As of Monday, September 18, 2023

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Anthonique Strachan. (File photo)

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#ANTHONIQUE Strachan got off to a slow start but managed to storm back for third place in the women’s 200 metres as the Wanda Diamond League concluded yesterday with the Prefontaine Classic.

#Strachan, running as the rabbit out of lane eight ahead of her Jamaican training partner Shericka Jackson in seventh at the Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, clocked 22.16, just off her season and lifetime best of 21.15.

#Coming off her sixth place finish at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary in August where she celebrated her 30th birthday, Strachan was able to surge back and made up enough ground to beat out American Twanisha Terry in lane nine for third.

#“I don’t feel no way. It’s the last race of the season,” Strachan said. “I’m glad it was a injury free one and it was a good one. It’s always a pleasure to be in great company.”

#Jackson, however, came off the bend in complete control and went on to extend her lead on the home stretch in a meet record of 21.57 to add the half-lap title to the 100m crown she claimed on Saturday in 10.70.

#The 29-year-old Jackson fell short of her ultimate goal of eclipsing the late American Florence Griffith-Joyner’s world record of 21.34 from September 29, 1988, but Jackson said she got to achieve something else she had on her agenda.

#“Funny enough, last year one of my goals I wrote was how I wanted to get two trophies,” she said. “I didn’t get two trophies last year and I wrote that again, that I wanted two trophies this year. I got it and I’m grateful.”

#The World Championships’ 100m silver medallist and 200m gold medallist became the third woman behind American Carmelita Jeter (2011) and her compatriot Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (2013) to win the 100m and 200m Diamond League titles in the same year.

#Marie-Josee Ta Lou emerged as the runner-up in a season’s best of 22.10 to add to the same position she got in the 200m in 10.75. Terry, who was fifth in the 100m, followed Strachan in 22.21.

#With her pair of victories, Jackson pocketed $60,000, $30,000 for each win. Ta Lou got $24,000 or $12,000 for each race as runner-up and Strachan picked up $7,000 for third. She didn’t compete in the century.

LaQuan Nairn

#Nairn back in action/seventh

#LaQuan Nairn, who rebounded from an injury that prevented him from completing his second appearance at the World Championships, was the only other Bahamian competing in the meet, finishing in seventh place in the men’s long jump.

#The Commonwealth Games champion popped a leap of 23-10 ¼ 7.27m on his fifth attempt, but it wasn’t enough to get him higher in the standings. His series of jumps were 23-9 (7.24m), 19-4 ¼ (5.90m), 17-9 ¾ (5.43m) and 22-10 ¾ (6.98m). He fouled his sixth and final jump.

#Nairn, 27, entered the championships with three victories among nine meets, including a Diamond League win in Lausanne. He posted a season’s best of 26-7 ¼ (8.11m) and a lifetime achievement of 26.11 ½ (8.22m). For his efforts, Nairn was awarded $1,500.

#Simon Ehammer of Switzerland took the title with 26-11 ½ (8.22m) on his fourth attempt.

#Jamaican Tajay Gayle got second with the same distance as Ehammer on his fourth try as well, but lost out on the countback. Yuki Hashioka of Japan was third with 26-8 ¾ (8.15m) on his sixth attempt.

As of Monday, September 18, 2023

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JONQUEL Jones

#By TENAJH SWEETING

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

#GRAND Bahamian Jonquel Jones put up a dominant double double performance to propel the New York Liberty to a game one win over the Washington Mystics.

#The leading Eastern Conference team dropped the seventh-seeded Mystics 90-75 to claim the first win of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) best-of-three playoff series.

#The efforts of Jones and the Liberty’s guard Sabrina Ionescu meshed perfectly to lead New York to their first home playoff win since 2015 at the Barclays Center.

#The former WNBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) charged her way to 20 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and two blocks in her Liberty playoff debut.

