Page 22 - ARUBA TODAY

A22 SPORTS
Thursday 28 February 2019
Managers, coaches

adjust to get most

out of millennials

By JAY COHEN today, and their influence
AP Sports Writer is felt all over the sport.
MESA, Ariz. (AP) — In the They were the earliest
aftermath of Chicago's adopters of the advanced
collapse last season, Cubs statistics that have become
manager Joe Maddon commonplace throughout
went looking for a deeper baseball, and they inform
understanding of the play- much of what they do on
ers who dominate the ma- the mound or at the plate.
jor leagues these days. They want to know the rea-
Maddon's search took him soning behind what their
to "Managing Millennials for coaches want them to do.
Dummies," and the book "I've learned this gen- In this Feb. 24, 2018, file photo, Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon visits the mound during the
reinforced what he already eration is nothing like the second inning of a spring training baseball game against the Texas Rangers, in Mesa, Ariz.
felt about the people he generation I grew up in,"
worked with every day. Royals manager Ned Yost season, culminating in their sonalities to try to connect major generation for base-
"The big takeaway is that said. "Nothing like it. You 2-1, 13-inning loss to Colo- with. And sometimes you ball — began in 1997 and
they're no different than have to learn and have rado in the NL Wild Card connect with most of them, ended between four and
anybody else," a chuckling an open mind to find out Game. you hope you connect with eight years ago.
Maddon said. "When you what makes these kids tick, Davis told the Chicago all of 'em — that's a rarity. Turkcan, who has worked
break it down and you go how they grew up. They're Sun-Times that he needed But you know, I had great with universities and com-
back to your own child- so diverse and their way of to make some adjustments kids in Boston, I thought I panies like Samsung, Co-
hood we all had inefficien- communicating is different to how he delivers his mes- had some really good kids ca-Cola and Target, said
cies as young people. The in Southern California, kids sage to millennials, and over in Chicago last year the millennial stereotype
biggest takeaway I think in the South, kids in the East. he planned to know more and I'm really enjoying the of entitled young person is
are two things; that the It's just taking the time to about his potential players guys I'm around this year." misguided.
propensity to be inclined get to know them and how before he accepted an- Defining a generation "is "They're not asking why to
to utilize technology, which to communicate." other job. He was hired as an art and a science," said be difficult. They're ask-
is wonderful because I've The millennial generation hitting coach for the New Kate Turkcan, who is the ing why because they've
done that anyway, and became a hot topic in Chi- York Mets in December. head of youth insights for grown up in a generation
then, they as a group like cago when the Cubs fired "You learn from every place Kantar Consulting. Turkcan or in a world where you
wanting to know why." hitting coach Chili Davis af- you go," Davis said during said millennials were born need proof for everything,
Millennials make up the ter they struggled to score spring training. "You know, between 1979 and 1996, you need back up," she
vast majority of the majors in the final few days of last there's a lot of different per- and centennials — the next said.q

Federer reaches Dubai quarterfinals; Nishikori eliminated

DUBAI, United Arab Emir- ian's game. a backhand down the line
ates (AP) — Roger Feder- "I know Marton quite well and again in the last game
er maintained his perfect actually," Federer said. when the Japanese player
record against Fernando "He's improved. He likes the hit a forehand long.
Verdasco to reach the fast surfaces. He likes to "He played well today," Ni-
Dubai Championships play up in the court. He has shikori said. "I didn't serve
quarterfinals on Wednes- the power when required. well when I wanted to. It
day, while top-seeded Kei I think it's going to be defi- happens. That cost me
Nishikori was eliminated. nitely a match that's going some important points. I
Federer converted his first to test me tomorrow." think he really played well
match point when Verdas- The second-seeded Feder- in the important games."
co sent a forehand wide, er is now an even bigger Hurkacz will next play fifth-
finishing off a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 favorite for the title with Ni- seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas
win that improved his re- shikori out. It was Hurkacz's of Greece, who eased
cord against the Spaniard first win against top-10 past Belarusian qualifier
to 7-0. Nishikori, though, lost ranked player and earned Egor Gerasimov 6-3, 6-1 in
7-5, 5-7, 6-2 against Hubert him a place in his first ATP less than an hour. Tsitsipas
Hurkacz of Poland. Roger Federer of Switzerland serves to Fernando Verdasco of tour quarterfinal. beat Hurkacz last week
Spain during their match at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Cham-
This was win No. 50 for Fe- pionship, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Feb. 27, "It's a huge win for me," Hur- in Marseille en route to his
derer in Dubai, having 2019. kacz said. "It gives me huge second career title.
won the tournament seven Associated Press confidence. I'm going to Gael Monfils also ad-
times. try to keep going forward." vanced by knocking out
"It's a big number," the He's only three matches 6-4, 6-2. Federer has only Hurkacz converted six of Cypriot wild-card entry
37-year-old Federer said away from a 100th tourna- played Fucsovics once, at his seven break points, in- Marcos Baghdatis 6-3, 6-2
when told it was his 50th ment title, though, and will last year's Australian Open, cluding one when Nishikori and will face Lithuanian
win. "I'm not sure if I'm go- next face Marton Fucsovics but has trained with him in was serving for the first set qualifier Ricardas Berankis,
ing to get to 100. Let's put it of Hungary, who beat Jan- Zurich and said he's been at 5-4. He also broke for a who ousted Denis Kudla of
that way." Lennard Struff of Germany impressed with the Hungar- 3-1 lead in the final set with the United States 6-4, 6-1.