SOCCER
Charity soccer trekker killed
A man from Seattle, Washington, who was trying to dribble a soccer ball 16,000km to Brazil in time for the 2014 World Cup has died after being hit by a pickup truck on the Oregon coast. Police in Lincoln City say 42-year-old Richard Swanson was hit on Tuesday morning while walking south along US Highway 101 near the city limits. He was declared dead at a hospital. The driver has not been charged. Swanson set out on the trek to promote the One World Futbol Project, based in Berkley, California, which donates durable soccer balls to people in developing countries. Police say Swanson’s soccer ball was recovered.
SOCCER
Man City lose David Platt
Manchester City assistant manager David Platt has left the club just a day after Roberto Mancini was sacked, the English Premier League side announced on Tuesday. Italian manager Mancini was sacked on Monday after a trophy-less season for City was confirmed by their shock FA Cup Final loss to Wigan Athletic. “With regret Manchester City announce that David Platt has this [Tuesday] afternoon left his role as assistant manager at the club,” a City statement said. “David was offered the opportunity to continue his work with usm but has declined the invitation. He has decided to leave his role with his close friend Roberto Mancini.”
SOCCER
Rio quits international play
England’s Rio Ferdinand has quit international soccer, the FA said yesterday. The Manchester United defender, who made his England debut against Cameroon at Wembley Stadium in 1997 and won 81 caps, informed England manager Roy Hodgson of his decision, the FA said in a statement. “After a great deal of thought, I have decided the time is right for me to retire from international football,” Ferdinand said. “At the age of 34, I feel it is right for me to stand aside and let the younger players come through, which allows me to concentrate on my club career.”
BASEBALL
Orioles’ Chen on injured list
Baltimore Orioles left-handed pitcher Chen Wei-yin of Taiwan was placed on Major League Baseball’s 15-day disabled list on Tuesday with a strained right oblique. The injury forced Chen to depart Sunday’s American League game against the Minnesota Twins after throwing five shutout innings. So far this season, the 27-year-old Asian hurler is three-for-three with a 3.04 earned-run average over his first eight starts this season. Last season, Chen was the only Baltimore pitcher to make at least 20 starts as the Orioles reached the playoffs. Relief pitcher Alex Burnett was added to the roster to replace Chen.
BOXING
Guerrero fined over gun
Robert Guerrero pleaded guilty on Tuesday to disorderly conduct after being arrested on firearm possession charges for having a gun at a check-in counter at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on March 28. The boxer pleaded to the lesser charge in a Queens courthouse and was ordered to pay a US$250 fine and complete 50 hours of community service. Guerrero, a former featherweight champion, presented a box with a .40 caliber handgun and three unloaded magazines during check-in while on his way to a Las Vegas training camp for his welterweight title bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr, which he lost. The gun was registered in California, but is illegal in New York. “I never intended to violate New York law, but I know that ignorance of the law is not an excuse,” Guerrero said.
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
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB