■SOCCER
Henry to miss Cup final
Barcelona striker Thierry Henry will miss the Copa del Rey final and might not play in the Champions League final because of his strained right knee ligament. The club said on Friday that Henry will miss the next four games, including Wednesday’s Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao. The France striker was “undergoing specific treatment to try and ensure that he can play in Rome against Manchester United,” the club said on its Web site. Henry injured his knee during Barcelona’s 6-2 win at Real Madrid last weekend. Although he traveled with the team to London, Henry missed Wednesday’s 1-1 draw at Chelsea that advanced the Spanish league leaders to the Champions League final on May 27. The 31-year-old former Arsenal striker has been one of the keys to Barcelona’s bid to become the first Spanish team to win the treble of Europe’s top club competition and the domestic league and cup double.
■SOCCER
Barca to face the Galaxy
Barcelona’s tour of the US this summer will include a match against David Beckham’s Los Angeles Galaxy. Barcelona will play an exhibition match against the Galaxy at the 90,000 seat Rose Bowl Stadium on Aug. 1. The Catalan club will also face the Seattle Sounders on Aug. 5 and a third match against a yet to be named opponent. Beckham will be back with the Galaxy by the time Barca visit under the terms of his loan agreement with AC Milan.
■NASCAR
Kenseth grabs pole position
Matt Kenseth set a Darlington Raceway record in winning his first pole in four years on Friday, while three-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson will start near the back for the Southern 500 after a qualifying crash. Kenseth had a lap at 288.89kph on the 60-year-old track to take the top spot for the race. He surpassed the mark of 288.77kph set last year by Greg Biffle, the first race after Darlington’s repavement. Johnson, a two-time Darlington winner, had the back end of his car slide into the turn two wall on his first qualifying lap. Then Johnson’s front side hit an infield wall and brought the car to a stop. Johnson was evaluated at the infield care center and released a short time later.
■CYCLING
Riders to be tested for CERA
Riders in the Giro d’Italia will be tested for the advanced blood-boosting drug CERA. Several cyclists have tested positive for the substance since last year’s Tour de France. All 198 riders entered in the Giro underwent routine pre-race tests by the International Cycling Union (UCI) on Thursday and there will be 481 more controls — plus surprise tests — during the three-week race. Giro d’Italia director Angelo Zomegnan announced plans for CERA testing on Friday, but did not specify who will carry out the controls. Urine tests for insulin will also be conducted.
■GOLF
Skins game postponed
The made-for-television Skins game in Indian Wells, a Thanksgiving weekend tradition since 1983, has been postponed because of the global financial crisis. “The Skins game has enjoyed a long and successful history ... but given the current economic climate, postponing the 2009 event was necessary,” IMG media executive vice president Barry Frank said in a statement on Friday. “We look forward to working with key partners over the coming months to ensure the Skins game comes back next year in a manner befitting one of golf’s great traditions.”
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
RSS