MLB to help Australia set up new league

(AUSTRALIA, BASEBALL, LEAGUE, GOVERNMENT, SPORT, AUSTRALIAN)

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia will establish a new professional baseball league as early as next year with backing from the government and North America`s Major League Baseball.
The sport has struggled to gain a foothold in Australia, and the country`s first professional league folded under heavy debts in 1999 after lasting only 10 years.
Australia`s government has pledged $400,000 to help the league`s development.
"Australian baseball has done a great job in securing this significant partnership with Major League Baseball -- developing up-and-coming athletes and strengthening the game in Australia," sports minister Kate Ellis told the Australian Baseball Federation`s (ABF) website (www.baseball.com.au).
"This funding will help baseball to develop the next generation of Australian baseball stars."
Paul Archey, head of MLB International, said in a statement on the website Wednesday that his organization was keen to develop the sport in Australia.
"I cannot tell you when this will happen or where, but I can tell you that MLB is committed to this initiative and look forward to working with the Federal Government and the ABF to further develop the game of baseball in Australia through planning a new national league."
QUESTIONABLE CLIMATE?
The new league would likely include eight to 10 teams and schedule matches between November and February, the Australian Associated Press said.
"Some people may think we`re crazy with the present economic climate: `Why would you even be thinking about doing a national league?`" the agency quoted ABF Chairman Mark Peters as saying.
"Well we`ve got the confidence that there are people out there that will support us and with MLB`s backing, one of the best brands in the world, this will be successful."
Peters said the federation had learned from the experience of other leagues and from the previous league`s failure.
"One of the big issues is going to be facilities," he said.
"If we`re going to run a spectator-friendly sport then we`ve got to have the right facilities in place.
"The days of playing on the side of rugby and football ovals are something we can`t cope with if we`re going to be professional."
(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Peter Rutherford; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
Original article

Orioles complete record rally to soar over Red Sox

(BALTIMORE, BOSTON, SEVENTH, INNING, BEFORE, THREE)

BALTIMORE (Reuters) - The Baltimore Orioles rallied from a nine-run deficit to shock the American League East-leading Boston Red Sox 11-10 on Tuesday.
The Orioles looked dead and buried when they trailed 10-1 entering the bottom of the seventh inning, but tallied five runs to reduce the margin to four before completing the biggest comeback in team history with five more scores in the eighth.
Oscar Salazar`s three-run homer in the seventh sparked the unlikely recovery before Nick Markakis sealed the comeback with a two-run double to deep center field an innings later.
Boston enjoyed a five-run inning of its own in the fourth to take a 9-1 lead before Dustin Pedroia`s single in the seventh took the visiting team`s score into double digits.
Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis both drove in three runs for Boston with the latter, Jacoby Ellsbury and Jeff Bailey each collecting three hits.
Both teams had 16 total hits with Nolan Reimold going 3-for-5 for Baltimore, which had lost 11 of its past 12 games against Boston.
(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina; Editing by John O`Brien)
Original article

Yankees hold off Mariners to record sixth straight win

(SEATTLE, MARINERS, CABRERA, EIGHTH, BEFORE, FIELD)

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York Yankees shrugged off a rain delay to record a sixth consecutive victory on Tuesday, the 8-5 win over the Seattle Mariners set up by Melky Cabrera`s tie-breaking double in the eighth inning.
Cabrera drove in three runs overall but the one that mattered most was an extra-base blast to break a 5-5 deadlock after the gritty Mariners had twice rallied to tie the score.
Alex Rodriguez`s two-run shot in the seventh, his 565th homer, had given the Yankees (44-32) a 5-3 lead before Seattle battled back for a second time with two runs in the top of the eighth.
Kenji Johjima, who had three hits, singled in the first run and Russell Branyan added the second with a sacrifice fly to left field.
Cabrera wasted little time regaining the initiative for the home team before Derek Jeter`s single to center field brought two more runners home to complete the scoring. (Reporting by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina. Editing by John O`Brien)
Original article

Few thrills as Williams sisters thrive

(WIMBLEDON, CENTER, COURT, WOMEN, VENUS, WOULD)

