09012016 sports

SPORTS SECTION E

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2016

Basketball

D’Andre Vilmar, Page 2

Massive recruitment effort to identify new talent

By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

IN an effort to continue the Bahamas’ success at the international level and motivated by Team Bahamas’ performance at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Prime Minister Perry Christie said his government will undergo a massive recruitment effort to identify new talent.

As members tabled communications yesterday in the House of Assembly, Christie addressed the formation of the plan, which is now in its infancy stages.

“I’ve indicated that the government will be prepared to support a concentrated effort by all of the associations and federations to bring about efforts providing the best opportunities for our young

people throughout the this week, the Prime Commonwealth of the Minister also adBahamas,” he said. dressed the issue of “We will meet this recruitment and facilicoming Monday where ties. the document will be “I met with a body prepared where we of athletic federations will put together this because arising out of major effort for a rethe Olympics I wantcruitment exercise for ed to ensure that the young people. We will government would be go through schools able to inform public from primary, to high policy and the assoPM CHRISTIE school to the Univerciations that we need sity of the Bahamas to take a good look where scholarships will be availa- at how we go about developing ble. In a nutshell, taking that level sports to give our athletes in an isof commitment the government land nation like the Bahamas, the can give I have given our commit- best opportunity to grow and do ment to creating the best possible the best they could,” he said. team to represent the Bahamas at “Right now it is very difficult future events.” for kids in the islands who lack Appearing as a guest on the facilities or who have limited fa“Darold Miller Live” talk show cilities. So, I had a meeting with

those associations in the absence of the minister, I indicated that the intention was to put together a comprehensive programme, an integrated programme where we would be able to identify throughout our islands athletes with potential and to be able to give these athletes the opportunity to attend educational institutions whether high school or University of the Bahamas and to be able to give college scholarships so they can have the same benefit as others right here in the Bahamas. We will associate the university with centres of excellence where athletes are able to be associated with sports academies and be able to get the very best treatment advice and conditioning.”

In May 2013, Christie first announced that his administration “will begin the process to invest

some $10 million in the construction” of multi-purpose sporting facilities in the family islands similar to those in New Providence and Grand Bahama, giving young athletes in those islands more opportunities to develop in competitive sports.

The improvement to sporting infrastructure is but one segment of an extensive plan for his administration’s budget, aimed at “structural reform.”

“All of this is necessary for us to give our athletes the best opportunity to perform at the highest level and excel at events like the recent Olympics,” he said. “Sports is a major pillar for the Bahamas. It is a multi-billion dollar enterprise.

We are talking about being able to pursue best practices in sports development and being able to connect them with the best facilities.”

Felix: ‘It’s a fun rivalry’

By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

I

t has been over two weeks since Shaunae Miller and Allyson Felix faced off in the most widely discussed race of the 2016 track and field season, and the IAAF Diamond League continues to provide a platform to discuss a possible rematch between the two quartermilers.

In a press conference just ahead of today’s Diamond League meeting in Zurich, Felix was asked about her rivalry with Miller and the prospects for the future of the head-to-head matchup.

“It’s a fun rivalry. The 400m is an event that’s always a challenge for me, you know it isn’t my favourite, but it’s fun when I get to race against her [Miller] and I think that we’ll have a lot of great races to come,” she said.

“I think it was a good race in the Olympics. Of course I had hoped for more from myself, but with the year that I had I was happy to look back and see what I’ve accomplished.”

Miller will not participate in Zurich’s Weltklasse meeting, but Felix will contest the 200m against Diamond Race leader Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands, Olympic sprint double champion Elaine Thompson and veteran Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica.

“I’ve struggled with injuries a lot this year, so I’m happy to be here and I’m excited for this race. I don’t know if anything can compensate for what happened in Rio, but the 200m is my favourite event, so any time I get to run it, I enjoy it.

“I am also happy about what I accomplished in the 400m. It was very nice to

SHAUNAE MILLER, left, of the Bahamas, and United States’ Allyson Felix compete in a 400-metre semi-final during the Summer Olympics at the Olympic stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sunday, August 14.

(AP Photo/David J Phillip)

be back home afterwards.

Track and field is not the main sport in the US so it was fun to see the fans after the Olympics highlights.”

Miller’s personal best of 49.44 seconds for the gold medal in Rio has her sitting on top of the IAAF top list

in the women’s 400 metres.

Felix follows with her silver medal run of 49.51.

Between the two, they share the top six times posted this year.

The women’s 400m will not be contested in Zurich, but Miller will chase

the Diamond Race title in Brussels on September 9.

She now stands in second position in the women’s 400m with 30 points behind Jamaica’s Stephanie AnnMcPherson who leads with 31. Natasha Hastings of the United States is third with

28 points.

In recent years, Felix has held the edge in the matchup between the two, including a win in the semi-finals in Rio, and at the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China.

The men’s 400m will be

contested in Zurich, and Steven Gardiner will contest the field which also includes Olympic bronze medallist LaShawn Merritt of the United States, and Olympic finalists Isaac Makwala of Botswana and Bralon Taplin of Grenada.

PI Open on par for Ocean Club Golf Course this Saturday

By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net THE first event of the Bahamas Golf Federation’s “Cup Series” will aid the development of the organisation’s junior programme and the fight against breast cancer.

The Paradise Island Open, presented by the Atlantis Resort and the Ocean Club Golf Course, is all set to be hosted September 3-4 at the Ocean Club facilities.

The tournament format will feature two-day individual stroke play in the following divisions: Men’s – Gross, Net, Senior (50+) and Super Senior (60+), Ladies, Ladies Senior (50+) and Juniors

(-17).

Said Lloyd Jones, operations manager at the Ocean Club Golf Course: “This will help the junior golfers and the fight against breast cancer. Last year we did it a little later in the year, but we are hoping for the same amount of numbers. We encourage you to sign up sooner rather than later because we are looking forward to making this event a success.”

