business 
A brutal season for the Phoenix Suns hit a low Sunday night with a humiliating 116-98 home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. “We didn’t play up to our standards at all,” All-Star forward Kevin Durant said. “We embarrassed the fans and we embarrassed ourselves the way we played. I want us to be better.” There’s … Read more
The day before Eliud Kipchoge’s first attempt at a sub-two-hour marathon in 2017, a Nike vice-president described it to me as “a moonshot”. Now, though, the track and field equivalent of landing on Mars is apparently just 3min 59.37sec away. That was the startling conclusion of a study in the Royal Society Open Science journal … Read more
Novak Djokovic’s partnership with coach Andy Murray will continue at Indian Wells this week and at the Miami Open this month, the PA news agency understands. Murray is heading out to Indian Wells, California, on Monday for the BNP Paribas Open, which starts on Wednesday, with the Miami Open following on 19 March. Djokovic confirmed … Read more
A pale pastel sun has settled over the Somerset coast. Two voices carry through the still of the dusk, over the shrieking seagulls and the roar of the surf. “ZOMBIE, ZOMBIE, ZOMBIE-BIE-BIE,” the voices chime. Fifty yards down the beach, William O’Connor smiles and waves. Most streets, most weeks, the world’s 49th-best darts player could … Read more
“It was pandemonium,” Maria Tallchief wrote in her memoir about her “Firebird” debut, in 1949. “The theater had turned itself into a football stadium, and the audience was in a frenzy.” The only thing that went wrong was that they hadn’t rehearsed the curtain calls. Tallchief was New York City Ballet’s first star, a thrilling … Read more
What links Jack Robson, Lal Hilditch, Herbert Bamlett and Ruben Amorim? They’re the only permanent managers in Manchester United history with a career negative goal-difference. Other than Amorim, the other three worked between 1914 and 1931. Sunday’s FA Cup exit against Fulham, admittedly, did not contribute to that. It was possible, even, in the aftermath … Read more
Bompastor bemoans Chelsea’s ‘intentions’ Chelsea dropped points for only the second time this season in Sunday’s toe-to-toe battle with Brighton at Broadfield Stadium. The league leaders and reigning champions trailed 2-1 at half-time against opponents who played with flair and skill. But Mayra Ramírez came to the rescue when her shot on goal was deflected … Read more
The AFL has called off its season-opening clash between Brisbane and Geelong as well as Saturday night’s match between Gold Coast and Essendon as Tropical Cyclone Alfred continues to threaten the Queensland and northern NSW coast. The NRL has instead moved the Dolphins and South Sydney match out of Brisbane, with the Friday night clash … Read more
It may be carnival time in Eindhoven this week but Arsenal are definitely not in town to party. Having seen their hopes of chasing down Liverpool in the Premier League title race slip away, Mikel Arteta knows that it is Champions League or bust for their chances of bringing home silverware this season. The Arsenal manager … Read more
Norfolk Holdings has completed its majority takeover of Norwich City, with Delia Smith and her husband, Michael Wynn Jones, no longer part of the club’s board. It was announced in August that Norfolk Holdings, led by the Milwaukee Brewers owner, Mark Attanasio, was set to increase its shareholding to around 85%, which would result in … Read more