For her achievement in leading the West Indies to victories over Pakistan in both the Twenty20 and One-day Internationals. She topped tables in the ODI series with a batting average of 130.50 and was the most economical West Indies bowler while taking four wickets. Taylor, the West Indies Women’s captain, was also recently named the International Cricket Council’s Women’s T20 Cricketer of the Year.
LONDON (AP):The IOC advised national Olympic committees yesterday to follow the World Health Organization’s (WHO) guidance on dealing with the Zika virus ahead of the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, asserting its confidence that the games will be safe.Brazil has been hit hard by the mosquito-borne virus, which has been linked to severe birth defects in infants, raising concerns about the outbreak’s potential impact on South America’s first Olympics in August.The International Olympic Committee (IOC) sent a note to all national Olympic committees outlining the latest medical advice concerning the Zika virus, the most recent problem for a country already dealing with a severe economic crisis and a sprawling corruption scandal.”All parties are taking action to address this topic, and are following developments closely,” the IOC said.The two-page note from the IOC medical commission repeated advice for travellers to take precautions against mosquito bites and for women who are planning to become pregnant to assess the potential risks of travelling to areas infected with the virus.”The IOC remains in close contact with the WHO to ensure that we have access to the most up-to-date information and guidance, from now through to Games time,” the IOC statement said. “At the same time NOCs should consult with their national health authorities to get advice and guidance.”The IOC did not say the Olympics were threatened in any way and made it clear that it expects the Aug. 5-21 games to be secure for athletes and visitors.”We remain confident that there will be a safe environment for successful and enjoyable games in Rio de Janeiro,” the statement concluded.
A bumper crowd is expected a Caymanas Park today for the season’s first classics, the 42nd running of the Post to Post 1000 and 2000 Guineas for native bred three-year-old fillies and colts, respectively, over a mile.Both races are being sponsored by the betting and gaming entity, Post to Post, for the second consecutive year and will again offer purses of $3.25 million.Of the 13 fillies declared for the 1000 Guineas, there is a definite standout in the form of NUCLEAR AFFAIR, who is unbeaten in two starts this season.Trained by Gary Subratie, who also saddles the recent winners, CLASSY AVIATOR and GOLDEN GLORY, NUCLEAR AFFAIR caught the eye in four races as a two-year-old last season, culminating in her brave effort on Boxing Day when caught on the line by the top colt, FUTURE KING, in the $4.25 million Supreme Ventures two-year-old Stakes over this trip.According to Subratie, the bay filly by Nuclear Wayne out of Commandra Affair has not put a foot wrong since.”She is really a class act and truly impressed with her last performance, three weeks ago, when winning the Thornbird Trial Stakes over seven furlongs from well off the pace.PRINCIPAL DANGER”She has worked well in her preparation for this race and with a mile even more to her liking, I am pretty confident she will deliver with former champion jockey Dane Nelson again in the saddle,” said the second-generation trainer, who previously won the 1000 Guineas with NIPHAL in 2011.To my mind, the principal danger to NUCLEAR AFFAIR is highly regarded SORENTINO’S STAR, to be ridden by leading all-time classic winning jockey, Winston ‘Fanna’ Griffiths, for 14-time champion trainer, Philip Feanny.She beat FUTURE KING in the $3.6 million Pick-3 Super Challenge Trophy over 1400metres last November, and although failing to impress under topweight in the recent Thornbird Stakes, has worked well and should complete the exacta.If NUCLEAR AFFAIR is the one to beat in the fillies Guineas, the same holds true for Wayne DaCosta-trained FUTURE KING (Robert Halledeen up) in the 2000 Guineas, despite a recent setback (hoof injury) which forced him out of a recent overnight allowance race.DaCosta disclosed that although missing from exercise for two weeks, FUTURE KING, who returned to the exercise track late last week, is on the way back and although a bit short of work “his class should see him through” at the expense of recent Prince Consort Stakes winner, CHACE THE GREAT, runner-up ORPHEUS and BIGDADDYKOOL.Other firm fancies on the 11-race programme are BERRANCA to go one better in the first race, CONCLUSION in the fifth, SUPER COP in the sixth and ORIGINAL TRAIN in the 10th for overnight allowance horses.
