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Volleyball star Takeshita opts to skip 2012-13 season

Japan national team setter Yoshie Takeshita will sit out the 2012-13 volleyball season, choosing to rest after a busy campaign in which she juggled Olympic and club team duties.

The 34-year-old from Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, will not play for the JT Marvelous club team as she takes time off. Fatigue has been a factor for her throughout the past season.

Takeshita, a three-time Olympian, helped Japan capture a bronze medal at the 2012 London Summer Games. It was the Japan women's first medal in Olympic competition since the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

For her, it was a thrilling achievement.

"We think that we all individually worked hard and believed in ourselves," Takeshita said after Japan defeated South Korea to finish third in London. "That made the difference today. It was not only the setting, we all played well.

"The Olympic medal is the best moment of all."

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Former Evessa star Washington claims he is 'blackballed' despite exoneration

The Osaka Evessa and bj-league office claimed that Lynn Washington, one of the league's original superstars, retired on April 9 after he was exonerated of all charges following his arrest and 18 days in Osaka Prefectural Police custody.

The former Indiana University forward, however, is now telling a different story.

"I have been wrongfully blackballed from Japanese basketball," Washington told The Japan Times in an exclusive interview this week.

The two-time MVP and three-time title winner was the undisputed leader of the Evessa before his March 13 arrest on suspicion of smuggling about 1 kg of marijuana into Japan. When he was released by the police, neither the Evessa nor the bj-league issued a statement saying they would welcome Washington back into the league.

The 34-year-old Washington was ordered to keep quiet, to say nothing about his "retirement," this reporter has learned, after the team's news release was issued. He admitted as much. One source familiar with the situation called it "hush money," and Washington didn't speak out about the end of his successful career. Until now.

Despite the fact, he said, that no bj-league team will sign him, "if I did have a contract from a team, I would probably sign."

Recently, "I turned down two gigs in South America. So, no, 100 percent retired, absolutely not," he added.

Washington became the first player in bj-league history to reach the 5,000-point milestone, doing so on Oct. 15, 2011, against the Takamatsu Five Arrows, and also earned back-to-back All-Star Game MVP awards the past two seasons. He cherishes those accomplishments, he said, but is miffed about the way he and his family were treated by bj-league personnel.

Lynn's wife, Dana Washington, was arrested in February and released on May 25 after pleading guilty to drug possession.

Dana Washington's lawyer, Ichiro Morioka, presented her prescription, issued in California for medical marijuana to treat arthritis, sleep deprivation and migraine headaches, to court officials in Osaka. The 3?-year sentence sought by prosecutors was dropped.

(Washington maintains that he had no knowledge of his wife sending the package to Japan, and that he would have told her not to do so because of Japan's strict Cannabis Control Law.)

"Even though my wife did what she did, no one cared for my (three) children who were the most affected by what happened," Washington said.

Other key officials around the league demonstrated rude, thoughtless behavior after Washington's arrest, he said.

"For instance, the Shiga GM (Shinsuke Sakai) laughed when I went to jail and said the Evessa are finally finished," Washington said.

"Who cares if the Evessa are finished or not? Family is at stake, something, I thought all Japanese people cherished. I guess not."

Another incident involving the Saitama Broncos illustrated the immature way some individuals around the league handled matters after Washington's arrest.

"In Saitama, one of their team officials paused my picture on television from one of my endorsement commercials and started laughing," Washington said. "One of my friends on the team cursed him out because of his insensitivity.

"In the last 10 months, I have learned more about Japanese people than I have in the 10 years living in Japan," he said. "Most Japanese people will disown you if it saves their face. I'm OK with that however."

What angers Washington, though, is the way the championship-caliber team fell apart after the end of the 2011-12 season. The Evessa were 26-12 at the time of Washington's arrest, sitting in second place in the Western Conference behind the eventual-champion Ryukyu Golden Kings.

Osaka finished the season with a 35-17 record and remained in second place entering the postseason, giving the Evessa the right to host a second-round series against the Kyoto Hannaryz.

After the team's playoff exit, then-coach Ryan Blackwell said, "We lost arguably the greatest player in league history and we still had a chance (to make the Final Four)."

Washington said, "I understand the public relations aspect of disassociation, but cruelty reared its head therein. How so? Ryan Blackwell was fired for keeping a team together during troubling times and by being guilty by association. In one word, 'unreal.' "

In the Osaka front office's view, anything but an Evessa championship in May was an acceptable reason to unload Blackwell, one longtime league insider told this newspaper.

"All in all, the league handed down sanctions on anyone associated with what happened to me," Washington said. "Blackballed, absolutely. . . "

"I'm not bitter at all however. I had a nice career in Japan with a very promising future in America. I will come back to Japan and watch bj-league games this winter. I just hope I can get a front-row seat."

Washington's saga is a cautionary tale for anyone who expects the bj-league to offer them a second chance, even if they are declared innocent by the courts. Case in point: On March 30, Washington said in another exclusive interview after his release from police custody that he definitely wanted to return to the Evessa. "Give me a week of training and four games with the Lord with me, and I'm back where I left off," he said at the time.

That never happened.

"The Lynn Washington situation truly upset me," a former bj-league player told The Japan Times in a recent interview. "An innocent man being forced to retire, a week after he says to you that he only needs a week to get back in shape, then comes out and retires. Ridiculous."

The Evessa stumbled out of the gates losing three times in as many days by a combined 60 points in the recent Seiki Cup in Shiga Prefecture. It appears new coach Zoran Kreckovic will have his hands full building a team with only three of 12 players back on the squad from last season. General manager Hirotaro Nomamoto's ouster last week is the latest sign of a team far removed from its glory years — six Final Fours and seven straight playoff appearances.

For Washington, Nomamoto's departure was no surprise.

"By the way, Nomamoto being fired is just what happens when you have no knowledge of how a team should be put together," Washington said.

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Ravens hold off Browns as real officials return to field

BALTIMORE — The regular NFL officials returned to action, and the ending of their first game was eerily familiar to the one that hastened the exit of the replacement refs.

Decleated: Baltimore's Morgan Cox tackles Cleveland's Josh Cribbs on a kick return in the first quarter on Thursday night. The Ravens beat the Browns 23-16. AP

This time, however, there were no replays or arguments at the end. Just another win by the Baltimore Ravens over the Cleveland Browns, 23-16 on Thursday night.

If not for two failed desperation passes into the end zone in the closing seconds, the returning officials might have had to work overtime on their first night back.

Cleveland began its final drive with 1:05 to go on its own 10. Rookie Brandon Weeden moved the Browns to the Baltimore 33 before a fourth-down pass into the end zone fell incomplete. But a personal foul penalty on Baltimore linebacker Paul Kruger gave winless Cleveland one more chance.

That pass sailed out of the end zone.

"Too much juice," Weeden lamented.

The final sequence was not unlike the controversial ending of Monday night's Green Bay-Seattle game, when a Hail Mary pass was ruled a touchdown. That play, and the furor it created, hastened negotiations that brought the regular officials back.

The lockout ended late Wednesday, bringing about the exit of the unpopular replacement refs. And so, finally, the tenured officials were in place for Week 4.

"I felt so bad for that Green Bay situation," Ravens running back Ray Rice said. "Replacement refs, their families, I can't knock them. The scrutiny they were under. That kind of scrutiny is bad. It's hard going from like Pop Warner to the big leagues."

As they walked onto the field hours before this game, the officiating crew received a round of applause and shouts of encouragement from fans in the lower sections. Head linesman Wayne Mackie and line judge Jeff Seeman both tipped their caps to acknowledge the support.

Many in the sellout crowd of 70,944 stood and roared their approval.

Afterward, Baltimore coach John Harbaugh echoed the sentiment of the crowd.

"Welcome back to the officials. Good to have them back," he said. "These guys are really good. The communication was good. I didn't agree with every call, but they were excellent."

Joe Flacco went 28-for-46 for 356 yards, threw one touchdown and ran for another. Yet, it wasn't until Cary Williams returned an interception 63 yards for a score at the end of the third quarter that the Ravens (3-1) put some distance between themselves and the young Browns (0-4).

"I thought our secondary made plays that had to be made, especially at the end there when they were knocking at the door," Harbaugh said.

The fans waited until the third quarter to boo the officials. On a 13-yard completion from Weeden to Benjamin Watson, Ravens safety Bernard Pollard was called for a helmet-to-helmet hit. The crowd jeered the call, but replays appeared to confirm the penalty.

The 15-yard mark off set up a 51-yard field goal by Phil Dawson that got the Browns within 16-10.

Late in the quarter, Williams ambushed an out pattern by Travis Benjamin and took the interception down the right sideline for a 13-point lead.

Anquan Boldin caught nine passes for 131 yards, and Torrey Smith had six catches for 97 yards and a score.

Weeden went 25-for-52 for 320 yards, but rookie running back Trent Richardson gained only 47 yards rushing on 14 carries.

Dawson kicked field goals of 51, 50 and 52 yards, the last one with 4:33 left to make it 23-16.

Cleveland played the majority of the game without wide receiver and punt returner Josh Cribbs, who sustained a concussion while returning a kick late in the first quarter.

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Midfielder Ono joins Western Sydney Wanderers

Former Japan international Shinji Ono has signed with Western Sydney Wanderers, the Australian club said on its official website on Friday.

The 33-year-old Shimizu S-Pulse midfielder will arrive in Australia on Monday and could be ready for the Wanderers' first ever game in the A-League against Central Coast Mariners at Parramatta Stadium, the club said.

Ono played for Urawa Reds (1998-2001 and 2006-2007), Dutch club Feyenoord (2001-2005) and Bochum of Germany (2007-2010) before moving to S-Pulse.

Ono has been capped 56 times by his country, including playing at the 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cups. He has made 14 league appearances for S-Pulse this season but playing opportunities have been recently decreasing.

Wanderers coach Tony Popovic said he was delighted to have someone of Shinji's talent and experience joining the Wanderers.

"We have been in talks with Shinji and his management for a long time now, we have gone through the process and believe he will add a large amount to our squad across all areas," Popovic said.

"He is an experienced player at all levels and has played on some of the biggest stages in the world, his professionalism at the top level will be good for all to see."

Executive chairman Lyall Gorman said the signing of such a top-class player would be warmly welcomed by the Wanderers Members.

"The signing of Shinji Ono will bring plenty of quality to our team and plenty of excitement to Parramatta Stadium," said Gorman. "This complements our policy of developing Western Sydney products. Shinji's class and professionalism will rub off on all the young players we have."

"The added benefit is the international profile Shinji will bring to the Wanderers and give us another way to connect with fans across western Sydney."

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Olympic experience had profound impact on Omiya's Higashi

SAITAMA — Escaping relegation would be the only thing on the mind of most teams sitting one place above the drop zone with just eight matches left to play, but Omiya Ardija midfielder Keigo Higashi has grander ambitions for his struggling side than mere survival.

Omiya heads into Saturday's game against Yokohama F. Marinos 15th in the J. League first-division table, two points above Gamba Osaka and four ahead of Albirex Niigata in the race to avoid joining relegation near-certainties Consadole Sapporo in J2 next season.

