexico City in 2003.

#It also was recorded as a new Bahamian record without any on the book, adding Miller-Uibo’s name to the 150m (16.23 at the Adidas Boost Boston Games on May 20, 2018), the 200m (21.88 at the Welklasse Zurich on August 24, 2017) and the 400m (48.97 in Herculis on July 20, 2018).

#As the 25-year-old St Augustine’s College graduate pulled away from the pack, Americans Brittany Brown and Jaide Stepter tried to close the gap in their personal best times of 35.91 and 36.12, but they didn’t have enough real estate.

#All four other competitors had PB (personal bests) inked behind their names.

#Prior to her assault on the record, Miller-Uibo was asked about other events she competed in and she indicated that the 100m could be in her future. If she pursues it, she could chase after Chandra Sturrup’s national record of 10.84 she set in Athletissima on July 5, 2005.

#Miller-Uibo, in that interview on the eve of the meet, alluded to the fact that so far, her concentration is on the 400m and 200m with the 400m being her favourite discipline.

#However, she cited that she may also try the pentathlon/heptathlon as she trains a lot with her decathlete husband Maicel Uibo in the multiple events.

#Should she venture into heptathlon, which comprises of the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200m, long jump, javelin and 800m, she will need at least 5,369 to establish the national record, which was established by Carmel Major in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, June 5-6 in 1987.

Steven Gardiner celebrates after he won the men’s 400 metres at the Golden Spike athletics IAAF World Challenge in Ostrava, Czech Republic, Thursday. (Petr Sznapka/CTK via AP)

#In preparing for the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, Miller-Uibo will be going after her first title in either the 200m or the 400m, depending on which one she settles on contesting when the event takes place September 28 to October 6.

#Miller-Uibo won the 400m Olympic title ijn 2016 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Her world-leading performance in the 400m indicates that she’s probably in the best shape of her career.

#Still unbeaten in three years, Miller-Uibo is coming off a victory in the 150m at the 2019 Adidas Boston Games on Father’s Day where she repeated as the champion.

#After watching her fantastic performance in Ostrava, Gardiner – the Bahamian double 200/400m record holder – came out and posted his season’s best of 44.95 to easily win the men’s 400m. The 23-year-old Abaco native was trailed by Abbas Abubakar of Bahrain in 45.86. Luka Janezic of Slovenia was third in 45.97.

#Gardiner, who won his first global medal with a silver at the London Olympics, clocked 43.87 in Doha on May 4, 2018, to lower his national 400m record and he dropped his half-lap 200m national record to 19.75 in Coral Gables, Florida, on April 7, 2018.

#While it was Gardiner’s first one-lap race for the season, he is coming off a loss in the 200m at the Adidas Boston Games last weekend.

#Gardiner is recovering from an Achilles tendon injury. He trains out of Coral Gables, Florida, under the watchful eyes of coach Gary Evans.

#Both Miller-Uibo and Gardiner are managed by On Track Management, founded in 1995 by Claude Bryan, who is chief executive officer, and supported by his wife Juanita Bryan, the vice president.

Saturday, July 25, 2020

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubb@tribunemedia.net

#IT seemed as if Shaunae Miller-Uibo went back to her high school days at St Augustine’s College as she competed in the 100 metres on Friday at the two-day Back to the Track: Clermont Track Meet. 

#Now known as a senior international 200/400m specialist, Miller-Uibo reinforced her claim as a sprint triple threat by clocking a personal best of 10.98 seconds to win the final of the four-woman field, running out of lane four at the National Training Center in Clermont, Florida. 

#Competing for Adidas/Pure Athletics Track Club, Miller-Uibo easily beat her rivals with Tamari Davis, also representing Adidas, coming the closest in lane two in 11.15.

#Miller-Uibo, 26, the reigning Olympic Games’ 400m champion, World Championships’ 400m silver medalist and 200m bronze medalist, also had an impressive qualifying time of 11.03 in the heats..

