SPORTS SECTION E
NFL
Picks, Page 3
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2017
Top baseball players in home run derby By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net THE top baseball talent in the country will begin the new year competing for bragging rights and the title of home run king at the inaugural “Don’t Blink - Home Run Derby In Paradise.” Sixteen of the Bahamas’ pro baseball prospects and five visiting minor leaguers will participate in the first showcase of its kind, 12pm-5pm at the Montagu Foreshore January 6, 2018. The project is the brainchild of Todd Isaacs Jr and Lucius Fox Jr of the Cleveland Indians and
Tampa Bay Rays organisations respectively. “Since the day I signed to play on to play pro baseball I always wanted to do something where we baseball players can give back to the Bahamas. Since we were young we always played on travel teams but baseball players never really have the opportunity to do anything here at home in the Bahamas to be nationally recognised,” Isaacs said. “After tossing out a few ideas and brainstorming, Lucius and I decided what better way to tie in being a Bahamian born pro baseball player and showcasing the Bahamas all in one. The first thing
people think of when they think of the Bahamas is the warm tropical weather and when you think of baseball you think of home runs because it’s the most exciting part of the game.” Sixteen of the 18 active Bahamian professional players will participate in the event. In 2012, there were just two active Bahamians in the minor leagues system, indicative of baseball’s exponential growth in the country. “Baseball is the future of the Bahamas and it is very promising. The oldest player we have right now in the minors is just 25 and the youngest is 16 so we are young men whose lives are changing and
we have the ability to affect others. It is humbling to be in this position to be able to affect the world at this magnitude with positive vibes and to be able to plant the seeds to reap the benefits of the future.” A unique venue presents a unique approach as players will hit home runs into Montagu Bay. Home run barriers will be set by buoys in the water that have been measured with the proper major league approved dimensions. “It’s going to be incredible, just come out and see. We will be hitting into the water, there will be barriers set by buoys and as long as
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Scheidt and Boening still in lead after day 2 By Rachele Vitello
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lighter, longer, hotter second day of racing at the Star Sailors League Finals in Nassau was one of mixed fortunes for the 25 crews competing for the US$ 200,000 prize purse in this international ‘Champion of Champions’ contest. Italy’s two-time World Championship runners-up Diego Negri/Sergio Lambertenghi were the lowest scorers today, while Star newbies, German Laser sailor Philipp Buhl and British Nacra 17 World Champion Ben Saxton, put in stand-out performances with their respective crews, towering Markus Koy and former Star World Champion Steve Mitchell. US veterans Paul Cayard/Phil Trinter scored two bullets in the first and last races. Yet after this generally high scoring day, Brazilian Olympic legend Robert Scheidt and Henry Boening showed ultraresilience retaining their lead, two points ahead of Mark Mendelblatt/Brian Fatih. While two races were held yesterday, today there were four, the start time coming forward to 1100. The easterly started off lighter at nine knots, dropping to seven for the final race by which time an evil grey rain cloud was veering the wind. Cayard was pleased with his and Phil Trinter’s two bullets, but less so about his race three 20th. “We
UNITES States sailors Paul Cayard and Phil Trinter. had some kelp round the keel right off the start and weren’t fast, which was strange because we are very fast. Then I made a bad tactical choice to go to the layline on starboard instead of tacking early.” The Volvo Ocean Race/ Louis Vuitton Cup winner was particularly pleased by how their pace downwind has improved. “On Saturday we were getting our butts kicked. Now we are holding our own. If you can get to the weather mark in good shape and hold your own downwind, you are going to sail good races.” In the fourth Cayard/ Trinter, one of the most experienced crews competing, led at the first top mark rounding only to be rolled downwind by Ben Saxton/Steve Mitchell. The Brits led through the leeward gate only to be overhauled by the Americans on the second beat
but still managed to hold second at the finish. “We were struggling with speed downwind, but today we held our own, which meant we could put a race together,” explained Saxton. He added they were almost more pleased with today’s second and third races when they successfully fought back from deep starts. After this they finally got a good start, up by the committee boat. “We punched forwards off the line and then just led the bunch back from the left and tacked in and got a good lane,” said Saxton of the final race. As to how it feels to be in the Star Sailors League finalists, Saxton adds: “It is an honour to line up against them. I am here because I can raise my game. It is wicked to see how these people put beats together. You can always learn off them.”
