Golf: Nightmare start for Miyazato, Yokomine at World Cup
January 20, 2006Ai Miyazato and Sakura Yokomine, who are paired up for defending champion Japan, got off to a nightmare start to their campaign in the Women's World Cup of Golf as they shared last place after shooting a 1-over-par 73 in the first-day fourballs Friday. Miyazato and Yokomine are eight shots adrift of joint leaders Sweden and South Korea, finishing the day tied with Italy in 19th place after carding four birdies, one bogey and two double bogeys at Gary Player Country Club.
Baseball: Southpaw Ishii rejoins Yakult on 2-year deal
January 20, 2006The Yakult Swallows and Kazuhisa Ishii agreed Friday on terms that will see the left-hander return to Japanese baseball after a four-year stint in the major leagues. Baseball sources said both sides agreed on a two-year contract for an estimated total of 600 million yen, including performance incentives, during their second round of negotiations.
Sumo: Tochiazuma grabs lead, Asa falls again at New Year sumo
January 20, 2006Tochiazuma dismantled Bulgarian fellow ozeki Kotooshu to take sole possession of the lead at 12-1 on Friday while Mongolian yokozuna Asashoryu was slammed to a third defeat by countryman Ama with two days remaining at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament. With Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko looking on from the upper-level box seats, Tochiazuma never gave the ozeki debutant a chance to launch an attack as he steamrolled ahead and shoved his opponent over the edge with a salvo of slaps to the chest in the day's penultimate bout at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.