I Dig Sports
Major league batters are on pace to hit 600 more home runs than in any previous season, nearly 10% above the record set two years ago.
There were 1,057 home runs in July, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, breaking the previous July record of 961 in 2004.
A total of 4,478 home runs were hit in 1,621 games through Wednesday, an average of 2.76 per game. Batters are on pace to hit 6,712 home runs, well above the record 6,105 set in 2017 and up 20% from 5,585 last year.
Milwaukee's Christian Yelich began Thursday leading the major leagues with 36 home runs, followed by the Los Angeles Angels' Mike Trout (35) and New York Mets rookie Pete Alonso and the Los Angeles Dodgers' Cody Bellinger with 34 each.
On Thursday, the Mets' Robinson Cano became the 200th player to hit 10 home runs this season. The record for players with at least 10 homers in a year is 242 in 2017, according to ESPN Stats & Information. There are currently 56 players who have between seven and nine home runs.
A year after strikeouts surpassed hits for the first time, whiffs remain ahead: 28,422 to 28,088. Strikeouts project to 42,607, which would top last year's 41,207 and set a record for the 12th straight season.
The major league batting average was .252 through June. That is up 4 percentage points from last year's average, which was the lowest since 1972 -- the year before the American League started using the designated hitter.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Get ready for the 2019 ITTF Challenge Plus Nigeria Open!
The fourth ITTF Challenge Plus Series tournament of the year, in Lagos, there will be seven titles on offer: men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, under 21 men’s singles, under 21 women’s singles and for the first time, mixed doubles.
A total of 105 men and 66 women athletes on show, this year’s tournament will have 32 nations on duty in Lagos. The under 21 events allows the youthful exuberance of prodigies from around the world to showcase their talents.
Defending champions and home favourites
Nigeria’s home favourite Quadri Aruna will be seed no.1; there are high expectations on his shoulders after winning the men’s singles event last year and the men’s doubles title in 2015.
Luxembourg’s Sarah de Nutte is seed no.5 in the women’s singles; she is looking to make hay on her good performances over the last few months.
Romanian Cristian Pletea and Belgian attacker Lisa Lung will be looking to go deep in the under 21 knock-out stages. Both are highly seeded at no.13 and no.8 respectively.
Frenchman Alexandre Rabinot will be defending his doubles title with a different partner, compatriot Andrea Landrieu; their biggest hurdle might just be the familiar face of Alexandre’s brother and no.1 seed, Quentin Rabinot, who will be lining up with Belgian Cédric Nuytinck.
At the women’s doubles stage, top seeds Farah Abdel-Aziz and Yousra Helmy look set to keep the Egyptian flag flying high, should they manage to see off high quality competition in the form of the Algerian duo of Katia Kessaci and Lynda Loghraibi.
Stars expected to shine in Nigeria
Meanwhile, Thailand’s Supanut Wisutmaythangkoon has had tough luck in his past singles’ events when he ran into top seeds just after qualifying. Despite that, at 23, he continues to work hard and is never an easy man to play. Can he come up with something special in Lagos?
Slovakian Barbora Balazova is expected to stand true to her no.1 seeding, with her shake hand grip and attacking style a menace for any opponent. She reached the semi-finals at the 2019 Serbia Open in Belgrade and will be hoping to go two steps further this time.
Playing mixed doubles at the Nigeria Open for the first time, Egyptian pairing Khalid Assar and Yousra Helmy will look towards the crowd for some continental support. Standing in their way towards glory is the German duo of Kilian Ort and Wan Yuan, seeded no.5.
How exactly will these athletes fare next week? Find out
ITTF Challenge Plus Nigeria Open: Articles, Blog, Draws, Results
ITTF Challenge Plus Nigeria Open:Follow the action on itTV
Hugo the top name but it is to another Hugo to whom he must bow
Now 50 years old, born in São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo in 1969, a first Pan American Games appearance in 1987 in Indianapolis, Hugo Hoyama won a total of 15 medals, 10 gold, one silver and four bronze, in six consecutive appearances culminating in 2011 in Guadalajara.
In fact he surpassed the celebrated swimmer, Gustavo Borges as the most successful Brazilian athlete in the history of the Pan American Games; notably in 2007, when Rio de Janeiro staged the event, Hugo Hoyama was the Brazilian flag bearer at the opening ceremony.
