10122018 SPORTS

SPORTS SECTION E

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2018

Coach: ‘We are looking forward to a good fight’

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

fter losing 3-0 in their opening game of the CONCACAF Nations League qualifying tournament to St Lucia last month, Antigua and Barbuda is in town, hoping to take their frustration out on the Bahamas.

The Bahamas, coming off a 4-0 loss to Belize last month as well, will host the match free of charge 6pm today at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

“We have a pretty young team. We have the impetus to go out tomorrow (today) and get a victory,” said Antigua & Barbuda’s coach Derrick Edwards.

As for Team Bahamas, which is fielding a mixture of youth and experience, Edwards said he can’t say much about them, except that they have the homecourt advantage.

“At the end of the day, they are home and when you are home, you supposed to be much stronger than when you are on the road,” he pointed out. “So we are looking forward to a good fight.

“Although we have not seen them play, we have to be cautious at the start of the game.”

After suffering their loss, Edwards said they were able to strengthen the team in all aspects, so he feels they will have a well-rounded squad competing here. As for any weaknesses, he said it will be up to the Bahamas to exploit it.”

Team Bahamas, managed by Larry Minns and coached by Dion Godet, has also made some adjustments to its line-up after losing their opener to Belize. Team Bahamas will comprise of the following players: Christopher Godet, Christopher Rahming, Denzel

A

SHAUN MILLER

Men’s national soccer team to take on Antigua today Deveaux, Isiah Collie, Jaelin Williams, Julio Jameson, Lesly St Fleur, Mario Johnson, Nesly Jean, Raymorn Sturrup, Ricardo McPhee, Sonny Francois, Ian Lowe, Terry Delancey, Tre Barry, Troy Pinder, Valin Bodie and ReJohn Ene. Carl Lynch, assistant secretary general in the Bahamas Football Association, who is also responsible for the operation of the match, said everything is coming together and they expect to have a large crowd of spectators on hand.

“We can expect a very exciting match, a very competitive match, one that is going to be of high energy,” Lynch predicted. “We are looking for a good size crowd behind our boys.

“Antigua & Barbuda is a very good team and I think we will be out for the competition. The fans will see good technical play from both teams, of course, we expect to have the speed advantage. But Antigua and Barbuda is a very technical team. So it’s going to be interesting.”

With the game free of charge, Lynch said they are encouraging the general public to come out and support Team Bahamas because they have a very good technical team they are facing in Antigua & Barbuda.

RAYMOND ORIAKHI

by Oleh Doroshchuk of the Ukraine, who got the bronze.

On the track, 16-year-old Megan Moss, running out of lane three in the third of four heats of the women’s 400 metres, held the lead all the way around the track until she got on the final stretch.

But as she tried to accelerate down the straight away, she faded due to an injury and eventually stopped running and walked across the finish line in one minute and 2.25 seconds.

Liefde Schoemaker of Belgium went on to take the tape in 56.14 to easily win the heat.

Following Moss, Raymond Oriakhi contested the men’s 400m where he ran out of lane two in the

Thursday, Page 2

FIXER SAYS HE MADE CASH PAYMENT IN COLLEGE HOOPS SCHEME

By TOM HAYS Associated Press

ANTIGUA and Barbuda players take part in their final workout yesterday ahead of today’s game.

NEW YORK (AP) — A government witness at a college basketball corruption trial testified yesterday that he made a secret $40,000 payment to the inner circle of a North Carolina State recruit through an assistant coach at the school.

Testifying in federal court in Manhattan, selfdescribed recruitment facilitator Thomas “T.J.” Gassnola told a jury he delivered the money in cash to the coach, Orlando Early, on a trip to Raleigh, North Carolina, in 2015.

He said the coach told him he was going to give it to a personal trainer for highly-touted point guard Dennis Smith Jr as way to get it to Smith’s family.

Business manager Christian Dawkins, former amateur coach Merl Code and former Adidas executive James Gatto have pleaded not guilty to defrauding various colleges by concealing the use of under-the-table payments of up to $100,000 from Adidas in exchange for commitments to programmes that were seen as a path to big NBA paydays.

Their lawyers haven’t disputed payments were arranged in violation of NCAA rules, but they argue the schools never suffered

SEE PAGE 2

‘LONNIE’ GREENE REFLECTS ON HIS CAREER DERRICK EDWARDS, coach of Antigua and Barbuda, gets his team ready for battle.

IZAAK BASTIAN

MEGAN MOSS

ADRIAN CURRY

YOUTH OLYMPICS: TRACK ATHLETES DON’T FARE SO WELL ON DAY 1

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

DAY one of the track and field competition at the third Youth Olympic Games didn’t turn out the way the Bahamian athletes expected in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Shaun Miller, the first to taste competition yesterday, had to settle for ninth place in the men’s high jump after the 17-year-old bowed out at 2.05 metres, or 6-feet, 8 3/4-inches - the same height as five other competitors ahead of him.

Long Chen, of China, won the gold with 2.13m (6-11 3/4), while Arttu Mattila of Finland picked up the silver with 2.09m (6-10 1/4), the same height cleared

NFL

third heat. The 16-year-old ended up in fourth place in 51.01 as Lorenzo Benati of Italy stopped the clock in 48.58 to win the heat.

Today, Adrian Curry, 17, will be entered in the men’s 100m. He will be contesting the last of five heats in lane seven.

The Bahamas’ only other competitor, 16-year-old Matthew Thompson, will be competing in the men’s 400m hurdles on Saturday.

Meanwhile, in the pool at the natatorium, Izaak Bastian completed his hectic schedule of events by contesting the first of the two semi-finals of the men’s 50m breaststroke.

Bastian had to settle for eighth place in a time of 29.35 as Michael James Houlie, of the Republic of South Africa, touched

the wall first in the one-lap race in 27.33. While Houlie qualified for the final with the fastest time, Bastian finished at the end of the spectrum in 16th place.

It was the first second swim in an event for Bastian, who didn’t advance in the 100m breast, 50m free, 200m breast and 50m breast during the course of the first four of the six days of competition.

Bastian, 17, qualified for the 50m breast semifinal after he got fifth in heat four of the qualifying round earlier in the day in a time of 29.01. The performance placed him 12th in a field of 16 qualifiers for the semis.

The Bahamas was also represented in swimming by 18-year-old Victoria Russell, who

finished fourth in the second of seven heats of the women’s 50m butterfly in 28.40 on Sunday, but didn’t advance.

Team Bahamas is being led by Clarence Rolle, the chef de mission, assisted

by Oria Wood. The head coach for the track team is Steven Murray and Sara Knowles is the coach for the swim team.

In 2014 at the second Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China, the Bahamas picked up a pair of bronze medals from swimmer Joanna Evans in the 800m free and track athlete Henri Delauze in the men’s 400m. The initial Youth Olympics was staged in Singapore in 2010. The fourth Youth Olympics is scheduled for Dakar, Senegal, in 2022.

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

ROLANDO ‘Lonnie’ Greene is grateful to have been afforded the opportunity to move from one head coaching job in college track and field to another.

In his transition from Purdue University to the University of Kentucky, Greene intends to continue to strengthen his Bahamian connection with his coaching staff and the athletes on the team.

Over the weekend while here to participate in the Bahamas Athletic Foundation’s Coaches Professional Development Conference at SuperClubs Breezes, Greene shared a passionate interview on his road to success from a subpar jumper at AF Adderley High School to one of the elite coaches in the NCAA Division One ranks.

“When I went to college at Murray State University, I was a bio-chemist major out of AF Adderley,” Greene said. “When I went there, the biological science and physics was great.

I never took chemistry in high school, so it ran me out of the bio-chemistry class.

I realised that I couldn’t be successful there.

“So I ended up not knowing what to do and so I went into career planning and placement and they gave me this multi-talented test to do. I took it and the professor said with the talent that I have, I need

SEE PAGE 3

PAGE 2, Friday, October 12, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

Eagles top Giants 34-13

By TOM CANAVAN AP Sports Writer

SPORTS MAGAZINE PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE LATE SIR DURWARD KNOWLES THE Sports Magazine, the Bahamas’ only complete sports publication, has just released a commemorative issue paying tribute to the late Sir Durward Knowles on the anniversary of his 100th birthday which is November 2.

Sir Durward was the first Olympic gold medallist for the Bahamas, having won the Star Class Sailing in the Olympics in Tokyo, Japan in 1964.

He died earlier this year after a short illness. He had just turned 100 years old last November 2 and was looking forward to being an Octogenarian.

On the 100th birthday the whole nation celebrated along with Sir Durward as he was a national hero.

He was also known for his many charitable acts and his major role in Rotary, having been awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship.

He was a major advocate of his alma mater, Queens College, and was a major supporter of the Bahamas Association of the Physically Disabled.

Sir Durward’s many acts of charity did not go unnoticed and many organisations recognised his contributions.

Even Atlantic College gave him an honourary doctorate of humane letters and named a school wall after him and Lady Holly.

He was loved and cherished by all, and his involvement of One Bahamas and bringing together the black and white communities was historic.

The Sports Magazine has partnered with ALIV, to showcase the life of Sir Durward through the many functions and involvements over the years. It is a fitting tribute to a man who has given so much to help others, and in most cases strangers.