By Martyn Herman
LONDON (Reuters) - Sobriety returned to Wimbledon on Tuesday after the heady brew of the night before with Center Court open to the sunny skies and the insatiable Williams sisters blasting through to the semi-finals.
British hope Andy Murray`s intoxicating five-set defeat of Switzerland`s Stanislas Wawrinka on Monday, a thrilling match which ended way after sunset under Center Court`s gleaming roof and blazing lights, raised excitement levels far beyond the reach of women`s quarter-final day.
Murray`s four-hour epic was played out in an adrenaline-fueled Davis Cup style atmosphere but polite applause was the order of the day as first champion Venus Williams, 29, romped to a 6-1 6-2 defeat of Pole Agnieszka Radwanska and then Serena powered past Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-2 6-3.
Neither have dropped a set in the tournament so far -- they even won a women`s doubles 6-0 6-0 on Monday -- as they career headlong toward a seemingly inevitable fourth meeting in a Wimbledon final on Saturday.
"That first set for me was really almost perfect," Venus, who is chasing a hat-trick of singles title here and her sixth overall, told reporters of her match against former Wimbledon junior champion Radwanska on Court One.
"Do I feel invincible? I`d like to say yes, but I really do work at it."
Asked if she and Serena were now head and shoulders above the rest, Venus did not exactly dismiss the suggestion.
"I think we are definitely the frontrunners in tennis as far as being some of the best players out there," she said. "But if there were just two players, it would just be a final. There`s got to be 128. So that`s the way it`s got to be."
At least Elena Dementieva, the graceful Russian fourth seed, is doing her best to keep up with the Americans.
The 27-year-old performed a Williams-type demolition job on diminutive Italian Francesca Schiavone, winning 6-2 6-2 on Court One where fans who forked out for expensive tickets received just two hours and 14 minutes of singles action.
With Serena needing little more than an hour to polish off Azarenka it meant Murray and Wawrinka`s fourth-round duel lasted longer than three of the women`s quarter-finals put together.
She refuted a suggestion that fans were being short-changed by one-sided women`s matches but said maybe they should play best of five sets -- a scenario that would strike fear into most who face them across the net.
"Yeah, I`m ready for five-set matches. On grass it would be fine. I can definitely play five sets," she said.
World number one Dinara Safina and unseeded German Sabine Lisicki did provide a contest worthy of the name with the Muscovite wearing down her opponent 6-7 6-4 6-1 on Center Court.
Safina now stands between Venus and an eighth Wimbledon singles final when they meet for the first time on a grasscourt in the last four.  Continued...
Original article

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Boozer and Okur decide to stay with Jazz

(BOOZER, SEASON, GAMES, ASSISTS, LEVEL, PLAYED)

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Utah Jazz starters Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur have decided not to opt out of their contracts to remain with the team for next season, the Jazz said on Tuesday.
Both players had early termination options and could have tested the NBA`s free-agency market, which opens on Wednesday.
Boozer appeared in only 37 games last season after suffering numerous injuries, but averaged 16.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists as a starting forward.
"We are excited that Carlos has decided to remain with the Jazz," Utah general manager Kevin O`Connor said in a statement on the team`s website (www.nba.com/jazz).
"We are hopeful he can continue to play at an All-Star level and will have an injury-free season."
An NBA All-Star in 2007 and 2008, Boozer also played on the gold-medal winning U.S. basketball team at the Beijing Olympics.
Turkey`s Okur played in 72 games for Utah and averaged 17.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists.
"He has clearly been an integral part of our success since his arrival and we are hopeful that he will continue to perform at such a high level in the future," O`Connor said of Okur.
(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)
Original article

Canadiens secure Gomez in seven-player trade with Rangers

(CANADIENS, GOMEZ, RANGERS, SEVEN, SEASON, FIRST)

MONTREAL (Reuters) - The Montreal Canadiens acquired Scott Gomez, and his sizeable contract, from the New York Rangers in a seven-player trade on Tuesday.
With the free-agent signing window opening on Wednesday, Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey got an early jump on the competition landing the play-making center he had been seeking.
Gomez will earn $8 million next season.
The Canadiens also received forward Tom Pyatt and defenseman Michael Busto from New York while sending forward Christopher Higgins and defensemen Ryan McDonagh, Pavel Valentenko and Doug Janik to the Rangers.
"We are extremely pleased to have acquired an impact centreman in Scott Gomez," Gainey said on the Canadiens website (www.canadiens.nhl.com) "He is an outstanding playmaker and an excellent skater.
"Having won the Stanley Cup twice with the New Jersey Devils, he brings a lot of playoff experience to our team."
The first Hispanic player taken in the first round of the NHL draft, Gomez was selected 27th overall by the Devils in 1998 and went on to claim the Calder Cup as the league`s top rookie.
He spent seven seasons in New Jersey winning two Stanley Cups before signing a seven-year contract as an unrestricted free agent with the Rangers two years ago.
Gomez tied Nikolai Zherdev for the lead in team scoring last season with 58 points but is more renowned for creating opportunities for others.
He has scored 148 goals and accumulated 578 points over nine seasons, where he has missed just 32 games because of injury.
Higgins, selected by the Canadiens 14th overall in the 2002 draft, struggled last season scoring just 12 goals and 23 points.
It was the first time the left winger had scored less than 20 goals since entering the league.
(Writing by Steve Keating in Toronto; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)
Original article

Team USA opt for youth in ice hockey training squad

(BURKE, TUESDAY, VANCOUVER, GOING, PLAYERS, ORIENTATION)

