I Dig Sports
PERRIS, Calif. — After battling back and forth with Jake Swanson, Hunter Schuerenberg took command on lap seven and led the rest of the way to win the Salute to Indy at Perris Auto Speedway.
Racing Andy Reinbold and Todd Underwood’s No. 19 AME Electrical / Mesilla Valley Transportation Spike, Schuerenberg earned his second career AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car triumph over Swanson, Richard Vander Weerd, Matt Mitchell and R.J. Johnson.
Matt McCarthy earned the Specialty Fasteners Hard Charger Award with a 21stto ninth place run. Stevie Sussex claimed the Wilwood Disc Brakes “Lucky 13 Award” with a 13th-place finish in the main event.
Damion Gardner scored his 85th Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award by posting a time of 16.409 seconds over the 25-car field.
The finish:
Feature (30 laps, with starting positions): 1. Hunter Schuerenberg (2), 2. Jake Swanson (1), 3. Richard Vander Weerd (5), 4. Matt Mitchell (4), 5. R.J. Johnson (7), 6. Brody Roa (12), 7. Danny Faria Jr. (8), 8. Chris Gansen (10), 9. Matt McCarthy (21), 10. Austin Williams (3), 11. Damion Gardner (6), 12. Jace Vander Weerd (11), 13. Steve Sussex (18), 14. Mike Martin (20), 15. Verne Sweeney (13), 16. Cody Williams (9), 17. A.J. Bender (15), 18. Matt Stewart (16), 19. Jeff Dyer (22), 20. Joel Rayborne (19), 21. Eddie Tafoya Jr. (17), 22. Trent Williams (14). NT
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STOCKTON, Calif. — D.J. Netto won the 35-lap Jimmy Sills Classic at the Stockton Dirt Track on Saturday night.
In surprising fashion, Netto took advantage of a very late race caution to pass initial leader Shane Golobic with just two laps remaining and drove the Netto AG No. 88n to victory over Kalib Henry and Golobic.
The race’s final caution waved on lap 33 when Blake Carrick spun in the second turn. The caution put an end to Golobic’s dominating performance after he started on the front row next to pole sitter Netto. Golobic led from the initial start and controlled the race despite several cautions and a red flag period. Netto made a bold pass to the inside of Golobic going into the first turn on the restart.
A surprised Golobic tried to make a cross over move going down the backstretch, only to overpower the outside edge and loosing yet another spot. He would have to settle for a third-place finish after having controlled the entire race up until that point.
The race went five laps before the first caution flag flew for Ben Worth. On the restart, Netto challenged leader Golobic by getting along side of him in the fourth turn, but Golobic would remain the leader going into the first turn. The green flag would stay out long as fifth-place runner Zane Blanchard spun going down the back stretch. His race ended as he was towed back to the pits.
scary moment for Tony Gualda occurred on lap 10 when he parked his car atop the fourth turn banking and jumped from the car, apparently on fire. The result was the race’s only red flag stoppage, as Gualda was able to walk away from the scene after being attended to by the ambulance crew.
The next caution was for Lucas Ashe who stopped off the third turn. He would refire and join the back of the pack. Andy Forsberg’s race ended on lap 14 after spinning and then retiring from the event.
A long green flag period allowed Golobic to catch the back of the field, where he had to master the slower cars. What looked like a sure win ended when Blake Carrick brought out the caution with just two laps to go.
The finish:
D.J. Netto, Kalib Henry, Shane Golobic, Willie Croft, Kyle Offill, Mitchell Moles, Cole Macedo, Blake Carrick, Tanner Carrick, Jesse Love, Ben Worth, Lucas Ashe, Andy Forsberg, Tony Gualda, Jake Haulot, Zane Blanchard, Jayson Bright
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ANDERSON, Ind. — For the third time in four years California driver Kody Swanson pulled into victory lane in the 71st running of the Pay Less Little 500 at Anderson Speedway.
Swanson took the lead with an outside pass of his teammate Shane Hollingsworth on the back straight. The pass came after both drivers made their final pit stops on lap 354.
That was followed by the long green flag run of 74 laps.
The Gene Nolen Racing teammates led all but one lap with only Bobby Santos on the point when the Nolen teammates pitted together.
It was a dominating performance with Swanson leading 345 of the 500 laps.
“We had a great system and never gave up,” Swanson said in the winner’s circle. “Traffic is always tough to work through because you’re always racing someone.
“This is a marvelous team,” he continued. “We had the two fastest cars on the track. It doesn’t get any better.”
Santos said his team work hard all week and provided him with a great car.
“I want a win,” he said of the Little 500. “It’s disappointing because we had a fast car all night and this is a great race.”
Wilson said for his team it was a return to form for the team which has struggled in other forms of racing.
“We didn’t have our best car,” he said, “we were just a little off.”
Swanson led the first 186 laps from the pole position and his teammate took the lead when Swanson pitted.
Years ago, legendary car builder Glen Niebel dominated the Little 500 with V-6 power under the hood and the Nolen cars were both running with V-6 engines.
Santos came home in second followed by Jacob Wilson, Hollingsworth and Chris Windom.
Missisippi driver Joey Schmidt claimed rookie of the year honors with a seventh-place finish.
Following the first round of pit stops Swanson moved into second by passing Bobby Santos on lap 296 and closed on Hollingsworth.
Hollingsworth was able to hold off Swanson until lap 326 when the pass for the lead was made on the back straight with a lapped car coming into play.
The race was one of attrition with only 18 of the 33 starters running at the halfway point.
Several incidents took out expected contenders through contact with other cars and the retaining walls.
Tyler Roahrig, Kyle Hamilton, Aaron Pierce, Shane Cottle and Caleb Armstrong were all eliminated through incidents before 200 laps were completed.
The finish:
1) Kody Swanson; 2) Bobby Santos; 3) Jacob Wilson; 4) Shane Hollingsworth; 5) Chris Windom; 6) Brian Gerster; 7) Joey Schmidt; 8) Mickey Kempgens; 9) Travis Welpott; 10) Jimmy McCune; 11) Chris Neuenschwander; 12) Nick Hamilton; 13) Brian Vaughn; 14) Scotty Hampton; 15) Tony Main; 16) Donnie Adams; 17) Shane Butler; 18) Johnny Gilbertson; 19) Eric Gordon; 20) Kyle O’Gara; 21) John Inman; 22) Chris Jagger; 23) Kyle Hamilton; 24) Aaron Pierce; 25) Brian Tyler; 26) Tyler Roahrig; 27) Ken Schrader; 28) Trey Osborne; 29) Justin Grant; 30) Billy Wease; 31) Jeff Bloom; 32) Shane Cottle; 33) Caleb Armstrong
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Manchester United expect top summer target Matthijs de Ligt to resist their advances and complete a move to Barcelona, with Old Trafford sources having told ESPN FC they believe the Spanish champions struck an agreement with the Ajax captain two months ago.
De Ligt, 19, has emerged as one of the most-sought after players in Europe this season after playing a key role in Ajax's run to the Champions League semifinal. The defender also led the Amsterdam giants to their first Eredivisie title since 2014 earlier this month as well success in the Dutch Cup.
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But with Ajax accepting to sell the centre-half this summer, United and Barcelona have been battling it out to secure the teenager's signature for months.
Sources have told ESPN FC that United have offered De Ligt a deal worth £250,000-a-week to move to Old Trafford -- more than the player will receive at Barcelona.
But despite the prospect of playing in the Premier League with United, De Ligt has made it clear to the club that his preference is a move to Barcelona, who have already completed a €75 million deal for his Ajax teammate, Frenkie de Jong.
While United remain huge admirers of De Ligt, who is not expected to leave Ajax until after his involvement with the Netherlands at the Nations League in Portugal next month, there is an acceptance within Old Trafford that Barcelona have all but tied up a deal for the player.
United are also attempting to finalise moves for Swansea winger Daniel James and Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff.
But while the focus is on recruiting the best young talent in the country, United have ruled out a move for Borussia Dortmund and England forward Jadon Sancho due to the excessive costs of signing the former Manchester City youngster.
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'Not the right place for me' - Jayawardene declines SLC World Cup offer
Published in
Cricket
Sunday, 26 May 2019 00:57
Mahela Jayawardene had been invited to play a role in Sri Lanka's World Cup campaign, but declined largely because he remains disillusioned with Sri Lanka Cricket's general direction.
Now a two-time IPL-winning coach, Jayawardene has in the past produced plans to overhaul Sri Lanka's domestic cricket system, only for those proposals to be rejected by SLC. Last year, a committee featuring Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Aravinda de Silva had also produced a report on Sri Lankan cricket, with recommendations on governance as well as domestic structure. Those recommendations have been almost totally ignored since.
Jayawardene said he had been asked twice to play a role in Sri Lanka's backroom for the World Cup - once by Sri Lanka's sports minister, and once by SLC's CEO towards the end of the recent IPL. He turned the offers down.
