Sport - Tue 7 Oct 2008
Murata, Yoshimura lead 'Stars past Giants
Yuki Yoshimura and Shuichi Murata homered Thursday as the Yokohama BayStars downed the Yomiuri Giants 8-4, keeping Yomiuri's magic number at two for the Central League title. The bottom-dwelling BayStars snapped an eight-game losing streak against the Giants, who saw their CL lead over the Hanshin Tigers cut to a half game a day after winning the final head-to-head clash between the archrivals.Views: 12
Shock sweep Stars for WNBA title
YPSILANTI, Mich. (AP) The Detroit Shock won their third WNBA title in six seasons by beating the San Antonio Silver Stars 76-60 to sweep the best-of-five finals on Sunday. Detroit beat the league's best regular-season team, winning the title at Eastern Michigan University's Convocation Center, a venue forced upon them because of a scheduling conflict.Views: 8
Asa goes home; may miss tourney
Yokozuna Asashoryu left Japan for Mongolia on Monday to receive treatment for his injured elbow and may not return to the ring until the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament, possibly putting his career on the line. Asashoryu, who pulled out midway through the autumn meet last month, presented the Japan Sumo Association earlier in the day with a medical certificate saying he would need a four-week rest because of a damaged ligament in his left elbow.Views: 8
Cipriani, Lewsey fight in training
WYCOMBE, England (AP) Flyhalf Danny Cipriani was involved in a fight with England teammate Josh Lewsey while the pair trained with club side Wasps this week. The Premiership club confirmed the incident Wednesday following a report by a British newspaper. But Wasps said The Mirror's claim that Cipriani had been knocked out on Monday and left with a bloody nose and cut lip were exaggerated.Views: 7
Poland strikes late deal with Euro 2012 at risk
WARSAW (AP) Poland's suspended soccer federation reached a last-minute deal with the government on Monday in a bid to avoid a suspension by FIFA and a possible loss of the cohosting rights to the 2012 European Championship. "We have reached an agreement with the government," federation president Michal Listkiewicz said. "I can't say anything more because we have to wait on FIFA's reaction."Views: 14
Reds shift focus to ACL showdown
Urawa Reds manager Gert Engels is staking his club's entire season on retaining its Asian Champions League title, starting with Wednesday's semifinal first-leg clash with Gamba Osaka. Engels all but threw in the towel in Urawa's bid for a second J. League crown after slumping to a 3-2 defeat against JEF United Chiba on Sunday, saying anything less than six wins from six remaining matches would torpedo his club's chances of finishing on top of the table.Views: 22
Nishikori moves up to 77th in world
Up-and-coming teenager Kei Nishikori has climbed to a career-high 77th in the world, according to the latest ATP rankings released Monday. Nishikori moved up seven spots from a week ago and bettered his previous highest ranking of No. 81, reached on Sept. 9, after he won two matches at the Japan Open that ended Sunday.Views: 5
Hurler Iwakuma finishes first in PL
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma finished first in the Pacific League with 21 wins, a 1.87 ERA and a .840 winning percentage as the league concluded its 2008 regular-season schedule Tuesday. Back from shoulder and elbow injuries that limited him to a total of 22 starts and six wins the past two seasons, Iwakuma won five more than Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters right-hander Yu Darvish to be the PL winningest pitcher for the second time in his career and first since 2004 for the Kintetsu Buffaloes.Views: 26
Warner may retire after season ends
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner says that after this season he will take his closest look yet at retiring from the NFL. The scary injury to teammate Anquan Boldin, combined with other factors, has led him to give more serious consideration to leaving the game.Views: 28
Gamba, Reds share semifinal spoils
SUITA, Osaka Pref. (Kyodo) Japan midfielder Yasuhito Endo stroked home a late penalty to rescue Gamba Osaka a 1-1 draw in the first leg of its Asian Champions League semifinal against bitter J. League rival Urawa Reds on Wednesday. Defending champion Urawa looked to have gained the upper hand and a measure of revenge for an ugly defeat at home to Gamba in the J. League in the summer through Hajime Hosogai's well-taken strike after 22 minutes.Views: 8
Nishikori eliminates Granollers
