I Dig Sports
Tacko Time: Fall cheered wildly at MSG in debut
NEW YORK -- The New York Knicks were being blown out by double digits in their home opener, New York fans had viciously booed Dennis Smith Jr. and yet with three minutes remaining in what would be an ugly Knicks loss, the Madison Square Garden crowd was on its feet hollering with excitement.
No, they were not cheering for their own players. They were chanting for two-way Boston Celtics center Tacko Fall. "We want Tacko!" Fans chanted, clapping for emphasis. "We want Tacko!"
It was garbage time and the game's outcome was all but decided when Fall checked in with just under four minutes left in the game. Each time Fall touched the ball, fans went wild. When he would back down a defender in the paint, the crowd cheered like it was Game 7 of the Finals.
"I don't know if anybody not drafted in the top two or three has ever felt the kind of stuff he feels when he touches the ball," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said after the game.
The Celtics trounced the Knicks 118-95 and Fall finished with four points (both dunks) and three rebounds in 3 minutes and 38 seconds of playing time. Saturday marked the first time in the regular season that Fall had been available to play for the Celtics.
"I just tried to keep my cool and finish up the game," Fall said. "I just tried to do my job."
Fall was 2-of-4 from the field on Saturday night. His two misses were both hook shots -- something that he has been working on in practice with assistant coach Jay Larranaga.
"We work on hook shots, we work on jump shots, we even work on my threes, which is crazy," Fall said. "At first I was like, 'Threes?' But now I am starting to embrace it."
"Does this mean I should put your name in now for the 3-point contest?" a Celtics staff member joked.
"Do it!" Fall said, laughing. "I told Jay by January I might be at 50 percent 3-point shooting."
Fall is largely a fan favorite because of his size. He stands at 7-foot-5 and has repeatedly made headlines because of it. His hands are enormous, and engulf nearly anybody who goes for an introductory handshake.
Fall is so tall that he bonked his head on a ceiling, causing him to be placed in the league's concussion protocol. A video of Fall receiving an enormous coat from clothing brand Canada Goose received over 1,500 likes on Twitter. Canada Goose said that it is the largest coat they've ever made.
While Fall's size is gawk-worthy, Stevens said he hopes that fans "appreciate him for how good of a kid he is and how hard he is working to make the NBA."
"Everybody is yelling because of his size," Stevens said. "I get it. Every time he walks in the room, I say, 'Man, he's tall' under my breath. But at the same time, I hope people appreciate him for who he is and how hard he is working."
Fall, who played college basketball at the University of Central Florida, went undrafted and later signed with the Celtics. It isn't just his height that is unique. He maintained a 4.0 average and in 2015, he told Bleacher Report that if he had a choice between becoming LeBron James or Apple founder Steve Jobs, "I would be Steve Jobs." Prior to the game, Fall conducted interviews in English and French. Still, Fall speaks softly and in short sentences.
"Tacko is a unique guy - he is (almost) 7-foot-6 and you don't see that very often," Marcus Smart said. "Tacko, he's a little bit shy. So, when they were screaming "Tacko!" we all joined in. I am a big fan of Tacko."
A blown lead, a game saver, and a DQ: Inside Giannis' dizzying home opener
MILWAUKEE -- Giannis Antetokounmpo sat in a daze, with his size-16 right foot planted in a big, blue ice bucket at his locker, as his older brother Thanasis Antetokounmpo rolled his chair on the right side of him to console him in their native language following the Milwaukee Bucks' home-opening loss on Saturday.
It was a tough pill to swallow. Giannis Antetokounmpo became the first reigning MVP to ever foul out of his first game Thursday night at Houston. But that was in a win. He repeated the disqualification act for a second consecutive game Saturday, in addition to the Bucks blowing a 21-point, second-half edge. The Miami Heat, who were playing without veterans Jimmy Butler, Dion Waiters and James Johnson, escaped Fiserv Forum with a 131-126 victory.
"It's not frustrating. First game we won," Antetokounmpo said of the consecutive foul outs. "I think the frustrating part is not being out there to help my team, not necessarily I don't know if we would've won the game but just being out there and try to help your team to maybe block a shot, rebound or maybe make a pass or something.
"That's the frustrating part about it," he continued. "Obviously, I've got to keep learning from it and get better."