Final registration takes place at 11am on tournament day and play will begin with a 12:30 shotgun start.

The registration fee is $275 per adult player for both days of play and $150 for juniors. Awards are guaranteed for the first three positions in each division - closest to

the pin and longest drive competitions.

Agatha Delancy, chairman of the BGF Ladies’ Division, said the Paradise Island Open will set the tone for the remainder of the series. “Contingent upon this tourney, BGF president Glen Archer and his committee will use this to launch the Cup Series.

That series is a number of tourneys the BGF will hold over the course of the next few months leading to the overall winner, much like the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup,” she said.

“So the first in this series will be the Paradise Island Open. The next event in this series would be the Lyford Cay Cup and the Albany Cup. So, at the end of this

series a winner will be declared.”

Proceeds from day one will benefit the BGF junior programme while day two benefits breast cancer awareness.

Georgette Rolle, secretary of the BGF and the principle trainer in the junior development programme hosted at the Baillou Hills Complex Driving Range, said her focus nowadays is on junior golf. “I’m spending about 90-95 per cent of my time teaching junior golf and I love it.

Our youth programme is going really well. We start this upcoming week with our regular classes, we have upcoming tournaments and skills competitions coming up and we’re excited for it,” she said.

“On our current roster we have

about 40 kids enrolled. Thankfully, Mr [Craig] Flowers has been working hard to keep the facility going to make the game more accessible and thankfully we can have our classes there, the kids are enrolled for a reasonable price and myself and the instructors get an opportunity to work with them and keep the game going. There is a lot of talent there, from kids whether they play other sports or they only play golf.”

Ahead of the tournament, players can also register via e-mail to robbie.leming@atlantisparadise. com, victoria.bethell@atlantisparadise.com or lloyd.jones@atlantisparadise.com by providing their name, GHIN number and division.

PAGE 2, Thursday, September 1, 2016

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High school player D’Andre Vilmar to fly with the Eagles in New Jersey ELITE Bahamian basketball prospect D’Andre Vilmar will transfer to Paul VI High School in Haddonfield, New Jersey for the upcoming fall semester.

By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

knows I can do.

“It’s going to be a great year and I feel like we can make a ‘cinderella’ run. We WITH major Division I can really make some noise offers in his sights, elite Ba- in south Jersey.” hamian basketball prospect Last season, the Eagles D’Andre Vilmar will relo- lost in the first round of the cate for the final season of New Jersey State Interschohis high school career. lastic Athletic Association Vilmar will transfer to state tournament.

Paul VI High School in With the Cahillites, the Haddonfield, New Jersey 6’4” guard and Abaco nafor the upcoming fall se- tive helped his team capmester. ture their second consecuThe senior guard will join tive PIAA Class 4A title. the Eagles’ programme af“I love Roman, I love the ter spending the last two fans, I had great years there seasons with the Roman but I felt it was time for a Catholic High School Ca- change. I felt like this was hillites in Philadelphia, something different and Pennsylvania. this was the right thing to “At Roman, our head do at this point,” he said. coach retired, a lot of play“I don’t feel like God ers left and it just wasn’t would’ve opened this door going to feel the same,” Vil- if this wasn’t where he mar said. wanted me to go. This re“My host family I live ally came out of nowhere. with, their son is going to This wasn’t something Paul VI with me, my par- planned, he just opened ents think it’s a good move, this door and I feel like this my aunt and I have been is the right thing. I’ve been talking about it a whole lot, praying a lot about it and I my AAU coach thinks it’s a just feel like this is what he good fit so I’m ready. wanted me to do.”

“I feel like going to come Earlier this month, Vilthere and with some new mar announced via Twitter scenery, I’m going to get to that he has recently received play my game and be more offers from the Oklahoma free to do the things I know Sooners, Long Beach State I can do and the things eve- 49ers and Buffalo Bulls. rybody else in my circle The Bahamian connec-

tion with the Big 12 powerhouse Sooners has been well documented with the critically acclaimed career of Buddy Hield and Vilmar could be next in line for the Fall 2017 class.

The 49ers, out of the Big West Conference, last made the NCAA tournament in 2012 and participated in the NIT last year.

The Bulls have been one of the fastest rising programmes nationally with back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances, their first in school history.

In the offseason he participated with coach Darrell Sears’ Jaguars at various tournaments, including the the Big Foot Hoops Las Vegas Classic presented by Hal Pastner in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Texas Hoops Great American Shootout in Duncanville, Texas.

Prior to the summer circuit, Vilmar received one Division I scholarship offer, from the Colorado St Rams while other schools such as La Salle, Penn and Iona have all showed considerable interest.

Vilmar left Abaco in the sixth grade when he moved to live with his family in Delaware for a better opportunity at excelling in the sport.

HEART OF A CHAMPION: With the Roman Catholic High School Cahillites in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Vilmar helped his team capture their second consecutive PIAA Class 4A title.

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Thursday, September 1, 2016, PAGE 3

Double talk casts a shadow over Shaunae’s golden moment FOURTH QUARTER PRESS

BY RICARDO WELLSedia.net rwells@tribunem

OVER the last week I’ve lived on two extremes. On one end I was convinced that, without a shadow of a doubt, had Shaunae Miller wanted to, she should have been allowed to run; and on the other, no one person is bigger than the entire team.

Reading the local dailies and run of the mill social media commentary, it is safe to say that I haven’t been the only one battling with this.

Days before she stunned the sporting world with her thrilling dive for Olympic gold in the women’s 400m, reports surfaced that Miller was being barred from participating in the 200m race. Those reports, all unsupported and speculative, failed to present a clear discussion of the matter.

In some of the reports, Miller, over-enthused with social media calls for her to attempt the feat, approached the BAAA and BOC officials with the premise of competing in the race. Other reports were that Miller never made her interest known and had she done so, the possibility existed that she could replace Sheniqua Ferguson in the 200m heats.