STOCKHOLM (AP) Wild card Kei Nishikori ousted Marcel Granollers in the first round of the Stockholm Open on Monday, overcoming a sore knee and a cold for a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over the eighth-seeded Spaniard. The teen will next play Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia, who beat Pablo Andujar of Spain 6-2, 6-1.Views: 5
Eagles top Hawks in Oh's final game
SENDAI (Kyodo) The Softbank Hawks failed to bid farewell to manager Sadaharu Oh with a victory Tuesday, losing to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles 1-0 in 12 innings to finish the season in last place for the first time since 1996. The 68-year-old Oh leaves his post due to health reasons after guiding the Hawks to Pacific League titles in 1999, 2000 and 2003 and JapanSeries titles in 1999 and 2003 during his 14 years at the helm.Views: 19
Ama beats Hakuho for one-day win
Sekiwake Ama beat yokozuna and fellow Mongolian Hakuho in the final to win a one-day tournament Monday. Ama, who posted an impressive 12-3 record at last month's Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament, eliminated Estonian komusubi Baruto in the semifinals and then took home the top prize ofViews: 30
Wanted pitcher Burgos turns self in
SANTO DOMINGO (AP) New York Mets pitcher Ambiorix Burgos turned himself in on Tuesday, a week after police say he was involved in a hit-and-run accident that killed two women. Authorities were interviewing him, prosecutor Raul Quiroz said.Views: 22
Ronaldo may play within month
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) Ronaldo has recovered from his latest knee surgery and could return to action in less than a month, his physiotherapist said on Tuesday. "Clinically, he has fully recovered since August," Bruno Mazziotti said in an interview with SporTV. "Our idea is that in a month, or even less than that, he will be able to play."Views: 28
Rangers tame Lightning
PRAGUE (AP) Wade Redden needed only two games to make his presence felt for the New York Rangers. The defenseman had a goal and an assist for the Rangers, who rallied to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 and swept their two-game, season-opening series in Europe.Views: 6
Confident Lidge slams the door for Phillies
PHILADELPHIA (AP) Brad Lidge forgot about Albert Pujols' mammoth playoff homer a long time ago. Maybe now that he's had a perfect season, people will stop reminding him of it. Lidge didn't wake up in the middle of the night in cold sweats thinking about Pujols. Didn't have constant flashbacks, either. No matter how often others mention Pujols' go-ahead shot in the 2005 NL Championship Series, the Philadelphia Phillies' All-Star closer is over it.Views: 25
Hamilton wiser after 2007 failure
OYAMA, Shizuoka Pref. (AP) Formula One leader Lewis Hamilton said missing out on winning the 2007 title has made him a stronger competitor for the climax of this season. McLaren's Hamilton is seven points ahead of Brazilian driver Felipe Massa of Ferrari, with only two races to follow this weekend's Japan Grand Prix.Views: 5
Brown sees 'Cats routed in his debut
ORLANDO (AP) Larry Brown's latest coaching debut seemed more like an error - in judgment. "Way to get back. I wish I would have stayed retired," the first-year Charlotte coach said, showing his sense of humor was still intact even if his team wasn't.Views: 5
Japan held to draw
NIIGATA - The United Arab Emirates stunned Japan with a goal from virtually its only attack of the game to claim a 1-1 friendly-match draw on Thursday night. Japan dominated the game from the first whistle, and only wasteful finishing made Takeshi Okada's side wait 72 minutes before substitute Shinji Kagawa broke the deadlock with his first international goal, less than a minute after coming on at Niigata's Big Swan Stadium.Views: 16
Bush runs back 2 punts for TDs in loss to Vikes
NEW ORLEANS (AP) The Saints gave a national audience a taste of what New Orleans' long-suffering fans have bemoaned for years. Not that the Minnesota Vikings will complain about being the latest to play a supporting role in the Saints' stranger-than-fiction, four-decade history of bizarre and dramatic losses.Views: 6
Pennetta upsets Venus in first round
MOSCOW (AP) Venus Williams was beaten in the opening round for the second time in 12 tournaments this season, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 to Flavia Pennetta of Italy at the Kremlin Cup on Tuesday. The Wimbledon champion, who also lost in the first round at Memphis in March, dropped to 1-3 against Pennetta.Views: 24
Phillies bury Brewers behind four homers
