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■ ICE HOCKEY

Steven Stamkos top pick

Steven Stamkos led a charge by Ontario Hockey League prospects becoming the first overall pick in the National Hockey League’s entry draft on Friday. The Tampa Bay Lightning made Canada’s Stamkos the top pick and the third player drafted first overall in franchise history. Stamkos saw some familiar company, as the next three picks also came from the Ontario Hockey League. Defenseman Drew Doughty of the Guelph Storm was selected second by the Los Angeles Kings, followed by fellow blue-liners Zach Bogosian of the Petersborough Petes and Alex Pietrangelo of the Niagara IceDogs. Bogosian was drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers, while Pietrangelo went to the St. Louis Blues. The Toronto Maple Leafs, who moved up from the seventh pick via a trade with the New York Islanders, selected defenseman Luke Schenn from the Western Hockey League’s Kelowna Rockets fifth overall. The Columbus Blue Jackets grabbed left wing Nikita Filatov of the Russian Junior League’s CSKA 2 with the sixth pick.



■ CYCLING

Kirchen holds on to lead

Switzerland’s Fabian Cancellara, of the CSC team, powered to victory at the seventh stage of the Tour of Switzerland on Friday, but Kim Kirchen kept the leader’s yellow jersey. “I wasn’t expecting it today, but it’s true I wanted to win a stage on the Tour of Switzerland,” Cancellara said of the Gruyeres-to-Lyss leg. Belgian duo Johan von Summeren and Sebastien Rosseleras, and Germany’s Ronny Scholz set the pace early when they made the day’s biggest break after 61km. That long attack was eventually closed down 15km from the line, when they handed over the race to their respective team sprinters. But the transition was not quick enough and the sprinters left a gap that Cancellara — who has tasted Tour de France stage glory on three occasions — took full and swift advantage of. Cancellara then surged away from the main group with 9km left to run.



■ BASEBALL

Blue Jays axe Gibbons

Manager John Gibbons was fired by the last-place Toronto Blue Jays on Friday and replaced by Cito Gaston, who led the team to World Series titles in 1992 and 1993. The Blue Jays began the day at 35-39, having lost five straight and 13 of their last 17 games to fall 10.5 games behind the first-place Boston Red Sox in the American League East. He is the third major league manager to be fired this week, following Willie Randolph of the New York Mets and John McLaren of the Seattle Mariners. Gibbons, who became manager midway through the 2004 season, had a record of 305-305 with the Blue Jays. His best season was in 2006, when the Blue Jays went 87-75 to finish second in the AL East.

The Jays, who were in Pittsburgh to open a weekend series against the Pirates, also fired three of Gibbons’ coaches — Marty Pevey, Ernie Whitt and Gary Denbo.



■ MARTIAL ARTS

Akebono touts K-1 in Hawaii

After failing to impress in the K-1 ring, retired sumo grand champion Akebono will look to make his mark as a promoter of the mixed martial arts sport. Akebono will serve as a promoter of the K-1 World GP in his native Hawaii on Aug. 9, the Nikkan Sports newspaper reported on Friday. Akebono, whose real name is Chad Haaheo Rowan, became the first foreign wrestler to reach sumo’s highest rank of yokozuna before retiring in 2001 and briefly serving as a sumo trainer. He took up a career in K-1 in 2003, but managed only one win in 13 bouts.


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