WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2013 SPORTS

Cardinals, Red Sox set Photo of the day for World Series duel

BOSTON: The resurgent Red Sox will try to to make the World Series and the play- cap a worst-to-first season with a World offs from the start. Series win over talent-laden St. Louis in a “Everybody here just believed it, and the battle of baseball’s best teams that starts numbers this year, they speak for them- today. selves. The way guys grinded out at-bats The 109th World Series, which opens at throughout the season, passing the torch Boston’s Fenway Park, is one for the purists. to the next guy-it’s what this team’s about.” For the first time since 1999, the teams with The Cardinals are back in the World Series the most wins in the American League and for the fourth time in 10 seasons, but they National League have made it through the too have had to put behind them the dis- playoffs to Major League Baseball’s Fall appointment of 2012. Classic. Both Boston and St. Louis posted 97 After lifting the title in 2011 they regular-season victories and both led their appeared headed back to the World series leagues in runs scored. last season, only to surrender a 3-1 lead in The Red Sox wrapped up the American the NL Championship Series to San League pennant with a six-game triumph Francisco, which went on to sweep the over Detroit in the AL Championship Series, Tigers for the crown. while the Cardinals downed the Dodgers in The Cardinals haven’t displayed the kind six games in the NLCS. of offensive power shown by the Red Sox, “I’ve faced the Cardinals a lot over the who had grand slams from both 37-year- years and that’s one excellent baseball old designated hitter David Ortiz and team,” Red Sox right fielder Shane Victorino Victorino in the series against Detroit. said. “We’re going to have to be at the top However, the St. Louis offense led by of our game.” Carlos Beltran has shown an uncanny For the Red Sox, the entire season has knack for the timely hit. Beltran, a 17-year been about rebounding from a dismal 2012 veteran who is playing in the World Series campaign that yielded only 69 victories for the first time, is hitting only .256 this and 93 defeats. October, but has driven in 12 runs in 11 A roster makeover included the addition games. of Victorino, Mike Napoli and Jonny Gomes, St. Louis’ offense could also receive a with former pitching coach John Farrell spark from the return of first baseman Allen returning to Boston as manager to guide Craig. Craig, who led the Cardinals with 97 the turnaround that the Red Sox say won’t runs-batted-in and a .454 batting average be complete without a World Series tri- with runners in scoring position, hasn’t Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell perform on track during the 2013 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 at the Mount Panorama umph. played since September 4 because of a bro- Circuit in Bathurst, NSW.— www.redbull.com “We’ve got to win four more games,” ken foot. right-handed hurler Clay Buchholz said. He was expected to be back on the ros- “But the way this team jelled and meshed ter, perhaps as a designated hitter. right away in spring training, obviously Defensively, the Cardinals boast a rising every team in Major League Baseball has a star in 22-year-old right-handed pitcher Michael Wacha, who twice out-dueled Avalanche bury Penguins Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw. The rookie has won all three of his post- PITTSBURGH: Jean-Sebastien season starts and was named Most Giguere turned aside 34 shots for Valuable Player of the NLCS. “I think we just his second shutout in 11 days, help- don’t talk about it much, because we don’t ing the edge want it to change,” Cardinals manager Mike the 1-0 on Matheny said of Wacha’s brilliance. “We just Monday night. want him to think that this is normal and Gabriel Landeskog scored the this is expected.” game’s only goal 5:26 into the sec- Wacha’s emergence should help St. ond period as Colorado improved Louis counter a strong Boston rotation that to 8-1, the best start in franchise includes Jon Lester, John Lackey and history. The game was billed as a Buchholz. fight for bragging rights between The rock-solid Red Sox bullpen features Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby and Japanese closer Koji Uehara, the AL Colorado rookie Nathan Championship Series MVP. Uehara hasn’t MacKinnon. The former No. 1 picks walked a batter in his last 30 appearances both are from Cole Harbor, Nova and has five saved games in