#Despite turning in a strong performance, Jones’ teammate Ionescu stole the show in the Big Apple after putting up an historic franchise postseason record of seven made three-pointers in the win.

#To start the opening round of the WNBA playoffs, the Mystics came out on top in the first period outscoring the Liberty 29-23. However, in the second period, to lead into halftime, the stellar New York team outscored the 19-21 (win/loss record) Mystics 23-13 to regain control ahead of the intermission. Jones’ team led 46-42 to go into the locker rooms for halftime.

#Following the break, Ionescu was on fire for New York in front of a packed crowd of 8,789 on their home court. The guard scored 20 of her game-high 29 points in the second half and canned six of her seven three-pointers after the break to cement a new playoff record.

#Jones’ teammate also pulled down six boards and dished out two dimes.

#The forward and guard offensive combo was essential to the Liberty’s latest win as the 2023 Associated Press Player of the Year Breanna Stewart had a tough game. She collected a mere 10 points on 3/16 shooting and was unable to connect on any of her four three-point attempts.

#The Liberty jumped out to a 60-50 lead in the third period at the 3:27 mark following a pair of free throws made by Jones.

#On the night the team was impressive at the charity stripe, converting 85.7 per cent of their 14 free throw attempts in the game one win.

#One of New York’s best sporting teams currently outscored the Mystics 23-15 in the quarter.

#Despite the Mystics trimming the Liberty lead down to six in the fourth quarter, Ionescu sapped their momentum after nailing consecutive shots from deep.

#New York shot 44 per cent from the field in the game and 35.3 per cent from behind the arc.

#The team cleaned the boards by outrebounding the Mystics 43 to 37.

#Myisha Hines-Allen notched a playoff career-high 21 points for the Mystics in the loss.

#The Liberty will look to bring out the brooms to complete the sweep against the Mystics at 7pm on Tuesday.

PROFESSIONAL boxer Rashield Williams has his hand raised by the ring referee after the victory.

As of Monday, September 18, 2023

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#BIRTHDAY boy Rashield Williams, preparing for a possible title shot in November, wasted little time in disposing of Jorge Luis Munguia of Honduras on Saturday at the Hilton Tampa Downtown, Tampa, Florida.

#Williams, who celebrated his 34th birthday on September 13, stopped Munguia, a resident of Houston, Texas in a first round technical knockout.He improved his win-loss record to 9-2 with seven KOs since he moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to begin his pro career in 2019.

#The welterweight (147-pound) bout lasted about one minute and 30 seconds as Munguia was dropped to 15-17 with nine knockouts.

#“I watched my opponent to see what type of fighter he was because this was supposed to be a test match for me,” Williams said. “My next fight is supposed to be a belt.

#“He seemed to be a good strong fighter, but he was no match for me.”

#After throwing a flurry of punches, Williams connected with a straight right to the jaw of Munguia, who fell to the canvas, forcing the referee to step in to signal the end.

#“The performance was good. I didn’t get a chance to break a sweat,” Williams stated. “I put in a lot of hard training, but I didn’t get a chance to really show what I can do. He couldn’t take the power. I was too strong.”

#This was Williams’ third fight with as many victories for the year. He credited the training he’s getting from his coaches Steven Ray and Melvin Rivers at the Contenders Boxing Gym in Fort Lauderdale.

#His previous two matches this year were at the Alessi Gym Fitness Center, Tampa where he got a TKO win over Walter Raul Saravia on March 18 and unanimous decision over Ramon De La Cruz Sena on June 17.

#The wins came after Williams suffered his second loss in his career in his last fight against Elijah Flores in a split decision on October 15, 2022, at the Caribe Royale Orlando in Orlando.

#“I feel good. I think I’m ready for it. I’m prepared,” Williams said. “This is what I’ve been waiting for. The opportunity. This is it. What God has blessed me with, I’m going to take it. I’m not going to let it pass by now. I have a lot to gain and nothing to lose.”

