D2 EZ SU THE WASHINGTON POST.THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 , 2019
TELEVISION AND RADIO
MLB
Noon Philadelphia at Atlanta » MLB Network
4 p.m. San Diego at Milwaukee » MLB Network
7 p.m. Toronto at Baltimore » MASN, WTEM (980 AM)
7 p.m. St. Louis at Chicago Cubs » WTTG (Ch. 5), WBFF (Ch. 45)
WNBA PLAYOFFS
6:30 p.m. Semifinals, Game 2: Los Angeles at Connecticut » ESPN2
8:30 p.m. Semifinals, Game 2: Las Vegas at Washington » ESPN2
NFL
8:20 p.m. Tennessee at Jacksonville » NFL Network, WJFK (106.7 FM)
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
8 p.m. Houston at Tulane » ESPN
NHL PRESEASON
7 p.m. Boston at Philadelphia » NHL Network
10:30 p.m. Vegas at Los Angeles » NHL Network
GOLF
5 a.m. European Tour: BMW PGA Championship, first round » Golf Channel
2 p.m. PGA Tour: Sanderson Farms Championship, first round » Golf Channel
10 p.m. Asian Tour: Shinhan Donghae Open, second round » Golf ChannelBY CINDY BORENIn a nod to civility and cultural
respect, Samoan and New Zealand
athletes competing in the Rugby World
Cup in Japan say they will cover the
tattoos that blanket their arms and legs
while visiting the country’s communal
bathing places, deferring to a culture
that often associates skin ink with
organized crime syndicates.
“We had someone coming in and
giving us a heads-up about what we
could expect in Japan,” Jack Lam, the
captain of Samoa’s team, told the
Associated Press. “There’s a lot of
similarities in our cultures, but when it
comes to the tattoos... it’s q uite n ormal
in our culture. But we are respectful a nd
mindful to what the Japanese way is. We
will be making sure that what we are
showing will be okay.”
In Japan, tattooed people are often
prohibited from entering some
bathhouses, pools and hot springs, but
in Samoa, the w ord tattoo is linked to the
Samoan word “tatau,” Samoa team
manager Va’elua Aloi Alesana told the
Rugby World Cup website. “Every young
boy, when he gets to a certain age, he gets
a tattoo as a kind of passport to get into
the group and serve the chiefs.”
Rugby officials last year had warned
players about the ban by many onsen
(hot springs) and bathhouses, but many
facilities have indicated they planned to
relax their rules with as many as
400,000 tourists expected for the
competition, which opens Friday when
Japan plays Russia in To kyo Stadium.
To urism officials near Sapporo said they
would allow individual onsen owners to
decide whether to allow tattooed
bathers without skin covering.
It’s a n issue that probably will crop u pagain before the Olympic Games next
summer in To kyo. “With the Olympics
coming up as well [as the Rugby World
Cup], we do feel the need to discuss the
issue,” a city public relations official in
Atami told the Japan Times last
summer.
Samoa’s first game is against Russia
on Sept. 24 at Kumagaya. It is playing in
Pool A along with Russia, Scotland,
Japan and Ireland. Its players plan to
wear skin covering when asked.
“Our view is that we have to respect
the culture of the land we are in
wherever we go. We have our own
culture as well, but we are not in Samoa
now,” Alesana said. “There are some
training venues that have allowed us to
show our tattoos a nd some places where
we can’t, and for those places, we’ve
been given ‘skins’ to wear to cover our
tattoos.”
In New Zealand, whose defending
World Cup champion All Blacks team is
popular in Japan, tattoos areparticularly common among the Maori
and Pacific islands communities. New
Zealand scrumhalf Aaron Smith, who
has arm tattoos, said his teammates
would be respectful visitors.
“We have got an onsen, like a spa, in
every hotel, and in Kashiwa that spa was
a public one, and we had t o wear skivvies
or tights,” Smith said. “A nd that’s okay.
We are in Japan. You have to embrace
their w ay, their culture. And most people
with tattoos were happy to cover up.”
Players are also complying with the
Japanese custom of not wearing shoes in
homes and other places. “The only other
thing that is similar around the hotel is
shoes,” Smith said, via the Guardian.
“The gym we go to today, we have got to
take indoor shoes. The ones you walk to
the gym in, you can’t wear in the g ym.
“We just have to respect that and
adapt a s All Blacks. We are grateful to be
here, and we don’t want to act anything
bigger than we are.”
[email protected]QUOTABLE“If they came to me in
Pittsburgh after two
weeks and said, ‘Terry,
we’re going to have to
go with so-and-so,’ I’d
go home.”
