■BASEBALL
Fan survives 9m fall
A baseball fan survived a 9m fall from the stands during Tuesday’s Major League Baseball game between Texas and Cleveland in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday, according to the Rangers Web site. The incident occurred when the fan was reaching for a foul ball but lost his balance and flipped over the railing of the second deck and fell onto the lower-level seats. He was conscious and able to move his extremities before being taken to a nearby hospital. Four other fans were treated for minor injuries and the game was delayed for 16 minutes.
■BASKETBALL
Clippers to hire Del Negro
The Los Angeles Clippers reached an agreement in principle with Vinny Del Negro to become the team’s head coach. The team said on Tuesday in an e-mail that more details would be announced yesterday. Del Negro was fired by the Chicago Bulls in May after going 82-82 in two seasons and making two post-season appearances. Mike Dunleavy quit as Clippers coach in early February to focus exclusively on his general manager duties, then he and the team severed ties completely on March 8. His assistant, Kim Hughes, finished the season as interim coach before being dismissed on April 15. The Clippers had a 29-53 record last season, missing the playoffs for the 15th time in 17 years. They were 8-33 on the road, their worst away record since 1999 to 2000. Del Negro’s hiring comes with the Clippers having significant salary cap space in their attempt to lure free agent LeBron James from Cleveland.
■RUGBY UNION
NZ rugby bans ‘vuvuzela’
The vuvuzela has provided the soundtrack for the soccer World Cup, but New Zealand officials have banned the droning horn for upcoming rugby Tests and next year’s World Cup. Vuvuzelas won’t be allowed into Saturday’s Test between the All Blacks and South Africa at Auckland’s Eden Park and they will also be banned at next year’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. Loud horns have never been allowed at Eden Park, chief executive David Kennedy said yesterday. “I think its a judgment call on whether to let in certain items,” Kennedy said. “There are 25,000 people expected to turn up to the Test match this weekend and any vuvuzelas brought to the venue will be confiscated.” The Rugby World Cup’s official Web site states that any air horns or sound amplifiers will be prohibited from games, along with musical instruments and whistles. Vuvuzelas have become the signature of the soccer World Cup in South Africa, but the monotonous drone is loathed by many, drowning out crowd chants and making it nearly impossible for players to communicate with each other.
■FORMULA ONE
S Korea delays track opening
South Korea aims to complete work by late next month on the track for its first Formula One race, a month later than scheduled, organizers said yesterday. The 5.6km track at Yeongam, 320km south of Seoul, will be ready by the end of next month at the latest, the Korea Auto Valley Operation (KAVO) said. “Our initial plan was to complete it in July, but construction has been delayed,” a KAVO official told reporters, declining to give details. KAVO, a joint venture between a private firm and the provincial government, is building the circuit for the Korean Grand Prix on Oct. 24, which will be the 17th leg of the 19-race season. Organizers say the track boasts the longest straight stretch in Asia. KAVO said it would start selling tickets next week, for home fans only, through 1,140 branches of two local banks.
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
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and