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BOSTON: Pitcher John Smoltz officially joined the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday after two decades with the Atlanta Braves.

Smoltz was introduced at a news conference in Boston, according to a report on the team’s website.
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Iconic German footballer Karl-Heinz Rummenigge rates Argentine legend Diego Maradona higher than Brazlian great Pele.

The former German striker feels Maradona — the 1986 World Cup winning captain — belonged to an era where the playing football was more challenging.

“Maradona was the real best footballer ever seen in the world. Telling you the truth, I always liked Maradona. Both (Pele and Maradona) have been fantastic players.”

“But, I believe, the time of Maradona was a bit more difficult. Pele just played in Brazil and then played in New York for Cosmos. But Maradona played in Argentina for Boca Juniors then he moved to Barcelona,” he said.

Here in Kolkata to announce and sign the deal with the state for the proposed Bayern Munich Academy in Burdwan, the chairman of the German club said he did not have any regrets for not having won the World Cup even once.

Rummenigge won the 1980 European Championship and was part of the squad that finished runners-up in the 1982 and 1986 FIFA World Cups.

Recalling the new Argentina coach’s early November visit to Bayern Munich, Rummenigge said, “He met our players to bring a new spirit. Argentina is not in a very comfortable position and he tries to bring the old magic back to his team.

“He said you have to play with your heart…That’s a very important message. I am confident Argentina will do well under him as the coach,” Rummenigge, honoured twice as European Footballer of the Year, said.

Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik has come under fire after he forced umpires and match referee to show him the Diamond Ground pitch in Islamabad even though the groundsmen had already put it under wraps.

Malik, who is captaining Punjab against Federal Areas in a crucial match of the Pentangular - a major first-class domestic tournament - went to the ground Thursday evening to inspect the wicket, in spite of the fact that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) regulations don`t allow any such inspection once the pitch is covered.

Malik then approached Match Referee Khalid Niazi and umpires Saleem Badar and Iqbal Butt. The match officials instructed the ground staff to remove the covers so that the Pakistan captain can inspect the wicket, ahead of the start of the four-day match that begins Friday.

However, Niazi played down the incident saying that Malik was shown the wicket since he reached the ground a bit late. He said that Malik inspected the wicket in front of the Federal Areas team officials adding that fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar who is representing the home team (Federal Areas) was also present. But the incident doesn`t augur well for Malik, whose captaincy would be put under the scanner at the end of this year with the Governing Board of the PCB meeting to decide whether he should be retained to lead Pakistan in the all-important home series against India starting early next year.

Top-ranked Rafael Nadal and defending champion David Nalbandian advanced to the third round of the Paris Masters with straight-sets wins Wednesday. Nalbandian, who beat Nadal in last year’s final, downed Nicolas Kiefer of Germany 7-6 (5), 6-3 to set up another meeting with fellow Argentine Juan Martin del Potro.

Nadal topped Florent Serra of France 6-2, 6-4 and next faces No. 16 Gael Monfils of France. Nadal took only 27 minutes to win the first set before Serra rallied briefly, forcing Nadal to save a break point in the fourth game of the second set.

Sixth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko, who won here in 2006, advanced with a 7-6 (5), 7-5 win over Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia.

Kiefer saved two match points before the eighth-seeded Nalbandian served out the match with an ace to secure a third matchup this month against the ninth-seeded Del Potro. Nalbandian beat Del Potro in the semi-finals of the Swiss Indo ors last week after losing to him in the third round of the Madrid Masters the week before.

“This is going to be the third time in three weeks, so that is a little bit strange,” Nalbandian said of facing del Potro again. Also, 10th-seeded Gilles Simon advanced 6-3, 7-5 past Igor Andreev to keep alive his chances of reaching the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai.

The Frenchman next faces seventh-seeded Andy Roddick of the United States, who is also vying for a Masters Cup spot. Simon and Roddick both took a step closer to qualifying after No. 5 David Ferrer of Spain lost 6-3, 6-2 to Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber.

Paes-Dlouhy lose

Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy could go only as far as their first match at the Paris Masters. After having got a bye in the first round, the Indo-Czech pair lost their second-round match to Brazilians Marcelo Melo and Andre Sa 6-3, 6-2 to crash out of the Masters Series event.

James Shields walked slowly off the mound and doffed his cap to a cheering crowd, looking a little surprised that he’d been taken out.

No sweat — rookie reliever David Price and the rest of the Tampa Bay Rays were ready to finish the job. Big Game James had already lived up to his nickname.

Shields stymied the slumping Philadelphia Phillies’ batters and Price got the final seven outs, pitching the plucky Rays to a 4-2 victory Thursday night that tied the World Series at 1-all.

“I didn’t feel too much pressure,” Shields said. “The guys in the clubhouse were real relaxed before the game.”