#And she became just the fourth woman in history to run that fast in the 100m, 200m and 400m combined – following her 200m time of 21.74 in Zurich last August and 48.37 in the 400m at last year’s World Championships in Doha.

#Miller-Uibo’s times in both the 200m and 400m are listed as the Bahamas’ national records, while her 100m time is off the mark held by Chandra Sturrup, 10.84, that she posted in Lausanne, Switzerland on July 5, 2005.

#Before she emerged on the senior scene, Miller-Uibo completed her junior career in 2013 by leaving the national records of 22.45 in the 200m at the Bahamas Nationals in Grand Bahama and 50.70 in the 400m at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon and earning the Austin Sealy Award title of the Carifta Games at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium as the most outstanding athlete. 

#The only junior national record she didn’t hold onto was the 100m – that is occupied by Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie, who ran 11.19 in 1995.

#Miller-Uibo had ran a 11.94 as a junior in 2009 at the Carifta Games, but it was wind-aided. She switched to the 200/400m combo following that regional junior games.

Deandre Ayton. (File photo)

Friday, July 24, 2020

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#Deandre Ayton celebrated his 22nd birthday with a return to the court and led his Phoenix Suns to a win in their debut at the NBA’s season restart.

#Ayton finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and two assists in just over 20 minutes of the Suns’ 101-88 win over the Utah Jazz last night at the ESPN Wide World’s of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida.

#The second year centre shot 6-7 from the field and also made the first three pointer of his NBA career.

#Ayton scored six of his points in the first quarter and got out to a quick start, 3-4 from the field en route to an early 28-19 lead for the Suns.

#Prior to the scrimmage, Ayton spoke to reporters on life in the NBA bubble.

#“I’m trying to make a statement. I’m not just here all the way in Orlando, quarantining in a room, for no reason. I’m here to compete to the top level. If I can’t say it vocally, I can definitely be an example and show we mean business,” he said. “I honestly think, the time we’ve had here, our confidence level has actually risen. With Ricky being here and just seeing what we got when we play and we practice, we can tell we got something.”

#The Suns will scrimmage with the Boston Celtics on Sunday, July 26 and the Toronto Raptors Tuesday, July 28.

#The eight seeding games begin July 31 when the Suns will face the Washington Wizards. They will go on to face the Mavericks (August 2), Los Angeles Clippers (August 4), Indiana Pacers (August 6), Miami Heat (August 8), Oklahoma City Thunder (August 10), Philadelphia 76ers (August 11) and the Mavericks for a second time (August 13).

#Ayton met with a myriad of media outlets via Zoom and addressed the issues ahead to a return to the court including his personal goals, team goals and glaring health issues amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “I trust the league. It is dangerous. It is a thing. I think if we just follow the rules correctly, we will be good,” Ayton said.

#In the race for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, the Suns are No.13 in the conference at 26-39, six games behind the No.8 Memphis Grizzlies (32-33). If the No.9 seed finishes more than four games behind the No.8 seed, No. 8 will make the playoffs. If they are fewer than games behind the teams will complete in a play-in tournament.

#Despite pundits showing little favour of the Suns’ chances of getting into the playoffs, Ayton said his organisation remains singularly focused. “It’s a little window to make the playoffs and make some history,” he said. “That’s all that’s on our mind. We’re young and hungry, and we’re ready to play.”

#In his second NBA season, Ayton is averaging 19 points, 12 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 54 per cent from the field in just 30 games. According to Basketball Reference, his player efficiency is ranked at No.35 in the league at 20.5.

Friday, July 24, 2020

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#WHEN Bahamian San Francisco Giants’ first base coach Antoan Richardson kneeled down during their exhibition game at Oakland on Monday night, it was primarily a decision to honour his deceased great-grandmother Dame Bertha Isaacs, a former Bahamian teacher, tennis player, women’s rights activist, politician and a former freedom fighter for social justice.

#“I knew this year would turn out the way it did,” said Richardson of the stoppage of all sporting activities around the world because of the spread of the coronavirus and the social unrest after the death of American George Floyd.

