SPORTS SECTION E
VOLLEYBALL
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017
NPVA Champions, Pg 3
Richardson retires By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
W
ith the passion to play gone and an eagerness now to assist in the development of more Bahamians to follow in his footsteps as a professional baseball player, two-time Major Leaguer Antoan Richardson has announced his retirement from the sport. Holding back the tears during a press conference yesterday, Richardson, accompanied by his long-time mentor and coach Senator Greg Burrows, said it’s time for him to move on as he focuses on his non-profit Limestone Foundation. Although he was the sixth Bahamian to play in the Major League, playing with the Atlanta Braves in 2011, the New York Yankees in 2014 and again with the Texas Rangers in 2015, Richardson said when he left the Bahamas 19 years ago to continue high school and begin his baseball journey, he never envisioned it to be what it turned out to be. The 33-year-old outfielder-turned pitcher followed in the footsteps of the late Andre Rodgers, who played for the New York Giants, San Francisco Gi-
ants, Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates from 1957-67; late Wentie Ford with the Braves in 1973; late Tony Curry with the Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Indians from 1960-66; late Wilfred Culmer with the Indians in 1983 and Ed Armbrister, who played in two championship games with the Cincinnati Reds from 1973-77. Richardson, in his emotional speech, said his first goal was to graduate from high school, become a police officer and get married, but he ended up leaving the Bahamas to pursue a college education on a sports scholarship at high school. Yet, he still had placed boundaries on what baseball could do for him. “I didn’t understand the role that it would play on my life,” he stated. “Several years later, I also earned a college scholarship, got drafted on four separate occasions and I finally signed with the San Francisco Giants to start my career as a professional baseball player and with that, I travelled the world.” • A show of gratitude Richardson credited his childhood friend Brian Armbrister, who relentlessly pursued him to join him at Freedom Farm where he
Antoan by the numbers CAREER STATISTICS AND HIGHLIGHTS 1. Richardson’s proudest baseball moment was taking the field with nine other Bahamian players during the World Baseball Classic Qualifier in Brooklyn, New York, 2016 2. Played with 8 different major league organisations, including: San Francisco Giants; Atlanta Braves (MLB Roster, 2011); Baltimore Orioles; Minnesota Twins; New York Yankees (MLB Roster, 2014); Texas Rangers (MLB Roster, 2015); Pittsburg Pirates; Los Angeles Dodgers 3. 6 years in the minor leagues before major league debut 4. First professional contract with the San Francisco Giants in 2005 5. Active minor league leader in on-base percentage (.394) and stolen base success rate (85 percent) in 2016 6. On September 4, 2011, Richardson recorded his first major league hit, in his first major league at bat, on the first pitch he saw off of Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers (CY Young Winner) 7. During Derek Jeter’s final at bat in Yankee Stadium, Richardson scored the winning run enshrining the play in MLB history 8. Richardson is a lifetime .273/.392/.342 hitter in the minors with 15 homers and 331 stolen bases (in 389) 9. Richardson is a lifetime .350/.381/.350 hitter in the majors with 0 homers and 6 stolen bases (in 6 attempts) and 1 RBI 10. Career Batting Average (Major League): .350 (7/20) 11. Career Batting Average (Minor League): .273 12. 331 Stolen Bases (Minor League)
ANTOAN RICHARDSON, accompanied by his long-time mentor and coach, Senator Greg Burrows, holds back tears yesterday during a press conference to announce his retirement. was recruited by a scout to play at American Heritage High School in Delray Beach, Florida. He publicly thanked his family, especially his mother Glendia Huyler and his aunt Rogan Huyler-Forbes, as well as others for his safety blanket, his friends, including Jeff ‘Sangy’ Francis, who drove the length of the USA to see him play in the minor league, his coaches, including Senator Burrows, and those in America for allowing him to break those boundaries and excel in the sport. Now he’s walking away with his head held high as he rejuvenated the sport
