some (2-9, 5.70 ERA, 1.48 WHIP) at Single-A Greenville, but also has an overpowering fastball that has helped him accrue 96 strikeouts in 85 1/3 innings, so there is enough upside to consider.

TOKYO -- An independent panel commissioned by the Japanese Olympic Committee has found nothing illegal in a payment made to a Singapore consulting firm in connection with Tokyos bid to host the 2020 Summer Games.A report by the panel released Thursday said a $2.8 million Singapore dollar (then $2.3 million) payment to the consultancy Black Tidings for bid planning services and lobbying advice in 2013 was legitimate.The panel concluded that Tokyo bid executives had no knowledge of the link between the head of Black Tidings, Ian Tan Tong Han, and the son of former IAAF president Lamine Diack, who is facing corruption charges in France.The investigation concludes that the contents and execution process of the payment are not in violation of any Japanese law, lawyer Yoshihisa Hayakawa, who headed the panel, told a news conference. Any violation of the IOC code of ethics also could not be found.The panel, consisting of two lawyers and a certified public accountant, said Tan deserved the payment based on detailed reports he provided the committee that demonstrated his ability to lobby effectively and provide useful information for the bid committee.The findings are in line with what we expected, and we are relieved, said JOC president Tsunekazu Takeda, who headed the bid committee.The report noted, however, that the payment was twice the average of what the Tokyo bid committee paid to other consultants. Hayakawa said the team also did not receive an exact accounting of how Tan spent the money.In addition, the investigation team was unable to speak directly to Tan, Diack or his son, Papa Massata Diack, in part due to the ongoing French corruption investigation and didnt have access to data stored in computers issued by the committee that had been destroyed when the bidding process ended. The team largely relied on documents that had been kept by former committee members.Personally, I regret we could not interview them. If we could have met Mr. Tan, especially, Im sure we could have examined what exactly happened in this case, Hayakawa said.Suspicion about the Black Tidings payment arose in the course of the French investigation into Diack, once one of the most influential men in sports, and his son, who is wanted in France on bribery, money laundering and corruption charges.Tan is one of Papa Massata Diacks close friends. They were so close that Tan named his child, born in 2014, Massata, according to a World Anti-Doping Agency investigation into Russias athletic doping scandal.According to French prosecutors, the payment is thought to have been transferred from Japan to the Singapore account of Black Tidings in two installments in July and October 2013.The Japanese investigation also found the payment to Tan was made in two installments. The first contract for U.S. $950,000 was signed in July 2013 for Tans lobbying and consulting work, and the remainder of the money was transferred to him three months later as a bonus for winning the bid, the report said. The contract did not include a specific reference prohibiting bribery.Details of the payment procedures were not shared among the committee executives, and the lack of communication might have invited suspicions, the report said. It also noted that future bidding activity for international athletic events should pay more attention to transparency and compliance to stricter rules.Tokyo was chosen in September 2013 as the Olympic host, and the elder Diack, then an International Olympic Committee member, had a vote and influence over blocs of other votes as a high-profile figure in the organization.The widening of the French inquiry into the 2020 Olympic bidding process has put heavy pressure on Tokyo organizers and the IOC, which has sought to distance itself from the FIFA and IAAF corruption scandals and insisted that it had cleaned up since a bid scandal over the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.Jake Bauers Jersey . The team also announced Tuesday that the Braves will wear a commemorative patch on the right sleeve during the season. The patch, shaped like home plate, carries the number 715, Aarons autograph and a "40th Anniversary" banner. Indians Jerseys 2019 . Having already announced that the race will start May 9 with three stages in Northern Ireland and Ireland and finish in Trieste on June 1, the rest of the route was unveiled Monday. https://www.cheapindiansonline.com/2288u-hunter-wood-jersey-indians.html .C. -- Charlotte Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said after all of these years in the NBA hes still amazed at some of the things LeBron James does. Len Barker Jersey . How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. Tyler Olson Indians Jersey . Jordan Lynch, the all-purpose Heisman Trophy finalist from Northern Illinois, failed to make it into that exclusive club.The Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers made moves to improve their playoff chances while the Chicago White Sox stockpiled assets from both clubs. Numbers Game breaks down the deal sending Jake Peavy to Boston, Jose Iglesias to Detroit and prospects to the White Sox. The Red Sox Get: RHP Jake Peavy and RHP Brayan Villareal. Peavy, 32, is an upgrade for the Red Sox rotation, particularly in the absence of Clay Buchholz, who has been their best starting pitcher this season. However, Peavy has hardly been overpowering this season. Hes 8-4 for a losing White Sox team, but his 4.28 ERA is the result of a career-high home run rate (14 in 80 IP). In his last half dozen starts, Peavy has surrendered seven home runs and has allowed four or more earned runs in four of those six starts, posting a 6.03 ERA. According to Fan Graphs, Peavy is allowing fly balls on a career-high 