Quick Hitters
Griezmann owed it to coach Simeone to win Europa League
LYON, France — Striker Antoine Griezmann figured he owed it to coach Diego Simeone to win the Europa League with Atletico Madrid.
He did so in style, scoring two expertly-taken goals as Atletico won the trophy for the third time with a 3-0 victory against Marseille in Wednesday’s final.
Griezmann’s decisive contribution helped erase bitter memories of 2016, when he missed a second-half penalty in Atletico’s Champions League final loss to Real Madrid.
“It was a dream of mine to win this trophy with my teammates and with Simeone,” the France forward said. “Simeone has taught me a lot. He’s made me into a better player and one of the best in the world. I hope I can continue to win more trophies.”
Griezmann slotting coolly into the bottom left corner in the 21st minute after being set up by midfielder Gabi’s first-time pass. Marseille’s woeful defending contributed, as midfielder Zambo Anguissa failed to control a casual pass out from goalkeeper Steve Mandanda and the loose ball bounced straight to Gabi.
Four minutes into the second half, Griezmann started and finished the move for his second.
He athletically won a high ball in midfield and quickly swapped passes with Koke before gliding into the penalty area unchallenged and clipping the ball over the onrushing Mandanda.
Unable to enter Canada, Maxwell to miss series at Blue Jays
BOSTON — Oakland catcher Bruce Maxwell will miss a fourgame series at Toronto that starts Thursday because he cannot enter Canada while awaiting sentencing in Arizona on a gun-related charge.
Athletics manager Bob Melvin said Wednesday that Maxwell will be on the restricted list during the series, then rejoin the A’s when they return to Oakland.
Maxwell was arrested in Arizona in October after a food delivery person alleged he pointed a gun at her at his Scottsdale home. Maxwell pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in April and is to be sentenced on June 4 in Maricopa County Superior Court.
Melvin said Wednesday that catcher Josh Phegley will be recalled from Triple-A Nashville to take Maxwell’s place on the active roster.
To get good at anything, practice and repetition are the only sure ways to improve.
Gila Ridge junior golfer David Ramirez took that to heart during the offseason and improved all facets of his game. Ramirez, who is the 2017-18 Yuma Sun/ Yuma Rotary Club Boys Golfer of the Year, stood apart from the competition throughout the fall.
Ramirez finished the season with a nine-hole average of 37.9, more than two strokes lower than any other boy in the area.
He didn’t play as well as he would have hoped at the Division II state tournament by finishing 43rd with a 36-hole score of 157. He had a rough first day with an 83, but he was able to bounce back on the second day with a 74. His move to become the Golfer of the Year happened over the offseason. He grew a little, but he also practically lived on the golf course by spending entire days out there. He added about 30 yards to his drive, but he also was able to work on his approach and other parts of his game.
“Short days will be three to four hours and on long days I could practice for eight hours,” Ramirez said. “I average about six, and sometimes it would be like 113 (degrees). My mom would drop me off at work, because I didn’t have a car, and I would walk Desert Hills and hit three buckets a day.”
“I’d bring a towel,” he joked. “I’d dump it in ice and put a hat on top of it. You have to do what you have to do.”
The work on the course helped, but he also started a tougher workout regiment to help him. Ramirez started working out with Gila Ridge golf coach James Kuzniak and doing CrossFit, usually at hours that most people would be sleeping.
“Literally every day I was picking him up at his house at 4:45 a.m. and we’re driving up there to this CrossFit gym,” Kuzniak said. “He was doing this in season even if it was a day that we had a match or practice. He was going there everyday. He was