BASEBALL
Cano signs with Roc Nation
Rap mogul Jay-Z is expanding his Roc Nation entertainment company into sports representation and on Tuesday it announced the signing of New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano. Cano, set to become a free agent after this season, left high-profile sports agent Scott Boras to sign with Roc Nation Sports, founded by rapper Jay-Z. Roc Nation has partnered with CAA Sports, a division of Creative Artists Agency, to co-represent Cano, a statement on the firm’s Web site said. “At this point in my career, I am ready to take a more active role in my endeavors both on and off the field,” Cano said in a statement. “I am confident that the pairing of Roc Nation Sports and CAA Sports will be essential in helping me accomplish my short and long-term goals. I am making this important decision now so I can keep my focus on helping the Yankees succeed in 2013, while minimizing any distractions for me and my teammates.” The Yankees have reportedly been trying to work out a new contract with Cano before he hits the free agent market in November.
RUGBY UNION
Otago bring back Tuiali’i
Struggling Super 15 side the Otago Highlanders have been forced to send another SOS to an aging New Zealand player in Japan, this time bringing back former All Black Mose Tuiali’i. The 32-year-old Tuiali’i, who played nine Tests for the All Blacks and has been in Japan since 2008, returns to replace the injured Nasi Manu. He becomes the fifth New Zealand player brought back from Japan in the past two years to bolster the Highlanders, who are the only winless side in this year’s Super 15. Last month, the Otago franchise brought back Neil Brew, 34, seven years after the journeyman center went offshore to play first in Bristol, England, and then in Japan. During the off-season, Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph picked up 32-year-old loose forward Jake Paringatai and former All Blacks lock Brad Thorn, 38, who were both playing in Japan. The Highlanders started the year as one of the more fancied New Zealand sides, but they have been hit by injuries to several key players and also the loss of All Blacks flanker Adam Thomson, who has quit New Zealand to play in Japan.
BASKETBALL
Lakers honor Shaq O’Neal
Although Shaquille O’Neal rarely finds himself speechless, he said he was thrilled beyond words to see his jersey in the Los Angeles Lakers’ rafters. The Lakers held a halftime ceremony on Tuesday to honor O’Neal. They put his No. 34 jersey in the Staples Center collection that includes Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson. O’Neal is the sixth-leading scorer in NBA history. He played eight of his 19 NBA seasons with the Lakers, winning three championships and reaching four NBA Finals during his basketball prime. Although O’Neal began his career in Orlando and played for four more teams after leaving Los Angeles, the 15-time All-Star says he considers Los Angeles his NBA home and hopes to represent the Lakers in the Hall of Fame.
BASKETBALL
Ref Willard dies aged 54
Greg Willard, a referee who officiated more than 1,600 NBA games, died on Monday night after a battle with pancreatic cancer, the league announced on Tuesday. He was 54 years old. Willard refereed 1,494 regular-season games, 136 playoff games and two games in the NBA Finals. In tribute to Willard, all NBA officials will wear wristbands or patches with his jersey number, 57, for the remainder of the NBA season.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
HSIEH MAKES QUARTERS: Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens of Belgium won in the women’s doubles and face Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sofia Kenin of the US Top-ranked Iga Swiatek and US Open champion Coco Gauff were knocked out of the women’s singles at the Miami Open on Monday, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced in the women’s doubles. Swiatek lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-2, hours after third seed Gauff fell in three sets to No. 23 Caroline Garcia 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. Alexandrova beat a top-ranked player for the first time and advanced to face Jessica Pegula, a 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 winner over Emma Navarro, in the quarter-finals. Alexandrova recorded her second win over Swiatek, following a 2021 victory in Melbourne. Swiatek had won their three matches since. “We played quite