KT grabs bat, glove

KT, South Korea’s largest fixed-line operator and No. 2 mobile carrier, was approved as the owner of a new professional baseball team on Thursday.At their general meeting, owners of the existing nine clubs in the Korea Baseball Organization put their stamp of approval on the expansion plan put together by KT and the city of Suwon, the provincial capital of Gyeonggi, located south of Seoul.It was the last administrative hurdle for KT, which last week drew more favorable reviews for its applicatio

Jan. 17, 2013

A-Rod has hip surgery

NEW YORK (AP) ― Alex Rodriguez had surgery on his left hip Wednesday and is expected to be sidelined until after the All-Star break.The New York Yankees said Dr. Bryan Kelly repaired a torn labrum and impingement and the operation at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York “went as planned and without complication.”The 37-year-old former All-Star third baseman is expected to be released from the hospital on Thursday and the anticipated time for a full recovery is six months. The Yankees sig

Jan. 17, 2013

KT approved as owner of expansion baseball club

KT, South Korea‘s largest fixed line operator and No. 2 mobile carrier, was approved as the owner of a new professional baseball team on Thursday.At their general meeting, owners of the existing nine clubs in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) put their stamp of approval on the expansion plan put together by KT and the city of Suwon, the provincial capital of Gyeonggi, located south of Seoul.It was the last administrative hurdle for KT, which last week drew more favorable reviews for its appl

Jan. 17, 2013

Korea sets sights on WBC title

Despite carrying a roster depleted by injuries, South Korea has set its sights on winning the upcoming World Baseball Classic, the national team manager and its players said Tuesday.During a ceremony at a Seoul hotel, Ryu Joong-il, who will manage the squad for the March 2-19 tournament, said the goal is nothing less than to win the country’s first WBC title.“I know that expectations will be high on this team, because we’ve done so well at the previous WBCs,” Ryu said. “If our players put the co

Jan. 15, 2013

KT close to landing 10th team

KT, the nation’s largest fixed-line operator and No. 2 mobile carrier, has taken a major step toward owning a new professional baseball team after receiving rave reviews for its application for an expansion club, officials said Friday. KT received more “positive grades” from evaluators than its rival, a local business conglomerate Booyoung, as they both try to launch an expansion team in the Korea Baseball Organization, league officials said.The KBO will hold a general meeting of owners of the e

Jan. 11, 2013

Hall shuts out Bonds, Clemens

NEW YORK (AP) ― No one was elected to the Hall of Fame this year. When voters closed the doors to Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa, they also shut out everybody else.For only the second time in four decades, baseball writers failed to give any player the 75 percent required for induction to Cooperstown, sending a powerful signal that stars of the Steroids Era will be held to a different standard.All the awards and accomplishments collected over long careers by Bonds, Clemens and Sosa co

Jan. 10, 2013

Judgment day at Hall of Fame

NEW YORK (AP) ― There’s a chance the podium under the chandeliers in the gold-and-ivory-colored Vanderbilt Room of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel will go unused.With the cloud of steroids shrouding the candidacies of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and others, baseball writers may fail for the only the second time in more than four decades to elect anyone to the Hall of Fame, rendering a news conference unnecessary.About 600 people are eligible to vote in the BBWAA election, all members of the organizatio

Jan. 9, 2013

KBO posts record revenue in 2012

Aided by a record number of fans, South Korea’s top professional baseball league in 2012 posted its largest-ever revenue, a league report showed Wednesday.The Korea Baseball Organization Properties, the marketing wing of the Korea Baseball Organization, said the league earned 35 billion won ($32.9 million) in baseball-related businesses in 2012, surpassing the previous record of 34 billion won set in 2011.The eight KBO clubs drew about 7.15 million fans in 2012, the first time that the KBO’s att

Jan. 9, 2013

Knicks halt Spurs’ winning streak

NEW YORK (AFP) ― The New York Knicks snapped San Antonio’s seven game winning streak Thursday with a 100-83 victory behind a big fourth quarter and 23 points from Carmelo Anthony.J.R. Smith scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half and the Knicks outscored San Antonio 44-31 during the last 17 minutes at Madison Square Garden.Steve Novak nailed five of seven shots from three-point range while Tyson Chandler finished with 10 points and 14 rebounds as the Knicks avoided their first three-game l

Jan. 4, 2013

Jackson aims to lift Cubs

CHICAGO (AP) ― Edwin Jackson keeps bouncing around, and he thinks he knows why.“I think everybody likes me,” he said.The 29-year-old right-hander might find some stability now that he has a four-year, $52 million deal with the Chicago Cubs.The team announced the move on Wednesday after reaching an agreement last month, giving the Cubs a durable starter to add to their rotation as they try to dig themselves out from a 101-loss season.Jackson is now on his eighth team in 11 years, including a run

Jan. 3, 2013

So long, Godzilla

NEW YORK (AP) ― Free agent slugger Hideki Matsui retired Thursday from professional baseball, saying he is no longer able to perform at the level that made him a star in two countries.The 2009 World Series MVP with the New York Yankees and a three-time Central League MVP with the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants struggled in a brief stint with the Tampa Bay Rays last season and recently made up his mind to call it a career after 20 years ― the first 10 in Japan.Despite choosing to make the announcement in N

Dec. 28, 2012

Korea drops Choo from WBC roster

Choo Shin-soo, an outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds in Major League Baseball, on Thursday was dropped from South Korea’s roster for the World Baseball Classic next spring.The Korea Baseball Organization said Choo had asked to be left off the national team for the March 2-19 tournament so that he can prepare for his first season with the Reds. He was recently traded from the Cleveland Indians to the National League club.The start of major league clubs’ spring training coincides with the beginnin

Dec. 27, 2012