■SOCCER
Podolski to miss qualifier
Germany striker Lukas Podolski has been ruled out of tomorrow’s 2010 World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan after picking up a minor injury in training this week, the German soccer federation said on Sunday. Podolski had also missed Cologne’s season opener, a 1-0 defeat by Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, after feeling some pain in his leg muscle during training throughout the week. “It would have been too risky to play him in Baku because he could then be out for much longer,” Germany coach Joachim Loew said on the federation’s Web site. Germany are top of European qualifying Group Four, a point ahead of Russia.
■SOCCER
Real blank DC United
Real Madrid beat DC United 3-0 on Sunday in an exhibition game before 72,368 fans at FedEx Field. The Spanish powerhouse — which spent some US$375 million on new players in the offseason — also beat Toronto FC 5-1 on Friday during its preseason tour. United goalkeeper Josh Wicks kept Real at bay in a scoreless first half, but Gonzalo Higuain scored twice in a two-minute span in the second half as the visitors took control. Arjen Robben added another goal for Real. Real stunned the soccer world with its lavish offseason spending in hopes of regaining supremacy in Spain and Europe from Barcelona. Its newly purchased players included Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, FIFA’s world players of the year in 2007 and last year. Ronaldo played only the first half on Sunday, and Kaka was replaced in the 67th minute.
■ICE HOCKEY
Kane in 20 cent dispute
Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane, last year’s NHL Rookie of the Year, was arrested early on Sunday after an altercation in Buffalo with a cab driver. TV station WIVB reported that Kane pleaded not guilty to charges of felony robbery and misdemeanors of theft of services and criminal mischief that both he and a cousin face following the incident. Kane, 20, caught a cab from the city’s nightclub district and a police report says the driver claimed he was punched and hit by two men because he did not have US$0.20 in change for them, leaving cuts to his face and damaging his glasses.
■BASKETBALL
Rambis to coach T-Wolves
Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor says team executives have a verbal agreement for Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis to become the next coach of the T-Wolves. Taylor told the St Paul Pioneer Press about the deal, saying Rambis was expected to sign a contract yesterday. Rambis replaces Kevin McHale, who was fired in June after the Timberwolves completed a miserable 24-58 campaign. Rambis, 51, played nine seasons for the Lakers during the 1980s “Showtime” era featuring Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
■RUGBY UNION
Carter recalled to All Blacks
Star fly-half Dan Carter was on Monday recalled to the All Blacks squad for the rest of their Tri-Nations campaign six months after suffering a torn Achilles tendon. Carter has played in domestic games recently and declared himself fit to return to international duty. “He is a key member of the All Blacks, has recovered well from his injury and has made a great return to rugby so now is the right time to bring him back into the squad,” coach Graham Henry said. Carter was injured playing for the French side Perpignan against Stade Francais in February while on a New Zealand Rugby Union-sanctioned break from Super 14 duties.
South Korean giants T1, led by “Faker,” won their fifth League of Legends (LoL) world championship crown in London on Saturday, beating China’s Bilibili Gaming (BLG) in a thrilling final. The teams were locked at 2-2 at a packed O2 arena, but T1 clinched game five to make it back-to-back titles after nearly four hours of tense action. China’s BLG started strongly, taking the first game before T1 struck back to level. The Chinese team pulled ahead again at 2-1 only for their opponents to hit back again and go on to take the decider. Faker, who won the Most
The Major League Baseball World Series trophy is headed to Los Angeles, but the party is extending all the way to Japan. People milled around local train stations yesterday morning in Tokyo as newspaper extras were ready to roll off the presses, proclaiming Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto as world champions along with their Dodgers teammates after a stirring Game 5 victory over the New York Yankees. The 30-year-old is a national hero in Japan whose face adorns billboards and TV adverts all over the country. Ohtani this year became the first player in history to hit 50 home runs and
Amber Glenn overcame a fall and her own doubts to win a maiden Grand Prix figure skating title on Saturday at the Grand Prix de France. The American skater had the lead from Friday’s short program. That and the support of the crowd got her through a tough free skate in which she fell on a triple flip and put a hand onto the ice to steady herself on two other jumps. “I didn’t feel that great out there today, but I really tried, and the audience really got me through that last half when I was doubting myself,” Glenn
WORLD SERIES: ‘The individuals that were involved in that last night was a very small segment of the east Los Angeles community,’ the Los Angeles county sheriff said Rowdy crowds took to the streets of Los Angeles after the LA Dodgers won the Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series, setting a city bus on fire, breaking into stores and lighting fireworks. A dozen arrests were reported by police on Thursday, but officials said that most fans celebrated peacefully. Video showed revelers throwing objects at police in downtown LA as sirens blared and officers told them to leave the area on Wednesday night after the Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the MLB World Series at Giants Stadium in New York. Another video showed someone standing atop
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