09132018 SPORTS

SPORTS SECTION E

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

New WNBA champions!

Storm surge past Mystics 98-82 for title FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — Breanna Stewart led the Seattle Storm to their WNBA title last night, scoring 30 points in a 98-82 victory over the Washington Mystics in Game 3 of the best-of-five series.

Stewart was the league MVP and was selected the Finals MVP

after averaging 25.6 points in the three games. She scored 17 points in the first half as the Storm raced to a 47-30 lead.

Natasha Howard added careerhigh 29 points and 14 rebounds for the Storm and first-year coach Dan Hughes. Sue Bird, also a member of a Seattle’s championship teams in 2004 and 2010, had 10 points and 10 assists. Elena Delle Donne

scored 23 points for the Mystics.

Kristi Toliver had 20 points.

TIP-INS The location, George Mason University, marked the third arena Washington has called home this season and the second in the playoffs. ... Washington starting centre LaToya Sanders sprained her left ankle diving for a loose ball in

Week 2, PAGE 3

‘MAJOR PAIN’ IN ‘THE LAST DANCE’ ON OCTOBER 27

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

SEATTLE Storm forward Breanna Stewart holds the trophy with her teammates after Game 3 of the WNBA Finals against the Washington Mystics last night.

(AP Photo/Nick Wass)

By BENJAMIN STANDIG Associated Press

NFL Picks

the third quarter. She was carried to the locker room and did not return. .

Among those in attendance were Washington Wizards guards John Wall and Bradley Beal, University of Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma, University of Maryland coach Brenda Frese and Washington Redskins running back Derrius Guice.

DESPITE a minor injury setback that has delayed the date of his final professional bout, Meacher “Major Pain” Major said he remains on course to deliver the best fight of his career.

Major is now scheduled to square off against Martin Anderson of Jamaica in an eight-round lightweight main event in the “The Last Dance” at the CI Gibson Gymnasium on October 27.

“Thanks to my promoter Howard Thompson Jr for the change of date, understanding the importance of this last fight, and wanting me to be healthy going in.

The injury is nothing severe that will have any effect going into the fight. I thank God for that,” Major said.

“I just had some tightness I was feeling in my muscle in my left arm, the main hand for using my jab, so my trainer advised me to have it checked out by the doctor which I did.

“The doctor told me to take some time off and to use that time effectively, have it massaged daily and to rest it for a few days.

I should be back healthy within coming days. I don’t want to go into my last fight not being 100 per cent because I want this fight here to be the best of my career.”

Major said the date change may be an act of serendipity to coincide with his birthday and the first fight of his career.

“It may be a coincidence I feel and a part of God’s plan for me to end my

SEE PAGE 8

Chisholm and Rawhide suffer 5-4 loss to Quakes HERO WORLD

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net JAZZ Chisholm and his Visalia Rawhide fell behind early in the bestof-five Single A Advanced California League championship series.

The 20-year-old shortstop went 1-5 in a 5-4 loss to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Tuesday night at Recreation Park in Visalia, California.

Game two, the final home game of the season for the Rawhide, took place last night. However, results were unavailable up to press time.

The venue shifts to the LoanMart Field - the home of the Quakes - for Friday’s

game three and also games four (Saturday) and five (Sunday) if necessary.

The Rawhide closed out a five-game semifinal series with a 3-0 win over the Stockton Ports Sunday night at Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton California.

Chisholm hit 3-19 for the series including one home run and four RBI. In a season of milestones, Chisholm made his second All-Star game appearance of his young career.

He was one of five members of the Kane County Cougars selected to the midseason classic in the Single A Midwest League.

He appeared in 76 games for the Cougars and hit .244 with 43 RBI, 17 doubles,

four triples and 17 doubles.

Chisholm also posted an on-base percentage of .311, slugging percentage of .472 and OPS of .783 in 307 at bats.

Shortly after, on July 19, Chisholm was assigned to the Rawhide from the Cougars and received the promotion to Single A-Advanced following his nationally recognised production at the plate.

The Diamondbacks No.2 prospect, he will continue his season in the Arizona Fall League when the 27th edition of the league begins play on October 9 and ends in mid-November.

JAZZ CHISHOLM, of the Bahamas, in action for the Rawhide.

Hunter: ‘The recruiting process has been a learning experience’

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

FOLLOWING a busy summer recruitment period, Sammy Hunter heads into his final season of prep school in Canada and his NCAA decision could be coming in early 2019.

“Maybe sometime after January. My family and I are still thinking about it,” Hunter said on the 10th Year Seniors podcast.

“The recruiting process has been a learning experience. The schools that have recruited me want to know who you are as a person, what you plan to do in school, what you do off the court, about your family.

It’s about you as a person

and not just as a basketball player.”

For much of the summer, it was a relatively slow recruitment process for Hunter, but he quickly picked up five NCAA Division I offers in just under two weeks.

The latest programmes to offer scholarship offers were the Kansas State Wildcats and the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.

Hunter received his first high major offer from the Arkansas Razorbacks on August 21.

Since then, the 6’9” forward in the class of 2019 also received offers from both the Ole Miss Rebels and Grand Canyon Antelopes. The Rebels currently have Bahamian ties with Franco Miller Jr on their

men’s roster, while Yolett McPhee-McCuin is the head coach of the Rebels women’s programme.

“It got crazy after that 10-day span,” he said.

“Before I wasn’t getting recruited from big schools and power 5 conferences, but now it’s happening and I thank God for it,” added Hunter.

Hunter previously fielded Division I offers from Santa Clara, San Francisco, Chicago State, Colorado State, Fresno State and Pacific.

His summer recruitment continued to accelerate following his performances against elite Division I competition at the Bahamas Basketball Federation’s Summer of Thunder.

SAMMY HUNTER in action for Team Bahamas.

Hunter also garnered an offer from the Antelopes after he posted 16 points and seven rebounds against the team at the Summer of Thunder.

He finished with 19 points and eight rebounds against Notre Dame and followed with 18 points and five rebounds against North Carolina.

A former student at St John’s college, prep school in Canada was not the original choice, but an opportunity he discovered after the United States was no longer a possibility.