Milwaukee's 14 made 3-pointers at halftime tied for the most in any half of franchise history. But the momentum shifted in the second half, particularly in the third quarter, as the Bucks finished 3-for-24 from beyond the arc -- including 0-for-4 in overtime -- to shoot 31.5%.
Antetokounmpo finished with a near triple-double (29 points, 17 boards and 9 assists), including a buzzer-beating tip-in to end regulation knotted at 121-121 off Khris Middleton's missed jumper. The Bucks even being in position for Antetokounmpo to save the game was precarious, as the Heat led 117-108 with 3 minutes, 33 seconds left, and 120-116 with 9.3 seconds left.
Giannis' buzzer-beater, monster night not enough vs. Heat
Giannis Antetokounmpo's tap-in at the buzzer sends the Bucks to overtime, but they still fall short to the Heat despite Giannis' 29 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists.
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer called it a "tough sixth foul on Giannis," but Middleton made no excuses with the team having committed 32 personal fouls on the night. The Bucks collected 27 fouls during their 117-111 victory Thursday over the Rockets.
"It's been terrible. We've got to do a better job of playing without fouling and that's everybody," said Middleton, who posted 25 points with five fouls of his own. "Arguably they're bad calls, but most of them were not, if not all of them were not. We've got to do a better job of adjusting to the whistle and seeing how they're calling the game."
Miami's Kendrick Nunn (18 points, 8-of-17 field goals) and Kelly Olynyk (14 points, 4-of-9 3s) also fouled out of the game as Miami committed 30 personal fouls. The Heat entered the game as 11-point underdogs before pulling off their largest road upset since Dec. 10, 2007, when they knocked off the Phoenix Suns as 11.5-point underdogs, per ESPN Stats & Information research.
From 10:58 in the third until the end of overtime, Miami shot 49% as a team, with Goran Dragic delivering 15 of his team-high 25 points during that stretch. Bam Adebayo also hit 9 of 12 free throws during that time to finish with 19 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists. Adebayo also essentially sealed the game by erasing an Eric Bledsoe layup with 13.7 seconds left in overtime as Miami nursed a 129-126 lead.
Bam chases down Bledsoe for huge OT block
Eric Bledsoe attempts to throw down a dunk in transition, but Bam Adebayo hustles back on defense to pin the shot off the backboard late in overtime.
Rookie Heat guard Tyler Herro dropped 14 points with five rebounds as a starter in his return to his hometown.
"There's definitely a lot of toughness in this locker room and a lot of grit," Herro said. "We really just got heart, we don't like to lose and we definitely didn't want to get embarrassed."
On the flip side, Milwaukee endured its largest blown lead at home since leading by 26 against the Knicks on March 14, 2004. In fact, in the past 20 seasons when leading by 20 or more at home, Milwaukee was 142-3 entering the contest.
Former Bucks star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was also in the building to soak in the action, sporting team gear. He said he sees this season as an opportunity for the squad to "put all the pieces together this year and do a little bit better." Abdul-Jabbar spent the first six seasons of his Hall of Fame career in Milwaukee before being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975.
"Yeah, I think Milwaukee should be disappointed about what happened last year, they kind of lost their focus late and got shook," Abdul-Jabbar told ESPN of the Bucks falling in the East finals as the conference's top seed. "So, no one's going to sneak up on them this year, so I'm sure they'll be focused and ready for whatever happens."
Outside of the numbers and statistical meltdown, the latest loss was enough to agitate anyone, much less the reigning MVP. At the end of the day, as he strolled out the locker room at Fiserv Forum, Giannis was thankful to be joined by Thanasis. And it's not like Giannis hasn't dominated. According to Elias, he's the first player in NBA history with 30 rebounds and 20 assists in his team's first two games of the season.
"Yeah, it's cool," Giannis said of being accompanied by his older sibling. "For me, as I see it, I've just got to get better. Keep shooting the ball, getting to my spot with confidence and keep making the right play."
Source: Angels hire Callaway as pitching coach
The Los Angeles Angels will hire former Mets manager Mickey Callaway as their new pitching coach, a source confirmed to ESPN's Alden Gonzalez on Saturday.
USA Today first reported Callaway would join the staff of new Angels manager Joe Maddon.
Callaway, 44, will succeed Doug White, whom the Angels fired on Oct. 1 after one season in which the pitching staff posted a 5.12 ERA.
