SPORTS SECTION E
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2017
Philip Major to fill Baker’s shoes in the Davis Cup tie By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
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ue to their commitments to school, top seed Baker Newman and No.4 seed Kevin ‘KJ’ Major won’t be able to represent the Bahamas when the first round of the American Zone II Davis Cup tie is played against Venezuela next month. In their absence, Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association secretary Darnette Weir has confirmed that Philip Major Jr has been added to the team to replace Newman and they are hoping to finalise the replacement for Major before the end of the week. The tie was originally set for February 3-5 in Venezuela. But due to the civil unrest in the country, they opted to play the tie at the Doral Country Club in Miami, Florida. Weir said while Major Jr will now join Spencer Newman and player/captain Marvin Rolle, the BLTA is looking at filling the final spot with either Justin Lunn or Cereno Rolle, who may have to play against each other to determine who gets the spot. “We don’t have our number one player, but it more than likely will change the dynamics, but with Marvin Rolle being the coach, we will rise to the occasion. “If we fall short, we still have a chance in April to play the other country to try to remain in zone II. We have fought too hard to be in zone II to get relegated back to zone III, so we hope that Marivin’s leadership and everybody being on one accord, we will be able to pull off the win over Venezuela.” Should the Bahamas lose against Venezuela, they will have to play the loser of the tie between Bolivia and El Salvador the same weekend in El Salvador from April 7-9 at a venue to be decided to avoid getting relegated to zone III next year. A victory over Venezuela would enable the Bahamas to move on to play the winner of Bolivia vs El
ALL FOR ONE
Regatta, Pg 2
BAHAMAS BLANKS BARBADOS 5-0 TO WIN IC OPENER By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
PHILIP MAJOR JR has been added to the Bahamas’ Davis Cup team to replace Baker Newman. Because of school commitments, Newman and No.4 seed Kevin ‘KJ’ Major will not be able to represent the Bahamas when the first round of the American Zone II Davis Cup tie is played against Venezuela next month. The BLTA is hoping to finalise Kevin Major Jr’s replacement this week. Photo: Shawn Hanna/The Tribune Salvador, also in April, with the view of either advancing to zone one or remaining in zone II for next year. “We’re hoping that Baker will be able to join us in April,” Weir said. Baker Newman, winner of the BLTA’s annual Giorgio Baldacci National Open in December, which served as the trials for the team, is currently enrolled at Vanderbilt where he’s a member of their men’s tennis team. Kevin Major Jr, who finished in the No.4 spot, is enrolling in Seminole State Junior College in Oklahoma and will not be available. Philip Major Jr, who ended up in fifth place behind Spencer Newman (second) and Marvin Rolle (third), said it’s an honour
for him to be selected to the team to represent the country. “I’m going to take this opportunity and give it my best and leave everything out there,” said Major, who will be making the Davis Cup team for the second time, the first coming in 2013. With the Bahamas finally coming out of zone III last year when the team of the Newman brothers, Kevin Major and Rolle prevailed in Montevideo, Uruguay, Philip Major said he feels the Bahamas still has a solid team to go up against Venezuela, despite not having Baker Newman and Kevin Major Jr. “We have a lot of talent here in the Bahamas and we’re all capable of playing great tennis worldwide, not just in the Bahamas” he said. “If we can all bring our A game, I
believe we will have a chance, not just to win, but to move up to zone one.” In preparation for the tie, 20-year-old Philip Major said he’s been doing four hours of gym work and at least two hours of tennis workouts daily for the anticipation of playing in one of the best-of-five matches during the tie. “I want to be ready physically and mentally and to know that I will be able to last as long as I am able to,” he said. “With the tie being in Miami, hopefully we can have a good crowd come out to support us.” Once the team is completed, Weir said they will announce any package that is available for spectators who would wish to travel to Miami to cheer on the team.
