Thu Nov 8, 2012 3:00pm EST (Reuters) - The Toronto Blue Jays added to their infield depth by signing the versatile Maicer Izturis to a three-year contract worth $9 million, the American League team announced on Thursday. Izturis, 32, appeared in 100 games for the Los Angeles Angels last season, playing at least 25 games at second base, shortstop and third base in...

By Mitch Phillips LONDON | Thu Nov 8, 2012 1:27pm EST LONDON (Reuters) - Bradley Wiggins was released from hospital on Thursday following his bike crash as British Cycling announced that Shane Sutton, the team's head coach, had also been knocked off his bike and injured. Wiggins, who won the Tour de France and Olympic time trial gold this year, s...

By Alan Baldwin LONDON | Thu Nov 8, 2012 12:30pm EST LONDON (Reuters) - Formula One drivers have been told to mind their language after world champion Sebastian Vettel and race winner Kimi Raikkonen turned the air blue on the podium at last Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. A spokesman for the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) said...

Thu Nov 8, 2012 9:01am EST (Reuters) - Hanoi has been chosen as the host city for the 2019 Asian Games, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) said on Thursday. The Vietnamese capital, which hosted the 2003 Southeast Asian Games and the 2009 Asian Indoor Games, beat Indonesia's Surabaya for the right to stage the 18th edition of...

By Gennady Fyodorov MOSCOW | Thu Nov 8, 2012 8:44am EST MOSCOW (Reuters) - World discus champion Darya Pishchalnikova could face a life ban from athletics if she is found guilty of taking a prohibited substance, the head of Russia's anti-doping agency (RUSADA) said on Thursday. RUSADA executive director Nikita Kamayev said the World Anti-Doping A...

By Peter Rutherford HONG KONG | Thu Nov 8, 2012 8:34am EST HONG KONG (Reuters) - The NFL is enjoying rapid growth in China but it will not stage a game there until the fan base reaches a tipping point to avoid damaging its "brand equity", the head of the league's Chinese operation told Reuters. Rated by Forbes as the world's richest professional ...

By Alan Baldwin LONDON | Thu Nov 8, 2012 8:00am EST LONDON (Reuters) - Frenchman Cyril Abiteboul became the youngest team principal in Formula One on Thursday with Caterham naming the 35-year-old as successor to Malaysian entrepreneur and co-owner Tony Fernandes. Abiteboul was already the chief executive of the British-based team, who have yet to...

By Mitch Phillips LONDON | Thu Nov 8, 2012 5:51am EST LONDON (Reuters) - Bradley Wiggins survived everything the Tour de France could throw at him then gritted his teeth through the agony of the Olympic time trial but, like so many other British cyclists, he eventually fell victim to the dreaded white van. Wiggins spent Wednesday night in hospita...

Thu Nov 8, 2012 5:38am EST (Reuters) - The defending NBA champion Miami Heat blew away their second successive opponent in a 103-73 rout over Brooklyn on Wednesday. The Heat, who have opened the new season with a revamped roster that has taken little time to mesh, followed up their 25-point victory over Phoenix on Monday with another impressive effort.LeBron Jame...

By John O'Brien SINGAPORE | Thu Nov 8, 2012 5:34am EST SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Thomas Bjorn made hay while the sun shone to forge a one-shot lead at the Singapore Open on Thursday before the threat of lightning and thunderstorms forced an abandonment with half of the field yet to complete their first rounds. The Dane carded six birdies and a lone b...

MADRID | Thu Nov 8, 2012 4:12am EST MADRID (Reuters) - Barcelona's players reacted calmly to Wednesday's surprise 2-1 Champions League reverse at Celtic when the favorites squandered a chance to qualify from Group G with two games to spare. Barca suffered only the second defeat of the season in Glasgow, the other a 2-1 loss to arch-rivals Real Madrid in ...

By Mark Lamport-Stokes LOS ANGELES | Thu Nov 8, 2012 2:49am EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Four-time NBA champions San Antonio Spurs crashed to their first defeat of the season as the Los Angeles Clippers dazzled with high-flying dunks and tight defense on the way to a crushing 106-84 win on Wednesday. Unbeaten in their first four games, the Spurs w...

By John O'Brien SINGAPORE | Thu Nov 8, 2012 2:01am EST SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Edoardo Molinari capped a fine comeback after a disastrous start by recording the first hole-in-one of his professional career on the way to posting a one-under 70 in the first round of the Singapore Open on Thursday. The Italian, who has been bothered by a troublesome w...

By Karolos Grohmann BERLIN | Wed Nov 7, 2012 6:13am EST BERLIN (Reuters) - Uzbek wrestler Soslan Tigiev who won a bronze medal at this year's London Olympics is likely to have it stripped after testing positive for banned substances, a source said on Tuesday. Tigiev, who was third in the men's freestyle 74kg category, tested positive for drugs du...

By John O'Brien SINGAPORE | Wed Nov 7, 2012 4:47am EST SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Phil Mickelson is something of an American Ambassador when it comes to spreading the PGA Tour's influence in Asia and the left-hander is hopeful more events in the region can force their way onto the U.S. circuit. Back in Asia for the Singapore Open after competing at th...

By John O'Brien SINGAPORE | Wed Nov 7, 2012 3:34am EST SINGAPORE (Reuters) - World number one Rory McIlroy has defended his decision to skip last week's WGC-HSBC Champions tournament in China to watch his girlfriend play tennis but admits that the criticism of his no-show was fair. The Briton returns to action at this week's co-sanctioned Singapo...

Wed Nov 7, 2012 1:12am EST (Reuters) - The Chicago Bulls dominated the start of the fourth quarter to beat the Orlando Magic 99-93 on Tuesday in a matchup of two teams trying to adjust to playing without last season's All Stars. Luol Deng scored eight of his team-high 23 in the fourth quarter where reserve Nate Robinson also provided a spark to quickly erase a th...

By Steve Keating Wed Nov 7, 2012 1:09am EST (Reuters) - The National Hockey League (NHL) and players union returned to the bargaining table for nearly eight hours on Tuesday in what is seen as a last ditch effort to hammer out a new labor deal and salvage a season. Having already canceled hundreds of regular season games along with its showcase event the ...

Tue Nov 6, 2012 8:16pm EST (Reuters) - Texas Rangers ace Yu Darvish will not play for Japan in the World Baseball Classic next year, saying on Tuesday he wants to focus on winning a World Series. "After much deliberation, which has included a lot of consultation with my coaches and trainers, I have decided that I will not play in the upcoming World Baseball Class...

Tue Nov 6, 2012 7:42pm EST (Reuters) - New Orleans Hornets head coach Monty Williams has been fined $25,000 by the National Basketball Association (NBA) for public criticism of the NBA's concussion policy, the league said on Tuesday. Williams was penalized for comments he made before Saturday's game against the Chicago Bulls when Hornets center Anthony Davis, the...

Tue Nov 6, 2012 3:53pm EST (Reuters) - The injury-hit Dallas Mavericks will be without forward Shawn Marion for at least three games because of a sprained left knee ligament, the National Basketball Association team said on Tuesday. Marion, a four-time All-Star, has been scratched from Wednesday's home game against the Toronto Raptors and will not travel with the...

PRAGUE | Tue Nov 6, 2012 7:54am EST PRAGUE (Reuters) - World number six Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek will spearhead the Czech team when they take on Davis Cup holders Spain in this month's final in Prague. Spain will be without Rafa Nadal, who led his country to a 5-0 rout over the Czech Republic in the 2009 final when the two sides last met but has ...

Tue Nov 6, 2012 6:10am EST (Reuters) - Olympic champions Jessica Ennis of Britain, Allyson Felix of the United States and Valerie Adams of New Zealand have been named on the shortlist for the female athlete of the year award, the IAAF said in a statement on Tuesday. Heptathlon champion Ennis, shotput champion Adams and 200 meters champion Felix received the most ...

By Patrick Johnston SINGAPORE | Tue Nov 6, 2012 6:01am EST SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Years of addiction, blow-ups and wrecked marriages earned John Daly the moniker 'Wild Thing' but at 46 the American says he has finally found the maturity to match his unquestionable talent. With his crowd-pulling 'grip it and rip it' style and unconventional swing t...

TOKYO | Tue Nov 6, 2012 4:35am EST TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's new swimming sensation Akihiro Yamaguchi, who appears to have lost his way of late, is better than multiple Olympic champion Kosuke Kitajima was at 18, his national coach said. Yamaguchi, who failed to qualify for this year's London Olympics, shattered the men's 200-metres breaststroke record i...

Tue Nov 6, 2012 1:34am EST (Reuters) - The New Orleans Saints pounded Michael Vick in a 28-13 victory over Philadelphia on Monday likely to trigger further questions about the future of the Eagles quarterback and his coach. There was media speculation before the game that a struggling Vick could be benched while head coach Andy Reid was fighting for his job.Sensi...