#“She was one who fought for equality, social justice, freedom for all and I knelt on all of those principals that he fought for. With the climate and the way things have been in our world and in America, I was just brought to my knees in prayer.”

#During the week leading up to the return of Major League Baseball for a shortened season that started last night, Richardson and the Giants played with no fans after a month-long delay caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

#Richardson, a former St Anne’s School track and field star, was joined by first-year San Francisco manager Gabe Kapler and outfielders Mike Yastrzemski and Austin Slater, just before they pulled off a 6-2 victory.

#In his initial coaching sting for the Giants, who drafted him in the 35th round of the Major LeagueBaseball Draft before he went on to play for the Atlanta Braves in 2011 and the New York Yankees in 2014, Richardson said he was forced to ask himself the question ‘why do I stand for the national anthem?’

#“In asking myself that question, I came to the conclusion to just pray. So I decided that I would get on my two knees and I would just pray for hearts to change and for the promise of freedom and justice for all. I pray that issues that my great-grandmother and so many others fought for, that someday it would really happen.”

#Hoping that one day the gap on the social unrest will be closed, or even eradicated, Richardson said he was just led to pray and that was why he took to his knees. All through his professional career until he retired on March 7, 2017 at 33 years of age, Richardson remembered wearing the number 00 on his jersey in honour of Isaacs, the grandmother of his mother, Glendia Huyler, the sister of Dr Phil Huyler.

#Richardson, who spent 12 years playing professionally, the majority in the minor league, said just about everybody who knelt, did it because they wanted to see a change.

#“I got a lot of text messages from people saying thank you for taking that stance,” Richardson said. “You don’t realize it in the moment, but when you have an opportunity to be a voice for those who don’t have an opportunity to have their voices made louder, you use your platform for that,” he insisted.

#“Obviously, there are people who are not happy about it, but there are a lot of people who reached out and was just really thankful and proud that UI took that stance. It’s something that I believe in and what I stand by. I just continue to pray that with all, including me, will change our hearts, to help us on this dream.”

#While it wasn’t orchestrated by the team, Richardson said he’s not sure if it will be continuous trend kneeling when the national anthem is played, considering the fact that Major League began its shortened 2020 season last night.

#“I don’t know what I will do. But when the moment happen, I will fall on my knees and continue to pray,” he stated. “Hopefully believers will do the same. But I’m going to take that 90 seconds and just pray. If I do, I will ask others who want a change to pray as well so that we can see this change.”

#The Giants were scheduled to be a part of the opening day festivities as they took on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the nightcap in Los Angeles on Major League opening day on Thursday night.

#“It was a little nerve wrecking. After these 21 days of training camp went so well, it’s good to be able to competed again,” said Richardson in an interview with The Tribune just before the season started.

#“You don’t take it for granted. With so much going on all around us, we are all looking forward to the opening of the season and competing again. We are also mindful of all that is going on around us and we won’t take that for granted.”

#During the pre-season camp, Burrows admitted that it was a totally different environment that he experienced when he was playing.

#“We didn’t have as much time as we normally do to wrap up, so it was a really accelerated process,” he stressed. “But our goal was to see how we would get prepared as possible to play on July 23.

#“I think a lot of the players did a lot of work during the down time to stay as ready as possible and it showed when they came into camp, so that helped to speed up the process. We can only turn up the process. We’re in a good position to just push forward this season.”

#After being named as a field coordinator and minor league outfield coordinator for San Francisco in February 201, Richardson was elevated on December 23, 2019 as the first-base coach with the added responsibility of coaching Giants baserunners and outfielders.

#“I am still learning and trying to figure out every detail this role entitles,” Richardson pointed out. “It’s a lot of work to be prepared to try and help the team and to be able to get the information to the players to help them to compete against our opponents.

#“So I’m still trying to figure it out. I might have a better answer when the season is all said and done. But I’m prepared to go for the long haul, or as long as the Giants will have him as a part of their team.”

