Coming off a two-hit game in the first game of the Minor League Baseball (MiLB) Double A Southern League Championship series against the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, Bahamian minor league player Bertram 'BJ' Murray finished with a home run and four runs batted in (RBIs), leading his team, the Tennessee Smokies, to a 10-3 victory, on Tuesday. The Smokies swept the championship series two games to none.

It was the Smokies, a Chicago Cubs' affiliate, first outright Southern League title in 45 years. They lost to the Wahoos last season.

Playing on the road at the Blue Wahoos Stadium in Pensacola, Florida, the third baseman finished the game 1-for-4 with a three-run home run. His only hit of the game came in the top of the third inning with the game tied 1-1. With the count at 2-2, and first and second occupied with Matt Shaw and Andy Weber respectively, the Bahamian sent the ball to the right side of the field and over the fence. That hit put the Smokies up 4-1.

Murray got his fourth RBI of the night three innings later on a sacrifice fly to right field. He brought home Weber. The Smokies went up 7-1 at that point. They scored four runs in that inning and took a 9-1 lead. The Wahoos scored one run in the bottom of the sixth inning. It was not nearly enough as the Smokies completed their revenge.

The winning pitcher was the Smokies' Cade Horton while the losing pitcher was Luis Palacios.

The Smokies won the first game 8-4 on Sunday.

Murray was sensational for the Smokies in the postseason, turning in a batting average of .357. He went 5-for-14 at the plate in four games. He finished with one home run and seven RBIS to go with four runs scored. His on-base percentage (OBP) was .412 and his slugging percentage (SLG) was .643 for an on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) of 1.055.

The Bahamian was featured in 124 games this season and came away with a batting average of .263. It was his first season in Double A and he was able to come away with 74 RBIs and 16 home runs. Murray was able to score 71 runs and had an OBP of .382, and SLG of .462 for an OPS of .844.

The 23-year-old just completed his second full year in the minors and has shown that he is someone to keep an eye on. He is the Cubs' number 18 prospect.

The Bahamas' senior men's national soccer team has its full squad in town and they are ready to kick off its 2023-2024 Confederation of North, Central America, and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Nations League campaign against Puerto Rico at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium on Saturday.

Assistant Coach for The Bahamas Kevin Davies said that the team has been preparing for months and winding down training sessions.

"We are now putting the final touches on the team, getting ready for our first match on Saturday. There is not one particular thing we need to tighten up on, offensively and defensively. We need to work on free kicks among other things," Davies said.

The two teams faced each other back in June 2021 with Puerto Rico getting the best of The Bahamas, 7-0. The Bahamas has an opportunity to avenge that loss.

"A lot of guys who are playing Puerto Rico on Saturday did not play in that match," Davies said. "It has been a growing process. The guys have been putting in work and I have seen the growth in everybody. I don't see a fall-off. There is a bitter taste and when someone hit you, you do not want them to hit you again. I think that it will be a better showing this time."

This is the first of a series of six games that The Bahamas will play in League B Group D, featuring Puerto Rico, Antigua and Barbuda and Guyana. It is a tough group, but Davies said that it helps to start with a win.

"It is always important to start off any tournament fast. A good showing this week will put us in a good position moving forward – not to say you start off good means you can relax, but if you start off good it will put you in a better position moving forward. It takes the pressure off you to have to perform at a level that may not be attainable," Davies said.

Lesly St. Fleur has been the face of Bahamas football for quite some time and he is once again thrust into the role of the team's veterans.

"The team has been putting in the work and getting ready for the game on Saturday," St. Fleur said. "The mixture of the young players and some veterans becomes very easy for us as the young players will be the team in the near future. It is good playing with them and a challenge to be around them. They give you a hard time in practice and that is good."

St. Fleur did not play against Puerto Rico in 2021. He said that it will be a different game this time around as they look to put up a fight and come out victorious.

Phieron Wilson, who has played for junior national teams, made his debut for the senior men's national team earlier this year and he is looking forward to the match tomorrow.

"It is going to be a good experience," Wilson said. "The team is strong, young and healthy. We are looking forward to having a fantastic time and to come away with the victory. ... Being back is refreshing. It has been good getting back into soccer shape and the right mindset. It has been good building with guys who I saw grow up and playing with the men's team. I feel good about our chances, and we will have something to show come Saturday."

