NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – England all-rounder Ben Stokes considers Steve Smith a “genius” but does not think the Australian’s intense batting approach will work for him. Smith has admitted to shadow-practising even in the shower and Australia’s batting mainstay often needs to be told by the team management to go easy in net sessions to prevent burnout.Having shared the Rajasthan Royals dressing room in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with Smith, Stokes has observed how Smith approaches his craft and is impressed as well as amused.
Month: August 2020
Heavily-restricted NBA practices expected to resume tomorrow
NEW YORK, (Reuters) – NBA teams are expected to get the go-ahead to reopen practice facilities for limited use as early as tomorrow, less than two months after the coronavirus outbreak forced the suspension of the season. With head and assistant coaches barred and scrimmages forbidden, the workouts are unlikely to resemble business as usual for the NBA but would nonetheless be a step towards normalcy for a league whose season was upended in dramatic fashion in March.Players will be required to wear face masks inside team facilities, “except during the period when they are engaged in physical activity,” according to a league memo.Teams must also thoroughly disinfect any equipment used, from basketballs to weight-room equipment. Modifications to stay-at-home orders could play a factor in which teams can resume workouts, with some U.S. states reopening https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/REOPENING/jbyprjmdepe/index.html and others maintaining strict social distancing procedures.The Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets are among those considering opening facilities right away, according to media reports, with Texas and Colorado stay-at-home orders having expired.With much of the professional sports calendar on hold, many leagues across North America are considering whether and how their seasons could resume. Major League Soccer returned to training yesterday with strict rules in place, while NASCAR plans to resume competition on May 17 without fans.The NBA was among the first to see its season impacted by the coronavirus outbreak, with games called off at the last minute after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for the coronavirus in March.
COVID-19 crippling Caribbean football – McNab
(Jamaica Gleaner) FORMER NATIONAL footballer Aldrick ‘Allie’ McNab is concerned about the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Caribbean’s football development. The coronavirus has caused the postponement, suspension, and cancellation of a number of sporting events across the world, including the Olympic Games, now moved from this summer to July 2021, and a number of football leagues around the world, including the local Red Stripe Premier League.“It is crippling football throughout the world, and Jamaica is no different. What makes it so devastating for us is the fact that we are a footballing country,” McNab said.“Football is the biggest sport throughout the Caribbean, so when you are not having people playing, the entertainment value is lost, and the developmental value is lost to the youngsters. “For some years now, football in Jamaica has been an industry where people earn; therefore, people are not earning and it affects our national programme.“It is a good thing that FIFA has said that they are holding the rankings, because rankings are very important to a country like ours.”McNab, an adviser to Sport Minister Olivia Grange, said that the stakeholders need to figure out a way to resume the various leagues across the island once the coronavirus has been brought under control. “The way forward is coordination, because the JFF (Jamaica Football Federation), ISSA (Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association) and all the Premier League people need to come together and figure out how to do an abbreviated version of a season, so that the season isn’t lost,” he said. “I think that is very important because we need to play some football because we can’t take away hope from people.” McNab was a member of the Boys’ Town team that won three titles, including the National Premier League, in the 1983-84 season.He was also inducted into the Caribbean Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
Australia see opportunity in COVID-19 cutbacks – Paine
MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – Australia captain Tim Paine has been disappointed to see support staff lose their jobs as part of cost-cutting measures during the coronavirus crisis but says there is opportunity in the challenges brought on by the pandemic. Australia lost batting coach Graeme Hick and physiotherapist Kevin Sims among 40 redundancies announced by Cricket Australia last week as the board looks to shore up its finances.Paine said players in all teams would have to become more self-reliant as cricket cuts its cloth but Australia were determined to adapt first ahead of a blockbuster series against India in the home summer.“We spoke briefly on it on a Zoom call last week or about two weeks ago and just said it’s a great opportunity that things are going to change,” Paine told reporters in a video call on Tuesday. “Players are going to have to become more reliant on each other and on themselves and finding ways to get things done without the huge numbers of support that we’ve been really lucky to have over the last number of years.“It’s disappointing, certainly, from an aspect where people are losing their jobs.“We don’t want to see that and we’ve lost some really good people throughout this period but the flip side of that is the great opportunity to be able to adapt quicker than anyone else.” Having recorded about 7,500 infections and 102 deaths, Australia has been relatively successful at containing COVID-19 and winter sports have begun to welcome crowds back to stadiums.However, a fresh outbreak in Melbourne over the past week has provided something of a reality check while raising questions about whether the India tests should be moved to venues in states that are safe to host large crowds.Paine was open to potential switches, saying players wanted the crowd support. “We’re spoilt for choice here in Australia with some world class stadiums so if something had to change … we’ve got plenty of options.”
