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Lincecum named NL Cy Young Award winner

NEW YORK, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- San Francisco's Tim Lincecum was voted his second consecutive National League Cy Young Award, it was announced Thursday.

Lincecum, a 25-year-old right-hander, is the first to win back-to-back Cy Young Awards since Randy Johnson won four consecutive years 1999-2002.

He was 15-7 with a 2.48 earned run average and 261 strikeouts, figures that were comparable to his statistics in 2008. It was the second consecutive year he led the National League in strikeouts and he is the first Giant to do that since Christy Mathewson in 1907-08.

Lincecum was listed first on 11 of the 32 NL Cy Young ballots, was second on 12 and third on nine others for a total of 100 points. He edged St. Louis Cardinals' pitcher Chris Carpenter by six points, the closest voting for the award since the ballot was expanded to three pitchers in 1970.

Kansas City's Zack Greinke, who turned 26 last month, won the American League's

Cy Young Award on Tuesday.

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Selig: Baseball to change playoff schedule

CHICAGO, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Commissioner Bud Selig says major league baseball will have fewer open dates during its 2010 post-season schedule.

Following a meeting of his executive council Wednesday in Chicago, Selig said a plan finalizing the likely changes will be ready to present to team owners by next spring.

"We're going to change it for next year," Selig told reporters, responding to complaints by Los Angeles Angels Manager Mike Scioscia. "I've been looking at it every day, looking at what days we can eliminate."

Scioscia felt off-days in the current post-season schedule made the schedule too long and cumbersome before the World Series.

"I'm very hopeful and confident that they're going to tighten up that schedule a little bit," Scioscia said during a conference call.

The Angels and the eventual World Series-winning New York Yankees had four days off between the first and second rounds following three-game sweeps in the American League Division Series.

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Ireland wants replay of loss to France

DUBLIN, Ireland, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Ireland said Thursday it wants a replay of its controversial 2-1 World Cup playoff loss to France.

France was credited with a victory when team captain Thierry Henry, using an illegal technique, made a hand pass to defender William Gallas, who scored the game-winning goal, giving France a 2-1 victory in aggregate scoring.

FIFA, the sport's governing body, said Thursday that its disciplinary code says referees' decisions "are final."

"Such decisions are final, unless otherwise stipulated in the FIFA Disciplinary Code," the statement said.

In a separate statement, France's Prime Minister, Francois Fillon, told the BBC that "the Irish government should not interfere in footballing decisions," while Ireland Manager Giovanni Trapattoni said he "does not expect a replay."

France is 10th among 32 countries in the latest World Cup rankings by Yahoo! Sports, with Brazil, the World Cup favorite, ranked first.

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Allenby in lead at Dubai

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Robert Allenby had five birdies on the back nine Thursday en route to a 1-stroke lead after one round of the European PGA Tour's Dubai World Championship.

Allenby had eight birdies and a bogey for a 7-under-par 65 at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in the United Arab Emirates. He is just ahead of Lee Westwood, Camilo Villegas and Chris Wood, who are tied at 66.

Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott, Padraig Harrington, Thomas Aiken and Wen-chong Liang are knotted at 4-under 68 and tied for fifth.

Allenby had three birdies on the front nine but jumped up the leader board with three birdies in the first four holes after the turn to get to 6-under. He had a bogey at the par-5 14th hole but came back with birdies at 16 and 18 for the lead.

"I hit it pretty good. I think I missed just one green, which was 17, where I was in between clubs with my approach," said Allenby, who hasn't won a European Tour tournament since 1996. "I made a lot of putts, but also missed a few too. But, you shoot 65, especially in the opening round, it is a good score.