During those years, Hugo Hoyama witnessed many changes, not only within the sport of table tennis, also in the Pan American Games; this year is no different, there is a major change.
Table tennis first appeared in the Games in the Puerto Rican capital city of San Juan, a drive and three iron from my apartment for Juan Chi Chi Rodriguez in his prime; on that occasion all seven events were staged – men’s team, women’s team, men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, mixed doubles. The situation continued until 1995 in Mar del Plata but from 1999 in Winnipeg until four years ago in Toronto only four events were staged.
The norm was men’s team, women’s team, men’s singles and women’s singles, the exception being 2003 in Santo Domingo; on that occasion men’s doubles and women’s doubles replaced men’s team and women’s team.
In that year, the men’s doubles title, the most recent occasion when the event was held, was won by Hugo Hoyama and Thiago Monteiro; now in 2019 can the Hugo dynasty continue? Can Hugo retain the title; this time in the guise of Calderano partnering Gustavo Tsuboi.
Age groups are very much as tradition dictates but there are two most innovative factors which add special ingredients to the entity; ranking lists and the champion of champions event.
Seven age groups for men and women each with a 10 year period, starting with 40 to 49 years and culminating with 80 years and over form the basis for the ranking scheme; each age span having their own dedicated list.
Players gain points for each match won commencing with five points for a win in the qualification stage, 10 points for each success in the main draw. Moreover, there are what may be considered bonus points for the round reached; for example the winner receives 750 points, the runner up 600 points. Basically, the results over the most recent 12 months are taken into consideration in addition to the best two results in the immediately preceding 12 month period.
Simply an extra flavor is added; just as teenagers and eager parents will calculate ranking points instead of bedtime reading, I’m sure veteran players and maybe event their parents will do the same! There’s nothing like competition!
One ingredient another is the Champion of Champions event; in each event in the men’s singles and women’s singles competitions, the winners qualify for the “Champion of Champions” tournament, play is straight knock-out as opposed to a group phase followed by knock-out as in the age group events.
Now here is a chance to make a name for yourself; you are in the 40 years bracket, fit and agile, here is an opportunity to beat a famous name who bones may creak a little in the 70 years plus category?
Interesting times await and while renewing friendships and creating new, reflecting on days gone by with an air of nostalgia will prevail, you can be sure no quarter will be given, no quarter asked, the competition will be intense; just like those of less mature years!
World Veteran Tour: Ranking Scheme
World Veteran Tour: Ranking Regulations
World Veteran Tour: Champion of Champions
Meanwhile, Argentina and Brazil organised ITTF/PTT Level One courses; all activities being aimed at raising the standard of play and coach education within the continent.
Argentina
Argentina’s experienced Alejandra Gabaglio led a course in Cordoba from Thursday 13th to Monday 17th June.
Notably, three members of the Argentina Para Team attended: Guillermo Bustamante (Class 1), Sebastian Barrera (Class 4) and Giuliano Balbi (Class 5). They were able to share their valuable experience with their fellow participants, giving them practical insights into para table tennis elements which complemented the theoretical topics.
This led to a lightbulb moment for some of the participants who realised that they could teach table tennis to people with disabilities. Integration and inclusion played a major role in all activities and topics presented during the five days of the course.
Fourteen participants arrived from seven locations in the provinces of Cordoba and Buenos Aires plus one participant from Jujuy; a most harmonious group, one in which fellowship, collaboration and friendship were always present.
Nine attendees successfully passed the ITTF/PTT Level One Coach Education Course, five were awarded with Club Coach title. All participants can now look forward to putting theory into practice when dealing with their students, or to begin to take the first steps in teaching.
“The course was remarkable from the beginning to the end, with a very good combination of the practical and theoretical that facilitated enormously the acquisition of techniques and concepts. Both great activities; also the time frame was well organized by the teacher. Myself, a Para player, has now many more tools to develop conventional players.” Guillermo Bustamante
Belo Horizonte
Elsewhere on the continent, Brazil’s Lincon Yasuda led an ITTF/PTT Level One Coaching Course in Belo Horizonte; 27 participants attended. This was the second course in as many years for Lincon in the state capital; table tennis in Belo Horizonte has come a long way since in that time.
“We could realise a totally different picture, with an increasing number of players and clubs. Coach Education is an important contribution to this growth”. Linon Yasuda
There was a staggering number of younger coaches starting out on their coaching career who joined the group, along with many teachers. The aim is to increase the number of young players. Further growth is certain to follow in this area of Brazil.
