Levanga Hokkaido’s Dwight Ramos during the Japan B.League Manila preseason games. –B.LEAGUE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Dwight Ramos once again felt the frenzy of the Filipino crowd during the Japan B.League Manila Games.

By now, though, the situation is hardly a surprise.

READ: Dwight Ramos ‘big piece’ in Levanga’s B.League bid, says Tominaga

After playing for Gilas Pilipinas around the world, Ramos said playing at home–even for a Japanese club–felt much the same.

“I play in Japan and there’s a lot of Filipinos there. I played in the Middle East, and there’s also a lot of Filipinos there. I play here and the gym’s packed,” he said. “I can’t even tell the difference. It’s the same everywhere I go.”

“No matter where I go, I get the same crowd where I play. I really appreciate it and I’m really grateful for it.”

Fans at Mall of Asia Arena during the Japan B.League Manila preseason games. –B.LEAGUE PHOTO

The rowdy home crowd fueled Ramos to drop 17 points, four assists and three rebounds.

His Levanga Hokkaido, however, fell to the Gunma Crane Thunders for the second straight night, this time a 101-91 loss in overtime Thursday at Mall of Asia Arena.

READ: Japan B.League coaches impressed by Manila crowd’s passion

On the other side, AJ Edu nearly tallied a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.

Like Ramos, Edu was ecstatic to feel the home crowd again, but he was happier to see his Gunma teammates experience the Filipino fans’ passion.

“It’s great that they also experienced how Filipino fans are,” said Edu. “This isn’t quite like Gilas but I always talk about their passion so I’m grateful that my team got to experience that firsthand.”

Gunma Crane Thunders Filipino AJ Edu during the Japan B.League Manila preseason games. –B.LEAGUE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—AJ Edu is slowly making his mark with the Gunma Crane Thunders, and former NBA journeyman Stanley Johnson has taken notice.

Johnson is still finding his way with Gunma after leaving Nagasaki Velca, but he already likes what Edu brings to the Crane Thunders.

“He adds a lot of size to our lineup. He has his rebounding, versatility and finishing,” Johnson said after Gunma’s 101-91 overtime win over Levanga Hokkaido at Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday. “He’s good at screening angles, especially against teams who love to switch on us.”

Edu showed his impact in the win with a near double-double of nine points and nine rebounds.

He also helped make the job easier for Johnson, who won a title with Velca last season, as the forward finished with 17 points.

Gunma coach Kyle Milling also praised Edu, saying the Gilas Pilipinas big man brings more than just his physicality.

According to Milling, Edu’s court vision is not to be underestimated as well.

“Last night, he had four assists and at one point last season, he had six assists,” said the coach. “He’s a great passer as well.”

France’s Pauline Astier, left, and France’s Marine Johannes react after the Women’s Basketball World Cup quarterfinal match between the China and France in Berlin, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

BERLIN— Marine Johannès and Janelle Salaün led France to the semifinals of the women’s FIBA World Cup for the first time by beating China 90-61 on Thursday, joining the United States among the final four.

Both Johannès and Salaün scored 15 points while Gabby Williams contributed 14 as the Olympic finalists put themselves in contention for a first World Cup medal since the inaugural tournament in 1953, when France finished third in the final round.

“It means a lot,” Williams said of reaching the semifinals for the first time. “We want to be one of the greatest teams ever to put on the French jersey. Obviously we have a big goal this tournament, but it’s great to check this off the list.”

Chants of “Allez les Bleues” rang around the Berlin Arena before Williams opened the scoring, and the French supporters made sure they were heard for the rest of the game as their team dominated on the court below. France has been fluid and free-scoring, beating its four opponents so far by a combined 156 points.

The team set a tournament record for 3-pointers in a single game by netting 22 in its final group game on Monday. The French players connected on 14 of 37 attempts Thursday, with Johannès and Salaün scoring three triples each.

“We are lucky because we are a group that have known each other for a couple of years now,” Salaün said of France’s team spirit. “We went through a lot of things, the Olympics, training camp(s), so we just know each other and we know what we want. We have a goal and we want to do everything to get to this goal.”

Salaün had an ice pack bound to her right knee. France coach Jean Aime Toupane told The Associated Press it was just a precaution.

Two spots to be decided

France awaits the Germany-Belgium winner later Thursday, while Spain faces Australia in the last quarterfinal for a semifinal showdown with the U.S. on Saturday.

The four-time defending champion Americans routed Hungary 108-56 in the first quarterfinal earlier Thursday with Napheesa Collier scoring 19 points to stretch their winning run in the tournament to 34 games since a semifinal loss to Russia in the 2006 semifinals.

Zhang’s impact limited

The French defense limited the impact of China’s 7-foot-3 Zhang Ziyu, who had the attention of two French players any time she received the ball. The 19-year-old sensation was held scoreless over her 7 minutes, 18 seconds of play in the first half, though she contributed in defense with three blocks before halftime.

There was nothing Zhang could do to stop Johannès from scoring successive 3-pointers in the third quarter, when she also got on the scoreboard. Zhang finished the game with 7 points, 8 rebounds and 7 turnovers.

Han Xu, who had a double-double in each of her four games at the tournament, again led China with 21 points and 9 rebounds.

Many swing characteristics can separate good golfers from bad ones: swing speed, attack angle, low points, distance … you get the idea. But there’s one data point that nearly always differentiates good and bad golfers — and you don’t even need to see a golfer’s full swing to know where he or she falls on this spectrum.

That data point comes in the form of pelvis sway. With swing analysis tools like Sportsbox AI, you can track this number easily on every swing, providing a good indicator of where you fall on the handicap spectrum.

Sportsbox AI founder Jeehae Lee recently pointed out that tracking your pelvis sway number at “P4” (a point near the top of the backswing) generally reveals the effectiveness of your swing. For high handicappers, this number typically shows that the pelvis has swayed several inches away from the target when they reach the end of the backswing. For low handicaps, that number is closer to 0.

There’s nothing wrong with a little sway away from the target during the backswing. But the key distinction is that among higher level golfers, that shift back toward the target starts before they reach the top of the backswing. This move — commonly referred to as re-centering — is executed by virtually all low-handicap golfers and is a key indicator of a great swing.

So, next time you are asking yourself where you should start in trying to build a swing that mimics the world’s best, remember that pelvis sway number at the top of the backswing. If you can re-center properly and start that shift sooner, you’ll be well on your way to swinging like the best players in the game.

3 things I’m thinking

1. Team-golf season: After a thrilling Walker Cup last week, we get yet another team golf match this weekend with the Solheim Cup in the Netherlands. Team USA won two years ago on home soil, but Europe had been dominant before that, holding the Cup in three consecutive meetings. With home-field advantage for the Euros this week, I see them getting back to their winning ways.

2. LIV 1.0 is no more: The news of the week in the golf world is LIV Golf’s bankruptcy filing. What this means for the long-term future of the league is unknown, but it has given fans a peek under the league’s hood, which to this point had been shrouded in mystery.

3. Commander in cleats: It’s sounding like President Trump will make an appearance this weekend at the Irish Open at Doonbeg, which is one of his (many) properties. It’s sure to be a chaotic scene for fans — and players — on the day he attends. Ticket-holders will want to arrive early.  

The Los Angeles Dodgers are calling up top prospect Josue De Paula straight from Double-A, according to multiple reports on Wednesday. The Athletic was the first to report.

De Paula is expected to get at-bats at designated hitter after Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced on Wednesday that Shohei Ohtani will be heading to the IL.

De Paula, 21, is the No. 6 ranked prospect in baseball and the highest-rated outfielder. He spent the 2026 season with the Dodgers’ Double-A minor league affiliate, the Tulsa Drillers, and hit 27 home runs in 588 plate appearances, while posting a slash line of .303/.401/.547. He also had stolen 31 games in 123 games.

Prior to being signed by the Dodgers out of the Dominican Republic in 2022, he played out of El Niche Academy. He signed a $397,500 contract with the Dodgers in January 2022.

De Paula was named the 2025 Futures Game MVP.

Gai Waterhouse, following in the footsteps of her father Tommy Smith, has long been a prominent figure during the Melbourne Spring Carnival.

With her training partner Adrian Bott based in Sydney, Waterhouse has been able to dedicate more of her time to Melbourne during the spring racing season.

Waterhouse was present at Flemington earlier this week and plans to remain based in Melbourne after Sir Delius competes in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday, continuing her stay until the conclusion of Melbourne Cup week.