While Saxton came close to winning race four, another 27-year-old Rio 2016 Olympian Philipp Buhl had successfully claimed the race before. The German crew had been third around the top mark behind behind two Italian boats - Negri/Lambertenghi and America’s Cup tactician Francesco Bruni/Nando Colaninno. Buhl/Koy had pulled into the lead ahead of Negri/ Lambertenghi at the second top mark rounding and held on to the finish. “I thought I would struggle a bit more, but I’ve been sailing with confidence, maybe because we are sailing above my expectations,”said Buhl. “I regard it as a super privilege to be invited to race against all these legends. When we won race three I realised we could sail on the same level as Robert Scheidt. That’s
something we can be proud of because he’s had two Olympic Star boat campaigns...” His towering crew, Markus Koy observed that having an exOlympic Laser sailor as a Star helm is a bonus. “They do more course changes and use every wave.” Italy’s Diego Negri/ Sergio Lambertenghi have yet to win a race but today’s two seconds (in races one and three) enabled them be the lowest scoring crew today. “It was very positive for us and it gives us a bit confidence to do well in the next few days,” said Negri, a two-time Star European Champion. “Tomorrow and Friday conditions will be similar to today’s and then very breezy on the final day, Saturday. This will make it more important to win the Qualification and get a bye straight to the Final – as we did last year. In windy conditions you can get tired and the boat can be damaged easier.” With five races left to go in the Qualification series, tomorrow three races are scheduled with a start at 1100. Full coverage of all five days of action will be streamed live on the internet with expert commentary from special studio guests, including America’s Cup four time winner Dennis Conner and double Olympic champion Shirley Robertson. On the water, the latest in hi-tech camera technology, as well as Virtual Eye 3D Graphics, will provide thrilling viewing.
KERRIE CARTWRIGHT TO LEAD THE FIELD IN BLTA NATIONALS By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net KERRIE Cartwright is confident that her Women’s Tennis Association’s rankings will help to booster her performance when she comes home to compete in the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association’s annual Giorgio Baldacci Open Nationals. The nationals is scheduled for December 18-22 at the National Tennis Centre and Cartwright is expected to lead the field of female competitors with her current WTA rankings of 1,160 in singles and 827 in doubles. “I feel pretty good because I haven’t been home for the tournament in the last three years, so to be coming home ranked is really good,” said Cartwright, who will be coming home on December 16 to prepare for the tournament. “It’s a good way to start the tournament and I’m honestly just glad that I am able to play in it again since I wasn’t able to play the last two years because of my visa problems.” The 25-year-old is playing her first full season on the professional circuit in International Tennis Federation’s Challenges and Futures Tournaments around the world, which enabled her to get her first ranking at 1,156 and 819 respectively in singles and doubles in November. But because of her inactivity, the rankings dropped slightly. Despite the steady movement on the chart, Cartwright said she’s just delighted to be playing and in a position to climb up the ladder to play in some of the major international tournaments. “Overall, it was tough especially mentally, especially those last two tournaments that I played,” she pointed out. “I’m just very proud of myself and happy that I did it before
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Jaron Cornish making a name for himself with Sea Wolves By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net JARON Cornish continues to make the most of his recent opportunities in his first season with the Stony Brook Sea Wolves men’s basketball programme. Cornish has set milestones in his last three games, most recently scoring in double figures for the second consecutive outing. The junior guard finished with 15 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots in Stony Brook’s 75-71 loss to LIU Brooklyn. He shot 6-12 from the field in 29 minutes on Monday night. “I thought tonight we played hard,
but missed too many layups and free throws,” said head coach Jeff Boals. “We got the ball where we wanted to offensively, but weren’t able to capitalise. Our zone was effective in the second half and we cut it to one with a chance to tie at the end, and unfortunately missed it. We need to learn from this game and get ready for Thursday.” The Seawolves led 14-5 but the Blackbirds had an 11-2 run to tie it at 16 midway through the first half. The Seawolves quickly took back the lead and were able to take a 38-24 lead into the break. Stony Brook had a one-point lead with 3:06 to play, but lost the
JARON CORNISH in action. lead for good on the following possession. Cornish set a career high in scoring Saturday in an 85-83 win over St Francis. Cornish scored 18 points and added five assists. He
shot 7-12 from the field, including 2-3 from three-point range. In his previous games he dished nine assists and added four steals off the bench in 20 minutes in the Seawolves’ 101-58 win over Shawnee State and finished with a then season high eight points, five rebounds and five assists in an 85-76 loss to Bucknell. The junior guard transferred to Stony Brook after completing two NJCAA seasons with the Broward College Seahawks in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As a sophomore, he averaged 18.7 points and 4.5 assists per game on 42 per cent from three-point range. While leading his team in nearly every offensive category, Cornish was
also one of the top players in the NJCAA and ranked in the top 50 Division I JUCO players in the nation in free throws made, made free throws per game, total points, steals and points per game. At 3-6, Stony Brook the Seawolves will take on Columbia (1-7) at 7pm tonight. Stony Brook finished the 2017 season with an 18-14 record and in the post season, lost in the opening round of the CBI. In 2016, they reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. Last season, they produced a second place finish in the America East and they eventually advanced to the conference tournament semi-finals.