MILWAUKEE (AP) With plenty of power to go with their improved pitching, the Philadelphia Phillies are ready for anything in the NL championship series. Bring on the Los Angeles Dodgers.Views: 7
Dolphins stun Chargers
MIAMI (AP) With the Miami Dolphins threatening to score, running back Ronnie Brown waited in the single wing for a direct snap, his grin visible through his face mask. Winning can be fun, as the Dolphins are discovering.Views: 17
Hanshin slips back to first-place tie after loss
Masanori Ishikawa threw six solid innings and Yasushi Iihara went 3-for-4 with an RBI as the Yakult Swallows dropped the Hanshin Tigers back to a tie for the Central League lead with a 3-1 victory on Monday. Ishikawa (12-10) tied a career high in wins after holding the Tigers to a run on five hits and lowering his ERA to 2.681, second in the CL to Hiroshima Carp right-hander Colby Lewis' 2.679. The league's title race, meanwhile, is heading into the final stretch with four games remaining for both Hanshin and the Yomiuri Giants.Views: 29
Spiker May-Treanor has surgery
LOS ANGELES (AP) Two-time Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist Misty May-Treanor had surgery to repair a torn Achilles' tendon on Tuesday, a day after she said she was dropping out of TV's "Dancing with the Stars." May-Treanor appeared at the conclusion of Monday's show on crutches and with a cast on her left leg to announce that she injured herself while rehearsing on Friday and would withdraw from the popular dancing competition.Views: 18
Longtime exec Baylor opts to leave Clippers
LOS ANGELES (AP) Elgin Baylor is out as vice president of basketball operations with the Los Angeles Clippers, and coach Mike Dunleavy will assume his responsibilities as general manager. Dunleavy said Baylor had decided to resign after spending 22 years as an executive with the team.Views: 21
Kuyt seals Liverpool revival with late winner at Man City
LONDON (AP) Liverpool rallied from two goals down to beat Manchester City 3-2 Sunday and stay neck and neck with Chelsea at the top of the Premier League, and promoted Hull climbed into third place after a 1-0 victory at last-place Tottenham. League leader Chelsea outplayed Aston Villa 2-0 at Stamford Bridge with goals by Joe Cole and Nicolas Anelka, but Liverpool's comeback at City of Manchester Stadium put it even at the top with 17 points. Fernando Torres scored two goals and Dirk Kuyt added the winner in injury time.Views: 28
Spain, England aim to build on success
LONDON (AP) Cristiano Ronaldo returns after injury for Portugal. Adriano is recalled from the cold for Brazil. Michael Owen is still shut out by England coach Fabio Capello. World Cup qualifying returns Saturday. With it comes the sight of the big stars back in national team colors and, for some, the uncertainty of whether their international careers are over.Views: 27
UEFA warns soccer clubs in debt may face European ban
LONDON (AP) A senior UEFA official warned clubs with heavy debts on Wednesday that they could be excluded in future from European competitions. UEFA general secretary David Taylor said clubs face the "ultimate sanction" if they failed to deal with serious debts.Views: 13
IOC ready to retest all Beijing samples
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) The International Olympic Committee will retest all doping samples from the Beijing Games to check for traces of a new blood-boosting drug. The unprecedented move, announced Wednesday, is designed to search for a banned substance that was only recently detected during retesting of samples from the Tour de France.Views: 27
Ishii considers future in mixed martial arts
Judoka Satoshi Ishii, who won the men's over 100-kg gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, was vague on Tuesday about his intentions to quit the sport and become a professional mixed martial artist. The 21-year-old Ishii held a press conference at his school's dormitory at Kokushikan University the same day, but only went as far as to say that he might consider a move to mixed martial arts.Views: 13
Ishii sets sights on pro martial arts
Japanese judoka Satoshi Ishii, who won the men's over-100-kg gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, intends to quit the sport and become a professional martial artist, judo officials said Monday. Kazuo Yoshimura, chief technical director of the All Japan Judo Federation, said he has been notified of Ishii's intention directly from the 21-year-old and added the federation plans to drop him from the list of top-ranked athletes.Views: 5
Two-time medalist Nakamura quits
Japanese backstroke swimmer Reiko Nakamura, who won bronze medals at the last two Olympics, announced her retirement Monday. Nakamura, 26, finished third in the 200-meter final at the 2004 Athens Games and again in Beijing in August to become the first Japanese woman in 72 years to win medals at consecutive Olympic Games.Views: 26
NPB sets deterrent for players
Japan's pro baseball teams have agreed to introduce a ban on players who return to Japan after opting out of the amateur draft in order to play for overseas pro teams. The move comes after highly regarded amateur pitcher Junichi Tazawa announced plans last month to negotiate with major league teams rather than make himself eligible for the Oct. 30 draft.Views: 11
Tazawa says decision is final
Highly touted hurler Junichi Tazawa reiterated his intention Tuesday to pursue a major league career by dodging the Japanese draft amid fierce opposition from Nippon Professional Baseball officials. "I want to play in the United States first. I'm not thinking about coming back to Japan at this point," the 22-year-old right-hander said in Kawasaki, where his Nippon Oil corporate team held practice the same day.Views: 27
Lakestars set to tip off against champ Evessa
Halloween is three weeks away, but Lake Biwa-area basketball fans will receive an early October treat this year. The Shiga Lakestars make their bj-league debut on Saturday in Otsu when they take on the visiting Osaka Evessa, who are vying for their fourth title in as many seasons. The game tips off at 2 p.m.Views: 18
Creamer completes happy homecoming
HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (AP) Paula Creamer could finally look to all those supporters who have seen her through every stage of her young golf career and know she'd made them proud while playing right in her backyard. Creamer calmly won her biggest LPGA Tour title yet, holding off a large pack to win the Samsung World Championship on Sunday about 1 1/2 hours west of where she grew up in Pleasanton.Views: 20
Hawks name Akiyama as manager
FUKUOKA (Kyodo) The Softbank Hawks on Wednesday named Koji Akiyama as successor to Sadaharu Oh, who has left his manager's post due to health reasons after 14 years at the helm of the Pacific League club. Oh will work as a special adviser for the remainder of the year before he moves to his new post of chairman of the board of directors from Jan. 1, 2009.Views: 12
Akiyama to replace Oh: sources
FUKUOKA (Kyodo) Softbank Hawks head coach Koji Akiyama will take over as the team's new manager for outgoing skipper Sadaharu Oh, baseball sources said Tuesday. Akiyama, 46, is scheduled to give a press conference upon the team's return to Fukuoka on Wednesday.Views: 20
Giants claim sole lead in CL
For the Yomiuri Giants, in the big moment, nobody comes up bigger than "Big Daddy." Alex Ramirez put the final nail in the coffin of the Hanshin Tigers' reign atop the Central League, for the moment at least, with a towering home run to center to help the Yomiuri Giants take sole possession of the CL lead with a 3-1 win in front of 46,783 fans on Wednesday night at Tokyo Dome.Views: 14
Two wins give Miami a changed mind-set
DAVIE, Fla. (AP) Last year's Miami Dolphins won only once, so the past two NFL games have been the best possible pain relief. With upset wins over last season's AFC finalists, New England and San Diego, Miami has back-to-back victories for the first time in nearly two years.Views: 17
Mavs give Westphal new job in front office
DALLAS (AP) Former NBA head coach Paul Westphal was hired as the Mavericks' executive vice president of basketball operations on Monday. Westphal, who was a Dallas assistant coach last season, will assist general manager Donnie Nelson and work in scouting.Views: 8
Upton cracks 2 HRs; Rays oust White Sox
CHICAGO (AP) They rushed toward the mound, these remarkable Rays, and immediately formed a circle. Jumping together like fraternity brothers, they resembled party regulars in the postseason. Worst in the majors last year, Tampa Bay will play for a spot in the World Series.Views: 14
Blatter aims to change WC bid rules
BRUSSELS (AP) FIFA president Sepp Blatter will propose new World Cup bidding rules that would dash U.S. hopes of hosting the 2018 tournament but put the Americans in prime position to stage soccer's showcase event in 2022. Blatter said Monday he wants to avoid the World Cup staying in the Americas after Brazil stages it in 2014. He said there were enough strong candidates to organize the world's biggest sports event in 2018 that some countries should be spilled over into the 2022 bidding process.Views: 6
Clutch Red Sox rally in ninth, finish off L.A.
