BASEBALL
Tokyo beat Taipei
Kengo Tomita hit two home runs and Tokyo beat Taipei 7-5 on Friday night in the Little League World Series opener for both teams in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Shingo Tomita led off the game with a home run to right-center for Japan, and Kengo Tomita made it 2-0 with his first homer. Kengo Tomita’s second home run, a solo shot in fifth, gave Japan a four-run lead. Kengo Tomita also singled in Japan’s four-run second inning.Yen Cheng-yu hit a two-run home run for Taiwan in the sixth. Japan are to play Mexico in a winners’ bracket game today. Taiwan were to face Canada yesterday.
BASKETBALL
Jordan awarded US$8.9m
NBA legend Michael Jordan was awarded US$8.9 million by a Chicago jury on Friday in a case against a supermarket chain which included his name in a promotion without his permission. “I’m pleased with today’s verdict,” Jordan said in a statement. “No one — whether or not they’re a public figure — should have to worry about their identity being used without their permission.” Dominick’s in 2009 used Jordan’s name in a commemorative ad in Sports Illustrated when the former Chicago Bulls superstar was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Lawyers for the now-closed grocery store chain — which was taken over by Safeway — had said Jordan should receive US$126,900 for the unauthorized use of his name. Jordan argued that he would not have accepted such a deal based on his endorsement history and his legal team determined with the help of a sports economist that using his name in the ad was worth US$10 million.
FOOTBALL
Griffin out with concussion
Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III faces a spell on the sidelines after being concussed in a pre-season victory over the Detroit Lions, it was confirmed on Friday. Griffin left the game in the second quarter of the Redskins’ 21-17 win on Thursday after suffering a torrid time at the hands of Detroit’s defense. Redskins head coach Jay Gruden said it was unclear how long Griffin would be out of action, or whether he would recover in time for next Saturday’s pre-season game against the Baltimore Ravens. “We’ll have to see,” Gruden said. “I would imagine, depending on how long he is out, he is still going to be our starter. We have to wait and go through the whole process and see how he recovers; see how fast he recovers. I have no idea as far as the third pre-season game, fourth one, right now.” A Redskins executive official told ESPN on Friday Griffin was “fine” and could be fit to face the Ravens next week. “But [we] still need to make sure he is right,” the official added.
OLYMPICS
Los Angeles grants powers
The president of the Los Angeles City Council has introduced a motion to give Mayor Eric Garcetti broad authority to negotiate a deal to host the 2024 Olympics. The Los Angeles Times reported that the motion would give Garcetti and council president Herb Wesson the authority to sign a legally binding agreement with the US Olympic Committee. The agreement would allow the city to enter into a contract with the International Olympic Committee in two years. The newspaper reports that the council could vote on the motion as soon as next week. If Los Angeles becomes the US candidate for the 2024 Olympics after Boston’s recent drop from contention, a mayor’s adviser says the organizers’ proposed budget for the Summer Games would be US$4.1 billion.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their
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