“It took some convincing. My visa got denied for the US so Canada was the next best thing. I had a friend that went to BC, I

SEE PAGE 8

CHALLENGE TEES OFF ON NOV. 29 AT ALBANY

TGR Live and Tavistock Group announced Indiabased Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest manufacturer of two-wheelers, has extended its title sponsorship of the Hero World Challenge.

The 2018 Hero World Challenge is scheduled to be played at Albany November 29 to December 2, and will feature tournament host Tiger Woods and an invitation-only field comprised of the top ranked golfers in the world.

“The Hero World Challenge has evolved into a global event highlighting the world’s best golfers year after year,” Woods said.

“I’d like to thank Pawan Munjal and Hero MotoCorp for their continued support of the tournament.

Together with Tavistock Group, we are very excited to continue growing the Hero World Challenge at Albany.”

The Hero World Challenge is a four-round, 72-hole stroke play event with a $3.5 million purse, a $1 million winner’s prize and official world golf ranking points awarded. It will be held at Albany’s par-72, 7,302-yard championship golf course for the fourth consecutive year.

Live television coverage of the event will be provided by Golf Channel during all four rounds and

by NBC during the third and fourth rounds.

PAGE 2, Thursday, September 13, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

NEW PROVIDENCE SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION SEMI-FINAL HIGHLIGHTS

Truckers vs Sharks in 5th and deciding game tonight

ON THE REPLAY: The youthful Platinum Lady Sharks steamrolled past the Johnson’s Lady Truckers 11-4 in six innings on Tuesday night to force a fifth and deciding game tonight against the defending New Providence Softball Association champions Sunshine Auto Wildcats.

Photos: Terrel W Carey/Tribune Staff

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, September 13, 2018, PAGE 3

Ravens-Bengals could be significant in AFC North

By BARRY WILNER AP Pro Football Writer CONSIDERING what happened in the rain at Cleveland last Sunday, the rugged AFC North looks like it will be wide open.

So tonight’s visit to Cincinnati by Baltimore takes on an extra bit of importance, even in midSeptember, after the division-favourite Steelers stumbled and bumbled to a 21-21 tie against the Browns.

The Ravens were all over Buffalo from the start as Joe Flacco recaptured some of that 2012 championship form and the defence destroyed the Bills. The Bengals fell in a big hole at Indianapolis and showed far more gumption than usual by climbing out of it to win.

Two teams many projected as also-rans for 2018 delivered some impressive opening performances.

“That game is behind us,” Ravens safety Tony Jefferson says. “Although it’s great to have momentum, it’s over with. It’s a new week. This is a division opponent; they know us very well and we know them very well.”

Perhaps.

But these Bengals seem to have a resilience not seen often in recent seasons, though Cincinnati did show such

moxie in the previous meeting with Baltimore.

The Ravens ended the season hosting the Bengals and fell 31-27 on Andy Dalton’s 49-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Boyd with 44 seconds left. That eliminated Baltimore from the playoffs and sent Buffalo into the postseason.

The Ravens, ranked No. 9 in the AP Pro32, and No. 16 Bengals are pick-em at Paul Brown Stadium. It’s hard to fathom that Pro Picks is predicting Cincinnati will start the season 2-0. But that’s where we’ll go.

BENGALS, 21-20 KNOCKOUT POOL We warned everyone last week that we aren’t very saintly in these things, and New Orleans’ flop proved that. We’re obligated to keep trying and will go with the LA RAMS. No. 28 Oakland (plus 6) at No. 14 Denver Not exactly Orange Crush defense, but Broncos will put Mile High hit on Jon Gruden’s Raiders.

BEST BET: BRONCOS, 23-13 No. 3 Minnesota (plus 1) at No. 6 Green Bay No miracle finishes for A-Rod and Pack this time, though this isn’t much of an ...

UPSET SPECIAL: VIKINGS, 27-20

By BRETT MARTEL AP Sports Writer

BALTIMORE Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) celebrates his touchdown pass to wide receiver John Brown during the first half against the Buffalo Bills last Sunday. Flacco and the Ravens take on the Cincinnati Bengals tonight.

(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) No. 1 New England (minus 2) at No. 5 Jacksonville AFC championship game rematch — and perhaps harbinger for January.

No revenge for Jaguars.

PATRIOTS, 27-16 No. 7 Kansas City (plus 5 1-2) at No. 11 Pittsburgh Steelers fall behind even more in AFC race and Chiefs prosper.

WASHINGTON’S OFFENSIVE LINE LIVING UP TO HOGS 2.0 NICKNAME

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Sports Writer ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Long before Alex Smith and Adrian Peterson joining the Redskins was ever a possibility, Trent Williams made up Hogs 2.0 T-shirts for Washington’s offensive linemen.

The original “Hogs” offensive line paved the way for three Super Bowl titles, so this group has a long way to go before they can be compared to that group.

But with Williams at left tackle, Shawn Lauvao at left guard, Chase Roullier at center, Brandon Scherff at right guard and Morgan Moses at right tackle, the Redskins have a group that could continue bulldozing the way to victories this season. “Their versatility is the key,” coach Jay Gruden said. “They can run, they can pull, they’re strong at the point of attack and they’re pretty athletic. You can have a lot of versatility there.”

Versatility helped the Williams-led line bully

the Arizona Cardinals in run-blocking and pass-protection, something it’ll try to do again Sunday in the home opener against the Indianapolis Colts.

Smith put up 255 yards passing in Week 1 and Peterson, Chris Thompson and the rest of Washington’s ground game rushed for 182 yards in the kind of balanced showing Williams always believed could happen as long as all five starters are healthy.

“I’ve been saying the whole time that our biggest issue is just getting everybody on the field,” Williams said. “I feel like when we have everybody on the field, we’re more than confident that we can handle whatever job the coaches ask us to do.

“Obviously having everybody out there, when we’ve been out there in the past, we’ve done pretty good with a balanced offense, with running the ball and passing the ball.”

