Cricketer Kieran Powell, who has played internationally for the West Indies, has decided "in a long-shot gamble to become a professional baseball player." Last summer, "fueled by a dream, he bought his first glove at a California sporting goods store and began a baseball immersion program that he hopes will vault him into the big leagues, doing something no other professional cricketer has apparently ever done." Last week, Powell was invited to a tryout at the Mets' spring training facility in Port St. Lucie, Florida, "his second workout for the club." He "has also worked out for the Milwaukee Brewers." On Wednesday, scouts from about a half-dozen other teams attended a showcase workout in Bradenton, Florida, "to see if his athletic abilities might translate to a baseball diamond" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/13). ... The Rugby Football Union "has begun its search for a new chief commercial and marketing officer after Sophie Goldschmidt’s decision to leave for CSM Sport & Entertainment last month." Sports Recruitment Int'l and its Managing Partner David James have been "tasked with finding a replacement and they are expecting huge interest in the role from all over the world and will be considering candidates from a broad range of business backgrounds, not just from within the sports industry" (RUNNING RUGBY, 1/14). ... Team Sky GM Dave Brailsford has challenged the Int'l Cycling Union to introduce a standardized sport-wide policy regarding the release of key performance data, saying that he wants to see "a bit of leadership" from world cycling's governing body to resolve an issue which he says "affects Team Sky more than any other team." Brailsford: "We feel under a lot of pressure. We get asked more than any other team about data. Our riders, particularly Chris [Froome], get asked more about data" (London TELEGRAPH, 1/13).