The Mets fired Callaway earlier this month after he led the team to a 163-161 record over two seasons. As the pressure increased on Callaway this season with the team under .500, the manager cursed at a reporter following a postgame news conference in June, during which the manager repeatedly was asked about a bullpen decision. He later apologized.
Before joining the Mets, Callaway served as pitching coach for the Cleveland Indians for five years and won the American League pennant in 2016.
In his playing days, he pitched in 40 major league games over five seasons, including 23 games with the Angels. He received a World Series ring in 2002, though he did not pitch in the postseason.
How Urquidy's brilliance, Astros' breakout bats tied up this series
WASHINGTON -- On August 7, pitching for Triple-A Round Rock, Jose Urquidy allowed 14 hits, 11 runs and three home runs in 4 ⅔ innings in a game at El Paso. So it makes perfect sense that the rookie right-hander saved the Astros from the brink of elimination in Game 4 of the World Series, tossing five scoreless innings in a 8-1 victory that evened up the World Series at two wins apiece and sets the stage for a colossal Game 5 rematch between Gerrit Cole and Max Scherzer.
It makes perfect sense because this is baseball. This is unpredictable October baseball. This is October baseball at its surprising best.
Urquidy allowed just two hits and no walks in his five innings and became just the fourth rookie in the past 30 years to throw a scoreless start in the World Series. He joined Fernando Valenzuela as the only pitcher from Mexico to start and win a World Series game. He became just the second pitcher since 1969 to have his first postseason start be a scoreless outing in the World Series, matching Jon Lester of the Red Sox in 2007. Not bad for a guy who had just 41 career innings in the regular season -- the third-fewest ever for a World Series starter (behind Steven Matz of the 2015 Mets and Marty Bystrom of the 1980 Phillies).
And no doubt it was the best World Series outing ever for a guy who gave up 11 runs at El Paso a couple months earlier. Urquidy had made his major league debut in July at Coors Field. Four starts later he was sent back down to Triple-A.
"When we sent him back down, it was really just sort of a gap in time where we needed to work on a few things," manager A.J. Hinch said before the game. "The strike-throwing, we needed him to continue to evolve with that. He got beat up a little bit, and had one blowup game in Triple-A that was unlike him. He had a lot of homers and a lot of hits. And maybe took our advice to be in the strike zone a little bit too much."
When Urquidy came back in September he allowed three runs in 18 innings. He pitched well in two relief outings in the earlier, including in Game 6 of the ALCS against the Yankees. "I think he's learned a lot being around our pitching staff, our pitching program," Hinch said. "It's like one of those things, he pitches up to the level when he comes to the big leagues and he can be creative and he can throw different pitches."
He certainly pitched at his highest level in this game. Urquidy attacks hitters with mid-90s fastball up in the zone. On 3-2 counts, he blew a 96 mph fastball past Juan Soto in the fourth inning and a 95 mph heater past Ryan Zimmerman in the fifth. He throws a slider. Urquidy's changeup is a thing of beauty, however, a pitch that allowed him to post a big reverse platoon split in the regular season, holding left-handed batters to a meager .179/.210/.321 batting line. He threw 10 changeups to the Nationals, and they went 0-for-4 against it.
"That front-to-back game that you can play with the changeup is really critical," Hinch said. "He's got a good arm. His velocity has been on the higher side while he's been with us recently. And that ability to slow the game down with an off-speed pitch, we see it effective across the board in the playoffs. ... He can control it for a strike, he can get some chases out of it. Guys don't generally center it up."
The Nationals certainly didn't do it on Saturday night.
• The most obvious second-guessed move of this World Series -- even more than the decision to let Anibal Sanchez hit in Game 3 while down 2-1 - was Nationals manager Dave Martinez bringing in Fernando Rodney with two runners on and out in the seventh to face Michael Brantley and Alex Bregman. The score was still just 4-1 (and the Astros had already used and pinch-hit for Will Harris, their best reliever this postseason), so why not use Sean Doolittle there to try and escape the jam? Doolittle and Daniel Hudson hadn't pitched in Game 3, so they were well rested.
At that moment, you have keep the game close rather than worry about who is going to pitch the ninth inning. Brantley singled and Bregman unloaded with a grand slam. Game over. The Nats have basically six good pitchers. Martinez needs to maximize them in key situations. But, hey, at least Doolittle and Hudson will be on plenty of rest for Game 5.
