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nation

Red Sox hire Bogar

BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox have hired former major leaguer and Tampa Bay Rays coach Tim Bogar as their new first base coach.

The 44-year-old replaces Luis Alicea, the only member of last year’s staff who was not offered a contract for the 2009 season. Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein announced Bogar’s hiring Friday.

Last year, Bogar was an infield and baserunning coach for the 2008 American League champion Rays.

Before joining the Rays, he spent four seasons as a manager in the Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros minor league systems.

Bogar played for the New York Mets, Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1993-2001.

Ames looks for win

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — For Stephen Ames, the Skins Game has become a lucrative holiday tradition.

Ames has won the last two Skins Games, pocketing more than $1.2 million in the process. But as he tries for a third straight title this weekend, he’s not only thinking about the $1 million purse.

“I’m just out here to have fun,” Ames said Friday at the Indian Wells Golf Resort.

Ames will try to repeat his titles this weekend against Phil Mickelson, Rocco Mediate and K.J. Choi at the Celebrity Course at Indian Wells Golf Resort. The foursome will play nine holes today and another nine Sunday.

A player must win a hole outright to earn the designated cash prize for the hole. If two or more players tie for low score on a hole, the money carries over to the next hole.

Clark Handicap

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Einstein has won the $400,000 Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs.

The 6-year-old horse stormed past heavy favorite Commentator at the top of the stretch Friday, then held off Delightful Kiss and won by 11‚Ñ2 lengths.

Einstein was ridden by Julien Leparoux completed the 11‚Ñ8 miles in 1:49.79. The winner paid $11.80, $5.20 and $2.60. The field of seven was for horses 3 years old and up.

Delightful Kiss, ridden by Calvin Borel, paid $10.80 and $3.80.

Commentator, the 2-5 favorite, was third under jockey John Velazquez and paid $2.10. Magna Graduate, running his final race for trainer Steve Asmussen, finished fourth.

Vonn to race again

ASPEN, Colo. — Lindsey Vonn expects to race at the Aspen Winternational despite a harrowing spill during practice last week.

“It’s definitely a different feeling going in there, having a little bit of a knee problem and trying to make sure I’m resting as much as I can instead of training as hard as I can,” Vonn said.

This weekend’s Winternational, an annual U.S. tour stop for the women’s Audi FIS Alpine World Cup, starts Saturday with the giant slalom and concludes Sunday with a slalom race.

Vonn, the downhill and overall World Cup champion last season, won her first World Cup slalom event in Levi, Finland, on Nov. 15. Four days later, during a Super G training run at Colorado’s Copper Mountain, Vonn bruised her left knee when she lost a ski and crashed after hitting a bump.

Big A’s Top Flight

NEW YORK — Leah’s Secret won the $150,000 Top Flight Handicap on Friday at Aqueduct so impressively that it might delay her retirement to the broodmare ranks.

The 5-year-old, who joined Todd Pletcher’s barn earlier this year, rallied widest to beat Slewfoundmoney.

“It was a big run from her,” Pletcher said. “She is in such good form right now, I might ask WinStar Farm for one more race.”

Eibar Coa guided Leah’s Secret to a second straight stakes win following the Chilukki at Churchill Downs. In the Top Flight, Leah’s Secret stalked the early leaders making her move turning for home.

The time was 1:36.40 on the fast track as Leah’s Secret improved to 3-for-8 for Pletcher. Overall, she has eight wins in 25 starts.

world

Terrorism strikes a blow at cricket

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The attacks in India are the latest challenge to the future of international cricket in Asia.

Pakistan, hit by a spate of bombings, will finish 2008 without playing a single cricket test. Sri Lanka’s civil war has been going for more than 25 years and shows no sign of abating.

Now, more than 150 people in Mumbai are dead. The England cricket team’s India tour has been suspended, as the sport finds itself threatened in a region containing four of the nine test-playing nations.

Vindicator staff/wire reports