the post-sea- Scotia in Canada. Instead, Giguere son. stole the show. Pittsburgh went 0 St. Louis will send right-handed ace for 7 on the power play and lost for Adam Wainwright to the mound on the first time at home despite out- Wednesday. Wainwright, the National shooting the Avalanche 34-14. League wins leader in the regular season Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 13 with 19, is 2-1 in this post-season. The Red shots for the Penguins (7-2). Sox give the ball to Lester, who has bounced back from a 9-14 2012 to go 15-8 SHARKS 1, RED WINGS 0 in 2013 and 2-1 in this post-season. Logan Couture scored in the Given how finely matched the teams shootout as San Jose beat Detroit. are, game one could be the start of an The Sharks (8-0-1) are the NHL’s last epic clash between clubs that are meet- team without a regulation loss. ing for the fourth time in US baseball’s PITTSBURGH: Chuck Kobasew No. 12 of the Pittsburgh Penguins handles the puck in front of Nate Guenin Each goalie got a shutout for not championship showcase. Most recently, in No. 5 of the Colorado Avalanche during the game at Consol Energy Center. —AFP allowing a goal in 65 minutes. 2004, the Red Sox ended their fabled 86- Antti Niemi - who got his 24th had lost on the first two stops of season debut for the Flames, and ond period. Karri Ramo stopped 27 year title drought with a four-game career shutout - made 24 saves for their five-game trip. rookie Sean Monahan added shots in his first victory for sweep of the Cardinals. In 1946 and 1967, LOUISVILLE: Senorise Perry No. 32 of the San Jose and Jimmy Howard, who Mike Cammalleri scored in his another power-play goal in the sec- Calgary.—AP however, the Cardinals beat the Red Sox Louisville Cardinals runs with the ball in earned his 17th shutout, stopped in seven games. —AFP this file photo. —AFP 27 shots. It was Niemi’s third NHL results/standings shutout against Detroit. He also stopped Todd Bertuzzi on Detroit’s Los Angeles 2, Calgary 3; Detroit 0, San Jose 1 (SO); Pittsburgh 0, Colorado 1. final shootout attempt with a spec- With Lorgat suspended tacular pad save. It was the first Western Conference Eastern Conference game of a four-game Eastern road Pacific Division Atlantic Division swing for San Jose. W L OTL GF GA PTS Detroit 6 3 1 24 24 13 India agrees to tour SA San Jose 8 0 1 40 16 17 Toronto 6 3 0 30 22 12 Anaheim 7 1 0 30 19 14 Boston 5 2 0 20 10 10 FLAMES 3, KINGS 2 Montreal 5 3 0 26 15 10 CAPE TOWN: South Africa’s cricket board sus- South Africa also initially announced Phoenix 5 2 2 27 26 12 TJ Brodie scored the tiebreaking Tampa Bay 5 3 0 26 21 10 pended chief executive Haroon Lorgat yester- India’s end-of-year tour would consist of three Los Angeles 6 4 0 26 25 12 power-play goal with 29.7 seconds Ottawa 3 3 2 21 24 8 day pending an ICC inquiry into his conduct tests, seven ODIs and two Twenty20s over Vancouver 5 4 1 27 29 11 to play, helping the Flames rally for Florida 3 6 0 20 32 6 and also reluctantly agreed to a shortened two months from November through to Calgary 4 2 2 26 28 10 Buffalo 1 8 1 13 28 3 home series against India, with both deci- January, but India immediately expressed its a victory over the Kings. Edmonton 2 6 1 26 36 5 Metropolitan Division sions taken under pressure from India’s pow- unhappiness with that schedule. Following The Flames were awarded a Central Division Pittsburgh 7 2 0 31 20 14 erful cricket bosses. meetings in London over the past few days, power play with 2:12 left in regula- Colorado 8 1 0 28 12 16 Carolina 4 2 3 22 26 11 The two boards announced that Lorgat, a CSA has given in and agreed to only two tests tion when Dennis Wideman fell to Chicago 5 1 2 23 19 12 NY Islanders 3 3 2 25 23 8 Columbus 3 5 0 19 22 6 former International Cricket Council chief and three ODIs, and Lorgat was sidelined the ice near the benches, drawing a St. Louis 5 1 1 27 19 11 hooking on Anze Kopitar. Nashville 5 3 1 19 22 11 Washington 3 5 0 21 25 6 executive, would be investigated over his from having any involvement in the tour. New Jersey 1 4 3 17 26 5 “role” in recent comments made by David The BCCI and CSA said the ICC was consid- Brodie collected a bouncing Minnesota 3 3 3 19 22 9 NY Rangers 2 5 0 11 29 4 Becker, a former legal adviser to the world ering its legal options with regard to Becker, puck in the slot and beat Jonathan Winnipeg 4 5 0 22 25 8 Philadelphia 1 7 0 11 24 2 body and Cricket South Africa who was criti- but it will set up an independent investiga- Quick for the third power-play goal Dallas 3 5 0 20 28 6 Note: Overtime losses (OT) worth 1 pt and not included in loss column (L). cal of the Board of Control for Cricket in India tion to see if Lorgat played a role in Becker’s of the night for the Flames, who and its leadership. In a joint BCCI-CSA state- public statement criticizing the dominance of ment, the boards said Lorgat, who was India and, specifically, BCCI President appointed by CSA in July despite heavy Narainswamy Srinivasan. In a statement Indian opposition, had been withdrawn from released to the media this month, Becker said any business related to the ICC and also “from India was flouting ICC guidelines by, among Arab, Int’l Sailing Tourney having involvement in any aspect of CSA’s other things, ignoring the agreed Future relationship with the BCCI, including but not Tours Program and deciding unilaterally how limited to the upcoming tour.” many games and where it wanted to play. Despite an ICC-appointed inquiry being “When the ICC allows one of its directors to announced, the world body has so far made blatantly disregard an ICC board resolution, it no public comment and left the two boards, becomes more than questionable gover- led by India, to release details. The ICC merely nance - it becomes improper,” Becker was posted the statement on its website. quoted as saying in his statement. The joint statement also suggested that In response, the BCCI and CSA said: “The India agreed to tour South Africa, an impor- ICC and CSA have already refuted the com- tant financial windfall for the host country, ments made by Becker, and the ICC is now only after Lorgat was dealt with. considering its legal options in respect of the “The agreement to tour was concluded by same. In addition, the ICC will convene an the two boards after various concerns were investigation by an independent third party raised ... about the alleged conduct of CSA’s (to be appointed by the ICC) into the content chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, and recent and distribution of the media comments, comments made about the ICC board by a subsequent attempts to have them with- former legal adviser to CSA, David Becker,” the drawn, and, in particular, the role of Lorgat in statement said. relation to these matters.” It was not made clear what involvement The boards said the third-party investiga- Lorgat may have had in Becker’s public criti- tion “will be carried out in private” and CSA cism of India, but the BCCI and CSA said any declined to make any further comment yes- findings against Lorgat “will be binding on terday until the inquiry was complete. No CSA.” time frame for the investigation was given. CSA’s new chief executive has a long histo- The two boards also said the exact dates ry of bitter disagreements with the BCCI of India’s shortened tour to South Africa, likely Ahmad Al-Failakawi Competitors take part in a sailing race in this file photo. stretching back to his time at the ICC, and to be in December, would be announced lat- CSA was surprisingly open in conceding it er, while the South African Cricketers’ KUWAIT: The Arab, International Sailing KSSC headquarters in Salmiya with atten- part in the tournament represent Saudi had battled against BCCI opposition when Association said a reduced series between Tournament kicks off tomorrow morning at dance of the participating teams”, said gen- Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Lorgat was appointed in July. two of cricket’s leading teams would be the Kuwait Sea Sports Club, featuring com- eral coordinator Ahmad Al-Failakawi who Emirates, Oman, Lebanon, Egypt, Sudan, CSA President Chris Nenzani said then that meaningless. petitors from 16 different countries. The also announced that the tournament is held Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, the United their officials had been summoned to a meet- “It’s a very sad day when international competition continues until Oct 27 and under the patronage of Minister of Kingdom, France and Bulgaria. The judging ing with the BCCI to explain Lorgat’s appoint- cricket becomes more about what happens includes sailboat races under four classifica- Information and State Minister of Youth panel consists of international judges from ment, where Indian bosses made clear their off the field than what happens on it,” SACA tions. Affairs Sheikh Salman Al-Sabah. Thailand, Poland. Bulgaria, Egypt, Bahrain in “concerns” over South Africa’s choice. chief executive Tony Irish said. —AP “The competition starts at 10:00 am at the In addition to Kuwait, participants taking addition to Kuwait.