WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2016 SPORTS Al-Hajiri congratulates Rams honeymoon over as Sheikh Salman on reappointment team slumps, coach fired

KUWAIT: President of Kuwait Disabled through being Chairman of Public Authority LOS ANGELES: When the Rams confirmed Sports Club Shafi Al-Hajiri congratulated for Sports and Public Authority for Youth. He their return to Los Angeles in January, it Information Minister, State Minister for Youth also worked on removing all obstacles that seemed like a match made in heaven. The Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al- Kuwait athletes face particularly the disabled most popular sport in the United States was Humoud Al-Sabah on his reappointment in in cooperation with other bodies in Kuwait. finally returning to the city after a two-decade the new cabinet. He said Sheikh Salman fol- He said this support and continued care absence. lows first hand the Youth and Sports Affairs the Kuwait Disabled Sports receive from The Rams were ready to rekindle a relation- Sheikh Salman had a significant influence in ship with the city, after abruptly upping sticks making distinguished results that con- and decamping to St. Louis in 1995. tributed to hoisting Kuwait flag high in If Rams fans harbored lingering resentment major events, most important of which is about the team’s acrimonious departure, no athletics player Ahmad Nawa Al-Mutairi’s one was letting on. Season ticket sales for the winning the gold medal in Rio Paralympics 2016-2017 campaign rapidly went through in September. the roof. Excitement built as the team sig- Al-Hajiri hoped that fruitful cooperation nalled its intent to become a major player by continues between his club and state min- pulling out the stops to land the No. 1 pick in istry for youth affairs to make more the draft, quarterback Jared Goff. achievements in the disabled sports and In August, a record 89,140 fans crowded have Kuwait flag raised high under our into Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to watch wise leadership, headed by HH The Amir the Rams’ opening pre-season game against Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Dallas Cowboys. It was the largest crowd HH The Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al- ever for a pre-season NFL game, and fans Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and HH the basking in the evening sunshine were looking Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al- ahead to the new season with optimism. Fast Sheikh Salman Hamad Al-Sabah. forward four months, and the euphoria which accompanied the Rams’ return has long since left the building.On Sunday, the team crashed Germany opposes bobsleigh to a humiliating 42-14 defeat at home to the . world championships boycott A comically inept performance left fans heading for the exits well before the end, BERLIN: Germany is against boycotting next “act promptly and decisively following the publi- while those who remained booed loudly and year’s bobsleigh and skeleton world champi- cation of the final McLaren Report” after reading called for the dismissal of beleaguered head onships in Sochi in protest against Russian dop- and digesting it. “The IBSF is having intense talks coach Jeff Fisher. ing but is ready to step in and host the event with Russian organisers,” Schwab said. should it be moved. “We are in contact with the IBSF, they have to ‘AN EMBARRASSMENT’ Latvia pulled out of the Feb. 13-26 champi- check the legal aspects and must also depend on The verdict of Los Angeles Times writer Bill onships following the publication last week of a bit of understanding from the Russians as Plaschke was withering. “Against all odds, in a the second part of the McLaren Report into someone in the end will have to pay it,” he added. city that embraced them, with fans who loved Russian doping which revealed an institutional “I expect a decision to be made by the end of them, in a stadium that showcases them, the conspiracy to conceal positive drug tests. South the week.” McLaren’s report said analysis of sam- impossible has happened-the return of the Korea, host nation of the 2018 Winter Olympics, ples from four Russians who won gold medals in Rams has officially become an embarrass- Head coach Jeff Fisher and skeleton athletes from the United States are Sochi had shown salt readings that were physio- ment,” Plaschke wrote. “A Hollywood reunion when it became clear that Goff, the rookie and grabbed two more wins to advance to 3- also considering withdrawing from the champi- logically impossible. There was also evidence of that couldn’t go wrong has blown up in bits of quarterback, was nowhere near ready to start 1. But the image of a team on the up was illu- onships in protest at Russian doping. “We basi- tampering with the samples of 12 Russian medal- carpeted red.” Todd Gurley, the team’s star run- as signal caller. Instead, the man expected to sory. They lost eight of their next nine games cally reject a boycott because the biggest loser is lists at those Games. “We are shocked with what ning back, lambasted what he described as lead the franchise into a bold new era started to fall to 4-9. always sport itself,” German bobsleigh federation allegedly happened there at Sochi,” Schwab said. the franchise’s “middle school offense.” the season third in the pecking order. Along the way Fisher found himself in an (BSV) sports director Thomas Schwab told “We were the first federation that demanded that On Monday, Rams owner Stan Kroenke, the embarrassing spat with Rams icon Eric Reuters yesterday. the anti-doping should be managed by bodies billionaire businessman whose assets also ‘RAMS JUNIOR HIGH’ Dickerson, who claimed he had been banned “There would be nothing worse than having a outside Russia.” include English Premier League side Arsenal, The reluctance of Fisher to promote him from home games. Last week, Fisher was world championship where big nations won’t be Spain is also opposing the boycott. “We are decided enough was enough. fuelled the sense that the Rams had picked forced to deny reports of a rift with general taking part,” he added. “But we would be very awaiting the IBSF’s decision,” Spanish Ice Sports Fisher was fired in a bombshell move after unwisely in the draft. manager Les Snead at the team’s headquar- unhappy if it took place there (Sochi). We have Federation (FEDH) general secretary Xavier six years at the franchise, and only two That angst was heightened by the assured ters, nicknamed “Rams Junior High.” offered the International Bobsleigh Skeleton Cherta told Reuters. “Our intention is for our two months after signing a contract extension. performances of Carson Wentz, the It looked as if Fisher might muddle through Federation (IBSF) to jump in and host the event. skeleton athletes, Ander Mirambell and Maria “This is the right time to make a change as Philadelphia Eagles rookie who was over- to the end of the season. But Sunday’s debacle We would welcome a move of the event to Montejano, to compete.” The IBSF declined to our performance has not lived up to my or our looked in favour of Goff. A disastrous season proved the tipping point, leaving Fisher with a another location.” The IBSF could switch the comment when contacted by Reuters, saying any fans’ expectations,” Kroenke said. opener at the San Francisco 49ers ended in a 31-45-1 record at the Rams, and with 165 championships from Sochi, host city of the 2014 information would be published on the organisa- So what has gone wrong? In a word, every- 28-0 defeat. The Rams bounced back to beat career losses, tied with Dan Reevers for the Winter Olympics, saying last week that it would tion’s own media channels. — Reuters thing. The warning signs first started flickering the Seattle Seahawks in their home opener, most defeats in history. — AFP

