Brewers Fielder chokes up with future in doubt

Milwaukee Brewers batter Prince Fielder

Milwaukee's slugging first baseman Prince Fielder had to fight back the emotions after what may have been his last game as a Brewer on Sunday.

When the impending free agent stepped to the plate in the eighth for his last at-bat of the NLCS, Cardinlas first baseman Albert Pujols told his pitcher to hold the ball a little longer and allow the Milwaukee crowd to salute Fielder.

"It was awesome," Fielder said, clearing his throat as he spoke to reporters about the standing ovation he received at Miller Park in the series-ending Game Six.

The 27-year-old Fielder, a three-times All Star who this year was second in Major League Baseball with 38 home runs, and whose 120 runs batted in were second most in the National League, has said he doubted the Brewers will pay him the sort of long-term deal he should command.

Fielder said he appreciated his years in Milwaukee.

"It was awesome playing here, I'm just glad I was able to have the fun that I had," he said. "It was cool. It was cool."

The burly, bearded slugger said it was disappointing to come up short in their bid to reach the World Series but that the wild card Cardinals were deserving winners.

"They just played better. They played great baseball, give them the credit. They were hitting, they made the pitches when they had to. They just beat us."

Fielder said he had no regrets about the season the NL Central champion Brewers had.

"We had a great year as a team. Unfortunately, we didn't get where we wanted to, but great memories.

"As long as I play as hard as I can, I can sleep at night," he said. "That's it, time to play with the kids."

First, the big home run hitter had farewells to say.

"Got to say goodbye to my team mates because it's the off-season now. I'm not going to be seeing them every day.

"I had a couple of 'clear-the-throat moments,'" he admitted. "I love these guys. I've been playing with most of them since I was 18."

Brazilian swimmer Cesar Cielo Brazil snatched the limelight from the United States in the Pan-American Games pool on Sunday with gold medals for Ces

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Edwin Jackson

The St. Louis Cardinals advanced to the World Series on Sunday after a 12-6 victory over Milwaukee in Game Six sealed the National League Championship Series.

The Cardinals will play American League champions Texas, who travel to St. Louis for Wednesday's opener of the best-of-seven Major League Baseball championship.

St. Louis scored four runs in the first, one in the second and another four in the third inning to seize a 9-4 lead and were never headed as they clinched the series 4-2 and booked their first return to the Fall Classic since winning it in 2006.

Cardinals starting pitcher Edwin Jackson went only two innings, but as they did all series long, their relievers shut the Brewers down to secure the win.

Third baseman David Freese, who belted a three-run blast in the first inning, was named NLCS Most Valuable Player after notching three home runs, nine RBIs and hitting .545.

Freese's homer followed an RBI single by Lance Berkman to put the Cardinals ahead 4-0.

The outburst continued a St. Louis trend as the Cardinals scored first in every game, putting runs on the board four times in the first inning during the series and scoring in the second inning of the other two games.

"They were unbelievable in the first inning," said Brewers manager Ron Roenicke. "We couldn't get away with anything. We just never had a chance to get into our comfort zone, get into our rhythm. They just didn't let up on us."



EARLY ACTION

The early action felt like a home run derby as six were hit in the first three innings and nine of the first 10 runs came from round-trippers.

Corey Hart homered in the first for Milwaukee, Rafael Furcal matched his solo homer in the second, while in the Brewers' half of the second, Rickie Weeks and Jonathan Lucroy cleared the fences to bring the home team within one at 5-4.

Albert Pujols's blast leading off the third made it 6-4 and the Cardinals added three more runs on a sacrifice fly by Nick Punto and a two-run single by pinch-hitter Allen Craig.

After a sloppy showing in Friday's Game Five in St. Louis, in which Milwaukee committed four errors in a 7-1 loss, the Brewers were once again loose in the field with three miscues.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa used five relievers to secure the victory.

In all, St. Louis relievers pitched a remarkable 28 and 2/3 innings against just 24 and 1/3 innings by the team's starters.

"They pitched with a lot of heart," La Russa said.

"You don't get in the postseason unless you have great starting pitching. But it was a unique and weird situation, the starters couldn't make a mistake and get away with it."

Freese, who went 3-for-4 to pace the Cards' 14-hit attack, saluted the team's relief corps.

"I wish we could do eight or nine of these and give them to the bullpen," he said while clutching the MVP trophy. "What they did, they really deserve this award."

Left-handed reliever Marc Rzepczynski registered the win, while Milwaukee starter Shaun Marcum, who was tagged for four runs in his lone inning of work, took the loss.

Jason Motte closed it out in the ninth, setting off a group hug and chant of "Happy Flight, Happy Flight," in the middle of the diamond, repeating a theme that brought the Cardinals wins in their last 17 games on travel days.