The Redskins ran the ball 42 times and attempted to pass 33 times at Arizona, a balance Gruden would

SAINTS NOT YET WORRIED ABOUT UNBALANCED OFFENCE

love to keep up. The offensive line’s equal proportion of being good in the run and pass games makes that possible.

But no one’s quite sure why the Redskins’ line is almost equally good in each aspect. Offensive line coach Bill Callahan has linemen work a long time after practice, which gives them extra time to work together and improve any weakness.

“That just allows us to get little things polished up here or there,” Roullier said. “Any little extra work you can get on your little fundamental techniques and whatnot, that’s going to help you every day while you’re out there.”

Other than Roullier replacing Spencer Long in the middle, this is the same starting offensive line Washington had to begin last season. Lauvao was resigned after the draft and plugged back in, and the unit’s continuity has been on display.

Peterson said after one preseason game he can’t wait to run behind this offensive line.

CHIEFS, 26-24 No. 19 Los Angeles Chargers (minus 7) at No. 32 Buffalo Bills can’t possibly be as bad as they looked in opener. Or maybe they are.

CHARGERS, 27-10 No. 31 Arizona (plus 13) at No. 4 LA Rams Cardinals can’t possibly be as bad as they looked in opener. Or maybe they are.

RAMS, 26-10 No. 30 Detroit (plus 5 1-2) at No. 23 San Francisco Lions can’t possibly ... you get it.

49ERS, 20-17 No. 18 Miami (plus 3) at No. 17 New York Jets Battle to keep pace with Patriots in AFC East — at least through two weeks.

J-E-T-S, 23-21 No. 8 Carolina (plus 5 1-2) at No. 10 Atlanta Red zone scares Falcons, strange occurrence for a team wearing that color.

FALCONS, 20-17 No. 2 Philadelphia (minus 3) at No. 15 Tampa Bay If Buccaneers win this, time to re-evaluate.

EAGLES, 21-20 No. 29 Indianapolis (plus 5 1-2) at No. 12 Washington Redskins were as pleasant a surprise as Bucs last week. Revival continues in DC. REDSKINS, 26-19 No. 27 Cleveland (plus 8) at No. 13 New Orleans Who thought Saints would be more embarrassed team in opener than Browns?

SAINTS, 27-15 No. 24 New York Giants (plus 3) at No. 25 Dallas NBC and NFL love this as prime-time matchup.

Hey, they both are 0-1, guys.

COWBOYS, 17-16 No. 21 Seattle (plus 3) at No. 22 Chicago, Monday night Bears need to put Lambeau collapse behind them.

BEARS, 20-16 No. 20 Houston (no line) at No. 26 Tennessee Tough start for bangedup Titans. TEXANS, 23-13

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Drew Brees isn’t worried about the Saints’ conspicuously heavy reliance on the passing game during a season-opening loss.

On one hand, the result begs the question of how much the four-game suspension of running back Mark Ingram is affecting New Orleans’ ability to gain advantages in time of possession from running the ball.

At the same time, one game does not make a trend and it’s hard to be overly critical of an approach that produced 475 yards and 40 points.

If not for a couple of lost fumbles — including one on a running play that was returned for a Tampa Bay touchdown — the Saints might have pulled out their high-scoring affair with the Bucs instead of losing by eight .

Brees explained that two factors led to the Saints passing 45 times and running only 13. One was that they liked their matchups in the passing game. They also fell behind by multiple scores in the second half, which all but forces the team playing catch-up to throw more.

“That’s just kind of the way that game went,” Brees said yesterday after practice. “The next thing I’d say is, ‘Were we efficient?’ And I’d say we were. So there’s going to be games where it’s lopsided in one way or the other.

“There are going to be games where we’re probably running the ball more than passing it,” Brees continued.

“And I’ll ask the same question: ‘Are we efficient?’ So, if we are, if we’re moving the ball, if we’re scoring points, then I’d say obviously that was the right plan.”

Last season, with Ingram and fellow running back Alvin Kamara operating as a Pro Bowl tandem, the Saints ranked fifth in the NFL in rushing with 129 yards per game. When their defence played well, they were able to build leads and then control the clock. That recipe helped produce an 11-win regular season and one playoff victory before they fell in the divisional round at Minnesota on the last play of the game.

While New Orleans had only 43 yards rushing last Sunday, a bright spot was the effectiveness of two running plays from within five yards of the end zone.

Kamara scored both times.

NAUGHTY’S NFL PICKS - WEEK 2 CLINT J Ravens, Chargers, Jets, Texans, Chiefs, Redskins, Vikings, Eagles, Falcons, Saints, Rams, 49ers, Patriots, Broncos, Giants, Bears

LEO B *RAVENS PANTHERS CHARGERS VIKINGS TEXANS SAINTS DOLPHINS STEELERS EAGLES REDSKINS RAMS BRONCOS PATRIOTS GIANTS BEARS 49ers*

JOHN S Cincinnati, Carolina, LA chargers, Minnesota, Houston, new Orleans, Miami, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington, Los Angeles rams, San Francisco, Denver, new England, New York giants, Seattle SANTXO Z RAVENS FALCONS CHARGERS VIKINGS TEXANS SAINTS JETS CHIEFS EAGLES REDSKINS RAMS 49ers BRONCOS PATRIOTS COWBOYS BEARS

NAUGHTY RAVENS PANTHERS CHARGERS VIKINGS TEXANS SAINTS JETS CHIEFS EAGLES REDSKINS RAMS 49ers BRONCOS JAGS COWBOYS BEARS

STEVIE J. Ravens Falcons Redskins Texans Eagles Steelers Jets Chargers Vikings Saints THE STANDINGS Lions Rams 1.

STEVIE J Patriots ANDREW B BARRY WILNER Broncos JOHN C (10-5-1) Giants Bears CLINT J 3.

(11-4-1) 2.

SANTXO Z

LEO B NAUGHTY (9-6-1)

PAGE 4, Thursday, September 13, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

BOISE State wide receiver Akilian Butler (81) looks up from under the pile of players he dragged in to the end zone for a touchdown against Connecticut in the second half of Saturday’s NCAA college football game in Boise, Idaho. Boise State won 62-7.