"I was [invited] but I have several other commitments. More than that, I didn't understand the role I am expected to play," Jayawardene told Sunday Times. "There's no point in me getting involved tactically, or whatever, if I don't have a say in the whole structure. The team is selected and everything is done and dusted. There is no room for me to come in and add something.
"I am still happy to contribute in my little way with the management of the team, but nothing to do with the SLC. That's something I have told myself as well. I just don't have the appetite to come and work for anybody when I know that it's not the right place for me."
Jayawardene had been especially dismayed by SLC's failure to seriously consider the recommendations put forward by his committee last year. That report had been commissioned by Sri Lanka's sports ministry.
"We created a professional cricketing structure spending eight months," he said. "We offered to set it up for them but they rejected it. We did it because we don't want to lose our cricketers going to Australia and to league cricket in England. We need those experienced players in our system.
"There are some teams in our first class system where the average age is 25, which is sad. When we played, we had so many senior cricketers to guide us. Without them in our system, we cannot build a strong domestic cricket structure. And without doing that, there's no point in building stadiums."
"He gave in to cricket politics. He allowed other people to make decisions and did not stand up for his players. I have told him this as well and he accepts it." Jayawardene on Angelo Mathews
Jayawardene also criticised aspects of Angelo Mathews' and Dinesh Chandimal's leadership, whose failures he believes contributed to the rapid recent turnover of captains in the Sri Lanka side. Mathews was captain of all Sri Lanka's teams when Jayawardene retired in 2015, but since then, Chandimal, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Chamara Kapugedara and - most-recently - Dimuth Karunaratne have held the reins. This instability is understood to have contributed to Sri Lanka's serious decline in ODIs.
"The only advice [Kumar and I] gave Angelo was not to give in to cricket politics," Jayawardene said. "He needs to be a stronger leader, to be with the players and do the right thing. But he gave in to cricket politics. He allowed other people to make decisions and did not stand up for his players. I am being honest. I have told him this as well and he accepts it. If he hadn't give in, we would probably not be in this situation today. Even if I see him today, that's the only complaint I will have against him.
"The number one rule in Sri Lanka is, if you are the captain, lead by example and do not allow any outsiders coming into that setup. That's the only way we ran the show and survived. It was unfortunate and it was not easy, either. You need to deal with a lot of unwanted elements. But if you are a strong character, that's something you have to do. I have nothing against him. He is a brilliant cricketer and a wonderful person but he did not handle this situation well. He should be the one who is leading this team at the World Cup. He had to give up because it was too much for him. But it was his fault.
"I think [Chandimal' was another victim of cricket politics. In the sense, he was another player like Angelo Mathews who was snared to elements behind the scene and went along with them rather than taking control of the team and being a strong leader."
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Toss West Indies chose to bowl against South Africa
Jason Holder won the toss and asked South Africa, led by JP Duminy for a change, to bat first in their World Cup 2019 warm-up game in Bristol.
No Faf du Plessis? "Mixing it up," explained Duminy, adding that the regular captain will come out to bat at some stage.
The grass cover on the pitch, Holder said, had encouraged him to bowl first. In his pitch report, Michael Holding pointed out that it's a hard pitch, and the patches of grass are close to the batsmen. The boundaries are not too far away, so the big-hitters might be in business.
Holder mentioned that Kemar Roach and Fabian Allen and "one more player" are sitting out this game, and 12 men will take part in the action for them in their "last chance to finalise combinations".
South Africa have been in form. They had a grand time against Sri Lanka in their warm-up fixture the other day in Cardiff, winning by 87 runs. Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis hit half-centuries as they put up 338 for 7. Andile Phehlukwayo, who hit a 34-ball 35, also picked up four wickets, while Lungi Ngidi, returning from injury, conceded just 12 runs in six overs for two wickets.
South Africa's last ODI series was against the same opponents, Sri Lanka, at home in March, and they swept that 5-0. West Indies, meanwhile, had quite a different side when they played the tri-series in Ireland, where Bangladesh were the third team. They were up and down there, beating Ireland in both their fixtures, but losing to the higher-ranked Bangladesh twice in the round-robin stage and then in the final.
It is cloudy, and the weather forecast isn't too positive, but it has cleared up a bit, and while it's chilly, we should get a full game.
Squads
South Africa: JP Duminy (capt), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram, Faf du Plessis, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwayne Pretorius, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada.
