Top Shot
Cannavaro named Best Player at Italian Football Oscars
ROME: Italy's World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro was named Best Player at the Italian Football Oscars on Monday.
The award, based on the votes of members of the Italian Footballers Association, was one of three Cannavaro won at the ceremony in Milan after also coming out top in the Best Italian Player and Best Defender categories.
The Oscar made it three trophies in three months for the 33-year-old Real Madrid player, who won the European Footballer of the Year award in November and the following month became the first defender to be voted FIFA's World Player of the Year.
Three of Cannavaro's Italy teamates also received awards on Monday.
Juventus's Gianluigi Buffon was named Best Goalkeeper, AS Roma's 23-year-old midfielder Daniele De Rossi got Best Young Player, and Luca Toni received the Top Scorer award for his tally of 31 league goals for Fiorentina last season.
In the other categories, AC Milan playmaker Kaka shared the Best Foreign Player award with Cagliari striker David Suazo, while Luciano Spalletti was recognised for turning Roma into Serie A challengers again when he was voted Best Coach.
South Korea's Lee anxious to make his mark at Boro
SEOUL: South Korea striker Lee Dong-gook left for England on Monday promising to make his mark at Premier League club Middlesbrough.
"People in South Korea will want to hear that I'm scoring goals so that's what I hope to do," Lee told reporters before he boarded his flight.
"I'm happy to finally get the chance to play in the Premier League."
Lee, 27, will become the fourth South Korean to play in England's top flight after Manchester United's Park Ji-sung, Lee Young-pyo of Tottenham Hotspur and Reading's Seol Ki-hyeon.
South Korea's leading striker in the run-up to last year's World Cup, Lee missed the tournament after tearing knee ligaments playing for K-League side Pohang Steelers.
He was left out of South Korea's 2002 World Cup squad after failing to see eye to eye with former coach Guus Hiddink.
Weaver brings title-winning arm to Mariners
SEATTLE: Jeff Weaver helped the St. Louis Cardinals win their first World Series in 24 years. Now the right-handed hurler will try to turn the struggling Seattle Mariners into a winner.
The 31-year-old veteran of eight Major League Baseball seasons agreed to a one-year deal with the Mariners on Monday, with the Seattle Times reporting the contract was worth $8.325 million.
Weaver made the same amount last season when he went 8-14 with a 5.76 earned-run average over 31 total starts for the Los Angeles Angels and the Cardinals, who obtained him in a July trade.
"Signing Jeff gave us a great opportunity to add another veteran starter to our young mix," Seattle general manager Bill Bavasi said.
Weaver has a career record of 86-101 with a 4.58 earned-run average in eight seasons with St. Louis, the Angels, Detroit, the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Venus Williams set to play for US Fed Cup team
NEW YORK: Former world No 1 Venus Williams, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion who missed the Australian Open with a left wrist injury, was named on Monday in the US Fed Cup team.
Williams, whose sister Serena won the Australian Open title last weekend for her eighth career Slam singles crown, is scheduled to return to WTA competition in two weeks at Antwerp.
Venus Williams will be on the court for the US women in their Fed Cup quarter-final tie against Belgium on April 21-22 at Delray Beach, Florida. When Venus plays for the American women, they are 5-1 in Fed Cup play.
Venus Williams is 13-3 overall in Fed Cup play, 10-2 in singles. She helped the US women capture the 1999 crown, defeating Russia in the final.
She has not played since a 2005 semi-final at Russia the week after she won Wimbledon, her most recent Grand Slam title.
Hewitt to spearhead Australian Davis Cup team
SYDNEY: Lleyton Hewitt will lead Australia's Davis Cup squad for next month's World Group first round tie in Belgium. The former world No 1 was included in a four-man team along with Chris Guccione, Paul Hanley and Peter Luczak.
Australian Davis Cup regulars Mark Philippoussis and Wayne Arthurs were not considered because of injury.
Australia's non-playing captain John Fitzgerald said Hewitt was certain to fill one of the singles berths and Hanley one of the doubles berths but the other two spots were both wide open for the Feb. 9-11 tie in Liege.
Teenager Brydan Klein was included as one of two hitting partners after winning the Australian Open boys' singles title while Darren Cahill was confirmed as coach.
Cahill replaced Roger Rasheed who had filled in for Wally Masur last year but withdrew from the job after quitting earlier this month as Hewitt's personal coach.
Australia have played Belgium twice in Davis Cup, in 1922 and 1991, winning both times.
(China Daily 01/31/2007 page23)