The Bahamas has lost a giant in the passing of Sir Durward, but we can also rejoice for the time we spent with him. Sir Durward has truly made a difference in the lives of many Bahamians during his 100 years.

Plans are underway for a fitting tribute of celebration on November 2.

Copies of the magazine are being given away free of charge at select locations throughout New Providence. Family Island residents can request a copy by mail at sportsmagazinebahamas@gmail.com

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — All the Philadelphia Eagles needed to get over their Super Bowl hangover was a little more urgency, some big plays — and a timely game against the New York Giants.

Carson Wentz threw a seasonhigh three touchdown passes and the Eagles got an early lift from their defence and special teams in beating the struggling Giants 34-13 last night, avoiding their first three-game losing streak since the 2016 season.

Wentz sandwiched touchdowns passes of 13 and 1 yard to Alshon Jeffery around a 10-yarder to tight end Zach Ertz to help the Eagles (3-3) build a 31-6 lead. They beat the Giants (1-5) for the fourth straight time and seventh in eight games.

Corey Clement scored on a 1-yard run and Jake Elliott added field goals of 33 and 30 yards for the defending Super Bowl champions.

Rookie halfback Saquon Barkley scored on a 50-yard run and rushed for 130 yards in one of the few bright spots for the Giants’ offence, which was booed repeatedly in losing at home for the third time. Aldrick Rosas had field goals of 33 and 21 yards.

This was seen as a must-win game for both teams in the weak and wideopen NFC East, and the Eagles went out and grabbed it.

They came into the game having scored seven points in the first quarter and they doubled that against New York.

Eli Manning was under pressure all game and finished 24 of 43 for 281 yards.

On the opening series, Kamu Gugier-Hill intercepted Manning’s pass that was tipped by fellow linebacker Jordan Hicks and he returned it to Giants 16. Three plays later, Wentz (26 of 36 for 278 yards and no interceptions) was forced out of the pocket and found Jeffery after getting all day to throw.

A 46-yard run by Barkley set up Rosas’ 33-yarder to cut the gap to 7-3, but the Eagles took control later in the quarter after DeAndre Carter returned a punt 23 yards to the New York 44. Passes of 17 to Jeffery and 14 to Clement set up Clement’s touchdown run.

A spectacular tackle-breaking run

by Barkley on a 55-yard screen pass

GIANTS QB Eli Manning throws a pass during the first half of last night’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) helped cut the lead to 14-6 in the second quarter but Wentz hit a wideopen Nelson Agholer on a third and 3 and connected with Ertz for a 21-6 lead on the next play.

Elliott made it 24-6 just before halftime and Philadelphia put the game out of reach with a 75-yard drive that ended with a short Jeffery TD catch.

The only thing meaningful after that was Barkley’s touchdown run.

INJURIES: Eagles LT Jason Peters left with a biceps injury.

Backup cornerback Sidney Jones left in the first half with a hamstring injury. The Giants had LB Ray Ray

Amstrong (concussion), WR Cody Latimer (hamstring) and CB Antonio Hamilton (illness) leave the game.

BARKLEY GAINS Barkley has gained at least 100 yards from scrimmage in each of his first six career games. He is one off the NFL rookie record set by Kansas City’s Kareem Hunt.

UP NEXT Eagles: Host Carolina on October 21.

Patriots: At Atlanta on October 22.

BAIN JR SELECTED FOR 2018 CLASS OF THE HOWARD UNIVERSITY HALL OF FAME

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ARNOLD F Bain Jr, a Bahamian who had a stellar track and field career at Howard University in the 1960s, has been selected for inclusion into “the 2018 Class of the Howard University Hall of Fame as a member of the 1968/1969 track and field team.”

Bain, who has been active in the administrations of several sports organisations in The Bahamas over the years, was informed of the high honour in a letter from Howard Bison Express Chairperson Bruce H Williams.

“It is our great honour and our pleasure to acknowledge you once again on your selection into the 2018 Class of the Howard University Hall of Fame as a member of the 1968 and/or 1969 Track and Field Team,” Williams wrote in his congratulatory remarks.

“We hope that you will return home to the Mecca and join us in November 16-17, 2018 for a weekend of activities to celebrate you, all highlighted by your induction ceremony.”

ARNOLD F BAIN JR The installation ceremony and dinner will take place Friday, November 16 beginning at 7pm at the Martin’s Crosswinds, 7400 Greenway Center Drive, Greenbelt, Maryland.

“The next day, the football team will play ‘The Hall of Fame Game’ against Bryant University in Greene Stadium,” Williams noted in his letter to Bain. “During the game’s halftime you and the rest of our honourees will receive special recognition and congratulations.”

The Hall of Fame Weekend is sponsored by Bison Express, the official alumni support organisation of Howard University Athletics in conjunction with the University’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.

“Once again, please accept congratulations from the membership of Bison Express and the entire University community for your outstanding contributions to athletic success at Howard,” Williams’ letter stated. “I look forward to meeting you and honouring your tremendous accomplishments during Hall of Fame Weekend.”

Contacted in Nassau for a comment, Bain said although it took almost 50 years, he’s extremely grateful for the honour. “Being voted into the Hall of Fame class of 2018 by Howard University means that from now on, whenever anyone enters the hallowed halls of this renowned university, my photograph and accomplishments will be there under the name Arnold F Bain Jr, Nassau, Bahamas,” he said.

FIXER SAYS HE MADE CASH PAYMENT IN COLLEGE HOOPS SCHEME FROM PAGE 1 any harm. Gassnola, 46, a former Adidas consultant who has pleaded guilty, continued to drop some notable names in basketball during his second day on the witness stand.

He said that while working under the direction of Gatto, he paid out $15,000 in cash in 2015 to try to lure DeAndre Ayton to an Adidas school only to see him sign with Nikesponsored Arizona. Ayton attended Arizona for his freshman season before being drafted by the Phoenix Suns.

He also described how he texted then-Louisville head coach Rick Pitino in a panic in September 2017 when he learned there was an investigation into the payments made to several players, including Louisville recruit Brian Bowen Jr. “I was just looking for information, and I instinctively reached out to him,” the witness said.

There’s no evidence that Pitino responded to the text. The legendary coach was never accused of a crime but was fired amid the fallout.

Asked yesterday about the testimony about North Carolina State, Athletic

Director Debbie Yow said in statement, “If any former employee was involved, they knew they were breaking the rules and chose to keep it hidden.”

Early did not respond to a text message from the AP yesterday. North Carolina State announced in 2017 that both he and head coach Mark Gottfried were leaving the programme months before the corruption case became public.

Smith played one year at NC State.

He’s now in the NBA playing for the Dallas Mavericks.

The trial resumes on Monday.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, October 12, 2018, PAGE 3

BAAA elections: Whoever wins, let’s ‘work for the common good’ SO it’s shaping up to be a battle between two incumbents as the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations gets ready for its election of officers.

So far, Rosamunde Carey has logged her intentions of pursuing her second term in office as the first female president. This time around, she is expected to be challenged by Drumeco Archer, who served in her administration as the secretary general.

The elections is scheduled for November 24, one day after the BAAA holds its annual general meeting on November 23, all at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

What’s interesting to note is that there will be some officers, who served during the past term in 2015, who will not be seeking their positions. And there are one or two candidates who served under this administration who have joined forces with Archer in their bid to oust Carey from office.

In grand style at the stadium, which included a junkanoo rush-out and a meet-the-candidates luncheon, Carey introduced her ‘Bonafide Innovators’ team of candidates that includes Carl Oliver (1st Vice President), Sandra Laing (2nd

Vice President), Gail Clarke (Vice President - Finance), Philip Gray (Vice President - Marketing and Public Relations), Cedricka Rolle (Vice President - Business Operations) and Patrick Adderley (Vice President - Technical Operations).

Without any of the fanfare, Archer quietly announced his intention of running and he will be joined by his slate that includes Grand Bahamian Ravanno Ferguson as first vice president, Rupert Gardiner, second vice president, Sharon Gardiner, vice president of Finance and Marketing, Dawn Johnson, VP of Business Operations and Frank ‘Pancho’ Rahming, VP of Technical Operations.

It’s expected that his slate will be officially revealed to the public on Wednesday, October 24.

In the meantime, what’s interesting to note is that with the change in the formation of the executive team, first vice president Tonique Williams won’t be seeking another term in office for whatever reason.

Nor will Mabeline Miller, the assistant secretary.

Miller beat out Williams 9-8 in a keenly contested vote for the post of the interim chief executive

officer. It’s one of the new positions that the BAAA will be governed by following the elections next month.

Depending on who is elected to office, Miller hopes to continue in that position. In the meantime, she will have the responsibility of overseeing the election process.

While it’s understood that the elections will continue as they have in the past, I’d like to recommend that the BAAA place all candidates, regardless of which slate they are on, on one ballot sheet side by side of their opponents and have the delegates vote for everybody at one time.

One of the norms during elections for sports in the Bahamas is generally when the president is elected, just about all of their candidates go in, sometimes unopposed.

In most cases, persons are elected based on popularity

rather than their ability to carry out their mandate.

It’s a known fact that some persons only accept a nomination because they believe in the philosophy or the ability of the person who they are running with as the leader.

