Team USA fencers prepare for the Paris Summer Olympics
The 20 members of the U.S. Olympic fencing team met with the media at the New York Athletic Club to share details of their training, preparation and goals for the Paris Olympics this summer. The team includes fencers with New York City roots, high academic achievers and some future physicians.
Miles Chamley-Watson is headed to his third Olympics—having captured a bronze medal in the men’s foil team event in 2016. At 34, Chamley-Watson said that despite also finding success in the fashion/modeling world, he has found a new love for the sport. He acknowledged being a Black man in a predominantly white sport comes with unique pressure, but he sees that as a privilege.
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“I’m dealing with the celebrity world—the last couple of years my life has taken a turn for the best and I’m very grateful—and juggling all that is pretty exciting,” he said. “I’ve won everything in the sport (Chamley-Watson has two World Championship gold medals)—Grand Prixs, World Cups—winning an Olympic gold medal would be a dream come true.”
Among the youngest members of the team is Queens native Lauren Scruggs, who comes from a fencing family. She began fencing at a club in Brooklyn and as she progressed found her way to The Fencers Club in Manhattan. The Harvard University student-athlete is an alumna of the famed Peter Westbrook Foundation, a six-time world champion and 2023 NCAA women’s foil champion.
“The style I developed in fencing is, I think, quite unique for a woman’s foil,” said the 21-year-old Scruggs. “I like competing, I like winning, I think it’s fun. … I think I bring a youthful energy to the squad. I’m a little silly, while some of the older fencers might be more serious, which is needed, obviously. It’s fun to compete with them.”
Another New Yorker is Anne Cebula, epee, a 2020 graduate of Barnard College/Columbia Athletics. She has spent the past four years training while also working to support herself, including some modeling. With no pro fencing circuit, Cebula sees this Olympic opportunity as the pinnacle of the sport.
“Because you can’t go pro, you learn from a very young age that you can’t just be a fencer; we want to excel in school,” said Cebula. “This past year, I put everything on pause and trained. I told myself either I was going to make the Olympics or not, but I’m going to retire after this.”
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Jaylen Brown shrugs off snubs and leads Celtics to the NBA Finals
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown was overlooked by voters, composed of writers and broadcasters, for this season’s three All-NBA teams, 15 players in total, and the league’s first and second All-Defensive teams, made up of 10 players.
“We’re two games from the Finals,” said Brown of his omission following a 40-point outing in the Celtics’ 126-110 victory over the Indiana Pacers last Thursday in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Finals matchup. “Honestly, I don’t have time to give a f—k.”
But after a stellar showing in the best-of-seven series, in which Brown proved to be one of the game’s best two-way practitioners in averaging 29.8 points as the Celtics produced a 4-0 sweep over the Pacers, he walked away with a more meaningful—at least in the moment—honor.
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Subsequent to scoring 29 points, grabbing six rebounds, and affirming his defensive bona fides with a critical block with 65 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to help cement the Celtics’ 105-102 Game 4 win, Brown was presented with the Larry Bird Trophy as the Eastern Conference Finals MVP by team radio announcer Cedric Maxwell, the 1981 NBA Finals MVP with the Celtics. It was fitting and ironic that the award is named after one of the greatest players in the history of both the franchise and the sport.
“I wasn’t expecting it at all. I never win sh—t,” Brown caustically expressed. His teammate, Jrue Holiday, amplified Brown’s sentiments.
“It felt great…It’s even better because he didn’t expect it. That really means, it didn’t matter to him. It’s about winning, whatever it took, however long it took, that’s what was important to him. I think when you have that mentality and mindset you see great people get rewarded for the things that they do.
“It just brings joy so I’m super excited for him. He’s been first team all NBA for the entire season and I wish he would have got that but to see him get this award is big time.”
The NBA Finals begin next Thursday in Boston.
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Gallatin News Events – Dean Harlem: Chief’s on Broadway – Main Street Media of Tennessee
Gallatin News Events – Dean Harlem: Chief’s on Broadway Main Street Media of Tennessee
The Liberty try to stay near the top of WNBA East
After opening the 2024 WNBA season on a four-game winning streak, the New York Liberty went into last night’s (Wednesday) game at the Barclays Center versus the Phoenix Mercury with a record of 4-2 looking to end a two-game losing slide. They began this week second in the Eastern Conference behind the Connecticut Sun, which were 5-0 when they tipped off against the Mercury at home on Tuesday at Mohegan Sun Arena.
