Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 12-26-17

Sports
L.A. Rams Players Give Homeless Family Of 6 A New Home
Veteran Rams players, Tavon Just and Robert Quinn with the Cox family.
LeBron James Says
Venus Not At Fault In Fatal Accident; Family Of Victim Still Suing Her
Tis the season for giving. And that’s just what the LA Rams did when they sur- prised a homeless family with a fully-furnished apart- ment.
Last year, Rams veterans Tavon Austin and Robert Quinn teamed up with LA Family Housing – a non- profit that helps families to transition from homeless- ness. Now it’s become a tra- dition, as they worked with the foundation to give Shwonna Cox and her six children their own Christ- mas miracle.
According to the Los An- geles Times, Austin and Quinn furnished a four- bedroom apartment for the Cox family, providing new beds, a sofa, televisions, a
dining room set, wall hang- ings, kitchen items and fur- nishings for the entire place.
Cox lost everything in the wildfires blazing through California. Cox works at USC, but was struggling to recover after losing every- thing.
But now, Cox and her kids have a home for Christ- mas. And on top of that, the Rams got them a decked-out Christmas tree, complete with presents.
“I just feel at peace,” Cox said through tears, “and thank them for everything.”
Before the surprise re- veal, the Quinn and Austin told the Los Angeles Times what it means to them to be a part of giving back to the community.
LEBRON JAMES AND KEVIN DURANT
LeBron James feels that the referees missed not one but two fouls committed by Kevin Durant on him in the final minute of the Cleveland Cavaliers-Golden State War- riors game on Christmas.
James’ Cavs were down 95-92 with under 30 seconds left when he drove to the bas- ket. Durant was guarding him and appeared to foul him while trying to stop James, who lost the ball out of bounds. The ball was initially awarded to the Cavs, but then it was given to the Warriors upon review.
Replay clearly showed that the officials missed a foul call on Durant, but since they were only reviewing who touched the ball last, Golden State received possession. That took the ball away from Cavs and essentially robbed them of a chance to tie the game.
“He fouled me twice,” James said of the play after the game. “But, whatever. What are you going to do about it?”
Unsurprisingly, Durant felt differently after the game. He thought his play on James was clean.
Not only did Golden State catch a break on that posses- sion, but no foul was called on the previous possession in which James also lost the ball while defended by Du- rant.
Venus Williams did a video deposition last week in the lawsuit.
According to police, the car, a Nissan Altima, violated Williams’ right of way. They spoke to the driver, but police said they would not file charges against that car ei- ther.
Therefore, no charges will result from the police investi- gation.
Kevin Durant
Fouled Him Twice
Venus Williams is offi- cially not at fault for the fatal car crash that killed Jerome Barson.
On Wednesday, the Palm Beach Gardens Police De- partment released their find- ings on the case. They said that no charges would be filed for the crash and stated that neither Williams nor the Barsons had violated each other’s right of way.
After the wreck, which took place on June 9, Williams told police she was “caught in the middle” of the intersection when an- other car turned in front of her. She had to stop to avoid hitting the other car. That’s when the Barsons T-boned her after they went through a green light.
On Key Play
Seahawks Say Concussion
Evan Longoria is on his way to San Francisco after being traded by the Tampa Bay Rays to the Giants on Wednesday.
But before he puts on a Gi- ants jersey for the first time, Longoria wanted to say thank you and goodbye to the Tampa Bay Rays and their fans. He did so with an Insta- gram post.
Longoria was drafted by the Rays No. 3 overall in 2006 and didn’t take long to be- come a franchise cornerstone. He won Rookie of the Year in 2008 and was an All-Star dur- ing his first three seasons. He helped the team to its first and
EVAN LONGORIA
only World Series appearance in 2008, and then to their only three other playoff ap- pearances after that.
Longoria is owed $81 million through 2023. The Gi- ants are banking on him being able to live up to his contract over the next several years.
Protocol Violation Was
‘Unintentional,’ Accept Fine
First Female Negro League Pitcher, Mamie ‘Peanut’ Johnson Dies
Evan Longoria Sends Farewell Message To Fans After Trade
RUSSELL WILSON
The Seattle Seahawks were fined $100,000 on Thursday for violating the NFL’s concussion protocol in Week 10, and the team has re- leased a statement addressing the situation.
Shortly after the discipli- nary action was announced, a Seahawks spokesperson said the mishandling of Russell Wilson’s potential head in- jury was “unintentional and the result of confusion on the sideline.”
The Seahawks allowed Wilson to return to their Week 10 game against the Arizona Cardinals just min- utes after an official ordered him to leave the field to un- dergo concussion testing. It’s unclear where the “confusion” came into play, but television cameras appeared to show Wilson essentially calling the shots and putting himself back into the game. He was not checked for concussion symptoms or evaluated in the medical tent despite referee Walt Anderson ordering him off the field.
A $100,000 fine may seem harsh for something that several teams have been guilty of recently, but the Sea- hawks are no strangers to vio- lating league rules. They were likely treated as repeat of- fenders.
Mamie “Peanut” John- son, the first female pitcher to play in the Negro Leagues, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 82.
The sports legend grew up in a time of segregation, but that didn’t stop her from pur- suing her passion for the game. Instead, Johnson made history as the first fe- male pitcher in the Negro Leagues. She was one of three women to play in the leagues.
At age 17, Johnson was rejected by the White Female Baseball League, but she did- n’t let that stop her.
In 1947, she moved to Washington, D.C., to live with her mother. There, a scout for the Indianapolis Clowns re- cruited her and arranged a try- out.
Mamie Johnson died last Tuesday at age 82.
She made it.
From 1953 to 1955, she played for the Indianapolis Clowns. She won 33 games and only lost 8. But more im- portantly, she made history, and everyone who saw her playing knew it.
In 2008, Johnson and other still-living players in the Negro League Era were drafted by the major leagues for the 2008 MLB First-Year Draft.
PAGE 14 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2017