But I believe that once you have committed yourself to service, you should be willing to adjust and work with whoever is in office. In that way, I think the organisation will be better served with an executive board that is willing and able to put their differences aside and work for the common good, which is to enhance the sport and its members. If you’re not willing to compromise, then you shouldn’t run for office in the first place.

Too often we have seen a lot of tension develop as a result of a slate of officers elected over a slate that wasn’t. The entire term in office is spent trying to

extend the olive branch to those persons who feel like they have been ostracised and, in most cases, there’s no synergy within the organisation.

The BAAA and presence of the Bahamas on the international scene is to have this kind of diversification. Hopefully after November 24, whoever is elected, the BAAA will get to function as effectively with everybody working for the common good, rather than trying to tear each other apart.

Congrats to Fox Hill Heroes On Monday, the Fox Hill Old Scholars Association hosted their 8th annual Hero’s Awards at St Paul’s Baptist Church, Fox Hill.

Among this year’s honourees were Albert Alexander Rolle, a former outstanding bowler at the Village Bowling Lanes, and Harold ‘Banker’ Fritzgerald, who played softball for more than 50 years.

It was so good to see two outstanding gentlemen honoured, not just as exemplary residents of the community and faithful church members, but outstanding sportsmen outside of the area. It was a recognition that they both deserved along with the other honourees.

RESULTS: FINANCIAL BOWLING LEAGUE THE top scorer in the Financial Bowling League competition on Wednesday night at Mario’s Bowling and Family Entertainment Center was Sonith Lockhart of Rubis Oil Stars with a 624 high three game set.

The runner-up was Tyrone Knowles of Leno Corporate Services with a 609 second high set. Lockhart and Knowles also tied the high game of 224.

The MVP for the ladies was Joy Lockhart of BTC Nighthawks with a 189 second high game and a 514 high three game series.

Lockhart was followed by Uchenna Delva of Deloitte & Touché with a second high set of 467.

Tara Culmer of the Moonlight Strikers downed the pins for the high game of 202.

The scores of the evening were: Deloitte & Touche def. ZNS Hill Thrillers 3-0; Best Deal Kirki Bar def. Strike Force 2-1; BTC Night Hawks def.

Rubis Oil Stars 2-1; Leno Corporate Services def.

Moonlight Strikers 2-1.

The top four teams after four weeks of the first half of play are as follows: Teams W L Pct. GB Best Deal Kirki Bar 9 3 .750 - Leno Corporate Services 7 5 .583 2 Moonlight Strikers 7 5 .583 2 Deloitte & Touche 6 6 .500 3

ROLANDO ‘LONNIE’ GREENE REFLECTS ON HIS CAREER FROM PAGE 1 working with people. I looked at this dude and I said I wanted to be a doctor. That was my flesh, but God had something else in plan and in store for me.” At grad school at Southwest Missouri State University, Greene said he called Patrick Bailey, who was at Central State Missouri, and he encouraged him to pursue his new found dream of becoming an athletic coach and after he engulfed himself in everything that had to do with the sport, he finally got his first break as an assistant coach at the University of Arkansas.

“For me, did I ever think I would be a college coach, ‘no,’ but I know I’m in the place where God would have me to be,” he said.

“I know that, so I’m just going to continue to be a good steward of what he has blessed me with, holding people to the highest expectations.”

Trying to hold back the tears in his eyes, Greene said he could not have had a better experience than he did for the past six years as the head coach at Purdue where he transformed the Boilermakers’ athletic team as the toast of the Big Ten Conference where he earned a number of individual accolades.

“I’m grateful for that opportunity,” he said.

“They gave me a shot, they gave me an opportunity when I knew I was ready.

I went there for the interview and after I got the job, I was ‘Lord, why did I get this job. Why couldn’t I get a Texas or Florida or a programme that was banging.

“But I think when I looked back at it all, he did it that way because of the impact that he was going to allow me to make. I think it was great that way. I interviewed for the Texas job.

Notre Dame wanted me to come this year, but I told them I wasn’t interested.

Then Kentucky and the way they orchestrated it, I just had to work on some things from a professional standpoint.”

That came as a result of the journey that he went through at Purdue. “I would not have done it any other way,” Greene reflected. “I thought we were successful, I thought we were making an impact, I thought we were graduating kids with some engineering degrees, business degrees and we

had kids that were 10, 12, 16 times All-America.

Bahamian Devynne Charlton, just to name one, was 12-time Big Ten champion, 12-time first team All-American, Athlete of the Year on numerous occasions.

One of the highlights during his tenure in Purdue, according to Greene, was not winning titles or helping his athletes to shine, but it was when one of his former athletes returned and introduced his son, whom he named Rolando after him.

“When he said coach Rolando, I want you to meet Rolando, I just broke,” Greene stated. “He could have named his son after his dad, but he named his son after me. And this was a Caucasian kid, this wasn’t a black kid. After I pulled myself together, I asked him how is the kid going to go around with a black name and the father said to me, ‘he’s going to be fine.’ He lives in North Dakota as an engineer.

“Watching Devynne run 7.8 for the 60m hurdles, watching her just barely losing the NCAA title in the 100 hurdles, knowing that she came to us running 13.8 and now running 12.6 and is one of the better hurdlers in the world and watching her make the World Championships as a student in college, knowing that she is getting a marine biology degree.

Those were considered some of his highlights, coupled with watching another Bahamian Carmiesha Cox go to graduate school and work on her MBA and being a multi-time AllAmerican. Those are the things that Greene said he will cherish for the rest of his life.

If there was any low point on his pathway, Greene said he had to ask his wife, LaTayna Stewart-Greene, to give up a principal job and follow him to Purdue where he had to convince the athletes there not only to be the best they can be, but at the same token, try not to finish last in the conference.

“The proof is in the puddling because Purdue is now a nationally respected institution ranked in NCAA division one track and field,” he pointed out.

Looking back at all of the successes at Purdue, Green said he could not have done it without the coaching staff that he was blessed with.

He attributed a lot of his

ROLANDO ‘Lonnie’ Greene (far left) is shown with athletes Devynne Charlton and Carmiesha Cox and coach Norbert Elliott. successes to persons like fellow Bahamian Norbert Elliott and his wife, who served as assistant coaches.

Now in his departure, Norbert Elliott has assumed the head coaching job at Purdue.

“Norbert was one of my heroes in track and field.

When Norbert came home from UTEP as a junior or senior, he came home for high school nationals and I was jumping with a hamstring injury and everybody was gravitating to Wendell Lawrence and Dudson Higgins,” Greene recalled.

“Norbert saw me and he called me to the fence. He asked me what happened to my hamstring and I told him I pulled it. He said move your approach three feet back and run. He said tear the hamstring and jump. That simple advice allowed me to jump 49-feet, 2-inches to get a scholarship to go to college.”

Surprisingly their paths crossed again in the United States where they were assistant coaches. In their conversations, they both agreed that if either of them got the call as a head coach, they would seek each other out to work as their assistant.

“God just had it that I got the call first at Purdue and when I called him and asked him if he was ready to put his money where his mouth was, he said ‘let’s do it,’” Greene said. “It was great. But I was amazed at the end of my tenure at Purdue how God worked it out where he put all the cards in my hands and I was able to recommend Norbert Elliott to take over and I

gave them all of the reasons why.

“So that the programme don’t die, I recommended that they give him the chair.

They might lose a body or two, but they won’t have a mad exodus out of Purdue.

God just gave me a voice and I was able to use it for good and he was the one.

Purdue got it right when they hired him to take over as the head coach after I left.They got it right. The men will be great. The women might take a step back, but they will get it together.”

From one Bahamian assistant to another, Greene said it didn’t take rocket science for him to lure “Golden Girl” Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie from the University of Houston as an assistant to join him at Kentucky.

“She’s a Bahamian. They told me I had to hire a woman. She’s a Bahamian, but I knew she was out there, so she would have had to tell me no,” Greene stressed. “Charity begins at the house. Charity begins at home. She’s a home girl.

I’ve known Debbie from she was a little girl at St Andrew’s School and I tried to recruit her back then, but I was just too young for coach Pancho (Frank Rahming) to entrust her to me, so they sent her to Norbert, who was an assistant at the University of Georgia.”

Whenever their paths crossed at meets, Greene said he always treated Ferguson to a “turkey leg” meal and so when the opportunity presented itself this year for her to work with him

at Kentucky, he couldn’t resist and she quite naturally accepted the offer.

“She’s doing an excellent job right now,” Greene said. “She’s the conduit between myself and coach Hall. So when you have an opportunity to help another Bahamian, who wouldn’t.

I know I would. You tell me you’re from the 242, I would help you. It’s just the Bahamian pride, but I know she will do it in an excellent way.”

Like he did at Purdue where he had some outstanding Bahamian talent, Greene believes that they have the next real deal in Bahamian sprints in Divine Parker, who is in her freshman year after competing for St Anne’s School.

“That’s our next sprint queen,” Greene quipped without hesitation. “I don’t care what nobody says, I don’t care who you see holding the trophy, that’s the Bahamas’ next sprint queen, in my opinion. She works directly with coach Hall, but he’s excellent with what he does. She is buying in like there’s no tomorrow.