After dropping the opener to ace Cole Hamels and the Phillies, the young Rays rebounded from a rare home loss and earned their first World Series win with help from a squeeze play and a checked swing.

Tampa Bay never really got a huge hit, but neither did the Phillies as Jimmy Rollins and crew fell to 1-for-28 with runners in scoring position.

“That might be one of our sloppiest games all year,” manager Charlie Manuel said. “I’m concerned about us hitting with guys on base, because it looks like at times we might be trying a little too hard. But we can fix that.”

The series shifts to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Saturday night, though rain is in the forecast. ALCS MVP Matt Garza is scheduled to pitch for Tampa Bay against 45-year-old Jamie Moyer, making his World Series debut.

“We came in here knowing it’s going to be a tight series,” Rays outfielder B.J. Upton said. “Both clubs are a lot alike.”

Tampa Bay scored on Jason Bartlett’s safety squeeze and built another rally when Rocco Baldelli walked on a checked swing that seemed to confuse players and umpires alike.

Shields threw shutout ball into the sixth, outpitching Brett Myers and working out of trouble just as Hamels did for a 3-2 win Wednesday night.

So, how exactly did a pitcher with 32 major league wins come by that catchy monicker?

“It was kind of a joke at first,” Shields said. “I ended up pitching a couple of good games in the minor leagues and they say my whole organization is calling me ‘Big Game.’ They don’t call me by my first name anymore.”

The 23-year-old Price, called up in September after he was the top pick in last year’s draft, struck out slugger Ryan Howard with two on to end the seventh.

The hard-throwing lefty gave up a pinch-hit homer to Eric Bruntlett in the eighth, then stayed on to close it out against Philadelphia’s big boppers.

Carloz Ruiz led off the ninth with a double, and a pitch from Price appeared to graze Rollins’ jersey. But it was not called a hit batter, and a frustrated Rollins soon popped out.

Ruiz scored when third baseman Evan Longoria booted Jayson Werth’s grounder for an error, but Price fanned Chase Utley and got Howard on a game-ending grounder.

“I was nervous — very,” Price said. “I usually don’t even sweat out there and my hat looks like I went swimming with it.”

Tampa Bay is 5-3 at home in the postseason after going a major league-best 57-24 during the season.

Philadelphia’s lone hit with runners in scoring position was Shane Victorino’s infield single in the fourth, and that didn’t even produce a run.

“I don’t know if we’re pressing,” Victorino said. “Maybe it seems that way. We’re just not getting the job done. We came back, we had the tying run up. We needed to get one.”

Shields usually flourishes at home, where he was 9-2 with a 2.59 ERA during the season. All four of his postseason starts have come at Tropicana Field, including a win over the Chicago White Sox in Tampa Bay’s first playoff game and two tough losses to Boston in the ALCS.

“You feel pretty comfortable when he goes out there under those circumstances,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “It’s kind of a misconception. We’re starting to play our first big games now, and he’s pitching the same now as when the big game was trying to prevent somebody else from getting to the playoffs.”

A 14-game winner during the season, Shields was pulled in the sixth after 104 pitches. Dan Wheeler retired Pedro Feliz on an inning-ending grounder with runners at the corners.

Back from two seasons derailed by injuries and mitochondrial disorder, a condition that slows muscle recovery and causes extreme fatigue, Baldelli was involved in a confusing call in the second that helped Tampa Bay make it 3-0.

He checked his swing on a full-count pitch and plate umpire Kerwin Danley immediately raised his right arm as if to call strike three. But then Danley pointed to first base for an appeal, and umpire Fieldin Culbreth signaled safe.

“It was his intention to go to first base for help on a half-swing that he had as ball four,” said Mike Port, Major League Baseball’s vice president for umpiring. “He just gave a confusing mechanic. But he had called it a ball, and it was ruled no half-swing anyway. So it was just that particular mechanic that caused confusion.”

Myers and several Phillies infielders were puzzled, along with Manuel, who took a few steps out of the dugout but didn’t argue long.

“I thought he called the guy out,” Manuel said.

With the bases loaded and two outs, Upton hit an RBI single to right. Werth made a strong throw to cut down Baldelli, who crashed into Ruiz but couldn’t dislodge the ball.

Before the next inning started, Baldelli rested on one knee in right field.

Demoted to the minors in July, Myers gave up two runs in the first after an error by Werth. Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria had RBI groundouts.

Notes:@ Philadelphia’s 0-for-19 skid with runners in scoring position was the second-longest drought to start a World Series since the 1966 Los Angeles Dodgers finished 0-for-22 against Baltimore, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Orissa Cricket Association’s idea of papering the walls of the Barabati Stadium for the N.K.P. Salve Challenger Trophy was a Diwali gift for the near-capacity turnout that responded to the bonanza. They had started to come in and fill the stands even when India Green, who did not have a match on Thursday, had not finished their morning practice session.

