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DuPont, 6-time Grand Slam champion, dies at 94
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- Margaret Osborne duPont, the winner of more than 30 Grand Slam singles and doubles titles spanning three decades, has died, She was 94.
DuPont died late Wednesday in El Paso while in hospice care, Mary Skinner of VNA Hospice said Thursday. Other details were not released.
DuPont won the singles title at Wimbledon in 1947, the U.S. National Championship (now the U.S. Open) singles title from 1948 to 1950 and the French singles title in 1946 and 1948.
She won 31 doubles and mixed doubles titles at three Grand Slams between 1941 and 1962. DuPont never played the Grand Slam tournament in Australia.
In 1967, five years after winning her last Grand Slam title, DuPont was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I.
In a story last year in the El Paso Times, duPont spoke about her love of the game.
"It was always just tennis, tennis, tennis, tennis,'' she said. "I'm not sure why I loved the game so much. But I did. I just did. And I always have.''
DuPont played an aggressive game, serving and volleying, that suited her well for doubles. Her contemporaries included Pauline Betz, Doris Hart, Althea Gibson, Maria Bueno and Maureen Connolly.
DuPont won more titles at what is now the U.S. Open in singles, doubles, mixed doubles -- 25 -- than anyone else in history. She was recognized for the accomplishment in recent years with a gold ring from the governing body for U.S. tennis.
Born in Joseph, Ore., on March 4, 1918, duPont grew up on a ranch there. When the family moved to San Francisco, duPont played her first tennis on public courts in Golden Gate Park. Before long she was traveling the country.
During World War II, duPont worked in a plant in Sausalito, Calif., where marine ships were made and even shared a ride to work with Bing Crosby, the El Paso paper reported.
In the early 1940s she met William duPont Jr., of the famous and prominent American family. The two married in 1947 and son Bill was born in 1952.
Having a child didn't slow down her tennis competition. Her last Grand Slam title, mixed doubles at Wimbledon, came in 1962.
The couple divorced in 1964 and duPont moved to El Paso in 1966 where got became involved in the horse racing business.
Billie Jean King said in a statement that duPont had a "huge impact'' on her career.
"She was one of my she-roes and was a great influence on my life both on and off the court,'' King said. "I hope today's players and any boy or girl who dreams of a career in tennis will go to the history books and read about Margaret because her career wasn't just about winning matches, it was also about mentoring others.''
DuPont followed the modern game, particularly Andy Murray, this year's U.S. Open men's singles champion. But she told the El Paso paper the game has changed so much.
"You hit the ball as hard as you can and, every once in a while, come to the net,'' she said. "Not too much thought involved. And, of course, the racket technology makes it just an entirely different sport.''
Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. | http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/news/20121025/obit-dupont/ | 749 |
"I think that one of these days," he said, "You're going to have to find out where you want to go. And then you've got to start going there. But immediately. You can't afford to lose a minute. Not you."
The Catcher in the Rye
Bobby Carpenter has known where he wants to go for years. He remembers when he was eight, walking back home from a rink with his father, Bob Sr., and asking him if he thought he could one day play in the National Hockey League. That was in the so-called Bobby Orr era, and the goal of every kid hockey player in the Boston area was to make it to the pros. When his father said nothing, young Bobby asked, "Is it too early to tell?" His father nodded. Then, two years later, same rink, same walk, he again asked his dad about his chances of making the NHL. Bob Sr., who knows his hockey, turned and looked at his son. "It's possible," he said.
Today, 17-year-old Bobby Carpenter of Peabody, Mass., a city of 48,000 some 15 miles north of Boston, is the best high school hockey player in America. More than that, he's one of the top amateur prospects in the world. In the NHL draft in June, Carpenter's expected to be one of the first six players selected. No high school player, from the U.S. or anyplace else, has ever been among the top 60 drafted, and no American has ever been among the first 10.
The hapless Winnipeg Jets seem destined to have the first choice, and it's just possible they'll use it to draft Carpenter. Winnipeg's director of player personnel, Mike Doran, had lunch last week with Carpenter's father and his coach, Joe Yannetti, who also happens to be a Winnipeg scout. For now, all Doran is willing to say is that Carpenter is in the running with five or six other players.
Upward of a dozen scouts will attend every game Carpenter plays for St. John's Prep of Danvers, Mass. the rest of the year, and player agents are swarming around him. Carpenter himself will see lots of college games. His is a world of possibilities, and he's keeping himself open to all of them. The high school senior will soon have to choose either the big money or a college education, so a subtle sense of urgency surrounds him. It isn't panic, just a time-to-get-down-to-business air. You can't afford to lose a minute. Not you. All roads lead to Oz; he just has to start. The Can't-Miss Kid—that's what they call him.
That's a heavy label to hang on any 17-year-old, but it's difficult to imagine a scenario in which Carpenter does miss. These days when he's asked if he thinks his son can make it in the pros, Bob Sr., a sergeant on the Peabody police force, says, "He's survival-oriented. He'll be able to compete." Lou Varro, who coached Bobby in January's World Junior Tournament, in which the U.S. finished sixth and Carpenter was the team's MVP, says of him, "You'd think a kid coming in with Carpenter's reputation would be cocky, but he's not a big shot. If you ever had a son, you'd be proud to have him turn out like Carpenter. He's just a down-to-earth kid."
So what else is a coach going to say about his star player, you ask. You don't know Varro, a stout, plainspoken Brooklynite. "If he was a horse's ass, I'd tell you," he says.
Boston College's assistant hockey coach, Steve Cedorchuk, believes Carpenter could take B.C. to its second NCAA championship. "People talk about how Bobby's one of the great players," says Cedorchuk. "But he's also one of the great winners. And he'd be a team leader as a freshman."
The only complaint pro scouts have about Carpenter is that he's still playing in high school. "If Bobby had played Junior A in Canada," says Quebec bird dog Red Fleming, "he'd be the first player drafted. No doubt. But they don't play the game the NHL way at his age in the States. The referees think they're playing basketball, calling every little hit."
"Carpenter hasn't proved to me he can take the rough stuff." says Jim Anderson, Vancouver's chief scout. "But he's an exceptional puck handler and skater. And, geezus, he's got quick hands." | http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1124235/1/index.htm | 977 |
Just as the Mariners have themselves a patsy in the Kansas City Royals, so do the Sounders in the Colorado Rapids.
The first goal of the season from MLS All-Star midfielder Osvaldo Alonso gave the Sounders a 2-1 win Saturday night in Commerce City, CO, and a three-game seasonal sweep of the Colorado Rapids.
Alonso punched in a left-footed score from 12 yards out in the 65th minute after receiving a lefty cross from Eddie Johnson, the club’s other MLS All-Star. The final hectic 25 minutes were mostly under Colorado’s control as the Rapids sought to end a five-game losing streak. Instead, the 2010 MLS champions lost for a club-record sixth consecutive time and fell to 7-14-1 — the most losses and fewest draws in MLS.
On a warm, windy night at mile-high altitude, the Sounders (9-5-7) improved their record against Colorado to 7-1-1 and welcomed back veteran Michael Gspurning in goal, out since the season’s seventh game with a hip injury. But the reception was a tad unpleasant.
After the Sounders struck in the second minute off a perfect corner kick from Fredy Montero that Johnson easily headed into the net — surprisingly uncontested by either defender or goalkeeper — the Rapids struck back in the third minute.
Brian Mullan, the Rapids’ resident villain for his brutal tackle of Steve Zakuani the last time the Sounders were here (April 22, 2011), sent a cross skidding low past the goal mouth and several Sounders defenders to Drew Moor, who welcomed back Gspurning with a sudden score.
The early fireworks quickly faded. The Sounders were out-shot in both halves, but the jolt from Alonso, before an announced crowd of 13,816 in the 18,000-seat stadium, knocked back the Rapids for awhile. But they mounted a strong comeback that required a sprawling Gspurning save on a shot that ended up slightly behind him.
The Sounders were operating short a veteran midfielder after the trade of Alvaro Fernandez Friday to Chicago. He was cleared off the roster to make room for Christian Tiffert, the new designated player from Germany who won’t join the team until next week.
The Sounders return to action at 7 p.m. Thursday when they open their 2012-13 CONCACAF Champions League group play agianst Caledonia of Trinidad. | http://sportspressnw.com/2114471/2012/alonso-delivers-as-sounders-sweep-in-colorado | 511 |
Momentum dissolves in late innings
Wagner belted, 'pen a question mark as series shifts west
NEW YORK -- The scent of the World Series reached Shea Stadium late Friday night, delivered with October's chill by a breeze that already had passed through Motown. The power of Carlos Delgado put the Mets on the threshold of a fifth straight postseason victory and a two-game advantage over the Cardinals in the National League Championship Series.
It was going to be so good for them, and they knew it. The circumstances were so favorable. Seven more outs, two more victories and a few flights to Detroit, or maybe Oakland. What did that matter? Then the Mets lost all they had worked for -- first the lead, then the game, then the advantage in the best-of-seven series. And in the end, they lost the scent too.
Where they are now, following a 9-6 collapse and the worst kind of defeat, is difficult to say. They passed through metal detectors before boarding their flight to St. Louis. The next three games will be mettle detectors.
"We'll see what we're made of," catcher Paul Lo Duca said.
It isn't a test they're happy to take.
The loss put them in that situation, in an unfamiliar circumstance. The Mets are even; this team that led its division race virtually from the beginning and never trailed in the NLDS, now is on equal footing with its opponent.
Or is it even? The loss -- actually it was the manner of the loss -- did more than square the series at one victory each. The Cardinals beat the Mets' best. They took the Mets' best shots -- two home runs by Delgado and a productive night by Jose Reyes. And then they hammered Billy Wagner.
"You know they're feeling pretty good about themselves," Cliff Floyd said. "They picked up some steam on us."
When Wagner surrendered a leadoff home run to So Taguchi in the ninth inning and two runs after that, another Mets advantage -- superior relief pitching -- vanished as well.
Their bullpen is dented and if not overworked, it is at least worked to a point at which it can't be fresh for Game 3 on Saturday night. And who knows about subsequent games? The bullpen could not come through in the seventh and ninth innings. Moreover, it worked five innings in relief of starter John Maine, throwing 112 pitches to Maine's 88. Now, with no off-day for travel and rest, the 'pen faces three games in three nights in hostile territory, with Steve Trachsel and Oliver Perez scheduled to start the first two.
"No one said it was going to be easy," Lo Duca said. "We have our work cut out for us. What we have to do is blow it off and steal one back."
That was the appropriate phrasing to be sure. The Cardinals picked the Mets' pocket.
"We felt it was our game," right fielder Shawn Green said.
The Mets held leads of 3-0, 4-2 and 6-4, the third one entrusted to the bullpen. They had won 46 straight games in which they led through six innings. And when Guillermo Mota, the Mets' third reliever, retired the first two batters in the seventh, the game seemed to be routine.
But a single down the third-base line by Albert Pujols -- his first hit of the series came on the 11th pitch, after six straight foul balls -- changed the routine. A four-pitch walk to Jim Edmonds followed, prompting a visit from manager Willie Randolph.
After the conference, Scott Spiezio pulled a 0-2 fastball off the top of the wall in right field for three bases and two -- and nearly three -- runs. More than the home run by Taguchi, the triple by Spiezio undermined the Mets.
Green kept the ball from carrying over the fence and nearly caught it.
"I thought I had it," he said. "The only thing wrong was that ball wasn't in my glove."
It wasn't only thing. Spiezio had looked bad on two changeups. He fouled off a fastball, and Lo Duca called for another change.
"I wanted a change, [Mota] wanted a fastball," the catcher said. "I went with the pitcher."
The ball struck the top of the wall in full view of right-field umpire Tim Welke, who, nonetheless, conferred with the rest of the crew. His initial call stood. Either way, Spiezio, playing for injured third baseman Scott Rolen, had his 13th hit in 19 career at-bats with runners in scoring position in postseason play. Spiezio delivered again in the ninth against Wagner, driving in Pujols from second base with a double.
Some of the shortfall in the seventh was obscured by Wagner's fatally flawed ninth. He faced six batters and allowed four hits. Taguchi's home run was just the beginning -- of the end.
"Stuff happens," Wagner said, paraphrasing bumper-sticker philosophy. "It's just like the other 50 I've blown -- I was no better or worse than [Thursday night]. They found holes after the home runs. And Taguchi ... he just got the head [of the bat] out. Bad game for me, good swing for him. I've had bad days before when I didn't get it done."
The triskaidekaphobics will blame the date and the uniform number, 13, Wagner has worn since college. If they're good, they know that Jim Edmonds, who hit a two-run home run off Maine in the third, was the Cardinals' 13th batter. Wagner dismissed it.
"I have 300-odd saves wearing this number," he said. "They beat me, that's all. They came back and beat us."
The Cardinals' resilience offset the power play by Delgado. He gave the Mets a lead for the second time in the fifth inning, when he hit his third home run of the postseason, over the left-field wall, against Chris Carpenter, the Cardinals' starter and Delgado's former Blue Jays teammate. And the Mets added what they considered to be an insurance run against Josh Hancock in the sixth, when Lo Duca's double to left scored Reyes from first base.
The first home run came in the first. Carpenter had retired one batter when Delgado struck. Reyes led off the first with a double to right and moved to third on Lo Duca's sacrifice bunt. After Carlos Beltran walked -- his sixth walk of the postseason -- Delgado crushed a 1-1 pitch into the left-center field bleachers, giving the Mets a 3-0 lead in the first inning for the second time this postseason. They scored three runs in the first in Game 3 of the NLDS.
Delgado giveth back in the second, misplaying a ground ball by Spiezio after Maine allowed the first of five walks, to Edmonds. A walk to Juan Encarnacion loaded the bases. After Ronnie Belliard popped out, Maine had only the bottom of the order to deal with. But Yadier Molina lined a single over Delgado -- the first baseman jumped and extended his glove upward -- for two runs before Maine struck out Carpenter and retired David Eckstein on a soft, quasi popup that second baseman Jose Valentin handled in short center.
A leadoff double by Endy Chavez, playing left field for the injured Floyd, a sacrifice bunt by Maine and Reyes' single to right produced a 4-2 lead. But Edmonds hit his home run in the third, after a one-out walk to Pujols.
"But then we came back and took another lead," Green said. "We expected to do that, and we did."
And, right then, they expected to win.
Now what do they expect?
Marty Noble is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. | http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061013&content_id=1711998&vkey=ps2006news&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb | 1,679 |
CHICAGO -- For about 40 minutes on the day before this past Thanksgiving, a U.S. Cellular Field conference room nestled in the back of the main offices transformed from White Sox business to a family affair.
Sitting on one side of the conference room table was Roynal Coleman, the 41-year-old beaming father, playing the part particularly strong on this November evening. Across from him was Ronell Coleman, a senior at Simeon Career Academy located in Chicago's inner city who just days earlier joined 11 of his friends and teammates from the White Sox Amateur City Elite baseball program at the ballpark, officially signing a letter of intent to play collegiately at the Division I level.
The younger Coleman will be attending Vanderbilt University, a four-year trip to Nashville, Tenn., that was made possible in part by Nathan Durst, the man sitting to the right of him at the table. Durst, a national crosschecker for the White Sox, stood at the forefront of the ACE program aimed at giving Chicago talent a chance to play against other competitive traveling teams and point them toward the collegiate direction.
In this picture, though, Durst becomes more than a coach or a guiding force. He is like a brother to the elder Coleman, whom Durst coached at Kishwaukee College during Roynal's own successful baseball run. The bond is so deep and the respect is so high that when Roynal Coleman was incarcerated more than five years ago for what he terms as a crime "pertaining to drugs," he couldn't break the news to Durst for fear of letting him down.
"It was the best-kept secret they kept from me," Durst said.
"You have friends, but then you have the people who you look to for respect as a brother, and that's how I felt about Nathan," Roynal said. "That's why I felt terrible. I just couldn't come to grips and tell him."
Roynal's life is baseball -- make that baseball and pushing his son to be the best. Even with this aforementioned misstep, the Coleman family not only survived but thrived.
The topic of Roynal's incarceration in the federal system arises somewhat early in the conversation, and he doesn't try to dodge the matter. It was a mistake, a poor decision, for which he paid with four years of his life before being released in the summer of 2011.
Coleman's main regret is not being physically there for his only child during Ronell's formative years. It's an issue that both seem to have reconciled, leaving Roynal with a great sense of pride in his son based on how he responded.
"I'm so impressed with him now that he persevered and stayed strong," said Roynal of his son, who turned 18 on Thanksgiving and lives with his mother. "He easily could have went in the corner and did the wrong thing. That would have been his excuse. I know I hurt him. I was with him every day, working out three hours a day, since he's been 6 years old."
Even being away, Roynal still had to be a dad. He would call and write Ronell, making sure that he was studying hard and getting in his 2,000 swings per week, reminding him that he couldn't break now.
"I knew I couldn't crawl into the corner, so it motivated me," Ronell said. "I wanted to do better so when he came home, he saw I was trying to improve myself, not only as a ballplayer but as a person.
"There's no question I had to grow up faster than most kids around me, and it was a very hard time for me and my mom. But it made me a better person overall. It made me work hard because I wanted to be successful. I could have easily started to do bad things, but that's not the type of person I am."
News of Roynal's incarceration didn't reach Durst until after Roynal was gone. It was a mutual friend who confirmed the situation, when a man Durst talked to daily about baseball suddenly went incommunicado for three weeks. Durst figured Roynal had either gone into witness protection or gone to jail.
This lapse in judgment didn't break a brotherly relationship covering more than two decades. In fact, Roynal has become a first-person authority to the kids in the ACE program, demonstrating the importance of overcoming mistakes and setting your life straight. His baseball acumen doesn't hurt in their development, either.
"We get a lot of players from at-risk areas," Durst said. "You can hear it from me, but I'm originally from Central Wisconsin. I can scout there and I can be there, but when we get information from Ro, it's living it.
"It's saying, 'This could happen, if you make this mistake.' For him to be able to speak bluntly to all of our kids, words cannot begin to describe how important that is."
Can't measure heart
A first glance at Ronell, or "Little Ro," as Durst calls him, wouldn't exactly evoke thoughts of a standout baseball player. He stands at 5-foot-5 and 145 pounds, serving as the ultimate personification that you can't judge a book by its cover.
"When I play against a lot of kids, they think I can't play: 'Why is he on the field?'" the soft-spoken but eloquent Ronell explained. "That doesn't discourage me, because I might be 5-foot-5, but I play like I'm 7 feet. I have the heart of a lion. I play hard and give it my all every time. Size doesn't mean anything."
"Nobody will outwork him, on or off the field," Durst said. "He had to eliminate the size. In order to do that, you had to see him over a stretch of games and really see the small things he does to win games."
Small things, according to Durst, such as scoring a couple of runs per game, stealing a base or two, playing "a tremendous second base" and presenting the true skill set of a leadoff man by taking at-bats deep into the count and fouling off a lot of pitches. Ronell also has that hard-nosed leadership quality, where he's not afraid to express to his teammates they need to get it going in the winning direction.
As a freshman at De La Salle Institute, the switch-hitter posted a .400 average. He followed that up by hitting .490 as a sophomore and then batted .400 again as a junior after moving to Simeon. Ronell's father has been his No. 1 baseball teacher, as well as his No. 1 supporter.
"Both of them did a tremendous job of really working hard at this whole thing," Durst said.
"To this day, nobody in America put in more work than we had," Roynal said. "I always told him, 'You have to play with a chip on your shoulder and play with reckless abandon. Bust it in the classroom, on the field and in life. Be respectable, walk with your head up.' When somebody runs a cat or dog into the corner, it's going to come out fighting. I said, 'You've got to be that person now.'"
Serious talent, but not a serious attitude
What do Manny Ramirez, Einar Diaz, Damian Jackson and Richie Sexson have in common? They were all Major Leaguers who at one time played Minor League baseball with Roynal as part of the Indians system. Coleman tells the story of going to lunch with Ramirez when he was a rookie and visiting Chicago.
Cleveland selected the elder Coleman in the 24th round of the 1990 First-Year Player Draft, and the right-handed-hitting outfielder played parts of three seasons before an ankle and Achilles injury brought an end to his fledgling career. He tried one more run in 2000 via 10 at-bats with Dubois County of the Frontier League in independent baseball.
Durst compares the father's playing ability to his son's, describing a fleet-footed leadoff man who could go get it in center field. Roynal never had a fatherly influence to guide him or push him to another level, which might explain why the game never became meaningful enough for him to accept as a profession.
"With the environment I grew up in, nobody played baseball," Roynal said. "There was nobody there showing you, and I didn't really train in the offseason.
"That's why with ACE, kids have such a great opportunity to get to college, and that's the ultimate goal with the program. Get kids to go to school. Get the education to do things you need to do in life."
In the case of Coleman's son, the program provided a chance for baseball and that education.
Hard work means success
Kevin Coe, the White Sox manager of youth baseball initiatives, took park in this pre-Thanksgiving interview session with Roynal, Ronell and Durst. In his position with the ACE program, Coe has become part of the Coleman extended family as well.
Asked about the younger Coleman as a baseball talent, Coe instead pointed out that Coleman was the only player aside from his son who got into his car and started reading a book upon the first time they met.
"I've had a lot of kids ride in my car when I was coaching," said a smiling Coe. "I knew the caliber of baseball player he already was. To get in a car and be reading a book on the way to the game, it kind of tells me what his character really is, what he felt was important."
If baseball doesn't pan out as a career, Ronell would like to come back to Chicago and help inner-city kids either through baseball lessons like his father or opening up a facility with his baseball friends. Ronell first has four years of Vanderbilt to look forward to, an experience made possible in part through his baseball excellence.
That excellence was made possible, in part, through Roynal's guidance during good times and bad. That preparation involved throwing batting practice to him at eight, in teaching him to hit the fastball, right up through the recent unplanned life lessons.
"These two are an emotional one for me because of my history with them and everything else," Durst said. "I'm very proud of both of them."
"My dad is my best friend -- whenever I need to talk to him about anything, he's there for me," said Ronell. "If it wasn't for my dad, I probably wouldn't be where I'm at right now."
"You get that degree from Vanderbilt, and you can do whatever you want," Roynal said. "If pro ball should happen for him, that's great. But if it doesn't happen, going to a school like Vanderbilt is like you are playing pro ball right there." | http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121219&content_id=40754258&vkey=news_cws&c_id=cws | 2,308 |
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Stylewatch Style News Now
Has Robert Pattinson Buzzed Off His Long Locks?
Not even a week after his appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show with his legendary sexy tousled locks still firmly in place, Twilight heartthrob Robert Pattinson was spotted hiding what looks to be a new buzz cut under a baseball cap while out and about in Los Angeles this weekend. While it’s difficult to see his entire head without x-ray vision, it appears that the British actor has at least shaved the sides of his hair into a close crop. Could it be that our favorite Hollywood vampire has given up his bed head for a more tamed look? Will this new cut be like garlic to his legions of Twihard fans? If it’s anything like Adrian Grenier’s new do, we won’t be too upset (we think)! Tell us: What do you think of Robert Pattinson’s new hair cut? Will he still hold his appeal with a buzz cut? –David Yi | http://stylenews.peoplestylewatch.com/2010/05/17/has-robert-pattinson-cut-off-his-long-hair/?cp=all | 211 |
Sam Greenwood - Getty Images
Week 6 was a fine one for fans of the Florida Gators. Rivals suffered humiliating upsets and Florida posted a big win over top-ranked LSU. Alligator Army has the details on all the fun.
Week 6 of the 2012 college football season was a great time to be a fan of the Florida Gators. Florida posted a home victory over then-No. 4 LSU, the Florida State Seminoles suffered an upset loss to North Carolina State and Georgia was dominated by the South Carolina Gamecocks, causing both Gator rivals to tumble in the rankings.
Andy Hutchins breaks down what he calls "The Gatorest Day" over at SB Nation's Florida blog Alligator Army:
Florida was home, and Gainesville had been aching to throw a welcome home party to celebrate its relevance. Florida's win came before the Georgia and Florida State losses, giving fans a chance to get back to tailgates or well and proper soused before absorbing those results. Gators fans came into this season worried that there would be an Alabama-Florida State or Georgia-Florida State title game, and now that looks like an impossibility; similarly, Florida looked like a team that was destined for the margins in September, and after its opener, but now stands tall as a national championship contender.
The 14-6 win over LSU was a matter of will and determination, showcased in the two unanswered touchdowns the Gators put up in the second half. Mike Gillislee was a big part of that, as the senior ran for a career-high 146 yards in the Gators' relentless ground attack. The Florida defense allowed only 42 yards rushing and allowed the Tigers to complete only one of their 13 third downs. Florida also built on their home advantage over the Mad Hatter; Les Miles' record at the Swamp fell to 1-3 in LSU's first regular-season loss in 19 games.
Check out the full post for more on the fun of Week 6 and more Gator talk. | http://tampabay.sbnation.com/florida-gators-news/2012/10/10/3485320/florida-football-reaction-week-6-was-a-great-time-to-be-a-gator/in/3147613 | 404 |
Best League Players in the Bay Area
Latest Activity: Dec 21, 2012
Started by Yulanda B. Last reply by Stanford Jan 19, 2011.
I have the pain only when I bend down and some knee popping.
Started by Mike Dong Jan 7, 2011.
I'll be there around 9:30
Started by Yulanda B. Last reply by Mike Dong Jan 2, 2011.
I haven't yet I think I will try to play a game with my partner first.
Started by Yulanda B. Last reply by Mike Dong Dec 26, 2010.
I wanted to go but my knee started to hurt.
Started by Yulanda B Dec 15, 2010.
I took this test and I didn't do well at all so I had to do my research:(But I want to see how you tennis players do on the trivia question before you do your research.Send me your answers and I…Continue
Started by Yulanda B Dec 11, 2010.
We is going to Section?Continue
Started by Yulanda B Nov 20, 2010.
Good job Laney 2.5 team
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Last chance to vote Bonds, Molina
All-Star balloting for Midsummer Classic in SF ends Thursday
Just as Barry Bonds has one more rung to climb in his ascent toward baseball's home run record, the Giants left fielder also must inch ahead one more notch to reach the spot he wants in the All-Star balloting.Bonds remains fourth in the voting for a starting berth in the National League All-Star outfield, according to the latest updates. San Francisco's cleanup hitter has 1,213,423 votes, trailing the New York Mets' Carlos Beltran, Cincinnati's Ken Griffey Jr. and the Chicago Cubs' Alfonso Soriano. Hoping to nudge Bonds into the top three, the Giants have launched a "Vote Bonds" campaign to assure their star of participating at home in the 78th Midsummer Classic, scheduled for July 10 at AT&T Park. The Giants also are pushing catcher Bengie Molina, San Francisco's only other player to rank among the top five. Molina's 687,937 votes place him fifth behind the Los Angeles Dodgers' Russell Martin, the Mets' Paul Lo Duca, Atlanta's Brian McCann and Milwaukee's Johnny Estrada. Fans can cast their votes for starters up to 25 times with the Monster 2007 All-Star Online Ballot at MLB.com and all 30 club sites until Thursday at 8:59 p.m. PT. Fans will again be given the opportunity to cast an All-Star vote immediately following the 2007 MLB All-Star Game Selection Show Presented by Chevrolet, which will be televised by Turner Sports on Sunday. Baseball fans around the world will be able to select the final player on each All-Star team via the Monster.com 2007 All-Star Final Vote. Selecting the rosters isn't the end of the fun in 2007, either. Concluding the All-Star balloting process, fans will have the opportunity to participate in the official voting for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player presented by Chevrolet at the All-Star Game via the Monster.com 2007 All-Star Game MVP Vote at MLB.com. The All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports and televised around the world by Major League Baseball International. ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage, while MLB.com will offer extensive online coverage and MLB Radio will have exclusive play-by-play coverage of the game on the Internet. Bonds, who's six homers short of matching all-time leader Hank Aaron's 755, owned a .293 average with 15 homers and 35 RBIs through Sunday. The 13-time All-Star also leads the NL with a 1.086 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage).
Chris Haft is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. | http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070625&content_id=2048843&vkey=allstar2007&fext=.jsp | 583 |
My name is Joey Kirwan I started wrestling at age 5. Went through high school placing second in the state twice and third once. I finshed up my high school career placing second at high school nationals. I started boxing before i got into mma. I had some amatuer boxing experience. I won golden gloves in ashland ky in april 2007. I was 5-0 as an amatuer in mma, and am 1-2-1 as a pro. I am a blue belt with a black stripe under luke reinhardt at clinch academy in frederick maryland. The clinch academy is where i train at now. | http://thefighteragent.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=115%3Ajoey-kirwan&catid=39%3Amma&Itemid=56 | 136 |
UFC on Fuel TV has come and gone, and in its wake it has left many fight fans wondering where the results will land the combatants in the rankings of their respective weight classes.
Jake Ellenberger won a unanimous decision against Diego Sanchez, leaving many people thinking that Ellenberger should have a shot at the interim belt, getting a rematch for a controversial decision loss when he fought Carlos Condit in his UFC debut.
Arguably, the most impressive performance came from former TUF fighter, Jonathan Brookins, who quickly dismantled opponent, Vagner Rocha. The fight will surely land on Jonathan Brookins highlight reel, after Brookins dropped his opponent and knocked out Rocha with a vicious ground and pound performed through Rocha’s guard. Brookins will likely have to be reassessed as to where he falls in contention for the 145 lb belt.
Stefan Struve managed to put another tally in his win column, by way of TKO, against his opponent, Dave Herman. Though seemingly hurt at times, Stefan Struve managed to weather Herman’s offense and put together some nice strikes of his own ending the night for Herman in impressive fashion.
Ronnie Marks put out enough effort to take the decision from opponent Aaron Simpson in a somewhat lack luster brawl.
Stipe Miocic keeps his unblemished record against contender Philip De Fries, also formerly undefeated, in an impressive first round swarm that ended the winning streak of De Fries by way of KO.
T.J. Dillashaw took Walel Watson anywhere he wanted in the fight, with the exception of a stoppage. The former TUF fighter, T.J. Dillashaw, seemed to have no difficulties pressing his attack on Watson, but could not finish a rear naked choke, that the fighter insisted on attempting for a large duration of their mat time. It looks like Dillashaw can definitely find an easy improvement in his game by working on his BJJ, but an impressive showing none the less.
Ivan Menjivar had a shaky start against John Albert but kept his wits about him and managed to get a submission by way of rear naked choke early in the fight. | http://themmabeatdown.com/2012/02/18/ufc-on-fuel-tv-results/ | 450 |
I’m a confessed sports junkie-especially during football season. As GREAT as the games in both college and pro were this weekend, the over-riding story was the tragedy in Kansas City.
If you haven’t heard, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker, Javon Belcher shot and killed his girlfriend on Saturday. He then drove to the Chiefs practice facility to thank the coaches and GM for making his NFL dreams come true, then turned around and took his own life in front of them.
It goes without saying that this was a very troubled and disturbed man. No doubt many of his teammates find themselves answering this question (either to themself or others), “Did you notice anything wrong with Javon?”
It’s no different than if this sort of thing had happened in your office.
The Chiefs current quarterback is a journeyman NFL player named, Brady Quinn. Once a college star at Notre Dame, his professional career has never had the poignance on the field as it did following the Chiefs victory on Sunday off of it-as he addressed the media at a postgame press conference.
“When you ask someone how they are doing, do you really mean it? When you answer someone back how you are doing, are you really telling the truth? We live in a society of social networks, with Twitter pages and Facebook, and that’s fine, but we have contact with our work associates, our family, our friends, and it seems like half the time we are more preoccupied with our phone and other things going on instead of the actual relationships that we have right in front of us. Hopefully, people can learn from this and try to actually help if someone is battling something deeper on the inside than what they are revealing on a day-to-day basis.”
There’s a HUGE lesson to be learned from this…and it has nothing to do with football.