Having already achieved victories in the Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cup, Waterhouse is keen to add a Cox Plate to her father’s achievements and ‘complete the set’.

Last year’s bid for the Cox Plate was unfortunately cut short for Waterhouse when a standing CT and PET scan, conducted in readiness for the Melbourne Cup, revealed Sir Delius had a heightened risk of injury.

Sir Delius had previously won the Underwood Stakes at Caulfield and the Turnbull Stakes at Flemington, and was considered a leading contender for both races.

The entire colt made a successful return in the autumn to win his ‘Grand Final’, the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick, after securing placings in the Verry Elleegant Stakes and Ranvet Stakes.

A similar race program is in store for Sir Delius in Melbourne this spring, with Saturday’s 1600m race to be followed by the Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 3, and then the Cox Plate (2000m) three weeks later.

Waterhouse commented that winning the autumn ‘Grand Final’ was a remarkable achievement.

“(Jockey) Craig (Williams), Adrian and I had discussed different ways of riding him and I can be a bit vocal about those things, but we got what we wanted,” Waterhouse said.

“It was the big prize that we were heading for.

“We live the dream and that’s why we come every year, so hopefully the dream will be the Cox Plate this year.

“It’s interesting that it is at Flemington this year. It will definitely suit this horse.”

Sir Delius has been in Melbourne for just over a week preparing for his Saturday return, and Waterhouse indicated that the entire is in good shape to perform well.

“He’s a happy horse and he’s pretty fit,” Waterhouse stated.

“I think these are good races and they’re stepping stones to where you want to be.

“It (Saturday) is a Group 1 race worth a lot of money and a lot of prestige and he’s an entire and a Group 1 adds to his value as a stallion.

“I think it will be a hard race to win, but we’re in it, and will give it a shake.”

For those interested in the action, exploring online bookmakers will offer competitive odds for the Makybe Diva Stakes.

Justin Gaethje has claimed that Ilia Topuria was “very easy to predict” in their fight at the White House, as rumours swirl about a rematch.

In June, Gaethje handed Topuria his first loss by stopping the Spanish-Georgian in four rounds, when the pair headlined a remarkable UFC event on the South Lawn.

With that, Gaethje finally realised his dream of becoming undisputed lightweight champion, having carried the interim belt into the fight.

This week, commentator Jon Anik said he believes a rematch is the UFC’s likeliest next move, despite Gaethje’s previous claims that Topuria is undeserving.

Now, the American fighter has opened up on his victory over “El Matador”, telling UFC legend Demetrious Johnson that Topuria made “emotional mistakes” beforehand.

“I’m referring to the 12 weeks before the fight,” said Gaethje, 37, who recently said he will not fight again in 2026. “[He made] those emotional mistakes in preparation, and so he wasn’t prepared for what happened that night.

“And that’s his fault, because he didn’t think that it was possible for someone to be there with him for that long, or whatever it was. He forgot who he was and how dangerous this game is. Every fight is so individual and nothing matters.

“One of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made is trying to replicate a perfect performance the next time, and it takes away from the moment that is this moment. I guarantee that’s what he was trying to do – he was trying to replicate – that’s why he was having the same parties.”

Gaethje was referring to Topuria’s habit of celebrating victories in advance, by gathering with his friends and family for meals on the week of a fight.

Gaethje also explained how he was able to beat Topuria, 29, despite his own status as a huge underdog.

“I guess the best explanation for you to understand is: his feet never change rhythms,” Gaethje said. “He never changes rhythm with his feet. It’s always pop, pop, pop, pop, and it’s forwards or backwards. He’s very rarely moving lateral, and that’s how he fights.

“So ultimately, it’s about timing his feet and interrupting. The gameplan was to interrupt his feet, especially when it’s so constant. It’s very easy to predict, and I’ve never seen him alter from that, start to move lateral and start to not be forward or backwards.”

Topuria entered UFC Freedom 250 at the White House as a two-weight champion. In early 2025, he gave up the featherweight belt to pursue lightweight gold, which he won by knocking out ex-champion Charles Oliveira last June.

Meanwhile, Gaethje was previously a two-time interim champion, with his second reign beginning in January, when he outpointed Paddy Pimblett in a largely one-sided fight.