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Solskjaer tells Pogba: United 'don't need to sell'

Published in Soccer
Wednesday, 10 July 2019 00:07

PERTH, Australia -- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has told Paul Pogba that Manchester United "do not need to sell players" after the midfielder and his agent publicly said he wants to leave Old Trafford this summer.

Pogba has declared his intention to seek a "new challenge" while agent Mino Raiola has backed up the claims by insisting he hopes to "find a solution" before the close of the transfer window.

The 26-year-old, wanted by Real Madrid and Juventus, is in Australia with the United squad for the first leg of their preseason tour and speaking for the first time this summer, Solskjaer said the club are under no pressure to sell a player who still has three years left on his contract, and in any case are yet to receive a bid.

- Herrera says United did not move fast enough in talks
- Ogden: Pogba saga is the least of Solskjaer's preseason issues

"We're Man United and we don't need to sell our players," Solskjaer told a news conference at the WACA cricket ground.

"We don't have any bids for our players. Paul has never put himself out of the team, he's always given his best and I can't report anything but that.

"There is agent talk all the time and as I said we've not had any bids, that's all I can say for this matter."

Raiola raised the possibility that Pogba may not have travelled with the squad to Australia ahead of games against Perth Glory and Leeds United as he tried to engineer a move.

However, Solskjaer said the World Cup winner had been "professional" since linking with his teammates after a summer off, playing down reports that he had been involved in a spat with Jesse Lingard during a walk through Perth on Monday.

"Paul, it looks like it's going to be a media ... I don't want to call it an agenda against Paul," said Solskjaer.

"He's a great great professional and has a heart of gold. Jesse [Lingard] and Paul yesterday walking around and it's portrayed as a fight between them. I know you're here to sell papers and stories but they're all professional."

Pogba's future is just one of a number of issues facing Solskjaer this summer. Romelu Lukaku is keen to move to Inter Milan while Victor Lindelof's agent, Hasan Cetinkaya, has said the centre-back could be tempted by a move to Barcelona.

The Norwegian is also looking to bolster his squad with at least two new signings before the start of the Premier League season but he had more positive news about David De Gea's new contract and the injury picked up by Alexis Sanchez during the Copa America.

"We're still in the market looking to do some business but we're patient," said Solskjaer.

"We're Man United and we don't have to sell and don't have to overpay. You have to have the right players at the right price and if you look at the squad we've got now there are so many good players.

"I don't think Alexis' injury was too bad. When he's due back in three weeks I would expect him to be fit to train straight away.

"David has had a summer where he's been negotiating and we hope we're going to get it sorted.

"I'm positive. Of course with David I've said many times how lucky I am and happy we are to have him in goal."

Wolves don't match Grizzlies' offer for Jones

Published in Basketball
Tuesday, 09 July 2019 22:25

The Minnesota Timberwolves have declined to match the three-year, $28 million offer sheet restricted free agent Tyus Jones agreed to with the Memphis Grizzlies earlier this week.

"We sincerely thank Tyus for his contributions on the court and Tyus and the entire Jones family for their genuine impact on the Twin Cities community," Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas said in a statement Tuesday night. "We wish them nothing but the best in Memphis."

Minnesota had two days to match the Grizzlies' offer sheet. Among the reasons for not doing so, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski: The Timberwolves are pursuing max salary-cap space in 2020 free agency.

Memphis, meanwhile, is using most of a $9.3 million midlevel exception on Jones, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks.

With the Grizzlies, the 23-year-old point guard will get a chance to develop behind No. 2 overall pick Ja Morant. De'Anthony Melton, 21, could be a viable third point guard in time.

The 23-year-old Jones averaged 6.9 points and 4.8 assists for the Timberwolves during the 2018-19 season.

Jones was the 24th overall pick in the 2015 draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, but was traded to the Timberwolves for two second-round picks. During his career in Minnesota, he has averaged 5.1 points and 3.3 assists.

Silver: NBA needs 'enforceable' free-agency rules

Published in Basketball
Tuesday, 09 July 2019 21:12

LAS VEGAS -- Commissioner Adam Silver said multiple times during his annual news conference in Las Vegas during summer league that the NBA has "work to do" when it comes to free agency and the rules governing it.

Silver's comments came after a free-agency period in which several star players changed teams through deals that were apparently agreed upon before the official start of free agency at 6 p.m. ET on June 30.

