■BASEBALL
Schoolgirl to leave league
A 17-year-old schoolgirl who became the first female to play alongside men in Japanese professional baseball will leave her team after just one year to go to university, a team spokeswoman said yesterday. Eri Yoshida, nicknamed “Princess Knuckle,” was drafted last year for a new independent league team, the Kobe 9 Cruise, which praised her side-armed knuckleball. But after a year-long contract with Kobe and having played just a handful of games, Yoshida has decided to leave the team to go to university, a club spokeswoman said. Some reports said 155cm tall, 52kg Yoshida decided to leave Kobe out of distrust for the financially struggling club.
■BASKETBALL
NBA bans Twitter, Facebook
The NBA is initiating new social media guidelines for its players, banning the use of Web sites like Twitter and Facebook during games. League officials sent a memo to all 30 teams on Wednesday announcing the guidelines for the proper use of social media sites by the players, coaches and front office workers. “During games, the use of cell phones, PDAs, other electronic communication devices, and social media or networking sites [including Twitter, Facebook and other sites and services] by coaches, players and other team basketball operations personnel is prohibited,” the memo said.
■SOCCER
Argentina beat Ghana
Striker Martin Palermo scored twice in 10 minutes to give Argentina a 2-0 win over Ghana in a friendly on Wednesday. Palermo, who spearheaded a team drawn exclusively from Argentine clubs, will have impressed coach Diego Maradona for a place in his main squad for key World Cup qualifiers against Peru and Uruguay in the next fortnight. The 35-year-old striker, who won his second cap this month having earned another seven 10 years ago, struck in the 28th minute when he volleyed a cross from left back Fabian Monzon past keeper Phillimon McCarthy. Palermo headed his second in the 38th from another cross from the left by midfielder Federico Insua. Ghana sent a second string side for the match in Cordoba.
■FOOTBALL
Study reveals dementia link
A new study suggests retired NFL players may have a high rate of Alzheimer’s disease or other memory problems. The telephone survey asked if the retirees had ever been diagnosed with dementia, Alzheimer’s disease or other memory-related disease. Nearly 2 percent of the former players aged 30 to 49 said yes. That’s 19 times the rate for the same age group in the general population. For retirees over 50, the rate was about five times higher. Lead author David Weir emphasized the results don’t show football causes memory problems, only that the risk is worth studying. The study of more than 1,000 ex-players was performed by the University of Michigan.
■HOCKEY
Sundin calls it a day
Swedish center Mats Sundin ended his NHL career quietly on Wednesday, in much the same way as he conducted himself during his 19 years as a professional. “It’s a little sad to announce that my career as a professional hockey player is over,” he told reporters. “I would have loved to play until the age of 65, but as a hockey player you obviously retire a little earlier than that,” the 38-year-old added. Sundin moved to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1994. Sundin left the Leafs last year for the Canucks in a last attempt to win the Stanley Cup.
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