The story is a familiar one for Ardija, having found progress hard to come by since debuting in the top flight in 2005. The team's chances of a first-ever top-half finish this year looked more remote than ever during an August spent mostly in the bottom three, but now after two straight wins in a division so tight that only 12 points separate the Saitama side from fourth-place Jubilo Iwata, Higashi is thinking big.

"We've been training well and there is a good atmosphere in the team," the 22-year-old said at the club's training ground earlier this week. "We play Marinos on Saturday, and if we can win that game then the atmosphere will be even better.

"We still have eight games left to play, and I think we are capable of moving further up the table. This club has been involved in relegation battles in the past, but we have to put that behind us now. If we can do that and work hard in training, we can move in the right direction. I believe we can do it."

Omiya's cause has certainly been helped by a mid-season recruitment drive from Slovenia, with manager Zdenko Verdenik replacing Jun Suzuki and World Cup strikers Milivoje Novakovic and Zlatan Ljubijankic arriving to reinforce the attack.

Novakovic proved his quality with a hat trick in last Saturday's 5-0 demolition of Consadole, and Higashi is excited about the team's prospects.

"Novakovic and Ljubijankic are both players with a huge amount of potential, and I think they can have a big influence on our team," he said. "Verdenik is a very passionate manager who likes a passing style of football. We were able to play some good stuff against Sapporo and show what we could do, and he's made us a much more penetrative team.

"Things haven't changed so much since the previous manager left, but Japanese managers and foreign managers have different ways of doing things. At first we weren't able to get the results we were looking for and it took some time, but now everyone understands the kind of football he wants us to play. We have improved a lot."

If Higashi was unable to get to grips with his new manager's methods earlier, however, his commitments elsewhere this summer gave him a valid excuse. The midfielder started all but one of Japan's six games at the London Olympics, wearing his country's No. 10 shirt and setting the tone with his hard running as the team narrowly failed to lay its hands on a first medal since 1968.

"It was a great experience for me, and hopefully one that I can use for Omiya in the J. League," Higashi said of Japan's Olympic campaign. "Wearing the No. 10 was a big responsibility, but it was one that I was happy to take on.

"We weren't able to win a medal, but we fought together as a team and there was a great atmosphere in the squad. As a football player that was something that gave me a lot of pleasure."

Going home empty-handed was a bitter disappointment after reaching the last four on the strength of memorable wins over Spain, Morocco and Egypt, but Higashi accepts that the team fell short when the going got tough against Mexico in the semifinals and South Korea in the bronze-medal match.

"I think the difference between winning a medal and not winning a medal was in the physical and mental aspects of our game," he said. "When we got to the final stages and it really got down to business, I could feel the difference between us and the other teams."

Now the onus is on Higashi to step up to the full national side, and with Olympic teammates Hiroshi Kiyotake, Hiroki Sakai and Gotoku Sakai having all appeared for Alberto Zaccheroni's team, the example has been set.

Higashi also intends to follow that trio in moving to a European club at some point in the future, but for the time being he has his hands full at Ardija.

"I want to play on the big stage and show what I can do as well," he said. "But first I have to make my mark at Omiya and work hard to be called up to the national team.

"We still have eight games left this season, and I want to make a contribution and help the team win."

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Pardew rewarded by Newcastle

NEWCASTLE, England — Newcastle manager Alan Pardew signed an eight-year contract with the Premier League club on Thursday.

The 51-year-old Pardew took over after Chris Hughton was fired in December 2010, signing a five-year deal at a time when expectations were low.

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Top 5 Sports Betting Books

Red Sox hire Varitek for front office

BOSTON — The Red Sox have named Jason Varitek a special assistant to the general manager.

The catcher announced his retirement on March 1 after 15 seasons with the team following a trade from the Seattle Mariners.

At Wednesday night's home finale, Varitek was among players honored as members of the "All Fenway Park Team" during a pregame ceremony that capped a year of celebrations for the ballpark's 100th anniversary. He was named the second-string catcher behind Carlton Fisk.

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Reigning champion Radwanska reaches Pan Pacific Open final

World No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska moved within a win of becoming the first Pan Pacific Open champion to defend the title in eight years after defeating Angelique Kerber in the semifinals Friday.

Saluting the crowd: World No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska beats Angelique Kerber 6-1, 6-1 on Friday in the Pan Pacific Open semifinals in Tokyo. KYODO

Radwanska cruised past fifth seed Kerber in 59 minutes, winning 6-1, 6-1. The last player to win the title back to back was Lindsay Davenport in 2003-2004.

In Saturday's final, Radwanska will face surprising Russian veteran Nadia Petrova who beat an injured Samantha Stosur, last season's U.S. Open champion, 6-4, 6-2.

"There were a lot of tight games especially in the end," Radwanska said of her match with Kerber, who reached the last four by default after world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka pulled out.

"She's a big fighter, she never gives up. I think I played a good match today. Everything was working today and I'm happy about that."

Radwanska, a part-time student back in her native Poland, and the 30-year-old Petrova last played each other in 2008, when they met four times with Radwanska winning on three of those occasions.

"She's been playing great tennis this week and played a lot of good tight matches," the 23-year-old Radwanska said of Petrova. "For sure it won't be easy, but I'm just very happy I could reach the final again and will do everything to win the title."

Kerber tried to make a contest out of the match, taking the first game of the second set. But Radwanska — who did not double fault once whereas Kerber had seven — won the next six games to underline her domination.

In the first semifinal at Ariake Tennis Forest Park, Stosur lacked the flair she showed a night earlier when she eliminated Petrova's compatriot Maria Sharapova, going down 6-4, 6-2 to the 17th seed.

Petrova defeated No. 6 Sara Errani in the quarterfinals in three sets despite a bad back, and did not slow down against the ninth-ranked Stosur.

Petrova landed nine aces compared to none by Stosur, who did not convert a single break point.

Petrova reached the Pan Pacific Open final for her first time, and her second final of the season following the UNICEF Open she won in the Netherlands, in June.

"Sam is a tough opponent to play," she said. "She has a strong forehand and likes to dominate the game. With her you have to be alert, you have to play your best and I think I accomplished that today."

Petrova needed treatment on her lower back during her victory over Errani but said it was not an issue against Stosur.

"My back is doing well, I'm very pleased," Petrova said. "Overall at this stage, me and Agnieszka are beaten up already but this is the final. This is the last match of the tournament. You have to give it your best and everything you have left."

Stosur, on the other hand, did have physical issues against Petrova as she suffered an abdominal injury early in the match.

"I did something to myself in the third game of the match and I kind of kept going thinking it would go away but it didn't seem to," Stosur said. "I got some treatment and got it taped up and I was able to keep playing but I guess it's not the ideal situation."

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Oda solid in return after long layoff

OBERSTDORF, Germany — Nobunari Oda marked his return from injury by taking a commanding lead after the men's short program at the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany on Thursday.

Skating in his first competitive event since injuring his left knee at the Trophee Bompard in Paris last November, the 25-year-old Oda fell on his opening quad toeloop, but nailed a triple axel and a triple flip-triple toeloop after that to score 79.64 points, well clear of second-place Konstantin Menshov of Russia.

"Overall the flow of my performance was not bad. I didn't feel any pain whatsoever in my knee," said Oda. "There is not much time until the (Sochi) Olympics so I want to get better and better and show what I am capable of."

Menshov scored 69.30 while American Keegan Messing was in third place with 68.56.

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Kitajima sets sights on 2016 Rio Games

Japan's four-time Olympic swimming champion Kosuke Kitajima, who missed out on an individual medal at the London Games, says he is keen to line up at the poolside in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

"While younger swimmers are coming up, I want to go to Rio, too," Kitajima, 30, told a party held in Tokyo on Thursday in honor of Japanese swimmers who collected a record 11 medals in London, according to local media.

Kitajima, who took gold in the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke at the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympics, finished fifth in the 100m and fourth in the 200m in London, but bagged a silver as a member of Japan's 4x100 medley relay.

In London, Japan got three silvers and eight bronzes but no gold in swimming.

After Kitajima's failure, 18-year-old Akihiro Yamaguchi set a new 200 breaststroke world record on September 15, vowing to become his successor.

At Japan's national games, the high school student clocked 2 minutes, 7.01 seconds, breaking the previous world mark of 2:07.28 set by Daniel Gyurta of Hungary on Aug. 1 at the London Olympics.

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Terry's legacy tainted by scandals

LONDON — Four Games.

Chelsea's John Terry was handed "just" a four-game ban and a fine of ?220,000, while Luis Suarez of Liverpool was given eight matches and a ?40,000 fine for the same offense involving a racist slur.

Where's the consistency, asked Planet Twitter?

We should not be surprised at the discrepancy as the Football Association's disciplinary system inhabits a world of its own, where common sense and a natural sense of justice are too often bystanders.

At the same time we should put our outrage on hold until we have heard the detailed reasons by the Independent Regulatory Commission, which included a barrister.

Terry was found guilty of "using abusive and/or insulting words and/or behavior towards Queens Park Rangers' Anton Ferdinand and which included a reference to color and/or race contrary to F.A. Rule E3[2] in relation to the Queens Park Rangers FC versus Chelsea FC fixture at Loftus Road on 23 October 2011."

Inevitably the sanction was compared with the eight-match suspension handed to Suarez last season for the same offense against Patrice Evra of Manchester United. While Terry was cleared of using racist language to Ferdinand in a court of law where the magistrate had to be sure beyond a reasonable doubt, a football commission's threshold is on the balance of probability.

The commission explained the Suarez punishment: "As for the length of the suspension, we concluded that a four-match ban, which was the entry point under Rule E3(2), would be too low and would not reflect the gravity of the misconduct. Mr. Suarez's behavior was far more serious than a single use of the word. If that was all that Mr. Suarez had done, and we had found the charge proved, the penalty would have been less than we have imposed."

Hands can be tied by legal red tape and Suarez's lengthier ban seems to be because he used an insulting word eight times. However, what the pair have in common is that they have both been found guilty, and while Liverpool's reaction to Suarez's verdict was a tacky sense of injustice, we can expect a less hysterical response from Chelsea.

Terry will never get the sympathy vote because while respected as a player, he is, outside of Chelsea, perceived by many as a loathsome human being.

Ryan Giggs raises no more than an eyebrow for having an alleged eight-year affair with his sister-in-law, but if Terry committed a parking violation some would want him sent to the Tower of London.

Of course, Terry has a list of indiscretions that he calls misunderstandings, and when the 32-year-old faced the disciplinary commission this week he claimed he was the victim and that the F.A. treated other players who were the subject of criminal proceedings differently.

It is never JT's fault, always a witch-hunt, an anti-Chelsea stitch-up. The only thing he's been guilty of is missing a penalty. The timing of his retirement from international football was lawyer-driven, announced on the eve of his hearing last Monday, designed to get your retaliation in first.

As a player Terry remains inspirational, committed, consistent, brave and has leadership qualities that saw him made captain of England.

