■ FOOTBALL
Wilson punches girlfriend
Cedrick Wilson, a receiver with seven years of National Football League experience, was dropped by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday, a day after he was arrested in a bar incident. Wilson was charged with assault, harassment and disorderly conduct after allegedly hitting his former girlfriend on Wednesday night. He was arraigned and released on US$10,000 bail. Police said witnesses saw Wilson enter the bar, walk to the seat of Lindsey Paulat, the 26-year-old mother of his one-year-old daughter, and tap her on the shoulder before hitting her on the left side of her face. Paulat is awaiting a hearing on firearm charges after a 12-hour standoff with police on Jan. 19. After an argument with Wilson, she allegedly fired two gunshots in his house. Wilson, 29, applied for a protection from abuse order two days later, saying he feared she would shoot him.
■ ICE HOCKEY
Player sentenced over drugs
Finnish former NHL player Jere Karalahti was given a 20-month suspended sentence on Thursday for being an accessory in a drug smuggling operation. The district court in Espoo, Finland, found Karalahti, 32, guilty of helping finance the smuggling of amphetamines and cocaine from Estonia into Finland last year, in a case involving 18 others. He was also fined 10,000 euros (US$16,000). Karalahti, who was found guilty of providing 20,000 euros for smuggling operations, said he gave the money to pay back an old debt to a friend. Karalahti left the NHL in 2002 after being suspended for six months for his third violation of the league's substance abuse policy.
■ TENNIS
WTA match live on Web<br />
The WTA Tour's Web site will broadcast a live women's tennis match -- in select countries -- for free for the first time this weekend. The women's professional tour said on Thursday it would stream the women's final at the Pacific Life Open live on its Web site, SonyEricssonWTATour.com. The live feed, however, will not be available in the US, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia or any country in Europe. "We have broadcast agreements in place already [in those countries]," said Roger Gatchalian, the WTA's director of digital media. The women's final at the Pacific Life Open is scheduled for Sunday at 7pm GMT in Indian Wells, California. Gatchalian said this weekend's match is the first of eight Tier I tournament finals that the WTA plans to stream live. Next year, viewing live matches on the site could cost money.
■ RUGBY UNION
Crusaders beat Waratahs
The first-place Canterbury Crusaders scored four unanswered tries in the last 27 minutes to beat the New South Wales Waratahs 34-7 in a Super 14 rugby match yesterday. Canterbury led 6-0 at halftime, with only two penalties to Daniel Carter to show for domination of territory and possession, but ran away with the match in the second half as New South Wales' defensive performance steadily weakened. New South Wales scored the first try of the match in the 45th minute to lead 7-6 but Canterbury fought back to take the match with tries to Casey Laulala, Mose Tuiali'i, Wyatt Crockett and Scott Hamilton. The win left the Crusaders unbeaten through six rounds of this season's Super 14 and in clear possession of the championship lead.
■ GOLF
Ogilvy, Jimenez share lead
Geoff Ogilvy capitalized on a generous wind and shot a bogey-free round of 7-under 65 on Thursday, giving him a share of the the first-round lead at the CA Championship in Doral, Florida. He and Miguel Angel Jimenez birdied the final hole to top the leaderboard, two strokes ahead of Tiger Woods. One shot off the lead was Stewart Cink. Woods made a late charge as the skies darkened and rain began to fall, making three birdies over four holes to get within one shot. His day ended bitterly, however, when he three-putted from 70 feet for a 67. Phil Mickelson rallied from a double bogey in the water with four birdies over his final six holes to match Woods at 67, and they were joined by Adam Scott.
■ Soccer
Bucharest derby abandoned
Steaua Bucharest could be handed an unexpected Romanian league win after a derby against city rivals Rapid was ended early by the referee on Thursday when he was struck on the head. Hosts Rapid were leading 1-0 after a 68th minute opener but the match was stopped only minutes later when referee Alexandru Deaconu brought his hands up to his head after being apparently struck by an object. Deaconu went to the touchline to speak to one match official, and re-emerged saying that the match would be stopped if any more missiles hit the pitch. As he walked back to the center circle another object flew past, forcing the referee's decision to end the match in the 73rd minute and handing Steaua a possible three points.
■ Soccer
Lyon fined over laser pen
UEFA fined French champion Lyon US$5,000 on Thursday because a fan aimed a laser pen at Manchester United player Cristiano Ronaldo during a match. Television replays showed a circle of bright, green light shining on the Portugal international during the first half of United's Champions League game at Stade Gerland on Feb. 20. The fine was imposed for "incidents of an unsporting nature," UEFA said in a statement. Manchester United staff reported the laser pen being directed from the stands before and during the match. A UEFA delegate and the match referee submitted files to the European governing body's control and disciplinary committee, which gave its verdict on Thursday. There was no suggestion Ronaldo's health could have been affected.
■ Cricket
Jayawardena talks positive
Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardena is confident his team's improved form away from home will provide the momentum for his country's first Test series victory in the Caribbean when they start a two Test series today in Guyana. "We've been competing really well away from home, which has been an issue for a number of years for us," Jayawardena said on Thursday. "We've been dominating at home but away from home we have started winning matches. We've been very consistent." Sri Lanka, ranked as the No. 3 team in Test cricket, toured the West Indies in 1997 and 2003 and lost each two-Test series 1-0. Jayawardena said that a stronger mental approach has helped turn around his team's record on foreign soil. "It's a lot to do with mental preparation. I think home conditions, we are very comfortable with, we're used to. But when we went away from home, we found it difficult settling into those kind of conditions," Jayawardena said. "But the last three, four or five years I think we've settled nicely, fought very well and competed with the opposition.
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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