(AP Photo/Steve Conner)

College Football Picks: No. 17 Boise State gets a big chance

By RALPH D RUSSO AP College Football Writer THE ceiling for teams outside the Power Five in the College Football Playoff race seems to be set pretty low — as any Central Florida fan will be quick to point out.

Maybe Boise State can bust through it this year.

To do so, Saturday’s game at No. 24 Oklahoma State will be crucial for

the 17th-ranked Broncos.

Boise State’s trip to Stillwater is one of three games matching ranked teams in week three of the season, along with No. 4 Ohio State against No. 15 TCU in Arlington, Texas, and No. 7 Auburn hosting No. 12 LSU. The Broncos have mashed their first two opponents (118-27), a good start for the preseason favorite in the Mountain West. Quarterback Brett Rypien might

be leading the best Broncos team since coach Chris Petersen’s BCS busters.

Could the Broncos, or any team outside the Power Five, make a serious run at a playoff spot? Well, UCF went undefeated last season but never did better than 12th in the selection committee rankings, much to the chagrin of Knights athletic director Danny White and American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco.

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The Broncos might have a better chance, though much is dependent on beating Oklahoma State — and the Cowboys then playing well the rest of the season.

The weather is doing UCF no favors. The Knights’ game at North Carolina this weekend was canceled in anticipation of Hurricane Florence. Last year, UCF had a game against Georgia Tech washed away. Though considering how poorly North Carolina has played so far, UCF’s strength of schedule might be better off without the Tar Heels.

THE PICKS: No. 1 Alabama (minus 21) at Mississippi The Ole Miss receivers, including preseason All-America A.J. Brown, will test the Tide’s inexperienced secondary — but ‘Bama might score 70 ...

ALABAMA 42-24.

Georgia Southern (plus 33) at No. 2 Clemson Tigers tune up for Georgia Tech’s triple-option next week with Georgia Southern’s ... CLEMSON 49-14.

Middle Tennessee (plus 33) at No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs have scored at least 40 in both games this season. The last time they reached 40 the first three games was in 2011, when they did it in five straight ....

GEORGIA 52-14.

No. 4 Ohio State (minus 12½) vs. No. 15 TCU at Arlington, Texas Can the Horned Frogs’ fast, but not particularly stout, defense stop the Buckeyes combo of J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber? ... OHIO STATE 35-17.

No. 5 Oklahoma (minus 17) at Iowa State Last time the Cyclones won two straight against the Sooners was 1961 ...

OKLAHOMA 38-14.

BYU (plus 21) at No. 6 Wisconsin Cougars are averaging 4.68 yards per play (113th in the country) and the Badgers (allowing 4.37 ypp) are no team to figure out problems against ...

WISCONSIN 38-14.

No. 12 LSU (plus 9½) at No. 7 Auburn From 2004-06, the average score in this series was Auburn 12, LSU 10.

Feels like one of those ...

AUBURN 15-9.

Vanderbilt (plus 14½) at No. 8 Notre Dame Irish will need some offense this week to match experienced Vandy QB Kyle Shurmur ...

NOTRE DAME 28-23.

No. 10 Washington (minus 6) at Utah Utes couldn’t generate much offense against Northern Illinois last week; these Huskies will be even tougher ... WASHINGTON 24-16.

Kent State (plus 34) at No. 11 Penn State Flashes are led by QB Woody Barrett, a former four-star recruit who transferred from Auburn ...

PENN STATE 49-14.

Louisiana-Lafayette (plus 32½) at No. 16 Mississippi State Bulldogs RB Kylin Hill is averaging 10.04 yards per carry and looking a little Saquon Barkley-esque for coach Joe Moorhead, the former Penn State offensive coordinator ... MISSISSIPPI STATE 45-10.

No. 17 Boise State (plus 2½) at No. 24 Oklahoma State Wrong team is favored ...

BOISE STATE 28-21.

SMU (plus 35) at No. 19 Michigan Another chance for the Wolverines to get some offensive rhythm before Big Ten play ... MICHIGAN 51-14.

San Jose State (plus 41½) at No. 20 Oregon If the first three opponents (Bowling Green, Portland State, San Jose State) combined their rosters, they’d probably still lose to Oregon by four touchdowns ... OREGON 56-13.

No. 21 Miami (minus 10) at Toledo Rockets offense made the Hurricanes work in South Florida last season ...

MIAMI 34-21.

No. 22 Southern California (plus 3½) at Texas Feels like one of those Legends of Rock concerts where the bands are famous, but way past their prime ...

TEXAS 24-23.

No. 23 Arizona State (minus 4½) at San Diego State Who had Herm Edwards as the best new hire in the Pac-12 South with Chip Kelly and Kevin Sumlin?

Liar ...

ARIZONA STATE 21-14.

TWITTER REQUESTS Boston College (minus 6) at Wake Forest, Thursday — @chrisstephenesq With Florida State struggling, second best in the ACC Atlantic — behind Clemson — is up for grabs ... BOSTON COLLEGE 28-24.

Rutgers (plus 3) at Kansas — @ BrandonOCook Jayhawks looking for first two-game winning streak since 2011 ...

RUTGERS 20-17.

Missouri (minus 7) at Purdue — @ SportsFanatic62 Boilermakers have buried themselves with turnovers (minus-4) and penalties (90 yards per game) in 0-2 start ... PURDUE 31-28, UPSET SPECIAL. Duke (plus 6½) at Baylor — @osogrisdemars Blue Devils lost starting QB Daniel Jones and star CB Mark Gilbert to injuries; Bears looking for 3-0 start ... BAYLOR 28-23.

Houston (minus 1) at Texas Tech — @novig69 Cougars will try to add a victory against the Big 12 to the one against the Pac-12 they got last week ...

TEXAS TECH 35-31.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, September 13, 2018, PAGE 5

Springer’s catch helps the Astros hold off Tigers 5-4

By NOAH TRISTER AP Baseball Writer DETROIT (AP) — George Springer understood the situation as he was about to dive for Dawel Lugo’s line drive in the eighth inning.

“I could tell I was either going to get to it, or this is going to be a really bad play,” the Houston outfielder said. “I’m happy that I got to it.”