• Bregman pimped his Game 5 home run even more than his Game 2 home run. It took him 9.43 seconds to get to first base and 28.71 seconds to round the bases -- topping his 28.47-second trot from Game 2, which had been the longest of the postseason. It was the 20th grand slam in World Series history. Of course you want to see the first 19:
The first 19 grand slams in World Series history: pic.twitter.com/eqMNKtT2Wj
— David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield) October 27, 2019
• The Astros hit Nats starter Patrick Corbin hard all game, with all seven hits of their hits through four innings registering above 90 mph in exit velocity and three above 100, including Robinson Chirinos' 104 mph, two-run home run in the fourth off a changeup left over the middle of the plate. They also had two hard-hit outs, with Anthony Rendon turning a double play on Chirinos to help Corbin escape a bases-loaded jam in the first and then Rendon made an outstanding play to rob Jose Altuve of a double in the third. Victor Robles also robbed Brantley of a hit with a diving catch off 103-mph screamer in the fifth.
It could have been even worse for Corbin. In all, he allowed 13 balls in play of 90 plus mph, his third-highest total of the season (he had two games with 14). This is the offense that under one metric -- weighted runs created plus -- was the second-best offense of all time, behind only the 1927 Yankees.
• After Hinch had the quick hook with Urquidy after 65 pitches, he turned in the sixth to Josh James, who is often hit or miss. It was an interesting hook and certainly understandable from an analytical view. The top of the order was coming up for the third time. Urquidy hadn't thrown that many pitches since September 27. James walked two batters around a strikeout, but with the score still 4-0, that meant Hinch had to bring in Harris.
Upon coming in, Harris gave up an infield hit to Rendon that loaded the bases, but then got the two biggest outs of the game up to that point: Juan Soto swung at a first-pitch big looping curveball and grounded out weakly to first base and then he struck out Howie Kendrick on five straight cutters. Harris has been a lockdown reliever all postseason. He threw seven pitches after throwing 25 in Game 3, so he should be fine for an inning or so in Game 5 as needed.
• Cole versus Scherzer. World Series tied up. Yes, that will work just fine.
Continental success, now it’s time to light up Tokyo
Here’s a look at the six nations whose continental success landed them a passage to the men’s team draw in Tokyo.
Germany
Leading the way for Europe at the 2019 ITTF Team World Cup is Germany. Silver medallists at the Liebherr 2018 World Team Championships, Germany secured their place at the World Cup with an astonishing eighth men’s team title at the recent Liebherr 2019 European Championships in Nantes.
Germany will have lofty ambitions heading to Tokyo, the first task is surely to better their performance at the 2018 Team World Cup which saw them exit at the quarter-final hurdle – by no means a certainty to surpass but their squad selection gives them a strong chance.
As anticipated two table tennis giants in Timo Boll and Dimitrij Ovtcharov board the plane to Japan while the ever-improving Patrick Franziska, Ruwen Filus and Ricardo Walther also make the trip.
China
Even if you’re only remotely attached to the professional table tennis scene you’ll be aware of the sporting behemoth that is China. Magnificent, gracious, unforgiving, it’s difficult to find a positive superlative that doesn’t match the DNA of China and you can expect to see it with your own eyes when the squad takes to Tokyo.
Dominance is a term that can be thrown around quite loosely at times but when referring to China’s record at the World Cup it’s very much an apt description. Across the 11 previous editions of the tournament, China has lifted the men’s team trophy at all but two of the events and is searching for an eighth consecutive success in November!
Just a simple glance at the player roster set to represent the nation is enough to justify their status of title favourites. World no.1 Xu Xin and World champion Ma Long join Fan Zhendong, Lin Gaoyuan and Liang Jingkun. Defending ITTF Team World Cup champions, gold medal successes at the 2018 World Team Championships and the 2019 ITTF-ATTU Asian Championships – the force that is Team China is simply unrelenting!
Nigeria
Victory over rivals Egypt at the final hurdle of the 2018 ITTF-African Championships handed Nigeria its ticket for the Team World Cup as Africa’s representative.
A quarter-finalist at the 2014 World Cup and history maker at Rio 2016 with his astonishing quarter-final finish, Nigeria has unsurprisingly turned to African superstar Quadri Aruna to lead the line in Tokyo. The 2019 African Games champion Olajide Omotayo also earns selection. Bode Abiodun, Segun Toriola and Azeez Solanke make up the rest of the squad.
Nigeria will be appearing at the event for the first time since 2010, so fans will be hoping to see the African nation grasp the opportunity with both hands. In 2013 Egypt shocked the world to claim Team World Cup bronze so rule out this Nigerian team at your peril!
Brazil
A country renowned for its footballing excellence Brazil also boasts a pretty impressive force on the international table tennis stage, a statement it will be looking to double down on at the 2019 Team World Cup.
Star player Hugo Calderano absent from the squad, Gustavo Tsuboi will provide the experienced head for this ambitious Brazilian team which also includes two up-and-coming talents in 2019 Pan American champion Vitor Ishiy and Eric Jouti.
Crowned men’s team champions with a perfect record at the 2018 ITTF-Pan American Championships in the Chilean capital of Santiago, Brazil will be attempting to better its quarter-final finish achieved at last year’s World Cup – can they pull it off?
Australia
The Oceania continent will be pinning its men’s team competition hopes on Australia in Tokyo following a successful outing on home soil down under at the 2018 ITTF-Oceania Championships.
Kane Townsend, who was present at the 2018 Team World Cup, makes the squad with Dillion Chambers and Xavier Dixon completing the trio of players leading the Australian charge.
An early exit last year in London, the aim this time out is surely first and foremost to register a win. Entering the men’s team event as the lowest seeded nation, Australia’s task could prove a difficult one but you can be sure that the Aussie trio will give it their best shot.
United States
Strictly speaking the United States didn’t qualify for the tournament as continental champions, however, the country’s spot at the event was confirmed through its performance at the 2018 ITTF Pan America Championships.
Runners-up to Brazil in Santiago, the United States heads to Tokyo with an exciting young line-up consisting of Kanak Jha, who recently won three medals at the 2019 Pan America Games, Zhang Kai and Feng Yijun.
Also present at the 2018 Team World Cup, arguably the standout moment for United States came against Hong Kong as Kanak Jha pulled off a sensational 3-0 victory over pen-hold specialist Wong Chun Ting. One year later can USA reach even greater heights?
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Can Argentina upset the odds; then stalwart can bid farewell on world’s biggest stage
However, it will have to be victory against the odds; the Brazilians are the clear favourites. The man in question is Argentina’s 41 year old Pablo Tabachnik, a lawyer by profession who competed in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and then followed suit in 2004 in Athens and then 2008 in Beijing.
A return to the Olympic arena two decades after his debut in the multi-sport spectacular; that would really be something for the player who secured silver in the men’s team event at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games earlier this year in August alongside Gaston Alto and Horacio Cifuentes. Notably in a 3-0 penultimate round win against Cuba, Pablo Tabachnik beat Andy Pereira, in a 3-2 defeat in the final when facing the United States, he overcame Nicholas Tio.
“I felt confident when I played at the Pan American Games; confidence plays a major part in sport, we have a plan against Brazil but we must play in a confident manner. They are now highly ranked internationally, they have moved to a new level but they are expected to win; if we can win the doubles they will be under pressure and we will have a little chance.” Pablo Tabachnik
A stalwart of the national team throughout this century and earlier, Pablo Tabachnik is in the twilight years of his career.
“I now just play for the glory but a win here, a fourth Olympic Games and then announce my retirement, that would be perfect.” Pablo Tabachnik.
Making progress
The voice of experience, for Gaston Alto and Horacio Cifuentes; the situation is somewhat different. Brazil has moved to a new level but is that not the same for the Argentine duo?
Notably this year Horacio Cifuentes won the under 21 men’s singles titles at the ITTF Challenge Series tournaments in Spain and in Paraguay; furthermore, he was the runner up in the men’s singles event at the Pan American Championships.
“I’ve been in a good situation this year for training, playing in Spain and practising in Oporto in Portugal at the same centre as Marcos Freitas. It is important for me to play in Europe to raise my level; I think every aspect of my game has improved, it’s difficult to highlight one aspect, for sure I’m mentally stronger.” Horacio Cifuentes.
Progress for Horacio Cifuentes who is well aware of the calibre of Brazil; significantly at the Pan American Championships, both Horacio Cifuentes and Gaston Alto lost to Vitor Ishiy, Horacio Cifuentes in the semi-finals, Gaston Alto in the final.
“I think we have no more than a 15 per cent chance of beating Brazil; with Hugo Calderano in their team it’s very difficult. Also Vitor Ishiy is playing well this year. Maybe if we can win the doubles, it will give us a chance.” Horacio Cifuentes.
Doubles
Make no mistake, the doubles is a strength for Argentina, even though on the opening day in Lima, Gaston Alto and Pablo Tabachnik lost to Nicolas Burgos and Gustavo Gomez in the contest against Chile.
In 2014 Gaston Alto and Pablo Tabachnik won the men’s doubles title at the Latin American Championships in the Dominican Republic, more recently Gaston Alto and Horacio Cifuentes emerged successful at the 2019 ITTF Challenge Polish Open.
“We won at the Pan American Championships; that gave us a great deal of confidence. I partnered Pablo for many years, he’s a left hander, now playing with Horacio, a right hander like me, it is different. We started playing together two years ago, certainly I think as a result by backhand has improved. Play well tomorrow and we have a chance.” Gaston Alto.
The contest between Brazil and Argentina is scheduled to start at 8.00pm (local time) on Sunday 27th October, the concluding day of play in Lima.
Scene set, for Brazil, Argentina and Puerto Rico await
Unbeaten records were maintained but for Puerto Rico, the top seeds in the women’s event, who as the previous day, started the action, there were anxious moments. Adriana Diaz, Melanie Diaz and Daniely Rios found the no.3 seeds, the Chilean outfit comprising Daniela Ortega, Valentina Rios and Paulina Vega in determined mood. A 3-2 victory margin was the end result in favour of the Caribbean island.
Daniela Ortega and Paulina Vega gave their team the ideal start by beating Melanie Diaz and Daniely Rios (11-8, 8-11, 8-11, 12-10, 11-6), before Adriana Diaz levelled matters by overcoming Valentina Rios (11-8, 11-6, 4-11, 11-4). Parity, once again Chile took the lead, Daniela Ortega accounted for Daniely Rios (11-6, 8-11, 11-6, 11-9). The point of no return, Adriana Diaz responded to beat Paulina Vega (11-9, 6-11, 11-6, 11-8), prior to Melanie Diaz prevailing in opposition to Valentina Rios (11-7, 11-7, 11-7) to seal the victory.
“The match against Brazil is going to be a like a war, it will be the most important match of all. We are focused on classification. I’m very happy to have won all my matches so far, I’m going to prepare thoroughly for tomorrow and correct any mistakes.” Adriana Diaz
“Chile has a very strong team. They have very experienced players; we knew it would be a tough match, we were prepared for a battle and it was a battle. In the doubles they played much better than us, they were more together. We will give everything against Brazil; this year we have faced each other twice with a victory for each team. It will definitely feel like a final for us and we hope to achieve the goal.” Melanie Diaz
“From the beginning we were quite focused, I didn’t get the results I wanted but my teammates did very well and we managed to win. Lima is one of our favourite countries, here we won the gold medal in the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. If we classify for Tokyo it will be like we have a special tattoo or something that is related to this beautiful country. The match against Brazil is going to be a final. They have a very strong team. We will do our best.” Daniely Rios
“We fought for every point against the current Pan American Games champions. It was a nice experience to face Adriana again after so many years. I felt comfortable, we have been making changes within the team and sometimes it takes a while to get used to it. We are hopeful that at some point we will gain qualification because we have a great team with clear objectives; I think South American table tennis has improved a lot. Now many players from this region play in Europe.” Paulina Vega
Life less exacting
Tense moments for Puerto Rico, life was less fraught for the Brazilian combination of Caroline Kumahara, Bruna Takahashi and Jessica Yamada. The no.2 seeds, they posted a 3-0 win in opposition to the no.4 seeds, Peru’s Ana Aragon, Lucciana Cisneros and Mariagrazia La Torre.
Caroline Kumahara and Jessica Yamada commenced matters by beating Ana Aragon and Mariagrazia La Torre (11-8, 11-5, 13-11), Bruna Takahashi overcame Lucciana Cisneros (11-2, 11-8, 11-4) to set the scene for Jessica Yamada. She duly completed proceedings by overcoming Ana Aragon (11-1, 11-6, 11-5).
On the opening day of play Puerto Rico had recorded a 3-0 against Peru, by the same margin Brazil had overcome Chile.