Medellin
Medellin in Colombia was the next hub of activity, where 14 athletes. Six girls and eight boys from Mexico, Guatemala and Colombia were offered the opportunity to spent eight days in the company of seven practice partners giving their best effort to benefit from each session of the camp. The expert on duty was the host nation’s Jhon Cruz. He focused on the physical, technical, tactical and strategic aspect and was able to keep the balance between hard training and recovery.
Notably, the players had the fantastic opportunity to practise and compete with members of Colombia’s senior team, who will participate in the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima. Also destined for Lima, Guatemala’s Heber Moscoso took part during the last days of the camp; he took second place in the tournament, losing to local man Wilmer Nuñez. He attended the camp as a sparring partner.
“The camp was positive because we worked individually with the players and likewise the doubles. We had an output of integration with athletes, which strengthened the bonds of friendship between countries.” said Byron Ventura, Guatemala Technical Director
Notable World Cup quartet, Quadri Aruna heads list
Significantly, the next three names in the order of merit have all enjoyed similar success. Egypt’s Ahmed Ali Saleh is the no.2 seed, followed by colleague Omar Assar and Nigeria’s Segun Toriola.
Ahmed Ali Saleh is the member of the group with the most Men’s World Cup appearances, a total of five; the first being in 1998 in Shantou, the most recent in 2011 in Paris. Approaching his 40th birthday, he is one of the most experienced players on duty in Lagos but none can match the evergreen Segun Toriola, in September he will celebrate his 45th birthday. Winner of the Africa Cup title in 2008 in Brazzaville, he has made four Men’s World Cup ventures; his first in 1996 in Nîmes, the latest in 2008 in Liège.
Both Ahmed Ali Saleh and Segun Toriola are major challengers to the aspirations of Quadri Aruna, who is aiming for his sixth Men’s World Cup appearance but, despite a recent run of indifferent form on the ITTF World Tour and at ITTF Challenge Series tournaments, is Omar Assar not the greatest threat to the hopes of Quadri Aruna?
Omar Assar is in search of his third Africa Cup title and his third Men’s World Cup appearance. Notably, in the most recent five editions of the tournament, the two have always met; moreover except for 2015 in Yaoundé, all have been in finals. In Yaoundé Omar Assar prevailed in the semi-final round, progressing to secure the title; last year he repeated the success, winning in Nairobi. Quadri Aruna succeeded in 2014 in Lagos, 2016 in Khartoum and 2017 in Agadir.
Now on home soil, a great deal is expected of Quadri Aruna, can he regain the title; will there be an extra degree of pressure?
“I don’t think I will be under any pressure playing in Lagos particularly with the support from the fans. I am ready to compete against anybody because I will always want to make my country proud. There is no doubt that it is going to be tough because everybody is playing well now.” Quadri Aruna
The contest between the leading African players of the present day is eagerly anticipated; but remember April and the Liebherr 2019 World Championships, we all looked forward to seeing the Chinese stars meet in the guise of Ma Long and Fan Zhendong.
It didn’t happen, could someone have other ideas in Lagos?
Wales' Taulupe Faletau ruled out of Rugby World Cup
Wales number eight Taulupe Faletau has been ruled out of the Rugby World Cup with a collarbone injury.
The Bath player was injured during Wales training and will need surgery.
The British and Irish Lion broke his arm twice last season and missed Wales' Six Nations Grand Slam and has not played in a Test since March 2018.
A statement by the Welsh Rugby Union said: "The Wales squad and management would like to wish Taulupe the very best with his recovery."
Faletau's luckless run of injuries started in October 2018 when he fractured his right forearm while playing for Bath, which ruled him out of Wales' autumn series clean sweep.
The 28-year-old made an impressive return for his club in their Champions Cup win over Wasps in January - but he then broke the same arm, and the injury denied him what would have been a second Grand Slam and a third Six Nations title of his career.
He returned to the Wales squad for their summer camp in Switzerland when he said he was hungry to play again after a frustrating time out of the game.
When fit, Faletau is ranked amongst the finest back-rows in world rugby and has played 72 times for Wales since making his debut against the Barbarians in 2011.
He has also made four Test appearances for the Lions across two tours, and scored a crucial try in the second Test win against New Zealand in 2017.
