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Volume: 119 No.95, April 7, 2022
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NIB WORKERS VOTE TO STRIKE By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net
VOTING under way yesterday in the ballot by the Public Managers Union at BCPOU Hall. Photo: Donavan McIntosh/ Tribune Staff
THE majority of Public Managers Union members yesterday voted in favour of taking industrial action against the National Insurance Board after 29 months of wrangling for resolution of outstanding issues. Union members both in New Providence and the Family Islands cast ballots in a strike vote, which will allow the PMU to obtain a strike certificate from the Department of Labour. While the official count from all of the islands had not been tallied up to press time, PMU President Cassandra Lewis said a preliminary count in New Providence showed that of around 100 ballots cast, only six members were opposed to striking. This, she said, was sufficient evidence
that members wanted to be compensated for the work they have done and are tired of waiting. Mrs Lewis said the successful strike vote did not necessarily mean the union would strike, but it intended to use the right if there was not swift action from NIB. “Why do we have to always fight for what we want?” Mrs Lewis said following the vote. “I would much rather be in the boardroom negotiating. “If you say to me the board has no money and we all struggle together we can understand that. But it can’t be business as usual. Show me that you don’t have the money. “But we are really hoping they would come to the table with a view to resolving the issues.” SEE PAGE THREE
TRIBUNE ARTIST BECOMES CULTURAL AMBASSADOR By PAVEL BAILEY THE Ministry of Foreign Affairs celebrated the appointment of seven new envoys at an official swearing-in ceremony at the Balmoral Club yesterday. Among them was Tribune cartoonist and “celebrity artist” Jamaal Rolle who has been appointed ambassador-at-large for cultural affairs. Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell as well as several other
NEW ambassador-at-large for cultural affairs Jamaal Rolle with Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis yesterday. government officials were in attendance as the seven envoys took their oath of office for ambassadorial appointments.
Former Cabinet minister Hope Strachan has been appointed ambassador/ permanent representative to UNESCO; former BTC CEO Leon Williams is ambassador to the International Telecommunications Union; former Cabinet minister Damian Gomez has been made ambassador-atlarge to the Inter-American Council on Human Rights; and former Marathon SEE PAGE TWO PLUS JAMAAL’S FAREWELL CARTOON ON PAGE SIX
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
FIVE KILLED SINCE SUNDAY IN DEADLY MURDER TOLL By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net TWO men were killed in separate homicides just hours apart on Tuesday night - and another in a shooting last night. Five people have been killed since Sunday. Shortly before 10pm on Tuesday, police were alerted to the sounds of gunshots on Second Street and Poinciana Avenue. “Officers were dispatched, and on their arrival they found an adult male lying on Cynthia Pratt Park with gunshot injuries about the body. Emergency Medical Services visited the scene and following their assessment it was SEE PAGE THREE
GOVT ASKS FOR FILES ON BAHAMIANS’ ITALY DEATHS By PAVEL BAILEY
FOREIGN Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell said the government has asked Italian officials for the files connected to the investigation of the deaths of two Bahamian men who died mysteriously in 2019, but have yet to receive them. Bahamians Alrae Ramsey and Blair John were found dead in Italy on June 4 and June 5, 2019. Their bodies were discovered lifeless in the Po river in Turin. SEE PAGE FIVE
TOO LENIENT ON POACHERS - BUT NO MORE JAIL TIME By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
THE Court of Appeal’s president has declined to impose harsher punishment on three Dominican poachers who rammed a Royal Bahamas Defence Force vessel despite branding their original sentences as “lenient”. Sir Michael Barnett said he and his fellow appeal judges, were “not satisfied that it is in the interest of justice” to increase the custodial term given they were due to be released in a week’s time. FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
PAGE 2, Thursday, April 7, 2022
THE TRIBUNE
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MINISTER of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell and Ann Marie Davis, the wife of Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis, with appointees, from left, Leon Williams, Al Dilette, Damian Gomez, Winston Pinnock, Hope Strachan, Jamaal Rolle (second from right) and Ron Pinder (far right). Photo: Racardo Thomas/Tribune Staff
TRIBUNE ARTIST ROLLE BECOMES CULTURAL AMBASSADOR from page one
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MP Ron Pinder has been appointed ambassador-atlarge of the Independence Celebrations Committee. The other envoys include public relations specialist Al Dillette, who has been appointed consul general at the Bahamas Consulate in Toronto, Canada, and entrepreneur Winston Pinnock, the new ambassador/ permanent representative to the Food and Agricultural Organisation. Mr Mitchell apologised for Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis’ absence at the ceremony, explaining the nation’s leader was tied up in a telephone meeting with other CARICOM leaders yesterday. He said that the new appointees will represent the ideals of the nation on a global stage. “So I’m saying that those who join the foreign service ought to represent all the people of The Bahamas and so therefore it is not strictly a body of people who are academically trained but bring all their experiences to The Bahamas.” Mr Mitchell warned the new appointees to be mindful in their new positions as he said they now spoke as agents of the Bahamian government and should do so with careful discretion. “Ministry of Foreign Affairs employees are agents of the government, so when you become an ambassador or service officer you no longer have your own opinions. So, therefore, venting on Facebook is not an option because you are acting on behalf of the commonwealth of The Bahamas.”
As to the newly created position of consul general in Toronto, Mr Mitchell said to the press that the new appointment was aimed at helping the high concentration of Bahamians in Toronto and Halifax. “So, even though Ottawa is where the capital of Canada is and so that is where the high commission or the embassy is, Bahamians are mainly in Toronto. Let’s start there, which is Canada’s largest city. So for some time Bahamians have been saying that Ottawa is too far to go to, certainly if you’re in Halifax it’s too far to go to, too difficult to get to if they need consular issues addressed,” Mr Mitchell said. “So the thinking is to put a consulate in Toronto which will be able to deal with the concerns and issues connected with the Bahamian community in Toronto. And hopefully as well at some point there will be an outreach to British Columbia and to Halifax where there are clusters of Bahamians living largely because they went to school there.” Speaking on behalf of the other appointees, Mr Dillette said that they were all honoured to be selected to serve their country on the international stage and that they would execute their new duties diligently. “On behalf of myself and the others in our group... I will say that it is our intention, and please pass this on to the prime minister, to do our level best to represent the country and to continue the contributions in the international affairs of state as best we can. Thank you all very much,” Mr Dillette said.
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THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, April 7, 2022, PAGE 3
NIB workers vote to strike from page one
A WORKER casts his vote in the Public Managers Union strike ballot at BCPOU Hall yesterday. Photos: Donavan McIntosh/Tribune Staff
Asked if obtaining a strike certificate meant a strike was approaching, Mrs Lewis said: “If need be. Once we have the strike certificate in hand we will decide whether to go or not. We feel as if the vote spoke very clearly. The members want resolution and to be compensated for their services. “For the first time in history we were deemed an essential service. We serviced the country (during the pandemic). “We had already come to an agreement with only two items left to resolve. Then all of a sudden you decide you don’t want that? That is unacceptable.” Regarding the number of votes, she said: “While we have to wait for the Family Islands we had over 100 votes today and only about six voted no.” Early last month, Mrs Lewis said NIB had hired an inordinate number of people even while telling staff that the difficult fiscal environment will limit what it can agree to during industrial agreement negotiations. The PMU’s industrial agreement expired more than two years ago. Minister of State responsible for NIB Myles Laroda could not be reached for comment up to press time. However, in early March he said he was optimistic that a new contract between the agency’s board and staff would soon be finalised even though negotiations between the two parties had stalled. NIB’s old agreement with workers expired December 31, 2019.
PINTARD ACCUSED OF ‘POWER PLAY’ OVER FINANCE REPORTING ACT DEBATE By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net
ATTORNEY General Ryan Pinder yesterday accused FNM Leader Michael Pintard of making a “power play” in Parliament last week, saying he did not agree to debating an amendment to the Financial Transactions Reporting Act, meaning it could not be passed in both chambers. Mr Pinder claimed that while in the House of Assembly last Wednesday, Mr Pintard was overheard saying that he had to make a power play, hence his decision was not to agree to debate the bill, which is one of four financial services bills in a compendium up for debate. The remaining bills were passed yesterday in the Senate. His assertion was immediately rebuffed by Free National Movement Senator Darren Henfield who insisted this was “hearsay”. Asked about the accusation levelled against him yesterday, Mr Pintard insisted this was an untruth and “childish and stupid”. “We should, however, also be debating A Bill For An Act To Amend The Financial Transactions Reporting Act if not for the actions of the leader of the opposition in that other place,” Mr Pinder said in the Senate yesterday. “For the benefit of members, especially the newer members in this place and that other place, I want to demonstrate how not to legislate for the interests of the Bahamian people. When the compendium of
Financial Services Bills were tabled, the Financial Transactions Reporting (Amendment) Bill, 2022 was also supposed to be tabled, but unfortunately due to an administrative error in the Cabinet Office, to was not tabled at the same time. “As is customary, consensus of the opposition in that other place was sought and received from the member for St Anne’s to debate the Financial Transactions Reporting (Amendment) Bill, with the others that were tabled prior. The leader of the opposition apparently must have had some point to prove, either to us as the government, or to that other leader, the member for Killarney, or maybe to the leader in waiting, in any event he was heard saying that he had to make a power play and decided they were not agreeing to debate the bill.” Mr Pinder added: “This is an unfortunate demonstration where political ego has got in the way of legislating for the Bahamian people. This is a true shame and the member should be embarrassed.” The comments led to a brief argument between the opposing senators. When he was contacted yesterday, Mr Pintard told The Tribune that Mr Pinder’s accusations were not in line with what happened. “He is (mistaken) that he overheard or his colleagues overheard me say anything of the sort. It’s (not true) and it’s childish and stupid,” the Marco City MP said. “I have always demonstrated that I support a deepening of democracy
and a robust legislative agenda.” Mr Pintard noted that one draft of the bill was sent late in the evening while members of the opposition parliamentary caucus were in meetings and did not have a chance to view or discuss. He said another draft was sent the next morning, hours before debate was to take place. Leader of Opposition Business in the House of Assembly, St Anne’s MP Adrian White concurred that there were two early submissions of drafts for the Financial Transactions Reporting Amendment Bill 2022 during the evening before the House sat on Wednesday, March 30. “Due to the premature distribution of these conflicting drafts by the government, the opposition could not be expected to adequately prepare for debate in advance of tabling,” Mr White said. “At conclusion of the debate on the other financial legislation bills properly tabled in advance and debated on March 30 there was nothing that prevented the government adjourning the House to debate the Financial Transaction Reporting Amendment Bill 2022 to the next day on March 31. The Senate did not even sit on March 31. There is no reason for such reckless blame cast by the minister of legal affairs. Had the government done what was properly in their power to do, the Financial Transaction Reporting Amendment 2022 could have been debated in the House of Assembly on March 31 and in the Senate today, (yesterday) April 6. 2022.”
FIVE KILLED SINCE SUNDAY from page one determined that there were no signs of life,” police said. An initial investigation revealed the victim was seated in the park watching a basketball game when a man approached him and shot him several times. Police said the victim is believed to be in his mid-20s. About two hours later, shortly before midnight, police were called to the scene of another homicide on Sutton Street off Kemp Road. Responding officers found a man lying outside the front door of a home with gunshot wounds. The victim, said to be in his early 50s, was later pronounced dead by EMS. The incidents came a day after one man was fatally wounded and another was taken to hospital after a shooting off Malcolm Road on Monday. In that incident, responding officers found two men lying in the doorway of a home with gunshot wounds. EMS pronounced one of the men dead at the scene and the other victim was taken to hospital. His condition was not known up to press time. And on Sunday, police reported that a man in his mid-20s was shot and killed
at a barber shop. Around 10pm last night police were called to the scene of another homicide after a man was shot dead leaving a friend’s residence in the Cowpen Road area. Police said two gunmen ambushed the victim, who is believed to be in his 20s, and fatally wounded him. There has been a spate of killings in recent weeks, prompting Prime Minister
Philip “Brave” Davis to hold an “urgent” crime conclave nearly two weeks ago. At the time, a statement from the government said Mr Davis would have more to say on the issue in the coming days, however he has yet to release another statement on the issue. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 5029991 or Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS (8477).
PRESIDENT of the Public Managers Union Freda Cassandra Cartwright-Lewis yesterday.
