Digest

BASKETBALL

Vintage Air Jordan prices skyrocket

The immense global success of the documentary The Last Dance amid the coronavirus lockdown has boosted sales of collectibles related to NBA icon Michael Jordan, some of which are trading for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"Timing is everything," says Jordan Geller, a collector who on Sunday will be richer by at least $240,000 thanks to the sale at Sotheby's of a pair of Air Jordan 1 sneakers－the first model created especially by Nike for Michael Jordan, who made his NBA debut in 1984.

The game-worn pair could set an auction record for sneakers set last year by Nike's Moon Shoe, a pair of which sold for $437,500.

The various Air Jordans have been popular with collectors for 30 years, along with jerseys and trading cards featuring Jordan－who won six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls and is widely considered the greatest player in league history.

SOCCER

Heinze touted for Marseille coaching job

Former Argentina and Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze could replace Andre Villas-Boas as head coach of Ligue 1 club Marseille, according to media reports.

Villas-Boas' future is uncertain after Marseille fired director of football Andoni Zubizarreta, a decision that is said to have upset the former Porto, Chelsea, Tottenham and Shanghai SIPG boss.

Should Villas-Boas leave, Marseille will target either Heinze, who represented the club as a player from 2009 to 2011, or Monaco manager Leonardo Jardim, Argentina's Ole news service reported.

Marseille finished second behind Paris Saint-Germain in France's 2019-20 top-flight season, which was cut short because of the coronavirus pandemic. Villas-Boas took charge of Marseille a year ago after it finished fifth in the league in 2018-19.

Heinze resigned as head coach of Argentine side Velez Sarsfield in March.

Dortmund resumes action with goal-fest

Borussia Dortmund humiliated Schalke 4-0 in the "Revier Derby" on Saturday as the Bundesliga resumed in a flurry of goals on Saturday.

Raphael Guerreiro bagged a brace for the host in front of a near-empty Westfalenstadion as Germany's topflight returned from its coronavrius-enforced hiatus minus fans in the stands.

Having not played competitively in 66 days, "BVB" showed no signs of rustiness, with Erling Haaland breaking the deadlock in the 29th minute before Guerreiro pounced on a poor goal-kick from Schalke keeper Markus Schubert to double the lead on the stroke of halftime.

Thorgan Hazard added a third three minutes after the interval, before Guerreiro doubled his tally with a fine outside-of-the-boot finish in the 63rd minute to kill the game off as a contest.

Dortmund's victory took it to within a point of league leader Bayern Munich, which was due to travel to Union Berlin on Sunday.

Peru star Farfan tests positive for COVID-19

Peru and Lokomotiv Moscow forward Jefferson Farfan has been diagnosed with COVID-19, the Russian club said on Saturday.

No details were given about the 35-year-old's condition, however, Peruvian media reports said he was not taken to hospital.

"Jefferson Farfan has tested positive for coronavirus," Lokomotiv said in a social media post. "We wish Jeff a speedy recovery. Get well soon."

Farfan, who has been capped 95 times for Peru, has yet to play a match for his club this season after suffering a serious knee injury during last year's Copa America tournament in Brazil.

The Russian Premier League is due to resume matches on June 21 after it was suspended in mid-March because of the global health crisis. Lokomotiv is currently second in the 16-team standings with eight games remaining.

ATHLETICS

Stefanidi blooms in 'Garden Clash' victory

Olympic champion Katerina Stefanidi of Greece won the second pole vault edition of the "Ultimate Garden Clash" on Saturday, according to World Athletics.

It was the second round of the "Ultimate Garden Clash", which is a response to the cancellation of meets caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Competing at her local track in Athens, Stefanidi amassed 34 successful vaults over a 4.00m bar, beating the tallies set by her rivals Katie Nageotte of the United States and Alysha Newman of Canada.

Nageotte, who was taking part from her base in Marietta, Georgia, and Newman, who was competing from Bolton, Ontario, achieved 30 and 21 clearances respectively.

"I had so much fun," said Stefanidi. "I was very excited after the first half because I had 19. I thought I could take two fewer jumps in the second half and still match the guys' winning score, but then I missed two jumps. It was also so hot that my hands were sweating which made it difficult to get a good grip.

BASEBALL

MLB wants players to shower at home

Major League Baseball will look somewhat like high-school ball this year under protocols to deal with the new coronavirus, with showers at ballparks discouraged and players possibly arriving in uniform, like they did when they were teenagers.

Team personnel will be banned from eating at restaurants on road trips.

Even the Phillie Phantic and Mr. Met will be missing, banned from the field along with all other team mascots.

The traditional exchange of lineup cards would be eliminated, along with high-fives, fist bumps, and bat boys and girls, according to a 67-page draft of Major League Baseball's proposed 2020 Operations Manual. A copy was sent to teams on Friday and obtained by Associated Press. The guidelines, first reported by The Athletic, are subject to negotiations with the players' association.

Teams will be allowed to have 50 players each under the plan, with the number active for each game still to be negotiated.

Spitting is prohibited along with water jugs and the use of saunas, steam rooms, pools and cryotherapy chambers. Hitting in indoor cages is discouraged while batting gloves are encouraged.

Xinhua - Agencies