Dragons back-row Ross Moriarty filled in at number eight during Wales' Six Nations Grand Slam campaign, but Faletau's return was seen as a major boost in a department where Wales have some depth.
Scarlets' Aaron Shingler also missed last season but has trained during the summer, while Cardiff Blues' Josh Navidi can play in all three positions across the back row.
Wales play two Tests against England and two against Ireland before their World Cup starts against Georgia on 23 September.
Coach Warren Gatland will cut his provisional squad from 42 players down to a final 31-man party in early September.
IndyCar Plans Single-Source Hybrid System In 2022
INDIANAPOLIS – IndyCar, in partnership with Chevrolet and Honda, will implement a single-source hybrid system in its race cars for the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series season that will provide key enhancements ranging from competition to safety.
In keeping with IndyCar’s history of integrating innovation into the sport, the hybrid powertrain will mark the first time that the vehicles will depart from the traditional, manual hand-held electric starters to a hybrid component that can be activated by the driver from the cockpit.
The hybrid system will work in parallel with the internal combustion engines from Honda and Chevrolet, combining growing hybrid technology with the traditional power plants to produce in excess of 900 horsepower for the most competitive racing series in the world.
The hybrid technology will consist of a multi-phase motor, inverter and electric storage device that will create energy recovery from the car’s braking system.
The addition of the hybrid technology to the traditional engine formula will provide some integral benefits for the competitors while enhancing the race action for the fans. In addition to allowing drivers to restart their cars from the cockpit, the system will increase the horsepower of the push-to-pass system and potentially improve the pace and overall time of races.
“It’s an exciting time for IndyCar with the forthcoming evolution of the cars and innovations like the hybrid powertrain being incorporated into the new engine,” IndyCar President Jay Frye said. “As we move toward the future, we will remain true to our racing roots of being fast, loud and authentic, and simultaneously have the ability to add hybrid technology that is an important element for the series and our engine manufacturers.”
The addition of the hybrid powertrain will push the debut of the new engine formula from 2021 to 2022, realigning it with the arrival of the next-generation chassis as initially scheduled. The move will allow IndyCar to continue working on other future innovations for the new package as well as extend the window of opportunity for an additional OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) to join Chevrolet and Honda in 2022.
“Honda is committed to racing in order to develop people and technologies relevant to the future of our sport and our world,” Honda Performance Development President Ted Klaus said. “IndyCar offers us the perfect platform to prove out both people and technologies in an environment where measurement of successes and failures is crystal clear.”
“Chevrolet supports delaying the implementation of the revised engine regulations until 2022 to coincide with the NTT IndyCar Series introduction of new technologies with the chassis,” U.S. Vice President of Performance and Motorsports Jim Campbell said. “The partnership between Chevrolet and IndyCar remains a strong platform for showcasing relevant technologies that we incorporate in our production engines, and transfer learnings in performance, reliability and efficiency between the racetrack and the showroom.”
The hybrid powertrain will be integrated into the push-to-pass system and provide a power boost to the tool used by drivers for overtaking on road and street courses. The current system, which is limited to 200 seconds per driver in those events, will gain additional horsepower from the hybrid system to help IndyCar reach its target goal of achieving 900-plus horsepower for its cars.
From a safety standpoint, the system will improve on-track situations by giving the driver the ability to restart the car quickly should it stall on track. This will help reduce the time the driver and AMR Safety Team are exposed on track as opposed to awaiting a manual restart.
This feature also provides a benefit to the fan experience by potentially helping reduce the number of caution flags for stalled cars on track and leading to improved overall pace and time of races.
The new engine regulations will be in place for six years – 2022 through the 2027 seasons – in a concerted effort to provide a clear vision and stability for the NTT IndyCar Series engine manufacturers and teams. It is a continuation of IndyCar’s initial five-year strategic competition plan that originated in 2016.
Chevrolet and Honda will continue with the current homologation table through the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Dewease Wins $20,000 Priority Aviation Sponsorship
KNOXVILLE, Iowa – Lance Dewease has been named the winner of the Priority Aviation $20,000 Sponsorship competition.
Dewease brought in the most donations towards the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum and the construction of the Bryan Clauson Suite Tower, and will be awarded with a check for $20,000 from Richard and Jennifer Marshall and Priority Aviation that he and the Don Kreitz Racing team can use towards competing in the Knoxville Nationals.