PAGE 4, Thursday, April 7, 2022
THE TRIBUNE
‘Outdated laws holding Freeport back’ By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net DESPITE several successful derelict building demolitions and removal of 3,000 derelict vehicles in Freeport, a top GBPA executive has indicated that “current outdated city byelaws” are hampering their efforts to rid the city of the many old abandoned buildings and vehicles in the Freeport area. Grand Bahama Port Authority President Ian Rolle said this has left the entity “toothless” in trying to swiftly resolve the vexing issue with which they are faced. “We look forward to working with the current administration to address the proposed new bye-laws and the amendments to address derelict structures and other vexing issues that exist,” he said in a letter in response to concerns raised by businessman Darren Cooper and a group of businesspeople and residents. Mr Rolle explained that with the bye-law amendments in place, GBPA will
IAN ROLLE be empowered to more effectively and efficiently address the remainder of derelict buildings at the International Bazaar and other dilapidated structures within the city. In a letter delivered on March 3 to Mr Rolle, the group raised concerns about several issues in Freeport, including the derelict buildings and vehicles. They also claim the complete abandonment of the International Bazaar has resulted in harbouring of vagrants and vandals that have contributed to the destruction of the entire property along with other businesses in the area. Regarding derelict buildings throughout the city,
they wanted to know where the GBPA had reached concerning the approval of the new bye-laws needed to move forward with the demolition of those derelict buildings. Mr Cooper also complained of continued neglect of derelict vehicles throughout the city. He asked when can residents expect the GBPA to commence the collection and removal of those vehicles that are bringing down the value of residential properties. Mr Rolle said the GBPA has made consistent efforts to engage with owners and operators of the International Bazaar, which include representatives of the Bazaar Association and several property owners, requiring the demolition and/or repairs to the dilapidated structures of the International Bazaar. “The GBPA itself has never owned any part of the International Bazaar, but historically agreed to subsidise the Bazaar for many years when owners were no longer maintaining its communal areas.
GBPA’s subsidy amounted to some $1.5m in total, but ultimately the owners were not able to sustain its overall operations,” he said. He said GBPA has directly demolished the fire damaged Straw Market buildings and police station at their cost. After the recent fires, he indicated that efforts were further accelerated to require the relevant owners to demolish the fire and water damaged buildings. Mr Rolle reported that during the month of February 2022, the first set of fire damaged buildings in the Oriental Section of the International Bazaar were successfully demolished by the owner. He said the remainder of the buildings still need to be addressed. He said GBPA will continue their efforts in this regard. “The GBPA is also painfully aware of the need to demolish the derelict structures around the City of Freeport. Recognising the legal inabilities at present to cause the expedient demolition of structures, the organisation set out several years ago to amend the
building and sanitary byelaws, which would enable the GBPA to execute demolitions in a timely manner and recoup the cost for doing so,” he said. The GBPA president stated that over the past five years, they have been responsible for the demolition of over 30 dilapidated buildings throughout the city through its demolition programme. At their own cost, Mr Rolle said GBPA has performed various successful demolitions, including the Silver Sands Hotel, Professional Plaza, and most recently the Rolle’s Furniture building. He stressed that they are eager to work with the owners to perform more demolitions, or to require that the necessary repairs of the dilapidated structures are executed. Additionally, he noted that GBPA has also written to numerous property owners over the years of the need to repair or demolish their dilapidated structures. Mr Rolle said that there is consideration of the fact that there are often financial constraints preventing
the property owners from doing so. Following Hurricane Dorian, Mr Rolle said GBPA recognised the magnitude of the derelict car situation in which some 40,000 vehicles were destroyed. As a result, he stated that GBPA made available approximately 10 acres of land to collect, process and prepare derelict vehicles for export. He said GBPA is working with two licensees to properly execute the processing and export of derelict vehicles from the island of Grand Bahama, using the “cradle to grave” approach. “Thus far over 3,000 vehicles have been removed from various locations and processed and some exported. It is still a mammoth task ahead to completely rid the island of such issues, but we will continue to work with all relevant stakeholders, until the mission is successfully accomplished. Again, the current outdated city byelaws do not help us in this regard and render the GBPA largely toothless when trying to solve these major issues in a timely manner,” he stated.
PORT AUTHORITY HAILS $1BN IN PROJECTS OVER NEXT TWO YEARS By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net OVER $1 billion of new investments generated by the Grand Bahama Port Authority is expected to be invested in the Freeport area over the next two years, a GBPA official said. Among those mentioned by the entity’s president, Ian Rolle, were the Carnival Cruise Port – a $300m investment originated and stewarded by GBPA, and the $420m Agrihaven development. Mr Rolle came under fire a month ago by a group of concerned businesspeople and residents over growing concerns about investor confidence and the state of Freeport. The group, led by outspoken
businessman Darren Cooper, along with former Pineridge MP Rev Frederick McAlpine, marched to the GBPA headquarters in early March and delivered a letter to Mr Rolle. In it, they outlined 10 issues that were of concern and gave GBPA executives a 30-day deadline to respond to their concerns. GBPA issued an official response in a letter dated April 4 to Mr Cooper. It was signed by Mr Rolle. In response to concerns regarding lack of investor confidence and status of deals currently on the table for Grand Bahama, Mr Rolle said investor confidence has significantly improved two years after Dorian. “Despite the arresting force majeures, including COVID-19, we now have
over $1 billion of new investment, generated by GBPA, which is set to be invested into the port area over the next 12-24 months,” he said. He noted that much of this investment is being made directly or indirectly by GBPA’s affiliate companies, and all of it has been originated by GBPA. Mr Rolle said: “In the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, investor confidence was not where anyone wanted it to be, but that was expected given the circumstances. To rebuild investor confidence, we spent a great deal of time communicating with investors who were at an advanced stage in the project lifecycle but were now having second thoughts about moving forward.
“Where we are today is far different from where we were in 2019. We can say, emphatically, that investor interest in Freeport has vastly improved.” Mr Rolle said that GBPA played an instrumental role in securing many of the projects coming to the port area. He added that the Carnival Port project development will also include upgrades to the city’s infrastructure. Other developments he mentioned were the Weller development phase one – a real estate development with six-star hospitality, marina, and residential offerings. “This will change the narrative around Grand Bahama and propel the island to new heights. Initial
investment of $200m, the investor has completed the purchase of the site,” he added. He also referred to industrial developments, including the opening of the new Pharmachem site, the Royal Caribbean/ ITM group redevelopment of the Freeport Harbour cruise port, Grand Bahama Shipyard’s $400m investment – post acquisition of two new dry docks, among others. Mr Rolle also noted that The Bahamas Distillery Company, a new rum distillery, will be opening its doors next month and its investment is at $1.5m. The Port Lucaya Resort and Marina redevelopment is pegged at $30m; a new 11-megawatt solar power plant is estimated
at $15m, etc. Mr Rolle stated that Coral Vita, the Earthshot prize winner and global phenomenon that repairs dying reefs, originated and financially supported by GBPA, is a $10m existing and near-term investment. Mr Rolle also mentioned the $420m investment to develop a new model for food security for The Bahamas, which is carbon negative and will provide food types for the domestic and export markets. “GBPA is a strategic founding partner in this investment having written the concept note, brought in the developer, included economic development rates for land purchases, and introduced the funding entities and services provided to the transaction,” he explained.
$75K FINE OVER COCAINE By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net A 24-YEAR-OLD man who smuggled $100,000 worth of cocaine into the country last year was fined $75,000 yesterday as part of a plea deal. Cohen Sands, a former pilot, was accused last year of being in possession of 12.5 pounds of cocaine with intent to supply and conspiring with others to possess and import the drugs into The Bahamas. The charges stem from a drug seizure at Lynden Pindling International Airport on December 22, 2021. Police said sometime around 3pm that day, detectives from the Drug Enforcement Unit along with United States officials at LPIA conducted a search of Sands who had just arrived from Haiti. While searching, officers found several packages
containing suspected cocaine. Police said Sands was arrested, taken to the DEU and then later charged. During his first appearance before Senior Magistrate Derence RolleDavis last year, Sands denied the allegations. However, he pleaded guilty to all the offences after entering a plea deal with the Crown prosecutor yesterday. The deal requires Sands to pay a total of $75,000. Sands will pay $20,000 as a first payment and make remaining monthly instalments of $7,500 until the balance is paid in full. However, if he doesn’t pay the money, he will spend two years at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. Sands will return to court on June 21. He is represented by attorney Ryszard Humes.
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, April 7, 2022, PAGE 5
PAHO calls for caution on COVID restrictions ALTHOUGH COVID19 cases have been declining in the region, a Pan American Health Organisation official has called for caution amid a rollback of public health measures, saying there is a risk of a new coronavirus wave as cases surge in other jurisdictions. During a virtual briefing yesterday, PAHO Director Carissa Etienne urged countries to remain vigilant and urgently close vaccination gaps. With Omicron BA.2 already detected in 8.7 percent of sequences reported from South America, she said “time and time again, we’ve seen how the infection dynamics in Europe are mirrored here (in the region) just a few weeks later.” She also said: “We cannot
ignore the risk of further yesterday that Omicron is COVID-19 surges.” the dominant strain in The When asked by a reporter Bahamas, however it is not about countries in the region yet known if the newer Omirolling back restrictions cron variant, BA.2 is here. amid falling case numbers, “Omicron is the predomiDr Etienne said: “As you nant variant of Sars.Cov.2 know, cases of COVID-19 that has been detected are falling overall in the Ameribut we still have ‘We cannot cas, including the more than 620,000 Caribbean,” Dr ignore new cases a week Aldighieri said in our region. Each the risk in a response to of these infections of further a question about has the potential The Bahamas. to cause severe COVID-19 “Regarding the disease or death, surges.’ situation in The especially among Bahamas, I would those who have not been say thanks to a very close fully vaccinated. So let me collaboration between the say that the pandemic is not National Public Health over and so we urge people Laboratory and the PAHO to remain cautious.” office in Nassau and the Meanwhile, PAHO PAHO regional surveillance Incident Manager network, it was possible to for COVID-19 Dr detect, to characterise the Sylvain Aldighieri confirmed circulation of the variant of
concern, Omicron, in samples that were taken by the (National) Reference Laboratory in Nassau.” He said the samples were processed and sequenced at a facility in Panama during February. “So far only... Omicron BA.1 has been detected in The Bahamas. Nevertheless, as part of a sustained effort from the national public health laboratory, 100 additional samples were sent recently to the reference laboratory in Panama... to maintain the surveillance and to early detect the introduction of BA.2.” Local health officials reported that just one new case of COVID-19 was recorded in the country on April 5. Nine people are in hospital with the disease.
CARISSA ETIENNE
GOVT ASKS FOR FILES ON BAHAMIANS’ ITALY DEATHS from page one
While the autopsy reported that their deaths were likely accidental as a result of drowning, their families have rejected that explanation and are still seeking answers. When asked if any new steps are being taken to revisit the investigation, Mr Mitchell said he had requested the files on the incident from Italian officials since last October, but has yet to receive them. “Here’s the issue. When I visited Italy last year I believe that was last October I saw the foreign minister of Italy, or the deputy foreign minister I
believe, raised the question of us getting ahold of the files themselves, so that we could have our experts look at the files to see what happened,” Mr Mitchell said on the sidelines of an event. “The previous government had also hired a private lawyer to coordinate that approach to the Italian government. We were told during that visit that within two weeks we would get the file. We’ve been trying to get the file, still can’t get the file and we’re still working to get the file.” While he indicated that he is still trying to retrieve the files from Italian authorities before the government goes further, Mr Mitchell said he plans to honour his
party’s pledge to give closure to the victims’ families. “What we thought is that we needed to have our own people look at the file to be sure that we were satisfied that all has been done to deal with it. And the fact is we are stepping quite gingerly because when you open these things up, family members, it’s a real sensitive thing. “But people want closure and so we had made a pledge in opposition that we would do all we can to get to a proper answer on this and so that is what we are seeking to do,” the Fox Hill MP said. Ramsey, a 29-year-old foreign service officer on study leave in Vienna, was reportedly in Turin on a
break. He and his friend, John, were staying at a bed and breakfast establishment at Via la Loggia 2 in Turin.
John, a 28-year-old Saint Mary’s University graduate student, was there to attend a psychology conference.
Both men attended the same high school, Saint Augustine’s College in New Providence.
PAGE 6, Thursday, April 7, 2022
THE TRIBUNE
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What shall we do to stop wave of murders IT is now ten days since Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis held an “urgent” conclave to address the sharp increase in murders. He said at the time of that March 27 meeting: “I will have more to say on this issue in the coming days.” The most recent of those days have seen even more murders. Since Sunday, five people have been killed. On Tuesday night, a man was sitting in a park watching a basketball game when another man approached him and shot him dead. Two hours later, another man was found lying dead outside the front door of a house with gunshot wounds. On Monday, two men were shot – one died and the other was taken to hospital. They were both found lying in the doorway of a home. And on Sunday, a man was killed at a barber shop. Then last night, at about 10pm, word came to The Tribune of yet another murder. The tide of killings has not relented. This morning, the Office of the Prime Minister will hold a press briefing and it will be interesting to see if the government will be more forthcoming on its plans following that conclave. There have been positive actions to report since then – such as the forum at AF Adderley school where a convict spoke to pupils about avoiding actions they might regret. After the stabbing at that school last month, it was a timely moment to remind the next generation of the two sets of consequences of crime – those suffered by victims, and those experienced by the criminals who are sent to jail. In each case, two families are often shattered – those who experience violence and perhaps the loss of a family
member to murder, and those whose relative is locked away. But the Prime Minister’s promise of speaking must still be upheld – and we await the detail of his plan to deal with this current wave of gang violence. Every day that passes at present seems to end with more blood on our streets. We cannot wait too long.