BOSTON (AP) The Boston Red Sox brushed aside the 100-win Angels in four games, dismissing their best-in-baseball regular season as last month's news. When it turns to October, no one dominates like Boston.Views: 8
Brady undergoes surgery on knee
BOSTON (AP) New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady underwent surgery on his left knee this week, a month after he was sidelined with the season-ending injury, The Boston Globe said. The paper reported on Wednesday that the operation was performed on Monday in Los Angeles.Views: 22
Angels avert sweep
BOSTON (AP) Francisco Rodriguez's biggest save of a record-breaking season came in a tie game. Rodriguez wriggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the 10th inning to save the Angels' season, Mike Napoli hit two early homers before scoring the go-ahead run in the 12th and Los Angeles avoided another playoff sweep by beating the Boston Red Sox 5-4 on Sunday night in a game that lasted 5 hours, 19 minutes.Views: 27
Dice-K gets nod for BoSox in Game 1 of ALCS against Rays
BOSTON (AP) Daisuke Matsuzaka will be on the mound for the Red Sox when the AL Championship Series begins Friday night against the Tampa Bay Rays. That doesn't make him Boston's ace.Views: 19
Khabibulin to stick with Chicago
BENSENVILLE, Ill. (AP) Goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin is expected to start the regular season with the Chicago Blackhawks. The 35-year-old Khabibulin had seemed destined to be sent to the minors, traded or opt to play in his native Russia by the time the Blackhawks open their regular season Friday night in New York against the Rangers.Views: 16
Titans rally past Ravens in physical AFC East matchup
BALTIMORE (AP) Facing a rugged Baltimore Ravens defense that still conjures unpleasant memories, Kerry Collins trotted onto the field needing to mount an 80-yard touchdown drive to keep the Tennessee Titans unbeaten. His first big play was to get hit in the helmet. Soon after that, Collins threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Alge Crumpler with 1:56 left to rally Tennessee to a 13-10 victory Sunday.Views: 25
Murakami case shows JSF short on skater support
"Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'' This wisdom is as old as time but never goes out of style.Views: 14
Judo: Olympic champ Ishii plans to turn professional martial artist
Japanese judoka Satoshi Ishii, who won the men's over 100-kilogram gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, intends to quit the sport and become a professional martial artist, judo officials said Monday. Kazuo Yoshimura, chief technical director of the All Japan Judo Federation, said he has been notified of Ishii's intention directly from the 21-year-old and added the federation plans to drop him from the list of top-ranked athletes.Views: 21
Baseball: Hiroshima manager Brown to stay at helm
Hiroshima Carp manager Marty Brown is set to be offered a contract extension after guiding the Central League team to playoff contention, baseball sources said Monday. Hiroshima, which has finished in the bottom half of the league since its third-place result in 1997, came close to making a postseason appearance in the final year of Brown's three-year contract before losing a tight race to the Chunichi Dragons for the third and final playoff berth.Views: 17
