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DALLAS -- Kevin Durant hardly seemed bothered by O.J. Mayo's tying 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation.
It just gave the Oklahoma City star a chance for a career high and the first 50-point game in the NBA this season.
Durant scored 52 points, including the go-ahead basket with 16.9 seconds remaining in overtime, and the Thunder turned away a big Dallas rally for a 117-114 victory that extended their winning streak to six games and ended the Mavericks' season-best run of four straight.
|More on Thunder-Mavericks|
|More NBA coverage|
A night after being voted a starter for the All-Star game, Durant had a little trouble from the field, going 13 of 31. But he was 21 of 21 from the foul line, and the Thunder made all 12 of their free throws in the fourth quarter.
That looked as though it would be enough to hold off the Mavericks until Mayo hit his tying 3-pointer with two defenders in his face with 2.3 seconds left in regulation.
Vince Carter, who kept the Mavericks close when Oklahoma City threatened to blow them out in the first half, had a season-high 29 points. He hit three free throws to start overtime when he was fouled on a 3-pointer, but Durant answered with a pair of freebies on the other end.
Durant went on to score nine of Oklahoma City's 12 points in overtime and had three go-ahead buckets to help the Thunder avoid losing for the first time in 28 games when leading after three quarters. The Thunder blew a 14-point lead in the second half.
"Experience has helped me a lot," said Durant, whose previous career high was 51 against Denver last February. "If I look like I'm out there panicking, my teammates will look at me and feel the same way. I've got to be cool. If I miss a shot, so be it. I'm sure opportunity will come back around sooner or later."
Dirk Nowitzki bounced back from a dreadful shooting night to score 12 in the fourth quarter, but the Mavericks couldn't get him the ball trailing by two in the final seconds of overtime. Mike James, who came in shooting less than 20 percent but had hit a go-ahead 3 earlier in the extra period, ended up with the ball well behind the arc with the shot clock dwindling. His shot barely hit the front of the rim.
Russell Westbrook, who scored 31, missed a free throw to give the Mavericks one more chance to tie, but Carter's desperation 3 at the buzzer was short.
"The play blew up and Mike ended up with it, and it was unfair to him," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "It was a play that didn't work, and it was my responsibility."
Nowitzki finished with 18 points after starting 1 of 11 from the field, salvaging his 10th straight double-figure game after scoring in single digits the first four games following his return from missing 27 games after right knee surgery.
The Mavericks had six players in double figures for the fourth straight game. Mayo had 18 points and seven assists, and Darren Collison scored 15.
Durant put Oklahoma City ahead 99-98 on a pair of free throws after he was fouled on a drive with 1:32 left in regulation. He hit two more after he was fouled following a rebound of a miss by Nowitzki, and Oklahoma City kept the lead until Mayo's tying 3-pointer.
"There are some things that we obviously could have done to limit him," Carlisle said of Durant. "He had a great game, and he is the best shooter on the planet."
Neither team led by more than three in the final 6 minutes of regulation and overtime.
The Mavericks, who earlier this season tied an NBA record with their 10th straight overtime loss, fell to 1-8 in overtime games this season. Two of the losses have been to the Thunder, who improved to 4-0 in overtime.
"It always seems to be a fourth-quarter game or overtime game this year," Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. "Both teams did not want to lose this game."
The Mavericks trailed 87-79 when Carter hit a free throw and Nowitzki had a tip-in to start a 13-2 run that gave Dallas its first lead since the first quarter. Nowitzki's free throws gave the Mavericks the lead at 90-89 with 6:41 left.
|Kevin Durant scores a career-high 52 points, lifting the Thunder to their sixth straight victory. (AP)|
|Oklahoma City (31-8) «||30||23||28||24||12||117|
|OKC:K. Durant 52 Pts
OKC:S. Ibaka 14 Reb
OKC:R. Westbrook 6 Ast
|DAL:V. Carter 29 Pts
DAL:E. Brand 13 Reb
DAL:O. Mayo 7 Ast
|Players of the Game|
Dallas Mavericks Jersey #41 Notwitzki
$89.95 Shop Now!
|K. Durant, SF||50||13-31||21-21||9||1||2||52|
|S. Ibaka, PF||45||5-13||1-2||14||0||4||11|
|R. Westbrook, PG||45||12-26||7-9||6||6||1||31|
|K. Perkins, C||30||1-3||0-0||9||1||5||2|
|T. Sefolosha, SF||25||0-4||0-0||5||3||2||0|
|K. Martin, SG||31||3-10||4-4||1||0||1||11|
|N. Collison, PF||22||4-6||0-0||5||0||5||8|
|D. Liggins, SG||9||0-0||0-0||2||1||3||0|
|R. Jackson, PG||8||1-2||0-0||2||1||0||2|
|E. Maynor, PG||Did Not Play|
|H. Thabeet, C||Did Not Play|
|D. Orton, C||Did Not Play|
|P. Jones, SF||Did Not Play|
|J. Lamb, SG||Did Not Play|
|Complete Box Score|
|O. Mayo, SG||45||6-16||5-6||3||7||2||18|
|D. Nowitzki, PF||41||5-19||8-9||9||1||0||18|
|D. Collison, PG||31||5-8||5-6||4||6||2||15|
|S. Marion, PF||28||4-5||0-0||7||2||5||8|
|C. Kaman, C||16||3-5||0-0||3||2||2||6|
|E. Brand, PF||36||4-11||2-2||13||1||5||10|
|V. Carter, SG||32||10-17||5-7||3||2||3||29|
|M. James, PG||22||4-7||0-0||2||2||2||10|
|J. Crowder, SF||9||0-1||0-0||1||1||2||0|
|D. Jones, SG||5||0-2||0-0||1||0||0||0|
|B. Wright, PF||Did Not Play|
|R. Beaubois, PG||Did Not Play|
|D. Jones, SG||Did Not Play|
|J. Cunningham, SG||Did Not Play|
|B. James, C||Did Not Play|
|Complete Box Score| | http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20130118_OKC@DAL/durants-career-night-lifts-thunder-past-mavs-in-ot | 1,706 |
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Quote Sheet: Fire vs. New York
Chicago Fire 2 – 0 New York Red Bulls
Red Bull Arena – Oct. 6, 2012
CHICAGO FIRE HEAD COACH FRANK KLOPAS
On the match:
We played very well I felt. I felt that the first half we could’ve been better with the ball. I thought we had opportunities to play and keep the ball and that’s the one thing we talked about and then we gave up some opportunities through some overall mistakes. But I felt the team played very well, 90 minutes we defended very well as a team, we created opportunities. It’s just a big win, it’s very difficult to play in New York. There’s a lot of quality in their side and you knew it was going to be a big match at this point in the season, there was a lot on the game. I’m just very pleased with the way my team responded.
On the Arne Friedrich-Thierry Henry matchup:
Probably we’ve seen it before with the national teams but not here, that’s for sure. Listen, Henry a lot of quality but Arne Friedrich tonight, just his ability to lead in the back, to calm the team down and to be very composed under pressure, he was fantastic. But the effort from the whole team was fantastic. The matchup was good; it was great for the fans to see high quality players, both of them.
On Sherjill MacDonald’s play:
We knew about his pace. I felt that I think he’s still a guy that, a lot of the guys that come really you’ve got to see them at 100% from last year to preseason because they missed a lot of games. I felt that he played well in other games but his ability today to be able to hold the ball, and to be able to make good runs, timing runs. Also, you got a guy like (Chris) Rolfe and other guys and (Daniel) Paladini that can play those through balls. Look, obviously you’re one up and they’re pushing the game and we just have to be smart with the ball. But he was super tonight in a big game and made a difference.
CHICAGO FIRE DEFENDER ARNE FRIEDRICH
On his matchup with Thierry Henry:
It was a very important game for us because we played two times in a row very bad and we had some pressure. We kept losing a little bit the shape. So for me it was not that special today and I guess the same for him. We are opponents and he’s a great player obviously. You just have to cover him very hard because if he gets a chance to hit the ball then it’s always very dangerous.
On his role in Chicago versus when playing in Germany:
It’s my responsibility to lead the team and for today I guess it went very good. We did obviously better in the second half obviously to let the ball flow. In the first half we were a little bit scared because of the lack of confidence over the last two games. In the first half we defend very well so we got a little bit confidence back. I try to lead the team, I try to help where I can and I try to talk to people. It’s my job, it’s why I’m here.
On the importance of the win after losing two consecutive games
We came together a little bit in the last two weeks. Before it went perfect, we won almost every game, then we lost two times in a row and maybe it brought us a little bit closer. I’m happy that we lost before the playoffs start because in the playoffs there’s no room for losing games.
CHICAGO FIRE FORWARD SHERJILL MACDONALD
On the match:
Today we kept the zero for a very long time. Then the game opens up. I got some good passes from Daniel (Paladini) and (Chris) Rolfe as well. We did a good defending job today as a team and that’s why the spaces opened up at the end and you get the chance.
On his fitness level:
My stamina is getting better because I played a lot of games in a few weeks. Of course, the field was also a little bit heavy so around the 65, 70th minute I started to feel really tired but we played very close to each other as a team so it was easier.
On the importance of the win:
It was a very big win because we lost the last two games. We talked in the team, we talked to going back to the basics and defending well and we did that today so I’m very proud of the team that we kept the zero.
NEW YORK RED BULLS HEAD COACH HANS BACKE
On the match:
We controlled the possession, We had our chances before they scored. We closed them down quite okay, of course (they) caught one on the break, and we definitely didn’t take our chances in the first 25 minutes of the second half.
On losing two out of three at home:
The wrong teams to (play) against, Kansas City and Chicago, definitely. I don’t think it’s a lack of energy. I think we started a little bit slow with the first 10 or 15 (minutes), but after that, I had a great feeling that we were controlling possession and also creating two, three really good chances before they scored. So it’s small margins. They took their chances.
On Chicago defender Arne Friedrich:
I think it suits him very well when a team sits. I think perhaps in a high pressing team it’s not the same, but when a team sits he can play with his experience in a quite small area and things like that. And I think it works very well to organize the back four.
On if Thierry Henry was injured, and on why he brought Rafa Marquez in for Heath Pearce:
For Thierry, no injuries on Thierry. Rafa, from the back four, can jump into the midfield, so we could push Tim Cahill up higher on the pitch. And also with his precise passing game, final passes when we were losing one-nil.
On Sherjill McDonald’s two goals:
Normally I need to see the replay to be one hundred percent sure, but you can see in a way that it’s a little bit too easy to run in behind with one final pass. You get a little frustrated and annoyed when it’s those types of goals, but normally I’d like to see the replay before I analyze.
On how frustrating it is to miss scoring chances:
You know that teams always, whoever you play, will pick up some chances during a game. When you don’t take your chances, you know (the opponent) will get one or two hundred percent scoring chances, whoever you play. They were very effective of course, McDonald was very effective of course. It’s very frustrating that we don’t score earlier in the second half.
NEW YORK RED BULLS GOALKEEPER LUIS ROBLES
On Chicago’s two goals:
Looking back on both goals, we had a break down in our back four and those are type the type of goals that we need to avoid if we really want to make it into the playoffs. I’d have to look at the replay the first one it looked like a tough call, maybe he was offsides, but he did well, he finished well. And then the second one, I mean that can’t happen, it’s just the way it is.
On Chicago as a team:
They’re a solid team. No doubt about that. They didn’t make any mistakes in the back today. They get forward fast, the get numbers up quick. To their credit, they put pressure on us and they made two goals there. They’re a solid team.
On if he thought Chicago was offsides on their second goal:
Of course it goes really fast but when a guy is that wide open behind the line, you always have to check. But it still doesn’t matter. I think the communication thing that happened there, two guys went for the same ball, and we just have to be better than that. We can’t be giving up goals like that this late into the season.
NEW YORK RED BULLS MIDFIELDER JAN GUNNAR SOLLI
On the match
We tried to go high into pressure to kind of a more fresh start then we have had the past couple games, and everyone was trying to pressure them high. As I said I kind of felt like we didn’t have the energy it took today, and we knew it wasn’t going to be a tough game. I just feel bad right now because I know we’re not performing as we normally can. And especially at home, it’s just frustrating as the game goes. I feel like we created chances in the fist half, in the second half I felt like it was a battle out there and neither team was creating many chances until they scored the first goal. And then we kind of kind of totally tell that I feel like we didn’t have any energy to deal with it and try to chase that goal.
On Chicago’s goals:
When we let in a goal like that, I have the ball up front and try to create something one against one and lose the ball too easily, and they take advantage of it and go into a counterattack, and we’re not as organized as we should be when they score the first goal. It’s kind of like, this is a typical game that’s supposed to be 0-0. because both teams, it’s not a high energy game. It’s a tough game for both teams and when we let in easy goals like the two that we did, it’s one of those things that shouldn’t happen but unfortunately did today.
NEW YORK RED BULLS DEFENDER CONNOR LADE
On the match:
It’s pretty crappy. You have a big opportunity here to clinch a playoff berth, but we came out and just didn’t get what we were looking for. We’re pretty disappointed.
On coach Hans Backe’s instructions to him when he brought him on at halftime:
He just wanted me to come on and provide some energy, get up and down the flank and be solid out there and be disciplined in my play. Just have to be better the next time.
On if the front office changes this week impacted the team:
I think as a player you can’t focus on those things. It’s a change and you have to adapt to whatever is thrown at you during the season, there are a lot of ups and downs, and you can’t let anything affect you on the field. It’s not an excuse for the way we played tonight or the result we got, it’s just a change for us. | http://www.chicago-fire.com/es/node/10466?quicktabs_mls_standings_quicktabs=eastern&quicktabs_news_blogs_news=0 | 2,381 |
A collection of news and information related to Allan Houston published by this site and its partners.
Displaying items 1-6 of 6 » View all items
TribLocal - EvanstonNorthwestern senior forward John Shurna (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard West) will participate in the State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships on Thursday, March 29 …...
Tribune pro basketball reporterThis was the kind of game the Bulls usually look back on with regret in February when they're out of the playoff race. "I kind of worry it will be too late when we start to come out of it," said Eddy Curry after the Bulls' 101-96 loss to the New York...
Tribune staff reporterFor stretches Saturday night at a sold-out United Center, the parallels to late last season were eerie. Eddy Curry dunked with as much authority as his roar of approval that followed. Tyson Chandler soared high to snare rebounds. Jamal Crawford...
Tribune staff reporterEddy Curry wants to be starting games, but Friday night he did something more important. He finished one. Involved in almost every big play down the stretch, Curry's 14 points and nine rebounds helped the Bulls deny the Knicks their first five-game...
Random thoughts by Sam Smith Most Valuable Player Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers We're sorry, but every time the playoffs arrive and O'Neal dominates, people want to change their vote. Shaq is the only unguardable player in the NBA, the league'...
Why are people talking about Jamal Crawford as a "building block" or franchise player? I don't see him doing anything that Ron Harper couldn't do early in his career, which might have been enough for some big nights and an All-Star game, but not enough to...
Mar 20, 2012 | Chicago Tribune
Jan 18, 2004 |Story| Chicago Tribune
Mar 20, 2004 |Story| Chicago Tribune
Jan 2, 2004 |Story| Chicago Tribune
Oct 30, 2002 |Story| Chicago Tribune
Jan 7, 2004 |Story| Chicago Tribune | http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/sports/allan-houston-PESPT003363.topic?pacode=chinews | 435 |
The athletic department at Clearwater Christian College is committed to academic excellence. We partner with our student-athletes to make sure they are
successful in the classroom, as well as on the playing field. At CCC, we believe that academics come before athletics; our student-athletes must be dedicated
and disciplined in order to compete in both arenas.
First-time freshmen are eligible for consideration provided they do not enter under academic probation. All other athletes (transfer and current students)
must satisfy the 12-24 Hour Rule. This means the athlete must be enrolled in at least 12 hours each semester while having passed 24 hours in
their previous two semesters. In addition, student-athletes must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least a 2.0 to participate on one of our teams.
God has given me the opportunity to play both basketball and volleyball here at CCC, and I am so thankful! The girls I've had the privilege
to play sports with are my closest friends. Every day before practice, we share prayer requests, praises, or a passage from God's Word. It's
awesome being challenged by my own teammates to grow more Christ-like through playing basketball and volleyball. I will never forget the
memories I've made and the blessings I've received while playing sports. | http://www.clearwater.edu/athletics/academic_commitment.asp?Crumb=1 | 270 |
Charlie Gribble got a new sled and new ski pants for Christmas. But the presents the 3-year-old and his brother received still have the price tags on them.
While January in Chicago is usually a good time to play in the snow, Charlie's mom, Maureen, had different plans earlier this week. She told her sons they were going to the park to ride tricycles and play basketball.
"But when do we get to go sledding?" Charlie asked.
Well, Charlie, you should just have to wait about 48 hours.
It's been that kind of week in Charlie's hometown of Chicago, where it went from a record-breaking high temperature of 63 on Tuesday morning to thunderstorms moving in, followed by snowfall.
And the wacky weather wasn't just in the Windy City.
By the time the weekend arrives, much of the country will have experienced a temperature roller coaster taking folks from shorts and T-shirt weather to conditions that require heavy coats and gloves.
Kansas City saw highs into the mid-70s recently, but temperatures dropped 40 degrees over several days after a surge of Arctic air arrived. In Richmond, Va., it was 72 on Wednesday, and on Friday it is supposed to be in the upper 30s.
Tuesday saw 240 record highs set across 27 states.
Portions of eastern Texas saw record highs -- it was 91 degrees Tuesday in Corpus Christi -- as warmer, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico surged into the central and eastern part of the country.
This kind of weather wouldn't be so unusual if it were spring or fall, but there seems to be something different about the jet stream -- the flow of air that divides cold and warm air -- this year, said CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen.
The jet stream flows west to east, typically at 100 mph, although its wind speed can often top 200 mph. If you visualize it as a line with a pattern of bumps and dips, those curves have been much taller in January, Hennen said.
"We've always had dips and valleys in the pattern, but this year they have been very large," he said. "It's also unusual that you have that much warm air that far north at this time of year. It's almost unheard of."
The unseasonably warm weather has been good for going to the park, but it also led to the severe weather that developed Tuesday night and Wednesday as cold air moved east, clashing with the warm, wet air.
"Where there is so much moisture in the air, the cold air won't let it stay there," CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said. "The cold air pushes into the warm air, (and) the rain and the humidity in the air has to fall out."
And here come the storms.
"It's the clash between warm and cold temperatures that enables such things as tornadoes, hail and strong winds to occur," Jim Hoke, the director of the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center in College Park, Md., said.
J. Shepherd Marshall, the president of the American Meteorological Society, said in an email that the cold temperatures that preceded this week's record highs may have two factors behind them. One of those is what meteorologists call a stratospheric warming event.
That caused the pressure holding back the cold air in the Arctic to weaken -- as if someone opened the refrigerator door of the North Pole. That cold air will now slide into the United States, leading to a frigid February, the website Climate Central explained.
It's something that has been happening more often in recent years.
"Stratospheric warming events have been increasing in frequency the past decade or so -- possibly related to diminishing sea ice," Marshall said.
That might be linked to climate change, but he cautioned that one week of extreme temperature changes does not equal pinpoint evidence of global warming.
"Weather is to your mood as climate is to your personality. You cannot judge climate by a day or week," he said.
The other factor is a weather phenomenon that circles the world at the equator called the Madden-Julian Oscillation.
"Because the MJO influences (temperature) through tropical rainfall, it can modify weather patterns far away from the equator," Climate Central reported. | http://www.click2houston.com/news/Across-the-U-S-folks-go-from-parks-to-parkas/-/1735978/18352870/-/item/0/-/qho4b4z/-/index.html | 886 |
While obesity rates soar in the developed world and we live an ever more sedentary lifestyle, the flip side to this health time bomb is the paradox that more and more amateur athletes are taking on extreme endurance challenges.
Running a 42km marathon is still considered a huge achievement, but "weekend warriors" have now turned in their droves to Ironman Triathlons.
For the uninitiated, that's a 3.8km swim, 180km cycle race and the marathon to finish.
And the more offbeat the challenge, the more entrants seem to be attracted.
In Telford, England each year thousands of people take part in an eccentric event called the Tough Guy Challenge, which involves a 12km run and assault course in freezing winter conditions.
Just to make it more interesting, the organizer sets fire to parts of the course and puts in barbed wire fences and muddy bogs. Yet they come back year after year to be subjected to this torture.
Worn out just thinking about it?
The Tough Guy Challenge is a relative breeze in comparison to an Ironman race in Norway with arctic temperatures for the swim in a fjord, biking through a mountainous range, then finishing the 42km run at the top of a 1,880m peak.
That's the challenge awaiting competitors in the Norseman, one of 50 events featured in a book, the World's Toughest Endurance Challenges, by Richard Hoad and Paul Moore.
Despite the pain and the hours of preparation, such endurance events are strangely addictive.
Briton Mark Kleanthous has competed in 34 Ironmans -- including the most famous of them all in the blistering heat and brutal winds of Hawaii -- two double Ironmans and one Triple Ironman.
Since the mid-eighties, the 51 year-old has finished over 450 triathlons, making him almost certainly the record holder in that respect, not to mention the small matter of 74 mere marathons..
"The longer the event, the more the mind takes over, in a marathon it is probably only 10% mental in a Triple Ironman, with sleep deprivation, it must be at least 40% mental strength to continue," Kleanthous, who now coaches and mentors athletes who take on these challenges, told CNN.
Kleanthous took just under 46 hours of continuous action to complete his solitary Triple Ironman attempt.
"After swimming, cycling and running a total distance of 521 miles I had no facial hair growth for 10 days," he said. "I think it was my body's way of saying I am shutting down."
But there can be a darker side to this type of challenge.
"I have known ultra endurance athletes to commit suicide within months of finishing sleep deprivation events," said Kleanthous.
"In events lasting days with no sleep for one or two hours per day athletes have hallucinated and believed they have seen friends or family cheering them by the side of the roads.
"One competitor believed he saw his parents and it was only after the race he realized he had hallucinated because his parents were dead."
Despite these warnings, it does not stop the rush to compete in events like the Marathon des Sables, which is also featured in the 50 challenges.
It is a near 200km run in the blazing temperatures and freezing nights of the Sahara Desert -- with a two-year waiting list to compete.
Many competitors are inspired by the exploits of superstar endurance athletes such as four-time Hawaii Ironman world champion Chrissie Wellington of Britain. | http://www.click2houston.com/sports/World-s-toughest-races-test-human-endurance/-/1735736/17574196/-/item/0/-/vuaupcz/-/index.html | 732 |
Gallery: Stars vent about their gigs
updated 6:28 PM EST, Tue November 27, 2012
Angus T. Jones stirred the pot a bit when he described his series "Two and a Half Men" as "filth" and advised fans to stop watching. But he's not the first star to slam his employer ...
Biting the hand that fed you
Charlie Sheen: 'Two and a Half Men'
Chevy Chase: 'Community'
Sharon Osbourne: 'America's Got Talent'
Megan Fox: 'Transformers'
Katherine Heigl: 'Grey's Anatomy'
Robert Pattinson: 'Twilight'
David Cross: 'Alvin and the Chipmunks'
Halle Berry: 'Catwoman'
Bill Murray: 'Charlie's Angels'
George Clooney: 'Batman and Robin'
David Letterman: 'The Late Show' | http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/27/showbiz/celebrity-news-gossip/gallery-celebs-complain-jobs/index.html?hpt=en_c2 | 187 |
High Point, N.C.- Coker College’s Chris Marsh has been selected as the NCAA Division II Conference Carolinas men's golf Player of the Month during the month of October. This is Chris' second straight time being named conference golfer of the month.
Chris Marsh had another outstanding month of golf in October, as he lead Coker to first and third place finishes as a team in the Coker Intercollegiate and the Conference Carolinas Preview Tournament at Tillery Tradition, while individually finishing in second and tied for seventh respectively. Marsh shot under par in three of his four rounds in October, with a stroke average of 71, under par for the second straight month. Chris' stellar play on the course has earned him national recognition, as he is currently seventh in the Golfstat Cup rankings, which includes all divisions of college golf. Marsh is the highest ranked Division II player in the country. | http://www.cokercobras.com/sports/mgolf/2008-09/releases/a1461.html | 185 |
ATHENS, Ga. – The Mississippi State men’s tennis team’s George Coupland and Artem Ilyushin fell in the first round of the NCAA Championship in doubles to 13th-ranked Aleksey Bessenov and Oleksandr Nedovyesov of Oklahoma State, in a tight three-set battle, 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-2.
It was the 29th-ranked Bulldog tandem’s first career-postseason appearance, as Coupland and Ilyushin swapped serves with the Cowboy duo in the first set, before eventually claiming a tiebreaker decision, 7-4, to give MSU the early advantage.
The second set occurred in similar fashion of the first set. MState was merely two points away from clinching the match while holding a 5-4 lead, before the Cowboys broke back to even the score and eventually win the second set, 7-5.
Coupland and Ilyushin jumped out to an early 2-1 lead in the third set, but Oklahoma State outlasted the MSU duo and won the next five games to win the set and the match, 6-2.
“It was a close match, but I was glad that George (Coupland) and Artem (Ilyushin) were rewarded for their efforts this year with a chance to compete in this tournament,” said third-year head coach Per Nilsson. “We are excited that they both will be back next year and we are looking forward to a successful fall.”
Coupland and Ilyushin finished the 2009-10 campaign with a 20-12 mark. The loss concluded the season for the Maroon and White, but the Bulldogs return seven from a team that just missed out on the NCAA Championship this year. | http://www.collegetennisonline.com/MississippiStateUniversity-M-Tennis/NewsDetail.aspx?newsId=40770 | 383 |
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I place a large part of the blame for losing this series on OJ Mayo, who is supposed to be our best shooter. Note: I am not placing the blame solely on Mayo, but he played terrible. And his poor shooting allowed the Clippers to double down on Gasol and ZBo every time they touched the ball.
As for Mayo's abysmal performance, let's break it down...
Mayo - Game 7: 1-11 FG, 2 turnovers, 4 points.
Mayo - Game 6: 4 points, 2 turnovers.
Mayo - Game 5: 1-6 FG, 2 turnovers, 3 personal fouls, 6 points.
Mayo - Game 4: 1-6 FG, 3 turnovers, 5 personal fouls, 5 points.
Mayo - Game 3: 1-8 FG, 5 turnovers, 6 personal fouls, 6 points.
Mayo Games 3-7: 6-34 FG. That is a 17.7% field goal percentage over the last five games of the playoff series. That is not a typo.
