BASEBALL
Mexico eliminates Taiwan
Catcher Raul Leon drove in five runs with a homer and a single as Mexico eliminated Taipei, Taiwan with an 11-1 victory in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday at the Little League World Series. Mexico will face Japan or Venezuela, who are both unbeaten and were to play yesterday. Leon drove in only one run during Mexico’s first three games. He homered in the first inning for a 3-0 lead, spreading his arms in celebration as he rounded the bases. In the second inning, he came up with the bases loaded and singled sharply to center field for two more runs during a four-run rally. Mexico second baseman Andres Villa made the highlight reels when he scooped a grounder with his glove to the shortstop to start a double play in the second inning. Villa hit a two-run homer in the fifth, and Ernesto Rios followed with a solo shot to end it.
OLYMPICS
Japan offers no guarantee
Japan are unable to guarantee they will meet an International Olympic Committee (IOC) deadline to complete work on the new National Stadium in time for the 2020 Games. IOC vice president John Coates, on a visit to Tokyo on Tuesday, asked Japan to deliver the stadium by January 2020 ahead of the Games, which are scheduled to take place from July 24 to Aug. 9. Japanese Minister of Olympics Toshiaki Endo said the deadline, set so the venue can host necessary test events prior to the Games, would be tough to meet.
OLYMPICS
LA projects US$161m surplus
After anxiety over taxpayer costs helped cripple Boston’s 2024 Olympic bid, organizers in potential stand-in Los Angeles disclosed a budget on Tuesday that shows the city holding a US$161 million surplus after staging events from Santa Monica beaches to the Hollywood Hills. Los Angeles, which hosted the 1932 and 1984 Olympics, is viewed as the likely replacement for Boston’s failed bid because the city’s many existing venues could help keep costs low. The Los Angeles plan projects spending US$4.1 billion; Boston’s budget was about US$4.6 billion, but billions more could have been needed for construction, security and other costs.
FOOTBALL
Steelers sign Michael Vick
The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed quarterback Michael Vick to a one-year deal, the team announced on Tuesday. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed, but the veteran is expected to act as back-up to Pro Bowl signal-caller Ben Roethlisberger. The 35-year-old Vick spent last season with the New York Jets, but was used sparingly behind the impressive Geno Smith. A No. 1 overall draft pick for the Atlanta Falcons in 2001, Vick lit up the NFL as a dynamic runner and passer before missing two seasons because of a prison sentence for federal gambling and dog fighting charges. Vick, who returned from his hiatus to spend five seasons at the Philadelphia Eagles, has since redefined his career as a veteran locker room presence.
RUGBY UNION
NZ Rugby re-sign Smith
Scrumhalf Aaron Smith has re-signed with New Zealand Rugby for the next four years, joining a group of younger players who will carry the All Blacks forward when senior players retire after this year’s World Cup. The 26-year-old Smith, who has played 41 Tests and is New Zealand’s first-choice scrumhalf, joins winger Julian Savea, lock Brodie Retallick and hooker Dane Coles in signing deals that continue through the 2019 World Cup.
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
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
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