"My sense in the room today was, especially when it comes to free agency and the rules around it, that we've got work to do," Silver said Tuesday evening at the conclusion of the league's annual board of governors meetings. "And as I said, it's still the same principles of fair balance of power and a sense that it's a level playing field. I think that's what teams want to know. I think they're put in difficult situations because when they're sitting across from a player and whether it's conversations that are happening earlier than they should or frankly things are being discussed that don't fall squarely within the collective bargaining agreement, it puts teams in a very difficult position because they are reading or hearing that other teams are doing other things to compete, and at the end of the day, that's what this league is about: competing for championships.

"My job is to enforce a fair set of rules for all our teams and a set of rules that are clear and make sense for everyone. I think right now we're not quite there."

Silver acknowledged that there always have been at least some discussions taking place before the official start of free agency. This year's free-agency period, though, put into stark relief just how much of that business is done ahead of time, with basically only Kawhi Leonard's search for a new team lingering past the first 24 hours in which players could agree to contracts with teams.

The league has only so many ways it can police tampering, particularly when it comes in the form of players talking to one another, something the NBA has no realistic way to combat. And while Silver wasn't directly addressing that topic during his news conference Tuesday, he did repeatedly say that he believes the league needs to look at having "enforceable rules" on its books.

"I think the consensus at both our committee meetings and the board meeting was that we need to revisit and reset those rules, that some of the rules we have in place may not make sense," Silver said. "I think that's what we discussed. I think it's pointless at the end of the day to have rules that we can't enforce. I think it hurts the perception of integrity around the league if people say, 'Well, you have that rule and it's obvious that teams aren't fully complying, so why do you have it?'

"I think the sense in the room was we should revisit those rules, think about what does make sense for our teams so that ultimately we can create a level playing field among the teams and that the partner teams have confidence that their competitors are adhering to the same set of rules they are."

All of the player movement this summer -- coupled with the star players available almost all choosing to sign with teams in either California, New York or Florida -- also led to questions about whether that was a potential long-term problem for the league.

Silver said he wasn't overly concerned by it. But he added that he was cognizant of the fact all 30 teams need to feel they have a chance to compete on a level playing field.

"I think at the end of the day, it's positive for the league," Silver said. "I will say, though, I'm mindful of this notion of balance of power, and I think it applies in many different ways. An appropriate balance of power between the teams and the players, an appropriate balance of power I'd say among all our 30 teams, big markets, small markets, some markets that are perceived as being more attractive than others, tax issues, climate issues. At the end of the day, you want to make sure you have a league where every team is in a position to compete.

"We have work to do. I think some of it is systematic, can only be addressed through collective bargaining. ... I never want to say it's without concern. Certainly we watch everything that happens, but again, having had a long-term perspective in the league, I think we continue to incrementally get better."

One thing Silver said he remains unhappy with is players making public trade demands. After previously decrying the practice, Silver said it continues to be something the league has to address in the wake of Anthony Davis being sent to the Los Angeles Lakers several months after making his trade request public before February's trade deadline, and Paul George going to the LA Clippers after privately making his own trade request last week.

"First of all, you know, of course that's nothing new in the league in terms of trade demands. But it concerns all of us," he said. "I mean, it falls in the same category of issues of the so-called rule of law within a sports league. You have a contract and it needs to be meaningful on both sides. On one hand, there's an expectation if you have a contract and it's guaranteed that the team is going to meet the terms of the contract, and the expectation on the other side is the player is going to meet the terms of the contract.

"I will say, without getting into any specific circumstances, trade demands are disheartening. They're disheartening to the team. They're disheartening to the community and don't serve the player well. The players care about their reputations just as much. And so that's an issue that needs to be addressed."

Silver was also asked about the decline in TV ratings this season, which he said could be attributed to several things, including cord cutting and pirating, but said he wasn't concerned about it overall.

Silver did, however, say that the way the media landscape has changed since the league's current television deal was agreed to five years ago could lead to the NBA attempting to reopen it with its television partners -- ESPN and Turner Sports -- to allow the league to better optimize its business.

"It's amazing to me, again, having been at the league for a long time and having watched change over the years, how much that change is now accelerating," Silver said. "I think even just from the time we negotiated this set of television deals less than five years ago. I think there's a realization with us with our television partners that at the end of the day, even though we have six years left on these deals, there are potentially modifications we should be making so we can do a better job finding those fans.

