■ Football
McNair in car wreck
Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair was involved in a car accident but not injured a week after having an operation on his sternum. Police said a woman pulled in front of McNair's pickup truck as he was traveling down a street in the Music Row area near downtown Nashville, Tennessee. "McNair had no contributing factor to the crash," Metro Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said Thursday. Jennifer Conrad, 24, of Cedar Hill told police she was unfamiliar with the area and was trying to make a U-turn on the one-way street. Aaron said no injuries were officially reported. Conrad was cited for causing the accident and for driving without insurance.
■ Soccer
Blackburn gets Nelsen
DC United captain Ryan Nelsen moved to Premier League club Blackburn on a free transfer Thursday. The 27-year-old New Zealand international signed an 18-month contract with Rovers. He plays as a center-half but can also switch to midfield. Nelsen was voted to Major League Soccer's All-Star team twice during his stint in the US. Nelsen, who played with 15-year-old American soccer star Freddy Adu at DC United, was left unprotected in November for the MLS expansion draft.
■ Hockey
League bars Theo Fleury
Suspended NHL star Theo Fleury has been barred from playing for the Horse Lake Thunder in Canada's North Peace Hockey League. Fleury, suspended by the NHL for substance abuse violations, is ineligible to play because of a Hockey Canada ruling last month that NHL players under contract last season can not play for the Allan Cup, the top prize for senior hockey in Canada. "His registration has been turned down," said Brad Robbins, Hockey Alberta's manager of operations. "He was under an NHL contract in 2003-2004." Fleury, who was to have made his senior league debut Thursday in northern Alberta against the Grande Prairie Athletics, could not immediately be reached for comment. The 36-year-old forward has 455 goals in 1,084 NHL games.
■ Soccer
Reading secures player
Former England international Les Ferdinand signed with Reading on a free transfer Thursday. Ferdinand, 38, left Premier League team Bolton last week. Reading coach Steve Coppell jumped at signing the veteran striker, who is still an effective goal scorer and could have a big impact in the League Championship, or former first division. "Les Ferdinand is a tremendous player, and I hope he will help boost our goalscoring capabilities and act as a catalyst for the whole team at this crucial time of the season," Coppell said on the club's Web site. Ferdinand has also played for Queens Park Rangers, Tottenham, Newcastle, West Ham and Leicester. "I am highly delighted to welcome Les Ferdinand as a Reading player," chairman John Madejski said. "He is without doubt one of the greatest English strikers of the last decade and his goalscoring record speaks for itself."
Jonas Vingegaard on Tuesday claimed the overall Vuelta a Espana lead while Jay Vine earned the stage 10 victory for his second triumph of the race. Two-time Tour de France winner Vingegaard overhauled Torstein Traen’s lead to head the general classification by 26 seconds from the Norwegian, with Joao Almeida third and trailing the Dane by 38 seconds. Vine put in an unmatchable performance on the final climb to finish ahead of Spanish Movistar riders Pablo Castrillo and Javier Romo. “Back in red, I’m happy with it, it’s a beautiful jersey,” Vingegaard said. “I’m happy with how the day went,
The Kansas City Chiefs wrapped up a brief visit to Brazil on Friday with a season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, but despite the defeat, the team outshone their divisional rivals in the fight for the hearts and minds of Brazilian fans. In Sao Paulo for just the second-ever NFL game in the city, Chiefs players — especially quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce — were treated as major celebrities throughout their stay, turning Corinthians Arena into a scene reminiscent of the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium. Before kickoff, crowds of fans gathered around the Chiefs’ tunnel, eager to catch a
RIVALRY: Carlos Alcaraz lost his previous two matches against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, in the Australian Open quarter-finals this year and Paris Olympics final last year Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday dazzled at the US Open to make the semi-finals before Novak Djokovic of Serbia danced his way through to book a New York showdown with the Spaniard that would mark the latest chapter in their generational rivalry. Former champion Alcaraz produced yet another entertaining display at Flushing Meadows to dismantle 20th seed Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 at a sunbathed Arthur Ashe Stadium, securing his place in the last four without dropping a set this year. “Sometimes I play a shot that I should not play in that moment, but it’s the way I love
New Zealand stayed firm at their Eden Park fortress to claim an attritional 24-17 win over South Africa in a heavyweight clash between the world’s top two rugby sides yesterday. Under pressure after conceding a first-ever defeat on Argentine soil against the Pumas two weeks ago, the All Blacks responded with a performance of grit and discipline to stretch their unbeaten run at their Auckland stronghold to 51 matches. Two well-taken tries by Emoni Narawa and Will Jordan set up a 14-3 lead at halftime before Quinn Tupaea grabbed a third five-pointer for the hosts 13 minutes from time. Well-held for most of
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