Over the weekend, Miller broke her silence, claiming she had in fact wanted to attempt the 200m race.

“I wanted to go for the double. Through consultation with my coaches we though it would be good to bring home two medals for the country. The opportunity was there to bring home two medals for the country and we wanted to go for it,” she said.

However, she continued: “They made the decision to go with what was already in place so that was the end of it. It is what it is. I was really disappointed. It was something that something that I really wanted to do, but it is what it is.”

This is where the entire story took a turn for the bizarre and left most, even myself, lost for words and angered on two levels.

“They made the decision

“IN THE CONTEXT OF RUMOURS IN THE DAYS LEADING UP TO THE RACE, IT IS EASY TO SUPPORT THE VIEW THAT ‘SHAUNAE TRIED TO BIG TIME THE TEAM’.” to go with what was already in place so that was the end of it.”

That line, on the face of it, doesn’t say much. But when placed in the context of rumours in the days leading up to the race, it is easy to support the view that ‘Shaunae tried to big time the team’.

This is where the historians among us will provide a diatribe on why one must follow rules and play to a prescribed role.

Tynia Gaither, Anthonique Strachan and Sheniqua Ferguson, all ranked lower on the IAAF’s world ranking heading into the Olympics, comprised the list of qualifiers offered by The Bahamas. Miller, the world’s third-ranked 200m sprinter, was listed as substitute.

Yes it was bizarre, but as she admitted just days before the race, she was focused on the 400m.

In June, speculation was that Miller would compete in the 200m, 400m and 4 x 400m relay in Rio. However, her list of events quickly dwindled and she didn’t even offer herself up at national trials.

“Based on the competition at the trials, it was clear how we were going to proceed. For all intents and purposes, this wasn’t an issue going into the Olympics,” Olympic Team sprint coach George Cleare told The Nassau Guardian.

So if it was clear then,

WELCOME TO SAC: St Augustine’s College is showing its pride in Shaunae Miller’s 400m victory at the Olympics by erecting billboards at the entrances depicting their golden alumnus.

Photo by Shawn Hanna/The Tribune what changed?

Back to that Shaunae quote: “Through consultation with my coaches we though it would be good to bring home two medals for the country. The opportunity was there to bring home two medals for the country and we wanted to go for it.”

There it is, finally!

On the ground in Rio, after discussions with her coaches - not team coaches - Miller decided that she would compete for the double.

I was always of the belief that skill dictates stardom, and stardom dictates treatment. I subscribed to the idea that if the top guy slips up in practice it’s cool as long as he brings it on game-day. If he wants to take a playoff that’s okay, as long as he goes hard in the waning moments.

That was always my stance on the matter until now. These Olympic Games and the actions of Team Bahamas has shifted the way I

Collin Sexton pulls off bridge trick shot COLLIN Sexton, one of the hottest young basketball prospects in the United States, pulled off an amazing trick shot in the Bahamas recently by hitting a basket 220 feet below from the Royal Towers bridge at Atlantis, Paradise Island.

In a video posted by the Bleacher Report, the highly rated Georgia and USA under-17 point guard, is seen on the balcony outside the luxury Bridge Suite - one of the most expensive hotel rooms in the world - with fellow players on a Nike– sponsored trip. When he makes the shot from 22 storeys up, it sparks wild celebrations. It is believed he needed a few attempts before getting the extraordinary shot right.

Sexton, who was voted Most Valuable Player as the United States won the under-17 world championship this year, has yet to choose which college he will attend in 2017, with Alabama the favourite among the 10 on his chosen list. He is described as “a dynamic scoring guard with deep range to make three-point shots both off the dribble and off the catch.”

He can now add the ultimate long range shot to his achievements.

Watch the video on tribune242.com

view this behaviour.

Team Bahamas in Rio, on the merit of quality athletes and great performances, improved on its performance in the 2012 London Olympics.

A team is only as good as its weakest link, whether that link is an average player near the end of the rotation or a star player who refuses to buy into the team’s

message.

I am not insinuating that Shaunae is a ‘diva’, nor am I saying believes she is bigger than the entire team.

This also isn’t me endorsing Team Bahamas as the epitome of a great programme, because it certainly is not.

My point here is that no one person should ever supercede the team. For success to be sustained over

time, the programme has to take precedence over any one individual.

Olympians come and go, some are good, few are great. But, at some point, they all walk away - what is left?

The Team.

It takes time to build success.

Comments and responses to rwells@tribunemedia.net

PAGE 4, Thursday, September 1, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

FREE AGENT POINT GUARD TY LAWSON JOINS KINGS

LAKERS coach Luke Walton, left, and players, from left, Julius Randle, Anthony Brown, Jordan Clarkson and Brandon Ingram attend a ceremony for the Lakers’ future home in El Segundo, Calif., on Wednesday, Aug 31, 2016. The Lakers provided an early look at their $80 million training complex Wednesday while announcing its naming rights deal with UCLA Health, the multi-hospital academic medical center. Just eight months after construction began in earnest, the Lakers are on schedule to open the UCLA Health Training Center during the 2017 offseason. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Free agent point guard Ty Lawson has signed with the Sacramento Kings.

The team on Wednesday announced the deal for Lawson, who updated his Twitter account with a photo of himself in a Kings jersey and wrote, “Can’t sleep... I’m sooo excited for this season.”

He averaged 5.7 points and 3.6 assists while spending last season playing with the Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers after spending his first six years with Denver.

In seven NBA seasons, the 28-year-old Lawson has averaged 13.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 29.8 minutes per game.

Excited Lakers provide early look at new training centre

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — After Kobe Bryant’s retirement and the worst season in team history, the Los Angeles Lakers’ quest to rebuild a championship franchise is finally beginning in earnest.

Seems like the perfect time to get excited about moving into a shiny new home.