"So I don't think there's anything endemic to the league. In fact, at our board meeting we discussed the growth in popularity of the sport, the growth in participation, the fact that we have a young, diverse, global audience. All very positive indicators. But at the end of the day, a large component of our revenue come from traditional media. It's not something we can ignore and it's something that we and our television partners need to address."

Silver also added he isn't concerned about the number of rookies either sitting out of summer league completely or being shut down early like No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson, calling it "unique circumstances."

Bieber, late addition to All-Star roster, wins MVP

Published in Baseball
Tuesday, 09 July 2019 23:33

CLEVELAND -- In a 4-3 American League All-Star Game victory with no clear MVP on Tuesday, hometown favorite Shane Bieber, a right-handed starter for the Cleveland Indians, earned the honors after striking out the side in the fifth inning amid a Progressive Field-wide chant of his name.

The 24-year-old Bieber, once a walk-on at UC-Santa Barbara, caught Cubs catcher Willson Contreras looking on a 95 mph fastball, punched out Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte on an 84 mph curveball and froze Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. on an 86 mph slider.

Bieber is the third player in All-Star Game history to win the MVP award in his home ballpark, joining Pedro Martinez at Fenway Park in 1999 and Sandy Alomar Jr. also in Cleveland in 1997.

During the seven-pitch at-bat against Acuna, the crowd of 36,747 chanted, "Let's go, Bieber!" and he responded with a strikeout that prompted Indians manager Terry Francona to clap his hands excitedly. The victory extended the AL's All-Star Game winning streak to seven games.

"I really didn't know what to think," Bieber said of winning MVP. "Kinda lost all feeling in my body. But it's an incredible feeling now. Now that it's kind of sinking in, just to be able to do it in front of the hometown crowd in my first All-Star Game is definitely not something I expected."

Bieber wasn't named to the All-Star team until Friday, when he replaced Rangers starter Mike Minor, who wasn't eligible to play because he pitched Sunday.

Bieber is the first pitcher to win All-Star Game MVP since Mariano Rivera in 2013 and is just the fifth pitcher to do so in the past 40 years, joining Martinez, Roger Clemens (1986) and LaMarr Hoyt (1985). Only Bieber, Rivera and Juan Marichal (1965) have taken home MVP honors without earning a win.

Bieber -- no relation to Justin Bieber, for those wondering -- beat AL teammates Michael Brantley and Joey Gallo for the honors by preserving a 1-0 lead against the final three hitters in the National League's stout lineup. Brantley staked the AL to the advantage in the stadium where he spent the first 10 years of his career with a second-inning RBI double off Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw that scored Astros teammate Alex Bregman.

The 32-year-old Brantley, who joined Houston as a free agent this winter, sliced a 91 mph fastball from Kershaw into the left-center-field gap to open the scoring and hand Bieber the one-run lead he held.

"He is a phenomenal pitcher," Brantley said. "He is gaining experience and getting better and better every time he goes out. He competes at a high level. I am so proud of him. I can't wait to see him and tell him congratulations again. That was fun to watch."

The award easily could have gone to Gallo, the Rangers slugger whose solo homer proved the decisive run. The 25-year-old Gallo, in the midst of a breakout season that has helped propel the surprising Rangers into contention in the AL West, walloped a first-pitch fastball from San Francisco Giants closer Will Smith into the right-field stands.

The run gave the AL a 4-1 lead that it held after a shaky eighth inning from Indians closer Brad Hand shrunk the advantage to one run. Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman struck out the side in the ninth inning to end a game in which the NL punched out 16 times.

With injuries sidelining stalwart starters Corey Kluber and Mike Clevinger and a leukemia diagnosis keeping starter Carlos Carrasco out since the end of May, Bieber has proved a vital part of the Indians rotation.

In 112⅓ innings this season, Bieber has struck out 141 and walked just 23 to go with an 8-3 record and a 3.45 ERA.

In the fifth inning, during a "Stand Up To Cancer" moment that honored those who have fought the disease, Bieber stood alongside Indians All-Star teammates Francisco Lindor, Carlos Santana and Hand with Carrasco, a widely respected 32-year-old nicknamed Cookie.

"It was unbelievable," Bieber said. "Cookie, I've only known him for a year, but I can say for certain that he is one of the best teammates and best people I have ever met. Only he could turn what he is doing into a positive light, and he is going to the children's hospital, and he is spending time with them, and he is kind of reversing it on its heels and turning it into a positive light. ... We are here for him, we love him, and we are standing with him."

