Former MLB All-Star Chris Sabo named manager of Baseball United’s first franchise

Former MLB All-Star Chris Sabo named manager of Baseball United’s first franchise
Mumbai Cobras manager Chris Sabo, left, and Honorary GM Barry Larkin. (Baseball United)
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Updated 24 May 2023

Former MLB All-Star Chris Sabo named manager of Baseball United’s first franchise

Former MLB All-Star Chris Sabo named manager of Baseball United’s first franchise
  • Sabo will partner with former teammate Barry Larkin to lead Mumbai Cobras, India’s first pro baseball team
  • Chris Sabo: I’m looking forward to getting to work with Lark, Kash and the entire BU team

MUMBAI: Baseball United, the first-ever professional baseball league focused on the Middle East and Indian subcontinent, has announced that former Major League Baseball All-Star and Cincinnati Reds Hall of Famer, Chris Sabo, will become the first manager of the Mumbai Cobras.

Sabo will partner with former Cincinnati Reds teammate, Barry Larkin, who was recently named the team’s honorary general manager.

The Mumbai Cobras are the first professional baseball franchise in the history of India and the surrounding region. The Cobras will compete in Baseball United’s Dubai Showcase in November alongside three additional franchises that will be announced in the coming weeks. The league’s first full season will begin in late 2024.

Kash Shaikh, president, chief executive officer, and co-owner of Baseball United, said: “We continue to be humbled by the quality of world-class leaders and baseball minds that are coming together to build our organization.

“Chris Sabo is one of them. He not only had a great playing career that included All-Star games and a World Series Championship, but he’s also dedicated much of his life to teaching and sharing the game at the youth, college, and professional levels.

“We are very grateful to have Chris represent our first-ever franchise and can’t wait for him to team with Barry Larkin once again as they work to build a winning culture in Mumbai.”

Sabo was the 1988 National League Rookie of the Year and represented the Reds at three All-Star games. He and Larkin won a World Series together in 1990, the last championship in the Cincinnati Reds’ storied history. Sabo played a key role in the Reds’ World Series victories, batting .583 with nine hits in 16 at bats, including two home runs and five RBI. He also played for the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, and St. Louis Cardinals during his Major League career.

Sabo said: “It’s truly an honor to be named manager of the Mumbai Cobras. I love everything about this game, from the feel of the dirt to the smell of the stadium to the comradery of the clubhouse.

“I’ve been very impressed with the entire Baseball United organization, and I’m looking forward to getting to work with Lark, Kash and the entire BU team. And I can’t wait to get to know our fans in Mumbai.

“This opportunity to represent one of the largest and most dynamic cities in the world is a significant responsibility, and I’m very grateful,” he added.

Sabo and Larkin will partner with Baseball United executive vice president of baseball operations, John Miedreich, and vice president of baseball operations, Eddie Diaz, to construct Mumbai’s roster in advance of November’s Showcase.

In addition to their time together with the Cincinnati Reds, Sabo and Larkin also played together in college at the University of Michigan.


Saudi Arabia’s U-23s complete training ahead of Toulon tournament opener

Saudi Arabia’s U-23s complete training ahead of Toulon tournament opener
Updated 57 min 41 sec ago

Saudi Arabia’s U-23s complete training ahead of Toulon tournament opener

Saudi Arabia’s U-23s complete training ahead of Toulon tournament opener
  • The Toulon tournament, as it is also known, forms part of their preparation program for qualifiers for the 2024 AFC U-23 Cup

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s U-23 football team on Saturday and Sunday held the final sessions of their training camp ahead of their opening match in the Maurice Revello Tournament, which runs from June 5 to 18. 

The Toulon tournament, as it is also known, forms part of their preparation program for qualifiers for the 2024 AFC U-23 Cup later this year.

The Green Falcons conducted their training session under the supervision of head coach Saad Al-Shehri and technical staff, during which they went through physical drills, followed by work on the tactical aspects of play.

On Sunday, Saudi Arabia continued their training in preparation for the opening match of the tournament against France on Monday.

The young Green Falcons will also face Venezuela on Thursday and Costa Rica next Sunday in Group A of the tournament.


Motor racing-Verstappen wins in Spain to continue Red Bull sweep

Motor racing-Verstappen wins in Spain to continue Red Bull sweep
Updated 04 June 2023

Motor racing-Verstappen wins in Spain to continue Red Bull sweep

Motor racing-Verstappen wins in Spain to continue Red Bull sweep

LONDON: Max Verstappen won the Spanish Grand Prix from pole position on Sunday to stretch his Formula One championship lead to 53 points and continue Red Bull’s sweep of the season with the team’s seventh success in as many races.
Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton was second for Mercedes, but a distant 24.090 seconds behind, with team mate George Russell completing the podium on a cloudy but dry afternoon at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, Verstappen’s closest rival in a season that looks sure to crown the dominant Dutch 25-year-old for a third time, finished fourth after fighting back from 11th at the start.
The win was Verstappen’s fifth of the season, third in a row, third in Spain and the double world champion’s 40th in Formula One.
The man who took the first grand prix win of his career at the Spanish circuit in 2016 and also triumphed last year, secured the bonus point for fastest lap to cap a day of domination.
“It’s a big pleasure to drive with a car like this. I think it showed again today,” said Verstappen, who fended off Ferrari’s home hero Carlos Sainz at the start in the only challenge of an otherwise straightforward afternoon.
“I had the harder compound so I knew the start would be a bit tricky. Going around the outside at Turn One is always quite difficult but luckily nothing happened.”
Verstappen was also shown a black and white flag for exceeding track limits late in the race but the risk of a five second penalty was hardly going to trouble someone so far up the road from the rest.
“Well done Max, that was mega. Very well controlled, even though you went over the white lines a few times,” said team boss Christian Horner.
McLaren’s Lando Norris, who started third on the grid, suffered a broken front wing on the first lap after contact with Hamilton and had to pit, plunging down the order and finishing 17th.
The form of the Mercedes drivers, with a re-designed car after a disappointing start to the season, provided a main talking point.
Mercedes moved up to second in the championship on 152 points to runaway Red Bull’s 287 and with Aston Martin dropping to third on 134.
“Mega job guys, mega job,” said Hamilton over the radio. “Thank you so much to everyone back at the factory, continuing to push. This is a real showing for all your hard work. Let’s keep pushing.”
Russell went off into the gravel on his way to the grid, where he lined up 12th, but his car was undamaged and his pace strong.
“It definitely feels better,” he said of the car. “You are just putting in those lap times and comparing it to the guys around you — the Ferraris and Astons — and you are going quicker and quicker.”
Sainz was fifth with the Aston Martins of Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso sixth and seventh.
Alpine’s Esteban Ocon was eighth, Alfa Romeo’s Guanyu Zhou ninth and Pierre Gasly, who qualified fourth before a six-place grid penalty, took the final point for Renault-owned Alpine.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who started from the pitlane after a nightmare in qualifying left him on the back row, finished 11th.


60 Saudi, European football scouts watch Kingdom’s schools league titles

A total of 32 school teams are competing in the Kingdom’s Elite Championship for the Schools Football League for Boys. Supplied
A total of 32 school teams are competing in the Kingdom’s Elite Championship for the Schools Football League for Boys. Supplied
Updated 04 June 2023

60 Saudi, European football scouts watch Kingdom’s schools league titles

A total of 32 school teams are competing in the Kingdom’s Elite Championship for the Schools Football League for Boys. Supplied
  • Championships highlight young players' skills as 32 teams compete at King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah

RIYADH: Talent scouts from Saudi and European football federations and clubs are among those watching the Kingdom’s Elite Championship for the Schools Football League for Boys as its fourth edition is held in the King Abdullah Sports City stadiums in Jeddah.

A total of 32 school teams are competing in the championships as part the national sports project implemented by the Ministry of Sports in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, to develop school sports and strengthen competition among students.

Talent scouts include a technical team from the Saudi Football Federation headed by Assistant Technical Director for Talent Scouting Affairs Saleh Al-Daoud, Badon Nicholas, Gilles Raphael and Stephen Silent, and a group of scouts affiliated with Saudi clubs.

