■ Tennis
John Newcombe recovers
John Newcombe, a seven-time Grand Slam titlist and victorious Davis Cup captain, says he's recovered from a ``mild stroke'' but will have to curb his drinking and socializing as he gets back into the swing of things. "One of the minor blood vessels came out the left side of my brain and just blocked out," Newcombe, 59, told the Australian Associated Press on Saturday. "Fortunately, it was a minor one and I wasn't left with too much damage, which is repaired now. I'm doing everything I was before and I'm only on very minor medication." Newcombe is renowned in Australia for his big mustache and for enthusiastically embracing celebrations. "I can do those things in moderation. If I'm smart, I won't have any big ones [drinking sessions] any more," he said.
PHOTO: AP
■ Soccer
Roque Junior gets injured
AC Milan defender Roque Junior will miss next month's FIFA Confederations Cup in France after sustaining an injury in the Champions League final, the Brazilian Soccer Confederation (CBF) said Friday. Roque Junior suffered a "serious injury" during Wednesday's final against Juventus in Manchester, England, according to a statement sent Friday afternoon by the Italian club to the CBF. The player was limping for most of extra time in the Juventus match, which Milan eventually won on penalties. At the eight-nation Confederations Cup, World Cup champions Brazil are favorites in Group B, where they play World Cup semifinalist Turkey (June 19), the United States (June 21), and African champion Cameroon (June 23). The Confederations Cup runs between June 18-29 and will also feature France, Colombia, Japan and New Zealand in Group A.
■ Basketball
Shaq says he messed up
Shaquille O'Neal acknowledged he "messed up" by not attending his season-ending meetings with the Lakers' staff, a snub that had angered coach Phil Jackson. The players were expected to meet with the coaches before taking off for the summer. All attended their interviews except O'Neal, Rick Fox, who was undergoing surgery for a foot injury, and Samaki Walker, a free agent who won't be back with the team. The meetings were held two days after three-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles was eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals. O'Neal told Fox Sports Net's Southern California Sports Report he should have gone to his interview at the team's El Segundo headquarters.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
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