Baseball: Jim Joyce was voted the best umpire in Major League Baseball in a poll of 100 players conducted by ESPN the Magazine.
ESPN said Sunday that 50 active players were asked to select the three best umpires in baseball. Joyce was named on 53 percent of the surveys, topping Tim McClelland (34 percent).
CB Bucknor was voted the game’s worst ump.
Also, 86 percent of players agreed that commissioner Bud Selig should not have overturned Joyce’s call that denied Armando Galarraga the 21st perfect game in big league history.
The issue of instant replay also was addressed, and 77 percent said there should be no replay on base calls.
Associated Press
Chinese venture into advertising
Marketing: The newest sponsor of women’s tennis is a half-billion dollar sporting goods maker that no one outside of China has ever heard of.
Peak, which announces its five-year deal with the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour this week, is the latest cash-flush Chinese company to form a partnership with well-known foreign athletes, teams and leagues. The brands are targeting the burgeoning Chinese middle class, which has plenty of pocket money and a growing interest in leisure activities. The idea is that Chinese consumers will think more favorably about domestic brands and their international status when they see established foreign stars wearing the products.
The Chinese sporting goods market is worth $6?billion and expected to grow 14 percent a year.
Associated Press
Report: McNamee told investigators Clemens’ nonprofit paid for steroids
Baseball: Brian McNamee told federal investigators that Roger Clemens’ nonprofit organization paid him for his training services, including providing the seven-time Cy Young Award winner with performance-enhancing drugs, the New York Times reported on its website Sunday night.
McNamee told authorities investigating Clemens for perjury that the payments were made from the Roger Clemens Foundation from 1998-2001, according to several people briefed on the investigation, the Times reported.
McNamee, who claims he routinely injected Clemens with steroids during that time, said he was also paid in cash and personal checks.
Associated Press