The Lakers provided an early look at their $80 million training complex Wednesday while announcing a naming rights deal with UCLA Health, the multi-hospital academic medical center. Just eight months after construction began in earnest, the Lak-

ers are on schedule to open the 120,000-square-foot UCLA Health Training Center during the 2017 offseason.

“This was really an effort to make sure we had not only everything we needed, but also everything we were going to need in the future,” Lakers President Jeanie Buss said.

The Lakers will spend the next year just two blocks away at the Toyota Sports Center, their home since February 2000, before moving into the stateof-the-art complex in El Segundo, near Los Angeles International Airport.

Coach Luke Walton and the Lakers’ last three draft classes also took a break from working out down the street to tour the complex. D’Angelo Russell,

Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr., Ivica Zubac and Anthony Brown all donned hard hats, fluorescent orange vests and safety goggles to check out the concrete-and-drywall shell of their new home.

“We have a place that players will want to come into,” said Walton, the former Lakers forward, who recalled hour-long waits to use the single-person ice baths at their current training complex.

“It’s a place that offers the best of everything, all the best capabilities. It’s a part of creating that culture that you want for a franchise. It’s nice to have this place in our future.”

Although none of the Lakers’ youngsters has known any home except

their current cramped quarters, they were still impressed by the project centered around a large gym that will also house the team’s D-League affiliate.

The Lakers’ players will have a spacious weight room and locker room along with three rehab pools, a cryogenics chamber, a theater, a lounge, a large kitchen and a barbershop.

“It’s more than helpful,” Russell said. “With the 82game season, that’s wear and tear on your body. It starts with rehab and trying to keep your body 100 percent at every practice.”

The Lakers are an iconic sports brand, but their home base has never had the grandeur of their reputation.

The Showtime teams of the 1980s were forced to be nomadic, usually practicing at recreational centers or college gyms.

Shortly after the Lakers moved their games from the run-down Forum to the utilitarian Staples Center downtown in 1999, they leased half of a sprawling recreational complex in El Segundo for their training headquarters. They still share the Toyota Sports Center with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, who have public ice skating rinks in the noisy building.

The Lakers have practice courts and rudimentary training facilities, but the cramped confines forced them to move several business departments to another office building down the street.

“A couple of years ago, we realized that as we grew, we needed to find a new facility,” Lakers chief operating officer Tim Harris said.

“We wanted to build our own facility and have our own identity. ... We want players to treat this place like a second home.”

Buss has already made one executive decision: Just as they do in the old training complex, the 11 shiny Larry O’Brien trophies won during the Lakers’ Los Angeles tenure will still sit in the window of her office, which will still overlook the practice court.

“It’s so the players will always be reminded of the work they need to do to reach that,” she said with a smile.

SPORTSCASTER Craig Sager smiles during an interview Tuesday at MD Anderson Hospital in Houston. Sager underwent his third bone marrow transplant yesterday as he continues to battle acute myeloid leukemia. (AP Photo/David J Phillip)

TNT BROADCASTER CRAIG SAGER UNDERGOES 3RD MARROW TRANSPLANT

By KRISTIE RIEKEN AP Sports Writer

HOUSTON (AP) — TNT basketball broadcaster Craig Sager received a rare third bone marrow transplant on Wednesday as he continues his fight against cancer.

“OK, third time’s the charm,” Sager said moments after the process began.

The 65-year-old Sager has battled acute myeloid leukemia since 2014, and announced in March that he was no longer in remission.

His son, Craig Sager II, was the donor for his first two transplants, which put the elder Sager into remission for close to a year each time. This time, the anonymous 20-year-old donor

was considered a perfect match.

Sager began the transplant at about 11:30 a.m.

Central time at MD Anderson Cancer Center Houston. The procedure was expected to take some 10 hours.

Dr. Muzaffar Qazilbash, Sager’s stem cell transplantation physician, researched thousands of such transplants at MD Anderson over the last 15 years to illustrate just how uncommon Sager’s current procedure is.

“It’s less than 1 percent of the total number of transplants,” Qazilbash told The Associated Press.

“It’s very rare to have three transplants.”

Sager was in good spirits on Wednesday morning as the process began. He

playfully rolled his eyes at his wife, Stacy, when she chided him for not smiling for a photo where he lifted his shirt to show where the fluid was entering his body in a tube above his left pectoral muscle.

“I’m supposed to be smiling for this?” he asked with a laugh. “Oh yay!”

Sager, who has long been known for his wacky wardrobe and great relationships with NBA players and coaches, has been very public in his battle with cancer. Though he’s had to take some time off because of the disease, he’s managed to work often since his diagnosis, including April’s Final Four in Houston and the NBA Finals in June. He was not able to take part in Olympics coverage in Rio.

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Thursday, September 1, 2016, PAGE 5

David Luiz return to Chelsea caps frenzied summer of EPL spending

By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer LONDON (AP) — English Premier League clubs swelled the bank accounts of continental rivals in a summer of record-breaking spending that ended Wednesday with the biggest shock of the transfer window: David Luiz’s return to Chelsea.

The flamboyant Brazilian is back at Stamford Bridge after two years at Paris Saint-Germain to reinforce Chelsea’s defense under new manager Antonio Conte. While Chelsea sold the 29-year-old for around 50 million pounds ($84 million in 2014), the London club has re-signed him on a three-year contract for about 20 million pounds ($26 million) less.

That’s also far lower than what was spent on the summer transfer window’s biggest reunion. Italian champion Juventus banked a world-record 105 million euros ($116 million) from Manchester United for midfielder Paul Pogba’s return to Old Trafford.

United was one of 13 Premier League sides to break their club records for spending on a single player since the end of last season.

The 20 top-flight clubs collectively spent nearly 1.2 billion pounds ($1.5 billion) on talent in the summer, breaking the billion-pound barrier for the first time in a transfer window as they benefit from new television deals.