West Indies: Jason Holder (capt), Andre Russell, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Shannon Gabriel, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope (wk), Evin Lewis, Ashley Nurse, Nicholas Pooran, Oshane Thomas.
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Auburn radio voice, wife die following car crash
Published in
Breaking News
Saturday, 25 May 2019 21:37
Rod Bramblett, the radio voice of the Auburn Tigers, and his wife, Paula, died from injuries suffered in a car crash Saturday night in Alabama, the Lee County Coroner's Office confirmed early Sunday morning.
Paramedics responded to a two-car crash in Auburn shortly after 6 p.m. Saturday. Rod Bramblett was airlifted to UAB Hospital in Birmingham, where he died of a severe closed head injury, the coroner's office said. Paula Bramblett died of multiple internal injuries in the emergency room of East Alabama Medical Center. Rod Bramblett was 52; Paula Bramblett was 53.
The name of the 16-year-old driver of the other vehicle has not been released, and an investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.
"Our hearts are full of grief," Auburn president Steven Leath wrote in a tweet. "Janet and I offer our sympathy and support to the family of Rod and Paula Bramblett. The Auburn family loves you!"
The Auburn Family is devastated by the tragic passing of Rod and Paula Bramblett. ?? pic.twitter.com/BiynTWHcIx
— Auburn Tigers (@AuburnTigers) May 26, 2019
Bramblett served as the lead announcer for Auburn football, men's basketball and baseball.
According to the school's athletic website, he had been the voice of the baseball team since 1993, and he took over play-by-play duties for football and basketball in 2003.
Earlier this month, the Tigers baseball team honored Bramblett and his longtime radio partner, Andy Burcham, for their 25 years with the team.
"It left me speechless, to be sure," Bramblett said then of the surprise ceremony.
Bramblett was a three-time winner (2006, '10, '13) of the Alabama State Broadcaster of the Year award. He was honored as the National Broadcaster of the Year by Sports Illustrated in 2013, in part for his call on Chris Davis' game-winning 109-yard return of a missed field goal as time expired to beat Alabama in the Iron Bowl.
Bramblett, who was an Alabama native, and his wife are survived by two children, Shelby and Joshua.
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TORONTO -- Giannis Antetokounmpo vowed that with his teammates' backs against the wall, the Milwaukee Bucks wouldn't fold.
The Bucks had suffered a disappointing Game 5 loss to the Toronto Raptors and, for the first time in the 2019 postseason, were facing elimination Saturday. Antetokounmpo said then that he couldn't ensure the Bucks would win, but he was certain they would fight.
Through three quarters of Game 6, the Bucks didn't fold. It was a game of pendulum swings. The Bucks fought hard, earning double-digit leads, only to see them wane. Then they built them back up again. Toronto ended the third quarter on a 10-0 run that cut the Bucks' once 15-point lead to five. That proved to be the turning point in Toronto's 100-94 series-clinching win.
"They just made tough shots," Malcolm Brogdon said. "We made our mistakes, and they capitalized."
It wasn't supposed to end this way. After nearly every one of the Bucks' regular-season wins, Antetokounmpo or Brogdon or Khris Middleton would say that the win was nice, but they were playing for something bigger.
That "something bigger" was never identified by name, but the underlying, unnamed truth was that the Bucks had their eyes on a Finals appearance.
"I think we had a great year," Middleton said after the game. "Sixty wins, one of the best teams in NBA history. Got past the first round, which we struggled with for a long time. Just fell short of our goals."
Like in Game 5, the Bucks got off to a hot start in Game 6, building a 31-18 lead by the end of the first quarter. But slowly, the Raptors crept back. Each time Toronto scored, the home crowd erupted. Each bucket, after all, got them one step closer to the team's first Finals appearance in franchise history.
With two minutes left in the game, fans inside Scotiabank Arena began to bounce. Each time the Raptors scored, pushing their lead from one to four and eventually to six, the scoreboard flashed video of the scene in Jurassic Park outside the arena, where thousands of fans stood cheering.
Toronto's win was sealed by two free throws from Kawhi Leonard.
The Bucks locker room after the game was somber. Players dressed quickly and quietly.
"Experience. You have to go through some things to get to where you want to go," Middleton said. "So hopefully we learn from this and move on."
Afterward, Milwaukee's players and coaches climbed the steps to their team buses and drove slowly through the sea of partygoers and Raptors faithful who had waited decades for their team to earn an NBA Finals berth.
A Finals appearance for the Bucks will have to wait at least until next year.
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