Springer made the catch to help preserve Houston’s lead, and the Astros swept a series at Comerica Park for the first time, wrapping up a three-game set with a 5-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers yesterday.

The Tigers had a man on first with two outs in the eighth when Lugo hit a liner down the line in right field.

Springer made a diving catch. If he had missed and the ball had skipped past, the tying run would have scored.

“I think George on his own took a step toward the line to start the play,” Houston manager AJ Hinch said. “Got a great jump on it. With the runner in motion, a lot of bad can happen if he doesn’t come up with that, but it’s the right play to dive.

Certainly the right play to be aggressive.”

It was the 13th series sweep of the season for the Astros, who have won 10 of their last 11 games.

Houston entered with a three-game lead over Oakland atop the AL West.

Gerrit Cole (14-5) allowed two runs and three hits in five innings. He walked four and struck out nine.

Josh James pitched three innings in relief, allowing a two-run homer by Nicholas Castellanos in the seventh that pulled the Tigers within a run. Ryan Pressly pitched a perfect ninth for his first save.

James McCann also homered for Detroit.

Daniel Norris (0-4) allowed five runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings.

“I started running out of gas in the third inning, which is frustrating, because that’s not how you want to feel,” said Norris, who returned from the disabled list Sept. 1 after missing much of the season with a groin injury.

“I got through four with a lot of weak contact, but I started missing spots in the fifth and they have great hitters.”

Houston trailed 2-1 before scoring four runs

By MARK DIDTLER Associated Press

HOUSTON Astros’ Alex Bregman (2) scores at home plate as Detroit Tigers catcher James McCann (34) waits for the throw in the fifth inning yesterday.

(AP Photo/Paul Sancya) in the fifth. Alex Bregman put the Astros ahead with a two-run double, and Tyler White added a sacrifice fly.

An RBI double by Marwin Gonzalez made it 5-2.

Bregman opened the scoring with an RBI single in the third. Mikie Mahtook answered with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning, and McCann

led off the Detroit fourth with a homer.

The Astros swept a three-game series at Tiger Stadium in 1998, but they’d never done it at Detroit’s current ballpark, which opened in 2000.

LEADERS Cole moved into the American League lead in

strikeouts with 260, two more than teammate Justin Verlander. Bregman has a major league-best 50 doubles, along with 100 runs and 100 RBIs. The last player to reach all three of those marks in one season was Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers, who had 101 runs, 52 doubles and 109 RBIs in 2014.

DODGERS AVOID SEASON SWEEP BY REDS WITH 8-1 WIN CINCINNATI (AP) — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn’t breathe a sigh of relief. He could have.

Yasmani Grandal and Justin Turner drove in three runs each, and Los Angeles beat Cincinnati 8-1 yesterday to avoid a season sweep by the lastplace Reds.

Joc Pederson homered for the Dodgers, and Grandal had three hits.

“We can beat them,” Roberts said. “When we played them in L.A., they were on a hot streak,” said Grandal, Cincinnati’s 2010 top amateur draft pick. “It didn’t really matter how we played. We were trying to figure out what to do with our guys. We had a lot of guys hurt. It seems like they played us hard all year.”

Los Angeles began the day 1½ games behind NL West-leading Colorado and pulled within two games of

St. Louis for the second NL wild card after the Cardinals lost to Pittsburgh 4-3.

The Dodgers open a fourgame series in St. Louis on Thursday.

“That’s a big series for us,” said Grandal, who finished with three hits.

“There’s a chance to make some moves in this series.”

The Dodgers had been 0-6 against the Reds and were on the verge of being swept by Cincinnati in a season for the first time.

“It’s more important that we got a win,” Roberts said.

“Those guys have been making noise all year.

Managing to get a win considering where we were at is a good thing.”

Cincinnati’s Scooter Gennett went 1 for 4, keeping his league-leading batting average at .321.

“We didn’t really worry about sweeping the Dodgers,” Reds interim manager Jim Riggleman

RAYS’ SNELL NO-HIT BID INTO 7TH, 19TH WIN TOPS THE INDIANS 3-1

LOS Angeles Dodgers left fielder Joc Pederson hits a double off Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani in the fifth inning yesterday.

(AP Photo/John Minchillo) said. “We just wanted to earned - five hits and three win the game at hand.” walks in 4 2/3 innings. He Left-hander Caleb Fer- failed to last five innings guson (6-2), the third of for the third straight start. seven Dodgers pitchers, “I was rolling,” the rightstruck out three in the fifth. hander said. “I felt good.

Anthony DeSclafani It seemed like whenever (7-5) retired the first nine somebody gets on, I can’t Los Angeles batters before put a stop to it. It’s frustratallowing six runs - five ing. I just have to figure out

TAILLON HELPS PIRATES TO 4-3 WIN, SLOWING CARDINALS

By STEVE OVERBEY Associated Press ST LOUIS (AP) — Jameson Taillon won his fourth straight start, Jacob Stallings drove in three runs and the Pittsburgh Pirates slowed the Cardinals with a 4-3 victory yesterday that stopped the Cardinals’ three-game winning streak.

St Louis entered 34-18 under new manager Mike Shildt and with the most wins in the NL after the All-Star break. The Cardinals’ lead for the second NL wild card was cut to two games over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Taillon (13-9) allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings, leaving with a 4-1 lead after the first two Pirates reached in the eighth. Taillon has given up 19 runs over 71 innings in his last 11 starts.

Jose Martinez hit into a run-scoring forceout in the eighth against Felipe Vazquez, who allowed Patrick Wisdom’s run-scoring single in the ninth. Vazquez rebounded to strike out Paul DeJong and Matt Carpenter with two on to end the game for his 22nd consecutive save and 32nd in 36 chances this year. Pittsburgh has won six of eight.

Daniel Poncedeleon (0-2), making his fourth start for St. Louis, allowed two runs and five hits in five innings.

PITTSBURGH Pirates starting pitcher Jameson Taillon throws during the first inning against the St Louis Cardinals yesterday.

