Baseball, Basketball, Football, Hockey and Golf Blog

Sluman fired a dazzling 8-under-par 64 Sunday to win the Bank of America Championship by two strokes - his first victory on the Champions Tour.

Playing in his first full season on the elder circuit, Sluman overhauled second-round leader Loren Roberts by carding eight birdies in his bogey-free round to finish at 17-under 199 and pocket the first-place check of $247,500 at Nashawtuc Country Club.

“When I turned 50 last year my game was in tatters,” Sluman said. “I felt like I had enough game to win out here. Very, very happy to finally win.”

Roberts, who started the day with a one-shot lead, finished alone in second at 15-under 201 despite opening his final round with four birdies in the first six holes.

Sluman more than matched his playing partner with birdies on four of the first five holes before pulling even with Roberts a birdie at No. 10 before a rain delay of one hour, 42 minutes.

“The rain delay changed momentum but Jeff played terrific today,” Roberts said. “I’m really happy to see him win. He really wanted to win badly.”

The 50-year-old Sluman, who had three top-10 finishes in his last five events, forged ahead with another birdie at the 16th hole before clinching the title by dropping long birdie putts at Nos. 17 and 18.

“I started fast and I finished fast,” Sluman said.

Polish teenager Agnieszka Radwanska continued her solid season Saturday by defeating Russia’s Nadia Petrova in the final at the International Women’s Open.

The 19-year-old Radwanska, the fourth-seed here, posted a 6-4, 6-7 (9-11), 6-4 victory over the eighth-seeded Petrova to claim her third title of the year and fourth overall. Radwanska needed 2 hours and 37 minutes to hold off Petrova and claim the first prize of $95,500 at the Tier II grasscourt event.

Radwanska won last month in Istanbul as the No. 2 seed, defeating defending champion Elena Dementieva in the final. She also captured the title at Pattaya City in February and has climbed into the top 20 in the world rankings. The only other players with three titles this year are Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams.

“I am very happy after today,” Radwanska said. “This is my best result on the tour so far. I have had a good run this year, and I am slowly making my way up to the rankings. First, my goal was Top 30, then Top 20, and now I am aiming at top 10, but I just had a good week and I am very happy to win my first Tier II.”

Radwanska advanced to her first career Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Australian Open, upsetting Russian seeds Svetlana Kuznetsova in the third round and Petrova in the fourth round. She then reached the fourth round at the French Open in the year’s second Grand Slam.

The last time Yann Sauve listened for his name to be called in a draft, his wait was nowhere near as long as this.

Sauve, a former first-overall pick in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, had to wait well into the second round of the NHL draft Saturday before the Vancouver Canucks scooped the Saint John Sea Dogs defenceman up with the 41st selection.

The native of Rigaud, Que., admitted it was getting a bit tough hearing all the names go before his. When it did go, however, it was music to his ears on a day Canucks staff honoured the memory of deceased defenceman Luc Bourdon by wearing lapel pins in the shape of electric guitars - one of Bourdon’s passions.

“I told myself not to have any expectations,” the six-foot-two, 209-pound Sauve said. “It was pretty frustrating for me last night, but now I’m in Vancouver so I’m pretty happy. It’s a dream come true.

“Growing up, my favourite team was the Montreal Canadiens, but now it’s the Vancouver Canucks.”

A fast-moving thunderstorm didn’t dampen the Fenway Park fans’ spirit for the NBA champion Boston Celtics on Friday night.

Honored during a brief pregame ceremony as heavy rain was falling, the NBA champs—atop three duck boats—entered from center-field and circled Fenway to a standing ovation, a shortened scene from their parade through downtown on Thursday.

With the Red Sox plays wearing green jerseys usually reserved for St. Patrick’s Day during spring training in Florida, the Celtics brought the NBA championship trophies from four seasons to Fenway. The players wore their warmups, with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett leading their teammates with pumping fists and waves to a crowd as the rain was pouring and the grounds crew was putting the tarp on the field.

The Red Sox also had their grounds crew cut out a shamrock in the center-field grass prior to the game.

After about an hour delay due to the rain, the champions were reintroduced and came running in from center field, with Finals MVP Pierce sliding into the second.

Pierce then took the mound to chants of “MVP” before firing a high and hard first pitch that tipped off the glove of leaping catcher Jason Varitek.

Although the Lakers’ season ended with a thud, they have Andrew Bynum coming back and youth and Kobe Bryant on their side, so they can say “Wait ‘til next year” and be taken seriously.

Since Shaquille O’Neal left town with three championship rings following the 2003-2004 season, Los Angeles has been vulnerable inside on both ends of the floor. Boston’s big men, exemplified by Kevin Garnett in Game 6, were more than the Lakers could handle.

As the Celtics were romping to a 131-92 victory in their clinching Game 6 Tuesday night, a Boston fan held a sign that read, “Kobe, You Can’t Do Jack Without Shaq.”

Bryant might be able to do that and more with 7-foot, 285-pound Bynum at center and 7-0 Pau Gasol at forward.

Acquiring Gasol in February turned the Lakers’ season around, helping them win the tough Western Conference and come within two games of taking the league title. But Gasol, a 250-pounder, didn’t have the bulk needed to match up against heftier players.

Surely there is something more than just rumour afoot regarding the future of Cristiano Ronaldo. As the rumours continue unabated, and with Ronaldo himself refusing to quell the stories linking him to Real Madrid, speculation inevitably grows and it is still a distinct possibility that the brilliant Portugese striker/winger will join the Spanish giants. Sir Alex Ferguson has said, very loudly, that Ronaldo is simply not for sale and if ‘push came to shove’, then Ronaldo would sit out next season in the stands. That of course will not happen no matter how this ongoing saga is concluded, but it indicates that United do not want to lose their superstar.

Real Madrid themselves, who have a history of shenanigans in the transfer market, say that they are patient, but have also made it very clear that Ronaldo is their number one target and whilst that remains the case then Ronaldo, Sir Alex and the Manchester United fans will not get any rest. The Spaniards are used to getting their man and it seems that sooner or later they will succeed with Ronaldo.

One rumour that has done the rounds is the one where he told friends in confidence that he will do whatever is necessary to engineer a way out of United and make the move to the Bernabau. How true that is no-one really knows but other rumours also persist that he has no desire to play another long season in the Premier League. That is understandable, particularly with UEFA Champions League fixtures to contest as well.

Miguel Arroyo, Managing Director of Real Madrid has said that they will wait for Ronaldo to initiate the necessary move but until he does so they will remain patient. Figures such as £60m have been banded about for Ronaldo’s signature and Sir Alex and his superiors at Old Trafford must weigh up whether £60m outweighs an unhappy player on the books.

Ronaldo says he will make a statement regarding his future after Euro 2008, the very fact that he is doing this suggests that there is still something in the air, surely, if his plans are to stay with United then it would have been easier for him to publicly and unequivocally state that, thus removing the distraction and allowing him to concentrate on his football for his country. Now that Portugal are out of the Tournament he has no further excuses; he must declare his intention. That is of course if he has not sneaked out the back door and gone for a much needed holiday.