Well done, Jamaal Jamaal Rolle is a familiar figure to readers of The Tribune. His daily cartoon has been a long-standing feature of this page – and has featured too on the front page, such as when an island-wide blackout led to him being summoned to create a full-page cartoon showing then Minister Leslie Miller in the dark. Over the past years, he has blossomed as one of the most in-demand artists in The Bahamas. When the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited recently, it was Jamaal who presented them with a portrait. He has deserved his success. He has combined hard work, talent and a modest attitude that has won him many plaudits, and many friends. We are delighted to see such talent acknowledged, with his appointment as an ambassador-at-large for culture affairs. He is one of a number of appointments yesterday. In celebrating his success, we also acknowledge that we regret he will no longer appear on this page as he moves to his new role. Today marks his final cartoon as he says farewell. He shall be missed. But we wish him all the best in his new post. We have no doubt his talent will continue to see him soar.
Will Smith and the slap EDITOR, The Tribune. OVER the past several days most of us have seen the Chris Rock/Will Smith showdown at the Oscars. My honest question to you is this: What if Chris Rock had been a white comedian say on par with one of the late night TV comedy hosts, do you think Will Smith would have slapped Chris Rock in a public venue? My thoughts are Will Smith carefully thought about his actions as every young person knows Will and Chris had been beefing for a number of years, however Will saw an opportunity to up his stature in the eyes of the public- after all he is always portrayed as a “bad boy” in most of his movie roles. Will took this chance and decided to do what he did as he knew the public would react as they do whenever there is black on black crime. Thoughts being its blacks killing blacks, let them kill themselves, this seems to be the attitude in the “hood” where the killing of black men and boys
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is the norm. The uproar seems to only come when a crime or murder is committed against blacks killing whites,there seems to be less uproar if a white kills a black. This seems to be a universal trait which I fail to this day to understand. Will Smith would not have slapped a white comedian as the powers to be in Hollywood would not have allowed him to get “off” with it, Hollywood would have banned Will, his wife and kids from ever earning a dollar again in Hollywood. He would have found it difficult to make a decent living and his career would have all been finished. Will by some is considered from the streets, and is portrayed as a bad “ass” in his movie roles, so he carefully calculated that his act would go unpunished as is done in the hood. Let’s keep it 100- do you in your right mind think Will would have swung on Snoop Dog, Kanye, or Fifty Cent? If you do then you too are delusional. Black on black crime is real - just look around us here on this 7X21 piece of dirt how black on black crime is a daily occurrence whether it ends in death or injury, it seems we have a hate-love relationship with ourselves, friends and family. You would think that after 400 years of slavery the programming that the masterful slave holders
did to our ancestors would have been washed away from our DNA. Yes, Will understood the consequences of bringing violence on another black man...little to no punishment. If a white comedian had been slapped on stage in public, say by Kanye or Will Smith, Kanye and Will would be somewhere living in the deserts of California looking for work. After 400 years of slavery the universal black man is still in dire need of reprogramming, retrofitting from the damage done to them from their former masters. Black on black crime is real and most as in monopoly the game goes past jail, while black on white crime is severely punished - just compare both doing the same crime then check to see the vast difference in sentencing here on this l’il rock as well as in America. Chris Rock may have been wrong for making fun of a medical condition Will’s wife suffers from, but Chris walks away the winner as few men would have been able to contain themselves without striking back in front of millions of viewers. Maybe, just maybe, this one incident of self discipline may be the beginning of self control for all of us men of colour around the world. DR DEREK PINDER Nassau, March 29, 2022.
The Ike Turner syndrome EDITOR, The Tribune. SENATE President LaShell Adderley gave a heartwarming tribute to the late Carissa Culmer, who is alleged to have taken her own life on March 10. Several Progressive Liberal Party parliamentarians, who offered eulogies for Culmer, claimed that she was a victim of domestic violence. Buckling under the weight of a toxic situation, coupled with a perception that the judicial system was nonchalant in its penalisation of her alleged batterer, Culmer is alleged to have decided that suicide was her only escape route from a violent batterer, who probably suffers from “bipolar disorder” like the late African American entertainer Ike Turner. Bipolar disorder is a mental disease that causes extreme mood swings from mania to hypomania, according to clinical psychologists. Quite frankly, I believe that this psychological diagnosis is a pretext that violent people use to evade responsibility for their actions. God will hold men entirely accountable for their unrestrained anger. People like Ike Turner won’t be able to use clinical psychology as an excuse on Judgment Day. Culmer’s dilemma isn’t unique by any stretch of the imagination. Many young Bahamian men, like Ike Turner, suffer from violent mood swings. These batterers love to vent their
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net frustration on their significant other if something goes wrong. To them, it’s a soothing process. The emotional, psychological and physical scars inflicted during domestic violence take years to heal; in some instances, decades. The tragic story of Tina Turner is a testament of this sobering fact. In 2021, HBO produced a nearly two-hour documentary on her life, titled Tina. As in the case with her memoirs “I, Tina” and “My Love Story,” Tina Turner, whose real name is Anna Mae Bullock, detailed harrowing instances of abuse she suffered at the hands of Ike during their rocky marriage between 1962 and 1976. After their wedding in 1962, Ike took Tina to a brothel in Tijuana, Mexico. He is alleged to have broken her nose and jaw. There are also allegations that Tina suffered third degree burns after Ike tossed hot coffee on her. Tina also alleges sexual violence and of regularly having black eyes. Ike died of a cocaine overdose on December 12, 2007, and was cremated. His ashes were interred by Rev Al Sharpton at Our Lady Guadalupe cemetery in Los Angeles. Tina, alleged Madhouse Magazine, urinated and spat on Ike’s
grave and did a Proud Mary dance as a ritual to overcome the psychological trauma she is still battling with over four decades since their marriage ended in a stormy divorce that left her flat broke. Ike’s cocaine addiction contributed to his many violent outbursts in his many marriages. He was reportedly married at least 13 times. His thirteenth wife, Audrey Turner, would also document Ike’s violence in her 2016 memoir Love Had Everything to Do With It. When I examine the Tina and Ike Turner domestic violence situation, I see a mirror image of what many young women like Carissa Culmer are silently enduring in The Bahamas. These young women are trapped in relationships with Bahamian men suffering from what I call the Ike Turner syndrome. This country’s high rate of sexual violence is ironclad proof that this syndrome is widespread. At least Tina Turner was able to escape with her life. Sadly, Culmer was not so fortunate. To those young women who are currently in a toxic situation, please heed the following words of Tina Turner: “Nothing can be worse than where you are now. If you get up and leave, if you rise from the ashes, life will open up for you again.” KEVIN EVANS Freeport, Grand Bahama April 6, 2022.
New appointments EDITOR, The Tribune.
I WAS sitting with my knitting as ordered so to do by the Hon Minister of Foreign Affairs when my attention was drawn to the appointment of new envoys for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I was so struck by the announcement that I dropped a stitch in the scarf
I was knitting for the Hon Minister. Inquiring minds in the persons of taxpayers wish to know several things about these appointments. If they are new, as nobody I spoke with seemed to have heard of them before, why are they necessary? Did personnel at various Embassies and government offices attend to these
matters previously? What are the job descriptions of the various envoys and the qualifications for the positions? Were the posts advertised? If so where and when? What are the salaries and emoluments in respect of the various posts? JEANNE THOMPSON Nassau, April 6, 2022.
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Thursday, April 7, 2022, PAGE 7
PAGE 8, Thursday, April 7, 2022 DURING the 1962 general election there was mass propaganda circulated by the United Bahamian Party (UBP) and parroted by others, including many black Bahamians, of the supposed innate inferiority of black people. A major slogan of the UBP campaign was: “Vote PLP and Starve”, suggesting that blacks could not govern themselves. This racist screed and other attacks were part of a larger colonial and imperialist narrative about the “inherent” deficiencies of the descendants of Africa. As far back as 1661 a law was promulgated in Barbados - the epicenter of British colonialism in the Caribbean - that was also adopted by Jamaica, Antigua, South Carolina and other jurisdictions. The law described Africans as a “heathenish, brutish and uncertain, dangerous kinde of people”. The law noted that because of this white owners should take almost absolute control over such brutes. During that 1962 election contest, in a school room in Fox Hill, an historic area in which the descendants of various African peoples lived, a 34-year-old Arthur Foulkes and others addressed a crowd. They refuted the false racist narratives spun by the white oligarchy in order to retain their economic, political and social power over black Bahamians. Foulkes, a journalist, began to describe the rich heritage of those of African descent in The Bahamas. He spoke movingly of the history, beauty, longevity and dignity of former African kingdoms and people, who had been enslaved, exploited and raped by European colonial powers, including the British Empire. In the front row, a number of black women shed tears. Foulkes, a PLP candidate for the Eastern District of New Providence along with AD Hanna, was at first taken aback. But he quickly realised that this was the first time these people had heard this history – their history.
COLONIAL
The colonial masters were determined to sever black Bahamians from their African roots, including their histories and identities. Concurrently, the colonialists exuberantly celebrated their own antecedents in approved texts, rituals and pomp and circumstance, through which they indoctrinated generations of black people, including school children, who were made to celebrate
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events like Empire Day and royal tours. The British and other colonial hegemons understood that they had to control black bodies through the brute force of military and physical power. They knew also that they had to control black minds and spirits through the brute force of false propaganda and selective narratives. The best way to control a people was to convince them of their own inferiority and the superiority of whiteness: white images, white bodies and even a white saviour. A friend recalls that in her teenage years she teased a much older female relative that the picture the latter had in her bedroom of the iconic blond blue-eyed Jesus, with the light of Heaven caressing his pure white skin, was historically inaccurate. The older relative became distressed and dissolved into a paroxysm of deep anger and frustration. She chastised the younger woman: “You think he will make all these pretty white people, and come down and make he self black.” The conflation is purposeful and degrading: If Jesus is “pure” white – though there is no such thing as pure white or a “pure” race – then white people, including the British monarch and their family are a part of this divine plan. Blacks were destined therefore to be ruled by their racial superiors by divine and royal fiat, which became synonymous.
BIG LIES
The “big lies” about black inferiority and white superiority took penetrating root in people of colour. The false narratives were repeated in school texts, church sermons, advertising, all manner of checkered histories and publications, and in myriad other ways. In Born in Blackness: Africa, Africans and the Making of the Modern World, 1471 to the Second World War, journalist and
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: MAJORITY RULE, INDEPENDENCE, REPUBLICAN STATUS
SIR MILO BUTLER historian Howard W. French argues: “The way we think about history is entirely wrong… The problem is not just that the people and cultures of Africa have been ignored and left to one side; rather, that they have been so miscast that the story of the global past has become part of a profound ‘mistelling’... “The rich diversities of the many different people of Africa became subsumed into a single category of ‘blackness’ that obscured and ignored proud histories and cultures and treated all the inhabitants of the continent and their descendants as being one and the same. “That was ironic, of course, given that populations were deliberately distributed in the Americas and Caribbean to prevent family and kinship groups being able to communicate with each other, reducing the chances of rebellion against the Europeans who were heavily outnumbered.” Many students returning home to The Bahamas from the University of the West Indies in the 1960s, came back with a greater sense of consciousness about their African and Caribbean roots and identities. Often, when they identified themselves as being black, they were mocked by parents and others who
insisted that they were “brown skin”, “coloured” or “mulatto”, but definitely not “black”.
CIVIL RIGHTS
When Sir Milo Butler began his civil rights work for racial equality, he was pilloried and mocked by the white merchant class, some of whom referred to him as “the big black man” and “buffoon”. He also was an embarrassment for a number of black Bahamians, who thought he should behave better for the white people, including the British. We have made considerable progress since the 1960s, including that revelatory school room event in Fox Hill in 1962. But exactly 60 years after those women shed tears when learning of their history, some are still struggling and mired in racial inferiority. Most Bahamians, including many of our elites in every sector, are still wholly ignorant of the wider sweep of Bahamian history, including our African roots and the brutality of British colonial rule. In a recent article in the New Yorker, entitled, “The British Empire Was Much Worse Than You Realize”, Sunil Kilnani interrogates
the self-serving history of the British: “It’s startling to recall that, not so long ago, leading historians accepted the images of empire’s end that were projected in propagandistic newsreels – governors general in plumed helmets and starched whites inviting grateful natives to the podium.” When he became our first Bahamian Governor General, the ever enlightened and always emancipated Sir Milo wore the plumed helmet once in an act of demystification and never wore it again.
