The Korea Herald

Phelps may be planning comeback for Rio Olympics

Michael Phelps has rejoined the U.S. drug-testing program, the strongest signal yet that he's planning a comeback for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Phelps told The Associated Press on Thursday that “nothing is set in stone” though clearly he has enjoyed getting back into shape _ he's down about 15 pounds (7 kilograms) _ and working out with his former team at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club.“If I decide to keep going and swim again, then I'll compete,” Phelps told the AP in an exclusive telephon

More SportsNov. 15, 2013

Lee Dae-ho parts ways with Orix

South Korean baseball slugger Lee Dae-ho has decided to part ways with his Japanese club the Orix Buffaloes, his brother said Thursday.Lee Cha-ho, a sports agent and older brother of the player, said Lee Dae-ho told the Osaka-based team in the Nippon Professional Baseball league on Wednesday that he couldn’t accept the club’s offer of a new contract.“He likes the surroundings in the home city of Osaka,” Lee Cha-ho said. “But he just couldn’t stay with the team with the kind of money that they of

BaseballNov. 14, 2013

Premier arms

NEW YORK (AP) ― Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Max Scherzer of the Detroit Tigers breezed Wednesday to baseball’s Cy Young awards.Kershaw won the prize as the National League’s best pitcher for the second time in three seasons after posting a 1.83 ERA ― lowest in the majors in 13 years.“This is such a cool thing. I can’t even explain what it means to me,” Kershaw said in an interview on MLB Network. “It really is a huge honor.”The 25-year-old lefty with a big-breaking curve drew

BaseballNov. 14, 2013

Lee Young-pyo calls it a career

South Korean soccer veteran Lee Young-pyo announced his retirement on Thursday, saying he appreciates the great support he enjoyed over 27 years of playing the game.Lee made his first public appearance in South Korea, after playing his final game late last month for the Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Major League Soccer. At a press conference held at the Korea Football Association headquarters in Seoul, the former left fullback said he feels he owes a major apology to fans.“The biggest problem for So

SoccerNov. 14, 2013

KT Wiz unveil uniforms, logo

The KT Wiz, the newest member of the top domestic baseball league, on Thursday unveiled their uniforms and logos.The Wiz, which will join the Korea Baseball Organization in 2015, came up with different logos for their home and road uniforms, claiming to be the first team in the league to do so.The home uniform, white shirt and white pants, features the team name, KT Wiz, written across the chest in red, the team’s primary color. The home cap has the red logo, depicting the image of a red-faced w

BaseballNov. 14, 2013

Slugger Lee Dae-ho parts ways with Orix in Japan

South Korean baseball slugger Lee Dae-ho has decided to part ways with his Japanese club the Orix Buffaloes, his brother said Thursday.Lee Cha-ho, a sports agent and older brother of the player, said Lee Dae-ho told the Osaka-based team in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league on Wednesday that he couldn't accept the club's offer of a new contract."He likes the surroundings in the home city of Osaka," Lee Cha-ho said. "But he just couldn't stay with the team with the kind of money that t

BaseballNov. 14, 2013

Kershaw, Scherzer easily win Cy Young Awards

Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Max Scherzer of the Detroit Tigers have won baseball's Cy Young pitching awards.Kershaw won the prize as the National League's best pitcher for the second time in three seasons after leading the majors with a 1.83 ERA.``This is such a cool thing. I can't even explain what it means to me,'' Kershaw said in an interview on MLB Network. ``It really is a huge honor.''The 25-year-old lefty with a big-breaking curve drew 29 of 30 first-place votes from me

BaseballNov. 14, 2013

Kershaw, Scherzer easily win Cy Young Awards

S. Korea to host Switzerland final football friendly at home in 2013

South Korea will host Switzerland on Friday in the last football friendly match of 2013 on home soil.The match between the 56th-ranked South Korea and the world No. 7 Switzerland will kick off at 8 p.m. at Seoul World Cup Stadium.After this match, South Korea will fly to Dubai to face Russia next Tuesday.This is the first clash between South Korea and Switzerland since 2006. At the FIFA World Cup that year in Germany, Switzerland blanked South Korea 2-0 in the last Group G match, knocking the As

SoccerNov. 14, 2013

Juventus, Real top teams in poll

LONDON (AP) ― Juventus and Real Madrid are even at the top of this week’s Associated Press global soccer poll, with Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo first in the player poll.The teams drew 2-2 in the Champions League last Tuesday and were the standout sides for the AP panel of 22 global football writers.Juventus beat Serie A title rival Napoli 3-0 on Sunday, while Madrid thrashed Real Sociedad 5-1, with Ronaldo notching his 23rd hat trick since joining the Spanish club.“They tried to make u

SoccerNov. 13, 2013

Pettersen closing in fast on LPGA awards

Just more than three months ago, Park In-bee went to St. Andrews with a shot at becoming the first golfer to win four straight majors in one year. She was No. 1 in women’s golf by any measure ― world ranking, money list ― and it wasn’t even close.But as the LPGA Tour goes into the final two weeks of its season, there’s a chance Park won’t win any of the major awards. And she might even lose her No. 1 ranking.Suzann Pettersen, who had only one win after the Women’s British Open the first week in