The defender is looking forward to hearing the Bahamian fans and music on Saturday. He is encouraging Bahamians and Bahamian residents to come and support them as they get their 2023-2024 Nations League action underway.

Apart from St. Fleur and Wilson, the remaining members of the team are Antonio Beckford, William Gardiner, Miguel Thompson, Cameron Pratt, Vance Wheaton, Christopher Rahming, Ricardo McPhee, William Evans, Brandon Adderley, Junior Kelly, Alexiou Cartwright, Nathan Neymour, Nathan Wells, Quinton Carey, Jaxon Bethel, Walter Sawyer, Michael Massey, William Bayles, Wood Julmis, Rashaan Bain and Nahum Johnson.

The tickets for the game are $10 for children, $20 for adults and $35 for VIP. They can be purchased online at www.bahamasfa.net or at the National Sports Authority box office at the Andre Rodgers National Baseball Stadium.

Doctors Hospital, Kanoo, Nassau Agencies, Simplified Lending throw support behind Bahamas Feeding Network   
 
With two weeks to go before teams hit the greens for the 2nd Annual Tee-Off for Hunger golf tournament to raise funds for the Bahamas Feeding Network (BFN), organizers said today they are seeing “unprecedented interest” in supporting the cause that has become a powerful partner in the fight against hunger.

Fidelity will repeat as title sponsor for the tourney to be played at Ocean Club Golf Club September 18 when more than 100 golfers are expected to hit the course. 

“This year the Bahamas Feeding Network is proud to announce that in addition to Fidelity coming back on as title sponsor, we have an unprecedented number of platinum sponsors from a cross section of industries, and we want to thank them for stepping up to the plate,” said James Palacious, BFN Executive Director.

“Despite a return to pre-COVID employment, rising prices and a period of catching up have created ongoing challenges for many families who continue to struggle to put food on the table. The Bahamas Feeding Network is the safety net they rely on.”

The Bahamas Feeding Network distributes groceries and coupons providing some 60,000 meals a month through a network of nearly 100 churches and feeding centres. 

The golf tournament, hosted by Better Homes and Gardens MCR Bahamas, is a major fund-raiser for the organization that operates in large part through volunteers.

Last year, the event raised more than $50,000 and BFN is hoping to top that figure this year.

Simplified Lending and Kanoo, gold sponsors in the inaugural tournament, upped their participation to platinum for the 2nd annual Tee-off for Hunger. Texas-based Beck Group again came in with a major donation – providing more than 120 custom golf shirts, vaulting it to the platinum level.

Other platinum sponsors include Doctors Hospital, which rallied last year, and Nassau Agencies Ltd., participating for the first time.

“We believe in the cause, the unquestionable need to feed, but we also appreciate how the Bahamas Feeding Network operates and the business model it follows as a non-profit with accountability, transparency and maximum efficiency,” Fidelity’s Vice President and donations chairman Crestwell Gardiner said.

More than two dozen other corporate sponsors are joining the fund-raiser in other categories of sponsorship or gifts, including hotel stays, dinners, cigars, rum cakes and art with a valuable Amos Ferguson original being donated by Nassau Glass.

To sign up to play, sponsor, volunteer for the event or learn more, go to www.bahamasfeedingnetwork.org/golf

