BASKETBAL
Hoyas, Bayi bury hatchet
Georgetown University coach John Thompson III said he has buried the hatchet with the coach of the Chinese team whose players traded punches with their US college opponents in a bench-clearing melee on Thursday. Speaking to reporters in Shanghai yesterday, Thompson said he met with the Bayi Rockets coach on Friday and they shook hands and chatted about basketball and other matters. The Hoyas coach said he did not think the brawl in Beijing had any political connotations.
GOLF
Weir has elbow surgery
Former Masters champion Mike Weir had season-ending elbow surgery and will be sidelined for three-to-six months, the Canadian golfer said in a statement on Friday. Weir, who had the surgery on Thursday in Florida, has not played since he withdrew from last month’s Canadian Open when the elbow problems that have plagued him the past two seasons flared up during the second round. “My elbow has caused me problems over the past year and during the RBC Canadian Open it essentially became unplayable,” Weir’s statement said. “It’s my hope with patience, and diligent post-surgery rehab, I will be able to put my elbow problems behind me and look forward.” Once a fixture among the world top 10, Weir’s career has nose-dived this season, losing his PGA Tour privileges in May and watching his ranking plunge to 539. He is without a PGA Tour win since 2007 and this season has missed the cut in 13 of 15 events, while adding a paltry US$23,312 to his career earnings.
RUGBY UNION
Nakarawa quits Fiji military
Lock Leone Nakarawa has resigned from the Fijian military to join the country’s 30-man World Cup squad, the Fiji Rugby Union said yesterday. The Sep. 9 to Oct. 23 tournament is being held in New Zealand, who have banned those with ties to Fiji’s military or government from entering their country following a 2006 military coup in the Pacific nation.
BASEBALL
Cubs GM Hendry axed
Jim Hendry, the only general manager to lead the Chicago Cubs to consecutive post-season berths, was fired, the struggling MLB team said on Friday. Hendry had been the third-longest-tenured general manager in the NL, but the Cubs, who own the second-worst record in the league despite one of the highest payrolls, said it was time to begin a fresh approach. “My family and I appreciate Jim’s dedication during our time with the Cubs and thank him for his overall 17 years of service to the Cubs organization,” Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said on the team’s Web site. He was named general manager in 2002 and leaves as the only Cubs general manager to oversee three postseason teams — 2003, 2007 and 2008.
CANOEING
Van Koeverden wins K1
Canada’s Adam Van Koeverden won the men’s 1,000m single kayak (K1) event on Friday at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Szeged, Hungary. The three-time world runner-up finished in three minutes, 36.194 seconds, more than three seconds ahead of Anders Gustafsson of Sweden. Eirik Veraas Larsen of Norway was third. Max Hoff of Germany, who had been going for his third world title in a row, finished fourth. Another upset came in the men’s 1,000m single canoe, where defending champion Uzbek Vadim Menkov finished only third behind Olympic champion Attila Vajda of Hungary and David Cal of Spain.
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
Rafael Nadal on Tuesday lost in straight sets to 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round at the Madrid Open, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced to the semi-finals in the women’s doubles. Nadal said that he was feeling good about his progress following his latest injury layoff. Nadal called it a “positive week” in every way and said his body held up well. “I was able to play four matches, a couple of tough matches,” Nadal said. “So very positive, winning three matches, playing four matches at the high level of tennis. I enjoyed a lot playing at home. I leave here with
A soccer jersey carrying a national map including disputed Western Sahara has become a hot commodity in Morocco after a diplomatic dispute with Algeria. Retailers said RS Berkane jerseys have been flying off the shelves after a Confederation of African Football (CAF) Cup match against Algerian club USM Alger was canceled last month over the jerseys. “We are overwhelmed by the influx of messages and requests,” said Brahim Rabii, representative of the official RS Berkane jersey distributor. Algeria broke off diplomatic relations with Morocco in 2021, partly over the issue of Western Sahara. The former Spanish colony is largely controlled by Morocco, but claimed
When 42-1 underdog James ‘Buster’ Douglas shocked ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson 34 years ago at the Tokyo Dome, the result reverberated worldwide. Spectators at the 45,000-plus seater venue witnessed one of boxing’s biggest upsets as unbeaten heavyweight champion Tyson was knocked out in the 10th round by the unheralded Douglas in February 1990. Boxing returns to the famous venue on Monday for the first time since that unforgettable encounter when Japan’s undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue puts his belts on the line against Mexican Luis Nery. The 31-year-old Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) is a huge star in Japan and is just