Thu, Dec 03, 2009 page19

• Sports Briefs

  • AGENCIES
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  ■CRICKET

  Scots mourn Asim Butt

  Scottish cricket was in mourning on Tuesday following the death of Pakistan-born bowler Asim Butt at the age of 42. Cricket Scotland announced that Butt, a left-arm bowler who played 71 matches for his adopted country after settling in Edinburgh, died in his sleep during a visit to Lahore. Scotland team manager Euan McGregor said everyone involved in the game in Scotland had been devastated by Butt’s loss at a tragically young age. Butt had not been ill before his sudden death, he added. “He was across in Pakistan for a holiday and apparently died in his sleep yesterday [Monday] morning. He had an operation a few years back for a blood clot on his brain, but he was fine after that and came back and played cricket.”

  ■SOCCER

  Goalie ‘hit by gun pellets’

  Panathinaikos goalie Alexandros Tzorvas on Tuesday told a prosecutor that he was the target of air gun pellets during Sunday’s game at Olympiakos. Tzorvas, who is the Greek national team goalie, told the prosecutor that he was hit several times and showed marks on his body and presented medical reports. He said he had told referee Anastasios Kakos about the attacks but that the official did not record the incidents in his match report. The prosecutor has requested Olympiakos to provide security camera footage. Panathinaikos on Tuesday sent a letter of protest to the Greek league about the incident which also included a penknife being thrown on the pitch. The start of the match was delayed for more than an hour as Olympiakos fans kept the Panathinaikos team bus from arriving on time as about 300 of them clashed with riot-trained police outside the Karaiskakis Stadium in Pireaus.

  ■SOCCER

  Hertha facing crisis

  Hertha Berlin’s general manager Michael Preetz has admitted the Bundesliga’s capital club are facing their biggest crisis of the last 12 years as they battle to stay up. Despite having challenged for the league title last season, Hertha are currently six points adrift at the foot of the Bundesliga table with just one win that came on the opening day of the season. Since then they have lost 11 of their 14 games with two draws. But Preetz, 42, told the club’s annual general meeting on Monday night they can survive again, having won promotion to the Bundesliga in 1997. “Hertha are living through probably the biggest sporting crisis since being promoted to the Bundesliga,” Preetz said. “Many have already written us off. But for me, giving up is taboo. We have to stick together.”

  ■CRICKET

  New faces in S Africa squad

  South Africa named four uncapped players in an expanded Test squad of 15 for the first of their four-match series against England, Cricket South Africa announced yesterday. Left-arm medium pacer Wayne Parnell, batsman Alviro Petersen, all-rounder Ryan McLaren and paceman Friedel de Wet could all win a first Test cap if selected for the Dec. 16 contest at Centurion. Of the quartet, only De Wet is not part of South Africa’s one-day squad currently involved in a series against England. “Alviro Petersen deserves his call-up both for the impressive way he has returned to international cricket and the weight of runs he has made in domestic cricket,” South Africa’s convenor of selectors Mike Procter said. “Ryan McLaren provides us with an all-rounder if we want to go down that route and we want both Wayne Parnell and Friedel de Wet to work in the national squad set-up.”

  ■DELHI GAMES

  India targets ‘Mr Pee’

  In an effort to improve New Delhi’s image before the Commonwealth Games next year, the Indian capital is to launch a publicity campaign to stop people urinating in the street. “Don’t be Su-Su Kumar” (“Don’t be Mister Pee”) goes one of the catchy slogans for billboards that will be displayed at city intersections, the city’s Midday newspaper reported. Eight thousand athletes and 100,000 spectators are expected in New Delhi for the Oct. 3 to Oct. 14 Commonwealth Games next year. The mayor said the drive would also target the habit of spitting in public and the city’s many litterbugs.

  ■ICE HOCKEY

  Canadiens sold to Molsons

  The Montreal Canadiens, who have won a record 24 Stanley Cups, were officially sold to the Molson family on Tuesday when National Hockey League owners approved the deal. In a unanimous vote, the league board of governors ­rubber-stamped an agreement reached last June between American George Gillett and brothers Geoff, Andrew and Justin Molson. The deal was believed to be worth more than US$500 million, but details were not revealed. Gillett owned 80.1 percent of the team, its home arena and event promotion company. Gillett bought his stake in the team in 2001 from Molson brewery for US$275 million, the firm keeping a 19.9 percent share. Three generations of the Molson family have been involved with the Canadiens, which celebrated 100 years on the ice last season. Molson bought the club from the Bronfman family for US$20 million in 1978.

  ■BASKETBALL

  Nets turn to Vandeweghe

  New Jersey Nets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe will take over as coach of the winless NBA club, but not until after the team tries to avoid a humiliating place in league history. The Nets announced on Tuesday that Vandeweghe would take over the club this morning, hours after they host Dallas in hopes of trying to avoid an 18th consecutive loss, which would be an NBA record for losses to open a season. The 51-year-old executive will replace Lawrence Frank, who was fired on Sunday after six-and-a-half seasons and 16 losses in a row to start the season. Vandeweghe, who has never been a head coach, will have Del Harris as an assistant. Harris, who coached China’s 2004 Olympic squad, worked with Vandeweghe on the staff in Dallas.

  ■BASEBALL

  No arbitration for Yanks duo

  World Series Most Valuable Player Hideki Matsui and star Johnny Damon were among those not offered salary arbitration by Tuesday’s deadline by the Major League Baseball champion New York Yankees. The Yankees declined to risk a possible salary arbitration loss to the Japanese star, Damon or five others, including ace pitcher Andy Pettitte, Xavier Nady and Jerry Hairston Jnr. As a result, the Yankees will receive no compensation if those players are signed by another club.

  ■TENNIS

  Sharapova wants to design

  Former world No. 1 Maria Sharapova is interested in trying her hand at designing clothing. The Russian player, who left her fashion mark wearing gold tennis shoes in Wimbledon in 2005, doesn’t want to be a model but plans to focus on design instead. “I love designing. I love the fact that it’s very creative,” Sharapova told reporters on a visit to Santiago, Chile, where she will play an exhibition match against Argentina’s Gisela Dulko called the “Beauty Challenge.”
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