The contest brought in more than $60,000 that will go towards construction costs of the Bryan Clauson Suite Tower.
“We had 21 drivers involved in the contest, and we’d like to thank them and their fans for their generous contributions to the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum,” said National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum Executive Director Bob Baker. “Richard and Jennifer Marshall came up with this plan at the Chili Bowl last January, and we really have them to thank as well. The way that race teams and their fans have been so generous has just exceeded our expectations. We can’t thank everyone enough for their contributions in preserving the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum.”
The contest, announced in late January, was open to any drivers competing at Knoxville Raceway in either the 360 or 410 Knoxville Nationals. The driver bringing the most donations through memberships or other means was awarded the $20,000.
Pennsylvania’s Dewease ended up on top of the standings, ahead of Iowa’s Carson McCarl, Iowa’s McKenna Haase, Wisconsin’s Bill Balog, Connecticut’s David Gravel, Tennessee’s Sammy Swindell, Indiana’s Tyler Courtney, Oregon’s Tanner Holmes, Ohio’s Jac Haudenschild, Ohio’s Sheldon Haudenschild, Wisconsin’s Scotty Thiel, Indiana’s Parker Price-Miller, Iowa’s Austin McCarl, Minnesota’s Craig Dollansky, South Dakota’s Clint Garner, Australia’s Brooke Tatnell, California’s Mason Daniel, California’s Kyle Larson, Ohio’s Chad Kemenah, Iowa’s Joe Beaver and Oklahoma’s Shane Stewart.
Dewease will be saluted after the heat races on Wednesday of the Knoxville Nationals by Richard and Jennifer Marshall of Priority Aviation.
Martell Joins Dreyer & Reinbold Rallycross Roster
CARMEL, Ind. – Conner Martell will campaign the No. 21 ARX2 car for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in the final three Americas Rallycross weekends.
Those events are set for Aug. 3-4 in the ARX of Canada at Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, as well as Sept. 28 in the ARX of Austin at Circuit of the Americas and the Cooper Tires ARX of Mid-Ohio on Oct. 5-6 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Martell, 22, comes off an impressive double ARX2 Finals victory weekend at the specially-designed 1200-meter asphalt/gravel rallycross circuit inside the 1.25-mile oval at World Wide Technology Raceway on July 13-14.
In his DRR debut at Gateway, Martell drove the No. 21 WIX Filters ARX2 machine to the Finals win on Saturday over his DRR teammates Cole Keatts and J.R. Hildebrand and then the following day for a second ARX2 Finals victory on the tight rallycross course.
The Colchester, Vt., former motorcross racer captured the 2018 ARX2 point title with three wins (one at COTA, two at Trois-Rivieres) in five events.
“In my first weekend with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, the WIX Filters car was phenomenal for both days and DRR was awesome to work with as a team,” said Martell. “The WIX Filters car was super fast at Gateway and I am very excited to return for the upcoming weekend at Trois-Rivieres with Dreyer & Reinbold as well as the rest of the 2019 season. I love the Trois-Rivieres ARX circuit and I hope I can produce another double win weekend as last year. I can’t wait to get back to the ARX of Canada this weekend.”
DRR team owner Dennis Reinbold is pleased to have Martell with his ARX2 team for the remainder of the year as Reinbold’s operation seeks a second rallycross championship after capturing the title in 2016.
“It is great to have Conner with our DRR squad for the rest of the 2019 season, especially after his sensational double victory weekend at Gateway last month,” said Reinbold. “Conner showed the skills on why he won the ARX2 championship last year. And he was very strong at Trios-Rivieres last year. We hope he can contend for another double win weekend in the No. 21 WIX Filters car when the action starts this Saturday.”
At the ARX of Canada competition with the 1300-meter asphalt/dirt course at the famed Trois-Rivieres event, Martell will be joined in the DRR four-car lineup by 18-year-old Cole Keatts in the No. 53 Black Rifle Coffee Company ARX2 car,14-year-old female driver Gray Leadbetter in the No. 28 Oil2Soil machine and karting star Lane Vacala in the No. 55 Tyler Lane Construction mount.
The ARX of Canada rallycross weekend will feature qualifying heats, semi-finals and finals Saturday and Sunday in the ARX2 class with the four DRR drivers in both days’ full competition.
Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: 
Email: 