Similar success for men’s team
Success for Caroline Kumahara, Bruna Takahashi and Jessica Yamada was soon followed by success by the same margin for their male counterparts. The trio comprising Hugo Calderano, Vitor Ishiy and Gustavo Tsuboi, the top seeds, showed no hint of charity when facing the no.3 seeds, Chile’s Nicolas Burgs, Gustavo Gomez and Juan Lamadrid.
Vitor Ishiy and Gustavo Gomez secured the doubles at the expense of the spirited combination of Nicolas Burgos and Gustavo Gomez (11-9, 10-12, 9-11, 11-4, 11-8), before Hugo Calderano overcame Juan Lamadrid (11-7, 11-8, 11-4) and Gustavo Tsuboi prevailed against Gustavo Gomez to end matters (11-3, 12-10, 11-6).
Totally focused
Similarly, the no.2 seeds, Argentina’s Gaston Alto, Horacio Cifuentes and Pablo Tabachnik were totally focused when facing Peru’s Adolpho Cucho, Felipe Duffoo and Rodrigo Hidalgo.
Gaston Alto and Horacio Cifuentes commenced proceedings in style beating Adolfo Cucho and Felipe Duffoo (11-6, 11-3, 11-4), prior to Pablo Tabachnik overcoming Rodrigo Hidalgo (11-7, 6-11, 13-11, 11-9) and Horacio Cifuentes accounting for Felipe Duffoo (11-5, 11-7, 11-4).
The draw
Decision day and one wonders could the draw play a major factor in the outcome. Usually, in the Olympic system coaches play their best players in the two singles matches. Draw A,B,C that player competes in the second and fourth matches; if the lot is X,Y,Z the player in question competes in the second and fifth matches.
It could well happen the arguable “best player” only plays once if proceedings do not go your way; that is exactly what happened to Brazil at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games when they faced the United States at the men’s team semi-final stage. They drew X,Y,Z, they lost 3-1, Hugo Calderano was the one winner but he only played once.
In the men’s team event, Brazil will no doubt want Hugo Calderano to play second and fourth, the so-called “quick ones”; the same may well apply to Argentina in the guise of Horacio Cifuentes. Most certainly it will be the scenario in the women’s fixture, Brazil will want Bruna Takahashi to play second and fourth, so will Puerto Rico in the guise of Adriana Diaz.
For one team in each deciding fixture, the hope will come true but for only one; the draw may will have a major effect.
PHILLIP ISLAND, Australia – Maverick Vinales claimed the pole position for Sunday’s MotoGP event at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.
Windy conditions forced qualifying, originally scheduled for Saturday, to be postponed until Sunday. That didn’t phase Vinales, who continued his strong form at the Australian circuit by earning his third pole of the season for Monster Energy Yamaha.
Vinales put his Yamaha bike on the pole with a 1:28.492, which was more than half a second ahead of Fabio Quartararo in second. MotoGP champion Marc Marquez qualified third to complete the front row.
“I feel good and very positive because on the laps I did I was able to push at my maximum, that‘s very important,” Vinales said. “Straight away I felt good on hard tires and soft tires, so we will try to keep this momentum: start well, get into first place, and push from the beginning. I will try my best as always. The Yamaha is working very good on the track, we need to be careful with the tires, but anyway, I‘m very happy and feeling very positive.”
Vinales’ teammate Valentino Rossi qualified fourth to lead the second row. He’ll be joined by Ducati’s Danilo Petrucci and the LCR Honda entry of rider Cal Crutchlow.
The Aprilia duo of Aleix Espargaro and Andrea Iannone are seventh and eighth, with Pramac Racing’s Jack Miller qualifying ninth. Andrea Dovizioso qualified 10th for Ducati to complete the top-10.
Riders will now turn their attention to the race, which will take place at 3 p.m. local time in Australia.
He (69) holds outright lead halfway through marathon LPGA Q-Series
Muni He of Chengdu, China made five birdies en route to a 2-under 69 on Saturday at Pinehurst No. 6 at the marathon LPGA Q-Series. She now holds the outright lead at 9 under, midway through the eight-round event.
He won on the Symetra Tour in her rookie year of 2018 and also made eight cuts in 19 starts on the LPGA tour this season. She’s feeling good about her position in the field, knowing four rounds remain.
“It’s very important for me to keep reminding myself like, ‘Hey, be patient and pace yourself’ because we have so much golf left," He said.
