charged Gulam Bodi with contriving to fix games in th

MINNEAPOLIS -- Candace Parker and the Sparks jumped with joy on the court, joined in celebration by a guy named Magic Johnson who once made basketball championships a habit in Los Angeles.Parkers old college coach, the late Pat Summitt, was there in spirit too.Nneka Ogwumikes short jumper with 3.1 seconds left, off the rebound of her blocked shot, gave the Sparks a 77-76 victory over the defending champion Minnesota Lynx in the deciding Game 5 of the WNBA Finals on Thursday night for the franchises first title in 14 years.Parker had 28 points and 12 rebounds to earn MVP honors of the Finals and her first WNBA title, capping a trying year marked by the death of the beloved Summitt, with whom she won two NCAA championships at Tennessee.The journey to get here I wouldnt have wanted to do it with anybody else, Parker said. Its amazing when you surround yourself with good people how fun it is.Sparks coach Brian Agler started his postgame news conference by playing a recording of the Tennessee fight song, Rocky Top, from a phone in front of him at the podium. Parker cried as she leaned over to hug her coach.Ive never been around somebody that has been critiqued so hard, Agler said, and Ive never been around anyone Im happy for than Candace.Said Ogwumike: Shes been through so much. Shes probably the most misunderstood person in the league. I told her I wanted her to get one.Parker heard Summitts voice in her head, recalling the time-worn advice to focus on defense and rebounding.You cant control if shots go in or shots dont, but what you can control is defense and rebounding, Parker said.Rebekkah Brunson made one of two free throws with 23.4 seconds left to give the Lynx a 74-73 lead. Parker answered with a layup on the other end that Maya Moore countered with a jumper. Then Ogwumike hustled her way over to the loose ball after Sylvia Folwes blocked her first attempt. She coolly swished it.Lindsay Whalens heave from just inside halfcourt bounced high off the backboard, setting off the celebration for the Sparks and silencing the sellout crowd of 19,423.Moore had 23 points and 11 assists for the Lynx, who fell short of matching the WNBA record of four championships. The Houston Comets won four straight titles from 1997-2000. The Lynx played in the finals for the fifth time in the last six years. They won three.The team that won this game deserved to win the game, Moore said, so its just hard to have it come that close.Chelsea Gray reeled off 11 consecutive points for the Sparks, capping that run with a smooth up-and-under layup to put them in front 60-59 early in the fourth quarter. Parkers putback with 3:06 left gave L.A. a 71-63 lead, putting the Lynx in trouble.But Moore seized the moment with a 3-pointer that brought Minnesota within four points, and Parker forced an off-balance 3 on the other end. Whalen stole the ball from Kristi Toliver and finished the fast break with a layup to tie the game at 71, setting up the final flurry.On the next play, Ogwumike hit a jumper that appeared to come after the shot clock expired. The officials signaled for a review but never looked at the basket. Los Angeles led 73-71 with just over a minute left. Seimone Augustus answered with a jumper, but those points proved to be critical.Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, making sure to credit the Sparks for their performance was livid about the non-call afterward.Its not enough just to apologize and send out a memo that they got something wrong, OK? These players are so invested, and something must be done about the officiating in this league. Because it is not fair to these great players that we have, Reeve said.The WNBAs new postseason format with the field ordered by overall record regardless of conference sure worked well, leading to this classic matchup between the two teams that fought all summer for the top seed and featuring several of the leagues biggest stars.I hope that we gained a lot of fans from around the world and around this country, Augustus said.The game was remarkably close, with 24 lead changes and 11 ties with no team ever leading by double digits.CHAMPIONSHIP ATMOSPHEREThe sea of green T-shirts donned by almost everyone in the crowd produced a deafening soundtrack from start to finish befitting a game for the trophy.Even Johnson was there, wearing all black while sitting courtside to root for the Sparks team hes a part-owner of and spoke to after the loss at home in Game 4 on Sunday. His presence was all the more impressive considering the Dodgers, the other pro club hes invested in, were playing baseball in Los Angeles at the same time in Game 5 of their National League championship series.They had to believe they could do it on a tough home court. This team Minnesota is tremendous, Johnson said. We just beat the champions so I give them a lot of credit to.WOLF TRACKSThe Lynx had celebrity backing, too, with Timberwolves players including Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Ricky Rubio, Cole Aldrich and Nemanja Belica in the seats to support the women they share an arena with. Lavonte David Womens Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Mike Alstott Buccaneers Jersey . LUCIE, Fla. http://www.authenticbuccaneerspro.com/Matt-gay-buccaneers-jersey/ . The next step is a better finish. Bae played bogey-free Friday on another gorgeous day at Riviera for a 5-under 66, giving him a one-shot lead over Aaron Baddeley and Robert Garrigus going into the weekend. Mike Alstott Jersey . Duchene scored two goals and had an assist, helping the Colorado Avalanche beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Friday night to match the best 10-game start in team history. Jameis Winston Womens Jersey . Tests earlier this week revealed a Grade 2 left hamstring strain for Sabathia, who was hurt in last Fridays start against San Francisco. Its an injury that will require about eight weeks to heal. He finished a disappointing campaign just 14-13 with a career-worst 4. Thami Tsolekile could have been the ultimate South African success story.I am a Tsolekile sympathiser and I believe he was hard done by. Not only did I think he deserved an opportunity at a time when South Africas national team had a glaring absence of black African representation, I thought he was good enough regardless of his colour.His overall numbers - especially his batting average - might not support the promise he carried, but his was a career of two halves, the second of which was more prosperous. He was also something of a prodigy at junior levels. After Tsolekile moved to Lions in 2009-10, a decade after his first-class debut, his batting improved markedly. In six seasons with them he averaged 40.23, and in the same period he averaged 45.14 for South Africa A. It was widely acknowledged during that time that he was the best wicketkeeper in the country. He was on a central contract and had been assured of an opportunity to represent South Africa again. That he did not is a blight on South African cricket.What he did after that is a blight on himself.How did Tsolekile became the man the world now knows, a player banned for 12 years by Cricket South Africa (CSA) for contriving to fix matches? There are no answers but here is his story.Like many young South Africans, Tsolekile grew up playing sport. His home, on Harlem Avenue in a Cape Town township, was next door to Langa Cricket Club, which played in the Western Province Cricket League.Cricket was in his family: his grandfather, Hlubi Zibi Tsolekile, played for Western Province in the 1970s. The reason you may not have heard of him is the reason you may not have heard of Ben Malamba or William Magitshima or any of their team-mates. Those players could not play with or against the Pollocks and the Ackermans; they were governed by a different board and made do with playing in non-white leagues. They received scant media coverage and are largely forgotten. They had nothing like the opportunities that came the way of the next generation.For Tsolekile, that opportunity came in the form of a bursary to Pinelands High School, less than 10km from Langa but a world apart. At school he had access to well-maintained facilities and coaches. Tsolekile excelled and broke several school cricket records, but his reflexes and superior hand-eye coordination also allowed him to thrive at hockey.Thami was the most extraordinarily talented hockey player, says John Young, a coach who worked at Langa and who has acted as Tsolekiles agent in the past. He combined skill, speed and exceptional vision with a very high work rate and a very unselfish attitude.Tsolekile was able to apply those skills at Langa as well, and he swiftly became an iconic presence at the club. As the star player he was targeted by the opposition. He was often provoked and would occasionally respond, once to his detriment. In a hockey match in the Grand Challenge League - the top tier of provincial hockey - Tsolekile was yellow-carded by umpire Neil Schluter for protesting a foul, which resulted in a five-minute suspension from the field. As he walked off he threw his shirt on the ground in irritation, which, in turn, extended his suspension.At the end of the game, Schluter refused to shake hands, made an arrogant remark and turned away, Young remembers. Tsolekile put his hand on the umpires shoulder, intending to speak to him. For that he was red-carded. This became in pubs and newspaper columns some kind of assault.Langa appealed the red card, unsuccessfully, but the panel overseeing the affair concluded in their report that Schluter was over-zealous in his handling of the matches, and decided he should be counselled by the Western Province Umpires Association to adopt a more facilitative approach.The incident is often cited in media reports to illustrate Tsolekiles volatile temperament, which his supporters say is a mistaken assessment. His reputation, a former team-mate at Western Province explains, may have been a defence mechanism. It was a pretty difficult space for a young black African to be in, the team-mate says. In the early 2000s, provincial teams were still very much like old boys clubs, and with transformation only starting, players of colour were regarded with some suspicion.Suspicion of what?That they did not have a tradition of cricket.This player is not the only one who requested anonymity. Many contemporaries are no longer comfortable talking about Tsolekile, a man they believe should have amounted to more.Tsolekile made his first appearance for Western Province as an 18-year-old. A year later, in his second List A game, he took three catches and scored an unbeaten 37, which Michael Owen-Smith, writing in the Cape Times, called an innings of flair, daring and innovation.It was a sign of Tsolekiles promise that he, and not Graeme Smith, was appointed captain of South Africas Under-19 World Cup side in 2000. He