Sporting briefs

Baird Dies: Former Rangers and Scotland midfielder Sammy Baird has died at the age of 79. Baird played in the Glasgow giants' first match in European football, against Nice in the 1956/57 European Cup. Baird spent six years at Rangers, making 172 appearances in all competitions and scoring 52 goals after joining from English side Preston in 1955.

Blockade: Thousands of protesting minibus drivers blocked traffic in South Africa's capital yesterday, saying they would lose business during the World Cup. The drivers say they have been excluded from transport planning for the billion dollar tournament and that a new mass transit bus system will take away their livelihood.

Huh: South Korea coach Huh Jung-moo briefly got his hands on the World Cup trophy in Seoul but does not expect to hold it aloft in South Africa. Huh posed for pictures with the trophy in the South Korean capital as part of a FIFA exhibition tour ahead of the June 11-July 11 World Cup finals. Huh said: "I wish I could lift it at the 2010 World Cup and bring it back again. But that would be too ambitious."

Giresse: Alain Giresse has been appointed Mali coach. Giresse's brief is to qualify the team for the 2012 Africa Cup. Giresse, 57, won 47 caps for France and was a prominent member of their 1984 European championship-winning team alongside Michel Platini.

In Scotland: Div. One - Ayr vs Airdrie 1-4; Raith vs Dundee 1-0.

Formula One: Malaysia's 12-year-old Formula One venue needs "a major overhaul and refurbishment" costing 180 million ringitt (56 million dollars), circuit boss Razlan Razali said. Sepang is a favourite among many drivers with the track considered one of Hermann Tilke's most interesting designs with several high-speed corners and two very long straights connected by wide hairpins. Razlan, 37, took over in 2008 soon after F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone criticised the "tired" looking 350 million ringgit circuit.

Basket, NBA: The Boston Celtics thrived despite the absence of Kevin Garnett and took command of their first-round play-off series with an emphatic 106-77 victory over the Miami Heat on Tuesday. In other action, Atlanta opened a 2-0 series lead over Milwaukee, the LA Lakers edged Oklahoma City to also move 2-0 ahead, while Phoenix evened their series against Portland with a big Game Two win.

London Marathon: Australian Paralympic marathon champion Kurt Fearnley may still defend his London title on Sunday after initially announcing he had withdrawn because of flight disruptions. Yesterday, a London marathon spokeswoman said the Australian airline Qantas was trying to arrange a flight for Fearnley. Fearnley, who broke the course wheelchair record last year, said on Tuesday he would not be able to get to Britain in time to compete on Sunday.

Snooker: World Snooker has agreed a new three-year deal to hold the Wuxi Classic in Jiangsu Province, China. "This new agreement demonstrates both snooker's growing popularity in China and their desire for more professional World Snooker tournaments," chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association Barry Hearn said. This year's event, which starts on June 2, will be held in a new purpose-built venue.