Unfortunately, he also lost the captaincy twice, and last May he said he would never turn his back on his country, which is precisely what he has done.

He will be remembered as a passionate and courageous defender who consistently made the headlines for the wrong reasons. Along with the alleged affair with the ex-partner of teammate Wayne Bridge, Terry also embarrassed the F.A. when it was revealed the private box at Wembley he hired at a discount rate was being offered on the black market. Parking his car in a disabled bay was, like most things, a misunderstanding.

It is sad that a player who won 78 caps should retire in this matter, but there was an inevitability about it because whatever Terry did seemed to be surrounded by controversy.

Few tears have been shed for the man who wore the armband with pride but did not know how to behave as an England captain is expected to.

Terry and his legal team will decide whether to appeal when they receive the commission's findings. He will not want to accept the verdict or the sanction but he knows the chances of either being changed are zero.

* * *

THE HYPOCRITE of the Year award will surely go to Stoke City manager Tony Pulis. The Welshman understandably complained about the diving antics of Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic and Oscar during last Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge.

Pulis certainly had a point about Ivanovic, who should have been cautioned for simulation (Oscar was, a little harshly).

The weakness in his argument is that when Peter Crouch twice handled the ball as he scored against Manchester City the previous weekend, Pulis said: "If Peter's got away with it, then brilliant."

So it's OK when one of his players cheats but not when an opponent does it.

On Thursday, Pulis said: "The F.A. should pull people up for diving and give them a three-game ban straight away. Ivanovic would be looking at three games, Chelsea wouldn't be too happy with him and I don't think he would be diving around any more."

As violence must be worse than diving, I wonder what punishment Pulis would give to a player who elbows an opponent off the ball?

Stoke's Andy Wilkinson is serving a three-game ban for such an offense. Maybe he received a pay rise.

Christopher Davies was a longtime Premier League correspondent for the London Daily Telegraph.

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Peppers back with Rizing Fukuoka

High-scoring forward Josh Peppers has returned to the Rizing Fukuoka, the bj-league team he played for during the Kyushu franchise's inaugural season. The announcement was made on Thursday.

Peppers, a University of Central Florida product, suited up for the Rizing in 2007-08, before bouncing around the league. He has since played for the Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix (2008-09 season), Sendai 89ers (2009-10) and Shiga Lakestars (2010-12).

A proven scorer with a strong attack-the-basket mentality, Peppers is capable of putting 20 or more points on the board every game. He averaged a career-best 22.2 points per game for John Neumman's run-and-gun Fukuoka squad in 2007-08. Last season, he averaged 14.8 ppg in 44 games (all starts) for the Lakestars. He had a season-best 33-point performance on Dec. 11 against the Phoenix.

"I am very happy about returning to Fukuoka," Peppers said in a statement issued by the team. "It feels so good to be back. I am really excited about this season and hope that all Rizing boosters support us more than ever this season. I will give my best effort in helping our team do its best and make this a season to remember. I can't wait to get started and reunited with some of old teammates as well as one of my old coaches..."

The expansion Gunma Crane Thunders, meanwhile, have bolstered their lineup this week, adding bj-league veterans Nyika Williams, a 206-cm power forward/center who played for the Takamatsu Five Arrows last season, and 207-cm post player Lewis Witcher, who suited up for the Miyazaki Shining Suns in 2011-12.

Witcher turns 25 in November; Williams celebrated his 25th birthday on July 9.

Also Friday, the Yokohama B-Corsairs fell 85-76 to China's Guangdong Tigers in the ABA Championship third-place game in Taiwan. Coach Reggie Geary's squad went 0-4 in the tournament.

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Nakata powers Fighters past Lions

SAPPORO — Sho Nakata has become the Seibu Lions' biggest nightmare. The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters cleanup hitter homered twice on Friday, driving in five runs and driving a wedge into the Lions' pennant pretensions.

The Fighters' 5-0 victory at Sapporo Dome boosted their Pacific League lead to three games over the Lions and lowered Nippon Ham's magic number to win the pennant to four. Nakata's big night came six days after he drove in four runs to lead the Fighters to a crucial come-from-behind victory over the Lions at Seibu Dome.

Nippon Ham lefty Mitsuo Yoshikawa (14-5) allowed two hits and a walk in his third shutout of the season. He struck out seven en route to lowering his ERA to a league-leading 1.71.

Nakata opened the scoring in the bottom of the first with a two-run homer off Ryoma Nogami (8-5), who allowed three runs in 4 1/3 innings.

"I just wanted to give us the first lead," said Nakata, who came up with two outs and a runner on first.

In the fifth inning, Nakata once more came up with two outs but this time with runners on the corners. He hit an 0-1 fastball from rookie Ken Togame and drove it high down the left-field foul line for his 23rd homer of the season.

"I got all of that one," the 23-year-old Nakata said. "I wasn't looking for any pitch in particular. I just wanted to take a full swing and hit whatever came."

Yoshikawa who lost to the Lions in the opener of their previous series, barely gave the visitors a chance.

"They made me look bad last time, so I knew I had to turn the tables on them here," said the 24-year-old southpaw, who needed just 95 pitches to go the distance. "It was a game we couldn't afford to lose, so I just focused on taking care of one batter at a time."

"Nakata's first homer gave me a big boost. After he hit his second, I knew it was my duty to go all the way."

The Fighters have five regular season games left to play, while the Lions have eight.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

Swallows 6, Tigers 3

At Jingu Stadium, Tokyo Yakult's Ryoji Aikawa drove in three runs, tying the game 3-3 in the seventh with his second RBI single, and Wladamir Balentien hit a two-run homer, his 30th, in the eighth as the Swallows came from behind to beat Hanshin.

The Swallows' victory lifted them 7 1/2 games clear of the fourth-place Hiroshima Carp in the battle for the Central League's final playoff spot.

Giants 3, BayStars 3 (9)

At Yokohama Stadium, Yomiuri's Kenji Yano drew a leadoff walk in the ninth inning and scored the tying run on a wild pitch by Yokohama closer Shun Yamaguchi, who blew a chance to record his 22nd save. Giants right-hander Satoshi Fukuda then retired the BayStars in the ninth to ensure a tie in the 3-hour, 57-minute game.

Hisayoshi Chono brought the Giants to within a run in the sixth inning with a two-run, pinch-hit single. The BayStars' Alex Ramirez drove in one of the hosts' runs with a fifth-inning infield single. Ramirez needs 11 more hits to reach 2,000 in his Japan career. Yokohama has 10 regular season games remaining this season.

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Outlook grim as NHL cancels preseason

NEW YORK — The NHL canceled the rest of the preseason Thursday, just a day before negotiations were set to resume in an effort to end the lockout.

The league announced its second cancellation of preseason games in a two-sentence statement. NHL owners locked out players Sept. 16 when the collective bargaining agreement expired.

The NHL had already called off all the exhibition games scheduled in September. The regular season is supposed to begin Oct. 11.

The two sides have scheduled talks on Friday in New York, although they are on secondary economic issues as opposed to the core of the dispute, which is how to split more than $3 billion in annual revenue.

"I'll reserve judgment on my sense of 'optimism' (or not) until we see how our meetings unfold," NHL deputy dommissioner Bill Daly said in an email. "Ultimately, we have to meet and talk to make a deal. But until we make progress and see some compromise from the union of their economic position, we won't be going anywhere fast.

"We will see."

The NHL and the union last met for formal negotiations Sept. 12, three days before the labor pact that ended the previous lockout — back in 2005 — ran out.

CHATEAUGUAY QUEBEC — Montreal players Brian Gionta, Andre Markov and Josh Gorges, and Los Angeles' Simon Gagne and Jonathan Bernier were among 20 NHL players who took part in the first game of the Tournee des joueurs Thursday night at the Complex Multisports de Chateauguay.

Maxime Talbot and Jason Pominville each scored twice to lead the red "Montreal" squad to a 7-4 victory over the white "Quebec" team. First-come, first-served tickets sold at the door for $20 drew a standing-room-only crowd of 1,250 to the multi-rink arena.

Talbot and Bruno Gervais, both of the Philadelphia Flyers, organized the tour, which will feature games next week in Saint-Hyacinthe and Sherbrooke.

Chicago goalie Corey Crawford, from Chateauguay, got the win behind a lineup that also included Gionta, Markov, Gorges, Gervais, Alexandre Burrows, Guillaume Latendresse, Colby Armstrong, Mathieu Darche, Derick Brassard and Steve Begin.

Gagne and Bernier and fellow Quebec City players Patrice Bergeron, Steve Bernier and David Desharnais were among the members of the losing squad, along with Lars Eller, Travis Moen, Brandon Prust, Francis Bouillon, Roman Hamrlik, Benoit Pouliot and Mathieu Perreault.

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Dickey earns 20th victory

NEW YORK — R.A. Dickey was so close yet so far from 20 wins, faltering from fatigue and fuming he had failed to seize the moment.

"About the fourth or fifth inning I felt exasperated. I was not myself today for the most part," he said.

"And then I would come out for an at-bat and I would hear this kind of growing surge, and it really was neat. I mean I don't know if I've ever experienced something like that before. Maybe I never will again," he said.

Absorbing the energy from 31,506 fans at the final home game of another sorry Mets season, Dickey summoned his strength and concentration. David Wright boosted him into the lead with a tiebreaking three-run homer, and Dickey led New York over Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5 Thursday to become the first knuckleballer in more than three decades to win 20 games.

Throwing his hard knuckler at up to 125.5 kph, Dickey (20-6) allowed three runs and eight hits in 7? innings, tying his career high with 13 strikeouts and walking two.

Quite a turnaround from 2010, when Dickey began the season at Triple-A Buffalo and had to prove he belonged in the majors. And from last year, when he was 8-13.

Dickey became the first 20-game knuckleballer to accomplish the feat since Houston's Joe Niekro in 1980, according to STATS LLC.

Reds 2, Brewers 1

In Cincinnati, Dioner Navarro hit a ninth-inning RBI triple to lift the Reds.

Milwaukee's Norichika Aoki was hitless in four at-bats.

Nationals 7, Phillies 3

In Philadelphia, Gio Gonzalez became the first 21-game winner in the majors, Michael Morse hit two homers and Washington beat the Phillies to move closer to an NL East title.

Braves 6, Marlins 2

In Atlanta, David Ross and Andrelton Simmons raced home on left fielder Bryan Petersen's costly error, sending Tommy Hanson and the Braves to a victory over Miami.

Giants 7, Diamondbacks 3

In San Francisco, midseason acquisitions Hunter Pence and Marco Scutaro each hit two-run homers to back Barry Zito.

Dodgers 8, Padres 4

In San Diego, Chris Capuano won for the first time in eight starts and Los Angeles inched closer in the wild-card race.

Rockies 7, Cubs 5

In Denver, Jordan Pacheco and DJ LeMahieu homered, leading Colorado over Chicago for a three-game sweep.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Rangers 9, Athletics 7

In Arlington, Texas, Ian Kinsler got Texas started with a leadoff homer, Matt Harrison earned his 18th victory and the AL West-leading Rangers topped Oakland.