The Cardinals now travel home for the World Series opener after winning their 18th National League pennant.

St. Louis, who trailed Atlanta for the wild card by 10 and 1/2 games with one month to play, clinched the playoff berth on the last day of the regular season.

"They never quit," said La Russa. "Once they got going, the guys played every game as if it were the last game of their lives."

Brazil steals limlight from U.S. in Pan-Am pool

Brazilian swimmer Cesar Cielo

Brazil snatched the limelight from the United States in the Pan-American Games pool on Sunday with gold medals for Cesar Cielo, Felipe Franca and their 4x100 metres relay quartet.

World record holder Cielo won the 100 freestyle, breaking his Games record with a time of 47.84 seconds, well down on his world record set in Rome in 2009 of 46.91.

"What I've done at altitude shows I'm in good shape," the Olympic and world 50m champion said after his win in Guadalajara, 1,500m above sea level.

U.S. swimmers failed to make the podium with Cuba's Hanser Garcia second and Shaune Fraser of Cayman Islands third.

Franca came in ahead of compatriot Felipe Lima in a Brazilian one-two in the 100m backstroke leaving American Marcus James Titus to pick up the bronze.

The Brazilians then beat the United States into second place in the relay with Venezuela third.

The Americans, who won four gold medals in the pool on Saturday, took their tally to six including Catherine Breed's victory in the 200m freestyle.

Rachel Bootsma won the women's 100 backstroke in a Games record of one minute, 00.37 seconds.



COLOMBIAN CONTROL

In the cycling, Colombia continued to dominate with victories in the men's and women's time trials.

After Hector Paez's victory in the mountain bike cross country race on Saturday, Maria Luisa Calle and Marlon Perez took the gold medals on offer on a street circuit in the city.

Argentina's Matias Medici, silver winner, said: "It was a very tight race, most of the time we were side-by-side, but at the end, he put in a bit more than I did, so he won the gold."

American Daryl Lee Szarenski picked up his third Pan-Am gold medal in shooting when he won the 10m air pistol competition with a Games record 681.7 points.

He had previously won the 10m event in Winnipeg in 1999 and the 50 in Santo Domingo in 2003.

Canada's Dorothy Ludwig snatched victory at the last gasp in the women's 10m from Venezuelan Maribel Pineda, who had led qualifying and was in front until the final round. Ludwig scored 476.8 points to Pineda's 476.7.

Sao Paulo sack coach Batista after six games without win

Sao Paulo's coach Adilson Batista

Sao Paulo sacked coach Adilson Batista in the changing room right after Sunday's 3-0 defeat at Atletico Goianiense, their sixth match without a win.

It was the 31st coaching change of the year among Brazil's 20 first division clubs.

"We talked during the week that this match with Atletico was of utmost importance for the (coach's) permanence, or not, and continuing the job," Sao Paulo's director of football Adalberto Batista said.

"Sadly, today we had another adverse result, added to the others, the pressure ... the work ends today," he told reporters at the Serra stadium.

"In football the result is what matters and in our last six matches we got four points."

Sao Paulo have dropped from second to sixth in the Brazilian championship standings, six points adrift of arch-rivals and leaders Corinthians with eight matches to go.

Adilson took charge at Sao Paulo in July and presided over 22 matches in all competitions with seven wins and six defeats.

Assistant Milton Cruz will takes charge as caretaker for the remainder of the championship and the Copa Sudamericana, the club said on their website (www.saopaulofc.net).

Corinthians, Coritiba, Flamengo and Palmeiras are the only first division clubs to have avoided changing coaches this year. At the other end, struggling Atletico Paranaense are on to their fifth coach.

The defeat at mid-table Goianiense was even worse for Sao Paulo on a weekend when the five other leading teams all won and are separated by a mere four points in the closest title race since the present league format was introduced in 2003.

Corinthians beat relegation-threatened Cruzeiro 1-0 away at the Alligators' Arena after the home team's Argentine midfielder Walter Montillo hit a second-half penalty over the bar missing the chance to equalise.

Cruzeiro's arch-rivals Atletico Mineiro, also fighting to avoid the drop, conceded two goals in 18 minutes to go down 2-0 at Vasco da Gama, while Botafogo beat Atletico Paranaense at home by the same score.

After 30 matches, Corinthians and Vasco are level on 54 points with Botafogo on 53 and a game in hand, Flamengo 51 and title holders Fluminense 50.

On Saturday, Fluminense beat Palmeiras 2-1 away with two goals from Brazil striker Fred, while Flamengo beat Ceara 1-0 despite having captain Ronaldinho sent off in the second half for dissent.