“She’s going to be the next one. Shaunae MillerUibo is taking the Bahamas to great heights and will continue to do that, but I think Divine is the next one.

“We have some others out there doing some stuff, but I think Divine will be the next sprint queen in the country. I won’t be surprised if she’s not at the World Championships next year. She’s looking that good and she’s only been with us for about five weeks.”

Although he’s living out one of his passions as a head coach, Greene believes that if he wasn’t coaching, he believes at age 51 years old, he probably would be in ministry preaching the gospel.

“I probably would be in the pulpit somewhere. I don’t know if it would have been here or in the US, I would be in ministry,” he said. “But the way I look at ministry, I believe I’m doing it now because I remember when one of my athlete’s father was dying from cancer, I was able to pray with him and make him to understand that his father was healed because he went to a better place.

“To have a kid walk into my office and ask me to pray for their mother, I believe I am in ministry. I don’t have to stand in the pulpit, but I know I can preach the word if I have to. So if I wasn’t coaching, I would be in people’s business preaching the word of God. I just want to be someone who wants to make an impact.”

Motivated by a message on purpose he heard from the late Dr Myles Munroe while he was in college, Greene said he asked God to show him his purpose and it wasn’t medicine or law, two fields he was eager to pursue at the time.

He said it was making an impact as a coach and that is what he is doing now.

“I always wanted to retire at age 65, so I think I have about 13 years left to fulfil that,” he stated.

“Five years from now, I hope to still be coaching, 10 years from now, I want to continue. 15 years, me and my wife will probably be trying to figure out what we will be doing with our grandchildren.”

But, in the meantime as a Bahamian, Greene said if the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations calls him today to coach the national team, he will jump to the opportunity in a heartbeat.

“I would be here tomorrow if they say ‘Lonnie would you be one of our coaches’”, he insisted.

“Barring any emergency that would affect my wife or my children or one of my athletes, I would be there every day of the week and twice on Sunday. It will be an honour. Anytime you get to serve your country in any which way, it is an honour.

I don’t care how simple or advanced, it is an honour.”

PAGE 4, Friday, October 12, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

No surprise, the West title still runs through the Warriors

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer GOLDEN State coach Steve Kerr is a happy man these days.

He’s got a new contract.

He’s got his son Nick, who was helping out in San Antonio, working in the Warriors’ video room now.

He’s leading a team that has won three of the last four NBA championships and is the overwhelming favourite to win it again this season.

Staying happy will be the challenge for Kerr and the Warriors this season, when Western Conference rivals resume their attempts to take down the champs.

“Our place in the history of the league is pretty secure,” Kerr said. “I don’t think our guys should feel a ton of pressure. I think they should feel the importance of trying to do it again, because this may be the last time we have this current iteration of the Warriors, just given all the free agents and the money crunch and everything else.”

LeBron James took his talents to Los Angeles, signing with the Lakers and moving out of the East for the first time in his career.

Houston had the NBA’s best regular-season record a year ago and has reigning MVP James Harden. Utah has a budding superstar in Donovan Mitchell, and certainly got the league’s attention with its playoff run last season.

But in the West, until further notice, it’s still the Warriors and then everybody else.

“It’s a marathon,” Warriors guard Stephen Curry said. “There’s a lot of time between now and April and May and June, but if we go about it the right way to start the season, it can feed on itself in terms of the expectation we have night in, night out.”

A look at the West, in predicted order of finish:

WARRIORS’ Stephen Curry celebrates after scoring against the Phoenix Suns on Monday in Oakland, California.

(AP Photo/Ben Margot) PLAYOFF BOUND 1. GOLDEN STATE — Warriors aiming for their third consecutive NBA championship, something only the Lakers, Celtics and Bulls franchises have done.

2. UTAH — Donovan Mitchell is a legitimate star, coach Quin Snyder has been underrated for far too long, and the Jazz went 29-6 to finish last season.

3. HOUSTON — The Rockets have the MVP in James Harden, a leader in Chris Paul and added Carmelo Anthony, but expecting another 67-15 season is a lot.

4. L.A. LAKERS — LeBron James is still the best player in the game and shows no signs of slowing down, so doubting his chances seems less than brilliant.

5. OKLAHOMA CITY — This is a sign of how loaded the West remains: The Thunder are really

good, and that won’t assure them home-court for Round 1.

6. DENVER — Losing Game 82 last season to Minnesota and missing the playoffs because of that outcome should serve as a massive motivator for Denver.

7. NEW ORLEANS — DeMarcus Cousins is gone, Rajon Rondo is gone, but Anthony Davis is still there and that should be enough for a Pelicans playoff run.

8. SAN ANTONIO — Dejounte Murray’s ACL tear is a disaster, but any team with LaMarcus Aldridge, DeMar DeRozan and Gregg Popovich still has a lot.

IN THE MIX 9. PORTLAND — The West’s No. 3 seed last season, the Blazers were only three games ahead of No. 9 and will face a serious battle in a very loaded West.

10. DALLAS — Luka Doncic is NBA-ready, DeAndre Jordan will make the Mavs better and Dirk Nowitzki deserves to see his franchise trending up again.

11. L.A. CLIPPERS — A possible transitional year for the Clippers, who should be major players in free agency next summer and could add a lottery pick.

FACING LONG ODDS 12. MINNESOTA — The Jimmy Butler debacle shows that some big changes in direction are probably going to happen in Minnesota, and sooner than later.

13. PHOENIX — Devin Booker got his max deal and the Suns got No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton, but firing GM Ryan McDonough so close to the season was odd.

14. MEMPHIS — Mike Conley and Marc Gasol are savvy vets, but they are going to need a lot of help

if Memphis is going to seriously improve this season.

15.

SACRAMENTO — Kings had a leaguehigh 44 games last season where they didn’t score 100 points, and a very young team might not change that much.

WHAT TO KNOW L.A. BRON: If he has even an average-for-him season, new Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James will rise to No. 4 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list this season. He’s currently No. 7, with No. 6 Dirk Nowitzki, No. 5 Wilt Chamberlain and No. 4 Michael Jordan well within reach.

Add 2,000 or so points to James’ total of 31,038, and only No. 3 Kobe Bryant, No. 2 Karl Malone and No. 1 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — all former Lakers — would still be ahead of him.

STEPH RISING: Speaking of rising up career charts, Golden State’s

Stephen Curry could easily be No. 3 on the all-time list for 3-pointers made by the end of this season.

Curry has 2,129 3s in 625 career games, a rate of 3.4 made per game.

The six players ahead of him — Ray Allen, Reggie Miller, Jason Terry, Kyle Korver, Jamal Crawford and Paul Pierce — averaged 1.8 made 3s per game.

BIG NUMBERS: The only players in the last 30 seasons to average 30 points and eight assists were Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook in 2016-17 and Houston’s James Harden last season.

Probably not coincidentally, Westbrook and Harden won MVP awards for those seasons. There are seven active players with at least one MVP award in the NBA right now, and all seven play in the West.

GREAT COACHES: San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich enters the season with 1,197 wins, fifth-most in NBA history — 13 behind Pat Riley and 24 behind Jerry Sloan.

Meanwhile, Golden State’s Steve Kerr comes into the year with the highest winning percentages during both the regular season (265-63, .808) and the postseason (63-20, .759) in NBA history.

Here’s how far ahead Kerr is on the NBA’s alltime regular season winning percentage list: If the Warriors go 24-58 this season, which seems less than likely, he would still be above Phil Jackson for the No. 1 spot.

VERSUS EAST: The West beat the East for the ninth consecutive season in head-to-head matchups, winning nearly 53 per cent of the cross-conference matchups in the regular season (and 100 per cent of them in the NBA Finals).

Over the last nine seasons, West teams have beaten East teams nearly 57 per cent of the time.

LEBRON, LONZO TAKE THE FLOOR TOGETHER FOR FIRST TIME

By The Associated Press LEBRON James watched Lonzo Ball play in Las Vegas during the 2017 NBA Summer League, taking in a Los Angeles Lakers’ game from a baseline seat as a spectator.

He had a better view Wednesday.

James and Ball were oncourt teammates for the first time when the Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors 123-113, back in Las Vegas. Ball didn’t start the preseason contest, but replaced Rajon Rondo just 2 minutes, 13 seconds into the game.

“It’s just fun to have our full group,” James said.

James and Ball didn’t play very much. Ball has been recovering from a knee issue, and it was his first appearance this preseason.

James didn’t want to burden his new point guard with a lot of expectations, so he was keeping his approach very simple.

“He plays basketball,” James said of Ball before the game. “He knows how to play basketball.”

It was James’ first game against the Warriors since last season’s NBA Finals — when his second stint as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers ended with Golden State sweeping its way to a second consecutive championship. But he downplayed the exhibition being any extension of his rivalry with the Warriors, or the rivalry between the California clubs. “Preseason game,” James said.

Wednesday’s games: WIZARDS 102, PISTONS 97 John Wall scored 32 points, including a layup with 1:26 left that put Washington ahead for good.

Wall finished with nine assists and Bradley Beal scored 17 points for the

Wizards. Andre Drummond led the Pistons with 17 points and 20 rebounds, and Blake Griffin added 16 points for Detroit.

WIZARDS: Markieff Morris scored 15 points and Jason Smith added 14. ...