when there were no Bahamians playing in the pipeline at the time and now there are so many following him, only four teams in Freedom Farm which has swelled to more than 30, as well as a more vibrant programme in Eleuthera and Grand Bahama. “My time is done and it’s about the next generation and supporting those guys. It’s about supporting the ones coming up to get to their dreams,” said Richardson, who had only informed his agent a month ago that he was finished and will only be back on the field as a fan enjoying the success of everybody else
behind him.” And so he wants to be able to give back to the sport that has given so much to him. “When I look back on it all, the passion to give has been there since day one when I left Freedom Farm,” Richardson said. “I credited Mr Burrows and some of the things that he did for me, instilled something in me, wanting to do the same. He talked about the story of the four young men coming over to join me and yeah I used to call him and say ‘yeah, I was home sick.’ I was about to leave American Herit-
SEE PAGE 5
Inaugural West End International boat race April 22-23 By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net THE waters off West End, Grand Bahama, will be a buzz with high-speed boat racing in April with the launch of the inaugural West End International. The event, set for April 22-23, is organised by the International Boat Racing Association, and 20 to 28 racers from the US and Canada are expected to compete in West End. Sergio Nativi, president of the IBRA, told The Tribune that the event could be an annual one for West End on the racing circuit. “This will be the third race of the circuit for us, and so West End would become an annual stop for IBRA,” he said. “Hopefully, we can grow to where we have even 50 to 60 boats coming to a race, and our goal is to grow to that point so we can boost your tourism and create benefit for the community.” The high-speed boat races will take place from 9.30am to 4.30pm on Saturday, April 22 and Sunday, April 23. A kick-off party is Friday night on April 21, at the Old Bahama Bay Resort and Yacht Harbour. There will be hydroplanes, Jer-
THE event is being organised by the International Boat Racing Association and 20 to 28 racers from the US and Canada are expected to compete in West End. sey skiffs and power boats hurtling up to 170 mph speeds in the high-paced, high-energy events. In addition to the races, the event will feature food, drinks, music, vendors, shopping and activities for the whole family. Mr Nativi said that the waters off West End is the perfect place for boat racing to occur. “Some of the boats are going very fast, and we are going to have three different classes. We are expecting a total of 18 boats, but it
could be up to 28 boats depending on how many racers can get there in time,” he said. The IBRA was started racing in Stuart, Florida, in 2012. They hold a number of boat races every year all over the US, and as far north as Canada. Some of the best racing teams are expected to compete in the circuit at West End, including the EMS (Environmental Manufacturing Solutions) team, which has three boats competing – one driv-
en by Brandon Kennedy, the second by his wife, Karson Kennedy, and the third by Paul Barber. The Steelers team, with Bert Henderson, is also expected to compete. “Bert is a long-time favourite and well respected in the sport and we will live stream the event so that everybody back home can see him and at the same time provide some exposure to West End to people that may never heard of the area. And these racers come from everywhere and
they bring their crew and families with them,” said Mr Nativi. Mr Nativi said that they invited representatives of the Ministry of Tourism and the sport commission in the Bahamas to one of their races last year. “They were impressed with the crowds and they were able to see what the crowds were getting, the economic benefits, as well as the entertainment it provided for the town,” he said. Betty Bethel, director of the Ministry of Tourism in Grand Bahama, is very pleased about the event coming to Grand Bahama. “We’re very excited to host the first ever West End International. The event promises fun and excitement for our residents and visitors alike, and we are very excited to host them at the beautiful Old Bahama Bay and the surrounding resorts on West End,” she said. General admission to the races is free. VIP tickets for the races are $60, and the Friday night VIP kick-off party is $75. Tickets are available now at WestEndBoatRaces.com. The West End International is sponsored by the Bahamas government, Old Bahama Bay Resort and Yacht Harbour, Island Coastal Charters and Environmental Manufacturing Solutions.