Over the next three years, the Premier League will make 8.3 billion pounds ($10.9 billion) from broadcasters eager to televise the most unpredictable of Europe’s top leagues — a bonanza that has swelled thanks to a 70 percent upsurge in the value of domestic rights.

There is a flipside.

“All the European clubs rub their hands because when they are short of money they just ring up one of the Premier League clubs (to sell a player) to keep them going for the next two years with 10 million, 20 million — whatever it might be,” Stoke chairman Peter Coates told the BBC on Wednesday. “So it’s pretty good business for them.”

Stoke had a relatively modest summer of spending after breaking its transfer record in the January window when it paid Portuguese club Porto 18.3 million pounds (then $26 million) for defensive midfielder Giannelli Imbula.

Negotiating with clubs on the continent for a bargain is proving tougher for Premier League chairmen like Steve Parish at Crystal Palace. The London club’s record-breaking summer deal was a domestic transaction, paying Liverpool 27 million pounds ($35 million) for striker Christian Benteke.

“It’s been the most difficult transfer window anybody can remember — there’s kind of a wall of money,” Parish said. “The other leagues basically have

off its books, with the Italian joining Nice in France.

MARIO BALOTELLI (AP)

DAVID LUIZ waves to his team’s supporters after the Champions League group A match between Real Madrid and PSG at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid.

(AP Photo/Francisco Seco) decided there’s one price within their league and a completely different price if a Premier League club calls. The prices have gone crazy ... you find people focusing more on the domestic market.”

Tottenham turned to Newcastle for its biggest summer deal, paying a reported 30 million pounds ($39 million) as the window was closing for France midfielder Moussa Sissoko.

French clubs profited from the English wealth on Wednesday, receiving

about 55 million pounds ($72 million) from the Premier League. Luiz’s return was preceded by GeorgesKevin Nkoudou’s move from Marseille to Tottenham and Sunderland signing Didier Ndong from Lorient.

• Here are some of the other key deadline-day moves across Europe: ENGLAND While splurging on new talent, Premier League clubs having sought to shed

non-vital players. Offloading top earners is tough with the wealthier parent clubs, like Manchester City, often having to subsidize the wages for a player on loan.

New City coach Pep Guardiola dispatched Joe Hart, Wilfried Bony, Samir Nasri and Eliaquim Mangala on Wednesday for the rest of the season.

Hart, the England goalkeeper, is now at Italian club Torino after dropping to third choice at City. Bony joined Stoke after seeing his career stall since joining from Swansea last year.

Nasri headed to Sevilla for the season after Guardiola said the French midfielder returned for preseason training “overweight.”

France center back Mangala also departed for Spain with Valencia.

In addition, Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere had to accept moving to a less prestigious club on Wednesday, heading to Bournemouth on the English Riviera for the season in a bid to revive his injury-plagued career.

Liverpool also got troubled striker Mario Balotelli

ITALY Three of the biggest transfers in Serie A on deadline day saw players arrive from England. As well as Hart’s loan move, Juan Cuadrado returned to Juventus from Chelsea and Luis Alberto joined Lazio from Liverpool on permanent deals.

In the biggest internal deal of the summer in Italy, Juventus reinvested the Pogba windfall by bringing in last season’s top goalscorer, Gonzalo Higuain, for 90 million euros ($100 million) from Napoli.

GERMANY Bundesliga clubs broke the 500 million-euro ($558 million) barrier for the first time in a transfer window, with the largest late deal seeing Brazilian Olympic gold medalist defender Douglas Santos join Hamburger SV from Atletico Mineiro for up to 10 million euros ($11.2 million).

SPAIN Espanyol was the most active Spanish club Wednesday as the squad overhauled its roster under new Chinese owner Chen Yansheng continued.

After conceding eight goals in its first two matches of the season, Espanyol brought in three players (striker Alvaro Vazquez, defender Diego Rivas and goalkeeper Diego Lopez) and shipped out four more.

Players cleared by NFL in PEDs investigation NEW YORK (AP) — NFL stars James Harrison, Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers can start the regular season without having the specter of a league investigation over whether they used performance-enhancing drugs hanging over their heads.

The NFL cleared all three players on Wednesday, saying there was “no credible evidence” the players were guilty of any of the claims made in a documentary by Al-Jazeera America in January.

An NFL statement said “the investigation involved witness interviews, a review of relevant records and other materials, electronic research, and laboratory analysis and review.”

The league threatened Harrison, Matthews, Peppers and free agent Mike Neal with indefinite suspensions if they did not meet with investigators.

All of them were mentioned in an Al-Jazeera television interview with Charlie Sly, who worked as an intern at an anti-aging clinic.

In the December report, Sly

FROM left are file photos showing Pittsburgh Steelers’ James Harrison, in 2015, Green Bay Packers’ Clay Matthews, in 2016, and Packers’ Julius Peppers, in 2015. The NFL has cleared Harrison, Matthews and Peppers in an investigation of whether they were provided with or used performance enhancers. The league was looking into allegations made in a documentary by Al-Jazeera America in January. (AP Photos) made claims of PED use by several athletes, including Harrison,

Peyton Manning and the three others, but later recanted his

claims. NFLPA attorney Heather McPhee sent a letter to the NFL

Kluber, Indians topple Twins 8-4

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — The offense goes on twoweek vacations, and Cleveland’s defense sometimes springs leaks. The starting rotation has been inconsistent, and until recently the bullpen’s had issues.

Over the past two months, though, the Indians have been able to count on one thing: Corey Kluber has been almost flawless.

Kluber struck out a season-high 11 and notched his seventh straight win, leading the Indians to an 8-4 victory on Wednesday night over the Minnesota Twins, whose losing streak has reached 13 games — one shy of tying the club record.

Unbeaten since July 3, Kluber (15-8) allowed three runs and six hits in eight solid innings. The righthander is 7-0 with a 1.94 ERA in his last 10 starts, a stretch in which the Indians have seized control of the AL Central.

