IN BRIEF (Page 24)
Baseball
World Series to shift to mid-week start
NEW YORK: Major League Baseball will shift the start of the World Series to Wednesday starting this October in a bid to improve television ratings after the lowest viewership levels in its history.
The best-of-seven championship final between American League and National League champions will begin on Wednesday, October 24, and could end as late as November 1 - the first time a World Series game was scheduled beyond October.
The only World Series ever played in November came in 2001 when the event was delayed following the September 11 terrorist attacks.
For more than two decades, the "Fall Classic" has started on a Saturday. But that is also typically the least viewed television night by Americans and that likely contributed to the worst World Series television ratings in history.
Rugby
Freshwater out for two months after elbow op
PARIS: Perpignan's England international prop Perry Freshwater will be out of action for two months after having an operation for a serious right elbow injury on Monday, club doctor Olivier Lambert said.
The Kiwi-born player, who last played for England in the 43-13 Six Nations loss to Ireland in February, went off in the 43rd minute of his side's 12-11 defeat to Stade Francais on Sunday.
England coach Brian Ashton did not pick Freshwater for the two-Test tour to South Africa that starts later this month because of his commitments to Perpignan.
Perpignan wrap up the regular league season on May 26, with semi-final and final play-offs for the top four taking place on June 2 and 9.
Table tennis
Japan's original 'toddler-paddler' eyes first medal
TOKYO: Feted as a child prodigy from the age of three, former "toddler-paddler" Ai Fukuhara knows it is high time she delivered on that early promise and won table tennis glory for Japan.
"I can feel the expectation on me this time round," the 18-year-old said before heading to Zagreb for the May 21-27 world championships. "I'll do everything I can to win a medal," Japan's Nikkan Sports quoted her as saying.
Fukuhara took part in the world team championships in 2004 and helped Team Japan to a third-placed finish but she is yet to win an individual medal.
Known in Japan as "Ai-chan", or Little Ai, Fukuhara has been a regular on television variety shows since an age when she was barely tall enough to see over the net.
(China Daily 05/16/2007 page24)
