CYCLING
Armstrong case to continue
A federal judge has cleared the way for the government’s lawsuit seeking US$100 million in damages from Lance Armstrong. The decision on Monday by US District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington sets the nearly seven-year-old case on course for a jury trial. The lawsuit was filed in 2010 by Armstrong’s former US Postal Service teammate, Floyd Landis, who could collect up to 25 percent. The government joined the case in 2013 after Armstrong publicly admitted using performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France seven times. Armstrong was stripped of those titles and banned from competition. Armstrong tried to get the lawsuit dismissed, arguing the team sponsorship was worth far more to the Postal Service than the US$32 million it paid him from 2000 to 2004.
ICE HOCKEY
Rangers edge Blue Jackets
Jimmy Vesey on Monday scored the go-ahead goal in the third period, while Antti Raanta stopped 30 shots as the New York Rangers beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2. Dan Girardi and Kevin Hayes also scored for the Rangers, who won their sixth straight game and moved into a three-way tie for second place with Columbus and Pittsburgh in the tough Metropolitan Division. In Calgary, Alberta, Mike Smith stopped 36 shots for his 32nd career shutout, while Christian Dvorak had two goals and an assist as Arizona beat Calgary. Martin Hanzal, Ryan White and Justin Martinook also scored for the Coyotes, who are 6-2-1 in their past nine. Chad Johnson had 19 saves through two periods and was replaced by Brian Elliott to start the third with the Flames trailing 4-0.
SOCCER
Eibar dominate Granada 4-0
Sociedad Deportiva Eibar on Monday stayed in contention for European competition next season by routing struggling Granada 4-0 for their third La Liga win in a row. Adrian Gonzalez and Sergi Enrich each scored in the first half, while Pedro Leon and Ivan Ramis added on in the second to leave the hosts in seventh place in the 20-team standings. The top-three teams automatically advance to the group stage of the Champions League, while the fourth-place club goes through a playoff. The teams in fifth and sixth places secure a berth in the Europa League. Eibar also won at Valencia 4-0 in the previous round. Granada remained second-to-last in the league with their third loss in four matches.
SOCCER
Calderon to host Copa final
No need to get Bruce Springsteen involved this time. Spain’s Professional Football League said the Copa del Rey final between Barcelona and Deportiva Alaves is to be staged at Atletico Madrid’s Estadio Vicente Calderon on May 27. Last season’s final between Barcelona and Sevilla was set to be at Real Madrid’s Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, but Madrid avoided seeing its biggest rival celebrate on its grounds after a Springsteen concert was scheduled at the venue. This time, Madrid president Florentino Perez hinted that the Bernabeu would likely undergo renovation work during the final, but the venue had not yet been ruled out until the federation’s announcement on Monday. Barcelona will be going for a record 29th Copa title, while recently promoted Alaves will be playing in their second ever final in a major competition.
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