Tue Nov 6, 2012 1:06am EST (Reuters) - The four-time NBA champion San Antonio Spurs stormed to a franchise-best 4-0 start to the season after routing the Indiana Pacers 101-79 on Monday. Reserve Gary Neal led five Spurs in double figures with 17 points, while Tim Duncan got a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds to lift the team to the win.Despite winning...

BANGKOK, Thailand - Edwin Cubillo scored three second-half goals and Costa Rica overcame a two-goal deficit to beat Paraguay 6-3 Sunday to revive its chances of reaching the second round at the Futsal World Cup. The result left the CONCACAF champion in third place in Group A with three points, trailing Ukraine by one point and just behind host Thailand on goal difference. Ukraine defeated Thail...

MADRID | Mon Nov 5, 2012 7:50am EST MADRID (Reuters) - World number five David Ferrer will lead Spain's bid to claim their fourth Davis Cup title in five years when the holders take on the Czech Republic in this month's final in Prague. Fourth-ranked Rafa Nadal is still sidelined with a knee injury so Ferrer, winner of Sunday's Paris Masters, will spearh...

By Josh Reich LONDON | Mon Nov 5, 2012 6:27am EST LONDON (Reuters) - A tired sounding Novak Djokovic says he will need to draw on all his mental and physical strength if he is to crown another stellar season with the ATP World Tour Finals title. The Serb heads into his opening match with Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Monday safe in the knowledg...

Mon Nov 5, 2012 1:53am EST (Reuters) - The Atlanta Falcons continued their franchise-best start to a season and marched to an 8-0 record with a gritty 19-13 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Matt Ryan threw for 342 yards and no scores but was mistake-free as his running game and defense backed him up to hold off the visiting Cowboys (3-5)."It sounds grea...

Mon Nov 5, 2012 1:52am EST (Reuters) - The Los Angeles Lakers finally resembled the team many expected they would be as they blasted the Detroit Pistons 108-79 on Sunday to end their early-season slide. The Lakers had begun the new season 0-3 for the first time since 1978, a shocking development for a team who acquired All Stars Dwight Howard and Steve Nash in th...

Mon Nov 5, 2012 12:46am EST (Reuters) - David Beckham's Los Angeles Galaxy suffered a shock 1-0 home defeat by the San Jose Earthquakes in the first leg of Major League Soccer's Western Conference playoff on Sunday. Victor Bernardez blasted in a free kick in stoppage time, stunning the LA crowd after the match looked to be heading for a stalemate between the top-...

By Larry Fine EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey | Sun Nov 4, 2012 9:59pm EST EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Reuters) - New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin and his players were doubly disappointed on Sunday, losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers and letting down fans that needed a lift following superstorm Sandy. "We wanted emotionally so badly to win the game...

By Larry Fine EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey | Sun Nov 4, 2012 9:42pm EST EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Reuters) - The visiting Pittsburgh Steelers scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to erase a 20-10 deficit and upset the Super Bowl champion New York Giants 24-20 at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. It was the third victory in a row for the Steelers...

By Simon Evans Sun Nov 4, 2012 8:23pm EST (Reuters) - Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck set a new single-game rookie passing record in the National Football League on Sunday while Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers both led their respective teams to impressive wins. Luck threw 433 yards in his team's 23-20 win over the Miami Dolphins, eclipsing the previ...

By Julien Pretot PARIS | Sun Nov 4, 2012 6:59pm EST PARIS (Reuters) - Australian clothing brand SKINS has filed a law suit against the International Cycling Union (UCI) seeking $2 million in damages and alleging that the sport's governing body lacked leadership in the fight against doping. "The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has been served ...

By Martyn Herman LONDON | Sun Nov 4, 2012 5:26pm EST LONDON (Reuters) - Roger Federer wants more blood testing done in tennis to help keep the sport clear of doping, the 17-times grand slam champion said on the eve of the ATP World Tour Finals. Britain's newly-crowned U.S. Open champion Andy Murray raised the subject this week at the Paris Master...

By Alan Baldwin ABU DHABI | Sun Nov 4, 2012 2:26pm EST ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Kimi Raikkonen returned to the top of the Formula One podium for the first time since 2009 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday, leaving his Lotus team in no doubt that he knew what he was doing. The Finn, 2007 world cha...

By Angel Krasimirov SOFIA | Sun Nov 4, 2012 1:40pm EST SOFIA (Reuters) - Russia's Nadia Petrova thrashed top-seeded Dane Caroline Wozniacki 6-2 6-1 on Sunday to secure her maiden Tournament of Champions trophy and a 13th career title. It was the 30-year-old's third tournament victory of the year after winning a Wimbledon warm-up event in Den Bosc...