Mariners 9, Angels 4

In Anaheim, John Jaso hit a two-run homer and an RBI double for Seattle, and Los Angeles wasted a chance to get within one game of an AL wild-card spot.

Mariners right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma (8-5) pitched six innings of seven-hit ball.

Tigers 5, Royals 4

In Detroit, Doug Fister set an AL record by striking out nine straight batters and the Tigers kept their lead in the Central, beating Kansas City on Alex Avila's grounder in the ninth inning.

Rays 3, White Sox 2

In Chicago, Evan Longoria hit a tiebreaking homer in the ninth for victorious Tampa Bay.

Blue Jays 6, Yankees 0

In Toronto, Brandon Morrow and two relievers combined on a five-hitter, pitching the hosts to a victory that trimmed New York's tight lead in the AL East.

Ichiro Suzuki was 0-for-4 for the Yankees.

CLEVELAND — Manager Manny Acta was fired Thursday by the Cleveland Indians, who collapsed from contention with a 5-24 record in August, the worst month in the franchise's 112-year history.

Sandy Alomar Jr. was named the interim manager.

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Sports Hypnosis - Be The Athlete You've Always Hoped To Be

Injuries forcing Johjima to retire

Kenji Johjima, the first Japanese player to catch in the major leagues, will retire at the end of this season, sources close to the matter said Friday.

The 36-year-old catcher, who has suffered all year with injury and is in the third year of a four-year contract with the Hanshin Tigers, was quoted as saying, "I'm not a player worth ?400 million a year."

A native of Nagasaki Prefecture, Johjima turned pro out of high school as the No. 1 pick of the Daiei Hawks and contributed to the team's rise from the weak link of the Pacific League to a powerhouse and was named the PL's MVP in 2003. He moved to the majors in 2006 as a free agent and played four seasons for the Seattle Mariners before returning to Japan in 2010 with the Hanshin.

Johjima has been unable to catch this season due to left knee and right elbow injuries, playing just 24 first-team games for the Tigers, primarily as a pinch hitter.

In 14 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, Johjima has played in 1,323 games with a career batting average of .296, 244 home runs and 808 RBIs. He played 462 games in the big leagues, batting .268 with 48 homers and 198 RBIs. He missed the 2006 World Baseball Classic due to a broken leg, but was a key contributor to Japan's second championship in 2009.

Johjima won six PL Best IX Awards and eight Golden Gloves, his last coming with Hanshin in 2010 before injuries began to derail his career.

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Harumafuji promoted to yokozuna

Ozeki Harumafuji officially became the 70th yokozuna in sumo history on Wednesday after the Japan Sumo Association finalized the promotion of the Mongolian wrestler during its executive committee meeting.

Heavy lifting: Harumafuji is carried by his stablemates after being promoted to yokozuna on Wednesday. KYODO

JSA executives rubber-stamped the promotion of Harumafuji based on the recommendation unanimously made Monday by members of the Yokozuna Deliberation Council, an advisory body to the association, after the 28-year-old wrestler secured back-to-back tournament titles with his victory at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament last week at Ryogoku Kokugikan.

"I accept this humbly," Harumafuji said. "With the awareness of what it means to be a yokozuna, I will devote my body and soul to the way of sumo. Because I am who I am, all I can do is give my all in my own way. I want to get the most out of each and every day.

"I am full of gratitude. My desire to put forth a greater effort has gotten stronger. These past two days have been like a dream."

Harumafuji, whose real name is Davaanyam Byambadorj, became the first yokozuna since compatriot Hakuho was promoted after the summer basho in May 2007.

Hakuho has been wrestling as the lone yokozuna in the premier makuuchi division since Asashoryu retired in February 2010 after assaulting a man outside a Tokyo nightclub. He will now be joined at the top by Harumafuji beginning at the Kyushu meet in Fukuoka in November.

A native of Ulan Bator, Harumafuji underlined his yokozuna credentials after clinching his fourth career title with a perfect 15-0 record that included an epic final-day win over Hakuho on Sunday. He had set up his third bid for promotion to yokozuna by also going unbeaten en route to the Nagoya title in July.

A relative lightweight known for his speed, particularly at the tachi-ai, or initial charge, Harumafuji is the fifth foreign-born yokozuna, following in the footsteps of Akebono from Hawaii, Samoan-born Musashimaru, Asashoryu and Hakuho.

"This (becoming a yokozuna) was a dream that was distant, very distant," Harumafuji said. "I think I have been very fortunate.

"That this has come to pass is due to all the support I have received from various quarters. I am very happy that I have been able to repay a small amount of my debt of gratitude."

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NHL, union to resume labor talks

TORONTO — The NHL and its players' union are to resume bargaining Friday for the first time since the lockout began, although the talks will concentrate on secondary economic issues.

Deputy commissioner Bill Daly and NHL Players' Association special counsel Steve Fehr met Tuesday in Toronto and set up the session, which will be in New York. These will be the first formal negotiations since Sept. 12, when the players and owners exchanged proposals.

With the league and union far apart on money, both sides decided to discuss other economic issues that also are necessary for an agreement. Fehr said the topics will include pension and medical plans, schedule rules, drug testing and the grievance procedure.

"Obviously, we've got to talk before you can get a deal, so I think it's important to get the talks going again," Daly said Monday. "But you also have to have something to say. I think it's fair to say we feel like we need to hear from the players' association in a meaningful way because I don't think that they've really moved off their initial proposal, which was made more than a month ago now."

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Villa stuns Man City in League Cup upset

LONDON — Premier League champion Manchester City was eliminated from the League Cup at the first hurdle by Aston Villa on Tuesday, and Everton was beaten by second-tier club Leeds.

Fancy footwork: Aston Villa's Christian Benteke attempts to control the ball in front of Manchester City's Joleon Lescott on Tuesday at Etihad Stadium. Villa won 4-2. AP

Villa beat City 4-2 after twice coming from behind to force the game into extra time, when Charles N'Zogbia and Gabriel Agbonlahor scored.

Goals from Aidy White and Rodolph Austin put Leeds into the fourth round with a 2-1 victory over Everton, which is third in the Premier League.

But it was completely one-sided at Chelsea, with Fernando Torres among six different scorers as the Premier League leaders crushed Wolves 6-0.

Man City's patchy form in the league, however, extended into the first domestic cup competition of the season.

Despite manager Roberto Mancini making 10 changes from Sunday's 1-1 draw with Arsenal, the team's combined value was still more than $200 million.

Mario Balotelli gave a strong City side the lead in the 27th minute, but the visitors drew level thanks to an own goal by former Villa midfielder Gareth Barry in the second half.

Aleksandar Kolarov restored City's lead before Villa equalized again when Agbonlahor scored his first of the night in the 70th.

N'Zogbia scored six minutes into the first extra period with a low shot from close range, and Agbonlahor sealed victory with a fine strike near the end.

"It was a difficult match because Aston Villa were a good team," Mancini said. "We didn't play well and we had some unlucky moments, but I think they deserved to go through."

Mancini exchanged heated words in the second half with Villa manager Paul Lambert after complaining to the fourth official about a tackle on Barry by Joe Bennett.

"It is a massive result for us. I thought the way we played was excellent," Lambert said.

At Elland Road, Leeds stormed in front after four minutes when Aidan White weaved his way through the visiting defense before unleashing a fierce drive into the net.

Leeds doubled its lead with 20 minutes remaining when Danny Pugh's shot was backheeled into the net by Rodolph Austin, ensuring Sylvain Distin's late header was only a consolation.

"We started terribly, gave them the initiative and lost the game in the opening 20 minutes due to the way we started," Everton manager David Moyes said. "We gave away a really poor first goal and left ourselves trying to get back into the game."

At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea captain John Terry played after appearing in front of a Football Association racism hearing for a second day.

Gary Cahill, Ryan Bertrand and Juan Mata all scored inside the opening 17 minutes against a heavily weakened Wolves side, while Oriol Romeu netted from the penalty spot earlier in the second half before Torres and Victor Moses added further goals.

Also Tuesday, Swansea was spared from embarrassment late on at Crawley, coming from behind and scoring in stoppage time to beat the third-tier side 3-2.

Wigan eliminated West Ham with a 4-1 victory, Southampton defeated Sheffield Wednesday 2-0, and Sunderland won 2-0 at MK Dons.

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NFL upholds Seahawks' controversial victory over Packers

NEW YORK — The NFL put its stamp of approval on the still-smoldering outcome of the Green Bay-Seattle game:

Wrong call.

Right review.

Wrong team still wins.

Seahawks 14, Packers 12.

With frustration mounting among coaches, players and fans, the worst fear finally materialized: a mistake by a replacement official decided the outcome of a game.

It came while the NFL and its regular officials, locked out since June, were in resumed talks in an attempt to resolve the impasse.

That was still a day late for the Packers.

The fiasco, which unfolded on the prominent stage of "Monday Night Football," was deconstructed by the league Tuesday in a way that surely rendered little comfort for Cheeseheads.

The NFL said Seattle's last-second touchdown pass should not have counted because Seahawks receiver Golden Tate should have been called for offensive pass interference, ending the game with Green Bay winning.

Instead, officials ruled it a touchdown, and penalties either way are not reviewable.

That left it to whether Tate and Green Bay safety M.D. Jennings both had possession of the ball. The officials said they did, but the Packers insisted Jennings had clear possession for a game-ending interception. The NFL agreed that the replay was inconclusive, upholding the touchdown and giving Seattle the victory.

Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, normally a soft-spoken player who didn't say much after the loss, lashed out on his radio show Tuesday.

"First of all, I've got to do something that the NFL is not going to do: I have to apologize to the fans," he said on ESPN 540-AM in Milwaukee.

Even President Barack Obama got in on the conversation Tuesday, tweeting: "NFL fans on both sides of the aisle hope the refs' lockout is settled soon."

The controversy began on the final play when Russell Wilson heaved a 24-yard pass into a scrum in the end zone with Seattle trailing 12-7. Tate shoved away a defender with both hands, and he and Jennings got their hands on the ball.

"It was pinned to my chest the whole time," Jennings said.

Instead, the officials ruled on the field that the two had simultaneous possession, which counts as a reception.

"The NFL Officiating Department reviewed the video today and supports the decision not to overturn the on-field ruling following the instant replay review," the league said in a statement.

On his weekly appearance on Seattle radio station 710 KIRO-AM, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll made no apologies Tuesday, saying, "The league backed it up and game over. We win."

"Golden makes an extraordinary effort. It's a great protection. It's a great throw. It's a great attempt at the ball and he wins the battle," he said. "They were right on the point looking right at it, standing right over the thing and they reviewed it. Whether they missed the push or not — obviously they missed the push in the battle for the ball — but that stuff goes on all the time."

The NFL locked out the officials in June after their contract expired. Unable to reach a new collective bargaining agreement, the league opened the season with replacements, most with experience only in lower levels of college football.

Coaches and players began griping about the officials in the preseason, but the tension seemed to boil over this past weekend.

Scuffles after the whistle were frequent with players appearing to test the limits of the new officials, and coaches were fined for berating them.