And that’s something you can hang your hat on. | http://thenew1037.cbslocal.com/2012/12/03/something-you-can-hang-your-hat-on-the-one-in-the-cubicle-next-to-you/ | 411 |
Wellington, Feb 22 : Kiwi all rounder Jacob Oram will not feature in the final Twenty20 and the subsequent one-day series against South Africa after going out with a calf injury.
New Zealand Cricket physiotherapist Paul Close revealed that the injury is minor but added that the jam-packed nature of the current series wouldn''t allow Oram to participate.
"Although it''s a relatively minor calf injury, the congested nature of the series means Jake won''t be available for the ODIs," Stuff. co. nz quoted Close, as saying.
New Zealand will play the final match of the Twenty20 series at Eden Park in Auckland tonight before starting a three-match ODI series against the Proteas in Wellington on Saturday. (ANI)
- Kiwi trio recalled for ODI series against Proteas
- Kiwi all- rounder Ryder gets a berth for T20 match against Proteas
- Skipper De Villiers believes new era round the corner for Proteas
- Kiwi skipper Ross Taylor to miss ODI series against Proteas
- Proteas to concentrate on performance rather than verbal battle against Kiwis: Coach | http://topnews.in/sports/calf-injury-sidelines-oram-odi-series-against-proteas-226715 | 246 |
London, July 17 : Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong has been reminded of his responsibilities for an anti-Jewish remark, following a repulsive argument on Twitter.
The rapping came after the 20-year-old branded a fan of North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur ‘Scum Yid’, which is a derogatory term for a Jew.
The row, which follows last week’s Rio Ferdinand-Ashley Cole “choc ice” bust-up, erupted when Frimpong posted a message on Sunday morning asking people going to church to pray for him.
A fan from Spurs, which for decades has had a high proportion of Jewish supporters, replied: “I prayed you break your arms and legs.”
The Ghana international Frimpong then hit back with the ‘Yid’ comment.
“Emmanuel Frimpong has been reminded of his responsibilities and has deleted the comment,” The Sun quoted an Arsenal spokesman, as saying.
Spurs said: “Anti-Semitism is wholly unacceptable. The defining principle is whether or not the term is used in a manner or tone deliberately intended to cause offence.”
Last week United’s Ferdinand called Chelsea’s Cole a “choc ice”, which is often taken to mean a black person white on the inside. (ANI) | http://topnews.in/sports/midfielder-frimpong-reproached-arsenal-anti-jew-tweet-230132 | 284 |
Derek Jeter has won five World Series titles since five teams passed on him in the 1992 Draft. (Getty Images)
The complete draft history
1965 marked the beginning of the MLB First-Year Player Draft, with two phases, the June Regular and August Legion. Revisit those picks, and browse through every draft pick in MLB history. Go >
The following are trademarks or service marks of Major League Baseball entities and may be used only with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. or the relevant Major League Baseball entity: Major League, Major League Baseball, MLB, the silhouetted batter logo, World Series, National League, American League, Division Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and the names, nicknames, logos, uniform designs, color combinations, and slogans designating the Major League Baseball clubs and entities, and their respective mascots, events and exhibitions. | http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/mlb/history/draft/index.jsp | 182 |
Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish and Cardinals third baseman David Freese are each headed to their first All-Star Game, thanks to a 2012 All-Star Game MLB.com Final Vote Sponsored by Firestone in which fans smashed online voting records and put a giant exclamation point on an unprecedented Major League Baseball balloting campaign.
The 83rd All-Star Game is scheduled to be played Tuesday in Kansas City, and Darvish and Freese have been added to the 34th and final spots on each roster. Darvish becomes the eighth Rangers player for the American League and Texas manager Ron Washington, and for Freese it reunites the 2011 World Series MVP with his former Cardinals manager, National League skipper Tony La Russa, who is coming out of retirement just for the Midsummer Classic.
Darvish joins Hideki Matsui (2004) and Hideki Okajima (2007) as Japanese winners on the AL side of the Final Vote, reinforcing the online ballot power coming from that nation. The right-hander was a wire-to-wire winner, holding off a gallant bid by White Sox veteran Jake Peavy. That pair was followed in order by righties Jason Hammel of the Orioles, Jonathan Broxton of the Royals and Ernesto Frieri of the Angels.
"He has a lot of pride and he is very determined," Rangers president and Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan said of Darvish, a 10-game winner in his first year in the Majors. "I truly believe he wants to be one of the best pitchers in the Major Leagues. He works very hard and he's focused. That's very positive for somebody who is 25 years old ... or at any age."
It is the first Final Vote triumph by a Rangers player and extends their dream All-Star campaign. Washington already was planning to manage these seven: top vote-getter Josh Hamilton in the outfield, pitchers Joe Nathan and Matt Harrison, catcher Mike Napoli, second baseman Ian Kinsler, shortstop Elvis Andrus and third baseman Adrian Beltre.
Freese became the NL leader on Tuesday when MLB announced that Chipper Jones, the leader after 42 hours of voting, was replacing Matt Kemp on the NL roster. Finishing in order behind Freese were Braves center fielder Michael Bourn, Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper and D-backs second baseman Aaron Hill.
Freese, the first Cardinals player to win the Final Vote, pushed his RBI total to 50 on Wednesday with a two-run single. The only NL third baseman with more this season is Mets All-Star David Wright. Freese is batting .285, and .282 with runners in scoring position. He ranks second among all NL third baseman with 13 home runs.
"It's St. Louis," Freese said of the huge support he received from Redbird Nation. "They love Cardinal baseball."
Freese had said that being reunited with La Russa was the biggest part of the honor, should fans give it to him. And they did.
"For me, it's not about going to the All-Star Game," Freese explained. "It's about playing for Tony La Russa one more time."
As of Thursday morning there already had been 40 million votes cast, and there were about six million more between 10 a.m. ET and the close of balloting at 4 p.m. The Final Vote was a continuation of a record-shattering 2012 fan balloting campaign. On Thursday, MLB.com finished the voting for the 17 starting position players via the 2012 All-Star Game MLB.com Ballot, with 391.2 million votes and 34.9 million ballots. Both figures were easily the largest totals recorded in the history of online balloting at MLB.com.
The Final Vote balloting was conducted on MLB.com, club sites and, in a new twist, on Twitter -- where designated player hashtags counted during the final four hours of balloting. There were dramatic surges by Bourn and Peavy on Twitter, and the Final Vote itself became a constant presence in international trending topics. The effort drew a four-hour sustained average of 3,000 tweets per minute during the voting period.
Here is the complete list of previous winners: Paul Konerko (AL, 2011); Shane Victorino (NL, 2011); Nick Swisher (AL, 2010); Joey Votto (NL, 2010); Brandon Inge (AL, 2009), Victorino (NL, 2009); Evan Longoria (AL, 2008); Corey Hart (NL, 2008); Hideki Okajima (AL, 2007); Chris Young (NL, 2007); A.J. Pierzynski (AL, 2006); Nomar Garciaparra (NL, 2006); Scott Podsednik (AL, 2005); Roy Oswalt (NL, 2005); Matsui (AL, 2004); Bobby Abreu (NL, 2004); Jason Varitek (AL, 2003); Geoff Jenkins (NL, 2003); Johnny Damon (AL, 2002); and Andruw Jones (NL, 2002).
The final phase of All-Star Game voting will again have fans participating in the official voting for the Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet. During the Midsummer Classic, fans will vote exclusively online at MLB.com via the 2012 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote, and their voices will represent 20 percent of the official vote determining the recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.
The 83rd All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 200 countries via MLB International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network and Sirius XM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com or royals.com/asg. | http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120705&content_id=34506976&vkey=news_kc&c_id=kc | 1,230 |
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Liam Hendriks, Glen Perkins and Kyle Gibson all came away satisfied with their results against the Rays on Sunday in the Hammond Stadium opener for the Twins.
Hendriks started the game and gave up a run on two hits and a walk over two innings. He threw 32 pitches -- 20 for strikes. He gave up the run on a RBI double on a changeup to Mike Fontenot with two outs in the second inning after walking Jason Bourgeois.
"Everything was good," Hendriks said. "I felt like the ball was coming out of my hand pretty good. But it was just that first time of sitting down and going back out there again so I felt a little tight. But it was coming out all right. Those two-out walks will kill you no matter what, and then I threw a changeup and slowed my arm action down, and they took advantage of it."
Perkins came on in relief of Hendriks and tossed a scoreless inning. He struck out the first two batters he faced -- Sam Fuld and Sean Rodriguez -- on six pitches before giving up back-to-back singles to Stephen Vogt and Shelly Duncan. But he was able to get out of the jam by getting Chris Gimenez to ground out.
Perkins, though, said he was a bit fatigued by the end of his outing, as he threw 19 pitches with 16 going for strikes. Perkins, who is set to leave the Twins on Sunday to join Team USA for the World Baseball Classic, is scheduled to throw again on Wednesday against the Phillies and Saturday against the Red Sox.
"In midseason I think I'll be able to maintain my stamina for a little more than any inning," Perkins said with a laugh. "I got a little tired with the heat and the first time out and all that. But I'll take it."
Gibson threw two scoreless innings in his first Grapefruit League action since undergoing Tommy John surgery in September 2011. The radar gun had his fastball at 96 mph but he wasn't sure if it was quite accurate. Gibson, though, was still pleased with the way he threw.
"I felt good," Gibson said. "Really felt loose and I'm pretty excited to be back out there. It's been a couple years since I was able to do that. It was a lot of fun."
Twins catcher Joe Mauer caught all three pitchers before coming out after the fifth inning. Mauer, who went 0-for-2 with a walk, liked what he saw from the pitchers.
"It was a good day," Mauer said. "Liam threw a good first inning. Gibson threw well. Perkins came in and threw hard. It was a good day."
Ryan says Plouffe good to go on Tuesday
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Twins general manager Terry Ryan gave updates on injured third baseman Trevor Plouffe and outfielder Oswaldo Arcia on Sunday.
Plouffe, who is dealing with a strained right calf, was tentatively scheduled to play in Minnesota's intrasquad game on Sunday, but was told by team doctors to give it a few extra days.
But Ryan said Plouffe didn't suffer a setback, as the Twins are just being cautious.
"He'll play on Tuesday," Ryan said. "We just wanted to make sure so don't be alarmed about that. We do that a lot. It's just the right thing to do to make sure."
Arcia, meanwhile, suffered a pulled intercostal muscle on Friday, but team doctors found Saturday that it was only a minor injury. So he's expected to return to action in early March.
"He's about a week away before he'll be able to do much," Ryan said.
Swarzak running, close to first throwing session
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Right-hander Anthony Swarzak said on Sunday that he's making good progress with his broken ribs, and could throw for the first time on Tuesday.
Swarzak, who cracked two ribs in a wrestling incident with teammates while in Minnesota for TwinsFest on Jan. 25, ran for the first time on Saturday.
"Everything feels good," Swarzak said. "I ran outside yesterday for the first time, which is progress. A lot of things could go wrong but I felt pretty good. So hopefully by Tuesday or Wednesday I'll be playing catch."
Swarzak admitted it's been tough to be on the sidelines early in Spring Training but has been encouraged by his recent progress that has put him ahead of schedule. He said he believes he'll be ready by Opening Day.
"It's rest -- it's all it is," Swarzak said. "There's nothing you can do to speed up the process. It just has to heal on its own. But I'm extremely happy. Honestly, I'm about a week and a half or a two weeks ahead of schedule."
Twins prospects get work in intrasquad contest
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Twins showcased three of their top pitching prospects in an intrasquad game on Sunday before their Hammond Stadium opener against the Rays.
Right-handers Alex Meyer, Trevor May and Jose Berrios, who are all ranked among the club's top 10 prospects according to MLB.com, each threw two innings. Meyer and May each threw two scoreless frames while Berrios, who is in camp to get ready for Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, gave up two unearned runs in his second inning after a throwing error from shortstop Daniel Santana.
"Those are the arms that some people are talking about," Twins general manager Terry Ryan said. "May was much more under control. Meyer obviously has the best arm of those three. Berrios is only 18 years old so he had some jitters but we have to get him ready for the WBC. He wouldn't even be in camp if it wasn't for that. So it was encouraging."
The game, which finished with a 4-3 score after six innings, also featured several position player prospects such as Eddie Rosario, Joe Benson and Santana as well as Twins regulars such as Darin Mastroianni, Drew Butera and Brian Dozier.
"We have all kinds of people here so that's why this game took place," Ryan said. "It wasn't just for the pitchers either. We have all kinds of extra guys who need at-bats."
The Twins will have another opportunity to play some of their prospects when they play Boston in a "B" game on Thursday at 10 a.m. at the Red Sox's complex in Fort Myers. | http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130224&content_id=41942142¬ebook_id=41949078&vkey=notebook_min&c_id=min | 1,388 |
Barrera Named NSCAA Player of the Week
Oct. 20, 2010
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Junior midfielder Danny Barrera earned yet another weekly honor as he was selected as the NSCAA National Player of the Week honors for the week of Oct. 20. Barrera had a pair of game-winning goals to spark the Gauchos to a three-win week, including a nationally-televised upset of No. 19 Duke.
Barrera guided UC Santa Barbara to an impressive 3-0-0 record last week, netting him Big West Offensive Player of the Week and LA Soccer News Player of the Week accolades.
The junior scored two of the Gauchos' three game-winning goals last week, guiding the club to first place in the Big West standings. After picking up three shots in UC Santa Barbara's 2-1 win over rival Cal Poly, Barrera's first game-winner came in the 56th minute of UCSB's 2-0 win over 11th-ranked Duke, a nationally televised contest. He then picked up the winner in the Gauchos' 4-3 comeback win over UC Riverside, a 75th minute strike that completed the UCSB rally.
He also added an assist on the Gauchos' second goal. Barrera played 265 of 270 possible minutes over the three matches and is now second on the team with 11 points (3 g, 5 a).
Each week, a male and female player will be selected by a committee from a nomination pool comprised of players of the week from each NCAA Division I soccer conference. The players will be announced each Wednesday afternoon from now until Nov. 3 through NSCAA.com, the official website of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. They also will be recognized at halftime of the NSCAA College Game of the Week on Fox Soccer Channel. | http://ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-soccer/spec-rel/102010aaa.html | 387 |
Reuters - Sat, 20 Feb 21:13:00 2010
Games organisers are unaware of any legal action yet taken by the family or team of a Georgian luger who died in a training crash at the start of the Vancouver Olympics.
Nodar Kumaritashvili was killed at the Whistler Sliding Centre hours before the February 12-28 Winter Olympics' opening ceremony after crashing at high speed during a training run and slamming into a steel pillar.
The 21-year-old's death prompted organisers to make several adjustments to the track, including putting up a wall to cover the steel pillars behind the corner where he crashed, and lowering the start of the races.
"There is no legal (action) that I know of personally," Tim Gayda, the organisers' vice president in charge of sports, said.
"What happens with legal is something else."
Gayda said organisers had always maintained the track was fast yet safe.
"To make it 100 per cent safe you would need to put it in a tube," he said. "We took extraordinary measures but things do happen and unfortunately they happened to us."
Gayda rejected suggestions organisers were given legal advice and put up the protective wall following the crash to bolster their position in case of lawsuits.
"Following an investigation and as a precautionary measure (the International Luge Federation) asked us to put in a wall. That was the direction of the FIL," he said.
"We were not building the wall to appease lawyers."
An initial report by the FIL blamed the athlete for the accident, saying it was human error that led to Kumaritashvili's death.
Kumaritashvili's funeral took place in Bakuriani, Georgia on Saturday.
Follow the Winter Olympics 24/7 on British Eurosport (Sky 410 / Virgin 521) and Eurosport HD (Sky 412) British Eurosport channels are streamed online via the Eurosport Player. | http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/21022010/58/winter-olympics-legal-action-death.html | 400 |
There is nothing new about England losing to Germany in a
major tournament, but there was something a little bit depressing about
yesterday's Women's European Championship final.
did superbly to reach their first major tournament final and deservedly
attracted public and media attention.
But no sooner had they secured the back page coverage and
terrestrial TV slot than they were put in their place to the tune of a 6-2
Despite battling gamely, England were outclassed by a German
side that was bigger, stronger, fitter and ultimately just better than them.
To the uninitiated, this was an embarrassment - England
hit for six in the final of a major championship.
What they may not realise is how remote Hope Powell's side's
chances of victory were against a country so dominant they make the Harlem Globetrotters look merely 'quite
Germany's Euro success was their fifth in a row, and they
have also won the last two World Cups.
Simply put, you don't
The problem is, the sight of England's
rather shambolic second-half defending will only reinforce the belief that
women's football is a bit rubbish,
A case in point: on Monday night, goalkeeper Rachel Brown was
on the radio being quizzed about the women's
Steve Claridge used his 30 seconds to, legitimately but ungallantly,
point out the number of goals scored from long range in which the ball simply
sails over the keeper's head and
Brown (pictured), herself 5'
7", was rather humiliatingly forced to explain that women tend to be
smaller than men.
She also pointed out that they do not want to be constantly
compared with men's football; that
the two versions are totally different.
Claridge took the comments on board, and promptly asked if a
woman would ever be good enough to play in a men's
team "at any level".
Sod's law ensured
that, midway through the first half, Melanie Behringer let fly from 35
yards and the ball dipped over Brown's
flailing hand into the net.
Never mind that David Seaman, one of England's
greatest goalkeepers, used to concede that sort of goal on a weekly basis - it
was an incident that no doubt had Claridge insisting that women should play in
- - -
On the subject of woman-hating, Fabio Capello's decision to allow England players to see their
families just one day a week next summer seems fair enough - they are trying to
win a World Cup after all.
But the reporting of it seems to lay the blame for England's failure in 2006 with the WAGs, as though their boozy
nights out in Baden Baden made their men play worse.
Take the Daily Mirror, which took particularly vindictive
delight in Capello's hardline
"Tough Fabio Capello last night banned England's Wags from the World Cup - to stop them derailing
our bid for glory," it sneered.
"Our heroes will be based in a camp - with Cheryl Cole
& Co seeing them just once a week.
hardline stance will be music to the ears of fans annoyed by the Wags' non-stop partying and shopping as England flopped in Germany."
ED seems to remember being annoyed not by the WAGs,
but by a series of excruciating performances from "our heroes", each more
anodyne than the last.
exploits served as reassurance that England can still dominate the world,
even if it is in the field of table-dancing in Garibaldi's wine bar.
Their drunken excess had precisely zero effect on the team's performance, simply because it took place while
the blokes were holed up in the opulent Schlosshotel Buehlerhoehe.
Unless Capello intends to lure the WAGs into a trap using a
trail of Strawbellinis and Manolo Blahniks, and imprison them for the duration
of the tournament, he is going to find it tough to banish them from South Africa.
The Sun tried gamely to sex the story up by making it about,
"Fabio Capello has banned England's
WAGs from having sex with his stars more than once a week during next summer's World Cup," it drooled.
It is a rather crude and unfair assessment of what the England players
are likely to get up to on their day off.
If Peter Crouch is lucky enough to be in the squad, ED can
perfectly imagine he and Abbey Clancy spending some quality time discovering
England's Rustenburg base; at the Kgaswane
Game Reserve, an Iron Age archaeological site, or one of the area's many Boer War battlefields.
- - -
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Arsene Wenger defends Arsenal against claims of child slavery:
"If FIFA can come here, I would
immediately open the doors for inspection to show them how we treat the boys. We
sign one or two (a year). We give them top-level education, a top-level
scholarship, and we look after them socially. It's
a very limited number. If you ban
players from moving before the age of 18, the players will be sold to agents at
13 or 14. Where will they go? Not to clubs with top-level education, but with
clubs who have been bought by businessmen of a very low level."
FOREIGN VIEW: Ah, China. It's
the new South America, you know.
Chinese champions Shandong Luneng have sacked
international Aleksandar Zivkovic after he was handed an eight-match ban for
spitting at a referee.
The 32-year-old, who represented his country
as an over-age player at last year's
Beijing Olympics, was also fined 40,000 yuan (£3,500) for spitting at the
official after being shown a yellow card in last weekend's
match against Qingdao.
"This was a serious violation and he had
been punished many times by the club for his irrational behaviour on the
pitch," said a club statement.
"His behaviour constituted a serious
breach of contract and the club have therefore cancelled his contract."
Zivkovic was one of seven players and club
officials handed stiff penalties by the Chinese FA for various offences in
matches last weekend, FIFA's
designated Fairplay Day.
Among the other offenders was Hangzhou Greentown substitute
Wang Hongyou, who will miss the next four matches and have to stump up 20,000
yuan (£1,750) for throwing his boot at the referee from the bench during a
match against Shenzhen.
A tackle by Changchun's
Liu Cheng on Shanghai's Tao Jin sparked
brawls during and after the match with Shanghai's
coach, translator, team doctor and a player punished for surrounding and
verbally abusing the referee on the pitch.
The official in question, He Zhibiao, is
having a bad season, having been chased across the pitch for 100 metres and then
pushed to the ground by a Tianjin
provincial player, who was banned for life in July.
Shanghai head coach Jia Xiuquan was banned from the sidelines
for three matches and fined 20,000 yuan, while translator Xie Hui, doctor Zhang
Peng and player Chen Tao all received fines and bans.
Changchun's Liu also received a three-match ban and 20,000 yuan
fine for his "flagrant foul", the CFA said. FIFA designated September
5 to 9 as this year's Fairplay Days. | http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/early-doors/david-seaman-198363.html | 1,640 |
Chelsea Message Board
Posts by "Robert B"
I am a Liverpool fan, just thought I'd gauge reaction on the Chelsea board. I think Ra...
I am a Liverpool fan, just thought I'd gauge reaction on the Chelsea board. I think Rafa as a permanent appointment would do brilliantly at Chelsea.Maybe not this year, but certainly next, I'd see them a lge champions again. That is why I don't want him appointed.
Isn't a sweeper a kind of majestic figure that strides across the backline like a colo...
Isn't a sweeper a kind of majestic figure that strides across the backline like a colossus, playing the ball out and dominating possession at the back.
Carra might be a lot of things, and I'd have him as being close to the ulitmate professional, with no ego, who would bleed for our club, but a Sweeper he is NOT.
Ironically Agger could be a sweeper!
Absolute poppy cock. Torres isn't first choice if half fit. Against a fit strong Bolto...
Absolute poppy cock. Torres isn't first choice if half fit. Against a fit strong Bolton, Rafa was absolutely right to drop Torres. Why shouldn't even our very best players be challenged....no player should ever think his spot is secure.
I read Ian Rush's autobiography last week, and although its mighty dull for the most part, Rush scored all those goals for us, yet for most of his Liverpool career he never felt sure of seeing his name on the team sheet. Indeed many of the players didn't, including Kenny who had a couple of spells where he was dropped for poor form.
What Rafa is saying is absolutely superb man management. He isn't there to massage ego's, he's there to challenge the players to be better than even they think they can be.
Well done Rafa!
Re: Stevie G's best position.......
I wouldn't say so, as Messi might be a better player individually. I see Zidane's ...
I wouldn't say so, as Messi might be a better player individually. I see Zidane's point though that perhaps he doesn't have the same presence or same impact within a team. Gerard is our heartbeat, wheras Messi is for Barcelona one of many matchwinners (albeit their matchwinner in chief). The fact remains though that Ronaldo is rightfully world player of the year because of his impact on the premiership last season (he won it virtually singlehanded), although he has been largely jank this season. (his attitude also is appalling, and I'm sure I'd say that even if I supported United, god knows how their fans get behind him). All I can say is that I reckon, genuinely, if every player in the league was released on a free, and all the manager's had to submit selections for their players US draft style, I reckon 90% of current premiership manager's would pick Gerrard 1st, and most fans would concur!
Re: Hodgson is taking us backwards guys....
Mellor who can't get in the Preston side, and is on load at Wednesday? Which others? O...
Mellor who can't get in the Preston side, and is on load at Wednesday? Which others? OMG!
Add the predicted values of the players currently still at Anfield that Benitez bought, to the income from sales, to the revenue generated from progressing beyond the last 16 of the CL in Rafa's time, and subtract the money spent on transfers. Benitez is in profit!
Fergie can talk, he's bought plenty of duds, and spends money like it is going out of fashion in general terms and he hates Rafa, why would you believe a word Fergie speaks about Liverpool. He lives in fantasy land.
Talking about Rafa gets us nowhere, but I know you wanted him out, and I firmly believe you will want Hodgson out in oh, I reckon give it another 14 games, thats half a season, and I think he'll still have us in the lower half of the table quite possibly.
I don't think Walcott is the answer to our prayers. He's not a 20 goal a season me...
I don't think Walcott is the answer to our prayers. He's not a 20 goal a season merchant, not an out and out striker, nor a straight line winger with good distribution..
His problem at Arsenal is that Arsene doesn't know where to play him. I fear neither would we.
He is a talent though and if harnessed he could blossom. If the manager doesn't have a clear idea for him though, he could be a huge waste of money.
He's a big gamble.
Re: Below the top four the quality is NOT good!!
I don't agree, and neither do the stats. In the 07 season, the top four in lal liga l...
I don't agree, and neither do the stats.
In the 07 season, the top four in lal liga lost a combined 35 games against the prem top four who lost a combined 26.
Last season the gap was even wider. La liga's top four lost 37 games, wheras our top four lost 15 games.
Additonally in 2007 the top four in spain were Madrid, Barca, Sevilla and Valencia. Last season they were MAdrid, Villareal, Barca, and Atletico.
It would be unthinkable for two of the English top four to drop out in one season, in the current state of the game in this country.
The teams below in Spain are much more competitive against the sides above them, and indeed to the point where the same four teams DO NOT traditionally finish at the top, or even as expected the top two (Villareal were 2nd last year).
We can't fool ourselves that although our top four are the most competitve clubs in the CL right now, that our premiership is of a higher quality than the other leagues around us. I was trying to point out without being a statto, that the UEFA cup highlights the failings of our PL.
What is needed is a proper campaign, with vitriol fired at them from all angles. Lets face...
What is needed is a proper campaign, with vitriol fired at them from all angles. Lets face it, the Americans have lied to Moores, lied to the management and the players, and lied to us the fans.
Someone has to stand up and get this going......at EVERY home game, the fans should arrive early and sing their hearts out against the American owners. We need to hit the blogs, rant lines, Radio stations, TV channels, voicing our anger. Organised protest is the only way to get them out via the media, without significantly hurtuing the club (I could never boycott a game, or sanction that, or boo during a game).
Plessis was poor, yes. He always passes the ball sideways, never makes a tackle, can't...
Plessis was poor, yes. He always passes the ball sideways, never makes a tackle, can't head the ball, and looks like a puff of wind would blow him away. Voronin is a joke though......those couple of moves he pulled, pretty but mighty ineffectual.
The problem last night was a lack of pace coupled with direction. | http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/mb/?u=Robert+B&bn=0a45e538-dae4-3185-bc11-ef81b3f8c0d5&g=XBIMJRFESZDNERSV2DWLV7ZWUU | 1,542 |
for A. Carmo 67'
V. Di Bartoloméo
for Y. Gomez 70'
for B. Leroy 77'
for N. Cami 60'
for K. Kabore 60'
for H. M'Laab 84'
Y. El Assikri
GOAL.COM - Global football news, transfer rumours and betting editorial
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Latest news and odds for all major football competitions & matches, together with opinions and tips from Steve Claridge | http://uk.soccerway.com/matches/2011/08/27/france/cfa/association-sportive-de-cannes/pau-football-club/1165556/ | 199 |
photo 1 of 34
TRAINING: Either weights / cardio or no gi Jiu-Jitsu. Then 3pn fight team training and in the evening either wrestling, BJJ or boxing
When and why did you start training for fighting? I started training in MMA in 2006, mostly because I didn't want to wrestle anymore but I still wanted to compete in something.
What ranks and titles have you held? EFC Welterweight Champion, TFC Canadian Lightweight Champion, Best Toga 2004
Do you have any heroes? More than anything I have people who inspire me. Particularly my coaches Adam Zugec, Jeff Montemurro, Roger Alves, Kyle Cardinal and Frank Lee all inspire me to be a better fighter and person.
What does it mean for you to fight in the UFC? It means everything.
Did you go to college and if so what degree did you earn? Environmental Science Degree
What was your job before you started fighting? Environmental Protection Officer
Ranks in any martial arts styles: BJJ Purple Belt
Favorite grappling technique: Piledriver
Favorite Striking technique: Ax Kick | http://uk.ufc.com/fighter/Mitch-Clarke/media | 232 |
By Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY
The Boston Red Sox won the bidding to negotiate with celebrated Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka
of the Seibu Lions, according to a person involved in the bidding process.
Baseball and the Japanese commissioner's office will make simultaneous announcements at 8 p.m. EST Tuesday (10 a.m. Tokyo time Wednesday), baseball spokesman Pat Courtney said Monday at the major league general managers' meetings in Florida.
The Red Sox will have 30 days to reach an agreement with Matsuzaka and agent Scott Boras. If a deal is not reached, Matsuzaka would return to Seibu and the Red Sox would be returned their bid, which — according to ESPN citing unnamed people — was $42 million.
Contributing: The Associated Press
|Posted 11/13/2006 6:25 PM ET
|Updated 11/13/2006 8:01 PM ET
||E-mail | Print |
By Jeff Gross, Getty Images | http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/redsox/2006-11-13-matsuzaka_x.htm?POE=SPOISVA | 202 |
No. 4 Duke rallies from 20 down to top NC State
DURHAM, N.C. – No deficit seems too deep these days for Duke — even if the Blue Devils insist they can't afford to keep winning this way.
For the second time in nine days, No. 4 Duke staged a remarkable comeback to beat a neighborhood rival. This time it rallied from 20 points down with 11½ minutes left and topped North Carolina State 78-73 on Thursday night.
"I'm tired of doing this, to tell you the truth," freshman guard Austin Rivers said. "This is a great win, but we're exhausted, man. This is a weird win for us. I'm so proud and everybody's so proud, but at the same time, we need to stop doing this.
"To be down in 20 in Cameron should never happen," he said.
Seth Curry scored 21 of his season-high 26 points in the second half while Rivers added 16 points on 4-of-13 shooting for the slow-starting Blue Devils (22-4, 9-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who trailed by 16 points at the half — the largest halftime deficit overcome by Duke under Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski.
"They thoroughly outplayed us for about 29 minutes," Krzyzewski said. "And then we thoroughly outplayed them for 11."
They did it with late rallies of 13-0 and 20-3 to erase that huge deficit and keep pace atop the league standings with No. 21 Florida State and No. 7 North Carolina. Last week, Duke stormed back from 10 points down in the final 2½ minutes to beat the Tar Heels.
Lorenzo Brown scored 19 points to lead the Wolfpack (18-8, 7-4), who trailed 76-73 with the ball in the final seconds with a chance to force overtime.
But Brown missed a contested three-pointer from the corner with about seven seconds left, and Curry hit two free throws with 2.2 seconds to go to seal N.C. State's 14th straight loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
"We're a good team. We've got to find a way to become a little bit better," first-year coach Mark Gottfried said.
Alex Johnson scored a season-high 13 points, C.J. Leslie added 12 and Scott Wood had 10 for N.C. State, which led 61-41 on Brown's free throw with 11:33 left.
Then, the Blue Devils finally showed some life.
They started coming back by reeling off 11 straight points, with Curry hitting three free throws and Andre Dawkins knocking down a three-pointer before Curry's jumper with 8:44 left made it 61-52 — the first time Duke was within single digits since midway through the first half.
After DeShawn Painter put N.C. State up 68-56 with 6:10 left, the Blue Devils came up with their final surge.
Rivers started it with a three-pointer and scored nine points during the burst. His deep three-pointer with 2½ minutes left gave Duke its first lead, 72-71.
"It was just kind of the same thing I did versus Carolina," Rivers said of his buzzer-beating 3 that beat the Tar Heels.
Mason Plumlee added 10 rebounds for the Blue Devils, who denied the Wolfpack their first victory at Cameron since 1995 — when Krzyzewski was out following back surgery. N.C. State hasn't beaten a Krzyzewski-coached team in Durham since 1988.