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Nov. 14, 2012
There was a point not too long ago that Mitch Huelsing didn't know how much longer he'd be able to play the game he loved.
During the fall of his sophomore year in 2010, Huelsing's parents both became victims of the spiraling economy, losing their jobs despite having a combined 60-plus years at their organizations. The unplanned setback left him wondering about his future with the team. A walk-on for the Tigers, Huelsing resorted to cutting teammates' grass and doing other odds and ends to help pay for his own tuition.
"I was fighting, wondering if I was even going to be able to play football and afford it on my own," Huelsing said.
After starting three of the last four games to end the 2010 season, Huelsing came into the 2011 spring camp trying to earn a starting spot. On the verge of seriously deciding the financial obligation was too much, former head coach Larry Porter pulled him aside to deliver some encouraging words.
"Coach Porter brought me into his office, and it was just a message from above," Huelsing said. "He ended up putting me on scholarship to help me to get my grant with school and my books. It was just a blessing."
Now in his senior season, Huelsing's grit and determination has seen him transform from walk-on to full-time contributor in the Memphis defensive backfield. He is one of 50 players nominated for The Burlsworth Trophy which is given annually to the most outstanding football player in America who began his career as a walk-on.
"Mitch is a guy who has worked for everything he has got," said Memphis defensive coordinator Barry Odom. "There is no player in the program who wants Memphis football to be successful more than Mitch does. It means a whole lot to him. Anytime you get that combination - where it means a great deal to him and he is going to work his tail off to do his part to make it there - you have a chance for success."
A native of Munford, Tenn., Huelsing grew up about 30 miles from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium idolizing the Tigers.
"I grew up as a Tigers fan always going to Memphis games," Huelsing said. "I was in high school cheering on the team, and then a couple years later I was playing with them. It's a dream come true for me."
His older brother, Tyler Huelsing, was a four-year starter on the Memphis baseball team (2007-10). Tyler hit .343 his senior year in 2010 with 12 home runs and was named to the All-Conference USA second team.
Two years younger than Tyler, Mitch wanted to follow in his brother's footsteps at Memphis, but on the gridiron instead. However, the only schools showing interest out of high school were smaller universities such as Lambuth, a former NAIA member that has since merged with the U of M.
Tyler then asked him if he would rather play for Memphis and try to work his way up. But since he wasn't being recruited by the Tigers, Mitch needed an in with the team. The in came in the form of Will Hudgens.
A teammate of Tyler's, Hudgens played on both the baseball team as a pitcher and the football team at quarterback.
"My brother was trying to talk to Will asking `Do you think my brother could get a shot?' and stuff like that," Mitch said. "Will actually threw in a good word with Coach (Tommy) West."
The good word paid off, as Hudgens arranged for a meeting between Huelsing and the U of M coaching staff. Huelsing was allowed to walk-on during the Tigers' fall camp in 2008. After redshirting the season, he made his way up to the scout team entering 2009 as a redshirt freshman.
Toward the middle of the season, Huelsing approached then special teams coordinator John Wozniak and asked him if there was any way he could be on special teams. Later that year at Southern Miss on October 17, 2009, Huelsing made his first collegiate appearance on the kickoff return team. He played the final six games of the season on special teams.
"I was just so proud to even be on (special teams) initially," Huelsing said. "To have come from where I've been, I feel like it's a super humbling experience."
Huelsing continued working on the scout team and special teams at the beginning of his sophomore season in 2010. He began the year second on the depth chart at nickelback behind D.A. Griffin. Toward the end of the season, Huelsing was informed that he would be making his first career start against Tennessee.
Starting at free safety, Huelsing led the team with a career-high 11 tackles, including 10 solo stops and one tackle for loss.
His first tackle in the game was a big one. Tennessee led off the game with the ball and drove all the way into Memphis territory. Facing fourth-and-two from the Memphis 38-yard line, the Vols decided to go for it and handed the ball off to Tauren Poole. But Huelsing stopped him for no game, forcing Tennessee to turn the ball over on downs and setting up a Memphis touchdown drive.
"I'll always remember that big fourth-down stop in the game," Huelsing said. "The crowd went nuts, and that was my first big tackle. It was just unbelievable."
Huelsing finished the year starting three of the last four games. He recorded back-to-back double-digit tackles in his first two starts with 10 stops coming against Marshall.
After being put on scholarship heading into his junior season, Huelsing finished the 2011 season with five starts and saw action in all 12 games. He finished as the team's fourth-leading tackler with 64 total stops and ranked among the top-50 in Conference USA. Huelsing also tied for the team lead with four fumble recoveries and added two pass breakups and two interceptions.
Heading into his final season with the Blue and Gray, Huelsing is one of five seniors to play for three different coaches at the University.
"It's been crazy playing under three coaches," Huelsing said. "I've had five different defensive coordinators here, and everybody has a different scheme. It's been crazy, but I feel like we've taken a step in the right direction this year with Coach (Justin) Fuente. I'm excited to see where he takes the program."
Huelsing realizes the growth the program will need to go through to get to where it needs to be, but is excited to be a part of the change in direction.
"I'm just a senior trying to leave my mark on this program," Huelsing said. "I'm trying to help build a positive foundation and a step in the right direction. I know Coach Fuente and his staff are going to do great things here, and we're just trying to be a part of that movement."
Heading into the UAB game on Saturday, Heulsing has played in 40 career games, starting 11. He has registered 34 tackles this season and has posted 133 career tackles. It's a far way from the player whose hard work and determination helped him move from walk-on, to special teams' member to starter in the defensive backfield.
"From the beginning, we knew he had the talent," Tyler Huelsing said. "He will not give up. It's been awesome to watch."
More about the Burlsworth Trophy
Without one Division I scholarship offer, Brandon Burlsworth walked on at the University of Arkansas I 1994, worked his way to being a three-year starter and was eventually named an All-American in 1998. Burlsworth was selected as the 63rd overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the 1999 NFL draft, but was tragically killed in a car accident 11 days later.
The Burlsworth Foundation was created in his memory and supports the physical and spiritual needs of children, in particular those children that have limited opportunities.
"We are extremely proud of this group of nominees for the 2012 Burlsworth Trophy," said Marty Burlsworth, CEO and founder of the Burlsworth Foundation and brother of Brandon. "All of these young men have worked very hard to get where they are. The stories behind these players are incredible and they are all winners in my book."
Springdale Rotary Club will host a banquet on Dec. 3 in Springdale, Ark., to honor the finalists and to announce the 2012 winner. | http://www.conferenceusa.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/111412aae.html | 1,795 |
The Deer Valley High boys basketball team took a sturdy step toward a possible third consecutive Bay Valley Athletic League title with a 76-73 win over host Freedom on Tuesday night.
As for the Wolverines' Kentucky-bound center Marcus Lee, he took a bunch of giant leaps.
Lee had an easy-looking double-double, and guard Kendall Smith had 21 points to pace the Wolverines (17-4, 5-0 BVAL), who prevailed in the battle for sole possession of first place in a game that wrapped up the first half of league play.
The 6-foot-10 Lee had six blocks and 15 rebounds -- in the first half. He finished with 16 points, including an over-the-head dunk on a rebound with his back to the basket.
"The big fellow in the paint, if he doesn't block a shot he changes a shot," Freedom coach Drew Torres said. "I think that was the biggest thing. Our guys worried too much."
The Falcons (14-7, 4-1) made the final score close with a big final quarter by their substitutes. Freedom trailed by 21 points after the third quarter but began pouring in 3-pointers late.
Deer Valley coach LeChet Phillips doesn't plan to leave the BVAL's top perch any time soon. He respected Freedom's play and drive.
"They are a tough team," Phillips said. "They've been trying to do everything they can to try to win it for the last couple of years, and we want to make sure they stay behind us."
Freedom was paced by senior guard James O'Neal's 21 points. Sam Bide and
Salesian 61, El Cerrito 48: Jabari Bird scored 20 points as the visiting Pride (19-3, 8-0 Tri-County Athletic League) used a 17-1 run bridging the second and third quarters to beat the Gauchos (16-8, 6-2).
El Cerrito was able to hang with the top team in Northern California for a quarter, taking a 13-12 lead after one. However, the Gauchos were not able to fully take advantage of sloppy ball-handling by Salesian, which committed turnovers on four of its first five possessions. The Pride finished with nine turnovers in the first quarter and 31 in the game.
"Those empty possessions," lamented El Cerrito coach Michael Booker. "We'd get steals, we'd get deflections and we'd come down here and we'd miss a layup, we'd miss a jumper. Empty possessions equal scores for them."
"We've had a stretch of games where we haven't gotten off to the best start," Salesian coach Bill Mellis said. "We have been settling in. Once the dust settles, we've been able to be OK in the second and third quarter. For a team that has 19 wins, we certainly do not think that we are clicking on all cylinders."
Markel Leonard added 12 points for Salesian. Tyrell Alcorn came off the bench for the Gauchos and scored 10.
-- Damin Esper, correspondent
Three East Bay football players were selected to Cal-Hi Sports' all-state first-team. De La Salle's Michael Hutchings and Austin Hooper were selected to the first-team defense and James Logan's Warren Miles Long was a multi-purpose selection.
Hutchings, a USC-bound linebacker, was already named California's Mr. Football by Cal-Hi Sports. Hooper is a defensive end headed to Stanford. Long, who thrived at running back and linebacker this year, will play at Northwestern.
-- Stephanie Hammon | http://www.contracostatimes.com/high-school-sports/ci_22478054/high-school-roundup-deer-valley-boys-basketball-takes | 756 |
Holy Cross edged host Morgan State, 74-73, in men's basketball on Dave Dudzinski's 20 points and eight rebounds Sunday.
Anthony Hubbard scored 17 points and had eight rebounds for the Bears (1-2). The Crusaders improved to 2-1.
Alderson-Broaddus 81, Bowie State 78, OT: The Bulldogs came back from an 18-point deficit but could not pull out a win at the Clarion Hotel Classic at Shepherd. Byron Westmorland scored 31 points for the Bulldogs, while the Battlers' O'Dell Eargle scored 22.
Houston-Baptist 70, UMES 55: Despite Kyree Jones' 28 points, the Hawks (0-2) could not shut down the Huskies (2-0) and Art Bernardi, who had 22 points at the Rainbow Classic at Hawaii.
Washington 85, Loyola 63: The host Huskies (1-0) cruised past the Greyhounds (1-1) on Chris Wilcox's 22 points and Abdul Gaddy's 17.
Wake Forest 82, Coppin State 75: Chelsea Douglass scored a career-high 23 points to defeat the visiting Eagles (1-1) in the Deacons' first game of the season. Leola Spotwood had 19 points and six rebounds for Coppin.
UMBC 71, Monmouth 68: Brittany Crowell scored a career-high 25 points in the host Retrievers' win over the Hawks (0-1). Monmouth scored four points in 11 seconds to narrow its deficit to two points with 17 seconds remaining but could not take the lead. Betsy Gadziala and Abigail Martin had a combined 24 rebounds against the Retrievers (1-1).
Stony Brook 44, Navy 40: The visiting Midshipmen (0-2) lost their second straight game despite a strong performance by Alix Membreno, who posted 17 points and six rebounds. The Seahawks (1-1) came from behind with a little over a minute of play left when Sabre Proctor scored to give them the lead.
Basketball Hall of Fame | http://www.courant.com/sports/bs-sp-college-basketball-11-12-20121112,0,7290448.story | 448 |
Defender Sam Gilbert helps lead St Kilda charge towards AFL premiership
- From: The Courier-Mail
- September 24, 2009
SAM Gilbert was born to be a Saint.
A St George Illawarra Dragon, that is.
The St Kilda defender's grandfather and great-grandfather both played for the Dragons and he grew up in a rugby league-obsessed household on the Gold Coast.
He played junior rugby league with the Bilambil Jets and was enrolled in the sports excellence program at Palm Beach Currumbin High School - and then a friend suggested he try playing Australian football.
On Saturday he will line up on the half-back flank for St Kilda as they try to break a 43-year premiership drought.
There are plenty who say the reason the Saints have come this far is the improvement of players such as Gilbert - who was on the cusp of All-Australian selection this year after being included in the initial 40-man squad.
He puts the improvement down to a good pre-season, and also the feeling he belongs in the big league.
"You do get more confident every year," he said.
"And you do feel you have to contribute a bit more as you continue.
"I know personally I want to keep playing well - I put it down to pressure and preparation.
"I still have a bit to learn at the moment and have only played one finals campaign so far. I do have to lift the bar but we still have some very good leaders who I will be following."
Each year since he was drafted four years ago, the Gold Coaster has headed home around this time to watch his old friends from Southport battle it out in the QAFL grand final.
That was until this year, when he happily scrapped the annual trek home as Ross Lyon's Saints advanced through the opening weeks of September to book Saturday afternoon's date with Geelong at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Suddenly the tables were turned and there was a scramble for tickets as his mates tried to repay the favour.
Best friend Mark Lynch, the man who convinced Gilbert to switch from rugby league and take up Australian football in his late teens, missed out.
"I'm shattered, he's got so many cousins and stuff he couldn't get me a ticket, he tried everything," Lynch said.
"A few of the Sharks boys know people who are MCC members so there's a couple who are heading down but I'm going to miss it."
Gilbert might move on from a club, but he never really leaves.
He started at Coolangatta and then advanced to QAFL division one powerhouse Southport before being drafted in 2004 by St Kilda, but his loyalties to his Queensland clubs are as strong now as when he played there.
"I have got a lot of good mates who still play there," he said.
"I do like to support Southport and Coolangatta ... it is who I am, and it is Broadbeach and Palm Beach who we hate." | http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/afl/defender-sam-gilbert-helps-lead-st-kilda-charge-towards-afl-premiership/story-e6frepi6-1225778902124 | 630 |
Missing mother of Olympic gold medallist located
Published Friday, November 9, 2012 11:26AM EST
Last Updated Friday, November 9, 2012 2:54PM EST
The missing mother of a Canadian Olympic gold medallist has been found safe and sound in Oakville.
Moira Patricia McKoy had been last seen in Peterborough as she tried to find her way to a ServiceOntario office to renew her driver’s licence Thursday evening.
McKoy is the mother of Mark McKoy, who won the gold medal in the 110-metre hurdles event at the Barcelona Games in 1992.
During an interview with CP24 on Friday, Mark McKoy said his mother got lost and drove almost 100 kilometres to Peterborough, where she was last seen Thursday at 5 p.m. when she stopped to ask a woman for directions back to Scarborough.
Mark McKoy said the woman called his sister to inform her that their mother was returning to the city.
Speaking with CP24, McKoy speculated that his mother may have got confused while driving after dark or ran out of gas.
“I think that’s where the confusion came in because she doesn’t like to drive at night," he said.
It is not known how Moira Patricia McKoy spent the last 22 hours.
@ChrisKitching is on Twitter. Don't forget, for instant breaking news, follow @CP24 on Twitter. | http://www.cp24.com/news/missing-mother-of-olympic-gold-medallist-located-1.1031543 | 298 |
Vicki Mohr's pinch-hit, two-run homer led Glenbrook South past Deerfield 5-3 Monday in regional action.
The Highland Park baseball team called its 10-3 playoff win over Hersey Monday its best game of the year.
The Maine West baseball team ended its season Monday with a 7-5 loss to Von Steuben in regional action.
Here is a roundup of Monday's softball and baseball action.
Mimi Smith, Kathleen Keene, Jessica Ackerman and Courtney Ackerman won the 3,200 relay state title.
Highland Park earned all-state honors from junior Nyjah Lane in the 100-meter dash and the 400 relay.
Deerfield senior Christine Stitcher tied for eighth place in pole vault at the Class 3A girls track state meet. | http://www.cslinsider.com/news/default.aspx?Archive=y | 166 |
12.4: "What's in Store" presented by Hockey Xsport
Brodie Brazil, Dave Maley and Jamie Baker talk about the history of hockey in Montreal.
Story is presented by hot yet we're super. This time yeah big out and get back we'll they'll probably actually behind. Jamie baker that makes it took the train for Montreal. Outdo. When you are but -- April Ottawa to Montreal and militant very beautiful part of Canada but they'll wanna talk about hockey out there how. With hockey any different way out -- we're at right now. Well. I mean it's great -- in my hometown of Ottawa. The growing up you're not alone. Haven't NHL teams don't a lot of people cheered for Montreal or Toronto or not everybody my god as the Chicago Blackhawks fan but. Come to Montreal I mean it's the cathedral of hockey you're playing and in this city I mean it's a religion the thing. Fans embrace that they love it they come here -- an event of singing. And it's just fun I mean players night. I've played for the nor gave the senators back to back Hargreaves. All big rivals of Montreal. And you don't get excited on game -- to play much on your side of the day before the night before you wake up you're excited I don't know. It's not so much nervous excitement you know you're going somewhere special. In baseball be like playing in Yankee Stadium and it's. It's a dream for players that never gets old so talk to being back here. | http://www.csnbayarea.com/sportsnetBayArea/search/v/40193984/12-4-what-s-in-store-presented-by-hockey-xsport.htm | 318 |
Oct. 12, 2011
By Amanda Bader
Athletic Media Relations
FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- The Colorado State women's tennis team will travel to Las Vegas, Nev., this week to compete in the ITA Mountain Regionals for its final tournament of the fall season. The tournament will be held Wednesday through Sunday.
Last season at the ITA Mountain Regional, the Rams sent four players to compete, Tori Arneson, Caitlin Fluegge, Lauren Mulhern and Veronika Wojakowska. The Rams concluded the tournament with a record of 5-8 in singles and 2-2 in doubles throughout the four-day competition.
This year the Rams will bring five players: Tori Arneson, Lauren Mulhern, Kaley Schultz, Lauren Pick and Natalie Heffron.
Last weekend the Rams prepared themselves for regional competition by competing in the Gaucho Classic in Santa Barbra, Calif. The Rams faced six non-conference opponents: Cal Poly, Cal State Northridge, UC Santa Barbara, Northern Arizona, Loyola Marymount and Wyoming.
Freshman Natalie Heffron won two of her three matches. The loss was the only defeat in six fall tournament matches.
The ITA Regional will conclude the fall season play for CSU. The Rams will return to the courts Jan. 28 against Denver and will host their first home match Feb. 17 against Idaho. | http://www.csurams.com/sports/w-tennis/spec-rel/101211aaa.html | 296 |
Featured Golf News
The Transformation of Jay Peak
The expansion of the Jay Peak Ski Resort in northern Vermont is well underway. The dense forest below the 4,000-foot mountain is being transformed into an 18-hole golf course designed by Graham Cooke of Canada. The project is all part of a transformation that will take the former winter-only facility into a year-round destination resort in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom.
“The four seasons of Vermont are nowhere more evident than the pristine Northern Kingdom and Jay Peak,” related Bill Stenger, president of Jay Peak Resort, in comments to Tony Chamberlain of the Boston Globe. Stenger is overseeing the master plan that will convert the facility into a major multi-sport recreational hub.
The so-called Northeast Kingdom was named in the 1960s to describe the tri-county area it encompasses. Caledonia, Essex and Orleans counties comprise the northeast corner of Vermont. The 2,000-square-mile region is bordered to the north by Canada and to the east by the Connecticut River and New Hampshire. Though it has emerged as a hotbed for outdoor sports, the Northern Kingdom has resisted change for most of its history.
But with fairly easy high access via surface roads, that former isolation is changing. “Boston has been the biggest growth market,” Stenger said. “That has happened in skiing for the last few years, and now the Northeast Kingdom appeals year-round. There’s just an authenticity of place here that makes it unique – you don’t find it in other places.”
Besides the $10-million, 18-hole championship-caliber golf course, the $100-million resort expansion involves a doubling of the ski areas, dozens of new condominiums, and renovations to the 30-year-old Hotel Jay. All told, Jay Peak’s overnight accommodations will grow to 1,100 beds this year to a total of 1,650 in 2006. Despite the additional facilities, only 150 acres of the 4,000-acre resort will be impacted, with the remainder of the land left in its glorious natural state.
Many of the projects at Jay Peak have received financing from state and federal subsidies. The funds are earmarked for development of industry and jobs in a region beset with rural poverty. The expanded resort will create hundreds of new jobs and will provide a much-needed boost to the local economy.
In general, Northern Kingdom’s way of life won’t change much with Jay Peak’s growth. With its wide roads virtually devoid of traffic, the area will still be easy to navigate. Many of the routes, including Highway 114, a north-south artery from Canada to Lyndonville, see more bicycles than automobiles.
One famous resident of the Northern Kingdom is Bill Lee, the former left-handed Red Sox pitcher whose antics on and off the mound led to him being dubbed “The Spaceman.” In comments to Chamberlain, Lee said, “A traffic jam in Craftsbury is when you get out of your car after a thundershower to move a bullfrog off the driveway, and a 2-year-old moose on his way to rendezvous with one of those Jersey heifers walks by wondering what all the excitement is about.”
If the weather cooperates, Jay Peak’s new golf course will open in summer 2005. Related plans include a clubhouse, a golf academy and perhaps another nine holes. For updates on the project, visit www.jaypeakresort.com. | http://www.cybergolf.com/golf_news/the_transformation_of_jay_peak | 735 |
Though most renowned for the work he does with a briefcase in his hand, Ed Susolik is also rather successful wielding a golf club.
An esteemed litigator who has netted more than $1 billion in policy-holder benefits for his clients over a 22-year legal career, the Newport Beach resident has also accumulated a string of victories on the links.
He will try to add another of the latter as a member of the five-player team representing Mesa Verde Country Club in the 13th annual Jones Cup on Wednesday at Newport Beach Country Club.
Susolik earned a berth in his first Jones Cup — a community tournament that pits five area clubs against one another for annual bragging rights — by winning the men's championship at Mesa Verde, where he became a member in 2011.
Susolik will be joined by head professional Tom Sargent, assistant pro Mike Fergin, senior champion Preston Murray and women's champion Sally Holstein for Mesa Verde, which has won four Jones Cup titles, including three in five years from 2006 through 2010.
"I've read about [the Jones Cup] every year in the Daily Pilot," Susolik said of his familiarity with the event, which has been won seven times by Big Canyon Country Club, including last year.
Susolik is also familiar with winning in all facets of his life. He has been named one of the top 100 attorneys in Southern California the last three years by Super Lawyer Magazine.
Outside of the courtroom, he has collected scores of tournament victories, including the Southern California Golf Assn. Public Links Championship in 2009 and an estimated handful of Costa Mesa Country Club men's championships.
"I like to play in competitive amateur tournaments and competing at high levels of golf," said Susolik, who was a walk-on member of the USC golf team in the 1980s and played three years on the professional Ben Hogan Tour from 1992-95.
"I believed that I could develop my game to make it to the PGA Tour," Susolik said of his days as a pro.
His hard-charging tenacity on behalf of his clients earned him the nickname Rhino, a moniker he has embraced. But Susolik said any recklessness associated with the single-horned beast would not in the least apply to his game.
"I think Rhino represents strength and perseverance and moving toward an ultimate goal," said the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Susolik. "I'm 49 years old, so I would say that I used to be a banger when I was younger. But now I play much more of a controlled game."
Susolik was born in the former Czechoslovakia and also lived in Switzerland and Spain. After graduating from the American High School in Madrid in 1981, he chose USC over Princeton, both of which offered full academic scholarships.
He earned bachelor's degrees in history, English and philosophy, before graduating second in his class from USC Law School.
He said friends convinced him to take a membership at Mesa Verde Country Club and he has thoroughly enjoyed his association with the club.
"It's an absolutely amazing course and a wonderful membership," he said. "I've gotten to know Tom Sargent, who is a true legend in Orange County golf."
Susolik, who has five children, said he enjoys golf because it is the perfect blend of athleticism and mental toughness. He hopes to make it tough on his Jones Cup competition.
Also hoping to help Mesa Verde prevail are Sargent, the only golfer to have competed in all 12 incarnations of the Jones Cup.
Fergin was a member of the Mesa Verde quintet that won the event in 2010. A former pro at Newport Beach Country Club and Oak Creek Golf Club in Irvine, he played in three PGA Tour events in 1997. He also won the now-defunct Newport Beach Open in 2001.
Murray helped Mesa Verde win the 2009 Jones Cup as the men's champion, while Holstein is representing Mesa Verde in the event for the second consecutive year. She was a member at Big Canyon for 30 years.
Holstein's game appears to be in order, as she carded a hole-in-one on a 130-yard, par-three No. 12 hole on her home course May 22. | http://www.dailyamerican.com/sports/tn-dpt-0622-spsusolik-20120621,0,1737221.story | 891 |
The Trojans play Arizona at the Coliseum on Oct. 13, which is a Thursday. Parking and traffic are expected to be issues for the game and USC previously told the Pacific-12 Conference it preferred to play a weekday home game on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
On an average weekday, 75 percent of the parking spots available for a USC football game are taken by students, faculty and staff.
The Trojans play seven home games, including Stanford (Nov. 16) and UCLA (Nov. 30). USC also plays nonconference home games with Boston College (Sept. 14) and Utah State (Sept. 21). The season-opener is at Hawaii on Aug. 29.
USC does not play Oregon or Washington.
Game times will be announced at a later date. All games will be nationally televised by ESPN, ABC, FOX or Pac-12 Networks.
The Pac-12 Championship Game will be played Dec. 7, at the stadium of the division winner with the best overall conference record.
2012 USC FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
(all games Saturday unless noted)
Aug. 29 (Thu.) -- at Hawaii
Sept. 7 -- Washington State
Sept. 14 -- Boston College
Sept. 21 -- Utah State
Sept. 28 -- at Arizona State
Oct. 10 (Thu.) -- Arizona
Oct. 19 -- at Notre Dame
Oct. 26 -- Utah
Nov. 1 (Fri.) -- at Oregon State
Nov. 9 -- at California
Nov. 16 -- Stanford
Nov. 23 -- at Colorado
Nov. 30 -- UCLA | http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_22347050/uscs-2013-ncaa-football-schedule-announced | 323 |
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Lallana to miss key festive clashes?
8:10am Wednesday 12th December 2012 in Saints News
Adam Lallana is a major doubt for Saints’ festive programme after it was confirmed he has damaged knee ligaments.
The Saints skipper was forced off during the first half of his side’s 1-0 win over Reading at the weekend and left St Mary’s on crutches.
Though the exact length of time he will face on the sidelines will depend on his reaction to treatment, it is understood to be highly unlikely he will feature in the Christmas and New Year matches.
Saints are hopeful that speculation he faces a prolonged spell on the treatment table will prove wrong.
Lallana’s absence will be a major blow for Saints, such has been his fantastic form this season.
