Pirate Galaxy » for us. We scored a run.ICE KLUBETh

Sand, sun and samba.Even on a royal parade ground in the middle of staid London, the Olympic beach volleyball competition four years ago pulsated to the music of a DJ while dance teams jiggled during the breaks. When the Summer Games sexiest sport opens in Rio de Janeiro, the biggest competition for the party atmosphere inside the venue could come from the surrounding Copacabana Beach.Although the sport was invented in Southern California, its spiritual home could be the stretch of sand in Brazil where a temporary 12,000-seat stadium will welcome the worlds top players. Among the favorites are the hometown teams, including two Brazilian womens tandems that will try to stop American Kerri Walsh Jennings in her attempt at a fourth straight gold medal.Here are some things to look for from the Olympic beach volleyball venue on Copacabana Beach, where music and passion are always the fashion:HER NAME IS KERRIA three-time defending Olympic champion, Walsh Jennings will turn 38 during the Rio Games. Her road to a fifth Olympics -- she also went to Sydney with the American indoor volleyball team -- has been more of a struggle than years past because of a separated right shoulder that twice interrupted the path to qualification.Walsh Jennings says shes healthy now, and since returning from shoulder surgery she and partner April Ross have steadily moved up the rankings on the international tour. They will arrive in Rio as a No. 3 seed, behind the two Brazilian teams.AND WHILE SHE TRIED TO BE A STARWhen longtime partner Misty May-Treanor retired after the London Games, Walsh Jennings looked across the net to grab Ross off the team they beat in the gold medal match.Ross, 34, brings a little more youth to the partnership, but she still has Olympic experience. She was three-times voted the FIVB tours best server, and she has also earned top honors for her hitting and her offense.But there was also a problem in the new pairing: Both Ross and Walsh Jennings were accustomed to playing on the left side. Walsh Jennings volunteered to make the switch.AT THE COPABrazil is the most decorated nation in Olympic volleyball history, winning 11 of the 30 total medals since the sport was added to the Summer Games program in 1996. (The United States has nine.)But the Brazilians have only claimed two golds -- one each in mens and womens -- despite dominating the international tours that determine Olympic qualification. (The U.S. has six of a possible 10.)This year, the defending womens world champions Agatha and Barbara were second in the rankings only to the pairing of 2012 bronze medalist Larissa and 2008 fourth-place finisher Talita. On the mens side, Alison and Bruno bring a No. 1 seed and a world championship to their hometown, while fourth-ranked Pedro and Evandro could use the home-town advantage to step onto the medal podium.THEY WERE YOUNG AND THEY HAD EACH OTHERWalsh Jennings and Ross arent the only Americans with new partners.Two-time Olympian Jake Gibb is back, this time with newcomer Casey Patterson. And Phil Dalhausser, who won gold in Beijing and finished ninth in London with Todd Rogers, is paired up with Olympic rookie Nick Lucena.The only tandem of first-timers is the second U.S. womens team, with Brooke Sweat and Lauren Fendrick making their Olympic debut.THEY USED TO HAVE A SHOWDefending mens champions Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann of Germany wont be back.Reckermann retired five months after the London Games due to back and shoulder injuries. Brink teamed up briefly with former training partner Sebastian Fuchs before calling it quits.Also sitting this one out: Five-time Olympian and three-time medalist (one of each) Emanuel, who won silver in London with Alison.It will be the first time there will be an Olympic beach volleyball tournament without him.---Follow Jimmy Golen on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/jgolen . 