THE Bahamas, in its bid to improve on his runner-up position last year, blanked Barbados 5-0 to win their opening match in the Bahamas IC International Doubles Week on Majority Rule Day. Although they played their first match yesterday, the weeklong tournament got started on Monday and will continue through the weekend at the National Tennis Centre. While the Bahamas prevailed with a clean sweep over their Caribbean rivals, Canada had a tough battle but pulled off a close 3-2 decision over the International Team, comprising of players from a combination of nations. On Monday, a depleted USA team held off Canada 3-2 and Barbados, which features Bahamian Leo Rolle, clinched a 5-0 sweep over the International team. “We’ve had some good matches, even though it’s been windy,” said tournament director Kit Spencer. “It’s challenging conditions to play in, which has been a levelling positions for the teams. “We had some problems with transportation in the United States. Some people couldn’t get flights because of the snow and others arrived without baggage, but things are starting to come together.” After watching their performance yesterday, Spencer said he’s looking for the Bahamas to continue their winning ways, but anything could happen as they look forward to a possible rematch with the USA on the final day of competition. The tournament calls for
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Crachad Laing: ‘Baseball saved my life’ By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net ONE of the many Bahamian prospects to acquire opportunities and education through baseball, Crachad Laing delivered an inspiring message to others looking to follow a similar career path. “I never played one inning of professional baseball, but I consider myself a success and my opportunities continue to expand,” Laing said at the Career Path To Athletic Success forum. “Baseball saved my life.” A product of the Junior Baseball League of Nassau, Laing finished high school in the United States at the Perkiomen School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He then attended Bluefield State College where he played four years at catcher and infielder before he graduated with his degree in civil engineering. “Just like a lot of you I wanted to go away to school and I wanted
to play in the pros. Eventually I did get a chance to do that but it didn’t happen for me when it happened for everyone else and that can be very discouraging, but I stayed the course,” he said. Laing has now returned to Perkiomen as a physics teacher and assistant baseball coach. “People would ask why I was so happy and always smiling, it’s because at every stop on my journey I generally loved where I was at. My dream was to play baseball in the US and I had a chance to do that. I went to college free of charge. I know my parents couldn’t afford it and that was the reality of my situation. Prior to going to school I wanted to settle. My goal was to be a bellman at Sandals resort like I did the summer before. At the time I didn’t know I was settling because I wasn’t exposed to much,” he said. “Make the most of each opportunity. I spent one year at Perk and I stayed in contact with my coach all throughout my col-
CRACHAD LAING legiate career. It opened another opportunity for me. In March 2016 I was prepared to come back home and work, but another opportunity opened up for me. My
former coach at Perk lobbied for me to accept a teaching position and I recently got accepted into the applied physics programme at NYU in addition to the teaching and coaching post. Baseball completely changed the trajectory of my life. Who am I to be a kid from the Bahamas destined for so much more. I already beat the odds so I plan to keep on beating the odds. Sometimes our definition of success is so superficial and there are so many avenues of success through baseball. If it wasn’t for baseball none of this would have been possible for me. I always respected the game, I always loved the game and it has paid amazing dividends for me.” It was during his junior year at Bluefield State when Laing said he came to the realisation that his ultimate dream of professional baseball would have to take a backseat to the opportunities he would be able to grasp academically. “My goal growing up was always to be a pro baseball player.
There was even a point in time when I was thinking about leaving college to come home and sign but some point you have to realise what you’re good at,” he said. “I was a good baseball player but there are so many other qualities and characteristics other than baseball that I thought would have made me great.” Laing said that while he serves in his current position, he seeks to grant as many opportunities as he can to deserving Bahamian student athletes with a similar dream. “That’s what I ultimately want to do. I was like many of the young players sitting here looking up to these guys in the pros. I was once a kid sending emails to coaches trying to get an opportunity and now I’m able to call shots on that. It’s surreal. I want to be able to create that same opportunity for other young Bahamian players at my institution because I want to assist them in achieving their dreams in any way I can.”