The 24-year-old is one of only two Saints players to have started every Premier League game during the campaign – the other being Jose Fonte.
Lallana’s absence will give Saints boss Nigel Adkins much to contemplate.
If he is to stick with his current formation then he will need to find a direct replacement for Lallana to play in an attacking left-sided role.
Emmanuel Mayuka, who has found his chances limited so far, could come into the frame.
Jay Rodriguez has also been utilised on the left side.
Ramirez and Jason Puncheon are both capable of playing on the left, but have both been in good form in their current roles and so Adkins may be loathe to move them.
Another option is to change formation.
Adkins could go with the 4-4-2 he adopted against Reading after Lallana went off, with Ramirez wide on the left and Puncheon on the right.
That would see Lambert most likely partnered in attack by £7m man Rodriguez.
Guly made his first Premier League appearance for over a month when he came on as a 79th minute sub against Reading.
Lee, meanwhile, is still waiting for his first league appearance of the season, having only turned out in the Capital One Cup so far. | http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/saints/news/10101430.Lallana_to_miss_key_festive_clashes_/?action=complain&cid=11056593 | 470 |
This year, Auburn head coach Gene Chizik had much less joyous things to reflect on such as the shooting that took the life of three young men including two former players on June 9.
“This is the first opportunity that I have had to thank so many people for their outpouring of love, prayers, emails, phone calls to the Auburn family since that tragic night on June 9th,” Chizik said. “I do want to say thank you. I didn’t think it would be right of me to stand up here in my first opportunity public and not do that.”
When it comes to the gridiron, Chizik believes their win against Virginia gave his team momentum and confidence going into this upcoming season.
“Chick-fil-A Bowl was a very big moment for us, because that night a lot young football players stepped up to play,” Chizik said. “We beat a very good football team. That is a team that went into Florida State and beat them. They went into Miami and beat Miami. They beat Georgia Tech and they were undefeated. They were a good football team. That was a big win for our team. I think a lot of young players stepped up to the plate. I think that gave us some momentum as we kind of propelled ourselves through the off-season. I don’t think it is any question that it put some of our young guys on the map as far as confidence. Since then it has been a good thing watching our guys grow.”
Chizik said the experience his underclassman gained last season has put their program at better state than it was last July.
“I think back a year ago, today we are in a much stronger position as a football team,” Chizik said. “I think one of the reasons that we are there is finally in my opinion after so many years we have developed depth and got a little bit of experience. You look on paper right now, we have 16 returning starters, but the truth of the matter is we have guys right behind those guys that are considered starters pushing them for a starting job. We certainly have some question marks at a few positions, but at the end if you go back and look over the previous three years we got guys pushing for jobs. The depth and experience is the reason that has happened. That’s a good thing.”
With Gus Malzahn taking over at Arkansas State, Auburn brought in Scot Loeffler as their offensive coordinator. Loeffler has earned the reputation as a quarterback developer from his days at Michigan and his time in the NFL.
Chizik said having a coach like Loeffler would help the development of Kiehl Frazier and the other quarterbacks on the team.
“It is important for obviously any quarterback in our whole football team,” Chizik said. “It was imperative that as I went out and looked into who the new coordinators would potentially be, that was a huge point of emphasis the way I saw it in who we hire. Scot has been great developing quarterbacks. I think that has been his forte. Even though he’s a young coach, that’s what he is known for back when he coached the quarterback at Michigan… I think our quarterbacks have embraced it. I think this is something that, moving forward is really, really good in terms of us going out and recruiting quarterbacks knowing that Scot has been a proven guy when it comes to the development of that position.”
For the second consecutive season, the Tigers quarterback job is as Chizik said “up for grabs” going into fall practice. Sophomore Frazier and junior Clint Moseley are battling for the job.
Frazier played in 13 games last season and went 5-12 passing for 34 yards and two interceptions. He rushed for 327 yards on 76 carries and he found the end zone three times.
Moseley started six games and passed for 800 yards while throwing five touchdowns and three picks.
“We are looking for the guy that can take Auburn and lead them to win football games,” Chizik said. “Kiehl is strongly considered in the mix. I think he’s grown; he’s grown a lot as a football player since he has been here. There was some means to the madness last year to make sure we played him in games when the game was on the line, where something was a lot at stake. We play him early in games, late in games, particularly when he was ready. I think he got that feel. Clint Moseley has done the same thing. A lot of snaps last year. We made the change at halftime of the Florida game. Clint has a lot of room for improvement and he knows that and we know that. It is going to be a battle.”
The Tigers will take on one of the two new teams in the SEC with Texas A&M. Chizik saw both teams during his four years at Iowa State. He believes both teams have what it takes to be successful in the SEC.
“These are two dang good football teams with dang good football coaches,” Chizik said. “They’ve got the players. They’ve got the coaches. They’ve got great venues. They’ve got great backing. It is a perfect fit for our league. They are going to fit right in here. There’s probably some missed notions with people that they’re going to come in here and struggle. Like anybody, they’re going to have good years; they’re going to have some bad years. Overall, Kevin Sumlin and Gary Pinkel, they can coach. Missouri is a good football program and so is Texas A&M. So it’s going to be a good fit. There’s going to be some good football added to our league.”
Auburn opens the season Sept.1 against Clemson in the Georgia Dome. The fourth year coach said his players are excited about playing a game of that magnitude to open the season. Last season, Clemson defeated Auburn 38-24.
“To have that game at the beginning of the season is interesting for our guys,” Chizik said. “We haven’t necessarily had a game opening team since I’ve been there that is going to be exciting for our program. Not that the other games weren’t, but this is a big game against probably a top 10 team. I don’t now where all that is, but it’s a great team that really had some great success.”
This off-season, the NCAA did away with the BCS system in favor of the four-team playoff that will start in 2014. Chizik has mixed feelings about the playoff system.
“In 2010, if we had the four- team playoff system in place, I was at Auburn went through this league undefeated, we won the SEC Championship game,” Chizik said. “Am I in favor of playing another one to prove I deserve getting to the national championship game, he asked. No I don’t. But if you go back to 2004, when we were undefeated and we didn’t get into the national championship game because we weren’t 1 or 2, then I am in favor of it. I think, as anything you can shoot holes in anything you want. I think it is a movement in the right direction.” | http://www.dailyhome.com/pages/full_story/push?article-SEC+Media+Days+2012%20&id=19459861&instance=home_sports | 1,590 |
Premiership footballer Louis Saha 'lucky to be alive' after crashing Ferrari
Everton striker Louis Saha has escaped unharmed after crashing his Ferrari on a country road last night.
The former Manchester United ace, 32, was on the Altrincham Road, in Wilmslow, Cheshire, when he lost control of his car shortly before 9pm.
Police sources have indicated the damage to the vehicle was 'extensive'.
Luxury: Louis Saha pictured with his £170,000 458 Italia Ferrari
Amazingly the Frenchman - who was in the car alone - escaped without injury and did not need hospital treatment.
A Cheshire Police spokesman said: 'We can confirm there was a road traffic accident on Altrincham Road, Wilmslow, at 8.54pm. Fortunately there were no injuries.'
A source added: 'The car was extensively damaged. He is lucky to be alive.'
Action: Saha played for Everton against Sunderland on Saturday
It is not known what Ferrari he was driving but the star does own a £170,000 458 Italia model, of which all 1,200 were recalled by the manufacturers in September last year as a design fault could cause them to catch fire.
The first incident occurred in July, when the driver noticed the rear panel of his 458 Italia was on fire while he was driving in Paris. A passer-by used a fire extinguisher to douse the flames.
A few days later the engine of an Italia driving up a mountain pass in Switzerland caught fire. In August last year a 458 in China and one in the US burst into flames.
After sending its engineers around the world to investigate the reports of 'thermal incidents', Ferrari asked the owners, including around 50 in Britain, to bring them in for modification work.
Eric Clapton, the rock star, and Chris Evans, the broadcaster, are also among the car's owners.
Ferrari said the problem had been traced to adhesive used in the wheel-arch assemblies. In certain circumstances the glue could have begun to overheat, smoke and even catch fire.
In extreme cases, the melting of the adhesive could lead the heat shield - the liner protecting the engine - to deform and move closer to the exhaust, causing the lining to catch fire. | http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1361471/Louis-Saha-Ferrari-crash-Premiership-footballer-lucky-alive.html | 478 |
EXCLUSIVE: Phil Brown edges closer to sack as under-fire Hull City boss fails to turn up for training
The future of Hull boss Phil Brown was plunged into fresh doubt this morning when he failed to turn up for training.
The under-fire Tigers manager is battling to save his job as they fight to retain their Barclays Premier League status.
Last orders: Phil Brown (right) with skipper George Boateng on Saturday
Sportsmail understands that the club’s hierarchy are seriously considering a change in personnel in order to beat the drop.
And Brown could be gone as early as today after he was reported absent from the club's training ground following Saturday's 2-1 defeat at home to Arsenal.
Hull are currently 19th in the Premier League and three points from safety with nine games remaining. | http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1258049/Phil-Brown-edges-closer-sack-Hull-City-boss-fails-turn-training.html | 167 |
SANTA CLARA - Few events in professional sports scream urgency much more than playing an elimination game on the road.
Perhaps the only thing that tops it starting out a win-or-go home game in a one-goal deficit.
And how about doing it against a team you haven't beaten in four previous tries?
That's what the Galaxy faced Wednesday going into the last of a two-game aggregate MLS Western Conference semifinals, ostensibly the second half of a 180-minute game after their 1-0 loss to San Jose on Sunday in Carson.
The Galaxy responded to that urgency with an inspired effort in a resounding 3-1 victory over top-seeded San Jose in front of 10,744 at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara.
The Galaxy scored all three of their goals in the first half.
"We wanted to come out right out of the gates. We knew they were probably going to sit in since they were up a goal," Galaxy defender Tommy Meyer said. "I knew that if we came in, got a couple of goals, that would put them on their heels."
The victory gave the Galaxy a 3-2 aggregate win in the series and sent the Galaxy to the two-leg conference final. They'll play host to the winner of today's aggregate playoff finale between No. 2 Real Salt Lake and No. 3 Seattle in Sunday's opener at 6 p.m. at
Considering their recent history, the Galaxy's response to desperate circumstances probably shouldn't be a total surprise. Last week, the No. 5-seeded Galaxy rallied for a 2-1 victory over No. 6 Vancouver in a play-in game.
Facing equally dire circumstances Wednesday, the Galaxy, who are seeking to become just the third team to win consecutive MLS titles, put together perhaps their best half of the season.
Robbie Keane scored two goals and Mike Magee scored another and had an assist to lead the Galaxy. Landon Donovan had two assists in the first half.
"Robbie's a great player," Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said. "Since he's come back from the European championships he's been the best player in the league.
"He scores big goals."
None were bigger than his first in the 21st minute. Keane dribbled the ball through a pack of San Jose defenders and scored into the corner of the goal past diving Earthquakes goalie Jon Busch.
Magee assisted on Keane's score, which set the tone for a team that was 0-3-1 against San Jose this season. The Galaxy also had leads in three regular-season meetings.
This time, Los Angeles didn't let up.
Keane threaded a shot into the corner of the net off an assist from Donovan in the 34th minute to make it 2-0. The Galaxy stretched their lead to 3-0 five minutes later when Magee punched in a shot from the middle of the penalty area off a sharp crossing pass from Donovan.
The Galaxy, however, wasted several early chances.
In the fourth minute, David Beckham's free kick from outside the penalty area sailed just over the corner of the Earthquakes net.
Two minutes later, Busch lunged to his right and punched away a Beckham free kick.
The Earthquakes broke through for their goal in the 82nd minute by Alan Gordon.
They earlier had a chance to cut into the lead in the 42nd minute, but Marvin Chavez's free kick bounced off the goal post.
The Galaxy were playing their third game in seven days and fourth game in 10 days.
"It's been challenging, but the way these guys have gone about their business is fabulous," Arena said. "Hopefully we can get them ready for the next series, which will be a tough one." | http://www.dailynews.com/galaxy/ci_21954798/galaxy-3-san-jose-1-galaxy-put-it | 774 |
Remember when the NFL said home teams could, if they so chose, modify the ridiculous '100% sellout' rule to 85% if they so chose to avoid the potential of a home blackout?
And before I go into what the Vikings are doing, I think that in this day and age the 100% sell out rule was/is completely stupid. I think it's dumber than Hell knowing that as a Vikings fan living near St. Louis I can see all their games courtesy of the Greatest Invention In The History Of The World, The NFL Sunday Ticket. But folks in Minneapolis, literally blocks away from where the Vikes play, could not, if the game wasn't sold out.
That makes absolutely no sense to me, especially when you contrast that with how much money networks pay to broadcast games, and how much advertising revenue is lost locally in case of a blackout.
It's just a dumb rule, and I'm glad the NFL dropped it down to 85%. In this economy, with the advent of technology, watching the game on TV is more appealing than spending a wad of dough on tickets, another wad of dough on parking, another wad of dough on a Dome dog and a beer, and then you get the luxury of wading through concourses as wide as a PVC pipe to piss in a trough right out of the 18th century.
So the Vikings will be reducing their sellout threshold to 90%. They are doing this for one of three potential reasons:
1) They do not want to give Steve LaCroix (the Vikings Head muchacho of ticket sales) a nervous breakdown trying to get to what might be a difficult threshold if the Vikings aren't as competitive as we hope.
2) They want to avoid the bad press of local blackouts on the heels of the new stadium passing, Other teams, like the Raiders, Dolphins, and Jaguars, dropped it down to the 85% level, but the Vikes chose to keep it at 90%.
3) This is a pre-emptive strike on the Vikes part because they have internal numbers that tell them ticket sales are way down.
I don't know how valid number 3 is, because the Vikings have a pretty hefty sellout streak going at the Metrodome--144 games straight, going back to 1998.
Either way, the already low percentage that the Vikings wouldn't be broadcast on local TV has been dropped to something a little less than zero. | http://www.dailynorseman.com/2012/8/16/3247457/vikings-adopt-new-blackout-policy | 501 |
When Ty Barrett arrived in Lubbock this past weekend, he didn’t know what he had gotten himself into.
Coming from a big city like Dallas, the Skyline offensive lineman admitted he wasn’t too fond of West Texas and had awkward look on his face as he stepped of the plane but after spending the weekend there for Texas Tech junior day, he became somewhat immersed in the culture.
“I’m not going to lie, Lubbock surprised me. I got off the plane and said to myself ‘man, I can’t do this.’ But then my opinion changed,” Barrett said. “I went around the city on Friday and literally everyone was wearing black and red. There aren’t any pro teams around so everybody loves Texas Tech. I thought that was awesome. Even my brother fell in love with the mascot Raider Red”
While the spirit around town was enthralling so was the young and energetic coaching staff. Barrett, who is being recruited by co-offensive coordinator Eric Morris, was blown away with their enthusiasm.
“There are about seven coaches on staff who went to Texas Tech, and they all love it. They were so excited just like kids. They were even challenging us at basketball,” Barrett said. “They really made me feel at home and of course, the people around Texas Tech made me feel at home.
“I also got to sit down with Coach (Kliff) Kingsbury, and talked with him more than I had with any other head coach. He was really cool and told me I could come in and play early. Texas Tech doesn’t have a lot of depth at offensive line so he said I could come in and play guard for them and tackle later on.”
Joining Barrett on his trip were teammates Victor Evans and Derrick Dixon. All three hold offers and according Barrett, the Skyline trio wouldn’t mind playing together at Texas Tech.
“Victor and Derrick were just as excited as me,” he said. “Derrick is from West Texas so it was like going back home for him and Victor said he really enjoyed it. We talked about it after, and we would all like to play with each other at the next level.”
Barrett has also attended junior days at Oklahoma and Texas and picked up offers from Arizona State, Duke, Oklahoma State and Washington State last week to go along with offers from SMU, TCU and many others.
But Texas Tech appears to be standing out the most at this point in the recruiting process.
“I haven’t made a list yet, but Texas Tech is really high,” Barrett said. “It way by far the best trip I’ve been on so far. I was just amazed.”
Follow EJ Holland on Twitter @EJSports4 | http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/college-sports/texas-tech-red-raiders/20130225-skyline-recruit-likes-texas-tech-initial-take-on-lubbock-was-man-i-cant-do-this.ece | 604 |
HANOVER, N.H. — In the seventh inning, sophomore Jeff Keller singled home classmate Dustin Selzer, who had tied the game with a triple, then scored an insurance run as Dartmouth rallied for a 4-2 victory over visiting Holy Cross on Wednesday afternoon at Red Rolfe Field at Biondi Park. Keller recorded half of the Big Green’s hits, going 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs, to lead Dartmouth (9-14) in the crisp game that took just 2:04 to play.
Patrick Puentes homered and scored both Crusader runs, but Holy Cross (18-15) wasted the fine pitching of rookie right-hander Donny Murray, who surrendered just two hits and one run without a walk in his six-inning start.
Clinging to a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh, the Crusaders summoned Collin Manning from the bullpen. Manning promptly walked freshman Matt Parisi on five pitches, then junior Ennis Coble laid down a sacrifice bunt to put the tying run in scoring position. It turned out not to matter as Selzer boomed a deep drive to center field for an RBI triple, tying the game at two.
Holy Cross whisked away Manning (1-1) in favor of relief ace John Colella to face Keller, who was already 2-for-2 at that point. Keller worked the count full before taking a slider down and away and poking it into center field for the clutch single and a 3-2 lead. After freshman Matt Robinson lined a single to right to send Keller to third, rookie Thomas Roulis hit a slow roller to second that the Crusader defense had no chance to turn an inning-ending double play, allowing Keller to score the fourth run.
Sophomore Mike Dodakian pitched a perfect eighth for the Big Green, and freshman Thomas Olson needed just eight pitches to get three outs in the ninth for his third save of the season. Earning the victory was senior Max Langford (1-1), who hurled 1.1 scoreless innings in relief of sophomore right-hander Louis Concato. Making his third start of the season, Concato surrendered both runs on five hits and one walk. Oddly enough, none of the four Big Green pitchers recorded a single strikeout on the afternoon.
The only batter to reach base against Murray was Keller, who smacked his second home run of the season to the opposite field in right just above the top of the fence and into the protective net for a 1-0 lead in the second inning. In the fifth frame, Keller hit a lead-off single, but after taking second on a wild pitch, Murray picked him off when he got too anxious to steal third.
Meanwhile, Concato cruised through the first three innings, facing one over the minimum. In the fourth, Puentes singled with one down and took third on a Jordan Enos double to left. Steven Tkowski tied the game with a sacrifice fly to right. Puentes then gave the Crusaders a 2-1 lead in the sixth by launching his first long ball of the year.
Puentes and Brandon Cipolla each had two of the seven hits for Holy Cross.
With the six-game homestand in the books, Dartmouth will travel to Providence, R.I., this weekend for a key four-game Ivy League series at Brown (5-21, 3-5 Ivy), starting on Saturday at noon. The Big Green hold a one-game lead in the Rolfe Division over the Bears entering the weekend. Holy Cross, which today played its first of 13 straight games on the road, will play a four-game Patriot League series at Navy with noon doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday.
Notes: Dartmouth has won all 17 non-conference games on its home field since it was renovated before the 2009 season … overall the Big Green are 48-6 (.889) at Red Rolfe Field at Biondi Park … Keller is batting .560 (14-of-25) over the last seven games … over his last seven appearances, Langford has an 0.84 ERA in 10.2 innings with a win, a save and 12 strikeouts. | http://www.dartmouthsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=11600&ATCLID=205412289 | 874 |
First Team All-Ivy League
ECAC All-Star Team (Second Team)
Defensive MVP - Dartmouth Classic
All-Tournament Team - SMU
The anchor of the Dartmouth,
senior co-captain Pappas made 16 starts during his senior season ... Pappas
helped led the Big Green backline to six shutouts while holding opponents to
just 1.17 goals per game ... Also showcased his scoring abilities with a goal in
Dartmouth's 2-0 win over Vermont (10/4) ... Added an assist against South Florida
(9/11) ... Concluded the season with three points and 13 shots ... Tallied four
shots on goal.
Appeared in 11 games in his junior season, starting 10 ... Scored two goals on the season for a total of four points ... Tallied a goal in a 2-1 home victory over Harvard, 10/30 ... Scored in the 4-0 first-round playoff victory at Monmouth, 11/18 ... Played in all three playoff games.
Dartmouth Soccer Most Improved Award
Had a great sophomore season, coming into his own as a key member of Dartmouth's backline ... Made 16 appearances on the season with 13 starts ... Helped the defense own a 1.14 goals against average along with six shutouts ... Scored his first collegiate goal in the 7-0 win over St. Peter's in the season-opener, 9/4.
Played in seven games, making two starts in his first college season ... Made his first collegiate appearance in the win over Colgate on Sept. 14 ... His first start came the next game, a win over Hartwick, on Sept. 20.
Chose to play club soccer over high school since the seasons conflicted ... Member of the CISCO Soccer Club Toros ... Led the Toros to a Region IV Championship in 2008 ... Part of the Arizona Olympic Development Team since 2005 ... Also a Region IV Pool Player ... Team captain in 2006 ... ODP team won the Region IV title in 2007 and was a national finalist ... Captain of the MLS Real Salt Lake U-17 team.
Son of John and Sarah Pappas ... Has one sister.
Pappas' Career Stats | http://www.dartmouthsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=4710&ATCLID=1513817&DB_OEM_ID=11600 | 464 |
#ArtOut - Patrick Smith
- "Is it time to change our minds about Art Modell and the Hall of Fame?" (ESPN Cleveland) - "On to New Orleans: When Art Modell passed away at the age of 87 in the early hours of Sept. 5, the Baltimore Ravens dedicated the 2012 season to their former owner."
- "Ravens owe it all to Ohio" (Canton Rep) - "What a tremendous time for Ohio. The Baltimore Ravens are in the Super Bowl! The little connections to Ohio are delicious. We Ohioans even have some of our own quaint stories few others know about."
- "No decision on Browns' defensive scheme" (AFC North Blog) - "The biggest reservation I had with the hiring of Ray Horton as the Cleveland Browns' defensive coordinator was his scheme. He learned the 3-4 defense during his days in Pittsburgh and that's the style of defense he ran as the defensive coordinator in Arizona."
- "About the Lombardi Hire" (OBR) - "Even though I was a bit surprised by the hiring of Rob Chudzinski as the Browns head coach, I completely understand it. He brings an offensive expertise to the Browns and has delivered two proven coordinators in Norv Turner and Ray Horton."
- "Grading the NFL head coach hires" (SI.com) - "We can say this about the recent NFL coaching cycle, which concluded with eight teams finding new leaders: It was not boring."
- "Bernard Pollard: Fine Tom Brady" (AP) - "Tom Brady's foot-up slide in the AFC Championship Game did not sit well with Baltimore Ravens strong safety Bernard Pollard."
- "Yin, yack of Ravens: Ray Lewis delivers sermons, Terrell Suggs offers barbs en route to Super Bowl" (Yahoo! Sports) - "There is a delicate balance with the Baltimore Ravens, be it on the field where they were mauling Tom Brady – or "12" as Terrell Suggs would only refer to him – or back in a wild celebratory locker room."
- "Jim Harbaugh says he’s sticking with David Akers" (PFT) - "The Jive Turkey Gobbler is sticking with the Jive Turkey Wobbler. According to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said Monday that embattled kicker David Akers would keep that job for the Super Bowl." | http://www.dawgsbynature.com/2013/1/22/3901850/daily-dawg-chow-browns-news-1-22-13 | 510 |
Michael Vick gets clearance to resume playing; Reid wants to stick with Nick over Vick
PHILADELPHIA — Eagles quarterback Michael Vick has been cleared to play football again this season.
Vick, who sat out his fifth straight game after sustaining a concussion, passed an exam by an independent neurologist Thursday.
The only real question is whether the Eagles put him back in the fray and for all practical purposes, in harms way. Regardless of how Vick fits in with the Eagles, the last thing anyone needs is another concussion for the veteran.
Eagles head coach Andy Reid was asked if Vick would get the ball after the team's 34-13 loss to the Bengals, a game in which rookie quarterback Nick Foles completed just 16 of 33 attempts for 182 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
"I'm going to stick with Nick," Reid said.
Foles started his fifth straight game. Reid said previously Foles would start the rest of the season.
Running back LeSean McCoy, who missed his fourth game after being concussed, has not passed his independent neurology exam. Eagles head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder hoped to get both players to the independent neurologist.
Philadelphia Sports By Bleacher Report
Location, ST | website.com
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Insight, observations on the first team in professional sports to reach 10,000 losses and the latest Philly team to make the playoffs - the Philadelphia Phillies.
Jack McCaffery is the lead sports columnist for the Daily Times and delcotimes.com. He has spent several decades covering everything from the Phillies, Eagles, Flyers and Sixers, to college hoops, to high school sports in Delco.
Bob Grotz blogs about the Philadelphia Eagles.
Terry Toohey has the colleges covered.
Laura Nachman covers everything about televison, from American Idol to sweeps.
The SB Nation blog about the Philadelphia Phillies.
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Top Sports Stories
- Bob Grotz's Eagles Checklist: Looks like Bengals win
- College Hoops: Chester's Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson gets 20 as Temple tops Towson 72-61
- Saint Joseph's suspends Halil Kanacevic 2 games for obscene gesture to 'Nova fans
- McCaffery: Sixers have rare chance to grab fans’ full attention (With Video)
- Punch Shots: Kanacevic paying penance for his sin
- Joakim Noah fired up as tired Bulls romp over 76ers (With Video)
- Sixers Scoop: Arnett Moultrie gets to delay D-league demotion | http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2012/12/13/sports/doc50caa2bd5304d257006302.txt?viewmode=3 | 566 |
Passing out candy and doing flips were methods Michael Diamond used to capture the attention of fellow students. The exposure paid off when he was elected Weber State University's 2012-2013 vice president of programming.
Diamond, a WSU junior studying public relations and advertising, will be in charge of planning university events. He previously served as a leader of the WSU triathlon team, in the Student Alumni Association and Student Involvement and Leadership Office.
Diamond, who believes WSU is slowly moving out of the “commuter school” reputation, wants to help accelerate that reputation.
”I watched each event this year increase by 40 precent and really planted in myself a desire to keep that rolling,” he said.
Diamond said he envisions increased attendance at campus events, adding that students can plan on events being larger than in previous years.
“He knows when someone is left out,” said Courtney Ellis, a two-year member of WSU’s Event Committee. “He wants to include everyone. He’s already put out a couple of surveys about what events (students) are interested in.
"The biggest thing is, the kid knows how to have fun.”
