■ BASKETBALL
NBA honors Garnett
Kevin Garnett, who helped boost the Boston Celtics to the NBA’s best record, was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year on Tuesday. Garnett averaged 19.0 points and a team-high 9.2 rebounds a game in his first season with the Celtics after a trade from Minnesota. He also averaged 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocked shots a game. In voting by a North American media panel, Garnett received 493 points, including 90 first-place votes, with Denver’s Marcus Camby second on 178 and Houston’s Shane Battier was third with 175 points. The Celtics made the greatest one-season turnaround in NBA history, finishing 66-16 with 42 more triumphs than a season earlier, six more than the old mark set by San Antonio in 1998.
■ BASKETBALL
Seahawks release Alexander
The Seattle Seahawks released running back Shaun Alexander on Tuesday, just two years after he won the NFL’s player of the year and signed a US$62 million contract as the franchise’s cornerstone. Seahawks president Tim Ruskell said on Tuesday the team released Alexander unconditionally hours after the running back passed a physical. It’s been a rapid fall for the 30-year-old. When he signed that mammoth deal, he was coming off a stellar season in 2005 and a Super Bowl appearance. Now he’s looking for work, coming off of two unimpressive and injury filled seasons. “Yeah, it’s sad, really,” Ruskell said after announcing a move that had been expected in Seattle for six weeks, since the signings of free agent running backs Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett. “He’s been such an upstanding guy through my whole tenure here. I don’t think we have that Super Bowl run if it wasn’t for Shaun. ... It shows you have tough this game is, how ever-changing it is, how you can’t play forever. ... You just can’t do it.”
■ SWIMMING
Coach discusses expulsion
Australian head coach Alan Thompson insisted yesterday the controversy over Nick D’Arcy’s expulsion from the Olympic swimming team has not affected preparations for Beijing. He acknowledged the issue had been discussed in team meetings but said everyone had put it behind them and the sport’s reputation remained intact. “Our team has moved on,” Thompson told reporters in Canberra where the squad is at a training camp. “Swimming’s reputation is still impeccable.” D’Arcy, 20, was thrown off the Australian Olympic team on Friday for an alleged assault on former Commonwealth swimming champion Simon Cowley, which left him with a broken jaw, a broken nose and a fractured eye socket.
■ CRICKET
Boards meet to reach deal
Billionaire businessman Allen Stanford held another meeting with officials from the England and West Indies cricket boards to discuss a lucrative match between the sides. Stanford met at Lord’s with David Collier, chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), and West Indies Cricket Board president Julian Hunte and chief executive Donald Peters. The ECB said on Tuesday that Monday’s “constructive and positive discussions” advanced initial talks held between the two sides earlier this month. Stanford, a Texan who owns several companies in the Caribbean, is offering a winner-takes-all pot of US$20 million to the winner of a Twenty20 match between England and an all-star West Indies side at his personal cricket ground in Antigua on Nov. 1. Stanford also wants to continue that format over several years.
■ SOCCER
Rijkaards’ home burgled
Thieves broke into the home of Frank Rijkaard and stole jewelry, valuables and cash while the FC Barcelona coach and his family slept. Rijkaard and his wife were not stirred by the robbers, who broke in on Sunday, El Mundo’s Web site reported on Tuesday. The newspaper said that Rijkaard’s son was the only one with suspicions when he noticed a shadow in the garden after the family dog barked. Rijkaard said he and his family were “fine” on Tuesday when asked about the report at a news conference for yesterday’s Champions League match against Manchester United.
■ RUGBY UNION
No evidence on Barkley
England flyhalf Olly Barkley had an assault charge against him dropped on Tuesday. Barkley was charged with causing actual bodily harm on Dec. 19 after being accused of attacking a guest during a wedding reception on July 15 last year. After a hearing at Aylesbury Crown Court, the charge was dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service for lack of evidence. “I am really pleased that I am now able to put this behind me,” Barkley said. “I refused to allow it to affect me on the pitch, and hopefully my performances have demonstrated that. But now I am just happy to move on from it and do what I can to bring home some silverware this season.” The 26-year-old Barkley has played 21 games for England, including at last year’s World Cup, but he did not play in this year’s Six Nations. He has played for club Bath since being charged. The Rugby Football Union’s director of elite rugby, Rob Andrew, said he was happy for Barkley.
■ SOCCER
Hleb charged over ‘slap’
Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hleb was charged with violent conduct by the Football Association (FA) on Tuesday over a clash with Reading’s Graeme Murty. The incident happened off the ball during Arsenal’s 2-0 Premier League victory. Hleb appeared to thrust an open hand into Murty’s face, but the incident was missed by referee Peter Walton. Having reviewed the incident on television, Walton and the FA have decided to charge Hleb. He could be facing a three-game ban. An FA statement said: “Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hleb has been charged with violent conduct. Hleb was involved in an incident with Reading defender Graeme Murty during the second half of the match at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday April 19. The incident was not seen by referee Peter Walton. Having now watched video footage of the incident, Walton has informed the FA that, had he seen it at the time, he would have shown Hleb a red card for violent conduct.” Hleb had until 6pm yesterday to admit or deny the charge. A regulatory commission will hear the case today.
■ SOCCER
Toffees tie up Pienaar deal
Everton agreed a deal to sign midfielder Steven Pienaar on Tuesday, and will make permanent his loan signing at the end of the season. Everton had an option to sign the South African for £2.05 million (US$4.1 million) provided they paid before the end of the season. Pienaar had expressed concerns about how long it was taking for them to agree to do that, but manager David Moyes insisted the club was not to blame. he deal, as far as I am concerned, has been agreed,” he said. “It seems the problem lies with the agent’s fee.” Pienaar has agreed to a three-year deal, leaving Moyes to decide whether to take up an option on another on-loan midfielder, Manuel Fernandes. “Steven has done well for us,” Moyes said. “He is one of the reasons our football has improved.”
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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