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Blue-Emu Backs NASCAR, Martinsville & MRN Radio

Published in Racing
Thursday, 27 February 2020 13:18

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR and Blue-Emu have announced a multi-year agreement designating the company as an official partner of NASCAR, Martinsville Speedway and the Motor Racing Network.

As part of the agreement, Blue-Emu will serve as the entitlement sponsor of the NASCAR Cup Series spring event at Martinsville Speedway, with the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 debuting under the lights on Saturday, May 9.

“Blue-Emu’s integrated NASCAR approach will take center stage at Martinsville Speedway under the lights,” said Frank Kelleher, senior vice president and chief sales officer for NASCAR. “Combining the massive reach of NASCAR with fan sponsor loyalty provides partners an attractive platform to grow their brands.”

In addition to the Martinsville Speedway race entitlement, Blue-Emu will actively engage fans at NASCAR tracks across the country by providing product sampling opportunities.

The pain relief company is no stranger to NASCAR. They currently work with NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace and have sponsored multiple teams dating back to 2014.

“NFI Consumer Products has been a fan and friend of NASCAR for a number of years, so this sponsorship is a natural expansion of that partnership. The NASCAR fan base has been a strong and loyal customer of Blue-Emu and we believe they will help us continue to grow as a national brand,” said Susan Gregory, CEO of Blue-Emu. “The highly anticipated Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway, debuting under the lights, will highlight our track partnership and provide a new opportunity to showcase our products and engage with consumers.”

The Blue-Emu product line is a top-selling emu oil brand in the United States and recently announced a multi-year partnership with Major League Baseball, which included exclusive deals with 13 of its clubs.

As part of the NASCAR agreement, Blue-Emu’s Original Super Strength will serve as an Official Partner of NASCAR, Blue-Emu’s Maximum Pain Relief Cream as the Official Pain Relief Cream of NASCAR, Blue-Emu’s Continuous Spray as the Official Pain Relief Spray of NASCAR, and Blue-Emu’s Patch as the Official Pain Patch of NASCAR.

WoO & DIRTcar COO Tom Deery Resigns

Published in Racing
Thursday, 27 February 2020 14:04

CONCORD, N.C. — After 14 years, Tom Deery has resigned as Chief Operating Officer of the World of Outlaws and DIRTcar Racing and is no longer with the company.

Deery joined the organization in February 2006 and led the group through a vast expansion of its business. World of Outlaws and DIRTcar officials confirmed the news to SPEED SPORT late on Thursday afternoon.

“With immediate effect, Tom Deery has resigned from his position as COO of the World of Outlaws and DIRTcar Racing and he is no longer with the company. Tom joined the organization in February of 2006 and has made countless contributions during his tenure. His passion and devotion to the business of motorsports has always been clear and we wish him the best in his future pursuits.

“On an interim basis, World of Outlaws and DIRTcar CEO Brian Carter will lead all competition aspects of the business.  World of Outlaws and DIRTcar CMO Ben Geisler will add oversight of event operations and promotions to his list of responsibilities. This is a personal matter for Tom and a personnel matter for our organization and as such we will not be making any further comments.”

Deery, whose family has promoted Rockford (Ill.) Speedway for more than six decades, has enjoyed a lengthy and successful career in motorsports, including a stint with NASCAR from 1996 through 2001.

Calls and texts to Deery were not immediately returned.

Vegas-Calgary to have all-female broadcast crew

Published in Hockey
Thursday, 27 February 2020 13:42

An all-female broadcast team in Canada will cover an NHL game next week between the Calgary Flames and Vegas Golden Knights.

Play-by-play announcer Leah Hextall, game analyst Cassie Campbell-Pascall and reporter Christine Simpson will work the March 8 game in Calgary on Sportsnet, a group of Canadian regional sports networks. The game caps the network's week of programming recognizing International Women's Day.

Sunday's broadcast will be produced by a female production team live from Calgary, Toronto and Salmon Arm, British Columbia, including Rogers Hometown Hockey executive producer Alison Redmond, game producer Maria Skinner and director Dawn Landis.

Sportsnet's campaign will also include features on female sports trailblazers, including tennis great Billie Jean King, Toronto Raptors vice president of basketball operations Teresa Resch and former WTA head Stacey Allaster.

"International Women's Day is an opportunity to inspire young women and put a spotlight on what is possible, while encouraging continued conversation and action to overcome gender-based barriers for women in the workplace," Redmond said in a statement. "I'm proud to work with highly talented women, whose skill, experience and perspective allow us to deliver sports programming at its best."

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Zach Johnson came equipped to deal with the cold, brisk wind blowing over PGA National in Thursday’s start to the Honda Classic.

It comes with all those memories growing up playing in late falls and early springs in Iowa.

“I don’t want to say I’ve relished, but I’ve welcomed conditions that are difficult,” Johnson said. “I grew up in it. I’m not going to say I’m licking my chops, that’s the furthest thing from my mind, but I don’t mind the grind. I appreciate how my golf game has evolved and probably lends itself to difficult, trying conditions.”

Johnson put up a 3-under 67 to get into early contention.

A 12-time PGA Tour winner, with two major championships among them, Johnson is almost five years removed from his last title, the Open Championship at St. Andrews. After 15 years among the top 100 in the world rankings, including more than six years among the top 25, he has slipped to No. 250 in the world.

At 44, what’s pulling him down?

“My short game has been horrific for the last two years,” Johnson said. “My ball-striking has been as good, if not better, as it has been forever.”

Those ball-striking skills were rewarded at PGA National.

“I'm a boring player in the sense that fairways and greens are a premium,” Johnson said. “More than that, I think my trajectory control in winds like this kind of go hand in hand with spin control.”

Fernandes, Ighalo score as Utd cruise by Brugge

Published in Soccer
Thursday, 27 February 2020 13:56

Manchester United cruised into the Europa League round of 16 via a 6-1 aggregate scoreline after a 5-0 victory over 10-man Club Brugge at Old Trafford on Thursday.

Manchester United forward Anthony Martial was a last-minute absentee from the starting XI and has been labeled doubtful to face Everton at the weekend, however Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men didn't feel miss his contribution.

Simon Deli was sent off for handball in the 22nd minute before goals from winter signings Bruno Fernandes and Odion Ighalo put United well in front by the 35-minute mark.

Scott McTominay added a third just before the break to put the tie out of reach before Fred scored twice in the final 10 minutes to complete the scoring.

Solskjaer, who was already without injured stars Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba, said before the match he didn't know how long Martial would be out of action.

"He didn't feel right during the training yesterday, or he walked off during the training, and he is injured so hopefully it won't be too bad," Solskjaer told the club's official television channel.

"But I don't really know yet how long it will be."

Cowboy Up: Bumgarner solid in D-backs debut

Published in Baseball
Thursday, 27 February 2020 13:12

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Madison Bumgarner showed the Arizona Diamondbacks he's more than a rodeo star.

The team's marquee free-agent acquisition of the offseason was solid in his first spring training outing on Thursday. He retired his first five batters, including four on strikeouts, before giving up a solo homer to Derek Dietrich. He allowed one run over two innings.

"I felt good -- a lot better than I expected for the first game of spring," Bumgarner said. "Especially the way it usually goes for me. I was pretty happy with it."

Bumgarner signed an $85 million, five-year deal in the offseason as the D-backs tried to close the gap in the NL West with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have won seven straight division titles. He spent his first 11 seasons with the San Francisco Giants, helping the franchise win three World Series titles.

It was also the four-time All-Star's first pitching appearance since The Athletic revealed the pitcher's hobby as a rodeo participant. The 30-year-old has been competing in rodeo events under the alias of Mason Saunders and won $26,560 in a team-roping competition December.

Bumgarner wasn't interested in discussing his surprising side hustle, deflecting several questions about the story.

"Like I said, I felt really good today," Bumgarner said, changing the subject when asked. "Everything felt good and I was happy with where it was at."

D-backs GM Mike Hazen said this week he was unaware of Bumgarner's rodeo participation when the team signed the lefty but added that it wouldn't have affected his decision. Manager Torey Lovullo called it a non-issue and said he wants his players to have other interests as long as they're smart about their health.

Hazen wouldn't comment on what the team allows the 2014 World Series MVP to do in his spare time or any specifics of the contract or guarantee language. Bumgarner looked healthy on Thursday with a fastball that was in the low 90s and a sharp breaking ball.

"Mixed in everything, threw a few more fastballs than I was originally planning," Bumgarner said. "I was planning on kind of mixing it up and seeing where everything was at and what I needed to work on. I actually ended up going out there and the fastball felt pretty good, so I wanted to see exactly where it was at."

Bumgarner was an elite pitchers from 2013-16, finishing in the top 10 of the NL Cy Young Award voting in all four seasons. He injured his shoulder in 2017 in a dirt bike accident and missed three months of the season. He apologized at the time and called it a "stupid" decision that likely violated his contract, though the Giants are not believed to have pressed the issue.