Doctors Hospital, Kanoo, Nassau Agencies, Simplified Lending throw support behind Bahamas Feeding Network      With two weeks to go before teams hit the greens for the 2nd Annual Tee-Off for Hunger golf tournament to raise funds for the Bahamas Feeding Network (BFN), organizers said today they are seeing “unprecedented interest” in supporting the cause that has become a powerful partner in the fight against hunger. Fidelity will repeat as title sponsor for the tourney to be played at Ocean Club Golf Club September 18 when more than 100 golfers are expected to hit the course.  “This year the Bahamas Feeding Network is proud to announce that in addition to Fidelity coming back on as title sponsor, we have an unprecedented number of platinum sponsors from a cross section of industries, and we want to thank them for stepping up to the plate,” said James Palacious, BFN Executive Director. “Despite a return to pre-COVID employment, rising prices and a period of catching up have created ongoing challenges for many families who continue to struggle to put food on the table. The Bahamas Feeding Network is the safety net they rely on.” The Bahamas Feeding Network distributes groceries and coupons providing some 60,000 meals a month through a network of nearly 100 churches and feeding centres.  The golf tournament, hosted by Better Homes and Gardens MCR Bahamas, is a major fund-raiser for the organization that operates in large part through volunteers. Last year, the event raised more than $50,000 and BFN is hoping to top that figure this year. Simplified Lending and Kanoo, gold sponsors in the inaugural tournament, upped their participation to platinum for the 2nd annual Tee-off for Hunger. Texas-based Beck Group again came in with a major donation – providing more than 120 custom golf shirts, vaulting it to the platinum level. Other platinum sponsors include Doctors Hospital, which rallied last year, and Nassau Agencies Ltd., participating for the first time. “We believe in the cause, the unquestionable need to feed, but we also appreciate how the Bahamas Feeding Network operates and the business model it follows as a non-profit with accountability, transparency and maximum efficiency,” Fidelity’s Vice President and donations chairman Crestwell Gardiner said. More than two dozen other corporate sponsors are joining the fund-raiser in other categories of sponsorship or gifts, including hotel stays, dinners, cigars, rum cakes and art with a valuable Amos Ferguson original being donated by Nassau Glass. To sign up to play, sponsor, volunteer for the event or learn more, go to www.bahamasfeedingnetwork.org/golf

With less than a week remaining in the regular season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), teams are jockeying for playoff position. Bahamian Jonquel 'JJ' Jones and the New York Liberty have secured at least the second seed in the playoffs, but they want more.

The Liberty are just a game and a half behind the league-leading defending champs, the Las Vegas Aces, but would have to finish ahead of them in the standings as the Aces own the tiebreaker. The Liberty are at 30-7 on the season while the Aces own the league's best mark with a 32-6 win/loss record. They split the season series, with the Liberty winning the Commissioner's Cup against the Aces convincingly on August 15.

They are the only teams in league history to amass 30 wins in a WNBA regular season.

In their latest outing, Jones and the Liberty slammed the Chicago Sky, 86-69. That win was at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois, on Sunday, and gave the Liberty a franchise record extending 30th win.

As it turns out, the Aces have to lose both of their remaining games for the Liberty to have a shot at the pennant. The Aces play a home and away series against the Phoenix Mercury, ending their regular season on Sunday, hosting the Mercury at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Liberty have three games remaining and would have to win out to have a shot at the pennant. They will face the fourth-seeded Dallas Wings at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday, before coming home for two games against the Los Angeles Sparks and the Washington Mystics to end their regular season. The Liberty's final two regular season games this season will be played on Thursday and Sunday at the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn, New York.

As for the game on Sunday, it was a low-scoring night for Jones, but her teammates picked her up. The Bahamian had just six points on 3-for-5 shooting from the field and collected eight rebounds. In her seventh season, she is averaging 11.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while shooting a respectable 52.6 percent from the floor and a career-high 86.8 percent from the charity stripe. Jones is fifth in the league in field goal percentage. She has shot over 50 percent from the floor in three straight seasons and six out of seven since coming into the league.

Jones' teammates Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot had double-doubles in the win on Sunday. They sparked a 22-0 fourth quarter scoring run that put the game away, lifting them from a one-point hole, 61-60, with a little over eight minutes remaining to a 21-point lead, 82-61, with 3:07 remaining. There was no coming back for the home team after that killer run.

The Liberty led 22-20 after one, was ahead 41-36 at the half and 59-57 at the end of three. The game went back and forth at the beginning of the fourth before the Liberty went on that killer 22-0 run. Vandersloot connected three times from beyond the three point arc in that 22-0 run that left the Sky wondering what hit them.

It is the sixth straight win for the Liberty, 12th in their last 13, and 16th of their last 18.

Stewart finished with 26 points, 14 rebounds and five assists for her 19th double-double of the season for the Liberty. Vandersloot pitched in with 20 points, 10 assists, six steals and five rebounds against her former team. Betnijah Laney had 17 points and Jocelyn Willoughby scored 10 off the bench.

Kahleah Copper scored 23 points to lead the Sky (15-22), as they continue to battle for one of three remaining playoff spots. The top five teams, including the Aces and Liberty, have already clinched.