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SPORTS SECTION E

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11, 2025

NBA, Page 7

Bahamas blanked 12-0 by Dominican Republic

FRED ‘PAPA’ SMITH HONOURED, FINALLY

By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

he Bahamas’ bid to qualify for the Pony 12U World Series came to an end yesterday in the semifinals of the Pony Baseball 12U Latin American and Caribbean Zone Championships in the Dominican Republic. The winner of the tournament earned the rights to represent the Zione in the World Series in Indianapolis, Indiana in August. After advancing to the semifinals with a 3-1 win-loss record in the round robin, Team Bahamas was blanked 12-0 by the defending champions Dominican Republic host team in their semifinal game yesterday. Manager James Clarke said the players showed that pound for pound, they could play against the teams in the tournament, but they just didn’t have it when it counted the most. “I think playing with them and some calls didn’t

YOUTH AGE GROUP AWARDS

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go our way, they realised this is a team that we could beat,” Clarke said. “We told the guys, when you play someone in their hometown, you have to beat them and you have to beat them badly and not make it close because, at the end of the day, there’s no guarantee that the calls will go your way.” Despite not advancing to the final, coach Norman Bastian said the players performed as best as they could. “Over this weekend in these five games, the boys performed very well,” Bastian said. “We threw a lot of strikes, we hit the ball very well and our defence was pretty impressive as well. “At this age, they are going to make one or two slight mistakes, but that’s alright because they end up picking themselves up. They have a lot of heart, fight and energy. I like the way they played. They played tough and battled right to the very end, even though we fell short at the end.” Ask some of the players and they will tell you that they were pleased with their effort. “It feels good to come out here strong,” said outfielder Josiah Filterman. “We made a few errors, but we came back and fought strong. We battled back until it was over.” Catcher Bosfield Butler III said after losing their first game, they came back strong. But he admitted that it was a tough loss to the Dominican Republic. “We will see them next time,” he noted. And Gissnno Newball, the shortstop, said the tournament went very well. “We played some good competition. I love it. It was fun,” he summed up.

ON THE MOUND: Team Bahamas’ pitcher Xavier Petit in action. SEE MORE PHOTOS ON PAGE 4

SOME say it’s long overdue, but Fred “Papa” Smith said his recognition by the Bahamas Baseball Federation at the sixth Andre Rodgers Senior National Baseball Championships came at the right time. His wife Catherine Smith concurred, adding that she’s pleased to see that her husband is “finally getting his flowers to smell while he is still alive.” Over the weekend at the Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium, Smith was honored by the BBA during the nationals for his contribution to the sport of baseball. “It’s a pleasure and it’s and honour and I’m elated,” he said. “There’s so many other people they could have chosen to name this tournament after. But they chose me.” The 77-year-old Smith, however, recalled that while baseball had a profound impact on his life from the time he started at age 10, he became more intrigued playing basketball at 13 at the Priory Grounds. “I played with St Bernard with my first coach York Rolle, who was out here with me,” Smith said. “In my career, I had four coaches, Charles ‘York’ Rolle, Penny Bain, the late Deacon Leviticus ‘Uncle Lou’ Adderley and Ronald ‘Ding’ Wood. “York and Lou Adderley coached me in little league, Penny Bain was junior league and Ronald was my senior league coach. I played with St Bernards, Sydney Shoe Shop and Vat 19 and HG Christie.” When he started coaching, it was in basketball with the formation of the

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MAJOR AMATEUR GOLF Yankees’ Jasrado ‘Jazz’ TOURNAMENT COULD HIT BAHAMAS ‘VERY SOON’ Chisholm Jr has The Seventy Percent Solution By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm Jr. has The Seventy Percent Solution. While most athletes talk about the urge to give 100% or even 110%, the New York Yankees infielder thinks his success since returning from the injured list has been caused by limiting intensity. “Just go at 70%. That’s what’s been working for me,” he said Friday night after his three-run, goahead homer in the first inning and four RBIs sparked the Yankees over the Boston Red Sox 9-6 in the opening meeting this year of the AL East rivals. “Play at 70%: defence, offence, running, everything. Stay healthy. You don’t overswing. You don’t swing and miss as much, and you’re a great player at 70%.” Chisholm Jr is hitting .500 (8 for 16) with two homers, six RBIs and three steals in four games since returning Tuesday from a strained right oblique, an April 29 injury that caused him to miss 28 games. “He’s squaring balls up.

He’s got so much talent and power, and he doesn’t have to go reach for it,” manager Aaron Boone said. “That kind of wiry thing he’s got inside him, he doesn’t have to work too hard to generate it. So nice and easy is always good for Jazz.” Chisholm Jr raised his season average this week from .181 to .223. “He’s a game-changer,” Yankees captain Aaron Judge said. “When you step out there in Yankee Stadium, the adrenaline is going to be flowing. It’s really just about slowing everything down and just take a nice, easy approach.” Solving the mindset issue was credited by Chisholm Jr to assistant hitting coach Pat Roessler. “Like my coach Six said, he said: ‘At 70% you’re one of the best out there’. At 100%, I might be dog crap,” Chisholm Jr explained, referring to Roessler by the coach’s nickname. Chisholm Jr prepared for a rehab stint at Double-A Somerset last weekend by joining coaches to review video of his minor league days.

ON his return to The Bahamas, Mark Lawrie revealed that the R&A Latin America and Caribbean will be looking at hosting a major amateur golf tournament here very soon. Lawrie, the first regional managing director of the R&A’s Latin America and the Caribbean based in Buenos Aires, Argentina,

made the hint during a press conference yesterday at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture. Present were Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg, Acting Director of Sports, Kelsie Johnson-Sills; BGF first vice president Anthony Hinsey; former president Craig Flowers; Flamingos Golf Club 242 founder Agatha Delancy; Nathaniel McKinney of the Ministry

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THE SPORTS June CALENDAR

JASRADO “Jazz” Chisholm Jr warms up before a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians on June 3 in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) “I’ve really heard that, I’m hitting balls 108, 109 all my life, is that I need (mph), playing great to tone down on the way defence and out running I play, because it’s really and having stolen bases. I over — it’s electric, but you think that’s where I should can be electric while being stay at.” controlled at the same He also mentioned a time,” Chisholm Jr said. NASCAR analogy. “My 70% running is “It’s super challenging probably faster than a for me because only thing lot of guys in the league, too. So if at 70 per cent SEE PAGE E3

NPSA SOFTBALL AFTER taking a break for the long holiday weekend, the New Providence Softball Association is scheduled to resume its regular season this weekend in the Bankers Field at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex. Thursday 7:30pm - Gremlins vs Titans - 9pm - Platinum Food Services vs Sunshine Auto Wildcats

Saturday 6pm - Bowe vs Reloaded Players 7:30pm - Renegades vs Chances Mighty Mitts 9pm - Sunshine Auto Wildcats vs Black Scorpions BASEBALL NPBA ACTION AFTER taking a break for the long holiday weekend, the New Providence Amateur

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