BASEBALL
Red Sox sign Yoan Moncada
The Boston Red Sox have reportedly signed prized Cuban prospect Yoan Moncada, a switch-hitting infielder coveted by a host of Major League Baseball teams, to a record US$31.5 million signing bonus. The league’s official Web site, MLB.com, announced the deal for the 19-year-old Moncada on Monday, citing an industry source. Moncada’s deal eclipses the US$8.27 million bonus record for an international amateur under the current guidelines, which was given last month to pitcher Yoan Lopez by the Arizona Diamondbacks. The speedy Moncada, who also hits for power, left Cuba in June last year and instantly became the subject of an intense bidding war. The Red Sox have not confirmed the signing of Moncada, who is expected to begin play in the minor leagues to further develop his skills.
ICE HOCKEY
Bruins’ Krejci out six weeks
Boston Bruins center David Krejci will miss up to six weeks with a partially torn MCL ligament in his left knee, the team said on Monday. Krejci sustained the injury when he collided with St Louis Blues forward Alexander Steen on Friday. He missed Sunday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Krejci has missed 21 games due to injury this season, but his latest one comes at an inopportune time for the Bruins, with the playoffs starting in mid-April. Boston (29-21-9) are in the eighth and final playoff slot in the Eastern Conference, and lead ninth-place Florida by three points and Philadelphia by four. The 28-year-old Krejci, who signed a six-year contract extension in the off-season, has 26 points in 38 games for the Bruins.
FOOTBALL
NFL hopeful sets jump mark
Byron Jones, a collegiate American football star hoping for an NFL career, leaped what could be a historic mark in the standing long jump on Monday at the NFL Scouting Combine. Jones, a defensive back from the University of Connecticut, made a standing jump of 3.73m during a testing session in the discipline at the combine, which allows NFL clubs to test prospects speed, strength and fitness in various ways. Jones, still recovering from a torn labrum, is thought to have set a world best in the seldom-contested standing broad jump, his distance surpassing that of Norway’s Arne Tvervaag, who leaped 3.71m in 1968. USA Track and Field tweeted a vine link to Jones’ leap with the message: “Apparently @Byron16Jump has an appropriate Twitter handle.” The long jump by Jones inside the Indianapolis Colts’ domed home stadium eclipsed the combine mark of 3.53m set in 2013 by Jamie Collins, a linebacker for the New England Patriots.
RUGBY LEAGUE
NRL takes control of Titans
Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) yesterday took control of the struggling Gold Coast Titans, as the club reels from cocaine allegations against five players and mounting financial worries. NRL chief executive Dave Smith said the club’s license had been terminated in consultation with major stakeholders, and the Titans placed into voluntary administration, with the sport’s ruling body taking over its running. Smith assured Titans fans that the club, which has no major sponsor and no training venue, would remain on the Gold Coast. The club was already facing serious financial difficulties when it became engulfed in a cocaine trafficking scandal over the weekend. Five Titans players, including Australian internationals Greg Bird and Dave Taylor, have been implicated and are due to face court next month.
RUGBY UNION
Franks to miss Chiefs clash
All Blacks prop Owen Franks has received a two-match ban for striking an opponent during the Canterbury Crusaders’ win in Dunedin, New Zealand, although he will miss only one Super XV game, officials said yesterday. Franks pleaded guilty after being cited for hitting Otago Highlanders forward Josh Hohneck twice on the back of the head with his forearm early in the Crusaders’ 26-20 win last Saturday. Judicial officer Robert Stelzner said in determining Franks’ punishment he took into account that “the player has had an extensive career at Super Rugby and Test level with no suspensions to his name.” The Crusaders play the Waikato Chiefs this weekend then have a bye before facing the Golden Lions on March 14, but Stelzner accepted Franks would have played for Crusaders’ feeder team, the Knights, on the weekend of March 7 and March 8 had he not been suspended and the match would count toward the ban.
RUGBY UNION
Dog bite rules out Italy prop
Italy prop Martin Castrogiovanni is set to miss Saturday’s Six Nations match against Scotland at Murrayfield after being bitten on the nose by a friend’s dog, ANSA news agency reported on Monday. The Italian rugby federation said Castrogiovanni had suffered a “slight domestic incident” and been left out of the provisional squad, though it did not give any further details. ANSA said the Argentine-born 33-year-old had been playing with the dog, which turned on him and caused a wound requiring 14 stitches.
SOCCER
Levante UD down Granada
Levante UD scored two late goals on Monday to seal a 2-1 win over fellow strugglers Granada in a heated encounter that saw three players sent off. The visitors took the lead when Youssef El-Arabi converted a 13th-minute penalty after Victor Camarasa handled inside the area. The tempestuous encounter saw Granada’s Adrian Colunga red-carded in the 72nd minute, before El-Arabi and Levante’s Ivan Ramis were both dismissed in the 79th. Camarasa atoned in the 88th minute with the equalizer following a disastrous clearance from Granada goalkeeper Oier lazabal. Forward David Barral scored the winner in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage-time to lift the hosts to within one point of safety.
CRICKET
Vernon Philander ruled out
South Africa seamer Vernon Philander will miss the World Cup clash against the West Indies and is a doubt for the following game against Ireland next week, the team said yesterday. Philander tweaked his left hamstring during the Proteas’ 130-run humbling by India in Melbourne, Australia, on Sunday and bowled only four overs. He had scans on his hamstring on Monday and they confirmed a grade one strain, which will mean a week to 10 days on the sidelines, team manager Mohammed Moosajee said.
CYCLING
Chinese team’s bikes stolen
Three bicycles worth an estimated US$30,000 belonging to China’s world track cycling team have been stolen from a hotel car park near Paris, French police said. The theft took place overnight on Sunday from the van where the bikes, which were still boxed up, were being stored in preparation for the flight home. The back door of the van had been forced. The theft came just hours after the climax to the world championships in which China won gold and bronze medals.
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