Former Yankee Tanaka Leads Favorite Japan
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B6 | THURSDAY, JULY 1, 2021 SPORTS WACO TRIBUNE-HERALD Former Yankee Tanaka leads favorite Japan RONALD BLUM U.S. roster brought it back to youth days. Hit Associated Press The U.S. expected to announce it. It doesn’t matter who’s throw- While most Olympic events are its roster Friday, and American ing. Next guy up in line. And it re- a competition among the best, the manager Mike Scioscia antic- ally does go to show you guys that better you are in baseball, the less ipated changes from the group honestly, that guys really don’t of a chance you have of playing for that earned the berth at the need video. All we need is a bat gold. Americas qualifier June 5. That and a ball and a glove and the de- Major League Baseball refused team had just one holdover from termination to be the best player to allow players on 40-man ros- the players who failed to qualify you can be.” ters to participate in the six-na- at the Premier12 tournament in tion Olympic tournament, and November 2019: pitcher Brandon Format many top prospects who techni- Dickson. There are two groups of three cally are eligible are discouraged Todd Frazier, a 35-year-old in- in the first round, which deter- by their clubs, who don’t want to fielder released by Pittsburgh on mines seeding for the knockout risk injury and prefer they remain May 13 after going 3 for 35, was 4 stage. The opener will be played available if needed by big league for 4 with a solo homer and RBI in Fukushima, about 180 miles teams. double in the 4-2 win over Vene- north of Tokyo, and the rest of the Rosters for the Olympics remain zuela that gained the trip to Japan. baseball tournament at Yokohama, in flux.Israel lost catcher Ryan La- EUGENE HOSHIKO, ASSOCIATED PRESS about 20 miles south of Tokyo. varnway when the Indians brought Old-school ball The U.S. plays in Group B Former Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka puts on his new Rakuten Golden him up from Triple-A Columbus While teams do scouting that against Israel on July 30 and Eagles uniform during a news conference earlier this year in Tokyo. in late June after Austin Hedges leads to defensive shifts, these South Korea on July 31. Japan, went on the concussion injured ment, right, where it’s win or go more top-level players than the games don’t have Statcast, the the Dominican Republic and list. Israel manager Eric Holtz, al- home.” other five nations. modern metrics system that has Mexico are in Group A. ready without Baltimore pitcher Host Japan is favored to win. Masahiro Tanaka, back in Japan changed how Major League Base- A double round-robin starts Dean Kremer, was hoping to get The Central and Pacific leagues with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden ball is played. That means no spin Aug. 4, and the final is Aug. 7. Lavarnway back for his team’s are stopping their seasons between Eagles after seven seasons with rates, exit velocities and launch opener against the United States July 14 and Aug.13 for the Olympic the New York Yankees, is the only angles. Come and gone on July 30. tournament, which runs from July holdover from the 2008 Japan “It goes to show you you really Cuba won gold medals in 1992, “Our guys are playing all over 28 to Aug. 7. team that lost to the U.S. 8-4 in don’t need most of that stuff,” Fra- 1996 and 2004, and Tommy Laso- the place. But it’s not like a 162- While Japan is missing major the bronze medal game. zier said. “It’s baseball at the end rda’s U.S. in 2000. Baseball was game season where we have leaguers, including Los Angeles Right-handerTomoyukiSugano, of the day. You play for your coun- dropped after South Korea won time to work on stuff,” Holtz Angels two-way sensation Shohei the reigning Central League MVP, try. You play for pride. We didn’t in 2008 and has been dropped for said. “We’ve got to put stuff to- Ohtani, San Diego right-hander heads a pitching staff that includes hit on the field. We just hit in the the 2024 Paris Olympics. It is ex- gether and basically treat this Yu Darvish and Minnesota right- current Rookies of the Year Masato batting cage — until our hands pected to return for the Los Ange- like a 12-year old travel tourna- hander Kenta Maeda, it has far Morishita and Kaima Taira. bled, to be honest with you. So we les Games in 2028. A century later, a lot riding on surfing’s Olympic debut SALLY HO waves with oceanography and at- Associated Press mospheric science data to decide SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — Surf- if surf conditions — wave height, ing