IN BRIEF (Page 22)

NBA

Jackson gets reprimand from NBA for comment

HOUSTON: Coach Phil Jackson said he deserved the reprimand he got from the NBA on Wednesday for making a sexual reference in a comment following the Los Angeles Lakers' loss in San Antonio.

The Spurs made 13 3-pointers in their 107-92 victory on Tuesday, and Jackson was asked if too much penetration was leading to open outside shooters.

"We call this a 'Brokeback Mountain' game, because there's so much penetration and kickouts," Jackson said. "It was one of those games."

The 2005 film, which won three Oscars, depicts two cowboys who conceal their homosexual affair.

"But in retrospect, it wasn't really funny," Jackson said on Wednesday. "When you take it out of context, it wasn't funny. It was a poor attempt at humor and I deserved to be reprimanded by the NBA."

Still, Jackson couldn't resist making another joke as he apologized.

"If I've offended any horses, Texans, cowboys or gays, I apologize," Jackson said.

Peak and NBA join hands in marketing deal

The National Basketball Association and Fujian's Peak Group Co Ltd, have agreed to a new multi-year marketing partnership in China.

Peak will use this partnership to elevate its brand awareness in the international market and to increase its market share in the competitive domestic athletic footwear market.

This partnership will allow Peak's brand to appear on all nationally broadcast NBA games in the US and on the NBA's official Chinese website.

Furthermore, according to this agreement, Peak, which signed the Houston Rockets' Shane Battier to an endorsement deal last season, will be able to use him and any other future NBA stars it signs in advertisements, tapping into the China's large NBA market and utilizing its media resources to promote the Peak brand and its products.

The NBA plans to continue working with Peak in the development of basketball in China, and to create more opportunities for fan interaction.

Baseball

Wedge and Melvin win Manager of Year awards

NEW YORK: Cleveland Indians manager Eric Wedge and Arizona Diamondbacks chief Bob Melvin were named as winners of the American and National League Manager of the Year awards on Wednesday.

Wedge and Melvin became the first managers of their respective teams to win the honor decided in voting by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America, which has presented the award since 1983.

Wedge led the Indians to the postseason for the first time in six years by steering them to a 96-66 record and the American League Central Division title.

Melvin, whose club floundered to a 76-86 mark in 2006, guided the Diamondbacks to a 90-72 record and the West Division crown in the National League.

Red Sox to open new season in Japan

NEW YORK: The Boston Red Sox will open the defense of their World Series crown in Japan next season with a two-game series against the Oakland Athletics, Major League Baseball announced on Wednesday.

The two games will be played on March 25 and 26 at the Tokyo Dome and will mark the third time Major League Baseball has opened the season in Tokyo.

The New York Mets played the Chicago Cubs in the first Japan opener in 2000 while the Yankees brought the curtain up on the 2004 season in Japan with games against Tampa Bay.

(China Daily 11/16/2007 page22)