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SPORTS Friday 4 November 2022

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique announces retirement

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Thursday that "this Satur- Pique has played 615 As a former Spain player, brought in new players at
Barcelona defender Ge- day will be my last game at games for Barcelona, scor- he helped his country win his position of center back.
rard Pique, a three-time Camp Nou." ing 52 goals. In addition the 2010 World Cup and Barcelona hosts Almería on
Champions League winner "It is the moment to end to the treble of European the 2012 European Cham- Saturday.
with the Spanish club, has this stage of my life," Pique Cups, he helped Barcelona pionship. Pique's retirement comes
announced his retirement said. "I always said that af- win eight Spanish league But after being a set start- after he split up with pop
at age 35. ter Barcelona there will be titles and seven Copa del er for most of his career, star Shakira, the mother
Pique said in a video post- no other club, and that is Rey crowns among other Pique lost his starting job of his two children, this
ed on his Twitter account the way it is going to be." titles. this season after Barcelona summer.q

US Embassy officials visit Brittney

Griner in Russia prison

Kansas City Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol meets with De-
troit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch and the umpires before the start
of their baseball game in Kansas City, Mo., Monday, June 14,
2021. The Chicago White Sox hired Kansas City Royals bench
coach Pedro Grifol to replace Hall of Famer Tony La Russa as
their manager, a person familiar with the situation said on Tues-
day, Nov. 1, 2022. The person spoke on the condition of ano-
nymity because the team has not announced the hiring

White Sox make it of-

ficial, say Grifol is their

WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner speaks to her lawyers standing in new manager

a cage at a court room prior to a hearing, in Khimki just outside Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, July 26,
2022. A Russian court has on Tuesday, Oct. 23 started hearing American basketball star Brittney
Griner's appeal against her nine-year prison sentence for drug possession. By ANDREW SELIGMAN AP Sports Writer
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox say they have
By ERIC TUCKER Associated for every detained Ameri- having the canisters in her hired Kansas City Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol to re-
Press can." luggage but testified she place Hall of Famer Tony La Russa as their manager.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Of- White House press secre- packed them inadvertent- The White Sox announced the move Thursday after Grifol
ficials at the U.S. Embassy tary Karine Jean-Pierre said ly in her haste to make her agreed to take the job earlier in the week.
in Moscow visited jailed Griner "is doing as well as flight and had no criminal General manager Rick Hahn mentioned in a statement
WNBA star Brittney Griner can be expected under intent. Her lawyers have the 52-year-old Grifol's experience in a variety of coach-
on Thursday, just weeks af- the circumstances" and called the punishment ex- ing and scouting roles at the major and minor league
ter a Russian court rejected that the administration was cessive. levels. He also cited the fact that Grifol is bilingual and
her appeal of her nine-year working "to resolve the cur- The United States regards called him a "modern baseball thinker."
sentence for drug posses- rent unacceptable and Griner and Whelan as "He is an excellent communicator and an experienced
sion. wrongful detentions" of Gri- wrongful detainees and game planner who brings a high energy and detail-ori-
State Department spokes- ner and Whelan." has been trying to negoti- ented approach to leadership," Hahn said. "He is com-
man Ned Price said in a Griner was was convicted ate with Russia for their re- mitted to building an inclusive and cohesive clubhouse,
tweet that the American in August after police said lease. Secretary of State and we could not be happier to have Pedro leading our
representatives "saw first- they found vape canisters Antony Blinken said over club."
hand her tenacity and containing cannabis oil in the summer that the U.S. The 52-year-old Grifol will try to lift a team coming off
perseverance despite her her luggage at Moscow's had made a "substantial a disappointing season. The White Sox finished second
present circumstances." Sheremetyevo Airport. Her proposal" to Russia to try to in the AL Central at 81-81 and missed the playoffs after
Price said the Biden ad- arrest in February came at get both home. running away with the division in 2021. La Russa missed
ministration is continuing a time of heightened ten- People familiar with the the final 34 games because of health problems and an-
to press for the immediate sions between Moscow offer have said the U.S. nounced he would not return, ending a disappointing
release of Griner and Paul and Washington, just days wanted to swap Whelan two-year run with the franchise that gave him his first job
Whelan, who was sen- before Russia sent troops and Griner for convicted as a big league skipper.
tenced in 2020 to 16 years into Ukraine. At that time, Russian arms dealer Viktor Grifol spent the past 10 seasons in a variety of coach-
in prison in Russia on espio- Griner was returning to play Bout. ing roles with Kansas City under former managers Ned
nage-related charges that for a Russian team during There have been no out- Yost and Mike Matheny. He was part of teams that cap-
he and his family say are the WNBA's offseason. ward signs of progress since tured back-to-back pennants and won the World Series
bogus, and "fair treatment She admitted at her trial to then in the negotiations.q in 2015.q