|
The Washington Post, Saturday, October 31, 1998
From
News Services and Staff Reports
Cuban Sports Minister Humberto Rodriguez raised the possibility that Cubans
who live on the communist island might be permitted to play in the major
leagues.
"We are receptive to any proposal by the major leagues as long as it
respects the principles of Cuban socialist sports," the Spanish language
news agency Prensa Latina quoted Rodriguez as saying in a report yesterday.
So far, only Cubans who have left their country, such as New York Yankees
pitcher Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez and 1997 World Series MVP Livan
Hernandez of the Florida Marlins -- his half-brother -- have played professional
baseball in the United States.
Rodriguez said Cuba has not received any new proposals from Major League
Baseball but is willing to listen.
Cuban President Fidel Castro said last week during a meeting with U.S.
newspaper editors in Havana that he is not opposed to Cuban teams competing in
the United States. Castro, a baseball fan, was a pitcher for the University of
Havana while he was a law student.
A Cuban team could not compete in the United States under current U.S. law,
which prohibits commerce with Cuba. But major league teams would like to sign
top Cuban players. . . .
Meanwhile, there is more evidence of the memorabilia craze going too far.
The woman who lived with Mickey Mantle is at odds with the late New York
Yankees star's family over the ownership and sale of three paintings that she
claims she and Mantle owned jointly. Greer Johnson has been trying to arrange a
sale next month of the paintings at Christie's East auction house.
Mantle, who lived with Johnson during his final years, was separated from
his wife Merlyn Louise Mantle for 15 years until his death on Aug. 13, 1995, but
they never divorced. Mrs. Mantle is a co-executor of his estate.
Last year, the Mantle family went to federal court to stop Johnson's auction
of many of the baseball great's personal items. The family called the sale of
some items, such as a lock of Mantle's hair, "ghoulish."
Two of the paintings are portraits of Mantle and a pair of his teammates,
one with Roger Maris, and the other with Billy Martin. The third, titled "Life
of a Legend," is a huge collage depicting Mantle's life and is signed by
him in several places. The three are valued at $150,000.
Mantle's son David said his family wants the paintings to stay in Mickey
Mantle's Restaurant. "This is where you get your goosebumps," he said.
Olympic Sports
A Joyous Departure
Citing Christopher Reeve as an inspiration, a 17-year-old Chinese gymnast
who broke her neck at last summer's Goodwill Games was discharged from a
Manhattan hospital, vowing to walk again.
"I shall never give in," said Sang Lan as she left the Mount
Sinai-New York University Medical Center. Her rehabilitation will continue while
she lives at a friend's Manhattan apartment. Sang, a member of the Chinese
national gymnastics team, was injured in a fall during a practice vault on July
21 during the Goodwill Games.
"Christopher Reeve said to me that one day we would all stand up and
walk again," she said. "I believe this day will come."
Sang smiled when she recalled Celine Dion, one of a host of celebrities who
visited her during her 13-week hospital stay. The pop diva sang for her and
offered prayers of encouragement. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio was another special
visitor.
"I feel sad that I'm paralyzed and can't take care of myself like
normal people," Sang said. "But I don't want to lose the confidence
that I'll stand up again."
Kristjan Ragnarsson, an expert on spinal cord injuries who has worked
closely with the teenager, said the gymnast has made excellent progress with
increased muscle strength at her shoulders, elbows and wrists. In a moving
farewell at the hospital, Sang raised her arms and waved goodbye with obvious
difficulty.
Soccer
Arena's Moves
D.C. United defender Carlos Llamosa, a native of Colombia who became a U.S.
citizen last week, was called up by new U.S. national team coach Bruce Arena for
next Friday's friendly against Australia in San Jose. Also, Arena named Chicago
Fire Coach Bob Bradley and Miami Fusion Coach Ivo Wortmann as his assistants for
this match. . . .
Frank Klopas's goal in the first overtime lifted the Chicago Fire, champions
of Major League Soccer, to a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Crew in the U.S. Open
Cup final at Soldier Field in Chicago.