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A person familiar with the hearing, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press on Saturday that Manfred testified the sport wasnt concerned whether Bosch distributed performance-enhancing drugs to minors because MLBs interest was his relationship with players under investigation. CLEVELAND -- Boom! Bang! Pow! Nine pitches, three homers, one devastating inning.Back in Octobers spotlight, the Cleveland Indians rocked Rick Porcello for three long balls in the third inning in their AL Division Series opener. Francisco Lindors homer capped the rampage off the 22-game winner, and the Indians held on to beat the Boston Red Sox 5-4 Thursday night.Lindor, Jason Kipnis and Robert Perez went deep in the third off Porcello, who lasted 4 1/3 innings in his shortest outing this year.After skipping down the third-base line and touching home plate, Lindor pointed toward the starry sky.If this is what Octobers like, I want to do this every year, Lindor said. I didnt even know where I was. I was just jumping and screaming.Before a sea of red-towel waving, screaming fans, the Indians got a jump in the best-of-5 series against David Ortiz and the AL East champions.Andrew Miller, acquired by Cleveland in a July trade for an October night like this, pitched two scoreless innings for the win . Summoned by manager Terry Francona earlier than usual, the lefty struck out Ortiz with two on to end the fifth and threw a season-high 40 pitches.Bryan Shaw gave up a leadoff homer to Bostons Brock Holt in the eighth that made it 5-4 before Cody Allen struck out Xander Bogaerts with the potential tying run at third to end the inning. Boston put a runner on with two outs in the ninth but Allen fanned Dustin Pedroia on a full-count checked-swing , his 40th pitch, for the save. Pedroia was livid, and Farrell went onto the field to question plate umpire Brian Knight.Pedroia had a few words for first-base umpire Phil Cuzzi and then fired his helmet in disgust on his way into the dugout.Later, Bostons fiery second baseman regretted his actions.I went, but I just was frustrated with the situation, he said. Ill apologize to Phil tomorrow for giving him a piece of my mind.Ortiz went 1 for 4 with a double in the first game of his final postseason.Rookie Andrew Benintendi and Sandy Leon also homered for the Red Sox, who will start David Price in Game 2 in the shadows Friday afternoon against Cleveland ace Corey Kluber.Cleveland unloaded on Porcello in the third, connecting for the three homers that shook Progressive Field.Perez started the salvo with just his second homer in 82 at-bats at home this season. One out later, Kipnis drove a pitch over the wall in right-center, giving Cleveland a 3-2 lead and sending the raucous crowd of 37,763 into delirium. Kipnis had just finished getting a celebratory ride thrrough the dugout when Lindors shot to right barely cleared a leaping attempt by Mookie Betts.dddddddddddd.After the first one it was exciting, Kipnis said. After mine it was even kind of getting nuts in there. And the third one our dugout was kind of losing it. We played with a lot of energy. We played with a lot of emotion. Thats the way our team goes. Weve got up and down the lineup, 25 guys who are baseball players who love to compete and we ride the waves.And that was a pretty high one.Leons homer pulled the Red Sox to 4-3 in the fifth. Francona, who won two World Series with the Red Sox before coming to Cleveland, pulled starter Trevor Bauer for Miller, who hadnt come in earlier than the sixth all season.Miller gave up a double and walk before getting Ortiz to swing at a low third strike .Francona extended both Miller and Allen knowing the importance of winning the opener.Well take inventory of what we got, he said. Youre certainly not going to see the same exact way tomorrow. But we wanted to win the game tonight and we did. Tomorrow might have to be a little bit different design.SPEEDY PEREZCleveland tacked on another run in the fifth, helped by Perezs alert baserunning. The slow-footed catcher tagged and took second on a fly to left and scored on Kipnis single to make it 5-3.I saw the ball kept carrying, Perez. I think he kind of hesitated to throw it back or probably didnt know I was going to tag up, Perez said of Benintendi. I normally dont do that. I was taking advantage of the situation. I did it on my own. It worked out for us. We scored a run.ICE KLUBEThe winning pitcher in the 2016 All-Star Game, Kluber will make his postseason debut in Game 2. He was on the roster when Cleveland was a wild-card team in 2013, but didnt pitch.Im sure there will be some nerves, Kluber said. But at the same time, I get nervous if its a live practice in spring training. It just means you care.The 2014 AL Cy Young winner will start on 10 days rest after straining his right quadriceps on Sept. 26 at Detroit. Kluber admits he wont know if the injury is healed until he steps on the mound, but he has thrown two bullpen sessions without issues.TRAINERS ROOMIndians: RHP Danny Salazar (strained forearm) was sent to the teams training complex in Goodyear, Arizona, to build up his arm strength. Salazar has been out since Sept. 9. He, too, could be available in the next round. ' ' '