SHIBBOLETHS
So many of us are still slavishly acting as “grateful natives”, still psychologically, and emotionally handcuffed and paralyzed by antediluvian mindsets, shibboleths and visceral racial insecurity. Many black Bahamians in the 2020s are terrified at the prospect of becoming a republic, much as many in the 1960s were terrified by the thought of majority rule. How far have some of us really come? Just as Sir Milo, Sir Arthur and his generation, and others, had to struggle to educate and inform the mass of Bahamians about self-determination, national pride, racial dignity and other democratic values, leading to majority rule and independence, it seems that the work to become a republic will take a long time and extensive education. There is a seamless historical and political thread connecting majority rule, independence and becoming a republic. During the recent visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to the region, Jamaican Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, confirmed that he would be pushing for his country to become a republic. Both major parties in Jamaica have already stated their support for republican status. In Belize, Prime Minister Dr John Briceño, noted that his cabinet recently agreed to set up a People’s Constitutional Consultation Commission to review the question. Where are we in The Bahamas, the third leg of the visit by the Cambridges? In a recent report in this journal, former Member of Parliament Leslie Miller put it starkly: “‘That’s [becoming a republic] really dead talk. In my lifetime it ain’t (going to) happen…’ “‘The average Bahamian who thinks about a republic are those who can get press, think about Haiti and those other third world countries. Not realizing that America is a republic and most of
the countries around the world are republics. But it’s not going to happen in our country in the next 50 years.” “Asked by The Tribune why he was of this view, Mr Miller said: ‘Because we don’t have the guts to do it. “‘Those at the top would have hollow rhetoric on it, but they are not going to go to the front,’ the former Tall Pines MP said. ‘First of all, if they have a referendum, they (will) get beat because our people are ignorant towards what is a democracy, what is a true democracy. “Despite this, Mr Miller said he would support a push toward The Bahamas becoming a republic, adding ‘I would love to see it in my lifetime, but it ain’t (going to) happen so I don’t think about it. I’ll be gone by then.’” After coming to the British throne, Queen Elizabeth II completed the transition from empire to Commonwealth. Her successors, Prince Charles and Prince William, will watch as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica and others become republics. Will The Bahamas be the last to go? Will we finally summons the dignity and will, or will be embarrassed as Caricom leaders mock a future Bahamas prime minister as to why the British monarch remains the country’s sovereign? Will a future UK Government or British king have to plead with a Bahamas governor general or prime minister to become a republic, because it was now terrible public relations and an embarrassment for the United Kingdom to have Bahamian subjects in a Britain and a Commonwealth more cosmopolitan than a Bahamas that was still acting like the Bahama Islands of the 1950s and 60s? How long will Britannia still rule our national consciousness and our dignity? How many more years or decades? Moreover, will some future Junkanoo group again perform to “Rule Britannia” on Bay Street during another royal visit? “Still more majestic shalt thou rise, More dreadful from each foreign stroke, As the loud blast that tears the skies Serves but to root thy native oak. “Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves! Britons never, never, never will be slaves. “To thee belongs the rural reign; Thy cities shall with commerce shine; All thine shall be the subject main, And every shore it circles, thine.”
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Thursday, April 7, 2022, PAGE 9
The history of Germany and Russia’s relationship STATESIDE with Charlie Harper
FOUR months ago this morning, America was in solemn remembrance of an infamous, consequential day that would shape the nation’s history for decades. December 7, 2021, was the 80th anniversary of the surprise attack by Japanese military forces on the sprawling American naval base at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii. But that day four months ago may well acquire a significance of its own as an important milestone in the reordering of world geopolitical alignments that is currently underway. The Pearl Harbour attack, which rocked the US to its collective core and shattered its longheld sense of security and insulation from distant conflicts across wide oceans, forced America out of its increasingly uncomfortable “neutrality” and compelled it to join the Western Allies in declaring war against Nazi Germany, Japan, Italy and various other smaller affiliated nations. World War II had indeed become global. After four years and tens of millions of lives lost in Europe and Asia, the so-called “Axis powers” were defeated. In the years that followed, the US ascended to a position of what felt like supreme world hegemony. And as it recovered economically with American assistance from the devastation of a comprehensive military and psychological defeat, Germany regained its footing and became an economic powerhouse. The Germans also largely foreswore heavy military reconstruction. Germany was home base for significant numbers of the armed forces of the US, Britain, France and Russia from 1945 until the fall of the Soviet Union precipitated the reunification of Germany in 1990. The West German defense against the USSR lay largely with those three Western Allies. Successive West German governments, while firmly rooted in the West as members of NATO and the European Union, only occasionally prioritised military spending. While the NATO charter mandated that member nations would allot at least two
percent of their economic output to defense spending, the Germans rarely did so. Particularly under and since the presidency of Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, US presidents began to criticise German governments for this insufficient attention to their own defense. That brings us back to the morning of December 7, 2021. That was the last day of the 16-plus year tenure of Angela Merkel as chancellor of Germany. Merkel, generally acknowledged as the most powerful woman in the world during her tenure, oversaw continued German political, social and economic advances as her conservative CDU party remained in power, sometimes via parliamentary coalitions with rival parties. Merkel had spent her early years in what was then East Germany, a Communist state beholden to the Soviet Union for economic, political and military support. Among her academic distinctions was a working fluency in the Russian language. While her CDU party generally has espoused a hard line toward Moscow, Merkel as chancellor steered a careful diplomatic course between East and West. Meanwhile, her Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, had spent perhaps the most decorated years of his career in Soviet intelligence based in East Berlin. His German language skills are reportedly quite good. (He also reputedly speaks decent English, but insists on speaking in Russian when meeting Western counterparts). History books may well record that the Merkel-Putin relationship, grounded in at least a rudimentary mutual understanding and enhanced by the language skills of each, was a pivotal factor in maintenance of overall peace in Europe during Merkel’s tenure as Chancellor. As future scholars look back at what is happening now in Europe, they may pinpoint last December 7 as a real turning point, since that was when she retired to private life. Without the security of his relationship with the German chancellor, it may be that Putin has become somewhat unmoored. Unable to turn
to any leader in the West for a trusting relationship grounded in shared experience, Putin has perhaps looked away from Europe toward Beijing and Chinese President Xi Jinping for a relationship based on some degree of trust. It is routine now for American commentators to describe Putin as crazy, although they rarely use that word. He seems determined to exterminate Ukraine as a nation distinct from Russia no matter the cost. That cost to Russia has already totaled more military casualties than the US suffered in both the Iraq or Afghanistan wars – and far more than the Soviet Union itself suffered during its own misbegotten military occupation of Afghanistan. It’s still anyone’s guess how this war we witness on television will reach a conclusion. But it seems highly unlikely that anyone outside Putin’s inner circle will conclude that whatever gains Russia achieves or claims from the conflict will justify its price. Notwithstanding, the international political ramifications of the war are already significant and may endure for decades. Something happened in Berlin on Tuesday that underscores the historical significance of this war. Under the German system of government, the German president is more ceremonial, more like our Governor-General than our Prime Minister. The German president is similar to the head of state, not the head of government. The current German president is Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Steinmeier, a Social Democrat whose party’s view of Moscow has always been more sympathetic than that of the CDU, has long been an advocate for close commercial and political ties with Russia. Steinmeier served as Foreign Minister under Merkel in one of her coalition cabinets in Germany’s parliamentary system, and strongly supported the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project from Russia directly to Germany, among other bilateral collaborations. On Tuesday, Steinmeier recanted. His remarks were startling both for their candor and their lack of ambiguity or evasiveness.
A SALUTE TO THE MIAMI HEAT THIS NBA season is in its final week. Before the playoffs begin and threaten to derail their season, it seems appropriate to celebrate the Miami Heat. They have already won 51 of their 79 games and with just two left to play, the Heat lead surging Boston by two games. The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks and dangerous Philadelphia 76ers are close behind. The Heat were not a popular choice to be in this position before the season began. After losing to LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Lakers in the NBA finals two years ago, the Heat slumped during a COVID-shortened season last year. They finished in sixth place in the Eastern Conference and were wiped out 4-0 by the Bucks in the playoffs. This year has been a different story. The Heat, stable in their ownership, general manager and head coach, have methodically advanced to and maintained their position at the top of the highly competitive Eastern Conference for much of the season and are very likely
to enter the playoffs next week as the conference’s top seed. While other teams, notably the 76ers and Brooklyn Nets, have garnered more headlines and notoriety with their bizarre stars and blockbuster trades, the
Heat have been sure and steady. Respected handicappers fivethirtyeight.com, though, rate the Heat’s chances at the NBA Finals as only 16 percent, well behind Boston (45 percent) and Milwaukee (23 percent).
GERMAN President Frank-Walter Steinmeier pictured on Tuesday. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa via AP “My adherence to Nord Stream 2 was clearly a mistake,” he said. “We were sticking to a bridge in which Russia no longer believed and which other partners had warned us against. We failed to build a common European house. I did not believe Vladimir Putin would embrace his country’s complete economic, political and moral ruin for the sake of his imperial madness,” Steinmeier added. “In this, I, like others, was mistaken.” Furthermore, on
February 27 new German chancellor Olaf Scholz said his government had decided to supply 100 billion euros for military investments from its 2022 budget. Germany’s entire defense budget was 47 billion euros in 2021. Given the size of Germany’s 2022 estimated GDP, this pivotal nation has now committed to devoting more than two percent of its budget to defense. Reagan must be smiling. Making this even more significant is the fact that Scholz is no anti-Russia
hard-liner. He got his political start in the Social Democratic party by joining the International Union of Socialist Youth, often giving speeches denouncing the “aggressive imperialism of NATO”. Such is the political transformation in Germany, still central to the European economy and pivotal in East-West relations. The supreme irony is that Putin seems fatally shackled to a vision that is already accelerating exactly the political and military developments he professes to most fear.
PAGE 10, Thursday, April 7, 2022
SACRAMENTO SHOOTING ‘A GANG FIGHT’
THE mass killing that left six people dead and 12 wounded outside bars just blocks from California’s Capitol last weekend was a gunfight involving at least five shooters from rival gangs, Sacramento police said yesterday. Police said they identified at least five gunmen but there may have been more. Only two suspects — both brothers wounded by gunfire — have been arrested in connection with the shooting and, so far, only face firearms charges. “We’re still working through... who the actual shooters are in the case,” Sgt. Zach Eaton said. Until yesterday’s announcement, police had been silent on what led to the shooting that erupted early Sunday as bars were letting out.
TRUMP AIDES IN CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS FORMER Trump advisers Peter Navarro and Dan Scavino were held in contempt of Congress yesterday for their monthlong refusal to comply with subpoenas rendered by the House committee’s investigation into the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. The two men became the latest members of former President Donald Trump’s inner circle to face legal jeopardy as the select committee continues its more than nine-month-long probe into the worst attack on the Capitol in more than 200 years. The near-party-line 220-203 vote will send the criminal referrals for Navarro and Scavino to the Justice Department for possible prosecution. The contempt action followed hours of raw debate on the House floor.
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‘5,000 dead’ in Mariupol ANDRIIVKA, Ukraine Associated Press THE mayor of the besieged port city of Mariupol put the number of civilians killed there at more than 5,000 yesterday, as Ukraine collected evidence of Russian atrocities on the ruined outskirts of Kyiv and braced for what could become a climactic battle for control of the country’s industrial east. Ukrainian authorities continued gathering up the dead in shattered towns outside the capital amid telltale signs Moscow’s troops killed civilians indiscriminately before retreating over the past several days. In other developments, the US and its Western allies moved to impose new sanctions against the Kremlin over what they branded war crimes. And Russia completed the pullout of all of its estimated 24,000 or more troops from the Kyiv and Chernihiv areas in the north, sending them into Belarus or Russia to resupply and reorganise, a US defence official speaking on condition of anonymity said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Moscow is now marshaling reinforcements and trying to push deeper into the country’s east, where the Kremlin has said its goal is to “liberate” the Donbas, Ukraine’s mostly Russianspeaking industrial heartland. “The fate of our land and of our people is being decided. We know what we are fighting for. And we will do everything to win,” Zelenskyy said, six weeks into the war. Ukrainian authorities urged people living in the Donbas to evacuate now, ahead of an impending Russian offensive, while there is still time. “Later, people will come under fire,” Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said, “and we won’t be able to do anything to help them.” A Western official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence estimates, said it will take Russia’s battle-damaged forces as much as a month to regroup for a major push on eastern Ukraine. Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko said that of the more than 5,000 civilians killed during weeks of Russian bombardment and street fighting, 210 were children. He said Russian forces
A MONUMENT to Taras Shevchenko, a Ukrainian poet and a national symbol, in seen with traces of bullets against the background of an apartment house ruined in the Russian shelling in the central square in Borodyanka, Ukraine, yesterday. Photo: Efrem Lukatsky/AP bombed hospitals, including one where 50 people burned to death. Boichenko said more than 90% of the city’s infrastructure has been destroyed. The attacks on the strategic southern city on the Sea of Azov have cut off food, water, fuel and medicine and pulverized homes and businesses. British defence officials said 160,000 people remained trapped in the city, which had a prewar population of 430,000. A humanitarian relief convoy accompanied by the Red Cross has been trying for days without success to get into the city. Capturing Mariupol would allow Russia to secure a continuous land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014. In the north, Ukrainian authorities said the bodies of least 410 civilians have been found in towns around Kyiv, victims of what Zelenskyy has portrayed as a Russian campaign of murder, rape, dismemberment and torture. Some victims had apparently been shot at close
range. Some were found with their hands bound. At a cemetery in the town of Bucha, workers began to load more than 60 bodies apparently collected over the past few days into a grocery shipping truck for transport to a facility for further investigation. More bodies were yet to be collected in Bucha. The Associated Press saw two in a house in a silent neighborhood. From time to time there was the muffled boom of workers clearing the town of mines and other unexploded ordnance. Police said they found at least 20 bodies in the Makariv area west of Kyiv. In the village of Andriivka, residents said the Russians arrived in early March and took locals’ phones. Some people were detained, then released. Others met unknown fates. Some described sheltering for weeks in cellars normally used for storing vegetables for winter. The soldiers were gone, and Russian armored personnel carriers, a tank and other vehicles sat destroyed on both ends of the road
running through the village. Several buildings were reduced to mounds of bricks and corrugated metal. Residents struggled without heat, electricity or cooking gas. “First we were scared, now we are hysterical,” said Valentyna Klymenko, 64. She said she, her husband and two neighbors weathered the siege by sleeping on stacks of potatoes covered with a mattress and blankets. “We didn’t cry at first. Now we are crying.” To the north of the village, in the town of Borodyanka, rescue workers combed through the rubble of apartment blocks, looking for bodies. Mine-disposal units worked nearby. The Kremlin has insisted its troops have committed no war crimes, charging that the images out of Bucha were staged by the Ukrainians. Thwarted in their efforts to swiftly take the capital, increasing numbers of President Vladimir Putin’s troops, along with mercenaries, have been reported moving into the Donbas.
THE TRIBUNE
$200 FIND FOR MAN OVER MARIJUANA FOUND IN VEHICLE By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net
A 20-YEAR-OLD man who was found with a small quantity of marijuana earlier this week was fined $200 yesterday. Ashton Wilson was arrested after officers discovered half a gram of marijuana in his car on April 5. Police said they were on mobile patrol when they saw a purple Nissan Note running the red traffic light. As a result, the car was stopped and occupants were ordered to leave the vehicle. Minutes later, police said they smelled a strong scent of marijuana emanating from the car. While conducting a search, officers discovered a silver wrap with suspected marijuana located in one of the doors. This resulted in Wilson being arrested and taken to the nearest police station, where he admitted to the offence. He claimed the drugs were for his personal use. Wilson’s attorney asked the court not to impose a custodial sentence, noting his client’s clean record and unemployment status. The attorney also went on to note the amount of drugs found, saying it was only a small quantity and that his client deserved a second chance. “He’s remorseful,” the
lawyer told the court. When asked by the magistrate if he smoked marijuana often, the accused said he smoked the drug every day. In response, the magistrate told the accused that while he took into consideration his early guilty plea, he also believed that some form of punishment needed to be handed down to deter him reoffending. As a result, Wilson was fined $200. He was told that once the fine was paid, he would be granted an absolute discharge. Also appearing in court for a similar offence was 28-year-old Dario Jones. Police arrested Jones after they found one gram of marijuana hidden in his car on April 3. During yesterday’s hearing, Jones pleaded guilty to the offence. His attorney argued that his client had no previous convictions and was currently not employed. However, he admitted that Jones was a regular drug user and had been smoking for five years. Asked by the magistrate where he found the money to buy the drugs, the accused told the court that his aunt would sometimes pay him to run her errands. In response, the magistrate fined him $500. Jones was also told that once the fine was paid, he would be granted an absolute discharge.
$100 THEFT CASE REACHES COURT By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net
A SENIOR magistrate yesterday deferred the sentencing of a man who admitted to stealing $100 cash from a woman last month. Isaac Roberts, 20, was charged with stealing after a woman reported to police that a man stole $100 from her purse on March 22. Police said the woman was at work when the incident happened. Police said while the woman was not able to see the perpetrator, surveillance footage showed a man reaching into the woman’s bag to collect her cash. As a result, Roberts was arrested and taken into police custody, where he declined to comment on the allegations made against him. During his hearing before Senior Magistrate Derence Rolle-Davis yesterday, Roberts owned up to the offence. His attorney Bjorn Ferguson told the court his client had no previous convictions and was extremely
remorseful for his actions. He also went on to speak of Roberts’ character, describing him as a regular churchgoer and an aspiring videographer. “He’s actually embarrassed that he found himself before the court for such a silly matter… there was no need to do it,” Mr Ferguson said. He also asked the court for leniency, saying his client deserved a second chance. When asked by the magistrate why he committed the offence, the accused said he did so because he wasn’t in the right frame of mind at the time. He also told the court he knew that his actions were wrong and further promised not to reoffend. When asked if the money was recovered, the attorney said despite their attempts to make amends, they were unable to. He suggested that the woman refused to accept the money. In view of this, Magistrate Rolle adjourned the matter to April 12 after telling the court he wished to speak with the virtual complainant to assist with sentencing.
KNIFE ATTACK ACCUSED ON BAIL By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net
A 62-YEAR-OLD woman who denied assaulting another woman with a knife last month was granted $3,500 bail ahead of her trial yesterday. Police allege that Lisa Knowles assaulted Claudia Seymour with a knife on
March 30 while at Imperial Park. However, the accused denied the allegations during her hearing before Senior Magistrate Derence Rolle-Davis yesterday. As a result, bail was granted at $3,500 with one surety and the matter was adjourned to August 3 for trial.
Thursday, April 7, 2022, PAGE 11
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PAGE 12, Thursday, April 7, 2022
THE TRIBUNE
St. Francis Xavier Cathedral Holy Week & Easter 2022 Mass Schedule Saturday, 9th April –
Vigil for Sunday at 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, 10th April –
Passion (Palm) Sunday Sunday of the Passion of our Lord. Mass at 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Monday, 11th April –
Mass at 7:00 a.m. only.
Tuesday, 12th April & Wednesday, 13th April – Mass at 7:00 a.m. and 12:10 p.m. Thursday, 14th April – (Holy Thursday)
Mass at 7:00 p.m. only. Evening Mass of Our Lord’s Supper. This will be the only Mass of the day.
Friday, 15th April – (Good Friday)
The Passion of Our Lord. Passion of the Cross at 8:30 a.m. and 12 noon. This is a day of Fast and Abstinence.
Saturday, 16th April – (Holy Saturday)
Vigil for Easter at 8 p.m.
Sunday, 17th April –
Easter Sunday – The Resurrection of Our Lord. Mass at 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Monday, 18th April –
Easter Monday – No Mass.
Tuesday, 19th April –
Regular Mass schedule resumes – 7:00 a.m. and 12:10 p.m.
To Publish your Financials and
Legal Notices Call: 502-2394
SENIOR BMW TECHNICIAN An established Bahamian local company is seeking applications from suitably qualified persons to fill the position of Senior BMW Technician for long-term commitment, growth and longevity. THE IDEAL CANDIDATE SHOULD BE:
• • • • • • • • • • •
•
BMW Certified Master Technician BMW Certified High Voltage Technician BMW Diagnostic Technician Certified MINI Technician Must possess BMW Warranty Experience Valid driver’s license with clean driving record. Computer literate. At least five (5) years’ experience in Automobile Dealer service environment. Must be team oriented, flexible and focused on maintaining a high level of customer service. German Automotive experience, a plus. The ability to perform work specified for maintenance on repair orders with efficiency and in accordance with the BMW dealership standards. Good written, verbal communication and interpersonal skills
BENEFITS OFFERED ARE:
• •
An attractive compensation package which includes Group Medical and Pension Plan benefits. Continuous training. Salary will commensurate with qualifications and experience.
Interested persons should send resumes and supporting documents to: P. O. Box N-9240 Nassau, Bahamas OR email address: mediavacancy242@gmail.com
Application Deadline: April 18, 2022
SPORTS SECTION E
BAHAMIAN MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PROSPECTS RECEIVE 2022 ASSIGNMENTS By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net SEVERAL Bahamian prospects have received their 2022 assignments in Minor League Baseball as seasons commenced in leagues across the United States. Toronto Blue Jays prospect Chavez Young advanced to Triple-A for the first time in his career when he was assigned to the club’s affiliate in the International League, the Buffalo Bison. Young was recently a non-roster invitee to 2022 Spring Training for the second consecutive year and spent time with the major league roster in the Grapefruit League. Young spent his last minor league season with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in the AA Eastern League. He appeared in 78 games with the Fisher Cats and hit .265 with 74 hits and 52 RBI. He also had an .758 OPS, slugged .409 with 20 stolen bases, 41 runs scored, 15 doubles, two triples, and seven home runs. In January, Young concluded his offseason in the final series of the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (LBPRC), commonly known as the Puerto Rican Winter League. D’Shawn Knowles, the Los Angeles Angels’ no.30 prospect, has been assigned to the club’s Low A-affiliate - the Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino for the second consecutive season. In 84 games last season, he hit .227 with a .280 OBP, a .635 OBP, five home-runs, 48 RBI, and a team leading 31 stolen bases. “The fact that Knowles is a super high-energy player is a plus, but it’s also an obstacle,” <zf”webkit-standard”>his MLB Pipeline prospect analysis said. “While he’s capable of making hard contact from both sides of the plate, he needs to learn to slow things down and rediscover his approach. “On the plus side, the Angels had encouraged Knowles to use that speed more aggressively on the basepaths and he responded by going 31-for-32 in stolen-base attempts last year. He’s a capable defender in center field, but showed that not only can he handle all three outfield spots, but he started getting reps at shortstop as well. If he can get back to more regular contact, he could be an athletic super-utility type.” Knowles last appeared with the Angels main club in Spring Training 2020, when the COVID19 pandemic brought a halt to baseball. In the 2019 season Knowles spent time with the Orem Owlz and was named to the Pioneer League’s All-Star Game roster for their midseason matchup against the Class A Short Season Northwest League. In 64 games, he is hit .241 with a .310 OBP, .698 OPS with 61 hits, 11 doubles, four triples, six home runs, 28 RBI and five stolen bases. Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Tahnaj Thomas will reportedly head to SEE PAGE 15
FULLGOESHERE
Franchise record for Ayton’s Phoenix Suns PHOENIX Suns centre Deandre Ayton dunks against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, in Phoenix. The Suns won 121-110. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
WHEN Deandre Ayton joined the Phoenix Suns as a rookie in the 2018-19 season, the team finished just 19-63. Now several seasons later, the Suns set a new franchise record with 63 wins and have already clinched the top overall seed in the Western Conference standings with three games remaining in the regular season. The Suns improved to a franchise best 63-16 with Tuesday night’s 121-110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Ayton finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds in 27 minutes. The Suns bested the previous season high mark of 62 wins set by the 1992-93 team that advanced to the NBA Finals and the 2004-05 team. “That’s how life goes, what goes around comes around, and it’s now Phoenix’s turn to come around,” Ayton told reporters in his post game availability, “All I
PHOENIX Suns centre Deandre Ayton (22) and forward Torrey Craig (0) react after a score against the Los Angeles Lakers. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
could do in the last five seconds of the game is tell everybody how much I appreciate them. I went down the line from the staff to everybody who was sitting out there on the bench with us until I got to the back where everybody else was at, I just had to tell everybody thank you. Especially putting up with me.” The Suns’ season high total from the 2015-19 period was just
24 wins. In the 2019-20 Monty Williams took over as head coach and James Jones became general manager. The Suns improved to 34-39 in the 2020 season, highlighted by their 8-0 performance at the NBA Bubble in Orlando, Florida. They followed with a 51-21 record last season, won the Pacific Division title for the first time in 14 years and ended one of the
league’s longest playoff droughts when they earned a postseason berth for the first time in 11 years. They also made their first NBA Finals appearance in 28 years. “There’s a lot more to go. But on this team, we celebrate everything. That was a joyful moment to really embrace everything,” Ayton said, “Four years ago we are at the pit, the bottom of the barrel, we almost thought we weren’t a part of the league” In 57 games this season, Ayton has averaged 17.2 points and 10.3 rebounds per game on 64 percent shooting from the field and 75 percent from the free throw line. “Whatever you put into the game, however you approach it, that’s what you’ll get,” Ayton said, “That’s what the game do, that’s why we got 63.” The Suns will close out the season on the road against the Utah Jazz on Friday and will host the regular-season finale Sunday against the Sacramento Kings. The fourth year centre said the Suns continue their quest of getting better down the stretch as
SEE PAGE 15
Three Bahamians get set for Major League Baseball action By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
MAJOR League Baseball’s opening week of the 2022 season has arrived and three Bahamians are expected to be in action with their respective clubs. Jazz Chisholm Jr is expected to be an opening day starter for the Miami Marlins when they face Antoan Richardson’s San Francisco Giants while Lucius Fox will be on an opening day roster for the first time in his career and could make his debut with the Washington Nationals. The Giants will host the Marlins in the home opener Friday at 4:35pm at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California. Fox and the Nationals will host the New York Mets at 4:05pm at Nationals Park in Washington, DC. This will mark the second time the Marlins and Giants meet on Opening Day. Last year, the Giants concluded the regular season 107-55 on the year and earned the team’s first division title since 2012. They advanced to the postseason for the first time since 2016 when they advanced to the NLDS before an elimination at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 107 wins for the Giants established a new
JAZZ Chisholm Jr
ANTOAN Richardson
LUCIUS Fox
franchise record and also clinched the home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The previous record was 106 wins in the 1904 season. The 2021 season represented a complete turnaround for the Giants who missed the postseason a year ago in the 2020 regular season finale. In 2021, the Marlins finished 67-95, fourth in the National League East. Chisholm’s first full season in Major League Baseball earned a postseason accolade as he was regonised as one of the top rookies in the sport. The 23-year-old infielder was named to MLB Pipeline’s All-Rookie Second
team. Chisholm appeared in 124 games this season (91 at second base, 37 at shortstop) with 119 starts. He hit .248 with a .728 OPS, slugging .425 with 115 hits, 183 total bases, 70 runs scored, 20 doubles, four triples, 18 home runs, 53 RBI and a team leading 23 stolen bases. Despite missing 34 games with various ailments, including a hamstring strain, ankle strain, shoulder contusion and time on the COVID-19 reserve list, Chisholm finished just two home runs away from the vaunted milestone of 20 stolen bases and 20 home runs in his rookie season.