#Following the completion of their opening game last night, the Giants are scheduled to play three more games this weekend against the Dodgers as they officially get their abbreviated 60-game schedule (less than the normal 162 games) underway. With no fans in the fans, the season is expected to be concluded by the end of September.

#“It’s going to be a sprint with very few off days,” Richardson noted. “Every game will be that much important. Every game is worth a little more than our usual season, o it’s important to just come out and compete hard from day one, lay it all out there and see where it leads us.”

#Similar to the National Basketball Association, which will be playing all of their games out of a bubble in Orlando as they resume the remainder of their season on July 30 after they took a break in March, Major League is using a semi bubble they are confined to themselves without a fan base nd where the concentration is heavily on testing for the coronavirus as well.

#“We test everyone every other day,” Richardson said. “So it’s a pretty hectic process, but they are doing their job to ensure that everybody stay safe.”

#Only family members are allowed around the players and officials and they are also tested and asked to remain committed to the process by not getting into any extra social activities that are not prescribed by the team away from the game itself.

#Richardson like the position that the Giants find themselves in, rebuilding a team that do not have any players with more than 21 home runs or 87 runs batted in (RBI) in 2019. They come in to the season with the fourth-worst batting verge in the league from last year.

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

#FIVE Bahamian players will get the opportunity to compete with some of the best young talent in the region when the National Basketball Association (NBA), International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and Bahamas Basketball Federation (BBF) host the top 66 boys and girls from 16 countries and territories in the 9th Basketball without Borders (BWB) Americas Camp.

#The camp is scheduled for July 5-8 at the Kendal GL Isaacs National Gymnasium in Nassau, marking the first time that the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach programme will be held in the Bahamas. Nike will serve as the official partner.

#Dominic Bridgewater, Samuel Hunter and Derryn Johnson have been selected by the BBF to represent the boys, while Briontae Riley and Diondrea Nixon got the nod for the girls.

#NBA and FIBA players and coaches, including JJ Barea (Dallas Mavericks; Puerto Rico), Dwight Powell (Dallas Mavericks; Canada) and Sasha Vujacic (New York Knicks; Slovenia), will coach the high school age campers. Barea, Powell and Vujacic will be joined by WNBA Legend Ebony Hoffman (US).

#BWB, the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach programme, have reached more than 2,720 participants from 134 countries and territories since 2001, with 46 campers drafted into the NBA.

#Twenty-three former BWB campers, including four former BWB Americas campers, were on opening-night rosters for the 2016-17 season, including Bruno Caboclo (Toronto Raptors; Brazil; BWB Americas 2013), Thon Maker (Milwaukee Bucks; South Sudan; BWB Americas 2015) and Kelly Olynyk (Boston Celtics; Canada; BWB Americas 2009). Three former BWB campers were drafted in the 2017 NBA Draft: Lauri Markkanen (No. 7 overall pick – Chicago Bulls; Finland; BWB Europe 2014/BWB Global 2015), Frank Ntilikina (No. 8 overall pick – New York Knicks; France; BWB Europe 2015/BWB Global 2016) and Isaiah Hartenstein (No. 43 overall pick – Houston Rockets; U.S.; BWB Europe 2015/BWB Global 2016).

#Current NBA assistant coaches James Borrego (San Antonio Spurs), Jim Boylan (Cleveland Cavaliers), Darvin Ham (Atlanta Hawks) and David Vanterpool (Portland Trail Blazers) will also serve as BWB Americas coaches.

#Patrick Hunt (President of the World Association of Basketball Coaches; Australia) and Ronald Cass (FIBA Coach) will serve as camp directors for the boys and girls respectively.

#Armando Rivas (Chicago Bulls) will serve as the camp’s athletic trainer.

#Players and coaches will lead the campers through a variety of activities on and off the court, including movement efficiency, positional skill development, 5-on-5 games and daily life skills seminars focusing on health, leadership and communication.

#One boy and one girl will be named BWB Americas Camp MVPs at the conclusion of the camp.

