■BASEBALL
Yankees to sell sod, seats
The New York Yankees on Tuesday announced one of sport’s biggest yard sales, with artifacts at the old Yankee Stadium, from seats, sod and dirt to foul poles, home plate and lockers, going on offer to the public. “This is a chance to own a piece of history, a piece of Yankee Stadium,” Yankees chief operating officer Lonn Trost told a news conference. A pair of stadium seats is priced at US$1,499. A single bleacher seat costs US$399 with a pair priced at US$699. A clump of freeze-dried grass in a small display case goes for US$80, and sections of sod range from US$120 to US$280 depending on size. Demolition of the old Yankee Stadium — the 1923 “House That Ruth Built,” across the 161st Street from their new US$1.5 billion home — is expected to begin next month, Trost said. All pieces sold will be authenticated by the Yankees and Major League Baseball and are available through numerous Web sites, including yankees.com and mlb.com. The Yankees’ memorabilia partners, Steiner Sports, said only about 40,000 seats would probably be sold after they are treated to abate dangers of lead paint.
■BASKETBALL
Granger most improved
Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger was named the National Basketball Association’s most improved player on Tuesday. Granger had a career best season in 2008-2009, averaging 25.8 points per game and finishing as the league’s fifth-highest scorer. He averaged 5.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game and played in his first career all-star game. Granger joined Jermaine O’Neal (2001-2002) and Jalen Rose (1999-2000) as the only Indiana players to win the award. New Jersey guard Devin Harris finished second in the voting by sportswriters in the US and Canada, while Kevin Durant of Oklahoma City placed third.
■FORMULA ONE
Todt to promote Malaysia
Scuderia Ferrari’s ex-boss Jean Todt is in the hot seat to get tourists racing to Malaysia, a Tourism Ministry official said yesterday. Todt, whose fiancee is Malaysian-born actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊), will become Malaysia’s “tourism ambassador” for a year to help promote the country worldwide. Malaysian Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen will hand the appointment letter to Todt in Paris this weekend, the official said on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to make public statements. She did not immediately have details of what Todt’s activities would be. Todt, 63, resigned all his positions with Ferrari in March, concluding a 16-year career with the automaker highlighted by his direction of the Formula One team. Todt is a frequent visitor to Malaysia with the Hong Kong-based Yeoh. He recently joined a Malaysian government program that provides benefits in immigration, housing and taxes to attract foreigners to live or invest in the country.
■SOCCER
Refs get anti-racism powers
Referees will be given the power to take players off the field for as long as they see fit if there is racist behavior at club or international matches organized by UEFA. The Executive Committee of European soccer’s governing body ruled on Tuesday that referees will be allowed to take “strong and decisive action” if matches are marred by racist jeering from fans. The idea will now be examined more closely and new guidelines will be given to referees after the next Executive Committee meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania, at the beginning of July. Whether matches could be forfeited as a result of racist abuse has yet to be decided.
‘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