■ Soccer
Nemeth suffers embolism
Slovakian international striker Szilard Nemeth will be out of action for three months after suffering an embolism, his German club Alemannia Aachen said on Wednesday. The 29-year-old former Middlesbrough forward is currently in hospital for the blood clot but should return home at the end of the week according to his paymasters.
■ Olympics
North Korea calls for unity
North Korea has called for renewed talks with South Korea on forming a unified team for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, a South Korean official said yesterday. The North also proposed that athletes from the two Koreas march together at the opening and closing ceremonies at next month's Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, said Park Chul-geun, an official from the South Korean Olympic committee. North Korea asked for the talks on the joint Olympic team to take place in Doha, Park said.
■ Basketball
Spectator sues Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant is being sued by a man who claims the LA Lakers star deliberately elbowed him during a Memphis Grizzlies' game last year. Bill Geeslin sat in the stands when the Lakers played in Memphis last Nov. 14. His three-page federal lawsuit filed on Tuesday claims Bryant came off the court during play, landed on Geeslin and "without provocation" committed assault and battery when he struck Geeslin with his elbow. Geeslin is seeking more than US$75,000 in damages for unspecified injuries.
■ Baseball
Devil Rays win Iwamura
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays won US Major League Baseball negotiating rights to Yakult Swallows third baseman Akinori Iwamura on Wednesday, submitting a winning bid of about US$4.5 million for the power hitter. The Devil Rays have 30 days to finalize a contract with Iwamura. If he is not signed by Dec. 15, Tampa Bay's bid is void and Iwamura returns to play in Japan. The 27-year-old Iwamura was a five-time All-Star in eight seasons with the Swallows. A left-handed hitter, he batted .311 with 32 homers and 77 RBIs in 145 games last season.
■ Tennis
Indonesia fined for no show
The International Tennis Federation has fined Indonesia US$31,600 and banned it from next year's tournament for canceling its July Fed Cup match against Israel at Tel Aviv. The Indonesian Tennis Association is expected to appeal the ruling before the Dec. 20 deadline, Ferry Raturandang, secretary general of the ITA, said yesterday after being informed of the decision by e-mail. Muslim-dominated Indonesia, which has no diplomatic relations with Israel, had asked that the venue of its World Group II playoff match be moved to another country. Raturandang said Indonesia was told it must pay US$5,000 for pulling out of the match and US$20,000 to host Israel.
■ Soccer
Real sell rights for US$1bn
Real Madrid agreed to sell its TV rights for 800 million euros (US$1.02 billion) in a seven-year deal, club president Ramon Calderon said on Tuesday. Calderon didn't disclose the buyer, saying the club would give details in the next few days. "It is the biggest contract in the history of world sport," Calderon was quoted as saying by the Web site of sports daily Marca. Spain's ABC newspaper recently reported that Madrid's regional government -- through its free-to-air network Telemadrid -- and bank Caja Madrid lodged a 600 million euro bid to broadcast Real Madrid games for five seasons from 2009 to 2013.
■ Cricket
Schoolboys rack up 721
Two schoolboys in the southern city of Hyderabad set a record partnership on Wednesday, evoking memories of a similar knock between batting great Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli nearly two decades ago. Openers Manoj Kumar and Mohammad Shaibaz Tumbi both scored triple centuries and put on 721 runs as they batted through a full 40 overs in an under-13s inter-school limited-overs match. Local journalists were quick to recall the 1988 exploits of a teenage Tendulkar and Kambli, who both hit triple centuries in Mumbai's Harris Shield schools competition. Tendulkar and Kambli put on a record 664 runs for the third wicket for Shardashram against St Xavier's. Manoj scored 320 off 127 balls and Tumbi 324 off 116 balls for St Peter's School and they ran up the highest total, highest partnership and eventually the highest margin of victory (700 runs) in any class of the limited-overs game. A stunned St Phillip's School were bundled out for a paltry 21 in just seven overs.
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
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,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
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