Rose speaks out about Hall of Fame passing on big stars

LOS ANGELES — Pete Rose recently went to Cooperstown to film an episode of his upcoming reality television show. His fiancee got choked up when baseball's career hits leader had to watch the Parade of Legends and other Hall of Fame festivities as just another face in the crowd.

Rose doesn't share Kiana Kim's disappointment in his continued banishment from baseball, but he hopes he can provide a few lessons in patience to the rest of his sport's tarnished superstars.

"It doesn't matter how long it takes," Rose said Thursday over lunch in Sherman Oaks, California. "I'm in no hurry, unless you know something I don't know. You just have to try to be a productive citizen and live your life, and hopefully someday somebody calls you and says, 'Hey, we want to give you a second chance.' I won't need a third, and believe me, nobody is going to find me betting on baseball. What's that old cliche? I don't bet on baseball because I know too much about it."

The 71-year-old Rose, nattily attired in a tan hat and a colorful striped shirt with "Hit King" embroidered on the collar, says he's "a little sad" nobody was elected to the Hall of Fame on Wednesday.

Yet Rose sees both sides of the Hall debate: Although he's a friend of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa and every star of baseball's Steroids Era, Rose also says anything that artificially alters the game's statistics shouldn't be praised or honored.

And if a player linked to steroid use ever broke Rose's record of 4,256 hits, Charlie Hustle would object vehemently.

"I don't know who did what, and I really don't care," Rose said. "All I can tell you is if there's drugs involved, the most sacred thing in baseball is the stats. We've been taking stats since 1869 . . . and whenever you do something that can alter the statistics of the game, it's not good for the game."

Rose wonders what Babe Ruth or Roger Maris would have to say about Bonds, Sosa and Mark McGwire being kept out of the Hall.

"Because those were the records that were assaulted, not mine," Rose said. "Not my record. If someone came up with 4,257 hits and was linked to steroids, I would have a lot to say. If I had taken steroids, I would have got 5,000 hits, so it wouldn't have been fair."

Rose reserved his greatest praise for Craig Biggio and Mike Piazza, saying both players should have easily gained first-ballot Hall admission from their offensive statistics. Rose also stumped for Dave Parker and Jim Kaat.

"I think everybody got caught up in the steroid situation and forgot" about Biggio and Piazza, Rose said.

Rose treads more lightly around first-time nominees Bonds, Clemens and Sosa, warmly praising all three while still reserving full endorsement of their Hall worthiness.

"The only person I'm going to defend (from) yesterday . . . I've got to give Roger Clemens some slack," Rose said. "Here's a guy that says to this day that he didn't take steroids. He's never flunked a drug test, and he went to two courts and they both ruled in his favor. So I don't know. And I know there's suspicion, but you don't not vote for a guy because of suspicion."

Rose agreed to a permanent ban from baseball in 1989 after the former Cincinnati Reds player and manager was accused of betting on baseball. He is also banned from inclusion on the Hall of Fame ballot, although four voters gave him write-in votes this week.

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Kenyan stars miffed by tax demands

NAIROBI — Olympic and world 800-meter record holder David Rudisha and world 10,000 and 5,000 champion Vivian Cheruiyot are among a group of Kenyan athletes protesting against tax demands on prize money earned abroad.

"This is very unfair. We have used much of our earnings to contribute to the Kenyan economy. We bring money home to put up investments, which are already heavily taxed by the government," said Cheruiyot.

The athletes received letters from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) last week, which required them to pay tax from their race earnings abroad.

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Locked-out NHL stars begin to explore options

NEW YORK — With the doors locked shut at National Hockey League arenas, the best hockey players on the planet are turning their focus to a new world of opportunities.

Plan B: NHL MVP Evgeni Malkin will play in the Russia-based KHL for the duration of the NHL lockout. AP

Every player on an NHL roster as of Sunday morning became free to seek other work for the duration of the lockout, and many started doing so immediately. The Russia-based KHL is expected to lure some of the NHL's biggest names and teams from Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Germany and the Czech Republic will come calling as well.

Depending on the length of the lockout, it could result in a massive displacement of players throughout the hockey world.

"The scary part is I think you'll see some of the best players in the game (going over)," said Calgary Flames forward Mike Cammalleri. "Let's hope they come back when they're going to get paid the dollars they're going to get paid in some of these leagues to go play now."

