HOCKEY
Players suing over injuries
The NHL is being sued by former players Daniel Carcillo and Nick Boynton, who allege that the league withheld information about the long-term health dangers from concussion-related injuries. The lawsuit claims that the NHL did not adequately warn and inform players about brain damage risks caused by contact to the head. Carcillo and Boynton charge the league with allowing and encouraging players to rush back to action while recovering from concussions. Carcillo, who played for five teams over nine seasons, and Boynton, six teams in 11 seasons, suffer from long-term, degenerative brain damage. “The NHL is long overdue in acknowledging the significant risks inherent in their style of game,” Gibbs said in a press release, while Carcillo said: “I’m doing this on behalf of all former NHL players that are struggling with the difficulties of transitioning from a life in the NHL with brains that have been damaged.”
BASEBALL
Osuna barred for 75 games
Toronto Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna has agreed to a suspension through Aug. 4 under the MLB’s domestic violence policy, discipline that would cause him to miss about half of the season. Osuna has not pitched since May 6, two days before he was put on administrative leave when he was charged with one count of assault in Toronto. The league on Friday said the suspension is retroactive to May 8 and covers 75 games. “I don’t have much of a reaction other than you take what MLB does and trust that and live with that and let it go through its course,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. “We knew something was coming down. Actually, it took a while. Hopefully, it all gets worked out on both sides and everyone gets the help they need and everything works out fine.” Osuna is to participate in a confidential evaluation and treatment program supervised by the joint policy board of the MLB and the players’ association.
BETTING
Rhode Island passes budget
Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo on Friday signed a US$9.6 billion budget for next fiscal year that legalizes sports betting and gives the state 51 percent of the revenues from the wagers. The budget for the fiscal year starting on July 1 counts on US$23.5 million of new revenue, although the activity is not expected to go live until Oct. 1.
CRICKET
Tampering ban upheld
Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal is to miss the third and final Test against the West Indies after his appeal against a ball-tampering ban was dismissed by a judicial commissioner. The 28-year-old was charged with ball tampering during last week’s Saint Lucia Test after video evidence indicated he took sweets out of his pocket and put them in his mouth before applying saliva to the ball within the space of a few seconds. “The judicial commissioner ... has dismissed Dinesh Chandimal’s appeal after the Sri Lanka captain was found guilty of changing the condition of the ball,” the International Cricket Council said in a statement. Judicial Commissioner Michael Beloff is to hold another hearing on July 10 to determine sanctions against Chandimal, coach Chandika Hathurusinghe and manager Asanka Gurusinha for “conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game.” The Kensington Oval in Bridgetown was yesterday to host the first day-night test in the Caribbean with the hosts 1-0 up in the series.
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
Francesco Bagnaia yesterday profited from a mistake by rookie Pedro Acosta to win the Japan MotoGP sprint and close the gap on overall championship leader, Jorge Martin. Spaniard Acosta crashed with four laps to go while leading the field at Motegi, allowing defending world champion Bagnaia to take first ahead of Enea Bastianini and Marc Marquez. Spain’s Martin finished fourth and saw his overall lead over Italian Bagnaia in the championship standings cut to 15 points. “I am very happy because with these conditions, it’s not very easy to win and gain points,” Bagnaia said after a sprint race that took place under
RSS