He pitched a full season in 2019, finishing with a 9-9 record and 3.90 ERA in 207 2/3 innings.

He said wearing a different uniform in a game situation for the first time in the big leagues wasn't a big deal.

"For me, when I'm out there, I just focus on what I'm doing," Bumgarner said. "I honestly never thought about it one time while I was out there."

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Follow David Brandt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/davidbrandtAP

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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports

African Federation honours Mohamed Bassyouni

Published in Table Tennis
Thursday, 27 February 2020 11:14

Chair the Umpires and Referees Committee of Africa Table Tennis Federation, he was a well-known face at major international tournaments throughout the world.

Speaking at the brief event held at the Rades Multi-Purpose Hall, the host nation’s Chérif Hajem described Mohamed Bassyouni, who became an international umpire in 1981, as a colleague who devoted his life to the sport.

“We are here to remember Mohamed Bassyouni who died recently. We all miss him because he was dedicated to the sport. He was a committed colleague whose efforts cannot be ignored. He represented the African Table Tennis Federation Umpires and Referees Committee for many years. We commiserate with the family and we express our condolence to the Egypt Table Tennis Federation for this loss.” Chérif Hajem

Omar Refat, Mohamed Bassyouni’s son received a plaque on behalf of the family. Present for the occasion was Khaled El-Salhy, President of the African Table Tennis Federation alongside Polona Cehovin, ITTF High Performance and Development Director and Lotfi Guefel. President of the Table Tennis Federation of Tunisia

Khaled El-Salhy, Polona Cehovin, Omar Refat, Chérif Hajem, Lotfi Guerfel

Milestone for Comoros, first international appearance

Published in Table Tennis
Thursday, 27 February 2020 11:27

Most significantly, she is the first player from the island to compete in an international table tennis tournament.

Present alongside cousin, Essa Aibastaki, it was to prove a most daunting task for the 25 year old; she was beaten by Algeria’s Katia Kessaci (11-5, 11-2, 11-6, 12-10) in her opening contest, before experiencing defeats at the hands of Ethiopia’s Mart Gulti (11-8, 11-4, 11-8, 11-7) and Nigeria’s Olufunke Oshonaike (11-3, 9-11, 11-2, 11-8, 11-1).

An experience for Adel Abdallah Alshami Ahlam; one from which she can build.

“I started playing table tennis in 2004; in the United Arab Emirates they selected pupils from primary schools to take part in sports. I was picked to compete in table tennis; that was how my journey to taking to the sport started.

There is no major tournament in the United Arab Emirates but I compete in the five team club league where I currently represent Shaijah Women’s Club. Although our club featured at the 2015 Arab Club Championship in Egypt, I cannot compare that to what I am experiencing now in Tunisia.

I heard that I could represent my father’s country in an international tournament because my father was born in the Comoros Islands while my mother is from the United Arab Emirates; when I contacted the Comoros Islands Table Tennis Federation, they actually wanted me to compete in a tournament in Oman but I could not make it there.

Now, when this opportunity came, I grabbed it with both hands after getting the go-ahead from my parents. Playing in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament is a unique experience I will cherish for a long time to come because I have never played in such a big hall before.

I am also meeting some of the players I have been hearing and watching on video and television, particularly Quadri Aruna whom I consider one of the best players in the world; his face has made table tennis popular in Africa and his efforts globally have continued to inspire many of us. So seeing him live was another motivation for me as a player. I did not come here to win but participating alone is a motivation for me and this goes to show that I will need to work harder.

I am so excited that I could make it down here because this is my first major international tournament as I have not had such experience travelling to play in a big competition like this. It is an awesome experience and I cannot wait to have other players from the Comoros Islands for us to form a team.

My parents have been very supportive and without their support I would not be in Tunis. I must also thank the Comoros Islands Table Tennis Federation for their support for me to be part of the competition in Tunisia.

I look forward to competing in more African tournaments in near future.” Adel Abdallah Alshami Ahlam

Proud father, proud daughter, proud nation

Published in Table Tennis
Thursday, 27 February 2020 11:35

She concluded the day in first place in her women’s singles group; she beat Djibouti’s Rahma Houssein (11-4, 11-3, 11-2, 11-2), followed by success in opposition to Algeria’s Lynda Loghraibi (11-9, 11-2, 11-6, 11-3).