led South Africa to victory in the Plate Final (rain wrecked their chances of the main prize) and three months later was named in the senior mens hockey squad to play in the African Cup of Nations (AFCON). As the continents best side, South Africa should have gone to the Sydney Olympics that year. But they were denied by the National Olympic Committee, which chose not to send them - as punishment for their lack of representation. Tsolekile was the only black African player in the AFCON squad. Even without Sydney, though, when the new millennium dawned, Tsolekile had the sporting world at his feet.Olympic dreams snuffed out, Tsolekile went to the national cricket academy, where, according to an individual close to the academy, he refused to worship at the altar of the former greats such as the Pollocks. He did not enjoy the pre-match rugby-style bonding sessions, which included war cries and team huddles. Tsolekile preferred to be on his own, and was often found tossing around a squash ball to sharpen focus. He was seen as standoffish, an upstart barging into a world that didnt like the idea of him being part of it.Over the next three years he progressed upwards, with a burgeoning reputation as a wicketkeeper if not yet a high-quality batsman. He had already played for South Africa A when, in 2004, Mark Bouchers form dipped. Tsolekile was called up for a Test tour to India, at the time becoming only the fourth black African in the countrys history to receive a Test cap. He struggled on surfaces with variable bounce and turn, as well as in a transitioning side, so that a month after his Test debut, in Kanpur, he played what would be the last of his three Tests, against England in Port Elizabeth. AB de Villiers took his place.At the time Tsolekile responded well to the axe. The 2004-05 summer became his most prolific first-class season. His 504 runs at an average of 36 were handy rather than spectacular - but he also became part of Cape Cobras leadership core. He was promoted to the captaincy and enjoyed two summers of great success, winning the MTN 2006-07 one-day cup.Very quickly, however, things changed. Cobras, convinced that the burden of captaincy was affecting Tsolekiles attempts to improve his batting, would occasionally release him from the role. That isolated Tsolekile and complicated his relationship with coach Shukri Conrad. In February 2008 matters reached a head. Tsolekile missed the first match of Cobras first-class campaign because of an injury and took a trip to the Eastern Cape. One report claimed he broke team protocol by travelling, missed a physiotherapy session, and returned late for a team meeting; another said he did not inform Conrad of where he went to or why. Eventually he lost his place in the XI.In an interview with Die Burger, a Cape Town-based Afrikaans daily, Conrad claimed Tsolekiles discipline let him down. Cobras lined up Ryan Canning as a replacement and Tsolekile lost his franchise contract at the start of the next season. In an interview with Independent Online in March 2012, Tsolekile acknowledged his own ffailings in the souring:When you get a big wake-up call, you take a look at yourself and you ask some hard questions.ddddddddddddDo you really deserve to be there, do you work hard? Only you can provide the answers. For me, the way forward was to be open and honest about myself… Maybe I took a few things for granted. I didnt do things like throw-downs by myself, I was only relying on the coaches to tell me when practice was happening. Knowing youre the only keeper, you get into a comfort zone, that was very dangerous for me… … At the Cobras I was relying on my talent only. Losing my contract, that was a big wake-up call for me. I realised that talent and hard work must go together, you cant just rely on talent.Tsolekile worked in the Newlands ticket office during that troubled period, continuing to play for Western Province as and when he was selected. He also threw himself back into Langa. There, at a club that had been relegated in the Western Province Cricket League, he was a bigger influence than ever, captaining, keeping, batting, bowling offspin and even transporting players to games in his car. Almost single-handedly he oversaw their promotion.Eventually he would get a second chance, upcountry in Johannesburg, where Lions were plundering resources from the Cape to combat their own troubles. Tsolekile, who arrived there ahead of the 2009-10 season, immediately embraced his role as a senior player. He was so good with leading guys, with being responsible for team performances, remembers Jacques Faul, general manager of Lions at the time.In two of his first three seasons he averaged over 50, earning a recall to South Africa A, and was challenging Boucher again for the Test spot. Early in 2012, when Boucher announced the England tour would be his last, Tsolekile was awarded a central contract. It seemed as if a succession plan was being drawn up.Instead, when Bouchers career was abruptly ended by a freak injury in the first warm-up match, the tour management took a decision to give the gloves to de Villiers before they had even consulted with the selectors. Tsolekile flew in to join the squad but ended up carrying drinks through the series. He said he was happy to do so.In December 2012, I had my last face-to-face conversation with Tsolekile, after the South African selectors had told him he was not good enough to bat at No. 7 in the Test team. It was after