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5 p.m. - MLB Home Run Derby, ESPN Monday Tuesday 5 p.m. - MLB All Star Game, FOX Sports 1B Monday July 12, 2010 The reign of Spain JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Spain rules the soccer world, winning the World Cup at long, long last. It came after an exhausting 1- 0 victory in extra time over the Netherlands on Sunday. Two years after winning the European title, the stylish Spaniards did even better. This was a physical test of attrition that sometimes turned dirty — a finals-record 14 yellow cards were handed out and the Dutch finished with 10 men. In the end, it was Andres Iniesta breaking free in the penalty area, taking a pass from Cesc Fabregas and putting a right-footed shot from 8 yards just past the out- stretched arms of goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg with about seven minutes still to play, including injury time. ‘‘When I struck it, it just had to go in,’’ Iniesta said. For the Dutch and their legions of orange-clad fans wear- ing everything from jerseys to jumpsuits to clown gear to paja- mas, it was yet another disap- pointment. Even with their first World Cup title tantalizingly within reach, they failed in the final for the third time. This one might have been the most bitter because, unlike 1974 and 1978, the Netherlands was unbeaten not only in this tournament, but in qualifying for the first World Cup staged in South Africa. Soccer City was soaked in Oranje, from the seats painted in that hue throughout the stadium to pretty much everyone seated in them. Unlike when they lost to hosts West Germany and Argentina in previous finals, the Dutch were something of a home team this time. The Spaniards, though, were the winners. ‘‘We have all done an incredi- ble job,’’ Iniesta said. ‘‘I don’t think we even realize what we have done.’’ They had pockets of support- ers, too, to be sure, dressed in red and scattered around the stadi- um. They might have been the minority, but when the final whistle blew, they were tooting their vuvuzelas loudest in tribute to their champions. The goal in the 116th minute came off a turnover by the Dutch defense that Fabregas controlled ‘We have all done an incredible job. I don’t think we even realize what we have done’ Andres Iniesta, who scored winning goal just outside the penalty area. Ini- esta stayed on the right and sneaked in to grab the pass and put his shot to the far post. Steke- lenburg barely brushed it with his fingertips as it soared into the net. Iniesta tore off his jersey after the goal and raced to the corner where he was mobbed by his teammates. Several Dutch play- ers wiped away tears as they received their medals as runners- up — yet again. They won every qualifying match and all six pre- vious games in South Africa before the bitter ending. The Netherlands now has more victories in World Cup games without a title than any nation: 19. Spain held that dubi- ous record with 24. Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk took off his silver medal as soon as left the podium, with a look of disgust on his face. The Spaniards saluted their fans with arms raised high, then lifted their coach, Vicente del Bosque, in the air in celebration. ‘‘This is immeasurable for Spain,’’ Del Bosque said. Goalkeeper Iker Casillas, the captain, accepted the trophy from FIFA president Sepp Blat- ter, kissed it and raised it for all to see while cameras flashed and confetti flew throughout the still- full stadium. Soon, the entire team and staff gathered at midfield for a group photo. The players bounced up and down to the World Cup theme song, then took a victory lap as the trophy was passed to each member of the squad. ‘‘It’s the most beautiful that there is. It’s spectacular,’’ Iniesta Cust homers, A’s beat Angels 5-2 OAKLAND (AP) — Jack Cust homered for the second time in three games, Adam Rosales added a two- run single and the Oakland Athletics beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-2 on Sun- day. Trevor Cahill, Oakland’s lone All-Star representative before closer Andrew Bai- ley was added to the AL roster Sunday, scattered five hits over seven innings. Cahill worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the sixth without allowing a run to earn the win. Bobby Abreu homered for the second straight day for the Angels, who ended their dismal road trip 1-6. It’s the first time since 2006 that Los Angeles entered the break outside of first place in the AL West. They remained 4 1/2 games behind the Texas Rangers. It was a busy afternoon for both clubs where the Midsummer Classic