■BASEBALL
‘Mr Baseball’ dies
Major League Baseball is mourning the loss of former shortstop, catcher, manager and coach Bobby Bragan, 92, who died at his home in Fort Worth on Thursday. Dubbed “Mr Baseball” for his lifelong dedication and service to the game, Bragan represented the Philadelphia Phillies and Brooklyn Dodgers as a player before spending seven seasons as a manager. In 2005, at the age of 87 years, nine months and 16 days, he became the oldest manager of a professional baseball game when he came out of retirement to take charge of the Fort Worth Cats. “On behalf of Major League Baseball, I am terribly saddened today by the passing of Bobby Bragan,” league commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement.
■HOCKEY
Hall of Famer suffers stroke
Hall of Fame National Hockey League player Jean Beliveau was on the mend in hospital on Friday following a mild stroke, the Montreal Gazette reported. Beliveau, who won 10 Stanley Cup championships with the Montreal Canadiens, suffered a mild stroke on Wednesday night. The 78-year-old Beliveau was taken to Montreal General Hospital where he remained overnight on Friday in the neurological wing. He played 18 seasons with the Canadiens, scoring 507 goals and 712 assists in 1,125 games. He captained the Canadiens for 10 seasons and won two Hart Trophies and one Conn Smythe Trophy.
■SKI JUMPING
Austrian takes jump victory
Austria’s Gregor Schlierenzauer secured the 30th ski jumping World Cup victory of his career at the age of just 20 when he won the first of two events here on Friday. Schlierenzauer won with jumps of 138m and 133m for a total of 298.8 points, ahead of his Swiss rival Simon Ammann, whose jumps of 136m and 131m gave him 278.1 points. Another Austrian, Thomas Morgenstern, took third place with 266.2 points after jumps measuring 130.5m and 128.5m. Local hero Adam Malysz finished fifth (263.4 points), while Finland’s Janne Ahonen, who has returned to the sport after reversing his decision to retire in spring 2008, claimed seventh place with 249.6 points.
■SKELETON
Huber wins World Cup
Germany’s Anja Huber won the final skeleton World Cup event of the season with the fastest time in both heats on Friday, and Mellisa Hollingsworth of Canada claimed the overall title. Huber finished in a combined time of one hour, 49 minutes, 57 seconds. Her German teammate Kerstin Szymkowiak moved up from fifth after the first heat to finish second in one hour, 49 minutes, 93 seconds. Hollingsworth was third in one hour, 49 minutes, 96 seconds for her seventh podium finish in eight starts, and her No. 1 world ranking means she will start first at the Vancouver Olympics next month. Defending Olympic silver medalist Shelley Rudman of Great Britain finished fourth, followed by American Noelle Pikus-Pace and Marion Trott of Germany.
■SNOWBOARDING
Finn takes halfpipe title
Finland’s Janne Korpi won a World Cup halfpipe competition on Friday, beating Canadian Jeff Batchelor. China’s Cai Xuetong edged teammate Sun Zhifeng for the women’s title. Korpi finished with 45.7 points to beat Batchelor (44.3) and Finland’s Antti Autti (41.8). Batchelor earned a spot on the Canadian Olympic team with the top-five finish. Cai earned 46.6 points and Sun finished at 42.7.
■GOLF
Thorpe gets jail sentence
Jim Thorpe, a triple winner on the US PGA Tour, has been given a one-year jail sentence for failing to pay more than US$2 million in income tax. A Florida court ruled the 60-year-old must surrender to the Bureau of Prisons by April 1 and that his sentence be followed by two years of supervised release and 200 hours of community service. Thorpe must also make efforts to repay the tax while on supervised release. He pleaded guilty in September. Thorpe won more than US$13 million in career earnings as a professional golfer, PGA Tour Web site figures showed. Prosecutors said that for 2002, 2003 and 2004, Thorpe did not file an individual tax return until after he was confronted by special agents of the Internal Revenue Service.
■SOCCER
Essien out four to six weeks
Chelsea and Ghana midfielder Michael Essien will be out of action for up to six weeks after returning from the Africa Cup of Nations with a knee injury, his club announced on Friday. The 27-year-old damaged cartilage while training in Angola and although the injury has not proved as serious as first feared, he is unlikely to return before early March. “He had a tear in the meniscus and he has to stay out for four to six weeks,” Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti said. “I hope four.” The lay-off means Essien will miss Chelsea’s potentially pivotal Premier League meeting with Arsenal and the first leg of the club’s Champions League second-round tie against Inter in Milan.
■SOCCER
PSV pull clear at the top
Sweden striker Ola Toivonen struck twice to inspire leaders PSV Eindhoven to a comfortable 3-0 home win over NEC Nijmegen in the Dutch league on Friday. Toivonen took his goal tally this season to 10 in the league by knocking in a cross from Carlos Salcido midway through the first half and pouncing again in the 61st minute. Nordin Amrabat made sure of victory with a last-minute effort against fourth from bottom Nijmegen. PSV have 51 points from 19 matches, three ahead of Twente Enschede, who travel to Groningen today. Third-placed Ajax (39 points) host AZ Alkmaar today and Feyenoord (37 points), in fourth, visit VVV Venlo.
■SOCCER
Basile resigns from Boca
Boca Juniors coach Alfio Basile resigned on Friday following his team’s humiliating 3-1 defeat by bitter rivals River Plate in a summer-recess friendly. “A man who has done a lot for the club has just resigned and [reserve team coach] Abel Alves is taking interim charge,” Boca president Jorge Amor Ameal told a press conference. Basile, whose side fell to River in Mar del Plata on Wednesday, was unable to build a successful team in his second spell at Boca since his return last July, having lifted several titles with the club between 2005 and 2006. It is the second failed comeback of the 66-year-old’s career after he flopped with the national team in his 2006 to 2008 spell, having steered Argentina to successive Copa America victories in 1991 and 1993.
■BOXING
Viloria collapses after defeat
Hawaiian Brian Viloria collapsed soon after his defeat by Colombia’s Carlos Tamara in yesterday’s IBF light flyweight title fight, local media reported. Referee Bruce McTavish stopped the fight 1 minute, 45 seconds into the 12th and final round. Local media reported that Viloria collapsed in his changing room minutes after the bout and was rushed to hospital in an ambulance. There was no official word on his condition.
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