FOOTBALL
Freeman to join Vikings
Quarterback Josh Freeman, who was the 17th overall pick in the 2009 entry draft, is to join the Minnesota Vikings, the NFL team announced on Monday. Freeman ended his often-turbulent four years with Tampa Bay on Thursday, when he was released by the Buccaneers. He completed just 45.7 percent of his throws with two touchdowns and three interceptions as the Buccaneers lost their first three games of the season. The 25-year-old was reportedly fined twice by Tampa Bay in the past month, including once for doing an unauthorized interview with a US sports TV network.
BASEBALL
A-Rod lawsuit goes federal
Alex Rodriguez’s lawsuit claiming MLB commissioner Bud Selig went on a “witch hunt” to force him from the sport has been moved from state to federal court. MLB filed a notice of removal on Monday, saying claims by the New York Yankees third baseman are governed by federal law. The legal action comes amid an effort by the Major League Baseball Players Association to overturn a 211-game suspension given to Rodriguez by MLB on Aug. 5 for alleged violations of baseball’s drug agreement and labor contract. In his lawsuit, Rodriguez claimed MLB and Selig tried to smear the three-time AL Most Valuable Player and cost him tens of millions of dollars in an attempt to cover up Selig’s alleged past inaction on performance-enhancing drugs.
SOCCER
Milan game closed to fans
The San Siro stadium will be closed to fans for AC Milan’s next match as punishment for insulting chants by the club’s fans during a weekend match at Juventus. It is the second time this season that Milan has been sanctioned by the league judge, after fans also subjected Napoli supporters to discriminatory chants. The ban will come into effect for Milan’s next match, against Udinese on Oct. 19. Milan was also fined 50,000 euros (US$68,000). Milan immediately announced that it would appeal the decision, saying it “lacks justification.” Juventus won the match 3-2, leaving Milan 13 points behind Serie A leader Roma in a tie for 12th with promoted Livorno. Also Monday, the league judge banned Milan defender Philippe Mexes for four matches — three games for punching Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini and one for a red card picked up later.
CRICKET
MIA Warner punished
Australia batsman David Warner has been ordered to front up to Sydney’s suburban cricket grounds to play club-grade cricket after failing to show up for his Randwick Petersham side on the weekend. The hotheaded 26-year-old was expected to debut for Randwick on Saturday, but pulled out, citing a need to hit the nets for some practice. Warner, who posted a photograph of himself in boxing gloves with a fitness trainer on Twitter on Saturday, was spotted the same day at a horse racing meeting at Sydney’s Randwick racecourse, according to local media reports. Warner was hauled before Cricket New South Wales chief executive Andrew Johns yesterday to explain the no-show. Warner was given a suspended one-match ban, meaning he would miss either a Sheffield Shield match or a domestic one-day fixture for New South Wales for another offense, but was also ordered to turn up for Randwick for the following two Saturdays, and a third if his state one-day commitments permitted. He would also have to make two visits to other grade cricket clubs to promote a campaign to discourage drunk-driving.
SS Lazio on Monday fired the far-right sympathizer who handles their eagle mascot after he posted online a series of videos and pictures of his erect penis. Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with Olimpia the eagle since the 2010-2011 season, posted the footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance. Lazio said that they had “terminated, with immediate effect” their relationship with Bernabe “due to the seriousness of his conduct,” adding that they were “shocked” by the images. The Serie A club added that Bernabe’s dismissal
The NHL postponed the Los Angeles Kings’ home game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday with several massive wildfires burning across the greater Los Angeles area. The Kings and Flames were scheduled to play on Wednesday night at the Kings’ downtown arena. The NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers were scheduled to host the Charlotte Hornets in the same arena last night. “Our hearts are with our entire Los Angeles community,” the Kings said in a statement. “We appreciate the hard working first responders who are diligently working to contain the fire and protect our community. We appreciate the league’s support in keeping our
Doping fears prevented former US Open champion Emma Raducanu from treating insect bites on the eve of the Australian Open, she said, with players increasingly wary about ingesting contaminated substances. The British player was speaking in the wake of high-profile doping cases involving Iga Swiatak and Jannik Sinner. “I would say all of us are probably quite sensitive to what we take on board, what we use,” the 22-year-old said, recalling an incident on Friday. “I got really badly bitten by, I don’t know what, like ants, mosquitoes, something. I’m allergic, I guess,” she added. The bites “flared up and swelled up really a
TWO IN A WEEK: Despite an undefeated start to the year playing alongside Jiang Xinyu of China, Wu Fang-hsien is to play the Australian Open with a Russian partner Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien yesterday triumphed at the Hobart International, winning the women’s doubles title at the US$275,094 outdoor hard-court tournament, while McCartney Kessler lifted the trophy in the women’s singles. Fourth-ranked Wu and partner Jiang Xinyu of China took 1 hour, 15 minutes to defeat Romania’s Monica Niculescu and Fanny Stollar of Hungary, 6-1, 7-6 (8/6) at the Hobart International Tennis Centre, their second title in a week. Wu and Jiang on Sunday won the women’s doubles title at the ASB Classic in Auckland, beating Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic and Sabrina Santamaria of the US. Their winning ways continued in Australia as they stretched
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