“He has the drive,” said Landon Stoker, a mentor in the Student Involvement Leadership Office at WSU. “He will do whatever is necessary to get people to events.”
Currently a marketing and design director at AdPro Marketing, Diamond believes marketing experience will benefit him in the new position.
“Like any product, marketing ‘lifestyle’ is key,” Diamond said. “Changing WSU’s ‘lifestyle' atmosphere will help improve all other aspects at the school.”
The kickoff event for the year is scheduled for the first week of fall semester.
“Imagine 3,500-plus people at the Dee Events Center skipping,” Diamond said. “That’s right; we are going to break the Guinness World Record for the most people skipping at one place and at one time.”
Diamond will assume the new position before the end of spring semester.
We Like Mike
Michael Diamond campaigns to Weber State students through an online video. The video was spread via social media and shown on campus during Weber State University's campaign week.
Dakota Hyde is a senior at Weber State University studying public relations and advertising.
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Big Sky is the limit for Wasatch High School all-state quarterback James Delacenserie
Editor's note: This article was originally published on the author's personal blog and has been edited and republished with permission.
All eyes turned to college football Wednesday as thousands of high school prospects signed their collegiate letters of intent, including Wasatch High School quarterback James Delacenserie.
Delacenserie chose Idaho State University in Pocatello. The 6-3, 225-pound senior carried himself with ease throughout the morning as he signed his letter in the presence of his family, coaches and friends on the Wasatch High School campus.
“I’m really excited and very happy with my choice,” James said. “It’s been a long process and I’m relieved it’s over. Now it’s just time to get to work.”
James said he knew he would choose a Division I program but wanted the opportunity to compete for playing time right away. He said he preferred the idea of having a good four-year college football career instead of just one or two years.
"I had been leaning towards ISU for a while,” said the Region 10 offensive MVP. "It was great to get the attention and have the conversations with some of the other schools, but I knew deep down that Idaho State was where I wanted to go.”
The opportunity to play in the Big Sky Conference was another factor in Delacenserie's decision. Many of the schools in the conference are close enough for his family to visit for games. Additionally, the Bengals will play a game at BYU (2013) and at Utah (2014). James’ parents, Rick and Nancy, said they are pleased about that.
"It will be a lot of fun to watch James play against Utah right here at home,” Rick said. "But Pocatello is just a few hours away so we plan on taking in as many games as possible.”
Delacenserie made a couple of trips to the campus. He said he got along well with the Bengal players he met during his visits. Also, he said he immediately felt at home talking to head coach Mike Kramer and other members of the coaching staff about their style of offense.
“I think the offense is perfect for me," James said. "They run a fast-paced spread and throw the ball a lot, and that is pretty exciting for a quarterback."
Delacenserie carries a 4.0 GPA and will be enrolling in the honors program and majoring in engineering at Idaho State. He said he plans to attend school during the summer so he can get a head start on his classes, acclimate himself to the campus and his surroundings, and get in some summer football workouts.
Delacenserie and Steve Coburn, Wasatch's football coach, answered questions during a live on-camera interview with Wasatch High School television.
"We couldn’t be more proud of James,” Coburn said. "He really came through for us as a team leader this year, not only on the field, but off it as well. I think he’s made an excellent choice with Idaho State. Their engineering program is well-respected and I know that was important to James. He’s also picked a football program where I believe he will factor in very soon.”
As a quarterback for Wasatch High School, Delacenserie accumulated 6,174 passing yards, 70 touchdown passes and 80 total touchdowns.
Kenny Bristow is a contributor to the Deseret News high school coverage for the Wasatch region. Email: [email protected]
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The Guardian's World Cup Daily podcast is an engaging mix of information, silliness, hard-headed analysis, blunt speaking, reporting, and jokes that American sports journalism would never allow.
My favorite quips have come from Barry Glendenning (who's Irish, actually). One was a comment on Landon Donovan's odd behavior when he dropped to his knees and looked skyward before a penalty kick:
"But he’s American. He was probably praying to the Lord Jesus."Imagine the politico-religious explosion that would result if anyone said that in America.
And here's Glendenning on Uruguay's celebrated but distant soccer history, most of which, he said, came “before Sky invented football in 1992.” Few in American journalism would take ESPN's name in vain in such fashion.
Glendenning also offers blunter assessments of players and teams than is usual in the U.S. On one of England's starters and the team's chances: " ... the mistakes I think John Terry will make throughout the tournament. I don't rate John Terry as an international defender. ... [England] just don't have the spine."
And here's Barney Ronay's pre-World Cup assessment of England's chances:
"What kind of message would it send to the world if England did win the World Cup? ... Have a bloated, overinflated league ... have a rubbish coaching structure, don't look after your youngsters, get a foreign manager in, and you, too, can be the best in the world. I mean, it just seems wrong that England would win the World Cup."And the show's host, James Richardson, on advertising-fueled jingoism, "this deluge of crap adverts telling us that this is `we.'" And the references to various teams as "rubbish" or "shocking," a degree of bluntness that would be welcome when appropriate but will never cross the lips of any American sports commentator who might, if roused to a passion, allow that an American team may have disappointed high expectations.
"Their scoring columns have more zeroes than the the attack on Pearl Harbo(u)r."© Peter Rozovsky 201 | http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/2010/06/world-cup-of-humour.html | 458 |
One group of voters mattered more than the writers in awarding Miguel Cabrera his American League Most Valuable Player Award during Thursday's dramatics in New York.
After the most divisive, most acidic, debate I can remember in my baseball experience, Cabrera beat a glorious rookie, Mike Trout, for the 2012 AL MVP plaque.
An official vote confirmed it. Twenty-two of 28 ballots from Baseball Writers Association of America members had etched Cabrera's name into that first-place slot. Six had chosen Trout. Victory for a Tigers superstar, the first Triple Crown winner in 45 years.
But what made this vote, and this sadly polarized discussion, less of an argument and more of a validation, was last week's release of the Players Choice Awards. Cabrera's big-league peers named him the best player in either league in 2012. They decided, also, he was the American League's Outstanding Player for 2012.
And if those prizes didn't make clear what his counterparts thought of his skills, he also won the Sporting News 2012 Player of the Year in a vote of big-leaguers. They gave him 108 points to 71 for Trout, who was runner-up.
This has been a difficult, uncomfortable skirmish we have been watching play out in recent weeks and months, this Cabrera-versus-Trout standoff.
It got ugly because it never should have been so antagonistic. But it became, too many times, an I-know-baseball-and-you-don't controversy. It became, probably as many times, a reflexive, hometown-flavored popularity contest centered on the statistical fact Cabrera won this year's Triple Crown.
The Trout supporters were infused with conviction and correctness: Trout played ungodly defense. He stole 49 bases in his 5½-month cameo with the Angels. He bashed 30 home runs and stole 49 bases. He batted .326.
Trout was the definitive all-around player. Cabrera was one-dimensional, critics said. Trout was a pure — pure — baseball player. Cabrera, a big lug who could hit, was below average on defense and a dinosaur on the bases.
True, in a bloodless clinical analysis.
False, in the grand context of what Cabrera had done to opposing players and teams while taking the single most difficult art in sports — hitting a big-league baseball — to an astonishingly high altitude.
Cabrera changes baseball games, even if it is in his perceived one-dimensional way. He probably changes games at least as much as Trout did, even as Trout was sprinting to catch balls no other center fielder was grabbing, or swiping bases that allowed him to score nearly a run per game.
You could argue otherwise and have a season full of statistics, as well as common sense, on your side. Trout could have won Thursday and the baseball world would have celebrated. To be a 20-year-old rookie, performing so exquisitely at the highest competitive level in baseball's world, is worth MVP glitter.
But to suggest for a moment, as Cabrera's critics too easily implied, that he was something less than a MVP-caliber baseball player, something less than Trout in his execution of baseball art, is a narrow appraisal of Cabrera's presence and impact on a game, and on a team.
Players votes telling
His colleagues said as much with their Players Choice and Sporting News votes.
Obviously, it will be argued players aren't about to cut any slack to a rookie. It's a valid point. Cabrera has been around for nearly a decade. Trout got here last April. The guys who have paid their dues aren't about to hand a hotshot kid any heavy hosannas until he has proven himself beyond a 5½-month rookie audition.
But those same players never appeared to resent Trout as much as they respected him. They weren't into putting him in his place as much as they were quick to praise skills they could see were talents that could re-craft baseball's Mount Rushmore during the next 20 years.
But neither were they going to dismiss Cabrera, whose at-bats are as cerebral as they are dynamic. His cohorts understood he was not a skilled defensive player. But they understood he, in making his migration back to third base in 2012, was fundamentally a baseball player who did his job. He accepted a new assignment. He played it with passion, and with greater skill than some of us imagined.
Above all, though, his opponents feared his at-bats, respected his at-bats, marveled at his at-bats and how they could crush an opponent and lift the Tigers.
What they finally said was this: The guy who has been around, whose skills are otherworldly, had a majestic year, all to the benefit of his team, which is at the heart of Thursday's award.
Cabrera is the MVP. That his peers also view him as the best will be honor eternal, recognition that should mean as much to Cabrera as that MVP trophy he hauled home Thursday.
Twenty-two of 28 ballots from Baseball Writers Association of America members gave Miguel Cabrera first place in voting for MVP. / Robin Buckson/Detroit News
More Lynn Henning
- This is why the Tigers refused to dump Rick Porcello in a trade
- 10 players Tigers would love to have on draft day
- Miguel Cabrera blast more evidence Comerica needs added charm, less space
- Torii Hunter has ended Tigers’ right-field anxieties
- Heating-up Andy Dirks a prime example of when Tigers’ scouts shine
- In photos: What Tigers players are like, really
- Tigers’ talent stockpile means another July trade probably coming | http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20121115/OPINION03/211150476/1361/update/Major-leaguers-know-Tigers-Miguel-Cabrera-deserved-MVP | 1,172 |
Lakeland, Fla. -- What are you doing April 1?
Perhaps watching a baseball game? From a place called Target Field that the Twins and Tigers hope is at least clear of snow by the time Opening Day's first pitch is tossed?
And what do students of Detroit's baseball team foresee as they note Jim Leyland's gang is three weeks from pulling spring camp's stakes ahead of that flight to Minneapolis?
The Tigers have gotten lost this week in the necessary obsession with closer Bruce Rondon, whose virtual make-it-or-break-it appearance Friday at least bought himself and Detroit time as they nervously deal with the team's only serious issue.
That's right. The closer is at the moment about as close to a weak link as the Tigers feature.
Closer could have 60 saves
Scott Boras knows it. Baseball's favorite agent mentioned during a conversation earlier this week that whoever closes for the Tigers is likely to have a shot at 60 saves.
He might be right. The Tigers have incredibly solid starting pitching. They have quality bullpen help apart from the white-knuckle matter of who will close.
And, maybe most important for a team that had constant trouble on offense in 2012, the Tigers have two more star hitters in Victor Martinez and Torii Hunter. Factor in the typical team's usual surprise on the plus and on the negative sides, and this team could score 100 more runs than it did a year ago.
The Tigers know this. Dave Dombrowski, the team's architect, understands it. So does Leyland, a manager who probably had a hunch the Rondon journey might be more than bumpy as his club's ninth-inning options evolved.
That's what these final three weeks in Florida will be all about. A team will determine if a 22-year-old kid can, as Boras reminds everyone, become the first closer so young to usher a team to a championship.
If the Tigers can somehow bank on Rondon to finish games with reasonable success, they can get greedy. They can trade Rick Porcello for a better player at another position, which ideally would happen at shortstop, the one area of infield defense and offense the Tigers can reasonably hope to address.
Boras: Mentor needed
But that depends upon Rondon branding Porcello as something other than trade bait for a closer. Three weeks isn't a lot of time for Rondon to harness the strike zone with consistency and to trust secondary pitches that weren't on display in Friday's 15-pitch outing against some weak Mets hitters.
Boras makes a good point. Almost all modern-day closers have had mentors who helped them with the transition from kid talents to trustworthy ninth-inning firemen.
Jonathan Papelbon. Billy Wagner. Joe Nathan. Trevor Hoffman. On and on and on.
He wants the Tigers to sign his client, Jose Valverde, to a one-year deal that would help ease Rondon's transition and provide the 100-mph man with on-the-job counsel.
The Tigers appear uninterested. They believe Valverde was coming apart even before his October meltdown that nearly turned a long playoff run into a one-week cameo.
And so there's your issue. There is your debate. There is your matter to yet be resolved during these final 21 days of spring camp.
This Tigers team is much better than the 2012 version. It's potentially 10 games better.
Unless, of course, something bad happens: a long-term injury, or (shudder) a team giving away games it otherwise has won.
For now, enjoy the drama. It will be flavoring Lakeland's otherwise staid scene for the next three weeks.
Tigers catcher Alex Avila talks with rookie and closer hopeful Bruce Rondon during an outing last week. The team's lack of a viable closer is the only thing the team has had to fret about this spring. / Robin Buckson/Detroit News
More Lynn Henning
- This is why the Tigers refused to dump Rick Porcello in a trade
- 10 players Tigers would love to have on draft day
- Miguel Cabrera blast more evidence Comerica needs added charm, less space
- Torii Hunter has ended Tigers’ right-field anxieties
- Heating-up Andy Dirks a prime example of when Tigers’ scouts shine
- In photos: What Tigers players are like, really
- Tigers’ talent stockpile means another July trade probably coming | http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130309/OPINION03/303090331/1336/Tigers-find-trade-market-tangled-this-year/Closer-is-only-story-line-on-otherwise-sound-Tigers-team | 928 |
Pistons coach Lawrence Frank returned to the team Monday after a six-game absence. (Clarence Tabb Jr./Detroit News)
Auburn Hills -- Will Bynum understood the question, but since it involved self-evaluation he couldn't get the words out of his mouth.
When he was asked if this team has reached the point of uttering the "Q" word — "quit" — Bynum's pride prevented him from admitting it, but he believes the question is fair, given the Pistons' troubling trend of embarrassing losses since the All-Star break.
"I wouldn't say that. I'm in it," Bynum said. "Our effort could be a little better. No (positives) tonight."
The latest, a 37-point whipping at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets, simply adds to the ledger. It is a Nets team, by the way, to whom the Pistons lost their two earlier meetings by a total of five points. Since the break: back-to-back losses to the Pacers by a total of 50 points, a 39-point loss to the San Antonio Spurs and a 32-point loss to the L.A. Clippers.
'This is our fifth game like this since the break," said Pistons coach Lawrence Frank, who returned to the team after a six-game absence due to his wife's illness.
"As a group we stunk. This is disheartening to watch."
If they haven't quit, it looks like high-level coasting since the All-Star break at the very least. This is a total change from the way they performed in the first half of the season.
"We have to restore the pride of being a Piston," said Frank before Monday's game. "We're not gonna restore it in a day but, big picture, we have to get that pride back in wearing that jersey."
He hoped his return could signal a start, but being without crucial players Andre Drummond, Brandon Knight and Jose Calderon has left the Pistons with one starter who would likely start on every team in Greg Monroe.
Getting drilled regularly, though, is the signal of something much more alarming. Despite their 0-8 start and losing a lot of games they shouldn't have in the season's first two months, they were still competing, and it was evident by their frustrations after games.
But there's a difference when you let one get away and you gave it away, willingly.
"We'd better (have fight left). Our intent to start the game is right and then stuff happens," Frank said.
With 13 games left, it's fair to wonder how much worse it can get from this stage. Having lost nine straight and 12 of 13, they haven't shown they can at least be competitive.
It's fair to wonder if this team is broken and, if so, the question of what caused it must be evaluated. Is this a lack of leadership or accountability in the locker room or on the sidelines and, if so, does that change Joe Dumars' choice of what to put in his shopping cart this summer?
While Pistons owner Tom Gores publicly stated the expectation in October of making the playoffs, the team's subsequent struggles haven't come as a surprise.
It's the "how" that must raise a few eyebrows.
Questions about a team's mental toughness aren't exclusive to struggling teams.
The team that's won 23 straight and headed for the NBA record of 33 — the Miami Heat — had to endure doubts about their collective psyche for two whole years until June.
The Pistons aren't there, nor is anyone here suggesting they are. But do they at least have the professionalism and pride that's supposed to be synonymous with wearing the red, white and blue jersey? | http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130320/OPINION03/303200357/Woeful-Pistons-frustrate-Lawrence-Frank | 782 |
We would like to take a moment to congratulate blogger Joe Eldridge, along with his Team Type 1 teammates Dan Holt, Zach Noonan, and Zach Kovalcik, on winning the team pursuit at the 2012 USA Cycling Elite Track Nationals in Carson, California!
In the months leading up to Nationals, Joe, who has Type 1 diabetes, has been racing in South America and Asia. “I came straight from Beijing to California, on a short 12-hour flight via Seattle, with just a half-day’s supply of insulin remaining after more than 30 days of racing and travel in the US, Brazil, and China. But my physical fitness was very sharp, and I have been doing really well in anticipating all the challenges this trip has posed,” he said.
In the grueling 4-kilometer team pursuit, teammates ride in each others’ slipstream just centimeters apart, taking turns pulling the team before swinging up the track’s banking to rejoin at the end of the group. The goal is to cover the distance faster than any competitors. (Click here to see an example of the men’s team pursuit from the 2011 Track World Cup in Manchester, England.)
The team’s victory in the race marks the first national championship for Team Type 1. “Joe was the inspiration for starting the team, and is the cofounder of our organization. His transformation from an average diabetic with less-than-average diabetes management, to a focused amateur athlete, to a pro, and now to to a national champion is proof that with hard work, dreams can come true,” noted Team Type 1 CEO and cofounder Phil Southerland.
A hearty congratulations to Joe and the rest of the team from Diabetes Self-Management!
To read more about Team Type 1’s victory at Nationals, visit the team’s Web site. And to learn more about Joe’s experiences managing his diabetes while competing as a professional cyclist, read his blog series here.
This blog entry was written by Web Editor Diane Fennell. | http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/Blog/Web-Team/joe-eldridge-becomes-a-national-champion/ | 428 |
NBC recently confirmed that Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green will take a break from the show next season and will be replaced by Usher and Shakira.
"It wouldn't be such a great problem for this show to go ten years where we have rotating current stars," Daly told E! Online. "It'll keep things fresh."
Daly also revealed that he believes Usher - who recently won a bitter custody battle and is grieving the death of his stepson - will get on well with the other coaches.
"He's had a tumultuous year personally, but he's such a great guy," he said. "He's a great fit and so is Shakira."
Daly added that Shakira's pregnancy should not interfere with filming, explaining: "We shoot season four soon, so I don't think it'll be an issue. We only need her ears and her mind and her heart."
Aguilera recently explained her break from The Voice by saying: "I have to feel creatively fulfilled in order for me to then do my job as a coach and be on that show."
The current third season of The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC. | http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/s148/the-voice/news/a408702/the-voice-carson-daly-changes-will-keep-the-show-fresh.html?rss | 243 |
Unlike last year, the Kings are struggling on the road in this year's playoffs, and
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Get the best football picks and NFL football picks from the industry's most formidable sports handicapping team. Football picks that will keep you winning all season. Get NFL football picks and free football picks from the top guys in the industry. NFL football picks for football betting are offered every day with a complete analysis. | http://www.donbest.com/afl/matchups/?page=arena/arenateam&teamid=JACKSONVILLE&season= | 210 |
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DSU wins season opener against in-state rival DWU in women’s basketball
November 2, 2010
MADISON, S.D. – The Dakota State University women's basketball team hosted their in-state rival Dakota Wesleyan of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Tuesday night. The Trojans defeated the Tigers 78-73 in both teams' season opener at DSU Fieldhouse.
DSU opened with a 12-2 run in the first seven minutes of the game. The Trojans extended to their largest lead of the game at 23-12 with 7:52 remaining in the first-half.
Dakota Wesleyan used a 17-6 run to tie the game at 29-29 with 56 seconds left in the first-half. The Trojans went on to lead 32-31 at halftime.
There were seven ties in the first nine minutes of the second-half. At 49-49, The Trojans went on a 13-4 scoring tear to lead at 62-53 with 7:47 left in regulation.
DWU scored nine straight points to rallied and tie the game at 62-62 with 5:27 left in the game. With both teams tied at 66-66 with 3:07 left in the game, the Trojans went on a 5-0 run to lead at 71-66 with 1:50 left in regulation.
Dakota State secured the victory in closing seconds as the Trojans went 9-for-12 at the free-throw line, including 5-for-6 by DSU's Katie Bourk, in the final two minutes of the game.
Bourk led the Trojans with 16 points. She went 3-for-8 from the field and 9-for-12 at the free-throw line. Kylie Westover scored 14 points. She shot 4-for-8 from the 3-point line. April Mielke added 13 points, including 6-for-9 at the free-throw line. Courntey Hamblin had nine points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Five players scored in double digits for DWU. Kenzie Dvoracek had 17 points. She shot 7-for-12 from the field and 3-for-6 from the 3-point line. Micaela Erickson scored 12 points. Elizabeth Lamb had 11 points. Brittany Hills and Taylor Piper each had 10 points. Piper dished out four assists. Brittany Pritchard grabbed 13 rebounds.
Dakota Wesleyan won the rebounding battle over the Trojans 45-38. The Tigers committed 22 turnovers compared to DSU's 16.
DSU was 21-for-32 at the free-throw line (65.6 percent) compared to DWU's 8-for-14 (57.1 percent).
The Trojans shot 24-for-58 from the field (41.4 percent). DWU shot 28-for-65 from the field (43.1 percent).
Dakota State looks to make it two straight wins as they host Dordt (Iowa) of the GPAC on Tuesday, Nov. 9. Tip-off is slated at 6 p.m. as part of women's/men's doubleheader with the Defenders at DSU Fieldhouse.
Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director | http://www.dsuathletics.com/news/2010/110210-dwurecap.aspx | 748 |
Behind the Glass
Ask Greeny, Herm Edwards and the Mike & Mike staff about the divisional round of the NFL playoffs and whatever else is on your mind.
Your questions could be answered during the show's second "Behind the Glass" event, which will begin around 6 a.m. ET.
"Behind the Glass" chat »
Read full story | http://www.espn.go.com/espnradio/conversations/_/id/8834689/glass | 74 |
The bond between a father and his daughter is always a special one, but in the case of these women, the "Daddy's girl" moniker is particularly fitting. This Sunday these very accomplished women will give an extra-big thank you to their fathers for giving them the genes and the guts to go out and make their mark in the sports world.
Chips off the old block
These gals really followed in Dad's footsteps, finding success in the same sport that made their fathers famous.
Laila Ali: No discussion of father-daughter duos would be complete without boxing legend Muhammad Ali and his daughter, Laila. The 5-foot-10 super middleweight went 24-0 in her career, winning 21 of her matches by knockout. While she never got in the ring with the top-ranked fighters of her day, she did bring publicity and popularity to women's boxing. Since her last fight in 2007, Ali has been busy taking care of her two kids with husband Curtis Conway while working as an actress and TV host, recording an album and promoting her line of skin-care products.
Jacqui Frazier-Lyde: The daughter of the legendary Joe Frazier, Jacqui didn't take up boxing until age 38. A former college basketball player, the lawyer and mother of three was inspired to don the gloves after hearing of Laila Ali's career. Both women were undefeated when they faced off in 2001 in the first pay-per-view boxing card headlined by female fighters. Ali won by a majority decision in eight rounds, handing Frazier-Lyde the only loss of her 14-match career. Frazier-Lyde is now a Municipal Court judge in Philadelphia.
Maya Moore: Mike Dabney, father of the UConn standout, was a terrific hoops player in his own right, helping an undefeated 1976 Rutgers squad make a trip to the Final Four, the first in Scarlet Knights history. An honorable mention All-America guard when he played for assistant coach Dick Vitale at Rutgers, Dabney was taken by the Lakers in the third round of the '76 draft. Moore was raised by her mother, Kathryn, and Dabney wasn't in her life until her senior year in high school. Their relationship may be new, but his basketball genes have played a role in her success since day one.
These ladies got good genes from their dads but decided to take their own talents to another field.
Diana Taurasi: The four-time WNBA All-Star and former UConn superstar is one of the greatest women's basketball players of all time, but she almost gave up on hoops. When she was a teenager, it was her dad, Mario, a former professional soccer goalie, who told her that she should choose basketball over soccer. Born in Italy, Mario spent several years as a goalkeeper in Argentina, but he believed hoops was a better choice for a girl growing up in the U.S. Good genes and good advice -- no wonder Diana grew up to be a star.
Logan Tom: An NCAA champion at Stanford, three-time Olympic indoor volleyball player, silver medalist in Beijing and co-captain of the 2012 U.S. Olympic team, Logan grew up watching her dad play in the NFL. Mel Tom was a defensive lineman who played nine seasons in the league -- seven with the Eagles and two with the Bears.
Katie Smith: The all-time leading scorer in women's professional basketball, Smith has recorded more than 7,000 career points between the ABL and the WNBA. She grew up in a family of athletes and was inspired by her father, John Jr., who was a college football player at Ohio University.
Keelin Winters: The Boston Breakers midfielder and former captain of the U.S. U-20 women's national soccer team grew up playing basketball under the tutelage of her dad, Brian. Soccer is her first love, but hoops flows through her veins, as her father is a former NBA player and a well-traveled coach. A two-time NBA All-Star, Brian has coached for the Cavs, Hawks, Grizzlies, Warriors and WNBA's Fever. Keelin quit basketball in high school so she could focus on soccer and has since been teaching her hoops-loving dad to love "the beautiful game," too.
In a few years these athlete ingenues might compete with their dads for the sporting spotlight.
Sydney Moss: The daughter of NFL wide receiver Randy Moss is headed to the University of Florida to play basketball in 2012.
Tristine Johnson: The UNC jumper is following in the hops, steps and jumps of her hurdler and triple jumper father, gold medalist, three-time Olympian and NCAA champion Allen Johnson.
Sami Fagan: The former Florida Gatorade Player of the Year and ESPN RISE first-team All-American has signed on to play softball for the Florida Gators in the fall. Her dad, Kevin Fagan, won three Super Bowls as a defensive end with the San Francisco 49ers. | http://www.espn.go.com/espnw/news-opinion/6673876/like-father-daughter | 1,036 |
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- Fleece sweatshirt
- Heather-gray NCAA® team name centered on chest
- Team logo screenprinted on left hip
- Swoosh® trademark on left chest
- Team-colored design
- Banded cuffs and waistband
- Interior neck taping
- Ribbed crew neckline
- Officially licensed
- Made in China | http://www.espnshop.com/product/index.jsp?productId=13159406 | 266 |
REPORT: Lance Armstrong Tells Oprah He Doped
By RAPHAEL CHESTANG
January 14, 2013
After more than a decade of denials, Lance Armstrong has reportedly come clean to Oprah Winfrey.