Las Vegas oddsmakers said $300 million or more changed hands worldwide on Monday's call. The Glantz-Culver line for the game opened favoring the Packers by 4?. Had the play been ruled an interception, Green Bay would have won by 5.

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Fighters widen Pacific League lead

SAPPORO — Taiwan international Yang Dai-kang broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run, seventh-inning single as the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters defeated the Chiba Lotte Marines 5-2 at Sapporo Dome on Wednesday.

The victory, combined with the Seibu Lions' 3-2 loss to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, increased the Fighters' Pacific League lead to two games. The Marines' defeat dropped them into fifth place, a half-game back of the Eagles.

The Marines tied the game in the top of the sixth on a two-run homer by Toshiaki Imae, but lefty Yuya Ishii (1-1) shut the visitors down in the top of the seventh and the Fighters mounted a rally against right-hander Shingo Ono (2-5) after two were out in the home half of the inning.

Catcher Shota Ono reached on an infield single and No. 9 hitter Makoto Kaneko doubled him to third. The injury-scarred 36-year-old Kaneko then hustled home to score from second as Yang hit the first pitch into center.

"I wasn't looking for a particular pitch," the Fighters All-Star center fielder said after the game in the on-field hero interview. "I just wanted to hit whatever came."

"I owe a debt to Kaneko. His physical condition isn't that good, but he ran hard. If he hadn't done that, I wouldn't be standing here now," he said.

The Marines had a chance to tie it in the ninth against closer Hisashi Takeda, but with two on and one out cleanup hitter Josh Whitesell's bid for a three-run home run was caught in deep center by Yang.

Eagles 3, Lions 2

At Seibu Dome, Tohoku Rakuten's Ginji Akaminai singled in a run apiece in the first and third innings off Seibu starter Kazuhisa Makita (12-8), while right-hander Brandon Duckworth (3-1) allowed two runs in 6? innings to earn the win. The Golden Eagles' victory lifted them into fourth place.

The Lions rallied for a pair of runs, but the second infield single of the game by midseason acquisition Kazuya Fujita drove in a crucial insurance run in the seventh for the Eagles.

Buffaloes 3, Hawks 0

At Kyocera Dome, Orix's Lee Dae Ho belted a two-run homer in the first off Nagisa Arakaki (6-5), while three Buffaloes relievers combined with starter Yuji Maeda (2-2) to complete a nine-hit shutout of Fukuoka Softbank as the hosts snapped a 12-game losing streak.

Maeda allowed four hits and two walks over five innings, while former rotation standout Yoshihisa Hirano struck out five batters over the final two innings to record his seventh save. The Hawks hit into three double plays.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

Swallows 10, Tigers 4

At Jingu Stadium, Yakult's Yuhei Nakamura's three-run double capped a five-run first inning as every Swallows starter had a hit in a rout of Hanshin.

Converted pitcher Yuhei Takai led the hosts with four hits at the top of the order, while southpaw Katsuki Akagawa (8-8) allowed three runs in six-plus innings while driving in a run with a sixth-inning double. Tomoaki Kanemoto hit his 476th career homer for the Tigers in the ninth.

Carp 4, Giants 0

At Mazda Stadium, Hiroshima's Keisuke Imai (3-8) allowed two hits in seven innings and two relievers completed the two-hit shutout. Brad Eldred belted two home runs and drove in three as the Carp defeated Yomiuri.

Second-year Giants right-hander Hirokazu Sawamura (9-10), making his first start since Sept. 4, allowed four runs in 6? innings. The CL's 2011 rookie of the year gave up 10 hits and a walk, while striking out nine.

BayStars 8, Dragons 2

At Nagoya Dome, Yokohama's Tatsuhiko Kinjo belted a three-run, pinch-hit homer and right-hander Kisho Kagami (3-3) allowed two runs in six innings as the BayStars beat Chunichi to extend their unbeaten streak to four games.

Soma Yamauchi (10-7) started for the Dragons, who have already clinched the second seed in the CL playoffs, and allowed three runs in 6? innings to the last-place BayStars.

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The Immense Popularity of Sports Trading Pins

Inui on target again for Eintracht

FRANKFURT — Japan midfielder Takashi Inui scored in his third straight game for newly promoted Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt in Tuesday's 3-3 draw at home against two-time league champion Borussia Dortmund. Frankfurt, with 13 points from five games, is second in the league, two points back of Bayern Munich.

Trailing 2-0 in the 49th minute, Inui set up Stefan Aigner to score when the visitors turned over the ball in the center circle. Two minutes later, Aigner returned the favor with a cross that Inui headed in for the equalizer.

"That was such a great ball," said Inui, who added that it was the first time he had scored from a header in his life.

"The manager laid down the law (at halftime). As a result, we got over it (being down 2-0) and didn't give up."

Dortmund, whose 31-match unbeaten run in the league came to an end on the weekend, retaliated in moments through Mario Gotze. In the 73rd minute, however, Inui played a short corner and Bastian Okzipka crossed to Anderson, whose finish preserved the new boys' unbeaten Bundesliga record.

"I really wanted to score the winning goal, but it's huge that the team remained undefeated," Inui said.

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Fukuoka, Tokyo to host games during '13 WBC

SAN FRANCISCO — Two-time defending champion Japan and Cuba will face off in the first round of pool play in next year's World Baseball Classic. Home-field advantage: Japan.

Japan will host first and second rounds of pool play at two sites in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, which features a new qualifying format rather than the invitation-only system of the first two events.

The top 12 nations from the last WBC were already in, then the other four determined from 28 teams through qualifying. The WBC winner will be named world champion for the first time.

The first round games for Pool A will be held in Fukuoka from March 2-6 with Japan, China, Cuba and a qualifier to be determined. The second round moves to Tokyo Dome.

"Cuba was a good fit in Japan," WBC president Paul Archey said. "We have more games in Asia. Somebody is going to have to go to Asia and play."

The WBC announced its venues and pools Tuesday outside the Giants' AT&T Park, which will host the semifinals and championship game in the event's third run. Two more qualifying teams are still to be determined in November, with rosters scheduled to be announced Dec. 3 at the baseball winter meetings in Nashville, Tennessee.

Players will be subject to drug testing by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

San Juan, Puerto Rico, will host games for the third time at Hiram Bithorn Stadium. Those games will be played March 7-10 featuring Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and a qualifier.

The Arizona Diamondbacks' Chase Field and the club's shared Scottsdale spring training facility with the Rockies, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, hosts Pool D games between the U.S., Italy, Mexico and a qualifier.

Taichung, Taiwan, will stage the event for the first time. Those games at Intercontinental Stadium will be in Pool B from March 2-5, featuring Australia, Korea, the Netherlands and a qualifier.

Two qualifying nations were determined in recent days, though they are yet to be placed in a pool because the WBC must learn the other two participants and then seed all four qualifiers for the best competitive balance. Spain earned a spot by beating Israel in extra innings Sunday in Jupiter, Florida, while Canada defeated Germany on Monday to secure a place in the tournament.

The inaugural 2006 WBC featured a pool-play format, while 2009 was double-elimination — and the next one will be a combination of both. The first round will be pool play, with the top two teams advancing. The second round is double-elimination, and the top two teams will reach the semifinals.

Riccardo Fraccari, president of the International Baseball Federation, announced the WBC winner will now be crowned world champion — a title that in the past was determined through World Cup play.

Giants CEO Larry Baer said his franchise had twice tried to become a WBC host for the final two rounds. San Diego hosted the first WBC and then Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium in '09.

"They really put a great package together and showed a passion for getting it and a lot of energy, so their efforts were rewarded," Archey said. "It's a great city. It's an international city. They've obviously had a tremendous amount of success filling this ballpark and on the baseball field since the last Classic. That just made a great fit."

The World Baseball Classic "reflects the international flavor of our city in many ways," said Mayor Ed Lee, who hopes for an economic impact of more than $100 million.

A huge blue World Baseball Classic poster hangs from AT&T Park outside along the right field area.

"I must say the WBC sign makes the stadium look pretty," said Felipe Alou, the former San Francisco skipper who managed the Dominican WBC team in 2009. "It also makes our beautiful stadium look prettier. I'm 100 percent for the World Classic. . . . I'm pretty sure the third Classic is going to be even better than the second Classic. I'm with this until the end."

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Giants likely won't utilize Cabrera

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants have no plans to bring back suspended outfielder Melky Cabrera for the postseason if the club is still playing when he is eligible to return.

Manager Bruce Bochy said Tuesday that he and general manager Brian Sabean are meeting to finalize their 25-man roster for the best-of-five division series. Cabrera would be allowed to play in the NLCS if the Giants advance that far, but — at this stage, at least — they have no intention of adding him to the roster at any point in the postseason.

An announcement regarding Cabrera is expected before the NL West champions leave town after a three-game series against Arizona that began Tuesday night.

First, they would need to alert all the parties involved: Cabrera, Major League Baseball and the players union. Cabrera can start working out at an instructional league in Arizona 10 days before his suspension ends, so that factor weighs into the mix.

"Right now, we'll discuss that. We'll probably have something before the end of this homestand as far as Melky," Bochy said.

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Final Lesson: Top 10 Reasons Why Beginning Sports Traders Fail

Sharapova reaches Pan Pacific quarterfinals

World No. 2 Maria Sharapova staved off a strong challenge from Lucie Safarova to beat her Czech opponent in a straight sets 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) victory on Wednesday to reach the quarterfinals of the Pan Pacific Open.

The career Gram Slam titleholder dominated the first set, but the world 17th-ranked player dug deep in her energy reserves to force a tiebreaker in the second on a balmy day on center court at Ariake Tennis Forest Park.

Sharapova, making her seventh appearance here with titles in 2005 and 2009, rolled out to a 3-0 lead in the second set, but Safarova bounced back and broke the Russian former world No. 1 at triple breakpoint in the fifth game.

The pair played a see-saw battle, tying it twice at 4-4 and 5-5, and Safarova broke Sharapova again in the 11th game before her serve deserted her in the next game to force the extras.

"After winning the first set, and going up 3-0 in the second, I think I became a little frustrated. I thought I had the momentum," said Sharapova, adding that she struggled against the lefty's serve.

"The spin comes from a different direction (than right-handers), and it takes a little longer to get used to. When her serve is on, it can become quite tricky," she said.

Sharapova took a 3-0 lead in the tiebreak, but Safarova rallied to tie it at 4-4. The Russian pulled ahead and served out the match with an ace on the final point to finish in 1 hour, 43 minutes. Sharapova will next face Australian No. 8 seed Samantha Stosur, a 6-4, 7-5 winner over Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova in another third-round match.

Asked her prospects on facing Stosur in the quarterfinals on Thursday, Sharapova said, "I have a good record against her. But she is certainly a solid player; uses a lot of spin. It will be important to keep improving and play at a higher level against her."

Stosur, ranked ninth in the world and making her sixth appearance here, improved to 3-0 for her career against the world 13th-ranked Cibulkova, who played for the fourth time in Tokyo. Stosur broke her opponent three times and saved four out of five break points.

