IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Baseball

Cincinnati sign Taveras

NEW YORK: The Cincinnati Reds have signed free agent Willy Taveras to a two-year contract, the team said on Saturday.

"Willy Taveras fills two significant needs for our ball club, a base-stealing threat at the top of the order and superior defense in center field," Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said in a statement on the team's website.

The 27-year-old Taveras led the Major Leagues with 68 stolen bases last season while with the Colorado Rockies and had a stolen-base percentage of .907. He also hit .251.

Soccer

Celtic beat Rangers

LONDON: Celtic took a firm stride towards winning the Scottish Premier League for the fourth successive season when they beat Glasgow rivals Rangers 1-0 at Ibrox on Saturday to extend their lead to seven points.

Striker Scott McDonald got the goal after 58 minutes when he turned sharply and blasted in a fierce shot.

Earlier, Celtic keeper Artur Boruc had kept his team in it with a good save from Kris Boyd when the striker was through.

Overall, though, it was a disappointing match, partly due to the game being held on a slippery pitch in freezing conditions.

The result leaves Celtic on 50 points, seven clear of Rangers, with Dundee United a distant third on 31.

Fewer foreigners for Serbia

BELGRADE: The influx of foreign players is preventing homegrown talent from making the grade in Serbia's 12-team first division, Serbian Football Federation (FSS) president Tomislav Karadzic said on Saturday.

"Our young prospects are not getting a fair chance to excel because our first division clubs import half-decent foreign players," Karadzic told Belgrade media.

"It raises the issue of whether the clubs should keep bringing in 'second-hand cars' while Serbian boys under 16 already have agents looking to sell them abroad.

"You can't buy a quality foreigner for 400,000 euros, which is what our top clubs spend when signing players from abroad."

Sun out for Syria draw

SHANGHAI: A thigh injury will sideline Chinese defender Sun Xiang during his team's Asian Cup qualifier against Syria, state media reported Sunday, in the latest setback for China's beleaguered national side.

The Austria Vienna full back, 26, first injured himself in September and said he was upset he would not recover before China plays Syria away on Jan 14, Xinhua news agency reported.

"What a disappointment. I had expected I would be fit enough for the Asian Cup qualifier but as a soccer player you never know what injury is waiting for you," he was quoted as Saying.

Sun's absence will further weaken a defence that conceded five goals during the last three warm-up games, Xinhua said. The team is training in Shanghai before the Syria match.

No return for Defoe

LONDON: Tottenham coach Harry Redknapp said Saturday that he will not be forced to pay an inflated transfer fee to bring England striker Jermain Defoe back to White Hart Lane from Premier League rivals Portsmouth.

Redknapp took Defoe to Portsmouth in January when he was in charge at Fratton Park, but admitted he may now switch his attention to Middlesbrough's international winger Stuart Downing.

"I think they have a massive offer from somebody for him (Defoe). I paid about nine million pounds for him," Redknapp said.

"He is a good player but we're not going to pay over the top for anyone. I like Downing but I don't know whether Middlesbrough want to sell him."

(China Daily 12/29/2008 page11)