#With a belated birthday present, Williams said he will go to a restaurant and celebrate, but he’s not going to over indulge because he knows he has to get right back into the gym to start preparing for the possible title fight.

 Home|Sports|Jones, Liberty sweep MysticsSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailSeptember 20, 2023 30 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

When Jonquel ‘JJ’ Jones was traded to the New York Liberty in January of this year, her goal was to win a championship. She and the Liberty got one step closer to doing that after sweeping the Washington Mystics in the first round of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) playoffs. They won a thrilling Game Two, 90-85, in overtime last night, sweeping the best-of-three series two games to none.

It is the first time the Liberty won a playoff series since 2015. Ironically, the last time was against the Mystics. Playing at home at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, the Liberty had to use five extra minutes to fight off a pesky Mystics team which did everything to try and extend the series.

Grand Bahama native Jones was a menace to the Mystics as she finished with her second straight double-double in the series, scoring 19 points and adding a game-high 14 rebounds in 38 minutes on the floor. None of her points and rebounds were more important than the offensive rebound and the two clutch free throws at the end of regulation to force overtime.

“We talked about boxing out at the free throw line and I feel like I had to redeem myself with that one,” Jones said.

She grabbed a rebound off a missed free shot from her teammate Sabrina Ionescu and was fouled on a putback attempt.

Jones shot 6-for-9 from the field for 66.7 percent and went 7-for-8 from the free throw line. She also had one steal and three blocks. The one steal came with a few seconds remaining in overtime.

Breanna Stewart led the way for Liberty with 27 hard-fought points. Natasha Cloud gave the Liberty a tough time on defense as she came up with a career-high in points with 33 big ones.

The Liberty led 84-83 with 1:04 left in overtime after Ariel Atkins of the Mystics made a layup. Jones got the ball at the top the key on the next possession and went to work,  driving to the hoop with the intent to score. She put in her final field goal of the night to put her team up 86-83 with 49 seconds left in the game. Seven seconds later, she got her third block of the game to preserve the lead. The Mystics got an offensive rebound and Atkins was fouled. She sank both free throws to cut into the Liberty lead, 86-85, with 38 seconds left.

That was the closest the Mystics got as Stewart went to the charity stripe twice and scored all four attempts for the 90-85 thriller.

“We knew that we wanted to play our best basketball. We had to come together. We had a lot of hard tests during the season that has gotten us ready for this moment and now we are here,” Jones said.

The first half ended with the Liberty leading 46-35 after being up just 21-18 after one quarter. They looked like they gained control of the game and was going to take Game Two easily. The Mystics came out the half and played some strong defense in the third quarter. They outscored the Liberty 21-13 in the third and trailed just 59-56 entering the fourth.

The fourth quarter saw the Mystics taking their first lead since the first quarter when they went up 62-59 on a Cloud’s three-point shot at the 8:33 mark. The two teams battled throughout the fourth quarter as the Mystics fought to stay alive and take the series to Washington D.C. for a do-or-die game three. The Liberty had other plans. They tied the game at 76 points at the end of regulation thanks to Jones’ clutch two free throws and then took over down the stretch in overtime.

The Liberty will now wait to see who they will play between Jones’ old team the Connecticut Sun and the Minnesota Lynx. That series is tied at 1-1 and their decisive game three is set for tonight. The semifinal series between the Liberty and the Sun or Lynx will get underway on Sunday September 24 at 1 p.m. at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

 Home|Sports|James excited to be first woman to lead BFASports

Sheldon LongleySend an emailSeptember 20, 2023 105 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

After eight years as an executive vice president in the Bahamas Football Association (BFA), Anya James made history this year, becoming the first female president of that prestigious sports body.

She was elected into office in May and receives a mandate of taking the body forward and higher to new heights over the next four years. Already, she has overseen a major breakthrough as the country has returned to competitive play in senior women’s football.

The Bahamas takes on Grenada at 7 p.m. at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium tonight, its first match in senior women’s football internationally in about 30 years.