SPEED THERE To put that into perspective, the first ever Class 2 sub-45 run was done just last year by an Edwin Allen team including the outstanding Shellece Clarke. Clarke and company circled the track at Champs in 44.88 seconds. If your jaw dropped when you read that statistic, don’t feel bad. It’s just staggering that a Class 3 team has come within 0.03 seconds to the all-time class 2 best. At Central Championships, Edwin Allen coach Michael Dyke unveiled another set of record smashers. Serena Cole, Tina Clayton, Brittany Thompson and Clayton’s twin sister, Thia, destroyed the all-time benchmark in the Class 4 4x100m. With great speed and solid baton passing, the little ladies circled the pink track at the G.C. Foster College for Physical Education in 46.30 seconds. That’s 0.35 seconds faster than the standard set by Palmer, Davis, Brown and Rowe just two years ago at Champs. These two Dream Teams in sky blue make a clear statement. Having worked through a decade dominated by nine straight Girls’ Champs victories by Holmwood, coach Dyke is building from the foundation of his team to extend its current run of success. It’s a winning formula you can’t fault. Everyone knows that the Calabar High School quartet of Tyreke Wilson, Christopher Taylor, Michael Stephens and Dejour Russell is the dream team of high school relay sprinting. With Brandon Heath on the third leg in their early days, the group is the fastest ever in classes 4, 3 and 2. They will have to fly if they are to add the Boys and Girls Championships class 1 4x100m record to their collection. That mark is the fastest ever 4×100 time run by a high school team in the world, a stunning run of 39.08 seconds by Edward Clarke, Michael O’Hara, Juliane Walker and Sean Selvin for Calabar at Champs 2015. The dream team hasn’t run together yet in 2017 and it’s Kingston College that set the fastest time of the season at 39.90 seconds at the Gibson McCook Relays. The safe bet was that they would have a run at the record in 2018 but in the last week or so, their speed has begun to surface. All-time best Stephens and Taylor ran 20.93 and 20.98 seconds for 200m in different races last week. Wilson cruised to win the Carifta Under-18 Trials 100m final, and Russell won the 110m hurdles in the same age category in 13.31 seconds. So the speed is there. There are two more dream teams, and both are at Edwin Allen High School. Selisa Palmer, Kevona Davis, Lisandra Brown and Shanique Rowe became the first to break the class four 47-second barrier in 2015. With Palmer concentrating on the 400m in class 3 last year, Salecia Myles has fitted in admirably. At the Gibson McCook Relays, Myles, Davis, Brown and Rowe sped to a phenomenal Class 3-winning time of 44.91 seconds. Not only is that faster than the Champs record of 45.33 seconds, but it is the first ever sub-45 clocking in this class.
“The finances are really the main holdback to us moving to Diamond League status,” Blake said. Blake is chairman of the organising committee for the JII meet. He revealed that this year’s staging could cost an estimated US$2 million (approximately J$256 million). Staging a Diamond League meet would cost a great more, at least US$5 million (approximately J$640 million). Jamaica would only be considered for the pool of possible Diamond League meets in the future it meets all the criteria. The event would be governed by the International Association of Athletics Federations, which mandate that a host be able to afford to finance the Diamond League for a period of 4-5 years. Potential hosts like Jamaica, through sponsors, would also need to prove it can bankroll athletes’ prize money, which would ultimately increase over time. “It comes down to the dollars and cents. We have shown that we can manage the organisation, but (the problem) is to put the money together and to have commitments over a number of years,” Blake underlined. “We should get there once we have the financial support and can, say, tie up a four-year contract. One of the things is to get a major sponsor who will be willing to put down that money for several years,” he told The Gleaner. THE FINANCES Despite dominating global sprinting for close to a decade, Jamaica seems to have very little chance of hosting a Diamond League event in the very near future. The country has one of the most coveted profiles in athletics, rivalling the mighty United States as the leading country in terms of medals picked up from athletics in recent Olympic Games and World Championships. Stars such as eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt, Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce, Elaine Thompson and Veronica Campbell Brown have put the country at the helm of world sprinting consistently. Speaking at Wednesday’s press launch of this year’s Jamaica International Invitational (JII) meet, Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association boss, Dr Warren Blake, said he would like to see that event elevated to Diamond League status, but admitted that funding was a big challenge.
HER AIM Her aim is to quickly lift her ranking so it’s good enough to automatically qualify for main tour events, to at least 150, which would get her in the French Open this month. That would mitigate her reliability on wild cards that a lot of her fellow tour players have opposed. The players believe Sharapova, after doping, should have gone through qualifying, worked her way back from the bottom instead of receiving free passes into main draws. She has declined to enter that debate. “I would be worried about myself if I sat here and said I’m pretty happy with losing a tennis match, no matter who I face, no matter what round it is, whether it’s the first round or final of a Grand Slam,” she said on Monday after losing to Bouchard. “I’m a big competitor. What you work for so many hours every single day is to be on the winning end of matches. Of course, I’m disappointed. That’s what’s going to make me a better player. That’s what’s going to win me more tournaments and more Grand Slams.” Sharapova said she still needed to regain the confidence for critical points in a match. “There’s no way to train but be a part of it,” she said. “To find myself in those situations, come up with the goods …” MADRID (AP): To Maria Sharapova, the most disappointing part of leaving the Madrid Open was doing so in the second round. Not losing to arch critic Eugenie Bouchard. Sharapova will more than likely meet Bouchard again, and have another shot at beating the Canadian, who wanted her banned for life for doping last year and openly called her a cheater. More important for Sharapova for now was tournament play, winning matches, getting match fit and her ranking up to where it was before her 15-month ban. Sharapova’s ranking rose from nothing to 258 after reaching the semi-finals in Stuttgart two weeks ago, in her first tournament after her ban. Going only two rounds in Madrid, where she won in 2014, will bump her up into only the low 200s.
Michael Phelps. / AFP PHOTO / François-Xavier MARITThe much-anticipated showdown between the world’s most decorated swimmer, Michael Phelps, and perhaps the ocean’s fiercest predator, the Great White Shark, went down over the weekend.READ: Olympian Michael Phelps set to race against Great White SharkADVERTISEMENT Kawhi Leonard, Clippers rally to beat Pelicans Indian national gunned down in Camarines Sur Marcosian mode: Duterte threatens to arrest water execs ‘one night’ America’s collective disappointment when we realized that #PhelpsVsShark is all just science and simulations: pic.twitter.com/bTww7dAWm3— Lindsey Barr (@simply_lindsey) July 24, 2017 MOST READ Billed as “The Great Gold vs. The Great White” by the Discovery Channel ahead of “Shark Week,” Phelps showcased a valiant effort, but fell short of his hope to win the made-for-television race against the dreaded beast.According to Bleacher Report, the unnamed shark bested the 32-year-old Phelps by a mere 2 seconds, finishing the open ocean course in 36.1 seconds, against the Olympian’s 38.1.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSEnd of his agony? SC rules in favor of Espinosa, orders promoter heirs to pay boxing legendSPORTSRedemption is sweet for Ginebra, Scottie ThompsonSPORTSMayweather beats Pacquiao, Canelo for ‘Fighter of the Decade’Meanwhile, the 23-time gold medalist, who’s not used to coming in second place in swimming races, is already itching for a rematch.“Rematch? Next time..warmer water,” he wrote on Twitter. LATEST STORIES Instead, both the shark and Phelps took turns swimming for 100 meters at different times, even as Discovery imposed an image of the shark on the other side of Phelps to give the appearance of an actual swimming competition.Call me crazy but I thought they were gonna put Phelps up against a real shark not a simulation. I feel robbed. #SharkWeek #PhelpsVsShark pic.twitter.com/XgdEphkl6m— Meg Conley (@MegDownSouth) July 24, 2017 787 earthquakes recorded in 24 hours due to restive Taal Volcano Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next McGregor blasts Cerrone in 40 seconds in UFC return ‘I’m out!’: PewDiePie releases last video before taking break from YouTube End of his agony? SC rules in favor of Espinosa, orders promoter heirs to pay boxing legend View comments Filipinos turn Taal Volcano ash, plastic trash into bricks PLAY LIST 01:40Filipinos turn Taal Volcano ash, plastic