Nearly 400 NHL players suited up in 19 different European leagues during the lockout that cancelled the entire 2004-05 season. It was a migration that came with a fair bit of controversy as the NHLers pushed others out of jobs.

The debate around that topic has already restarted again, but it's unlikely to deter many of the 750 locked-out members of the NHL Players' Association.

"I'm a hockey player and it's a competitive business," said Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby. "Would I look forward to that opportunity of taking someone's job? No. But at the end of the day I'm a hockey player."

If the NHL's most recognizable player ends up signing in Europe at some point, he's most likely to head to Russia or Switzerland. Penguins teammate Evgeni Malkin is committed to his hometown team in Magnitogorsk, which announced his signing along with that of Ottawa Senators defenceman Sergei Gonchar on Sunday, and he's already believed to have started lobbying No. 87 to join him.

The KHL has established guidelines for its teams to follow during the lockout. Each is permitted to sign a maximum of three NHLers for a salary worth no more than 65 percent of what they were due to earn in North America this season.

For the 20 teams based in Russia, only one of the three spots can be used on a foreigner, and that person must have played at least 150 NHL games over the past three seasons, suited up recently for his national team or won the Stanley Cup or a major individual award. The six located outside the Russian border can sign players who don't meet any of those criteria.

Now in its fifth season, the KHL believes it is in a position to capitalize on the availability of so many elite players.

"Mainly I think it's going to be a lot of additional marketing potential for the league and hockey itself as a game," KHL vice president Ilya Kochevrin said recently. "The stars bring additional attention . . . to a lot of people who probably don't consider hockey the sport of choice."

There has been some debate in Swedish hockey circles about how best to approach the lockout. The top division, known as Elitserien, has said all players must sign a contract for the entire season — not one that would terminate if the NHL reaches a deal in collective bargaining.

However, the second-tier Allsvenskan is willing to take on NHLers and currently includes past Swedish champions Djurgarden, Leksand and Malmo. Some believe the Elitserien will reconsider its policy when lower-division teams seeking promotion start bringing in reinforcements.

Swedish teams are restricted to having just two players born outside of Europe on their rosters.

Contract offers will also arrive from less traditional hockey countries as well. Teams in Italy, Austria, Great Britain and Norway were among those to sign NHLers during the last lockout.

The biggest issue for players is making sure that they're properly insured in case of injury — a relatively straightforward process for those who are healthy and on short-term deals, but much more complicated for a player like Crosby, who has a concussion history and is owed nearly $112 million over the next 13 seasons.

The topic of playing in Europe was covered during a union meeting of more than 275 NHL players in New York last week. The NHLPA advised on situations players will want to avoid and stressed the importance of following all the proper steps.

In recent weeks, the prospect of playing abroad became a popular topic of discussion among players.

"A lot of guys went over last time and played and enjoyed it," said Ottawa Senators forward Jason Spezza. "And I think that message has kind of trickled down."

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Neymar stars as Brazil hammers U.S.

LANDOVER MARYLAND — Brazil had its way with the U.S. soccer team, with the stars in the famous yellow jerseys dribbling past the Americans and generally pushing them around for the first half-hour.

Neymar had another dazzling night against the United States, scoring one goal and setting up two more to lead the five-time World Cup champions to a 4-1 victory in an exhibition Wednesday night.

"We need to get an edge more nastier," said U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann, the former German star and coach. "Maybe we're a little bit still too naive. Maybe we don't want to hurt people. But that's what we've got to do. You've got to do that at the end of the day. So we've got to step on their toes more and get them more frustrated and make a case with the referee maybe as well, for us, not only the opponent."

Thiago Silva, Marcelo and Alexandre Pato also scored for Brazil, playing the opener of a three-game U.S. tour.

Herculez Gomez, in his first start since the 2010 World Cup, scored for the U.S., which is preparing for its opening qualifier for the 2014 World Cup on June 8.

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Red Wings see out victory over Stars

DALLAS — Jiri Hudler, Valtteri Filppula and Henrik Zetterberg form what's supposed to be Detroit's No. 2 line.

Whatever the label, they're performing at a high level for the Red Wings.

Hudler scored twice, Filppula added a goal and two assists, Zetterberg had three assists and Detroit hung on to beat the Dallas Stars 5-4 on Tuesday night.