But that hardly mattered as they had come to see players they see on television perform live. For most of the first session of the opener between India Blue and Red, every move by the familiar faces on the ground was cheered.

But that was about. There were hardly any sparks that flew during the Reds chase as they made a hash of it losing four wickets for 66 runs including those of S. Badrinath, Parthiv Patel and Rohit Sharma within 17 overs.

Manoj Tiwary coming in at No 6 looked shaky but then managed to stitch together a 78-run stand with opener Murali Vijay. But once Vijay got out after scoring 89 off 107 balls (9×4, 2×6), the chase was virtually over.

In the end, Blues won by 49 runs and earned a bonus point. Earlier, after cruising to 87 without loss, Yuvraj Singh’s Blues finished their 50 overs at 235 for nine, well short of what the opening duo of Robin Uthappa and Ajinkya Rahane had set the tone for.

Blues lost their way when Yuvraj, Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik fell one after another. Uthappa’s race to 94 off 106 balls was the hallmark of the Blues innings.

With nine fours and a huge six off Piyush Chawla, who had his first spell cut to two overs after he had conceded 22 runs, Uthappa survived a stumping chance on 35 after having clobbered the leg-spinner on the previous ball. He was dismissed when he tried to pull Rohit Sharma but failed to get the elevation.

With Game 1 approaching, here are five World Series story lines you might not have considered:

Can Philadelphia keep the Rays in the park?

Tampa Bay hit 22 homers in two rounds of the American League playoffs. That already ranks as the fourth-highest total in the history of the playoffs, which expanded to two rounds in 1969 and three rounds in 1995.

Philadelphia pitching coach Rich Dubee praised Tampa Bay’s hitters, but he also was underwhelmed by Boston’s pitching in the ALCS. The Red Sox allowed 16 homers — the Rays’ B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria each hit four — in the seven-game loss.

“If we pitch to our capabilities, we’ll be fine,” Dubee said. “I don’t think Boston did a lot. A lot of those balls were up and in the middle of the plate. They made a lot of mistakes, and good hitters hit mistakes.”

The Phillies’ staff kept the opposition’s power totals down at Citizens Bank Park this season. After allowing more than 120 homers at home in each of the previous two seasons, the Phillies gave up only 80 this season. In four games at home this postseason, Philadelphia has allowed one homer.

How will the Rays handle cold weather?

As many as three games will be played in Philadelphia, and the late-October temperatures at game time should be more than a bit nippy. The lower the temperature goes, the less comfortable the Rays will be.

Tampa Bay played 89 regular season games in the climate-controlled settings of domed stadiums or ballparks with retractable roofs. Including the postseason, the warm-blooded Rays are 5-9 in games in which the temperature at the first pitch was 59 degrees or lower. They were winless in five games with temperatures in the 40s.

“It could be really cold, and that’s not good,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “And if it’s mildly cold, with all the gear that you are provided for, hopefully we’ll be fine.

“We’ll just play that one moment at a time. I think our guys, at this time of the year, I’d like to believe they’re not going to be impacted so much by that.”

Can Phillies bench coach Jimy Williams neutralize Tampa Bay’s speed?

Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel has the confidence to delegate authority to members of his superb coaching staff. He has entrusted Williams with several defensive-related duties, including slowing down the opponent’s running game.

“Jimy does a lot to help this team,” lefthander Jamie Moyer said.

The Phillies do not ask their pitchers to speed up their move to the plate with runners on by using a slide-step delivery. The slide step leads to too many mistakes, Dubee said.

Instead, the Phillies look to Williams for the sign to pitch out, throw to a base or have the pitcher step off the mound. It’s all designed to keep opponents from getting into a rhythm on the bases.

The Rays will look to run at every opportunity. They regularly try to take an extra base and had 17 steals in 19 attempts during two rounds of the AL playoffs. Tampa Bay led the majors with 142 steals during the regular season.

Maddon said nothing will change on this grand stage.

“We don’t want to be pigeon-holed as one type of team,” said Maddon, who has bench coach Dave Martinez handle all aspects of Tampa Bay’s running game. “We want to be able to take advantage of playing this game at every level. We have the personnel to do that.”

How will Maddon use David Price?

Price, the rookie lefthander who logged 14 innings of major league experience during the regular season, has been helpful at the end of games for the Rays in the playoffs.

In Game 2 of the ALCS, Price got two outs with the lead run in scoring position to end Boston’s 11th-inning threat, and the Rays scored the winning run in the bottom of the inning. In Game 7, Price got the final four outs, starting with a strikeout of J.D. Drew with the bases loaded in the eighth.

Maddon was a bench coach with the 2002 Anaheim Angels, who pulled righthanded reliever Francisco Rodriguez out of the minors late in the regular season and got mileage out of him the playoffs. Maddon said it is unfair to make the comparison between Price and Rodriguez because Price has not been developed as a reliever as Rodriguez was.

