BASEBALL
Hurdle, Francona awarded
Clint Hurdle, who led the Pittsburgh Pirates to their first post-season berth in 21 years, was named National League Manager of the Year, while Terry Francona of the Cleveland Indians took home the American League honors on Tuesday. Hurdle steered the playoff-deprived Pirates to a 94-68 record last season, which also marked their first winning season since 1992, to claim a wild-card playoff berth following a 79-83 mark the previous season. Hurdle received 25 of the 30 first-place votes to win by a wide margin. Francona, who led the Boston Red Sox to World Series titles in 2004 and 2007, won his first Manager of the Year award after taking Cleveland into the post-season with a wild-card berth in his first season in charge of the Indians. In a tight race, Francona, whose Indians went from 68-94 to 92-70, collected 16 first-place votes to 12 for John Farrell, who led the Boston Red Sox to a World Series title.
CRICKET
Coach Whatmore to quit
Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore will not seek an extension to his two-year contract when it expires in February, the Australian has told the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The PCB confirmed on Tuesday that Whatmore, who took charge of the team in March last year, has informed them he cannot continue due to personal and family reasons. “Earlier this month, Mr Whatmore informed the PCB that he would not be seeking a renewal of his contract due to personal and family reasons,” the PCB said in a statement. Whatmore, who guided Sri Lanka to a shock win in the 1996 World Cup and has also coached Bangladesh, has come under fire this year since Pakistan were whitewashed in a Test series in South Africa. Pakistan also had a poor Champions Trophy and lost a one-day international and a Test match to Zimbabwe, before being outclassed in the recent one-day international series against South Africa in the United Arab Emirates.
SOCCER
Chievo fire coach Sannino
Bottom-placed AC Chievo Verona have fired their coach Giuseppe Sannino and rehired Eugenio Corini after winning just one of their opening 12 matches in Serie A. Chievo made the announcement on their Web site on Tuesday, two days after holding AC Milan to a goalless draw at home. Corini, who coached Chievo last season and helped the club avoid relegation, has penned a two-year contract. Chievo have six points and have scored a league-worst seven goals. It was the fourth coaching change in Serie A this season. Delio Rossi was fired by UC Sampdoria on Monday, with Fabio Liverani (Genoa) and Rolando Maran (Catania) also having been dismissed this season.
FOOTBALL
Kansas City’s Bowe arrested
Kansas City Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe, one of the top pass catchers for the NFL’s lone remaining unbeaten team, has been arrested for speeding and possession of marijuana. Police in Riverside, Missouri, said Bowe was pulled over for speeding on Sunday and a strong odor of marijuana was detected from his vehicle. A drug-detecting dog found containers with 6.6 grams and 3.8 grams of marijuana in a black bag that also contained Bowe’s wallet. Another 4.2 grams of marijuana were found in a bag that belonged to a passenger, George Thompson, who like Bowe was arrested. A third passenger in the vehicle was not arrested and posted bond for Bowe and Thompson, who face a Dec. 18 court date. Bowe has made 33 receptions for 369 yards and two touchdowns this season.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later