■BASEBALL
Schilling calls it a day
Curt Schilling, who won World Series titles with the Boston Red Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks, announced his retirement on Monday on his Internet blog. Schilling, 42, signed a one-year deal with Boston after helping them to a 2007 World Series crown but missed the entire 2008 Major League Baseball campaign with a shoulder injury. “After being blessed to experience 23 years of playing professional baseball in front of the world’s best fans in so many different places, it is with zero regrets that I am making my retirement official,” Schilling wrote. “This party has officially ended.” Schilling was part of the Arizona squad that upset the New York Yankees in 2001, the Diamondbacks going the maximum to capture the best-of-seven championship series. In 2004, Schilling helped the Red Sox snap an 86-year World Series title drought, famously playing with a foot injury that saw blood seep onto his sock, turning it red during a victory at Boston’s Fenway Park. Schilling went 216-146 for his career with a 3.46 earned-run average and 3,116 strikeouts over 569 games with the Red Sox, Diamondbackers, Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros and Baltimore Orioles.
■SOCCER
Player charged with assault
Hibernian’s Darren McCormack was charged on Monday in connection with an alleged assault on Calum Elliot, a striker who plays for Hibs’ bitter Edinburgh rivals Hearts. McCormack, a defender, was arrested in the early hours of Sunday morning, following an incident in Edinburgh city center. Hibernian, confirming that McCormack had been charged, said in a statement: “It would not be appropriate to comment further on any action that may or may not be taken through due legal process. The club takes an extremely serious view of such incidents and will take internal disciplinary action as appropriate.”
■SOCCER
Tough guy shows emotions
Brazil coach Dunga, usually seen as a tough, uncompromising figure, touched on a personal drama and came close to tears in a television interview on Monday. Dunga, a hard-tackling former midfielder, became emotional when he was asked about the pressures involved in his job. The coach, who has been heavily-criticized since taking over as coach in 2006, used the example of his parents to put the situation into perspective. “Nobody suffers more pressure than my mother,” said Dunga in the program Painel RBS. “My father has had Alzheimer’s for eight years and she’s always by his side, she has not at any moment weakened, so I’m not going to be the one who becomes weak. People can say what they want, there’s nothing worse than that,” he said, holding back tears.
■CRICKET
Miandad praises potential
Javed Miandad believes China has the potential to become a major cricket market within the next decade after the former Pakistan Test captain returned from a fact-finding mission to the country. “The enthusiasm and interest I saw there from government officials to university students is encouraging,” Miandad said yesterday of last week’s visit to Beijing in his newly appointed role as Pakistan’s cricket ambassador to China. “They definitely have potential, the interest and resources to become a respected cricket playing nation.” Miandad said China represented an ideal platform from where the International Cricket Council could globalize the sport. The Asian Cricket Council and ICC currently provide technical assistance and equipment to China.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their
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