(AP Photo/Billy Hurst) Marcell Ozuna had a run-scoring single in the first for the Cardinals, but Stallings hit a sacrifice fly in the second, Jordan Luplow had a go-ahead single in the third and Stallings boosted the lead to 4-1 with a tworun single off Mike Mayers in the sixth.

TRAINER’S ROOM Cardinals: INF Jedd Gyorko was activated from the 10-day DL. He had been bothered by a left groin strain. ... C Yadier Molina remains out with a sore hamstring.

how to execute pitches. I don’t care how many times you go through the batting order, if you execute your pitches, you’ll get your outs.”

Jose Peraza homered in the first, but Pederson tied it 1-1 with a leadoff drive in the fourth, his second two games and 21st this season.

“Joc’s homer gave us kind of an exhale,” Roberts said. “I’ve been talking about J.T.’s at bats every night. Yasmani had some good at bats.”

Grandal hit a go-ahead double later in the inning, a ball caught by a young fan with a glove reaching over the wall with the ball still in play. Max Muncy scored from first and Reds manager Jim Riggleman argued unsuccessfully he should have been stopped at third, but the umpires’ decision was upheld in a video review.

Turner hit a two-run single in a four-run fifth.

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (AP) — Blake Snell is locked in on the Tampa Bay Rays’ longshot postseason hopes, not thinking about winning the AL Cy Young Award.

Snell took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning and got his major league-leading 19th win, leading the Rays over the Cleveland Indians 3-1 yesterday.

“I know that we’re winning and that’s the most important thing,” Snell said. “That’s what I’m focused on, that’s what we’re focused on. All the individual stuff I’ll look at later.”

Snell (19-5) lost his bid when Jose Ramirez led off the seventh with his 38th homer. Snell won his teamrecord seventh straight start, striking out nine and walking two in seven innings.

He has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 16 consecutive home starts.

Chaz Roe and Jose Alvarado each got three outs, completing a one-hitter.

Alvarado got his eighth save in 11 chances.

Tampa Bay closed within eight games of Oakland for the second AL wild card with 17 games left.

The Athletics were scheduled to play at Baltimore last night, then open a three-game series at Tampa Bay on Friday night.

Snell’s ERA dropped to 2.03, second in the AL behind Boston’s Chris Sale at 1.96.

Snell’s 1.24 ERA at home is best in the majors.

“He’s got the whole package,” Indians manager Terry Francona said.

“He’s got velocity, breaking ball, changeup, and seeing how much he’s improved from one year to the next, that’s pretty special stuff.”

Cleveland’s magic number to clinch a third consecutive AL Central title remained at three.

Ji-Man Choi hit a two-run homer in the first off Carlos Carrasco (16-9), then took a well-inside pitch from Carrasco in the sixth and briefly stared at the mound.

Choi hit a winning homer off Brad Hand in the ninth inning on Monday night.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, September 13, 2018, PAGE 7

Luis Enrique’s Spain routs Croatia 6-0 in Nations League

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Luis Enrique couldn’t have asked for a much better start as coach of Spain’s national team. Two matches, two convincing wins against top opponents in the UEFA Nations League.

Spain followed its gritty 2-1 win against England at Wembley Stadium last week with a 6-0 rout of World Cup runner-up Croatia on Tuesday, keeping Enrique perfect since taking over as La Roja’s coach.

It was the biggest defeat ever for Croatia, which was playing its first competitive game since reaching the World Cup final in Russia.

The victory left Spain comfortably ahead in Group 4 of the top-tiered League A in Europe’s newest soccer competition, in good position to reach the tournament’s final four in June.

In the other League A match on Tuesday, Belgium won 3-0 at Iceland in

its Nations League debut.

England followed the loss to Spain with a 1-0 win in a friendly against Switzerland, which had routed Iceland 6-0 in the Nations League. Marcus Rashford scored England’s winner in Leicester.

The Nations League gives UEFA’s 55 member countries competitive games and eliminates often meaningless friendlies.

Luka Modric’s Croatia threatened early in the southeastern Spanish city of Elche, but Spain took control of the match by scoring three goals in 11 first-half minutes.

“They had chances in the beginning but after that we were clearly superior,” Enrique said. “It’s difficult to find anything to criticize after a match played at this level. Our attitude has been commendable.”

Saul Niguez, who is becoming an undisputable starter in Enrique’s team, headed in a cross by Dani Carvajal in the 24th minute, then Marco Asensio hit two remarkable long-range

Spain’s golden generation, added the fifth goal with a header off a corner kick in the 57th minute, and Isco closed the scoring in the 70th after another set up by Asensio.

Croatia, which lost the World Cup final to France, fell apart after defender Sime Vrsaljko had to be substituted due to an injury just minutes before Spain’s first goal.

“We were very good in the first 20 minutes, we had three clear chances, but after that and Vrsaljko’s injury, we vanished from the pitch,” Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic said. “We were not even a shadow of the team from before.”

Croatia’s biggest defeat had been a 5-1 away loss against England at Wembley in 2009.

The Croats were making their Nations League debut after playing European champion Portugal to a 1-1 draw in a friendly last week.

Enrique took over Spain after the team’s elimination against Russia in the round of 16 of the World

CROATIA’s Luka Modric (AP) shots in the 33rd and 35th to give La Roja a comfortable lead before halftime.

His second strike bounced off the post and the back of goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic, who was awarded an own goal.

Asensio, who was not among the starters against England, also set up Rodrigo’s goal early in the second half with a perfect through ball behind the defence.

Sergio Ramos, one of the remaining members of

Cup. Spain was coached by Fernando Hierro in Russia after Julen Lopetegui was fired two days before the tournament.

Asensio was one of the few changes Enrique made to the team that beat England on Saturday. The former Barcelona coach also added defender Jose Luis Gaya and midfielder Dani Ceballos to the starting lineup. They replaced Marcos Alonso, Thiago Alcantara and Iago Aspas.

Just like it did against England, Spain was aggressive without the ball on Tuesday, pressing high and playing a more direct game that takes the focus away from short passes, something that has become a characteristic of Enrique’s team.