An ideal start and companying her, as always her father, Jalel Garci, present to give moral support; involved in the catering business he had made the 40 kilometres journey from Grombalia.

Understandably he was delighted with the improvement Fadwa has made in recent times.

“I am so happy seeing my daughter represent my country. She has made the name of the family popular and I am so happy whenever I watch her play. I am proud of her and I will continue to support her.

I am not a table tennis player but when she started with her sister, I encouraged them, in my community everyone is happy that she has represented us well. I am happy to travel and support her in this tournament and I hope she can make it to Tokyo 2020.

I am happy whenever she improves or wins. She actually learnt playing table tennis after following her sister to training. She was five when she started and she would always cry in order to follow her sister. Now she is a champion and we are so happy for her feats in the sport.” Jalel Garci

Meanwhile, for Fadwa Garci, the presence of her father inspires her. She is happy to see her father watch her play for the national team.

“I am happy that this two year dream for me to compete at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament has come true. I am happy to see my role model, Quadri Aruna of Nigeria because he has been an inspiration to a lot of players in Africa. I like his movement on the table and particularly his topspin technique, which is unique among the top players in the world.” Fadwa Garci

Now Fadwa Garci is looking forward to following in the footsteps of colleague Safa Saidani who represented Tunisia at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

“I will be very happy if I qualify for the Olympics because I want to make my father and my country proud. I am also happy for the opportunity that Tunisia has given to exhibit my talents.” Fadwa Garci

The goal is Tokyo, after the end of day one Fadwa Garci is on track.

Liam Williams: Wales full-back kept in Six Nations camp

Published in Rugby
Thursday, 27 February 2020 07:12

Wales have opted not to release Liam Williams to Scarlets this weekend ahead of the Six Nations trip to Twickenham.

Williams is in contention to face England on 7 March despite not playing since October 2019 due to an ankle injury.

Wing Josh Adams has been ruled out of the tournament by an ankle problem.

There are also doubts over fellow wing George North after he failed a first-half head injury assessment against France.

There was some encouraging news with Cardiff Blues back-rower Josh Navidi also in contention to face England after missing the first three Six Nations matches because of a hamstring injury.

Wales have released four players to the regions this weekend, with Cardiff Blues duo Hallam Amos and Seb Davies, Scarlets flanker Aaron Shingler and Dragons back-rower Taine Basham all available for Pro14 action.

Monitoring Wales duo

Williams has not played since injuring his ankle in training before the World Cup semi-final against South Africa four months ago.

Wales have decided to keep Williams within camp rather than asking him to play a competitive regional match for Scarlets against Munster on Saturday.

The 28-year-old will have to wait for the first game of his second spell with Scarlets after it was confirmed earlier this week he had rejoined early from Saracens.

Williams was initially expected to link up with Scarlets for the start of the 2020-21 season, but is now available to the Welsh region for the rest of the season.

Wales assistant coach Stephen Jones says they are weighing up whether to throw him into the England game along with Navidi.

"Liam is training with us and he's getting the volume into his working week," said Jones.

He added: "It will be a discussion next week.

"The situation with Liam and Josh [Navidi] is they're in our environment. They're working hard getting the reps and load that's needed to make them available for selection.

"Hopefully they can tick every box along the way and they can put their hand up for selection."

Monitoring North

Jones also said North was going through concussion protocols after his head injury against France and looked to allay fears over the player's past concussions.

"We've got elite medical staff looking after him, making sure he ticks every box," said Jones.

"He's doing very well. It's well documented George has had concussion, I think four years ago was his last, but he's doing well with our medical team and he's in a good place.

"Player welfare is the most important, isn't it? The key is how George is managed, it's of huge importance. We have the elite with our medical staff.

"They will take him through the correct protocols. Nothing will be rushed or forced. Every box will get ticked properly and that's the most important thing.

"I'm not sure on exactly how the protocols work, but all I know is he's ticking every box. He's going down the correct path and he's in good spirits."

Wales must release English-based players Dan Biggar, Taulupe Faletau, Louis Rees-Zammit, Jonah Holmes, Nick Tompkins, Will Rowlands, WillGriff John, Rhys Carre and new Bath scrum-half Rhys Webb back to their clubs.

Teenage wing Rees-Zammit has been classed as unavailable for selection by Gloucester, who say he is ill.

"We're following Louis and the good work that he's doing," said Jones.

"We're conscious of the fact that, when he's away from us, he's been scoring a lot of tries. He's driving himself and it's good to have that option."

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