Klopas, a Chicago native who played for the Crew last season, took a pass on
a header from Ante Razov after a corner kick by Jerzy Podbrozny in the 99th
minute.
The Crew's Stern John had tied the game in the 53rd minute.
Podbrozny's penalty shot during injury time in the 45th minute gave Chicago
a 1-0 halftime lead.
The U.S. Open Cup involved MLS teams but was conducted separately from the
league championship, which the expansion Fire won Sunday over D.C. United. . . .
Meanwhile, in Colombia, prosecutors are asking the former coach of
Colombia's national soccer team, Francisco Maturana, to explain 10 checks he
received from a jailed Cali drug cartel boss. Maturana, who just took over Costa
Rica's national team and recently coached the Ecuadorean squad, is not charged
with any crime but is being investigated for his questionable financial
dealings, the chief prosecutor's office said.
Tennis
Sampras Moves On
Pete Sampras got some unexpected help in his drive to stay atop the tennis
rankings for an unprecedented sixth year in a row.
In Stuttgart, Germany, Sampras's opponent in the Eurocard Open quarterfinals
quit their match because of injury, and his closest rival in the rankings, No. 2
Marcelo Rios, also dropped out for the same reason.
Sampras was leading 4-1 and preparing to serve when Jan Michael Gambill, a
21-year-old fellow American who is No. 50 in the world, retired with a back
injury.
Gambill's withdrawal came just minutes after Rios retired before his
quarterfinal against Yevgeny Kafelnikov because of a thigh injury.
In the semifinals, Kafelnikov will play 12th-seeded Jonas Bjorkman, who
ousted No. 13 Greg Rusedski, 6-3, 6-2.
Boxing
Tyson Opponent?
Axel Schulz, Francois Botha or Vaughn Bean could be the opponent when Mike
Tyson resumes his career, which could be delayed until next year.
"He's going to fight in January," Shelly Finkel, calling himself
Tyson's boxing adviser, said Thursday. "We're looking at Las Vegas."
Tyson was disqualified, had his license revoked and was fined $3 million for
biting Evander Holyfield's ears on June 28, 1997. The Nevada State Athletic
Commission voted 4-1 on Oct. 19 to restore Tyson's license. The former champion,
however, still faces a Dec. 1 trial on misdemeanor assault charges stemming from
a traffic accident Aug. 31 in Gaithersburg. . . .
In London, World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis went to
Buckingham Palace to pick up a new title -- Member of the Order of the British
Empire. Lewis, in top hat and tails, received his MBE from Prince Charles and
said his next goal is to unify the world heavyweight crown.
"He asked me about my next fight and I told him I would be bringing the
two other world heavyweight titles back to Britain," Lewis said. Lewis is
expected to fight Evander Holyfield, who holds the IBF and WBA titles, on March
13. . . .
Camp Springs super lightweight Joe Fitzpatrick scored a six-round unanimous
decision over Ali Muhammad Muhfooth of Philadelphia, and Baltimore super
middleweight Dana Rucker knocked out Timmy Knight of Richmond at 2:18 of the
first round to highlight the first professional card ever held in Charles
County, before an announced crowd of 650 last night at the Greater Waldorf
Jaycees Community Center.
Figure Skating
Butyrskaya Leads
Despite falling on an attempted triple lutz, world championships bronze
medalist Maria Butyrskaya of Russia leads the women's short program at Skate
America in Detroit.
Butyrskaya received all 5.7s for presentation in taking a lead over American
Angela Nikodinov, holding second place after skating a clean program that
included a triple lutz-double toe combination.
Russia's Elena Sokolova, also among the few women to complete a combination
jump, was third entering today's decisive free skate. Nicole Bobek, the 1995
U.S. champion, fell on her triple flip and was fourth.
This year's event concludes today with free skates in the men's, women's and
pairs competitions, as well as the free dance.
© Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company |