SOCCER
Taiwan exit Challenge Cup
Taiwan fell to a 3-0 defeat to Guam in their final AFC Challenge Cup group match in Yangon, Myanmar, yesterday to finish with just a point at the bottom of Group A and failing to qualify for the finals. Jason Cunliffe opened the scoring for Guam in the 16th minute at the Thuwanna YTC Stadium. Ian Marino doubled Guam’s lead 11 minutes into the second half and Cunliffe added his second and his team’s third in the 79th minute. India and Myanmar were due to battle it out for a place in the finals in the late match yesterday, with the losers entering a playoff.
SOCCER
Scolari drops Ronaldinho
Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari announced a 22-player squad on Tuesday for the upcoming friendlies against Italy and Russia on March 21 and March 25 respectively. Paris Saint-Germain stars Lucas and Thiago Silva are included, along with strikers Neymar of Santos and Zenit St Petersburg’s Hulk, but there is no place for former world player of the year Ronaldinho, who is currently playing his club soccer for Atletico Mineiro. Chelsea feature three players in the squad, midfielders Ramires and Oscar as well as centerback David Luiz. Queens Park Rangers’ Julio Cesar is expected to keep goal, with cover provided by Fluminense custodian Diego Cavalieri, while Real Madrid playmaker Kaka continues his return to form and also retains his place.
BASKETBALL
NBA fines Thunder’s Ibaka
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka was slapped with a US$25,000 fine for striking Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin in the groin in their game on Sunday, the NBA said on Tuesday. Ibaka was initially whistled for a level one flagrant foul. In addition to the fine, league officials upgraded the foul to a more serious level two, but decided not to suspend him. The incident occurred with 1 minute, 52 seconds to play in the Thunder’s 108-104 victory over the Clippers. Ibaka insisted his below the belt hit was not intentional. “I just wanted to try to get position and he has his hands on me, so I’m going to try to sweep [my hand] to get in position to go get a rebound,” Ibaka said. “We were fighting in the paint to get position for a rebound. It was about positioning.”
BASKETBALL
Rockets sign Aaron Brooks
The Houston Rockets shored up their backcourt for a playoff drive by signing free-agent guard Aaron Brooks, a former first-round pick of theirs, the NBA team said on Tuesday. Brooks, who averaged 8 points and 2.3 assists with the Sacramento Kings before being released on Friday last week, spent last season with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association, who he helped reach the CBA Finals. His best NBA campaign came in 2009-2010 with Houston, when he earned Most Improved Player honors after averaging career-highs of 19.6 points and 5.3 assists in 82 starts.
ICE HOCKEY
Weiss to go under the knife
Florida Panthers center Stephen Weiss is to have wrist surgery next week that will sideline him for three months, likely ending his season, the NHL team said on Tuesday. Weiss, Florida’s first-round draft pick in 2001 and a four-time 20-goal scorer, has produced just one goal and four points in 17 games for the Panthers. “He couldn’t perform up to his capabilities, in his opinion, and he wanted to get it fixed,” Panthers general manager Dale Tallon said in a report on the team’s Web site.
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was
Aaliyah Edwards on Monday pulled off the stunner of the opening round of the Unrivaled one-on-one tournament, beating top-seeded Breanna Stewart 12-0. The tournament to be played over three days featured 23 of the WNBA’s 36 players. A few had other commitments and a couple others were out with injuries. Stewart got the ball first against Edwards and missed a contested layup. Edwards then hit a three-pointer from the corner and a jumper from the elbow to go up 5-0. The player who scores keeps the basketball. Edwards hit two layups and a three-pointer to seal the win. Stewart, a two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player,
SPEEDSKATER: Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s run at the Asian Winter Games without a medal since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990 Speedskater Chen Ying-chu yesterday made history as the first athlete representing Taiwan to secure a medal at the Asian Winter Games. Competing at the HIC Speedskating Oval in Harbin, China, Chen clocked 10.510 seconds in the women’s 100m event, finishing third behind South Koreans Lee Na-hyum and Kim Min-sun, who posted times of 10.501 and 10.505 seconds respectively. Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s drought at the Asian Winter Games since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990. This year’s Games mark Chen’s debut at the event. Previously excelling in roller speedskating, she won six medals at world championships before transitioning
The 40-year-old LeBron James on Thursday became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors. James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday. “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.” Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38