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MALABO, Equatorial Guinea - A gun-like sensor is put against the head of each person as soon as they get off a plane in Equatorial Guinea, the host country for the African Cup of Nations. When the sensor beeps, the man holding it nods and the passenger is ordered to move along.Next, unsmiling women wearing white coats and masks spray cleansing gel on everyones hands and tell them to rub them together. And questionnaires have to be filled in, asking if youve had a fever in the last 21 days. The body temperature of everyone is checked.Just part of the preparations for Africas big soccer tournament.In the wake of the terrible West African Ebola outbreak, tournament organizers the Confederation of African Football were certain the Jan. 17-Feb. 8 African Cup should go ahead, confident the disease wouldnt be a threat. Now they have to make sure it wont be after dumping Morocco as host because of that countrys fears over Ebola and desire to postpone the 16-team event for up to a year.CAF refused Moroccos suggestion and chose Equatorial Guinea as a short-notice replacement. It was really CAFs only choice as no one else wanted the tournament and its thousands of travellers.When all (Equatorial) Guineans learnt that the African Nations Cup was going to be played here, everyone was afraid, we were terrified, Genoveva Abesolo Obunu, an official with Equatorial Guineas health ministry, said. But when we learnt about the steps the government was taking to prevent the sickness, the fear subsided.So the tournament will go on, kicking off this weekend in the oil-rich Central African nation halfway up the continents west coast. It is Equatorial Guineas second go at the African Cup in three years after co-hosting with Gabon in 2012.CAF and Equatorial Guinean authorities have announced this time that everyone arriving in the coming days — players, officials, fans, everyone — will undergo Ebola screening. No one is exempt, no matter where they come from.In the airport terminal in Malabo, the capital, posters describing the dreaded symptoms of the deadly virus hang alongside triumphant photos of the countrys president holding the African Cup trophy. Pictures warning people of the possible implications of vomiting and diarrhea sit next to the soccer championships colorful and cheery mascot; a squirrel-like creature with red, blue, green and white fur kicking a ball.Equatorial Guinea has no reported Ebola cases. Guinea, far away in West Africa, is one of the three countries badly-affected by Ebola and the only one of the three to have a team qualify for the tournament. But the disease — which has killed more than 8,000 people — will call for constant vigilance over the next three weeks, authorities here say.In Bata, Equatorial Guineas biggest city, posters in the national language Spanish call above all for an African Cup without Ebola. Ebola screening tests also take place at its airport, this time on the tarmac as travellers walk toward the terminal.But its not all doom and gloom.Equatorial Guineas reward for taking on the tournament with just two months to prepare is the reinstatement of its team as host nation in place of Morocco. The decision was contentious because Equatorial Guinea had been disqualified from the Cup of Nations last year for fielding an ineligible player. Now its back in.The people of Bata are overjoyed, Bata resident Pedro Nga said, speaking French, the countrys second language. We will applaud and support the team, thats all I can say.Equatorial Guinea opens the African Cup on Saturday against Republic of Congo in Bata. Burkina Faso then plays Gabon at the same stadium in the first of a series of double-headers. Games will also be at three other venues: Malabo and two border towns in the far east, Ebebiyin and Mongomo.___AP video journalist Andy Drake contributed to this report from Bata, Equatorial Guinea. Cheap Dallas Mavericks Jerseys . Sweeting scored two in the first and three in the second before Strong (4-4) got two back in the fourth. Sweeting then scored three in the fifth, two in the sixth and one in the seventh to grab a commanding 9-2 lead. Dennis Smith Jr. Jersey . -- Wes Welker is unlikely to suit up for Denvers game Thursday against San Diego after leaving Sundays win over Tennessee with his second concussion in four games. http://www.mavericksteamofficial.info/customized/ . - PGA Tour rookie Tony Finau shot a 9-under 63 at Del Monte and had a two-stroke lead over Billy Andrade and Lee Janzen of the Champions Tour after Thursdays opening round of the Callaway Pebble Beach Invitational. Jalen Brunson Jersey . The day began ominously for the Rangers when star pitcher Yu Darvish was scratched from his scheduled start with stiffness in his neck. Fill-in Scott Baker gave up three hits over six innings and Chris Gimenez hit a tiebreaking two-out RBI single in the sixth off Phil Hughes. Kostas Antetokounmpo Jersey . - A lot of scenarios ran through Terrell Suggs head when the Baltimore linebacker prepared to face the Pittsburgh Steelers.DUNEDIN, Florida – In one of his post-game scrums last summer, R.A. Dickey referred to his knuckleball as a "capricious animal," a phrase meant to describe the unpredictability, the