■ Best's shirt up for sale
The Manchester United shirt worn by George Best when he scored six goals against Northampton Town in 1970 will go on auction next month and is expected to fetch £20,000 to £30,000 (US$38,000 to US$57,000). The red and white shirt is part of a soccer memorabilia sale at auction house Christie's on Sept. 13. Best's performance during the match is widely considered as one of his finest. Roy Fairfax, the Northampton player who was marking the Northern Irish player, said afterwards: "The closest I got to him was when we shook hands after the game." Also on sale is the Brazil shirt worn by Rivelino at the 1970 World Cup final in which his team beat Italy 4-1. According to Christie's, Rivelino fainted at the final whistle and had to be carried from the field.
■ Boxing
Mayweather to face Baldomir
Floyd Mayweather Jr, generally considered the world's best kilo-for-kilo boxer, will fight Carlos Baldomir for the WBC welterweight title on Nov. 4 in Las Vegas. Mayweather (36-0, 24 KOs) chose his next opponent last weekend after months of campaigning for a matchup with Oscar De La Hoya, who still hasn't decided whether he will retire. Mayweather won the IBF welterweight belt in his last fight with a unanimous decision over Zab Judah in April, but relinquished that title. Baldomir (43-9 with six draws and 13 KOs) hasn't lost a fight in nearly 10 years, most recently stopping Arturo Gatti in the ninth round on July 22. The 35-year-old Argentine was hungry to fight Mayweather for the biggest purse of his career, calling out Mayweather moments after beating Gatti.
■ NFL
Robinson arrested again
The Minnesota Vikings' wide receiver Koren Robinson, who was an all-pro NFL kick returner last year, was arrested on drunk driving and other charges and was in a Minnesota jail on Wednesday, police said. Robinson, 26, who has acknowledged a drinking problem and was suspended for four games in 2004 for violating the league's substance abuse policy, was apprehended late on Tuesday in southern Minnesota. His blue BMW was traveling in excess of 160km per hour, and several police departments were enlisted to pull him over, according to police in St. Peter, Minnesota. He was arrested without further incident on charges of driving while impaired, reckless driving and fleeing police. Robinson was cut by the Seattle Seahawks last year partially because of a previous drunk driving arrest but was picked up by the Vikings. He was the National Football Conference's top kick returner last year.
■ Soccer
Parreira accepts Bafana offer
Brazil's 1994 World Cup winning coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has accepted the post of South Africa coach with the task of taking them through the 2010 World Cup final, which they are hosting, it was reported on Wednesday. The 63-year-old agreed the deal with the South African Football Federation on Tuesday, according to his lawyer. According to the press Parreira, who quit his post as Brazil coach following the disappointing World Cup quarter-final exit to France, had all his wishes granted by the federation, who had their first offer turned down by him. While no definitive financial details have been released, it is believed that he will earn 100 million rand (US$14.5 million) over four years.
Inter on Sunday were given a letoff when they snatched a late 1-1 derby draw with AC Milan, while league leaders SSC Napoli were held by a late goal at AS Roma. Reigning champions Inter remain three points behind Napoli, who looked to be heading five clear as they led in Rome until Angelino volleyed in a stunning leveler in the first minute of stoppage-time. Angelino’s strike gave even more significance to Stefan de Vrij’s last-gasp equalizer at the San Siro. The defender forced home Nicola Zalewski’s knockdown just as it looked like Tijjani Reijnders’ opener would be enough for Milan. “I can
Santiago Castro on Tuesday had an immediate impact off the bench as he scored the goal to send Bologna into the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time in 26 years. Bologna won 1-0 against last year’s runners-up, Atalanta BC, and are to play either holders Juventus or Empoli in the final four. Juventus are to host Empoli in their quarter-final on Feb. 26. The last time Bologna reached the semi-finals was in 1999, when they lost 4-2 to ACF Fiorentina. There were chances for both sides in a high-tempo match in Bergamo, but it was Bologna who broke the deadlock 10 minutes from
After nearly six years away from the NBA, New Taipei Kings player Jeremy Lin (林書豪) is set to participate in the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend’s Rising Stars mini-tournament as the coach of Team G League. The NBA announced Monday (U.S. time) that the Taiwanese-American player will join a trio of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers – Tim Hardaway Sr., Chris Mullin, and Mitch Richmond – as honorary coaches for four teams featuring 28 rising talents. "See you soon in the Bay," Lin wrote in an Instagram story sharing the news. As the All-Star Weekend will take place at
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was