■SOCCER
Rovers sign Robinson
Blackburn Rovers on Friday signed Tottenham Hotspur’s England goalkeeper Paul Robinson for £3.5 million (US$7 million), the Lancashire club announced. With the deal sealed, it is expected that Rovers’ long-serving keeper Brad Friedel will complete his £2 million move to fellow English Premier League side Aston Villa. The 28-year-old Robinson will be hoping for a fresh start at Ewood Park after a remarkable fall from grace at White Hart Lane that started when he was dropped as England’s No.1 and ended with his first-team spot under Juande Ramos threatened by Radek Cerny and summer signing Heurelho Gomes.
■CRICKET
Steyn ruled out of Test
South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn will miss the third Test against England after suffering a fractured thumb. X-rays showed Steyn has injured the base of his left thumb and the 24-year-old is likely to be in a plaster cast for two to three weeks. South Africa team manager Mohammed Moosajee confirmed Steyn will miss the Edgbaston Test, which starts on Wednesday, after having the plaster cast fitted at a hospital in Worcester, where his side are currently playing a tour match against Bangladesh A.
SOCCER
Mexes’ daughter stolen
AS Roma’s French defender Philippe Mexes suffered a terrifying ordeal when thieves stole his car, with his two-year-old daughter inside. Police sources said the robbers abandoned the vehicle just a quarter-of-an-hour later having discovered baby Eva inside the car. Italian police claimed Mexes was present at the time of the theft, which occurred on Thursday night, a version that was denied by Mexes’ agent Olivier Jouanneaux. “Thursday night, Philippe Mexes was at training at Roma’s training ground at Trigoria,” said Jouanneaux, claiming that Mexes’ wife Carla had been alone with their two children, Eva and four-year-old Enzo. “She took her son into the house and the two men came in behind her and stole the keys. She saw them leaving with the car, with her young daughter still inside.”
■CRICKET
Laxman move falls through
India batsman V.V.S. Laxman’s planned move to Nottinghamshire has fallen through after the deal was vetoed by the India Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI), the English county said. The 33-year-old had been expected to arrive at Trent Bridge next month after Nottinghamshire had received a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the BCCI two weeks ago. However, the BCCI have subsequently withdrawn the NOC by e-mail and Nottinghamshire director of cricket Mick Newell said the county would now search for a replacement player. “We followed correct procedures to complete the deal with the approval of the BCCI and it is extremely disappointing that they have reversed their stance,” Newell said. “We were very surprised to learn about the possibility of the deal collapsing in the media in the first instance.”
■SOCCER
Porto sign the ‘Hulk’
Portuguese champions FC Porto on Friday signed Brazilian striker Givanildo Vieira de Souza, nicknamed the “Hulk” for his muscular physique, for 5.5 million euros (US$8.6 million) from Tokyo Verdy in Japan. “The contract runs until June 30, 2012,” a Porto statement said. The 21-year-old began his career with Corinthians in the Brazilian top flight, before moving to Tokyo Verdy in 2005.
■BASEBALL
Olympics to use tie-breaker
The Olympic baseball tournament will institute a new tie-breaking procedure in Beijing, beginning each inning from the 11th with runners on first and second bases. Teams may also start the 11th at any point in their batting order under format changes announced on Friday by the International Baseball Federation and adopted in time for next month’s Beijing Games. For example, a team that opts to lead off with its No. 3 hitter would begin with its No. 1 batter on second base and its No. 2 hitter on first with no outs.
■BASKETBALL
Lakers acquire Vujacic
Slovenian guard Sasha Vujacic has agreed to a three-year, US$15 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers after emerging last season as a key member of the NBA’s Western Conference champions. “We felt Sasha made great progress in this past year, and our coach showed great confidence in playing him the second half of the season,” Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said on Friday in confirming the agreement, first reported by the Riverside Press-Enterprise. The 24-year-old Vujacic, whose contract had expired, averaged a career-high 8.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1 assist in 72 games this season.
■BASEBALL
Yanks trade for Nady, Marte
The New York Yankees acquired outfielder Xavier Nady and southpaw reliever Damaso Marte from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for four minor leaguers on Friday. The trade is pending medicals. With injuries to outfielders Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui along with catcher Jorge Posada, the Yankees were looking to add offensive depth for their late-season push. Nady, 29, gives New York another experienced right-handed bat in a lineup that has struggled to produce runs. Entering Friday’s game, Nady was batting .330 with 13 home runs and 57 RBIs. Marte will provide the Yankees with a left-hander out of the bullpen. He is 4-0 with a 3.47 ERA in 46-and-two-third innings this season. Pittsburgh will receive right-field prospect Jose Tabata and pitchers Ross Ohlendorf, George Kontos and Phil Coke.
■FOOTBALL
Packers in talks with Jets
The Green Bay Packers have been in touch with the New York Jets, reportedly to give the Jets the go-ahead to pursue quarterback Brett Favre. Jets quarterback Chad Pennington on Friday said he was told by general manager Mike Tannenbaum that the Packers have been in contact with the Jets. With Pennington and Kellen Clemens expected to vie for the starting Jets job, any quarterback controversy at the Jets could be magnified by the arrival of Favre.
■BASKETBALL
Shock snub Lieberman
Nancy Lieberman, who made history on Thursday night by playing in a Women’s National Basketball Association game at age 50, was waived by the Detroit Shock on Friday. The guard was axed one day after signing a seven-day deal with the club and breaking her own mark as the oldest player in the history of the US women’s elite league. Lieberman missed her only shot and added two assists with turnovers in nine minutes on the court in a 79-61 Detroit loss to the Houston Comets on Thursday. The Shock were in need of players after five players were suspended for their roles in a brawl on Tuesday against Los Angeles. Lieberman was a rookie 11 years ago in the WNBA’s debut season when she set what had been the mark for the oldest WNBA player.
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
When Wang Tao ran away from home aged 17 to become a professional wrestler, he knew it would be a hard slog to succeed in China’s passionate but underdeveloped scene. Years later, he has endured family disapproval, countless side gigs and thousands of hours of brutal training to become China’s “Belt and Road Champion” — but the struggle is far from over. Despite a promising potential domestic market, the Chinese pro wrestling community has been battling for recognition and financial stability for decades. “I have done all kinds of jobs [on the side]... Because in the end, it is very
No team in the CPBL can surpass the Taipei Dome attendance record set by the CTBC Brothers, except when the Brothers team up with Taiwanese rock band Mayday. A record-high 40,000 fans turned out at the indoor baseball venue on Saturday for Brothers veteran Chou Szu-chi’s first farewell game, which was followed by a mini post-game concert featuring Mayday. This broke the previous CPBL record of 34,506 set by the Brothers in early last month, when K-pop singer Hyuna performed after the game, and the dome’s overall record of 37,890 set in early March, which featured the Brothers and the
With a quivering finger, England Subbuteo veteran Rudi Peterschinigg conceded the free-kick that sent his country’s World Cup quarter-final into extra-time before smashing his plastic goalkeeper on the floor in frustration. In the genteel southern English town of Tunbridge Wells, 300 elite players have gathered to play the game they love. “I won’t say this is the best weekend I’ve ever had in my life, but it’s certainly in the top two,” said Hughie Best, 58, who flew in from Perth, Australia, to compete and commentate at the event. Tunbridge Wells is the “spiritual home” of Subbuteo, which was invented there in 1946