DETROIT — Magglio Ordonez is supposed to help the Detroit Tigers win titles. Eddie Bonine is a bit of a surprise.

Ordonez hit a three-run double, Bonine lasted five innings after a shaky start and the Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins 7-2 on Wednesday night to move closer to the AL Central title.

“You need everyone on your team to step up right now, and that’s what happened tonight,” Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. “Bonine was fantastic — we got more from him than we could have asked — and the offense gave us the runs he needed.”

The Tigers increased their lead to three games over the Twins, and can clinch their first division title since 1987 with a victory in Thursday afternoon’s series finale.

“We’re trying to look at tomorrow’s game like we would any other game,” said Brandon Inge, who had a tying two-run double. “But it is human nature to realize what we can do tomorrow. Even if you don’t want to think about it, you do.”

Detroit finishes the season with a three-game series at home against Chicago. Minnesota returns home to face Kansas City, including an expected matchup with AL Cy Young Award hopeful Zack Greinke.

“It doesn’t look very good right now, but it isn’t over yet,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “I’m not a math guy, but I believe that tomorrow is a must-win situation.”

Bonine (1-1), making his ninth career start, allowed two runs in the first but shut down the Twins for the rest of his outing. He gave up seven hits, walked two and struck out three.

“This is a great, great feeling,” said Bonine, who earned his first major league win since June 27, 2008. “After the first, I just settled into a groove and tried to attack. The defense made plays and the guys got the big hits.”

The Twins put two runners in scoring position in the final eight innings.

“We really didn’t do a thing after the first inning,” Gardenhire said. “It just didn’t work out tonight.”

Ordonez’s second key hit in consecutive days broke it open in the fifth. The Tigers loaded the bases with one out against Carl Pavano (13-12), who responded by getting Miguel Cabrera to pop up. Ordonez followed with a drive to center to clear the bases and give the Tigers a 7-2 lead.

“That was the killer blow,” Leyland said. “Carl’s been tough on us all year, and he had popped up Cabrera, so if he gets Magglio, it’s a whole different ballgame.”

Ordonez, who was booed by Tigers fans during a poor first half, also had a two-run double in Detroit’s 6-5 victory Tuesday night that salvaged a split of the key day-night doubleheader.

“No one in this clubhouse has ever turned their back on Maggs,” Inge said. “We know what he’s done for this franchise, and we knew he was going to do even more.”

Pavano allowed seven runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. He was 4-0 with a 1.69 ERA in five previous starts against Detroit this year.

“I needed to step up, and I didn’t do the job,” said Pavano, who would be Minnesota’s likely starter if the Twins force a playoff Tuesday at the Metrodome. “They gave me two runs, and that should have been enough. I hope I’ll still get a chance to redeem myself.”

Bonine was hurt in the first by another defensive mistake by center fielder Curtis Granderson, who misplayed a ball in the ninth inning Tuesday night that helped the Twins pull within one.

Bonine retired leadoff hitter Denard Span, but Orlando Cabrera, Joe Mauer and Jason Kubel followed with consecutive singles to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead. Michael Cuddyer walked before Delmon Young lifted a fly ball to deep center field. Granderson turned the wrong way, allowing the ball to sail over his head, but recovered quickly enough to hold the Twins to one run and Jose Morales hit into an inning-ending double play.

“That double play was the turning point of the game,” Bonine said.

The Tigers quickly erased the deficit, scoring four times in the second. Inge had a tying two-run double and Ramon Santiago singled in a pair of runs. – Espn

BEIJING (Reuters) – World number two Rafa Nadal returns to action at the China Open next week but for once the top women will be the biggest earners as the tournament enters a new era as a $6.6 million mixed event.

Nadal had been a doubt due to an abdominal injury but he has confirmed he is fit to top the bill at the ATP event.

However, he will have to vie for attention with most of the world’s best 47 women in one of the WTA’s four new mandatory “crown jewel” tournaments.

“The China Open has got the distinction of having a women’s event that has got $4.5 million in prize money and a men’s event that is less than half of that,” WTA President David Shoemaker told Reuters recently.

“In the long history of tennis there have been too many events where the opposite was true, so we’re pretty proud of that.”

Nadal, who has not played since a U.S. Open semi-final defeat to eventual champion Juan Martin Del Potro last month, won the China Open in 2005 and will have fond memories of the new venue, the Olympic tennis center where he clinched gold last year.