According to The Associated Press, a person close to the situation spoke on a condition of anonymity, claiming that Armstrong confessed to using performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France during an interview with Oprah for OWN's Oprah's Next Chapter.
ABC News reports that Armstrong spoke to about 100 Livestrong Foundation staffers in Austin, Texas prior to his interview. Spokeswoman Katherine McLane described Armstrong's speech to ABC News, calling it a "sincere and heartfelt apology" in which he "took responsibility" for any trouble that he may have brought on the foundation.
A report from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency led to Armstrong being stripped of his seven Tour titles last year, but Armstrong has maintained his innocence until now.
USADA chief executive Travis Tygart has accused Armstrong of taking part in "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."
Oprah is scheduled to appear live on CBS This Morning tomorrow, January 15. Armstrong's episode of Oprah's Next Chapter airs Thursday, January 17 at 9 p.m. on OWN. | http://www.etonline.com/news/129193_REPORT_Lance_Armstrong_Tells_Oprah_Winfrey_He_Doped/index.html | 271 |
New French champion SLUC Nancy Basket steps into the Turkish Airlines Euroleague with great confidence this season as the proud club marks its second foray into Europe’s premier competition. Nancy downed the previous champion, Cholet Basket, in a thrilling final in Paris in June to win the league and get back to the Euroleague after two years away. Founded in 1967, Stade Lorraine Universite Club (SLUC) Nancy Basket did not find its first real success until the early 1990s, when the team advanced to the French third division. In little time, Nancy jumped to the second division and by 1995 had finished an amazing run that started at the bottom of the French basketball ladder and took it to the first division. Nancy soon started to fight for titles and reached the 1997 French Cup final, although it lost against Asvel Basket. That year, the team lost to Tau Ceramica in the early rounds of the Korac Cup in its first-ever appearance in European competition. The team kept battling to reach the French League playoffs and finished sixth in the 2000-01 season. It was only a question of time before Nancy would win a title, and that finally happened in 2002. Big man Cyril Julian, Stevin Smith, Vincent Masingue and Joseph Gomis starred as Nancy downed Bayer Leverkusen, Dijon and Pivovarna Lasko to make it to the 2002 Korac Cup finals against Lokomotiv Rostov. Smith had 23 points in the first leg, which Nancy won 98-72, while Masingue helped hold off a Rostov rally in the second leg to bring the club its first title. Nancy's next piece of silverware came in 2005 when it won the Semaine Des As by thrashing Gravelines in the final. Starting that year, the club became a regular in the French playoff final. Nancy came up short the first three years, losing to Strasbourg, Le Mans and Chorale Roanne, respectively. In 2006-07, Nancy also made its ULEB Cup debut and reached the elimination rounds, only to lose against Strasbourg in an exciting eighthfinals matchup. The 2007-08 season brought new reasons to celebrate as Jeff Greer led the club to an 84-53 rout of defending champion Roanne in the French League final. That victory catapulted the club into the 2008-09 Euroleague, another step forwards for the club. Nancy came within one win of making it to the Top 16 too. Last season Nancy made its loudest noise at home as it went the distance in playoffs series against Hyeres-Toulon and Asvel Basket before beating Cholet in the title game to win the league and secure passage back to the Euroleague. The next step as Nancy ascends to new heights is to duplicate its success in France and to advance a stage in the Euroleague, which is something no French club has done since Pau-Orthez in the 2006-07 campaign, a streak that Nancy is more than capable of breaking.
Korac Cup: 2002
French National Championship: 2007-08, 2010-11
Semaine des As: 2005 | http://www.euroleague.net/competition/teams/showteam?clubcode=NAN&gamecode=118&pcode=000378&seasoncode=U2007 | 647 |
Mascot Fee To Boost Community
Proceeds from an Arsenal Mascot Package to Be Donated
Anybody considering purchasing a mascot package for one of the Blues’ matches could do worse than select the upcoming game against Arsenal.
That way, you could enjoy the fact that the fee would be going to a good cause.
The Club has donated a package for the game to Everton in the Community with the £499 cost going towards continuing the good work of the organisation.
For £499, your child could experience a once in a life time opportunity at Goodison Park and receive:
• VIP behind the scenes tour of the ground.
• A full Everton kit.
• An opportunity to meet Everton players.
• Walk out with the players for the game.
• Three tickets to see the game.
• Group mascot picture taken pitch side.
• A mention in the match day programme.
Terms and conditions apply. Children must be between 5- 12 years of age to take part. For more information or to book this fantastic package please call 0151 530 5260.
Everton in the Community was formed in 1988 and became a registered charity in June 2004, with the mission to initiate and deliver a range of engaging sports-related activities, programmes and schemes with the aim of making a difference to the lives of people on Merseyside. | http://www.evertonfc.com/news/archive/2010/11/03/mascot-fee-to-boost-community | 281 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: John G. Duesler, Jr.
BSN Media Administrator
BEACH SPORTS NETWORK ADDS DISC GOLF, ANNOUNCES 2013 TELEVISION SCHEDULE
Merger Strengthens Television Appeal, as well as Fosters Move Towards Online Video-on-Demand Broadcasting for Live and Archived Shows
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (28 January 2013)–The Beach Sports Network announced today a partnership with the Professional Disc Golf Association that will increase their television presence to 20 shows, as well as expand their expand future distribution to a dedicated online portal that will stream live events during the year, as well as provide their dedicated community of fans video-on-demand access to past shows.
“We have been watching the popularity of disc golf grow steadily over the last few years,” explained AJ Handler, the Director of UWP-IJSBA National Tour (http://www.uwpinc.com/ – watercross racing). “At the same time, Brian [Graham, Executive Director of the PDGA] has been attending many of the sports tourism conferences, and it didn’t take long to recognize that their events and tour are top-notch. After discussing the concept of partnering with disc golf with our partners, it became clear this was really a no brainer to merge the sports.”
The Beach Sports Network will now consist of Handler’s UWP-IJSBA Watercross National Tour, beach volleyball’s EVP Tour, and the new addition, disc golf tour. A total of 20 half-hour shows will be produced for distribution across as many as 23 regional sports networks beginning in April and concluding in October. The EVP and UWP-IJSBA National tours will each produce eight shows, while the PDGA will broadcast four shows that will reach an estimated 60-80 million households per episode.
“The Beach Sports Network is excited to introduce disc golf to our athletes and TV fans. Many of the BSN host cities would like to include disc golf in their schedule of events,” smiled Ross Balling, CEO of the EVP Tour (http://www.evptour.com – beach volleyball). “This is clearly a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Television has been our bread and butter for more than a few years now, but with disc golf’s experience in live Internet broadcasting, this partnership gives all three of our sports great media leverage. Our fans too are excited about the increased exposure we will gain from the Internet side.”
The EVP® Tour has established the largest national pro-am volleyball attraction in America. The tour travels to twenty key markets across the country from March to October. The EVP® will produce eight, 30 minute TV shows that reach over 40 states. Its grassroots efforts assist regional and local athletes. Our local EVP® Network Members assist the grassroots efforts by establishing young adult relationships that drives the 50 percent of the participation in our events.
Disc golf too has found a dedicated global audience on the ground, as well as online. During its first three years of live Internet broadcasting, their shows average 27-35,000 unique viewers from 133-147 nations. In 2012, disc golf’s four anchoring broadcasts served up nearly 12,000,000 minutes of viewing from 443,000 streams, with as many as 26% of those viewers being new to each broadcast. This type of growth will only be enhanced as the three emerging sports now aggregate their content through one dedicated online portal, which is currently in development.
“The interesting thing about this relationship is that, just as Ross and AJ were looking for a way to do their events live on the Internet, we were looking for greater exposure on TV,” said Brian Graham, Executive Director of the PDGA (http://www.pdga.com – disc golf). “This is a win-win for all three sports, as all our strengths will definitely complement each other. The other advantage to joining the Beach Sports Network is that we can now create powerful new events that will appeal to sports tourism bureaus throughout the nation.”
The Beach Sports Network will launch their 2013 television broadcast season in April with the airing of disc golf’s first national tour event from Arizona. Things will then really heat up in May, as the beach volleyball and water-cross tours go into full swing, occupying each weekend throughout the month. Limited sponsorship and advertising opportunities are still available from the Beach Sports Network’s TV and Internet broadcast inventories. For the complete broadcast schedule or for more information about the Beach Sports Network, contact BSN Media Administrator, John Duesler at 215-913-0569 or [email protected]. | http://www.evptour.com/beach-sports-network-adds-disc-golf-announces-2013-television-schedule | 993 |
I’m here to pick up where my colleague Tim Burke left off with his introductory articles on fantasy MMA (see Part 1 and Part 2). In a few minutes you can be signed up for a free fantasy league, and you will take your enjoyment of UFC 139 to the next level.
Millions of us are playing fantasy football each fall, but did you know there is a fantasy sport that goes year-round? It is fantasy fighting, which allows MMA fans new and old to test their fight-picking prowess against fellow fans.
When you play fantasy MMA, every fight counts, from the curtain-jerker undercard matches to the bright lights of the main event. With fantasy MMA you pick a winner, round, and method of victory for every UFC fight.
Where can I play for UFC 139 this weekend?
Head To Head Fantasy UFC Leagues: just like fantasy football – your UFC picks against another guy’s picks! Each "league" typically has 40 to 60 players per event competing in 1-on-1 matchups.
MMA Junkie’s UJC league: UJC 54 http://forums.mmajunkie.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=43301
MMA Junkie’s JFC league: JFC 81 http://forums.mmajunkie.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=43331
MMA Weekly’s UFF league: UFF 139
MMA Weekly’s MMAF league: MMAF 169 (signup thread to come Tuesday)
MMA Playground http://www.mmaplayground.com/upcoming.aspx
How do I win?
Scoring rules depend on the website. For MMA Playground, picking the right fighter gives 5 points, the right round is 2 points, and the method of victory is another 2 points. At the fantasy leagues on MMA Junkie and MMA Weekly, picking the fighter is worth 3 points, the round is worth 3 points, and the method is worth 3 points. After picking all 12 fights, submit your picks by Friday night. Then Saturday sit back and enjoy the 12 UFC fights by watching www.Facebook.com/UFC , Spike TV, and on pay-per-view. If your fantasy picks outscore your opponent’s fantasy picks you win! String together a few fantasy MMA wins and you will be in line for a title shot before you know it. | http://www.faketeams.com/2011/11/15/2563206/introduction-to-fantasy-mma-part-3 | 509 |
Prince Eltosam Named Skyline Player of the Week
Junior forward Prince Eltosam (Bronx, N.Y./Christopher Columbus)
was named the Skyline Conference Player of the Week for men's
soccer on Monday, October 8th.
Eltosam recorded two goals and two assists as Farmingdale State College extended its winning streak to six games, improving to 6-6 on the season. Eltosam scored the first two goals and assisted on the third goal as the Rams recorded a 4-0 shutout of Brooklyn in a non-conference game. He then assisted on the game-winning goal in the 31st minute in a 2-0 Skyline road victory over Mount Saint Mary. Eltosam is second on the team in scoring with six goals and four assists this season.
The Skyline Conference Weekly Reports for fall sports are announced by the Conference on Monday nights. Reports (including players of the week and statistics) are available to view on the Skyline website at www.skylineconference.org. | http://www.farmingdalesports.com/sports/msoc/2007/recaps/20071008_pow_eltosam | 218 |
Another EuroLeague Women regular season is in the history books and the final week of action didn't disappoint as several clubs kept us guessing right up until the last moments.
TANTALISING FOR TARGOVISTE
Yes, it's been a truly tantalising season for Targoviste who have reached for both the self-destruct button and flirted with success in a big way during a spectacularly bumpy first season back in the tournament after a long absence.
Eventually, it was success rather than self-destruction which prevailed and credit for that goes to the lengthy list of players who have made a contribution, to head coach Florin Nini and of course toGeorge Dikeoulakos who was responsible for overseeing three of the four wins which allowed them to scrape into the post-season.
It's a real boost for Romanian women's basketball that they made it to the play-offs and a big accomplishment to shoot down group leaders Good Angels Kosice in front of their ecstatic and noisy supporters. They will be huge underdogs against Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje, but they would have probably been fine with their current scenario at the start of the season.
Incidentally, Good Angels Kosice has had an incredible season, but one of the last teams I would want to play right now is Avenida - a team with huge momentum and new-found confidence. I suppose Kosice will be confident with home advantage in the series, although that sloppy Targoviste loss could return to haunt them and that would be a shame after such a great four or five months.
TURNING THE CORNER (AGAIN)
Jelena Skerovic and ZVVZ USK Prague recovered from a horror start to the season, assuring a play-off berth
As the curtain fell on the regular season action, I couldn't help but cast my mind back to near the start of the campaign when the (relatively) mighty ZVVZ USK Prague and Wisla Can-Pack were both in turmoil at a combined 0-6. The big question at the time was whether they would both be able to turn the corner and make the play-offs?
Now they have of course, answered this question. But, having turned the corner once, I feel both teams now have another corner to turn.
In the case of Prague, I guess being paired with Galatasaray doesn't feel like too much of a reward, although it isn't exactly mission impossible. The improved defence of Prague must be sustained to stand any chance of the upset and this is the corner they must turn. Playing improved defence against Mondeville is one thing, but now they have up to three games when they have to continue in this vein.
Wisla meanwhile have to add some consistency to their game and to their season. It's effectively knockout time now and to get past a useful Bourges team, they need to really deliver and can't afford any lapses. It could be a really tight and defensively orientated series, meaning errors and off nights will be punished even more than normal. This one is far too close to call.
INSIDE PRESENCE FELT
Someone asked me to choose my ‘Team Of The Regular Season' but I just found it absolutely impossible if I am honest, due to the sheer number of outstanding contributions. I initially considered the four and five spots first and quickly appreciated the wonderful performances we have had under the hoop this season.
What about Tina Charles who exploded back onto the EuroLeague Women stage with Wisla and went on to land a string of MVP accolades? Candace Parker is (or was) having one of her best seasons in the competition; Jantel Lavender at Famila Schio has torn it up in a big way; and you have to really love the debut season of rookie Nnemkadi Ogwumike. There are also those players who have had great individual seasons even if their team hasn't, such as Melisa Can at Tarsus.
Don't even get me started on the wings and the guards!
PLAY-OFF PAIRINGS REACTION
Jenifer Nadalin and Famila Schio need to stop their current rot if they are to advance to the Final Eight
It's nice to look forward in Paulball as well as reflecting. My initial reaction to the play-off pairings are, as you might expect, fuelled by anticipation and excitement. The starting point is perhaps concerned with whether any so-called shocks may materialise and I think that looks unlikely, but you just never know - even in a three-game series.
When we all sit and have a bit of fun trying to predict the eventual line-up for the Final Eight in Ekaterinburg, we probably focus too heavily on the personnel involved, statistics and key match-ups.
I'm a firm believer that the dynamics of chemistry and momentum are significant factors in basketball, with the latter sometimes overlooked ahead of the post-season.
Teams like Avenida and CCC Polkowice have considerable momentum behind them and this should be cautiously noted by their opponents. Players at each of these clubs will feel that it's now their time to punch a ticket for Ekat because of the way they have been playing in the last month and due to the confidence and belief they now have.
Other teams like Schio for example, have been on a real skid lately and therefore must pull the situation around. There have of course been mitigating factors in their mini-slump, and perhaps the lure of successive Final Eight appearances will provide the spark to re-ignite their season.
However, turning good performances and wins back on like a tap, isn't the reality of the situation. Those teams finishing the regular season on a lower ebb than they might have liked, must now take on the considerable challenge of wrestling back the momentum and making sure the pendulum swings back in their favour. | http://www.fibaeurope.com/euroleaguewomen/cid_-tmRPCfrIrYRSO2M5V49E1.teamID_96694.compID_jr6ZiXqeGhMBtfq1yxqV83.season_2013.roundID_9049.coid_icFfHyv9IR--ScBWx3FaF2.articleMode_on.html | 1,228 |
Returning is the prevalent theme in FIFA.com’s latest stats review, which features Jordi Alba going back to Barcelona, the Netherlands reappointing Louis van Gaal and Steve Zakuani making an emotional comeback from injury. Also in the spotlight are South America’s latest champions and a seemingly unstoppable African giant.
league matches without defeat is the streak currently being protected by Sudan’s Al Hilal. The Omdurman outfit, already their country’s record champions with 26 national titles, haven’t tasted defeat in the Sudani Premier League since Al Ahly Shendi beat them 1-0 on 28 April 2011, over 14 months ago. The consequence of their subsequent run is that Al Hilal, with 13 wins and a draw from 14 matches in their 2012 campaign, are already four points clear of last year’s champions Al Merreikh and edging ever closer to an eighth championship in ten seasons.
months after suffering a career-threatening injury, Steve Zakuani returned to action for Seattle Sounders on Saturday. The comeback would have been laden with emotion in any circumstances, but it became all the more memorable for a heart-warming show of sportsmanship from the Congo DR forward following his six-minute cameo. At full-time, Zakuani made a point of hugging and swapping shirts with Colorado Rapids’ Brian Mullan, the same player roundly vilified - and banned for ten matches - for the tackle that inflicted the Sounders’ star’s horrific double leg-break. Elsewhere in Major League Soccer, 15 was also the number of minutes required by Alvaro Saborio to single-handedly sew up a 3-0 win for Real Salt Lake against Portland Timbers with the fastest hat-trick of the week.
matches, zero defeats and one trophy: that was the sum total of Corinthians’ extraordinary efforts in this season’s Copa Libertadores. The Sao Paulo outfit became the first team in 34 years to survive the entire tournament unbeaten, with defeated finalists Boca Juniors ironically the last side to have held that distinction. O Timão also became the ninth different Brazilian club to win South America’s premier club competition, strengthening their nation’s grip on that particular record. Furthermore, their success ensured that the Libertadores trophy returned to Brazil for a third year in succession, the first such run since Cruzeiro, Vasco da Gama and Palmeiras strung together an identical streak between 1997 and 1999. Nonetheless, Argentinian clubs still hold the greatest overall number of South American crowns, with 22 to the their old rivals’ 16. Juan Roman Riquelme has won the tournament three times with Boca, but last Wednesday represented a sad swansong for the midfield maestro, who retired 16 years on from his Xeneizes debut.
years and five months after his first stint as Netherlands coach ended in disappointment, Louis van Gaal regained control of the national team on Friday. The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager has been charged with leading the Oranje to the FIFA World Cup™, a tournament they missed out on during his previous spell - despite Van Gaal winning 12 of his 14 games in charge. The Dutch have a well-established habit of reappointing former coaches, with Van Gaal following in the footsteps of Karel Kaufman, Friedrich Donenfeld, Leo Beenhakker and Dick Advocaat, all of whom spent more than one spell in charge, not to mention the legendary Rinus Michels, who led the team on four separate occasions.
years after he was released by Barcelona at the age of 16, Jordi Alba returned to Barcelona last Thursday at a cost of €14 million. Prior to his rejection, Alba spent nearly seven years at Barça’s famed La Masia academy before resurrecting his career with another Catalan club, Cornella, who sold him to Valencia for the rather less impressive figure of €6,000. The left-back returns to the Camp Nou on a high, having played all 570 minutes of Spain’s triumphant UEFA EURO 2012 campaign, earning rave reviews in the process. Yet while he is Tito Vilanova’s first signing as coach, he cannot claim to be the most expensive full-back on the Barça staff, an honour still reserved for the world record-holder in this respect, €32.5 million man Dani Alves. | http://www.fifa.com/newscentre/features/news/newsid=1662342/index.html?intcmp=newsreader_news_caption | 918 |
Uruguay’s progress to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ was far from smooth. One of the biggest problems coach Oscar Tabarez faced along the way was finding a goalkeeper he could rely on, with four men appearing between the Celeste sticks during the campaign. FIFA.com looks at the contribution each of them made to the side's qualification, and assesses their chances of being first-choice at the world finals.
Castillo usurps Carini
It was no surprise that Tabarez entrusted Fabian Carini with goalkeeping duties at the start of qualifying in October 2007. After all, the 28-year-old was the owner of over 60 caps in total, and had appeared at Korea/Japan 2002, in the Germany 2006 preliminaries and in two Copa Americas.
The only problem was that Carini was not a starter for Inter Milan, a situation he tried to remedy by moving to Spanish side Murcia, where he also failed to hold down a first-team place. His lack of match action perhaps impacted on his performances for his country, with Uruguay winning only one of their first five games, the opener against Bolivia, before drawing two and losing two, conceding six goals in the process.
Following the 1-2 defeat against Brazil in June 2008, Carini lost his place to his understudy Juan Castillo. Occupying a place on the bench for the next five matches, all the indications were that he would be restored to the starting XI after Castillo picked up an injury that October. Yet, although Tabarez included him for the November friendly against France, he was out of the picture for the March 2009 game against Paraguay.
“He hasn’t played enough,” explained the coach at the time. “I think you can put it down to his circumstances.” Tabarez has never selected him since.
Having decided to make a change between the posts, it was entirely logical that Tabarez should turn to Castillo first of all, especially as he had given the Botafogo shot-stopper his international debut two years earlier. Known in the game as Muralla (The Wall), Castillo played in the next five matches, keeping a clean sheet in three of them and conceding four goals in all. Of those five outings, Uruguay won two, drew two and lost one, against Argentina in Buenos Aires.
After helping his side defeat Colombia in Bogota, Castillo drew praise from none other than Ubaldo Fillol, who kept goal for Argentina when they won the FIFA World Cup on home soil in 1978. “He has an unconventional style,” said Fillol. “He’s not your typical steady keeper. He likes to take risks and get involved and he’s not afraid to do things differently.”
Yet, just as Castillo was cementing his place in the side, and only a fortnight after the match with Bolivia in October 2008, he tore cruciate ligaments in his right knee while on club duty.
Muslera capitalises on Viera slip-up
Even though there was a five-month gap before the qualifying competition resumed, Tabarez knew that Castillo would not be fit by then. He thus ended Sebastian Viera’s three-year spell in the international wilderness by calling him up to the squad for the November friendly against France.
A reliable pair of hands, the then-25-year-old had made his Uruguay debut under Jorge Fossati at the Copa America 2004, before making eight appearances in the qualifiers for Germany 2006. Like Carini before him, Viera was not playing regular football for his club, Villarreal. Yet, after remaining on the bench against the French, he did get the nod for a friendly against Libya the following February and the Paraguay match a month later.
After keeping clean sheets in the 2-0 defeat of Los Guaraníes and the subsequent goalless draw with Chile in Santiago, Viera turned in a poor performance in a heavy 4-0 defeat by Brazil in Montevideo. “I’m angry because I’ve always performed well for the national team, and yet as soon as I have a bad game the fans get on top of me,” he lamented afterwards. He has yet to be given a chance to redeem himself.
Four days after that loss to the five-time world champions, Tabarez took his side to Venezuela, restoring the fit-again Castillo to the number-one slot despite the fact he had yet to return to the Botafogo first team.
“It was bad luck,” said Castillo after Viera’s disappointing display. “No one can deny what a good keeper Viera is, and when you go through something like that you want to prove yourself again straight away.”
Aside from the Venezuela match, which ended in a 2-2 draw, Castillo would also appear in the back-to-back games against Peru and Colombia in September.
Defeated in Lima, Uruguay bounced back with a win over Los Cafeteros on home soil. Castillo’s performances were not up to standard, however, as he himself recognised: “I’ve made mistakes and so have Fabian (Carini) and Sebastian (Viera), but we just have to accept them and move on. There might be a lack of faith at the moment but we have to analyse our mistakes, try to avoid them in the future and become reliable again. Whoever plays has to be secure.”
The errors of the previous three incumbents opened the way for 23-year-old Lazio keeper Nestor Muslera, who was enjoying one of his best spells with the Italian side since his arrival there in 2007. Castillo’s deputy in those two games against Peru and Colombia, the tall custodian was promoted to the starting line-up for the crucial final two qualifying matches away to Ecuador and at home to Argentina. After impressing in both games, he held on to his place for the play-off against Costa Rica, with Castillo remaining on the bench.
Having proved his dependability under pressure, Muslera would appear to be in pole position for South Africa 2010. Neither Castillo nor Carini have given up hope of pipping him to the job, though, having made respective moves to Deportivo Cali and Atletico Mineiro in a bid to boost their chances of gaining Tabarez’s approval.
Also in the frame are Defensor Sporting’s Martin Silva and Esteban Conde of Universidad de Chile, two 26-year-olds who forced their way into the squad at various times during the qualifiers without getting a chance to prove their credentials.
With Tabarez due to announce his squad on 11 June, there is still plenty of time for Uruguay’s goalkeeping candidates to stake their claims. The competition for places promises to be intense. | http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/southafrica2010/news/newsid=1165746/index.html | 1,443 |
I have 2 leagues where i have serious doubts since i like kevin smith when he actually plays. He's Questionable for the sunday game i guess, and seems like Reggie is the safe bet on the 1st league, even though im concerned about Beanie being able to produce great numbers and leaving him in the bench. Im playing a semi vs another great team that will produce a lot of points, so i need to pick wisely.
1st. League PICK 2: Ryan Mathews (vs Bal) /Kevin Smith (@Oak) / Reggie Bush (@Buf or Beanie Wells (vs Cle)
2nd. League PICK 1: Kevin Smith (@Oak) or Roy Helu (@NYG)? | http://www.finheaven.com/forums/showthread.php?310840-new-1st-year-fantasy-basketball-Rotisserie-league-need-owners&goto=nextoldest | 148 |
VILANO BEACH, FL -- The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office plans to resume its search for a missing fisherman first thing Monday morning after searching all day Sunday.
Sergio Lopez, 22, and Birgilio Bautista-Pena, 22, of Clay County, were surf fishing. A boat wake caused Lopez to drift into the inlet.
A spokesperson for the sheriff's office says Bautista-Pena jumped in the water to help his friend and has not been seen since.
Lopez made it back to shore.
Many eyewitnesses saw Pena going beneath the surface of the water.
Boats and divers searched the channel for Bautista-Pena all day Sunday.
A Coast Guard helicopter also helped out.
First Coast News | http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=85559 | 163 |
Natchitoches, LA (Sports Network) - Northwestern State University announced
Tuesday a 2013 football schedule which features six home contests and two FBS
The Demons from the Southland Conference will play a 12-game schedule for the
first time since 2008 and renew a series with intra-state rival Southern
University from the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
The matchup with Southern highlights the schedule because the contest has
drawn some of the best crowds in Turpin Stadium history, including a record of
17,528 in 2000.
