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Sports

Brittney Griner is due back in Russian court to resume her trial after pleading guilty to drug charge

MOSCOW — American basketball star Brittney Griner is due back in a Russian court Thursday to resume a trial that was jolted last week when she abruptly pleaded guilty to drug possession charges.In Russia, a guilty plea doesn’t mean that the trial is automatically over. Griner’s defense may put forward arguments during the hearing to mitigate the punishment, or a verdict could be announced. But it wasn’t immediately clear what would happen at the hearing.AdvertisementWith the U.S. government under pressure at home to do more to secure her freedom, the guilty plea could be an effort to expedite the court proceedings so any negotiations could move forward. A senior Russian diplomat has said no action could be taken by Moscow until the trial was over.The Phoenix Mercury center and WNBA all-star was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in February while returning to play basketball in Russia. Police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage. In custody ever since, Griner, 31, faces charges that could bring her a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.Advertisement[ [Read more] Is Brittney Griner’s guilty plea in Russia a step toward the WNBA star’s freedom? ]In pleading guilty during the previous court hearing on July 7, Griner said she had no intention of committing a crime and had acted unintentionally because she packed for Moscow in a hurry.U.S. President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have said they were doing all they could to win the release of Griner, as well as other Americans the U.S. considers “wrongly detained” by Russia, including former Marine Paul Whelan.Washington may have little leverage with Moscow, though, because of strong animosity over its military operation in Ukraine.Russian media have speculated that Griner could be swapped for Russian arms trader Viktor Bout, nicknamed “the Merchant of Death,” who is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. after being convicted of conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens and providing aid to a terrorist organization.Russia has agitated for Bout’s release for years. But the wide discrepancy in the seriousness of their cases could make such a trade unpalatable to Washington. Others have suggested that Griner could be traded along with Whelan, who is serving 16 years in Russia on an espionage conviction that the U.S. has described as a setup.The State Department’s designation of Griner as wrongfully detained moves her case under the supervision of its special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, effectively the government’s chief hostage negotiator. The classification has irritated Russia.[ [Read more] Rev. Al Sharpton stirs effort for Brittney Griner’s return amid WNBA All-Star festivities: ‘Bring Brittney home’ ]Asked about the possibility of Griner being swapped for a Russian jailed in the U.S., Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, the senior Russian diplomat, noted that until her trial is over “there are no formal or procedural reasons to talk about any further steps.”Ryabkov warned that U.S. criticism, including the description of Griner as wrongfully detained and dismissive comments about the Russian judicial system, “makes it difficult to engage in detailed discussion of any possible exchanges.”AdvertisementGriner’s detention has been authorized through Dec. 20, suggesting the trial could last months. Griner’s lawyers, however, said they expect it to conclude around the beginning of the August.

Sports

Column: Baltimore Orioles rebuild is turning the corner with former Chicago Cubs coach Brandon Hyde at the helm