The Wolfpack played important stretches without key players who were stuck on the bench in foul trouble. Guard C.J. Williams managed just three points — he averages 11 — while playing just 12 minutes before fouling out. Two key members of N.C. State's front line —Richard Howell and Leslie — also fouled out.
"It made it difficult, and we lost our aggressiveness when we got so many guys in foul trouble," Gottfried said. "That hurt. We've got to do a better job of defending without fouling."
And things don't get much easier for the Wolfpack, who play host to the Seminoles on Saturday and the Tar Heels next Tuesday.
"You put in a whole week of work preparing for these guys and go up 16 at halftime and give it up, it's tough to swallow," Johnson said. "But Coach said it in the huddle. We've just got to let this one go and get ready for Saturday."
N.C. State seemed headed for its first big win under Gottfried after its impressive start. The Wolfpack dominated things early, leading by double figures for most of the first half after forcing Duke into some uncharacteristically cold shooting early.
Wood's free throw with 1:53 left stretched the lead to 19 points, and Brown's dunk over Ryan Kelly with 14 seconds left made it 46-30. Only Ohio State (47) had more points at halftime against Duke.
"Nobody quit. That's the biggest thing," Curry said. "Nobody thought we were going to lose any time in the game. That's the biggest thing about our team." | http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/story/2012-02-16/duke-rallies-over-nc-state/53125802/1 | 1,078 |
Lopresti: Murray carries UK hopes into Wimbledon final
Andy Murray is 25 years old, a native of Scotland, and on Sunday at Wimbledon will carry a heavier burden than any athlete on the face of the Earth.
Or is that too wishy-washy?
The import of this moment across the pond cannot be overestimated. Anyone not for tennis? We can put it another way. When it comes to what the home crowd's hearts desperately want — and believe it's high time for — Murray is LeBron James, squared.
The last time a man from Great Britain won Wimbledon — Fred Perry in 1936 — he played in long pants. The guy he beat was from Nazi Germany. Queen Elizabeth was 10 years old. In the 76 years since, England has annually hosted this swell party and watched the rest of the world leave with the door prizes.
The gentleman who finally breaks through for Her Majesty will share legendary status with James Bond. And all Murray has to do is get past Roger Federer, who needs both hands to count his Wimbledon titles. Federer's middle name might as well be Grass Court.
Or as the London Times headline declared on behalf of Murray, "Now just beat the greatest player ever." Piece of cake.
Win a match, heal a country's most enduring sports frustrations. How many times out there — any ball, any continent — does an athlete get a chance like this?
"It'll be one of the biggest matches of my life," Murray said to the media at Wimbledon. Try sleeping eight hours on that reality.
Matter of fact, look at any of the names on the All-Pressure Team, whose shoulders must tote the load of expectation, because of wealth or fame or circumstance.
They might be asked to carry a team, a franchise, a sport. But a whole nation?
What's the tonnage on Murray's shoulders Sunday? How much does the United Kingdom weigh?
Besides that, consider the solitary quality of tennis. Murray will have no teammates out there to help him get past the tough times. He won't even have a caddie.
He says the pressure won't be as intense, because of the greatness of the man he's playing. As for the history, "You don't think about it that much."
Since 1936, a dozen countries have produced men's champions at Wimbledon. France, the Netherlands. Even Egypt, sort of, if you count Jaroslav Drobny, who was born in Czechoslovakia but traveled as an Egyptian citizen.
Meanwhile, Great Britain waited, as the Beatles came and went.
When Murray won his semifinal — becoming the first British man to make the final since 1938 — he pointed to the sky. Since he wouldn't say why, we can only theorize. Who he was he pointing toward? A lost family member? The gods of first serves? Winston Churchill?
"I've got to try to keep it together," he said of his game, and come Sunday, no other sporting event will matter in and around London.
The Olympics? What Olympics?
All matters of Murray's life may be up for inspection, including the horrific. He is from the Scottish town of Dunblane, and that might ring a tragic bell.
At the age of 8, he had to hide beneath a desk at school, while a crazed former Scout leader roamed through the building shooting children. Thomas Hamilton killed 16 of them, and a teacher, before taking his own life.
The Dunblane tragedy of 1996 remains one of the bloodiest crimes in recent UK history. Murray hasn't discussed it much, but his autobiography divulged some eerie memories. He attended a youth group led by Hamilton, and his mother had even given Hamilton rides.
Such is the road that has led to Centre Court Sunday. The Prime Minister has announced that Scotland's flag will be flying above 10 Downing Street in hope and support. From the very top to the cheap seats, all eyes are on one tennis player, who must face down Roger Federer alone.
At least LeBron had Dwyane Wade to pass to. | http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/lopresti/story/2012-07-07/andy-murray-great-britain-wimbledon-hopes/56078460/1?csp=34sports | 854 |
Sampras, Kournikova under the microscope
By Tom Weir, USA TODAY
WIMBLEDON, England At a tournament that's eternally
braced for rapid exits by marquee names, the looming questions on Wimbledon's
opening day were whether Pete Sampras and Anna Kournikova could avoid having
only a cameo appearance on tennis' foremost stage.
Sampras, the proven thoroughbred who has hoisted Wimbledon's
championship cup seven times on Centre Court, showed that he's still as comfortable
as a hungry horse on grass.
Kournikova, notorious for being tennis' sex kitten and
little else, was put out in the alley.
Both hauled the baggage of injuries and battered psyches
onto the court Monday.
In Sampras' case, the ability to still muster serves of
129 mph deep into the third set neatly countered any physical or Freudian problems.
For Kournikova, 33 unforced errors provided a grim reminder
that having what it takes to score magazine covers will never translate into
Last year's stress fracture in her foot remains Kournikova's
alibi for three consecutive first-round departures at Grand Slam events this
year. But with each passing slam the zenith of this 21-year-old's career, a
semifinal appearance at Wimbledon at 16, seems more fluke than fairy tale.
"I think it was a great match," said Kournikova after falling
to another native Russian, Tatiana Panova, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. "I think we had some
While Kournikova's cheerfulness included a beaming smile
as she walked off court, it perhaps should be noted that Martina Navratilova,
Chris Evert, Billie Jean King and Steffi Graf tended to express other emotions
while grinding through their championship years at Wimbledon.
Kournikova gets defensive
Speaking of Evert, Kournikova took a bit of umbrage at
that legend's suggestion that Kournikova needs to focus more on covering the
court than covering the fronts of magazines.
"I'm not involved in a lot of stuff like you guys say,"
Kournikova admonished the press. "You know, it's like 99% less of what everybody
else says that I do. It's not even close."
All of which brings opening-day coverage to a bumpy segue
to Sampras' mock application to become a Rogaine pitchman.
"I felt I was moving pretty well ... for an older guy,"
said Sampras, who has been reminded constantly that his tennis this year at
the age of 30 has been a shadow of what it was two summers ago when he won his
last Wimbledon, and also his last tournament.
That tennis version of old age put another wrinkle on Sampras
Saturday when he suffered a slight muscle tear in his rib cage before an exhibition.
That, in turn, led to him making what he knew would be a fruitless request to
have his match delayed one day.
So, was he on pain pills?
"I'm always on medication," said Sampras. "Can't you tell?
Relative to the rest of Sampras' deadpan career, that's
hilarious material. That he finally is mustering some one-liners just when his
declining game has raised calls for his retirement to a howl is likely a sign
that he's arrived at Wimbledon as loose as he can get.
Being back on friendly turf will do that for a fellow who's
been kicked around.
"You step out on Centre Court, it's like a mecca out there,"
said a grateful Sampras. "You feel that here more than anywhere else in the
world. I kind of came home today."
Not perfect, but fast
Still, Sampras operated a bit like typical English plumbing
Monday, which is to say he got past Britain's Martin Lee in spits and spurts
while winning 6-3, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3.
Sampras, a first-round loser this year at the French Open,
left the door agape for Lee, affording him a whopping 19 break points. Alas
for win-starved Britain, Martin capitalized on just one. The reason for that
likely can be found in the fact that one also happens to be the number of match
victories Lee has this year.
Accordingly, judging what Sampras' victory means long term
is hard to say.
"There were times today that I felt like my serving was
unhittable," said Sampras. "I didn't maintain it too long, but I felt like it
was a pretty good rhythm today."
That rhythm included 27 aces that did indeed appear unhittable,
no matter who was on the other side of the net. He kept the radar gun humming
on the upside of 120 mph all day, and his quickest stuff came in the last two
sets, a positive sign that he has the No. 1 Wimbledon weapon working.
That and his thinning hair won't land Sampras any fashion
gigs, but it does keep him in the picture at Wimbledon. | http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/02wim/2002-06-25-pete-anna.htm | 1,122 |
Sophomore point guard Tim Drisdom has averaged 15.0 points over the last four games.
Feb. 15, 2004
Feb. 16 * 7:07 p.m. (MST) * Arena-Auditorium (15,000) * Laramie, Wyo.
The Game At A Glance
Utah Interim Head Coach: Kerry Rupp Wyoming Head Coach: Steve McClain Alma Mater: Southern Utah, 1977 Alma Mater: Chardon State, 1984 Record at Utah: 4-0 (1st Season) Record at Wyoming: 109-65 (6th Season) Overall Record: 4-0 (1st Season) Overall Record: 109-65 (6th Season)
Television: KJZZ-TV 14 in Salt Lake City. ESPN Full Court (pay-per-view). Steve Brown (play-by-play) and Mike Lageschulte (analyst).
Radio: Utah Sports Network (KALL-700 AM in Salt Lake City and affiliate stations). On the Internet at www.UtahUtes.com and www.kall700.com. Bill Marcroft (play-by-play), Mark Rydalch (analyst) and Brad Stone (host).
Series Record: Utah leads 85-69 Utah's Record Home/Away/Neutral: 54-22/45-29/2-2 Last Meeting: Utah won 60-49 on Jan. 17, 2004 in Salt Lake City.
The Utes return to the Huntsman Center for their final home games of the season. Utah takes on Air Force on Saturday at 1:04 p.m. (MST) and New Mexico next Monday at 7:07 p.m. (MST).
Quickly On Utah
Utah (19-5, 7-2 MWC), in second place in the Mountain West Conference standings, closes out a two-game swing along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains against Wyoming (9-13, 2-7 MWC) on Monday at 7:07 p.m. (MST) in Laramie, Wyo. The game will be televised by KJZZ-TV 14 in Salt Lake City and broadcast on KALL-700 AM and the Utah Sports Network. The Wyoming contest continues a stretch of four of six games on the road, where Utah is 5-3 this season.
Utah opened the road trip with an 80-70 win at Colorado State on Saturday night. The Utes won a pair of home games last weekend, defeating San Diego State (65-61) on Saturday afternoon and UNLV (70-56) on Monday night. The Utes have won four in a row and 13 of their last 15 games.
Senior guard Nick Jacobson (6-4, 206) leads the Utes in scoring (15.9 ppg), hitting 45.9 percent of his three-point attempts. Freshman forward Andrew Bogut (6-10, 233) is second on the team in scoring (12.2 ppg), and is first in both rebounding (10.1 rpg) and blocked shots (30). The native of Melbourne, Australia, has 12 double-doubles this season and is shooting 60.5 percent from the field. Sophomore forward Richard Chaney (6-4, 195) is third in scoring (10.4 ppg), shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 44.6 percent from three-point range. Sophomore guard Tim Drisdom (6-2, 212) leads the Utes in assists (3.5 apg).
Utah Closing In On 20-Win Season
With its next win, Utah will hit the 20-wins mark for the 12th time in the last 15 years, spanning the Rick Majerus era. Two of the years the Utes failed to get 20 wins, Majerus did not coach the entire season. The last time Majerus missed games was in 2000-01 when Utah finished 19-12.
Utah's 20-win seasons at Utah since the beginning of the 90s: 1990-91 (30-4), 1991-92 (24-11), 1992-93 (24-7), 1994-95 (28-6), 1995-96 (27-7), 1996-97 (29-4), 1997-98 (30-4), 1998-99 (28-5), 1999-2000 (23-9), 2001-02 (21-9), 2002-03 (25-8).
From The Training Room
* Sophomore center Chris Jackson reaggravated a back injury during the shootaround before the Colorado State game on Saturday and was unable to play. He is doubtful for the Wyoming game.
* Sophomore guard/forward Richard Chaney has an injured right foot and was limited to just nine minutes against Colorado State. He is probable for the Wyoming game.
The Cowboys are 9-13 overall and in eighth place in the Mountain West Conference with a 2-7 record. Wyoming is 8-4 at home this season.
Wyoming has lost four in a row and seven of its last eight. Five of those losses came on the road. The Cowboys are coming off a 67-53 loss to BYU in Laramie on Saturday. Last weekend, Wyoming dropped a pair of road games, falling to Air Force (83-71) on Saturday and New Mexico (87-75) on Monday.
Junior guard Jay Straight (5-11, 178) ranks fourth in the Mountain West in scoring (16.0 ppg), fifth in assists (3.62 apg) and seventh in steals (1.43 spg). Senior guard David Adams (6-2, 185) is 20th in the conference in scoring (10.3 ppg), fourth in three-point percentage (45.6) and fourth in three-pointers per game (1.86). Senior forward Mory Correa is 12th (5.1 rpg) and senior forward Joe Ries (6-8, 225) is 13th (5.1 rpg) in the MWC in rebounding. Correa is also first in the MWC in blocked shots (2.05 bpg); however, he played only two minutes against BYU due to an ankle injury.
Wyoming ranks sixth in the Mountain West in scoring (70.5 ppg), fifth in scoring defense (68.5 ppg), fourth in rebound margin (+2.2) and second in blocked shots (3.95 bpg).
Head Coach Steve McClain
Steve McClain has a 109-65 career record in his sixth season at Wyoming. Last season, Wyoming went 21-11 overall, tied for third in the MWC and advanced to the second round of the NIT. In 2001-02, McClain led the Cowboys to a 22-9 record and an 11-3 mark in league play to claim UW's second consecutive Mountain West title. Wyoming also advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. McClain's team went 20-10 in 2000-02 and finished in a three-way tie with the Utah and BYU for the MWC title at 10-4, capturing the Pokes' first conference title in 15 seasons. He has led three Wyoming teams to the NIT and one to the NCAAs.
Prior to going to Wyoming, McClain served as an assistant coach for Billy Tubbs at TCU. During his four seasons at TCU, McClain helped the Horned Frogs to one NIT appearance (1997), one NCAA appearance (1998) and one conference title (1998). In 1994 as the head coach at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, he led his team to the National Junior College Championship while earning NJCAA National Coach of the Year honors.
Utah-Wyoming Series Notes
* Utah and Wyoming meet for the 155th time on Monday night in a series that dates back to a 41-25 win by Utah on March 11, 1914 in Laramie, Wyo. Before not meeting during the 1996-97 and 1998-99 seasons, the Runnin' Utes and Cowboys had met every year since 1943-44.
* Utah leads the all-time series 85-69. Wyoming had won three in a row-with two of those wins coming in Laramie-before Utah swept the 2002-03 season series. The Utes won 69-56 on Feb. 10 in Laramie and 86-70 on March 8 in Salt Lake City.
* Utah won the first meeting this season 60-49 on Jan. 17 in Salt Lake City.
* In conference regular-season play, Utah has a 72-59 advantage.
* Steve McClain is 4-5 against Utah during his tenure at Wyoming, including a 1-3 mark in Salt Lake City and a 3-1 mark in Laramie.
* In Laramie, the Cowboys have a 45-29 edge. Wyoming had won seven in a row before falling last season. It was Utah's first win in the Arena-Auditorium since prevailing 64-45 on Jan. 28, 1993.
Andrew Bogut scored 20 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, helping Utah outlast Wyoming 60-49 on Jan. 17 at the Huntsman Center for its eight straight victory.
Bogut blocked a career-best five shots and hit 8-of-13 from the floor, but converted just 4-of-12 free throws and didn't score in the last 14:50 of the game.
As the Cowboy defense began focusing on Bogut, Nick Jacobson found his range. Jacobson scored 13 of his 17 points in the final 13:16, including four free throws in the final minute, to keep Utah unbeaten at home this season.
Mory Correa scored 14 points and Jay Straight added 11 for the Cowboys, who scored just three points after cutting Utah's lead to 47-46 with 4:47 to play.
The Utes didn't lead until the second half, but then a pair of three-pointers by Jacobson-including a four-point play where he was fouled on the shot-gave them to a 46-35 advantage with 10:52 to play.
The Cowboys started going inside to Correa, who scored seven points in an 11-1 run and forced Utah starting center Tim Frost to foul out. Correa scored and drew Frost's fifth foul on a runner in the lane with 4:47 remaining to close the gap to 47-46.
Correa missed the free throw and then missed the front end of a one-and-one on the next possession. Jacobson and Justin Hawkins hit jumpers down the stretch and the Utes made their final eight free throws.
The Utes held the Cowboys to their lowest point total of the season at that stage. Utah also outrebounded Wyoming 39-28, and kept the Cowboys without a single fast break point.
Tough Trip Along the Front Range
Utah closes out its Colorado State/Wyoming road trip on Monday night in Laramie, going for its second consecutive sweep after an 80-70 win at Colorado State on Saturday. The Utes took the two-game swing last season for the first time since 1975-76. Utah won at both Colorado State and Wyoming during the 1990-91 season; however, that year the two games weren't played as one trip.
Last season, the Utes won at Colorado State (71-66) on Feb. 8 and at Wyoming (69-56) on Feb. 10. Before last year, Utah had lost seven in a row in Laramie with its previous win in the Arena-Auditorium coming on Jan. 28, 1992 (64-45).
Utes With Best Road Record In MWC Play
Heading into Monday's games, Utah has the best road record in the five-year history of the Mountain West Conference at 17-15 (.531). Wyoming is in second place at 15-18 (.455) and UNLV is third at 13-20 (.394).
Jacobson Stroking "J"s
Senior guard Nick Jacobson (6-4, 206) has been a third team all-Mountain West selection the last two seasons. This season, he leads the Utes in scoring (15.9 ppg), hitting 45.9 percent (62-of-135) from beyond the arc and 83.5 percent from the free throw line. He has had nine 20-point games this season.
* In the NCAA statistical rankings released Feb. 10, Jacobson was 15th in three-point field goal percentage (45.3).
* He has scored in double figures in all nine Mountain West Conference games, averaging 18.6 points per game to rank third in the league. He also ranks first in three-pointers made per game (2.67), seventh in three-point percentage (43.6) and third in free throw percentage (85.4) in MWC games.
* Jacobson has scored at least 20 points in eight of the last 15 games. He has also been in double figures 14 of the last 15 contests, shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 45.8 percent (44-for-96) from three-point range to average 18.8 points per game during that stretch. He had a career-high 28 points against Weber State on Jan. 3, hitting 8-of-12 field goals, 5-of-7 threes and 7-of-7 free throws in 39 minutes.
* Jacobson has already climbed into 17th place in career scoring at Utah with 1,455 points. He is one of just 30 players in the 1,000-point club and currently ranks behind Merv Jackson (1,458 points).
Boasting Of Bogut
Freshman forward Andrew Bogut (6-10, 233) is second on the team in scoring (12.2 ppg) and is first in both rebounding (10.1 rpg) and blocked shots (30). He is shooting 60.5 percent from the field.
* In the NCAA statistical rankings released on Feb. 10, Bogut was 12th in rebounds per game (10.1).
* Bogut is one of four players in the Mountain West Conference averaging a double-double.
* He has 12 double-doubles this season-including four in eight conference games. Bogut has already broken the Mountain West freshman record of eight double-doubles set by Tom Bellairs of Air Force in 1999-2000. Bogut ranked tied for ninth in the nation in double-doubles as of Feb. 13. He has doubled-up in the last two games, getting 16 points and 10 rebounds at Colorado State on Saturday, and 14 points and 13 rebounds against UNLV on Feb. 9. He also had a career-high tying five blocked shots against UNLV.
* Bogut has 16 double-figure scoring games and 14 double-figure rebound games. He has scored in double-figures 12 of the last 17 games.
Drisdom Turning It Up
Sophomore guard Tim Drisdom (6-2, 212) has improved on his season scoring and rebounding numbers since the start of Mountain West Conference play.
* Averaging 4.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists over 15 nonconference games, Drisdom has put up 9.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 29.4 minutes in nine league contests. His improved scoring average can be attributed to shooting percentages of 52.3 from the field, 52.6 (10-of-19) from three-point range and 91.7 (33-of-36) from the free throw line. In the MWC league games statistical rankings, Drisdom is 15th in rebounds, tied for ninth in assists, tied for 15th in steals (1.11 spg), second in three-pointers made per game (5.26) and first in free throw percentage.
* Drisdom has been at his best the past four games, averaging 15.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. He has also shot 63.0 percent from the field, 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from three-point range and 90.5 (19-of-21) percent at the line.
* The Artesia, Calif., native's signature game was a career-high 24 points at Colorado State on Saturday when he shot 6-of-10 from the floor, 4-of-6 from beyond the arc and 8-of-8 at free throw line. Drisdom also had four assists, one turnover, one steal and four rebounds in 34 minutes.
Game #24 Rewind
Andrew Bogut also had 16 points and 10 rebounds for Utah (19-5, 7-2 MWC), which completed a two-game sweep of Colorado State. The win was the fourth straight for Utah, which remained a game back of first-place Air Force.
Dwight Boatner led Colorado State (11-11, 3-6 MWC) with 16 points. Michael Morris had 15 for the Rams, who lost their third straight and played their fourth consecutive game without injured center Matt Nelson.
Jacobson's layup extended Utah's lead to 40-27 two minutes into the second half. The Rams then tightened their defense. A layup and free throw by Morris closed the gap to 42-37.
The Utes responded with a 13-3 run begun by a four-point play to move ahead 55-40 with 6:10 remaining.
Colorado State cut the gap to 75-68 after Ronnie Clark's layup with 1:22 left. The Utes then put the game out of reach by sinking 5-of-6 free throws-three by Jacobson-in the final 1:12.
Drisdom and Jacobson had 11 points each by halftime, and Utah used two runs to lead 34-26 at the break. Colorado State missed its first eight shots, allowing the Utes to build a 12-1 lead.
The Rams heated up to hit 6-of-10 shots, cutting the lead to 18-16. Utah regained control and Drisdom buried two three-pointers and scored on a backdoor layup with 2:44 left to put the Utes ahead 30-19.
One of the trademarks of a Utah team during the Rick Majerus era has been a stifling half-court defense. Since 1989-90, Utah has ranked in the top 30 in the nation 11 times in scoring defense, nine times in rebound margin, eight times in field goal percentage defense and eight times in scoring margin.
* In the NCAA statistical rankings released on Feb. 10, Utah ranked third in the nation in scoring defense (55.5 ppg), 35th in field goal percentage defense (40.1) and sixth in rebound margin (+8.0 rpg). Currently, Utah is allowing opponents to score 56.1 points per game and shoot 40.0 percent while maintaining a +7.9 rebound margin.
* The Utes have outrebounded 22 of 24 opponents this season.
* Utah has held 13 of its 24 opponents to lower than 40 percent shooting from the field and 12 teams to under 30 percent from three-point range. Savannah State shot 18.2 percent against the Utes on Dec. 13, which is the lowest mark for a Utah opponent all-time.
* Only 10 teams have reached 60 points and nine opponents have been held to under 50 points this season.
* Only three teams have shot better than 50 percent from the field against the Utes this season: UConn (62.3), New Mexico on Jan. 24 (53.5) and Air Force (55.3) on Jan. 26.
* Utah has not allowed an opponent to score 80 points in 119 consecutive games that have ended in regulation. The last team to score 80 points on the Utes in a 40-minute game was Wyoming (88) on Feb. 28, 2000 in Laramie, Wyo.
From Beyond The Arc
Utah has connected on at least 40 percent of its three-point field goals in 15 games this season-including 10 of the last 14-winning all of but one of them (Air Force on Jan. 26). Conversely, when the Utes shoot under 40 percent from beyond the arc, they are 5-4. Over the last 14 games, Utah has shot 43.6 percent (99-for-227) from three-point range.
* In the NCAA statistical rankings released on Feb. 10, Utah ranked 15th in three-point field goal percentage (40.2). Currently, Utah is shooting 40.8 percent from beyond the arc.
* The Utes have hit at least half of their three-point tries six times this season: Southern Utah (57.9) with a season-best percentage, Colorado State on Feb. 14 (53.3), UNLV on Jan. 12 (53.8), Pepperdine (51.9) with a season-high 27 attempts, Colorado (50.0) and Stony Brook (50.0).
* Utah ranked 21st in the NCAA in field goal percentage (48.1) as of Feb. 10. Utah has shot 48.9 percent from the field over the last 15 games and 43.6 percent from three-point range over the last 15 games.The Utes broke a string of 12 consecutive games of shooting at least 40 percent from the field against San Diego State on Feb. 7. It was the first game Utah won this season when being outshot (41.7 to 39.0 percent). The Utes bounced back to shoot 46.0 percent against UNLV last Monday and 50.0 percent against Colorado State on Saturday.
* The Utes are 16-0 when scoring at least 60 points this season and 13-0 when holding their opponents to under 60 points.
Taking Care Of The Ball
Turnovers have been a problem for the Utes, who are averaging 14.2 per game. Utah has had a positive assist/turnover ratio in just eight of the 24 games this season, but the numbers have been improving.
* Utah averaged 18.0 turnovers during the first five games, including a season-high 21 against Georgia State in the opener. Since that opening stretch, Utah has improved by averaging 13.2 turnovers over the last 19 games.
* The Utes have had a season-low eight turnovers against Colorado State on Saturday. Utah has also had nine turnovers three times in Mountain West play: New Mexico on Jan. 24, Wyoming on Jan. 17 and San Diego State and Feb. 7. Utah has had a positive assist/turnover ratio in six of the last 13 games.
Strong At The Finish
The Utes have outscored 19 of their 24 opponents in the second half and are 8-0 in games decided by 10 points or less in 2003-04. In Mountain West Conference play, Utah has outscored eight of its nine opponents in the second half for an average margin of +6.3 points. Utah finished off nine close games in the final eight minutes for wins this season. | http://utahutes.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/021504aaa.html | 4,832 |
Apr. 11, 2012 - Issue #860: Beowulf
We're not in the post season, so how about everybody else?
The Oiler season ended with a whimper. The Oilers finished second last in the league with a 32-40-10 record. They did finish with 12 more standings points than last season. Onward and upward!
Playoff Preview – Upside/Downside
The playoffs are upon us and every team that made the playoffs has a chance to be the 2012 Stanley Cup champs. Birtles and I will go through the Upside and Downside of each team holding the Cup.
Eastern Division – David Young
New York Rangers (1)
Upside: A meat-and-potatoes team with hard-working players and a stellar goalie thumb their noses at stars and egos.
Downside: New York got their Super Bowl already. No hogging.
Ottawa Senators (8)
Upside: A Canadian team wins the Cup and it is not Vancouver.
Downside: These guys were pegged to finish where Edmonton wound up this year. Why aren't the Oilers in the playoffs?
Boston Bruins (2)
Upside: It would probably make Habs fans angry—and they're just so adorably frustrated when they're angry. Downside: They had their turn last year. No hogging.
Washington Capitals (7)
Upside: Ovie could be hilarious when the Cup is awarded.
Downside: Ovie could be annoying.
Florida Panthers (3)
Upside: A team full of spare parts from the rest of the league flip the bird at all the GMs that considered them expendable.
New Jersey Devils (6)
Upside: Petr Sykora wins his third Cup. He's a likeable old Euro—just like Patrik Elias or Sir Ian McKellan. Downside: There's nothing less exciting than New Jersey winning a Cup. We've seen it before.
Pittsburgh Penguins (4)
Upside: This team has been well-managed and is still reaping the benefits of several crappy seasons. The Oilers can tick off one of those boxes.
Downside: Sidney Crosby is like Superman: powerful, heroic, boring.
Philadelphia Flyers (5)
Upside: Danny Briere and Claude Giroux win a Cup.
Downside: Despite only playing 13 games this season (40 are needed) and likely missing playoffs (one finals game is needed), the Flyers could still find a way to put Pronger's name on another Cup.
Western Division – Bryan Birtles
Vancouver Canucks (1)
Upside: Absolutely no upside.
Downside: Having to listen to every asshole from Vancouver talk about it.
Los Angeles Kings (8)
Upside: Seeing former Oiler Jarrett Stoll hoist the Cup would be pretty sweet.
Downside: Seeing former Oiler Dustin "Donair" Penner with two Cups.
St Louis Blues (2)
Upside: A team that plays by committee, that clawed its way back into the playoffs after a dismal start, the Blues deserve their first cup.
Downside: Who even plays for the Blues? If they win and captain David Backes hoists the mug, I'll be all, "Wait, who?"
San Jose Sharks (7)
Upside: San Jose rids itself of "choker" label.
Downside: San Jose rids itself of "choker" label.
Phoenix Coyotes (3)
Upside: After suffering through the upheaval of the last few seasons, it'd be nice to see Phoenix's players rewarded.
Downside: With the league's worst attendance, if they do win, no one will be around to see it.
Chicago Blackhawks (6)
Upside: Chicago is a run and gun, exciting team to watch so it'll be fun to watch them go deep.
Downside: Didn't they just win it? No hogging.
Nashville Predators (4)
Upside: Winning the Cup will make Weber and Suter so expensive that only a team with plenty of cap room (like Edmonton) can afford them. Downside: Terrible "new country" songs about the Stanley Cup cheapen it for all.
Detroit Red Wings (5)
Upside: The Wings are creeping up on bettering Toronto's 13 Cups. '67! '67! '67!
Downside: So. Damn. Predictable.
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LINCOLN – The Huskers returned to the practice field on Monday afternoon as they practiced for just over two hours in the Hawks Championship Center and outside on the Ed and Joyanne Gass Grass Practice Fields. The Huskers were in full pads.
After practice, first-year defensive coordinator John Papuchis spoke to the media about the defense. With only two practices and the spring game remaining, Papuchis said he still wants to see the guys work hard.
“You get into the last week and guys start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I just don’t want guys to lose focus.” Papuchis said. “There’s still progress to be made, even though we’re getting to the tail end of spring. I still want our guys to come out focused and be prepared every day and treat it like it’s the first day.”
When asked about the game plan for the spring game, Papuchis said he just wants to see the guys continuing to progress.
“To me it’s just another practice. You get to see guys in front of fans and you get to see guys on the game field. I think the biggest key is we continue to progress over the course of the week and if we do that and are better at the end of the week than we are today, then it’s been a good week,” Papuchis said.
When asked what he expects to see from the defense in the spring game, Papuchis laid out a list of items.
“I hope you see tremendous effort. I hope you see a lot of energy. I hope you see guys flying to the football and trying to create turnovers, gang tackling, but that’s something we’ve always believed in,” Papuchis said. “Saturday’s going to be a little bit vanilla for us, defensively. We’re not going to call a whole bunch of our defenses that we’ve worked on thoughout the course of spring ball. But with that being said, I want to see technique, energy and effort.”
Papuchis was asked about who has stood out during practice, and he said that he’s seen a lot of progress in the back seven.
“I think on the back end there’s been some guys that have made some significant jumps. I think Daimion Stafford has made a good jump. I think Ciante Evans is doing some good things. I think Antonio Bell is doing some good things; PJ Smith, Andrew Green, those guys, that first group of secondary guys have made a pretty dramatic jump, in my opinion,” Papuchis said. “Harvey Jackson’s done a nice job with the dime and also at safety. Will Compton is playing close to as good as he’s played since I’ve seen him here. Fish [Sean Fisher] has had a very solid spring. Zo [Alonzo Whaley] has as well. I really feel pretty good about the back seven guys of that first group.”
The Huskers will continue with spring practice on Wednesday afternoon as they gear up for Saturday’s Red-White spring game. The spring game begins at 1 p.m. Tickets are still available and can be purchased on Huskers.com | http://www.1011now.com/sports/nreport/headlines/Papuchis_Talks_Spring_Game_Defense_146756945.html | 708 |
Jan 10, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson (22) shoots while defended by Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Anthony Randolph (15) in the second half at Target Center. Greg Smith-US PRESSWIRE
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Rowing vandalism linked to land claim
Mon, 01 Oct 2012 6:17p.m.
