Tue, Jun 07, 2011 page18

• SPORTS BRIES

  • Agencies
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  ATHLETICS

  Powell pulls up lame

  Jamaican former 100m world record holder Asafa Powell pulled up lame in an international meeting at Rabat, Morocco, on Sunday and is being evaluated, his manager said. “I am not too worried about it,” Powell was quoted as saying by manager Paul Doyle in an e-mail. “I was cautious in the race when I felt some tightness,” the manager related. “I am confident I will be ready and fit by the [Jamaican world championships] trials.” Powell must finish in the top three against a high quality 100m field at the trials to make the Jamaican team for the world championships in Daegu, South Korea, in August.

  RUGBY UNION

  McCaw’s bum foot flares up

  The Canterbury Crusaders could be without skipper Richie McCaw for the rest of their Super Rugby campaign after his troublesome foot injury flared up again following the team’s 17-16 loss to the Queensland Reds last week. McCaw missed two months after surgery for a stress fracture in his right foot in February and has struggled for fitness since returning in April. A scan following the loss to the Reds had shown that a screw inserted during the surgery was irritating the bone and would cause the 30-year-old flanker to miss up to three weeks with only two rounds remaining in the regular season. “If he was to play through it he could risk further damage,” Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder told reporters.

  BASEBALL

  Dice-K fears for future

  Daisuke Matsuzaka admitted on Sunday he feared for his Boston Red Sox future after learning he would have to undergo season-ending surgery on his right elbow. “I was told the ligament was torn and for the elbow to fully heal, an operation was the only option,” the Japanese pitcher told a news conference. “It was a shock, even though I was kind of prepared for the news. To be honest I feel a lot of anxiety right now. Many people told me the success rate for this kind of surgery is high, but it’s the first time for me and it worries me.”

  BASKETBALL

  Pistons look for new coach

  Four days after buying the NBA’s Detroit Pistons, Tom Gores is looking for a new coach. John Kuester was fired as coach of the Pistons on Sunday after going 57-107 during two seasons in the job, both of which ended without trips to the playoffs. The Pistons won their third NBA crown in 2004 during a run of six consecutive runs to the playoff semi-finals or deeper, but slipped to 27-55 in Kuester’s first season guiding the club and 30-52 this past season. “Decisions like this are difficult to make,” Pistons president Joe Dumars said.

  NASCAR

  Keselowski wins in Kansas

  Brad Keselowski held off Dale Earnhardt Jr to win Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway and pick up his first victory of the year. Keselowski led the final nine laps, conserving just enough fuel to stave off Earnhardt and snap a 75-race winless streak. Earnardt finished second for the second week in a row in a fuel mileage race. Earnhardt appeared to have enough to make a late charge on Keselowski. That push never came — though Earnhardt did move up to third in the points standings. Denny Hamlin was third, followed by Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards. Polesitter Kurt Busch led for 152 laps on Sunday and finished ninth. He had to stop for gas as the leader with 10 laps remaining.
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