BASEBALL
Yankees sign Ellsbury
Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston, reached an agreement with the rival New York Yankees on a seven-year contract worth about US$153 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said on Tuesday. Ellsbury is the second major free-agent addition in the Yankees’ off-season rebuilding after missing the playoffs for just the second time in 19 years. The center fielder was to take a physical in New York yesterday that he must pass before the deal can be finalized. The Yankees also had been negotiating with outfielder Choo Shin-soo, who like Ellsbury is represented by agent Scott Boras. Earlier on Tuesday, New York finalized a US$85 million, five-year contract with All-Star catcher Brian McCann.
RUGBY UNION
Read named player of year
New Zealand No. 8 Kieran Read was on Tuesday named as the International Rugby Board’s player of the year for this year. The 28-year-old becomes the third All Black to win the award, following current international teammates flanker and captain Richie McCaw (three) and flyhalf Dan Carter (two). Read’s honor capped a hat-trick of awards for New Zealand, who picked up the team of the year award, while Steve Hansen was named coach of the year. Read edged out British and Irish Lions and Wales fullback Leigh Halfpenny, young South Africa lock Eben Etzebeth, Italy captain Sergio Parisse and All Black teammate Ben Smith for the award.
SOCCER
Dortmund advance in Cup
Borussia Dortmund advanced to the German Cup quarter-finals with a 2-0 win at minnows Saarbruecken on Tuesday, but Ruhr Valley neighbors Schalke 04 suffered a third-round exit. German Cup holders and European champions Bayern Munich were to host Bundesliga rivals Augsburg yesterday. Schalke crashed out with a 3-1 defeat at home to top-tier rivals TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. The Royal Blues’ defense was left in disarray as Hoffenheim raced into a 3-0 lead after just 35 minutes with goals by Kai Herdling, Kevin Volland and Roberto Firmino. Schalke pulled one back through Peru forward Jefferson Farfan with just over half an hour to go. Dortmund eased their way into the last eight with a comfortable victory at third-division Saarbruecken. Borussia boss Jurgen Klopp opted to rest several stars, but his team went ahead through a first-half header from reserve striker Julian Schieber. Promising 21-year-old attacking midfielder Jonas Hofmann added a second just after the break. Hamburg went through as they enjoyed a 2-1 win over second-division Cologne, while Union Berlin went down 3-0 at home to Kaiserslautern in an all second-division tie.
SOCCER
Juve fined over children
Juventus were fined on Tuesday after a decision to allow schoolchildren to use seats usually occupied by hardcore fans banned for discriminatory chanting backfired spectacularly. The Serie A club let 12,200 children sit at both ends of their stadium for Sunday’s match against Udinese, but the rowdy children behaved little better than the ultras and Juve were fined 5,000 euros (US$6,800) after they shouted abuse at Udinese keeper Zeljko Brkic every time he took a goal-kick. “Juventus were fined after their [very, very young] supporters repeatedly aimed an insulting chant at a player from the opposing team,” Serie A’s disciplinary panel said in a statement. The children were copying a ritual in Italy in which the visiting ’keeper is insulted whenever he takes a goal-kick.
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
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was