French club Olympique Lyon; the Portuguese club Benfica; Spanish clubs Osasuna, Zamora, Leganes, Cadiz; the PSA Academy; the Macedonian club Raboten; and the Mexican club Atletico de San Luis have also sent scouts to the championships.

Al-Daoud said that the schools league project is beneficial to Saudi football and its future.

“This huge national cooperative project between the ministries of sports and education is the real beginning for the football player, and it is the real start for every player,” he said.

“The Saudi Football Federation is keen to follow the players through scouts, whether Saudis or foreigners, in the upcoming training gatherings, and this is a great opportunity for the player to prove himself and present all his capabilities."

Al-Daoud thanked Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, minister of sports, for his interest and support for the schools league project and added: “The importance of its continuation for the next 10 years to be the main base for supporting clubs and national teams with talents.”

The schools league project management held a workshop in partnership between the ministries of sports and education for coaches of the school teams participating in the championship.

A training course was also held in cooperation with the Saudi Football Association for coaches of school league teams.


Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad to sign Benzema on two-year deal

French forward Karim Benzema. AFP
French forward Karim Benzema. AFP
Updated 04 June 2023

Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad to sign Benzema on two-year deal

French forward Karim Benzema. AFP

Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad have reached an agreement with French striker Karim Benzema to sign him on a two-year deal, Saudi state-run Al-Ekhbariya television station reported on Sunday.
Benzema is set to join Al-Ittihad as a free agent after Real Madrid said earlier in the day that the 35-year-old would leave the LaLiga club after 14 trophy-laden years.
Al-Ekhbariya said Al-Ittihad’s chairman and vice chairman were in Madrid to hammer out a “record deal” with Benzema.


Saudi Yoga limber up for first-ever international championship

Saudi Yoga limber up for first-ever international championship
Updated 04 June 2023

Saudi Yoga limber up for first-ever international championship

Saudi Yoga limber up for first-ever international championship
  • Bader Al-Ghamdi, 8, is the team’s youngest athlete
  • Contest from June 8 to 10 in Kathmandu, Nepal

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s national yoga team are limbering up to participate in their first-ever international contest, the second Mt. Everest International Yoga Championship from June 8 to 10 in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The team arrived on June 1 in the capital, where they are undergoing special training under the supervision of head coach Vijay Yadav, winner of more than 50 medals, including five gold, during his career.

Nouf Al-Marwaai, president of the Saudi Yoga Committee, said she was proud of the team and confident that they would outperform many other countries.

She said the team include Ahmed Shilati, Samaher Al-Malki, Jouda Sharaf, Joud Abed and Bader Al-Ghamdi, the Kingdom’s youngest athlete, at age 8.

At a press conference before their departure, Al-Malki, who is also a yoga instructor, told Arab News that the team was ready for their first international championship.

“We are ready to participate in the yoga championship in Nepal to raise the flag of Saudi Arabia. And the spread of yoga has become (important) for us. It is always better to start from a young age to practice this sport.”

The youngster Al-Ghamdi said he was looking forward to representing Saudi in the junior category and hopes to win a medal.

“I love yoga because it teaches me how to breathe, how to exercise and how to balance, and my dream is to be a professional yoga player,” said Al-Ghamdi.

At the press conference, Ahmed Al-Saadi, executive director of the Saudi Yoga Committee, said he was confident the team would perform well.

“The Saudi team has distinguished players and can help any coach in achieving good results because they have quality and intelligence,” Al-Saadi said.

“We know there will be good players at the championship. Reaching this international yoga championship (was) the target of our committee,” he added.

Before her arrival in Kathmandu, Al-Marwaai represented Saudi Arabia in the working group for civil society, C20, under the auspices of the G20 Summit to be held in India this year.

“It was an honor to be part of the International Yoga Program in India under the theme ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future Through Yoga.’ Grateful to our leadership for their unwavering support and empowerment.

“A heartfelt thank you to the Indian government and organizers for their warm reception and exceptional hospitality. Wishing the Indian presidency of the G20 all the success. Together, let’s embrace.”