trash into bricks01:32Taal Volcano watch: Island fissures steaming, lake water receding02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite LeBron James scores 31 points, Lakers beat Rockets Rematch? Next time..warmer water. #SW30 @Discovery @SharkWeek— Michael Phelps (@MichaelPhelps) July 24, 2017Disappointed fansMeanwhile, viewers expressed their disappointment with the race—not because Phelps lost—but due to the fact that most were expecting the two competitors to swim side-by-side in a pool of some sort.ADVERTISEMENT Both of my girls have left the room. Disappointed Phelps isn’t side-by-side w/great white. #PhelpsVsShark #SharkWeek @Discovery— T.J. Holmes (@tjholmes) July 24, 2017 OSG plea to revoke ABS-CBN franchise ‘a duplicitous move’ – Lacson Kasey Kahne ends victory drought at marathon Brickyard 400 Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. Several divers were also around during Phelps’ run, to ensure his safety considering he was swimming in shark-infested waters off the coast of South Africa. Khristian Ibarrola /ra
The Washington-based franchise has also been home to an array of amazing talents through the years, including Garry Payton, Shawn Kemp, Ray Allen and even Kevin Durant during his rookie year in 2007-2008. Khristian Ibarrola /raSports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next 787 earthquakes recorded in 24 hours due to restive Taal Volcano Speaking with Portland Trailblazers guard C.J. McCollum in a Player’s Tribune interview, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver revealed that Seattle is high on the list of possible destinations of the league’s “inevitable” expansion.“I think it’s just a question of when the right time is to seriously start thinking about expansion,” the NBA executive said.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSEnd of his agony? SC rules in favor of Espinosa, orders promoter heirs to pay boxing legendSPORTSRedemption is sweet for Ginebra, Scottie ThompsonSPORTSMayweather beats Pacquiao, Canelo for ‘Fighter of the Decade’“I don’t want to put a precise timeline on it, but it’s inevitable at some point that we’ll start looking at the growth of franchises,” he said. “That’s always been the case in this league, and Seattle will no doubt be on a short list of cities we’ll look at.”The Sonics entered the league in the 1967-1968 season and won an NBA Championship the following year, led by Jack Sikma and Paul Silas. After the 2007–08 season ended, the team relocated to Oklahoma and now plays as the Oklahoma City Thunder. End of his agony? SC rules in favor of Espinosa, orders promoter heirs to pay boxing legend Filipinos turn Taal Volcano ash, plastic trash into bricks PLAY LIST 01:40Filipinos turn Taal Volcano ash, plastic trash into bricks01:32Taal Volcano watch: Island fissures steaming, lake water receding02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite Indian national gunned down in Camarines Sur McGregor blasts Cerrone in 40 seconds in UFC return Kawhi Leonard, Clippers rally to beat Pelicans MOST READ LeBron James scores 31 points, Lakers beat Rockets
LATEST STORIES Former Seattle Supersonics rookie Kevin Durant (35) greets LeBron James before an NBA basketball game in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan, File)The Seattle Supersonics was certainly one of the the most popular franchises in the National Basketball Association (NBA) during its tenure in the league from 1967 to 2008.Nine years removed from having its own NBA franchise, the basketball-hungry city could once again be soon hosting its own team.ADVERTISEMENT Cavaliers execs reject Irving trade talk, deny team in chaos OSG plea to revoke ABS-CBN franchise ‘a duplicitous move’ – Lacson ‘I’m out!’: PewDiePie releases last video before taking break from YouTube Marcosian mode: Duterte threatens to arrest water execs ‘one night’ Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. View comments
LATEST STORIES A costly, catty dispute finally settled MOST READ It’s too early to present Duterte’s ‘legacy’ – Lacson “Striking is so hard to perfect because you have to consider lots of things, especially the timing and the execution. And for the strikes, as much as possible, I want to have precise shots when I fight. I really have to give time to those so that I can further improve my capabilities,” he said.Though still in limbo on who to defend his title next, Folayang assured everyone that he will be in action in November when ONE Championship returns to Manila.“For sure, I will fight there,” he said.ADVERTISEMENT Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next A costly, catty dispute finally settled View comments Break new ground ONE Championship: Kings of Destiny at Mall of Asia Arena last April 21. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.netJAKARTA — There’s no rest for the weary.And if you’re like Eduard Folayang, whose target on his back is bigger than ever, there is no excuse to stop training.ADVERTISEMENT Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. Learning about the ‘Ring of Fire’ Golovkin, Alvarez make weight for blockbuster fight OSG plea to revoke ABS-CBN franchise ‘a duplicitous move’ – Lacson End of his agony? SC rules in favor of Espinosa, orders promoter heirs to pay boxing legend Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard PLAY LIST 02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite03:23Negosyo sa Tagaytay City, bagsak sa pag-aalboroto ng Bulkang Taal01:13Christian Standhardinger wins PBA Best Player award “As a fighter, you really need to continue training because if you don’t, tables are quick to turn on you,” he said.The reigning ONE Lightweight champion is in Indonesia to support fellow Team Lakay member Geje Eustaquio, who is set to face Kairat Akhmetov in the main event of ONE: Total Victory on Saturday at Jakarta Convention Center here.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSRedemption is sweet for Ginebra, Scottie ThompsonSPORTSMayweather beats Pacquiao, Canelo for ‘Fighter of the Decade’SPORTSFederer blasts lack of communication on Australian Open smogThough limited to a cornerman for the big fightcard, the Ifugao warrior shared that he’s still keeping his body in top shape as he waits for his next fight.He’s also improving some facets of his game in the process, focusing more on his ground game and sharpening his striking. End of his agony? SC rules in favor of Espinosa, orders promoter heirs to pay boxing legend Winning start
Coco’s house rules on ‘Probinsyano’ set Jo Koy: My brain always wants to think funny Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. OSG plea to revoke ABS-CBN franchise ‘a duplicitous move’ – Lacson Jake says relationship with Shaina ‘goes beyond physical attraction’ MOST READ After Springer lined a leadoff double, Alex Bregman hit a bouncer that first baseman Cody Bellinger threw past Darvish for an error, allowing a run to score. Bregman aggressively stole third and scored on Altuve’s grounder, and it was 2-0 after eight pitches.A double by Marwin Gonzalez helped set up perhaps McCullers’ biggest contribution, a slow grounder for his first pro RBI. Springer followed with a no-doubt, two-run drive into the left-center field bleachers.That was the Series-most 25th homer in a Major League Baseball season that set a record for home runs. It was easily enough for the Astros to offset pinch-hitter Andre Ethier’s RBI single in the Los Angeles sixth.Only once have the Dodgers clinched a crown at home, that coming in 1963 when Koufax outpitched Yankees star Whitey Ford to finish a sweep. They’ve never won Game 7 of the Fall Classic at their own park, dating more than a century ago to their days on the streets of Brooklyn as the Trolley Dodgers.As pockets of Houston fans got louder and louder in the later innings, the crowd at Dodger Stadium was left to repeat the sad, but hopeful cry that used to echo in Brooklyn: Wait till next year.Just 106 days until pitchers and catchers report to spring training. Trump attends World Series baseball game in Washington DC PLAY LIST 01:04Trump attends World Series baseball game in Washington DC01:39SEA Games 2019: Nicanor rallies to bring home 1st fencing gold for PH02:30SEA Games: Agatha Wong wins 2nd gold medal in wushu02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite03:23Negosyo sa Tagaytay City, bagsak sa pag-aalboroto ng Bulkang Taal01:13Christian Standhardinger wins PBA Best Player award “We’re coming home a champion, Houston,” Springer said after accepting the World Series MVP trophy named this year after Willie Mays for the first time.Altuve, one of four carry-overs from a club that lost an embarrassing 111 times in 2013 after switching from the NL to the AL, and this collection of young stars silenced Dodger Stadium from the get-go.Normally a starter, Charlie Morton finished up with four stellar innings of relief for the win.