■ BASEBALL
Lackey to be out for a month
Los Angeles Angels starter John Lackey is expected to be sidelined for at least a month with a strained right triceps, the club said on Saturday. Lackey, 29, went 19-9 with a league-leading 3.01 earned run average last year. The 198cm right-hander, who had not missed a regular season start because of injury since breaking into the rotation in 2002, will sit out for three to four weeks before being reevaluated. "I'm going to do everything I can to get back as soon as I can," Lackey told Major League Baseball's official Web site mlb.com. "I'll be a little bit cautious. They'll be pulling me back a little slower than I want to go." The Angels, widely regarded as the pre-season favorites in the American League West, will open defense of their division title without their top two starters.
■ ATHLETICS
Korir wins Seoul marathon
Sammy Korir of Kenya, the world's third fastest marathoner, won the Seoul International Marathon yesterday as his compatriots swept the annual race, organizers said. Korir clocked 2 hours, 7 minutes, 32 seconds to snatch the US$80,000 first prize, though he fail to beat his previous best of 2:04:56 in Berlin five years ago. Jason Mbote and Edwin Komen, both Kenyan, finished second and third respectively in 2:07:37 and 2:07:45. The fourth and fifth spots also went to Kenyan athletes. "I'm so happy," Korir told a television reporter after crossing the finishing line at the Seoul Olympic Stadium. Zhang Shujing of China won the women's race in 2:26:11. Her compatriot Wang Xueqin came second in 2:28:39, followed by Hellen Jemaiyo Kimutai of Kenya third in 2:29:11. Lee Bong-ju, a top South Korean runner and silver medalist in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, finished eighth.
■ BASKETBALL
Gasol to miss games
Spain's Pau Gasol will miss the last three games of the Los Angeles Lakers' road trip with a sprained left ankle, the National Basketball Association club said on Saturday. That means Gasol would miss yesterday's showdown at Houston, where the Rockets were to pit their 21-game undefeated streak -- the second-longest in NBA history -- against the Lakers for the overall lead in the Western Conference. Gasol suffered a sprained left ankle on Friday in a 108-98 loss to New Orleans, leaving in the first quarter. The 210cm center did not return. The 27-year-old Spaniard has sparked the Lakers to the top of the Western Conference since being obtained from Memphis on Feb. 1.
■ ICE HOCKEY
Ducks' Pronger suspended
Anaheim Ducks defenseman Chris Pronger was suspended for eight games by the National Hockey League on Saturday after stomping on the leg of Vancouver Canucks center Ryan Kesler. The incident took place early in the s'econd period of the Ducks 4-1 home victory on Wednesday over Vancouver after Kesler fell to the ice behind the Ducks' net and Pronger became entangled with him. There was no penalty whistled on the play but league officials watched videotapes of the incident and assessed the banishment. "In attempting to free himself, Pronger carelessly and recklessly brought his foot down," NHL senior vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell said. Pronger will surrender US$609,756 in salary during his suspension and cannot return to the defending Stanley Cup champions until their final regular season game on April 6.
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