BASEBALL
Nationals hire Dusty Baker
Dusty Baker got another managing job, this time with the Washington Nationals. The Nationals announced Baker’s hiring on Tuesday, nearly a month after firing Matt Williams when the club missed the playoffs. In the 66-year-old Baker, the Nationals get someone who has worked 20 seasons as a manager in the majors and whose 1,671-1,504 record — a .526 winning percentage — includes the second-most victories among active managers. He led the San Francisco Giants to the 2002 World Series and reached the post-season a half-dozen other times. “I am certain that the Nationals, like all of our clubs, hired the best person for the job. It is encouraging that in this case the best person turned out to be African-American,” commissioner of Major League Baseball Rob Manfred wrote in an e-mail to reporters. “This is a positive step and I am intent on making continued progress on diversity in the managerial ranks going forward.”
RUGBY UNION
Queensland sign Goromaru
The Queensland Reds have signed Japan fullback and World Cup star Ayumu Goromaru for next year’s Super Rugby season. Goromaru led Japan to a shock 34-32 pool-stage win over South Africa in what has been described as the biggest upset in Rugby World Cup history. Goromaru scored 24 points in that match and twice received man-of-the-match honors at the tournament. Goromaru, who is also Japan’s all-time leading point-scorer, has played his entire career in his nation’s Top League. The Reds yesterday said that the 29-year-old Goromaru is to replace former New Zealand flanker Adam Thomson, who has moved to the Melbourne Rebels, as Queensland’s designated foreign player. Goromaru could play against the new Japan-based Super Rugby side on May 21 in Brisbane.
CRICKET
Former England captain dies
Former England captain and president of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) Tom Graveney has died at the age of 88, Britain’s Press Association announced on Tuesday. Graveney made 11 centuries in 79 Test matches for England from 1951 to 1969, scoring 4,882 runs at an average of 44.38. Appointed MCC president in 2005, he was an honorary life member of the Lord’s club. Graveney played county cricket for Gloucestershire and Worcestershire, and had a spell playing in Australia with Queensland. He remained involved in the sport as a commentator following his retirement in 1972. A message from the Lord’s Twitter account read: “Deeply saddened to hear of the death of former @englandcricket captain and MCC President Tom Graveney.” BBC radio cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew wrote: “Never saw Tom Graveney bat, but he is synonymous with a golden era of England batsmen. Loved a chat in the bar and lived for cricket. RIP.”
CRICKET
Malik retires from Tests
Pakistan batsman Shoaib Malik is to retire from Test cricket at the end of their ongoing match against England in Sharjah to give the nation’s younger players a chance, he said on Tuesday. Malik, 33, made a shock return to Test cricket at the beginning of the three-match series in the United Arab Emirates, marking his comeback with a career-best 245 in Abu Dhabi. He has since scored 47 runs in five innings, including a golden duck in his last one on Tuesday, but he did record his best Test bowling figures of 4-33 on the day he announced his retirement.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Forget Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, the world’s best soccer team — statistically speaking — might be a little-known outfit from the closed central Asian nation of Turkmenistan. Founded last year, Arkadag, named in honor of former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, have been unstoppable, notching up 36 consecutive domestic victories in a run still ongoing. The side have not lost a single competitive match and swept to a league and cup double in their inaugural season — success unthinkable almost anywhere else. However, in Turkmenistan, it could hardly have gone any other way. The energy-rich country is one of the most closed
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and