Wayne Rooney scored in the 24th minute to give Manchester United a 1-0 win at Chelsea in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, and Barcelona routed visiting Shakhtar Donetsk 5-1 Wednesday night to close in on a semifinal matchup with Real Madrid.Following his hat trick against West Ham last weekend, Rooney met Ryan Giggs’ pass in the penalty area and slotted past goalkeeper Petr Cec

Korean right fielder rips season’s first home run in winCLEVELAND (AP) ― After popping out, David Ortiz lingered at home plate and stared into the distance as if in disbelief.Yep, Big Papi, it’s true.The built-to-win Red Sox still haven’t won.One of baseball’s big spenders, the Red Sox dropped their fifth straight to open the season on Wednesday night with an 8-4 loss to the Cleveland Indians, who

Tiger no longer the betting favorite at AugustaAUGUSTA, Georgia (AP) ― On the far end of the course Wednesday, near the only palm tree at Augusta National, Lee Westwood rolled long putts across the fourth green as he practiced alone on a quiet afternoon before the Masters.Spotting two familiar faces in the crowd, he looked over with a grin and said, “Lost? Bar closed?Through the pines and dogwoods

Canadian conquering Korean volleyballIt seems no one can stop or even restrain him. Canadian player Gavin Schmitt continues his dominance of the Korean top-division volleyball league, putting his team on the verge of winning the championships title. Schmitt’s Samsung BlueFangs are vying against the Korean Air Jumbos for the 2010-2011 season title in the V-league. On Tuesday, the 25-year-old player

CLEVELAND (AP) ― Josh Tomlin outpitched Boston’s Josh Beckett, Cleveland came up with just enough timely hits and the Indians kept the Red Sox winless so far this season with a 3-1 victory Tuesday night over the team many predicted would win it all.Tomlin (1-0) allowed one run and three hits in seven innings, taming a star-studded Boston lineup that came in batting just .200 and has yet to find it

Busan may be Korea’s second city but, when it comes to soccer, Busan I’Park hasn’t been second for a number of years. There was a time when the club was the best in the country and even Asia. Now it is not even close to being the best in Gyeongsang Province. If that changes any time soon then the fans on the south coast may have the A-League to thank. Australia’s domestic competition now has five

Asian football chief Mohamed Bin Hammam urged fellow Asian members Tuesday to pull together and help his campaign for the FIFA presidency.Bin Hammam, who chairs the Asian Football Confederation, is seeking to oust the long-time FIFA President Sepp Blatter.FIFA, the world’s football governing body, confirmed Monday that the current president Blatter of Swiss and Qatari challenger Bin Hammam are the

Korea’s veteran golfers seek strong finish at the MastersTwo South Korean veteran golfers at the Masters Tournament here this week said that they’re eyeing a high finish at the season’s first major championship.After finishing nine holes of practice at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, Yang Yong-eun said he is seeking a “top-10” finish.“The wind was blowing hard today and I was just checking

The new baseball season began with good momentum over the weekend with completely full stadiums in its opening games. The Korea Baseball Organization drew a record 5.92 million spectators last season, and this year, marking the 30th anniversary of the league’s launch, it has set a new target of 6 million fans. The start was good. In Jamsil, where the Doosan Bears squared off with their Seoul rival

The top Asian soccer official in the running for the FIFA presidency will visit Seoul this week to seek South Korean support for his race, football officials here said Monday.Mohammed Bin Hammam, president of the Asian Football Confederation, will arrive in Seoul later Monday and hold meetings with top South Korean football figures on Tuesday. Mohammed Bin HammamOfficials here said Bin Hammam, a Q

HUMBLE, Texas (AP) ― Phil Mickelson feels pretty confident about his game heading into the Masters.The defending champion at Augusta outdueled Scott Verplank on Sunday to win the Houston Open by three shots, his first victory since earning his third green jacket last April.And it comes with a notable distinction.The win moved Mickelson’s world ranking to No. 3, while Tiger Woods dropped to No. 7.

Sporting Gijon surprise Real Madrid 1-0LONDON (AP) ― Wayne Rooney’s hat trick kept Manchester United on track to win the English Premier League with a 4-2 comeback victory over West Ham on Saturday, while the title hopes of Arsenal and defending champion Chelsea were hurt by draws.Second-place Arsenal drew 0-0 with visiting Blackburn and Chelsea, in third, needed a 33rd-minute header by Didier Dro