Chisholm, who was called up late in the COVID19 shortened season, was an opening day starter and quickly became a fan favourite for his production and exuberant personality both on and off the field. Fox was optioned to the Rochester Red Wings on March 28 and was preparing for opening day in the Triple-A East League when he received the call on Sunday to immediately return to Spring Training. Manager Davey Martinez officially named Fox to the opening day roster on Tuesday. When Chisholm’s Marlins hosted Richardson’s Giants for a three game series last
weekend, it marked the first time a Bahamian player and a Bahamian coach shared the same field in a Major League Baseball game. The Marlins got the best of the series, 2-1, but for Richardson, now serving as the first base coach of the Giants, the moment signalled the progression of Bahamian baseball. “I think it’s exciting for baseball in the Bahamas. We have been tapping into this industry a little bit and I think there are bigger and better things to come,” he said. “I think as we continue to invest more, I’m sure Jazz will be giving some input and I will be giving input on how to create this route to help guys get to this point quicker and faster. As we learn we will bring those lessons back to The Bahamas. “We both now have experiences as players and with me, also being able to use my experience as a coach and having experience in the front office.” Richardson was the sixth Bahamian player to be called up to the major leagues when he made his breakthrough in 2011 with the Atlanta Braves. Chisholm, the latest Bahamian major leaguer and number seven on the list, made his debut in 2020.
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, April 7, 2022, PAGE 15
GM Johan-Sebastian Christiansen and Eliza Lindroth.
CM Nathan Smith and Eliza Lindroth.
Noah Albury and Eliza Lindroth.
FM Shreyas Smith and Eliza Lindroth.
CM Kendrick Knowles and GM Johan-Sebastian Christiansen.
CM Byron Small and GM Renier Gonzalez.
2022 ORJAN LINDROTH MEMORIAL OPEN CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP THE local chess community hosted several masters of the sport from across the globe at the 2022 Orjan Lindroth Memorial Open Chess Championship. Norwegian Grand Master Johan-Sebastian Christiansen won the inaugural event. To open the tournament, he played a simultaneous exhibition match against 20 Bahamians, including 10 juniors. Christiansen was awarded the titles International Master in 2015 and Grandmaster in 2018 by FIDE. In second place was a three way tie between IM Daniel Fernandez,
BASKETBALL CAMP IN ELEUTHERA By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net WITH schools being closed for the Easter holiday, Tony Crean and Sharon ‘the General’ Storr are combining their skills to host another basketball camp for high school students in Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera. The camp, which will begin on Saturday, will run for four days for students in grades 5-7 through Tuesday, April 12. From Wednesday to Saturday, April 13-16, the camp will cater to students in grade 8-12. Daily sessions will be held from 9 am to 3 pm, except on Palm Sunday, April 10, when they will go from 2-5 pm. Assisting Crean and Storr will be Renee ‘Sunshine’ Davis. During the week-long session, Crean said they will be taught the art of shooting, dribbling, passing and footwork as well as playing offensively and defensively – everything, he said, that makes up a game. The camp was originally staged in 2019, but Crean said because of the restrictions from COVID-19, they had to put it off for two years. However, he said they are eager to resume the camp this year. “We want to reintroduce the game to the students in the aftermath of all that we went through with the lockdown from COVID19,” said Crean, a former long-time physical education teacher and sports executive in Eleuthera. “There’s a lot of excitement down here for the camp. “I know there was a boy whose parents were taking him away. “He burst into tears because he wanted to stay for the camp. So there’s a lot of excitement down here.” Crean said this is a good way to give the children some relief from the books and the computers that they had to endure over the past two years without much sporting activities because of the restrictions imposed by COVID-19. “We want to get out in the fresh air so they can learn some basketball skills,” Crean said. It’s anticipated that between 50-60 students will participate in the camp. “I’m excited and looking forward to it,” Crean said. “Storr and I and Sunshine are really close and we all love kids and so I’m hoping that together, we can get some good things out of this camp.” Storr, a renowned national team player, coach and referee and Sweeting, a versatile softball player, have both worked for the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and are now working with the Games Secretariat for the return of the Bahamas Games during the country’s 50th anniversary of Independence in 2023.
FM Shreyas Smith and GM Renier Gonzalez. In third place was CM Nathan Smith. In the U700 Section Kenville Lockhart took first place. In second place it was a tie between Avian Pride, Curtis Pride and Noah Albury. Theophilus Weir finished in third place. The Best Under 2000 section was CM Kendrick Knowles, FM Cecil Moncur and the Best Under 1800 was CM Byron Small and Shawn Barker. A total of thirty players, including three international Grand Masters, competed in the event - one from Norway, two from
the United States and 14 junior players participated. Other international players included FM Shreyas Smith (Jamaican National Chess Champion) and players from the United Kingdom and Cayman Islands. CM Kendrick Knowles, President, Bahamas Chess Federation said: “Congratulations to all players, organisers and arbiters on a successful tournament. We saw some amazing young chess talent at this event. We thank our international GMs, IMs and FMs who travelled to participate in this tournament, you strengthened the pool of players for this
Championship. Our goal is to make this an annual event which will be able to stand amongst some of the major international chess tournaments. Last, but by no means least, I wish to thank the sponsors of the Orjan Lindroth Memorial Open Chess Championship. Your generous contributions helped to make this event a reality and has assisted greatly in the continued growth and development of chess in The Bahamas. “ Sponsors of Tournament included the Old Fort Bay Club, Bahamas Bone & Joint Center, New Providence Development
Company Limited, Amanda Lindroth, Bahamas Chess Institute, The Island Store Lyford Cay, Michael Phillips, Mr & Mrs Charles Stonehill, Mr & Mrs Kiril Sokoloff and The Bahamas Chess Federation. The tournament is named in honour of the late Mr. Orjan Lindroth, who was a generous supporter of chess in The Bahamas. His unwavering contributions gave many young Bahamians the opportunity to be introduced to chess. It was always the vision for Mr. Lindroth to have a tournament like this in The Bahamas.
PHOENIX Suns centre Deandre Ayton shoots over Los Angeles Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony (7) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, in Phoenix. The Suns won 121-110. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
FRANCHISE RECORD FOR AYTON’S PHOENIX SUNS FROM PAGE 14
they prepare for another deep playoff run. “It’s that 30 percent Javale [McGee] and [Chris Paul] always talks about. We think we’re operating at 100 percent but there’s another 30 percent we can get to to be where we want to be and that’s what got us all locked in,” he said, “We knew the last couple games we played we weren’t ourselves. But as good teams do, we got together, sat down, spoke on
things, we talked it out, went on that battlefield and played for each other.” After a run at the NBA Finals, the Suns surprisingly began this season with a 1-3 before they responded with a franchise-record 18 consecutive wins in a row. The Suns clinched the top seed in the West on March 24 on the road in a win at Denver, but were able to claim the franchise record at home in Phoenix. “Especially for the fans to see. Happening here made it
more meaningful doing it at home,” Ayton said, “The whole city evolved. One thing I was telling my family when we first got here ‘We’re going to bring life to this city one day’ because I wasn’t used to losing. Now, here we are, there’s all types of lights everywhere I turn.” Williams, one of the leading candidates for Coach of the Year, echoed Ayton’s sentiments on the support the franchise has felt from the city of Phoenix.
“It started with the young guys we had that first year, the bubble the following year, and the individual stuff that we have seen guys achieve along the way. “This is unbelievably special for so many people and not just the people in the organisation but the people in the city,” Williams said. “Everywhere I go people talk about the Suns being their baby so to have us playing this way and achieving this goal is huge for The Valley.”
BAHAMIAN MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PROSPECTS RECEIVE 2022 ASSIGNMENTS FROM PAGE 14
D’SHAWN Knowles
CHAVEZ Young
Altoona Curve and the Double-A level for the first time. Thomas was one of the club’s non-roster invitees to major league Spring Training in Bradenton, Florida last month. The 22-year-old 6’5” right hand pitcher is currently ranked no.13 in the Pirates organisation, according to MLB Pipeline. Thomas spent last season at the High A level for the first time with the Greensboro Grasshoppers. In 16 appearances, all starts, he finished with a 3-3 record in 60.2 innings, with 62 strikeouts, an ERA of 5.19 and a 1.58 WHIP. A Grand Bahama native, Thomas signed with the Indians in December 2016 and was traded to the Pirates in November 2018. In a profile with MLB. com, Thomas said his struggles last season were a learning experience. “Honestly, I feel I shouldn’t blank most of it
out,” Thomas said. “I think it was a learning season for me. You have to fail to succeed. “Personally, I just have to pick out the goods and bads, what I have to work on, what I have to get better with from last season and bring it into this season and get better.” Thomas added that he patterns his game after perennial CY Young contenders Jacob deGrom, Walker Buehler, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. In 2019 with the Bristol Pirates of the Appalachian League, Thomas finished with a 2-3 win-loss record which also included 59 strikeouts - the most for any Bristol pitcher since 2012. In 12 starts, he pitched 48.1 innings with a 3.17 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. As the MiLB returned after a COVID-19 cancelled 2020 season, Thomas was promoted to the Grasshoppers and High-A baseball.
PAGE 16, Thursday, April 7, 2022
THE TRIBUNE
NEW PROVIDENCE PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOLS SPORTS ASSOCIATION SERVES UP A TREAT RANGERS ARRIVE IN CANADA WITH FULL ROSTER FOR OPENING SERIES By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Baseball Writer ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Texas Rangers arrived in Toronto with their entire expected opening-day roster on the trip to the country that requires all visitors to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 at least 14 days prior to entry. “We have to follow the rules of law, and we have to do exactly what everybody else does coming into Canada,” manager Chris Woodward said Wednesday during a Zoom call with Rangers media. “There were no issues. ... So far, so good.” After playing its final spring training game in Arizona on Tuesday, the team flew directly to Toronto, where each person in the travel party had to submit proof of vaccination as part of the arrival process. Texas plays its season opener Friday night against the Toronto Blue Jays. Woodward said players were allowed to make their own decisions regarding vaccinations. The players had a mandatory day off Wednesday, and will work out at Rogers Centre on Thursday. “What we want to do is make sure opening day is a little bit lighter load for them, not cram a bunch of meetings in,” Woodward said. “Getting here two days early is actually really good for our players.” Before returning to the United States after the three-game series, they all will have to provide a negative COVID-19 viral test taken no earlier than Saturday, or provide documentation from a licensed health care provider of having recovered from the virus in the 90 days before the trip. The Rangers play their home opener Monday against Colorado. The season-opening series against Toronto is their only scheduled trip to Canada this season, and first visit there since August 2019. The Blue Jays played home games in three different cities last season, when they went 91-71 and finished one game behind New York and Boston in the AL wildcard race. Second baseman Marcus Semien was an All-Star and a Gold Glove winner last year in his only season with the Blue Jays before signing a $175 million, sevenyear contract with the Rangers. “(Toronto) has got a ton of buzz around it, as do we. They’ve made a lot of really positive changes,” Woodward said. “They lost their best player last year, in my opinion, but we were able to get that one in Marcus.” Among the other offseason additions for the Rangers were two-time All-Star shortstop Corey Seager and right-hander Jon Gray, who will make his Rangers debut starting the season opener. Woodward played with five teams during parts of 12 big league seasons, most with the Blue Jays. He played 362 of his 659 career games for Toronto, where he began his career from 19992004 and finished it in 2011. “I spent a lot of time in the city, and know the city well. It’s obviously changed a lot since since I’ve really, really been here,” Woodward said. “But, you know, still looks the same. It’s a little colder than Arizona, which feels good a little bit.”
