BASKETBALL
Kings stay in Sacramento
NBA commissioner David Stern was heartened by the decision of the Kings’ owners to keep their club in Sacramento, California, for another season, but said on Monday the city has to act if it wants to keep them. Kings co-owner George Maloof told the Sacramento Bee that it was a difficult decision to drop plans to move the team south to Anaheim, California, where the Maloof family believes the club could find a more stable financial situation. The move was announced just hours before an NBA-imposed deadline for the Kings to file a formal request to relocate the team. However, the Kings’ continued tenure in Sacramento will be contingent on the ability of former NBA All-Star player Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson’s ability to deliver a workable plan for the building of a new arena.
ICE HOCKEY
Gretzky card sets record
A rookie trading card for Wayne Gretzky sold to an anonymous bidder for US$94,163, a record for an ice hockey card, SCP Auctions Inc said on its Web site. Hall of Famer Gretzky, 49, holds NHL records for goals, assists and points. He led the Edmonton Oilers to Stanley Cup championships in 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1988 and retired in 1999. Gretzky, an 18-time All-Star, who spent the first nine seasons of his NHL career in Edmonton, before moving on to the Los Angeles Kings, St Louis Blues and New York Rangers, was a rookie for Edmonton in 1979-1980.
SOCCER
Norwich City promoted
Norwich City will return to the Premier League next season for the first time since 2005 after clinching promotion on Monday. The Canaries made sure of finishing as runners-up to Championship (second division) winners Queens Park Rangers by beating Portsmouth 1-0. Norwich have 83 points from 45 games, four ahead of third-placed Cardiff City with one match left. Cardiff, who lost 3-0 at home to Middlesbrough on Monday, still have a chance of going up through the four-team promotion playoffs. Norwich’s promotion was their second in successive years under manager Paul Lambert after they won the League One title last season.
RUGBY UNION
Ioane faces fine for tweet
Queensland Reds back Digby Ioane faces a stiff fine for describing New Zealand official Keith Brown as the “worst ever ref” on his Twitter page last weekend. Brown awarded a controversial late penalty on Saturday, which allowed the Wellington Hurricanes to beat the Reds 28-26 and end the Australian team’s run of seven successive wins. The Wallabies winger later deleted the comment from his page, but that had not saved him from a disciplinary hearing. “Queensland Reds wing Digby Ioane has been charged with contravening the SANZAR code of conduct and will face a judicial hearing on Wednesday,” a statement released by Super Rugby organizers said yesterday.
BASEBALL
Sheen to donate to fan
Charlie Sheen says he will donate US$20,000 in profits and donations from a San Francisco show to the Giants fan who was severely beaten outside Dodgers Stadium. Sheen’s publicist Barry Klarberg said on Monday the donation to Bryan Stow consists of US$9,000 in merchandise profits from Saturday night’s show and US$4,000 in audience donations. Sheen matched the audience donations and added US$3,000 more for the sum. The paramedic and San Francisco Giants fan was placed into a medically induced coma after the March 31 beating.
Shohei Ohtani and his wife arrived in South Korea with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates yesterday ahead of their season-opening games with the San Diego Padres next week. Ohtani, wearing a black training suit and a cap backwards, was the first Dodgers player who showed up at the arrival gate of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. His wife, Mamiko Tanaka, walked several steps behind him. As a crowd of fans, many wearing Dodgers jerseys, shouted his name and cheered slogans, Ohtani briefly waved his hand, but did not say anything before he entered a limousine bus with his wife. Fans held placards
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals at the All England Open, beating Kim Ga-eun of South Korea 21-17, 21-15. With the win, Tai earned a semi-final against China’s He Bingjiao, who beat Michelle Li of Canada 21-9, 21-9. Defending champion An Se-young defeated India’s P.V. Sindhu 21-19, 21-11. An on Wednesday cruised into the second round, unlike last year’s men’s winner, Li Shifeng, who suffered a shock defeat. South Korea’s An, the world No. 1, overcame Taiwan’s Hsu Wen-chi 21-17, 21-16 to set up the match against Sindhu. In other women’s singles matches, Taiwan’s Sung Shuo-yun lost 21-18, 24-22 against Carolina Marin of
EYEING TOP SPOT: A victory in today’s final against Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova would return 38-year-old Hsieh Su-wei to the world No. 1 ranking Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens on Thursday secured a spot in the women’s doubles finals at the BNP Paribas Open after dispatching Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) at Indian Wells. Hsieh and her Belgian partner Mertens, who won the Australian Open in late January, coasted through the first set after breaking their opponents’ serve twice, but found the going tougher in the second. Both pairs could only muster one break point over 12 games, neither of which were converted, leaving the set to be decided by a tiebreaker. Hsieh and Mertens took a 6-3 lead,
DOUBLES PAYBACK: Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Martens avenged their defeat in the quarters at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open against Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. Hsieh and partner Elise Mertens of Belgium dispatched Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani 6-1, 6-4 to set up a clash against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez for a spot in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament. Hsieh and Martens made a blistering start to their rematch after they lost to Schuurs and Stefani in the quarter-finals at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open last month, winning three games without reply at the start of the first set