BASEBALL
Orioles sign Chen Wei-yin
Taiwanese left-hander Chen Wei-yin, who has played professionally in Japan for several years, signed a three-year deal to join the Baltimore Orioles, US media reported. The contract is said to be worth slightly less than US$12 million, but other details were not divulged. The 26-year-old Chen, who made his debut in Nippon Professional Baseball with the Chunichi Dragons in 2005, did not become a fixture on the team’s staff until 2008. He has a career mark of 36-30 with a 2.59 ERA in 650-2/3 innings for the Dragons, striking out 520 batters while walking 159. Last year, despite being hampered by a leg injury, Chen was 8-10 with a 2.68 ERA in 164-2/3 innings, with 94 strikeouts and 31 walks. If Chen makes the Orioles roster, he would become the first Taiwanese player to have played in Japan’s top professional baseball league and then played for a US major league team. Though the Orioles hope Chen will fit into their starting rotation, the Taiwanese lefty will face stiff competition, with eight pitchers potentially vying for five starting spots.
SOCCER
Guangzhou deny Drogba plan
Chelsea striker Didier Drogba will not be joining China’s Guangzhou Evergrande after the defending national champions ended speculation over a bold transfer swoop. “We have [had] no contact with Drogba whatsoever, nor ... authorized anyone to contact him,” the club said on its Web site. “The recent Drogba reports are pure speculation, he is not in our plans.” Drogba could now be closer to joining Chinese rivals Shanghai Shenhua after they signed his Chelsea striking partner Nicola Anelka last month. Former French international Jean Tigana is set to take over as Shanghai coach and the club have declared their interest in bringing Ivory Coast international Drogba in too. Promoted Dalian Aerbin have also been linked with Drogba, 33, who is entering the last six months of his contract with Chelsea. Guangzhou were believed to be lining up an astonishing US$625,000 a week deal for Drogba, according to yesterday’s China Daily, before the club’s denial.
SOCCER
Cantona eyes presidency
Former Manchester United striker Eric Cantona is trying to gather enough support to enable him to run in this year’s French presidential election, according to a newspaper report on Monday. Cantona, who once called on people to empty their bank accounts in protest at the global financial crisis, has reportedly written to the mayors of France seeking their backing. The 45-year-old Cantona, who is considered one of United’s greatest ever players, needs the signatures of 500 elected officials before the end of next month to run.
BASEBALL
Larkin makes Hall of Fame
Barry Larkin, a 12-time All-Star shortstop who won a World Series with the Cincinnati Reds, was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in results announced on Monday. The three-time Gold Glove Award winner was the lone player inducted in his third year of eligibility and he got 86.4 percent of the votes cast by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, eclipsing the 75 percent needed for entry. Larkin, taken fourth overall in the 1985 draft, hit .295 during a 19-year MLB career spent with the Reds before retiring after the 2004 season at age 40. He received 495 votes from the 573 ballots that were cast, the Hall of Fame said in a statement.
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