RESIDENTS of the Fox Hill Community were the latest to benefit from the New Providence Public Primary Schools Sports Association breakfast giveaway last week on the parade grounds. While they served hundreds of breakfasts, more than 50 people received a package of groceries from the association, which continued its initiative to give back to those in need. Association president Latroya Bain-Sturrup said while it was the first event they staged so far this year, it’s a continuation of the project they started during the coronavirus pandemic to assist the students they teach in various communities. “We had an excellent turnout today,” Bain-Sturrup said. “We prepared 350 breakfasts. We also had clothing to give away and we gave out 55 grocery bags. It was well received in the Fox Hill community.” Bain-Surrup said their next move is to go into Gambier where they hope to distribute more to those in need. “Wherever we see there is a need, we try to make our presence felt,”
NEW Providence Public Primary Schools Sports Association coaches packing bags to give away in Fox Hill. Bsin-Sturrup said. She thanked the members of her association, who provided donations. She noted that there were a number of other persons in the various communities who provided some of the grocery items as they assisted the association. All during the height of
the pandemic, the association went into communities such as Bains and Grants Town, Kemp Road and Nassau Village where they distributed breakfast to the residents. Bain-Sturrup said it’s their way of not only giving back to those in need, but also to interact with some
of their students who they would not have seen during the pandemic when schools were closed. One resident in Fox Hill, who wished to remain anonymous, said “there are still a lot of people who are still in need as a result of the pandemic, so we are very happy that the New
Providence Public Schools Sports Association came and gave us some help.” Bain-Sturrup said it;s comments like those that encourage her and her members to continue to press forward in their assistance to the various communities around the island.
Bulls’ Lonzo Ball to miss rest of season because of knee injury CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball will miss the rest of the season after another setback in his recovery from surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee. Ball’s final game was Jan. 14, and he had surgery two weeks later. The Bulls hoped a recent 10-day shutdown in activities after he experienced discomfort would resolve the issue and allow him to return this season. But he felt pain again when he tried to ramp them up. “I think the biggest thing everybody is trying to do right now is how do we actually get him, from a health standpoint, feeling better, where he can actually start to ramp up and do some things,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said Wednesday. The Bulls acquired Ball from New Orleans in a sign-and-trade deal after agreeing to a four-year, $85 million contract. He played a major role in Chicago’s resurgence when he was healthy. Ball averaged 13 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals in 35 games. Besides giving the Bulls a steadying hand on offense, he helped tighten their perimeter defense.
CHICAGO Bulls guard Lonzo Ball (2) dribbles up court against the Dallas Mavericks in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Dallas, Sunday, Jan. 9. Ball will miss the remainder of the season following another setback in his recovery from surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee, the team announced on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Tim Heitman, File)
Chicago, which led the Eastern Conference for part of the season, was in sixth place with a 45-34
record entering Wednesday’s game against the Boston Celtics. The Bulls ended a string of four
straight losing seasons and made the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
Brewers address catching depth by adding Caratini and Jackson
VICTOR Caratini. (AP Photo)
MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers acquired Victor Caratini and Alex Jackson on Wednesday to address their catching depth, a day after Pedro Severino was suspended for the first 80 games following a positive drug test. Milwaukee sent minor league outfielder Korry Howell and catcher Brett Sullivan to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Caratini. The Brewers landed Jackson from the Miami Marlins for minor league infielder Hayden Cantrelle and pitcher Alexis Ramirez. The Brewers, who open the season Thursday at the Chicago Cubs, sent Jackson to their Triple-A affiliate in Nashville. Severino tested positive for the performance-enhancing substance Clomiphene, a women’s fertility drug that has been used by some athletes to counter side effects of steroids use. “Once that happened, we began calling around, seeing what catchers
might be available,” Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns said. “Caratini is someone who we’re very familiar with and have had interest in before and are pleased that we’re able to line up with San Diego and bring him into the fold today.”
Backup The Brewers had signed Severino to work as the main backup to starting catcher Omar Narváez. That role now will go to the 28-year-old Caratini, who batted .227 with seven homers and 39 RBIs in 116 games or the Padres last season. Caratini, a switch-hitter, has hit .242 with 22 homers and 112 RBIs in 362 career games with the Cubs (2017-20) and Padres. He primarily has played catcher but has 59 career appearances at first base and also has experience at third base and in the outfield. “He’s been in this division,” Stearns said. “He understands what
this job entails. “The switch-hitter profile is a bonus here. Having someone who could bat from both sides of the plate, it gives the manager a little bit extra versatility in terms of how he uses them. “And while we look at him primarily as a catcher, this is someone who has played other positions, adding to the usefulness on the roster.” Jackson, 26, played a combined 52 games for the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins last season. He batted .137 with a .252 on-base percentage, three homers and 12 RBIs. The Seattle Mariners selected Jackson with the sixth overall pick in the 2014 draft. Howell, 23, hit .244 with 16 homers and 41 RBIs in 97 games with the Brewers’ Single-A Wisconsin and Double-A Biloxi affiliates last season. Sullivan, 28, signed with the Brewers on Nov. 30 after spending seven seasons in the minors with the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, April 7, 2022, PAGE 17
EVERTON LOSES AT BURNLEY, PLUNGES TOWARD THE EPL RELEGATION ZONE BURNLEY, England (AP) — Everton’s status as an everpresent in the Premier League is under serious threat. Frank Lampard’s team tumbled to within a point of the relegation zone after conceding in the 85th minute to lose 3-2 at Burnley in a wild, end-to-end match on Wednesday. Everton, which recently announced losses of more than 100 million pounds ($130 million) for the third straight year, has nine games to save its season but is facing an extremely difficult run-in. Its next four opponents, for example, are Manchester United, Leicester, Liverpool and Chelsea. “They have to keep going,” Lampard said of his players. “If we didn’t know we were in a fight before, we certainly do now.” Burnley hadn’t scored in its last four games — and had netted only eight times in the past four months — but still managed to breach Everton’s flaky defence three times and move above Watford into 18th place, within striking distance of 17th-place Everton. Maxwel Cornet grabbed the winner for Burnley, sweeping home a finish from substitute Matej Vydra’s low cross to give the home fans something to cheer after a miserable few months for Sean Dyche’s side.
Penalties Two penalties before halftime by Brazil forward Richarlison helped Everton recover from conceding a 12th-minute opener to Nathan Collins, who was left unmarked at the back post at a corner. Jay Rodriguez made it 2-2 in the 57th before Cornet’s late intervention, which potentially leaves Lampard fighting for his job even though he only took over as Everton’s manager at the start of February — after owner Farhad Moshiri fired Rafa Benitez. It was a sixth straight away defeat in the league for financially stricken club from Merseyside, which has played in England’s top division every season since 1954. Last month, Everton halted its major sponsorship with companies belonging to Alisher Usmanov, the Russian metals tycoon who has been sanctioned by the European Union in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Usmanov is a longtime business partner of Moshiri and paid Everton 30 million pounds ($39 million) in January 2020 to secure an exclusive option on naming rights for its proposed new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, which is scheduled to be completed by 2023. Funding that move has led to Everton cutting spending in the transfer market over the past year. Relegation doesn’t bear thinking about for Everton in a financial sense but is now a realistic possibility, especially given the quality of opponents coming up. “It doesn’t matter who we play,” Lampard said. “One of our best performancs was against Manchester City. “I wouldn’t look at the fixture list. It’s about what we do.”
Another Benzema hat trick gives Madrid 3-1 edge over Chelsea REAL Madrid’s Karim Benzema celebrates after scoring his side’s first goal during a Champions League first-leg quarterfinal soccer match between Chelsea and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge stadium in London, Wednesday. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer LONDON (AP) — Make that back-to-back Champions League hat tricks for Karim Benzema. Defending champion Chelsea were on the receiving end this time as the 34-year-old forward showed his enduring scoring quality by leading Real Madrid to a 3-1 win Wednesday in the first leg of the quarterfinals. The France forward now has 37 goals in 36 games in all competitions this season, including the three that turned around the last-16 meeting with Paris Saint-Germain. “They’re magic nights,” Benzema said. “Today we came out to win, to show we’re Real Madrid. Things worked out well for us as we played well, from the first minute to the last.” Benzema is almost single-handedly keeping the Spanish giants on the path to a 14th European Cup — and a fifth for himself — and powering them to regaining the La Liga title. Of Madrid’s last 11 goals, 10 have been scored by the mainstay of the team for the last 13 years. The first two at Stamford
REAL Madrid’s Karim Benzema, left, heads the ball to score his side’s second goal during a Champions League first-leg quarterfinal soccer match between Chelsea and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge stadium in London, Wednesday. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Bridge were thumping headers inside three firsthalf minutes in the driving rain, while the third was gifted to him in a manner that raised doubts about whether Chelsea can muster a comeback in Madrid on Tuesday. “I think it helped us that our build-up play from the back was good,” said Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, who won the 2010 Premier League with Chelsea.
“We found space between the lines. And then with Benzema and Vinicius we were dangerous.” Chelsea had given themselves hope of recovering when Kai Havertz reduced the deficit with a header five minutes before halftime from Jorginho’s cross. But only a minute of the second half had elapsed when Chelsea’s slack defending proved so costly. Edouard Mendy was about 30 yards out from
goal when the ball came to him and the goalkeeper brought it down with his chest. Rather than clearing down the field, he sent a short pass tamely to the dawdling Antonio Rüdiger. It was a gift for Benzema to intercept before striking into the unprotected net with Mendy still stranded outside the penalty area. “I’m happiest to have scored the third,” he said, “as I missed one in the first half and I was thinking about that chance because it’s very important to score goals. “Then I got another and I’m very happy.” The precision of Benzema’s first-half headers -- after getting on the end of crosses from Vinicius Jr. in the 21st minute and Luka Modric in the 24th — was in contrast to the shortcomings of Chelsea’s No. 9. Substitute Romelu Lukaku had a great chance with a header of his own when there was still more than 20 minutes to go, but glanced it wide of the post, resulting in groans around Stamford Bridge. “Very important,” Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel said of the miss. An all-English semifinal
is looking less likely. The winner of this quarterfinal will face Manchester City or Atletico Madrid, with City ahead 1-0 after Tuesday’s first leg at the Etihad Stadium. Asked whether his quarterfinal was still alive, Tuchel sharply replied: “No.” It showed his frustration after his team’s hold on third place in the Premier League was loosened by a surprising 4-1 loss to Brentford on Saturday. “We have to find our level back,” Tuchel said, “but we don’t know where it is.” The most significant action might not even have been on the field for Chelsea on Wednesday. Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly flew in for the game as the tussle to buy the team from sanctioned Russian owner Roman Abramovich intensifies, with the contenders whittled down in recent weeks. It just adds to the uncertainty hanging over the west London team. “I will not accept it as an excuse,” Tuchel said. There was a surprise in Wednesday’s other quarterfinal with Bayern Munich losing 1-0 at Villarreal.
Villarreal keep on surprising, beat Bayern in CL quarters VILLARREAL, Spain (AP) — Villarreal pulled off another surprising Champions League result, this time against sixth-time champions Bayern Munich to boost their hopes of returning to the semifinals for the first time in 16 years. After making it past the group stage and eliminating Juventus in the round of 16, the modest Spanish club took a big step toward reaching the last four by holding on to a 1-0 victory against favourites Bayern in the first leg of the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Arnaut Danjuma’s goal early in the first half was enough for Villarreal at the La Cerámica Stadium, with Bayern unable to get past the solid defence of Unai Emery’s squad and losing only for the second time in 30 Champions League matches. Bayern were unbeaten in their last 22 away games in the Champions League, with 17 wins and five draws in a record run that had started after a loss in 2017 to a Paris Saint-Germain team coached by Emery. The Germans struggled throughout the match on Wednesday and were glad to leave only one goal down. “We’ll take the 1-0 result,” veteran Thomas Müller said. “We know that things could have been a lot worse. We have to pay a lot of respects to our opponents. Now we need to pick ourselves back up for the return leg and hit back.” The second leg is next week in Munich, where Villarreal will need a draw to get to the semifinals for the first time since their first lastfour appearance in the Champions League in 2006. Villarreal stunned Juventus 3-0 in Italy after a 1-1 draw at home in the last 16. In the other quarterfinal Wednesday, defending champions Chelsea lost 3-1 to Real Madrid in the first leg in London. “We deserved to lose. We weren’t good today,” Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann said. “In the first half, we lacked power in defence and
VILLARREAL players applaud at the end of the Champions League quarter-final, first leg soccer match between Villarreal and Bayern Munich at the Ceramica stadium in Villarreal, Spain, Wednesday. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz) had too few chances. The second half was a completely wild game. We gave up control because we were desperate to score, but we could have conceded two more.” Villarreal looked in control from the start and Bayern struggled to create significant scoring chances. The hosts threatened the most and had some good chances to add to its lead. “There was talk about them being favourites and wanting to seal their place in the semifinals tonight, but we came out very hungry, very humble,” Villarreal midfielder Giovani Lo Celso said. “There’s no doubt they are one of the best teams in the world, but we managed the game well and could have scored even more goals.” Danjuma opened the scoring in the eighth minute by redirecting a close-range shot by Dani Parejo as the Bayern defence was caught off guard. It was Danjuma’s sixth goal in nine Champions League appearances this season, and seventh in 11
career games in the competition. Villarreal thought they had doubled the lead in the 41st but Francis Coquelin’s goal from a tough angle was disallowed for offside. Striker Gerard Moreno twice had opportunities to add to Villarreal’s lead after that. First with a low shot from outside the area that hit the post in the 53rd, and 10 minutes later after intercepting a bad pass by Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer near midfield and missing his long-range shot into the open net. The ball ended up curling too much as Neuer desperately tried to run back into position. Bayern increased the pressure near the end but again it was Villarreal that nearly added to the lead when substitute Alfonso Pedraza missed from close range on a counterattack in the 87th. Villarreal did a good job containing Robert Lewandowski throughout the match and he had few opportunities inside the area. He entered the match as the
Champions League’s leading scorer with 12 goals from eight matches and had scored seven goals in his last five games in all competitions. The Poland striker is ranked third on the all-time list of Champions League scorers, behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Bayern’s Canadian player Alphonso Davies made his first appearance since Dec. 17 after a long injury layoff because of cardiac issues. Villarreal, based in a city of about 50,000 people, are playing in the quarterfinals for the first time in 13 years. They qualified for the Champions League by winning last season’s Europa League. Bayern were eliminated by PSG at this stage last season. The German club made it to the last eight 10 times in the last 11 seasons. The team is playing in the quarterfinals for a record 20th time. The winner will play either Benfica or Liverpool in the semifinals. Liverpool won the first leg in Lisbon 3-1.
