Tigers Trade "Pudge" Rodriguez to the Yankees
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York Yankees have traded for 14-time All-Star catcher Ivan Rodriguez, acquiring him from the Detroit Tigers, the Yankees said on Wednesday. Right-handed reliever Kyle Farnsworth heads to the Tigers as part of the deal which gives the Yankees a replacement for starting catcher Jorge Posada. Posada has been ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on a shoulder injury. Rodriguez, 37, nicknamed 'Pudge' is a 13-times Gold Glove winner who is in his 18th Major League season. Born in Puerto Rico, Rodriguez was American League MVP in 1999 when he was with the Texas Rangers and was later part of the 2003 World Series winning Florida Marlins team. Rodriguez has a batting average of .302, has scored 293 career home runs and has been with the Tigers since 2004. (Editing by John Mehaffey)
Retief Goosen Flies High at Firestone
AKRON, Ohio (Reuters) - South African Retief Goosen, helped by a spectacular chip-in for birdie at the 11th, grabbed a one-shot lead in Thursday's opening round at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. The twice former U.S. Open champion took advantage of calm morning conditions at Firestone Country Club to card a four-under-par 66, a score which held up in the afternoon. Goosen birdied five of the first 11 holes to forge two strokes clear before collecting his only bogey of the day at the par-three 15th where his tee shot ended up in a plugged lie in a greenside bunker. He then parred the last three holes to finish one ahead of compatriot Tim Clark, Fiji's Vijay Singh, American Zach Johnson and Swede Daniel Chopra. Singh, like Goosen, also got to five-under before double-bogeying the last for a 67. American Stewart Cink, the 2004 winner, and world number two Phil Mickelson were among a group of 14 players bunched on 68 while British Open champion Padraig...
Inkster Upstages Younger Women at British Open
SUNNINGDALE (Reuters) - Seven times major winner Juli Inkster benefited from a tip by Australian coach Ian Triggs to hit a seven-under-par 65 for a one shot lead in the women's British Open on Thursday. The 48-year-old American, so frustrated by her recent form that she nearly pulled out of the tournament, had a flawless first round of five birdies and an eagle at the 273-yard ninth where she drove to the green and holed an 18 foot putt. Inkster was a shot ahead of a group of seven players that included England's Johanna Head, Americans Stacy Prammanasudh and Laura Diaz, South Koreans Shin Ji-yai and Oh Ji-young and Japanese pair Momoko Ueda and Yuri Fudoh. Defending champion Lorena Ochoa of Mexico had five birdies in her first 15 holes before dropping shots at the 15th and 16th for a 69. A session with the renowned Triggs at the start of the week helped spark Inkster into form. "I finished ninth at the Evian Masters (in France) last week, but that was...
Injured Maria Sharapova Withdraws From Olympics
MONTREAL (Reuters) - World number three Maria Sharapova pulled out of the Beijing Olympics on Thursday after an MRI scan on her right shoulder revealed two small tears. "I'm currently packing up really quick to hop on the plane and head to New York for a second opinion but I wanted to let all of you know first that there's no chance of me competing in Beijing," Sharapova said on her website. "The timing is so unfortunate and this makes me more sad than anything," she added on www.mariasharapova.com. The Olympic Games are scheduled for August 8-24. The Russian was examined by doctors after withdrawing from the Montreal Cup late on Wednesday evening with a sore shoulder following a 7-5 5-7 6-2 win over Poland's Marta Domachowska. They advised Sharapova she would need a lot of time away from the game to let the injury to heal, which puts the 2006 U.S. Open champion's chances of playing in this year's final grand slam, starting on August 25 in New York, in doubt. ...