BASEBALL
Bees interrupt training game
When a pack of bees swarmed the field, the Rockies and Padres did not seem to know what to do. So they hit the deck. In a bizarre scene at spring training on Thursday, players from both teams went flat on the dirt when bees stormed the infield during the ninth inning of Colorado’s 10-5 win over San Diego. Padres pitcher Trey Wingenter stepped off the mound when the horde hit and, after hesitating a moment, the 2m-tall right-hander dropped to a knee. Rockies batter Daniel Castro quickly did the same and then plate umpire Alex Tosi and everyone else in the infield dropped flat on their stomachs. The broadcast picked up someone yelling: “Bees! Bees!” The players stayed down for about 10 seconds and fans gave them a cheer when they finally stood up. “I saw something happen over here as all the players got on the ground,” Padres manager Bud Black said. “It was reminiscent of Petco Park a few years ago when a beekeeper had to come down from the left-field corner. That was about a 20-30 minute delay.”
BASEBALL
Horses seal deal with Odor
Venezuelan second baseman Rougned Odor on Thursday agreed to a six-year Major League Baseball contract extension with the Texas Rangers, but only after they threw two horses into the deal. The 23-year-old South American’s unique enticement came with a payout reportedly worth US$49.5 million for the next six seasons, with a club option for 2023. “I have a passion for horses,” Odor said. “I love horses. It’s one of my hobbies, being around the horses.” Odor last year batted .271 with 33 home runs and 88 RBIs to help Texas capture the American League West division title. He also served a seven-game ban for punching Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista in May last year. The quarter horses are to have a new home on a ranch Odor plans to build in the Dallas area. Rangers owners suggested that general manager Jon Daniels play to Odor’s hobby in contract talks. “Rougie has these big numbers in front of him, and he has a poker face. Nothing changed,” Daniels said. “Then I slid my phone across with a picture of the horses on it, and he said: ‘Hey, can you send that to me?’ His eyes lit up and I thought: ‘All right, maybe we have a chance.’”
CYCLING
Hall killed by car in race
The Indian Pacific Wheel Race across Australia was yesterday canceled after British cyclist Mike Hall was struck and killed by a car while competing in the marathon event, organizers said. The crash happened yesterday morning on the Monaro Highway in Royalla, New South Wales. Hall, 35, who won the 2012 World Cycle Race, died at the scene. “The Indian Pacific Wheel Race has been canceled with immediate effect in light of this morning’s tragic incident,” race organizers said in a statement before confirming Hall’s death. “This is a difficult time for everyone involved, along with their families, and their well-being is our primary concern.” Hall had been in second place at the time of the accident. The race, from Perth to Sydney, began on March 18 and was to finish yesterday. “I can suggest, given the nature of the collision, an investigation into the circumstances would suggest the rider of the push bike died at the scene,” Australian Capital Territory Policing Sergeant Chris Meagher was quoted as saying by local media reports.
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
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but