By Adam Ray
Horowhenua's mayor says simmering tensions over a Maori land claim could be behind vandalism that left a trail of destruction at a rowing club.
Locals are blaming a small group of individuals aggrieved over land claims after 25 of the Horowhenua Rowing Club’s 30 boats were attacked over the weekend.
Seventy-five different holes were stabbed into the boats, and some are so badly damaged they may be beyond repair. It is a crippling blow for a club with just 40-odd members.
“To see all these boats we've rowed in for years, people have owed in for years, to see them trashed is disgusting,” says rower Max Mason.
Many in the community suspect a small group who claim the club's occupying Maori land.
One of them has been caught on club premises twice already this year.
“Club members have been abused, our property threatened, and now we find this damage,” says club treasurer Jo Mason.
Horowhenua's mayor says it involves a tiny minority of the local iwi but they're fuelling resentment throughout the community.
“The tension is building, and the message I am getting from Muaupoko is that they have had a gutsful,” says Mayor Brendan Duffy.
“We have great supporters from within Muaopoko. They came yesterday and were grieving with us,” says Ms Mason.
3 News spoke to the man many blame for the vandalism. He said he had no connection to it and has an iron-tight alibi.
He did say, however, that the club is squatting on Maori land.
Police say their investigation is in its early stages and wouldn't talk about suspects.
The rowing club says it'll be weeks before any of their damaged boats are back on the water.
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3/10/2012 9:16:37 p.m.
Oh Alex you silly bugger. Thats like saying you can wait for your inheritance until I have ascertained your race and if you or any of your race were ever involved in any illegal activities then I will hold it indefinately until everyone fesses up to their crimes. Utter rubbish. Yes this is disgusting and in no way should all maori people be accused for a few idiots misgivings. There are idiots in all races. I certainly hope you think before you put pen to paper in such a racial slur. Most nzers have moved on from such thoughts and your national rantings dont help anyone
2/10/2012 10:22:21 a.m.
Enough is a enough every maori claim should be put on hold until the people who did this own up and are dealt with.
1/10/2012 10:37:58 p.m.
Joe King wrote:
This will foreshadow an escalation in events of this kind in New Zealand, as claims to ownership increase. The idea of ONE New Zealand and New Zealanders is quickly coming to an end.
1/10/2012 9:18:59 p.m.
No Katrina, some Nanny Judge will hit them across the wrist with a wet Bus ticket.
1/10/2012 7:04:08 p.m.
Shame on you people for doing such purposeful damage. I hope you get caught and thrown in jail then you can claim your jail cell.
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Copyright © 2013 MediaWorks TV. All Rights Reserved. | http://www.3news.co.nz/Rowing-vandalism-linked-to-land-claim/tabid/423/articleID/271127/Default.aspx | 832 |
- Posts: 1,210
They are just signing solid players and developing there own talent. They tried to get Peyton Manning so I don't think we can that they are unwilling to write a big check for a premier player if the situation presents itself.
- Posts: 312
I remember in an interview several years ago with Bill Belichick, probably in 2007 or a year after that historic 18-1 season (Thank you, G-men). I think there was a question about the different players on his team from the first time they went to the Super Bowl in 2001 and he says you just have to coach for that. There are just a few core players that you have to keep around, but for everybody else you have to expect that every 3-5 years you are going to have all new guys on 70-80% of the roster.
It is somewhat similar to what you have to prepare for in the college game and seriously, aside from Patrick Willis, Vernon Davis, and maaaaaybe Justin Smith, I don't think any of these guys warrant total roster safety beyond this season. I know some of them are locked up for several years, but there's going to be some attrition too. You saw what happened when Willis was out, depth will be tested and good backups are tough to hang onto.
I think the SF front office is being so aggressive in FA and will probably make a move or two in the draft because they know they're on to something and they have to strike while the iron is hot, the fire could burn out in a couple years.
- Posts: 1,175
WOW - This post was a great read! Love how it didn't devolve into another ASmith debate! Oh no, oh no, I said it. Anyway,
I have heard that the 49ers FO creates a strict FA value chart where they actually put a contract $ and structure preference down for each FA. I think we have seen hints of this in their almost dogmatic position they put on contract offers, not negotiating much, just offering and waiting. This system must have a risk-reward calculation in it. Tells me they have done something to create a system based valuation method for players, versus subjective valuations which are easy to start to change when you feel pressure to sign someone.
The advantage of such a system would be you don't take chances on players that might be duds after you pay them big bucks -- for example they didn't even pursue Vincent Jackson when his price became clear this year. Not saying he will be a dud, just that there are risks with his off field issues that probably kept the 49ers calculation pretty low on value for him compared to other teams.
The key to this strategy is having confidence in the depth on your roster, OR believing you have the skill to draft good players that can contribute quickly. So with the staff proving (by one year's standard) the ability to produce contributers from the draft, and seemingly getting value back-ups, the 49ers seem set up to manage a very good roster over a long period of time.
BUT, BUT, there is one other ingredient key to this strategy. Bill Walsh knew it well -- and so does Belichick -- better to let players go a year early than overpay them with big contracts. This FO seems on the same tract -- with both big name 49ers recently signed, ASmith and Gore, they have steadfastly signed club friendly contracts that allow them to release players with minimal cost if their production falters.
We have a huge issue with the above looming in 49ers land -- Patrick Willis versus Bowman. Can the team afford to keep both in the valuation metric of the overall team and position values? IMHO, if either hits FA, they would command huge paydays and their contract offers would almost undboubtedly exceed what the 49ers would want to pay. | http://www.49erswebzone.com/forum/niners/164327-moneyfootball/page3/ | 791 |
The Broncos guard looks for "Pancake Blocks." While there's no official definition, an offensive lineman knows when he's made one. The defensive player who's been "pancaked" knows it too.
A Pancake Block is when an offensive lineman makes a great block, then follows up by laying the defensive player on his back and falling on top of him.
This is Zane's second year heading up the "Cakes for Cancer" program. Last year he and his teammates raised $15,000 from Pancake Blocks. So far this year, the Denver linemen have executed 30 Pancake Blocks, which means Zane has donated $7,500 to Brent's Place. He'd like to add a lot more.
Zane doesn't just donate money. He also spends time at Brent's Place and recruits his fellow linemen to do the same. 9News visited Brent's Place while Zane and his teammates decorated cupcakes from D bar Desserts and ate pancakes from Snooze.
For more information, to donate or match donations with Cakes for Cancer, visit www.cakes4cancer.org
For more information about Brent's Place, the only Children's Hospital approved "Safe-Clean" housing facility in the Rocky Mountain region, visit www.brentsplace.org
(KUSA-TV © 2012 Multimedia Holdings Corporation) | http://www.9news.com/sports/warginontheweb/299689/404/Broncos-lineman-turns-pancakes-into-dollars-for-Brents-Place- | 280 |
Berkeley, CA (Sports Network) - Sonny Dykes, who guided the nation's top scoring offense of Louisiana Tech this past season, has been named the new head coach of the California Golden Bears.
Dykes takes over for Jeff Tedford, who was fired at the end of the season.
"Sonny Dykes is one of the brightest offensive minds in the country, running a high-octane style of football, one that I'm certain will allow our student- athletes to thrive and that our community will love on gameday," California athletics director Sandy Barbour said. "However, it was far more than his history of a top-ranked offense and his proven success on the football field that solidified my decision; it was the way he described his responsibility to the University at large and his commitment to creating a climate of comprehensive excellence and success for his student-athletes."
The 43-year-old Dykes has coached Louisiana Tech the past three seasons, accumulating a 22-15 record. The Bulldogs went 9-3 this season, but decided not to play in a postseason bowl. They averaged a stunning 51.5 points per game.
"I am excited for the opportunity to become head coach at the University of California," Dykes said. "Cal offers one of the best combinations of athletics and academics in the country, and a passionate fan base to match. I'm looking forward to bringing our exciting and enthusiastic brand of football to Berkeley."
Prior to his stint at Louisiana Tech, Dykes spent three seasons as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Arizona.
The Golden Bears finished their season 3-9 overall and 2-7 in Pac-12 play, but Tedford departed as the program's all-time winningest coach, compiling an 82-57 record over 11 seasons. | http://www.9wsyr.com/sports/cfootm/California%20Golden%20Bears/story/California-names-Dykes-head-coach/vZCgF_o0I0mho--Xmu5A3g.cspx | 369 |
Reds on brink of elimination
Defending Super League champions the Queensland Reds must produce an escape-act in next week's final round to wriggle into the Super Rugby play-offs.
A bonus-point 32-10 win by the Sharks over South African rivals the Bulls in Durban on Saturday morning (AEST) has dropped the Reds out of the top six and left them teetering ahead of a massive assignment against NSW.
Queensland meet their arch-rivals on Saturday night at their Lang Park fortress, where they will be favoured to win, but also need a four-try bonus point to be a solid shot of making the finals.
The last time the Reds scored that many tries in the traditionally tight and dour interstate grudge match was way back in 2003.
They sit on 53 points following Friday night's dramatic 19-13 win over the fast-finishing Highlanders but are seventh on the table behind the Sharks and Bulls (both 54).
The two South African sides enter the last round as hot favourites, with the Sharks at home to the Cheetahs and the Bulls hosting the last-placed Lions, and can ensure play-off berths with bonus-point wins.
Hit by injuries and an early-season slump, Queensland have kept themselves alive with plenty of grit and have done their best work with their backs to the wall - highlighted by five straight wins.
The defending champions got themselves out of jail in round one with a last-gasp try by Dom Shipperley against the Waratahs and were also lucky to survive in Canberra on May 26 when Brumbies goalkicker Zac Holmes missed a match-winning penalty.
Again, on Friday night, they escaped by repelling the Highlanders who hammered their line at Lang Park continuously over a frantic final two minutes.
Coach Ewen McKenzie defended their tactics to take penalty goals, with Mike Harris kicking four three-pointers, to build scoreboard pressure rather than taking the punt on tries.
While they will likely need that bonus point against NSW, McKenzie stressed his side would again put their prime focus into winning the clash before aiming for four tries.
They have crossed four times in just three games this season.
"You have to win the game first," McKenzie said. "What people don't understand is the scoreboard creates a lot of pressure.
"We have to play well over 80 minutes and you get the reward over 80 minutes so that's the challenge there."
Another huge challenge will be overcoming a worrying injury toll with lock Rob Simmons (quad-knee) and flanker Beau Robinson (foot) in serious doubt and winger Chris F'Sautia (hamstring) ruled out for the season.
Flanker Liam Gill (hamstring) and winger Digby Ioane (pneumonia) are expected to return while number 8 Scott Higginbotham was almost a late scratching against the Highlanders with an elbow infection.
The Crusaders (56) and Brumbies (54), who play NSW on Saturday night, are yet to seal their top-six spots but boast home clashes against the lowly Force and Blues, respectively, next weekend. | http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-07-07/reds-on-brink-of-elimination/4116350 | 648 |
Green Bay, WI (Sports Network) - Running back Ryan Grant signed with Green Bay on Wednesday, returning to the Packers to help shore up a position decimated by injuries and subpar efforts.
Grant played for Green Bay the previous five seasons before appearing in one game for the Washington Redskins this year.
The Notre Dame product rushed for 25 touchdowns on 924 carries in 63 games with the Packers and ranks fifth in team history with 4,016 yards.
Running back Cedric Benson is done for the season with a foot injury, while James Starks is battling a knee ailment.
Alex Green is pacing Green Bay's rushing attack with 360 yards.
The Packers also placed running back Johnny White on injured reserve with a concussion. | http://www.abc24.com/sports/nfl/Green%20Bay%20Packers/story/Packers-shore-up-backfield-with-familiar-face/hcsMi4iix0yZpxyIpyZc5w.cspx | 149 |
The NSU volleyball team trailed 15-9 in the second set, but rallied to win the set and the match over St. Cloud (Minn.) State 25-18, 25-18, 25-16 on Friday. The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference collegiate volleyball match was played in Wachs Arena. The Wolves have won eight of their last nine matches.
After winning the first set, Northern trailed by six points midway through the second set. The Huskies missed a serve to push the Wolves closer at 15-10. With senior Ella Campbell behind the service line, NSU rattled off the next 11 points for a total of 12 in a row.
“We thought that we had to keep our composure and think that we’re going to win it,” said senior Kaleinani Kabalis. “We can’t think negative. You have to think positive. We had to keep our consistency with our serves. That’s what made it go tonight (Friday) was our serves.”
Macey Finizio had a total of three kills in the run. When the dust cleared, Northern led 21-15 and cruised to a 25-18 win in the second set, which ended with two kills by Kabalis.
“ I really get hyped. I’m really confident on the court and try to feed that off to my teammates so they get confident, too. We came out of the locker room and we just wanted to do what we do in practice every day and that’s kill the ball and kill it hard,” said Kabalis.
One of Northern’s goals for the match was to serve well enough to make it difficult for the Huskies to run their offense.
“One of the keys we talked about was ‘Can we win that serve-serve receive battle?’ Ella got us going big time with that run of serves,” said NSU head coach Brent Aldridge. “I thought our kids stayed composed and we’re going to need that as we go down the stretch. We have been making plays, making adjustments in the back row and getting touches.”
After the long break between sets two and three, the Wolves trailed 3-0 and 8-4 in the early going of set number three.
“We started real slow. We talked about it during the break. You never want to come out and get down on your home court. It’s easy to do. We lost a little focus. Our kids can bounce back against teams,” said Aldridge.
Kabalis finished with 13 kills and Kelsey Chambers added 10. Kabalis had just one error in 21 hitting attempts for a kill percent of .571. A kill percentage is like a baseball batting average where .300 is really good. Drew Smith handed out 41 set assists and Campbell had two ace serves to go along with 13 digs. Northern finished with 19 more kills in the match than St. Cloud.
“We had a great week of practice. We’re making this change where everything matters. We’re not satisfied with 14 wins. We want 15 and we want 16. We want to go to the tournament. The legacy this group can hang on the wall is not necessarily a championship banner but they were part of a turn around in a program,” said Aldridge.
The Wolves’ schedule, which is sprinkled with nationally ranked teams, has Minnesota-Duluth today at 3 p.m. at Wachs Arena in another NSIC contest.
“Duluth’s ranked number five for a reason,” said Aldridge. “They are really big and physical. I’m excited as always to play teams like that.”
Serving: St. Cloud 2 aces (Allison Butler 2 aces); Northern 6 aces (Kaleinani Kabalis 2 aces, Ella Campbell 2 aces).
Hitting: St. Cloud 70-85 26 kills (Dani Donmeier 18-22 6 kills, Erin Ohlemann 8-8 5 kills); Northern 84-102 45 kills (Kabalis 20-21 13 kills, Kelsey Chambers 20-25 10 kills, Chelsea Chavez 13-16 8 kills, Macey Finizio 18-23 8 kills, Jussy Tuscherer 10-10 4 kills, Cari McGarvie 3-7 2 kills).
Setting: St. Cloud 26 assists (Ohlemann 18 assists); Northern 44 assists (Drew Smith 41 assists).
Digs: St. Cloud 34 (Jordan Hansen 12, Brianne Stamer 6); Northern (Campbell 13, Kabalis 10, Finizio 6, Smith 5).
Blocks: St. Cloud 1 solo 12 assists (Ellie Dietzen 1 solo 4 assists); Northern 1 solo 6 assists (Kabalis 1 solo, Chavez 3 assists).
Records: St. Cloud State 6-17, 2-13 NSIC; Northern State 14-9, 9-6 NSIC. | http://www.aberdeennews.com/sports/aan-northern-state-digs-their-way-to-a-win-20121026,0,6943246.story | 1,064 |
Week 12: Miami 24, Seattle 21 (W)
Dolphins teammates celebrate Dan Carpenter's game winning kick over Seattle. (Jim Rassol, Sun Sentinel / August 20, 2008)
Kicker Dan Carpenter banged a 43-yard field goal through the uprights as time expired to give Miami a hard-fought 24-21 victory over Seattle. The kick, which was never in doubt from the time it left Carpenter's foot, capped a dramatic seven-play, 65-yard drive, and ended a three-game losing streak by the Dolphins (5-6) to keep their longshot AFC playoff hopes alive.
"I thought it was a good character win by our guys, coming back in the fourth quarter a couple of times," coach Joe Philbin said.
Of course, Miami's 17-point fourth quarter, which included two touchdowns, and its 10 points in the game's final 5:13, were just as impressive as the game-winning field goal. The Dolphins' offense had produced just one touchdown in its previous 10 quarters.
Tannehill, who struggled mightily the previous two games, was excellent in the clutch. He was 3-for-5 passing (including two clock-killing spikes) for 51 yards on the game-winning drive.
"I think Ryan grew up on that whole series," cornerback Sean Smith said. "He's a rookie but on that whole driv e he was so calm and poised out there. You saw guys diving at his legs and he's not even worried about it. He's making all the right reads and all the throws are right on target."
Wide receiver Davone Bess, who finished with seven receptions for a season-best 129 yards, was clutch, too. He had two receptions for 44 yards on the game-winning drive against what might be the NFL's best secondary. Three of Seattle's four defensive backs played in the Pro Bowl last season.
Bess said the Dolphins were driven by something more than one victory.
"Our mindset is still trying to get to 'The Show,'" he said referring to the playoffs.
The final drive might have been symbolic of that desire. Aside from the heroics from Tannehill and Bess, Tannehill scrambled for 15 yards, and hit tight end/fullback Charles Clay once for seven yards. After running back Daniel Thomas gained four yards the rest was up to Carpenter.
"It felt good," said Carpenter, who celebrated his 27th birthday Sunday. "And when I looked up and saw it down the middle, I was thrilled."
This game was almost a blueprint for how Miami wants to win. The Dolphins ran the ball effectively, rushing for 189 yards, their second-best total of the season. Miami also stopped the run, limiting the Seahawks to 96 yards rushing and holding physical running back Marshawn Lynch, who entered as the NFL's second-leading rusher with 1,005 yards, to just 46 yards on 19 carries.
And in the battle of rookie quarterbacks, Tannehill, the No. 8 pick, won against Seattle's Russell Wilson, the third-round pick.
Wilson, who had been terrible on the road, ended 21-for-27 passing for 224 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. His 125.9 passer rating was impressive, but so were his 38 yards rushing on five carries.
"He's very elusive, has a strong arm and is very accurate," linebacker Karlos Dansby said. "He played a great game today, too."
He just wasn't as good as Tannehill down the stretch.
Seattle (6-5) took a 14-7 lead into the fourth quarter. Miami tied the game at 14 on Thomas' 3-yard touchdown run but Seattle went ahead, 21-14, seconds later when Leon Washington returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. The Dolphins drove 80 yards in six plays to tie the game at 21 when Tannehill hit tight end/fullback Charles Clay on a 29-yard touchdown pass. After the Dolphins' defense forced a punt, Tannehill, Bess, Carpenter and the rest of the offense took over.
Apparently, this victory did wonders for the Dolphins' confidence -- and, perhaps, their sense of reality.
"We're tough," linebacker Kevin Burnett said. "You have to play dang near flawless to beat us." | http://www.aberdeennews.com/topic/sfl-dolphins-seahawks-week-12,0,6363103.story | 902 |
Dave Doeren To Lead Wolfpack Football
Dave Doeren, finalist for the 2012 National Collegiate Coach of the Year Award, sponsored by the Maxwell Football Club, has been named head football coach at NC State, Director of Athletics Deborah A. Yow announced today.
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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Enjoying a six-game win streak, the Temple Owls are set to close out the 2012-13 regular-season on Sunday afternoon as they host the 21st-ranked Virginia Commonwealth Rams in Atlantic 10 Conference action at the Liacouras Center.
The Owls also started off the season with a six-game win streak, so the team is peaking at just the right time with the A-10 Conference Tournament just around the corner. On Wednesday night, Temple went to Fordham and blew the doors off the Rams in a 74-55 final, which means the Owls have now won eight of the last nine and are 10-5 in conference play.
VCU was also in action earlier this week with a home date against Richmond, resulting in a 93-82 victory in order to move to 12-3 in league action, which has the Rams up near the top of the standings. The triumph was the third in a row and the ninth in the last 10 outings overall for VCU.
With VCU being one of the latest additions to the A-10, this meeting is actually the first-ever between the schools on the hardwood.
The Rams went from shooting 48.5 percent from the field in the first half against Richmond to converting 63.6 percent in the second half, in order to keep pace. More importantly, VCU was highly successful at the free-throw line on the night (28-of-36) compared to the Spiders who knocked down 11-of-15 at the charity stripe. Treveon Graham led five players in double figures with his 21 points, followed by fellow starters Juvonte Reddic and Darius Theus with 16 and 13 points, respectively. Off the bench Rob Brandenberg pitched in with 12 points and Melvin Johnson 11 for the hosts.
On the average, the Rams have been crushing the competition on the scoring department this season, winning games by a margin of more than 14 ppg. Graham has a lot to do with that success as he heads a list of four double-digit scorers with his 15.7 ppg. Coming up behind is Reddic (14.3 ppg) thanks to his 57.3 percent shooting from the floor. Reddic is also first on the unit with better than eight rebounds per contest. While Reddic maintains a presence in the paint, Troy Daniels (12.4 ppg) is the one out on the perimeter connecting on 3.5 3-point baskets per game at a 40.5 percent clip.
Khalif Wyatt shot only 4-of-11 from the floor against Fordham on the road, but he converted a perfect 10-of-10 at the free-throw line and ended up with a double-double consisting of 19 points and a game-high 11 rebounds in the victory over the Rams at Rose Hill Gym. Also posting a double-double for the visitors was Anthony Lee with 12 points and 10 boards, while Scootie Randall and Jake O'Brien pitched in with 14 and 10 points, respectively, for a squad that easily survived just 2-of-14 shooting beyond the arc.
In conference games the Owls don't leave much room for error, at least on the average, as they score 72.7 ppg but give up 69.1 ppg. Wyatt has been a one-man wrecking ball at the offensive end of the floor with not only 21.9 ppg, stemming from 38.0 percent shooting beyond the arc, he is also first on the unit with 60 assists through 15 contests as he continues to keep his teammates involved in the action. Randall (11.1 ppg) and Lee (10.1 ppg) have combined for more than 12 rpg, although the latter doesn't always seem to know what to do with the ball since he has just a single assist in 14 league starts. | http://www.actionnewsjax.com/sports/cbaskm/Temple%20Owls/story/No-21-Rams-butt-heads-with-Owls-in-A-10-finale/EgKtx9CezUi_-XbJHDsJuA.cspx | 802 |
Scotland Home Jersey
Take the style of Hampden Park with you anywhere you play. This men's adidas Scotland Home Jersey features CLIMACOOL® ventilation, a flag-inspired soccer graphic and the authentic team badge on the chest.
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A combination of performance fabrics, open mesh and ventilation channels keep cool air flowing in and heat and sweat flowing out. You stay dry, comfortable and performing at your peak in even the most heated competition. | http://www.adidas.com/us/product/mens-soccer-scotland-home-jersey/ZU507?cid=X11932&breadcrumb=u2Z1z13y9uZsxZ1z1324c | 142 |
Man Utd turn to Swansea's Taylor as Baines alternative
Manchester United have given up their pursuit of Everton defender Leighton Baines and have instead turned their attention to Swansea City full-back Neil Taylor, the Daily Mirror has reported.
The newspaper adds that Sir Alex Ferguson is keen to sign a new left-back after allowing Fabio move on loan to Queens Park Rangers, with the manager in search of cover for and an alternative to Patrice Evra. England international Baines was said to be Ferguson’s first choice but Everton are holding firm on their £20m valuation of the player, pushing Ferguson towards Swansea’s Team GB and Wales representative Taylor.
At 22 Taylor is five years younger than Baines and the Mirror suggest he would cost substantially less, claiming the former Wrexham player could be available for as little as £5m. Taylor was wanted by Newcastle a year ago but remained in South Wales, playing a vital part in Swansea’s first Premier League campaign and missing only two league matches all season. | http://www.adifferentleague.co.uk/p6_1_16172_man-utd-turn-to-swanseas-taylor-as-baines-alternative.html | 212 |
It didn't take long for Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o to go from living legend to laughing stock. After Deadspin.com broke the story Jan. 16 that Te'o's presumed deceased girlfriend (who reportedly passed away in September from cancer) isn't in fact dead and was never was in fact anything but a well developed, strangely crafted concoction of a fiction that never existed from the time she was introduced to the world by Te'o. It's been a stressful week for the once assured first round pick Te'o. A 6-foot-2, 255-pound middle linebacker, Te'o was already a high school star before he hit the Irish campus but he became a Heisman finalist this season after numerous big stops and timely big plays. But his mystical girlfriend has fans and critics looking at him like he's nuts. Will Te'o's girlfriend hoax affect his draft stock? Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley of the AFRO Sports Desk debate the question.
Riley: Of course it will. Whether he was a victim of an elaborate prank or the puppeteer pulling the media's strings, the whole ordeal solely falls back on the judgment skills of Te'o. Either he was too gullible to get sucked in to an online prank or he's in serious need of attention if he played a role in all of this. Middle linebackers are supposed to be the brains of the defense. I wouldn't feel comfortable letting Te'o go to the vending machine by himself at this point if I was an NFL general manager. You can't trust him.
Green: If a guy can play then he can play. Who cares if he made up a girlfriend? Why would a franchise go crazy over not being able to trust him? Trust him to do what? Tell the media the truth about his love life? That shouldn't matter to NFL GM's. I know one thing you can trust him to do: run down running backs and make big plays. That's the only trust that needs to be there.
Riley: A highly skilled linebacker, we all know that. But if the kid is a bat case then why even deal with it? This past NFL season we saw several cases of why poor judgment can not only distract a football team but be deadly. Look at the cases surrounding Kansas City linebacker Jovan Belcher or Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Josh Brent. Both men had some serious lapses in judgment that not only resulted in death in both cases but rearranged the focus of the locker room heading into the season's crucial months. In past years, a made-up girlfriend would've been enough to have a few teams cross a player off their draft board. Considering what just happened this past season I expect teams to give this fake girlfriend story the full microscope before deciding to draft Te'o.
Green: My point is nothing that Te'o did or didn't do was illegal. He wasn't driving drunk or toting guns around. We're relying on a story of a guy involved with a fake girlfriend? I mean how ridiculous does all of this sound? And you want to tell me to forget how this guy helped an unranked school in the beginning of the year, move up to tops in the country and led them to a BCS Championship game just because he's involved in a story featuring a woman who never existed? That's just reaching Riley. Tell me he's too slow or not big enough. Tell me he can't tackle. Tell me something else why a team shouldn't draft him instead of telling me a fake girlfriend is going to hurt his draft stock.
Riley: What I will tell you is that if I'm the CEO of a company and I need somebody to lead my company I'm not going for the guy with the amazing resume but the made-up fictional girlfriend that he never met in his life but he's madly in love with. I want decision makers who can make the right choices for themselves not only in battle but off the field as well. Football players only spend a few hours each Sunday playing football but the rest of that time they're on their own making their own decisions. If a team decides to not pull the trigger on a guy who's the center of a hoax then I can understand that. And if the story turns out that Te'o knew about this all along then you can definitely expect a drop come draft day.
Green: Sports writers made this into a national story. It really shouldn't have been a big story in the first place. Somewhere along the line the writers that reported this stuff should be held accountable. Instead of being so quick to write a sensational story, they should have done some fact checking. If Te'o lied then he has serious issues. But even those issues won't affect how he plays on the field. Unlike someone who cheats with steroids or gets in trouble with the law, his lie won't get him suspended and away from the field. This is still the best linebacker in the draft and he should be selected as such. | http://www.afro.com/sections/sports/columnists/story.htm?storyid=77252 | 1,026 |
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Down to one period in a four-year hockey career Saturday, the six University of Alabama-Huntsville seniors were going out their way.
It wasn't going to be with a win - that opportunity passed them by when the Under-18 U.S. national developmental team took a 5-0 lead early in the second period.
It wasn't going to be with a playoff run - the Chargers were wrapping up a 4-26-2 season with a pair of exhibition games at the Von Braun Center.
It was, however, going to be with pride.
So as the reality of a final skate in the blue and white sweater set in, players did what they could. They played like there was no tomorrow.
"The seniors asked the guys to come out and play for each other, and that's what they did," UAH senior Matt Baxter said. "We played for pride, and they played hard. I thank them for that."
The Chargers tallied three unanswered goals, but it wasn't enough to overcome an early deficit against the talented youngsters bound for top-notch colleges and NHL draft podiums. The Chargers fell 5-3, sending seniors on their way and the team into its most uncertain offseason in program history.
Baxter scored a pair of goals less than two minutes apart late in the third period - the first scores since UAH senior captain Ryan Burkholder scored with 4:43 to play in the second period - closing out the season on an emotional high.
"When the buzzer sounded and we all saluted the crowd, I kind of broke down there," Baxter said. "It's been the best four years of my life, and I have no regrets. I'm going to miss this place. It's been home."
The 16- and 17-year-old squad opened up the scoring 11 minutes into the first period on a goal by Henrik Samuelsson and didn't slow down for 20 minutes of play. In that span, the U.S. team beat freshman UAH goaltender John Griggs four more times, the last three of which came in less than four minutes.
Griggs didn't allow another goal from there, but the damage was done.
"It was kind of a microcosm of the whole season," said UAH coach Chris Luongo, finishing his first year at the helm. "We're doing some good things, then we fail to execute a couple times and we get away from what makes us successful."
Luongo and the rest of the UAH athletic department now enter a critical offseason for the program's future. After playing in their first season as an independent Division I team, the Chargers are hoping they'll have a conference to call home when the puck drops again next fall.
For the most part, it's a lot of sitting, waiting and hoping while a shifting college hockey landscape - including a possible Big Ten hockey conference - settles.
"Most of the developments that will come over the summer affect us, but we have no control over a lot of that," Luongo said. "This Big Ten issue is the 8,000-pound gorilla in the room."
There was no talk of next season as the seniors exited the ice to applause via a tunnel made by their teammates. For Baxter, Vince Bruni, Burkholder, Chris Fairbanks, Joe Koudys and Neil Ruffini, there was only the leftover emotion from four years of thick and thin with UAH hockey.
"I'm going to miss them all," Luongo said. "They make my job easy by being great leaders and great students. That's the type of class we want to have here." | http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/02/alabama-huntsville_falls_to_un.html | 759 |
Passed over for an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament, the Crimson Tide (21-11) is one of four No. 1 seeds in the 32-team National Invitation Tournament. It will play host to eighth-seeded Coastal Carolina (24-5) at 6 p.m. CDT Tuesday. The game will be televised by ESPNU.
"We certainly had hopes that we would be able to get an invitation," Grant said of the 68-team NCAA tournament, "but obviously that didn't work out, so there's disappointment.
"The thing we've got to be able to do is move on and understand we've got a great opportunity to continue our season and continue to try to play for a championship. We'll have to regroup in a short period of time."
Grant said he is grateful for the No. 1 seed and the opportunity to play in Coleman Coliseum, where the Tide is 16-0 this season.
Led by former Auburn coach Cliff Ellis, the Chanticleers won the Big South Conference regular-season championship with a 16-2 record, but they fell at home to North Carolina-Asheville in the league tournament final. The Conway, S.C., school is under investigation by the NCAA regarding illegal benefits allegedly given to players, including leading scorer Desmond Holloway (18.5 ppg), who has been suspended for the past six games.
Other teams whose NCAA tournament bubble burst were Missouri State, St. Mary's, Boston College, Virginia Tech and Colorado.
The last six teams to make the field were Clemson, UAB, USC, Virginia Commonwealth, Marquette and Missouri.
The knock on Alabama was its low RPI (No. 80), plus its low strength-of-schedule ranking (No. 114) and its 8-6 nonconference record with no signature victories.