Washington once led by as many as 14 before needing big plays from Wall late to pull out the win.

PISTONS: Detroit took 45 shots from 3-point range, 42 from 2-point range. ...

Reggie Bullock was 4 for 8 from beyond the arc.

MAGIC 102, GRIZZLIES 86 Jonathan Issac and Aaron Gordon each scored 15 points for Orlando.

Nikola Vucevic grabbed 11 rebounds and Melvin Frazier Jr scored 10 points for the Magic. Mike Conley scored a game-high 24 points for the Grizzlies, shooting 9 for 14.

GRIZZLIES: Memphis was outrebounded 54-38, and 12-1 on the offensive glass. ... Marc Gasol and Jaren Jackson each scored 10.

MAGIC: Orlando took control with a 12-1 run in the second quarter. ...

Rookie Mo Bamba didn’t play because of a bruised wrist.

HEAT 140, PELICANS 128 Bam Adebayo scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and Josh Richardson scored 25 for Miami — which set a franchise record for preseason points in a game.

Derrick Jones Jr, back from a sore shoulder, scored 18 for Miami. Julius Randle led New Orleans with 23 points.

PELICANS: Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday rested. ... Nikola Mirotic scored 19, while Elfrid Payton and Darius Miller each scored 17. ... New Orleans’ 24 turnovers turned into 39 Miami

LAKERS forward LeBron James dunks as Nuggets forward Paul Millsap, centre, and guard Monte Morris watch during a game in Los Angeles. (AP) points. ... The Pelicans shot 56 percent and never led.

HEAT: Dwyane Wade, Goran Dragic, Hassan Whiteside, Wayne Ellington, Rodney McGruder and Justise Winslow all got the night off. ... Kelly Olynyk was 2 for 8 in 13 minutes, all of his shots coming from 3-point range.

HAWKS 130, SPURS 127 Rookie guard Trae Young connected on a 3-pointer — from the Georgia Tech logo near midcourt — with 2.2 seconds left to send Atlanta to the win.

Taurean Prince had 25 points for the Hawks, and Young finished with 22.

Rudy Gay led all scorers with 28 for San Antonio, on a 10-for-15 shooting night.

SPURS: The Spurs shot 55 per cent — and allowed Atlanta to shoot 58 per cent. ... Bryn Forbes scored 22 points. DeMar DeRozan and Derrick White each had 15. ... White started at point guard in place of

Dejounte Murray, who tore his ACL earlier this week and will miss the season.

HAWKS: Alex Len finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds. ... Kent Bazemore scored 15 points.

LAKERS 123, WARRIORS 113 Brandon Ingram scored 26 points for the Lakers, and James had 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in 18 minutes — all in the first half.

Stephen Curry had 23 points and Klay Thompson scored 20, including four 3-pointers, for Golden State (1-3).

WARRIORS: Draymond Green (knee) did not play. ... Kevin Durant had 18 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out in 24 minutes. ... Golden State made just 20 of 36 free throws and committed 25 turnovers.

LAKERS: Ball had seven points and four steals. ...

Kyle Kuzma scored 22 points and Kentavious

Caldwell-Pope added 20. ... Los Angeles made 38 of 46 (82.6 per cent) from the free-throw line.

RAPTORS 118, NETS 91 In Montreal, Toronto point guard Kyle Lowry got ejected in the third quarter for getting two technicals.

Danny Green scored 22 points and Kawhi Leonard had 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for Toronto.

Jarrett Allen led the Nets with 24 points.

NETS: D’Angelo Russell scored 18 points and Caris LeVert finished with 13. ...

The Nets were outscored 35-11 in the third quarter.

RAPTORS: Toronto was 16 for 36 from 3-point range, with Green going 6 for 7 from deep. ... Fred VanVleet and Jonas Valanciunas each had 11 points.

BULLS 104, PACERS 89 Justin Holiday and Zach LaVine scored 22 points apiece to lead Chicago.

Thaddeus Young, who missed Indiana’s first three preseason games due to a foot injury, made 8 of 12 from the field and finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes.

BULLS: Bobby Portis made his first start of the preseason, scoring 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting. ...

Jabari Parker, who signed a two-year, $40 million deal with Chicago in July, had 11 points in 26 minutes off the bench. ... The Bulls hit 13 of 30 (43.3 per cent) from 3-point range.

PACERS: Rookie Aaron Holiday hit three 3-pointers and finished with 15 points. ... Domantas Sabonis had 13 points and nine rebounds in 20 minutes and Victor Oladipo scored 12 points with seven turnovers.

TRAIL BLAZERS 116, SUNS 83 Jake Layman scored 28 points for Portland on 10-of-14 shooting, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range.

Josh Jackson led Phoenix with 13 points and Richaun Holmes added 12.

TRAILBLAZERS: Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum (coach’s decision) did not play. ... Evan Turner (shoulder), Gary Trent Jr (quadriceps) and Moe Harkless (ankle) — a last-second scratch — missed the game due to injury.

Nik Stauskas had 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists and rookie Gary Payton II scored eight points in eight minutes.

SUNS: Devin Booker, who underwent hand surgery on September 10 and was expected to miss six weeks, said he’d like to play against the Mavericks in the regular-season opener next week. ... No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton had nine points and four rebounds in 15 minutes. ... Phoenix (2-3) made just 8 of 31 (25.8 per cent) from 3-point range.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, October 12, 2018, PAGE 5

PEPPERELL (AP)

ACE HELPS PEPPERELL CLAIM SHARE OF BRITISH MASTERS LEAD

LOS Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, left, drives to the basket past Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield during the first half of a preseason basketball game in Los Angeles on October 4.

(AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)

Kings will rely heavily on younger players Fox, Bagley and ‘Buddy’

By MICHAEL WAGAMAN Associated Press SACRAMENTO, California (AP) — As one of the NBA’s youngest teams for a second straight season, the Sacramento Kings are thinking long term.

It’s not that the Kings are giving up hope on ending their 13-year playoff drought. The roster is laden with young and mostly unproven players, coupled with playing in a Western Conference that got even tougher with the arrival of LeBron James. So Sacramento’s focus is as much on development as instant success.

“It’s a season where we’re going to commit to playing even more young guys than we have in the past,” Joerger said. “It’s an opportunity for guys to develop and it’s an opportunity for the organisation to evaluate long-term which guys will still be considered a core guy two, three, four years from now.”

That means a lineup that likely will be in flux most of the season - not surprising for a team that finished 27-55 a year ago.

The Kings last made the playoffs in 2005. They have won more than 35 games just once since then.

Most of the youth comes Sacramento’s last three draft classes.

Point guard De’Aaron Fox, one of three first-round picks by the

Kings in 2017, is the centrepiece of Joerger’s offence.

Fox averaged 11.6 points but was inconsistent at times and struggled in the half-court offence.

Justin Jackson, who started 41 games as a rookie, returns while centre Harry Giles is expected to play a key role after sitting out all of last season recovering from a third knee surgery.

Buddy Hield, a first-rounder in 2016, and Marvin Bagley III, the second overall pick in this year’s draft, will figure heavily into Joerger’s rotation.

Hield will start in the backcourt alongside Fox while Bogdan Bogdanovic recovers from offseason surgery.

Bagley should provide scoring relief while splitting time at power forward and in the post.

“We have a lot of guys that need the experience,” Joerger said.

“Each guy kind of brings a different thing to the party. I’m going to play them all. They all need to be developed.”

MISSING BOGDAN Bogdanovic was one of the few bright spots during Sacramento’s up-and-down season, providing consistent scoring from the perimeter. But the secondyear shooting guard is likely to miss the first month of the season after injuring his left knee playing

for the Serbian national team in September.

That means Fox likely will be likely without his backcourt mate for the first month of the season, a significant blow to the Kings offence.

Bogdanovic led Sacramento in minutes played last season and averaged 11.8 points. He was the team’s third-best 3-point shooter and second in assists behind Fox. VET IN NEW ROLE Zach Randolph is the highestpaid player on the roster but could find playing time difficult to come by as the Kings move forward with their youth movement.

The 37-year-old Randolph, who led Sacramento in scoring and was second in rebounding in 2017, was in and out of the lineup over the final month.

Randolph still remains a big presence in the locker room because of his leadership, something Sacramento lost when Vince Carter signed with the Atlanta Hawks in the offseason.

BUSY ON BOARDS Sacramento, one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA last season, is looking to Bagley to change that. The 6-foot-11 Bagley was the ACC player of the year during his one season at Duke when he averaged a

double-double, grabbing 11.1 rebounds a game.

“He’s special,” Randolph said.

“He’s got a great attitude, a tough mindset. He just has to keep working.”

THE NEW GUY Joerger’s desire to improve the Kings depth and slow offence figured heavily in the decision to sign free agent Nemanja Bjelica in the offseason.

Bjelica has traditionally been a stretch-four and Joerger likes him in that role when the Kings go small. But the 6-10 Serbian also could see time at small forward.

Bjelica averaged 6.8 points for Minnesota last season while shooting nearly 42 per cent from beyond the arc.

MAN IN THE MIDDLE Given Joerger’s acknowledgment that he’ll reach deep into the bench this season, it’s unknown who will log the majority of minutes at centre.

