China international Sun Jihai has said he will not shave until he returns to the first team at Premiership club Manchester City, he told Sky Sports on Friday. The 29-year defender said: "One day I was a little bit lazy and didn't shave the beard and she [his wife] said `that's okay you look good, maybe you can change your image.'""I tried it and I want to keep the beard until I play my first game. I don't think it's good for me. After I play the first game I will cut it off, and my hair as well to make me more handsome."
■ Basketball
Nets suffer injury blows
New Jersey Nets guard Eddie House has a torn meniscus and will have arthroscopic surgery on the troublesome left knee, the NBA team said on Friday. House, a free agent signed by the Nets on Aug. 17, will have the operation tomorrow. House averaged a career-high 9.8 points in 81 games for the Phoenix Suns last season. Entering his seventh season, he has averaged 7.3 points in 378 games. Also on Friday, the Nets announced that forward Darvin Ham has a strained right calf. Ham, who suffered the injury in a preseason game at Indiana on Wednesday, will be out indefinitely.
■ Badminton
Lin Dan makes Japan final
World champion Lin Dan of China defeated Denmark's Peter Gade yesterday to advance to the final of the Japan Open badminton tournament. Top-seeded Lin posted a 21-12, 21-14 win over third-seeded European champion Gade in a match that lasted just 33 minutes at Tokyo's Metropolitan Gymnasium. Lin will face Indonesia's Taufik Hidayat in today's final. Hidayat downed second-seeded Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia 21-17, 21-13. In the women's semi-finals, China's Zhang Ning defeated compatriot Zhu Lin 21-18, 21-16 to set up a final with Xie Xingfang of China, who posted a 21-16, 21-16 win over Hong Kong's Wang Chen.
■ NFL
Rolle fined for facemask pull
The NFL fined Arizona cornerback Antrel Rolle US$12,500 on Friday for his facemask foul against Larry Johnson of Kansas City on Sunday. Johnson caught a short pass from Damon Huard and turned it into a 78-yard gain to the Arizona 9-yard line with 2:31 left in the fourth quarter. Johnson would have likely made it to the end zone if Rolle had not grabbed him by the facemask and twisted his head backward. At first it appeared that Johnson had suffered a serious injury.
He was down on the field for a few minutes before getting to his feet and wobbling to the sidelines. The injury was diagnosed as a neck strain and Johnson, the reigning AFC rushing champion, is listed as probable for this weekend's game at Pittsburgh. It marked the second time this season that Rolle, a first-round pick last year, has been fined by the league for an excessive hit. In a Sept. 17 game at Seattle, Rolle was fined US$5,000 for an illegal tackle on running back Shaun Alexander, although he was not penalized on the play.
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