Sports News
May 30, 2008Here are the sports results from Friday:
PITTSBURGH - A few days ago, veteran winger Gary Roberts offered rookie teammate Kris Letang some advice. Don't buy a motorcycle, Roberts told him. You're too young for that.
The 21-year-old Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman was excited at the idea of getting one following a phone conversation with best friend Luc Bourdon.
PITTSBURGH - Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury's bid for a 20th straight win on home ice may be a little less hectic with Tomas Holmstrom hobbled by a hamstring injury.
The Detroit Red Wing forward with whom he often reluctantly shares crease space was injured in the third period of Pittsburgh's 3-2 win in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final, but he expects to play through it in Game 4 on Saturday night at Mellon Arena.
PARIS - Oracene Price, mother and coach to Venus and Serena Williams, stood near the steps to the locker room at the end of a long, rough day at the French Open.
First she watched eight-time major champion Serena lose a match that began a little after 11 a.m. Then she watched six-time major champion Venus lose a match that ended in near-darkness, shortly before 10 p.m. Both sisters were stunned in the third round Friday by journeywomen who never have been quarter-finalists, much less champions, at any Grand Slam tournament.
Kimbo Slice goes prime time Saturday, the latest step in a brutal fighting career that has polarized the mixed martial arts world.
The former street brawler from Miami, whose real name is Kevin Ferguson, headlines "EliteXC's Saturday Night Fights" in its debut on CBS (9 p.m. ET). His opponent is James (The Colossus) Thompson, a 29-year-old British fighter whose recent record does not live up to his impressive six-foot-five, 265-pound physique.
LUCERNE, Switzerland - Canada's reigning world champion men's eight showed it's still in top form by winning Friday's heat with the fastest time of the day at the Rowing World Cup.
The Canadian eight had a good start, with only the Chinese boat keeping up for the first 500 metres, and went on to win the 2000-metre race decisively in a time of 5:25.80. The eight advances directly to Sunday's final.
DOVER, Del. - Greg Biffle took the pole. Kyle Busch took the heat.
Biffle held off the Busch brothers, turning a lap of 155.219 m.p.h. on Friday at Dover International Speedway to take the top spot and bolster his bid to drive the No. 16 Ford to his first victory of the season.
ALEXANDRIA, La. - An umpire teasingly calls him "Bat Man." His teammates consider it an embarrassment and a "slap in the face." His former ballclub sees it as a bit of harmless fun.
Sure, it sounds like the punchline of a cruel joke, or maybe an episode from baseball's more colourful past.
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland - Amanda Blumenherst and Stacy Lewis each won two matches Friday to help the Americans take a 4-2 lead against Great Britain & Ireland at the Curtis Cup.
The United States has not lost these amateur matches since 1996. The Americans got off to a good start in miserable weather on the Old Course at St. Andrews, needing a few putts to go their way at the end.
SHIPPAGAN, N.B. - The motorcycle crash that killed NHL rookie Luc Bourdon - only two weeks after he obtained his licence - has deprived northern New Brunswick of a hometown hero who was both an inspiration and ambassador for the province's fiercely proud Acadian community.
The 21-year-old Vancouver Canucks defenceman was killed instantly Thursday near his family's home in Shippagan when the powerful motorcycle he was driving slammed into an oncoming tractor-trailer as he tried to pass another truck on a curve.
VANCOUVER - Vancouver Olympic organizers have rejected all allegations that they are violating the rights of women to compete in ski jumping during the 2010 Olympics.
In a statement of defence filed Friday in B.C. Supreme Court, Games organizers said a group of women ski jumpers is suing the wrong people in their bid to get their sport added to the Games and that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms does not apply, in any event.
TORONTO - Landon Donovan wasn't impressed with Canadian Adrian Serioux's controversial tackle on David Beckham two weeks ago, and cared even less for what the FC Dallas defender had to say about it.
That's why the American international and Los Angeles Galaxy star was pleased that Major League Soccer fined the Toronto native US$1,000 Friday in addition to the automatic $250 penalty that accompanies a red card.
Charlie Taaffe can't wait for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to open training camp, and with good reason.
When Hamilton begins two-a-day workouts this weekend, they will do so with star quarterback Casey Printers, giving the former CFL MVP the benefit of going through a full camp.
BERLIN - No one teases David Oliver any more - now that the U.S. hurdler has established himself as a man to watch at the Beijing Olympics.
Oliver ran the fastest 110-metre hurdles of the year on May 9 at Doha, Qatar, and eighth best in history at 12.95 second - 0.07 shy of the world record held by China's Liu Xiang. That's progress after his high school days as an unreliable triple jumper.
LAS VEGAS - The world's highest profile poker tournament is under way at the Rio Hotel & Casino, with 55 championship events and a twist to its main event that will keep players in suspense until November.
The World Series of Poker started just after noon Friday with the start of a $10,000 pot-limit Texas Hold 'em tournament.
NEW YORK - Already convinced Big Brown will be the first Triple Crown champion in three decades, Rick Dutrow Jr. is now predicting when it will be safe to start celebrating at the Belmont Stakes.
"I have to think if he ever gets the lead in the Belmont the race is going to be over," Big Brown's trainer said Friday. "I can't see any horse coming up and catching him."
OTTAWA - Canadian Commonwealth Games organizers say they still hope to lure the competition to Canada some day, despite some bitter sentiments towards Halifax officials who pulled out of the race to stage the 2014 games.
Commonwealth Games Canada is holding meetings this weekend to discuss a future bid and rehash the Halifax withdrawal last year.
NANJING, China - Canadian diver Emilie Heymans won the silver medal in the women's 10-metre tower Friday at the FINA World Series event.
"It was a very solid performance," said Heymans, who scored 390.50 points. "I adapted well to the time change and I think it helped me to compete right away on the first day."