Just four months into office, James said that she is proud of the venture and is looking forward to more accomplishments in the future.

“There are plans to grow this sport from the grassroots level, and also grow the women’s game throughout the Commonwealth of The Bahamas,” she said. “When we look at Grand Bahama for instance, Grand Bahama has a very strong youth women’s program. All of our female national teams always have members from Grand Bahama. Even so, we are always looking at expanding and improving – expand in Abaco, Exuma and Eleuthera as well. We’re looking to get more young people, and young women in particular, involved in football. Also, we want to get a lot of our senior women interested in coming back to the sport. There are a lot of young women who age out of the junior league and are still interested in playing. A lot of them return from college looking for something to do to stay active and re-introducing our women’s league is a part of getting them to return to the sport. It will also give the young high school players an opportunity to be seen so that they could possibly obtain scholarships.”

James said that the senior women’s national soccer team has been training throughout the summer and she’s looking forward to the competition they will engage in, in the coming days, weeks and months. They will play Grenada again on Sunday, in Grenada, and will move on to play the US Virgin Islands (USVI) in a home and away series in October and November, all as a part of the 2023 Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Nations League. The Bahamas was drawn into the CONCACAF Nations League Group C with Grenada and the USVI and has to win the group in order to move on to the next stage of qualification for the 2024 CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup.

“It is exciting to be a leading woman in the football world. It’s rare,” said James. “As women, we’re not here to take over. We’re here to sit at the table and add value. It’s exciting and I’m encouraging other women to step forward and make a contribution. There are many other women who are capable of leading. I’m the first female to lead this body, but I definitely won’t be the last. It’s exciting.”

In getting more persons involved in the sport, and creating more programs, the BFA would need sufficient funding. James said they have an aggressive agenda for raising funds and they also receive assistance from FIFA (International Association Football Federation).

“FIFA has this program that is called ‘Football for Schools’ and that is one of the avenues that we are going to use to introduce and sustain football among the young people of The Bahamas. There is assistance when it comes to some of the programs,” said James. “We have sat down with the ministry (Ministry of Education & Technical & Vocational Training) in relation to expanding the program in the schools in the Family Islands. We have been into Cat Island, Inagua and have sent equipment. We are starting with the main islands because we know that we have people on the ground who could maintain the program. We want to make sure that the programs are sustainable.”

Bahamian women’s football in general, in the country, is experiencing a major rebirth. As mentioned, the national team will take on Grenada tonight. Following that, they will travel to Grenada to face that nation on Grenadian soil. That match will be played on Sunday.

As the woman in charge of the governing body of football in the country, James is determined to continue the advancement of the sport locally and provide more opportunities for players of all ages and both genders.

 Home|Sports|Grenada ready for the challenge from The BahamasSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailSeptember 20, 2023 44 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Grenada senior women’s national football team is in town and held its final practice yesterday before facing The Bahamas tonight. The two teams meet on the ‘Road to the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) Women’s Gold Cup’, starting their qualifying campaign at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium tonight.

The CONCACAF Nations League Group C match between the two teams gets underway at 7 p.m. Head Coach for Grenada Jake Rennie said that his team is ready for the clash.

“We started training since February. The preparation has been good and I am satisfied with the level where they are at now. … Mentally and physically, we are there, knowing what we have gone through – the hard training and getting the team together. We are ready,” Rennie said.

The team comes into the tournament ranked at number 167 in the latest FIFA Rankings, which came out August 2023. They’re up one spot from the previous rankings. The team last played competitively in the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers in 2022, and they came away winless against Bermuda, Dominica, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Dominica. Rennie said he is happy for the chance for his team to compete again.

“The players are very motivated to be here, knowing that they are anxious to play. Our expectation for this game is to do our best and, hopefully, we come out victorious,” Rennie said.

Grenada’s captain Roneisha Frank knows the importance of winning this first game on the road.