GolfNov. 13, 2013

Francona, Hurdle named top skippers

NEW YORK (AP) ― Terry Francona of the Cleveland Indians and Clint Hurdle of the Pittsburgh Pirates won the Manager of the Year awards Tuesday after guiding their small-budget teams to charming turnarounds.Francona edged John Farrell of the World Series champion Boston Red Sox for the American League honor 112 points to 96 in a close vote by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.It was the first Manager of the Year honor for Francona, even though ― in an interesting twist ― he steered the

BaseballNov. 13, 2013

Samsung Lions depart for Asia Series

INCHEON (Yonhap News) ― The reigning South Korean baseball champion Samsung Lions departed for Taiwan on Wednesday to participate in an international offseason tournament of regional league winners.The Lions will represent the Korea Baseball Organization at the Asia Series to be held from Friday to next Wednesday in Taichung, Taiwan.This will be the seventh edition of the tournament. It has traditionally brought together league champions from South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China and Australia. For

BaseballNov. 13, 2013

Fernandez, Myers named top rookies

NEW YORK (AP) ― Jose Fernandez of the Miami Marlins and Wil Myers of the Tampa Bay Rays were selected baseball’s Rookies of the Year on Monday.Fernandez stood out in a very deep National League class, and the pitcher received 26 of 30 first-place votes from a Baseball Writers’ Association of America panel. His debut season was so superb that he’s one of three finalists for the NL Cy Young Award, with the winner to be announced Wednesday.Myers took home the American League prize after putting up

BaseballNov. 12, 2013

S. Korea vows to avenge WC loss

South Korean footballers on Tuesday vowed to avenge an earlier World Cup loss to Switzerland when the two countries meet for a friendly this week.The 23 national team players reported to the training camp at National Football Center in Paju, north of Seoul, to start preparing for the friendly match against Switzerland on Friday. The match will kick off at 8 p.m. at Seoul World Cup Stadium. Both nations have qualified for next year’s World Cup in Brazil.This will be the first clash between the tw

SoccerNov. 12, 2013

Djokovic claims 3rd ATP title

LONDON (AP) ― Novak Djokovic remains the man to beat on indoor courts.The defending champion made quick work of top-ranked Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-4 to win the ATP World Tour Finals on Monday, extending his winning streak to 22 matches and claiming the elite season-ending title for the third time.Djokovic, who has not lost a match since his defeat to Nadal in the U.S. Open final, returned superbly from the start to move his Spanish rival around the court and prevent him from dictating the points.Nad

More SportsNov. 12, 2013

Ryu Hyun-jin finishes fourth in NL rookie voting

Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers finished fourth in the voting for the National League Rookie of the Year award, ballots showed Tuesday.The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA), whose members cast votes for the top rookie honors, released the results of the balloting on its website. Ryu, the South Korean left-hander, earned 10 third-place votes for 10 points.Ryu went 14-8 with a 3.00 ERA in 30 starts in his first Major League Baseball season. He struck out 154 and walked 49 in

BaseballNov. 12, 2013

Djokovic beats Nadal to win ATP Finals

Defending champion Novak Djokovic beat top-ranked Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-4 to win the ATP World Tour Finals on Monday, extending his winning streak to 22 matches and claiming the elite season-ending title for the third time.Djokovic, who has not lost a match since his defeat to Nadal in the U.S. Open final, returned superbly from the start to move his Spanish rival around the court and prevent him from dictating the points. Nadal hit only nine winners and was broken three times in a match between t

More SportsNov. 12, 2013

United roars back into title race

MANCHESTER, England (AP) ― Manchester United surged into the Premier League title picture Sunday with a 1-0 victory over first-place Arsenal while Manchester City and Tottenham were upset.Robin van Persie’s 27th-minute header against his former club settled the match at Old Trafford and lifted United to fifth place. Arsenal lost for the second time this season and its lead over second-place Liverpool was trimmed to two points.With Man City losing 1-0 at struggling Sunderland and Tottenham beaten

SoccerNov. 11, 2013

Two injured players replaced

South Korea on Monday replaced two injured players on its national soccer team ahead of two upcoming friendly matches.The Korea Football Association said defensive back Yun Suk-young and midfielder Han Kook-young will miss matches against Switzerland and Russia this month. The 56th-ranked South Korea will host world No. 7 Switzerland on Friday at Seoul World Cup Stadium and will take on the 19th-ranked Russia in Dubai on Nov. 19.Yun, who plays for the Doncaster Rovers in the second-division Foot

SoccerNov. 11, 2013

Fresh off hat trick, Son Heung-min looks forward to friendlies

Fresh off his first career hat trick in Germany, South Korean footballer Son Heung-min said Monday he will now shift his focus to the country's two upcoming friendly matches.Son landed at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, early Monday, to join the national team training camp set to open on Tuesday. South Korea will host Switzerland at 8 p.m. Friday at Seoul World Cup Stadium, and will travel to Dubai to face Russia on Nov. 19.Playing for Bayer Leverkusen in the top German league Bund

SoccerNov. 11, 2013