That said, Maddon acknowledged Price could be useful late in games against Philadelphia’s array of lefthanded bats. Price has retired four of the five lefthanded batters he has faced in the postseason (he walked J.D. Drew in Game 2 of the ALCS). Three of those outs came via the strikeout.

“It’s a great weapon to have,” Maddon said. “The reason we’ve been able to do what we’ve done with David is because of what’s inside him. He has matured beyond his years.”

Is Brad Lidge “Mr. Perfect?”

Lidge, Philadelphia’s dominating closer, suffered the loss in the 2008 All-Star Game. Because the A.L. rallied for that extra-innings win, it got home-field advantage in the World Series.

Other than that slipup, Lidge has been close to perfect. He converted all 41 of his save chances in the regular season and is 5-for-5 in postseason save chances.

Robb Nen, Troy Percival and John Wetteland share the record for saves in a single postseason with seven. Nen had one blown save; Percival and Wetteland went 7-for-7. Lidge could go as high as 9-for-9.

“I’ve been through both sides of it,” Lidge said. “That experience helps me. I know I can do my thing, and whatever happens, happens.”

Lidge was alluding to his struggles with Houston in the 2005 postseason. He had one blown save — on an epic homer by St. Louis’ Albert Pujols in Game 5 of the NLCS — in four opportunities and three losses that postseason. Lidge has come all of the way back from that.

World champion Viswanathan Anand scored his second sensational victory with black against Vladimir Kramnik of Russia in the fifth game of the world championship, thus extending his lead to two points. If anyone believed that the World championship match was interestingly poised after Anand got into lead winning the third game, they were all in for a surprise when the Indian stalwart did an encore and punished Kramnik yet again once the game took a tactical turn.

It was yet another Slav by the Indian ace and Kramnik went for what he had chosen in the third game, giving an idea that he had prepared something against the variation. However, Anand had other ideas and once again he was the one to come out with another surprise.

If Kramnik thought he was going to deviate from the earlier game, he was proven wrong as on the 15th move Anand came up with a new idea. Like in the third game, Kramnik yet again felt the heat and spent a lot of time on his clock.

Anand got a good lead on the time while his position also remained intact. Kramnik went for unwarranted complications instead of going for equalising, which caused him dearly.

The Russian was under pressure when Anand just improved the position of his pieces and maintained a fairly balanced position. With the clock ticking away and not much in sight had a horrendous effect on Kramnik.

Anand was probably hoping for the disaster that struck the Russian on the 29th move.

World number four Andy Murray cruised to his second successive Masters Series title by blasting France’s Gilles Simon out of the Madrid Masters 6-4 7-6 on Sunday.

Neither player matched the heroics of Saturday’s semi-finals when the Scot beat Roger Federer and Simon defeated Rafael Nadal, and in an attritional baseline battle, Murray’s rock-solid serve gave the tired Frenchman few chances.

“The serve is the reason I won the tournament because today Gilles was hitting the ball better than me from the back of the court,” Murray said.

“He was obviously more tired than me. I didn’t play best best, but really I’m really happy I won.”

The 21-year-old Briton struck 10 aces to just one in reply from world number 16 Simon, who failed to manufacture one break point on Murray’s service in a match lasting 93 minutes.

The 23-year-old from Nice had played for almost 12 hours in the five previous rounds — double his opponent’s court time — and Murray seemed happy to wait for a tired Simon to make the mistake as the two traded baseline blows in rallies often lasting 20 shots or more.

“I was really tired today. I didn’t move like I usually do and Andy knew it. He just wanted to kill me, just wanted to make me run,” said the new French number one, who smiled despite defeat in his first Masters Series final.

SIMON MISFIRING

The first set turned in the sixth game when Murray put the pressure on Simon’s serve before forcing the Frenchman into a mishit drive. The shot was symptomatic of Simon’s match as his powerful forehand, so effective in a 3-1/2 hour epic against number one Nadal, failed to fire.

Murray slapped down four aces to close out the first set, and although Simon pressed harder in the second, he never once went to deuce on the Scot’s towering service.

Only when the set went to a tiebreak did Simon threaten.

Murray hit a drop shot but Simon successfully chased it down and clubbed a cross court winner for a 6-4 lead. Again Murray played the drop shot but the Scot escaped as Simon’s reply landed just wide.

A thumping winner off a tame Simon serve brought up championship point which he converted after Simon dumped a volley into the net.

Murray, who won the previous Masters Series tournament in Cincinnati in August, became the first Briton to win two Masters Series titles.

Simon moved to within one place of the eight-man Masters Cup tournament in Shanghai next month, with the Paris Masters at the end of the month his best chance of stealing Juan Martin del Potro’s eighth spot.