World number four Novak Djokovic and number six Andy Roddick will be among those out to stop the Spaniard claiming his sixth title of the year, while Beijing will be one of the last stops on the tour for retiring 2004 China Open champion Marat Safin.

LOCAL HOPES

The bonus ranking points on offer for the women will be attractive to Serena Williams as she continues her efforts to unseat Dinara Safina as world number one.

Serena and her sister Venus won Olympic doubles gold on their last trip to Beijing and Russia’s Elena Dementieva, who won the women’s singles title, will be another welcoming a return to the venue.

Belgian comeback queen Kim Clijsters has decided to remain at home after last month’s emotional U.S. Open triumph but her compatriot Yanina Wickmayer will play on a wild card.

Wickmayer gets her reward for her surprise run to the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows but the other teenage sensation at the U.S. Open, American Melanie Oudin, will have to get through qualifying.

Local hopes of success will be entirely focused on the women’s draw where the in-form Li Na and former China Open semi-finalists Zheng Jie and Peng Shuai will all be looking to give the home crowds something cheer about.

BEIJING (Reuters) – World number two Rafa Nadal returns to action at the China Open next week but for once the top women will be the biggest earners as the tournament enters a new era as a $6.6 million mixed event.

Nadal had been a doubt due to an abdominal injury but he has confirmed he is fit to top the bill at the ATP event.

However, he will have to vie for attention with most of the world’s best 47 women in one of the WTA’s four new mandatory “crown jewel” tournaments.

“The China Open has got the distinction of having a women’s event that has got $4.5 million in prize money and a men’s event that is less than half of that,” WTA President David Shoemaker told Reuters recently.

“In the long history of tennis there have been too many events where the opposite was true, so we’re pretty proud of that.”

Nadal, who has not played since a U.S. Open semi-final defeat to eventual champion Juan Martin Del Potro last month, won the China Open in 2005 and will have fond memories of the new venue, the Olympic tennis center where he clinched gold last year.

World number four Novak Djokovic and number six Andy Roddick will be among those out to stop the Spaniard claiming his sixth title of the year, while Beijing will be one of the last stops on the tour for retiring 2004 China Open champion Marat Safin.

LOCAL HOPES

The bonus ranking points on offer for the women will be attractive to Serena Williams as she continues her efforts to unseat Dinara Safina as world number one.

Serena and her sister Venus won Olympic doubles gold on their last trip to Beijing and Russia’s Elena Dementieva, who won the women’s singles title, will be another welcoming a return to the venue.

Belgian comeback queen Kim Clijsters has decided to remain at home after last month’s emotional U.S. Open triumph but her compatriot Yanina Wickmayer will play on a wild card.

Wickmayer gets her reward for her surprise run to the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows but the other teenage sensation at the U.S. Open, American Melanie Oudin, will have to get through qualifying.

Local hopes of success will be entirely focused on the women’s draw where the in-form Li Na and former China Open semi-finalists Zheng Jie and Peng Shuai will all be looking to give the home crowds something cheer about.

Matches in the main draw of the women’s event start on Saturday while the ATP event gets going on Monday. – Reuters

For a few short days the world’s golfing spotlight will centre on Newport as golf’s finest players clash.

“When you talk about the first of October, it links in with Wales, Celtic Manor, Ryder Cup,” Montgomerie said.

“Now we are within a year and it’s amazing how quickly that year will pass and I look forward to every moment.”

Montgomerie admits that so far the bulk of his involvement has involved making decisions on the minutiae of preparations – clothing, bags, waterproofs, shoes, accommodation, locker rooms.

But the Scot, an ever-present Ryder Cup player between 1991 and 2006 who was undefeated in eight singles matches, is now looking forward to team matters.

“We’re just ready to look after the team now and view their qualifying process really to see who’s going to make that top nine and give me a good idea of who I’m going to select as my chosen three,” Montgomerie said.

Montgomerie’s team will comprise the leading four players from the world points list, plus the leading five players – not otherwise qualified from the worlds list – from the European points list.

Those nine automatic selections will be joined by three captain’s picks to complete a 12-man squad that will be finalised by the end of next August.

The recent Vivendi Trophy that pitted Britain and Ireland against Continental Europe was an ideal environment for Montgomerie to look at potential players in a team environment.

The 46-year-old made his disappointment known publically that Ian Poulter had pulled out, while other European luminaries such as Lee Westwood, Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia did not play.

Montgomerie realises that players have many options when it comes to choosing what tournaments to compete in, but has pinpointed three that he hopes potential Ryder Cup players will attend.

“I have nothing against Ian, I think he’s a worldwide player,” Montgomerie said.

“It was a message to everybody that… there are three tournaments next year that I would really wish those players that are potential Ryder Cup players and potentially part of my team to participate in.

“One is our flagship event – the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth – the other is the last counting event – which of course is the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles – and the third is the… Wales Open.”

The Wales Open is played on the new Twenty Ten course at Celtic Manor that will be used for the Ryder Cup and Montgomerie says his selections may be swayed by one strong showing in the dry run at Newport next June.

“Wouldn’t it be great if one of those players, one of those potential candidates, goes to Wales and wins the tournament by 10 shots – it would be very difficult to leave him out!

“It’s in their own interests to play in that event and… show me what they can do round the Ryder Cup course.”

Welsh golfer Bradley Dredge – currently second in the European points list – has said he is determined to grasp a “once in a lifetime” opportunity to represent Europe on home soil.

The same will be true of Dredge’s fellow World Cup-winner Stephen Dodd, while Philip Price – one of Montgomerie’s fellow heroes of the 2002 triumph at The Belfry – could possibly figure in the backroom staff.

However, it may well be that – despite Montgomerie’s wishes for a Welshman to force his way to selection – there is no home-soil player in the European team next October.

But the organisers are determined that next year’s event will push golfing excellence in Wales to try and ensure that Ryder Cup teams of the future always have a Welsh element.

Andy Morgan, a board member of Ryder Cup Wales 2010 and chairman of Golf Development Wales, wants the event to spark a golfing renaissance.

“When the Ryder Cup was in Spain in Valderamma [in 1997], when they left there, there really wasn’t anything left apart from the roadway,” Morgan said.

“We were very keen, and the Welsh assembly government was very keen, to have a real legacy from the Ryder Cup.

“The Welsh assembly government put forward a £2m fund that was part of our bid that won the Ryder Cup.

“With that we want to create beginner facilities all around Wales… so it really isn’t just the Celtic Manor, this Ryder Cup is going to bring developments throughout the whole of Wales.”

Schemes in place include free taster sessions, reduced or free golf lessons and trial memberships to attract more players to the game, while individual golf clubs have been able to access funds to improve facilities.

Despite the Ryder Cup still being 12 months away, golf participation among 11 to 16-year-olds has risen an impressive 70% in the last two years, with juniors and adults up a healthy 20%.

Those figures include a sharp rise in female participation, so the women’s Solheim Cup team may also reap future benefits.

The efforts to promote grassroots golf are set to continue for “years” beyond next October, so it seems the future of the game is bright regardless of the result at the Celtic Manor next October.

But if Europe avenge their 16½-11½ defeat in Valhalla to the USA in 2008, the momentum could prove unstoppable. – Bbc

New Ferrari signing Fernando Alonso says he would like to follow in Michael Schumacher’s footsteps and win multiple world titles for the team.

The Spaniard has signed for three years and will partner Felipe Massa in 2010.

“It will not be easy but I would like to do the same as Michael and win many championships with Ferrari,” he said.

“It is going to be very difficult but I am in the best team for my career. We share many things, like the passion for competition and giving 100%.”

Asked if he woulod be able to live up to the legacy of Schumacher, who won five of his record seven titles with Ferrari, Alonso said he was not going to Ferrari “to do the same as Michael, but I would like to do the same.”

Ferrari have this season had their least competitive year since 1995, and have won just one race, courtesy of Kimi Raikkonen, who is leaving the team to make way for Alonso.

The team have abandoned developing their current car to concentrate on next year’s model, and Alonso said he was optimistic Ferrari would be competitive from the first race of 2010.

“Hopefully we can fight for races and championships from next year. I do not know what we can do together but I will put all my input and experience there and I will be working for Ferrari 365 days a year.

“I know there will be pressure to win titles. It is not enough one win a year. In the next few years hopefully there will be one at least. Hopefully we can fight until the last race.

“You’re never sure. We saw in F1 this year it is difficult to predict what is going to happen the year after but Ferrari has been dominating F1 for the last 10 years.

“It is the most famous, most popular team in the world and you become a legend when you drive that car whatever the performance is. It is very attractive to drive for Ferrari.” – Bbc