■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.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two
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