CRICKET
Perry smashes car with six
Ellyse Perry’s destructive batting came at an unexpected cost on Monday after a massive six by the Australia all-rounder smashed the window of a sponsor’s car during the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s match against UP Warriorz. Perry scored 58 off 37 deliveries to help her team to a 23-run win in the Women’s Premier League at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. The 33-year-old hit four sixes in her knock, the last of which sailed over long-on and crashed through the window of the car, which had been placed on a stage just behind the boundary rope. Perry, who gasped and held her head in her hands after shattering the window, later joked that the six might leave her out of pocket. “I was a bit worried, not sure I have insurance to cover me,” she said. “So, in a bit of strife there.”
FOOTBALL
Jason Kelce retires
Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, a 13-year NFL veteran who won a Super Bowl, on Monday announced his retirement. The six-time NFL All-Pro offensive lineman played for the Eagles from 2011 through last year after being taken in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. “Stepping on the field was the most alive and free I had ever felt,” Kelce said. “It was a visceral feeling with football unlike any other sport... The hairs on my arms would stand up. I could hit somebody, run around like a crazed lunatic and then get told: ‘Good job.’ I love football.” Wiping away tears and choked up by emotion several times in announcing he would not return, Kelce said he is uncertain what the future holds, although he is expected to receive offers for television commentary deals.
SOCCER
Sam Kerr denies racism
Australian soccer star Sam Kerr has pleaded not guilty to racially aggravated harassment of a police officer, prosecutors in the UK said on Monday. The 30-year-old striker, who plays her club soccer for Chelsea in England, was charged with causing a police officer alarm or distress during an incident in Twickenham, southwest London, on Jan. 30 last year, the Crown Prosecution Service said. The PA Media reported that London’s Metropolitan Police said the incident involved an officer who was responding to a complaint about a taxi fare. Kerr was charged in January. She denied the charge at a plea and trial preparation hearing on Monday, PA Media reported. She is set to face court in February next year.
ICE HOCKEY
Panthers top Rangers 4-2
Ryan Lomberg scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period, Sam Reinhart scored twice and the Florida Panthers beat the New York Rangers 4-2 on Monday night in a matchup of first-place teams. Anton Lundell also scored, Aleksander Barkov and Gustav Forsling each had two assists as the Panthers won their fifth straight game and 11th in the past 12 games. Florida leads the NHL with 42 wins and 88 points. Sergei Bobrovsky made 26 saves to improve to 31-11-2 this season, including 15-6-1 on the road. “He’s been freakishly consistent this year,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. ”We’ve done a pretty good job of not asking him to be the best player on the ice most nights, but he’s just found a way to do that for us.” Will Cuylle and Chris Kreider scored for Metropolitan Division-leading New York.
“Please love us. Please cheer us on. We have been working hard. Do not give up on us.” Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien’s heartfelt plea echoed across the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 tournament after a historic victory. Rather than boasting, Chen was making an earnest appeal after leading Taiwan to a 4-0 victory over Japan to claim their first major international baseball title at the senior level. Chen’s decisive three-run homer in the fifth inning and his Premier12 leading .632 batting average secured him the Premier12’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) title. He was also named one of the tournament’s outstanding defensive players
WELL-AGED: Although the youngest team in the tournament, Taiwan featured several veteran stars, including Sunday’s home-run hero Chen Chieh-hsien “I will never forget today,” veteran Taiwanese pitcher Chen Kuan-yu said after Taiwan on Sunday night blanked Japan to secure their first ever gold in the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 championship. Chen, who at 34 is the oldest member on the team, said Taiwan “made every difficult step to come to today’s victory. I will never forget today.” Taiwan made history when they won their first gold medal of the Premier12 tournament, beating Japan in a 4-0 shutout victory in the final at the Tokyo Dome. It was a jaw-dropping victory for many baseball commentators who went into the game with
Nikola Jokic on Saturday scored 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to spark the Denver Nuggets over the Los Angeles Lakers 127-102, continuing their dominance of the NBA rivalry, while Scotty Pippen Jr scored a career-best 30 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies past the Chicago Bulls, 142-131. The Nuggets won for the 13th time in the past 14 contests against the Lakers, including ousting the Lakers in the playoffs the past two seasons. Serbian star Jokic failed to achieve his sixth consecutive triple-double, managing only eight assists, but his effort was plenty as Michael Porter Jr added 24 points and 11
Major League Baseball (MLB) star Shohei Ohtani wants his former interpreter to hand over hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of baseball cards he says were fraudulently bought using his money. The Los Angeles Dodgers star is also requesting Ippei Mizuhara, who previously pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud for stealing nearly US$17 million from the unsuspecting athlete, return signed collectible baseball cards depicting Ohtani that were in Mizuhara’s “unauthorized and wrongful possession,” court documents filed on Tuesday said. The legal filing alleges Mizuhara accessed Ohtani’s bank account beginning in about November 2021, changing his security protocols so that he