Former FIFA president Blatter calls for Infantino to be suspended
BERN, (Reuters) – Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has called for his successor, Gianni Infantino, to be suspended by the global soccer body after criminal proceedings were opened against Infantino in Switzerland. Swiss authorities said on Thursday that proceedings had been launched against the current FIFA boss by a special prosecutor looking into meetings he had with Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber. Lauber and Infantino have denied wrongdoing.“For me, the situation is clear, that the FIFA ethics committee has to open a case against Mr Infantino and so it has to suspend him,” Blatter, 84, said in a statement to Reuters.
The Racing Partnership secures on-course payments agreement with BRBA
Share Submit Related Articles On-course bookmakers return to UK courses in two-week trial August 17, 2020 StumbleUpon UKGC wipes ‘disproportionate’ Royal Ascot fines for on-course bookies May 14, 2020 On-course bookies rail against ‘severe’ age-verification penalties January 29, 2020 Share The Racing Partnership (“TRP”) has reached an agreement with the British Racecourse Bookmakers Association (“BRBA”) to administer payments to on-course bookmakers who provide their betting shows to the new betting shop channel.TRP will provide exclusive coverage to Licensed Betting Offices (“LBOs”) of all races from Doncaster, Lingfield Park, Wolverhampton, Royal Windsor, Worcester and Southwell – the first six of its twenty-two racecourses – from January 2017. It will be providing coverage from all twenty-two racecourses signed up to the TRP channel by January 2018.TRP has licensed bookmaker technology partner Racecourse Data Technologies (“RDT”) and appointed the PA as its official data partner to collect race day data from the TRP racecourses and make it available to its off-course bookmaker customers.Director of The Racing Partnership, Mark Kingston, said: “We are working with RDT and PA to ensure that we deliver fast and accurate data off course. No other organisation will have access to TRP racecourses to collect these prices or the other race day data needed to provide a complete data service to the betting industry. The transparent arrangement with BRBA means that on course bookmakers who contract with TRP will know exactly what they will be paid and when.”Chairman of the British Racecourse Bookmakers Association, Christopher Hudson, said: “As the largest individual bookmaker trade body we are very much looking forward to working with TRP at what is an exciting period of development on course.”
Argyll Entertainment – BetonBrazil gains online casino offering
Share Share StumbleUpon Amelco solidifies US presence with Continent 8 deal August 26, 2020 Esports Entertainment appoints Jeff Cohen as IR lead July 28, 2020 Submit Stuart Tilly, BetonBrazilArgyll Entertainment (Argyll) online betting subsidiary BetOnBrazil.com extends its player services by announcing that it has integrated an online casino platform to its existing product portfolio.Officially launched this August in partnership with TalkSport commentator and former Scotland international footballer Alan Brazil, BetOnBrazil launches its online casino product powered by platform provider Amelco.BetOnBrazil’s online casino will feature a full inventory of iSoftBet games, Argyll governance further informed that new content from NetEnt and Realistic Games would soon be added to the product.Stuart Tilly Chief Executive of Argyll Entertainment was pleased with the initial launch of his firms casino product, stating; “At BetOnBrazil we now have a market-leading sportsbook and a premium portfolio of casino games to rival the very best operators in the market; it’s just our customers will have a lot more fun playing them.”“Customers will be able to consume a whole range of exclusive video, audio and written content throughout the site and have the chance to compete for ‘money-can’t-buy’ prizes and exclusive access to Alan and his friends.”“For us, Alan isn’t just a brand ambassador. He’s very much at the heart of the way we offer our services to and interact with our customers.” Related Articles Argyll orders full compliance makeover with TruNarrative August 17, 2020
Ravens waive 2013 draft pick Mellette, Hamilton at start of minicamp
On the same day they started their three-day mandatory minicamp, the Ravens announced they’ve waived wide receiver Aaron Mellette and linebacker Adrian Hamilton.Both players failed their physicals prior to the start of camp.“We’ll continue to monitor those guys in the next six weeks,” coach John Harbaugh said after Tuesday’s practice, “and see where they’re at.”Mellette was a seventh-round in last year’s draft and initially made the 53-man roster at the end of the 2013 preseason before eventually being placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. Head coach John Harbaugh acknowledged earlier this spring that the Elon product was still dealing with soreness that had limited him at different times during the offseason work out program.The Ravens signed Hamilton to their practice squad in 2012 after he collected an incredible 22 sacks for Prairie View A&M in his senior season. He was promoted to the active roster and appeared in two games at the end of that regular season, but a wrist injury landed Hamilton on IR late in the 2013 preseason.Neither Mellette nor Hamilton was considered a future star by any means, but the Ravens had spoken highly of each player’s upside at various points over the last couple years, making their departure at this stage of the summer at least mildly surprising.With the Ravens trying out veteran cornerbacks Drayton Florence, Aaron Ross, Marquice Cole, and Dominique Franks during this week’s minicamp, they now have two open spots on their 90-man roster to add a veteran or two to the mix.