Willie Cauley-Stein started 58 games and averaged 12.8 points and 5.2 rebounds last season for the Kings. But he’ll be a free agent next year and has stated his desire to cash in. That could open the door for increased time for Giles, Randolph, Bagley and Skal Labissiere.

WALTON HEATH, England (AP) — Eddie Pepperell recorded a hole-in-one on the way to claiming a share of the lead on 5-under 67 after the first round of the British Masters yesterday, while tournament host Justin Rose struggled to a 74.

Fellow Englishmen Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Wallace also shot 67s on a windy day at the Walton Heath course on the outskirts of London.

The first hole-in-one of Pepperell’s career came in spectacular style as his 5-iron from 172 yards on the 9th hit the bottom of the flag and bounced high in the air away from the hole before spinning back into the cup.

“It was a bizarre shot from where I was standing,” he said. “I played awful in the pro-am on Wednesday, probably the worst I have in a while, and I wouldn’t say I played great today but ... it’s great to be at the top with Matt and Tommy.”

Pepperell produced a superb run around the turn because he also had an eagle at the 11th and birdies at the 7th and 10th.

Fleetwood’s round was not without incident, his only bogey coming after an errant tee shot on the par-3 17th finished in a cup holder in a buggy situated to the left of the green.

“I’m still not sure how it got there,” said Fleetwood, who outscored playing partner and Ryder Cup team mate Francesco Molinari by six strokes. “Luckily it didn’t go in the beer in the other cup holder because it would have ruined a drink and the golf ball.”

Wallace had set the clubhouse target earlier in the day as he seeks a fifth win on his 50th European Tour start, and fourth victory of the season.

Rose cancelled out a bogey-bogey-bogey start with three straight birdies from the 4th, but he also went on to drop strokes at the 8th, 13th and 18th while birdying the 15th.

FEDERER BATTLES, DJOKOVIC CRUISES, DEL POTRO OUT IN SHANGHAI

By SANDRA HARWITT Associated Press SHANGHAI (AP) — Roger Federer was stretched to three sets for a second consecutive match to reach the Shanghai Masters quarter-finals yesterday.

Nevertheless, the top seed insisted he was content with how he’s playing.

Federer defeated Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, a day after being taken the distance by Daniil Medvedev of Russia.

“I’m actually quite happy,” Federer said. “Bautista really had to raise his level of play in that second set to stay with me. I mean, he really caught fire, I thought. I served, I think, 80 per cent in that second set and got broken twice.”

Novak Djokovic cruised through his second-round match, but Juan Martin del Potro had to retire after hurting his right knee in a fall.

Federer led Bautista Agut by a set and a service break when he became entangled in a fight that lasted until the second-tolast game of the third set.

Bautista Agut, a finalist here in 2016, finally offered

ROGER FEDERER, of Switzerland, reacts after losing a point to Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain during their singles match of the Shanghai Masters yesterday.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC, of Serbia, hits a return shot to Marco Cecchinato of Italy during their singles match of the Shanghai Masters at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center in Shanghai, China.

(AP Photos/Andy Wong)

Federer an opening to take control by surrendering his serve in the ninth game of the third set.

Federer will play eighthseeded Kei Nishikori, a finalist in Tokyo last week, in the quarter-finals.

Nishikori ousted Sam Querrey 7-6 (7), 6-4 yesterday.

Third-seeded Del Potro, who has been playing with a cold throughout the week,

upset him in four sets. A Masters event is a level below a Grand Slam, but Djokovic was rapt to crush Cecchinato.

“I was making him play always an extra shot,” Djokovic said.

“I was aggressive when I needed to be. The second set was perfect, really.”

Since Djokovic lost that French Open match to Cecchinato, he’s won 28 of his

was playing Borna Coric when he fell near the end of the first set.

Del Potro had the knee wrapped but called it quits after losing the first set 7-5.

Djokovic earned partial revenge when he beat Marco Cecchinato 6-4, 6-0.

The only other time the second-seeded Djokovic played Cecchinato was in the French Open quarterfinals, where the Italian

30 matches. The Serb is on a 15-match winning streak, which includes title runs at Cincinnati and the US Open.

He’s bidding to win a record fourth Shanghai title this week.

He will take on seventhseeded Kevin Anderson of South Africa, whom he leads 6-1 on head-to-head.

Djokovic defeated Anderson in straight sets

in the Wimbledon final in July. Anderson ousted 10thseeded Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece 6-4, 7-6 (1).

Fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany also advanced to the quarter-finals by pasting Alex de Minaur of Australia 6-1, 6-4.

Zverev will play Kyle Edmund after the Briton defeated Nicolas Jarry of Chile 7-6 (5), 6-3.

18

PAGE 6, Friday, October 12, 2018

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Call 0907 181 2585 for today’s Target solution *Calls cost 80p per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge.

*SP: Spoke – Helpline 0333 202 3390

Across 1 Party bill put out - it’s about time (7) 5 The capital gets poor return in this company (5) 8 Indication of what’s to come of a street riot (9) 9 Look at the middle of a cyclone (3) 10 Pulls leg round chest (4) 12 Hands and feet, for example (8) 14 Traces wrongly directed supplies (6) 15 Make a mistake and run for it (6) 17 Activity that makes oxen tire (8) 18 Have little hesitation leaving the angel fish (4) 21 Sign of nerves in critical situation (3) 22 They ask questions of pitmen after cut-back (9) 24 They may be raised if he’s taking in work (5) 25 The paper shows I done it ungrammatically! (7)

Down 1 He’s unable to serve any longer (5) 2 A prohibition for the legal profession (3) 3 Go off with a list (4) 4 Groups of pupils with no head girls (6) 5 Silver went after gold in this island (8) 6 Go too far across a stretch of water (9) 7 How the iron was put into service? (7) 11 Two articles from a picnic basket found in the meadow (9) 13 Things one eats or wastes (8) 14 The ache so placed is naturally spotted (7) 16 The vessel takes a long time to make soup (6) 19 North America’s biggest meat producer (5) 20 Female wear that wasn’t long in fashion (4) 23 Old priest among the Israelites (3)

Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution

Yesterday’s Easy Solution

Across: 1 Employed, 5 Over, 9 Greed, 10 Myrtles, 11 Desert island, 13 Astute, 14 Head-on, 17 No time to lose, 20 Hairnet, 21 Nobel, 22 Pole, 23 Chastens.

Across: 1 Flippant, 5 Ache, 9 Minus, 10 Athlete, 11 In the balance, 13 Assume, 14 Adrift, 17 Labour of love, 20 Burglar, 21 Halve, 22 Even, 23 Decadent.

Down: 1 Fame, 2 Innings, 3 Posthumously, 4 Nearby, 6 Clean, 7 Elements, 8 Philadelphia, 12 Fallible, 15 Involve, 16 Coarse, 18 Barge, 19 Lest.

Down: 1 Edgy, 2 Present, 3 Old Testament, 4 Enmity, 6 Villa, 7 Resident, 8 Crossed lines, 12 Pawnshop, 15 Disable, 16 Stitch, 18 Trial, 19 Alas.

EASY PUZZLE

CRYPTIC PUZZLE

Across 1 Initially (2,5) 5 Ascent (5) 8 Ambitious person (4-5) 9 Sever (3) 10 Genuine (4) 12 A failing enterprise (4,4) 14 Holding temporary rank (6) 15 Battle (6) 17 Partridge, for example (4,4) 18 Nought (4) 21 Item in auction (3) 22 Having sharp sight (5-4) 24 Hotly spiced dish (5) 25 Adviser to bettors (7)

Down 1 Detest (5) 2 Stuffy atmosphere (3) 3 A split (4) 4 Formosa (6) 5 A country’s money (8) 6 Comprehensive (9) 7 Presage (7) 11 Aircraft instrument (9) 13 Social pretentiousness (8) 14 Kind and loving (7) 16 Intelligent (6) 19 Sequence (5) 20 Sly look (4) 23 Still (3)

Full solution

0907 181 2558

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*Calls cost 80p per minute 21 plus your telephone company’s network access charge.

3

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23

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THE TRIBUNE

Friday, October 12, 2018, PAGE 7

AUSTRALIA HANGS ON TO FORCE SENSATIONAL DRAW IN 1ST TEST DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Australia hung on for a sensational draw in the first test against Pakistan after opening batsman Usman Khawaja scored a patient century on the last day yesterday.

Starting the fifth day on 136-3 and an improbable 326 more runs from victory, Australia batted for a draw and survived a testing last hour eight wickets down.

After legspinner Yasir Shah snared Khawaja, Mitchell Starc, and Peter Siddle within eight balls, Australia captain Tim Paine, 61 not out, and No. 10 batsman Nathan Lyon, 5 not out, held out against every twist and shout by Pakistan.

Australia finished on 362-8, its longest fourth innings for a draw, after 202 in the first innings.

Pakistan scored 482 and 181-6 declared.

“It was an extremely tough test match,” Paine said after defying Pakistan for 194 balls and hitting five boundaries. “It doesn’t feel like a win. We were outplayed ... but we can play

a lot better in the next test.

“I was nervous (in the last hour). That’s how it happens here; if batsmen get in, it’s easy.”