Bieber's rapid ascent since the Indians chose him in the fourth round of the 2016 draft has been aided by a significant rise in fastball velocity. He joined the Indians in May 2018 after just 50 games pitched in the minor leagues and has excelled this year, with four double-digit strikeout games, tied for fifth in the major leagues.

"I am just trying to throw strikes," Bieber said. "I couldn't really feel my body that much because, like I said, the electricity and the atmosphere we had going, but also you didn't want to leave a cookie over the plate because these guys are so good, and they will take advantage of it. Really just tried to fill up the zone as much as I could and go out there and get three outs. That was the main agenda."

ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this report.

CLEVELAND -- Baseball has a way of punching itself in the face. Even in the hours leading up to Tuesday's All-Star Game, much of the chatter on Twitter concerned earlier comments from commissioner Rob Manfred about the juiced-up baseball and Major League Baseball Players Association chief Tony Clark saying the MLB draft is inherently anti-labor.

Even fans aren't blameless in all of this. Instead of admiring all the young talent in today's game and the prodigious ability to swat home runs against incredible pitchers who throw 98 mph rocket balls, we too often lament the lack of base hits and stolen bases or complain about all the strikeouts.

The discussion is important and necessary. Sometimes, however, it feels like the criticism becomes the overwhelming narrative surrounding the sport. The All-Star Game is far from perfect; it's not what it once was, and wishing for it to be 1972 again solves nothing. We get it: Christian Yelich and Cody Bellinger, the two best players in the National League this season, exited in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Still, after spending three days in Cleveland, it was clear that the fans here enjoyed all the festivities with enthusiastic fervor, going crazy throughout Monday's Home Run Derby and cheering like it was a playoff game when hometown pitcher Shane Bieber struck out the side in the fifth inning. Everyone downtown and at the stadium was adorned in Indians T-shirts and jerseys -- far more support for the hometown team than I've seen at other recent All-Star Games -- in a reminder that Clevelanders, even if attendance numbers are low in the regular season, still passionately support their team.

The American League beat the National League 4-3, and few will remember the score of the game. Indeed, the most memorable moment of the night was perhaps the Stand Up To Cancer tribute, when Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco joined his four All-Star teammates and manager Terry Francona on the field. They held up signs saying they support "Cookie" -- Carrasco's nickname, which the crowd chanted -- while Carrasco held his sign, which read, "I stand."

It's a reminder that baseball is just a tiny, little blip. The fans left happy, and maybe that's all that matters.

Ten thoughts on a baseball game in Cleveland:

1. Bieber's MVP inning: Bieber wasn't on the original All-Star roster, but the replacement entered in the top of the fifth inning and struck out the side on 19 pitches, showing why he is having a breakout season in the Cleveland rotation. He fanned the Chicago Cubs' Willson Contreras looking on a 2-2, 95 mph fastball, low and away. He fanned Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks on a 3-2 curveball that drew admiration from Marte, as he saluted Bieber with a thumbs-up gesture. Then Bieber fanned Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. looking on a 3-2 slider. Note the sequence: Fastball, curveball, slider. Note Bieber's remarkable story:

"I couldn't really feel my body that much because, like I said, the electricity and the atmosphere we had going, but also you didn't want to leave a cookie over the plate because these guys are so good, and they will take advantage of it," Bieber said. "Really just tried to fill up the zone as much as I could and go out there and get three outs. That was the main agenda."

The 1-2-3 inning earned Bieber MVP honors.

"Shane Bieber, he showed them something today," teammate Francisco Lindor said, beaming, after the game.

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0:18

Bieber fans side to delight of Cleveland crowd

Shane Bieber strikes out Willson Contreras, Ketel Marte and Ronald Acuna Jr. during the fifth inning of the All-Star Game.

2. Cheers for Carrasco: The Indians starter hasn't pitched since May 30 as he battles leukemia. The latest reports indicate that he is expected to resume pitching at the end of July.

Former teammate Michael Brantley has remained in touch with Carrasco since he was diagnosed.

"He has a great supporting cast around him. He'll fight through this and get back on the mound," Brantley said.

Teammate Carlos Santana said the Stand Up To Cancer tribute was an emotional moment.

Bieber said it was an unbelievable moment: "Cookie, I've only known him for a year, but I can say for certain that he is one of the best teammates and best people I have ever met. Only he could turn what he is doing into a positive light, and he is going to the children's hospital, and he is spending time with them, and he is kind of reversing it on its heels. We are here for him, we love him, and we are standing with him."

