BASEBALL
Ohtani undergoes surgery
Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani had arthroscopic surgery on Tuesday to repair a labrum tear in his left shoulder, following an injury he sustained during Game 2 of the World Series on Oct. 26. The Dodgers said the Japanese two-way player is expected to be ready for spring training in February. Ohtani injured his non-throwing shoulder while sliding into second base on a stolen base attempt, which resulted in a shoulder dislocation. He returned to play the next three games, helping the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in five games to win the championship.
CRICKET
Warner returns as captain
David Warner was named captain of Big Bash League team Sydney Thunder yesterday, a fortnight after having his lifetime ban on any leadership role in Australian cricket lifted. In 2018, the opening batsman, who this year retired from international cricket, conspired to tamper with the surface of the ball using sandpaper. He was suspended from playing for a year and banned from any leadership role for life, until a Cricket Australia panel last month ruled to lift the ban. “Captaining the Thunder again this season means a lot to me,” the 38-year-old Warner said. “I was part of the team from the start and now to be back with that ‘C’ next to my name feels fantastic.”
BASKETBALL
Embiid suspended
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has been suspended for three games without pay for shoving a member of the media, the NBA said on Tuesday. The locker room incident occurred after the 76ers’ game on Saturday, when oft-injured Embiid, who has not played this season due to what the team have called left knee management, confronted and shoved a Philadelphia newspaper columnist. Embiid took issue with a column the journalist wrote that questioned the seven-time NBA All-Star and former league Most Valuable Player’s effort to stay in shape and also mentioned the player’s son and late brother. “Mutual respect is paramount to the relationship between players and media in the NBA,” league executive vice president Joe Dumars said in a news release. “While we understand Joel was offended by the personal nature of the original version of the reporter’s column, interactions must remain professional on both sides and can never turn physical.”
ATHLETICS
Runner banned from marathon
A social media influencer from Texas was disqualified from last week’s New York City Marathon and banned from future competitions after he ran the race with a camera crew on e-bikes in tow. Race organizers New York Road Runners said in a statement on Tuesday that Matthew Choi contravened the group’s code of conduct and competition rules, not to mention those of World Athletics, by competing “with the assistance of two unauthorized people riding the course on electric bicycles, obstructing runners.” The former college football player posted online several videos of himself running the marathon that immediately drew scorn. “As a runner, seeing him was amazing. Gave me extra motivation to pass him and make sure I never had to see him and his dumb crew for the rest of the race,” one user on Reddit wrote.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to