Ravens to unveil Lewis statue outside M&T Bank Stadium Thursday morning
Just a few days before the Ravens begin their 19th season in Baltimore, they will officially honor the most decorated player in franchise history by unveiling a statue of retired middle linebacker Ray Lewis on Thursday morning.Erected next to the statue of legendary Baltimore Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas outside M&T Bank Stadium, the Lewis statue has been in the works ever since team owner Steve Bisciotti announced his intentions of permanently honoring the future Hall of Fame linebacker at the end of the 2012 season. The two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and 13-time Pro Bowl selection was the only Ravens player to be part of both Super Bowl championships, earning Most Valuable Player honors in Super Bowl XXXV and winning his second championship in the final game of his 17-year career.Lewis will be eligible for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.“Most times, I’m never at a loss for words, but that’s a very humbling thing,” Lewis said in late July while attending a training camp practice at M&T Bank Stadium. “This is my home. I gave everything I had to city. To have a statue in this city, it means everything.”The organization will hold on 11 a.m. ceremony at Unitas Plaza outside the stadium with Bisciotti, team president Dick Cass, general manager Ozzie Newsome, and former teammates scheduled to attend in addition to friends and family of Lewis. The 39-year-old will speak from the podium during the ceremony, and sculptor Frederick Kail, who also made the Unitas statue, will be present.Fans are invited to attend the event, which is scheduled to last roughly 15 minutes.
Chapter 4: Got any 33rd Street memories? Time will not dim the glory…
(Originally published in Sept. 2006 as a prelude to the “Free The Birds” walkout, this is Part 4 of a 19 Chapter Series on how baseball and the Orioles created WNST.net. If you miss “The Oriole Way” and Baltimore’s love of baseball, please join us on April 5th for a civic action event.)So, today I wanted to write and think about and talk about Memorial Stadium and 33rd Street and the wonder of baseball as a child in Baltimore.Thirty-third street. The World’s Largest Outdoor Insane Asylum. The memories, the stories, the things we saw and experienced, the words we said and heard, and the people we shared it all with.At the end of the day, Memorial Stadium was about people.But, honest to God, I don’t know where to begin!Look I don’t want to get too deep, but go ahead and show me a place where more people in this community have gone, worshipped without regard to race, color, creed, religion — and all came together in a common civic bond. There were only two colors that ever mattered on 33rd Street. Orange in the spring and summer; blue from fall through the cold of winter and that was that!As for its significance and impact on our community, there must’ve been a reason why grown men wept in the aisles there on Oct. 6, 1991 when the Orioles walked away from 37 years of history on 33rd Street. Or literally, a MILLION different reasons to ponder, reflect and pay tribute to the good times of our lives, especially for those who experience our lives through this prism that is “sports” over the last century.Memorial Stadium is one of those places: if you were ever there and experienced any of the “Oriole Magic” then you just know what I’m talking about. And if you weren’t, there isn’t a columnist alive or any old grainy clip or any soundtrack that could ever make it as vivid and real and clear as it is to the rest of us who felt “The Magic.”As it turned out, that giant sign with the steely letters was indeed prophetic. Major League Baseball has been gone for 15 years now and the sign said it all:“Time Will Not Dim The Glory Of Their Deeds!”So, instead of getting even more poetic, I’ll just tell you a few of my favorite stories.Hopefully, they’ll remind you of yours.And, hopefully, these incredible memories will trigger a voice pulling you downtown