UPI NewsTrack Sports

Yankees honored with ticker-tape parade

NEW YORK, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- The World Series champion New York Yankees were cheered by their appreciative fans Friday with a ticker-tape parade along the Canyon of Heroes.

The American League champions won their 27th Series title Wednesday with a 7-3 win over Philadelphia, completing a four games to two victory in the Fall Classic.

"It's been too long, hasn't it?" Yankees hero Derek Jeter asked the throng. "I really forgot how great it feels."

"The thing I love about this club is I think they took on the pulse of the city of New York," said Manager Joe Girardi, who had worn No. 27 on his jersey to symbolize his goal for this season.

Girardi, who received a key to the city from Mayor Michael Bloomberg Thursday, was a catcher on the 1996, 1998 and 1999 Yankees teams, but was a second-year Yankees coach when won his first World Series title.

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Questions remain for Breeders' Cup Classic

ARCADIA, Calif., Nov. 6 (UPI) -- The first day of the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Santa Anita didn't provide much by way of clues for Saturday's big races.

A key question is whether the European horses, more accustomed to running on grass, will perform as well in this year's $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic as they did last year, finishing first and second over the Santa Anita "Pro-Ride" all-weather track.

A pair of top Euros – Rip Van Winkle and Twice Over – will challenge the local team, headlined by undefeated Zenyatta, who will try to wrap up her career undefeated in 14 starts. Twelve of her 13 victories have come on California's artificial surfaces.

The only race on Friday's card that might provide a clue was the $500,000 Marathon, won by Euro invader Man of Iron. And, while he was making his first U.S. start, Man of Iron ran his last three races on artificial tracks in Ireland.

The battle of Europeans vs. Americans also will play out in some of the supporting events on the second day of the Championship card.

The primary supporting feature for the Classic is the $3 million Emirates Airlines Turf, with Europeans representing half the eight-horse field and all of the favorites. Defending champion Conduit returns, fresh from a good fourth-place finish in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe last month and is the morning-line choice here. His stablemate, Spanish Moon, won both his starts in France this year for trainer Sir Michael Stoute and is second pick, followed by the 4-year-old filly, Dar Re Mi. Top pick among the Americans is expected pace-setter Presious Passion. Presious Passion won the Clement L. Hirsch over the same course three weeks ago.

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Phillies retain pitcher Cliff Lee

The Philadelphia Phillies Friday picked up ace left-hander Cliff Lee's $9 million 2010 contract option.

Before the Phillies lost the World Series to the New York Yankees, Lee was on his way to a Series MVP. He beat the Yankees twice and was a combined 4-0 in the post-season.

After he was acquired from Cleveland with outfielder Ben Francisco for four prospects in July, Lee went 7-4 with a 3.39 ERA in 12 starts.

Also, the Phillies won the five times the 2008 American League Cy Young Award winner pitched in the playoffs.

"With the players we have, I like our chances," Lee told The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal this week when asked if he thought the Phillies, the 2008 World Series champs, would make a third straight trip to the Fall Classic next season.

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Federer advances to Basel semis

BASEL, Switzerland, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- Top-seeded Roger Federer beat Evgeny Korolev 6-3, 6-2 Friday in one quarterfinal of the Swiss Indoors tennis tournament in Basel, Switzerland.

The Basel native and the No. 1 men's player in the world, needed only 55 minutes to dispatch the Russian, hitting seven service aces and breaking Korolev's serve three times.

The three-time defending champion faces compatriot Marco Chiudinelli in Saturday's semifinals.

Chiudinelli trounced Frenchman Richard Gasquet 6-1, 6-3.

Also Friday, second-seeded Novak Djokovic of Serbia beat sixth-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2. He will play in the other semifinal Saturday against fifth-seeded Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic, who was a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 winner over fourth-seeded Marin Cilic of Croatia.

Sunday's champion will pocket $430,000.

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