TERRY BRADSHAW,
Fox analyst and Hall of Fame QB, on
Eli Manning’s benching by the Giants.RUGBYSportsmanship that’s world class
NFLBY MATT BONESTEELIndianapolis Colts kicker Adam
Vinatieri sure seemed as if he was
about to retire following Sunday’s
game against the Te nnessee Titans,
in which he missed two of three
extra points. Vinatieri did not
speak with reporters after the
game but told Stephen Holder of
the Indianapolis Star that he would
“hear from him” Monday. When
Holder replied that reporters don’t
usually see NFL players on Mon-
days, Vinatieri seemed to hint an
announcement was forthcoming.
“Yeah, you will,” he said, crypti-
cally.
Monday came and went, and
neither Holder nor anyone else
heard from Vinatieri, at 46 the
NFL’s oldest player and the only
active player who started his ca-
reer in the 1990s. A retirement
announcement wouldn’t have
been that much of a surprise and
not only because of his age —
Vinatieri has missed seven of the
past 11 attempts dating from last
season’s playoff loss to the Chiefs,
including four extra points — but
it simply didn’t happen, with re-
ports surfacing that Colts brass
was trying to persuade him to
stick around and finish his
24 th season.
Vinatieri finally spoke up Tues-
day to say that n ot only w as he n ot
retiring but that the prospect nev-
er actually crossed his mind de-
spite h is struggles. He’s just trying
to get past the “demons” in his
head.
“I’m going to work a lot this
week to get those demons [out] so
I can go clearheaded, step on the
field and just do my job,” Vinatieri
told reporters.
“I think anybody that has had a
bad g ame, or, I don’t k now, I guess
if you go out golfing and you hook
a couple balls, are you thinking
about it until you get it figured
out?”
Vinatieri’s misses in Week 1
were especially costly, with an er-
rant extra point and two missed
field g oals the difference in a 30-24
overtime loss to the Chargers. So
considering Vinatieri’s shaky ac-
curacy and his apparent inner
conflict over continuing his ca-
reer, the Colts aren’t taking any
chances. On Tuesday, t hey worked
out s ix free agent k ickers.
According to Coach Frank
Reich, who reiterated his support
for Vinatieri on Monday by saying
“A dam is our kicker,” those deci-
sions are m ade by General Manag-
er Chris Ballard.
Vinatieri has been in the NFL
since 1996 and is the league’s ca-
reer leader in points, postseason
points, field goals, overtime field
goals and games played. He has
four Super Bowl rings and has
made a number of memorable
kicks, including the two snow-
bound field goals i n an AFC p layoff
game in 2002 that helped propel
the Patriots to their first Super
Bowl title and two game-winners
for New England in the Super
Bowl itself.
[email protected]Vinatieri
not retiring
despite his
struggles
BY GLENN YODERNewly signed Washington Wiz-
ards guard Isaiah Thomas had
surgery Wednesday to repair a
rupture of the radial collateral
ligament of his left thumb, the
team announced. He is expected
to miss six to eight weeks.
Thomas agreed to a deal with
Washington early in free agency
to help fill the hole at point guard
caused by John Wall’s l eft Achilles’
tendon injury, which could side-
line the five-time all-star for most
or all of the upcoming season. A
two-time all-star himself who fin-
ished fifth in the MVP voting in
2016 -17, Thomas has seen his ca-
reer upended by injuries. He has
logged just 44 games over the past
two seasons, split among the
Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles
Lakers and Denver Nuggets. Once
a dynamic scorer who averaged
28.9 points just three seasons ago,
Thomas averaged just 8.1 points
in 12 games with Denver last year.
The injuries and an opportu-
nity created by Wall’s absence
drew Thomas to Washington.
“The biggest thing for me in
signing with a team this summer
was all about getting a legit oppor-
tunity to show that I can still play
and play at a high level,” Thomas
told reporters in July. “A nd then —
which is not great — with John
[Wall] being out most of the year,
it gives me an opportunity to
come in and play right away.
When I met with the Wizards [in
July], it was like they really want-
ed me, and it was like a genuine
want.”
This latest injury occurred dur-
ing routine workouts Monday, ac-
cording to the team.
“This was an unfortunate set-
back for Isaiah, but with his re-
solve and the top care he will
receive from our medical team,
we expect him to make a full
recovery,” General Manager To m-
my Sheppard said in a statement.
The Wizards open the regular
season Oct. 23 against the Maver-
icks in Dallas. If Thomas misses
six weeks, the short end of the
timeline provided, that would
have him returning a week into
the season. Training camp opens
Oct. 1, with Ish Smith the team’s
healthiest option at point guard.
[email protected]
WIZARDS
Thumb
surgery
sidelines
Thomas
CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES
Tattoos such as the one sported by New Zealand’s Sonny Bill Williams are frowned upon in public places in Japan.Samoan, New Zealand stars
plan to cover their tattoos
at championships in Japanwashingtonpost.com/sports
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Pitino and Louisville
reach settlement
A fiercely competitive coach
on the court, Rick Pitino didn’t
want to fight in one anymore.