TODAY

ORLANDO

High: 91° F/33° C Low: 75° F/24° C

TAMPA

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

Partly sunny with spotty showers

A shower in spots in the evening

Partly sunny, a shower in the p.m.

Pleasant with clouds and sun

Mostly cloudy with a passing shower

A shower in the morning

High: 89°

Low: 77°

High: 90° Low: 77°

High: 89° Low: 77°

High: 89° Low: 78°

High: 89° Low: 77°

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ABACO

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High: 86° F/30° C Low: 81° F/27° C

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High: 89° F/32° C Low: 76° F/24° C

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WEST PALM BEACH

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tiDes For nassau High

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

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

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uV inDex toDay

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High: 91° F/33° C Low: 79° F/26° C

High: 89° F/32° C Low: 76° F/24° C

MIAMI

High: 88° F/31° C Low: 77° F/25° C

3-6 knots

Statistics are for Nassau through 2 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 86° F/30° C Low .................................................... 79° F/26° C Normal high ....................................... 88° F/31° C Normal low ........................................ 75° F/24° C Last year’s high ................................. 93° F/34° C Last year’s low ................................... 82° F/28° C Precipitation As of 2 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.00” Year to date ............................................... 39.16” Normal year to date ................................... 26.66”

ELEUTHERA

NASSAU

High: 89° F/32° C Low: 77° F/26° C

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2018

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 81° F/27° C

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KEY WEST

High: 90° F/32° C Low: 83° F/28° C

Low

Ht.(ft.)

11:17 a.m.

11:37 p.m.

3.5 3.1

5:04 a.m.

5:38 p.m.

0.1 0.4

Friday

12:08 p.m.

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3.4 -----

5:51 a.m.

6:31 p.m.

0.4 0.7

Saturday

12:27 a.m.

1:00 p.m.

2.9 3.2

6:40 a.m.

7:27 p.m.

0.6 1.0

Sunday

1:21 a.m.

1:56 p.m.

2.7 3.0

7:32 a.m.

8:26 p.m.

0.9 1.2

Monday

2:18 a.m.

2:55 p.m.

2.5 2.9

8:28 a.m.

9:27 p.m.

1.1 1.3

Tuesday

3:19 a.m.

3:54 p.m.

2.5 2.9

9:27 a.m. 1.1 10:26 p.m. 1.3

Wednesday 4:18 a.m.

4:49 p.m.

2.5 2.9

10:25 a.m. 1.1 11:18 p.m. 1.2

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 81° F/27° C

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6-12 knots Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

Ht.(ft.)

Today

6:55 a.m.

7:16 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

10:42 a.m.

10:21 p.m.

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LOWER LEAGUES In the second-tiered League B, Bosnia-Herzegovina followed its opening win at Northern Ireland with a 1-0 home victory against Austria, thanks to a 78th-minute goal by Edin Dzeko.

In League C, Finland edged Estonia 1-0 at home on Teemu Pukki’s early goal for its second straight win. Hungary, which lost its opener to Finland, defeated Greece 2-1 in Budapest.

In League D, Luxembourg won 3-0 at San Marino for its second consecutive victory, while Moldova played a scoreless home draw with Belarus.

The Nations League guarantees at least one of Europe’s low-ranked League D teams will qualify for Euro 2020 through a playoff.

BELGIUM THRIVES Belgium earned a comfortable win over Iceland thanks to a pair of goals by Romelu Lukaku and one from Eden Hazard.

Lukaku and Hazard, whose goal came off a penalty kick, were two of

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

Belgium’s top players in its third-place campaign at the World Cup. Belgium had defeated Scotland 4-0 in a friendly last week in Glasgow.

ANDROS

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 81° F/27° C

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insurance management tracking map

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 81° F/27° C

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MAYAGUANA High: 87° 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: 85° F/29° C Low: 82° F/28° C

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 81° F/27° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 88° F/31° C Low: 81° F/27° C

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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 SW at 4-8 Knots S at 6-12 Knots SE at 4-8 Knots ESE at 4-8 Knots SE at 6-12 Knots E at 6-12 Knots E at 7-14 Knots E at 8-16 Knots SE at 6-12 Knots ESE at 6-12 Knots SSW at 4-8 Knots SSW at 6-12 Knots SE at 6-12 Knots E at 7-14 Knots E at 7-14 Knots E at 7-14 Knots E at 7-14 Knots E at 8-16 Knots ESE at 7-14 Knots E at 7-14 Knots SE at 6-12 Knots SE at 6-12 Knots E at 7-14 Knots E at 8-16 Knots SE at 6-12 Knots E at 6-12 Knots

WAVES 2-5 Feet 2-5 Feet 0-1 Feet 0-2 Feet 3-6 Feet 2-5 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-6 Feet 2-5 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 0-2 Feet 0-2 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 3-5 Feet 2-5 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-2 Feet 0-2 Feet 0-2 Feet 4-7 Feet 3-6 Feet

VISIBILITY 10 Miles 7 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 82° F 82° F 86° F 86° F 84° F 84° F 85° F 84° F 84° F 84° F 88° F 88° F 85° F 85° F 85° F 85° F 86° F 85° F 85° F 85° F 85° F 85° F 85° F 84° F 85° F 85° F

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PAGE 8, Thursday, September 13, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

Newspaper reprints controversial cartoon of Serena Williams

By ROD MCGUIRK Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A cartoon of Serena Williams that has been widely condemned as a racist depiction of the tennis great has been partially reprinted on the front page of the Melbournebased newspaper that initially published it.

The Herald Sun newspaper printed an edited portion of the cartoon — featuring 23-time Grand Slam winner Williams jumping on a broken racket during her dispute with a chair umpire in the US Open final — among caricatures of other famous people yesterday under the headline “Welcome to the PC World.”

The newspaper, which has Australia’s largest circulation, has defended its cartoonist Mark Knight’s depiction of Williams and is asserting that the condemnation, which has come from around the world, is driven by political correctness.

“If the self-appointed censors of Mark Knight get their way on his Serena Williams cartoon, our new politically correct life will be very dull indeed,” the paper said on its front page.