"There are many positives about this 2013 schedule, most notably renewing the
in-state rivalry with Southern University," NSU director of athletics Greg
Burke said. "Much appreciation is expressed to Demon football All-American and
current Southern athletic director William Broussard for helping facilitate
this two-year contract."
NSU opens the season with a non-conference game at Missouri State on Aug. 29
before hosting Southern the following weekend on Sept. 7. The team then hits
the road for back-to-back contests versus FBS members Cincinnati and Alabama-
Birmingham on Sept. 14 and 21, respectively.
Northwestern State plays host to Division II Langston on Sept. 28 before the
team's bye week. The Demons begin Southland Conference play at Nicholls State
(Oct. 12) and return home on Oct. 19 for Homecoming and the "Battle for Chief
Caddo" versus Southeastern Louisiana.
The schedule strengthens after Homecoming, with two conference road games at
Sam Houston State (Oct. 26) and McNeese State (Nov. 16), and three more home
contests versus Central Arkansas (Nov. 2), Lamar (Nov. 9) and Stephen F.
Austin (Nov. 23).
Northwestern State is without a head coach after Bradley Dale Peveto was let
go following a four-year run. Burke expects to name a new head coach soon.
2013 Northwestern State Football Schedule
Sept. 7, Southern
Sept. 14, at Cincinnati
Sept. 21, at Alabama-Birmingham
Sept. 28, Langston
Oct. 12, at Nicholls State*
Oct. 19, Southeastern Louisiana* (Homecoming)
Oct. 26, at Sam Houston State*
Nov. 2, Central Arkansas*
Nov. 9, Lamar*
Nov. 16, at McNeese*
Nov. 23, Stephen F. Austin*
* - Southland Conference game
The Sports Network | http://www.firstcoastnews.com/sports/ncaa_football/article/286708/404/Northwestern-State-to-host-six-visit-two-FBS-foes-in-2013 | 523 |
League is the Future"
Organising Director UMBERTO GANDINI speaks to Football Business magazine about the ongoing
aims and ambitions of the European Club Association
from Football Business magazine’s exclusive assessment
of the European Club Association in our last issue,
we are delighted to be able to showcase the thoughts
of AC Milan Organising Director and ECA Vice President Umberto Gandini, who offers
us a fascinating insight into the future movements of
European football, at all levels.
What is next for the beautiful game and especially
for the UEFA Champions League? Eurocalcio editor Lorenzo
Zacchetti spoke about it to Umberto Gandini, AC Milan
Organizing Director and Vice President of the European
What is the mission of ECA?
ECA is the natural evolution of the G14, which was founded
in order to bring together the voice of the clubs in
the governing bodies of continental and world football.
Our mission is to represent our needs to both UEFA and
FIFA and therefore we implement several side-activities
in order to achieve our goals.
So, what’s the difference between G14 and ECA?
Adriano Galliani and I were between the founders of
G14, which was perceived as an elite and a self-referential
organization. At the time, it was necessary to start
a process with UEFA. They were very firm in their position,
but now ECA has more room to communicate with them and
work on the development of the game.
Was Michel Platini’s election as UEFA President
a crucial step in the turning from G14 to ECA?
I think Platini has completed a process which was in
an embryonic phase during Lennart Johannson’s
presidency. UEFA used to be much more focused on their
CEO role, while Platini is a very active President.
He has opened the UEFA door to us and we have taken
the chance: it takes two to start a confrontation.
But G14 split up only after Platini introduced a fee UEFA
pay to clubs when their players are on international duty.
I would not talk about a fee. What really mattered to
us was the concept that clubs could no longer be the
only members of football’s family with no benefit
coming from the World and European Cup. Platini recognised
our request was fair and it was a very important victory.
But it’s not only about the money. We have a very
satisfactory agreement about it with UEFA, while numbers
change with the FIFA one, as they have a much more complex
organization. But the above-mentioned concept was accepted
as well and that’s fair enough to us.
ECA represents very rich clubs, while Platini’s
presidency is focused on bringing sport values above economical
aspects. What do you think about his proposals to renew
the Champions League format?
Firstly, only a few football clubs are rich. The majority
lose much money each season. Having said that, we think
there’s a reasonable solution to everything. About
the Champions League, of course sport values must be
at the top, but you cannot deny football has become
a very important industry. In the leading European countries
it also affects the national economy. We are open to
any ideas, but we think the Champions League is almost
perfect as it is. Every season, it generates massive
income and huge levels of passion.
The same can not be said about the UEFA Cup, where your
club AC Milan play this season. Do you have any idea to
restore the interest in the second European club tournament?
We are aware of the problems that affect the UEFA Cup.
The biggest is the technical gap with the Champions
League, whose incomes come mainly from leading countries
such as England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France. They
represent the 85% of the tournament incomes. As their
major clubs are in the Champions League, you have to
accept the fact that the UEFA Cup cannot get as much
interest. What we can do is avoid that the gap gets
bigger. The new format kicking off in 2009 will be very
similar to the Champions League one, with more matches
and more quality. This agreement is a proof of how ECA
and UEFA can collaborate to get good results.
The Champions League and the UEFA Cup are like the first
and second tier of an imaginary European League. G14 were
keen on introducing a proper one: will ECA follow the
same road or have you swapped this intention with the
agreement on national teams?
I think it will be a logical consequence of Europe’s
unity on a political level. Today, the EU counts 27
countries, but a proper integration is far from being
complete. I still believe a European League will be
an unavoidable step, tough it may take more time than
What would happen to domestic leagues then?
It’s the core of football tradition, so I don’t
think it would be affected from the introduction of
a European League. Between the fifty most important
continental clubs, there’s none who would give
up playing in their respective countries, as the domestic
scenario is where we live day by day. As I said before,
it will be a natural evolution, with both levels (domestic
and European) properly integrated.
Think global, act local: these things hardly go together
and not only in football. Why are you against the “6+5
rule” Blatter suggested?
The excessive amount of foreign players is a problem
which concerns only Europe and a solution must be found
in Europe. Further, I don’t think it’s a
very big problem. A research of FIFPro demonstrated
that only a few clubs would be in trouble if the 6+5
rule was introduced. And when I say “trouble”
I mean the necessity of changing 4 or 5 players in their
rosters. Who would be in trouble? Arsenal? I think their
fans would be happy to win the Champions League and
would care absolutely nothing if the only Englishman
in the roster was a 17-year-old substitute. And we must
not forget that the EU has very clear rules about the
chance every citizen has to work in any country, so
we can not go back from here.
What are the next issues you’re going to discuss
We have already opened talks about a calendar which
harmonises club football and international football,
but another very important thing in our agenda are the
transfer rules. There are a few situations we are worried
about. The Webster ruling may have harsh consequences
on the managing of any club, but also the Cristiano
Ronaldo saga is strongly linked with crucial matters.
I don’t think Blatter was entitled to say that
any player is free to sign for whoever he wants. I don’t
discuss that, but Cristiano Ronaldo was also free to
sign a contract with Manchester United and every player
in his position is expected to respect his agreement.
If contracts count for nothing anymore, how can you
manage a football club?
thanks go to Lorenzo Zacchetti for his help in assembling | http://www.football-business.net/umberto-gandini-interview.html | 1,555 |
Sampdoria have reportedly told Milan to forget about making a bid for Andrea Poli this month.
The Italian international midfielder, who spent last season on loan at Inter, is liked by the Rossoneri.
According to Sky Sport Italia market expert, Gianluca Di Marzio, the Diavolo have contacted Doria to express an interest.
The port club, however, have underlined that they intend to keep the central midfielder as they look to avoid relegation.
It is widely accepted that Italian champions Juventus will consider making an offer for the player at the end of the season. | http://www.football-italia.net/30127/no-milan-option-poli | 124 |
Parma President Tommaso Ghirardi has given an update on the Sebastian Giovinco-Juventus and Fabio Borini-Roma situations.
The Ducali have co-ownership deals for both players and the deadline for reaching an agreement is on Friday.
Otherwise they will go to a blind auction, which sees both clubs write a figure in a sealed envelope and the highest bid wins full ownership.
Today the Parma website briefly had a statement confirming Giovinco’s move to Juventus, but that was then taken down.
“We still own half of his contract, but the negotiations to take him back to Juve are proceeding,” President Ghirardi told Sportmediaset.
“It would be the completion of his professional career trajectory. We have a good rapport with President Andrea Agnelli, but the deal has not been finalised yet. There are still a few little things to work through.”
Similarly, Italian international striker Borini was snapped up on a free transfer by Parma and immediately handed to Roma in a co-ownership agreement, but his future is still up in the air.
“There’s nothing to say Borini won’t stay in Parma,” added Ghirardi.
“Roma have to understand whether or not they really want the player, especially as he has received other proposals.
“Along with the Giallorossi, we’ve heard from a couple of overseas clubs and we have to think about getting the best value for Parma.” | http://www.football-italia.net/print/20222 | 334 |
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Cherries: No pain, no gain for Liam
Published : 09 Oct 2009 07:00:00
BRAVE Liam Feeney is determined to keep playing through the pain barrier in a bid to help Cherries maintain their flying start. Crowd-pleaser Feeney has starred on the flanks as Eddie Howes charges have taken League Two by storm this season. The 22-year-old has been ever present as Cherries have rocketed to the top of the table thanks to eight wins in their opening 11 league games. Feeney has been turning on the style and tormenting defenders up and down the country despite being troubled by a persistent thigh injury. But with Cherries acute injury crisis continuing to mount, there had been no respite for Feeney until he was finally taken out of the firing line in midweek. The Londoner, who missed Tuesdays JPT defeat at Northampton, is hoping to be fit enough to return for tomorrows League Two clash with Chesterfield at Dean Court. Feeney told the Daily Echo: My thigh has been niggling me for a while now but, with the numbers in the squad, we havent had too many options. I had some treatment this week and a couple of days rest so, hopefully, I will be okay for Chesterfield. I want to play as many games as I can and nobody is forcing me to play by any means. I would play with a broken leg if I could. Were top of the table and I want to make sure we stay there. I want to keep playing my part. Feeney, who joined Cherries for a nominal fee from Salisbury in January, has become a firm favourite with supporters and an air of expectancy fills Dean Court every time he embarks on one of his trademark electrifying runs. I love it! said Feeney. I can hear the supporters when I get the ball and its an amazing feeling. The fans have been good to me since Ive been here and I cant thank them enough. I dont think things could have gone any better this season, both for me and the team, and everybody is buzzing. We were always confident we could get off to a good start but, with everything that has gone against us, I think most people would say were quite surprised at just how well we have done. Its credit to everyone involved. Previewing the visit of the Spireites, Feeney said: You cant read too much into their mid-table position because the league is so tight. We are expecting another tough test and they are a decent team. We will certainly need to be at our best to keep our home record intact. Cherries: (from) Thomas, Robinson, Bartley, Garry, Cummings, Hollands, Edgar, Tindall, McQuoid, Connell, Bradbury, Stockley, Ings, Webb, Feeney, Fletcher, Pitman, Pearce, Goulding, Jalal. Chesterfield: (from) Lee, Little, Page Breckin, Robertson, Lowry, Niven, Allott, McDermott, Lester, Small, Currie, Talbot, Austin, Gray, Bowrey, Crossley. | http://www.football.co.uk/afc_bournemouth/cherries__no_pain__no_gain_for_liam_rss232141.shtml | 677 |
Burnley V Leeds at Turf Moor : Match Preview
Published : 05 Nov 2012 17:31:25
Burnley V Leeds - view commentary, squad, and statistics of the game live.
Wallace to keep starting role
Ross Wallace is expected to retain his place in the Burnley starting line-up to face Leeds.
Former Sunderland winger Wallace suffered a nasty-looking head injury in the second half of Saturday's 2-0 npower Championship victory over Wolves and left the field on a stretcher.
But the 27-year-old has been passed fit and is set to start as new boss Sean Dyche looks to make it two wins from as many games.
Chris McCann suffered a hamstring injury in the build-up to the weekend encounter and defender David Edgar is ready to deputise in an unfamiliar midfield position if he fails to recover in time.
Fellow midfielder Marvin Bartley (groin) also faces a late fitness test ahead of the Turf Moor clash.
Leeds defender Tom Lees is a major doubt after being accidentally poked in the eye in last Friday night's draw at Brighton.
Lees was forced out of the action after 40 minutes at the Amex Stadium and later received medical attention on the south coast after being temporarily blinded in one eye.
If the 21-year-old is not passed fit, Lee Peltier is expected to partner Jason Pearce at the heart of defence, although the Leeds skipper has been carrying an ankle injury in recent weeks, while Danny Pugh could come into the reckoning.
Striker Luciano Becchio is pushing for a recall after starting the last two matches on the substitutes' bench, while both David Norris and Paul Green provide manager Neil Warnock with extra options in midfield.
Latest loan signing Ryan Hall is hoping to make his second appearance as Leeds chase their first league win in five matches. | http://www.football.co.uk/burnley/burnley_v_leeds_at_turf_moor___match_preview_rss3601237.shtml | 385 |
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Chelsea boss Rafael Benitez hails veteran Frank Lampard
Published : 14 Dec 2012 12:17:03
Interim manager Benitez claimed the Stamford Bridge decision-makers who have halted contract talks with the England midfielder had no doubt about "his condition, his levels, his quality".
His wage, age, 34, and recent injury record might come into consideration when debating a new deal but Benitez told BBC Sport: "For sure, he's a fantastic player, a great professional - there's no doubt about this. Also, when I talk to the people in charge, they are telling me the same, so nobody has any doubt about his condition, his levels, his quality. So the decision could be analysing different things, not just the quality of the player."
Lampard insisted he had "two or three years at least" left to give as an elite footballer - even if Chelsea appeared to think otherwise.
He admitted on Thursday his glittering career with the European champions could be drawing to a close after revealing he was not in talks with them over a new contract to replace the one that expires next summer.
Lampard appeared resigned to his fate after helping Chelsea into the Club World Cup final in Yokohama, coming off the bench against Monterrey for his second appearance since recovering from a troublesome calf problem.
That compounded an injury-hit 2012 but Lampard made it clear he had more to give.
"I feel like I have two or three years, at least, in me at the top level," he said.
"It is not for me to decide on this one. It's up to the club.
"Whatever happens, I have had a great time at Chelsea. I am determined to play a few more years and see what pans out in the near future." | http://www.football.co.uk/chelsea/chelsea_boss_rafael_benitez_hails_veteran_frank_lampard_rss3631523.shtml | 391 |
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Top-four spot the priority - Gourlay
Published : 06 Mar 2013 09:47:54
Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay has reiterated the club's focus remains on securing Champions League football next term before a permanent managerial appointment is made.
Rafael Benitez, whose side take on Steaua Bucharest in the Europa League on Thursday night, was appointed interim boss after the Blues became the first Champions League holders to exit the competition at the group stage earlier this season.
Gourlay, who was speaking in Kuala Lumpur while promoting the forthcoming tour, said the status quo remains for now, with Benitez on course to fulfil his brief. "Achieving one of the Champions League qualification slots is very important to this football club," Gourlay said on chelseafc.com.
He added: "Our whole philosophy is based on success on the football field and we have been doing everything in our power to ensure one of these slots. We want to be pitting ourselves against the top clubs in Europe next season."
Former Liverpool manager Benitez was never a popular appointment at Stamford Bridge and confirmed last week he would be leaving at the end of the campaign, in order to encourage supporters to back the team, rather than barrack him.
That rant, coupled with his criticism of the 'interim manager' title, led to suggestions the Spaniard could depart prior to the end of the season, while speculation of a permanent replacement for Roberto Di Matteo has been incessant.
Gourlay said: "We said from day one that Rafa was coming in as interim manager to the end of the season.
"It is important that we remain focused on the job in hand which is qualifying for the Champions League and then at the end of the season we will sit down, have a look at the situation and we will determine how we go forward." | http://www.football.co.uk/chelsea/top-four_spot_the_priority_-_gourlay_rss3811107.shtml | 406 |
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Grayson pays tribute to fans
04 Jan 2010 - 08:26:36
Manager Simon Grayson claimed Leeds United's long-suffering fans deserved Sunday's stunning 1-0 FA Cup third-round victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Jermaine Beckford's first-half goal blurred the gap between the Premier League champions and League One leaders and was celebrated by scenes of wild jubilation at full-time by 9,000 travelling fans.
"Our football club has had a lot of negativity over the last five years," said Grayson.
"We have been in administration and we have been relegated. I said when I came to the club, we had reached rock bottom and would not go any lower. But our fans were there for us."
Leeds have been rewarded with a fourth-round trip to Tottenham Hotspur and a delighted Grayson added: "It is not just about taking 9,000 to Old Trafford.
"We have taken 3,000 to Bristol Rovers on a Tuesday night. Every away allocation, we sell. We regularly get 25,000 at home.
"There have been times when they might have downed tools and decided football was an expensive business and supported the team from home.
"But they have followed us the length and breadth of the country. They deserved this result." | http://www.football.co.uk/leeds_united/grayson_pays_tribute_to_fans_300620.shtml | 287 |
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Ferguson stands up for Ron
21 Mar 2008 - 07:14:05
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has launched a strong defence of in-form winger Cristiano Ronaldo against charges that he is a diver.
The 23-year-old Portugal ace has been in scintillating form for the Red Devils this season, netting 33 goals for the Premier League leaders, but some opponents still believe that he goes to ground a little too easily.
Ferguson said: "Arsene Wenger recently complained that his team are on the receiving end of more fouls than any other.
"I'm not sure about that, but what I do know is that Cristiano Ronaldo must be one of the most fouled players in the league.
"The fouls are frustrating, especially for Ronaldo and I have nothing but admiration for the way he picks himself up and keeps running at people.
"Time after time he is tackled unfairly and often opponents try to indicate that he has dived.
"Of course, when Ronaldo is running at full speed sometimes it doesn't take much to knock him over, but the truth is that too many opponents don't know how to tackle properly. To disguise their shortcomings they accuse him of falling deliberately.
"I am pleased for him with the punishment he has taken lately. I have been making the point about his courage and the fact he is determined that he is not going to be kicked out of the game." | http://www.football.co.uk/manchester_united/ferguson_stands_up_for_ron_262032.shtml | 315 |
The bitter rivals meet in a 12:30pm kick-off for the first time since Rovers triumphed 1-0 away from home in the Premier League two-and-a-half years ago, while Burnley last tasted derby victory in April 1979.
The statement read: "We encourage all supporters attending this game to respect each other and the authorities.
"An East Lancashire derby between our two historic clubs is always a special occasion and we hope Sunday's match will be remembered for the action on the pitch and the positive backing of both sets of supporters.
"We acknowledge that there will be some disruption to the normal matchday schedule. However, this has been done with the safety of all supporters in mind and all fans should be aware that breaches of stadium regulations - including anti-social behaviour - will not be tolerated.
"Burnley and Blackburn Rovers also have a zero tolerance for discrimination of any sort, on the pitch or in the stands. If you experience any form of discrimination before, during or after the game, or require assistance in any matter, please contact a matchday steward." | http://www.football365.com/burnley/8293933/Burnley-and-Blackburn-issue-joint-statement-calling-for-calm-ahead-of-Sunday-s-Lancashire-derby | 229 |
The 21-year-old has made just three substitute appearances in all competitions this season amid the strong attacking options from which boss Sir Alex Ferguson can select.
United have preferred to use Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez which has meant Macheda is likely to leave on another temporary deal.
Blackpool and Hull have both been linked with the former Sampdoria and Queens Park Rangers loanee but his agent has revealed Germany or Spain are more likely destinations.
Macheda's representative, Giovanni Bia, told claciomercato.it: "Federico obviously wants to play more and also Manchester United agree to let him go.
"Blackpool and Hull City? No, he definitely won't go to one of them. We're talking with two or three clubs in Spain and German, which I don't want to name." | http://www.football365.com/manchester-united/8332110/Manchester-United-s-Federico-Macheda-to-snub-Blackpool-or-Hull-loans | 180 |
Chris Wood, on loan from West Brom, kept his cool to score from the penalty spot early in the second half after Forest goalkeeper Lee Camp had a rush of blood and upended birthday boy Jon Stead eight yards out.
It was not the first time this season that Wood had been the scourge of Forest.
The 20-year-old striker netted twice at the City Ground in October during a loan spell at Birmingham to help the Blues to a 3-1 victory.
His goal this time round edged the Robins up to 40 points, within three of their opponents.
Forest were unchanged after an impressive 3-0 victory at Crystal Palace last weekend.
Wood's inclusion was one of three changes made by City boss Derek McInnes. Full-back Jamie McAllister and midfielder Martyn Woolford were also recalled.
The first half was bereft of real goalscoring chances until the 38th minute when visiting goalkeeper Dean Gerken pushed Andy Reid's shot from the left side of the area past his near post.
Steve Cotterill's side had dominated without really carving City open and it was against the run of play when the goal came.
Camp made a mess of a Richard Foster cross, pushing the ball back into the area from under his own crossbar. Then after Stead had controlled the loose ball, Camp rushed out and upended the striker.
He was booked for the foul before getting a strong left hand to Wood's spot-kick, however, the Northern Ireland international could only push the ball into the side of his net.
From there on in it was much of the same - intense Forest pressure. Cotterill's team were creating chances in the second half though, but found City keeper Gerken in inspired form.
Gerken athletically tipped Dexter Blackstock's header over the bar on the hour mark.
He pushed away a header from Marcus Tudgay in the 88th minute before Reid curled an effort agonisingly wide from the edge of the box immediately afterwards.
Gerken then dived to hold another header from Forest captain Luke Chambers in injury time, with several Forest players circling looking to pounce on a rebound.
City held on for their first league win over Forest since 1947 and their first victory at the City Ground since 1955. | http://www.football365.com/match/3493708/report | 465 |
Manager Roy Hodgson had performed a selection U-turn in welcoming Manchester United defender Ferdinand back to his squad for the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Montenegro.
But the centre-back on Monday lunchtime had to pull out of the squad due to his 'detailed pre-planned training and medical programme', which has managed his back injury problems in recent years.
And after learning of Ferdinand's withdrawal, Oxlade-Chamberlain told Sky Sports News: "It is really disappointing for us. Obviously, Rio is an amazing footballer.
"He plays for a club like Manchester United so the experience that he can bring to us from his club team and the level he plays at - Champions League football - would be brilliant.
"But the players that will come in and the players in the squad are more than capable to do the role and fill in with good quality and good experience."
Hodgson had previously appeared to have looked beyond 34-year-old Ferdinand having decided not to select the former West Ham United and Leeds United player for Euro 2012.
But Ferdinand has always maintained he will not turn his back on his country and Oxlade-Chamberlain sees no reason why there could not be a return in the future.
"I do not think there is any reason why he should not," said the Arsenal star. "He is an amazing player and has been for so many years.
"But, obviously, it is not for me to say. I am not the manager. But, for me, Rio is an amazing player and would be a great asset to the squad." | http://www.football365.com/news/1778/8576093/World-Cup-Rio-Ferdinand-would-be-welcomed-back-to-England-squad-in-future | 331 |
Arsenal players facing crucial fitness tests
Arsène Wenger has indicated that Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Wojciech Szczęsny have a chance of being in tomorrow’s Arsenal squad for the North London derby.
Walcott and Szczęsny will have tests to assess their fitness, while the club is monitoring Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Walcott withdrew from England’s friendly with Sweden this Wednesday after injuring himself during Arsenal’s draw last weekend with Fulham.
Szczęsny last played when Arsenal thrashed Southampton 6-1 in the Capital One Cup, before finding himself sidelined due to an ankle injury, while Oxlade-Chamberlain has been out with a hip injury.
However, the manager confirms the three all could be in tomorrow’s squad.
“They all have a chance to be in the squad. Walcott came off against Fulham and will have a test, so will Szczęsny,” Wenger told the club’s official website.
However, he has revealed that Arsenal are still considering when the right opportunity would be to bring full-back Bacary Sagna back to action. Sagna has been out since breaking his leg last season.
“It is just for general fatigue. Sagna has played three games quickly, but before that he didn’t play for six months,” he added.
He has also confirmed that Jack Wilshere should also be back tomorrow following his suspension, and how glad he was that Wilshere returned from international duty unscathed.
“I believe he didn’t need games. He was overloaded with games so on that front I was happy that he got a little breather,” Wenger admitted.
“It is not a complete breather because 20 hours travelling is of course not what we want. It’s the advantage and the disadvantage of being called up in a squad. At least he didn’t get injured and hopefully will recover before Saturday.”
Arsenal are 11 points off Manchester United’s current points tally in the Premier League table, but three points against their fierce local rivals tomorrow would give the Gunners and an under-fire Wenger a much-needed boost. | http://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/arsenal/arsenal-players-facing-crucial-fitness-tests | 488 |
Chelsea back Benitez up after rant on fans and club
Chelsea‘s interim manager Rafa Benitez will continue at Stamford Bridge until the end of the Premier League season in spite of his criticism against the fans and the club hierarchy, The Guardian says.
The club believes the controversial statements thrown by the Spaniard aim to the critical fans rather that owner Roman Abramovich, and decided to avoid more contention by classifying the rant as “business as usual”.
At the press conference held after the 2-0 FA Cup victory in Middlesborough, Benitez showed his disapproval about the constant abuse he suffers from a sector of the supporters, suggesting that the ‘interim’ label the board gave him contributes to the fan aversion.
“I have a contract until the end of the season, that’s it, so they [the fans] don’t need to be worried about me”.
“I have a title. Someone decided the title would be ‘interim’. Why? Just in case? If they want to blame me for everything that is wrong and then they say, ‘We will put interim just in case’, fine, that is your decision”, the coach said.
Benitez insisted that the supporter groups against him during the cup game were a minority, but emphasised that their attitude is not helping the club on its duties.
“The Chelsea fans are really good, they support the team, but if they continue with their agenda, I don’t think they do any favours to the team”, he assured. | http://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/chelsea/chelsea-back-benitez-up-after-rant-on-fans-and-club | 339 |
Premier League Title Race Defy Pre Season Bets
November 4, 2011
Post created by admin
With the way in which the Premier League season has played out so far, those of you who have taken early steps to back your favourite football club to win the Premier League title are more than likely to be cursing your early movement.
In a season that looks like it could well create the most open Premier League title race in the history of the competition, millions of those who have taken up online betting at the beginning of the season will be left hoping that current leaders Manchester City will finally slip up and drop points after showing their dominance over rivals Manchester United, beating the title holders 6-1.