Two shots behind He, at 7 under par, sit Lauren Coughlin (68), Maia Schechter (70) and Emma Talley (72). Lindsey Weaver (70) and Lauren Kim (72), the 36-hole leader, share third place at 6 under.
The third and final stage of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament is being contested over 144 holes, with the first 72 played at Pinehurst No. 6. Play now shifts to Pinehurst No. 9 for the last four rounds, beginning Thursday. A minimum of the top 45 players and ties will earn LPGA status at the end of the competition. There are 98 players in the field.
A complete list of scores can be found here.
Activists rally for Hong Kong before Rockets game
HOUSTON -- A group of about 35 people staged a rally Saturday outside the Toyota Center before the Houston Rockets' game against the New Orleans Pelicans to voice support for protesters in Hong Kong.
As fans filed into the arena, the demonstrators gathered in the entrance plaza, wearing black T-shirts emblazoned with the words "Fight For Freedom" on the front and "China, Stop Bullying" on the back. They held American flags as well as signs expressing support for free expression and criticizing the Chinese government. Two attendees held a large, gold banner that read, "Hong Kong's fight is everyone's fight."
The rally was coordinated by two local groups: the Vietnamese Community of Houston and Vicinities and Texas for Hong Kong. The same coalition organized approximately 30 people on Thursday for the Rockets' home opener, and they sat behind the south basket and stood holding their signs during stoppages in play.
The Rockets have been at the center of the conflict between the NBA and China that was sparked by the reaction to a tweet on Oct. 4 by Rockets general manager Daryl Morey expressing support for the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. In the days that have followed, broadcasters in China, Chinese sponsors and the Chinese Basketball Association have severed or scaled back agreements with the NBA.
Chris Wong, a research scientist and Hong Kong native who has organized events in Houston to bring awareness to the situation in his home city, helped assemble participants from the local Hong Konger community for both Thursday's and Saturday's home games.
"My reaction [to the Morey tweet] was, 'Great, someone is supporting and publicly speaking for Hong Kong,'" Wong said. "But the reaction from the Chinese government and the machinery in China was such an overreaction just for someone sending out a symbolic tweet. I was mad."
The Rockets, who featured eight-time All-Star center Yao Ming for nearly a decade and played in the NBA's first game in China in 2004, are one of China's most popular NBA teams. The franchise has cultivated extensive commercial partnerships in the nation since drafting Yao in 2002. Although Tencent, an ESPN partner, has resumed streaming NBA games in China, the Rockets have not appeared on the platform in the opening week of the season.
Tram Ho, an internist who emigrated from Vietnam to the United States in 1982 after spending six months as a refugee in Hong Kong, said she was inspired to help organize the events in Houston by activists inside Barclays Center during a Brooklyn Nets preseason game. Tram, who counts herself as a casual Rockets fan first drawn to the NBA by retired Rockets legend Hakeem Olajuwon, attended both Thursday's and Saturday's games and believes the current friction between China and the NBA is a harbinger of a larger conflict.
"China is not only bullying the United States right now, but [it] has been bullying other countries in Asia and South China Sea for a long time," Tram said. "I feel very sorry for Hong Kong, a democratic society. The two systems -- it's not going to work."
Fanny Wong, a certified public accountant in her 50s who immigrated to the United States from Macao in the 1970s, held a sign that read, "Stand with Hong Kong, Be Taller than LeBron, who kneels down for ¥¥¥ [the symbol for Chinese Yuan]." She wore a James Harden-style costume beard with a red zipper over the mouth to symbolize what she characterized as the self-censorship of many NBA players.
"I can understand that a lot of athletes, they have a lot of financial investment," Wong said. "What I would appreciate is that they be honest about that. Just say, 'We have a lot of interests at stake there, and there are certain things we need to compromise.' I'd respect that. They stood for justice somewhere else when there's no financial conflict of interest. But then where there is a conflict of financial interest, 'Oh, wait a minute. We don't understand.' To me, that's a lie. I'd respect it more if they were honest about it."
As game time neared, the group began to chant, "Stand for freedom, no censorship," before breaking into staccato chants of "Morey, Morey, Morey" and then "NBA, NBA, NBA."
"We are currently seeing people seeking profit over freedom," Jean Lin, a 28-year-old Taiwanese-American research technician, said when asked how the situation with the NBA and China is instructive. "Making that money and reaching that big market in China becomes more prominent, disregarding true American values."
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