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0:20

Carrasco, teammates stand up against cancer

Carlos Carrasco, who is being treated for leukemia, stands with his Indians teammates against cancer during the All-Star Game.

3. Jose Berrios versus Javier Baez: This wasn't a typical All-Star matchup between players from different leagues:

Berrios gave up a leadoff double to Marte but then showed he could be a Cy Young contender by season's end as he worked out of the jam. He fanned Acuna on a curveball and got Yelich looking at a fastball to set up the showdown with his brother-in-law. Berrios has faced 481 batters so far in the regular season and thrown just 26 0-0 changeups. So of course he threw a first-pitch changeup to Baez, who popped it up to shallow left field.

4. Joey Gallo's bomb: In his only at-bat of the game, Gallo faced Giants reliever Will Smith in the seventh inning, with the AL leading 2-1, a runner on and two outs. Smith had allowed two home runs to left-handed batters the past three seasons. This probably isn't where he wanted his pitch:

Gallo blasted a ball into the right-center field stands at 111.5 mph. It was the hardest-hit home run in an All-Star Game in the Statcast era (since 2015).

"Running the bases, I didn't really understand the magnitude of it," Gallo said. "I was like, 'This is an All-Star Game.' I watched this game growing up, and now I hit a home run in it."

Gallo even felt the All-Star celebration during the pregame introductions: "I kept hearing them announce all these superstars' names, and then they said my name, and I was like, 'I'm in a lineup with Mike Trout, George Springer, Mookie Betts and those guys.' It's pretty special."

5. Max Muncy plays second base in an All-Star Game: We mentioned Bieber's story. Muncy's is no less remarkable. At the start of the 2017 season, after the A's released him after 2016, he was out a job for two months before finally latching on with the Dodgers. He spent all of 2016 in the minors, then hit 35 home runs last year -- and his 22 home runs at the break made him a first-time All-Star.

That's amazing enough, but Muncy was primarily a first baseman/third baseman in the minors, starting just 12 games at second. He has started 31 games there for the Dodgers in 2019. He made a diving stop there in this game and threw out Santana to rob him of a base hit -- with help from a great stretch from Pete Alonso, who was miked up on the play:

6. Players miked up: It's an exhibition game. This is fun. It works. At one point, we had Astros Alex Bregman, George Springer and Michael Brantley hooked up together. At another point, Yelich and Bellinger. Here's Freddie Freeman batting in the first inning:

7. Big ovation for Brantley: Yes, another Cleveland moment. Brantley was a three-time All-Star for the Indians before signing with the Astros as a free agent. He received a big ovation during the pregame introductions and another one before his at-bat in the second inning against Clayton Kershaw, when he lined a two-out double into the left-center gap to score Bregman for the first run of the game.

"It's one of the things I'll always remember about Cleveland," Brantley said after the game. "They always supported me when I was here. To get a reception like that and a warm ovation is pretty special."

8. Scoreboard gaffes: OK, it wasn't all smooth sailing and good vibes, as the scoreboard operators misspelled Willson Contreras' name, had David Dahl listed as "Davis Dahl" and used Jacob deGrom's photo for Mets teammate Jeff McNeil.

Infielder/outfielder McNeil is another great story, a guy who started last year batting ninth in Double-A and became an All-Star while leading the majors with a .349 average.

McNeil wasn't too happy about the scoreboard error.

"That can't really happen, I don't think," he said. "I work so hard to make it to the All-Star Game. That's one of the things you look at, you know? What's going on? You check everything out, but it is what it is, I guess."

Hire an editor, folks.

9. All the strikeouts: The American League pitching staff finished with an All-Star record of 16 strikeouts in a nine-inning game -- a reminder that despite all the attention on home runs this season, there is some pretty good pitching to appreciate as well.

"It's the All-Star Game," McNeil said. "I mean, everybody is going to be extremely good and extremely hard to hit. Most All-Star Games are low-scoring, so I'm not surprised."

Brewers catcher Yasmani Grandal offered his take.

"Pitching has changed completely from what it was seven, eight years ago from when I first started," Grandal said. "I don't think it was anything surprising. We had some good arms as well. I think most of these guys have really good arms. I think our league has got some young arms that we're going to be seeing in the All-Star Game for a very long time."

