■CRICKET
Injured Flintoff out of IPL
Andrew Flintoff will not fulfill the second year of his contract with Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise the Chennai Super Kings after undergoing another operation on his right knee. The England all-rounder, however, has set his sights on playing for Lancashire in all competitions in the next English season, having believed he would be fit for one-day matches only, even if he won’t be returning until midway through the domestic campaign. Pace bowler and hard-hitting batsman Flintoff retired from Test cricket after helping England regain the Ashes last year, saying his injury-hit body could no longer stand the strain, but stressed he wanted to remain involved in the one-day set-up.
■BASEBALL
Beltran denies defying Mets
Carlos Beltran said on Thursday that the New York Mets made their request to delay knee surgery only after the operation was underway. A day after his right knee was repaired, Beltran contradicted the claims of team officials, who said they asked him to delay surgery while the club’s medical staff evaluated his condition. “I have done nothing but follow the directions of my doctors. Any accusations that I ignored or defied the team’s wishes are simply false,” Beltran said in a statement released by his agent, Scott Boras. “No one from the team raised any issue until Wednesday, after I was already in surgery,” Beltran said. Boras said chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon asked for the delay early on Wednesday, when Richard Steadman was already removing cartilage fragments and inflammation, and shaving bone spurs.
■FOOTBALL
Crennel returns to NFL
Former Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel returned to the NFL after a year-long break when he was officially appointed defensive coordinator with the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday. Crennel, who was sacked by the Browns in December 2008 after going 24-40 during four seasons with Cleveland, spent last year recovering from hip replacement surgery. “I’m excited to be here at Kansas City,” Crennel said during a joint conference call with Chiefs head coach Todd Haley. “I was able to take a breath last year. That breath has filled my lungs, my enthusiasm is up, my energy is up.”
■SKIING
Heil, McPhie share podium
Olympic champion Jennifer Heil of Canada won her third consecutive World Cup moguls and second in a row at Deer Valley Resort on Thursday. Heil tied for first with Heather McPhie of the US. They posted the same scores for their runs and in the tie-breaker based on the turn component of their results. “In my 10 years, I’ve definitely never seen anybody share the podium, but Heather obviously had a fantastic run,” Heil said. Dale Begg-Smith of Australia also won his third straight World Cup gold by edging Guilbaut Colas of France. Kazakhstan’s Dmitriy Reiherd of placed third.
■SKIING
Gut to miss Olympics
Swiss teen alpine ski star Lara Gut, a double silver medallist at last year’s World Ski Championships, will not take part in the upcoming Winter Olympics, her father said on Thursday. The 18-year-old underwent an operation on an injured hip three months ago in her homeland, but will not be back on the slopes until early next month. “It’s now official,” said Pauli Gut, Lara’s father, coach and manager. “We knew it would be tough [to make the Games]. The time for preparation was too tight.”
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
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
Francesco Bagnaia yesterday profited from a mistake by rookie Pedro Acosta to win the Japan MotoGP sprint and close the gap on overall championship leader, Jorge Martin. Spaniard Acosta crashed with four laps to go while leading the field at Motegi, allowing defending world champion Bagnaia to take first ahead of Enea Bastianini and Marc Marquez. Spain’s Martin finished fourth and saw his overall lead over Italian Bagnaia in the championship standings cut to 15 points. “I am very happy because with these conditions, it’s not very easy to win and gain points,” Bagnaia said after a sprint race that took place under
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