Page 10 - FDLP Oct 6 2022

A32 sports
Diahuebs 6 OctOber 2022

Leverkusen hires Xabi Alonso as coach, fires Gerardo Seoane

it had “parted ways” with the Bundesliga titles between sen sporting director Simon five points from the opening
Swiss coach and appointed 2015 and 2017. Rolfes said. eight rounds. Seoane’s team
the 40-year-old former Spain Seoane led Leverkusen to was also knocked out in the
midfielder, who was to be This is his first senior man- third place in the Bundesliga first round of the German
given a contract through June agement job, having spent last season after joining from Cup by third-division team
2024. the last three years as a re- Swiss team Young Boys in SV Elversberg.
serve-team coach at Real So- 2021.
Alonso enjoyed a stellar ciedad. He started his coach- “Gerardo Seoane did good
playing career, making 114 ing career at Real Madrid’s But this season has not gone work for Bayer 04 over the
appearances for Spain and youth setup. to plan. past year and a half, especially
LEVERKUSEN, Germany helping it win the World with the excellent qualifi-
(AP) — Bayer Leverkusen Cup in 2010 and the Euro- “In Xabi Alonso we have Seoane’s last game in charge cation for the Champions
hired former Liverpool pean Championship titles in signed a coach who, as a play- was a 2-0 loss at Porto in the League,” Rolfes said. “Un-
and Real Madrid star Xabi 2008 and 2012. The former er, was an absolute world- Champions League on Tues- fortunately, we have strayed
Alonso as coach after fir- Real Sociedad player won the class professional for many day, days after his team was from the road to success.”
ing Gerardo Seoane on Champions League with Liv- years, an intelligent strategist routed 4-0 at Bayern Munich
Wednesday. erpool in 2005 and Real Ma- and very successful in three in the Bundesliga. Leverku- Leverkusen said it would
drid in 2014. He helped Bay- of the most demanding Eu- sen is second from bottom in present Alonso at a news
The Bundesliga club said that ern Munich to three straight ropean leagues,” Leverku- the German league with just conference on Thursday.

Marathon course for Paris Olympics announced; lots of uphill

PARIS (AP) — The mara- on the final day, Aug. 11. The landmarks, including the Invalides.
thon course at the 2024 men will race on Aug. 10. Louvre and the Eiffel Tower,
Paris Olympics will pay before leaving the capital and Paula Radcliffe, a former
homage to women who The runners will race from beginning its upward ascent women’s marathon world
protested during the Paris to the royal town of Ver- to Versailles, southwest of the record holder, told The As-
French Revolution by re- sailles — a route that includes capital. The climb has 13% sociated Press that the route’s
tracing a route they took some punishing climbs — gradients in its steepest parts. bumpiness could work
in 1789. It will also include and back again. against runners who usually
a strength-draining 438 After running past the Ver- have the fastest times over
meters of uphill racing, a Paris to Versailles is also the sailles Palace, the racers will 42.195 kilometers (26 miles
punishing endurance test route that was taken by thou- then double back for the and 385 yards) and better
that organizers proudly sands of women, and some return leg to Paris. They’ll suit those who can produce
described Wednesday as “a men, on Oct. 5, 1789, to have another shorter climb a steadier, more sustained ef-
challenge without prec- plead for food at the spec- before leg-burning downhill fort.
edent.” tacular palace of King Louis sections, this time with 13%
XVI. tory of France.” downhill gradients, before The downhills on the way
And in an Olympic first, fe- racing to the finish in central back into Paris could be espe-
male marathoners will get the Estanguet called the mara- It will start from Paris City Paris in front of Napoleon’s cially tough for tired legs, she
privilege of competing last, thon route “a wink at the his- Hall and wind past famed golden-domed tomb at the warned.

MLB playoff picture all set, best-of-3 matchups start Friday

Albert Pujols taking his 12 this season, begins Friday A two-time MVP, Harper
final swings in October, with a newly created wild- makes his first playoff ap-
Julio Rodríguez step- card round. All four series pearance since 2017 with
ping in for the first time. are best two of three — three Washington. He missed two
Max Scherzer and Jacob days in a row, no breaks, with months in the middle of the
deGrom facing Manny the higher seed hosting every season because of a broken
Machado and Juan Soto. game. thumb but is ready to swing
away for the Phillies.
Bryce Harper, back at last. In the National League, it’s
José Ramírez and his Cleve- Padres-Mets and Phillies- In Cleveland, Ramírez leads
land teammates trying to Cardinals. a young team that includes
break a long drought — with rookie sparkplug Steven
a new name. In the American League, Kwan and hard-throwing
And Aaron Judge, Mookie it’s Mariners-Blue Jays and closer Emmanuel Clase as
Rays-Guardians. the AL Central champs host
Tampa Bay.
host Harper and Philadel-
At Citi Field, New York fig- phia. The Cardinals won the
ures to throw aces Scherzer This will be Cleveland’s first
and deGrom at San Diego, NL Central, but as the No. 3 postseason appearance as the
seed don’t get the benefit of
Betts and other top stars featuring big-hitting Macha- an early bye. Guardians. The team hasn’t
looming next week. do and Soto. The Mets’ bid won the World Series since
to win the NL East ended 1948. Randy Arozarena, al-
The entire Major League when they were beaten out by A two-time champion with ready established as a playoff
the Cardinals, the 42-year-
Baseball playoff picture came the defending World Series old Pujols has looked like a star, will try to boost the Rays
into focus Tuesday night. champion Atlanta Braves, so 24-year-old version of him- to the first championship in
The matchups were finally New York wound up as the self down the stretch, top- franchise history.
set, right before the last day top NL wild-card team. ping 700 career home runs
of the regular season. and passing Babe Ruth for All four matchups are sched-
At Busch Stadium, soon- uled to end Sunday. The
The postseason, expanded to-be retired St. Louis stars second place on the all-time best-of-five Division Series
RBIs list.
from 10 teams last year to Yadier Molina and Pujols in both leagues begin Oct. 11.