PAGE 18, Thursday, April 7, 2022
AUSTRALIA BEATS PAKISTAN BY 3 WICKETS IN ONE OFF TWENTY20 LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Australia rounded off its first tour to Pakistan in 24 years with a threewicket victory in the one-off Twenty20 on Tuesday. Captain Aaron Finch smashed 55 and anchored Australia to 163-7 with five balls to spare as Ben McDermott flicked Haris Rauf to backward square leg for a boundary. Nathan Ellis picked up 4-28 and pulled Pakistan back to 162-8 after Babar Azam continued his run of golden form and struck 66 off 46 balls when Finch won the toss and elected to field first. Australia won the three-test series 1-0, its first in Pakistan since 1998, and lost the ODI series 2-1 after several of its players were rested from the white-ball series while Mitchell Marsh and Steve Smith were ruled out due to injuries. “Thought the way our bowlers attacked that game were fantastic,” said Finch, who came into the final game of the series after failing to score in the last two ODIs against Pakistan. “Nathan Ellis had a tough start but showed real character. Everything we do is (with) one eye to the World Cup. There’s been a lot of great performances on this tour … to see so many young cricketers come on is super exciting.” Travis Head, who scored a century in the first ODI, hit a brisk 26 off 14 balls and provided Australia a whirlwind start with Finch of 40 in 21 deliveries to set up a strong platform. Josh Inglis, who missed out the ODI series after testing positive for COVID-19, also made a brisk 24 while Marcus Stoinis blasted five boundaries in his 9-ball 23 against some wayward Pakistan bowling — especially Hasan Ali, who conceded 30 runs off his three overs without taking a wicket. Fast bowler Mohammad Wasim (2-30) clean bowled Stoinis and Cameron Green in successive overs but Australia made sure not to let the game slip away through some clinical hitting. Shaheen Shah Afridi (2-21) had Finch caught on the edge of the boundary in his last over and also had Sean Abbott clean bowled before McDermott sealed the game in the final over. Pakistan lost its way once Green, one of the three debutants for Australia, broke the half century opening stand by having Mohammad Rizwan (23) clean bowled with an off-cutter. Green was on a hat trick when Fakhar Zaman was snapped up by Finch at mid-on after the lefthander played a hard drive off a low full toss. Adam Zampa put the brakes on Pakistan’s scoring rate when Babar, who hit six fours and two sixes in his 46-ball knock, was well caught at deep extra cover by Ellis in the 16th over. Ellis then ran through the lower order by grabbing three wickets in his last two overs before Usman Qadir’s brisk 18 runs off debutant fast bowler Ben Dwarshuis’ (0-42) last over provided Pakistan a late flourish.
THE TRIBUNE
BRYSON DeChambeau hits from the fairway on the 11th hole during a practice round for the Masters golf tournament on Wednesday in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/ Matt Slocum)
The Masters values tradition, but course change is constant By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Not even 24 hours had passed after last year’s Masters ended, and the preparations for this year’s tournament were underway. It started with heavy equipment — brought onto Augusta National to remove a massive tree from its former home near the 15th tee. While some traditions at Augusta National are hardly ever altered and some rules are downright absolute, the course itself has a long history of evolving with the times. And the process of changing some things for this year’s Masters, which begins Thursday, started immediately after last year’s tournament ended. The primary changes this year: making the par-4 11th and par-5 15th both 15 to 20 yards longer and lowering the tee boxes on both holes. “I think this place changes a little bit every year,” world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler said. He’s not wrong. Golf balls simply fly farther now than they did years ago because of technology. Golfers are bigger and stronger. These are not new developments, of course. Courses had to adjust with all of that, and most have, Augusta National certainly among them. Augusta National makes no secret it looks at possible
SPECTATORS wait for play on the 15th green during a practice round for the Masters golf tournament on Monday. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) changes every year, and the average score about 4.4 from well off the right side usually tweaks something and birdie being made only of the green for birdie and at minimum to ensure that about 5.3% of the time. the Masters title in a playoff it remains a tough but fair And now it figures to be over Greg Norman. It plays test. even more difficult, with at 520 yards now. “That’s what this place not only added length but Mize once said he never is all about. It’s as much of changes to the contour of tried to replicate that chip. a chess game as anything the fairway. He couldn’t now if he else,” said Rory McIlroy, Some trees were removed wanted to; the right side of who needs a Masters win to from the right side of the the green has been raised, complete the career Grand fairway, though that alone so the shot he played Slam. “It’s just about put- won’t make it play any wouldn’t be the same now ting yourself in the right easier. under any circumstances. positions and being disci“We thought the Larry “Some of the changes, plined and being patient Mize shot is gone,” five- some of them more drastic and knowing that pars are time Masters champion than others,” Woods said. good.” Tiger Woods said. “Now it’s “Others are very subtle.” It’s not like the 11th and really gone.” The 15th was the fourth15th holes were screaming The 11th hole — White easiest hole on the course out for change. The 11th Dogwood, as it is called at last year — average score was the second-toughest Augusta National — played 4.77 — but the toughest of hole in relation to par at at around 455 yards in 1987, the four par-5’s. It’s the hole last year’s Masters, with when Mize holed out a chip where Gene Sarazen hit a
4-wood from 235 yards for double eagle in 1935. The tee got pushed back about 20 yards this year and, earlier in the week, Lee Westwood was hitting his approach from 267. A hole that the Masters touts as “famously reachable” isn’t so reachable anymore. “It certainly makes you think now,” Westwood said. “Even if you hit a good drive, it’s not an immediate, ‘Yes, I’m going to go for it.’ ... It’s really a juggling act and an evaluation of whether it’s easier to hit a 100-yard pitch shot into a green that’s sloping slightly against you than it is a 20-yard through the back with it running away from you towards the water. It certainly makes you think.” While the changes to 11 and 15 get most of the attention, the greens on three other holes — the par-4 3rd, the par-5 13th and the par-4 17th — also were redone in the last year, which isn’t uncommon. Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley said one byproduct of that was the potential for perhaps a new pin placement than the usual spots on those greens. Put simply, even golfers who know — or knew — every nuance of Augusta National have had to relearn some things on the fly for this week. “That’s really what we were trying to incorporate, the risk-reward element into some of these changes we made,” Ridley said.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to retire after French Open PARIS (AP) — Former Australian Open runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga announced Wednesday he will retire after the French Open, hoping to put the final touches on an injury-plagued career in front of his home crowd. The 36-year-old Frenchman reached a career-high ranking of No. 5 in 2012, but has dropped to No. 220 following his latest lengthy injury layoff. That means he can’t enter the main draw at Roland Garros automatically through his ranking, and will have to rely on being granted a wild-card entry by organisers. Tsonga is the first member of a gifted generation of French players that emerged nearly 20 years ago — which also includes Gaël Monfils, Richard Gasquet and Gilles Simon — to call it quits. “This is the last thrill,” Tsonga said in a video. “This will be my 15th Roland. I hope that I will stay fit before and be able to be the one I have always been in that tournament.” Tsonga reached the semifinals twice at the French Open, in 2013 and 2015. He has won 18 ATP titles and made it to the Australian Open final in 2008, losing to Novak Djokovic. He earned a combined 16 wins against
the Big Three of Roger Federer (6), Rafael Nadal (4) and Djokovic (6). In 2017, he also helped France win its first Davis Cup title in 16 years. But injuries have hindered Tsonga recently. The Frenchman underwent left knee surgery in 2018 and was then hampered by back problems. The French Open starts on May 22 in Paris.
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA, of France, in action at the Miami Open tennis tournament. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, April 7, 2022, PAGE 19
TIGER WOODS OVERSHADOWS THE MASTERS WITH SO MANY SCENARIOS By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Five players can go to No. 1 in the world by winning the Masters. Another can complete the career Grand Slam with a green jacket. Such is the depth of talent these days in golf on the eve of the first major of the year. And such is the power of five words at 10:34 a.m. Thursday that are sure to overshadow everything else on the opening day of the 86th Masters. “Fore, please. Tiger Woods driving.” Those words from the first tee at Augusta National haven’t been uttered since Nov. 15, 2020, the last time Woods played — and walked — in a tournament. For all its youth — the top seven players in the world are 30 or younger — golf still isn’t ready to let go of its past, especially when that past is Woods and there was every reason to wonder if he would ever compete at this level again. Along with images of Woods slipping on any of his five green jackets are those of his crumpled SUV at the bottom of a hill in suburban Los Angeles from his harrowing crash 14 months ago that left him confined to a hospital bed for three months. In December, when he rode a cart to compete in a 36-hole event with his son, and Matt Kuchar suggested his swing was PGA Tour-ready, Woods smiled and said, “No, no, no, no. I totally disagree. I’m not at that level. I can’t compete against these guys right now. No.” And then on Tuesday, he said he was going to play and added a short time later, “I don’t show up to an event unless I think I can win it.” “It’s just truly amazing. I don’t even know how else to say it,” Masters Chairman Fred Ridley said Wednesday. “I would have probably taken some pretty high odds a few months ago, even a few weeks ago, whether or not he
would be here. “But when you think about it, it really shouldn’t surprise us. He is one of the most determined, dedicated athletes that I have ever seen in my life.” Woods is back — again — and the 90 other players at Augusta National feel like nothing more than an afterthought until scores are posted. “Tiger takes a lot of attention away from all of us, which I think is a good thing for us,” said Scottie Scheffler, making his debut as the No. 1 player in the world. “He’s used to being in the spotlight. Tiger is the needle for professional golf.” Tigermania has been in full force ever since the gates opened Monday morning, and the gallery filled every inch behind the ropes for the nine holes he played with Justin Thomas and Fred Couples. It was like that again Wednesday, when the trio played the back nine, beating the rain.
Yardages On the par-5 second hole, Louis Oosthuizen had a fairway metal in hand as he tried to reach the green. Only about 150 people lingered behind to watch. On the third fairway, the caddie for Joaquin Niemann was walking the course to check yardages when someone suggested he should enjoy such a quiet day. Gary Matthews turned and smile. Woods is grouped with Oosthuizen and Niemann for the opening two rounds. On the other side of the course, both sides of the 15th fairway were lined with spectators to watch Woods take two shots with his fairway metal to reach the green. They followed him in. Practice tickets are only for one day. Catch him while you can. “Tiger is Tiger,” Couples said. “He’s not like a lot of us, where I’ve been injured even at age 35 and I go play just to play. He’s not going to do that. He’s won so many times, and he’s just
not a guy to go do something mediocre. “He’ll compete, and he’ll be ready to roll.” Rain interrupted the final day of practice after about three hours and cleared up in time for the start of the Par 3 Tournament, the first time that was held since 2019 because of the pandemic. Storms halted this edition of the Par 3. And then the curtain rises on the Masters which has rarely held so much intrigue. Scheffler is the new No. 1 in a world of golf so balanced at the top that Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay and Cameron Smith have a mathematical chance to replace him. This is different from other years in which only a few of golf’s best players have anything to show for it. Scheffler is the only player who has won this year while ranked among the top 10. Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas have gone more than a year without winning, Rory McIlroy is not on that list, though he can claim something far greater. The Masters is all that keeps him from becoming the sixth player to have won all four majors. “I know if I play well, I’ll give myself chances to win this golf tournament,” McIlroy said. He gets off to a late start, the final tee time of the opening round at 2:03 p.m. Woods will be long gone by then, and that’s when everyone will have a sense of how he can perform, walking and playing and keeping score for the first time in 508 days. His concern is more about walking on a right leg that still has plates and rods and screws than making solid contact and holing a few putts. “It’s up to me to endure the pain and all that, but I felt like I could still do this,” Woods said. “I don’t know how many more years I can do this.” However many, everyone will be watching, now more than ever.
TIGER Woods chips to the green on the 13th hole during a practice round for the Masters golf tournament on Wednesday, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
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