Alyssa Nakken on making history in Major League Baseball. San Francisco Giants assistant coach Alyssa Nakken joins us to reflect on becoming the first woman to coach on field in an MLB game. She coached first base during this week’s exhibition against the Oakland A’s and tells us she’s grateful for the opportunity but “it’s not like we won a World Series”. Nakken also says she doesn’t feel she’s looked at any differently at the club because she’s a woman. Nakken reveals her “insecurities” lie more with the fact she hasn’t had much experience of “big league level”.

The president of the NWSL expansion team set for Los Angeles in 2022 - Julie Uhrman – on the hype around her new club. Uhrman tells us about the club partnering with LA84, being inspired by the City Football Group, attracting players to Los Angeles and the fact her club will allow their players to protest about social issues. Uhrman says: “This started by having a deep interest in pay equity. When something is happening in the world that we are not pleased about they should be able to use their platform in the same way that we should be able to use our platform.”

No Olympics in Tokyo but Sumo Wrestling is back – We speak to John Gunning from the Japan Times about the return of sumo amidst the coronavirus pandemic. July’s Grand Tournament was moved from Nagoya to the capital to limit travel during the pandemic.
“It’s an understanding that is deeply bonded.” - Lisa Butler and Rachel Levey from Paradise City Dragons discuss how being part of a dragon boat crew has helped them come to terms with living with breast cancer. They tell us how the friendships formed among the crew have helped them emotionally and how the activity has helped their physical recoveries. A film about the team of cancer survivors and supporters from Western Massachusetts is in the running for an award at the PBS Short Film Festival.

The Karate champion with the world's smallest pacemaker - Mairi Kerin joins us after she was fitted with the latest version of the world's smallest pacemaker. The three-time World Championship competitor and 2020 Olympic hopeful says the vitamin pill sized device has saved her martial arts career. She had to be fitted with a pacemaker after visiting her doctor after she fainted and says she was shocked to be told she had a problem with her heart.

This week’s Sporting Witness goes back to 2010 to chart the story of the Afghanistan men's cricket team. Their journey from the refugee camps of Pakistan to the International stage is one of cricket’s most remarkable stories. Afghan batsman Raees Ahmadzai tells us all about it.


Photo: Alyssa Nakken (Getty Images)