#BWB Americas will also include a Jr NBA clinic with local youth in the Bahamas in partnership with community organisations, which will highlight the power of sport to promote cultural understanding while teaching the importance of a healthy, active lifestyle and the values of the game, including teamwork, integrity and respect.

#Nike, a BWB global partner since 2002, will outfit the campers and coaches with Nike apparel and footwear.

#The NBA and FIBA have staged 49 BWB camps in 30 cities across 25 countries on six continents. More than 230 current and former NBA, WNBA and FIBA players have joined more than 185 NBA team personnel from all 30 NBA teams to support BWB across the world.

Thursday, June 2, 2016

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#IT may not have any effect on what’s happening in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in August, but at least the Bahamas Olympic Committee can look forward to the 2020 games in Tokyo, Japan with great anticipation.

#Yesterday, the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) welcomed the announcement by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board to support the inclusion of baseball and softball in a new sports package for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

#A final vote on the composition of the sports programme for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will be taken at the IOC Session in Rio de Janeiro in August and, if approved, it would constitute “the most comprehensive evolution of the Olympic programme in modern history,” the IOC stated.

#“It is an honour for our global sport — and a great day for our millions of male and female athletes, and fans around the world — to be represented within this new and innovative youth-focused Olympic sports package,” said WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari. “On behalf of our sport, we thank IOC President Thomas Bach for his Agenda 2020 vision — which has sparked this Olympic evolution — and the entire IOC Executive Board for today’s recommendation.

#“The WBSC also reconfirms our deepest gratitude to Tokyo 2020 leadership for placing its trust in our sport. Olympic baseball and softball in Japan would be the biggest and most exciting international competition in the history of our sport, and would help the Olympic Games touch the entire host nation and worldwide community.”

#The BOC has been hard pressed to get a team sport qualified for the Olympics with volleyball and basketball having gone further than any other in recent times, although they have both still fallen short of getting into the final round of competition.

#Softball has been a predominant sport for the Bahamas, having excelled exceptionally well in the region. Baseball, although it has been hit by a long standing dispute that has yet to yield the results many expected, has seen an influx of players who have been drafted and are now in the pipeline in minor league baseball.

#Just imagine if the Bahamas Baseball Association and Bahamas Baseball Federation can put all of their differences aside and focus on the one common goal of putting together a true representation of our men’s national baseball team which would show the kind of strides we can make in the sport.

#Baseball and softball’s global reach, loyal fan-base and positioning across many of the biggest sports markets, including Japan, offers a unique opportunity to further spread and elevate the Olympic brand while connecting with new audiences and more young people, said the WBSC president.

#For WBSC, today’s IOC Executive Board recommendation helps to highlight the growing global appeal and popularity of baseball and softball, particularly among young people and women. Over the last decade, and with the merger of baseball and softball that established the WBSC in 2013, baseball and softball stakeholders have worked to solidify the gender-balanced global bat-and-ball sport, which now represents 65 million athletes from 213 national federations and associate members in over 140 countries.

#Baseball and softball at the national team level has never been as popular as it is today — among fans, broadcasters, partners and the players themselves. A record 31 national teams will compete at the 2016 WBSC Women’s Softball World Championship in Canada this summer.

#The WBSC Premier12 Baseball World Cup last November was Japan’s most watched international sports event broadcasted in 2015.

#The WBSC Premier12 also generated the highest volume of online media buzz among young digital users in Japan — with over 2 billion social media impressions — surpassing all other major sports events in 2015.

#In Japan, baseball/softball has remained atop the landscape and a central part of the culture for more than 70 years.

#At one point, both the women and men’s national softball team was ranked in the top three in the world.

#What is to say that with more emphasis being placed on the sport that atleast the women regain their level of competitiveness where they can get back to that level.

#At the same time, the men could be making a push for their prominence in baseball.

#We may not have any team sport competing in Rio de Janeiro in August, but who is to say that we can’t get at least two or even more team sports qualified to travel to Tokyo to compete in the next Olympics in 2020.