The Korea Herald

Twins trip Rangers with ninth-inning rally

BaseballMay 28, 2014

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ― Eduardo Nunez’s two-out single for Minnesota had just tied the game, and the ninth inning was about to end on a routine ground ball.What happened next was anything but by the book.Texas closer Joakim Soria bobbled a slow-bouncing dribbler by Danny Santana to the left of the mound, allowing Nunez to score the winning run for the Twins in a 4-3 victory over the Rangers on Tuesday night.“I’m the guy getting comfortable on this team. I’m the new guy here. I try to help the team to
Old food found at team hotels

SoccerMay 28, 2014

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) ― A Brazilian consumer defense agency said it’s found past-expiration food in the hotels where national soccer teams from Italy and England will stay during the World Cup.The Rio de Janeiro state agency said on its website late Monday that the inspections were part of an effort to enforce food safety codes ahead of next month’s tournament.At the Hotel Portobello where Italy will stay, inspectors discovered 25 kilograms of pasta, shrimp, salmon and margarine kept past its expi
Flirting with history

BaseballMay 27, 2014

Ryu Hyun-jin loses perfect game in the eighth inning
Tunisian coach hopes to give good test

SoccerMay 27, 2014

On the eve of his team’s showdown against South Korea, Tunisian head coach Georges Leekens said Tuesday he hopes to give the home side a good test ahead of the FIFA World Cup.The 49th-ranked Tunisia will take on the 55th-ranked South Korea at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Wednesday. The kickoff is at 8 p.m. It will be South Korea’s last match at home prior to the June 12-July 13 World Cup in Brazil. Tunisia didn’t qualify for the tournament.At a prematch press conference at the venue of the match,
Korea hopes to address ...defensive ...shortfalls

SoccerMay 27, 2014

Hong Myung-bo, head coach of South Korean men’s national football team, said Tuesday he will try to address the squad’s lingering defensive issues in an upcoming friendly against Tunisia at home.South Korea, ranked 55th, will host No. 49 Tunisia at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. on Wednesday. It will be the final match at home for Hong’s squad before the World Cup.South Korea will travel to Miami on Friday and will take on Ghana there on June 9. Hong’s team will take on Russia, Algeria and Br
N. Korea replaces sports minister ahead of Asiad

More sportsMay 27, 2014

North Korea has named a new sports minister ahead of the 2014 Asian Games competition to be held in South Korea later this year, the state news agency said Tuesday.Kim Yong-hun has replaced Ri Jong-mu as the country’s minister of physical culture and sports, according to a dispatch of the Korean Central News Agency.The dispatch said Kim accompanied leader Kim Jong-un in a ceremony on giving sports apparatuses and equipment to gymnasiums and stadiums in Pyongyang.The dispatch did not give any det
Beckett pitches no-hitter

BaseballMay 26, 2014

PHILADELPHIA (AP) ― Josh Beckett pitched the first no-hitter of his stellar career and the first in the majors this season, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Philadelphia Phillies 6-0 on Sunday.Beckett struck out six, walked three and didn’t come close to allowing a hit against a lineup that included two former NL MVPs and four former All-Stars.“I don’t think I had no-hit stuff,” he said. “I just really kept them guessing.”The 34-year-old right-hander, whose career was almost derailed las
FIFA takes final look at Brazilian host cities

SoccerMay 26, 2014

SAO PAULO (AP) ― FIFA is beginning its final tour of World Cup host cities ahead of football’s showcase event.With kickoff less than 20 days away, the governing body is having one last look at the cities’ often troubled preparations across Brazil.FIFA secretary-general Jerome Valcke starts the second half of his inspection tour to the 12 host cities on Monday. He visited six cities last week and will tour the others through Thursday.It is the last time Valcke is expected to check on the host cit
Korea gears up for Tunisia clash

SoccerMay 26, 2014

South Korea will host Tunisia in the final tune-up match at home ahead of the FIFA World Cup on Wednesday at Seoul World Cup Stadium, giving fans their first glimpse of the team that will represent the country in Brazil next month.The kickoff for head coach Hong Myung-bo’s 23-man squad will be at 8 p.m. It will be the first of two matches South Korea will play before traveling to Brazil for the big tournament.South Korea will fly to Miami on Friday and will take on Ghana on June 9 before hopping
Korda makes late charge to win Airbus

GolfMay 26, 2014

MOBILE, Alabama (AP) ― Jessica Korda won the Airbus LPGA Classic on Sunday for her second victory of the year, birdieing four of the last five holes to break out of a tight pack.Korda made a breaking 15-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th for a 7-under 65 and a one-stroke victory over Anna Nordqvist.Also the winner in the season-opening event in the Bahamas, Korda played the back nine in 6-under 30 to finish at 20-under 268 on The Crossings course at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail’s Magnolia G
Foreign KBL player kept in dark about botched naturalization

BaseballMay 26, 2014

The Korean Basketball Association’s attempts to naturalize star forward Aaron Haynes ahead of the Incheon Asian Games this year have been thwarted by legal restrictions, but the organization kept the foreign athlete in the dark through the whole process, the American basketball player told The Korea Herald on Monday.In an effort to boost the Korean team’s roster for the upcoming September-October tournament, the KBA had tried to grant Haynes ― who has been playing in Korea’s professional basketb
Kings of Europe

SoccerMay 25, 2014

Real Madrid grabs 10th European title
Korea holds closed-door practice

SoccerMay 23, 2014

Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo (Yonhap)South Korea’s World Cup team closed off its practice on Friday, officials said, though there was no strategic reasoning behind the move.“There really isn’t a special reason for holding practice behind closed doors,” an official with the Korea Football Association said. “The team just wanted to train in a quiet setting.” This will be the second time that South Korea will practice without the media since opening the camp on May 12 at the National Football Cen
Cantu sorry for racist tweet

BaseballMay 23, 2014

Doosan Bears infielder Jorge Cantu apologized and said he’s against racism after retweeting an offensive post which suggested Koreans look alike.The former Major League Baseball player, who arrived in South Korea this season, called the tweet a “terrible mistake.” Some angry fans had called for him to be sacked.Cantu retweeted the message, titled “Desafio” or “Challenge” in Portuguese, which had a photo of Korean schoolchildren with one person’s face photoshopped onto different bodies.It contain
Johnson fires 65 to take Colonial lead

GolfMay 23, 2014

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) ― Dustin Johnson had played Colonial only once before, six years ago when he didn’t even make it to the final round.In his return to Hogan’s Alley, Johnson took a one-stroke lead after the first round.Johnson shot a bogey-free 5-under 65 on Thursday, driving a lot of 3-irons off the tees into the fairways and hitting 16 of 18 greens in regulation.“I’ve got to keep doing what I’m doing,” Johnson said. “I’ve got a pretty good game plan for the golf course off the tee. So I’m