BASKETBALL
Star has only sex left
Lithuanian basketball legend Arvydas Sabonis said on Tuesday he would have to limit his pleasures after suffering a heart attack a week ago, as doctors decided to release him from hospital. “The doctors told me, ‘You can’t smoke, you can’t drink, you can’t play basketball.’ So of the things I like, only sex is left,” Sabonis told Lithuanian media at the clinic in his hometown, the central city of Kaunas. “The doctors decided this. I’m a newcomer here so I do what I’m told,” he was quoted as saying by the news Web site www.lrytas.lt. Sabonis, now 46, was inducted into the NBA’s Hall of Fame earlier this year. Considered one of the top passing centers of all time, he played seven seasons for the Portland Trail Blazers between 1995 and 2003.
FOOTBALL
Goodell defends test validity
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell defended the validity of current doping tests for human growth hormone (HGH) on Monday and said he is hopeful HGH tests on players will start this year. When NFL players and club owners struck a new collective bargaining deal in August to end a five-month lockout, both sides agreed that blood testing for HGH would be part of the new agreement once union leaders agreed to methods. However, that agreement has not come nearly a month into the season, with officials having doubts about the accuracy of the tests as well as the safety measures involved. “I think the science has proven there’s a valid test and we’re hoping we’ll get the green light from the union,” Goodell said on Monday.
SOCCER
Afellay out for six months
Barcelona says Dutch international midfielder Ibrahim Afellay will be out for six months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left knee on Monday. The 25-year-old Afellay had only played twice this season before sustaining the injury in practice last week. The European champions have been hard hit by injuries this season, with midfielder Andres Iniesta, defender Eric Abidal and new signings Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez all currently sidelined. Barcelona is in first place in the Spanish league.
SOCCER
Stekelenburg out of squad
Goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg has pulled out of the Netherlands squad for two European Championship qualifiers because he is still suffering from the effects of being kicked in the head two weeks ago. The team has announced that the AS Roma goalkeeper is returning to Italy for further treatment. Stekelenburg has not played since being diagnosed with head and neck trauma after the Sept. 17 collision with Inter Milan defender Lucio. Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm is expected to take Stekelenburg’s place in goal when the Netherlands takes on Moldova in Rotterdam on Friday and Sweden four days later in Solna.
ICE HOCKEY
Ovechkin returns to Russia
Russian superstar Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals is taking a leave of absence to return home to Moscow after a death in the family, the NHL club announced on Monday. Ovechkin learned of the death of a close relative and left a day after the Capitals completed their pre-season schedule with a 4-1 home victory over Chicago. A team spokesman said the Capitals hope the two-time NHL Most Valuable Player will be back with the team in time for Saturday’s season opener at home against the Carolina Hurricanes
SOCCER
Bologna look for new coach
Italian Serie A strugglers Bologna are on the lookout for what will be their fourth coach in 14 months after announcing the sacking of Pierpaolo Bisoli on Tuesday. Bisoli took over at the end of the last season when he replaced Alberto Malesani, who had taken over from Franco Colomba in August last year when Colomba was fired the day before their opening match of the season. Bisoli’s dismissal follows the team’s failure to win a match so far this season. After one draw and four defeats, Bologna sit bottom of the table. It also heaps further crisis on a club that has had five presidents since December last year. Sergio Porcedda, who was fired for putting the club into debt and left Bologna with a three-point penalty last season, has since had four successors, including current incumbent Albano Gueraldi. Bologna have yet to name a replacement for Bisoli, although Italian press reports cite former Genoa coach Davide Ballardini and Stefano Pioli, sacked by Palermo days before the start of the current season, as possible candidates.
RUGBY UNION
All Blacks put hands up
As New Zealand fret over the All Blacks’ future in the World Cup without injured fly-half Dan Carter, it seems there is no shortage of replacements. Colin Slade is the incumbent understudy at No. 10, scrum-half Piri Weepu has come off the bench to play there and last year’s All Black Aaron Cruden has been drafted into the squad to replace Carter. However, two other All Blacks reckon they should be given a go. Sonny Bill Williams, when questioned on his preferred position going into the play-offs after starring in the midfield and wing, shot back: “No. 10.” Not to be outdone, team wit and wing Cory Jane reeled off his credentials. “I don’t know if you noticed this, but from under-6s to under-12s, I played first-five [fly-half]. So I’ve got a bit of experience there if need be in the squad. So all I know is I can go into first-five if needed.” Blacks coach Wayne Smith said the idea, although daft, had merit. “The more I think about it, it might be a good idea because if we don’t know what we’re doing, then the opposition will have no show.”
RUGBY UNION
Auckland pays heavy price
If the climax of the World Cup is as close as an Auckland Council vote authorizing additional spending on bolstering “party zones” for fans, it may yet top the drama of Jonny Wilkinson’s winning extra-time drop-goal in the 2003 final. The casting vote of Mayor Len Brown was needed on Tuesday to secure a 10-9 victory for supporters of an additional NZ$1.5 million (US$1.14 million) outlay on a range of facilities, including a new waterfront fan zone. However, the outcome might have been different if City Vision councilor Cathy Casey had not left the council chamber before the vote was taken. The New Zealand Herald reported Casey as saying the reason she left early was to attend her step-daughter’s 14th birthday party — presumably rather less expensive than the one the city is planning for the world’s rugby fans.
RUGBY UNION
Memorabilia on auction
Collectors will have the chance to bid for more than 160 items of rugby memorabilia in Auckland next Thursday. Among the lots on offer is a cap from the 1884 New Zealand team, the country’s first representative side and one that played in dark blue, not black. “The All Blues? Doesn’t quite have the same ring, does it?”
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
Inter’s defense of their Italian Serie A title was hit with a setback on Sunday as they lost 1-0 at home to AS Roma, while Scott McTominay netted a brace as SSC Napoli beat Torino 2-0 to go top of the table. No fixtures were played on Friday or Saturday because of the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome, meaning the full round of Serie A matches took place on Sunday and yesterday. Matias Soule’s first-half strike for Roma knocked Inter off top spot earlier in the day before new Napoli opened up a three-point buffer with victory in Sunday’s
Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa yesterday set a women’s only world record of 2 hours, 15 minutes, 50 seconds as she won the London Marathon, while Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe put a star-studded men’s field to the sword. For 28-year-old Assefa it was ample compensation for finishing runner-up in London and the Paris Olympics last year — especially as bitter Dutch rival, the Ethiopia-born Sifan Hassan, finished third. Assefa dropped Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei as the race, played out in blazing sunshine and with thousands lining the route, entered its business end. She came home almost three minutes clear of the Kenyan. Hassan, who beat her in
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