■ Cricket
Herschelle Gibbs banned
South Africa batsman Herschelle Gibbs was banned for two tests by the ICC on Monday after being found guilty of using a racial slur against Pakistan fans in the first Test. He was heard describing the fans as "a bunch of bloody animals" by a stump microphone on Sunday. The supporters had abused South African spinner Paul Harris while he was fielding near the boundary. Gibbs apologized and unsuccessfully asked match referee Chris Broad to downgrade the charge. "I took into account the mitigating circumstances that the players were provoked by unruly spectators," Broad said.
■ Formula One
BMW-Sauber unveil F1.07
BMW-Sauber's new Formula One car is the first step in a three-year plan that the team hopes will make it a world champion by 2009. "Victories on our own merit are not yet a realistic prospect for 2007. We are aiming for that in 2008," BMW Motorsports director Mario Theissen said. "In 2009 we want to be in contention for the world championship title." Theissen unveiled the new F1.07 yesterday, a race car he called "the first BMW-Sauber." The F1.07 will be carrying less weight and features a shorter, raised nose, a slimmed-down rear and a revised cooling system.
■ Rugby League
Brian Carney retires
Great Britain international winger Brian Carney announced yesterday he is retiring from rugby league, saying he no longer has the desire to play the game. Carney, 30, only arrived on Sunday and started training with his new club Gold Coast Titans on Monday. But the Irish winger told Titans officials that he no longer had the motivation to play and would not see out his two-year deal. Titans managing director Michael Searle said the news was a complete shock. Carney has told Searle and coach John Cartwright that he wants to spend more time with his family and return home to complete his university studies in commercial law. "I have made this decision with a heavy heart and it has been a difficult decision for me to make," Carney said.
■ Soccer
Roma extend coach's tenure
AS Roma announced a contract extension late on Monday for coach Luciano Spalletti. "Details of the agreement between president Franco Sensi and the coach will be announced in a press conference tomorrow," Roma said in a statement. Spalletti is in his second season with Roma. Last season, the Giallorossi finished fifth and were bumped up to second when penalties were handed out in the Italian match-fixing scandal. Roma is in second place after the weekend's 19th-round matches.
■ Soccer
PSG fire Guy Lacombe
Guy Lacombe was fired on Monday by Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and replaced by Paul Le Guen as coach. PSG lost to 10-man Valenciennes 2-1 at Parc des Princes on Saturday -- its fifth home defeat of the season -- and is 17th in the 20-team French league, two points above the relegation zone. "There is an emergency situation: we have to stay in the first division," Le Guen said at a news conference. "There is no miracle recipe or wave of a magic wand, but we'll try with something new." Le Guen signed a two-and-a-half year contract with PSG. He left Rangers on Jan. 4 because of his poor 16-8-7 record with the Scottish Premier League club after just seven months of a three-year contract.
■ Basketball
Webber to sign with Pistons
Chris Webber will sign with the Detroit Pistons, returning to the area where he played in college and was tarnished in a supporters scandal. The five-time NBA All-Star was waived by the Philadelphia 76ers last week. He became an unrestricted free agent after clearing waivers yesterday, freeing him to sign a new deal. "Joining the Pistons will allow me the opportunity to play the game I love in my hometown of Detroit surrounded by my family," Webber said in a statement on Monday. The 76ers cut ties on Thursday with Webber by buying out the final one-and-a-half years of his contract.
■ Basketball
Grizzlies deadline passes
The deadline passed on Monday for a potential ownership group led by two former NBA players to purchase control of the Memphis Grizzlies and Michael Heisley, the team's majority owner, said he's open to other offers. The failure of Brian Davis and Christian Laettner to meet the deadline was not a surprise. The group's offer seemed to be in trouble weeks ago. Heisley said in a press conference that he had not talked to Davis, the group's leader, but Heisley was already aware the deal would not be finalized in time. "We had conversations with them in the past week or so, and we understood they would not be able to meet the deadline," Heisley said.
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■ Boxing
Ali's image to sell snacks
Muhammad Ali left the boxing ring for the last time 26 years ago, before most of today's university students were born. These days, Ali is lending his name, image and reputation as the "Greatest Of All Time" to a snack food aimed at college students and young adults. It's the former heavyweight champion's first foray into marketing his image since selling most of the rights to his name and likeness for US$50 million last year. The snack food is produced in conjunction with Mars through a company called G.O.A.T., which stands for Greatest Of All Time. The snacks hit bookstore shelves at five university campuses on Wednesday, coinciding with Ali's 65th birthday.
■ Sailing
`Alinghi' leads regatta
America's Cup champion owner Ernesto Bertarelli sailed Alinghi to second place and first-place finishes and took the lead in the Farr 40 class at this year's Key West Regatta on Monday. "As usual in this sport, the team that makes the fewest mistakes tends to win. Alinghi is awesome in that regard," said John Demourkas, skipper of second-place Farr 40 Groovederci. "Their tacks are crisp, their mark-roundings are sharp and that ultimately grinds you down," Demourkas said.
■ Baseball
Willis re-signs with Marlins
Southpaw pitcher Dontrelle Willis, who helped make Florida a surprise playoff contender last year, signed a one-year Major League Baseball contract on Monday to remain with the Marlins. The deal, worth a reported US$6.45 million allows the Marlins, who spent only US$15 million on salaries last year, to avoid an arbitration fight that could cost them dearly. Willis, 25, won 22 games in 2005 but slid to 12-12 with a 3.87 earned-run average last season. He helped the youngest club in the major leagues fight for a playoff spot into the final weeks of the season before ending 78-84.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and