“This game is going to be a very hard game. It is key for us to win this game, being the first game of the tournament. Winning this game will give the team motivation for the next games,” Frank said.

The striker, who also plays left wing, believes that the team is strong and added that they need to do what their coach has taught them over the last few months.

According to Rennie, the team is a young one that is made up of mainly 25-year-old and younger players.

The team arrived in The Bahamas on Monday afternoon, and Rennie said that they have settled in nicely.

The two teams face each other again on Sunday at the Kirani James Stadium in St. George’s, Grenada. That match will take place at 4 p.m.

 Home|Sports|The Bahamas’ women to play GrenadaSports

Sheldon LongleySend an emailSeptember 19, 2023 114 4 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian women’s football is reborn, set for regional action next week at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.

For the first time in 30 years, The Bahamas will compete at the senior level in women’s football internationally. The first match of the major breakthrough is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium. The following match will be played on Sunday September 24.

The Bahamas will face Grenada in both matches, the first at home and the second on the road in Grenada, as the 2023 Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Nations League competition gets underway.

Also in the three-team group with The Bahamas is the US Virgin Islands (USVI), and the home and away series with that nation, will be held in October and November.

“This is a new chapter for women’s football in The Bahamas, and I am thrilled to be a part of this journey. It’s a true honor and privilege,” said Anya James, in her fourth month as president of the Bahamas Football Association (BFA) – the first woman to serve in that capacity. “Our team stands as a beacon of hope, talent and perseverance. It resonates with our mantra of ‘women who win’. Every stride that they take, every goal they aim for and every challenge that they overcome, they do so as winners. This moment is not just about participating. It is about showcasing the tenacity, talent and spirit of Bahamian women. It is about breaking barriers, setting benchmarks and inspiring the next generation to dream even bigger. As we gear up, let us remember that we are more than just a team – we are a symbol of hope, inspiration and determination. We are the women who win.”

The BFA took a stance to return to competition in women’s football just a few months ago and is now just a couple days away from accomplishing that goal. They were drawn into the CONCACAF Nations League Group C with Grenada and the USVI and has to win the group in order to move on to the next stage of qualification for the 2024 CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup.

The price for admission on Wednesday is $20 for adults and $5 for children.

Set to represent the country are goalkeepers Raynia Russell and Melina McClure, and position players Diane Maillis, Brianna Capron, Tyra McKenzie, Samina Moss, Edissa Bain, Dalexis Huyler, Angel Williams, Liah Rae Tucker, Jada Thelamour, Demitra McClure, Kyrah Miller, Janeka Edey, Giselle Laing, Jodei Clarke, Karen Wert, Rachel Rolle, Megan Wood, Valtinique Simmons, Taleah Thompson, Hadassah Knowles and Kaitlyn Rolle.

Ricqea Bain is the head coach of the team. She said they are ready to play and ready to win.

“The team is really dynamic. We have seven high schoolers, two in the US, a core group of 20-23 year-olds and two seniors, around 28-29. I’m elated,” she said. “It’s awesome for us to start at home. I’m very confident that we could beat Grenada but the goal is to make Bahamians proud. We know what we could do. We have improved tremendously over the last few months. This is just the beginning of our journey. We feel no pressure to go out there and do what we’re capable of doing.”

Melina McClure, a 19-year-old sophomore goalkeeper for the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Mountain Lions in Colorado Springs, Colorado, said she is excited for the opportunity and grateful to be in position to help the team.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to represent this country,” she said. “We have been training very hard and we look forward to competing. I’ve seen improvement over the last few months. I think we’re strong and we could do well.”

The Mountain Lions compete as members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II.

Rachel Rolle, 20-year-old sophomore defender for the Allen University Yellow Jackets in Columbia, South Carolina, said that she is more than excited to compete.