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Team USA general manager Brian Burke signaled a changing of the guard by naming a youthful training camp squad Tuesday for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
"We`re going to be the underdog in Vancouver, we know that," Burke told a conference call Tuesday to announce the 34 players to take part in a Team USA orientation camp from August 17-19. "There is not going to be a penny bet on us in Las Vegas.
"We are probably going to be the youngest team in the tournament but we are going there to win and we have tried to identify a group that will give us our best chance to do that.
"We think we have a good blend. We have some first violins and we have some tuba players too."
Team USA will have a youthful new look in Vancouver with Burke extending camp invitations to only five players with Olympic experience, led by three-time Olympian Mike Modano of the Dallas Stars.
Future Hall of Famers such as 47-year-old Detroit Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios and national team stalwarts like Doug Weight, Keith Tkachuk and Bill Guerin were not included on Burke`s list, signaling a changing of the guard at USA Hockey.
In their places, rising talents like Chicago Blackhawks Patrick Kane, the top pick in the 2007 draft and young St. Louis Blues defenseman Erik Johnson, the number one selection in 2006, will get their opportunity to shine.
"We`re turning the page to a large extent and some of those choices will be questioned, which we are prepared for," said Burke. "This is not the U.S. Olympic team for 2010, these are the invitations to our orientation camp.
"Some of the guys who were not invited are going to jam it right down my throat and I welcome that.
"If we`re right with our identification virtually all the team will come out of this group but my prediction is a couple of guys are going to make this real hard for us."
The final 23-man rosters are expected to be confirmed in late December.
(Writing by Steve Keating in Toronto; Editing by Justin Palmer)
Original article

Curry sacked as Pistons coach after one year

(DETROIT, CURRY, PISTONS, SEASON, NUGGETS, IVERSON)

DETROIT (Reuters) - Michael Curry was sacked as Detroit Pistons coach on Tuesday after just one season in charge.
"This was a difficult decision to make," said Joe Dumars, Pistons president of basketball operations in a statement on the team`s website (www.nba.com/pistons).
"I want to thank Michael for his hard work and dedication to the organization. However, at this time, I have decided to make a change."
Under Curry the Pistons finished with a regular-season record of 39-43 and advanced to the playoffs where they were swept from the first round in four games by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The results fell far short of the high expectations for a team that had reached the conference finals the previous six years.
A former Pistons player, Curry watched the season unravel following an unpopular trade in which popular point guard Chauncey Billups moved to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Allen Iverson.
While Billups revived the Nuggets, Iverson flopped in Detroit and ended the season on the injury list.
(Writing by Steve Keating in Toronto; Editing by Ed Osmond)
Original article

Tiger has extra incentive to win at Congressional

(WOODS, WORLD, NUMBER, WINNER, MAJOR, GREAT)

By Steve Ginsburg
BETHESDA, Maryland (Reuters) - Tiger Woods said his role as host of this week`s $6 million AT&T National provided an added incentive to finish top of the leaderboard at Congressional Country Club.
"It is fun winning your own event," the 33-year-old world number one told reporters Tuesday. "No doubt. It is awfully fun to do that."
Woods headlines a 120-player field at pristine Congressional, site of the 2011 U.S. Open. The four-day event at the 7,255-yard, par 70 course outside Washington, D.C., begins Thursday.
Among those also entered are newly crowned U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover, 2008 AT&T winner Anthony Kim, world number three Paul Casey and triple major winner Vijay Singh.
World number five Sergio Garcia and three-times major champion Padraig Harrington sit out the AT&T, preparing instead for next month`s British Open by playing the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond next week.
Woods, still searching for his first major of the year, sat out the 2008 AT&T while he recuperated from knee surgery.
"Unfortunately I wasn`t able to attend last year," he said. "I was at home watching it on the couch, and it wasn`t a whole lot of fun."
The 14-times major winner said he was thrilled to have his injury behind him, adding that it "feels good to wake up in the morning and not ache, not want to move out of bed."
"I went through all of that," he said. "I don`t want to go through that again. It feels great to be back. What my surgeons and trainers did to get me to this point has been great.
"I feel so good getting up and doing things each and every day.
"I`m able to play with (children) Sam and carry Charlie around and do all those different things. I was really struggling with it for a while."
Woods is expected to be challenged for the $1 million winner`s prize by Kim, who won the AT&T title a year ago in a demonstrative wire-to-wire victory. Kim said the triumph "definitely elevated my confidence."
The native Californian, seen by many as having as much potential as anyone on the tour, said he will remain patient as he improves his game.
"I just turned 24 ten days ago," said Kim, who finished tied for 16th at the U.S. Open at Bethpage two weeks ago. "I have no pressure from anybody. I want to play great golf. I want to win golf tournaments.
"I`m here to do that, but at the same time, I have so much to look forward to.  Continued...
Original article

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