■BASEBALL
Pujols heads All-Star list
St Louis Cardinals star Albert Pujols is the top vote getter for Major League Baseball’s 80th All-Star game, which will be played next Tuesday at Busch Stadium. Pujols, who will be making his eighth all-star appearance and a start in front of his home fans, collected 5.39 million votes. Pujols leads US baseball with 31 home runs and 82 runs batted in. He will be joined on the National League (NL) team by teammate Yadier Molina, who finished first among catchers. Three NL teams have at least two starters in the game. The New York Mets lead the NL with four picks, comprising center fielder Carlos Beltran, third baseman David Wright, New York ace Johan Santana and closer Francisco Rodriguez. The starting lineup for the NL comprises, Pujols at first, Philadelphia second baseman Chase Utley, Florida shortstop Hanley Ramirez, Wright at third, Cardinals catcher Molina and Beltran, Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun and Philadelphia’s Raul Ibanez in the outfield. The American League starters comprise Mark Teixeira at first, Boston’s Dustin Pedroia at second, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria, outfielders Jason Bay of Boston, Josh Hamilton of Texas and Ichiro Suzuki of Seattle, and Minnesota catcher Joe Mauer.
■ATHLETICS
Borzakovsky shines at home
Home favorite and former Olympic champion Yury Borzakovsky stormed the 800m, but rain and cold prevented top-notch performances at the Znamensky Brothers Memorial athletics meet in Zhukovsky near Moscow on Sunday. The Russian splashed to the line ahead of compatriot Yury Koldin and Kenya’s Reuben Bett to win in 1 minute, 46.48 seconds, a full four seconds slower than his personal best. It was the third win in five days for Borzakovsky after victories in Oslo, Norway and Moscow. Kim Collins of Saint Kitts and Nevis easily won the men’s 100m sprint, his sub-par time of 10.27 seconds still good enough to leave behind Matic Osovnikar of Slovenia, who clocked 10.54 seconds, and Russia’s Aleksandr Volkov (10.63).
Others whose performaces defied the relentless drizzle and crosswinds included Bulgaria’s Momchil Karaliyev, who leaped 17.18m to win the men’s triple jump ahead of Dmitry Dzetsuk (16.78m) of Belarus and Ukrain’s Viktor Yastrebov (16.71m).
■SUMO
Asashoryu admits divorce
Controversial sumo grand champion Asashoryu yesterday announced that he and his wife had divorced, following rumors that the couple had separated. “I had a divorce this year,” the 28-year-old said in his blog, maintained by his manager. “This is the result of many discussions we had,” he said in the brief statement, without elaborating. The wrestler, whose real name is Dolgorsuren Dagvadorj, married his childhood sweetheart Gombotseren Tamir in late 2002. They had a son and a daughter together.
■BASEBALL
Athletics acquire Hairston
The Oakland Athletics have acquired outfielder Scott Hairston from the San Diego Padres in exchange for two minor league pitchers and a player to be named, the Athletics said on Sunday. Hairston, 29, was hitting .299 with 10 home runs and 29 runs batted in at San Diego. He spent most of last month on the disabled list with a strained left biceps, Major League Baseball reported on its official Web site, www.mlb.com.
■CRICKET
Umpire killed by ball
A cricket umpire died at the weekend after being hit on the head by a ball thrown by a fielder. Alcwyn Jenkins, 72, was officiating on Saturday in a local league match at the St Helen’s ground in Swansea, South Wales, when the accident happened. He was airlifted to hospital but died shortly afterwards. Neil Hobbs, honorary chairman of the South Wales Cricket Association, told the Times: “The throw would have been from about 40m away. No one can quite believe it has happened. Umpires do get hit by the ball occasionally, but the chances of it being a fatality must be less than one in a million.” Steve Davies, chairman of Swansea Cricket Club, said: “Just before the game he turned to me and said, I just love playing games at St Helen’s. It’s a wonderful place to play cricket.’”
■SOCCER
Player kills cheeky fan
A Colombian player shot and killed a fan for calling him “lousy” on Sunday, days after the player’s team lost a local championship, police said. Javier Florez, a midfielder for the Atletico Junior team in the city of Barranquilla, ran from the scene of the shooting but soon turned himself in to authorities. Witnesses told police Florez shot Israel Castillo with a handgun after the 27-year-old electrician called him a maleta — which in Colombian parlance describes a “lousy” player. Atletico Junior lost the Apertura Championship final to Once Caldas last month.
■SOCCER
Suspicious match televised
Last month’s Russian Premier League match between Terek Grozny and Krylya Sovietov Samara, the subject of match-fixing allegations, was to be broadcast again to a national television audience yesterday. In an unprecedented move, free-to-air Sport channel was to show the June 13 match in Grozny, giving the public a chance to make up their mind on the matter. The match is being investigated by Russian officials. Originally, the game, won 3-2 by Terek, was only seen by a limited number of viewers on cable television NTV Plus. The match has already attracted huge interest, with officials, experts and media giving their view on the outcome. “I had watched this match and I didn’t like what I saw,” Russian soccer chief Vitaly Mutko said last month. Several online betting companies, including the British firm Betfair, reported irregular betting patterns for the game before suspending betting altogether. Officials say television audience figures for Monday’s broadcast could be in the millions.
■RUGBY LEAGUE
Drunken antics earn ban
The Sydney Roosters have been fined A$50,000 (US$40,000) and had their Queensland Origin star Nate Myles suspended for six games for drunken behavior in a hotel, the National Rugby League (NRL) said yesterday. NRL chief executive David Gallop blasted the behavior of Myles, suspending him until round 24 (Aug. 21-Aug. 24) and banning him from playing for Queensland in next week’s final State of Origin game against New South Wales in Brisbane. The NRL said Myles was apparently disorientated and naked in a hotel corridor and attempted to get into another guest’s room early last Sunday. “There can be no ambiguity about the behavior and there can be no excuse,” Gallop said in a statement. “The facts around the incident are clear and players have to accept personal responsibility.”
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
Zhang Shuai yesterday said that she nearly quit after losing 24 matches in a row — now the world No. 595 is into the quarter-finals of her home China Open. The 35-year-old is to face Spain’s Paula Badosa as the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage in the history of the tournament after Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Zhang went into Beijing on a barren run lasting more than 600 days and her string of singles defeats was the second-longest on the WTA Tour Open era, which
Taiwan’s Tony Wu yesterday beat Mackenzie McDonald of the US to win the Nonthaburi Challenger IV in Thailand, his first challenger victory since 2022. The 26-year-old world No. 315, who won both his qualifiers to advance to the main draw, has been on a hot streak this month, winning his past nine matches, including two that ensured Taiwan’s victory in their Davis Cup World Group I tie. Wu took just more than two hours to top world No. 172 McDonald 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) to win his second challenger tournament since the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger in 2022. Wu’s Tallahassee win followed two years of
UP IN SMOKE: More than half a dozen riders crashed out of the race, with Marquez’s title chances in doubt after driving off the track with flames flickering from his bike Jorge Martin yesterday won a crash-filled Indonesia MotoGP to extend his championship lead, while closest rival Francesco Bagnaia limited the damage by claiming the final podium place. The win leaves the Pramac Racing rider 21 points ahead of his Italian Ducati rival, who finished third behind Spaniard Pedro Acosta in sweltering conditions at the Mandalika International Street Circuit on Lombok island. In front of a crowd of 60,000 in motorbike-mad Indonesia, the 26-year-old put his tumble in Saturday’s sprint behind him, canceling out the gains his title rival Bagnaia made after securing victory in that race. “Thank you Indonesia. I am very happy.
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