HOCKEY
Carcillo out for season
Chicago Blackhawks left wing Daniel Carcillo would be sidelined for the rest of the season after having knee surgery next week, the National Hockey League team said on Friday. Carcillo, 26, will undergo reconstructive surgery on his left knee which he injured during a hit that sent Tom Gilbert of the Edmonton Oilers into the boards on Jan. 2. Both players were forced to leave that game with knee injuries, while Carcillo received a major penalty and game misconduct. He was later suspended by the league for seven games. “Daniel Carcillo will undergo anterior cruciate ligament reconstructive surgery on his left knee on Tuesday, Jan. 17,” the Blackhawks said in a statement.
FOOTBALL
Rams eye Fisher as coach
The St Louis Rams say they are finalizing a deal to hire Jeff Fisher as their new NFL coach. The team confirmed reports on Friday that Fisher would be joining the Rams after considering a job with the Miami Dolphins. The 53-year-old Fisher interviewed twice with the Rams, once in Denver with owner Stan Kroenke and again in St Louis when he toured facilities and met quarterback Sam Bradford. Fisher is the most sought-after coach among those teams seeking replacements. He coached the Tennessee Titans for 17 years, including to a Super Bowl against the Rams in 2000. Fisher was the Rams defensive coordinator in 1991 when the franchise was in Los Angeles.
BASEBALL
Yankees get Kuroda, Pineda
The New York Yankees made a major push to bolster their starting rotation by agreeing to terms with pitcher Hiroki Kuroda on a US$10 million, one-year contract shortly after acquiring youngster Michael Pineda from the Seattle Mariners. A person familiar with Kuroda’s signing said the deal is contingent on the 36-year-old former Los Angeles Dodgers starter passing a physical. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because there has not yet been an announcement. Kuroda’s deal also includes performance bonuses, according to the person. The right hander was 13-16 with a 3.07 ERA for the Dodgers this year and 41-46 with a 3.45 ERA in four seasons in Los Angeles after a long career in Japan.
SWIMMING
Evans qualifies for Olympics
Janet Evans, a four-time Olympic gold medalist mounting a comeback at the age of 40, qualified on Friday for the US Olympic swimming trials, moving a step closer to booking a London berth. Former world record-holder Evans won her 400m freestyle heat at the Austin Grand Prix in 4 minutes, 17.27 seconds, comfortably inside the trials qualifying standard of 4:19.39. She sliced about five seconds off the best time posted in her comeback. Evans is slated to swim the 800m today.
OLYMPICS
Ticket resale site to reopen
The crisis-hit London 2012 Olympic ticket resale Web site is set to reopen next week, organizers said on Friday. It has already been down for a week since being unable to cope with the vast demand, since when under-pressure agents Ticketmaster have been trying to get it back up and running. However, a spokesman for the London 2012 Organizing Committee (LOCOG) said on Friday the problems had been fixed and that the site should reopen next week. “LOCOG confirms that a solution has been found to enable the ticket resale platform to reopen next week,” he said.
SOCCER
Goalkeeper fails dope test
Ukraine international goalkeeper Alexander Rybka faces a two-year ban after testing positive for a banned substance contained in a weight-loss product, local media reported on Friday. Reports said the samples, which the 24-year-old Shakhtar Donetsk player gave after a domestic league match in November, contained a banned diuretic. “After November’s league match with Karpaty Lviv, Rybka took the diuretic in attempt to lose some weight,” Shakhtar general manager Sergei Palkin said. “After UEFA discovered that his samples contained the banned medication they sent us a letter demanding to suspend him from matches under UEFA control. Alexander [Rybka] will unlikely avoid disqualification for the violation of the doping code.”
SOCCER
Former Real coach dies
Miljan Miljanic, the former coach of Yugoslavia, Red Star Belgrade, Real Madrid and Valencia, has died in Serbia at the age of 81, local media reported on Friday. After a brief career as a defender with Red Star Belgrade, Miljanic coached the team and won 10 national championships. However, his greatest success was with Real Madrid, where he coached from 1974 to 1977. In the 1974-1975 season, he became the first foreigner to win both the national championship and the cup in one season. He also briefly coached Valencia for a season from 1982. Miljanic was also the head coach of former Yugoslavia’s national team, leading them to the 1974 and 1982 World Cups.
SOCCER
Allegri agrees new deal
AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri signed a new deal on Friday which will keep him at the helm of the Italian champions until 2014, the club announced. Italian press reports said Allegri, who won the Serie A title in his first year in charge last season, wanted an annual salary of 3 million euros (US$3.8 million), while the club would only go as high as 2.5 million euros. “I’m very happy to have the chance to work with Milan for another two years,” Allegri said. “I believe that everything is in place to continue what we started a year and a half ago.”
BOXING
Tutaki arrested, detained
The professional boxing career of All Blacks star Sonny Bill Williams has hit a new snag with the arrest of his rival for the New Zealand heavyweight title on serious criminal charges. Midfielder Williams was to fight 33-year-old Richard Tutaki for the vacant title on Feb. 8, but Auckland police confirmed yesterday that Tutaki was being held in custody after failing to appear in court on charges including possession of methamphetamine and receiving stolen property. Inspector Gary Allcock said Tutaki was arrested at his girlfriend’s home and had been refused bail ahead of a court appearance on Tuesday.
OLYMPICS
Third arrest in spying case
A third person has been arrested in connection with allegations that Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur spied on officials during their failed bid to take over London’s Olympic Stadium after this year’s Games. Tottenham were accused of ordering surveillance on all 14 members of the Olympic Park Legacy Company’s board during the stadium bidding process. Spurs deny the allegation, made by company chairperson Margaret Ford last year. Two people were held in November in connection with the illegal procurement of information. Police said they also arrested a 57-year-old man on Wednesday in Cheshire, England, “on suspicion of fraud offenses.”
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