SPORTS SECTION E
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
PLATE UMPIRE Dereck “Duckie” Christie halts last night’s game between the defending champions Commando Security Truckers and last year’s runners-up C&S Hitmen. He came back and officially called off the game, awarding the victory to the Hitmen. Photos by Shawn Hanna/The Tribune
NPSA to decide on pennant winners
By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
T
he New Providence Softball Association will have to wait at least another day before they can decide the men’s pennant winners. After being rained out over the weekend, the league’s biggest match-up for the season finally materialised last night in the Banker’s Field at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex as the defending champions Commando Security Truckers took on last year’s runners-up C&S Hitmen for the top spot in the regular season going into the best-of-five playoffs. But after taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning, the rain came down in the bottom of the sixth as the Hitmen took advantage with a 3-run home run from Martin Burrows Jr to go up 3-2 and leaving two more runners in scoring position on third and second when plate umpire Dereck “Duckie” Christie halted the game. He eventually came back and officially called off the game, awarding the victory to the Hitmen. The Truckers immediately lodged a protest, indicating that if the game is called, they should have been awarded the victory by virtue of leading at the game of the fifth inning when the game was official. League president Henry Dean said the Truckers submitted a “verbal protest” to the officials and it was logged into the scorer’s book. “They now have 48 hours in which they must make their pro-
test official, but we are hoping that they can expedite it so that we can get the playoffs started,” Dean said. “This is not the playoffs where we would have to commission a protest committee that is available to deal with a protest right away before the game is continued. “So because they have lodged the protest, we have to give them the 48 hours in which they make their protest official. Once that is done and we look at the protest, we can get the playoffs started. Hopefully we can get started by Friday or Saturday night.” Both the Truckers and the Hitmen have split their four regular season matches and they were both tied with identical win-loss records of 16-3. The winner of the pennant will occupy the top spot and will take on the fourth place Mighty Mitts, who were 5-14, while the losers will meet the third place BTC Warriors, who
were 9-10. The game started out as a pitcher’s duel between two national team pitchers. Through the first five innings, Thomas Davis was working on a no-hit shut-out with nine strike outs for the Truckers. Alcott Forbes, back in the line-up for the Hitmen, had given up five hits with nine strike outs as well. The difference was the two runs Forbes gave up to the Truckers in the fifth. Ramon Storr led off with a walk and he watched as Lamar Watkins ripped a fly ball to right centre field and only managed to get to third with Watkins having to give up his speed to remain on second. On a ground ball by Marvin Wood, Storr attempted to score and got called out on the tag from Angelo Dillet. But a run-producing single by Garfield Bethel sent Watkins home with the Truckers’ first run. After Bethel stole second, Wood
came home on a wild pitch. The score remained that way until the bottom of the sixth when Forbes led off with a walk and stole second for the Hitmen. Dillet also walked and after Forbes reached third on Philip Johnson’s fielder’s choice, Dillet was picked off at second. That brought up Burrows Jr, who drilled a 3-2 pitch in the rain over the centre field fence as the Hitmen celebrated a 3-2 lead after both Forbes and pinch runner Christopher Whymms scored. Michael Ingraham then singled and advanced to third on Rashad Seymour’s double. But the rain came down too heavy for the game to continue. “I’ve been trying to tell the umpire from the time the rain started that we couldn’t continue to play,” said Truckers’ manager Perry Seymour. “Our pitcher wasn’t able to throw strikes before he had to lob the ball. It was just too slippery out there, but the umpires still wanted us to play.” Seymour said it was unfair to his team, who had already taken the lead at the end of the fifth inning and should have been awarded the win. He said they intend to lodge an official protest and will await the final decision by the NPSA. Also waiting are the teams in the ladies’ division. They will have to wait for the outcome as well before their playoffs can get started. Whenever they do, the pennant winning Wildcats (14-5) will battle the fourth place Bommer G Operators (11-9). The second place Lady Truckers (12-7) will take on the third place Lady Stingers (11-8).
