■BASEBALL
Henderson, Rice inducted
Rickey Henderson, baseball’s greatest thief, and slugger Jim Rice were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday. While Henderson enters the hall in his first year of eligibility, Rice waited 15 years before securing his place in Cooperstown on his last appearance on the Baseball Writers Association of America ballot. Henderson, who holds the record for most stolen bases (1,406) and runs scored (2,295) tormented opposing pitchers and catchers for 25 seasons with his sprinter’s speed and slugger’s power. Rice spent his entire career in a Boston Red Sox uniform. The eight-time all-star pounded out 2,452 hits and 382 home runs over 16 seasons capturing AL MVP honors in 1978. “It’s like being welcomed at home plate after hitting a walk-off home run,” Rice said. “I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be than right here, right now.”
■BOXING
Former champion murdered
Former world boxing champion Vernon Forrest was shot dead in Atlanta, the victim of an apparent robbery, city authorities and local media said on Sunday. Forrest was best known for causing an upset in 2001 against then-WBC welterweight champion Shane Mosley — regarded by many as the world’s best fighter at the time — and beating him again six months later. Forrest, who was based in Atlanta, was a world champion in the welterweight and light middleweight divisions and also fought for the US at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. “The cause of death is multiple gunshot wounds involving the torso and thigh, and the manner of death is homicide,” the chief medical examiner of Georgia’s Fulton county said in a statement. Forrest was shot on Saturday as he attempted to prevent people from stealing his car at a gas station in southwest Atlanta. His girlfriend’s son was in the car at the time. The case is being investigated by the Atlanta police, the medical examiner and local media said.
■BASKETBALL
Greece defeat France
Greece defeated France 90-85 to win the men’s under-20 European championship on Sunday. Forward Costas Papanikolaou top-scored with 15 points for Greece, with six other teammates scoring in double figures. Guard Edwin Jackson scored 32 points for France, which had defeated Greece in group play in the tournament. France led 59-50 early in the third quarter, but Greece used a 21-2 run to build a double-digit lead which it held until the final seconds, when France scored successive three-pointers in a desperate comeback attempt. Seven players in Greece’s 12-member squad were part of the team that took silver at the under-19 world championships in New Zealand earlier this month, losing to the US in the final. The same players also formed the core of the Greek team that won the under-18 European Championship in 2008. Earlier Sunday, Spain defeated Italy 75-72 to capture third place.
■WATER POLO
Germany beat Montenegro
Marko Savic scored three goals, including the winner in extra time, and Alexander Tchigir made 16 saves to give Germany a 9-8 win over Montenegro in water polo at the world championships. Andreas Schlotterbeck added two goals for Germany (2-1-1) on Sunday, which will face the United States in the quarter-finals Tuesday. Also, Aaron Feltham scored three times and five teammates chipped in with goals to lead Canada past China 9-5. Robin Randall made 14 saves for the Canadians (3-1), who advanced to face Spain in the quarter-finals.
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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