Sports briefs for August 21, 2018
Doc Edwards dies
Doc Edwards, a major league catcher who went on to manage the Cleveland Indians for three seasons in the 1980s, has died. He was 81.
His death in San Angelo was announced by his family through longtime friends. Other details were not disclosed.
Edwards spent more than a half century in baseball. He succeeded Pat Corrales as manager of Cleveland, where in 1962 he began his major league career as a player. He managed the Indians for the 1987-89 seasons, finishing with a record of 173-207. Earlier, he was a coach for Cleveland, as well as Philadelphia and the New York Mets.
He played five years in the big leagues, mostly with Cleveland and Kansas City. He also played for the New York Yankees and Phillies. He batted .238 for his career, with 15 home runs and 87 RBI.
Howard Rodney Edwards was born in Red Jacket, West Virginia. His nickname came from his time as a Navy medic.
At The Meadows
Her win in a Delvin Miller Memorial division and second-place finish in the Hambletonian Oaks vaulted Phaetosive to the very elite of the 3-year-old filly trotter division. For all that, she’ll need a big performance in Tuesday’s $165,038 Pennsylvania Sires Stake at The Meadows to guarantee a berth in the PASS championship.
Phaetosive leaves from post 4 in race 9 with trainer/driver Trond Smedshammer aboard. Tuesday’s card also includes a $60,000 PA Stallion Series stake for sophomore filly trotters. First post is 1:05 PM.
Phaetosive won her Oaks elimination and was sent off the favorite in the final but fell by a length to superstar Manchego.
“I kind of knew what had to happen to beat Manchego, and none of that happened,” Smedshammer says. “I thought Manchego might have to work a little bit more to get to the front, and I wanted to come first over and be head to head at the top of the stretch. We came home in 26.2 and couldn’t make up the ground.”
It was a gallant performance nonetheless for the daughter of Explosive Matter-Phaeton, and it lifted her career bankroll to $489,858 for owner Purple Haze Stables.
But in the PASS, medical issues have limited her to one leg, which she won.
“She was in to go at Pocono (in the PA All-Stars) when I had to scratch her because of breathing problems,” Smedshammer says. “Her epiglottis was entrapped, and they were able to free it manually, without surgery. I’m very grateful they tried the conservative route first — it worked. If she’d needed surgery, she would have missed the Oaks and everything.”
With eight qualifying for the $252,000 PASS championship Sept. 1 at The Meadows, Phaetosive is tied for ninth with 35 points. Moreover, five fillies ranked ahead of or tied with her also are in Tuesday’s stake, known as the Meadows Bright. Phaetosive doesn’t necessarily have to win to make the final, but she needs a large infusion of points.
“She had a couple days off after the Oaks, but she’s been following a normal schedule since then. The Oaks didn’t take any more out of her than any other race.”
Phaetosive is eligible for the Elegant Image, several at the Red Mile and the Breeders Crown. No matter the outcome in the PASS and her late-season stakes, Smedshammer intends to bring her back next year.