■FOOTBALL
Facility collapse probed
US government investigators began sorting through the Dallas Cowboys’ flattened practice facility in Irving, Texas, on Monday, trying to figure out why fierce winds sent the tentlike structure crashing down during a rookie workout session. Twelve people were hurt. Records obtained by reporters show the city of Irving granted the Cowboys’ request to replace the fabric roof last year, five years after the structure was built. The team listed itself as the contractor for the roof replacement, but Cowboys spokesman Rich Dalrymple said the team would not comment about the work. The records do not show the Cowboys sought an inspection of the facility after replacing the roof, although city code requires it, according to Gary Miller, Irving’s director of planning and inspections.
■CRICKET
Strauss player of the year
England captain Andrew Strauss, 32, was named as the team’s player of the year for 2008-2009 by sponsors Vodafone on Monday. The award, given to the opening batsman just two days before he leads England into the first Test against the West Indies at his Lord’s home ground, was a reward for some heavy run-scoring by the Middlesex left-hander. Claire Taylor won the corresponding award for the England women’s team.
■BASEBALL
Player’s mom in drugs bust
The mother of New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain was jailed in Nebraska and facing a felony charge after being arrested on suspicion of selling methamphetamine to an undercover police officer in February. Lincoln Police Captain David Beggs said Monday that 44-year-old Jacqueline Standley was arrested at her apartment on Saturday night. Beggs said she allegedly sold 1 gram of a substance believed to be meth to an uncover officer for US$110 on Feb. 11. The substance tested positive for meth in testing at the state laboratory. She was charged on Monday with delivery of an exceptionally hazardous drug. Her bail was set at US$5,000, and she was assigned a public defender. Chamberlain found out about the arrest after arriving at Yankee Stadium on Monday night. He said he hadn’t spoken with her in a while. “You’ve only got one mom, man, and you’ve got to be thankful for her,” he said. “I still love her.”
■RUGBY UNION
Kockott ‘slapped’ with ban
Coastal Sharks scrum-half Rory Kockott has been suspended for one week and will miss a crucial Super 14 fixture against the New South Wales Waratahs in Durban on Saturday. Kockott, second-highest scorer in the southern hemisphere championship this season with 110 points, pleaded guilty to slapping flanker Adam Thomson from visiting New Zealand side Otago Highlanders at the weekend. The incident four minutes from full-time had a comical edge as diminutive Kockott floored much taller and stronger Thomson with a strike to the face and South African referee Phillip Bosch raised a red card. A lawyer representing Kockott on Monday at the Durban hearing argued the sending off was sufficient punishment, but the judicial officer deemed the action reckless and imposed a ban. The suspension means Sharks’ New Zealand coach John Plumtree cannot field his first-choice half-back partnership just one week after fly-half Ruan Pienaar returned following a lengthy injury absence. Sharks, runners-up to the Northern Bulls two seasons ago, lie fourth and Waratahs fifth, three points behind with two rounds to go and nine franchises in a scramble for semi-finals places.
San Francisco Giants pitcher Teng Kai-wei impressed against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday despite an 8-1 loss in the opener of the team’s nine-game road trip. Teng, the only Taiwanese pitcher active in MLB, struck out five while allowing two hits and one walk over four innings at Chase Field to finish with a no decision, as the teams were tied 1-1 when he finished his outing. He surrendered the lone run of his outing in the bottom of the first, which began with a walk, a hit-by-pitch and two strikeouts. Diamondbacks leadoff hitter Geraldo Perdomo advanced to third on
New Zealand yesterday basked in “amazing” athletics glory after winning two gold medals in as many days at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Geordie Beamish on Monday claimed New Zealand’s first track gold in history with a shock victory in the 3,000m steeplechase, while high jumper Hamish Kerr followed with gold on Tuesday to make it an unprecedented double success for a country much better known for rugby than its prowess in track and field. Before this week, the country had won only six golds in total at the championships. Yesterday morning New Zealand were in the giddy position of fourth on
Rwanda is to take center stage from today as the first African country to host the cycling world championships, in its latest use of sports to improve the country’s reputation. As it prepares for 5,000 cyclists and 20,000 spectators, Rwanda has spruced up its roads, created a network of cycle lanes and run multiple police drills. A poor, landlocked country in east Africa still widely associated with a horrific genocide in 1994, Rwanda has used various sports to revamp its image, attract tourists and impress investors with its organizational efficiency. It has spent lavishly on soccer sponsorship deals with clubs
After Shohei Ohtani on Tuesday pitched five hitless innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Rafael Marchon hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer off Blake Treinen with two outs in the ninth inning for a 9-6 win. Brandon Marsh had a two-run homer and Max Kepler added a solo shot in a six-run sixth for Philadelphia. Ohtani’s 50th homer leading off the eighth helped the Dodgers tie the game 6-6. The Phillies erased a 4-0 deficit against Justin Wrobleski in another stunning collapse by the Dodgers bullpen. Philadelphia rallied for four runs in the seventh and eighth innings and another in the
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