Bugaluu :: Sports

After an extended offseason of rehab, Detroit Pistons’ Blake Griffin wants to return to form. He’s also embracing his role as a mentor.

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT SHOWS: MANAMA, BAHRAIN (DECEMBER 2, 2020) (SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITE / MICK SCHUMACHER – NO RESALE. NO ARCHIVE. MUST ON-SCREEN COURTESY: TWITTER @SCHUMACHERMICK) 1. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MICK SCHUMACHER SAYING: “Hey guys, so yes, super proud to be able to officially announce that I’ll be racing for Haas F1 team next year in 2021. Obviously, I just really want to say thank you to everybody involved – Scuderia Ferrari, FDA (Ferrari Driver Academy) Gene (Haas) and Guenther (Steiner), thank you for taking me on board. So yeah, I’m really looking forward to next year’s challenge and next year’s work. It’s really been a dream that I’ve always dreamed about and now it’s finally come true so I’m really really, really happy and just emotionally exploding really, so I’m really looking forward to it and thank you to everybody for the great messages and great support.” STORY: Mick Schumacher, son of Ferrari great and seven-times world champion Michael, said he was “super proud” after he was announced on Wednesday (December 12) as a race driver for the U.S.-owned Haas team. The 21-year-old German, who has signed a multi-year agreement, is leading the Formula Two championship ahead of this weekend’s finale at Bahrain’s Sakhir circuit. “It’s really been a dream that I’ve always dreamed about and now it’s finally come true so I’m really really, really happy and just emotionally exploding really,” he said. Schumacher, a member of the Ferrari young driver academy, will form an all-new line-up at Haas along with Russian Nikita Mazepin whose signing was announced on Tuesday (December 1). The pair replace Frenchman Romain Grosjean, currently recovering from a fiery crash in the Bahrain Grand Prix last Sunday (November 29), and Denmark’s Kevin Magnussen. Schumacher will be in the car next week with Haas slotting him in for Friday first practice at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He will also take part in a young driver test at Yas Marina on Dec. 15. Schumacher has a 14-point lead in the F2 standings with two races to go. Michael Schumacher retired in 2012 after a three-season comeback with Mercedes. The Ferrari great has not been seen in public since suffering severe head injuries in a skiing accident in the French Alps in 2013. (Production: Iain Axon, Mike Brock)

England batsman Dawid Malan has set a ranking-points record for batsmen in international Twenty20 cricket after smashing 173 runs in England’s 3-0 whitewash against South Africa.

Chan Gailey’s assessment of Dolphins QB play explains a lot

Jerry Jones praised former Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant on Tuesday. With no team over four wins, the Cowboys can still win the NFC East.

For Bundesliga players, the feeling of playing in front of fans was a “perfect” moment, despite crowds being reduced earlier this season. German clubs started the campaign with what they have called “ghost games” behind closed doors, before opening up the turnstiles to allow around 20 per cent capacity to keep safe during the Covid-19 pandemic. They have returned to playing in empty stadiums for the last month during a lockdown, with Dennis Geiger, the 1899 Hoffenheim midfielder, telling Telegraph Sport it changed the focus of players when they had a live audience. It is what players in England face this week when fans are allowed back into grounds with a maximum of 2,000 spectators for matches in Tier 2 areas. Geiger says even a small number is a motivation for teams after going so long playing behind closed doors. “We’ve had just two home games at the start of this season with fans,” said the Germany Under-21 international. “We had about 6,000 spectators who were allowed in the PreZero Arena but one of these games was our 4-1 win against Bayern Munich at the end of August. “The support was perfect — as we say in Germany: ‘Ein geiles Gefühl!’ which translates as ‘a great feeling’. It was a great feeling to hear them cheer you from up in the stands. “It’s a completely different situation than playing without fans. It pushes you and your team even when there are only a few thousands. It’s definitely better than without.” Geiger’s comments on the mentality of players in front of fans supports the view of sports psychologists that teams can “self-regulate” behind closed doors, while packed stadiums leads to going at full throttle. England and Borussia Dortmund forward Jadon Sancho was among those who insisted that players could not use the excuse of having less pressure with empty stadiums when results go against them. Other considerations for players include away teams having no supporters cheer them on under safety rules. Augsburg forward André Hahn was involved in a victory over Dortmund in front of 6,000 of his own fans, then drew at Wolfsburg when they went away without travelling support. Then Augsburg went behind closed doors again for a home defeat to RB Leipzig when their rates went up in their region. It is a scenario that English clubs could find themselves in as they move Tiers after reviews. “Obviously we were disappointed when we found out the news but the rates were going up so the authorities had to act accordingly,” Hahn said. “We know that our fans will be firing us on in front of their TVs when they are not in the stadium.” Dodi Lukebakio, the Former Watford midfielder, is among the players who are desperate for full stadiums to return. “The difference is so big, you know. When you see a big stadium with only 1,000 people, it’s nothing,” he said. “For us, of course, it’s something different to play with fans because it’s what makes football nice, so without them, it’s really sad. “It’s not positive for me, really. I like to give joy to people and it’s something nice to play with fans. Of course, there are positive things like you say, when you speak you can hear clearly who speaks but if I can choose, I choose the fans.” Before fans were allowed back in this season, German authorities agreed with Bundesliga that there would be a track-and-trace system for supporters, no away ticket allocation until at least the end of 2020, no standing areas and a ban on alcohol at stadiums.