“Yeah, he’s pretty good,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “That’s a nice feeling knowing that every five days, and it’s not like we don’t have other guys, but he’s so consistent

at a high level that it’s really nice.”

Carlos Santana and Roberto Perez homered off Pat Dean (1-5), and Jose Ramirez hit a two-run double during a five-run fifth as the AL Central-leading Indians swept the three-game series and extended the Twins’ sorry slide.

Minnesota is winless since Aug. 17, and the Twins’ skid — the lengthiest in the majors this season — is also the second-longest in team history. They also lost 13 in a row in 1961 and 1982, when they dropped 14 in a row.

“It’s been a long week,” manager Paul Molitor said.

“We need to try to find a way to win a game at some point to just lighten the load. It’s getting heavy.

Guys are getting on the edge a little bit. You can feel it. It’s building.”

Brian Dozier hit his 32nd homer and Max Kepler connected for his 16th for the Twins, who loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth off rookie Perci Garner, making his major league debut. Bryan Shaw came on and threw a wild pitch before striking out Dozier for his first save.

For seven-plus innings,

Kluber had little trouble against the AL’s worst team.

The 2014 Cy Young Award winner, who followed up an 18-win season by losing 16 last year, struck out four of the first six batters and carried a 7-1 lead into the eighth, when Dozier tagged him for a two-run homer.

Cleveland’s offense, almost non-existent for nearly two weeks, helped Kluber by collecting 12 hits. It was only the third time in 10 games the Indians scored more than one run.

In typical fashion, the stoic Kluber downplayed his performance, which took some pressure off a tired bullpen.

“Yeah, obviously in hindsight I gave them a break but that wasn’t my goal going into today to give them a break,” he said. “Every time I pitch I’m trying to go as deep into the game as I can. I think Tito (Francona) was joking around with me yesterday saying my pitch count would be around 140 so he took me out a little early.

“It was good to get out there and get some quick innings early and get ahead of them and pounded the zone and was able to go pretty deep.”

Santana gave Kluber and the Indians a 2-1 lead in the fourth with his 28th homer, a laser shot into the leftfield stands. Santana’s 28 homers — only four have been right-handed — are the most in franchise history by a switch-hitter.

TROUBLED TOMLIN The Indians will skip Josh Tomlin’s next start while trying to figure out what to do next with the struggling right-hander.

Tomlin is 0-5 with an 11.48 ERA in his last six starts, and he lasted a career-low 1 2/3 innings on Tuesday. Francona has remained in Tomlin’s corner, but with the Indians eyeing October, they can’t afford any more bad performances from the 31-year-old.

UP NEXT Twins: Ervin Santana, the subject of trade rumors in recent days, will open a four-game series at home against the Chicago White Sox. Indians: Following an off day, the Indians will open a three-game series against the Miami Marlins with Carlos Carrasco facing Andrew Cashner.

earlier this month of accusing it of trying to “bully and publicly shame” Harrison without offering evidence beyond a brief mention in the Al-Jazeera interview.

McPhee’s letter said Harrison would meet with the NFL at 5 p.m. Aug. 30 at the team’s facility, and would only discuss the portion of the Al-Jazeera interview that mentioned the 14-year veteran.

The five-time Pro Bowl linebacker initially insisted NFL commissioner Roger Goodell come to Harrison’s house to conduct the interview in person, though he later backed off. Harrison eventually met with the NFL before the league-mandated deadline, as did Matthews and Peppers.

Harrison tweaked the findings of the investigation on Twitter and Instagram late Wednesday.

“It’s only breaking news cause you thought I was guilty,” Harrison tweeted. “I have my father’s name and I have WORKED for EVERYTHING I have since DAY ONE.”

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL STANDINGS

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, September 1, 2016, PAGE 7

Wimbledon runner-up Raonic stunned by US qualifier at Open

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Milos Raonic’s face was red, his body was the very picture of weariness.

His left wrist was bothering him.

So was his left thigh.

A Wimbledon finalist just last month, and seeded No. 5 at the US Open, Raonic double-faulted 15 times and was stunned in the second round at Flushing Meadows 6-7 (4), 7-5, 7-5, 6-1 yesterday by Ryan Harrison, a qualifier from the United States ranked only 120th.

For Harrison, a 24-year-old born in Louisiana and now based in Texas once seen as possibly the “next big thing” in American men’s tennis, this is his first trip to the third round at a Grand Slam tournament. He had been 0-6 in second-round matches.

Until Monday, Harrison hadn’t even won a single main-draw match at any major since the 2013 French Open.

Last week, Harrison and his younger sibling Christian, 22, became the first pair of brothers to both qualify for the US Open.

“I’m excited to keep moving forward,” Harrison said during an on-court interview at the tourna-

ment’s new Grandstand stadium, telling the partisan crowd: “Anything’s possible when I have your support.”

The fans pulled for their guy loudly with all sorts of chants, including, “Here we go, Ryan! Here we go!”

And while he was certainly helped by his opponent’s myriad problems — Raonic received repeated visits from a trainer, who worked first on the Canadian’s wrist, then massaged his leg — Harrison played cleanly after recovering from a double-fault that ceded the opening set.

He wound up with 33 unforced errors, making merely one in the final set of the 3½-hour match.

Raonic’s total was 62, including a whopping 21 in the third set alone.

After Harrison hit a cross-court forehand passing winner to break for a 5-1 lead in the fourth set, Raonic looked exhausted as can be, resting both arms on his knees behind the baseline and leaning on his racket for extra support.

Raonic was a semifinalist at Wimbledon in 2014 and the Australian Open this January. Then he beat Roger Federer in the semi-finals at the All England Club in July to reach his first Grand Slam final, before losing to

Andy Murray.

Now he’s the highest-seeded player to exit the US Open so far.

