■BASEBALL
Wright makes All-Star roster
New York Mets third baseman David Wright will replace injured Alfonso Soriano on the National League’s All-Star roster, Major League Baseball said on Friday. Soriano, the Chicago Cubs outfielder elected by the fans to start in Tuesday’s All-Star game at Yankee Stadium, is on the disabled list with a broken hand. Wright, hitting .288 with 17 home runs and 70 runs batted in, will be making his third consecutive appearance in the annual midseason game. Colorado Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday will replace Soriano in the starting line-up for the National League.
■BASketBALL
‘Aussie Shaq’ joins Raptors
Australian 21-year-old playmaker Nathan Jawai signed a two-year contract on Friday with the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association, the Canadian club announced. Jawai, nicknamed “Aussie Shaq” for his resemblance to NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal, was this year’s unanimous choice as Rookie of the Year in Australia’s National Basketball League. Jawai, from Queensland, averaged 17.7 points and 9.6 rebounds in 30 games for the Cairns Taipans. The Indiana Pacers selected Jawai 41st overall in last month’s NBA draft and traded his rights to Toronto as part of a deal that sent Jermaine O’Neal from the Pacers to the Raptors.
■BASEBALL
FBI probes Nationals’ boss
Federal authorities are investigating Washington Nationals general manager Jim Bowden and special assistant Jose Rijo for possible roles regarding Major League Baseball signings of players from the Dominican Republic, US television sports network ESPN reported yesterday. On its Web site, ESPN said investigators from Major League Baseball as well as the FBI were looking into possible skimming of money from signing bonus money from Dominican prospects that could spark felony charges. Bowden denied any role in the scandal but said he and other club officials have spoken to investigators as have those from other clubs.
■BASketBALL
Mexican Najera to join Nets
Two weeks after sealing a deal that brought China’s Yi Jianlian to New Jersey, the Nets signed forward Eduardo Najera of Mexico and swingman Jarvis Hayes on Friday. The free agent moves will help the National Basketball Association club’s plan to revamp its roster after missing the playoffs last season, when the Nets sent star guard Jason Kidd to Dallas. Thorn sent Richard Jefferson to the Milwaukee Bucks for forward Yi and Bobby Simmons last month after adding Brook Lopez and Ryan Anderson in the first round of the draft.
■BASEBALL
Escobar to undergo surgery
Los Angeles Angels pitcher Kelvim Escobar will have season-ending surgery on his injured right shoulder, the Major League Baseball team said on Friday. No date had been set for the operation, but the team said he could take up to a year to recover. Escobar, who won 18 games last year, experienced shoulder pain last year and during pre-season training, where he had an MRI and began rehabilitation. He had not played this season, but had been expected to return this year. A training session last week aggravated the injury and two doctors diagnosed a torn labrum and recommended surgery, Angels general manager Tony Reagins said. “They both agreed as to the extent of the injury,” Reagins said. “They’re going to go in there, make the necessary repairs. Just as a matter of practice, surgery is the last option, and that’s where we are.”
■PARALYMPICS
Two suspended for doping
Two American Paralympic track and field athletes have accepted suspensions for doping offenses, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said on Friday. Royal Mitchell, 25, and Nelacey Porter, 23, both of California, tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol acid on June 13 at the US Paralympic Track and Field Trials, USADA said. Their results at the trials were disqualified, because of the violation. Both accepted a three-month period of ineligibility and agreed to take an anti-doping educational program, USADA said. They would receive a period of deferment of remaining sanctions after completing the program.
■POLE VAULT
Isinbayeva sets new record
Just when it seemed someone might challenge Yelena Isinbayeva, the Russian responded with her first pole vault world record in nearly three years. Isinbayeva cleared 5.03m on Friday at the Golden Gala meet, improving on her previous mark of 5.01m set at the 2005 world championships in Helsinki, Finland. American pole vaulter Jenn Stuczynski set an American record of 4.92m at the US Olympic trials this week to improve her second-place standing on the all-time list, pressuring Isinbayeva to respond before the Beijing Olympics. “Everybody was saying ‘Ah OK, Isinbayeva is finished, we have a new star,’” Isinbayeva said. “So today I was really angry.”