While the Chicago White Sox continue their never-ending quest to get back to .500, they’ve been passed in the American League wild-card race by the surging Baltimore Orioles.Let that sink in for a minute.AdvertisementThe Orioles, a team that lost 110 games last season — including 19 straight in August — and has a payroll of just less than $45.5 million, the lowest in baseball. The White Sox are coming off an American League Central title and back-to-back postseason appearances and have the seventh-highest payroll at $195.6 million.Something is wrong with this picture. How can a team as talented as the Sox be treading water while a rebuilding team full of castoffs and kids is competing for a wild-card spot?Advertisement“In our division, if you can’t pitch, you get blasted, and our pitching is so much better this year,” manager Brandon Hyde said before Wednesday’s 7-1 victory against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. “I had no idea our bullpen would be the way it is.“There’s definitely a different feeling. Our guys have gotten a lot more confidence, and we’re playing a better brand of baseball. It is starting to turn, and we have guys coming up in the system that are going to be here in the next year or two and the No. 1 pick again (in Sunday’s draft).”Orioles manager Brandon Hyde looks on from the dugout during a game against the Rays on Saturday in Baltimore. (Terrance Williams/AP)The Orioles won their 10th in a row Wednesday — their longest winning streak in one season since 13 in 1999 — and are at .500 or better this late in the season for the first time since Sept. 10, 2017. Only three other teams have had at least a nine-game winning streak the season after finishing with the worst record in the majors: the 1902 St. Louis Browns, 1993 Los Angeles Dodgers and 2001 Cubs.While the Orioles still are in last place in the American League East, a wild-card spot is suddenly within reach for a franchise that not so long ago was a laughingstock.“We were nine games under .500 a week and a half ago,” Orioles first baseman/outfielder Trey Mancini said. ”It’s been great. I’m so proud of this team and the way we’ve been playing, how we’ve approached every day.”Mancini pointed to the leadership of Hyde, the former Cubs coach who signed on for the rebuild in 2019 and suffered through seasons of 108 and 110 losses in two of his three years. Hyde is the same person now that he was in August when the Orioles couldn’t buy a win.“That was tough,” Mancini said. “He doesn’t ride the wave. He doesn’t ride the emotional roller coaster that can come with baseball. He’s somebody we love playing for and all respect. He’s such a great manager, and everybody is starting to see that this year. I’ve always thought he deserves to be here for the long haul, and this year is proving it.”Hyde is signed through 2023 but obviously knows there are no guarantees in baseball. He was the bench coach under Rick Renteria when the Cubs manager was abruptly let go and replaced by Joe Maddon after the rebuild had turned the corner in 2014. And Hyde knows Renteria was replaced by Tony La Russa when the Sox were seemingly on the verge of being annual contenders after 2020.AdvertisementHyde said the front office, led by general manager Mike Elias, has supported him all the way.“I have only gotten indications they like what I do and that I’m going to be here,” Hyde said. “I’ve never felt differently. I believe they’re happy with how we’re playing right now.”Cubs manager David Ross, left, talks with Orioles manager Brandon Hyde before a game Tuesday at Wrigley Field. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)And why not? The Orioles’ 21-9 record since June 11 is second-best in baseball behind the Houston Astros (21-8). Mancini said the clubhouse culture has been a factor in the surge.“We hang out away from the field and we make sure we get everyone together,” he said. “It does matter a lot when you’re friends with the guys you play with. You care about them more deeply than baseball. That carries a lot of weight. That’s been … our M.O. this year, me and (Robinson) Chirinos and Rougned (Odor) teaching the young guys that.“Some of us might not be here too much longer, and we want them to know what winning teams do and what the atmosphere should feel like. It’s been pretty cool to experience.”Mancini, whose return from a bout with cancer last year earned him a nomination for the ESPY for Best Comeback Athlete, could be one of those players on the move. He’ll be a free agent after the season and is a possible trade-deadline target for teams searching for a veteran bat who can fit into any clubhouse.Advertisement“I’m here now,” Mancini said. “And I’m going to put my best foot forward for these guys every day.”Elias is unlikely to become a major buyer at the trade deadline, but dealing Mancini could be a blow to the clubhouse if the Orioles are in contention at the Aug. 2 deadline. It’s a tough call for Elias, who knows the rebuild has a ways to go before the Orioles can become annual contenders in the strongest division.“I don’t know what their approach is going to be,” Hyde said. “I think this did come out of nowhere a little bit, and Elias is going to do whatever is best for the organization.”It’s hard to root against the Orioles, who’ve been the talk of baseball as we close in on the All-Star break.Hopefully the Sox are watching … and taking notes.

Sports

New dad Justin Steele shakes off rust to deliver his 5th quality start, tops on the Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs left-hander Justin Steele needed few words to describe an unforgettable week.The birth Monday of his first child, a son named Beau, coincided with Steele’s 27th birthday and kicked off a whirlwind from the hospital room to the mound at Wrigley Field over a 72-hour stretch he called “the best in my life.”Advertisement“Becoming a dad was just so special,” Steele said Wednesday. “I bawled my eyes out as soon as it happened. So ready to get back home and love on him.”Steele tried to stay ready for Wednesday’s start against the Baltimore Orioles by working out in the weight room and throwing into a net at Wrigley while the team was in Los Angeles over the weekend. He sneaked in a pre-start nap after bringing Beau home from the hospital Wednesday morning, already bonding over baseball.Advertisement“I’ve definitely been putting my hand in his left hand, like, working around with it, trying to get him used to it, but we’ll see how it goes,” a smiling Steele said. “Whatever he wants to do. Wouldn’t be mad at a shortstop.”In his last start before the All-Star break, Steele allowed four runs (three earned) over six innings for his team-leading fifth quality start of the season in the Cubs’ 7-1 loss to the Orioles. The Cubs have dropped six straight and eight of 10.Steele retired 13 of the last 14 hitters he faced after Trey Mancini’s double in the second.Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.“You look at his stuff and when it plays in the zone, there’s a lot of soft contact in there,” manager David Ross said. “When he’s in the zone and keeping those hitters in between, you even saw in the first couple innings when he wasn’t quite as sharp and gave up a couple of hits, balls weren’t hit too hard. … When he’s in the zone and attacking the zone, he’s really hard to hit.”[ [Don’t miss] Kyle Hendricks is shut down for ‘at least’ 2-3 weeks as the Cubs deal with another lengthy injury to a starting pitcher ]Steele bounced back after laboring through the first, needing 26 pitches to finish the inning and allowing three runs. The game could have gotten away from Steele as four of the first five Orioles reached base on a hit. One of the runs scored on a one-out fielding error by left fielder Ian Happ on a single.But Steele refocused and needed just five more pitches to record the last two outs of the first.“Definitely needed to knock some rust off,” Steele said. “But once I kind of found my groove, it was nice.”Despite the rocky inning, Steele regrouped and held the Orioles to one run over the next five innings. He relied on his defense, striking out three and walking one.AdvertisementAt times last year and earlier this season, a rough inning early in a start could derail Steele’s outing and cut his day short. Ross believes that area of improvement indicates growth and maturity.“That’s an aggressive team,” Ross said. “I thought we were only going to get maybe four, maybe five innings out of him, and we get an extra inning there to attack and get those weak ground balls to the left side. He did a really nice job of gathering himself, figuring out what he needed to do better and getting back in the zone.”