And Harrison finally has the sort of breakthrough victory that was predicted long ago for him. He entered Wednesday with a 1-26 record for his career against top10 opponents, including 0-8 at majors.

In the third round, Harrison will face 44th-ranked Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, the 2006 Australian Open runner-up.

Baghdatis eliminated 32nd-seeded Benoit Paire of France 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 on Wednesday.

Raonic was not the only player to struggle physically on a day the temperature was in the mid-80s.

Johanna Konta, the tournament’s 13th-seeded woman, collapsed and received medical treatment right out there on Court 13 late in the second set of her 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 victory over Tsvetana Pironkova.

Konta said her heart was racing and she had trouble breathing.

In other action, two-time US Open runner-up Caroline Wozniacki beat a top-10 opponent for the first time in nearly a year, turning things around after dropping the first four games and eliminating 2004 US Open champion champ Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4,

RYAN HARRISON, of the United States, reacts after winning a game from Milos Raonic, of Canada, during the second round of the US Open tennis tournament yesterday in New York. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

6-4.

A former No. 1, Wozniacki is currently ranked 74th after dealing with an ankle injury and a series of losses.

“I always believe in myself,” said Wozniacki, unseeded in New York for the first time since her 2007 tournament debut, “and I always think that in my head I belong at the top of the game.”

She lost in the finals at Flushing Meadows in 2009 and 2014.

The woman who surprised Serena Williams in the semi-finals on the way to a runner-up finish in 2015, Roberta Vinci, moved into the third round for the sixth consecutive year, defeating Christina McHale of the US 6-1, 6-3.

The defending men’s champion, Novak Djokovic, did not need to play a point Wednesday to reach the third round: His opponent, 49th-ranked Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic, withdrew a couple of hours before their match, citing inflammation in his left forearm.

Vesely, who beat Djokovic on clay in Monte Carlo in April, said the muscles were starting to pinch a nerve, causing numbness.

“Playing Novak,” Vesely said, “you have to be 100 per cent ready.”

THe WeaTHer repOrT

5-Day Forecast

TOday

OrlandO

High: 85° F/29° C low: 77° F/25° C

Tampa

FrIday

saTurday

sunday

mOnday

Some sun with a shower; breezy

Patchy clouds, a shower; breezy

Mostly sunny and breezy

Clouds and sun, a t‑storm in spots

Clouds and sun, a t‑storm in spots

Sunshine and patchy clouds

High: 92°

Low: 79°

High: 92° Low: 78°

High: 91° Low: 78°

High: 90° Low: 78°

High: 90° Low: 78°

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

113° F

87° F

109°-89° F

116°-90° F

110°-90° F

111°-89° F

High: 85° F/29° C low: 79° F/26° C

The exclusive AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature® is an index that combines the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body—everything that affects how warm or cold a person feels. Temperatures reflect the high and the low for the day.

N

almanac

E

W

aBaCO

S

N

High: 88° F/31° C low: 81° F/27° C

12‑25 knots

S

High: 91° F/33° C low: 79° F/26° C

8‑16 knots

FT. lauderdale

FreepOrT

High: 91° F/33° C low: 80° F/27° C

E

W S

E

W

WesT palm BeaCH

N

uV inDex toDay

TOnIGHT

High: 89° F/32° C low: 79° F/26° C

mIamI

High: 92° F/33° C low: 79° F/26° C

15‑25 knots

Key WesT

High: 88° F/31° C low: 80° F/27° C

eleuTHera

nassau

High: 92° F/33° C low: 79° F/26° C

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2016

High: 88° F/31° C low: 82° F/28° C

N

tiDes For nassau High

Ht.(ft.)

Low

Ht.(ft.)

Today

8:36 a.m.

8:57 p.m.

3.2 3.5

2:32 a.m.

2:42 p.m.

0.2 0.2

Friday

9:18 a.m.

9:36 p.m.

3.2 3.4

3:11 a.m.

3:24 p.m.

0.2 0.3

Saturday

9:57 a.m.

10:14 p.m.

3.2 3.2

3:49 a.m.

4:05 p.m.

0.3 0.3

Sunday

10:36 a.m.

10:52 p.m.

3.2 3.1

4:25 a.m.

4:46 p.m.

0.3 0.4

Monday

11:16 a.m.

11:31 p.m.

3.1 2.9

5:02 a.m.

5:27 p.m.

0.4 0.6

Tuesday

11:57 a.m. ‑‑‑‑‑

3.0 ‑‑‑‑‑

5:39 a.m.

6:10 p.m.

0.5 0.7

Wednesday 12:11 a.m.

12:41 p.m.

2.8 3.0

6:19 a.m.

6:57 p.m.

0.6 0.8

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

6:51 a.m.

7:28 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

6:58 a.m.

7:46 p.m.

new

First

Full

last

sep. 1

sep. 9

sep. 16

sep. 23

CaT Island

E

W

High: 89° F/32° C low: 81° F/27° C

N

S

E

W

7‑14 knots

S

8‑16 knots Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

Statistics are for Nassau through 2 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 91° F/33° C Low .................................................... 73° F/23° C Normal high ....................................... 88° F/31° C Normal low ........................................ 75° F/24° C Last year’s high ................................. 91° F/33° C Last year’s low ................................... 73° F/23° C Precipitation As of 2 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.11” Year to date ............................................... 29.90” Normal year to date ................................... 25.03”

The higher the AccuWeather UV IndexTM number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.

andrOs

san salVadOr

GreaT eXuma

High: 89° F/32° C low: 81° F/27° C

High: 88° F/31° C low: 80° F/27° C

N

High: 92° F/33° C low: 82° F/28° C

E

W S

lOnG Island

insurance management tracking map

High: 89° F/32° C low: 80° F/27° C

8‑16 knots

mayaGuana High: 88° F/31° C low: 81° F/27° C

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

CrOOKed Island / aCKlIns raGGed Island High: 87° F/31° C low: 81° F/27° C

High: 88° F/31° C low: 81° F/27° C

GreaT InaGua High: 90° F/32° C low: 82° F/28° C

N

E

W

E

W

N

S

S

7‑14 knots

8‑16 knots

marine Forecast aBaCO andrOs CaT Island CrOOKed Island eleuTHera FreepOrT GreaT eXuma GreaT InaGua lOnG Island mayaGuana nassau raGGed Island san salVadOr

Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday:

WINDS S at 8‑16 Knots S at 8‑16 Knots SE at 7‑14 Knots SE at 6‑12 Knots SSE at 8‑16 Knots SE at 7‑14 Knots ESE at 8‑16 Knots ESE at 10‑20 Knots SSE at 8‑16 Knots SSE at 7‑14 Knots S at 10‑20 Knots S at 10‑20 Knots SE at 8‑16 Knots SE at 7‑14 Knots SE at 8‑16 Knots E at 10‑20 Knots SE at 8‑16 Knots ESE at 8‑16 Knots SE at 8‑16 Knots ESE at 8‑16 Knots SSE at 10‑20 Knots SSE at 10‑20 Knots SE at 7‑14 Knots ESE at 8‑16 Knots SE at 8‑16 Knots SSE at 7‑14 Knots

WAVES 3‑5 Feet 3‑5 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑3 Feet 3‑5 Feet 2‑4 Feet 3‑6 Feet 3‑6 Feet 3‑5 Feet 3‑5 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet 3‑5 Feet 3‑6 Feet 2‑4 Feet 3‑5 Feet 4‑7 Feet 3‑6 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet 2‑4 Feet 3‑5 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet

VISIBILITY 5 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 84° F 84° F 86° F 86° F 85° F 86° F 85° F 86° F 83° F 85° F 82° F 82° F 86° F 86° F 85° F 86° F 86° F 87° F 85° F 86° F 86° F 86° F 84° F 86° F 84° F 86° F

PAGE 8, Thursday, September 1, 2016

THE TRIBUNE

GOLDEN MOMENT: Women’s 4 x100 metres silver medallists, Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Elaine Thompson, and Christania Williams hold their medals during an athletics podium ceremony during the Summer Olympics at Olympic stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Saturday, August 20. (AP Photo/Jae C Hong)

Three Olympic champions head women’s 200 lineup in Zurich

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer ZURICH (AP) — Get ready for “something crazy” in the women’s 200 metres today in Zurich.

Olympic champion Elaine Thompson and silver medallist Dafne Schippers will be in the Diamond League final field alongside former gold medallists Allyson Felix and Veronica Campbell-Brown on a balmy Swiss evening.

All four have times among the 15 fastest ever over 200, and have combined to win four Olympic titles and five world championships in the event.

“I know that we’re going to have something crazy happening out there.”

Campbell-Brown, the 2004 and 2008 Olympic champion from Jamaica, said yesterday. “The track is fast and the curves are big and wide.”

Thompson, the new Jamaica star, starts as the fa-

vourite at the Weltklasse meet after winning gold in Rio de Janeiro in a worldleading 21.78 seconds.

Still, she believes the Zurich race has something that was lacking in her Rio triumph.

“To me there was a person missing (in Rio), and that would be Allyson Felix,” Thompson said at a news conference, sitting alongside the record-setting American, who now has six Olympic gold medals from individual and relay events. “(Thursday) will be exciting for me.”

Felix did not qualify to defend her 200 title through the United States trials.

“I’m excited about getting back to my favourite event,” she said. “It’s such a stacked field. Usually when you have got such a group of athletes together, you get a very fast time.”

The fastest of the four is Schippers. The Netherlands star sped to third on the all-time 200 list by clocking

ALLYSON FELIX, of the US, crosses the line to win the gold medal in the 4x400-metre relay final during the 2016 Summer Olympics at the Olympic stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 20. (AP Photo/David J Phillip) 21.63 to win the 2015 worlds title in Beijing. Thompson’s 21.66 was good for silver and fifth all-time.

Felix’s lifetime best is

21.69 and Campbell-Brown, the 2004 and 2008 Olympic champion, has run 21.74.

While top sprinters often avoid racing each other

outside of championships, Schippers is eager for the challenge at a track she knows well. The former heptathlete announced herself as a top-tier sprinter when Zurich hosted the 2014 European Championships.

“I love to compete,” Schippers said. “That’s the most fun part of my job and it’s very nice to compete with Elaine, we’re the same age and it’s very cool.”

The 24-year-olds, born two weeks apart in June 1992, have a rivalry that shapes as one of track’s best beyond Usain Bolt’s expected exit from the sport after the 2017 worlds in London. Bolt is not running in Zurich.

Thompson kept her Rio form by running the 100 in 10.78 at the Diamond League meet in nearby Lausanne last week.

“Adrenalin alone will push you to a very fast time,” the veteran Campbell-Brown said, adding

that a stellar lineup “lends itself to a great performance.”

Still, the world record of 21.34 — set in the 1988 Olympic final by Florence Griffith Joyner of the US — looks out of reach for some time yet.

The long-standing women’s 800 record will be aimed at today by new Olympic champion Caster Semenya of South Africa.

Meet organisers want a first-lap pace of no more than 55.5 for Semenya, whose personal record is exactly two seconds outside the 1 minute, 53.28 seconds mark set 33 years ago

by Jarmila Kratochvilova, then of Czechoslovakia.

Two women who recently set world records are also in action: Kendra Harrison of the US ran 12.20 in the 110 hurdles in London last month and Olympic 3,000 steeplechase champion Ruth Jebet of Bahrain ran 8:52.78 in Paris on Saturday.

ELAINE THOMPSON, of Jamaica, competes in the women’s 100m race at the Athletissima IAAF Diamond League international athletics meeting in the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise in Lausanne, Switzerland, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. (Cyril Zingaro / Keystone via AP)