“I’m honored to play. We’re set to put our best feet forward, play our game and do our best,” she said. “We want to showcase our talent. We are our sisters’ keepers so we play as one. We’re very confident. We feel like we could dominate our group. Training is going well. It’s a lot of hard work and dedication, and the fact that we are able to pull through is a symbol of our perseverance.”

Rolle has spent four years on the national team as a junior player and is about to experience her first action as a senior national team player.

Sports Officer in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture Adam Miller said that the ministry has thrown its full support behind the senior women’s national football team.

“We fully support the women’s national team in their journey to get to the Gold Cup,” he said. “It’s important to have them here competing at home to give Bahamians an opportunity to see women’s football at its highest level in The Bahamas, its growth and the future of the sport. One of the mandates of the ministry is to put mechanisms in place to ensure the growth of all sports and with women’s football coming on stream, we could see the growth. The BFA is setting the way forward for women’s representation and we support that.”

As mentioned, The Bahamas would have to win its group with Grenada and the USVI in order to move on to the next stage of qualification on the ‘Road to CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup’.

The first game is set for this Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Grenada at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.

 Home|Sports|The Bahamas’ senior men’s basketball team drops one spotSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailSeptember 19, 2023 144 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

It has been a few days since FIBA (International Basketball Federation) released its latest rankings and it has The Bahamas’ senior men’s basketball team dropping by one spot to 57. Bahamian basketball fans, in general, are puzzled by the drop-off in the rankings, given the accomplishments of Bahamian basketball in recent times.

The rankings were published on the FIBA website on Friday. President of the Bahamas Basketball Federation (BBF) Eugene Horton said he is not letting the rankings stopping them from pursuing the federation’s mission.

“Our main concern is to make sure we continue to develop basketball in the country, concentrating on youth, Family Islands, and training,” Horton said.

The Bahamas has 199.4 points after being previously ranked 56th in the February 10 rankings. The Bahamas gained 12.7 points since the last rankings. The rankings take into account all games played by 164 national teams in official FIBA competitions and their qualifiers over an eight-year period. More points are given to teams depending on strength of the tournament, if they beat a higher ranked team, and also the margin of victory. To that, Horton said that BBF had no control over it.

It was anticipated that The Bahamas would move up the rankings after having a great showing at the FIBA Americas Pre-Olympic Tournament in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, in August. They won that tournament, defeating host nation Argentina twice, the number four ranked team in the world at the time.

The Bahamas won all four of their games and punctuated the tournament with a 82-75 victory over the host in the final. The win not only kept Team Bahamas’ hopes alive for the Olympics, but eliminated Argentina from contention for the Olympics.

The team was arguably one of the best Bahamian basketball teams ever assembled as it included National Basketball Association (NBA) players Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield, DeAndre Ayton and Eric ‘EJ’ Gordon.

Horton is looking ahead to future tournaments for all national teams.

“We plan to continue partnership with new and existing corporate sponsors. We are looking to put the most competitive national teams together (junior and senior male and female) to represent Team Bahamas and continue to make our country proud,” Horton said.

The next action for the senior men’s team will be the FIBA AmeriCup 2025 Qualifiers. The Bahamas was drawn into Group D that includes the United States of America, Puerto Rico and Cuba. The draw took place on August 9.

Each team will play each opponent in its group twice under a home and away format during three windows. They will take place in February and November 2024 and then in February 2025. The top three teams from each of the four groups will qualify for the FIBA AmeriCup 2025.

Sheldon LongleySend an emailSeptember 15, 2023 31 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian professional baseball player with the Miami Marlins Jasrado ‘Jazz’ Chisholm Jr. is day to day after suffering from knee discomfort in the Marlins 2-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Wednesday.

Chisholm was out of the lineup on Thursday, and the Marlins fell to the National League Central Division leading Brewers, 4-2, and dropped the series three games to one.

According to reports, Chisholm tweaked his right knee while trying to beat out a throw to first after grounding into a double play in the top of the fourth inning. He told reporters afterwards that it wasn’t anything serious, and was available to come off the bench on Thursday, but never entered the game.