B.A.I.S.S
Softball, Page 2
3RD CHRIS BROWN BAHAMAS INVITATIONAL CANCELLED By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net WHILE he’s disappointed that the third version of his Chris Brown Bahamas Invitational had to be cancelled, quarter-miler turned promoter Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown said he’s eager to lend his expertise to Grenada as they host their first major international track and field invitational on April 8. Brown, who has had to painfully put his invitational on the back burner again because of the lack of financial support, has been invited by Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell to assist with pulling off their meet in Grenada. Mitchell confirmed that Brown would play a major role in the organisation of the event with the local organising committee. “In other words, we’re looking at not just one type of sport – we’re looking at all forms because it’s about sports tourism,” Mitchell said. “In other words, we see sports tourism as serious economic activity and, of course, the building of the talent of our young people.” It will be the first major international track and field meet at the new stadium, which was opened on January 23. The stadium, which is listed among the IAAF Class One Certified Athletics Facilities, hosted the CARIFTA Games in March. A Local Organising Committee (LOC) has been meeting and planning for the event over the past four months and is already preparing for an official launch. A number of prominent athletes from Jamaica and the United States are being invited to be a part of the one-day affair. Brown, who competed in his fifth consecutive Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in August, said he was looking forward to improving on the first two editions of his invitational in 2013 and then again in April after it was cancelled in 2014 and 2015. “It’s very disappointing,” Brown stated. “Being a Bahamian and having a home grown product, something that is for Bahamians and the next generation of athletes, I come to the understanding that with the amount of events on the calendar and this is not a major event, it’s difficult for me to get support and also compete with those mega events. “It has forced me to basically make a decision to
SEE PAGE 2
Bahamian players ‘performed extremely well’ for Great Britain By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net TEDDY Sweeting said he literally came to tears when he saw the potential that the Bahamas possesses, watching nine players perform for Great Britain at the World Baseball Classic Qualifier. Sweeting, president of the Bahamas Baseball Federation, along with Patrick Knowles Sr, were invited to Brooklyn, New York where they got to watch seven of the nine players inserted into Great Britain’s line-up in the four-team package in the four-day tournament over the weekend. Great Britain dropped its opener 5-2 to Israel, but bounced back to knock off Brazil 4-3 to advance to the semi-final. In their rematch, Israel routed Great Britain 9-1
and eventually secured the 16th and final berth in the 2017 WBC in Seoul, South Korea in March. As a guest of Great Britain, Sweeting said he was quite impressed with what he saw from the Bahamian players. “They performed extremely well. The level of play from a lot of the young men from rookie ball was outstanding,” he said. “They performed against minor leaguers and former major league players. “If you look at the make up of Team Israel, their pitching staff was comprised of all Triple A pitchers and former Major League pitchers. It showed in their ability to play extremely well, whether the game was a blowout or a close one.” Looking at the quality of players that the Bahamas had on display, Sweeting said he came to
“tears,” knowing that all of the players came up through the federation. “It was just exciting to see them play at that level,” said Sweeting, who either coached or helped to instruct all of the players in their developmental process. “I was very pleased with the way they have improved and went out there and performed.” Even with all of the players they had in their line-up, Sweeting said the announcers kept asking for Lucius Fox, one of the highly recruited players to come out of the Bahamas last year. Fox was unable to join his compatriots as he’s recuperating from an injury. “The Bahamas is becoming well known in respect of the Major League Baseball market,” Sweeting said. “The Bahamas is now in a position to compete on
its own at the international level. “So the game has to stop now. That is going to be my mission until I walk away from the game. We have to make the decision now on what direction they want to go with baseball in this country. But baseball cannot and must not be allowed to function under the two umbrellas. It’s not going to be successful.” Calling out the Bahamas Olympic Committee, Sweeting said a decision should be made on removing the international sanctioning from the Bahamas Baseball Association and placed on the BBF, which is doing all of the work with the growth and development of the sport in the country. “We had nine young men competing on Great Britain’s team, which means that the Bahamas
could have submitted their own national teams, inclusive of pitchers in the minor league system, who have legacy status in the Bahamas, either by grandparents,” he said. “We have a number of players in the minor league system that have that status. A prime example is one of the pitchers in the New York Yankees organisation, who has family affiliation in Spanish Wells.” After the Bahamas was not allowed to field its own team, Sweeting said Antoan Richardson and Albert Cartwright got to compete for Great Britain for the second time. He said Richardson then introduced the BBF to Great Britain and the process began to get the other seven players to join the team.