On the plus side, the Tide went 12-4 and won the SEC Western Division, but the division was considered far weaker than the SEC East. Georgia, also considered a bubble team, received a No. 10 seed. The Tide defeated the Bulldogs twice - in the last game of the regular season and in overtime of the second round of the SEC Tournament - but Georgia has a No. 39 RPI.
Grant did not make an issue out of Georgia's inclusion in the field.
"I really don't look at other teams," he said. "The committee's got a very tough process they have to go through. ...We're obviously disappointed that we did not make the field, but it is an invitational tournament. I certainly respect the decisions that were made."
Ohio State athletics director Gene Smith, the chairman of the NCAA tournament selection committee, was questioned about Alabama's exclusion on CBS's selection show.
"A lot of people put head-to-head as a high priority in their criteria for different situations," Smith said.
"There were things with Alabama that didn't stack up compared to the other teams that became blemishes. All of these teams have blemishes and assets and things of that nature that paid attention to what their total resume was, and at the end of the day, they just didn't get enough votes."
Could it be that Grant's current team was bumped out of the field by VCU, his former team?
"I've never looked at things that way," said Grant, who coached the Rams for three seasons before coming to Alabama following the 2008-09 season. "Obviously I'm very happy for VCU and those kids that we had an opportunity to be a part of their lives. I wish them all of the best. Our situation is our situation."
Grant said he would re-evaluate nonconference scheduling at the end of the season.
"The process in terms of NCAA tournament selection appears to be a moving target, so you've got to evaluate what you need to do and how you need to do it," he said.
The Alabama-Coastal Carolina winner will meet the winner of a game pitting No. 4 New Mexico and No. 5 UTEP. Miami is the No. 2 seed in the Tide's eight-team bracket. The NIT will conclude at Madison Square Garden in New York, with the semifinals on March 29 and the championship game on March 31.
Tickets for Tuesday game will cost $10 for courtside reserved seats, $8 for general admission, $4 for students with a valid ID and for youths 18-and-under. Season-ticket holders have until noon Tuesday to purchase tickets or their seats will be sold. Alabama students are on spring break this week. | http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/03/disappointed_anthony_grant_is.html | 948 |
I like 200 million other American citizens and 50 million illegal aliens, sat down Sunday night anxious to witness the biggest event of the year.
There were many unanswered questions as the big event neared. Would anyone be killed at a strip club in the post-game celebration? Would anyone, so help us God, be able to shut up Ray Lewis if his team won? Would anyone be able to shut up Ray Lewis if his team lost? Would anyone happen to have a spare generator capable of generating 500 million watts of power?
Of course, the real issue was who had the best commercials. Once upon a time, the Super Bowl was played to see who had the best team in the land. But that was so ‘80s ago. Oh yes, modern day 2013 is all about the ads. We have dead commentators telling about the virtue of farmers, which I’m all in agreement with, but I still don’t know why that makes a Dodge truck better than, say, a Ford, Toyota or Chevy.
GoDaddy.com had a beautiful model kissing a guy that looked like he spent a month trying to figure out a way to be the most unattractive person in America, and succeeded. I guess that gives all the rest of American males hope that they, too, can get a model maybe by going on GoDaddy.com. I’m really not sure, since all I did was stare at the model and to this day haven’t a clue what the ad was really about.
I did learn that Clydesdale horses can make a grown man cry and Chrysler is proud to make cars in Detroit. They are even able to sell about half they make. The other half, of course, are stolen before they are shipped out, being in Detroit and everything. Never mind also that their two newest factories are being built in China. Chinese probably like Paul Harvey, too.
The game itself was a real barn burner, except for the second half power outage delay. That was the fault of George W. Bush and, even now, he took forever before getting someone to the dome to fix the power outage. I understand the power company repair guy was watching the Budweiser commercial and was too choked up to come right away.
Whatever happened, the 49ers sure woke up after the delay. They were behind 28-6 and came storming back. I strongly suspect during the delay they were rubbing deer antler juice on each other. I think football Commissioner Roger Goodell plans to start an inquiry and will let Mark McGuire head up the investigation. He’ll report his findings to Lance Armstrong and that should ensure we get to the bottom of it.
I know the commissioner wishes to make sure that no one in football is using any type of performance enhancing drugs, like steroids, human growth hormone or videos of that model kissing the ugliest man in the world. He, like all the rest of the world, has no idea whatsoever why the average defensive lineman now weighs 320 pounds when 40 years ago he averaged 240 pounds. Must be that damn McDonald’s and the Big Gulp drinks.
Despite it all, the Ravens managed to win, Ray Lewis is still jabbering, and one Harbaugh is happy, one sad. To tell the truth I really didn’t care who won. I’ll wait until next year and see if the Falcons can make it. Until then, I’ll be on GoDaddy.com.
Contact columnist T. Gamble at [email protected]. | http://www.albanyherald.com/news/2013/feb/06/big-game-has-strange-model-behavior/?news | 729 |
Re: WTCC, Thompson on Podium in Sweeden
Anyone watch the BTCC and see the coming together at the end of the 2nd race? Brilliant to see Giovanardi take Plato out after Plato had spoken about how great Gio was as a thinly veiled attack on Matt Neal after the 1st race.
Well, to be quite honest, it's good to see Plato taken out by anyone under any circumstances - the man's a tool.
Oh, and to talk about the WTCC so I'm not 100% off topic: the commentators seemed sure that Rydell wouldn't be allowed to take 2nd never mind 1st, but for me, lovely to see the man who made my favourite BTCC season so spectacular get a win.
"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so." - Douglas Adams
"You know, sometimes the world seems like a pretty mean place."
"That's why animals are so soft and huggy."
- Calvin and Hobbes
To err is human, to moderate ursine.
Last edited by bazza; 29-07-07 at 16:39. | http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/international-motor-sport/83993-wtcc-thompson-on-podium-in-sweeden.html | 257 |
BLACKFOOT — A trial has been scheduled for Anthony Clarke, one of the five individuals charged with misdemeanor offenses from incidents that allegedly occurred during the basketball season last year at Blackfoot High School.
The pretrial conference for Clarke was rescheduled after neither Clarke nor his attorney Dean Brandstetter were present at the first scheduled pretrial. At that time Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Randy Smith said they were near reaching a plea agreement but had yet to meet in person with Clarke, who is attending Boise State University.
On Wednesday, Brandstetter told Magistrate Judge Charles Roos that they have not been able to reach an agreement with the prosecution. Clarke was present with Brandstetter. He faces five misdemeanor charges—two charges of false imprisonment and three charges of battery.
A jury trial has been scheduled to begin May 3. Brandstetter indicated he believes the trial will take four days. Pre-jury selection will occur April 20.
Two other defendants are scheduled to go to trial before Clarke. Nathan Walker's trial is scheduled to begin March 8, with Logan Chidester's trial beginning March 22.
A pool of 35 potential jurors was successfully selected for Walker's trial during voir dire, which also occurred Wednesday. Those 35 jurors will be called back for additional jury selection prior to trial March 8. Just six jurors are needed, and Roos indicated there will be two alternate jurors. Both the prosecution and defense will be allowed four preemptory challenges.
At the conclusion of the voir dire, Roos said he appreciated the professionalism of Smith and Walker's attorney, Steve Blaser.
"This is a completely fair, impartial jury," Roos said. "I think the proceeding went very smoothly." | http://www.am-news.com/print/1665?quicktabs_4=2 | 350 |
Cleburne County came into its 75th homecoming game Friday night with no shot at making the Class 4A playoffs, but played like a team headed for the postseason in two weeks. The Tigers outplayed Lincoln in virtually every phase and left L.E. Bell Field with a 45-21 victory that kept the Golden Bears from at least a share of the region title.
The Tigers (5-4, 4-3) posted their second straight win over a region playoff contender by forcing turnovers, playing stout run defense and making second big plays on offense in the second half.
“The last two weeks have been very proud for us,” Tigers coach Michael Shortt said. “Where we’ve come from — oh and three — a lot of football teams would have given up, they would have quit, but this bunch has been very resilient.
“This was the next game for us. We’ve been approaching it like that every week since we were 0-3. If we don’t go (to the playoffs), we’re one heck of a good football team.”
The Tigers recovered four fumbles — one in each quarter — that led to three touchdowns and a field goal. They held the Golden Bears (5-4, 5-2) to 92 yards net rushing. And they had touchdown runs of 26, 71 and 60 yards in the second half to keep Lincoln at bay.
All seven of Cleburne County’s scoring drives were set up either by a fumble recovery or a big defensive stop.
“We always talk about getting turnovers; that’s what I went out to do tonight,” said Blake Turner, who had two of the recoveries. “We knew they were bigger and faster, but we had to show we had to do everything we could in our power to stop them.
“We didn’t expect it to be this big of a margin, but we came out playing hard and doing our best. The bigger they are, the harder they fall. That’s what we were trying to accomplish.”
Lincoln took leads of 7-0 and 14-7 on two Chance Byrd touchdown passes to Tredarian Gamble, but could never shake its hosts.
Byrd and Gamble connected 11 times for 189 yards and touchdowns of 30, 18 and 61 yards. Byrd was 13 of 28 passing for 212 yards.
The Tigers took their first lead with 38.8 seconds left in the first half -- on a 1-yard run by Turner -- and never trailed again.
“We knew we had to stay close early,” Shortt said. “We knew they were very big up front and we challenged our linemen this week that we’d have to play physical, but we’d have to do it late in the game. If we could get to that second quarter, if we could get to that fourth quarter conditioning maybe would come through and you could see that starting to happen.
“This was the kind of game we like to play, that line up and rock ‘em and sock ‘em and just see how physical you can get. That’s Cleburne County football.”
The Tigers extended their lead in the third quarter on Trey Bolton’s 26-yard touchdown run after a big sack by Danny Sweat and Trent Sheffield forced a punt. Lincoln matched it with the 61-yard Byrd-to-Gamble pass, but Bolton countered that with a 71-yard touchdown burst to make it 35-21. Tito Roblero kicked a 36-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter after Turner’s second fumble recovery and John Butler closed the scoring on a 60-yard run in the final two minutes.
In all, the Tigers rushed for 291 yards -- 202 in the second half. Bolton had 143 yards, 105 in the third quarter.
“My line blocked excellent tonight,” Bolton said. “Me and Isaiah (Ware) cut off their blocks and just made big plays.
“We wanted a winning season and we had to have this going into the next game to do that, so we wanted to play our hearts out for the seniors tonight.”
Lincoln could have won the region title with a victory and an Alexandria loss, but that became a moot point when Alexandria beat Jacksonville. The Golden Bears will still be the No. 2 team from the region.
“We got beat,” Lincoln coach Ryan Herring said. “Heflin did a better job than we did. All those turnovers in the first half killed us. Everything was going good and the next thing you know we start fumbling the ball. You have that many fumbles you’re not going to beat anybody — you shouldn’t beat anybody — and, of course, we didn’t do a good job tackling on defense.
“We couldn’t close the deal. When you fumble as many times as we did tonight, you’re not going to win.”
Sports Writer Al Muskewitz: 256-235-3577. On Twitter @JSUSports_Star. | http://www.annistonstar.com/pages/full_story_preps/push?article-Cleburne+County+plays+for+pride-+notches+upset%20&id=20630695&instance=news_special_coverage_right_column | 1,086 |
Who's Who: ArabTRUST Life Members
Alistair ‘Breeks’ Brodie is the one and only ArabTRUST Life Member. Breeks stood down from the ArabTRUST Board in February 2010 after 8 years of service running the merchandise fund raising operation.
Breeks was given the Life Membership honour in recognition of his outstanding and immeasurable contribution to ArabTRUST.
Breeks was a foundation member and had raised a massive amount of money during his time being in charge of the ‘Tangerine Trading Posts’ in the George Fox and Eddie Thompson stands, with his wife Stella always by his side.
His hard work was also recognised by Dundee United at the 2010 Hall of Fame dinner. Having raised over £75,000 for ArabTRUST and to recognise this contribution, Breeks was presented with a bottle of Centenary Whisky by United Chairman Stephen Thompson and an invitation to be match day guests of the Club before chants of 'speech' meant that Breeks had little choice but to take to the stage to say a few words.
For a man who was unprepared, he immediately broke into a passionate and articulate address about the importance of ArabTRUST and was keen to impress just how much ArabTRUST do for United.
He was on fine form and delivered the best speech of the evening. He rejoined his wife Stella back at the ArabTRUST table to a deserved applause becoming of a man who has given an immeasurable amount of his time, effort, passion and skill to ArabTRUST.
Breeks is the owner of Groucho's, the three-time winning Independent City Centre Retailer of the Year award.
He now devotes his time and energy to this second-hand record shop and ticket agent, a Dundonian institution. ArabTRUST still holds a special place in his heart, as Groucho's still sells ArabTRUST merchandise and event tickets.
Born in 1953 and brought up in Edinburgh, as a young lad he spent alternate Saturdays at Easter Road or Tynecastle until he was old enough to go and see his team – Glasgow Rangers.
Around his late teens/early twenties he found the sectarianism that surrounded supporting his team wasn’t to his liking so he made a decision to quit as a supporter and became more involved with music, moving to Dundee by accident in 1976 and opening Groucho's.
He got friendly with one of his regular customers, Bowie fanatic John Reilly, and started supporting his mate’s team. Always working on a Saturday, he was only able to go to midweek games so has great memories of United v Roma and none of United v Morton.
When he was invited to join ArabTRUST, he saw there were opportunities to raise funds via merchandising and all the years as a shopkeeper would pay off as the range of goods increased as did the profits going back into ArabTRUST.
Click HERE to read ArabTRUST's report from the Hall of Fame dinner 2010
Click HERE to read ArabTRUST's report of their AGM 2010 | http://www.arabtrust.co.uk/pages/new/whoswho/life-membership.aspx | 639 |
26. John Abraham, DE, Atlanta Falcons / Bob Leverone, AP
Free agent defensive end John Abraham is meeting with the Seattle Seahawks and is currently scheduled to visit the San Francisco 49ers, a person informed of Abraham's itinerary told USA TODAY Sports.
The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the travel plans weren't to be discussed publicly, said the former Atlanta Falcons end is slated to fly to San Francisco later Friday for his meeting with the defending NFC champions.
It's unclear at this point if Seattle will make a strong push to sign Abraham before he leaves. The person informed of Abraham's itinerary said there could be other visits lined up in the near future.
Abraham, who turns 35 in May, was cut by the Falcons last week as the team tried to clear space to make a push for other free agents. Atlanta resident Osi Umenyiora, a member of the New York Giants for his entire 10-year career, could be on the Falcons' radar, as could former Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney. The Denver Broncos are likely to make a run at Freeney as well.
Abraham has played end in a 4-3 defense for most of his career, though he was projected as a 3-4 linebacker before being drafted by the Jets. The Niners play a 3-4, so it's likely they'd want Abraham to stand up as a rusher.
No matter where he lines up, Abraham is looking to polish off a resume he believes could one day make him a Hall of Famer. With 10 more sacks, on top of his current total of 122, he'll crack the top 10 of the list of all-time sack leaders.
"I'm not saying I'm solidified as one," he told USA TODAY Sports in December, "but I definitely have a chance to be if I continue to play the way I'm playing and get a couple of more years out of this raggedy body of mine and put some more numbers up."
Copyright 2013 USATODAY.com
Read the original story: John Abraham scheduled to visit with 49ers | http://www.argusleader.com/usatoday/article/1974017&usatref=sportsmod | 438 |
By Jerry Brown
The date that has been ingrained — and elicited fear — in the minds of NHL players, management and fans for years, has finally arrived.
It's been circled and highlighted on the calendar as a day when hockey as we know it would change, when a sport that has struggled to maintain its status as the fourth major in the United States would disappear, fingers crossed that anyone will care when it finally comes back.
Sept. 15, 2004: Welcome to the end.
The collective bargaining agreement
between players and owners — the same one that ended a 103-day stoppage in 1994 and has since been renewed twice — expires at 9 p.m., Arizona time, today, and a rubber stamp vote by the league's board of governors in New York will leave players locked out of training camps, the 2004-05 season in jeopardy and the very sport in peril.
Talks between the two sides, an exercise in futility for more than two years, broke off Thursday after the NHL flatly rejected a proposal by the NHL players' association that did not include what owners call “cost certainty'' and what players call a salary cap for teams expected to be between $30 million to $35 million.
“(The offer wasn't) anything other than a pre-orchestrated move to not make a meaningful proposal,’’ Bill Daly, the NHL’s chief legal officer, said in a statement. ‘‘They believe their best deal will be negotiated in a work stoppage situation and that’s unfortunate for our sport.’’
The offer came after the players rejected six different proposals from the owners, all with cost certainty at the core.
‘‘At some point, the owners have to realize the players will never accept a salary cap or a system linking payroll to league revenues,’’ NHLPA president and Vancouver center Trevor Linden said in a statement. ‘‘Unfortunately, the owners have expressed no willingness to engage in any dialogue that could lead to a fair agreement for both sides.’’
The owners say that presently, nearly 76 percent of all revenues are going to the players, that 19 of the 30 teams are losing money (a total of $273 million), that salaries have increased from an average of $733,000 in 1994-95 to $1.83 million last year while revenues haven't kept up, even though the average NHL ticket price has gone from $29.75 to $48.37 over the last decade.
The owners have built a “war chest'' of $300 million and many teams, including the Phoenix Coyotes, will do better financially during a lockout than during another season under the old CBA. The NHLPA has been squirreling away licensing fees for the past two years to pay stipends, medical benefits and insurance premiums.
There are no new talks scheduled, and no visible middle ground once the two sides are coaxed back to the table. Fade to black.
Optimists feel a deal can be reached by the first of the year, leaving another shortened season and a full playoffs. Others think the 2004-05 season will be lost, and both sides will get serious next fall, with talks of union-busting becoming more popular.
For the Phoenix Coyotes, it's the best and worst of times. A new, cost-certain CBA would pull the team out of red ink. The uncertain labor future this summer left free agents prepared to take substantial pay cuts and many of the teams that usually go shopping left on the sidelines. As a result, five free agents (Boyd Devereaux, Sean O'Donnell, Mike Ricci, Brett Hull and Petr Nedved) slipped on Coyotes sweaters during the offseason, transforming the roster from thin and hopeful to deep and confident. The Coyotes also re-signed all their own free agents, with some taking pay cuts in return for multiple-year contracts.
But now with his desk clear, Phoenix general manager Mike Barnett must feel like he's ready to drive his new sports car, only to discover the keys are locked inside.
“We've done everything possible under our control to be ready for a season,'' Barnett said. “The issue of the new collective bargaining agreement is in the capable hands of Mr. Daly and (NHL Commissioner Gary) Mr. Bettman, and we await what transpires.''
Some of the Coyotes players aren't waiting around. Ladislav Nagy will play in Slovakia, while Nedved will play in the Czech Republic. Oleg Saprykin and Andrei Nazarov will play in Russia, while Daniel Cleary (Sweden) and Krys Kolanos (Switzerland) are trying to finalize deals — all of which allow them to return to the NHL if and when play resumes this season.
Some Coyotes (Mike Comrie, Mike Johnson and Devereaux) may take part in the Original Stars League, a series of Canadian exhibition games featuring four teams playing four-on-four hockey, or a winter league slated for Quebec if the lockout continues. Others, like stars Shane Doan, Brett Hull and Derek Morris, will sit tight for now and see what happens next.
Hull, who has been an outspoken critic of the foot-dragging by both sides in the negotiations, is worried the game he's played all his life is in trouble. “If it takes getting an independent arbitrator to (solve the stalemate), I think it's got to be done,'' he said recently. “I don't see how anybody who cares about the game can let this fester because they know it's just going to ruin it. “Both sides have valid points. But if they're smart enough to realize that, they're smart enough to realize which ones are the most important and work with that.'' | http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/f6/nhl-lockout-expected-tonight-37473.html | 1,211 |
Gold Strikes Big Win
October 22, 2012
Squad Wins Second Consecutive Regional Title
Bentonville Gold coach Rob Barnes acknowledged last year’s team, which won the 7A-West Junior High volleyball regional tournament likely had more talent than this year’s group.
This story is only available from the ARPreps.com archives. Stories can be purchased individually for $1.95. Click the link below to search for this story in the archives. If the search doesn't yield any results, contact the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette library at (501) 378-3851 with the section, date and page information below.. | http://www.arpreps.com/news/2012/oct/22/gold-strikes-big-win/ | 134 |
Arsenal face Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League at Molineux on Wednesday.
But how much do you know about our Premier League rivals?
Full name: Wolverhampton Wanderers
Manager: Terry Connor
Club colours: Orange shirts, black shorts, orange socks
Three facts about Wolves:
- Wolves are founding members of the Football League and also played a significant role in the formation of the European Cup
- They have won the First Division three times, the FA Cup four and finished runners-up in the 1972 UEFA Cup
- They recently set two unwanted records - losing six home matches in succession for the first time and going 29 league matches without a clean sheet
The winger has once again proven himself as one of Wolves' most consistent performers and is certainly one to watch from the wide positions. Jarvis has scored two goals in his last three matches in an excellent run of form - the kind which earned him an England cap under Fabio Capello last year. On the other wing, Michael Kightly must also be watched closely.
Copyright 2013 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source 11 Apr 2012 | http://www.arsenal.com/juniorgunners/news/wolves-v-arsenal-junior-gunners-preview | 254 |
Posted 20/5/2013 18:28 #1291353 - in reply to #1254889 Subject: Re: Simon Dawkins Thread
Vital Villa Legend
Location: usually within arms length from my laptop
With all due respect to the guy, he didn't get much of a chance. Now that could be because he didn't show too well in training.... I don't know, but I'd imagine it'll be a case of Thank you and goodbye.
Posted 20/5/2013 18:50 #1291355 - in reply to #1254889 Subject: Re: Simon Dawkins Thread
Location: Canada eh?
At the end of the day, I have no problems with this loan signing---what was our record since he joined?? As Pride said he was not really given much of a chance but that could be due to the quality. Was obviously well liked by the lads and a positive dressing room may influence things more so than talent does (e.g. Man City). Thought PL showed class yesterday giving Simon a half hour run out in appreciation of his hard work these past few months. Good luck in the future lad!
Posted 21/5/2013 00:13 #1291394 - in reply to #1254889 Subject: Re: Simon Dawkins Thread
Team Of 82 Champion
Location: Back in England!!!!
When you consider our Christmas performances and results, he may well have got a few games under his belt if our form hadn't improved considerably in the new year. No harm no foul, he seems like a decent chap, good luck to him wherever he goes next.
Posted 21/5/2013 01:09 #1291396 - in reply to #1254889 Subject: Re: Simon Dawkins Thread
Location: Cork, Ireland
I think he was just brought in to take the pressure of Sylla, I think fans had more expectations from Dawkins than Sylla, with him still being on Spurs books and playing in MLS which has more exposure than the French Ligue 2, although id say the talent pool is higher in french second tier than the MLS. Still fans could actually see videos of his performances, we did not have clue who we were getting Sylla, but he has shown he can be a good player. | http://www.astonvilla.vitalfootball.co.uk/forum/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=52519&posts=12 | 464 |
|Track & Field Profile - Embed| Suggest a Correction AllHigh School
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|Track & Field Profile - Embed| Suggest a Correction AllHigh School
|400 Meters - Relay Split|
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Brian O Domhnaill has been named by the Taoiseach to the Senate - Ramelton 5k 2007 Results
Brian O Domhnaill, Donegal county councillor and uduras member from Falcarragh and keen athlete has been named by the Taoiseach to the Senate. Brian is a valued member of Finn Valley ac for whom he competes regularly. He has won numerous national championship medals most recently finishing in the silver medal position in the national 20k in 2006. Club members extend congratulations to him and his family all of whom are strong athletic supporters .
patsy mc gonagle | http://www.athleticsireland.ie/content/?p=2272 | 125 |
Wheldon to replace Tagliani? UPDATE To prepare for his high-stakes race on Oct. 16, Dan Wheldon will compete in the Kentucky Indy 300 on Oct. 2.
Some might call it a rehearsal or a refresher, but the reigning Indianapolis 500 champion sees it as another opportunity to beat the best on the 1.5-mile Kentucky Speedway oval. He's receiving an assist from team owner Sam Schmidt and IZOD IndyCar Series driver Alex Tagliani.
Wheldon will drive the No. 77 Bowers & Wilkins at Magnolia entry for Sam Schmidt Motorsports -- the car that Tagliani has driven in 15 events this season, including earning the pole for the 100th anniversary Indianapolis 500.
"I can't thank Alex enough for letting me drive his car in Kentucky and to work with the team in preparation for Las Vegas," Wheldon said. "I know when I step into the No. 77 Bowers & Wilkins at Magnolia Honda, I'll be stepping into a fast race car that's capable of winning. As a driver, that's all you can ask for. I'm really excited about this opportunity and look forward to working with everyone at Sam's team. They were a large part of our winning effort in May, and I'll do my best to get back to Victory Lane."
Wheldon will compete in the $5 million Go Daddy INDYCAR Challenge -- a race within the IZOD INDYCAR World Championships Presented by Honda race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 16. Win from the rear of the field in a car jointly entered by Sam Schmidt Motorsports and Bryan Herta Auutosport and he'll split the prize fund with a sweepstakes winner.
He has five top-five finishes in eight starts at Kentucky Speedway, starting and finishing third in 2010.
"I am incredibly excited to have Dan Wheldon driving the No. 77 Bowers & Wilkins at Magnolia car at Kentucky," Schmidt said. "Clearly, this is an amazing opportunity for our team and sponsors. We are putting as much energy and resources into winning the Go Daddy INDYCAR Challenge as we did for the Indy 500 with the intent of making one lucky fan an instant millionaire and capping off a great rookie season for SSM.
"I also appreciate Tag's support of this program. Being a race car driver myself, it would be extremely difficult to step out of a car I helped develop, but Alex is a true professional and team player in our pursuit to win this prize."
Tagliani has three top-five and six top-10 finishes to go along with two PEAK Performance Pole Awards.
"I'm obviously not happy about sitting out Kentucky, but this is a very exciting opportunity," Tagliani said. "Dan and I are good friends, and I'm very jealous that he gets to run for the $5 million. But I fully support what INDYCAR has done to generate fan interest and will do everything I can to help the SSM team run Dan in Kentucky and prepare for the Go Daddy Challenge.
"I'm out to win the Vegas race, as well, and won't back off one bit, so Dan will be on his own when the green flag drops."
09/25/11 Rumor has it that Sam Schmidt Motorsports will put Dan Wheldon in the No. 77 Bowers & Wilkins car for the upcoming Kentucky. Not sure what this means for Alex Tagliani if true, | http://www.autoracing1.com/rumors.asp?tid=10516 | 719 |
During the Super Bowl chaos in Indianapolis, an interesting nugget has turned up, courtesy of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. The NFL will be expanding their primetime coverage to include Thursday night games on the NFL Network from weeks two through fifteen, and the expansion will include a guarantee that every team in the league will appear in a primetime game, be it on Thursday, Sunday, or Monday night, at least once. Thursday Night Football specials on Saturday nights will also be a thing of the past.
I assume that with the expansion, most of the league's bad teams will be contained on Thursday nights, so as not to dilute the pool of night games on NBC and ESPN. Now, I wonder what the league's strategy will be here, whether they'll use one of a good team's alloted primetime slots against a bad team, or just put two bad teams against one another to get them both out of the way at once.
Given the fan reaction last fall to the NFL Network's Thursday duo of Brad Nessler and Mike Mayock, getting more of them can only be a good thing. In our Pyrotechnics awards, Mayock finished third overall for best analyst for his work on the NFL Network, as well as on Notre Dame football. As long as Mayock and Nessler stick together in the NFL Network booth, we should be good to go. | http://www.awfulannouncing.com/2012-articles/february/nfl-to-expand-primetime-schedule-for-2012-season.html?_escaped_fragment_=/andrewbucholtz | 280 |
Results 69 to 85 of 259
05-08-2011, 06:15 AM #69
Today is also the first time they beat a non-INA pair in the Final and also the first tourney in which they didn't have to meet any INA team-mates.
Previously, all the pairs they faced in the Final were INA pairs and their victories in the INA GPG and India SS last week featured mostly INA pairs.
05-08-2011, 06:18 AM #70
05-08-2011, 06:22 AM #71
nice progress by the pair.........i can certainly hope they can win OG
05-08-2011, 06:28 AM #72
Tantowi gained more confidence after their first SS title I think. Lilyana still not as good as last time.
Anyway, I believe that they are clear-cut better than the 'decent' pairs like Sudket/Saralee, Songphon/Kunchala, Fran/Pia, Lee/Chien, CPS/GLY. However, still some work to go before attaining the next level of ZN/ZYL, etc. Need to be more consistent to beat those pairs, they are already there but they need to keep focus, they tend to throw away big leads.
05-08-2011, 07:07 AM #73
2 weeks 2 titles..
05-08-2011, 07:18 AM #74
Yup, 2 titles in a row, congrats to Tantowi/Liliyana! Good motivation toward Sudirman Cup
05-09-2011, 03:39 AM #75
Waw... Winning again, congratulation Tonly
Keep practicing in Sudirman Cup, OK
06-02-2011, 10:03 AM #76
"Actually Liliyana also still in recovery phase. Players who are familiar with Butet suffer an elbow injury which kept her out at the Sudirman Cup. However, Oka said, Butet will begin to return to the field at the Singapore Super Series in the next 14 to June 19"
06-06-2011, 08:51 PM #77
Not fully revover yet, Butet will play
JAKARTA, Kompas.com - Doubles specialists Liliyana Natsir is ready to perform in Singapore Super Series next week despite the injury "tennis elbow" on her right elbow has not fully recovered.
"It's passable but not a hundred percent healed, probably about 70-80 percent. For shock movements still felt pain in her muscles," said Liliyana when met here on Monday.
Mixed doubles players, Tontowi Ahmad's partner began to feel the injury while playing in India and Malaysia Super Series Grand Prix in late April to early May, which led to two titles for this pair. Injuries that make Liliyana can not strengthen the Indonesian Sudirman Cup team that competed in Qingdao, China, in late May, which ended in the semifinals.
At the Singapore Open which took place June 14 to 19, Tontowi / Liliyana be seeded fourth and will initiate action against qualifying pair.
If successfully reached the quarter-finals, the pair who won the first Super Series title in India was likely to meet top-seeded Zhang Nan / Zhao Yunlei from China. "For Singapore, in my opinion is still less preparation because they have to break due to injury, but as a senior player who was supposed to I was able to overcome these problems, "said Liliyana that hope, she and her partner can demonstrate self-confidence that has been obtained in the tournament India and Malaysia.
Two-time world champion when she was paired with Nova Widianto was also expected, Tontowi not easily satisfied and willing to train hard because there are many opponents who have never faced. "In Singapore, his opponent is more complete, there is a meeting in India and Malaysia, but some have not been met such as Joachim Fischer Nielsen / Christinna Pedersen (Denmark) and several Chinese pairs," he said.
For the Indonesia Open, which was held at Istora Bung Karno, June 21 to 26, Liliyana hoping mixed doubles sector can contribute a title. Tontowi / Liliyana are paired before the Asian Games last year, has collected four titles - one Super Series and three Grand Prix Gold - and is now ranked fifth of the world.
06-06-2011, 09:51 PM #78
Hopefully after playing do not make her injury more worse...
06-07-2011, 06:58 AM #79
I also now have a tennis elbow problem for the last 3 months or so, its so bloody annoying. It affect so much on stregth and just like Butet said its also feel painful when executing snapping stroke.
06-16-2011, 02:25 AM #80
Towi/Butet slaughtered AE 2011 Champion Chen Xu/Ma Jin in 21-14 21-10. Well done
06-16-2011, 03:11 AM #81
Next match, against opa Yong Dae.
06-16-2011, 03:44 AM #82
Still a mountain to climb for them as they have yet to beat any top European XD pair or the top-rated CHN pair Zhang/Zhao. I will certainly think that European pairs are harder to beat. Look at how they lost to Robertson/Wallwork and Fuchs/Michel earlier this year.
Path to another SS title will not be easy:
QF - Lee Yong Dae/Ha Jung Eun
SF - possibly against Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei
F - possibly against Nathan Robertson/Jenny Wallwork
06-16-2011, 09:31 AM #83
Impressive play against XC/MJ. Tantowi really showed his capabilities in today's match. Both him and LN are simply stellar. In fact, tomorrow is SO's real SF for XD with the strongest teams on the same half featuring ZN/ZYL, HHB/YY, LYD/HJE.
Glad to see LN back in form!!
06-17-2011, 02:47 AM #84
Towi/Butet beat Lee Yong Dae/Ha Jung Eun 21-14 21-16. and goes to semifinal. well done
06-17-2011, 08:31 AM #85
I hope they can go all the way and silent the doubts about them being not tested againts the big guns yet
By fathonezic in forum Indonesia Professional PlayersReplies: 11: 05-27-2010, 09:05 PM
By lxsw1986 in forum Professional PlayersReplies: 4: 07-29-2008, 12:01 PM
By xlasher in forum Professional PlayersReplies: 5: 07-13-2008, 12:46 AM
By Pemuda in forum Professional PlayersReplies: 5: 05-13-2007, 10:39 AM
By nanapantauw in forum Professional PlayersReplies: 0: 01-30-2006, 03:13 AM | http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php/87539-Tantowi-Ahmad-Lilyana-Natsir-(-A-new-Bomber-)?p=1699696 | 1,517 |
A collection of news and information related to Sean Green published by this site and its partners.
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TV SPORTS Cycling-Tour of California, Stage 4, 4 p.m. (VERSUS) Major League Baseball-Colorado Rockies at Philadelphia Phillies, 6 p.m. (ESPN); Chicago Cubs at Florida Marlins, 6 p.m. (WGN); Minnesota Twins at Oakland Athletics, 9 p.m. (FXSP) Soccer-...
NEW YORK (AP) - The 2011 salaries for the 844 major league baseball players on opening day rosters and disabled lists. Figures were obtained by The Associated Press from management and player sources and include salaries and pro-rated shares of signing...
May 5, 2011 |Story| Los Angeles Times
May 18, 2011 |Story| Aberdeen News
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Apr 23, 2011 |Story| Hola Hoy
Original site for Sean Green topic gallery. | http://www.baltimoresun.com/topic/sports/baseball/sean-green-PESPT000010075.topic | 210 |
Neil Hudgell Law Stadium Neil Hudgell Law Stadium, Queensgate, Bridlington, East Yorkshire, YO16 7LN. Tel: (01262) 606879 Get directions from your postcode: (Nb. This will open a new window/tab at Google Maps) General Ground Directions: From South (Hull, Beeford, Barmston):
Approach Bridlington on the A165, passing golf course on right and Broadacres Pub, Kingsmead Estate on left. Straight through traffic lights to roundabout by B&Q. Turn right. At traffic lights turn left and over the railway bridge. At roundabout bear left and carry on heading north up Quay Road. After traffic lights turn right into Queensgate. Ground is 800 yards up the road on the right.
From South and West (Driffield, Hull, York):
Approach Bridlington on A614. (This was formally the A166). Straight on at traffic lights (Hospital on right) and follow the road round the bend. At roundabout straight across to mini roundabout and bear right (second exit). Follow road around to right and to traffic lights. Straight on. At next traffic lights (just after Kwikfit) turn left into Queensgate. Ground is 800 yards up the road on the right.
From North (Scarborough):
Approach Bridlington (Esso garage on right) at roundabout turn left then at mini roundabout second exit. Follow road around to right and to traffic lights. Straight on. At next traffic lights (just after Kwikfit) turn left into Queensgate. Ground is 800 yards up the road on the right.
Station: Bridlington ĺm. Up Station Approach, left into Quay Road which becomes St Johnís Street, right into Queensgate and ground is on right.
Public transport directions courtesy of Andy Edwards. Click here to go to his website. Admission Price:
£6 and £3
Open matchdays and others
Yorkshire League: 1924-39 then 1959-82, NCEL: 1982-90, Northern Premier League: 1990-94, NCEL: 1999-2003, Northern Premier League: 2003-2008, NCEL: 2008-
FA Vase - Winners 1992/93, Runners-Up 1989/90; East Riding Senior Cup: 1901/21 1921/22 1922/23 1930/31 1952/53 1956/57 1960/61 1964/65 1966/67 1969/70 1971/72 1988/89 1992/93 2004/05 2011/12; NCEL: Prem Div - 2002/03 2009/10, Wilkinson Sword Trophy - 2001/02. | http://www.barisncel.co.uk/teams/bridlingtontown/ | 552 |
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From BR Bullpen
Lloyd Albert Moore
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 1", Weight 195 lb.
- Debut September 27, 1936
- Final Game September 27, 1942
- Born June 10, 1912 in Tuscarawas, OH USA
- Died December 10, 1987 in Uhrichsville, OH USA
Biographical Information
Ohio native Whitey Moore spent nine seasons in professional baseball from 1934 to 1946. He spent three of those years (1943-1945) serving with the combat engineers in the United States Army during World War II. After his military duties were over, he returned to baseball and finished his tenth year on the mound in 1946.
Whitey spent seven consecutive seasons in the major leagues, debuting with the Cincinnati Reds on September 27, 1936 and stayed in the Cincinnati organization until being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Clyde Shoun on May 6, 1942. During his big league run with the Reds, he compiled a 30-28 record with a 3.75 ERA while appearing in 133 games.
During his time with the Reds, he appeared in one game of their 1939 World Series match with the New York Yankees. Moore went 13-12 for the Reds with a 3.45 ERA during the regular season that year and was on the mound for three innings during the third game of the Series. He gave up no hits or runs but the Yankees won the game and swept the Series in four straight.
The Cincinnati team was back in the World Series in 1940, this time defeating the Detroit Tigers in seven games for the World Championship. Whitey had put together a solid 8-8 year with a 3.63 ERA for the Reds and appeared in three games, pitching 8 1/3 innings and had no decisions in the Series.
Moore had a very good minor league run, spending five seasons with nine different teams, from 1934 to 1946. He had four double-digit winning seasons and wound up his minor league run on his return from the service with the Rochester Red Wings of the International League in 1946 at 34 years of age. He appeared in 160 games down under and won 62 with 41 losses. Whitey had a 2.92 ERA while pitching 887 1/3 innings.
After baseball, Moore was an assembler for Warner-Swasey Company in New Philadelphia, OH, retiring in 1977. Lloyd Albert Moore died after being ill for two months on December 10, 1987 in Uhrichsville, OH. He was 75 years of age.
Notable Achievements
- Won two World Series with the Cincinnati Reds (1940) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1942; he did not play in the World Series) | http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Whitey_Moore | 601 |
Royals' Orlando Working To Go From Brazil To Big Leagues
KANSAS CITY—Brazil has produced World Cup championship teams and legendary soccer players like Pele and Ronaldo. Brazil men's and women's volleyball teams took home gold medals in the 2008 Olympics.
Another Brazilian, Helio Castroneves, has won three Indy 500s, plus the 2007 season of "Dancing With the Stars." Retired world boxing champions Eder Jofre and Acelino Freitas remain national heroes in Brazil.
Brazil, however, has never generated a major league baseball player. Not one. That, however, could change soon. If outfielder Paulo Orlando continues to hit like he has this season with Double-A Northwest Arkansas, he might be in the Kansas City outfield sometime in 2011, if not a September callup this year.
Ask Orlando about the quality of baseball in Brazil and he has a concise two-word answer: "No good," he said.
Orlando played baseball when he was 12, but then gave it up to run track for the next three years. He was one of Brazil's top runners in the 200 and 400 meters.
"Track and field was his sport," Royals assistant general manager J.J. Picollo said.
White Sox scouts Jorge Oquendo and Orlando Santana saw Orlando's blazing speed in a workout and persuaded him to return to baseball. They signed him in January 2005 and sent him to the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League.
"For me it was like hard because I never played baseball every day," Orlando said. "In Brazil we played Friday and Sunday only. We don't have a field close to my house. I had to get a ride to go to the field."
The next four years, 2006-09, Orlando spent in Class A ball, the past three in the high Class A Carolina League. He struck out 143 times in 470 at-bats in 2006 with low Class A Kannapolis. He never hit above .262 and his four-year average was .259.
The Royals acquired him on Aug. 9, 2008 for veteran lefthander Horacio Ramirez.
"I was surprised," Orlando said. "The (Winston-Salem) manager said come into my office and said, 'They've traded you. You're going to Kansas City.' I said, 'Why?' He said in Kansas City you have a better chance to play in the big leagues."
Instead of Kansas City, Orlando switched Carolina League clubs, going to Wilmington. Last year with the Blue Rocks, Orlando hit .261/.303/.351 in 101 games.
The Royals promoted Orlando, now 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, to Northwest Arkansas this season, but he began it on the bench. "When the season started, he was a part-time guy," Naturals manager Brian Poldberg said. "We had some injuries and his play created more playing time because of his success."
Orlando transformed himself from a reserve into a Texas League all-star. Orlando's .326 batting average ranked second in the Texas League to teammate Mike Moustakas. His .386 on-base percentage and .886 OPS ranked fourth in the league. His .500 slugging percentage was fifth. His five triples ranked one behind teammate Derrick Robinson for the league lead. His 14 stolen bases were third, while he was fifth with 45 runs. Orlando, who has never struck out fewer than 80 times in a season, had just 34 strikeouts in 224 at-bats.
"In spring training, anytime the ball left the pitcher's hand he was swinging," Poldberg said. "He really improved his strike-zone discipline. He would chase a lot of pitches out of the zone, but he's not chasing as much. He's driving the ball. He's a raw athletic kid, big and strong. He can fly. He's finally getting a feel for hitting.
"He's fun to watch. He floats around the bases. He's bunting more. He's starting to learn the total game, per se. He's definitely got some talent. If he continues to improve as he did from spring training to now there's no telling how far he can go."
Even the Royals aren't sure what Orlando's ceiling could be.
"That's part of the mystery, part of the intrigue about him," Picollo said. "We're still trying to figure out how good he can be. He's a work in progress. We want to see the consistency. Now go out and have a good second half."
Orlando started the second half well, homering in three of four games.
"The (baseball) foundation was not there when he signed," said Royals minor league director Scott Sharp. "He had a track pedigree. He was an elite runner. I think he has the ability to translate into a major league player."
Robinson and Jarrod Dyson are the two fastest players in the organization. The taller Orlando is a different kind of runner.
"He's not as quick as those guys," Sharp said. "His legs are so long. He can chew up ground."
Said Rene Francisco, who heads up the Royals' international operations, "Orlando is high-waisted with long legs. I don't want to compare him to Willie Wilson, but he has that type of body. It's a pleasure to see him go from first to third or second home. He can really go.
"He really blossomed this year. He could really run. He could really play defense. His bat has come around."
Orlando has played all three outfield positions and even though he played little growing up, he has excellent defensive skills.
"He can really go get the ball," Picollo said. "He has a combination of speed and instincts. He runs so easy and his instincts are good. The ball is not off the bat and he's already running there." | http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/minors/classification-reports/double-a/2010/2610334.html | 1,227 |
by Peter C. Bjarkman
Only two weeks remain before the first crack of the bat in Beijing and as usual Cuba’s “hot stove league” rooters are again dreading a potential collapse from this year’s edition of their beloved defending Olympic champions. The tune-up Haarlem Honkbal week is now engraved in the history books and the results—a second place finish and two tough losses to a USA college all-star squad bound for the Prague-based World University Games—were far less than satisfying for most island fanatics. What disarmed skeptical Cuban fans most, perhaps, was an apparent total breakdown of the team’s touted slugging line-up against what appeared to most observers back home as only “no-name” second-class opposition pitching. The Cuban offensive stat line in Haarlem was, by almost any measure, anything but impressive: a sub-.240 team batting average, 21 total runs in seven games, double figures in base hits on only a single occasion (versus an also-ran Dutch ball club that finished 1-5), single-game highs of 5 and 6 runs (both against the Japanese collegiate all-stars), and a grand total of but two round-trippers (Bell’s crucial game-winning blast in the semifinals, and Garlobo’s solo shot against the same club in pool play). It seemed to be of little consolation that Haarlem Honkbal has historically been the one international tournament in which Cuba has never enjoyed much dominance (usually sending second-level squads and finishing second three times and third once in the four post-2000 editions of the event); nor were island fanatics pacified by an explanation that Antonio Pacheco’s current Olympic squad was using Haarlem primarily as a setting for fine-tuning and physical conditioning of its Beijing roster. Cuba didn’t win big in Haarlem, and when Cuban doesn’t win big anywhere alarm bells begin to peal loudly from Pinar to Santiago, and at all points found in between.
Hard on the heels of an embarrassing double loss to the Americans in Holland came news of the final cuts necessary to whittle down an Olympic roster—including a pair of highly controversial decisions to drop long-productive DH Osmani Urrutia and hard-hitting backup catcher Yosvany Peraza in favor of aging Santiago backstop Rolando Meriño and little-used Santiago replacement infielder Luis Navas. Rabid second-guessers in Havana were quick to denounce these roster moves as likely evidence that manager Pacheco and Commissioner Higinio Vélez (the current and former Santiago managers) were likely playing favorites regarding both Meriño and Navas. And if these recent developments were not unsettling enough, now looming on the horizon is a crucial Beijing Olympics tournament scheduled to open in China in mid-August and holding special added significance as the last such Olympic tournament until at least 2016. Since baseball has been temporarily dropped from the agenda of the 2012 London Games, failure to win gold in Beijing could mean at least a dozen empty years between coveted Olympic titles for baseball’s long-reigning world champions. Cuba’s seemingly weak showing in Haarlem could hardly be expected to raise much optimism entering an Olympic challenge that promises to include the strongest competition any Cuban squad (with the possible exception of the WBC team) has likely ever faced. If Cuban fans are always alarmists about every stumble by their national heroes, this time around the panic might almost seem understandable, even if nonetheless slightly overblown.
Freddie Cepeda enjoys a moment’s rest from the conditioning regimen that filled up Team Cuba’s agenda in Haarlem.
It seems, then, that the time is ripe for this writer—as the one veteran Cuba League baseball watcher who was actually present on the scene to witness the team’s lackluster performances in Haarlem—to weigh in on all three of these compelling issues—the “disappointing” Haarlem performance, the hot-button decision to drop Urrutia from the Olympic roster, and the perhaps diminished prospects for victory in Beijing.. The Cuban press corps was entirely absent in Haarlem (economics was the reason), and while the silent Cuban bats were certainly noticeable even from the far perspective of distant Havana, nonetheless some of the reports coming from the island’s media in recent days seem to miss the details of much of what has been happening with the Cuban team on its current jaunt through Europe and Asia.
For starters, to suggest that pitchers shutting down the Cuban lineup in Haarlem where merely “inferior nobodies” fails to acknowledge the realities of the recent Haarlem tournament. The trio of Japanese youngsters who hurled the bulk of the innings against Cuban bats (Toshiki Tsuboi, Shinji Iwata, Yusuke Inoue) are all top collegians about to be eagerly drafted next summer by Japanese Central and Pacific League pro clubs. Tsuboi and and Inone trailed only Steve Strasburg (the only amateur on the upcoming American Beijing Olympic roster) for the tournament strikeout title, while Iwata led the Haarlem field with a perfect 0.00 ERA over 18 innings of work. Two Americans who drilled holes in Cuban bats (starter Mike Minor and closer Kendal Volz) will both be certain first round choices in next June’s MLB draft lottery. And opening game Dutch Antilles starter Juan Carlos Sulbaran (who also mystified Cuban hitters for six innings) is an unsigned draft property of the National League Cincinnati Reds. There was no Ben Sheets in this field (although Strasburg may show even more promise at this stage than the American 2000 Olympic hero); but there were plenty of budding big leaguers.
Also, to deny the fact that slumps occasionally happen to the best-hitting teams at the most surprising moments is to turn a blind eye to baseball’s stark realities. Cuban fans and Cuban writers are, of course, somewhat spoiled by such relentless success. This is one of the beauties as well as one of the curses of Cuban baseball, to be sure. There are no fans more proud, informed, or knowledgeable to be found anywhere in the baseball universe; at the same time, a half-century of almost endless victories in international tournaments tends to make any loss seem like an unacceptable upset and any slump or off-day performance appear as a clarion call that the end of Cuban baseball as we know it is likely near at hand. All good teams lose from time to time in this most fickle and unpredictable sport, and it isn’t always simply because that team underperforms, or because a manager or technical commission was guilty of some bonehead blunder or unforgivable misstep. Sometimes in baseball at any level the ball just inexplicably bounces the wrong way; the best team doesn’t always come home a winner. This is the beauty and the pain of a sport in which a few millimeters directional difference in the trajectory of a savagely stung line drive will likely mark the difference between a game-winning double, or a rally-killing double play. But these are realities often overlooked in Havana, where the national team has miraculously maintained a .940 winning percentage over nearly five complete decades of top-level tournament play. Far more often than not those stinging line drives off Cuban bats have somehow found day light and thus raised expectations far beyond the reasonable or the rational.
What happened in Haarlem to Cuba’s vaunted slugging lineup was indeed something of a mild shock, yet it is hardly the omen of disaster that many Havana fanatics are already making it out to be. Nor is it entirely without logical explanation. Beyond the higher-than-appreciated pitching level of the opposition lies a further explanation found in the physical and mental condition of the Cuban team performing in Haarlem. Clearly the squad was first and foremost locked into a training mode and not into competition mode; the situation was largely the same as it had been throughout the month of June, during the Havana José Huelga Tournament competitions with Puerto Rico and Venezuela. Cuban batters in Haarlem were still taking 200-plus swings daily in the batting cage, plus also running and doing weigh training during morning sessions before afternoon or evening ballgames. And without suggesting the team wasn’t concerned with winning (Cuban clubs never take losing lightly, especially against the Americans), this was definitely an event where the focus was entirely on Beijing and not on Haarlem itself. Victory was an obvious aim in Holland, but it was certainly not a preoccupation for the Cuban forces.
This writer suggested in the aftermath of the WBC finale with Japan that the Cuban club in that match didn’t seem to display the same psychological edge and killer instinct that are normally telling trademarks of Cuban teams in major international tournaments. At San Diego in March 2006 the Cubans had already proven themselves to 11 million adoring fans back home, as well as to a skeptical North American and Asian pro baseball universe; they had overachieved simply by reaching the WBC finale. The normal “victory-or-endless-embarrassment at home” atmosphere usually dogging national teams was simply not present in San Diego, as it normally is for Cuban squads in Olympic or World Cup gold medal matches. I am not suggesting this was a conscious thing for the ballplayers in PETCO Park; but it was a palpable feeling nonetheless for those of us on the field with the Cuban team moments before the WBC title match. That WBC Cuban ball club wasn’t entirely ready to play after its huge victories over the Dominican two days earlier and the Puerto Ricans erarlier in the week at San Juan; moral victory was already stuffed in their back pockets. And something similar seemed to exist in the air in Haarlem this year. These were not the games that truly mattered; these were not the contests that would be remembered beyond tomorrow. This was “spring training” in a manner of speaking, after all. Believe me, this Cuban team will be more than ready when it gets to Beijing and smells Olympic gold. If anything, Haarlem may have served its purpose as an important and much needed wake-up call. This team will come out firing on all cylinders on August 13 when it faces Japan’s professional all-stars. Victory will not be assured in Beijing, by any stretch, but it won’t be taken lightly either. To bury this talented Cuban team now—either in Tokyo, Beijing, here stateside, or in Havana—would be a most dangerous miscalculation indeed.
Before moving on to the Urrutia debate, it should be remarked that there were also some very positive signs coming out of the Haarlem tournament, and these plusses should not be altogether overlooked by Team Cuba boosters. Key to victory in China will be the ability of Cuba’s talented but untested pitching staff to hold in check the professional bats displayed by the USA, Japanese and Canadian lineups (all of which will boast top minor leaguers or all-star Japanese League talents). Cuban hitters can not be expected to carry the load if the veteran starting corps of Vera, Palma, Maya, Jonder Martínez and Yulieski González and the bullpen contingent of Norberto González, Yadir Pedroso, Odelín and Lazo fails to keep the club in games into late innings, when most Cuban squads tend to work their magic. Going into Haarlem my own biggest fear concerning this edition of Team Cuba was precisely the pitching—Lazo is not the same closer he was five years ago, Yulieski González has been consistently brilliant at home but not always effective in international outings, Odelín has not been the same pitcher of late he was in Sydney in 2000 or in San Juan during the WBC miracle. Yet the pitching was indeed solid enough in Haarlem, with Cuba’s sub-2.00 team ERA topped only by the stellar American staff. Vera, Maya and Jonder Martínez were all especially sharp, and Lazo at times looked like the true Lazo of old, especially in the closing innings of the clutch semifinal win over surprising Japan. Only two decidedly disastrous outings by Yulieski González (versus the opportunistic Americans and Japanese) fell squarely on the negative side of the ledger. And the hitting, if consistently sub par, was nonetheless of the clutch variety in all games but two. Bell’s crucial blast in the semifinals sealed a vital victory needed to reach the finals; Despaigne’s pinch-hit double in the seventh rescued the opener with the Dutch Antilles; Cuba had its chances to pull out the first match with the Americans (runners on second and third in the ninth, with only one out and Meriño and Urgelles coming to the plate); and if Despaigne had not been badly jammed on a wicked slider from MLB-prospect Kyle Gibson with the bases loaded and one out in the home eighth of the finale, perhaps no one would today be talking of slumps or of failures during the Haarlem Honkbal Week. More times than not baseball is still truly a game of mere inches.
Regarding the final five cuts to trim the Olympic roster to the required 24 ballplayers, there certainly were some mild surprises forthcoming. Navas and Eriel Sánchez, both of whom had seen little Haarlem Week action, appeared to be the players most likely “on the bubble.” Miguel Lahera pitched effectively in several Haarlem relief outings and seemed to have proven he was ready for international competition. And with the overall lack of team offense on display in Holland, the experienced bat of Osmani Urrutia might have appeared more than ever a necessary ingredient for Beijing success. At least this is how it stacked up from afar. Urrutia would have made my own team if I were doing the selecting; and so would Peraza, for his big bat alone. Navas would have been my first cut, as I just don’t see where the spare middle infielder is going to see any game action with Enríquez, Gourriel and Olivera all capable of playing either second, third or shortstop (behind Paret) with equal facility. But again we are definitely in danger here of turning an interesting “hot stove” talking point into a unwarranted five-alarm signal of folly on the part of Cuba’s experienced national team brain trust. In the end, almost any last-minute cuts might have been made and the squad that was left would have still been a reputable contender capable of winning or at least seriously challenging for top honors in Beijing.
Author Pete Bjarkman weighs in on the controversies surrounding Team Cuba’s Haarlem performance and the final Beijing roster.
Osmani Urrutia has been one of the major contributors to Cuba’s international successes over the past several seasons—he batted a lofty .345 in the WBC, smashed the crucial game-deciding homer in a momentum-building opener with Australia at last fall’s World Cup, and hit at a .333 clip in the Athens Olympiad. He is also one of the greatest—if not the greatest—natural hitters in island baseball history and stands today as the league’s lifetime batting average leader. Any sentimental vote has to allow Urrutia a slot on the national team, even if his National Series performance in 2008 saw him dip to eighth slot in the batting race (although he still hit .364). But here is a perfect example of how little pure sentiment or past performance ever weighs on the decisions governing Team Cuba rosters. And it is exactly this ability, on the part of the technical commission and national team managers, to discount sentimentality that may go a long way toward explaining Cuba’s continued successes on the Olympic and World Cup baseball stage.
Pure and simple, there was no slot for Urrutia on this Cuban roster—not if one wanted to build the most balanced and flexible lineup possible. Urrutia is now a one-dimensional player who can still wield an effective bat yet do little else. He was not going don a glove in an outfield consisting of Bell, Duvergel, Urgellés, Despainge and occasionally Cepeda. With Cepeda (Cuba’s most consistently dangerous hitter in international venues over the past half-dozen years) and Despaigne (the best young slugger on the island) alternating between the DH and left field slots—and with Meriño and Eriel Sánchez also capable of effective DH performances, Urrutia was no longer a vital DH candidate. And even if he were to be employed as a pinch-hitter, he would almost certainly have to be replaced with a pinch-runner every time he reached base. There was no need on this talented roster to carry a player with only a single limited role and no flexibility. A stronger argument may be made for keeping Peraza, who had a monster National Series and has fast developed as an adequate receiver as well as potent slugger; but having watched both the Huelga and Haarlem tournaments first hand I can also understand the decision to go with Meriño and Sánchez in the backup catchers’ roles. Peraza was overmatched by USA pitchers Mike Minor and Kyle Gibson in his one appearance in Haarlem, striking out twice and weakly popping out to first base. And with a Haarlem week devoted heavily to conditioning and physical training, there may also have been some question about Peraza work ethic in the exercise room. A third and perhaps most vital factor was that Peraza offered neither the international experience nor flexibility that were attached to Sánchez and Meriño (both of whom also batted over .350 in the recent National Series). The latter two can not only DH but also boast credentials as experienced first basemen (and thus adequate right-handed late-inning replacements for lefty-swinging Alex Mayeta).
Perhaps the biggest surprise for this writer, personally, was the decision to keep Luis Navas on the squad as a sixth infielder, and the consequent decision to remove promising Habana Province closer Miguel Lahera from the roster. Navas seems limited to a pinch running role (something that Héctor Olivera can also do) if he plays at all. If Navas offers additional infield insurance, Lahera would have provided a healthy bull-pen arm that might appear to be far more utilitarian against the type of experienced Japanese, Korean, American, Canadian and Dutch hitters the Cubans will encounter in Beijing. Lahera was a surprising bright spot in Haarlem, picking up one of the team’s two saves (Lazo had the other) and is certainly a top prospect for national team play in the immediate future.
But all these are definitely very minor quibbles. It is a well-known adage that Cuba is an island of ten million managers. If baseball is far and away the island’s favorite sport, it is also true that second-guessing national team management is Cuba’s number two ranking national pastime. No matter what lineup was finally settled upon, there would be plenty in the media and in the grandstands back home who would have found fault with the absence or inclusion of this player or that. The two most pressure-packed jobs on the Cuban island are those of national team manager and baseball commissioner; Pacheco will be criticized up and down the island for every defensive lapse, ineffective pitching outing, or late-inning strikeout with runners in scoring position. That is the nature of the beast that is Cuban baseball. The reality is that, after all the debates are settled, this is a Cuban team the equal of any other combination that might have been arrived at. The 24-man roster features a delicate balance of youth and experience, with 13 veterans of the Athens plus 11 newcomers to Olympic play (nine of whom are nonetheless veterans of World Cup, Pan Am Games, or WBC play). Alexei Bell is the only “true rookie” in the starting lineup and Bell may indeed be the most dangerous hitter Cuba has stuffed into its lineup since the 2000 retirement of Omar Linares and Orestes Kindelán. Duvergel and Enríquez (third ranking hitter in league history) offer a potent attack at the top of the lineup. Bell and Despaigne have tremendous power in the middle of the batting order, Freddie Cepeda has been Cuba’s top clutch performer in big games for most of the decade, Pestano was the batting champ and MVP of the last Olympiad in Athens, and it is tough to think of a better number nine hitter gracing any big league lineup than Eduardo Paret (coming off one of his top offensive seasons at .328, with a .500 slugging average). Suggest an alternative starter at any of the eight field positions and then explain to me how your alternative choice substantially improves this team in any measurable way.
This is one of the strongest national teams in Cuban baseball annals, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Emergence of Alexei Bell and Alfredo Despaigne arguably make this squad stronger than the one that shocked international observers at the inaugural MLB World Baseball Classic. But that in itself does not guarantee that victory will be a cakewalk or even anything short of a miraculous achievement. This is no longer 1996 Atlanta or even 2000 Sydney. Japanese pro all-stars (featuring ace starter Koji Uehara of the Yomiuri Giants, phenom hurler Yu Darvish of the Nippon Ham Fighters, and a bevy of hard hitting pro outfielders) will easily be the best Asian squad ever entered into Olympic competition. The USA lineup of AAA prospects boasts San Diego State freshman Stephen Strasburg—strikeout leader in Haarlem and perhaps the best pro prospect not yet pitching in the majors—as well as late-addition infielder Jayson Nix, demoted to the minors only this week by the Colorado Rockies. Japan and Team USA deserve sharing the favorite’s role with the defending champions, and Cuba must square off against both top challengers within the first three games. Competition has improved dramatically over eight years since the debut of pros during the 2000 Sydney tournament. Cuba’s top stars are no longer competing with collegiate prospects still a half-dozen years away from top professional play but must now face veterans of AAA competition and of the Japanese major leagues. It is no longer quite the same ball game.
The road to another Olympic medal which begins on August 13 and culminates ten days later will be anything but a smooth highway to negotiate. There will be plenty of hills, valleys and pot holes along the way. Two of the sport’s most remarkable streaks will also lie squarely on the line next month in Beijing. Perhaps of lesser significance—due to the smaller chronology—is the fact that Cuba remains the only country boasting a slot in each of the four Olympiad gold medal finals since the sport first became an official medals competition back in 1992 at Barcelona. To date the Cubans own three gold medallions and a single silver medal “failure” which came with the 2000 loss to Ben Sheets and Team USA in Sydney. Far more remarkable is a continuing Cuban half-century string of either outright victories, or appearances in the finals, in 49 straight major international tournaments. In forty-nine events at the top level of international baseball staged since 1961, Cuba has claimed victory on forty-two occasions. This string includes the 2006 World Baseball Classic, the four previous Olympic tournaments, 19 editions of the World Cup (earlier called the Amateur World Series), 12 meetings of the Pan American Games, and 13 reunions of the IBAF Intercontinental Cup. On seven occasions when Cuban teams have not walked away as champions, they have nonetheless earned a silver medal with a loss in the title game. (For full details of this unparalleled championship run, interested readers are referred to my earlier www.baseballdecuba.com column published in November 2007, at the end of the recent Taipei World Cup. See http://www.baseballdecuba.com/CMnewsContainer.asp?id=420.) There is no other string of this type found anywhere in the history of either amateur or professional team sports.
Cuba’s half-century lock on a berth in the finals of big international tournaments must of course come to an end at some point. And with international competition growing in stature with each passing season, that time undoubtedly grows nearer and nearer at warp speed. When it comes, there will inevitably be much lamentation and finger pointing throughout Cuban baseball circles, which have known little of defeat or disappointment in the full lifetime of most of the island’s fanatic baseball supporters. Will the temporary end to the string come in Beijing, or will it be delayed perhaps to the second installment of the WBC “Classico” next March, or even to the 2009 World Cup slated for Europe next September? No bet here is safe. I would never put my money against the Cubans in the big international events, no matter what the odds might be against them. They have invented miracles so many times, and we may well be on the verge of yet another. If Cuba does not reach the finals this time around it will assuredly have more to do with the bounce of the ball and the talent of the opposition than with any issues of roster selection on this year’s team. But one thing I am willing to bet on is that even if this team stumbles in Beijing, loss will not mark the end of the of the island’s proud baseball legacy. There is simply too much tradition and too much good talent on the island for that to happen.
Team Cuba will be heard from again soon enough. And in the wake of what some Cuban fans and writers have prematurely labeled “the disaster in Haarlem”, Cuba’s gold medal juggernaut may return to center stage far sooner than some skeptics are now predicting.
Peter C. Bjarkman is the English-language columnist for www.baseballdecuba.com and is widely considered the leading historian of Cuba’s pre-revolution and post-revolution baseball. His award-winning books include A History of Cuban Baseball, 1864-2006 (2007) and Smoke: The Romance and Lore of Cuban Baseball (1999, with Mark Rucker). He is currently completing work on two volumes—Baseball’s Other Big Red Machine: A History of the Cuban National Team and Who’s Who in Cuban Baseball, 1962-2007—both scheduled for publication in 2008 by McFarland & Company. | http://www.baseballdecuba.com/HaarlemnewsContainer.asp?id=881 | 5,578 |
Saudi woman athlete makes headlines
Wojdan Shaherkani has been making headlines.
She became the subject of worldwide media attention when it was announced that she would be one of the first two Saudi female athletes to compete at the Olympics.
But this was soon overshadowed by a row over her hijab - a head covering that many Muslim women wear - that meant she was at risk of not taking part at all.
The International Judo Federation initially said Shaherkani would not be allowed to wear a headscarf during the competition due to safety concerns.
A spokesman said that in Judo athletes used strangleholds and chokeholds and that wearing a hijab could be dangerous.
But that was a deal-breaker for the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee.
End Quote Noor al-Sajan Saudi law student
She's 16 years old... I don't know how she's handling all of this”
The Saudi authorities had agreed to send women to the games on condition that they agreed to wear Islamic clothing, including headscarves.
The team had threatened to withdraw Shaherkani from the competition before an agreement was finally reached with the IJF that the 16-year-old would fight wearing a special headscarf in order to comply with both safety issues and the Saudi dress code.
"Working with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), a proposal was approved by all parties. The solution agreed guarantees a good balance between safety and cultural considerations," the IJF said in a statement.
Shaherkani competed on Friday in the +78kg category. She was easily defeated by a Puerto Rican fighter in a judo bout that lasted only 82 seconds.'Western influence'
As the debate raged over whether Shaherkani should be allowed to take part, her father, Ali, insisted: "I would never put my religion or my daughter's hijab on the line, even if it meant missing out on the Olympics."
Noor al-Sajan, a 19-year-old law student living in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, said Mr Shaherkani's remarks did not stop him and his daughter being the subjects of fierce criticism at home.
"There are some who have been very resentful of the fact that she is competing and have been taking it out on her family," she said.
"They've been saying: 'Oh, he is taking his daughter to the Olympics. He's not man enough.'
"Some have also been attacking their racial background, saying: 'They are not from Saudi, they don't represent us.'
"She's 16 years old. I don't know how she's handling all of this. I think it's really hard."
Abdullah Qassem, a Saudi businessman living in Jeddah, said he personally had no problem with Saudi women participating in sports, but he feared that they could be influenced by Western culture.
"The fear is that the women would go [to the Olympics] and expose their bodies," he explained.
"Yes, this time the Saudi women are covering [their bodies], but who's to say that they won't copy the European women and start dressing like them?"'Prostitutes of the Olympics'
Even the appearance of Shaherkani and the second Saudi female athlete in London, Sarah Attar, along with their male counterparts in the opening ceremony last Friday earned them an Arabic hashtag on the social networking website, Twitter, which translates as "prostitutes of the Olympics".
It was not long before the hashtag was trending on Twitter, but Noor al-Sajan said it was being used to the athletes' benefit.
"Activists have turned the hashtag around. They decided to use it to write positive things about the athletes since the hashtag was already viral," she said.
Ironically it worked, and hundreds of tweets were written in support of Shaherkani and Attar.
"Give Saudi women both the Olympic torch and the keys to the car," said one tweet, referring to the ban on women driving in the Gulf kingdom.
Another tweet said: "Even though Saudi allowed women to be in their Olympics team - the degrading of women lives on with this hashtag."
Despite the controversy Ms Sajan remains optimistic. Saudi Arabia, after all, is a country where women are still fighting for their right to drive and go anywhere without being chaperoned.
"I think it's a great milestone for Saudi women. The Olympics is one the biggest international sports events," she added.
"If the community here sees that it's OK for women to play sports, maybe that would make it easier for women to play professionally here." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19107957 | 964 |
Paris Saint-Germain have made an initial approach to sign former England captain David Beckham when his contract with LA Galaxy expires in December.
PSG held a telephone conversation with the midfielder's representatives but formal talks have yet to take place.
Several other clubs - some of them in England - have also shown firm interest in Beckham, who it is understood wants a challenge that will "excite" him.
However, he has not ruled out staying in LA, where his family are settled.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United player, whose Galaxy contract ends on 31 December, will announce his decision in November once the Major League Soccer season ends.
Galaxy have an
unassailable lead at the top of their conference
and are guaranteed a spot in the play-offs.
They will contest a two-legged quarter-final on either 29 or 30 October and 2 or 3 November, with the winners advancing to the semi-final on 5 or 6 November.
DAVID BECKHAM'S CLUBS
AC Milan (loan)
If Galaxy go all the way to the MLS Cup, their campaign will end on 20 November.
joined from Real in 2007
and his family are happy in the United States but he is prepared to continue his career elsewhere if a suitable challenge arises.
News of PSG's initial interest
was broken by BBC sports news correspondent Dan Roan in September.
The Qatar-owned French side are embarking upon an ambitious project and sporting director Leonardo coached Beckham when he was
loaned to AC Milan in 2009
Tottenham and Queens Park Rangers have also been linked with the former Manchester United player, who is keen to represent Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics.
However, he does not feel any potential involvement in the Olympic team would depend on him playing for a European team.
trained with Tottenham
during the MLS off-season in January but, on Thursday, Spurs boss Harry Redknapp
told the Daily Telegraph
a permanent move would be difficult.
"I was so impressed with David as a person, as a player," said Redknapp. "He was fantastic to have around the club, a class act.
"The problem I'd have is that David would want to play regularly and I couldn't guarantee him that at this stage.
"It's difficult: I have Aaron Lennon coming back, Rafael van der Vaart playing off the right. I have lots of options. I could play Gareth Bale on one side and Luka Modric on the other.
"Sandro is also looking like he could end up a top player. Then there's Scott Parker.
"So to bring David in and not play him would be a problem."
Beckham won the last of his 115 England caps
in October 2009. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/15288983 | 573 |
April 10, 2001
It's Good to Be Home ...
After playing its previous 28 games away from Shea Field, Boston College returns to Beantown Tuesday April 10 to begin a nine-game homestand, a major-league schedule, which includes seven games in five days. It is the longest homestand by any Eagle baseball squad since the 1988 team hosted 10 games from April 26 - May 13. That team went 6-4-0 in that stretch.
In 2000, BC was a combined 5-4 over the visiting teams entering Eddie Pellagrini Diamond this week. The Eagles swept both ends of a doubleheader vs. Albany in the 2000 series and beat Rhode Island 10-3 in the two teams' only meeting last season.
BC was on the losing end of 1-2 series decisions with both Connecticut and Pittsburgh a season ago.
BC's Last Time Out ...
Down 5-2, the Eagles ignited a comeback with eight runs in their final at bat to beat St. John's Unversity 10-6 in game one. BC then fell victim to the Red Storm twice over the next two games (6-3, 6-2) in a BIG EAST conference series April 7-8 in Jamaica, N.Y.
Brian Macchi went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs while Jeff Mackor had three RBIs in the form of a three-run double in the crucial seventh inning. Chris Rosado also drove two men home. BC's lone southpaw, Chris Gannon, earned the win, allowing six runs - three earned - on nine hits in a complete game.
Mike Hubbard, Jarett Mendoza and Ryan Leahy each contributed a pair of hits in the second game of the doubleheader but it was not enough as BC fell 6-3. The final contest between the conference foes saw BC muster only four hits - three of which went for doubles - in the 6-2 loss.
Both Sides Now ...
The Eagle offense redeemed one of its worst offensive showings with an extraordinary effort on the evening of April 5. After mounting only three hits in game one's 3-1 loss to Brown, BC banged out 16 hits, including a season-best nine extra-base hits, in the nightcap. BC's prior 3-1 loss (Georgetown, March 25) also saw them collect three hits in one less at bat (23).
Free Ride ...
Joe Kealty has been granted first base twice as many times as any one of his teammates. The senior left-handed batter has been issued 22 free passes in 28 games this season and hit by a pitch five times. Through April 9, Kealty landed second in the BIG EAST conference with 22 walks for all games played.
Raking in the RBIs ...
During Coach Hughes' three-year tenure at the Heights, six Eagle batters have contributed five RBIs or more in one game. The most recent five-plus RBI hitter was Brian Macchi, who drove in nine runs at Brown April 5. That was the biggest RBI production by an Eagle since Macchi himself pushed across seven runs (grand slam, two-run home run and sacrifice fly) at Georgetown April 29, 2000. Current teammate Chris Rosado tallied five RBIs vs. the Hoyas the next day (April 30, 2000) on the strength of two home runs and recorded six RBIs in BC's 17-7 victory over Wagner, March 10 of this season. 2001 captain Mike Hubbard's grand slam and sacrifice fly for five RBIs March 9 vs. Monmouth also placed him on the elite list. Then-sophomore Joe Kealty went 3-for-5 with five RBIs against UConn May 2, 1999. In that same year, Steve Langone also plated five runs (Harvard) while Sean McGowan accomplished the feat four times.
One-Hit Wonders ...
In addition to Erik Olson's superb pitching performance March 29, the last Heights' starting hurler to throw a one-hitter in at least 6.0 innings of work was Andy Sullivan `00, who pitched a 7.0- inning complete game vs. Northeastern May 4, 2000.
It's in the Books ...
Three Eagles climbing up the BC record books include seniors Joe Kealty, Jarett Mendoza and Mike Hubbard. Kealty and Hubbard are currently tied with 161 career hits each for ninth place. Five more hits each will tie them with their former assistant coach, Brian Sankey, in eighth (166). In the same category, Mendoza ranks 10th (153). Kealty needs one more run batted in for his 100th RBI. He is currently neck-and-neck with Chris Taylor `93 with 99, seventh overall, and eleven RBIs behind sixth-place Joe Hayward. Another home run for Jarett Mendoza will entitle him to a share of sixth overall on the career home run leaders list, the center fielder currently owns 13.
Novice Notes ...
Josh DiScipio and Eric Wright are two new faces making an impact on the Eagle roster this season. Second baseman Josh DiScipio got the starting nod in both Georgetown contests March 25, living up to the billing by pushing across the game-winning run in game two. He fought off a two-out, full count with seven foul balls before launching a bases-loaded, three-run double to the opposite field to give BC the 7-3 advantage in the eighth inning. BC went on to win 8-6. In the Eagles' 12-2 win over Holy Cross, Wright not only contributed two hits - including a two-run double - but hauled in a superb foul ball fly in the eighth inning of BC's 12-2 win over Holy Cross.
And the award goes to ...
Brian Durkin was named BIG EAST offensive player of the week (March 11) after notching 10 hits in 24 at bats with six RBIs and five walks. On the eight-game Florida road trip, Durkin collected four home runs and one triple for a .893 slugging percentage. He fell one double short of a cycle in Sunday's 11-4 victory over LaSalle. He is now batting .340. The last Eagle bestowed with the weekly award was pitcher Steve LangoneMay 1, 2000.
Coach Hughes ...
Pete Hughes is in his third season as the Eagles' head coach. He will coach his 131th career game as the BC skipper (74-56-1). His career record stands at 126-86-1. The 33-year-old coach earned his 100th career coaching victory with a two-game sweep of Vermont on April 12, 2000. The triple-crowned coach took home three awards last year, named 2000 BIG EAST, New England and ABCA Northeast Region Division 1 Coach of the Year.
2001 PLAYERS NOTES
1 - Matt Elfeldt (So, P)
Owns a 3.60 ERA ... Has an 0-1 record with a save ... Made eleven appearances, second on the team, for 15.0 innings ... Earned the save in BC's 2-0 shutout of W&M after striking out two of the five batters he faced in the ninth inning ... Registered the 7-2 loss to Florida Atlantic, struck out three and walked two in 5.0 innings.
2 - Mark Sullivan (Jr, P)
Has appeared in a team-high 12 games this year ... Totaled a 1-4 record and one save for a 5.26 ERA ... Allowed three runs on eight hits with four strikeouts vs. Georgetown March 25 as the last-minute starter ... Gave up the game-winning run in 1.1 innings of relief March 23 vs. West Virginia ... Earned the save in BC's 8-5 win over Buffalo March 6 ... Allowed two hits and no earned runs in 2.0 innings of relief to get the win vs. LaSalle March 11 ... Posted a loss in the Eagles first game of the season, a 7-3 decision to Oklahoma State.
3 - Ryan Leahy (So, IF)
Now batting .308 with a share of team lead in doubles (eight) ... Reached base safely in 23 of 26 games ... Went 3-for-6 with two runs scored and two RBIs in the doubleheader at Brown April 5 ... Had a six-game hit streak from March 7 - March 18 in which span he hit 12- for-24 with eight runs scored ... Posted 13 hits, four doubles and seven RBIs as the leadoff batter in Florida ... Tallied six multiple-hit games on the training trip with three hits in each of two games (Yale, Wagner), and drove in a run in four of eight contests ... Doubled in the game-winning RBI in 2-0 win over W&M ...Went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and one RBI in the Eagles' 14-8 loss to Oklahoma State.
4 - Matthew Duffey (So, P/IF)
Made his first collegiate pitching start at Brown, gave up three runs - two earned - in 6.0 innings for the loss ... Threw 2.0 innings of hitless relief vs. Holy Cross March 29 ... Struck out three in 3.0 innings of work vs. Wagner College March 10 ... Allowed one earned run on three hits in 1.0 inning of relief against FAU, Feb. 11 ... Has four starts in 12 games as the third baseman ... ... Totaled two RBIs, including a sacrifice fly vs. LaSalle March 11 ... ... Earned a walk as a pinch-hitter vs. OSU Feb. 10.
5 - Josh DiScipio (Fr, 2B)
Hitting .320 in 25 at bats for five RBIs ... Started six games in 16 appearances ... His sacrifice bunt plated Mendoza in BC's 6-2 loss to St. John's April 8 ... Had a five-game hitting streak from March 10-29 ... Fought off a two-out, full count with seven foul balls before launching a bases-loaded, three-run double - including the game-winning run - to give BC the 7-3 edge vs. GU March 25, the Eagles went on to win that game 8-6 ... Drove in a run vs. Yale ... Pushed across one run in the BC/Red Sox game ... Earned his first collegiate hit to lead off the inning in BC's four-run, ninth inning against FAU.
7 - Chris Rosado (Sr, C/U)
Is currently batting .291, shares the team-lead with eight doubles ... Through April 9, ranks eighth among league leaders with 26 runs batted in ... Shares the team lead with seven RBIs in BIG EAST play Powered a two-run single in BC's 10-6 win over St. John's April 7 ... Hit .333 (4 -for-12) for four RBIs with one double and one home run in the Eagles' three-game series at Virginia Tech ... As the cleanup hitter, drove in all of BC's runs in 4-3 loss to Hokies ... Bettered his average by 141 points on the Florida trip, hitting .467 in the eight-game span ... Totaled five multiple-hit games and four multiple-RBI games in Fla. ... Was one triple short of the cycle in 8-5 victory over Buffalo March 6 ... Hit the game-winning RBI vs. Yale ... Went 3-for-5 for six RBIs vs. Wagner March 10.
9 - Joe Kealty (Sr, DH/OF)
Hitting .306, shares the team lead in doubles (eight) .... Through April 9, is second in the league for walks (22) and fifth in on base percentage (.456) ... Hit his first home run of the season March 29 vs. Holy Cross, was issued three walks in that game ... Was 4-for-12 for one RBI in Virginia Tech series ... Hit .429 and drove in 10 runs during the spring training trip ... Went 4-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs vs. Michigan March 3 ... Drove in three runs, including the game-winner March 6 vs. Buffalo ... Hit five doubles in four consecutive games from March 6 - 9 ... Strung together a five-game hit streak from March 3 - 9 ... Has been hit by a pitch five times.
10 - Brian Durkin (Jr, OF/1B)
Currently batting .341, second among starters ... Batting .296 with three doubles and six RBIs in conference play ... Went 3-for-3 in BC's 12-2 victory over Holy Cross March 29 ... Hit .393 (.893 slugging percentage) with four home runs and one triple for seven RBIs in Florida ... Named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week March 12 ... On March 11 vs. LaSalle, hit 3-for-3 with a home run and triple and three runs scored - one double short of the cycle.
11 - Matt O'Donnell (Fr, P]
Pitched a hitless inning of relief April 5 at Brown ... Struck out two of the three batters he faced in 1.0 inning vs. Wagner College.
12 - Jed Rogers (Sr, P]
Has a 1-3 record and 5.34 ERA in 30.1 innings ... Allowed only four hits with one earned run in 5.0 innings vs. St. John's April 7, was saddled with the loss ... Struck out a career-high seven batters in 6.0 innings of work to take the 8-0 loss at West Virginia ... Took the hard-luck loss in a 4-3 decision to Virginia Tech, where he surrendered four runs - two earned - on 11 hits in 8.1 innings, he walked two and struck out four batters ... Struck out six batters in his 6.0 inning start against Monmouth March 9.
15 - Mike Hubbard (Sr, SS)
Now hitting .279 ... Reached base safely in 24 of 28 games, in addition to reaching base in his first 12 consecutive games ... Is hitting .289 in conference play, third on the team ... Through April 9, finished ninth in stolen bases (10) ... Hit .343 for 11 RBIs in Florida with five stolen bases ... Went 3-for-4 with his first career grand slam and a sacrifice fly for five RBIs vs. Monmouth March 9 ... Was 2-for-3 with two RBIs vs. the Red Sox ... Went 3-for-4 in BC's 7-3 loss to OSU with an RBI and run scored.
16 - Jarett Mendoza (Sr, OF)
Is currently hitting .262 ... Led the BIG EAST with six doubles in 14 games through March 12 ... Had a 10-game hit streak from Feb. 24 - March 18 ... Hit .353 in Florida ... Had four multiple-hit games in Florida ... Contributed six total hits vs. Wagner and LaSalle (three games) ... Went 1-for-4 with three RBIs vs. Yale ... Knocked in the game-winning run vs. Michigan ... Was a perfect 2-for-2 with one RBI in the Red Sox game.
17 - Joe McCabe (So, IF)
Was 1-for-1(his first collegiate hit) with a run scored March 10 vs. Wagner ... His ground out scored David Trainor in the seventh inning vs. the Red Sox.
18 - Jeff Mackor (Jr, C)
Now hitting .260 ... Had a three-run double in the seventh and final inning vs. St. John's to ignite the 10-6 win April 7 ... Strung together an eight-game hit streak from March 6 -19 ... Powered multiple hits in four games from March 11 - 19 ... Led the team in batting at Virginia Tech, batting .583 with seven hits ... Was responsible for two game-winning RBIs on the Florida trip (Buffalo, LaSalle) ... Threw out three baserunners from his catcher position March 11 vs. LaSalle and five total on the trip ... Powered hits in six of the seven games played and drove in two runs in each of two games in Florida ... Contributed two hits vs. the Red Sox ... Had two hits and an RBI in 5-2 loss to W&M.
20 - Vinny Scavone (So, IF)
Went 1-for-2 in BC's win over Wagner College.
21 - Paul Knapic (Jr, P)
Went 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA in Florida to improve his record to 3-1 and 2.55 ERA ... Has struck out at least six batters in each of his last four outings ... Gave up one earned run and five hits in 7.0 innings vs. Michigan March 3 ... Allowed five hits in 5.0 + innings vs. Wagner March 10 ... Through March 12, is third among league leaders in strikeouts (28) and fourth in opponent batting average (.182) ... Tied a career-high nine strikeouts in loss to FAU Feb. 11.
22 - Brian Macchi (Jr, OF/3B)
Now batting .379 (eighth among conference sluggers) with 31 RBIs, which places him fourth in the BIG EAST ... Through April 9, his seven home runs is second in the conference for all games played while he leads conference sluggers with four homers in conference action ... Has a conference best .727 slugging percentage in league action ... In April, Macchi is hitting .500 (12-for-24) with two doubles and three home runs for 12 run batted in and a .958 slugging percentage ... He homered twice in a 5-for-5 outing for nine total RBIs to lead BC past Brown 17-4 April 5 ... Had a home run at both West Virginia and Georgetown ... Slammed a round-tripper in 10-4 loss to Virginia Tech March 18 ... Had four multiple-hit games in Florida and drove in three runs in two games (Yale, Monmouth) ... Hit safely in six of the eight games in Florida ... Slammed a two-run home run to cut the OSU lead to two in the second inning of the 14-8 loss.
23 - Matt Lederhos (So, P/OF)
Now has a record of 2-2 with a 5.85 ERA ... Paced BC to 8-6 win at Georgetown, allowing three runs on five hits in 7.0 innings March 25 ... Took the loss, allowing five hits in 4.0 innings in 13-5 loss to Virginia Tech ... In 12.0 innings, collected a 1.50 ERA in Florida ... Pitched a three-hitter in 6.0 innings and threw a career-high 11 strikeouts to earn the win vs. Buffalo March 6 ... Gave up one earned run in 6.0 innings of work against LaSalle.
24 - Eric Wright (Fr, OF)
Now batting .286 ... In his first collegiate start, contributed two hits - including a two-run double - in BC's 12-2 win over Holy Cross March 29 ... Went 1-for-2, a double, and scored a run in BC's 12-6 victory over Yale ... Added a pinch-hit, RBI single - his first collegiate hit - in BC's last game against FAU ... now batting .333.
25 - Scott Lemone (So, C/DH)
Now batting .304 with three doubles for two RBIs ... Made six starts in 12 game appearances ... Started two of three games played in Florida, went 3-for-6 with two runs scored and two runs driven in in that span ... Went 1-for-2 against FAU Feb. 11, his first collegiate start when he earned his first hit as a collegian.
28 - James Dawson (Fr, P)
Has made five appearances ... Registered his first win in his first collegiate start April 5 vs. Brown, gave up four runs on six hits in 3.0 innings ... Totaled 11.0 innings for a 7.36 ERA ... Surrendered one hit in 2.0 innings vs. LaSalle ... Allowed three runs on one hit in 3.0 innings vs. Oklahoma State, Feb. 10.
31 - Mike Gauthier (Fr, P)
Threw 3.0 innings with five career-high strikeouts for a save vs. Monmouth.
33 - Erik Olson (Sr, P)
Owns a 6.05 ERA in 19.1 innings and 2-0 record ... Threw a one-hitter through 6.0 innings at Holy Cross while striking out a career-high eight batters ...Gave up three earned runs on eight hits in 5.0 innings vs. Yale March 7 to record his first win of the season ... allowed three hits in 3.0 innings with two strikeouts Feb. 9 vs. FAU.
36 - Chris Gannon (Sr, P)
Has a 6.39 ERA in a team-high 43.2 innings with a 3-2 record ... In his most recent victory, scattered nine hits for six runs - three earned - in a seven-inning complete game at St. John's April 7 ... Threw 4.0 innings of hitless relief with a season-high seven strikeouts in BC's 4-3 extra-inning loss to Northeastern April 3 ... Earned two wins (Buffalo, LaSalle) in Florida ... ... Allowed only two hits in 5.0 innings with five strikeouts in the Eagles season-opener vs. OSU. | http://www.bceagles.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/041001aaa.html | 4,507 |
The Eagles men's hockey team hosts 5th ranked New Hampshire at Conte Forum this afternoon at 4 PM.
The Eagles and Wildcats square off in a matchup of top 4 teams tonight at Conte Forum. 7:05 PM on NESN.
Boston College men's basketball will host New Hampshire on Sunday at 1 p.m. inside Conte Forum. The game will be aired live on NESN and WEEI Radio (850 AM).
Previewing Saturday night's Hockey East contest between the visiting Boston College Eagles and the New Hampshire Wildcats. Game starts at 7 PM. | http://www.bcinterruption.com/tag/boston-college-new-hampshire-tv/scope/network | 118 |
Looking ahead in the County League
Preview for Saturday, October 13
Premier Division supported by Sportsform action this weekend will see current league leaders Arlesey Town Reserves hitting the road to Marston Playing Fields for an encounter with still 100% at home and third place Marston Shelton Rovers who will perhaps fancy their chances of sending The Blues to their first defeat of the season.
Whilst over at Renhold Playing Fields, fourth place Renhold United still boast a 100% home record for the season and with their visitors Bedford Hatters having failed to win any of their last three league outings one would expect them to gain another three points and inch ever closer to the summit of the league table.
For fifth place Ickwell & Old Warden, having lost their last two league outings its a trip to Hurst Grove to face seventh place Lidlington United Sports whose home record of played two, won two, suggests things will be far from easy. Whilst at Hillgrounds, sixth place AFC Kempston Town & Bedford College will be fully expecting to extend their unbeaten league ways to five games when called upon by AFC Biggleswade.
It may well only be October but the Lodge Road clash between hosts Sharnbook and the visiting Blunham already as the feel of a six pointer relegation battle about it. Sharnbrook going into the game losers of their three opening home games, whilst Blunham travel looking in this game number six for their first win of the season.
The only club currently sitting below Blunham in the league table are Bedford Sports Athletic and for them having lost all of their opening four games the task to repair the damage comes in the shape of an away encounter at Jubilee Playing Fields against Wilshamstead, the task being no easy one as the home club will be looking for their third win on the bounce.
The final top-flight action takes place at Steppingley Road, the venue at which yet to win at home Flitwick Town take on an Oakley Sports M&DH side that has lost its last two games to slip into the bottom half of the league standings.
For the still 100% Division One league leaders Leighton United the visitors to face them at their Stanbridge Road base are Elstow Abbey who will be hitting the road looking for their first away point/points of the season. Whilst for two of their nearest rivals at the head of the table its trips on the road, second place Pavenham making their way to Rectory Road to take on Shefford Town & Campton Reserves and fourth place Caldecote Reserves also having a tricky encounter when they journey to Walnut Tree Road to face Lea Sports PSG.
Also showing up well in the early league standings are third place Shillington, for them its a trip to King George VI Playing Fields still 100% on the road this season to face home club Kings AFC whose lone home encounter to date this season ended in a heavy defeat against Caldecote Reserves.
The day’s fifth and final game in this section takes place at Groveside, the venue at which host club Henlow receive a visit from Luton Boys whose away record to date reads, played two, lost two.
In Division Two perhaps the day’s outstanding fixture takes place at Weston Park, that being the venue at which unbeaten at home hosts Eastcotts AFC take on current third place Woburn Athletic, but don’t say that too loudly around the vicinity of Ickleford Playfield Fields as 100% at home and fourth place Marabese Ceramics might claim that billing belongs to their home encounter against the visiting league leaders Sundon Park Rangers.
Over at Miller Road, hosts Meltis Albion will I’m sure be more than a handful for the visiting Goldington. Whilst at Bromham Playing Fields, hosts Bromham United will be expected to successfully defend their seasons unbeaten home ways when called upon by Cranfield United Reserves.
Another home club starting the day favourites to collect all three points will be Oakley Sports M&DH Reserves, when at their Playing Field headquarters they receive a visit from yet to win on the road this season Queens Park Crescents. Whilst Potton United Reserves make tracks from The Hollow to take on St Joseph Reserves in Leagrave Park.
Meantime, just down the way at Lothair Road, bottom of the table Stopsley Park will be hosting fifth place Westoning who are yet to win on the road this season.
Action in Division Three sees league leaders Marsh Leys defend their 100% ways when called upon at their Cutler Hammer base by Potton Town. Whilst third place Clifton head for a tough looking encounter against fifth place Stevington at their Playing Field headquarters.
Over at Greenfield Road, second place Westoning Reserves will be fully expected to collect all three points and retain their seasons unbeaten home ways when visited by second from bottom table Kempston Hammers Sports who make the journey looking for their first win of the season.
Still holding down a 100% home record for the season are Dunton, facing them at their Horseshoes Close base will be Riseley Sports who whilst travelling still awaiting their first away point/points of the season will prove to be no easy pushovers.
Elsewhere, Hillgrounds is the venue at which Royal Oak Kempston take on Wilshamstead Reserves. The visitors having drawn their opening two away games looking to go one better against a Oak side that has lost its opening three home league games.
Over at Barford Playing Fields, its local derby action between Great Barford and Ickwell & Old Warden Reserves in a contest that could go either way. The final action in this division taking place in Mowsbury Park where yet to win at home this season Bedford Park Rangers face no easy task putting that matter right when visited by Renhold United Reserves.
Action in Division Four brings about home encounters for the leading two sides, league leaders Elstow Abbey Reserves at The Warren defending their seasons 100% league record against Flitwick Town Reserves. Whilst over at The Bedford Hockey Centre, Bedford Panthers do likewise when visited by Marston Shelton Rovers Reserves.
There will be local derby action at Bedford Road Recreation Ground where still unbeaten at home Sandy Reserves host bottom of the table Caldecote A. Whilst at Digswell Playing Fields, second from bottom table Shefford Town & Campton A seek their first home point/points of the season when called upon by Kempston Con Club Sports who journey in search of their own first away point/points of the season.
Over at Whiston Crescent, Clifton Reserves are still unbeaten for the season albeit from just one drawn game.They host Kempston Athletic who journey still unbeaten on the road this season albeit from two drawn games. Looks like one for the pools coupon to me.
With the final action coming at Wootton Playing Fields, the venue at which hosts Wootton Village seek out their first home win of the season against the visiting Dunton Reserves.
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Weather for Bedford
Tuesday 21 May 2013
Temperature: 8 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: North
Temperature: 4 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: North west | http://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/sport/football/non-league-football/looking-ahead-in-the-county-league-1-4343730 | 1,526 |
Okay fine, it's more like my hope for Limas Sweed. But hear me out even if I'm grasping at straws here. By the way, some of you astutely noted that I made no mention of Sweed in my initial reaction to the news of the Santonio Holmes trade. I chose not to because I didn't want to include him in a forecast for this season in order to try to bolster my argument that the Steelers can still thrive offensively without #10 in the mix. Even if Sweed doesn't factor significantly into the Steelers offensive attack in 2010, I believe there will still be enough able bodies at the wide receiver position for the team to make a run at Super Bowl number seven so long as as the defense performs closer to the 2008 version of itself rather than the 2009 rendition. And it would help if Bruce Arians adjusted his philosophy to account for the loss of a gifted playmaker like Holmes by leaning more heavily on the running game and a quick hitting passing game that utilized Ward's unique gifts in the slot, Heath Miller's ability to snag balls in traffic. The latter may seem like an improbability, but the former may very well be a safer bet than many Steelers fans realize coming off of last year's defensive struggles.
It may not have to be that way though if a certain 2008 2nd round draft pick makes significant strides this coming season. We may have been close to never finding out if Limas Sweed would ever contribute as a Steeler, but with the recent trade of Santonio Holmes to the New York Jets, an unexpected opportunity has presented itself for Limas Sweed to finally get this career off the ground after two incredibly frustrating seasons for both him and us fans who were expecting much bigger things out of their 2008 2nd round draft selection.
I'm not going to rehash Sweed's struggles this past two seasons. I doubt you need reminding. I'm also not going to lean to heavily on the fact that Sweed also made a few solid plays as a WR and on special teams in between his memorable gaffes. Though I do feel compelled to make one comparison. If we were talking about basketball, it's not like Sweed can't get his jump shot off or isn't fast enough to play defense at the professional level. If he couldn't, there'd be no point in keeping him around. He can though. Sweed has gotten himself past CBs and Safetys his first two seasons.
How about another analogy? A young recently brought up to the majors relief pitcher looking nothing like the prospect that got him on the mound in the first place. When he gets in, his control is erratic, he gets taken out before getting out of a single inning multiple times, and all of a sudden, his confidence is shattered and fans wonder if he'll ever be able to develop into the player he looked like he'd become.
I don't know. I just think it's hard for every last talented athlete, regardless of the sport, to be expected to take advantage of opportunities on the playing field when they first present themselves. You sit on the bench 90% of the snaps only to finally be inserted and on your first legitimate shot at making an impression, you screw up. Back to the sidelines for another extended period of time - not necessarily because of the mistake entirely, but also because other circumstances have dictated that's where you're niche is for the time being.
With Santonio Holmes no longer in the picture, I think Limas now has a very real opportunity at getting on the field regularly. Had Holmes been around this season, he, Ward and Wallace all would have been guaranteed significant snaps and opportunities in the passing game barring injury. Throw in Antwaan Randle El, who may not be a huge force this year, but will still get some plays designed for him, and the opportunities for Sweed to break out of his funk would again have been few and far between.