Wallabies will learn from World Cup humbling, says Deans

Australia Wallabies coach Robbie Deans

Australia coach Robbie Deans believes his players will learn from their unsuccessful rugby World Cup campaign and is looking forward to the day when the core of his squad returns to win the trophy.

The Wallabies never really got into their stride at what was a first World Cup for many of the players and were overwhelmed by an experienced New Zealand side in the semi-final on Sunday.

New Zealander Deans said he had thoroughly enjoyed working with them despite not reaching their goal of winning a third World Cup for Australia.

"There's no doubt that this whole playing group will be better for the experience they have had," he told a news conference at the team hotel.

"I love what they do, I've really enjoyed this group of men, they are an impressive group of men, they've been fantastic in the way they've taken to their work.

"They've been fantastic in the way they've committed to each other and the way they're coming to understand the responsibility and the privilege that they have.

"Obviously, we didn't finish up where we'd have liked to but not many do in their first outing."

Deans led the Wallabies to a first Tri-Nations title in a decade earlier in the season and before the World Cup signed a contract extension until the end of 2013.

"I'd love to see this group one day -- and there's no doubt there will be a significant number of them who will get another opportunity -- win a World Cup," he said.

"And, either way, whether I was there or not, I'd take pride in any part I'd played in it."

One of the players who is likely to have at least another World Cup in him, if he chooses to remain playing rugby union, is 23-year-old flyhalf Quade Cooper.

Deans said Cooper, who had a very poor game against the All Blacks on Sunday, had taken a lot of unwarranted criticism during the tournament but he did not think it had affected the New Zealand-born flyhalf's performances.

Impressed with the way Cooper had dealt with it, Deans said the prodigiously gifted playmaker had two choices about how to deal with the criticism.

"You can absorb it, accept it for what it is but maintain your focus on the things that are important and keep going," Deans said. "Or you can let it get the better of you and turn your toes up. I'd like to think he won't be doing the latter."

New Zealand's brilliant performance in beating the Wallabies at Eden Park was in part born of the previous two World Cup failures many of their players had experienced, Deans said.

That gave them an edge over his young side and would make it very difficult for France to stop them from winning a second World Cup 24 years after their first on Sunday.

"What the All Blacks side have is a group that have suffered on many occasions," he said.

"The core of their group, the nucleus of their group, this is their third attempt and they've got that burning desire, that fire in the belly for that reason. And they've also got that mental resilience.

"We don't have that, as yet, to the same extent. That was the point of difference.

"I can't see anyone stopping the All Blacks now."

Australia name teenager Cummins in test squad for S.Africa

Patrick Cummins of Australia

Australia have named 18-year-old paceman Patrick Cummins in their 15-man test squad for their two-match series in South Africa, while retaining Mitchell Johnson despite the mercurial paceman's struggles in Sri Lanka.

Cummins, the youngest player to receive a central contract in Australia, replaces James Pattinson in the only change to the squad that helped Australia to a 1-0 series victory over the Sri Lankans last month.

"Patrick is a very exciting prospect and at just 18 years of age is already showing the ability to have a significant impact at international level," outgoing selectors chairman Andrew Hilditch said on Cricket Australia's website (www.cricket.com.au).

"Patrick would have most likely been on the tour of Sri Lanka if not for injury at the end of last season.

"Now he's back fit and bowling well, we saw this as the right time to bring him into the Test squad for this important series."

Cummins has played only three first class matches, taking a total nine wickets.

Johnson was dropped from Australia's Twenty20 side for the South Africa tour but took a second-inning, five-wicket haul to help Western Australia win their Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania last week.

Johnson notched 16 wickets at an average of 25 in the Australians' 2-1 victory over hosts South Africa in the 2009 test series, and interim coach Troy Cooley has said getting the erratic paceman back to form was a top priority.

The two-test series starts in Cape Town on Nov. 9 before moving to Johannesburg on Nov. 17.

Squad: Michael Clarke (capt), Shane Watson, Michael Beer, Trent Copeland, Patrick Cummins, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Phil Hughes, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Ricky Ponting, Peter Siddle

Clough signs long-term deal at Derby

Nigel Clough

Nigel Clough has signed a new contract to remain as Derby manager until the summer of 2015, the high-flying English Championship club announced on Monday.

Clough, whose father Brian led Derby to the English league title in 1972, has piloted them into fourth place in the table as they seek a return to the Premier League after being relegated in 2008.

"We are all delighted that our futures have been sorted out and that we have the opportunity to continue the work of the last two-and-a-half years of trying to improve this club," Clough told the club's website (www.dcfc.co.uk).

"From day one we knew this was going to be a long-term project and it is still very much a work in progress."

Clough took over at Derby in January 2009 after joining from Burton Albion, and has overseen a change in Derby's fortunes this season after finishing 14th and 19th in the last two seasons.