Following their 6-1 demolition of the title holders, Manchester City became the bookmakers favourites to secure the Premier League title this season, taking over the top spot at many of the bookmakers both on and offline.
The shift in the Premier League odds shows that many believe that Man City possess the quality to be able to take their first place position right through until the end of the season, securing the Premier League title, a season after winning their first silverware in more than 20 years as they lifted the FA Cup last season.
Although many have written off the chances of London based Chelsea, failing to give the West London based side credit to be able to increase their standing in the league could well prove costly for both Manchester sides, reports already showing that Chelsea are ready to once again open their cheque book to add further talent to their squad.
Meanwhile the Londoners are not going to be the only side that will be looking to close the gap between the two Manchester clubs and themselves, meaning that January could bring a flurry of transfer negotiations as the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and surprisingly Newcastle United look to close in on the Premier League title.
Who do you think will win the Premier League title race? Will Man City be able to hold their position until the end of the season or could one of the chasing pack take their glory at the last minute? | http://www.footballinsight.org/online-betting/premier-league-title-race-defy-pre-season-bets/ | 418 |
29 Nov 2006
All week, we're profiling the semi-finalists for the Fantasy Football Hall of Fame class of 2007. The FFHoF enshrines players whose statistical accomplishments were more impressive than their actual accomplishments. To be eligible, a player must be retired, have made a significant contribution to fantasy football, and have no shot of making the Pro Football Hall of Fame. To find out more or to vote for your favorite players, read this Friday's Too Deep Zone at Football Outsiders or right here on FOX.
If Hearst had avoided injuries, we would be polishing his bust for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
But Hearst couldn't stay healthy. His first two seasons were marred by injuries. He bounced from Arizona to Cincinnati to San Francisco, emerged as a great running back, and promptly tore up his ankle in a playoff game. The injury was so bad that it led to a circulatory problem, and Hearst disappeared for two full seasons.
When he came back in 2001, he was the kind of player you take in the very last round of your fantasy draft: a big name worth a flyer in the unlikely event that he plays. But Hearst did play, rushing for over 1,200 yards and scoring five touchdowns. He scored nine more touchdowns in 2002 for another fine fantasy season.
Hearst was a great player in the regular season, but he rarely played well in the playoffs. He did have a great game against the Packers in 1998, but that was the only postseason game in which he rushed for over 55 yards. And of course, getting hurt so bad on your first carry that you need two years of rehab can officially be classified as a "very bad day."
A great statistical player who didn't play as well in the playoffs? A top talent whose career is full of false starts and strange interruptions? There's only one place that can truly honor such a player: the Fantasy Football Hall of Fame. You can do your part by voting for the finalists at Football Outsiders on Friday. It's your chance to be part of the democratic process.
Who stole Bill Belichick's cojones in 2012, and are they the same people who stole Mike Smith's cojones? Here are Aggressiveness Index numbers for all head coaches in 2012 plus an added bonus: updated career AI numbers for the top 84 head coaches going back to 1991. | http://www.footballoutsiders.com/extra-points/2006/fantasy-football-hall-fame-finalist-garrison-hearst | 488 |
AJ Allmendinger, in just his second race since his No. 44 Richard Petty Motorsports changed manufactuers, led all Ford drivers with a 13th-place finish at Phoenix International Speedway on Sunday. Allmendinger, driving the Ford Drive one. Fusion, posted a 10-place finish at Texas the previous weekend. Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 3M Ford Fusion, finished 14th, to remain in seventh place in the standings with just one race – the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway next weekend – remaining in the 2009 season.
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Recap: Miss State vs. Middle Tennessee
Starkville, MS (Sports Network) - Tyler Russell threw for three touchdowns as No. 15 Mississippi State hammered Middle Tennessee, 45-3, on Saturday.
Russell completed 17-of-21 passes for 191 yards for the Bulldogs (7-0), who have won nine straight games dating back to last season and are 7-0 for the second time in the program's 113-year history.
"I think he is getting more and more comfortable in our offense. He made some tough reads tonight and I thought he played very well," Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said about Russell.
Chris Smith caught seven balls for 66 yards and two scores, while LaDarius Perkins finished with 125 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries in the victory.
The Bulldogs face another one of the nation's undefeated teams next week in top-ranked Alabama, which is also 7-0 after rolling over Tennessee, 44-13, on Saturday.
"Our guys are going to be excited for the opportunity to be able to go play the No. 1 team in the country," Mullen said.
Logan Kilgore went 16-for-25 through the air for 159 yards with an interception for Middle Tennessee (4-3), which fell to 0-14 all time against teams ranked in the Top 25.
Anthony Amos paced all receivers with 93 yards on six receptions in defeat.
Mississippi State received the ball first and Smith highlighted a 14-play, 74- yard drive that ate up over seven minutes of clock with a 22-yard reception before capping the trek with a 4-yard touchdown grab in the back of the end zone.
The Bulldogs regained the ball at their own 42 following a three-and-out by Middle Tennessee and put together another meticulous drive to increase their advantage when Devon Bell finished off the 11-play march with a 32-yard field goal within the final minute of the first quarter.
Middle Tennessee managed just one first down on its next touch and Brandon Heavens made a leaping catch down the left sideline for a 38-yard gain to move Mississippi State inside the Blue Raiders' 20 on the ensuing possession, but Bell missed a 35-yard kick wide right to keep it a 10-0 game with 9:46 left in the half.
The Blue Raiders capitalized on the miss as Kilgore converted a 3rd-and-7 with a 13-yard scramble and Jordan Parker reeled off runs of 19 and 14 yards to set up Carlos Lopez's 32-yard field goal.
Mississippi State then advanced the ball past midfield trying to answer the score, but Russell had the ball slapped out of his hands by Shubert Bastien during a sack and Middle Tennessee recovered at its own 42, keeping it a 10-3 contest at the break.
Middle Tennessee kept the opening possession of the third quarter alive with a 4th-and-1 conversion thanks to an offside penalty on the Bulldogs that moved the ball to midfield, but the Blue Raiders would manage just one more first down and were forced to punt the ball away.
The Bulldogs responded with Perkins' 64-yard touchdown run up the middle to stretch their lead up to 17-3 with 7:30 remaining in the third.
Three plays later, Johnthan Banks intercepted a deep pass attempt down the left sideline by Kilgore and returned it 46 yards to the Middle Tennessee 25, setting up Smith's 11-yard touchdown reception.
Banks injured his left knee on the play and did not return to the game, but he remained on the sideline and was walking without a limp.
Kilgore again fumbled the ball away during a sack on Middle Tennessee's next touch and Mississippi State capitalized on the short field with Robert Johnson's 23-yard catch on the left side of the end zone on the next play to put the Bulldogs on top, 31-3, late in the third quarter.
Dak Prescott replaced Russell under center for the fourth quarter and Nick Griffin's 44-yard scamper down the left sideline on the Bulldog's first drive of the frame preceded Prescott's 5-yard rush across the goal line to pull Mississippi State further away.
Derrick Milton's 6-yard TD run capped a streak of five straight Mississippi State possessions ending in a touchdown.
Middle Tennessee would not move the ball into the Bulldogs' territory in the fourth quarter until the final drive of the game, but the Blue Raiders came up empty as backup quarterback Jeff Murphy was picked off by Kendrick Market in the end zone on the final play of the game.
"We just couldn't get anything going in the second half," Middle Tennessee coach Rick Stockstill said. "I told the guys afterwards that I thought they competed their tails off to the very end. We were just out-manned at times."Game Notes
Banks' interception was the 16th of his career, tying a school record ...
Mississippi State has won 15 straight non-conference games ... The Bulldogs
lead the all-time series, 5-0 ... Prescott finished 3-of-4 for 24 yards ...
Parker had 66 yards on 13 carries ... Mississippi State totaled 446 yards of
offense, while Middle Tennessee finished with 305 ... The Bulldogs went 9-
for-12 on third downs. | http://www.fox16.com/sports/cfootm/l.ncaa.org.mfoot-2012-e.35215/game.aspx | 1,093 |
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Being from the East Coast, I have a rather simplistic notion of the Arizona climate.
I picture heat. Dry heat. Skin-leathering heat. Throw in a coyote, a cactus and some adobe and you have my version of Arizona.
Like I said, simplistic.
What I don't picture is snow. Lots of snow. Sideways snow. Enough snow to imperil a PGA Tour event.
But that's exactly what the WGC - Accenture Match Play Championship got on Wednesday when a mini-blizzard descended on the Golf Club at Dove Mountain, dropping over 1 1/2 inches of play-halting powder on the Marana, Ariz., resort.
Not a single match was completed before the opening round was suspended, and 22 golfers, including Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Luke Donald and Louis Oosthuizen, didn't even make it to the tee.
"It's absolutely remarkable to think one minute we're playing golf, and then within a space of 25 minutes, it turns from playable to cold drizzle to sleet and to snow," said England's Ian Poulter, who at one point refused to putt on an icy green. "It's just bizarre."
Organizers are optimistic that a Sunday finish is still possible, with PGA Tour meteorologist Stewart Williams saying he "thinks the worst of the snow is probably over for us now." But Sunday finish or not, the bizarre conditions seem avoidable and unnecessary.
Let's keep in mind, this isn't the first time winter weather has hampered play at this event.
In 2011, about an inch of snow fell before the final-round showdown between Donald and Martin Kaymer. The match started on time, but play was briefly delayed when sleet descended on Jack Nicklaus-designed Dove Mountain.
"A couple of years ago, I know that it snowed the final round here," Jason Day said Wednesday. "I've never actually played golf to the point where we've actually stopped for snow, which is kind of crazy. A little crazy for it to snow in the desert, as well. But that's just how it is. Mother Nature can just do whatever she wants."
Yes, Jason, Mother Nature is uncontrollable, but that doesn't mean we can't adjust to avoid her fickle whims.
According to last May's press release, The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain and the PGA Tour only have an agreement through this year's event. In the release, the Tour's executive vice president of championship management, David Pillsbury, stated that "We're excited to continue the long-standing tradition of world- class golf in this marketplace at least through 2014," but he didn't specify Dove Mountain as the 2014 host.
Regardless, it's time to make a change in the coming years.
The PGA Tour's winter stretch is designed to maximize optimal playing conditions while a significant portion of the country is still bringing a six- pack to the nearest indoor golf simulator. Hell, the Tour doesn't even sniff my neck of the woods until at least May, and that's the way it should be.
On Wednesday, guys had fun with the situation. Rickie Fowler had a snowball fight in the parking lot, and a slew of players took to Twitter and Instagram to document the wonderland.
It's always fun to see your favorite athletes with their guard down, but it's even more fun to see them do what they do best. In this case, what they do best is play golf, so let's get this event to a place where they can do just that. | http://www.fox16.com/sports/pga/story/Tee-to-Green-The-last-flight-at-Dove-Mountain/prFHuDwhcEC9H2DuQCmFRg.cspx | 756 |
|Date of game: 11/5/2012
Recap: Miami vs. Phoenix
Miami, FL (Sports Network) - LeBron James scored 23 points and pulled down 11 rebounds and Dwyane Wade poured in 22 points and six assists to lead the Miami Heat to a 124-99 wire-to-wire demolishing of the Phoenix Suns on Monday.
Chris Bosh added 18 points -- all in the first half -- and Ray Allen added 15 points, six assists and six rebounds off the bench for the Heat, who have scored at least 119 points in all three of their victories this season.
"I always envision myself getting off to a good start and just setting an offensive tone for myself and if that helps the team, than that's great," Bosh said of his fast start.
Shannon Brown scored a team-high 18 points and Luis Scola added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Suns, who have dropped two in a row.
Marcin Gortat had a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds and Goran Dragic scored 13 points and dished out nine assists in the setback.
The Heat dominated the game from the get-go, racing out to a 14-point lead with just over two minutes to play in the first quarter.
The Suns cut it to six with 2.1 seconds left when Dragic nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key, but Norris Cole buried a half-court buzzer-beater to give Miami a 34-25 spread after one.
"Once they get up, they're just going to execute the rest of the game," Brown said of the Heat. "They have players that are capable of making plays, knocking shots down and finishing so it's tough when they get going like that."
Miami shot 61.9 percent from the floor and was a perfect 3-for-3 from behind- the-arc in the second to take a 65-53 advantage into the break. A 20-foot Wade fadeaway gave the Heat a 17-point cushion at the 8:44 mark, but Phoenix outscored Miami 25-20 the rest of the way to cut the deficit to 12.
The Heat built their lead to 98-74 in the third after converting on 5-of-7 3- pointers. James scored 13 points in the quarter, highlighted by a ferocious fastbreak slam over Gortat.
Miami went up as many as 30 in the final period, but scored just 14 points over the final seven minutes of the game. Bosh played just under nine minutes in the second half and Wade was the only starter to log minutes in the fourth quarter.Game Notes
Miami's 124 points is a season-high ... The Heat have averaged 111.8 points
per game this season ... Miami owns a five-game winning streak over the Suns
... Scola has posted double-figure scoring totals in each game this season. | http://www.fox23news.com/sports/nba/l.nba.com-2012-e.16959/game.aspx | 597 |
Bjorn holds the clubhouse lead with his first round 66 before thunderstorms forced the opening round to be suspended. A total of 78 players will resume their round on Friday at 7.30am local time.
Chinnarat is bunched in equal second together with England's Simon Khan and Spain's Pablo Martin while Asian Tour honorary member Y.E. Yang of Korea provided his small legion of Korean fans with something to cheer about when he signed for a 68 to take a share of fifth place with England's Paul Casey and Thailand's Kwanchai Tannin.
While Bjorn has won 13 times in Europe, the 41-year-old Dane is still searching for his first win in Asia. His opening round performance at the Sentosa Golf Club has now kept up his hopes of meeting that target.
"I came here and saw the golf course, and knew that everything was about driving the golf ball well. It's not the longest golf course in the world so if you can keep it in the fairway, you can produce a score, and I did that very well today. That's only round one, so we'll work from here," said Bjorn who marked his card with six birdies against one bogey.
"I always enjoy coming to Singapore and Malaysia. You have got to pace yourself a little bit and not use too much energy through the week. It is about playing golf this week, and quite nice for the body to be feeling warm and nice out there. No cold for the old joints to get you into trouble!" added the Dane
Chinnarat, who became the youngest winner on the Asian Tour when he won his first title on home soil at the age of 17 years and five days, believes he can do well at the Barclays Singapore Open which features the world's best player, Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and eight Major champions.
"I feel very good. I feel very confident today on my front-nine. I hit a lot of good tee shots on the front nine. I putted well too," said the 24-year-old who mixed five birdies against one bogey on the par-four sixth.
"On this course, you've to hit the ball onto the fairways and that's what I managed to do throughout my round today," added Chinnarat.
Yang, Asia's first Major winner, was delighted to have the small Korean community following him throughout his round on the Serapong course.
The Korean did not disappoint as he signed for a 68 to stay two back of Bjorn.
"It's definitely good to see fans of your home country following you around in such a big tournament like this and under such hot and humid weather conditions. It gives me a lot of motivation," said the Korean.
Yang, however conceded that he will have to do better on the treacherous 587-yard par-five seventh as he progresses through the week.
"I drew an eight-iron on the second shot, hit it about 20-30 feet away to the right and it went towards the hazard and I ended up with a bogey. It's probably one of the worst shot I've hit this year," said Yang of his only dropped shot for the day.
Four-time Major winner Phil Mickelson of the United States had a round to forget after he signed for a 73 while three-time Barclays Singapore Open winner, Adam Scott of Australia returned with a 71.
"It was not the start I was hoping for. I had been playing really well heading into this tournament. I hit some poor shots but fought very hard to stay a couple over," said Mickelson.
This year marks the 49th staging of the Singapore Open which is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour. | http://www.foxsportsasia.com/golf/news/detail/item887038/Chinnarat-trails-Bjorn-by-one-in-Singapore/ | 776 |
From Sept. 30 to Oct. 19 , Brazilian cities Rio de Janeiro and Brasila will host the sixth futsal World Cup - the most important event in indoor football. Twenty teams from five continents will vie for the world champion title.
Europe will be represented by six teams (Spain, Russia, Italy, Portugal, Ukraine and the Czech Republic), Latin America by four (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay), while the rest of America will have three competing teams (USA, Cuba and Guatemala). Five countries will be present from Asia (Iran, China, Japan and Thailand), two from Africa (Egypt and Libya), while the Salomon Islands will be the sole country from Asia and the Pacific
Futsal (contraction of Futebol de Salão) or indoor football, originated in the 1930s in the schools of São Paolo to compensate for the lack of playing fields. The sport soon spread through Latin America and then gained notoriety across the world.
As compared to traditional football, futsal has fewer players, and can be adapted to indoor stadiums of different sizes. The sport is thus practiced by more people than in traditional football, though its popularity is far less.
A typical futsal team has five players, including a goalkeeper. The ball used is smaller and heavier than in traditional football. Meticulous technique and swiftness is thus required of the futsal player, a reason why the sport has become compulsory in football training schools. As the saying goes in the football community, a professional footballer starts his career in futsal and ends it in beach soccer.
Falcao, the most spectacular player in the world
Football fans know that stars like Brazil’s Zico or Cantona from France finished their careers in beach soccer. But few know that the majority of renowned professional footballers started off as futsal players.
Until the late 1980s, FIFA did not allow the association of the term football with the indoor version of the sport, hence the name futsal. The sport’s overwhelming success compelled the federation to finally integrate futsal into its structure.
Three world cup championships were held prior to FIFA integration. Brazil won the first two titles and Paraguay won the third. Following futsal’s acceptance by FIFA, five world tournaments have been held. Brazil won the first three in 1989, 1992 and 1996. The last two world championships in 2000 and 2004 crowned Spain.
Taking into account their previous titles, Spain, led by 34 year-old Javi, and Brazil, captained by 31 year-old Falcao – known as the most spectacular player in the world – are the two obvious favourites. Many are already hoping for a clash between the two teams in the final, in which Brazil hopes to wrench away the world title from the defending champions.
However, over the years, other teams like Argentina, Russia, Italy, Portugal, Egypt and Iran have shown much improvement. This year’s futsal World Cup may well bring forth a surprise winner. | http://www.france24.com/en/20080930-sixth-futsal-world-cup-kicks-off-indoor-football | 624 |
Women post wins in 9 of 12 events
South Carolina begins outdoor season at Coastal Carolina
SOUTH CAROLINA CROSS COUNTRY: Made two appearances in the 2012 season, both 5K events, recording a top mark of 19:57.10 at the Gamecock Invitational to take 22nd...in 2011, competed in two meets ... had a top time of 19:43.80 in the 5K at the Gamecock Invitational, placing 15th overall.
2012: Indoors, competed unattached in the 3000 yard run recording a best time of 10:52.55 to take second at the Gamecock Invitational...outdoors, competed in the 5000m twice, taking second at the Gamecock Open...top mark at the Shamrock Invitational at 19:26.91
QUINNIPIAC CROSS COUNTRY: In 2010, was a top 10 runner for the Bobcats ... placed 24th overall at the Northeast Conference Championships with a time of 18:55 in the 5K en route to the team's sixth consecutive NEC team title.
HIGH SCHOOL: Was 2007 and 2008 South Jersey State Sectional Champion in cross country ... received the Ocean County Sporstmanship of the Year Award in 2010 ... named All-Shore third team and All-County second team ... team won several championships, including the Ocean County Championship in 2008 and 2009. | http://www.gamecocksonline.com/sports/c-track/mtt/newcomb_kelly00.html | 283 |
New Releases: What upcoming games are you looking forward to?
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NASCAR enthusiasts to take to the starting line in this release for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Promoted as the first console driving game to utilize voice recognition technology, NASCAR 06: Total Team Control lets players communicate with computer-controlled crew chiefs and team members, using team work to execute blocking maneuvers and maintain track position. Facing a long line of taillights may seem a bit daunting, but by using the right analog stick, players may be able to retake the lead by controlling teammates' cars to fend off rivals.
Like its predecessor, NASCAR 06 features two main modes of play — "Fight to the Top" and "Chase for the Cup," the latter having undergone a bit of fine tuning. In "Fight to the Top," players work from the ground up to become a superstar as an owner, a teammate, or both. In "Chase for the Cup," players compete in a ten-race series modeled after the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series championship. Players can also choose to race in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series, Whelen Modified series, and NASCAR Busch series.
An expanded Create-A-Driver system allows players to specify their characters' facial features, body types, and uniforms, as well as their cars' paint schemes. The game's interactive AI allows rivalries to unfold, on and off the track, as players choose to race "clean" or "dirty." PS2 players with online access can challenge up to four live opponents in a full field of 43 AI drivers, for multiplayer racing featuring rankings, text chatting, EA Sports Talk, and improved anti-cheat measures. ~ Damian Francis, All Game Guide | http://www.gamerdna.com/game/nascar-06-total-team-control-playstation-2 | 416 |
Expectations high as season opens for UF gymnastics
Published: Friday, January 4, 2013 at 6:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, January 3, 2013 at 9:15 p.m.
The Florida Gators open the 2013 gymnastics season with a spacious new practice facility, a star-studded roster and a plethora of motivation.
Who: Ball State at No. 3 Florida
When: 7 p.m.
Where: O'Connell Center
Tickets: $4 for adults, while children 17 and under and UF students with Gator1 cards are admitted free.
UF, ranked No. 3 in the GymInfo preseason poll, moved into the program's new 18,000-square foot practice facility in the O'Connell Center on Dec. 27. While the Gators are getting accustomed to their new digs, which are still undergoing some last-minute touches, the initial response is a unanimous thumbs-up.
“It's a phenomenal facility,” senior All-American Marissa King said. “It means so much to our program to have this facility now. It's going to be a huge contribution to the future of this program, and it was so needed and I think it was so deserved.”
“Our new facility is amazing,” junior All-American Alaina Johnson said. “We're so excited to have such a nice place to train in. The previous facility wasn't that bad, but this is way better and we love it. It was definitely a great Christmas present.”
“We all love the facility,” added sophomore All-American Kytra Hunter. “We're just really thankful that we got the opportunity to get a new practice gym, and now we're ready to start the season.”
Ball State provides the season-opening competition tonight at 7 for a UF squad that won the 2012 SEC and NCAA Regional titles and finished as national runner-up in the closest finish in the 31-year history of the NCAA Championships.
Just a 10th of a point separated No. 1 from No. 3 in the NCAA Super Six team final, with Alabama (197.85) nipping UF (197.775) and third-place UCLA (197.75) in a finish that came down to the last competitor in the final event.
“As a team, I think we all went home on our own and were upset about coming in second at NCAAs,” Hunter said. “We all had a mindset at the end of the year banquet. I believe this year it's going to be a lot better, and I'm just excited. All of the girls came back in great shape. I think we were so anxious coming back that we were all ready to compete.
“The coaches have done a great job keeping our bodies in the shape they should be and just keeping us on the right path to be ready for the season.”
UF's 15-member roster includes five gymnasts with a total of 29 All-American honors, led by Hunter, who won a pair of individual NCAA titles (all-around and vault) last year as a true freshman, and Johnson. They were the only two performers at the NCAA Championships to earn the maximum of five All-America honors.
Rounding out the quintet are seniors King (2011 NCAA vault champion) and Ashanee Dickerson and junior Mackenzie Caquatto.
Add in another stellar freshman class led by former U. S. Olympian Bridget Sloan, who will be the first world all-around champion (2009) to compete as a collegian, and the ingredients are certainly there for a memorable season.
“This team is so unique and wonderful because of the variety of athletes that we have,” UF coach Rhonda Faehn said. “We have quite a bit of depth, which is wonderful and is always needed, and we have an incredible senior class. The experience we have there with Ashanee, Marissa, Randy (Stageberg) and Dali (Lemezan) and the overall excitement that they bring is wonderful. This is their fourth year here, so they really get it.”
Tonight is one of six regular-season home dates for UF, highlighted by an SEC dual meet with two-time defending national champ and top-ranked Alabama on Feb. 8. In addition, the Gators host NCAA Regionals (April 6) for the first time since 2008.
“It's really nice to get this season under way because the preseason is long and it gets a little bit tiring, so it's nice to get out there and kind of see what our athletes are going to do,” Faehn said. “We're going to take it slow again, but it's going to be fun to be back in the O'Dome competing in front of all of our fans.”
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged. | http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20130104/ARTICLES/130109872/1136/gatorssoftball?Title=Expectations-high-as-season-opens-for-UF-gymnastics | 1,067 |
UF softball wins all five games out west
Published: Sunday, February 10, 2013 at 6:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, February 11, 2013 at 3:08 a.m.
TEMPE, Ariz., — Four Gators hit home runs Sunday as the Florida softball squad put on a show at Farrington Stadium to cap off a stellar weekend at the Kajikawa Classic with a 14-3 victory over No. 13 Arizona to start the 2013 season undefeated (5-0).
The No. 14 Gators walk away from Tempe with victories over two top-five programs in No. 3 Cal and No. 5 Oregon in addition to Sunday's win over the Wildcats. Cal, Oregon and Arizona were predicted to finish first, third and fifth, respectively, in the Pac 12 preseason coaches' poll.
All 16 Gators saw action in UF's season-opening tournament, including all three pitchers, each of them picking up wins — junior Hannah Rogers against Oregon and Cal, sophomore Lauren Haeger against Creighton and Arizona and sophomore Alyssa Bache against the Cal State Northridge Matadors Saturday.
Individually, Florida was led at the plate by Kelsey Stewart, who had two doubles, a triple, two home runs, five RBIs and five stolen bases throughout the three-day tournament. Florida registered a .303 batting average as a team on opening weekend with 40 hits, nine doubles, a triple, eight homers — two each by Stewart and Taylor Schwarz — and 36 RBIs. Bailey Castro and Kirsti Merritt both connected for grand slams, Castro against Arizona and Merritt against Creighton Friday. The Gators were additionally 14-15 in the stolen base category over the weekend.
UF put up 14 runs on nine hits against Arizona, including five of those in the top of the first frame to get out to an early lead and give Haeger confidence and insurance to work with in the circle. As a team, the Gators drew 10 walks to aid their winning effort.
The Gators batted through the lineup in the first frame against starting Wildcat hurler Shelby Babcock as Kelsey Horton, Stephanie Tofft and Schwarz all had one RBI each in the first inning, while Haeger crossed home on a Arizona throwing error and Taylore Fuller scored on a Babcock illegal pitch.
Kajikawa Classic results
Florida 13, Creighton 3 (5 inn.)
