BASEBALL
MLB considers realignment
Major League Baseball and the players’ association are seriously considering realigning its leagues to have 15 teams each, with one National League club moving to the American League, according to an ESPN report on Sunday. MLB and the players’ association are in talks over a new labor agreement and in addition to realignment, commissioner Bud Selig has said the possibility of adding teams to the playoff structure is also on the agenda. The National League has 16 teams and the American League has 14, with both leagues comprised of three divisions. Currently, division winners reach the postseason along with a wild card team from each league that has the best record outside its division champions. According to a highly ranked executive, one proposal raised in ownership committee meetings was eliminating divisions altogether, so that 15 AL and 15 NL teams would vie for five playoff spots within each league, ESPN reported. Two top executives believe the Houston Astros would be a possibility, the network said.
BASEBALL
Colon disabled with strain
The New York Yankees took another hit to their starting rotation when right-hander Bartolo Colon was put on the disabled list on Sunday after straining his left hamstring in Saturday’s game. Colon, a former AL Cy Young winner who signed with New York before the season, has been a surprisingly strong contributor to the Yankees after missing last season with an injury. The 38-year-old Colon gave up two hits in 6-2/3 shutout innings on Saturday to improve to 6-3 and lower his earned run average to 3.10. Colon said he was feeling better on Sunday and hoped he would return quickly.
ATHLETICS
Two break 10-second mark
Usain Bolt’s training partners Daniel Bailey and Yohan Blake both recorded sub-10 second times for the 100m at an international athletics meet in Strasbourg, France, on Sunday. Bailey, of Antigua, clocked 9.97 seconds, edging Jamaican rival Blake by 0.01 seconds. Briton Dwain Chambers, the world indoor 60m champion who once served a two-year doping ban after being notoriously unmasked as a drugs cheat in the 2003 BALCO scandal, came in third on 10.04 seconds.
SEA TRIATHLON
Taiwanese win two golds
Taiwanese triathlon teams captured two gold medals at this year’s Northeast International Sea Triathlon and Kayak Marathon held at Fulong beach on Sunday. Taiwan’s Wang Yi-wen and Tseng Yi-ying won the half triathlon mixed race in a time of 2 hours, 3 minutes, 41 seconds, defeating Rebecca Hui and Ronaco Rezek of the US. Taiwanese pair, Chiu Huai-chun and Hsieh Cheng-en finished first in the full-course triathlon professional category in 2 hours, 35 minutes, 40 seconds to take gold. The sea triathlon, organized by Chinese Taipei Kayaking Association and Outward Bound Taiwan, included beach running, sea swimming and sea kayaking, and the participants compete in pairs.
POOL
Hsu Kai-lun finishes second
Taiwanese pool player Hsu Kai-lun finished in second place at this year’s World 9-Ball China Open on Sunday after losing 11-3 to Chris Melling of the UK. Hsu, 22, won a solid 11-3 against two-time world champion Ronnie Alcano of the Philippines earlier in the day, but fell to Melling in the championship round after some misses.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care