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■ BASEBALL

Chinese player makes roster

The Seattle Mariners assigned catcher Wei Wang to Class A High Desert on Thursday, making him the first-ever player from China to make a minor league roster. Wang, who was signed as a non-drafted free agent in June, played professionally in China for 10 years. He has been the starting catcher for China since 2002. As part of his deal with the Mariners, Wang is free to rejoin the Chinese team when requested to do so.



■ GOLF

Westwood leads in Spain

England's Lee Westwood began his Masters preparations in convincing style on Thursday when he hit a seven under par 65 to take a one-shot lead after the first round of the Andalucia Open in Marbella, Spain. Westwood leads English amateur Danny Willett and Norway's Jan-Are Larsen. The Englishman began and finished with 18 foot birdie putts and had five more birdies in between. Willett, the world's No. 1 ranked amateur, marked his European Tour debut with two eagles in his opening seven holes and could have had a share of the lead but for a dropped shot on the final green for a six under par 66. Australia's Matthew Millar is two off the lead after a five under par 67 with three players tied at four under -- Frenchman Christian Cevaer, Dutchman Maarten Lafeber and Northern Ireland's Rory McIlory. Meanwhile, Spain's two-time Masters winner Jose-Maria Olazabal returned to the tour for the first time in seven months and carded a solid one-under par 71.



■ SNOOKER

O'Sullivan video shocker

Twice world snooker champion Ronnie O'Sullivan's lewd comments and bad language at the China Open this week might land him in hot water back home. British media said the sport's governing body -- the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association -- was reviewing video of the news conference that took place after O'Sullivan's defeat in the first round of the tournament on Wednesday. A version posted on the Internet showed O'Sullivan gesturing toward a microphone in his lap and making a series of lewd suggestions. Most of his comments, liberally scattered with swear words, were intended as asides to a man sat next to him on the platform as his verdict on the defeat was translated into Chinese. O'Sullivan had lost 5-4 to Hong Kong's Marco Fu.



■ SOCCER

Racism costs Metz point

First division strugglers Metz were on Thursday deducted one point by the French league disciplinary commission after a fan racially abused Valenciennes' Moroccan international defender Abdeslam Ouaddou in a league game last month. The Valenciennes player was so upset at the barrage of abuse he suffered in the game that he marched into the Stade Saint-Symphorien stands at half-time to remonstrate with his tormentor. French league disciplinary commission president Jacques Riolacci said that the club would also have to play a match behind closed doors. Metz, bottom of the French league table with 18 points from 30 games, have leave to appeal the decision. Metz president Carlo Molinari condemned the penalty as "too heavy." "I find this a very heavy one for a club like ours. We have tried to tackle the problems of racism. It is a flabbergasting penalty," he said.
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