he told the Star newspaper that he did not trust the selectors; and it was after the convener then, Andrew Hudson, confirmed to me that he had told Tsolekile he would play but reneged when de Villiers changed his mind about keeping wicket in the long run.During a first-class match at the Wanderers, we sat on the grass embankment under a gazebo that shields spectators from the Highveld sun. Tsolekile was in his whites (he made 88 in the first innings, in a ten-wicket loss). He is a quiet but confident speaker, with an even tone, and rarely gets animated. That day he went over how he did not expect to play against England or on the subsequent tour to Australia because he knew de Villiers would do the job. De Villiers had taken over in an emergency in England and as South Africa became the No. 1 Test side they wanted to use the same team in Australia. When I asked Tsolekile how he felt, he shrugged and admitted he didnt really think about it at the time because he was more concerned with the chance he was going to get that summer at home. Tsolekile was told by Hudson he would play against New Zealand and Pakistan. But as South Africa won in England and Australia, and with de Villiers averaging nearly 50 across six Tests, the situation changed. Tsolekile was left out of the squad altogether. In six months he went from being on the cusp to being on the outer. Only then did he start to feel let down.He looked me in the eye and suggested maybe the colour of his skin had something to do with it. Until then Tsolekile had denied that race was ever an issue. During the tour of Australia, Makhaya Ntini had said Tsolekile would have played if he was white; Tsolekile had dismissed the statement. But just a month later, he wondered if Ntini was on to something. Faul, CSAs acting chief executive at the time, said the board would sit down and have a chat about what happened because we have to interrogate the process.Our conversation ended with Tsolekile in a defiant mood. He vowed to keep doing his best for Lions, and for a while he did. He helped them win the 2014-15 Sunfoil Series first-class championship, contributing 424 runs that season and captaining them through parts of it.The debate around representation, particularly of black Africans in sport, was getting louder. South Africas Test team went more than three years without a single black African in the side, and with Lonwabo Tsotsobe falling off the radar, they also did not have anyone making regular limited-overs appearances.Aaron Phangiso was a member of the 2015 World Cup squad but the only one to not play a single game - not even when South Africa had qualified for the knockouts and had only UAE to play. Khaya Zondo was picked for the limited-overs tour of India but not used, not even when David Miller was injured. Dean Elgar was flown in to fill in.After that tour, a group of black African players wrote a letter to CSA demanding an explanation for their treatment. Behind the scenes, they also threatened a walkout from their franchises. Tsolekile was believed to be one of the players involved. CSA never expanded on the subsequent talks it had with the aggrieved, not even on whether the issue was satisfactorily resolved.In November 2015, after receiving information of attempts to corrupt domestic cricket, CSA issued a statement warning players to be alert. In January, after an investigation, the board charged Gulam Bodi with contriving to fix games in the Ram Slam T20 competition.Tsolekile had not played since December. Lions insisted he was injured, but later that month he was named by the Guardian as one of the players involved in attempts to fix games. When I contacted him for comment, he asked me for the newspapers contact details and to say that he had hired a lawyer. When I asked for the lawyers contact, Tsolekile said that was confidential. In the months that followed, he made several promises to tell me his side of the story once he was cleared. He insisted he had done nothing wrong and once even said the sum of his actions amounted to not reporting an approach. I have been accused of thing I didnt do and I am just waiting waiting patiently for the investigation to finish, then I will come out, he wrote in one WhatsApp message, before adding, But what do I get from telling the story?More accusations in May 2016. The Rapport , an Afrikaans-language weekly, claimed to possess a video that showed Tsolekile meeting bookmakers. I contacted Tsolekile and again he denied it. I never went to a game in my life to underperform, not even a street game.In June, the Sunday Times predicted that Tsolekile would face a lengthy ban, and I heard from him for the last time. Nice article to call me a crook without any facts, he WhatsApped me. I asked for his side of the story again but got no reply. By August the paper had been proved right. Tsolekile was among four cricketers banned for attempting to fix matches. The details of what he did were not made public but CSA said no fixes were carried out. Of the four, Tsolekile received the longest ban.In September, Tsolekile appeared at the Goodwood Magistrates Court on an assault charge. He was alleged to have taken issue with a 14-year-old boy who was throwing stones at cars on the highway. Tsolekiles car was hit and he allegedly responded by forcing the teenager into his car and driving him around before letting him go with a smack. Tsolekile denies the allegations. The boy was from Pinelands High School. ' ' '