The Liberty fell to the Chicago Sky 91-80 last Thursday in front of a sellout crowd at the Barclays Center and two days later lost a road game to the Minnesota Lynx 84–67. Starting forward Jonquel Jones, who was averaging 13.5 points and eight rebounds before facing the Mercury, was uncharacteristically held to eight and four points respectively by the Sky and Lynx. “They played her really physically,” said Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello after the loss to the Lynx. “They didn’t allow her to get the ball. There were three people around her every time she caught it. I thought Minnesota’s defense was extremely good with their activity and their pressure and physicality. In the end, we need to work out how do we get her more open looks and get her into the game because she’s important. If we get her scoring, it will help the rest of us.”
Liberty newbie Leonie Fiebich, who before joining New York played overseas in Europe and Australia dating back to 2016, had 11 points versus the Lynx. Brondello said the solid outing will increase Fiebich’s confidence, which will be beneficial as the season progresses.
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“For me, it’s always fun to be on the floor, to be around my teammates,” said Fiebich. “I love to cut; I love to shoot the ball, and they put me in a good spot today. It certainly helps that the shots go in. I will continue to fill gaps, whatever the team needs, and be tough on defense.”
Reigning WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart had strong showings in both losses, posting 18 points and 10 rebounds against Chicago and 20 and 11 in the Minnesota defeat. However, Brondello emphasized that the Liberty’s defense needs to be better.
“We’ll go back and watch the film and work on areas we have to get better at,” said Brondello. “We have a few holes at the moment, but still believe in this team. Facing some adversity now is not a bad thing for us. It will help us grow.”
The Liberty are back on home court tomorrow night against the Washington Mystics and on Sunday against the Indiana Fever. The team then heads out on a three-game road trip taking on the Sky next Tuesday, the Atlanta Dream next Thursday and the Connecticut Sun next Saturday, June 8. They return home on Sunday, June 9 to host the Mystics.
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Baseball Hall of Famer and former Met Pedro Martinez reflects on his career
Pedro Martinez is an iconic former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1992 to 2009. He was one of the most dominant pitchers of his era, winning Cy Young Awards in 1997, 1999, and 2000.
Born and raised in Manoguayabo, Dominican Republic, a suburb of Santo Domingo, the island nation’s capital, Martinez the first pitcher to earn the award in both the American and National Leagues. He won his first and only World Series title with the Boston Red Sox in 2004. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015.
The Amsterdam News spoke exclusively with Martinez at the Sports Emmys last week at Jazz at Lincoln Center about his time playing for the New York Mets from 2005 to 2008, memorable battles against the New York Yankees throughout his career, and the pitchers he enjoys watching the most in today’s game.
“Just the fans, the atmosphere,” Martinez, who had a career record of 219-100, said of his time playing at Shea Stadium, former home of the Mets. “I remember the fans not really being all that demanding. Not really expecting all that much, even though we went really far. But I remember just how happy everybody was just to see us on the field, just to see each one of us.
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“Believe it or not, I really enjoyed my time in Queens. I really enjoyed the atmosphere with the fans and the back and forth. The kids (were) always fielding balls in the outfield. I used to love flipping balls all over the bleachers just to see the kids catch (them). I love the way they behave over there in Queens.”
Martinez, who is now a baseball analyst for Turner Sports, also looked back on facing the Yankees nearly two decades ago.
“I had the saddest moment in my career at Yankee Stadium in (2003) and also the happiest moment in (2004), when we were able to come back from 0-3 and beat them in their own stadium,” Martinez said. “That was like it for me. The biggest highlight of my career is always going to be being able to beat the Yankees after being (down) 0-3 (in the American League Championship Series) and doing it in the old Yankee Stadium before they tore it down.”
As MLB has evolved and rules were implemented to increase the pace of the game, including a pitch clock, which limits the time pitchers can take between pitches, the eight-time MLB All-Star discussed some of the men who command the mound in the current era whom he finds compelling.
“Right now, I’m really getting to enjoy Tyler Glasnow,” Martinez said of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher. “I believe Tyler Glasgow brings back some memories because he’s a bully. I love Gerrit Cole, (Justin) Verlander, all those guys. Jacob deGrom—I love deGrom. I don’t get enough of deGrom, but he needs to be healthy. Right now, I’m really intrigued about Tyler Glasnow finishing the entire season and seeing what he’s capable of doing.”
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