Williams has won the Australian Open singles title seven times at Melbourne Park, including in 2017 when she was pregnant. She is a crowd favourite at the first tennis major of the year, which is held each January at a venue that is within sight of the Herald Sun’s headquarters.

In comments published

by News Corp., Knight said he created the cartoon after watching Williams’ “tantrum” during her US Open final loss to Naomi Osaka on Saturday and that it was designed to illustrate “her poor behaviour on the day, not about race.”

Knight reportedly has disabled his Twitter account after his post of the cartoon attracted tens of thousands of comments, mostly critical.

During the final against Osaka, Williams got a warning from the chair umpire for violating a rarely enforced rule against receiving coaching from the sidelines. An indignant Williams emphatically defended herself, denying she had cheated. A short time later, she smashed her racket in frustration and

MELBOURNE-based newspaper Herald Sun displays a controversial cartoon of Serena Williams that has been widely condemned as a racist depiction of the tennis great, in Melbourne, Australia, yesterday. The newspaper defended its cartoonist Mark Knight’s depiction of Williams and is asserting the condemnation, which has come from all parts of the world, is driven by political correctness. (AP Photo) was docked a point. She protested and demanded an apology from the umpire, who penalised her a game.

Critics of Knight’s cartoon described it as a clear example of a stereotype facing black women, depicting Williams as an irate, hulking, big-mouthed black woman jumping up and down on a broken racket.

The umpire was shown telling a blond, slender woman — meant to be Osaka, who is Japanese and Haitian — “Can you just let her win?”

“I was deeply offended.

This is not a joke,” said Vanessa K De Luca, former editor-in-chief of Essence magazine, who wrote a column about the US Open furore.

The cartoonist “completely missed the point of why she was upset,”

De Luca told The Associated Press. “It was about her integrity, and anybody who doesn’t get that is perpetuating the erasure that so many black women feel when they are trying to speak up for themselves.

It’s like our opinions don’t matter.”

In a social media post, Peter Blunden, managing director of News Corp.’s operations in the state of Victoria, said: “Australia’s finest cartoonist Mark Knight has the strongest support of his colleagues for his depiction of Serena Williams’ petulance. It’s about bad behaviour, certainly not race. The PC brigade are way off the mark ... again.”

This isn’t the first time a cartoon in a News Corp. newspaper has drawn allegations of racism. In 2009, civil rights leaders and

Hunter: ‘The recruiting process has been a learning experience’ FROM PAGE 1 liked what the coaches had to offer in terms of getting me ready so I thank God for that. I didn’t know anything about Canada, my mind was just set on the US for basketball but the last few years, but I discovered another route,” Hunter said.

“The prep school experience, it feels like you’re in college already. You have to send out your school work while on trips, we play

40-plus games, we travel a lot so you find a way to fit in with time management.”

He recently made his senior men’s national team debut in July at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Barranquilla, Colombia.

“No matter where it is you have to perform, I knew I wouldn’t play as much so my goal was to score every time I touched the floor,” he said. “It was a good experience, I got advice from pros who have been around the game. I’m

17 and I don’t know anything so they were a great help.”

Hunter was also a member of the 2016 CBC Under-16 Championship team when he averaged 12 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and the 2017 Centrobasket U-17 Championship team when he averaged 14.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.

It was then that he first drew the interest of NCAA programmes who approached him following the tournaments.

‘MAJOR PAIN’ IN ‘THE LAST DANCE’ OCT. 27 FROM PAGE 1 career a day before my birthday. My first professional fight was on my birthday, October 28, 2000, on the undercard of Ray Minus vs Quincy Pratt Final War.” Major and Anderson first faced each other in April 2016 at the Caribbean Showdown, hosted at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.

In a super featherweight main event, Major secured a second round TKO. “My focus, plans and preparation for the fight

remains the same. I want to give the fans an awesome performance like they have never seen from me before,” he said.

“I’m not anticipating any early knockout like previous fights at home.

“This is a rematch and I know that Martin Anderson is coming back hard, but he’s going to be in for a surprise and may consider retiring with me after this fight.”

Major thanked Bet Vegas Casino as his major sponsors for his final fight and promised the level of

production his fans have come to expect.

“This fight is special because it’s dedicated to my uncles James and Bob that have both passed away recently and one of my bothers, Whitfield. They were always at my fights either walking out with me or came to see me in the locker room before fight time,” he said. “It’s also dedicated to my parents and fight fans that always supported me throughout my career. ‘The Last Dance’ is an event you will not want to miss.”

others criticised a New York Post cartoon that some interpreted as comparing President Barack Obama to a violent chimpanzee.

In Britain, where fiercely competitive tabloids often trade in sensationalism, Rupert Murdoch-owned newspapers have been accused of sexism, racism and xenophobia over the years.

Last year a former editor of the Murdoch-owned Sun, Kelvin MacKenzie, quit as a contributor to the tabloid after writing a column comparing a soccer player with part-Nigerian heritage to a gorilla.

Many years of outrage over articles and cartoons did little to hurt Murdoch’s power over British politics and media, though his papers’ underhanded practices did. Murdoch

was forced to shut down the 168-year-old tabloid News of the World in 2011 after the revelation that its employees had eavesdropped on the phone voice mails of celebrities, politicians and crime victims.

Australian indigenous playwright and actress Nakkiah Lui tweeted in response to the front page, saying the Herald Sun needed to “chill.”

“Freedom of speech doesn’t mean freedom above criticism,” she said.

“What we have is a bunch of people who get paid to publicly exercise their implied freedom to speech then whining when people disagree with what they have had the privilege of being paid to say,” she added.

Australian writer Maxine Beneba Clarke said she

believed the front page demonstrated a “misunderstanding” of the criticism levelled at the cartoon.

“I think it’s really interesting that the Herald Sun has not included really any other caricatures or cartoons of black people — either Aboriginal people or African-American people, black people of any descent,” Clarke, who is of Afro-Caribbean descent, told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

Cartoonist Paul Zanetti, a friend of Knight, said cartooning was under threat from political correctness, and the Herald Sun front page “spelt out exactly where we are at this point.”

“Political correctness is really all about censoring, it’s about being bullied into conforming to a view of the world,” he said.

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