Reds starter Luis Castillo is one of those young guys, and he had maybe the most impressive inning of the game. He fanned two in his 1-2-3 inning, averaging 98 mph with his fastball and getting seven swing-and-misses on 15 pitches, including four on the six changeups he threw.

10. The AL wins again: When Aroldis Chapman came on to close out the AL's 4-3 lead, Cleveland fans greeted him with a chorus of boos. Yes, he plays for the Yankees -- but he played for the Cubs in 2016.

"The fans here are very passionate," Lindor said. "They knew he beat us in the World Series."

Chapman finished it off with three straight strikeouts.

It was the AL's seventh win in a row. For some of us who grew up when the two leagues hated each other, that would be a big deal. It's no longer a big deal, even if it does bring a few smiles to AL fans.

Shane Tucker Sitting Out Western Swing

Published in Racing
Tuesday, 09 July 2019 19:07

DALLAS – Pro Stock driver Shane Tucker will not be competing during the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series three-race western swing due to business commitments with this Dallas-based company, Auzmet Architectural.

“From the very beginning my first priorities have been my business and my family,” said Tucker. “Success in both allowed me to go racing, but sometimes you have to make some tough decisions. This by far was one of the toughest and easiest decisions I have had to make. Auzmet Architectural in Dallas needs my attention over the next 30 days we have some exciting developments on the business side that will make us a stronger race team.”

Since the Gatornationals in March, Tucker and his Auzmet Camaro have qualified at every NHRA national event where Pro Stock was contested. The 33-year-old has committed to making a serious run at qualifying for the NHRA Countdown in arguably the most competitive class on the NHRA tour.

Working with his father, Rob, and engine builder, Nick Ferri, Tucker is investing both time and money in making his Chevrolet Camaro a competitive entry every race.

“We have every intention of being in Brainerd (Aug. 15-18) and finishing out the season strong,” added Tucker. “We are making improvements at every race with Nick Ferri and my dad. I am committed to Pro Stock and the NHRA. I’ll miss racing at some of the best tracks in the country in July but we’ll be back.”

Fighting cancer, Carrasco saluted in 5th at ASG

Published in Baseball
Tuesday, 09 July 2019 20:33

CLEVELAND -- Carlos Carrasco hopes to strike out cancer.

The Indians right-hander, who was recently diagnosed with a form of leukemia, was saluted in the fifth inning of the All-Star Game on Tuesday as part of Major League Baseball's "Stand Up to Cancer" campaign.

The 32-year-old stood in the third-base coach's box, flanked by four All-Star teammates and Indians manager Terry Francona. Carrasco held a sign that read "I Stand" while Lindor's said: "Cookie," which is the pitcher's nickname.

Carrasco had been feeling fatigued in May, and was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia following an exam at the Cleveland Clinic.

He has been cleared to resume conditioning and throwing activities to the extent he can tolerate them. Carrasco could pitch a bullpen session later this week and believes he'll return to the team at some point this season.

He had been scheduled to start against Minnesota on June 5, when the Indians issued a statement saying he was stepping away to get treatment for a "blood condition." Carrasco had been struggling on the mound before his diagnosis.

Late comeback denied

The mixed association combination of Wales’ Charlotte Carey and Australia’s Stephanie Xu Sang came close to pulling off a comeback victory in their preliminary round meeting with Lin Ye and Yu Mengyu, but narrowly missed out as the Singapore pair squeezed through by the skin of their teeth (11-8, 11-4, 4-11, 9-11, 11-9).

Another tie that went the full distance saw France’s Laura Gasnier and Audrey Zarif get the better of Hong Kong’s Mak Tze Wing and Zhu Chengzhu (5-11, 11-5, 11-9, 4-11, 11-8).

Australian duo turn up the heat

The sole mixed doubles encounter across the two-day qualification tournament has produced a moment of delight for the host nation with Australia’s Kane Townsend and Jee Minhyung outclassing French opponents Alexandre Robinot and Audrey Zarif in straight games (11-7, 12-10, 11-6).

Action begins!

Here’s the schedule for day two of the qualification tournament in Geelong:

Sussex 263 & 120 lead Australia A 373 (Burns 133, Harris 109) by 10 runs

Joe Burns provided Australia's selectors with a conundrum after matching Marcus Harris with a century for Australia A before the bowlers ripped through Sussex to put the tourists on the brink of victory on day three at Arundel.

Burns was a late inclusion in the Australia A squad, after suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, and the team for this match after Matthew Wade was called up to Australia's World Cup squad.

