Big Papi has street named in his honour
Former Red Sox star David Ortiz is getting a street named in his honour in Boston, joining the bridge already named after him in the city. Mayor Marty Walsh, Red Sox brass, Boston public school students as well as the man known as Big Papi were scheduled to attend Thursday’s ceremony.
The mayor’s office says a street near Fenway Park currently known as Yawkey Way Extension is being renamed David Ortiz Drive. Ortiz retired last season after a 20-year major league career, including 14 years in Boston. The designated hitter helped the Red Sox win three World Series championships, including their first in 86 years in 2004. The Red Sox are scheduled to retire Ortiz’s No. 34 on Friday night.
World Cup qualifiers start
Canada will begin its road to qualification for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Halifax. Canada will host the Bahamas on Nov. 24 at Scotiabank Centre to kick off the first phase of qualifying for the World Cup.
The Canadians will play home and away games against the Bahamas, Dominican Republic and the U.S. Virgin Islands in the first phase. The top three teams in the pool following move onto a second phase of competition against three new FIBA Americas opponents. Canada is currently ranked 24th in the world and eighth in the Americas Region.
Cubs demote Schwarber
The Chicago Cubs have demoted struggling slugger Kyle Schwarber to Triple-A Iowa. Schwarber, the fourth overall pick in the 2014 amateur draft, is batting just .171 with 12 homers and 28 RBIs in 64 games. Schwarber made his major league debut in 2015 and hit .246 with 16 homers and 43 RBIs in 69 games. He missed most of last season with a leg injury after a frightening outfield collision, then returned in October to help the Cubs win the World Series for the first time since 1908.
Afghans, Irish enter ICC
The rise of Afghanistan and Ireland in the ranks of international cricket gathered pace on Thursday when they were voted in as full ICC members, meaning they can play test matches against the world’s elite countries. By becoming the first countries to receive test status since Bangladesh in 2000, they took the number of test-playing nations to 12.
The first tests for Afghanistan and Ireland could be against each other, as early as next year. The growth of cricket in Afghanistan has been particularly astonishing; most members of the team learned to play while growing up in refugee camps in bordering Pakistan.