All of Khawaja’s 8 1/2hour toil in which he scored 141 off 302 balls seemed to have gone in vain when Shah claimed him and two other quick wickets to give back Pakistan a big sniff of victory.

But Paine and Lyon thwarted Pakistan over the last 12 overs to pull off a remarkable draw.

Khawaja and Paine seemed to be carrying Australia to safety in their sixth-wicket stand lasting 36 overs.

But just after the lefthanded Khawaja made the highest score by any visiting batsman in Asia, passing Daniel Vettori’s 140 in 2009 in Colombo, he was out.

He missed a sweep shot off Shah’s delivery around the wicket and was plumb leg before wicket.

Starc was brilliantly snapped up on 1 close to the wicket by Babar Azam, and Siddle fell lbw for 0 off a sharp Shah delivery.

USAIN BOLT TO GET START IN TRIAL GAME FOR SOCCER CLUB IN AUSTRALIA

Hafeez had Travis Head (72) lbw off the very first ball with the second new ball.

This ended a brilliant 132-run, fourth-wicket stand as Head dug in on a wearing pitch in his debut test. He hit five fours in his 175-ball knock for his maiden half-century.

Khawaja reached his first century in Asia off 224 balls with 10 fours.

Then Shah claimed his first wicket of the match by snaring Marnus Labuschagne (13) lbw off a quicker legbreak.

Pakistan came close to dismissing Khawaja on 109, but Azhar Ali’s throw from long off missed the stumps at the non-striker’s end with the batsman way out of his crease.

Khawaja and Head added 79 runs together in the first session, and Khawaja led them in gathering 74 more in the second session. Khawaja departed an hour into the last session, but he’d given his teammates a blueprint on how to defend.

The second test starts on Tuesday.

AUSTRALIA’s Usman Khawaja celebrates his century against Pakistan yesterday. (AP) But Paine and Lyon batted resolutely against Shah (4-114), seamer Mohammad Abbas (3-56), and offspinner Bilal Asif, who took six wickets in the first innings but none in the second.

“We hoped to roll them out but we have to give credit to Khawaja,” Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed said.

Earlier, Pakistan had to wait until after lunch to make the day’s first breakthrough when Mohammad

GOSFORD, competitive track Australia (AP) — and field.

Usain Bolt says his After being performance in a used as a winger trial game today in his first brief could determine trial appearance his future with in late August, the Central Coast Bolt hinted at a Mariners in Auspositional change tralia’s A-League for the match at and his quest to Sydney’s Campplay professional belltown Stadium. football.

Coach Mike The eight-time Mulvey “said he BOLT (AP) Olympic sprintwants to play me ing champion is up top more,” expected to start for the Bolt said. “The couple Mariners against a Mac- of games that I played, I arthur South West United didn’t play with the first team in western Sydney. team.”

United plays in a secondThe 32-year-old Jamaitier competition. can track great said he is “This is going to be a big pleased with his progress game. I think it will deter- in football. mine if the club makes “That’s always a good up its mind on what to do step, when coaches are with my career,” Bolt said satisfied with the fitness Wednesday. to put me in the starting The Mariners begin the lineup. That’s always a big A-League regular season step,” Bolt said. on October 21 in Brisbane “I can say I’ve been against the Roar. improving, (but) you won’t Bolt, who holds the know what level you’re at 100- and 200-metre world until you actually play a records, has retired from competitive game.”

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

TODAY

ORLANDO

High: 88° F/31° C Low: 68° F/20° C

TAMPA

TONIGHT

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

Periods of sun with a thunderstorm

Partly cloudy with a thunderstorm

Partly sunny

Partly sunny

Partly sunny and breezy

Partly sunny and breezy

High: 87°

Low: 78°

High: 88° Low: 78°

High: 88° Low: 78°

High: 88° Low: 77°

High: 88° Low: 77°

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

97° F

83° F

98°-86° F

97°-84° F

97°-84° F

96°-83° F

High: 88° F/31° C Low: 67° F/19° 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: 84° F/29° C Low: 80° F/27° C

4-8 knots

S

WEST PALM BEACH High: 88° F/31° C Low: 73° F/23° C

7-14 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE E

W

FREEPORT

High: 88° F/31° C Low: 74° F/23° C

N

S

E

W

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 76° F/24° C

MIAMI

High: 89° F/32° C Low: 76° F/24° C

4-8 knots

Statistics are for Nassau through 2 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 86° F/30° C Low .................................................... 79° F/26° C Normal high ....................................... 85° F/30° C Normal low ........................................ 73° F/23° C Last year’s high ................................. 85° F/29° C Last year’s low ................................... 73° F/23° C Precipitation As of 2 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.00” Year to date ............................................... 42.90” Normal year to date ................................... 31.22”

ELEUTHERA

NASSAU

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 78° F/26° C

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2018

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 80° F/27° C

N

KEY WEST

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 80° F/27° C

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 79° F/26° C

N

S

E

W

3-6 knots

S

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

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

tiDes For nassau High

Ht.(ft.)

Low

Ht.(ft.)

Today

10:47 a.m.

11:07 p.m.

3.5 2.9

4:30 a.m.

5:12 p.m.

0.2 0.4

Saturday

11:33 a.m.

11:55 p.m.

3.3 2.7

5:14 a.m.

6:01 p.m.

0.4 0.6

Sunday

12:22 p.m.

-----

3.1 -----

6:00 a.m.

6:52 p.m.

0.7 0.9

Monday

12:45 a.m.

1:13 p.m.

2.5 2.9

6:50 a.m.

7:47 p.m.

0.9 1.0

Tuesday

1:41 a.m.

2:09 p.m.

2.4 2.8

7:44 a.m.

8:44 p.m.

1.1 1.1

Wednesday 2:40 a.m.

3:07 p.m.

2.3 2.8

8:44 a.m.

9:41 p.m.

1.2 1.2

Thursday

2.4 2.8

9:44 a.m. 1.2 10:34 p.m. 1.1

3:40 a.m.

4:03 p.m.

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

7:07 a.m.

6:46 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

10:21 a.m.

9:38 p.m.

First

Full

Last

New

Oct. 16

Oct. 24

Oct. 31

Nov. 7

CAT ISLAND

E

W

uV inDex toDay

ANDROS

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 79° F/26° C

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 79° F/26° C

N

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 78° F/26° C

E

W S

LONG ISLAND

insurance management tracking map

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 79° F/26° C

6-12 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 85° F/29° C Low: 79° F/26° C

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

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS RAGGED ISLAND High: 84° F/29° C Low: 80° F/27° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 86° F/30° C Low: 78° F/26° C

N

H

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 80° F/27° C

E

W

E

W

N

S

S

4-8 knots

4-8 knots

marine Forecast ABACO ANDROS CAT ISLAND CROOKED ISLAND ELEUTHERA FREEPORT GREAT EXUMA GREAT INAGUA LONG ISLAND MAYAGUANA NASSAU RAGGED ISLAND SAN SALVADOR

Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday:

WINDS SW at 7-14 Knots WSW at 4-8 Knots SE at 3-6 Knots S at 3-6 Knots SSE at 6-12 Knots SSE at 6-12 Knots SE at 6-12 Knots ESE at 6-12 Knots S at 6-12 Knots S at 6-12 Knots WSW at 4-8 Knots ENE at 6-12 Knots SE at 6-12 Knots SSE at 6-12 Knots SE at 4-8 Knots ESE at 4-8 Knots SE at 6-12 Knots SE at 6-12 Knots SSE at 4-8 Knots SE at 6-12 Knots SSE at 4-8 Knots S at 4-8 Knots SE at 4-8 Knots SE at 6-12 Knots SE at 6-12 Knots SSE at 6-12 Knots

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

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

WATER TEMPS. 81° F 81° F 84° F 84° F 83° F 83° F 85° F 85° F 82° F 82° F 83° F 83° F 84° F 85° F 86° F 86° F 85° F 85° F 84° F 84° F 84° F 84° F 85° F 85° F 84° F 84° F

Covering The Bahamas for over 40 years.

NEW PROVIDENCE | GRAND BAHAMA | ABACO | ELEUTHERA | EXUMA

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(BAHAMAS) LIMITED. INSURANCE BROKERS & AGENTS

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PAGE 8, Friday, October 12, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

‘The best 4 teams are now Major League Baseball’s Final Four’ THE line-up for Major League Baseball’s second season is now complete, and the favourites all won.

The sport’s many purists are sighing contentedly. The best four teams are now baseball’s Final Four. The semi-final league championship series begin tonight in Milwaukee and tomorrow in Boston.

While Red Sox - Yankees matches are most often must-watch death struggles, the quarter-final divisional series most experts were likely anticipating involved the defending champion Houston Astros against a Cleveland Indians team they most closely resemble.

The Astros swept Cleveland 3-0 and only one of the games was particularly close. The Indians set records in 2018 with four starting pitchers with over 200 strikeouts, will likely place two infielders among the top five vote-getters for league most valuable players honours, and are led by a manager in Terry Francona who has already won two World Series championships.

But Cleveland simply wilted. A team bursting with talent and positive energy has now lost nine of its last 11 post season games, starting with a collapse in the 2016 World Series after building a 3-1 lead over the eventual champion Cubs. The Tribe’s most dangerous hitters all took a leave of absence at the same time against Houston, and the pitching was spotty to poor. Even the

defence collapsed. Houston glided home behind two stud pitchers who did not even start the season with the team as recently as last year in Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole.