Burns and Harris added just 11 to the 203-run opening stand they produced on day two before Harris fell caught behind for 109 but Burns kicked on to reach his century. Kurtis Patterson fell cheaply before Burns and Travis Head shared a 61-run stand until Head was given out lbw sweeping Luke Wells for 34.

Burns was eventually dismissed by a beauty from Mir Hamza, edging him to slip for 133 from 241 balls.

"My goal coming into the game was just to try and face as many balls as possible, so I'm satisfied with the performance," Burns said.

He added he benefitted from a more relaxed approach to his preparation following his time out with post viral fatigue issues.

"I've probably listened to my body a lot more," Burns said. "During the summer I was really pushing hard all the time trying to prepare as best as you can and every time I felt fatigued I just thought I had to work harder and do more. I probably just have a better understanding of where my body is at. I'm listening to it a little bit more now.

"Coming into the game, I was just trying to focus on being as fresh as possible. It's actually quite relaxing mentally coming into the game, again getting called in at the last minute probably helped with that and it just makes you relax when you get out into the middle."

Burns and Harris appear to be in a battle to partner David Warner in the opening Ashes Test but Burns said they were not worried about that against Sussex.

"As openers you're always working as a partnership, trying to get through the partnership and helping each other out in the middle," Burns said. "[Harris] has had a tremendous season and done extremely well and made plenty of runs. You saw in this game he walks out there, whacks them from ball one.

"There's a lot of players making a lot of runs. It's great signs for Australian cricket and honestly, as players, you just get out there in the middle and work with your partner to try and overcome the opposition. You don't really look at each other competing for spots. I've always thought that if everyone's making runs, there's a spot for everyone."

Usman Khawaja's hamstring injury may provide another spot in the Australia Test top order although Steve Smith is also set to return. Burns said he was bitterly disappointed to see his Queensland team-mate get injured, but would bat anywhere if required.

"I was shattered for him," Burns said. "Hopefully it's not too bad. It's a cruel game sometimes. I feel comfortable anywhere. I've batted in a lot of different positions in the order in the past. Hopefully Uzzie [Khawaja] is there though. He's made that No.3 spot his own and is a really integral part of the Test team. As a team-mate you don't really want to think like that, you just hope he can get back playing and recover as quickly as possible."

Australia A collapsed against the second new ball following Burns' dismissal falling from 313 for 3 to 373 all out, but their bowlers tore through Sussex's batting line-up in the afternoon.

Jackson Bird, James Pattinson and Jon Holland each took three wickets as Sussex were bundled out for 120 right on stumps.

Bird got the ball to swing and nip as he claimed three top-order scalps in two overs before Holland found some purchase to give Patterson two catches at slip. Pattinson blasted out the tail with pace to leave Australia A with just 11 runs to win on the final day.

NBA approves use of coach's challenge in '19-20

Published in Basketball
Tuesday, 09 July 2019 18:57

LAS VEGAS -- At its annual meeting here during NBA summer league, the league's board of governors approved a pair of changes for next season: the use of a coach's challenge and the league's replay center initiating replay proceedings for certain types of plays.

The NBA's competition committee proposed both changes, and they earned unanimous support from the league's 30 teams.

The coach's challenge, which has been used in the NBA's G League for each of the past two seasons and has been in place for this year's version of the summer league, will be used next season by the NBA on a one-year trial basis.

Teams can use one challenge per game regardless of whether it is successful, and it can be utilized to question a variety of instances, including a called personal foul on the coach's own team, an out-of-bounds call, goaltending or basket interference. The challenge can be used at any point during the game. However, in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime, any out of bounds, goaltending or basket-interference calls will be automatically triggered for review and are not challengeable.

To challenge a play, a team must have a timeout and call one after the play, and then its coach must twirl his finger toward the referees to signal for the challenge. If a team doesn't have a timeout and attempts to challenge a play, it will be charged a technical foul and no challenge will occur. There must be clear and conclusive visual evidence to overturn a call.

Meanwhile, the league's replay center in Secaucus, New Jersey, is now able to instantly call for the review of two types of plays: whether a shot is a 2- or 3-pointer (both for made baskets to determine which it is, as well as when a player is fouled while shooting, to determine whether he gets two or three free throws), and for a potential shot-clock violation.

The league will now have a "courtside administrator," a new position hired and supervised by the NBA's league office, positioned at the scorer's table to speed up the communication between the replay center and the on-court referees.

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