Monday, December 25, 2017
Paul Hulea takes over Leetonia football team
LEETONIA
Former Crestview and Poland head coach Paul Hulea is expected to be named the next head coach at Leetonia, the Vindicator’s broadcast partner WFMJ has reported. He will officially be named the head coach on Jan. 11.
Hulea is 115-46 as a head coach. In 1999, he led Poland to a 15-0 record and a Division III state title. The championship was Ohio’s first 15-0 season and was the last time a Mahoning Valley public school won a football state title.
Hulea stepped down as head coach in 2004. He was serving as an assistant coach at Struthers for the past two seasons.
He replaces Hadi Hadi, who went 2-28 at Leetonia, including 15 straight losses.
Williams to compete after having baby
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates
Serena Williams is returning to competition with an exhibition match Saturday in Abu Dhabi against French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.
Williams has not competed since winning the Australian Open last January while she was pregnant. She will face Latvia’s Ostapenko at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in the first year that women will be taking part, tournament organizers announced Sunday.
“I am delighted to be returning to the court in Abu Dhabi for the first time since the birth of my daughter in September,” the 36-year-old Williams said in a statement.
Williams has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, a record for the professional era. She is expected to compete for her 24th at the Australian Open, the first major of the year.
Williams gave birth to a girl named Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. on Sept. 1. She married Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in November.
Ichiro intends to stay in Major League Baseball
TOYOYAMA, Japan
Ichiro Suzuki, who became a free agent in November when the Miami Marlins declined their option to sign him for the 2018 season, still hasn’t given up hope of remaining in Major League Baseball.
Suzuki was quoted by Kyodo news agency on Saturday as saying: “I feel like a big dog at a pet shop that hasn’t been sold. Of course, I want to play baseball next year.”
Suzuki, who has 3,080 hits in MLB, was in his hometown of Toyoyama to attend the closing ceremony of the Ichiro Cup youth baseball tournament.
He was asked if there was any possibility of him returning to play in Japan if he isn’t offered an MLB contract.
The 44-year-old Suzuki has said he wants to play until he’s 50.
He played nine seasons with the Orix Blue Wave in the Nippon Professional Baseball league in Japan before moving to the U.S. to play 12 years with the Seattle Mariners. He also played with the New York Yankees before moving to the Marlins in 2015.
Striker suspended for kicking goalie
LONDON
Southampton forward Charlie Austin will miss three games after accepting a Football Association charge for violent conduct.
The FA announced Sunday that Austin had argued that the suspension — for kicking Huddersfield goalkeeper Jonas Lossl — was excessive, but that his case had been rejected.
Danish goalkeeper Lossl was left with a bloodied face and a suspected broken nose following the incident in Saturday’s 1-1 Premier League draw at St Mary’s Stadium.
Austin, who scored his fifth goal in five starts before departing with a hamstring injury, avoided punishment for the incident during the match, but has now been banned.
Austin netted the opener midway through the first half, but was substituted in the closing stages with a hamstring complaint and Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino confirmed he is likely to be sidelined for the remainder of the festive schedule regardless.
Staff/wire report