has a lot riding on its Olympic wind direction, tidal movement — debut: a taste of the mainstream are ideal for competition the day spotlight, athletic legitimacy for of, which means there is much the uniquely four-dimensional potential for down time, known sport, and, perhaps, some new- as lay days. found respect so it can finally And even when the surfers get shake the stereotype as merely out into the lineup, the waves at the pleasure pursuit of beach town Tsurigasaki may be disappoint- himbos. ing for those expecting powerful Acceptance has been a century surf conditions like those seen in in the making. The International the movies. This particular beach Surfing Association has been lob- break is known for smaller waves bying the International Olympic and is not considered an extraor- Committee since 1995, though the dinary surfing competition site. effort to include the sport dates There is hope, however: The back to the 1912 Summer Games Olympics are being held in peak in Stockholm. typhoon season. That was when Duke Kah- anamoku, the five-time medalist The alternate GOAT in swimming and Hawaiian icon Kelly Slater, at 49 years old, is revered as the godfather of mod- likely the oldest and most famous ern surfing, first pushed for it to Olympic alternate. The 11-time become an Olympic sport. world champion is surfing’s most Back then, the act of stylishly decorated athlete and has the riding an ocean wave on a board broadest mainstream appeal (lest in competition was virtually un- JAE C. HONG, ASSOCIATED PRESS we forget he starred as Jimmy known outside of his native Ha- In this Thursday, July 18, 2019, file photo, a surfer competes during a test event at Tsurigasaki beach, a venue for Slade on the cult favorite televi- waii. surfing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, in Ichinomiya, Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo. sion show “Baywatch”). There’s speculation that Slater may have Dreams of mainstream viewers may struggle to follow now runs counter to the IOC’s larize the waves there as a young a shot to shine in Japan, as the Surfing is a $10 billion indus- given the complexity and metrics decision against the sovereignty surfer himself. U.S. male qualifiers, Florence and try, yet professional surfing, led of competition. movement’s longshot efforts for a “At some point, it became Kolohe Andino, both have had sig- by the World Surf League, largely Hawaii team. the only place I surfed, so it’s so nificant injuries requiring surgery remains niche and little under- A debt to Hawaii weird that the spot was chosen in recent months. stood. Surfing requires a well- The geopolitics of the Olympics Local advantage as an Olympic venue,” the elder USA Surfing CEO Greg Cruse rounded athleticism, including will be on display when Carissa It’s a full-circle kind of Olympic Igarashi said in Japanese. “Some- said it will be up to the qualifiers immense strength, agility, and Moore and John John Florence connection for Kanoa Igarashi, the times, I feel like I used to surf there to decide, but that he hopes Slater grace to pull off maneuvers based are in the surf zone. They’re two 23-year-old Californian with dual as if I knew that the Olympics were will come to Japan as a standby, on what the big, wild ocean de- of professional surfing’s biggest Japanese citizenship who is rep- coming.” though the celebrity surfer has livers in the moment — think of stars and both compete in the resenting Japan. He’s been surfing not yet committed to doing so. the vagaries of the ocean as the World Surf League under the Ha- at the Olympic site, Tsurigasaki Mother Nature’s mercy Aside from the injuries, there’s fourth dimension in this sport waii flag. They were both born and beach, his whole life and the lo- Surfing is a sport that depends also concern that any given ath- many see as a spiritual pursuit. raised on O’ahu, and Moore is also cation is deeply sentimental for on many uncontrollable factors, lete may become exposed to There’s hope now that the visu- ethnically part native Hawaiian. his family. His father, Tsutomu including when, exactly, com- COVID-19, which would trigger ally stunning sport will finally get WSL’s decision to acknowledge Igarashi, a Japanese native who petitions will happen once the a government-mandated quar- its due with a mainstream audi- Hawaii’s place in the surfing world moved to the U.S. before Kanoa event period begins on July 25. antine that could keep them out ence at the Games, though some and role in inventing the sport was born, said he helped popu- Organizers generally monitor the of the surf.