■ Baseball
Japanese imports meet up
The rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees took on an Asian flavor on Monday when three Japanese players met before their exhibition game. Cameras clicked wildly as Boston's US$103.1 million investment Daisuke Matsuzaka and lefty reliever Hideki Okajima bowed and shook hands with Yankees' veteran slugger Hideki Matsui. With Matsui already established in the Majors and six years Matsuzaka's senior, the Red Sox right-hander paid his respects to the Yankees outfielder, MLB.com reported. Okajima said he was excited to see Matsui and that he looked forward to meeting him again and having dinner with him. The game, the only pre-season meeting between the two, was won by the Red Sox 7-5.
■ Golf
Rookie Francella seals win
Meaghan Francella sunk a 4-foot putt for birdie and beat Annika Sorenstam on the fourth hole of a playoff on Monday to win the rain-plagued MasterCard Classic for her first victory on the US LPGA Tour. The 24-year-old American was making only her sixth start on the US women's tour after earning her tour card last year with a fifth-place finish on the Futures Tour money list. Francella, the second-round leader, closed with a 3-under 69 to match Sorenstam (66) at 11-under 205 on the Bosque Real Country Club course.
■ NFL
Receiver Sharon charged
Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Charles Sharon was charged with stealing a handgun that police found under the seat of his sport utility vehicle during a drug-related search. Sharon and a companion were arrested on Saturday night after a Tampa, Florida police officer noticed the odor of marijuana coming from his Chevrolet Tahoe in the Ybor City entertainment district, a police report said. A search turned up a .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol under the driver's seat. Jebidiah Crawford was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana after an officer found less than an ounce of it in a Jaguars duffel bag in Sharon's vehicle. Sharon was released on Sunday morning after paying a US$4,000 bond, jail records showed. Jaguars spokesman Dan Edwards said the team had no comment on the arrest.
RSS