"I don't know what's the second line," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "They dominated the game offensively and defensively. They were by far the best line today."

The trio combined for eight points in the first period, getting their team off to a flying start.

"The puck kind of followed us for a few shifts," Zetterberg said. "Everything we tried worked. It was good for the confidence. (Filppula and Hudler) are having career years. The only one not having a career year is me, but two out of three isn't bad."

Johan Franzen and Cory Emmerton also connected for the Red Wings, an NHL-best 15-2-1 at home but only 10-11-0 on the road.

The Wings liked how they opened a four-game trip.

"We've done well at home, but haven't been able to play as well on the road," Filppula said. "It's a good question. We try to prepare the same as at home but it hasn't been working out. It's not easy to win anywhere. Home teams come hard, so maybe that affects us as well."

Capitals 3, Flames 1

In Washington, Alex Ovechkin and Troy Brouwer scored power-play goals, Nicklas Backstrom had three assists, and the Capitals beat Calgary for their fourth straight win.

Dennis Wideman also scored, and Tomas Vokoun made 18 saves for Washington, which improved to 9-6-1 under coach Dale Hunter.

Islanders 4, Hurricanes 3 (SO)

In Raleigh, North Carolina, Frans Nielsen scored the deciding goal in a shootout, and the Islanders earned their third straight win by beating Carolina in a matchup of the Eastern Conference's bottom two teams.

Sabres 4, Oilers 3

In Buffalo, Drew Stafford and Nathan Gerbe scored 2:04 apart late in the third period.

Jordan Leopold and Sabres captain Jason Pominville, who played despite an illness that limited his ice time, also scored for Buffalo. Stafford added two assists, and Ryan Miller made 23 saves to improve to 6-0 against Edmonton.

Blues 4, Coyotes 1

In St. Louis, Jaroslav Halak made a season-high 34 saves, and the Blues snapped their season-worst, three-game skid with a win over Phoenix.

St. Louis improved to 15-3-2 at home with its seventh win there in eight games. The Blues are tied with Detroit for most home wins.

Maple Leafs 7, Lightning 3

In Toronto, Joffrey Lupul had a goal and three assists, and the Maple Leafs killed four early power plays — including a two-man advantage — in a rout of Tampa Bay.

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Track stars gather for Prefontaine Classic

EUGENE, Oregon — Defending champion Allyson Felix finished third in the Prefontaine Classic 400 meters and world champion Caster Semenya placed second in the 800 in her American debut on Saturday.

Amantle Montsho of Botswana won the 400 in 50.59 seconds, while Felix crossed in 51.41 to trail fellow American Debbie Dunn by 0.04. Felix is a three-time world champion and a two-time Olympic silver medalist in the 200.

Semenya timed 1 minute, 58.88 seconds to finish 0.59 behind Kenia Sinclair of Jamaica. The South African won the event at the 2009 world championships but was unable to compete for much of last year because of controversial gender testing.

"The time is good. There is nothing bad I can say about the race," the 20-year-old Semenya said. "It doesn't matter about the position, it only matters about the time and it's good to run in the 1:58s."

While trying to regain her form, Semenya has fought injury. But she has made strides in recent months, and was coming off a victory in the 800 at the IAAF World Challenge Dakar Grand Prix before visiting Eugene. Her Pre time was her best this season.

"It was very good," she said. "It was good to be back. Fans, I miss that a lot."

The Pre, as it's known, is the fourth stop on the Diamond League circuit.

Jamaican Steve Mullings won the 100 in a meet record 9.80, the third best time on American soil. Justin Gatlin, who last year came off a four-year suspension for doping, finished sixth in 9.97, his first result under 10 seconds since his return.

Gatlin denies he knowingly used performance-enhancing substances, claiming a massage therapist, Eugene resident Chris Whetstine, used a testosterone-like cream on his legs in the spring of 2006. Whetstine has denied Gatlin's allegations.

Gatlin, who won the 100 at the Pre in 2005 and 2006, was reinstated last year and has recently been competing in minor meets in Europe. He is still excluded from major European events, and Rajne Soderberg, the director of the Stockholm Diamond League event, said in an e-mail on Friday that the ban still holds.

"It felt good," Gatlin said of his race Saturday. "I've had a quad injury the last week and a half, so been working on that since I've been here. But just putting the technique together like my coach said, just come out here and put a good race together."

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