■ CRICKET
Superstars win opener
The Stanford Superstars stifled Trinidad and Tobago to win the Stanford Twenty20 Super Series opener by a comfortable 22 runs on Saturday. After posting a modest 146-5, the Superstars — a West Indies all-star team — restricted Trinidad to 124-8 in their 20 overs at Stanford Cricket Ground. The star turn was ultimately from Superstars stand-in captain Sylvester Joseph with an undefeated 31-ball 45. He shared in a third-wicket stand of 55 with opener Travis Dowlin (35) to revive their innings after they were pegged at 34-2 in the eighth over. Joseph deputized for West Indies captain Chris Gayle, who withdrew from the game because his mother and brother were ill. World player of the year Shivnarine Chanderpaul also opted out.
■ TENNIS
Luzzi dies of leukemia
Italian player Federico Luzzi died on Saturday after suffering from leukemia, Italian news agency Ansa reported. He was just 28-years-old. He had fallen ill the previous Sunday with a fever that was initially believed to be some form of bronchopneumonia. However, tests at the San Donato hospital in his home town of Arezzo in Tuscany found that he actually had leukemia. He was transferred to the hematology department, but slipped into a coma and died during resuscitation. Both his mother and father were at his bedside when he died. Luzzi was just inside the top 100 in the ATP world rankings, but was best known for his part in a match-fixing scandal that saw him banned for 200 days.
■ ATHLETICS
Weather strands athletes
Mountain rescue teams have been searching for stranded competitors after an elite marathon in England was called off because of heavy rain, flooding and high winds. The athletes were competing in the Original Mountain Marathon, a two-day race across rough country in the Lake District, about 483km north of London. High winds and heavy rain affected much of northwest England on Saturday. The marathon’s Web site said the race was called off just after noon on Saturday. It’s unknown how many people are stranded in the mountains. Bob Liddell, a member of a local mountain rescue team, said rescuers would not be using Royal Air Force search-and-rescue helicopters because of the wind.
■ MOTOGP
Rossi only 10th fastest
Newly-crowned world champion Valentino Rossi suffered another bout of Valencia misery on Saturday when he could only clock the 10th-fastest time in qualifying for the final race of the season. Outgoing world champion Casey Stoner of Australia took pole on his Ducati, ahead of Honda duo Dani Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden. Rossi, with eight world titles to his name and six in the top class, fell off his machine in the 2006 race in Valencia, while he broke his hand last year. Now the Italian has a mountain to climb if he is to set a new record. With 357 points, he needs 11 more points to beat his own mark for points scored in a season (367 in 2005) and equaled by Stoner last year.
■ CRICKET
Pakistan name new coach
The Pakistan Cricket Board named former captain and manager Intikhab Alam as the new national cricket coach on Saturday, a day after Australian Geoff Lawson was sacked. Alam will take the helm for Pakistan’s upcoming series of three one-day internationals against the West Indies next month in the neutral venue of Abu Dhabi.
■ BASEBALL
Pujols receives award
St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols was presented with the Robert Clemente Award, given annually to a major league player who combines community service with excellence on the field. Pujols received the award in a ceremony at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday before Game 3 of the World Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies. He was selected from 30 nominees, one from each major league team, by a committee that included commissioner Bud Selig and Vera Clemente, Roberto’s widow. He was honored for his work with the Pujols Family Foundation, which helps the lives of children and young adults with Down syndrome. The Major League Baseball Players Trust will donate US$50,000 to a charity of his choice.
■ BASKETBALL
Police chief rebukes Thomas
A suburban New York police chief likened the conflicting accounts of an accidental overdose at Isiah Thomas’ home to a “cover-up” and rebuked the former New York Knicks coach on Saturday for saying it was his teenage daughter who required treatment. “It wasn’t his daughter,” Harrison Police Chief David Hall said. “And why they’re throwing her under the bus is beyond my ability to understand.” Authorities were called early on Friday to Thomas’ Westchester County home, where police said a 47-year-old man was taken to the hospital and treated for an overdose of sleeping pills. But reached on his cellphone on Friday, the 47-year-old NBA great told the New York Post he had not been treated for a sleeping pill overdose, and that it was 17-year-old daughter Lauren who had a medical issue. Hall forcefully refuted Thomas’ statement. “My cops ... know the difference between a 47-year-old black male and a young black female. These people should learn something from [former US president] Richard Nixon — it’s not the crime, it’s the cover-up.”
■ SKIING
Zettel wins giant slalom
Kathrin Zettel won the season’s first women’s World Cup giant slalom on Saturday after posting the fastest time in the second leg. The 22-year-old Austrian finished in a combined time of 2 minutes, 22.99 seconds to beat Tanja Poutiainen of Finland, who led after the first run, by 0.98 seconds. Andrea Fischbacher was third, 1.48 seconds behind, and Karbon was fourth, trailing Zettel by 1.51.
■ CYCLING
Cunego takes Japan Cup
Italy’s Damiano Cunego won the Japan Cup cycling road race yesterday, holding off compatriots Giovanni Visconti and Ivan Basso. Cunego, winner here in 2005, won the 151km race in 4 hours, 4 minutes and 57 seconds. Visconti and Basso were second and third. Former Giro d’Italia winner Basso was making a return to professional cycling after a two-year doping suspension. Valerio Agnoli, also of Italy, was fourth in 4:05:09. Basso’s Liquigas team won the team classification with a time of 12:16:28.
■ BOXING
Kessler retains WBA title
Mikkel Kessler of Denmark retained his WBA super middleweight title by knocking out Danilo Haeussler of Germany in the third round on Saturday. Kessler dominated and caused Haeussler’s left eye to start swelling in the second round. The Dane ended the fight after 1:08 in the third with a left to the chin of Haeussler, who went down flat on his back and could not beat the count. Kessler improved to 41-1, with 31 knockouts. Haeussler fell to 29-4 with one draw.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely