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NEW YORK -- Byung Ho Parks demotion to the minor leagues is just the latest setback for the Korean star.The Minnesota rookie became expendable when the Twins recalled Miguel Sano on Friday. Before the roster move, Park had bounced around the Twins lineup and struggled especially with runners on base. Through 62 games, the slugger was hitting .191 with 80 strikeouts.Far from the performance youd expect from the 29-year-old who had his own theme song in South Korea complete with dance moves and set to the tune of When the Saints Go Marching In.With fans having little to dance about since Park came to the United States, the setbacks this season have stalled significant hype and potential marketability to fans in Asia.Baseball-wise (in MLB), Im still adjusting and learning and definitely still in that learning period, Park said through his interpreter, J.D. Kim.Known by the nickname Park Bang with the Nexen Heroes from 2011-15, Park led the Korea Baseball Organization in home runs (53), total bases (377) and RBI (146) in 2015. The Twins took notice and paid $12.85 million just to win bidding rights to negotiate with Park, then signed him to a four-year, $12 million contract.But Parks stardom in the United States was never a guarantee and hes struggled with the noticeable talent jump in pitching. During one stretch in June, he struck out eight times in 11 at-bats, prompting manager Paul Molitor to pull him from a start to give him a mental break.Parks major league struggles have led the Twins to hold off on pursuing marketing deals back in his homeland, team spokesman Dustin Morse said.Theyre still eager, just like other clubs who also have Asian players, like Korean hitters Dae Ho Lee of the Mariners and Jung Ho Kang of the Pirates. Clubs have seen the benefits of success by other stars from the continent, like Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, Shin-Soo Choo and Yu Darvish, among others.Suzuki, of the Miami Marlins, is a rare example of an Asian star who achieved the same level of stardom within a year of coming to the United States.In an All-Star 2001 season with the Seattle Mariners, Suzuki was the American League MVP and rookie of the year, and also won a Golden Glove Award and a Silver Slugger Award. His marketing power has kept pace with his success each season -- Suzuki was recently honored for reaching 4,257 hits between the Japanese and North American major leagues, surpassing Pete Roses MLB total.Because of Suzuki, Miamis games are now broadcast in Japan and the teams front office officials have gone to Japan each offseason to make connections in Asia, Marlins president David Samson said.We are trying to make inroads there and we would love to be the team of Asia like we are the team of Latin American because we are Miami, Samson said.The Twins want similar connections in South Korea, sending executives to talk with companies in the country about ideas for the future.Were trying to let Byung Ho Park establish himself as a baseball player and since its his first year in Major League Baseball were not trying to go too over the top, Morse said.If Park can turn things around and establish himself in the majors, U.S. fan support and marketability could follow in his favor. Lee saw that with the Mariners after not knowing if he would even make the 25-man roster during spring training.(Lee) has become very popular amongst our fans, Mariners spokesman Randy Adamack said. They recognize him now. They get excited when he comes to the plate. His face is becoming more and more familiar around town and hes got kind of a cult following.The best way to gauge Park support in the MLB is spotting his jersey among fans in the stands, Morse said. The team had a promotional day for its first Korean player during the first month of the season, selling tickets at Target Field in a special section dubbed Byung Hos Balcony.Before Parks demotion, Minnesota officials were planning another promotion tied to Park for a July game against the Athletics.Jordan Crawford Pelicans Jersey . LeBron James and Chris Bosh didnt need any more. 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The Brazilian goalkeeper signed a loan deal with the Major League Soccer club on Friday as he looks to get playing time ahead of this summers World Cup in his home country.RIO DE JANEIRO -- The taekwondo grudge match that was supposed to happen at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics will not come off.British-born Aaron Cook, who now fights for Moldova, had been hoping for a chance to prove to British officials that they were wrong for refusing to pick him for the London Olympics.But in a surprising result Friday in the mens 80-kilogram division, Cook went out in the first round, losing to Taiwans Liu Wei-Ting 14-2. Cook appeared out of sorts on the mat and was unable to string together any sustained attack against Liu, who used his height advantage by nailing Cook with several well-timed head kicks.Im devastated, Cook said. To have the opportunity to be here is amazing ... but I just feel like Ive let everyone down today.He couldnt explain what went wrong; Cook is normally a rapid-fire competitor who unleashes his unrelenting spinning kicks as soon as a fight begins. But it was Liu who was in control Friday.The two had never fought before, but Cook said he had studied Lius fights and trained with opponents similar to him.It didnt go right for me on the biggest stage, and its heartbreaking, he said, acknowledging that he felt some ppressure after waiting years for a chance to fight at a second Olympics.dddddddddddd Cook narrowly missed out on a bronze at the Beijing Games in 2008.Cook trained for years with the British taekwondo academy until a coaching dispute. British officials then declined to select him for the London Olympics despite his world No. 1 ranking. Instead, they chose Lutalo Muhammad, then ranked 56th in the world. Muhammad went on to win a bronze.Earlier this month, Muhammad said he relished the chance to fight Cook at Rio and described their relationship as probably the biggest rivalry in taekwondo. He said the two were definitely not friends and that he was looking forward to settling the score on the mat in Rio.Muhammad breezed through his first-round fight Friday, demolishing his opponent 14-0. He next faces Steven Lopez of the United States, a five-time world champion and double Olympic gold medalist, in the quarterfinals later in the day.Cook may still have a chance to fight for a bronze in the repechage competition if Liu advances. ' ' '