■TENNIS
Star going to college
Three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten is going to college. Kuerten, a former top-ranked player who retired from the circuit last year, found out on Monday that he had won admission to attend a theater college in his hometown of Florianopolis in southern Brazil. He is scheduled to begin classes on Feb. 16, spokeswoman Clarissa Machado Santos said. Kuerten is one of Brazil’s biggest sporting idols, and when he took the admission test last year security was needed to prevent fans from bothering him. The 32-year-old Kuerten gave up professional tennis last year because of a chronic hip injury that required surgery in 2002 and 2004. He won 20 singles titles in his 15-year career, including at Roland Garros in 1997, 2000 and 2001.
■SUMO
President praises sumo
Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov told Japanese Emperor Akihito on Monday that the traditional Japanese sport of sumo wrestling is bringing their two countries closer together, officials said. Parvanov made the remark when he and his wife were received by Akihito and Empress Michiko at the Imperial Palace on the second day of their visit to Japan, the Imperial Household Agency said. Bulgarian wrestler Kotooshu, 25, whose real name Kaloyan Mahlyanov, last year became the first European to win a bimonthly professional sumo tournament. In 2005, he became the first European to become reach the rank of ozeki, the second-highest in sumo. “Thanks to Kotooshu, sumo is well known in Bulgaria and people are feeling closer to Japan,” Parvanov was quoted by the agency as telling the emperor and the empress. Kotooshu has a huge following in Japan and is adored for his good looks.
■RUGBY UNION
English team loses 194-3
Coventry Saracens suffered the worst-ever defeat in an English league match at the weekend when they lost 194-3 to Alcester but won praise from their opponents for playing the match despite having only eight players. “We dropped three forwards out of the scrum to make it five against three in the scrums but all credit to Coventry Saracens for honoring the fixture,” Alcester captain Scott Carmichael told the Rugby Football Union. “A lot of clubs would have cried off, but they turned up and insisted that the game went ahead so they deserve a lot of credit. They have gone up in our estimation and we appreciated their efforts,” he said. Alcester ran in 32 tries in the Midlands West Six match to surpass the previous highest score in a game in England, 177-3 set by Norwich in a Norfolk Cup match against Eccles & Attleborough 13 years ago. The tally fell well short of the world record score of 350-0 set by French third division side Lavardac against Vergt in 1984 when the losers refused to tackle in protest at having players suspended. Vergt conceded 66 tries, which were then valued at four points each.
■SOCCER
Ancelotti blasts Mourinho
AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti turned up the title heat on Inter rival Jose Mourinho by accusing him of a lack of respect. Mourinho was sent to the stands by referee Domenico Celi after he charged out of his dug-out to protest a decision during Sunday’s 1-0 win over Sampdoria. He later accused Celi of lacking experience and being afraid of giving a decision to Inter but Ancelotti hit out at the former Chelsea boss. “I don’t believe Celi was afraid. And I believe Mourinho has lacked respect in his manner of confronting the referee and I believe the decision to send him off was justified,” he said.
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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