Fri, Apr 25, 2014 page18

• SPORTS BRIEFS

  • Agencies
  • • 
    • 
    • 

  BASEBALL

  Marrero, 102, dies in Cuba

  Cuban baseball legend Conrado “Connie” Marrero, who played in the US big leagues in the 1950s and was the oldest living Major League Baseball (MLB) veteran, died on Wednesday in Havana just two days shy of his 103rd birthday. “Early this afternoon, Conrado Marrero Ramos, one of the best pitchers in Cuban baseball history, passed away,” official news portal Cubadebate said. No cause of death was listed. However, at 102, the MLB has said he was its oldest living ex-player. Marrero, who hailed from the central province of Villa Clara, played with the now-defunct Washington Senators from 1950 to 1954, after getting his (late) start in the Cuban league. In Cuba, where baseball inspires passions like few other sources of pride and joy, Marrero was nicknamed “Guajiro,” or country boy, since he hailed from a ranch. In the US major leagues, his mates called him “Connie.”

  BASKETBALL

  Dragic gets NBA honor

  Phoenix guard Goran Dragic, whose career-high 20.3 points a game helped the Suns win 23 more games this season than last, was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player on Wednesday. The 27-year-old backcourt standout received 408 of 1,134 possible votes in a North American media poll. Indiana’s Lance Stephenson was a distant second with 158 points, three more than Anthony Davis of New Orleans. The Slovenia international, who averaged only 9.5 points before this season, added 5.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds a game, as well as sinking a career-best 50.5 percent of his shots from the floor. His stats included 40.8 percent scoring from three-point range — making him the only NBA player with 50 percent overall accuracy and 40 percent success from beyond the arc. The Suns went 48-34, but missed the playoffs, finishing one game behind Dallas for the last berth in the Western Conference. Dragic started 75 games.

  ICE HOCKEY

  Wild’s Cooke suspended

  Minnesota Wild forward Matt Cooke was slapped with a seven-game suspension for kneeing Colorado Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie in a playoff contest on Monday, the National Hockey League (NHL) announced on Wednesday. Cooke was given a minor penalty for sticking his knee out to trip Barrie just over two minutes into the second period of Monday’s 1-0 Minnesota victory in game three of the first-round playoff series. The NHL’s disciplinary officials reviewed it and decided to increase the penalty. Barrie was later diagnosed with a sprained medial collateral ligament and is scheduled to miss up to six weeks. If Cooke’s full suspension is not fully served during the playoffs, the remaining games will be added onto the beginning of the 2014-2015 regular season.

  CRICKET

  Farbrace to assist Moores

  Paul Farbrace has been appointed England assistant coach, the England and Wales Cricket Board said on Wednesday. Former Sri Lanka coach Farbrace is to work alongside new director of cricket Peter Moores. The 46-year-old led Sri Lanka to this year’s Asia Cup and the World Twenty20 title in Bangladesh, the country’s first global trophy since 1996. “It’s fantastic to be given the opportunity to work with your own country’s national team and this was an offer that I could not turn down — much as I have enjoyed working with the Sri Lankan players and sharing in their recent success,” Farbrace said. England play home Test series against Sri Lanka and India this year.
• Most Popular

  • 1

    China coast guard is escorting more illegal fishing boats

  • 2

    Uncrewed surface vehicle unveiled

  • 3

    Panama stun US to reach final of Nations League

  • 4

    Piastri wins F1 Chinese Grand Prix

  • 5

    France see off Croatia on penalties