FOXBORO: Malcolm Mitchell #19 of the New England Patriots is tackled by #21 of the during the first half of their game at Gillette Stadium on Monday in Foxboro, Massachusetts. — AFP

Brady comes through NFL results/standings after Pats blow 20-pt lead New England 30, Baltimore 23. American Football Conference National Football Conference AFC East NFC East BALTIMORE: After the Patriots blew most of a Patrick Chung recovered the onside kick and the passes-many of them less than five yards-in 52 W L T OTL PF PA PCT Dallas 11 2 0 0 340 238 .846 20-point lead with two special teams flubs, Tom Patriots (11-2) were able to run out the clock. attempts for 324 yards. He was picked off once. New England 11 2 0 0 349 230 .846 NY Giants 9 4 0 0 255 244 .692 Brady hit a wide-open Chris Hogan with a 79- The Ravens (7-6) dropped a game behind the The New England special teams provided the Miami 8 5 0 0 281 301 .615 Washington 7 5 1 0 330 317 .577 yard touchdown bomb with 6:18 remaining as Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North. Brady, 8-1 early story, forcing the Ravens into an eventual Buffalo 6 7 0 0 325 301 .462 Philadelphia 5 8 0 1 290 272 .385 New England escaped with a 30-23 victory over since returning from his ‘Deflategate’ suspension, safety and blocking a field goal. Ryan Allen’s punt NY Jets 4 9 0 0 229 324 .308 NFC North the Baltimore Ravens on Monday. went 25-of-38 for 406 yards, the 76th time Brady was kept out of the end zone by Jonathan Jones AFC North Detroit 9 4 0 0 295 268 .692 Pittsburgh 8 5 0 0 317 256 .615 Minnesota 7 6 0 1 258 225 .538 Brady’s second touchdown pass of the game has cleared 300 and the ninth time he threw for and downed by Slater at the one. On the first Baltimore 7 6 0 0 279 237 .538 was also the 450th of his NFL career, making him 400 in a game. He had three touchdown passes play, Kenneth Dixon was swallowed up by Green Bay 7 6 0 0 333 312 .538 Cincinnati 5 7 1 0 268 269 .423 Chicago 3 10 0 0 221 290 .231 the fourth player to hit that mark. and his second interception of the season. Malcolm Brown for a safety and it was 2-0. Cleveland 0 13 0 1 207 375 0 New England led 23-3 in the third quarter LeGarrette Blount (72 yards on 18 carries) tied Later in the quarter, the Ravens lined up for a NFC South AFC South Atlanta 8 5 0 1 428 345 .615 before rookie Cyrus Jones had a bouncing punt the club record with his 14th rushing touchdown 34-yard Tucker field goal but Shea McClellin hur- Houston 7 6 0 0 229 274 .538 Tennessee 7 6 0 0 321 306 .538 Tampa Bay 8 5 0 1 293 296 .615 hit off his foot for a fumble and Matthew Slater and also went over the 1,000-yard rushing mark dled snapper Morgan Cox and easily blocked New Orleans 5 8 0 0 358 351 .385 dropped a kickoff that allowed to for the second time in his career. He is the the kick. Blount ran for a score and Mitchell Indianapolis 6 7 0 1 328 333 .462 Jacksonville 2 11 0 0 240 338 .154 Carolina 5 8 0 0 311 337 .385 throw a pair of short touchdown passes. Patriots’ first 1,000-yard rusher since 2012. caught his fourth touchdown pass in four games NFC West Baltimore kicker ’s 38-yard field New England’s Julian Edelman caught seven to make it 16-0 but Brady’s interception throw AFC West Kansas City 10 3 0 0 302 255 .769 Seattle 8 4 1 0 274 232 .654 goal then made it 23-20 before Brady came passes and Hogan five, the latter finishing with into the end zone kept things from getting total- Oakland 10 3 0 0 358 320 .769 Arizona 5 7 1 0 299 277 .423 through. Flacco took his team to another Tucker 129 yards for his second career 100-yard game. ly out of hand. It got a bit closer when Tucker Denver 8 5 0 1 296 242 .615 Los Angeles 4 9 0 0 194 304 .308 field goal (Tucker had one blocked in the first New England outgained Baltimore 496 yards nailed a 50-yard field goal with 11 seconds left San Diego 5 8 0 1 350 347 .385 San Francisco 1 12 0 1 251 393 .077 half) with 2:03 left. However, New England’s to 348. Flacco completed a franchise-record 37 in the half. — Reuters