Italy's Sara Errani, the No. 6 seed, took advantage of France's Marion Bartoli's errant service game to rally in a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 win. Ninth-seed Bartoli shot herself down with 12 double faults.

"It was a different environment than I'm used to and a faster surface, so it was harder to play my game. I didn't start well, but from the second set after the first three games, she was more tired and I played a little better," said Errani.

Russian Nadia Petrova, the 17th seed, outlasted Croat Petra Martic 7-6 (7-2), 6-7 (1-7), 6-4 to reach the final eight.

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Tigers climb into tie for first in AL Central

DETROIT — Anibal Sanchez retired the final batter on a weak grounder, and Detroit's players began celebrating around the mound.

Clutch performance: Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez pitches against the Royals on Tuesday in Detroit. Sanchez threw a shutout to pull the Tigers into a tie for the AL Central lead. AP

Moments later, the home crowd roared a little louder when the AL Central standings were posted on the scoreboard in left field — with the Tigers back in a tie for first.

"We control our own destiny. We've just got to continue to play good baseball," catcher Gerald Laird said. "We don't have to rely on anybody to beat anybody now. It's all on our shoulders."

Sanchez threw his first shutout in over a year, and the Tigers caught the Chicago White Sox atop the division with a 2-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night. Detroit had spent only one day in first since the start of August. The Tigers were tied with the White Sox after beating them Sept. 2 — but quickly fell back.

Now it's even again with eight games to play. Even in this season of expanded playoffs, Detroit and Chicago are in an old-fashioned division race with seemingly everything at stake — because a wild card isn't a likely option.

"Nothing is over, nothing is in," Sanchez said. "We're right there."

Athletics 3, Rangers 2 (10)

In Arlington, Texas, George Kottaras hit a leadoff homer in the 10th inning.

Scheduled starter Yu Darvish was scratched by the Rangers about 2? hours before the first pitch because of a stiff neck.

Angels 5, Mariners 4

In Anaheim, Zack Greinke had a season-high 13 strikeouts in five innings.

Indians 4, White Sox 3

In Chicago, the White Sox gave Detroit an opening to tie for the AL Central lead when Gordon Beckham hit into a game-ending forceout with the potential tying run on second base.

Blue Jays 4, Orioles 0

In Baltimore, Aaron Laffey and five relievers combined on a six-hitter.

Twins 5, Yankees 4

In Minneapolis, Phil Hughes ran out of gas in the seventh inning and Boone Logan couldn't hold the lead for him.

Ichiro Suzuki finished 1-for-4.

Rays 5, Red Sox 2

In Boston, David Price struck out a season-high 13 and Jeff Keppinger hit a three-run homer.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Braves 4, Marlins 3

In Atlanta, Freddie Freeman hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning to put the Braves back in the playoffs with a victory over Miami.

Reds 4, Brewers 2

In Cincinnati, Johnny Cueto pitched seven solid innings for the Reds.

Norichika Aoki was 0-for-4 for the Brewers.

Phillies 6, Nationals 3

In Philadelphia, Darin Ruf homered for his first major league hit and Carlos Ruiz and Domonic Brown also went deep.

Pirates 10, Mets 6

In New York, Pedro Alvarez hit his 30th homer and drove in four runs.

Cardinals 4, Astros 0

In Houston, Jaime Garcia pitched seven sharp innings and Jon Jay drove in two runs.

Rockies 10, Cubs 5 (6?)

In Denver, DJ LeMahieu had three hits and finished a home run short of the cycle in a rain-shortened game.

Padres 2, Dodgers 1

In San Diego, Josh Beckett lost for the third time in six starts with Los Angeles, whose playoff chances were dealt a blow.

Diamondbacks 7, Giants 2

In San Francisco, Paul Goldschmidt hit a three-run homer and a pair of sacrifice flies for a career-high five RBIs.

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Injured Nadal unsure about timetable for return

LONDON — Rafael Nadal still has no timetable for his return from a knee injury, and the 11-time Grand Slam champion isn't sure if he'll play the Australian Open in January.

On the shelf: Rafael Nadal is currently dealing with a knee injury that's kept him sidelined for months. AP

"All that is in my mind is to keep working hard to come back," Nadal said in interviews with European newspapers Tuesday. "I cannot think about the future because it's not like if you break your arm and you know you will have a few weeks like this, then a few weeks like that and then you are back."

The Spaniard hasn't played since losing in the second round of Wimbledon in June to little-known Lukas Rosol.

Nadal is recovering from a partially torn patella tendon in his left knee.

"This is a day-by-day thing," Nadal said. "I have checks every day to see how I'm improving. I can't predict what will happen."

As for the Australian Open, he was quoted in the Daily Mail as saying: "I hope you see me in Australia. That is the biggest goal for me, to come back just before then in Qatar, but I cannot say for sure it is going to happen. The only thing is to recover well. I want to be 100 percent when I come back."

Nadal said he played with anti-inflammatories to get through the French Open, which he won for a record seventh time, and took pain-killing injections at Wimbledon.

He said he was particularly upset at missing the London Olympics, where he had been scheduled to carry the Spanish flag at the opening ceremony.

"I was very, very sad for three weeks around then," he said. "It only comes every four years. Missing the U.S. Open was hard, but you think you will have more chances."

Nadal praised Andy Murray, who won the U.S. Open for his first Grand Slam title after losing in four previous major finals.

"He deserves it more than anyone," Nadal said. "I am very happy for him."

BANGKOK — Fernando Verdasco offered words of sympathy for injured fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal Tuesday after surviving a scare to reach the ATP Thailand Open second round.

The fifth seed and former semifinalist had to figure out a way to win as he rallied past Japanese surprise package Tatsuma Ito 3-6, 6-0, 6-2, eventually advancing at a canter.

Afterwards, Verdasco said everyone was behind Nadal, the 11-time Grand Slam winner who has revealed he has no idea when his left knee injury will allow him to return to tennis.

"He is the best player in history from Spain and everyone cares for him. But only he knows his feelings," Verdasco said. "He is the only one who can decide when he comes back to play. I don't know what more to say really."

Ito went off the boil after a torrid start, allowing the court-wise Spaniard to get the job done in the end.

"He really surprised me. I had never seen him play," said Verdasco.

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Mayweather, Pacquiao settle case

LAS VEGAS — Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao are settling a federal defamation case in Las Vegas, clearing a key hurdle to a long-awaited bout between two top fighters who've traded verbal jabs for years but have never met in the ring.

Terms of the pretrial agreement cited in documents filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas are confidential, said Malcolm LaVergne, a lawyer representing Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s father in the case.

LaVergne said documents filed under seal ask U.S. District Judge Larry R. Hicks to dismiss the lawsuit, and that others involved in the case were preparing a public statement. Documents filed publicly said each side would bear its own attorney fees and costs.

"The matter has been resolved," LaVergne said. "Any alleged terms of the resolution would be strictly confidential. Floyd Mayweather Sr. is very happy that this lengthy case has finally come to a conclusion."

Attorneys for the two fighters and Mayweather's promoter, Leonard Ellerbe, did not immediately respond to messages from AP.

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Cagliari president suspends himself

CAGLIARI SARDINIA — Cagliari president Massimo Cellino has suspended himself from his role in charge of the Sardinian club after his actions caused a home Serie A match against Roma to be called off.

Roma was awarded a 3-0 victory on Monday after Sunday's game was postponed for safety reasons because the Sardinian club defied orders to play it in an empty stadium.

Cagliari said Tuesday that Cellino has stood down in order "to defend himself freely in any appropriate place." The club adds he will immediately return from the United States.

Cagliari and Cellino could face further sanctions as the case has been referred to the Italian Football Federation.

Cellino had urged fans to ignore the authorities, using the club website to call on fans to attend peacefully, regardless of the ruling.

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Reds manager Baker still sidelined

CINCINNATI — Dusty Baker won't manage the Cincinnati Reds until the final series in St. Louis, giving him time to recover from an irregular heartbeat and a mini-stroke suffered last week.

The 63-year-old manager was hospitalized for four days in Chicago because of an irregular heartbeat that he's had for some time.

He said in a statement released Tuesday that he also had a mini-stroke.

His cardiologists said his condition has "improved dramatically" and a full recovery is expected.

Bench coach Chris Speier will manage the team during a three-game series against Milwaukee at Great American Ball Park and a three-game series in Pittsburgh over the weekend.

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Ortiz hits go-ahead home run as Lions edge Eagles

TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref. — Jose Ortiz spent the first part of this season playing in Mexico, where he said he wasn't really doing too well.

From where the Seibu Lions stand, Ortiz is playing just fine now.

Ortiz broke a scoreless tie with a two-run homer in the sixth inning, and Yusei Kikuchi was on top of his game for much of the night as the Lions earned a 3-2 victory over the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles on Tuesday night at Seibu Dome.

"The game tonight was tight," Ortiz said. "I've been having some problems with men on base lately, so for me, it feels really good that I was able to put a good swing on that ball, hit it really hard, and give us some momentum."

The win was an important one for the Lions, who entered the night trailing the first-place Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters by 1 1/2 games and leading the third-place Fukuoka Softbank Hawks by 2 1/2 in the Pacific League standings.

"Everyday is a battle," Ortiz said. "We try our best everyday. It's exciting, but we have to control our excitement."

Eagles starter Yoshinao Kamata entered the sixth having allowed three hits. He retired the first two batters of the inning, but Lions slugger Takeya Nakamura kept the frame going with a single to left.

Ortiz then swung at the first pitch he saw, sending it hurtling toward the seats in center to give the Lions a 2-0 lead.

"Both pitchers were doing very well," Ortiz said. "I thank God I was able to get a fastball inside and hit it out of the park.

"I was trying to hit the ball really hard. Nakamura swung 3-0 and he got a hit, and that's what you want, and I got a very good pitch to hit too."

Ortiz joined the Lions June 7, but is no stranger to Japan having previously played for the Orix BlueWave (2003-2004), the Chiba Lotte Marines (2007-2008) and the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks (2009-2011). He's hitting .290 with seven home runs and 16 RBIs in 53 games with Seibu this season.

"I don't want to take anything for granted," Ortiz said. "I want to work every day, working on my batting, and make the most of any opportunity they give me."

Pinch hitter Chris Carter tacked on an insurance run for the Lions with an RBI single in the seventh.

Kikuchi got off to a strong start, allowing just one hit through seven innings, but ran into trouble in the eighth. Kikuchi (4-2) was charged with two runs and allowed a pair of hits while striking out two in seven-plus innings.

"His form was pretty good tonight," said Lions manager Hisanobu Watanabe.

Lions closer Hideaki Wakui worked a perfect ninth for his 27th save of the season.

Kamata (7-3) allowed three runs on six hits and struck out four. He also walked two batters in 6 1/3 innings.

"He was throwing some good pitches, but some pitches he missed," Ortiz said. "I knew he was missing some pitches inside, so I was ready to be aggressive. He was very good, he just missed a couple pitches during the game. We didn't get them in the beginning, but we came out with the win."