47.1% of balls in play. On a positive note, Peavy has 76 strikeouts and only 17 walks this season, his 4.47 strikeout-to-walk ratio the best of his career as hes throwing a career-high percentage (21.1%) of cutters and a career-low percentage (5.1%) of sliders. Peavys overall value this season has been compromised by injury, as he spent six weeks on the disabled list with broken ribs, so he currently ranks 86th among starting pitchers in the TSN.ca Player Rankings. Over the next season-plus, Peavy could be worth as much as five to six wins above replacement for the Red Sox, though a cumulative WAR of three or so might be a reasonable expectation. Peavys arrival likely means that prospect Brandon Workman, who has a 3.54 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings through four appearances after winning Tuesdays start against Seattle, will be bumped from the Boston rotation down the stretch. In his entire career, Peavy has pitched one game at Fenway Park May 30, 2011). Peavys contract pays him $14.5-million for this season and next. There is a $15-million player option for 2015, but Peavy wont meet the innings pitched requirement to be eligible for that option. Villareal is a 26-year-old reliever with a power arm who was effective (2.63 ERA in 54 2/3 IP) in 2012, but has spent most of this year at Triple-A, trying to work on command issues. He has a 3.15 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings for Toledo, but also an alarming 26 walks. Villareal also had eight walks and a 20.77 ERA in 4 1/3 innings with the Tigers, so hes going to have to start finding the plate more regularly if hes going to have major league value, but his fastball dials up into the mid-to-high-90s, so he could be effective if he can establish some control. The Tigers Get: SS Jose Iglesias. Iglesias, a 23-year-old slick fielder who has given the Red Sox relief at both shortstop and third base this season, provides Detroit with insurance in the likely event that shortstop Jhonny Peralta accepts a 50-game suspension for his involvement with the Biogenesis lab in Miami. All along, Iglesias has been highly-regarded for his defensive play, but has been a liability at the plate, hitting .257 with a .622 OPS in four minor-league seasons, including a .581 OPS in 33 games at Triple-A this season. But, in 63 games with the Red Sox, Iglesias has hit .330 with a .787 OPS, with an unsustainably-high .377 batting average on balls in play (worth noting that Peralta has a .381 BABIP), and Iglesias has already started regressing (hitting .205 with a .467 OPS in July) after hiss outrageously hot start.dddddddddddd Iglesias average was an astronomical .451 through his first 60 games and has steadily declined since, not unlike someone who won a few big pots early at the poker table and is now watching his stack of chips steadily, but inevitably, shrink away. As long as the Tigers arent expecting offensive production from Iglesias, he should be a long-term fixture in the middle of the Detroit infield for years to come and, with less than a year of major league service time, is under team control financially making him an inexpensive starter if he is going to be Peraltas successor. The White Sox Get: RF Avisail Garcia, SS Cleuluis Rondon, RHP Francellis Montas, RHP Jeffrey Wendelken. Garcia, 22, is a power-packed outfielder who made the jump from A-ball to Triple-A to the majors this season, posting six homers, 27 RBI, .387 batting average and .999 OPS in 38 minor league games. His challenge, to this point in his career, has been plate discipline. He struck out 33 times, compared to 11 walks, in the minors this season and that 3:1 ratio is a decided improvement on previous seasons when his strikeout-to-walk ratio was five or six to one. That lack of plate discipline, however, poses problems in the major leagues, where Garcia simply swings at too many pitches. The result, through 53 games last year and this year is a .269 batting average and .663 OPS (with 31 strikeouts and seven walks). With his 6-foot-4, 240-pound frame, Garcia should be a power hitter, but its going to take some time and further development before hes doing it with any consistency in the majors. There has been talk of the White Sox trading veteran RF Alex Rios, which would certainly open up regular playing time for Garcia and while it could be too soon to yield favourable results, those reps at the plate could also help Garcia improve his batting eye. Rondon is a 19-year-old shortstop from the Red Sox system who is still in low-A ball. Hes not hitting enough at that level (.681 OPS in 36 games this season) to expect him to be a major leaguer, but hes a terrific defender, still very young and four or five years from now, when he fills out physically, maybe he could fill a utility role. A power-armed RHP, Montas is 20-years-old and struggling some (2-9, 5.70 ERA, 1.48 WHIP) at Single-A Greenville, but also has an overpowering fastball that has helped him accrue 96 strikeouts in 85 1/3 innings, so there is enough upside to consider. Even if he doesnt develop the repertoire to remain a starter as he climbs the ladder, Montas has the mid-90s velocity to believe that he could fill a relief role. Also in Greenville, 21-year-old Wendelken has been strictly a reliever since he was picked in the 13th round in 2012. In 85 1/3 career IP, he has a 2.43 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 82 strikeouts. He may not be as overpowering as Montas, but also holds the potential to fill a bullpen role in the majors. In the midst of a disappointing season, its no surprise to see the White Sox trying to re-stock the system and theyve done all right here. If Garcia simply turns into a major league regular right fielder, then hell offer more long-term value than Peavy. It will take some time and additional development for that value to be realized. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '