Tennis

Nadal, Ferrer have Spain on the brink

Rafael Nadal barely needed to break a sweat in another dominant performance on clay. David Ferrer then needed one of the best matches of his career to put Spain on the brink of another Davis Cup title.

Ferrer rallied for a grueling 6-2, 6-7 (2), 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Juan Martin del Potro to give the host Spaniards a 2-0 lead over Argentina in the final in Seville, Spain.

NCAA Football

Oregon wins Pac-12, Rose Bowl berth

As LaMichael James danced to celebrate Oregon's third straight conference championship, fans surrounding him shouted "One More Year!" The junior running back ran for 219 yards and three touchdowns in the Ducks' 49-31 victory over UCLA in the inaugural Pac-12 championship game. With the win, the Ducks (No 8 BCS, No 9 AP) earned a trip to the Rose Bowl.

While James partied, UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel paused before Bruins fans at Autzen Stadium and tipped his hat. The former UCLA quarterback was fired this week after four seasons at his alma mater.

Two Missouri Southern players killed

Two Missouri Southern football players were killed early on Friday in an automobile accident that also injured two other students, the university said.

Michael McCrimmons and Diondre Johnson, both 19-year-old freshmen from Springfield, died early on Friday.

NCAA Basketball

Boeheim apologizes in midst of scandal

Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim returned to the subject of his fired former assistant coach, Bernie Fine, and apologized for his initial remarks involving the men who accused Fine of molesting them as minors.

"I believe I misspoke very badly in my response to the allegations that have been made. I shouldn't have questioned what the accusers expressed or their motives. I am really sorry that I did that, and I regret any harm that I caused," he said.

Soccer

Milan's win spoiled by tear gas

Tear gas interrupted AC Milan's 2-0 win at Genoa on Friday night, filling the stands of Stadio Luigi Ferraris and causing an interruption of about 10 minutes early in the first half.

Most of the players returned to the dressing room, while some fans were visibly affected. Local media reports said the tear gas was released by police to disperse some supporters outside the stadium.

Defending champion Milan (8-2-3) moved into first place, one game ahead of Juventus (7-0-5).

Spain gets easy start to Euro 2012

Defending champion Spain avoided its biggest challengers in the first round of the 2012 European Championship, leaving Germany and the Netherlands together in the toughest group of the tournament.

Attempting to become Europe's first repeat champion, Spain will begin its title defense against Italy on June 10 and then meet Ireland and Croatia in first-round Group C, which will be based in Poland.

Pro Basketball

NBA's opening day schedule grows

Oklahoma City will host Orlando before Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers visit Golden State on Christmas night, running the NBA's planned opening-day schedule to five games.

Those games were added on Friday to the three that were already set when the 2011-12 schedule was originally unveiled: Boston at New York, Miami at Dallas, and Chicago at the Los Angeles Lakers.

Baseball

A Magic answer for the Dodgers?

Magic Johnson has joined a group bidding to buy the beleaguered Dodgers, hoping to restore the luster of a once-glamorous franchise that has been sullied during owner Frank McCourt's messy tenure.

Johnson, the longtime Los Angeles Lakers superstar and former part-owner of the NBA club, is partnering with former Atlanta Braves executive Stan Kasten and wealthy investor Mark Walter in the upcoming auction for the Dodgers, who filed for bankruptcy protection in June.

Associated Press

(China Daily 12/04/2011 page7)