SOCCER
’Keeper carded for peeing
A goalkeeper was sent off for urinating during an English soccer match on Saturday. Salford ’keeper Max Crocombe was issued a red card for relieving himself at the home of Bradford Park Avenue in the National League North, the seventh tier of English soccer. A supporter is also believed to have reported Crocombe, a 24-year-old New Zealander, to the police. “He was told by the steward twice not to do it and he went ahead and had a pee,” Bradford Park Avenue club secretary Colin Barker said. “He went to the side of the stand as I understand it. I didn’t actually see it, but the referee definitely sent him off for it, because he was alerted to it by his linesman,” he said. “One of our spectators has made a formal complaint so we’re waiting to see what will happen from there, but there’s no secret about it. It’s been reported to the police.”
BASEBALL
Rizzo given Clemente Award
Anthony Rizzo is a cancer survivor and World Series champion, but the Roberto Clemente Award is a trophy that will stand out for the Chicago Cubs slugger. “It’s the greatest award you can win and I will be forever appreciative of this, and this will go front and center of anything I’ve ever done on the baseball field,” Rizzo said. Rizzo, a three-time All-Star, was honored on Friday night with baseball’s biggest honor for sportsmanship and community involvement. He was recognized for his foundation’s work to help other families dealing with cancer.
BASEBALL
Gurriel handed suspension
Houston’s Yuli Gurriel will not miss any World Series games for the racist gesture he made toward the Dodgers’ Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish, but will serve a five-game ban next season, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said on Saturday. As part of the punishment, Gurriel will be required to undergo sensitivity training during the off-season while the Astros, in a gesture of support, have agreed to donate Gurriel’s salary for the five games to charitable causes. Manfred said part of his decision to not suspend Gurriel during the World Series was because he felt it was unfair to punish the other Astros players.
TENNIS
Federer heads to finals
Roger Federer on Saturday cruised past David Goffin 6-1, 6-2 in the Swiss Indoors semi-finals to reach an 11th straight final when playing at his hometown event. The top-seeded Swiss was to face Juan Martin del Potro yesterday, after the fourth-seeded Argentine beat Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-4. The final is a rematch of del Potro’s back-to-back Basel title wins over Federer in 2012 and 2013. The 19th-ranked del Potro also beat Federer in the US Open quarter-finals last month. Del Potro came to Basel directly from winning the Stockholm Open. With a victory yesterday, he would seal his place in the eight-player ATP World Tour Finals lineup in London next month.
SKIING
World Cup slalom canceled
The first race of the men’s Alpine Skiing World Cup season yesterday has been canceled because of bad weather conditions. Organizers say they have called off the giant slalom “with the updated forecast due to the wind conditions and in the interest of safety for teams and public.” The race, which will not be rescheduled, had been in doubt since gale-force storms and snowfall had been predicted for the Rettenbach glacier. The next events are slaloms in Levi, Finland, with the women racing on Nov. 11, followed by the men’s the next day.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two