■ BASEBALL
Webb makes All-Star team
Arizona pitcher Brandon Webb will replace Colorado pitcher Brian Fuentes on the National League roster for tomorrow's All-Star Game in San Francisco, Major League Baseball announced on Saturday. The reigning NL Cy Young Award award winner, Webb is 8-6 with a 3.27 ERA this season. He was a candidate in the NL final vote for the All-Star Game but missed out to San Diego's Chris Young. Fuentes announced on Friday that he would miss the game because of a mild strain of his lattisimus dorsi muscle.
■ RUNNING
Salazar leaves hospital
Alberto Salazar was released from the hospital on Saturday, one week after the three-time New York City Marathon champion had a heart attack. Officials at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center declined to provide details of Salazar's departure or his condition. Salazar, 48, collapsed while coaching distance runners at the Nike campus outside Portland, Oregon. Doctors inserted a stent and determined that he had suffered a heart attack. "He's not relinquished any of his coaching," said Kara Goucher, who placed second in the 10,000m last month at the US athletics championships.
■ BOXING
Alcine wins WBA title
Joachim Alcine scored a unanimous decision over Travis Simms to win the World Boxing Association light middleweight title on Saturday. Simms (25-1) was ineffective against Alcine in a bout at Harbour Yard Arena that saw both fighters have points deducted for excessive clinching. The 36-year-old southpaw, who was making his third defense of the WBA belt since winning it from Alejandro Garcia on December 13, 2003, was knocked off-balance in the ninth and was ruled to be down when his glove touched the canvas. Alcine (29-0, 18 KOs) received scores of 114-111, 115-110 and 116-109 en route to his first major championship. It was the first bout in the US since May 2003 for the 31-year-old Haitian, whose previous 12 fights took place in Canada. Another champion lost his crown Saturday as International Boxing Federation flyweight titleholder Vic Darchinyan was knocked out by Nonito Donaire in the fifth round of their bout. Previously unbeaten, Darchinyan (28-1) was outboxed from the start and was tagged by a left hook 38 seconds into the fifth that left him on the mat for several minutes. The 31-year-old Armenian southpaw was making his seventh title defense.
■ ATHLETICSs
USOC apologizes for joke
The US Olympic Committee (USOC) apologized to Brazil on Saturday after one of its employees jokingly compared South America's largest nation to the Congo, making headlines and prompting outrage from local politicians. Brazilians cringed at the photo, published on the front page of Rio de Janeiro's O Globo newspaper, of a whiteboard at the USOC's press center for the Pan American Games where someone scrawled "Welcome to the Congo!" O Globo called the joke "full of prejudice" as US athletes arrive to compete in the games, which begin next week. Rio de Janeiro Mayor Cesar Maia told CBN Radio that Brazilians are understandably sensitive about being compared to much less developed countries -- especially by Americans, who are often seen here as arrogant in their views on other nations.
■ SOCCER
Bellamy move delayed
Wales captain Craig Bellamy has passed a medical and agreed personal terms for a move to West Ham United, but his ?7.5 million (US$15.1 million) transfer from Premier League rivals Liverpool has been delayed. The east London club said on Saturday that a private contractual issue between Bellamy and Liverpool had to be resolved before any transfer could be completed. "The player is due to meet with Liverpool on Monday morning, and we expect to complete the transfer soon after," said a statement on West Ham's Web site. After Liverpool's 3-2 win over Wrexham in a friendly on Saturday, manager Rafa Benitez told reporters: "He [Bellamy] has signed with West Ham. It's done. It's a good move for him."
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