The Eagles got a rally started in the top of the eighth, with Ginji Akiminai drawing a walk and Akihisa Makita singling to send Kikuchi to the showers. Jose Fernandez followed with an RBI double against rookie Ken Togame and Motohiro Shima drew a walk to load the bases. Pinch hitter Toshiya Nakashima flew out to left for the first out, but reliever Randy Williams hit Ryo Hijirisawa to bring in another run.

Lions shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima fielded a grounder by Kazuya Fujita and fired home for the second out of the frame, and later threw Kazuo Matsui out at first to end the inning.

The loss dealt a blow to the Eagles' playoff chances. Rakuten entered the night trailing the Hawks by three games for the third and final Pacific League Climax Series spot.

Brandon Duckworth (2-1) will toe the rubber for the Eagles on Wednesday, with Kazuhisa Makita (12-7) getting the start for the home team as both teams continue their push to reach the postseason.

OSAKA — Fukuoka Softbank Hawks rookie Shota Takeda threw his first career complete game, shutting out the hapless Orix Buffaloes 7-0 on Tuesday night in the Pacific League.

The Buffaloes fired manager Akinobu Okada before the first pitch and lost their 12th straight, a new team worst.

Orix had initially placed Okada on leave earlier Tuesday, naming fielding and base running coach Hiroshi Moriwaki as acting manager for the remaining five games of the season.

The Buffaloes, however, changed their mind in a hurry, not waiting to see out the year as Yoshio Murayama, the team's head of baseball operations, notified Okada of his dismissal before the game at Kyocera Dome.

Okada, naturally, was stunned by the fast turn of events.

"I knew absolutely nothing about it," said Okada, who was told last week that he would not be brought back for next season but would still finish the year. "I came to the ballpark thinking I was going to be in charge of the game."

Takeda (7-1) allowed just four hits and a walk, striking out seven during a 111-pitch effort for the Hawks who were led at the plate by a 4-for-4 night from Yuki Yanagita.

Fighters 3, Marines 3 (10)

At Sapporo Dome, Chiba Lotte's Josh Whitesell made it a 3-3 game and forced extra innings with a solo home run in the eighth as the Marines managed a tie with Hokkaido Nippon Ham.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

Giants 3, Carp 2

At Hiroshima's Mazda Stadium, Shinnosuke Abe kept alive his Triple Crown hopes by hitting a tie-breaking solo shot in the eighth, his 27th home run of the season, as newly crowned CL champion Yomiuri sent Hiroshima to its eighth straight loss.

Abe comfortably leads in the batting average (.342) and RBI (100) categories, but is now two homers behind Tokyo Yakult Swallows slugger Wladimir Balentien.

Swallows 3, Tigers 0

At Tokyo's Jingu Stadium, Shohei Tateyama (12-8) scattered three hits over eight scoreless innings as Yakult sent toothless Hanshin to its third defeat in four games.

Dragons 2, BayStars 2 (11)

At Nagoya Dome, Yokohama wasted a no-out, bases-loaded opportunity in the 10th, settling for a tie with second-place Chunichi.

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Versatile writer Foster dead at 68

NEW ORLEANS — Mary Foster, a veteran Associated Press reporter who wrote about everything from New Orleans' love affair with food, Mardi Gras and Saints football to Hurricane Katrina, died Monday. She was 68.

Foster died at her New Orleans home from complications of cancer that was diagnosed earlier this year, according to her sister, Rosalie Foster. She had returned home on Friday after receiving treatment in Little Rock, Arkansas.

"Mary lived a large life and her work was infused with her love of Louisiana's people and their stories," said Kathleen Carroll, the AP's executive editor. "The stars over New Orleans are dimmer now that she is gone."

Foster joined the AP's New Orleans bureau in 1988 after working at newspapers and for television and radio stations. Foster started covering Louisiana sports for AP in 1992 at a time when few female journalists were covering professional sports. A single mom, she often brought her two sons on assignment with her and put them to work helping to gather quotes at New Orleans Saints and LSU games.

Her youngest son, Frankie Klug, said the Saints once handed out small towels for players to wear around their waists when his mother entered the locker room. She kept one of the "Mary Foster towels" in a frame.

"It was kind of a joke, but she was proud of it," said Klug, of New Orleans.

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USADA chief gets death threats

PARIS — The head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency tightened security within his organization after receiving several death threats during his investigation of Lance Armstrong.

In an interview published Monday in French sports daily L'Equipe, USADA chief executive Travis Tygart said he has felt obliged to take stronger security measures since opening investigations into Armstrong and members of the former U.S. Postal team.

"The Armstrong affair has prompted death threats against me. I received three of them, individual initiatives, in my opinion. Once again, the FBI dealt with that," Tygart was quoted as saying in L'Equipe's interview from USADA offices in Colorado Springs, Colorado, adding that he had previously received a similar threat.

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Russia unveils 2014 Sochi Olympics slogan

MOSCOW — Russia on Tuesday unveiled the phrase "Hot. Cool. Yours." as the slogan for the 2014 Winter Olympics as the 500-day countdown began to the opening in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

"Russia in many ways is a country of contrasts and we wanted to emphasise that in the slogan," said the organizing committee president, Dmitry Chernyshenko, at a presentation in Moscow.

"The climate is cold but the hospitality is warm. The Olympics are Winter but Sochi is a southern city, and you could list many other contrasts here, so we picked this slogan."

In Russian, the slogan reads slightly differently: "Hot. Wintry. Yours."

The "hot" refers to the sheltered subtropical Black Sea resort of Sochi, which has palm trees, in contrast with the "cool" mountains above the city, which Russia is hoping will be thickly coated with snow for the ski events.

The slogan, which was first informally revealed by Chernyshenko on a television talk show on Monday evening, got a mixed reception in Russia, with many people mocking its slightly suggestive wording.

"The official slogan of the Sochi Olympics sounds like an ad for a premium sex line," wrote Twitter user Sergey Evdokimov.

"The slogan brings up so many associations, but none of them are to do with sport," wrote another, Nadin Pilipenko.

Lawmaker Robert Shlegel of ruling United Russia party told Russian News Service radio station: "I can't say it stands out at all or describes the Olympic movement. It's neither fish nor fowl."

Russia last hosted the Olympics as part of the Soviet Union in 1980 and its winning bid for the Winter Games was a massive boost for national pride, spearheaded by strongman leader Vladimir Putin.

The construction of the sports facilities is now more than 70 percent complete ahead of the start on February 7, 2014, Chernyshenko said, allaying fears that the project is running behind schedule.

As massive construction work is under way at the Soviet-era resort, ecologists and rights activists have criticized the preparations for damaging the environment and forcing locals out of their homes, claims denied by the organizers.

The Games will be hosted from Feb. 7 to 23.

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Canada qualifies for 2013 WBC

NEW YORK — Chris Robinson, Adam Loewen and Jimmy Van Ostrand smacked home runs to lead Canada over Germany 11-1 on Monday to win a four-nation qualifying tournament for next year's World Baseball Classic.

Canadian pitcher Andrew Albers allowed the hosts only one hit in six innings for the victory in advancing to the 16-team field for next March's global showdown of top talent, including North American Major League Baseball players.

Also advancing from a qualifying tournament was Spain, which edged Israel 9-7 in 10 innings to advance at Jupiter, Florida. South Africa and France were eliminated there while Britain and the Czech Republic were ousted in Germany.

Taiwan and Panama are set to host qualifying events in November to decide the final two teams in the tournament.

New Zealand, Thailand and Philippines will challenge Taiwan in Asia, while Panama will host Nicaragua, Colombia and Brazil.

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Seahawks win in farcical finish

SEATTLE — In a bizarre ending that capped a brutal weekend for replacement officials, the Seattle Seahawks somehow beat the Green Bay Packers 14-12 on Monday night in a game that's certain to re-ignite frustrations over the locked-out refs.

Russell Wilson threw a disputed 24-yard touchdown pass to Golden Tate on the final play of the game, a game that finally ended 10 minutes later when both teams were brought back on the field for the extra point.

Wilson scrambled from the pocket and threw to the corner of the end zone as the clock expired. Tate shoved Green Bay's Sam Shields out of the way, then wrestled with M.D. Jennings for possession.

It was ruled on the field as a touchdown and after a lengthy review, referee Wayne Elliott came out from under the hood and announced "the ruling on the field stands" and CenturyLink Field erupted in celebration.

It was nearly 10 minutes before the teams were brought back for the extra point.

The final decision is only going to fuel debate about the replacement officials coming off a weekend filled with disputed calls.

"Don't ask me a question about the officials," Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy said. "I've never seen anything like that in all my years in football.

"I know it's been a wild weekend in the NFL and I guess we're part of it now."

And the last game of the weekend will debated more than any other.

Seattle (2-1) won its second straight, while Green Bay (1-2)saw its streak of wins in six straight road openers snapped.

Wilson's heave came at the end of a final frantic drive after the Seahawks had previously missed on a fourth-down attempt from the Green Bay 7 with 2 minutes left.

The turnover on downs appeared to end Seattle's hopes and cap an impressive second-half comeback by the Packers and Aaron Rodgers, who was sacked eight times — all in the first half.

Green Bay averted disaster when John Kuhn fumbled on the Packers first play following the change of possession but center Jeff Saturday recovered. The Seahawks held and forced Green Bay to punt from the 4 with 57 seconds left. The 41-yard punt set Seattle up at the Green Bay 46 with 46 seconds remaining.

Wilson hit Sidney Rice for 22 yards on a slant then went for Tate in the end zone but the ball was batted away with 18 seconds left. He threw over the head of Evan Moore on second down leaving 12 seconds remaining and missed Tate again at the 5.

Wilson took the final snap with 8 seconds remaining. He appeared to be looking for Rice on the right side of the end zone, but rolled left and threw for Tate, who was in a crowd of three Packers defenders. His shove of Shields was obvious and it was never clear who had possession between Tate and Jennings.

Seattle instantly celebrated while the Packers argued with anyone in a striped shirt. Both teams were eventually shoved to the sidelines as Tate stomped through the end zone in celebration.

Following the review, Elliott's announcement sent the stadium into delirium and even more confusion ensued until the teams finally returned to the field for the extra point.

"From what I understood from the officials it was a simultaneous catch. Tie goes to the runner. Good call," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said.

Rodgers had quite a different opinion.

"It was awful. Just look at the replay. And then the fact that it was reviewed, it was awful," he said.

"That's all I'm going to say about it.""We shouldn't have been in that position.

It was Tate's second touchdown of the game after catching a 41-yard TD in the second quarter to give Seattle a 7-0 lead. He finished with three catches for 68 yards, while Wilson was 10 of 21 for 130 yards.

The Packers' frustration was almost instant. Guard T.J. Lang was even more emphatic, tweeting that the Packers were robbed "by the refs. Thanks, NFL."

Green Bay shook off a disastrous first half where Rodgers was sacked eight times and completely controlled possession in the final 30 minutes.

The Packers ran 41 offensive plays in the second half, got field goals of 29 and 40 yards from Mason Crosby and Cedric Benson's 1-yard TD run with 8:44 left to take a 12-7 lead.

Others spoke their mind by tweeting.

Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman tweeted "These games are a joke," while NBA MVP LeBron James tweeted "I simply just LOVE the NFL (too) much to see these mistakes. I'm sick like I just played for the Packers"

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Ichiro earns AL weekly accolade

NEW YORK — New York Yankees outfielder Ichiro Suzuki was named the American League Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, Major League Baseball announced Monday.

Ichor led the major leagues with 15 hits, six stolen bases, and a .600 batting average from Sept. 17 to Sept. 23.

The 38-year-old figured prominently in the Yankees' three-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays, including the Sept. 19 doubleheader in which he recorded three hits in the day game and went 4-for-4 with four stolen bases in the evening.

Ichiro also led the majors in on-base percentage (.630) and was third in slugging percentage (.960) with two home runs as the Yankees preserved a narrow lead atop the tight American League East.

The weekly award is Ichiro's fourth of his major league career, and his first since joining the Yankees from the Seattle Mariners in July.

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Sharapova rallies back, triumphs over Watson

World No. 2 Maria Sharapova held off British qualifier Heather Watson in a three-set thriller to reach the third round of the Pan Pacific Open on Tuesday.

Sharapova, the second seed who had a bye into the second round, came back from a set down to beat the 78th-ranked Watson 6-7 (7-9), 6-3, 6-4.

Sharapova, winner of the Tokyo meet in 2005 and 2009, struggled early when she lost the first-set tiebreaker before rebounding on center court at Ariake Tennis Forest Park against the 20-year-old Watson, who was making her debut here.

The career Grand Slam titleholder beat Watson in three sets in the first round at the 2011 U.S. Open in their only other meeting.

Watson, who has three quarterfinal finishes but no WTA singles titles, showed great resolve to break Sharapova twice in the third set, but the Russian overpowered her diminutive opponent with nine aces to just one for the Brit.

Sharapova won a challenge with the chair umpire on an ace that just stayed inbounds of the centerline to gain match-point at 40-15, and Watson thumped her racket on the court three times after hitting a forehand long to end the match after 3 hours, 9 minutes.

Earlier, wildcard Ayumi Morita put up a valiant fight against No. 5 seed Angelique Kerber but lost 6-3, 6-4, failing to advance out of the second round for the second year in a row and leaving no Japanese players left in the singles' draw.

Germany's Kerber, currently ranked sixth in the world, broke the 79th-ranked Morita at 3-1 en route to claiming the first set and twice more in the second. Morita fought off match-point at 40-15 in the eighth game and broke her opponent for the first time.

"The whole match was very close. I just tried to be focused on my own game," said Kerber. "She is very hard to play against, especially here in Tokyo. This is a big win for me."

Morita, who had held a 2-1 career record against Kerber, was unable to rally on her opponent's serve in the 10th game and the match ended after 1 hour, 26 minutes when she hit her backhand volley wide.

"I was determined not to give up until the end. Whether I'm facing match-point or not, I am always trying for points," said Morita. "Today I played close to an ideal match. I just needed a little more push. I was charging the net and trying to create as many chances on my own as possible."

In other key matches, Croatia's Petra Martic upset fourth-seed Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-4 while seventh-seeded Li Na of China defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia 7-5, 4-6, 6-2.

"It was a difficult match today. I practiced very well. I was feeling healthy and things were going well, but it didn't show in the match," said Kvitova.

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Kreckovic facing huge rebuilding task in Osaka

The Japan Times periodically features interviews with personalities in the bj-league. Coach Zoran Kreckovic of the Osaka Evessa is the subject of this week's profile.

Building from scratch: Zoran Kreckovic, the Osaka Evessa's new head coach, is working hard to turn the new-look team into a solid unit. The Evessa only return three players from last season's squad. OSAKA EVESSA/BJ-LEAGUE

Age: 53
Country: Serbia

Coaching background: Kreckovic served as head coach for IMT Beopetrol in Serbia from 1997-2000, with a stint at Crvena Zvezda Beograd in 2001-02 before moving on to Yamolgaz '92 Yambol in the Bulgarian League from 2002-03. He coached the Kuwait national team from 2004-06 and in 2008-09, including appearances in the FIBA Asia Championship in Doha in 2005 and the Asia Championship in Tianjin, China, in 2009. He guided Al Sadd in the Qatari League last season. In his playing days, Kreckovic was a shooting guard, but he says he prefers the term "scoring guard."

***

With a major roster overhaul — only three of 12 players on the current roster played for the Evessa last season — how big of a challenge is it to develop unity and familiarity for the season?

We have a lot of new players and even some players like (Takuya) Hashimoto and (Shun) Watanuki they are the freshmen for the team. I have had enough time to see them and think they are very talented players like Hashimoto, but they have to learn many things.

All the players are facing one big problem: Our big guys came one or two days before the tournament (Seiki Cup, Sept. 15-17), so we didn't have time to set up our offense and defense.

(Reporter's note: In losing the three tournament games by a combined 60 points, Osaka was without the services of shooting guard Masashi Obuchi and point guard Temi Soyebo, which forced Kreckovic to used off-guard Shota Konno at the point. The coach said Konno had never played that position before.)

What's the primary focus between now and the start of the regular season against the Takamatsu Five Arrows on Oct. 13?

Now we are just working on building a team — how we can play, what plays (to use) and clear up every confusion. Now we start to do that. We need three weeks of basketball to prepare for the season.

The Evessa's three championships and six Final Four appearances are historic achievements in this league. Do you have high expectations for the team this season?

Yes. The Evessa have won championships, fallen down and have to come back. We have to fight for the championship.

Hashimoto is 17 years old, and won't turn 18 until December. So how big will his transition be going from high school ball to the pro level?

Everybody here is stronger and faster and has more experience. Now it is very difficult (for him). But he has talent and he likes to work and I have to work with him extra time to teach him some proper techniques. I think he has solid techniques, but he is using it in the wrong way.

Is Hashimoto ready to play on a regular basis? And what are his top skills?

Right now he's in great shape, he's attacking the basket and he can be a very good scorer and a very good outside player, but right now ... coming to the bj-league where guys are stronger and faster than you and they have several seasons (of pro experience), he cannot do everything he did in high school. He needs time to understand what he can do and how to create his offense.

Describe your coaching style. What are your basic principles for offense and defense?

Our basic system is man-to-man defense ... but sometimes you have to help the player. We will try to play some other defenses. When something is not going good, we will play some zone. Running, we can also play full-court press. It depends on the situation.

On offense, you have to punish and react when the defense makes a mistake.

Reflecting on your experiences coaching in Qatar and Kuwait, a big difference from the culture in your homeland, what did you gain from those years to help you as coach?

There's lots of things to change in a short time. ... You have to try some new things because they are not so good in basketball. Find the way to play against good teams, and you can do that.

In Kuwait, you have to understand about the level (of play), no foreign players, very small population and very rich people, so they don't need to practice to get money. So they are not very much interested in sport. But for me, I spent a very nice time there.

In a 21-team league, all new to you, how important will scouting be for you in order to make in-game adjustments and adjustments from the opener to a second game in a series?

This is extremely important that you have a strategy for every game. We are working on some basic things in this preparation period, but we will prepare for every game for the next game. ...

You have to recognize how you will play and what you can change a little bit and what the players will accept to be successful in the coming game.

Are you a players' coach, more of a friend than a boss, or do you consider yourself more of an old-school disciplinarian, tough and demanding?

I'm very honest with my players and they have to believe in me. Everyone who is practicing well will play in the game.

I don't have buddies in the team, never in my life. In that way, I am very straight. You have to deserve to be on the court. I have to believe you and push you on the court.

I am the coach, they are the players. I respect them and teach them. Every day we are building our relationship. ...

If I have (seen) the best player and he's not doing well, I will speak with him in front of all the players. I am depending on the best player who is not playing well. I am not depending on the player who is 11th or 12th on the bench (to be the tone-setter). So, if he does that — lackadaisical play — in practice, I will stop practice immediately.

In your view, why is it important to single out the top players this way?

Because, when the game comes, I think I will not have a problem. If I am waiting for the game to come, I will not solve the problem.

Which players are you counting on to be team leaders?

Every championship team needs a leader. If you haven't got a leader on your team, you can't be a champion.

I cannot push someone for the leadership if he's not almost close to that position. I can support that and recognize that guy. ... We will see very soon who will get that position.

We have to face this problem in the next period over the next three weeks. We have to get to know exactly who is our leader. I think this is also one good easy way to start: one foreign leader and one Japanese leader. The most important thing is the group has to accept that and give him support, and after that it's easy.

Taking a look at Osaka's new foreign players — point guard Temi Soyebo (North Carolina-Wilmington), forward Nathaniel Walkup (Texas A&M), center Larry Cox (Mississippi Valley State) and forward Andre Coimbra (Central Michigan) — what are their main traits as players?

Soyebo is an experienced player. ... He can shoot, dribble, make assists and understands basketball. I think he will be an important player for us, good shooting, 3-point shots and can organize the offense for us.

Walker is a scorer and he showed that in this tournament, scoring almost 20 points per game. He can play the 3 or the 4 depending on the situation and strategy.

Cox is a big guy playing under the basket. (Right now) he's a little unprepared so I'm just working to put him in shape. If you are not in shape, you cannot speak about basketball; you have to be ready to learn to move. ... I think he will be good for us under the basket..

Coimbra is physically a very strong guy and can play the 4 and 5. (After arriving in Japan just before the Seiki Cup), he was not showing too much in the first two games, but against Hamamatsu he was playing much better.

As a coach, you have to put a player in a place where he will give his best on the court, and in the next three weeks he will do that and get much better. Defensively, he's a very strong guy and can play anybody from 1 to 5, a big, big advantage for any team. Coaches are always searching for this (versatility) and these players are very expensive.

Which current or former coaches do you admire? Why?

(Former University of Arizona coach) Lute Olson, and I've always liked Duke's Mike Krzyzewski.

I'm following more college basketball than the NBA. I watch the NBA only when it's coming to the playoffs. ... For the playoffs you can watch good basketball. I was watching the game from the last Final Four between Kentucky and Louisville and I like both coaches, John Calipari and Rick Pitino.

As you can see, I always speak about college coaches. I prefer them more than NBA coaches; maybe because it's more similar to European basketball.

(Reporter's note: Kreckovic spoke with admiration about a number of Serbian coaches who've had great success in Europe, garnering top honors and capturing numerous Euroleague titles. He, of course, mentioned Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame coach Aleksandar Nikolic, widely known as "The Father of Yugoslav Basketball," for his great influence in the former Yugoslavia. Nikolic passed away in 2000, two years after he was named one of the top greatest Euroleague contributors. In 1997, he was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame. "He was the greatest teacher for basketball in our country.")

How do you enjoy spending your leisure time?

In Japan, I don't have too much time, but watching some basketball or movies. (At home in Serbia), I like hi-fi (high fidelity), a very good amplifier system. I miss it a lot, relaxing and listening to jazz and bossa nova.

(Often, he said with a chuckle, he'll turn down the volume on the TV while watching a game and listen to music at the same time.)

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