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■SOCCER

Romario goes political

Former Brazil striker Romario, who won major titles on the field and courted controversy off it, took a step toward a political career on Tuesday when he joined a leftist Brazilian party. Romario, who retired from soccer last year but remained in the headlines because of personal problems, said he had not decided yet whether to run for a legislative post for the small Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB) in elections next year. “I could be a candidate but my goal is to help children and sport,” Romario told reporters after an affiliation ceremony at a Rio de Janeiro hotel. “If I manage to get elected, I could help people in need. To get votes I need projects. I’m one who backs up his words,” Romario said. Romario’s talks with the PSB, which is part of Brazil’s governing coalition, began three months ago but his desire to get into politics dates back to his playing days. Romario’s recent troubles included being arrested and spending a night in a police cell over an alimony debt and having the apartment where he lived confiscated to pay off debts.



■GOLF

Thorpe guilty of tax evasion

Jim Thorpe, a three-time winner on the US PGA Tour, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to failing to pay more than US$2 million in income taxes. The 60-year-old Thorpe pleaded guilty to two counts and faces a maximum of two years in prison and a US$4.1 million fine when he is sentenced. He was charged in February with seven counts of failing to pay federal taxes on income he earned in 2002, 2003 and 2004. His attorney, Mark Horwitz, said Thorpe wants to move on with his life. The attorney had argued previously that Thorpe did not willfully try to break the law.



■GOLF

Seve to do honors for pal

Seve Ballesteros is to introduce friend Jose Maria Olazabal into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Organizers said in a statement on Tuesday that although health reasons will prevent Ballesteros travelling to the induction in Florida on Nov. 2, the 52-year-old, who has been battling a brain tumor, will deliver a video message. Ballesteros said that Olazabal “deserves it for all he has done and is still doing for golf. I am very happy for him as a professional but it makes me happier for him as a person. He really deserves to be there. He means a lot to me. He is one of my best friends and I have had the honor of sharing with him many different moments in our lives,” Ballesteros said.



■SOCCER

Eto’o chases big payout

Samuel Eto’o has started legal proceedings against Barcelona demanding 3 million euros (US$4.44 million) he said is owed to him from his transfer to Inter, Barca said on Tuesday. Eto’o is basing his demand on Spanish Players Union (AFE) rules, whereby a player has the right to claim 15 percent of any transfer fee paid. Barca’s legal services said they would defend themselves on the basis that the AFE ruling was only applicable to transfers between Spanish clubs.



■GOLF

LPGA loses tournament

The LPGA tour will lose another established event next year after Anheuser-Busch said on Monday it would no longer be the title sponsors of the Michelob Ultra Open at Kingsmill. Dan McHugh, vice president of the brewing giant, said the company has decided to use its sponsorship dollars in a different way, and will still work with the women’s tour via hospitality opportunities at many tournaments rather than as title sponsor of one.



■BASKETBALL

Tycoon close to Nets deal

Russian tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov is edging closer to a deal with NBA’s New Jersey Nets that would see him invest in a new playing arena. Prokhorov, the head of the Onexim investment vehicle, who made his fortune in metals and mining, wrote in his blog that the deal was close to conclusion. Media reports said the purchase of the Nets would cost Prokhorov a symbolic sum of US$1 with the Russian taking a large stake in the team as part of a US$700 million construction deal.



■FOOTBALL

Hanson stops Twittering

After apologizing for calling fans “dim wits,” Washington Redskins rookie Robert Henson is apparently done with Twitter. Anyone clicking on Henson’s Twitter account on Tuesday got a message saying “Sorry, that page doesn’t exist!” On Sunday, Henson fired off many tweets at fans who booed the Redskins during their 9-7 win over the St Louis Rams. Henson called the fans “dim wits” and asked how people who “work 9 to 5 at Mcdonalds” could know what’s best for the NFL team. Henson, yet to play this season, apologized on Monday during a brief session with reporters. A Redskins spokesman said Henson took down the Twitter account on his own and was not ordered to do so by the team.



■BASEBALL

MLB opening China center

Major League Baseball (MLB) is opening a development center in China. The center for boys from ages 12 to 18 opened yesterday at Dongbeitang High School in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. The center will provide baseball training and English lessons. “With any sport, the best place to start is with the kids,’’ MLB president Robert Dupuy said as he inaugurated the center. The center can accommodate more than 100 players.



■OLYMPICS

Brazilians planting trees

Brazilians have planted more than 3,000 trees in Rio de Janeiro to offset carbon dioxide emissions as the city goes green in its bid to host the 2016 summer Olympics. Rio joins Chicago, Madrid and Tokyo as the cities that will learn their fate next Friday, when voting members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) gather in Copenhagen to decide who will host the Games. The city, known for its famed beaches, has launched a “Carbon Zero 2016” campaign, in which the saplings planted in Rio’s Pedra Branca park aim to fully erase the carbon footprint of the city’s Olympic bid team. The newly planted trees are supposed to neutralize the 716 tonnes of carbon it is estimated that the team will emit between September 2007 and next month, taking into account their travel, energy consumption, paper usage and meals. As part of its Olympic bid, Brazil has committed to planting a total of 3 million trees between now and the start of the Games, mostly in Rio’s Tijuca Forest national park, the largest urban forest in the world.



■NASCAR

Busch docked, chief fined

NASCAR docked Kyle Busch 25 points and fined his crew chief US$25,000 on Tuesday for failing post-race inspection in the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire. NASCAR fined Steve Addington because the left front of the No. 18 Toyota was too low after Sunday’s race. Team owner Joe Gibbs was also docked 25 points. Busch finished fifth at New Hampshire, and his car was automatically inspected by NASCAR. Even with the penalty, he retained the 13th spot in the standings.
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