is con- cerned. Cahill (9-3) was replaced on the All-Star roster by Angels starter Jared Weaver, who lost for only the second time in his last six starts. Since he also pitched Sunday, Weaver was taken off and replaced by Bailey, the 2009 AL Rookie of the Year, who pitched a scoreless ninth for his 18th save in 21 attempts. said, referring to the gold ball. Aside from a European title in 1988, the Dutch have been clas- sic underachievers on the pitch. Results never matched the talent. These were no Dutch masters. Yet the Spaniards haven’t been much better. Other than Euro championships in 1964 and 2008, they rarely have contended in major tournaments. At least the Netherlands made those two World Cup finals and also got to the semifinals in 1998. Second-ranked Spain started this World Cup in the worst way, losing to Switzerland. But Spain won every game after that, including a 1-0 victory over powerful Germany that was far more one-sided than the score indicated. No other nation has won the World Cup after losing its opener. Yet the most dangerous player Sunday was Netherlands forward Arjen Robben. He had a rare breakaway in the 62nd minute after a brilliant through pass from Wesley Sneijder. He had the ball on his preferred left foot, but a charging Casillas barely got his right leg on the shot to deflect it wide of the gaping net. Bumgarner solid for six in win WASHINGTON (AP) — San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy has something to ponder during the All- Star break: how to keep first baseman Travis Ishikawa in the Giants’ lineup. Ishikawa drove in three runs, rookie Madison Bumgarner took a shutout into the seventh inning and the San Francisco Giants beat the Washington Nationals 6-2 on Sunday. Relegated to a pinch-hitting role for much of the season’s first half, Ishikawa has flour- ished since the Giants moved rookie Buster Posey behind the plate full time, opening an opportunity at first base. He wasn’t a slouch as a pinch hitter, either, leading the majors with a .476 average (10 for 21). ‘‘The first few months of this season, I knew I was- MCT photo Athletics designated hitter Jack Cust (32) is congratulated by third base coach Mike Gallego (12) after hitting a two-run home run against theAngels in the fourth inning Sunday in Oakland. Even though Cahill won’t pitch in the All-Star game, he’ll attend the festiv- ities in Anaheim coming off one of his most impressive outings of the season. The Oakland right-hander allowed an unearned run in the fifth after shortstop Cliff Pennington’s throwing error, but was otherwise solid after getting shelled by the Yankees on July 6. Cahill saved his best for the sixth, after Abreu’s lead- off double, a walk to Torii Hunter and a single by Hideki Matsui loaded the bases. He got Mike Napoli to ground into a 5-2-3 dou- ble play and struck out Cory Aldridge to preserve the A’s 3-1 lead. Oakland then scored twice in the bottom of the inning on Rosales’ two-out single to break the game open. It’s the A’s second straight win after getting swept by the Yankees and dropping the first game of this series against the Angels. It’s also the second time Oakland has tagged Weaver (8-5) with a loss this season. Stricker holds on to win 2nd straight John Deere SILVIS, Ill. (AP) — Even with a big lead, Steve Stricker knew he could be in for a rough final round at the John Deere Classic. And that’s exactly what he got. Stricker led by seven strokes with 17 holes to play. With five holes to go, the lead was down to just two. But he maintained that margin the rest of the way Sunday and won the tourna- ment for the second straight year, closing with a 1-under par 70 that was just enough to beat Paul Goydos. ‘‘It’s a position you want to be in, with a big lead, but you know you have everything to lose,’’ Stricker said. ‘‘This is the exactly the same way I felt at Northern Trust. It was difficult. It’s a hard round to play.’’ Stricker had a six-shot lead in the Northern Trust Open at Riviera in February and had to scramble to win by two. On Sunday, he found himself doing the same thing. He played it safe and his putting wasn’t sharp. The shot-making that had allowed him to record the lowest 54-hole total in PGA Tour history wasn’t there. But he came through with a critical birdie after driving into the trees on No. 17 and finished with a 258 — 26 under and a record for the tournament. ‘‘You don’t want to give shots away and then you end up playing a little safer than you normally do and it leads to tougher birdie putts,’’ Stricker said. ‘‘Then they creep in closer because they were playing some good golf.’’ Goydos, who dazzled the golf world with his 59 in the opening round, shot a solid 66 but still fell short of dethroning Stricker, who won for the ninth time in his career. Jeff Maggert shot a 70 to finish six strokes back. Stricker started this final day with a six-shot lead and quickly bumped it to seven with a 7-foot birdie putt on the first hole. But he had to battle through the rest of the round before essentially sealing his victory at 17. After driving into the trees right of the fairway for the second straight day, Stricker punched out to 91 yards, right in front of the green, then knocked a sand wedge to six feet. Measuring the putt carefully, Stricker tapped the ball and as fans yelled ‘‘Get in the hole,’’ it dropped. ‘‘I told myself you can make this and you need to make this,’’ he said. ‘‘I look back at some of the big putts that I’ve made and there’s nothing to be scared of and I rolled it in. So that was a big putt. To go into the last hole with two shots instead of one was huge.’’ Goydos also birdied 17 to stay two behind, but his last hope ended when he hit into the water on 18. Stricker bogeyed the hole after laying up and hitting into the left rough, but it didn’t matter — he was a champion again. ‘‘Strick was hard to catch,’’ Goy- dos said. ‘‘I tried and kept pushing and chipping and grinding and biting at him and doing what I could. But in the end, the putt he made on 17 was a world-class putt. That’s what top five players do, that’s what Ryder Cup players do.’’ With the championship sown up, Stricker hit a safe shot to the green on 18 and happily took his bogey. The world’s fourth-ranked golfer doffed his cap and hugged his caddie and Goydos after tapping in his final shot. Goydos, who had been trying for his first win since 2007, qualified for the British Open with his second- place finish. Deere officials arranged for two charter jets to fly the players direct to Scotland on Sunday night. n’t going to start,’’ Ishikawa said. ‘‘I just tried to stay mentally focused on what the job was at hand: I was going to come off the bench to hit or play defense. Just getting the opportunity on this road trip, at first kind of feeling like it was a spot start to give some guys a day off, I went in there with no expectations, no pressure.’’ On the road trip, Ishikawa was 11 for 29 (.379) with a homer and 10 RBIs. ‘‘He’s really taken advantage of the opportunity here,’’ Bochy said. ‘‘I knew as soon as Buster started catching, we’d put (Ishikawa) in there and get a left- handed bat in there. He’s got some huge hits for us, great job at first base and he’s going to get some play- ing time.’’ Posey had two RBIs for the Giants, who finished their season-high 11-game road trip 7-4. San Francis- co has won seven of nine overall. Bumgarner (2-2) allowed a run and seven hits in six-plus innings, walked none and struck out six to win his second consecutive start. ‘‘I feel like confidence is a big thing, and if you have a little bit of success you get more confidence,’’ Bumgarner said. ‘‘I’m pretty happy with these last two starts.’’ The Nationals finished the first half by losing three of four. They are 11 games under .500, matching a sea- son low. ‘‘It should leave a sour taste — and it is,’’ Nationals manager Jim Riggleman said Still, Washington’s 39-50 record is considerably better than the 26-61 mark the Nationals sported at last year’s All-Star break. ‘‘There’s some progress. ... We want to get to the point where we’re not satisfied with progress,’’ Rig- gleman said. ‘‘We want to make the next step.’’ Washington’s Livan Hernandez (6-5) struggled through five innings, yielding five runs and five hits. He walked two and struck out four. ‘‘I don’t feel too good,’’ Hernandez said. ‘‘My body don’t respond perfect. It’s no excuse. ... I tried to keep the ball down and it didn’t happen. A lot of base hits.’’ Brian Wilson got the final four outs for his 23rd save in 25 tries. The Giants took a 2-0 lead in the first when Her- nandez loaded the bases on an infield single by Aaron Rowand and one-out walks to Aubrey Huff and Posey before Ishikawa knocked a two-run single to right. In the third, Posey tripled home two runs, then scored on Ishikawa’s sacrifice fly for a 5-0 lead. Freddy Sanchez and Huff singled before Posey was credited with a triple when Nyjer Morgan misplayed his fly ball off the center-field wall. Ishikawa then flied out to center, scoring Posey. Bumgarner worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth. He exited after allowing Ian Desmond’s leadoff single in the seventh and San Francisco needed three relievers to get out of the inning.