figurative moodiness, of his strange pitch. Erik Kratz was behind the plate to start Thursdays 7-5 win over the Phillies. He was catching Dickey for the first time in game action and afterward, could attest to his pitchers apt terminology. Asked how he thought he did on Day One, Kratz turned the tables. "How did you think I did?" He was told he did fine. "Okay, well then I did fine," said Kratz. "It wasnt perfect. I had the anticipated anxiety that I thought I would." Just how anxious was he? "I caught myself not breathing a couple of times and everything like that." Armed with a first basemans glove rather than the oversized catchers mitt preferred by most knuckleball catchers, Kratz understands hell have to be a quick study in learning both the physical and mental requirements of the job. "Just the idea of trying to relax, being out there, getting a different visual but I felt like it went very well," he said. "I felt like there is plenty of room for improvement but I think a lot of things Ive seen in his bullpen sessions, it was good to see in the game. Good to see him be able to change speeds and everything like that." Dickey laboured through the first inning, giving up a lead-off dunk single to Ben Revere. One out later, Brett Lawrie airmailed a throw to second on a Bobby Abreu chopper, putting Phillies on the corners. After Darin Ruf walked to load the bases, a Dickey knuckleball to Maikel Franco eluded Kratz for a passed ball which scored Revere from third. Its not how you would think Kratz would prefer to have drawn it up. Its his first game catching Dickey, in the first inning and the first time with a runner on third and a knuckler gets by him. But he was more than happy to make a mistake in a spring game. Passed balls are going to happen. The key is to not get psyched out; dont make the same mistake twice. "You can say, okay, well, it was a passed ball, wild pitch, it was a tough one to get but you have to be ready for the next one," said Kratz. "I was proud of myself. I was happy about the way I was able to relax." Dickey limits the in-game responsibility of his catcher to receiving his pitch. He calls his own game, communicating velocity to his catcher in ways he wont describe publicly. Hes not going to tip his hand. Dickey doesnt even want Kratz to form a hard target with his glove. "Its probably better for the catcher and for me, for that matter, if hes just nice and relaxed," said Dickey. "Im far enough along in my process where I can pick out a shin guard and hit a fastball.dddddddddddd I dont need him to give me a target. "Plus, if hes only giving a target on fastballs then everybody in the stadium is going to know that hey, if he gives you a target its going to be a fastball and if he doesnt give you a target its going to be a knuckleball so I just like him to be nice and relaxed back there, whatever gives him the best chance to consistently catch the ball." Given the uncertainty over Dioner Navarros ability to catch more than 100 games - since Navarro hasnt done so since 2009 - the Jays are looking for more offence from their second catcher. Kratz, with 18 home runs in a back-up role over the last two seasons with the Phillies, fits the bill. Josh Thole, who caught Dickey and served as the back-up catcher after Henry Blanco was released last June, appears to be the odd man out. "Hes going to play a lot," said Gibbons. "We want to make sure he gets some playing time and then well see how it develops. Kratz is going to catch (Dickey) early on, see how that develops, and then go from there." Dickeys knuckleball topped out at 73 miles per hour on Thursday. He struck out two Phillies over two innings, one on a 61-mile-per-hour knuckler and another at 63 miles per hour. He wants his hard knuckleball at 77 by opening day, his floater at 65. Dickey says hes on target to achieve those radar gun readings, adding hes feeling much stronger than he did at the end of last February, when his knuckleball was topping out in the low-70s in early Grapefruit League action. ENCARNACION HAPPY AT FIRST BASE Edwin Encarnacion chuckled at the suggestion he wants to be, or has asked to be, a full-time designated hitter. "No, whatever the manager wants to do Im ready for it," said Encarnacion. "If I have to play every day at first, Ill play. If I have to play both, Im ready for it." Encarnacion played 79 games at first base last season. He served as the designated hitter on 55 occasions. "I like to play DH sometimes because I have more time to go to the computer, watch the pitcher, watch the video," said Encarnacion. "When you play defence you dont have time to do that but for me, if I have to play first base, I dont have a problem with that." Funny, Encarnacions numbers last season were almost indistinguishable. As a first baseman, he compiled a .272/.367/.527 slash line with 19 home runs in 294 at-bats. As a DH: .270/.374/.530 and 13 home runs in 200 at-bats. ROGERS A FATHER Congratulations to Esmil Rogers, the proud father of a baby daughter. Mom and little Elaina are in Denver and doing well. Rogers was there for the birth, returned to Dunedin on Wednesday and pitched in Thursdays game, giving up two runs in one inning of work. 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