So the University of Louisville
Athletic Association and Pitino
settled lawsuits stemming from
his departure from the school,
with the former men’s basketball
coach’s personnel file changing
his termination to a resignation.
He received no money in the
settlement.
Pitino sued the ULAA for
more than $38.7 million in
November 2017, accusing it of
breaching its contract by firing
him for cause the previous
month in the wake of a federal
bribery investigation of college
basketball. Louisville
countersued, seeking monetary
damages for vacated games and
bonuses. The agreement comes a
week after representatives for
the association and Pitino held
settlement talks at the federal
courthouse that included the
coach.
In a statement issued
Wednesday through lawyer
Steve Pence, Pitino said he was
moving on “to a new chapter in
my life.”
“A gainst my lawyer’s advice
I’m dropping my lawsuit with
ULAA,” Pitino said. “I am very
proud of the many
accomplishments my teams
achieved at Louisville. I’m so
thankful and honored to coach
such dedicated athletes. I’m also
disappointed in how it ended.
But as head coach I am held
responsible for the actions of all
team members.”TENNIS
To p-seeded Naomi Osaka
reached the quarterfinals at the
Japan Women’s Open in Osaka
by beating qualifier Viktoriya
Tomova, 7-5, 6-3.
Osaka, who was broken twice
early in the match, is looking to
win her first title in her
hometown after finishing
runner-up in 2016 and 2018.
Fourth-seeded Angelique
Kerber won her first match since
Wimbledon, beating American
qualifier Nicole Gibbs, 6-2, 6-4.
Kerber will next face Madison
Keys, who defeated Zarina
Diyas, 5-7, 6 -0, 6-4....
At the Korea Open in Seoul,
second-seeded Ekaterina
Alexandrova recovered well to
beat Kristyna Pliskova, 3-6, 6-3,
6-4, and reach the quarterfinals.GOLF
European captain Padraig
Harrington selected Robert
Karlsson as his first vice captain
for the 2020 Ryder Cup at
Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.
Karlsson performed the same
role under Thomas Bjorn when
the European team regained the
trophy in Paris last year.OLYMPIC SPORTS
Iran was suspended from
international judo competitions
because it boycotts bouts with
Israeli athletes.Less than a month after world
champion Saeid Mollaei walked
off the Iranian team in protest of
the boycott policy, the
International Judo Federation
said Iran is suspended ahead of a
full hearing.
Iran’s judo federation is
accused of discriminating
against Israeli athletes and
breaking rules over
manipulating competition
results.
Mollaei has said he was
repeatedly ordered by Iranian
officials to lose matches orwithdraw from competitions,
including last month’s world
championships, so as not to face
Israelis. He is in hiding in
Germany....
U.S. bobsledder Elana Meyers
Taylor announced she will not
compete this season because she
is pregnant, though she plans to
return in a year to prepare for
the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Meyers Ta ylor and her
husband, fellow U.S. bobsledder
Nic Taylor, are expecting theirfirst child in March....
Russian biathlete Margarita
Vasilyeva was banned for
18 months after missing three
drug tests.
The International Biathlon
Union said its disciplinary panel
“took into account the athlete’s
degree of fault” when giving
Vasilyeva a ban shorter than the
standard two-year sanction. The
ban still rules her out of the next
two winter seasons.
— From news servicesDIGESTHANNAH PETERS/GETTY IMAGES
All Blacks players such as TJ Perenara plan to cover up their tattoos with
“skins” if they choose to visit bathhouses, pools or hot springs at the World Cup.SOCCER
8:20 p.m. Copa Sudamericana, semifinal, first leg: Atlético Mineiro at Colón »
beIN Sports
AUTO RACING
4:25 a.m. (Fri.)Formula One: Singapore Grand Prix, practice » ESPN2
TENNIS
6 a.m. ATP: Moselle Open, round of 16 ; WTA: Japan Women’s Open, round of 16 ;
Guangzhou Open, quarterfinals » Tennis Channel
11 p.m. WTA: Japan Women’s Open, quarterfinals; Korea Open, quarterfinals;
Guangzhou Open, semifinals » Fox Sports 1
COLLEGE SOCCER
6 p.m. Women: Michigan at Penn State » Big Te n Network
6 p.m. Women: Northern Colorado at Colorado » Pac-12 Network
7 p.m. Women: Auburn at Kentucky » SEC Network
7 p.m. Women: Boston College at Florida State » ACC Network
8 p.m. Women: Michigan State at Ohio State » Big Te n Network
10 p.m. Men: San Diego State at Washington » Pac-12 Network
WOMEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
8 p.m. BYU at Utah » Pac-12 Network
9 p.m. Washington at Wisconsin » Fox Sports 1
SURFING
7 p.m. World Surf League: Freshwater Pro, Day 1 » Fox Sports 1UPLOADED BY "What's News" vk.com/wsnws TELEGRAM: t.me/whatsnws