“We held down a really tough lineup,” Morton said. “For my teammates, for the city of Houston, it’s just unbelievable.”Springer led off the evening with a double against Darvish, and soon it was 2-0.ADVERTISEMENT Steam emission over Taal’s main crater ‘steady’ for past 24 hours Playing for a city still recovering from Hurricane Harvey, and wearing an H Strong logo on their jerseys, the Astros brought home the prize that had eluded them since they started out in 1962 as the Colt .45s.“I always believed that we could make it,” All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve said. “We did this for them.”FEATURED STORIESSPORTSRedemption is sweet for Ginebra, Scottie ThompsonSPORTSMayweather beats Pacquiao, Canelo for ‘Fighter of the Decade’SPORTSFederer blasts lack of communication on Australian Open smogFor a Series that was shaping up as an October classic, Game 7 quickly became a November clunker as Houston scored five runs in the first two innings off an ineffective Yu Darvish. Hardly the excitement fans felt during the Cubs’ 10-inning thriller in Cleveland last fall.Well, except for everyone wearing bright orange. Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next Jake says relationship with Shaina ‘goes beyond physical attraction’ Kiss-and-tell matinee idol’s conquests: True stories or tall tales? The Houston Astros celebrate after Game 7 of baseball’s World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Astros won 5-1 to win the series 4-3. APLOS ANGELES — From laughingstock to lift off.George Springer and the Houston Astros rocketed to the top of the baseball galaxy Wednesday (Thursday Manila time), winning the first World Series championship in franchise history by romping past the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 in Game 7.ADVERTISEMENT View comments Irving, Celtics beat skidding Kings for 6th straight LATEST STORIES Margot Robbie talks about filming ‘Bombshell’s’ disturbing sexual harassment scene It’s too early to present Duterte’s ‘legacy’ – Lacson Springer hit his fifth homer — tying the Series mark set by Reggie Jackson and matched by Chase Utley — when he connected for a record fourth game in a row, making it 5-0 in the second.That was plenty for Houston manager A.J. Hinch. He pulled starter Lance McCullers Jr. soon after the curveballer crazily plunked his fourth batter of the game, and began a bullpen parade of four relievers that kept the lead as the Astros overcame a shaky postseason bullpen .“I knew yesterday I didn’t have much,” McCullers said. “I knew I didn’t have much to give other than to gut it out as long as I could.”Forever known for their space-age Astrodome, outlandish rainbow jerseys and a handful of heartbreaking playoff losses, these Astros will be remembered as champions, finally, in their 56th season.The club that wears a star on its hat also filled out the Texas trophy case. Teams from the Lone Star State had won most every major crown — Super Bowl, NBA and NHL titles, championships in college football, and men’s and women’s hoops — except the World Series.Built on the skills of homegrown All-Stars Carlos Correa, Dallas Keuchel and more, and boosted by the slick trade for Justin Verlander, general manager Jeff Luhnow completed the ascent that some predicted.Famously, now, there was the Sports Illustrated cover in 2014 — after Houston had lost more than 100 games for three straight years — that proclaimed: “Your 2017 World Series Champs” and featured a picture of Springer in a bright Astros jersey.Houston won 101 times this year to take the AL West, then won Games 6 and 7 at home in the AL Championship Series. The Astros joined the 1985 Royals as the only clubs to win a pair of Game 7s in the same year.For the Dodgers, the quest to win a Series for the first time since 1988 fell short. They led the majors with 104 wins and a $240 million payroll, yet it didn’t pay off for part-owner Magic Johnson or manager Dave Roberts.Longtime ace Clayton Kershaw provided four shutout innings of relief for Los Angeles, but it was too late. What the Dodgers really needed was a better starter than Darvish, someone more like the lefty who tossed out a ceremonial first ball: the great Sandy Koufax.