roger mason is back with his hometown team again. the good council and uva grad averaged just over 6 points in 142 games. from 2006 to 2008. he has experienced success as a three-point shooter. but why did the wizards bring mason back home? >> well, veteran guy that has the ability to make big shots, he played in playoff situations. played on veteran teams. so give us both leadership and a guy that can play with john, knowing that you'll have a will the of open shots. >> he's great, you know, he told me yesterday he will give me a shot. any time you are shooting, you want to hear that. he's been great with the young guys and a will the of teaching. but i think we have a good chance. >> we need another quick break, what's the future of boxing in d.c.? we'll hear from one of the sports most famous faces. stick around. . you don't decide when vegetables reach the peak of perfection. the vegetables do. at green giant, we pick vegetables only when they're perfect. then freeze them fast so they're are as nutritious as fres

roger mason junior will join us live. we will tell you something about roger you may not know. >>> did you see it? coming up, highlights of what this might be.  >>> the wizards are back in town tonight. it marks the opening of their long awaited season at home. it will be a shortened season. local businesses an restaurants are thrilled to have the team back in action. bob barnard is live outside the verizon center with more. >> hey, there, more reason. tip off is in 90 minutes. the story of the night is what is going on here in the chinatown area. let's take you inside one of the restaurants on 7th street where the restaurateurs tell us they are getting ready for the home games. the next one is wednesday versus the atlanta hawks. inside the verizon center, this equals about 20 jobs a night. hard to tell how many others are specifically affected in the businesses around the verizon center but the game nights are important. they told us early on during the lockout that it would have been more crucial had the

verizon. >>> we can't stop talking about the roger mason flub, but we are going to move on. mike shanahan and the redskins may need to focus their offseason on finding a franchise quarterback, but they won't have too many slipeless nights thinking about their running game. it's -- sleepless nights thinking about their running game. when tim hightower went down rookie roy helu stepped in averaging 4 yards per carry. helu couldn't go last week and another hookey evan royster got the call and also overachieved, 19 carries and 32 yards. now the skins have a triple threat and some extra competition. >> it's been a roller coaster. my emotions have been up and down. at the beginning of the season i was kind of disa pinted i was cut, but -- disa pinted i was cut, but i needed -- disappointed i was cut, but i needed to come out and work every week. >> it's great too have a running game. there's so many other -- to have a running game. there's so many other things open up. you can't pass the ball and have a good running game. it works hand in hand. it's good to see those guys running

roger mason pops out, turns, drains the jumper. wizards are within six.ut mason doesn't get the credit for the bucket. here's why. look at the active roster for the wizards. somehow mason's name is not on it. coach flip saunders said it was his fault. he didn't catch the mission and signed off on the roster. so mason was ineligible for the game. the wizards receive a technical foul because of the mix-up. mason can't believe it. wizards still get the point but the basket is credited to rashard lewis. mason would have to leave the game early. oh, by the way, the wiz go on to lose by 21 points. so pretty -- >>> one final note, after last night's win against buffalo, caps are back at it on the road in columbus to face the blue jackets. in the world of basketball, a good day for college, but not so good yesterday for the wiz. >> i know. let's hope they improve. >>> that's the news for now. "nightly news" is up next.

roger mason jr., is already seeing maturity. >> anytime you are a pro guard coming you have to take command. last year was a learning experience for him. we are counting on him to lead the team. he will still make the mistakes. he cannot get to don himself. needs to keep his head up and keep going. >> he also leads the team in flair. he opened the season with the dougie. we will see what he brings tonight. >> the new york giants are favored by more than a touchdown over the redskins and it has to do with eli manning. the giants are living on his arm this year. he has become a great player in the clutch. >> with experience, a guy like eli is very comfortable with the system and his supporting cast. as time goes on, he bills ended his job. >> for pipe bands come the new welterweight champion last night is still bruised and swollen from his epic battle. he is a great story. adc guy that went from almost world champion. i asked him if he would be giving a rematch. >> any day, but at the end of the day i have a manager, a coach, things like that, and we would all have to sit down and sit down to

wizards announced they signed roger mason junior. this is his second stint with washington.play both guard positions. helps alleviate some of the for the wizards to sign nick young. the shortened preseason and turnaround will most present some fitness issues. coach says he expected out a little rusty. he believes the team might its youth.m >> this is a new beginning. this is a new team. >> i know what it takes to lead a team. know what it takes to control things. >> good to see him again. tom brady might warrant some therity of the decision on patriots' offense. the redskins credit. washington has the ninth best the league. in you still have to watch out for that. basically, he is bradys favorite target. hall explains why he is so dangerous. he finds a way. they have a major connection. they are able to find each other. >> the national's traded right- to detroit in another rightie. >> good deal. glad to see the caps getting straightened out. this is an rc robotic claw. my high school science teacher made me what i am today. our science teacher helped us build it. ♪ now i'm a

they forgot to put roger mason's junior's name on the active roster before tipoff, so he gets into the game, makes the basket, and is pulled out with a technical foul because of the slip up. the wizards were down big trying to make a comeback. jordan crawford with the alley- oop, to mcgee and the wizards down by 10. but milwaukee leads with 22. the box down the wizards 102- 81. i>>> the virginia-towson game tonight had a david-goliath field. towson has yet to win a game this season, but never underestimate an opponent. first half, virginia with the look from deep, long range. it drains the 3 0-9 towson early. final seconds of the first half the cavs move the ball around. passes up the shot, harris beat the buzzer. virginia survived a scare from towson 57-50. >>> george mason at the college of charleston, and the seniors on fire, 35 points, 14 rebounds, george mason cruises over charleston, 84-76. >>> interesting finish to the armed forces bowl, be why-byu trailed tossup, he fakes like he's going to spike it, and and talk instead tax with cody hoffman. byu falls. >>> university of virgi

first quarter roger mason gets the ball. he hits the jumper. but mason doesn't get credit for the bucket. why? he was not on the active roster. he is ineligible for the game. they receive a technical foul. wizards get the points but the basket is credited to rashard lewis and mason had to leave the game. as for the well eligible players. remember bogut? the wizards lose 102-81 to be 0-3 to start season. >>> the patriots visiting charleston. patriots in transition. leaving it for pearson gets the bucket and one. mason up 46-38 at the break. cougars on the inbounds pearson finishes with the dunk. but he wasn't done. george mason up by two. check this out. doesn't matter throws up the wild shot and it goes. the senior finishes with 35 points and 14 rebounds. george mason wins. the patriots are 9-4. >>> virginia defeats towson 57-50. the cavaliers won ten in a row and the tigers lost 32 straight. towson is hurting big time. >> but they only lost by 7 to virginia. >> they almost upset them. it's the perfect time to find great deals on the 4g lte dev

free agents not allowed to sign yet but roger mason jr. to agreeing to coming back to the wizards. >>> college hoops, the terps with their hands full with mount st. marys in a game that went down to the wire. this was -- this was close. the terps looking sharp early. watch closely here. a spin move around the defender. look at this. you can't guard that. he had 13 points. the terps up at the halftime. all right. less than two minutes to play. one point lead. double teamed and knocked down the jumper. the terps up by 3. 73-27 maryland. check out faust. get that stuff out of here. blocks him off the window and maryland avoids the upset. they win 77-74. it was a close one. >>> in foggy bottom, gary williams watching two of his former assistants. taking on each other's teams. first half off the loyola miss. a bounce pass to pelham for the dunk. he had a team high 19 points. col colonials down at the break. finish the work there. la jolla beats george washington 65-55. two old friends shaking hands there. >>> does glare request williams sit sti

guys like roger mason, jr., and andre black. now that the season looks like it's about to happen, black and gm ernie grunfeld talked about the expectations for this season. >> we want to see our young players get better. we want to see a fighting spirit on a nightly basis. and let the chips fall where they may. >> something we want to do. that's something that we will have on board with. >> also real quick in nfl news from bad in washington to worse in minnesota. donovan mcnabb is out. he was asked to be released. he was 1-5 as a starter. >>> perfect timing. they turned off the lights at the verizon center. the red is starting to rock. capitals and penguins. i'm live from the verizon center. back to you guys. >>> all right. hope they can pull it out tonight. >>> would be great. >> that's it for us the "cbs evening news" is next. >>> derek is here at 7:00 with our area's only local news cast. wusatv9.com is always on. have a great night. >> pelley: tonight, the beginning of the end. the u.s. returns iraq to its people. jim axelro

the wizards forgot to put roger mason on the active roster. w, the team didn't catch it, mason went into the game. you can't do that. automatic ejection. then it got worse. putting the thing down, flipping it and reversing it. bucks win by 21. 102-81. how about some good news. george mason, ryan pearson went crazy. first a crossover, that was pretty good. later on, a little flush there. career high 35 points. patriots win. 84-76. that's a quality win for the patriots. virginia hosting win with towson. tigers in a tussle here. chris walter, something is going to get you. within 3. but then virginia pulling away. malcolm from the corner. virginia goes on to win 57-50. big east basketball, the hall giving bob higgins. pirates up 25-12. they roll 67-48. finally tonight, this is funny. we know angry soccer dad. he has been yelling at the refs and his kid all day long. now he's going to take it out on the chair. bad idea. chair wins. chair wins. >> he deserves it. >> that's right. look at the replay. taking it out on the chair. >> the good news on th

one familiar face at training camp is roger mason, jr. the d.c. for the team before, had a productive year in 2007 when he averaged 10 points a game. when asked about returning home, mason channeling his inner bill murray. >> one of my favorite movies is groundhog day. as i walked in, it felt good, because the last few years i've been coming back as a visitor and it's good to be home. >> a veteran guy that has the ability to make big shots in the games. he's played on playoff situations on veteran teams. give us both leadership and a guy that can play with john. >> they met up a couple of years ago in the ncaa tournament. >> syracuse pressure. no problem. 12 points, 7 boards for him. the orange would get that pressure going. watch dion waders right here. here comes the hammer. 85-50. finally, don't normally show this. we've got time and it's local. pop warner championship in orlando, florida. this is beacon house from washington, d.c. in the red and the white there. but they did not win. they lost today, 13-7. meanwhile the marshal heights bison a

familiar face there roger mason is for dc. he's back with a second stint with the team.lip saunders happy to get the season going. >> as i talked to the players, a lot of times you're asked when you're not playing what do you miss. i think guys are happy getting together and competing. >> the wizards were practicing, the caps were playing. dennis wideman three goals the entire season. wideman left the good old stop. 2-0. third period everybody put on their hats. first career hat trick for dw. caps win 4-2. all right. a win by either would sure take the sting out of a disappointing season. between them army-navy have won seven and lost 13. it's a special day formyl terry folks around here -- for military folks around here. head coach -- navy head coach says it doesn't change how he feels about his seniors. it is a special group. let's move on to some high school basketball. 8,000 of you voted and we couldn't tell you who won. it went down to the wire so we have two games. edison at tc williams. early on the titans on the run. jordan byrd to anthony huggins for the alley-o

also tonight the opening of wizards training camp and roger mason jr.ns for a second go around. he was signed to a one-year deal. last season the wizards finished with a 23-59 record. they start a 66-game season. after being locked out for five months the wizards are happy to be back at work. >> what do we miss? the camaraderie of the players and coaches and staff. being together guys are happy to be together and compete. >> we have to take the practices and go over the plays when we have times and pay attention in practice. last year we didn't play well or play hard. i matured and learned a lot and i think the other guys learned a lot. >> john wall and the wizards getting it started. >>> the nationals trade ballster to the tigers for ryan perry. >>> big time boxing back in washington. lamont peterson goes toe to toe against unified super lightweight champ khan. >> when i heard it was going to be in d.c. i was like, no it's not and time went on and it hit me i'm going to fight in d.c. and he is willing to come fight me in d.c. that's a big mistake for h

the wizards have made their first move trying to woo back roger mason junior.played for the wizards from '06 to 2008. he is the second to sign a one-year deal tomorrow when free agency officially begins. there is that word again. and join the wizards for their first practice. maryland hosting delaware state tonight. a banner night for the lady terps. one of eight terps players in double figures tonight. they route the hornets. get this 108-33. 75 point victory is the largest margin. time to announce our game of the week winner. a close race. lot closer than that basketball game. winner is suitland at oxon hill. of course we'll have highlights for you tomorrow night at 11:00. >>> coming up next, our redskins analyst brian mitchell and >>> welcome back to 9 sports. brian mitchell and david elfin joining me as we get ready to talk redskins and patriots. this is going to be an interesting one. redskins playing without their two key players. they were suspended for the rest of the week. how much do the suspensions hurt the already riddled offense. >> big time. they

the team resigned guard roger mason a local product. he'll be a long range shooting threat. mason played from the team earlier from '06 to '08. andray blatche returns after averaging 17 a game last year and john wall comes back. the known 1 overall pick last season -- no. 1 overall pick last season says the abbreviated 66-game schedule could work in the wizards schedule. >> i think it could really help us because we're a young team. it should help us being a younger team with younger legs. >> i kind of put my personal goal as side a little bit and focus on the team. i feel if the team do good, it's because of something i'm doing good. i feel that i'm going to take the team on my shoulders with the good and the bad. >>> at foggy bottom gw hosting bradley at the smith center, game tied at 64, under a minute to go. bradley get the lead. final seconds gw with the ball down by one. tony taylor shot blocked by lemon. that's your game. gw falls to bradley 67-66. >>> and the redskins announced today former coach richie pettibone will be inducted into the team's ring of fame at halft

ernie is excited to have roger mason jr. back for defensive help. another veteran. >> i was one of the young guys with the spurs. i have learned a lot since i left. hopefully i can come back to teach the guys some things. quite unfortunate to be in the playoffs the last five years. >> the capitals have won two in a row and they will play tonight. >>> 32 degrees. the news continues. at 5:00. >> and updated on a rioter who tipped over a news van around penn state. >> jerry sandusky will face his alleged victims in court. >> adam caskey here, anot i sweated the details. all the phone calls, the emails, the lost weekends. and then after twenty-two years, just like e that, i was laid off. today there are so many americanlike matthew. he worked hard and played by the rules. suddenly, he'sut of a job. it's been a struggle not being able to find a job. but it's been our faith and family and friends that have helped us get through this. citizens energy was created to help the forgotten ones keep warm. we asked the big oil companies and oil producing nations

that is why bring in roger mason, jr., a veteran guard was crucial. one. cannot teaches how to show up under the lights. >> there are certain players and when they step in the gym and smell popcorn they play at a different level. i am interested to see what we have won their game goes to a new level because of this type of situation. >> hard to believe that in his second year, he is looked upon as a leader, a veteran with this young team and more about him coming up at 6:00. >> smelling the popcorn and ready to go. the capitals are in colorado to play against the avalanche. under two minutes to play against winnipeg, watch him at pitt -- pick it. 1-0 washington. ove's goal. we'll see how they play in colorado but it is great to see him with that goal, his 10th of the year. >>> of the next on abc7 news at 5, the spirit of the season is coming down all over the country. >> a ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] it's easy to see what subaru owners care about. ♪ ♪ that's why we created the share the love event. get a great deal on a new subaru and 250 dollars goes to your c

reacquiring roger mason, 2011-2012 season was a long time coming. >> i was waiting a long time to get back on the court and we are happy to be back play iing for e fans, for our teams. i should be fine. >> there's anticipation of the opening night and going out and playing when opening night comes december 26th. i think everyone is anxious to go out and play. i'meningious to see how our players go out and play each other. i'm more interested to see us play than anything else. >> we're anxious to see it, too. an a prooprooe prooebbreviated . we'll have more on the nbas return coming up later on news 4 at 5:00. pat? jim? >> thank you, looking forward to it. >>> still ahead tonight, the wife of a maryland man detained in cuba holds a vigil. >>> we'll tell you how to jump start your exercise routine before the new year. >> and one lucky person in maryland hit the jackpot on christmas day. we'll show you where somebody bought a $125 million power ball tick >>> if you haven't had much of the christmas spirit lately, you are not alone. studies show 5% of americans suffer from seasonal affect

roger mason was on hand. haywood was there. everybody happy, include thag guy, to get back to work. >> started to lose hope. i didn't think there was going to be a season this year. every time there was a negotiation, it kept going on. things kept getting canceled. after awhile, i figured it wasn't a good season. now i'm excited. >> it feels great to be back in an nba facility. all the guys are happy to be back at work. i know the process isn't done yet, but it feels good to be here. >> they are a key part of the negotiations. he could be back with the wizards. he's a free agent. >> thank you, dan. coming up, police plan to catch criminals at area malls over the holidays. >>> the fandemonium sweep stakes is here. fans of the nbc washington facebook page can win $4,000. how about that? in the next three fridays. beginning tomorrow. four people will win $1,000. then on december 16th, one person will win $4,000. you sign up on nbc washington's facebook page then you must enter weekly for a chance to win in that friday's >>> smartp

and guard roger mason junior returns for a second go with his hometown team. the wizards signed him to a one-year deal last season. they finished with a 29d-3 record. they'll start a 66-game season on december 26th at home against the nets. college hoops last night, virginia commonwealth taking on richmond. vcu had 11 steals in the game and the rams defeat the spiders 73-51 improving their record to 6-3678 boxes tonight, d.c.'s own lamont peterson will go toe to toe against unified superlightweight champ kahn. it's d.c.'s first hbo fight in 18 years. almost seth mitchell is on the card as well as lamont's younger brother anthony. the first fight is scheduled for 6:30 at the convention center. that's your sports minute. have a great day. >>> they are the symbol of excellence in film. >> but a labor fight could mean no new oscars are handing out at this year's academy awards. workers at the chicago-based manufacturer of the golden statue ets are fighting over a proposed wage freeze and benefit cuts. union leaders say they are trying to avoid a work stoppage. eve

i love nick young and roger mason and the fact they are so young. with a season like they have, they have going to play back-to-back and back-to-back-to-back. some of those old dudes, kobe and those ancient men. >> even lebron is getting older now. he's been around for awhile. >> it might work in our favor. i'm hopeful. >> the wizards kicking off at verizon center. >>> saturday, 33-20, sixth loss to the vikings. ashburn, head coach mike shanahan said the plans to turned around the franchise is taking longer than expected. among the disappointment, he marked one off the wish list for next year. the rookie has been making a come back. roy helu passed 100 yards on the ground. the next man up, evan royster. 132 yards. what a game that was. the most yards posted by a rookie. it's the first they have posted two 100 yard gains. shanahan knows the future looks bright. >> we have some doubt. you know, i think roy has done a fantastic job. taking advantage of an opportunity. tim did a great job before he got hurt. so, we have some depth to that position. that

begins the craziness that is free agency, the wizards have made their first move trying to woo back roger mason jr. who played for the wizards from '06 to '08. he's expected to sign a one- year deal today when the free agency officially begins and join the wizards for their first practice. >> maryland hosting delaware state. it was a banner night for the lady terps. not even close. barrett finds alicia for two of her 13. she was 1-8 terps in double figures. they route the hornets 108-33. that 75-point victory is the largest margin in school history. the previous was 71. that's a quick look at sports this morning. wizards open training camp today. remember, the army navy special tonight at 9:00. have a great friday. >>> i'm monika samtani in the traffic center. if you're planning to take public transportation this morning, i'm happy to say metro, marc and vre are running on time. coming up in my next report, we'll take you on a tour of the metropolitan area at 5:27. you're watching 9news now. we'll be right back. >>> good morning and welcome back to 9news now. our time is 5:30. i'm andrea roane.

roger mason hits the jumper. he doesn't get credit. the coach didn't put him on the active roster. mason was ineligible for the game. wizards get a technical foul. mason has to leave the game. the bucks beat the wizards 102-81. george mason visiting charleston. ryan peerson put on a show. went for a career high 35 points. the patriots win 84-76. george mason improves to 9-4. elsewhere number 23 virginia defeats taos. the cavaliers have won ten in the row, the tigers have lost 32 straight. that's your sports minute. have a happy new year. >> happy new year to you, too. >>> the time is 7:27. good morning, everyone. espn had a cable outage during the bowl last night. it didn't keep anyone from watching the game. a couple holding up one of the network's sky cams snapped sending the three-foot tall 25-pound camera crashing do the ground. it narrowly missed several players and landed close to iowa wide receiver marvin mcnut. the game which was in its final minutes had to be delayed as the cameras and cables were pulled off the field, literally. oklahoma won 31-14. >>> 6:28 is the time. go

guard roger mason junior returns to his hometown team. the wizards signed him to a one-year deal. last season the wizards finished with a 23-59d record. they'll start a 66-game season on december 26th at home against the nets. college hoop virginia commonwealth taking on richmond. vcu had 11 steals in the game. and the rams defeat the spiders improving their record to 6-3678 boxing tonight, d.c.'s own lamont peterson will go toe to toe against amir king kahn. it's d.c.'s first hbo fight in 18 years. also, seth mitchell is on the card as well as lamont's younger brother anthony. the first fight is scheduled for 6:30 at the convention center. that's your sports minute. have a great day. >> thank you, you have a great day, too. >>> coming up on 9:27. still ahead another gaffe from rick perry. the texas governor's latest blunder that may very well show up on "saturday night live" tonight. >>> he's fired. why donald trump may not be why donald trump may not be moderating we need a new sofa. something i can stretch out on. oh! that will go with those lamps my mother gave us. or we could

roger mason, jr., brendan hayward. andre black. lot of former wizards, current wizards, local guys here on the floor. now they can't have contact with coaches or trainers. this is all players but they glad to finally be getting back to basketball. >> i feel it's great to be back in the nba facility. all the guys are excited. jittery. just happy to be back at work. >> happy to be back on the court. fans are waiting for it. my mom telling me she can't wait to see me play again. >> i'm excited to be back playing. you only get certain a years to play and don't want to lose any due to a lockout or squabble over money. >>> campus to open december 9. we have the zamboni coming out here next to us prepping the ice for tonight's big game. caps, pittsburgh and the rival, sidney crosby back on the ice. their first time face-off against crosby this season. two goals, nine assists so far in six games. i spoke with mike earlier. he said there is little more excitement to this game now that crosby is back. >> i hope it's tonight. we need a win to

mason university. douglas elliott is a fellow at the brookings institute. joshua roger is with rand fisher and company. mr. birch e. lee --burt ealey is an adjunct scholar at the cato institute. four of you have testified as before, but it is standard practice of receiving government reform committee that'll witnesses be sworn so please rise and raise your right hand. do you swear or affirm the testimony you are about to give will be the truth, the old truth and nothing but the truth? you may be seated. let the record reflect that all the witnesses answered in the affirmative. seeing as you have testified before if you will summarize your statement you will see red, yellow and green lines before you. when yellow pops up that means just what it means when you are at a stoplight. hurry up. so obviously green beans go and read means stop. i recognize dr. laughlin for five minutes. >> thank you, chairman mchenry and members of the committee for giving me this honor to testify before you this morning. in my oral statement what i would like to do is three things. the things -

is the return of robert mason junior, the sharpshooter who went to good council high school and later uva. he played for the we sards for '06 and '07 and '07 and '08. i asked roger about the advantage for the whiz with a shortened season. >> 66 games in four months, i think we could be one of the teams that benefits because we have such young guys. we have depth and it could be a bonus for us. we have to get off to a good start. >> all right. the washington redskins wrap up the home season. they did this last weekend with a lossment now they wrap up the regular season in philadelphia. mike shanahan needs a win to avoid a 6-10 season. he has never won less than six games. he is on the verge of doing that and he has been a head coach for 18 years. any momentum from the upset of the giants taken away with saturday's loss to the vikings. the redskins finish with a 2-6 home record. mike shanahan was asked turning around the redskins is taking longer than he thought it would? >> oh, yeah. a lot longer than i first anticipated. we had less depth than i thought. we were a little bit older in a few different positions and i thought we might keep those players longer than

but rogers made sure the pack is sealed their twelve to win for twelve games he's deep pass to jordy nelson set up a last minute field goal. and mason as we converted it to give the packers a thirty eight thirty five victory place in the playoffs. and is now in rafael nadal four back from a set down to be twenty martin del potro in a thrilling force that match to seal spain's fifth davis cup title in eleven years is all walked out into the olympic arena knowing what was at stake that initially seemed to inspire his opponents del potro racing through the first set six one is he trying to bring his country level in this davis cup tie but an adult then found his rhythm winning the second set six four to tie the match. his fun ping forehand too much to handle. the spaniard found another gap was sixty one. even the pool side went to a tie break nidal kristie that without dropping a points for its spain's fifth day despite the face it's often not twenty six not to use in the right. and finally to some spectacular snowboarding pictures as x. games champion travis weiss sailed thousands of fans and he was promoting a film that's captured pr

but rogers are made sure the past is not their twelfth win from twelve games is parks it's a chilling nelson setting up a last minute field goal. and one step mason crosby to convert it to give the pack is a thirty eight thirty five victory and a place in the playoffs. eleven years the world of football is paying respects to former brazil captain midfield legend socrates he died in hospital in san paolo age fifty seven following a short illness the former corinthians player had been in a critical condition with an intestinal infection since friday that he also been in hospital in august and september with internal bleeding widely regarded as one of the greatest ever midfielders socrates only turned professional when he was twenty five but went on to play in two world cups winning sixty caps for his country between one hundred seventy nine and nine hundred eighty six and scoring twenty two goals in a glittering career while that career was given a fitting tribute by fans of his former club corinthians won the brazilian championship for a fifth time on sunday with a goal or straw against problem areas and a minute's silence turned into a vocal trib