■SOCCER
Bird brained during playoff
A player accidentally killed a pigeon after kicking a ball in an Argentine league playoff match. San Lorenzo defender Gaston Aguirre’s powerful clearance in the 64th minute of Wednesday’s game against Tigre went toward a group of pigeons looking for seeds in the grass. An explosion of feathers followed and the pigeons flew away — except one. “It was unfortunate. I kicked the ball and poor pigeon,” he said. “Now, I will be remembered as the footballer who killed a pigeon.” Several players surrounded the wounded bird as it tried to fly away, but then collapsed. Referee Saul Laverni scooped up the dead pigeon and placed it off the field. San Lorenzo won the match 2-1 in a three-team round-robin for the title that also includes Boca Juniors.
■RALLYING
Fears over Dakar relocation
A top archeologist fears that the upcoming Dakar Rally — relocated to Argentina and Chile because of security fears — could damage important archeological sites. “It will be an avalanche of metal, smoke and roar of motors,” said Norma Ratto, head of the Argentine Association of Archaeologists. The rally, which this year will feature more than 500 vehicles, was transferred from Africa because of terrorism concerns and will be held in South America from Jan. 3 to Jan. 18. Ratto said the rally will speed through burial sites and other sacred areas in Patagonia and in the northern province of Catamarca past “Palo Blanco,” an archeological site that contains remains from 2,000-year-old villages. “All of Argentina is a great archeological reserve, dating from 10,000 years ago through to the expressions of the conquest of the Incas 500 years ago,” Ratto said. However, Leonardo Alvarez, an official with the Argentine Tourism Secretariat, said: “The last thing we would do is pass through protected or archeological areas.”
■SOCCER
Cafu to play for Garforth
Former Brazil defender Cafu has agreed to play for English non-league side Garforth Town next year, reports said on Thursday. The 38-year-old left AC Milan in the summer and is currently without a club. “He’s likely to be coming in April and just playing a few games for us,” Garforth owner Simon Clifford, who runs the Brazilian Soccer Schools coaching organization, was quoted as saying by the Guardian. “It’s an absolute honor to have someone like him lining up in our shirt. I think he’ll also add something on the field.” Cafu’s fellow Brazilians Socrates and Careca have both appeared for the Unibond Northern League team in recent seasons.
■RUGBY UNION
Police charge Vainikolo
England winger Lesley Vainikolo was charged on Thursday for assaulting another man in the city of Bath two months ago, police said. A Somerset police spokesman said the 29-year-old Tongan-born Gloucester player was charged with grievous bodily harm following an incident on Oct. 26 in which the victim received a head wound and needed hospital treatment. “[Vainikolo was] bailed to appear at Bath Magistrates Court ... on Friday Jan. 2, 2009,” he said. A former New Zealand rugby league international, Vainikolo qualified for selection by England on residency, making his debut against Wales in the Six Nations Championship last February. He has five caps. Gloucester said in a statement that Vainikolo “vigorously contests” the charge.
■ BASEBALL
Former Astros star dies
Dave Smith, a former All Star reliever with the Houston Astros, died of a heart attack, the Major League Baseball team said on its Web site on Thursday. He was 53. Smith, who helped the Astros to three playoff appearances in the 1980s, compiled a 53-53 record and had 216 saves over a 13-year career that included two seasons with the Chicago Cubs. “He had one of the great changeups in the game — such an effective pitch,” said former Astros teammate Alan Ashby. “He could almost tell hitters it was coming and they still couldn’t hit it.”
■SKING
Miller feels effects of crash
US star Bode Miller is still feeling the effects of his high-speed crash in Colorado two weeks ago and has had to limit his training due to a sprained ankle as he enters a four-race weekend in Italy. Miller fell after clipping his ski on a gate in the Beaver Creek downhill on Dec. 5. “It’s sore,” said Forest Carey, Miller’s head coach. “It affects how much we can train, and when you do all four events it’s a challenge to stay sharp in all of them ... You have to do a lot of in-season training.” Miller finished eighth in downhill training on Thursday despite almost losing control just before crossing the finish line.
■SNOOKER
Shaun Murphy into semis
Shaun Murphy beat fellow Englishman Stephen Lee 9-3 and in an all-Scottish battle Stephen Maguire overcame John Higgins 9-7 in Thursday’s late match in the UK Snooker Championship quarter-finals. Hong Kong’s Marco Fu was due to play Ali Carter yesterday, with Murphy against Maguire today. Former world champion Murphy had raced into a 7-1 lead in the first session against Lee and, despite losing the first two frames in the evening, recovered to claim his 9-3 win. Murphy was joined in the last four by Stephen Maguire after the Scot held his nerve to grind out a 9-7 victory over John Higgins.
■GOLF
Furyk leads Challenge
In what amounts to a one-week break from his four-month vacation, Jim Furyk surprised himself with a 4-under 68 that gave him a two-shot lead after the first round of the Chevron World Challenge on Thursday. Furyk has not played a competitive round since winning the PGA Grand Slam of Golf in Bermuda on Oct. 15. After this week, he won’t play again until beginning his 2009 season at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February. “The goal was obviously to come in and play well and try to win the golf tournament,” Furyk said, but as little as I’ve been playing, I wanted to just kind of get my feet wet and little by little, chip away and try to put a good round together.” The entire 16-man field got its feet wet at Sherwood Country Club, which was soggy from a week of cold rain. Furyk was the only player to break 70 in the opening round, and stranger still was that he failed to birdie any of the five par 5s. But he was the only player to birdie the tough 18th, giving him a two-shot lead over Boo Weekley and K.J. Choi. Weekley was walking up the 11th fairway when he pulled up the bottom of his rain pants to reveal camouflage thermals to keep warm. He was heating up nicely until running into trouble on the par-5 16th, where he hit a fairway metal for his fourth shot and escaped with bogey. Choi was flawless on the greens while working with a new caddie — Michael “Sponge” Waite, who worked for Michael Campbell when he won the US Open at Pinehurst No. 2. Choi plans to use two caddies next year as his regular looper, Andy Prodger, takes time off.
SS Lazio on Monday fired the far-right sympathizer who handles their eagle mascot after he posted online a series of videos and pictures of his erect penis. Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with Olimpia the eagle since the 2010-2011 season, posted the footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance. Lazio said that they had “terminated, with immediate effect” their relationship with Bernabe “due to the seriousness of his conduct,” adding that they were “shocked” by the images. The Serie A club added that Bernabe’s dismissal
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