■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.
SEESAW CONTEST: The Pistons remain top of the Eastern Conference after battling to a win over the Hawks in a game that saw the lead change 27 times The Phoenix Suns on Monday shrugged off an injury to Devin Booker to end the Los Angeles Lakers’ seven-game winning streak with an emphatic 125-108 victory on the road. Booker exited in the first quarter, but the loss of the star point guard did little to halt the flow of Phoenix points over the remainder of the game. Dillon Brooks led the Phoenix scoring with 33 points, while Collin Gillespie added 28 — including eight three-pointers — as the Suns romped to victory. The Lakers were left ruing a colossal 22 turnovers — at a cost of 32 Suns points — on a
IN-HOUSE BUSINESS: LA Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said that the reason for the team’s poor form was not due to Paul, but the player was not a good fit for them Chris Paul’s return stint with the Los Angeles Clippers has come to an abrupt and stunning end, with the franchise parting ways with one of its greatest players in a late-night meeting on Wednesday that adds another layer of drama to the team’s terrible start this season. The news was delivered in a meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, that ended at about 2am, Clippers basketball operations president Lawrence Frank said. Frank said he made the decision to sever ties with Paul on Sunday then told the franchise’s career assist leader that he needed to see him on Tuesday in Atlanta. Frank did not confirm
Kylian Mbappe on Wednesday scored twice and had an assist as Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 to end a three-match winless streak in La Liga. Eduardo Camavinga also found the net for Madrid as they moved back within one point of Barcelona, who beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 on Tuesday. Both 19th-round matches were moved forward because Real Madrid, Barcelona, Athletic Club and Atletico Madrid are to play in the Supercopa de Espana semi-finals in Saudi Arabia next month. Real Madrid were coming off league draws against Girona, Elche and Rayo Vallecano. It was their second win in their past six matches in
New Zealand yesterday reached 231-9 at stumps on a first day of the first Test against the West Indies shortened by rain after Justin Greaves triggered a middle-order collapse with the wicket of Kane Williamson. New Zealand tumbled from 94-1 to 148-6 on a bowler-friendly wicket after Williamson was dismissed for 52, his 38th Test half-century. Michael Bracewell and Nathan Smith arrested the slide with a 52-run stand for the seventh wicket. Smith eventually fell for 23 and Bracewell for 47. After Matt Henry went for 8, Zak Foulkes and Jacob Duffy were both on 4 when bad light stopped play after 70
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