The Marlins enter a huge weekend series on their home field against the National League East Division winning Atlanta Braves, and they will certainly need their star center fielder as they look to stay in the National League playoff race in Major League Baseball (MLB). Thankfully for the Marlins, two of the teams they are battling with for the final wild card spot in playoffs, the Cincinnati Reds and the Arizona Diamondbacks, both lost yesterday. The other team, the San Francisco Giants, were idle as their game with the Colorado Rockies was postponed.

All four teams are separated by just a half game in the standings. The Giants lead the way with a 75-71 win/loss record, the Reds and Diamondbacks are both 76-72 and the Marlins have a 75-72 record.

With a little over two weeks remaining in the season, every game is vital. Following their weekend series at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, against the Braves, the Marlins will host the Mets and the Brewers before going on the road to end the season against the Mets and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

It’s disappointing for Chisholm, who has struggled with his health over the course of his MLB career, but when healthy, he is one of the most exciting and dynamic young players in the league. The 25-year-old center field is optimistic and there’s a chance that he could play against the Braves this weekend.

Through 82 games this year, Chisholm has maintained a .252 batting average with 16 home runs, 40 RBIs (runs batted in) and 39 runs scored. He also has 19 stolen bases.

Chisholm’s injury is the latest on a growing list of injured stars for the Marlins. The list includes reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara, hard-hitting outfielder Jorge Soler, veteran Avisail Garcia, and young starter Trevor Rogers.

 Home|Sports|Strachan signed to Panthers practice squadSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailSeptember 15, 2023 27 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian professional American football player Michael Strachan is no longer with the team that drafted him into the National Football League (NFL), the Indianapolis Colts. He was signed to the Carolina Panthers practice squad on Wednesday.

Strachan was released from the Colts practice squad on Tuesday along with running back Jason Huntley and tight end Johnny Lumpkin. They added center Jack Anderson, running back Tyler Goodson and tight end Jordan Murray. The wide receiver was signed to the Colts practice squad on August 30 after being waived the previous day.

Strachan was picked in the seventh round of the NFL Draft in 2021.

The Grand Bahama native reunites with his former coach Frank Reich who drafted him. He joins a Panthers team that has a 0-1 win/loss record so far this season. The Panthers finished second last season in the National Football League South Division with a 7-10 record. They have four wide receivers signed to their 53-man roster – Adam Thielen, DJ Clarke Jr., Terrace Marshall Jr. and Laviska Shenault Jr.

Strachan suited up for 13 games last season but only had three receptions and 59 receiving yards. His best game came in a game against the Houston Texans in which he had two receptions for a total of 36 receiving yards with the longest being 20 yards. His third reception of the season came in a 24-0 loss by the Colts to the Jacksonville Jaguars. That catch was for 23 yards.

In his rookie season, Strachan started out promising, coming away with two receptions for 26 receiving yards in his debut against the Seattle Seahawks. His longest catch in that game was for 16 yards but the Colts lost, 28-16. He has 85 receiving yards and five receptions in his career and is still looking for his first receiving touchdown in the NFL.

Strachan was a standout receiver for the University of Charleston (UC) Golden Eagles in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II before being drafted.

Strachan played in all 11 games for the Golden Eagles in 2019, his final season in college, totaling 19 touchdown receptions. He had 78 receptions for a total of 1,319 receiving yards. In his first three games that season, he had at least 145 receiving yards in each one. The speedster scored at least one touchdown in 10 of those 11 games that year and caught a touchdown in all 10 of the Mountain East Conference (MEC) games.

Those 19 touchdowns and 78 receptions were UC single-season records. The previous touchdown record was 13, which was set by Charlie Hubbard all the way back in 1950. The previous receptions record was 60, set by Terrance Spencer in 2006.

On October 12, 2019, Strachan set the Golden Eagles’ single-game record for most receiving yards with 207 against Notre Dame College.