■BOXING
Santos claims WBA title
Puerto Rico’s Daniel Santos claimed the World Boxing Association super welterweight title on Friday, knocking out previously unbeaten Joachim Alcine in the sixth round to take the crown. Southpaw Santos improved to 32-3, with one draw, after his 23rd career knockout, including 11-1 with a draw in his past 13 starts. He stopped Alcine 2 minutes, 10 seconds into the sixth round with a powerful left hand. Santos, 32, earned the title chance by beating Jose Antonio Rivera last October. Haitian-born Alcine, also 32, took the title from Travis Simms a year ago, but the Canadian resident made only one successful defense before falling to 30-1.
■SOCCER
Hearts appoint Csaba Laszlo
Scottish Premier League club Hearts appointed Uganda coach Csaba Laszlo as their new manager on Friday. Romanian-born Laszlo, 44, agreed a three-year contract and will work with Hearts’ sporting director Anatoly Korobochka on all first team matters. Hearts secured the former boss of German side Borussia Monchengladbach and Hungary’s Ferencvaros after negotiating compensation believed to be worth around £120,000 (US$238,000) with the Ugandan FA. A statement on the club’s Web site confirmed Laszlo’s arrival at Tynecastle as owner Vladimir Romanov’s eighth boss.
■RUGBY UNION
Pumas skipper Pichot retires
Former Argentina captain Agustin Pichot announced his international retirement on Friday with immediate effect. The decision means that Pichot, who captained the Pumas team that finished third at the World Cup last year, will not take part in next month’s Test in South Africa, for which he had been included in the squad. “This week, I spoke to my wife and family and decided I would not play against South Africa,” he said in an interview on the Argentine ESPN sports channel. “I am not in the right physical or psychological state to face this game,” he said. “I spoke to Tati [coach Santiago Phelan] and we agreed that to play for the national team you have to be 100 percent.”
Shohei Ohtani and his wife arrived in South Korea with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates yesterday ahead of their season-opening games with the San Diego Padres next week. Ohtani, wearing a black training suit and a cap backwards, was the first Dodgers player who showed up at the arrival gate of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. His wife, Mamiko Tanaka, walked several steps behind him. As a crowd of fans, many wearing Dodgers jerseys, shouted his name and cheered slogans, Ohtani briefly waved his hand, but did not say anything before he entered a limousine bus with his wife. Fans held placards
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals at the All England Open, beating Kim Ga-eun of South Korea 21-17, 21-15. With the win, Tai earned a semi-final against China’s He Bingjiao, who beat Michelle Li of Canada 21-9, 21-9. Defending champion An Se-young defeated India’s P.V. Sindhu 21-19, 21-11. An on Wednesday cruised into the second round, unlike last year’s men’s winner, Li Shifeng, who suffered a shock defeat. South Korea’s An, the world No. 1, overcame Taiwan’s Hsu Wen-chi 21-17, 21-16 to set up the match against Sindhu. In other women’s singles matches, Taiwan’s Sung Shuo-yun lost 21-18, 24-22 against Carolina Marin of
EYEING TOP SPOT: A victory in today’s final against Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova would return 38-year-old Hsieh Su-wei to the world No. 1 ranking Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens on Thursday secured a spot in the women’s doubles finals at the BNP Paribas Open after dispatching Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) at Indian Wells. Hsieh and her Belgian partner Mertens, who won the Australian Open in late January, coasted through the first set after breaking their opponents’ serve twice, but found the going tougher in the second. Both pairs could only muster one break point over 12 games, neither of which were converted, leaving the set to be decided by a tiebreaker. Hsieh and Mertens took a 6-3 lead,
DOUBLES PAYBACK: Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Martens avenged their defeat in the quarters at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open against Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. Hsieh and partner Elise Mertens of Belgium dispatched Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani 6-1, 6-4 to set up a clash against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez for a spot in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament. Hsieh and Martens made a blistering start to their rematch after they lost to Schuurs and Stefani in the quarter-finals at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open last month, winning three games without reply at the start of the first set