The Astros now face the Boston Red Sox for the American League championship. The Red Sox were 108-54 this season, winning an astounding two-thirds of their games. Such a winning percentage is not especially unusual in the NFL or NBA, but in baseball it is a significant accomplishment.

The Red Sox advanced by 3-1 over their big rivals, the New York Yankees. The score in the third game was 16-1, Boston.

Before they played, the Yankees seemed to pose a real threat to Boston.

Winners of 100 games themselves this year, they had headline power and a deep and effective bullpen.

But they were only slightly more competitive than were the Indians. Boston has real star power in Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez, and gets enough of both offence and defence out of the rest of their line-up, which is filled with both experience and youth. The Yankees were outplayed and notably outmanaged.

MILWAUKEE Brewers’ Jesus Aguilar runs bases at yesterday’s practice for Game 1 of the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) Houston is a cocky defending champion. They have expressed annoyance at the media attention given to the big teams from the East, and they acted unsurprised at their easy triumph over Cleveland.

But while the Astros have plenty of heroes from as recently as last season, the Red Sox have today’s heroes who have been starring all season.

Boston has played superbly for well-prepared rookie manager Alex Cora. They have home field advantage, which is not insignificant in quirky bandbox Fenway Park. The

choice in the American League is Boston.

In contrast to all this fanfare, the National League determined its championship finalists in relative obscurity. The upstart Atlanta Braves fell 3-1 to a Los Angeles Dodgers team that broke the bank in spending on new players and front office executives a couple of years ago and now seem destined to win their very competitive division every year.

Most observers agreed that Atlanta had a good rebuilding plan and that they would be good soon, but this year’s division title

was surprising. It seemed that the Braves were themselves a bit dazed to be in the post season, and that they may have regarded their season as already a success with that achievement. The Dodgers advanced, not effortlessly or flawlessly, but with a certain air of inevitability.

Los Angeles will now face the Milwaukee Brewers, who will host four of the best of seven series games and enter this league championship round having won 11 games in a row at exactly the right time. The Brewers won their division title in a playoff with the

high-payroll, high visibility Cubs and then dispatched the Colorado Rockies in a three-game sweep.

The Brewers are certainly the most unexpected and unconventional participants at this stage of the playoffs.

They are coy about naming starting pitchers, and may yet decide to open a game with a relief pitcher for an inning or two and plan to employ several other bullpen stalwarts to pitch the rest of the game. Many feel that the Brewers have the best outfield in baseball, and for this year, this judgment seems to be hard to dispute. Milwaukee also has an undoubted mojo going.

Every move their manager makes seems to succeed, and they continue not to lose.

But the Dodgers are a really good team. They added a superstar in Manny Machado from Baltimore in mid-July, and he has added steel to an already strong and deep team. Star pitcher Clayton Kershaw reversed his recent playoff disappointments against Atlanta and if he pitches as he can in the postseason spotlight, the Dodgers will be too much for Milwaukee to handle. The choice here is Los Angeles. ********************** The Red Sox may have won twice as many games as they lost this season, but the Seer correctly picked three out of four divisional series playoff winners last week.

That brings the record for 2018 to 40-21. That’s pretty close to Boston’s record.

After Series win with Astros, Cora aims to knock them out

By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer BOSTON (AP) — Alex Cora led Boston to a victory over the hated Yankees.

Next up for the first-year Red Sox manager: The team he left after winning a World Series as a bench coach last season.

“I’ve been talking about them the whole season, so now we go,” he said after the Red Sox beat New York 4-3 in Game 4 of the AL Division Series to earn the right to play the Houston Astros for the pennant.

“Best of seven. They know me. I know them. It should be fun.”

An infielder who spent 14 years with six big league teams, Cora was in Houston for one year before the Red Sox made him the first minority manager in franchise history — and one of its youngest, too. His first season is already a success, with a franchise-record 108 victories, a third consecutive AL East title and the team’s first playoff series win since 2013.

Now he has to do it again — against his former boss, A.J. Hinch, whose Astros swept Cleveland in the ALDS. Games 1 and 2 are Saturday and Sunday before the series moves to Houston for three more, if necessary.

“I don’t know too much about them. Just they have a good team,” Cora said coyly on Tuesday night.

“What they did to the Indians, that was impressive. It seems like they’re playing their best baseball of the season at the right time.”

And so are the Red Sox, thanks to Cora.

In his first postseason series as a manager, he seemed to make all the right decisions, like starting Brock Holt in Game 3 and seeing him hit for the only postseason cycle in baseball history. And then he put Holt back on the bench in Game 4 and watched Ian Kinsler come through with

DODGERS’ Max Muncy fields a ball on Wednesday during practice for Game 1 of the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers in Los Angeles. With all the high-priced talent on the Dodgers’ roster, Muncy had to find a way to stand out. He’s done it with his bat, coming from the minors to lead the team in home runs.

(AP Photo/Mark J Terrill)

IN this file photo, Houston Astros bench coach Alex Cora watches batting practice before Game 2 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. (AP) a key RBI double. “We’re very fortunate to have a guy in A.C., who is not very far removed from playing the game, which definitely helps,” Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes said. “You have a guy who won the World Series last year, so he knows what it takes to win a World Series.

“It seemed like every button he’s pushing is the right one. I think he’s got a great feel for the game. He understands the game. He does a great job of managing and communicating with everybody on what’s going on, and I think it showed in this series, and it will be awesome moving forward.”

Hinch said he is happy for his former assistant, who was a sounding board on strategy and preparation and took over when Hinch was ejected. “(I’m) trying to remember some things that I told him that I wish I wouldn’t have,” Hinch said Wednesday when the Astros worked out for the first time since learning their next opponent.

“The bench coach and the manager are really tight,” Hinch said. “He was obviously right next to me every step of the way. As a bench coach, you’re kind of

involved in everything (but) maybe master of nothing when it comes to not being in charge.”

Cora also served as a link to the players, a role that has served him well in Boston.

Red Sox players — including a couple that were Cora’s teammates when he was with the team from 2005-08 — praised the relatability of their 42-yearold manager after five years with the more traditional and distant John Farrell.

The Astros saw it as well.

“He was a great coach and he meant a lot to me,” Houston shortstop Carlos Correa said Wednesday.

“Getting to spend a full season with him last year was pretty special. I learned a lot of things from him. He’s a brilliant mind.

He knows a lot about the game.”

Hinch and Cora have maintained a friendship through their year apart, even exchanging text messages through the first round.

That’s going to stop.

“He’s encouraged me.

I’ve encouraged him,” Hinch said.

“The banter, the conversations will probably minimise a little bit over the next couple of days.”

FROM CASTOFF TO PLAYOFFS: MUNCY BASHES FOR DODGERS

By BETH HARRIS AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — With all the high-priced talent on the Los Angeles Dodgers’ roster, Max Muncy had to find a way to stand out. He has done it with his bat, coming from the minors to lead the team in home runs.

He slugged 35 homers in the regular season, propelled by a first-half tear that landed him in the Home Run Derby.

Muncy’s three-run drive powered the Dodgers to a win in the opener of their National League Division Series against Atlanta, and they eventually eliminated the Braves in four games.

“The whole experience has been incredible,” Muncy said.

Next up is the NLCS against Milwaukee starting today, putting Muncy in a best-ofseven series for the first time in his career.

Don’t expect him to be rattled, either.

“Starting with game 163 I was kind of nervous, but you look at how everyone else in the clubhouse is walking around handling themselves,” Muncy said Wednesday. “There’s so much experience there. There’s no panic, there’s no worry.

They’re all calm as can be. That kind of resonates through me. If it wasn’t for those guys, then maybe it’s a different story.”

His results seem all the more improbable because Muncy isn’t an everyday player. He pops up anywhere from first base to second to third, and occasionally the outfield.

The 28-year-old utility player was a nonroster invitee at spring training. He began the season at Triple-A Oklahoma City,

shivering in freezing weather during the team’s opener at Iowa on April 5.

Less than two weeks later, Muncy was called up by the Dodgers because of injuries. He homered in his second at-bat and kept on going.

“He’s just killed it for us,” teammate Ross Stripling.

During All-Star weekend, Muncy defeated the Cubs’ Javier Baez in the first round of the Derby before losing to eventual champion Bryce Harper in the next round.

After the break, Muncy struggled at the plate, with his average dipping to .183.

“I was just focused on trying to get back to where I needed to be, back to controlling the strike zone, putting good swings on balls,” he said.

Buoyed by manager Dave Roberts’ unflagging belief, Muncy recovered his stroke and has continued to contribute in big moments. One of his best traits is his discipline at the plate, knowing when to let a pitch go by and when to swing.

“It’s just something that I’ve always had,” he said. “It’s one of those things where you kind of either have it or you don’t.”

Stripling faced Muncy back in their high school days in North Texas and later in college, with Muncy at Baylor and Stripling pitching at Texas A&M. “He was a guy that was always going to command the strike zone and just going to be just an absolute brutal matchup because he spits on good pitches, he commands the zone and puts the bat on the ball and walks,” Stripling said after a workout at Dodger Stadium.