Florida 1, No. 5 Oregon 0
Florida 7, Cal State Northridge 0
Florida 7, No. 3 Cal 4
Florida 14, No. 13 Arizona 3 | http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20130210/ARTICLES/130219971/1136/ARTICLES | 534 |
THOMAS BROWN...Born: May 15, 1986
High School: Tucker...Atlanta Journal-Constitution Super 11, Super Southern 100 and Class AAAA All-State...Fox Sports Net All-South second team...SuperPrep Elite 50 in the country, All-America, and All-Dixie teams...Rivals.com Top 100, Southeast Elite, Georgia Top 50 and the No. 4 running back in America...Tom Lemming's Top 100 and Top 10 running backs...TheInsiders.com National Hot 100, South Hot 100, All-South first team...Prepstar Dream Team 100...played in just seven games as a senior due to a broken leg he suffered in a game vs. South Forsyth...rushed for 1,632 yards and 13 TDs as a junior and in seven games during his senior year rushed for 941 yards and 17 TDs...team finished with a 12-1 record in junior season and a 12-2 record in his senior season ...also started at defensive back...High School Coach: Bill Ballard.
College: 2004 -- Played in 11 games including three starts....led team in rushing with 172 carries for 875 yards (6th best in the SEC) and eight TDs which also led the team...best games vs. Kentucky (22x130 yards and three TDs), Vanderbilt (17x122 yards), Arkansas (23x107 yards) ... he and fellow freshman Danny Ware combined for 190 yards on 34 carries in Georgia's 45-16 win over LSU and combined for 249 yards on 41 carries in 33-3 victory over Vanderbilt....named recipient of the Offensive Newcomer of the Year Award at the conclusion of the 2004 season...also recipient of Victors Club Award for outstanding grades in eight or more games...leading rusher in 2005 Outback Bowl victory over Wisconsin with 111 yards on 16 carries....part of team that has posted 42-10 record from 2001-04 (sixth best in the country), three straight seasons of 10 or more wins, three straight bowl victories, and three consecutive national top six finishes...named to SEC Coaches All-SEC Freshman Team.
2005 -- Selected to Doak Walker Watch List......rushed for 67 yards on eight carries in annual spring G-Day game...named Most Consistent Running Back following spring drills... ran for a career-high 144 yards and one touchdown against South Carolina, which was his fifth 100-yard rushing game of his two-year career...notched his first career touchdown pass (to Joe Tereshinski III) versus Florida...led the Bulldogs in rushing in the SEC Championship Game with 62 yards and in the Nokia Sugar Bowl with 78 yards...led Bulldogs with 736 total rushing yards....Best Game - 144 rushing yards on 20 carries, 1 TD vs. South Carolina...recipient of Peter and Kay Amann Football Scholarship...2006 -- Four carries for 25 yards in annual spring G-Day game....named Best All-Around Offensive Player, Most Consistent Running Back, and recipient of the Coffee County Hustle Award at conclusion of Spring drills... (CAREER-HIGH YDS: 144 vs. S.C. - 9/10/05, CAREER-HIGH TDs: 3 vs. Kentucky - 11/6/04 - Five games with 100+ yards rushing).... recipient of Peter and Kay Amann Football Scholarship. Major: Public Relations. | http://www.georgiadogs.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/brown_thomas00.html | 688 |
Ghana received a massive boost on Tuesday when Serbia-based top striker Prince Tagoe joined the Black Stars ahead of Friday's Africa Cup of Nations clash with Congo in Kumasi.
Ghana midfielder Andre Ayew says he is considering leaving the French side Marseille after he suffered yet another dangerous burglary attack on Sunday night.
Ghana first choice goalkeeper Richard Kingson has thrown his international future into doubt after angrily claiming he will retire from the Black Stars after Friday's match against Congo.
The Ghana squad will leave for Kumasi on Wednesday morning ahead of the 2012 Group I Nations Cup qualifier against Congo on 3 June.
Next Page »
Medeama president Moses Armah insists the Premier League title race is not over but admits his side may have to win the remaining three matches to win the crown.
Ghanaian striker Emmanuel Osei Banahene has backed Heart of Lions to escape relegation despite their precarious position on the league table.
Ghanasoccernet.com selects top Ghanaian performers from the weekend action abroad.
Emmanuel Agyeman-Badu has hailed Udinese for their qualification for next season’s Europa League.
Medeama coach Evans Adotey says the 3-0 defeat to Berekum Chelsea was made even more difficult with the sending off of defender Eric Enchill.
Berekum Chelsea coach Hans Vander Pluim says the 3-0 win over Medeama on Sunday was the perfect response to their humiliating defeat to Hearts of Oak the week before.
Ghanaian striker Emmanuel Osei Banahene expects the country’s U20 team to receive massive support when they play in this year’s FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Turkey. | http://www.ghanasoccernet.com/2011/05/ | 353 |
Marseille were booed off by their fans after being held to a 0-0 home draw by mid-table Ajaccio in Ligue 1 on Friday with Andre Ayew the brightest spot in the team.
Visiting goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa thwarted Marseille who remained third with 51 points from 29 games, two points behind Olympique Lyon and six adrift of leaders Paris St Germain.
PSG travel to fourth-placed St Etienne, who have 48 points, on Sunday while Lyon visit Bastia on Saturday.
Ochoa tipped an Andre Ayew effort over the bar in the 15th minute and 10 minutes later the Mexican stretched to his left to stop Andre-Pierre Gignac’s long-range drive.
Ajaccio, 13th in the table, went close before halftime when Johan Cavalli’s shot went just wide.
Ochoa then saved his team again on the hour when he denied Modou Sougou from point-blank range while Marseille midfielder Joey Barton shaved the post with 20 minutes to go.
It was the second successive goalless draw for Elie Baup’s team following last weekend’s stalemate with title rivals Lyon.
Marseille’s hopes suffered another setback as the result could leave them in fifth place by the end of the weekend. | http://www.ghanasoccernet.com/marseille-booed-off-after-home-draw-with-ajaccio-with-andre-ayew-the-brightest-spot | 284 |
Life in the bullpen is nothing if not liquid. Guys falter, guys step up, there is always somebody ready to take over your role the moment your fail. Especially in a 'pen without a bonafied head honcho.
As such, a guy demoted to Triple A as recently as April is suddenly an important high-leverage reliever for these Blue Jays. Casey Janssen, lovable labrum surgery recovery case, part-time lesbian, and key back of the rotation guy. Who knew?
I certainly didn't. Janssen thrives on his control, painting the corners of the strikezone with aplomb. His 6.1% 2011 swinging strike rate represents a career low and a below-average number, yet here he is, striking out 7 per nine innings, including 13 Ks out of the 44 right-handed batters faced.
Take a look at the average leverage of Janssen's outings, on a steady increase as the season progresses.
As much stick as we all give Farrell, it's encouraging to see him lean on a well-performing relief arm. I understand Casey Janssen's charms but he isn't exactly "my" kind of pitcher.
I still stand by my pre-season assessment of the bullpen - the holdover arms will fare just as well - if not better - than the free agent
Reuters image courtesy of Daylife, leverage stats etc. from Fangraphs. | http://www.ghostrunneronfirst.com/2011/06/john-farrells-new-high-leverage-toy.html?showComment=1307783428769 | 296 |
Fortec Motorsports driver Seb Morris endured a very tough outing in the Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship at Croft in North Yorkshire over the weekend, 21st/22nd July, but still managed to conclude the event third in the title race with five rounds remaining in the 2012 campaign.
Although his championship hopes were dealt a huge blow last time out at Thruxton when engine problems severely compromised his chances, the 16-year-old took another hit this weekend with contact in round eight forcing retirement and more contact in round nine costing a strong score.
“It’s been a tough weekend but I’ve learnt a lot and that’s what this year is all about”, commented the Marford youngster, “We’ve lost a lot of points, at Thruxton and now at Croft, but we know we’ve got the pace to be back winning next month at Donington. It’s disappointing but sometimes things don’t go your way and that’s what’s happened here.”
Unusually, Seb’s weekend started with a rare excursion in the 15-minute free practice on Saturday, 21st July, in which his car sustained a lot of damage after an unfortunate visit to the barriers at the Sunny In, Sunny Out sequence of corners.
Working feverishly to get the Welsh teenager’s FR 2.0 repaired in time for round eight qualifying, the Fortec mechanics did an outstanding job and the Ginetta Ambassador was able to post the fourth fastest time in the session.
His misfortune continued in a red flag affected round nine session though which ended five minutes early. Building up his pace as the run neared its conclusion, before Seb was able to push for a truly quick time qualifying was curtailed due to an incident so he had to settle for 10th on the grid.
At the start of Sunday’s first race, Seb held fourth and began to pressurise James Fletcher for third but on lap three he was edged back to fifth by championship rival Scott Malvern. Into the complex, Seb held the outside with Malvern on the inside but both were challenged by Macaulay Walsh and the resulting contact was inevitable.
Seb’s car was lifted onto two wheels and the incident led to significant damage but, even with the entire left-hand bodywork of his car missing, the MSA Academy racer attempted to continue and pocket as many points as possible. On lap seven though, he had no choice but to retire.
With the Fortec team again doing a superb job to repair his car, Seb was determined to end the weekend with a strong result in round nine and an outstanding start and opening lap enabled him to slice his way through the order into sixth from 10th on the grid.
Bottled-up behind Kieran Vernon for the majority of the race, Seb tried everything he could to carve open a clean pass but Vernon held firm – all the while compromising Seb’s pace and leaving him open to attack from the advancing Fletcher who edged ahead on lap 15. Into the last lap Seb was all over the back of Fletcher’s car but a final corner attempt didn’t pay off, instead dropping him to 11th.
“I had a mega start, made up a lot of places and had very good mid-race pace”, explained Seb, “I was challenging [Kieran] Vernon but he was defending incredibly well and I didn’t have a chance to get past. The next thing I know, [James] Fletcher was down the inside and made it through at Tower.
“On the last lap though he was slow out of the second to last corner so I went for a move up the inside into the hairpin but we had some contact. It’s a shame it ended like that, up to then it was a great race and I really enjoyed it.”
Seb will be back on track four weeks from now, over the weekend 18th/19th August, for rounds 10, 11 and 12 of the Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship season. | http://www.ginetta.com/news_article?id=768 | 861 |
Norwich have extended the loan spell of Newcastle goalkeeper Fraser Forster until the end of the season.
The 21-year-old has kept seven clean sheets in 12 appearances for the Canaries to help the club climb to fifth in League One.
As part of the deal, Forster will be able to feature in the play-offs should City be involved and Newcastle have also allowed him to play in the FA Cup.
It means Forster, who had to sit out the first-round tie at non-league Paulton Rogers, will be available for the trip to Carlisle on November 28.
Meanwhile, winger Simon Whaley has joined League two side Bradford until January 2 on an emergency loan deal.
Whaley has not featured for Norwich since September and recently returned from a two-month spell at Rochdale.
Copyright (c) PA Sport 2009, All Rights Reserved. | http://www.givemefootball.com/112047-forster-extends-canaries-stay | 183 |
QPR manager Neil Warnock was delighted with their narrow win over Doncaster that moves his team another step closer to promotion to the Barclays Premier League.
Rangers secured a slender 1-0 win at the Keepmoat Stadium thanks to Hogan Ephraim's strike two minutes into the second half. The London club are now nine points clear at the top of the npower Championship and Warnock was pleased his players kept the momentum going.
He said: "I thought we stuck at it and everyone contributed in what was a good team performance. Doncaster is a difficult place to come so to go away with three points before the international break is a great result for us."
He continued: "The fans were tremendous and they can travel home happy and content after the way we played."
Rangers have looked certainties for promotion throughout the campaign and another superb defensive display helped them snuff out Doncaster. But Warnock is refusing to take promotion for granted, insisting plenty more work is required.
"Doncaster had their moments but we kept on the front foot as much as we could and I couldn't have asked for more,'' he continued. "I just felt we were ready for it and once we got our noses in front I couldn't see them scoring.
"I'd love to win the next five games and wrap it all up but I'm sure there will be a few twists and turns before the end of the season."
Defeat left Doncaster assistant manager Richard O'Kelly frustrated.
He said: "They are running away with the Championship but I think we matched them apart from the opening 10 minutes - and one mistake cost us the game.
"The first goal was always going to be crucial because when they get their noses in front it's hard to peg them back. They know what they're doing and they shut up shop and did it really well."
Copyright (c) PA Sport 2009, All Rights Reserved. | http://www.givemefootball.com/155470-warnock-delight-as-rangers-roll-on | 398 |
Paris St-Germain are considering a £40m bid for Tottenham Hotspur star Luka Modric - matching Tottenham's valuation of the midfielder.
Modric has been a long-term target for Manchester United and Chelsea, but Real Madrid were thought to have stolen a march on their rivals and were seemingly in pole position to sign the Croatian.
But, according to the Guardian, that transfer has been completed by the fact that PSG are willing to meet Tottenham's valuation of £40m, putting them ahead in the race to sign the creative midfielder.
Modric has been fined two weeks wages - roughly £80,000 - for refusing to train with the Spurs squad, as he looks to clinch a move to the La Liga champions. And the Croatian midfielder's behaviour has been widely condemned by the north London club - Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas even branded the midfielder "unprofessional".
Modric has since apologised and returned to Spurs training, although he will not join Tottenham's pre-season tour of North America.
Andre Villas-Boas said: "He has spoken to me and to the chairman, and I think his apology comes and it's welcome, the player is now training and just hopefuly will make the right decision in the future. We're just waiting on the bidding clubs to offer the right value for the player."
Reports suggest that although Modric has given little consideration to joining the French side, their ability to meet Modric's valuation may allow Spurs to coax out a higher fee from Real Madrid.
The Spanish side have reportedly offered a package worth £31m, but Spurs insist they will reject all unsatisfactory bids and keep the wantaway star at the club if necessary.
In a similar situation last summer, Modric made it clear he wanted to leave for Chelsea, but was not allowed to depart, and went on to enjoy a successful season with Spurs.
Manchester United were thought to be in the hunt this summer, but United are thought to view Modric's valuation as too steep.
Chelsea could still come back in for the midfielder, but it appears Modric now favours a move to Madrid. | http://www.givemefootball.com/191205-psg-enter-race-for-spurs-midfielder | 441 |
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Trackbacks from: REGLAN FOR SALE. REGLAN FOR SALE. REGLAN FOR SALE. REGLAN no prescription. REGLAN no prescription. REGLAN overnight. | http://www.goonblog.com/2005/08/31/hockey-gladiators/ | 961 |
Lady Tigers Travel to Oxford for Rebel Intercollegiate
April 2, 2009
The University of Memphis women's golf team is set to compete this week at the Rebel Intercollegiate hosted by Ole Miss. Action gets underway tomorrow, April 3, at the par-72 6, 132 yard Country Club of Oxford.
The tournament has a field of 14 teams, including UAB, Arkansas State, Belmont, Jackson State, Kennesaw State, Memphis, Mississippi State, Missouri, Murray State, Oregon State, South Alabama, Southern Miss, Tulane, and Ole Miss.
"This is a very strong field," said Lady Tiger head coach Beth Harrelson. "We're excited to get things underway."
Freshman Kathleen Glavin looks to build on her career performance at the Lady Eagle Invitational last week. Glavin fired rounds of 79-76 to finish in 12th. Her final round 76 was the lowest of her career and led her to her first top-20.
"I expect Kathleen to build off her performance at Southern Miss," said Coach Harrelson. "She's still hitting it really well, and I think that performance really gave her some confidence."
"Marissa and Rachel are both hitting it well right now," said Coach Harrelson. "I think Rachel's been due for a great tournament this spring, and I think this could be the one."
The Lady Tigers tee off in the Rebel Intercollegiate tomorrow morning, April 3, at 7:45 a.m. Live scoring for the event will be available via www.golfstat.com. | http://www.gotigersgo.com/sports/w-golf/spec-rel/040209aaa.html | 330 |
Walker, USC women shock No. 5 Kentucky, 55-50
Published: Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 3:15 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, January 25, 2013 at 1:28 a.m.
COLUMBIA — Dawn Staley has done a lot in her five seasons at South Carolina. Add beating a top-five team to her list of accomplishments.
The No. 18 Gamecocks (17-3, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) beat No. 5 Kentucky 55-50 Thursday night, using their pressure defense to hold the Wildcats 30 points under their average. It was South Carolina's first win over a top-five team since 1998.
Staley has revived South Carolina's program, bringing the team to its first NCAA tournament in nine years last season. But a win over one of the elite programs has been just out of her reach, such as the four-point loss to then top-ranked Stanford in December.
“We kept coming up short against opponents like a Kentucky, like the Stanfords and Tennessees. I'm happy to see their hard work, what they put into it, paid off,” Staley said.
Kentucky (18-2, 6-1 Southeastern Conference) led for most of the second half before the Gamecocks went on an 18-4 run to take a 52-44 lead with 3:34 left. South Carolina hit just three free throws down the stretch, but the defense hung on.
The Wildcats hadn't lost since an 85-51 defeat to then-No. 1 Baylor on Nov. 13. But they appeared rattled at the end. O'Neil missed a teammate entirely with a pass with Kentucky down three with 17 seconds to go. The Wildcats turned it over again 5 seconds later as Ashley Bruner ended Kentucky's last chance knocking away an inbound pass with 12.7 seconds left.
“This was the first time we have faced serious adversity,” O'Neil said. “Like coach said, we didn't have poise.”
Kentucky came into the game as the second-best offense in the SEC at 79 points a game. But the Wildcats ran into the best defense in the SEC. South Carolina allows just 48 points a game and has held every opponent but one under 60 points.
Kentucky went almost nine minutes without a point in the first half, and scored just one bucket in six minutes as South Carolina built its biggest lead of the game at eight points. The Wildcats shot 32.8 percent (19 of 58) from the field. A Kentucky team that led the SEC by forcing 10 more turnovers than its opponents, turned the ball over 18 times — two more than South Carolina.
South Carolina scored five more points on the fast break against a Kentucky team that prides itself on getting easy baskets after turning up the pressure.
“We just were not nearly as tough as them tonight,” Kentucky coach Matthew Mitchell said.
The Gamecocks shot just 37.7 percent (20 of 53), but that is fine with Staley, especially when the game stays in the 50s.
“It's exhausting to play as hard as we play defensively. It takes the wind out of you. But the crowd put the life back into us and we came up with some big plays,” Staley said.
Ieasia Walker had 16 points and eight rebounds, while Aleighsa Welch scored 11 points and had seven rebounds and Elem Ibiam added eight points and eight rebounds for South Carolina.
Jennifer O'Neil led Kentucky with 17 points, while DeNesha Stallworth added 12 points and 10 rebounds and A'dia Mathies also scored 12 points.
The Gamecocks even overcame their biggest weakness. South Carolina is next-to-last in Division I in free throws, shooting just 54 percent. But they hit 10 of their last 16 foul shots, even though they shot just 48 percent from the foul line in the game (13 of 27).
The biggest foul shots came with 13 seconds left as Welch went to the line for two shots and the Gamecocks ahead three points.
“I just wanted her to shoot our average,” Staley said.
Welch missed the first, but made the second. It was enough to seal the win.
The Gamecocks celebrated their milestone win, but not too much. Staley has bigger goals than an upset in January. She wants this team to finish at the top of the SEC and make a deep run in the NCAA tournament.
‘'We just talked about it in the locker room,” Ibiam said. “We talked about not getting too comfortable.”
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged. | http://www.goupstate.com/article/20130124/WIRE/130129778/1088/news100 | 1,015 |
Area college basketball: Wofford preview capsule
Published: Friday, February 1, 2013 at 11:45 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, February 1, 2013 at 11:45 p.m.
DAVIDSON at WOFFORD
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Benjamin Johnson Arena
Records: Davidson (14-7, 9-2 Southern Conference); Wofford (8-14, 2-7)
Radio: 910 AM, 105.7 FM
Top scorers: Davidson — Jr. F De'Mon Brooks (14.0 ppg., 6.4 rpg.); Sr. F Jake Cohen (13.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg.); Sr. G Nik Cochran (10.0 ppg, 66 assists). Wofford — So. G Karl Cochran (15.5 ppg.); Fr. G Spencer Collins (11.7 ppg.); So. F Lee Skinner (10.7 ppg., 7.5 rpg.)
Notes: Wofford is in danger of falling into last place in the six-team South Division. The Terriers are a half-game ahead of The Citadel after suffering a 69-63 loss to the Bulldogs in Charleston on Thursday night. The Citadel plays today at Furman. … Wofford is 2-8 since the 56-55 upset of Xavier on Dec. 22. The wins were both at home, by 18 points against Georgia Southern and 13 points against Furman. … Wofford was dominated inside by 6-foot-8 post players Mike Groselle and P.J. Horgan of The Citadel. They combined for 40 points and 17 rebounds. … Skinner did not start against The Citadel, first time all season, but scored 12 points in 26 minutes. … Wofford, the worst-shooting team in the league, shot 39 percent and only 21 percent (5-for-24) on 3-pointers. The Citadel shot 56 percent overall with 38 points in the paint. … League favorite Davidson has a two-game lead on the College of Charleston in the South Division and on Elon in the North for the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. … The Wildcats are coming off a 20-point victory against Samford and have won five straight since a surprising 13-point loss at Georgia Southern. Davidson has wins against Vanderbilt, West Virginia and Richmond. Among the losses are to then No. 1-ranked Duke, No. 17 Gonzaga and Drexel. … Davidson opened the Southern Conference schedule on Dec. 8 with a 63-56 win at home against Wofford. … Wofford and Davidson have played 96 times since 1910, with the Wildcats winning 72. Davidson has won four straight after losing three straight.
Next: Wofford has two more home games, next Thursday against Elon and Saturday against UNC Greensboro. It's the beginning of five straight games against North Division teams. The stretch will include games at Western Carolina and Samford, home against Chattanooga. | http://www.goupstate.com/article/20130201/ARTICLES/130209954?Title=Area-college-basketball-Wofford-preview-capsule | 630 |
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Great coaching by ZO. No fast breaks was great. We like to let defense get back and set up so we can run our offense great philosphy. Fast breaks lead to to many turnovers despite the aasy layups and dunks. Excellent coaching to play Chievous so much he is a stat sheet stuffer.His 5 fouls helped tremendously showing we are aggressive on D. zo kept our players between their man and the basket never gambling for steals prevents us from getting beat back door. Pearls overplaying the passing lanes style of play causes to much running and tires players out. Good offensive philosophy letting one player dribble and go one on one cause it limits our passes to cut down turnovers. By the other four players standing still on offense vols get the rest they need for defense. Zo is on his way to putting some banners up.
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Putting The Fun Back In F1
Watching the excellent MotoGP at the weekend, it is obvious what F1 is missing. It’s not ground effects or KERS, it’s the “F” word. Fun. In the last few years, F1 really seems to have lost touch with its fans as it has grown bigger and bigger. F1 is now under such a draconian state, that a driver can no longer please the fans by doing a donut or burnout without being slapped with a fine.
Sure, allowing drivers to do burnouts isn’t the be all and end all of the problems that F1 currently faces. But it can’t hurt. Seeing Lorenzo climb a tyre wall and celebrate in front of his fans and then jumping in an artificial lake, it is obvious that people like to see the “human” side of the sport we love. The emotion, the passion and what it means to the guys who succeed is something even the most casual fan can surely connect with, yet in recent years, F1 seems to have been hell-bent on stamping out any chance F1 drivers have had to show their personality.
Can you imagine what fans would think if MotoGP officials denied riders the pleasure to celebrate? I personally could imagine that there would be an outcry about it.
And the fun factor can go further than just allowing drivers to celebrate. Actually allow drivers to mould their personalities. Want to know why Valentino Rossi is so popular wherever he goes? He’s got bags of personality, and he’s not afraid to hide it just because of the sponsors. Over the years, we’ve got to know and love “The Doctor” with his proud yellow colours and day-glow 46 number.
He’s not alone. Lorenzo has “Lorenzo land” and number 99 and recently played along as “Captain America” at the Indy MotoGP race last year. Capirossi, the most senior rider on the MotoGP is proud of his knickname, “Capirex”. Nick Hayden wears his number 69 with pride. All the riders come out with crazy helmets and different colour schemes for their home races.
Meanwhile, the only recent thing like this that has happened in F1 was David Coulthard wearing a Superman cape on the podium at Monaco, courtesy of the Superman branding Red Bull was carrying at that race. The year before, Red Bull had “Storm Troopers” and Darth Vader walking around the pit and paddock due to a new Star Wars movie that was being promoted.
Especially for a younger audience watching, who idolise these figures, imagine what they would think if these “super heroes” were allowed to truly show off their personality. I personally don’t buy all this rubbish that F1 drivers don’t have any personality. Kimi Raikkonen, whilst he gave the most boring press conferences ever, also put some fun in F1 from dressing up in a monkey suit to his occasional funny comments on the grid.
F1 has become too business like for its own good. Now is the time to follow MotoGP’s lead in becoming a fan friendly, fun race series that people can actually relate with. F1 has forgotten about who really matters now. It is not the sponsors, it is the fans. If it wasn’t for the fans, F1 would be nothing.
Allow drivers to speak out, allow them to mould their personalities without worrying about what the sponsors think.
The formula is simple. Put the fun back in F1. | http://www.gptoday.com/forums/blog/66/entry-674-putting-the-fun-back-in-f1/ | 756 |
Last night, ex-teammates and Western Conference all-stars Russell Westbrook and James Harden battled as coaches of the Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity game. Both coached to win—that is when comedian Kevin Hart wasn't challenging Usain Bolt to foot races at half-time. And beating Usain Bolt in foot races at half-time. But, together, both Harden and Westbrook taught the fans an import style lesson of high and low. Harden, in his backyard of Houston, TX, has worn nothing but Christian Louboutin sneakers since the all-star festivities kicked off. Even to the Houston Foodbank to do community service. We won't broadcast the price of his sneakers—"Gentlemen's" Quarterly, know?—but chances are your girlfriend has asked for a pair and after looking at the price online you went the sentimental route. No shame in that, fellas. However, Wild Wild Westbrook as we affectionally call him, chose more accessible duds by sporting a camel knit blazer from Zara. After Russ told me it was from Zara he tilted his head down, looked over his thick frames and said, "Something for the people, ya know?" Harden and Westbrook looked rakishly smart in their own, very different ways. The take away? Learn from both. Bring your A-game to a food kitchen but remember price isn't everything. | http://www.gq.com/style/blogs/the-gq-eye/2013/02/an-all-star-lesson-in-nba-style-get-coached-by-russell-westbrook-james-harden.html | 281 |
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