The timing of this might be just right though. Give it another year and perhaps it's too late. I've heard rumors and innuendo that Sweed has really struggled psychologically with how he has struggled on the field in his first two professional seasons. He's supposedly in a 'rut', and understandably so. To what extent? Who knows, none of my business to speculate on a delicate matter like mental health.
What's more important to me at least, is that I've yet to hear or read a reason why Sweed may be permanently stuck in that kind of mental funk. During his time on the 40 Acres of the University of Texas at Austin, Sweed did research in his classwork about his family's ancestry. He remains close to his parents from what I can tell, both of whom have been a part of Sweed's life growing up. He has money in the bank and to the best of my knowledge at least, has had no seriously traumatic event or upbringing that might have permanently altered his psychological makeup.
Instead, Sweed is just one of those personalities that gets in his own way by not moving on quickly after making a mistake. And no, this isn't a new development. In 2004 - Sweed's freshman year at UT - he went through some of the same growing pains he's experiencing now as a young professional. He dropped multiple passes as a freshman, and even though his first season as a Longhorn had to be qualified as at least a mild success (23 catches for 263 yards), Sweed fixated on the plays he didn't make. Teammate Tim Crowder, who played 15 games last year for Tampa Bay, recalled how Sweed would get down on himself frequently:
"He dropped a pass in one game, and you could see it was killing him. I went over to him and let him know it wasn't the end of the world. You have to watch Limas because he gets real down on himself. It's all about confidence with him."
I mention that not to suggest that this is a chronic problem for Sweed. Well, perhaps it is chronic in the sense that it's going to be something that he will always battle internally. But it's not chronic in the sense that it's an insurmountable liability. He's gotten over it before during his collegiate career. So who's to say he won't do the same after experiencing and learning how to deal with failure at the NFL level.
Even when times are good though, Sweed has exhibited a tendency to be too hard on himself. His mother noted that after Sweed's memorable game-winning catch in the corner of the endzone to beat the Ohio State Buckeyes in Colmbus, how Sweed had told her that he didn't feel he'd done enough earlier in the game. Rather than soaking up all the adulation that the world wanted to heap upon him following his clutch catch early in the 2005 season, Sweed found fault in himself and his performance.
The good news though is that he didn't allow some of his mental preoccupations to keep him from working on his craft or tending to business off the field so that he could participate in athletics while he was in college. He's continued to do so as a professional. Not that he deserves a gold star for this, but there's been no reports of Sweed finding trouble off the field. Had that been the case, he probably wouldn't still be in Pittsburgh. And he's continued to be an extremely hard worker, particularly last summer during training camp when numerous reports mentioned how Sweed looked like a new man out there.
There's absolutely no way to say with any certainty that his work on the practice field, in the film room and studying film will help him get over the mental block that's paralyzed him when the lights go on for real during a regular season game. Nevertheless, it's a good thing that he's at least reportedly continued to work as hard as he can to get ready for his next opportunity. Something tells me that he's also spent a fair amount of time by himself working out, getting faster, doing drills to improve this or that aspect of his game so that he can create the necessary separation to at least get open enough for his quarterback to throw him the ball. At the age of 25, his body should be very receptive to such a vigorous training regiment. And he's sustained no injuries or absorbed many hits at all since early on in his senior season before he got injured. Add it all up and I think he's definitely going to play his way into some playing time during training camp and in the team's four preseason games.
So why should you believe he will get over his case of the yips the next time he finds himself open and poised to haul in an important pass next season? I think that because Sweed's going to potentially play exponentially more snaps next season, he'll be able to get into the 'flow' of the game a lot more naturally than he's been able to his first two seasons.Here's his snaps played during the 2009 season:
|Tennessee Titans (Week 1)||13/74||0|
|Cincinnati Bengals (Week 4)||4/63||1 reception, 5 yards|
|Detroit Lions (Week 5)||8/58||0|
|Denver Broncos (Week 9)||6/63||0|
|Oakland Raiders (Week 13)||3/55||0|
So, only once did he see the field for more often than 1 in every 6 snaps. It seems like Sweed maybe a touch uncomfortable in his own skin, not one for the spotlight, be it positive or negative attention. It's hard to feel like you're not under a microscope when you're just trotted out there every once in awhile. Or said differently, it's easier to get over yourself and just go play when you're out there enough to do other little things well repeatedly. We've seen him do a couple of nice things as a physical blocking WR, and we've seen him make a play or two on special teams. He's got the size, speed and will to do the important and necessary little things that go into being a complimentary wide receiver on a successful football team. Like say, execute a nice block in the passing game; run deep as fast as you can as a decoy; catch a meaningless 7 yarder on 3rd and 18 following a sack - just trying to be realistic here :)
You know what I'm saying. Limas is an anonymous, worker type who puts too much pressure on himself...not so he can bask in the spotlight. Not for that reason whatsoever it seems. Instead, Sweed demands perfection from himself so he doesn't have to experience that fleeting moment of shame, and of letting down his teammates and the fans.
Sweed will discover though this year (hopefully) that we certainly don't demand perfection from him as fans. Just solid production and him playing hard all the time. He needs a break through game - a 6 catch, 85 yards and 1 TD type game early in 2010 so that he can just go out there and play. The past will be entirely in the past once he has that breakthrough game in the regular season. He most certainly will drop another pass in his career; perhaps he'll even experience another multi-game slump. It happens. But I think once he gets a chance to just find a more regular niche on the offense, then have a breakthrough game where the media makes a big deal about how he's overcome his problems and has arrived as a pro, then I think he'll be able to handle adversity a lot more professionally and appropriately. That being he'll just shrug it off and know that he's got the next one.
I'm not going to make any sort of overly bold predictions about his 2010 season or his career, but I strongly believe that he will get numerous opportunities early in the 2010 season to contribute. The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of those rare teams that's able to win while rebuilding for the future most years, but part of the process is finding out what you've got in certain guys so that you can plan your 2, 3, and even 5 year strategies accordingly.
With Santonio Holmes no longer in the mix for 2010 and Hines Ward approaching the twilight of his career, the depth chart at WR is fairly murky after this season, and even more so after 2011 when Ward and Antwaan Randle-El will be two years older. Mike Wallace looks to be the real deal, but even so, the organization will want to be able to pencil in more than just him and two capable veterans when projecting what they can count on in 2011. That begins primarily by seeing if Limas Sweed is ready to get over his struggles and fill a regular role on the offense this coming season. If so, it changes the personnel strategy of the team considerably for 2011 and beyond. | http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2010/4/15/1423353/my-case-for-limas-sweed?ref=CBS&source=rss_teams_Pittsburgh_Steelers | 2,637 |
CenTex Hooks win World Series
Thursday, 23 August 2012 by Keith Bahlmann
The CenTex Hooks won the Super Series Baseball World Series in Round Rock last week. They won the championship game in an 8-0 shutout. Pictured front row: right Coach Richard Esqueda, Dylan Hinkle, Isaac Esqueda, Ty Moore, Iasiah Castillo, Andrew Ramstedt and Brock Copeland. Back row: right Preston Hinkle, Tyler Saultemeier, Keaton Hundle, Dylan Cheek, Brandon Wilkins, Travis Tomlin, Cameron Whitman, coach John Hinkle and coach Logan Pratt. | http://www.beltonjournal.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1864:centex-hooks-win-world-series&catid=36:sports&Itemid=430 | 134 |
May 21 2013 Latest news:
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Paul Robinson has agreed a new deal with the Lions, keeping him at The Den until 2015
Millwall star Paul Robinson is targeting beating Lions legend Barry Kitchener’s appearances record after putting pen-to-paper on a new three year deal.
The defender is currently on the treatment table after a hernia operation, missing the Ireland tour but is in line to return against Crawley on July 28.
“Obviously I’m delighted to know I’ll be at Millwall for the next three years.
“I’ve got my sights set on the career records of Rhino and Kitch, and while I’ve got a long way to go yet I’m going to give it my best shot.
“I’m now looking forward to joining the rest of the squad when they get back from Ireland and hopefully I’ll be raring to go when the season starts on 14th August.” | http://www.bexleytimes.co.uk/football_2_3800/millwall/millwall_star_looks_to_beat_legend_s_record_after_signing_new_deal_1_1449382 | 213 |
But with the game on the line in the fourth quarter, the two seniors stepped up to save the game.
Johnson, who got beat on a long play in the third quarter, returned an interception 39 yards and Ryan Bustin made a 28-yard field goal as time expired to give Texas Tech a 34-31 comeback victory over Minnesota in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.
Doege found Eric Ward on a short pass, and he outran a defender for a 35-yard scoring play to pull the Red Raiders even at 31 with just more than a minute remaining.
Michael Carter intercepted two of Doege's passes in the fourth quarter before the tying score, but Minnesota couldn't convert either of the turnovers into points.
The Red Raiders (8-5) got their third straight bowl win to wrap up a month that began with coach Tommy Tuberville's abrupt departure for the job at Cincinnati. Texas Tech has hired Kliff Kingsbury to replace him, but interim coach Chris Thomsen led the team against Minnesota (6-7). Kingsbury was at the game, watching from a suite.
"More than anything I credit those players," Thomsen said of Johnson and Doege. "They really held it together ... to get to make those plays after they struggled. They kept their poise and confidence and continued to stay in there and battle."
Johnson said it was fitting that they dealt with so much adversity on Friday night considering the tough month they've had.
"As a team we just continued to fight and have faith and work together," Johnson said. "This is a huge win for us as a group."
Doege threw for 271 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score in front of a crowd that included 1977 Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell and former Texas Tech coach Spike Dykes.
"That drive where we went and tied the game, we finally started clicking," Doege said. "It happened at the right time - probably should have happened sooner."
Freshman Philip Nelson threw for 138 yards and two scores for the Gophers, who were in a bowl game for the first time since 2009.
"I think our kids played hard tonight; they played their guts out, and I appreciate that," Minnesota coach Jerry Kill said. "We just couldn't make a play at a critical time."
The Red Raiders returned to a bowl after having their 18-season bowl streak snapped last year.
A 1-yard touchdown pass from Nelson to Drew Goodger gave Minnesota a 31-24 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Texas Tech led 24-17 at halftime, but couldn't do anything offensively in the second half until the last couple of minutes. It was an ugly game for the Red Raiders, who had 13 penalties for 135 yards and lost tight end Jace Amaro when he was ejected for throwing a punch.
"There was really no excuse for it," Thomsen said of the penalties. "We didn't play very smart."
Jakeem Grant ran for what was initially ruled a Tech touchdown late in the third quarter. Amaro threw a punch at Derrick Wells in the end zone on the play and was ejected.
After the penalty, the play was reviewed and overturned. Doege threw an incomplete pass before Tech made a 32-yard field goal. But the Red Raiders had a false start penalty on the play and had to kick again and this time the Gophers blocked it.
Nelson threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Devin Crawford-Tufts, who was left uncovered in the end zone, to tie it at 24 early in the third quarter.
Donnell Kirkwood scored on a 3-yard run to leave Minnesota up 17-14 early in the second.
Texas Tech had a first-and-goal at the Minnesota 2 after a pass-interference call on the Gophers. But Texas Tech had to settle for a field goal after a rush for a 3-yard loss and two penalties.
Minnesota's next drive started out well before turning ugly. The Gophers had made two first downs before MarQueis Gray was sacked for a loss of 7 yards. Kirkwood ran for 17 yards on the next play, but Minnesota received two 15-yard penalties on the play, one for a personal foul on lineman Zac Epping, to make it second-and-42. Epping received a second personal foul penalty on the next play to bring up third-and-49.
Christian Eldred shanked the punt, giving Texas Tech the ball at the Minnesota 42.
The Red Raiders capitalized on their great field position when Doege spun away from a defender in the backfield and leaped over another Gophers player near the goal line on a 4-yard touchdown run. Tech converted a fourth-and-6 play on that drive, and led by seven at halftime.
Minnesota's Rodrick Williams Jr. scored on a 2-yard run to give the Gophers a 10-7 lead in the first quarter.
Doege lost his helmet on a 5-yard scramble on Tech's next drive and had to go out for one play. He was replaced by Michael Brewer, who found Derreck Edwards for a 13-yard touchdown pass to give the Red Raiders a 14-10 lead.
Minnesota's Troy Stoudermire returned the opening kickoff 26 yards to break the NCAA record for career kickoff return yards. He finished the game with 111 to push his total to 3,615.
The Gophers ended that drive with a 41-yard field goal to make it 3-0.
Grant returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown to put Texas Tech up 7-3.
Texas Tech Bowl History (Record 13-21-1)
|Dec. 28, 2012||Texas Bowl-Texas Tech 34, Minnesota 31|
|Jan. 1, 2011||TicketCity Bowl-Texas Tech 45, Northwestern 38|
|Jan. 2, 2010||Alamo Bowl-Texas Tech 41, Michigan State 31|
|Jan. 2, 2009||Cotton Bowl-Mississippi 47, Texas Tech 34|
|Jan. 1, 2008||Gator Bowl-Texas Tech 31, Virginia 28|
|Dec. 29, 2006||Insight Bowl-Texas Tech 44, Minnesota 41, OT|
|Jan. 2, 2006||Cotton Bowl-Alabama 13, Texas Tech 10|
|Dec. 30, 2004||Holiday Bowl-Texas Tech 45, California 31|
|Dec. 30, 2003||Houston Bowl-Texas Tech 38, Navy 14|
|Dec. 23, 2002||Tangerine Bowl-Texas Tech 55, Clemson 15|
|Dec. 29, 2001||Alamo Bowl-Iowa 19, Texas Tech 16|
|Dec. 27, 2000||Galleryfurniture.com Bowl-East Carolina 40, Texas Tech 27|
|Dec. 31, 1998||Independence Bowl-Mississippi 35, Texas Tech 18|
|Dec. 29, 1996||Alamo Bowl-Iowa 27, Texas Tech 0|
|Dec. 27, 1995||Copper Bowl-Texas Tech 55, Air Force 41|
|Jan. 2, 1995||Cotton Bowl-Southern Cal 55, Texas Tech 14|
|Dec. 24, 1993||John Hancock Bowl-Oklahoma 41, Texas Tech 10|
|Dec. 28, 1989||All American Bowl-Texas Tech 49, Duke 21|
|Dec. 20, 1986||Independence Bowl-Mississippi 20, Texas Tech 17|
|Dec. 23, 1977||Tangerine Bowl-Florida State 40, Texas Tech 17|
|Dec. 31, 1976||Bluebonnet Bowl-Nebraska 27, Texas Tech 24|
|Dec. 28, 1974||Peach Bowl-Texas Tech 6, Vanderbilt 6, tie|
|Dec. 29, 1973||Gator Bowl-Texas Tech 28, Tennessee 19|
|Dec. 30, 1972||Sun Bowl-North Carolina 32, Texas Tech 28|
|Dec. 19, 1970||Sun Bowl-Georgia Tech 17, Texas Tech 9|
|Dec. 31, 1965||Gator Bowl-Georgia Tech 31, Texas Tech 21|
|Dec. 26, 1964||Sun Bowl-Georgia 7, Texas Tech 0|
|Jan. 2, 1956||Sun Bowl-Wyoming 21, Texas Tech 14|
|Jan. 1, 1954||Gator Bowl-Texas Tech 35, Auburn 13|
|Jan. 1, 1952||Sun Bowl-Texas Tech 25, Pacific U. 14|
|Dec. 31, 1949||Raisin Bowl-San Jose State 20, Texas Tech 13|
|Jan. 1, 1948||Sun Bowl-Miami, Ohio 13, Texas Tech 12|
|Jan. 1, 1942||Sun Bowl-Tulsa 6, Texas Tech 0|
|Jan. 2, 1939||Cotton Bowl-St. Mary's 20, Texas Tech 13|
|Jan. 1, 1938||Sun Bowl-West Virginia 7, Texas Tech 6| | http://www.big12sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=13156&DB_OEM_ID=10410&ATCLID=205858566 | 1,870 |
Kevin C. Cox
I wanted to take a look at the Atlanta Falcons and what the New York Giants did to have success against them in last year's playoff match-up. Even though the teams are not the same, they have a lot of similar personnel.
First I'm going to start with a 34-yard run by Brandon Jacobs in the second quarter when the score was 2-0 Atlanta. The Giants did not have a lot of success running the football last year during the regular season, and Atlanta countered that by routinely playing only seven in the box, especially early in the game. Here is one play where the design of a run is terrific, and springs Jacobs for big yardage.
The screen shots are from the All-22 camera angle so it's not quite as easy a picture to see, but you can see all of the players.
This first image is the pre-snap look. The Giants are in I formation, with a TE and 2 WR. Brandon Jacobs is the running back.
Here is the look right after the snap. Hynoski circled in light pink is going to attack the left side of the offensive line, usually indicating run to the left. Circled in yellow is Kevin Boothe he will be pulling to the right. Jacobs (circled in purple) makes a strong move to the left and it looks like he'll follow Hynoski.
Hyoski (circled in blue) is out blocking the linebacker. The Giants have won this run based on the alignment they have 2 offensive line (for your convenience marked "1" and "2") against two Falcons linebackers (also marked). Jacobs has now received the handoff from Eli and heads to the right side of the offensive line.
Jacobs (circled in blue) has a huge lane, the Falcons player at the 50 yard line is actually being blocked low by a Giants offensive linemen and won't have a chance to make the play. Jacobs takes the ball 39 yards for a big run that led to a 4-yard Hakeem Nicks touchdown reception on a pass from Eli Manning (and it was a terrific catch).
Hopefully the Giants can create this type of space in the game on Sunday, and if they do, David Wilson won't just take the ball 39 yards.
And Here's a play where the Falcons' offense had some success (that did not happen very often in last year's playoff game). This is a similar concept that has given the Giants some difficulty this year.
The Giants planned on stopping the run in last year's game and often had eight men in the box, moreso than I remember from watching the game live last year.
On this play the Falcons have the formation very tight, Roddy White is circled in yellow.
White is circled in yellow and is going to run and in route. Jones (circled in light purple) is going to try and blow the top off of the coverage by just streaking down the field. In blue, Jason Pierre Paul is chipping Tony Gonzalez, Antrel Rolle will have coverage responsibility where Gonzalez ends up.
White is circled in yellow and has found the soft spot in the zone. Jones is still streaking up the middle of the field.
White has a lot of room to operate because Jones carries the cornerback with him and the safety must protect against the big play. Nothing fancy, but a concept that has given the Giants problems a few times this year (against Green Bay and again against the Bengals); in these three plays, the teams kept seven or 8 in protection and sent out only 2 or 3 players into routes. The plays were long developing routes that focused on one half of the field, negating the numbers advantage of the Giants zone.
The Giants have to win the battle up front in the trenches to counter the max-protection schemes, which has been a problem a times this year.
This was not an exciting play to show, rather just one of the few effective plays the Falcons ran last year against the Giants. With the Falcons running game being less effective this year than it was last year, I'd expect to see more passes like this one.
I just want to take a look at one more play because it was a weird play to re-watch. This play is the first failed 4th and 1 conversion the Falcons attempted in the playoff game.
Above is the first image and the original formation.
The Falcons shift the entire offensive line over like we're watching a college football extra point or playing musical chairs. The guard is now going to snap the football and it's a very unbalanced offensive line.
The Falcons then send the TE in motion, he steps back, runs to the middle of the field pretends to turn back to his original spot, and then crosses the field. He confuses no one.
Now the TE who had crossed the field gets up on the line of scrimmage and the RT (or whatever he is now) steps off the line of scrimmage.
Now the Falcons shift over the full back (Michael Turner on this play) and send the running back (Roddy White) into motion.
Then they run the QB sneak that got stuffed. Such a goofy play if you can remember it. The still shots don't do it justice.
The Giants were able to pound the football on the Falcons last year and hit timely passes. This year the Falcons are struggling to stop the run giving up 4.9 yards per carry and 14 touchdowns (5th most in the league). They have also given up a ridiculous seven rushes of more than 40 yards (worst in the league), and are a team that is struggling to tackle. They have missed 102 tackles on the year according to Pro Fooball Focus (the Giants on the other hand have missed 62), the Lions who are considered a bad tackling team have missed 92. The Saints who are considered absolutely brutal at tackling have missed 110), The Eagles who gave up tackling three weeks ago have missed 91, and the Panthers who are probably the worst tackling team I've seen have missed 116.
That's a long-winded way of saying the Falcons are terrible at tackling and stopping the run. We might again next week be talking about whether or not David Wilson should stop doing backflips in the end-zone.
They do, however, have Asante Samuel. And whenever Asante Samuel is playing he is one of Eli's three favorite targets, so that's something to watch out for as well.
This should be a good game, depending on which Giants team shows up on Sunday. | http://www.bigblueview.com/2012/12/13/3761272/atlanta-falcons-film-review-new-york-giants-2012-nfl-schedule | 1,349 |
What does the future hold for Ahmad Bradshaw? - Al Bello
The New York Giants had a trio of talented running backs in 2012. What will they do at that position heading into 2013?
The New York Giants had a 1,000-yard rusher in 2012 and were the only team in the NFL to have three running backs gain 100 or more yards in a game. Despite all of that success, there are questions about the running back position for the Giants going forward.
Let's take a closer look at running back as we continue our positional reviews, assessing the 2012 season and turning an eye toward what could happen in 2013.
Ahmad Bradshaw -- The only thing to complain about with Bradshaw is that the guy just can't stay healthy. His feet are a seemingly chronic issue, and they impact his availability every season. The second 1,000-yard season of his career and the 4.6 yards per carry average is certainly evidence of that.
|2012 - Ahmad Bradshaw||14||221||1015||72.5||4.6||37||6||23||245||17.5||10.7||59||0|
David Wilson -- Did most of his damage as a kickoff returner, making second-team All-Pro for his work there. In his limited running opportunities we saw the speed and big-play potential. If he stays healthy he could be making big plays for the Giants for years to come.
|2012 - David Wilson||16||71||358||22.4||5||52||4||4||34||2.1||8.5||15||1|
Andre Brown -- When the Giants kept Brown and released veteran D.J. Ware you wondered what they were thinking. Well, Brown showed you the Giants knew what they were doing. It was truly unfortunate that he missed the last few games of the season with a broken leg. No matter what other decisions the Giants make about the running game going forward, Brown has earned a role.
|2012 - Andre Brown||10||73||385||38.5||5.3||31||8||12||86||8.6||7.2||17||0|
Henry Hynoski -- One of the best fullbacks in the league. Hynoski had a +8.0 grade from Pro Football Focus, and got the first five carries of his NFL career. He also got his first touchdown
Hynoski 2012 stats:
Rushing: 5 carries, 20 yards (4.0 yards per carry)
Receiving: 11 receptions, 50 yards, 1 touchdown
Da'Rel Scott -- After two seasons all we really know about the 2011 seventh-round draft pick is that he's fast. He played in only four games in 2012 and had 6 carries for 9 yards.
Kregg Lumpkin -- Signed mid-season as a third-down back, but never caught a pass. He carried 9 times for 42 yards (4.7 yards per carry).
Ryan Torain -- Signed at the same time Lumpkin was, but never touched the ball.
We have talked about this already, but I see no other option for the Giants than making Wilson the featured back in 2012. He is healthier than Bradshaw, more explosive, and showed at the end of the season that he is ready for the responsibility.
Will the Giants keep Bradshaw, owed $7.75 million over the next two seasons, as the No. 2 back? Will they ask him to take a pay cut to stay? Will they just turn him loose and go with a tandem of Wilson and Brown? That will be one of the most interesting decisions of the off-season.
My guess? Bradshaw returns with a reduced role. | http://www.bigblueview.com/2013/1/14/3866676/new-york-giants-positional-reviews-running-back-ahmad-bradshaw-david-wilson-andre-brown | 780 |
USA TODAY Sports
FCD looks to open the season 2-0 against lowly Chivas USA out in California
FCD opens up their 2013 road campaign this afternoon at the
Home Depot Center StubHub Center against Chivas USA. The goats lost their first match 3-0 at home against Columbus, though the scoreline didn't quite indicate how close the game was with Chivas hitting the post in the first half and conceding two late goals to the Crew in the loss. FC Dallas heads to LA looking to go 2-0 on the young season while a win today would be the first time a Schellas Hyndman-coached FC Dallas team started the season with two wins.
All time at Chivas FCD has found a relative amount of success historically playing at Chivas with a 5-3-2 record against the Goats in Carson, CA. Last year, FCD took a 1-0 lead through Blas Perez before disappointingly allowing a second half goal in an awful 1-1 draw.
Perez still out, but Hassli in? Schellas Hyndman said this week that Eric Hassli had his best practice so far on Monday and the Frenchman looked to be majorly shaking off the rust this week in practice. It wouldn't surprise me to see him play some part in the match, though he is very unlikely to start.
Viewing Options If you have Time Warner Cable, the game is in HD on channel 148, but if you're on another provider, today's game is on national TV on UniMas which was formerly known as Telefutura.
Keys to the Game
Get Ferreira more involved I wrote about it yesterday for MLSsoccer.com and it was a major point of emphasis in training all week for FC Dallas. To find success this afternoon, Dallas must get David Ferreira more involved than he was against Colorado as the Colombian had almost no impact on the match.
Retain possession FCD was dominated in possession against Colorado which, given their packing of the midfield, was somewhat understandable but it's something that will have to be fixed tonight, though it could be a problem again seeing that Chivas USA prefers to play a 3-5-2 system.
REFEREE: Armando Villarreal. SAR (bench): Greg Barkey; JAR (opposite): Brian Poeschel; 4th: Jair Marrufo
MLS Career: 9 games; FC/gm: 22.9; Y/gm: 2.8; R: 5; pens: 3
Prediction(1-0 on the year)
I can't see past Dallas in this one. They spoke all week about how they have to be much better this weekend than last, a game they won, and I think Dallas does play better today. The 5-man Chivas USA midfield could pose FCD some problems, but Dallas is a much, much better team on paper and Chivas' strikeforce is no better than the one that Dallas stopped last weekend with relative ease.
2-0 FC Dallas | http://www.bigdsoccer.com/2013/3/10/4086512/matchday-2-fc-dallas-at-chivas-usa | 634 |
HIGH POINT, N.C. -- The High Point University men's basketball team pulled away late to pick up a 68-58 win over Gardner-Webb in the first round of the Big South Men's Championship on Monday night in the Millis Center. Redshirt-junior Corey Law finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds in the game while senior Nick Barbour led all scorers with 22 points.
Law shot 6-for-9 from the floor in the game and had several thunderous dunks in the win. The forward also had two blocks and steal on the night. Barbour shot 6-for-12 from the floor and 8-for-9 from the line. Barbour scored eight points in the opening minutes of the game, converting his first three shots including two treys. HPU senior Shay Shine finished the game with 11 points to go along with eight rebounds and a team-high six assists.
Junior Tashan Newsome led Gardner-Webb on the night with 21 points on 10-for-17 shooting and added nine rebounds. He finished as the only Runnin' Bulldog player in double figures as the next highest scorer was Laron Buggs with eight points.
High Point won a game in the Big South Tournament for the second year in a row and improved to 13-17 overall with the victory. Gardner-Webb finished the season with a 12-20 record.
With 3:09 remaining, Gardner-Webb's Newsome drove to the hole and made a layup to narrow the HPU lead to 50-45. HPU junior Branimir Mikulic then took a feed from Shine way beyond the arc and drained it, but Gardner-Webb's Tyler Strange came right back with a trey of his own.
On the next possession, Barbour hit two free throws to extend the lead back to seven points (55-48) with 2:19 remaining in the game. Barbour then came away with a steal and handed the ball off to Law who slammed it home. The Panthers extended their lead to 12 points (60-48) on a three-point play by Barbour with 1:43 remaining.
Newsome and Brown hit back to back trey's for GWU to bring the game back to seven points, 60-53, with 1:03 remaining, however, High Point played out the remainder from the free-throw line to win, 68-58.
High Point went out to a quick 9-4 lead to open the game before Gardner-Webb was able to pull back and take the lead 20-19 with 7:19 remaining in the first. The Panthers responded and went into the break with a four point lead, 26-22. Freshman guard Devante Wallace nearly tipped in a basket at the buzzer in the first half, but it was called back after an official review.
Gardner-Webb battled back early in the second half to tie the game, 26-26, before Shine hit a trey to give the Panthers the lead for good.
High Point will play No. 1-seed UNC Asheville in the Big South Quarterfinals on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Kimmel Arena in Asheville, N.C.
High Point Head Coach Scott Cherry
"It's tournament time, basically you try to survive and advance. It wasn't the prettiest thing but our kids gutted it out and did the things necessary to win the game. We got tremendous efforts from Barbour and Law. Overall we did a really good job out there tonight and hope to carry the energy into the next one."
Gardner-Webb Head Coach Chris Holtmann
"I have to give the High Point team credit, they have obviously been playing well here in the Millis Center and their ability to spread you out and shoot the ball makes them difficult to guard. There are some things we could have done better and we hope to improve on that next season." | http://www.bigsouthsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=1987&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=4800&ATCLID=205388409 | 819 |
Nov. 27, 2009
NCAA Complete Interactive Bracket
Complete Release in PDF Format
The third round of the 2009 NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship begins this Sunday with Indiana and Northwestern still in the hunt for the national crown. After playing host in the opening rounds of competition, both teams will travel to meet third-round opponents. Winners from the round of 16 will advance to the quarterfinals with games being played on either Dec. 4, 5 or 6.
The Hoosiers travel to Chapel Hill, N.C. where they will face No. 5 seed North Carolina in their second straight third-round appearance and the third in the lat four years. Indiana advanced to the third round by beating Louisville (2-0) and No. 12 seed Butler (1-0). The Hoosiers will look to improve on their Division I-best 76 wins and all-time record of 76-24-4 (.750) in national tournament play in Sunday's matchup against the Tar Heels, which is set to kickoff at 2 p.m. ET. The game will mark the third NCAA tournament meeting between the Hoosiers and the Tar Heels with North Carolina proving victorious most recently with a 2-0 win in the 2001 NCAA College Cup title match. In 2000, Indiana downed the ACC foe 1-0 in the quarterfinal round. Indiana is currently 5-2 in its last seven matches while shutting out its opponents in four of its last five NCAA tournament matches.
Ninth-seed Northwestern will journey to Tulsa, Okla., to face No. 8 seed Tulsa for a third-round matchup set for 3 p.m. ET. The Wildcats ousted Notre Dame (3-1) in their opening round while the Golden Hurricanes survived a narrow 4-3 overtime decison over Saint Louis to advance in the bracket. The NCAA bid mark the Wildcats' fifth tournament berth, marking the 2009 NU senior class the first to compete in the NCAA Championship in each of its four years.
The 16 remaining teams will be vying for the chance to compete at the 2009 NCAA Men's College Cup, scheduled to take place Sunday, Dec. 13 in Cary N.C., at WakeMed Soccer Park. North Carolina State University, the Town of Cary and the Capital Area Soccer League will serve as Championship host. | http://www.bigten.org/sports/m-soccer/spec-rel/112709aaa.html | 471 |
Greg Lemond - the only US winner of the Tour de France - has written a powerful open letter to UCI chief Pat McQuaid
Tour de France champion Greg Lemond last night slammed into Pat McQuaid, president of the Union Cycliste Internationale. He wrote on open letter on his Facebook page and the incendiary words are going viral in the world of cycling.
Lemond claimed McQuaid was the "epitome of corruption" and should "f##k off and resign."
McQuaid and Hein Verbruggen, honourary president of the UCI, are currently suing journalist Paul Kimmage for claiming the pair were corrupt. The Paul Kimmage defence fund - seen by many as a referendum on the UCI - has, to date, raised $73,000, including cash contributions from industry figures such as Michael Bonney of Orange and Steve Fenton of Taiwan-based ProLite.
In his open letter Lemond said he had also made a cash contribution to the fund and would be willing to spend more, if it hastened the resignations of McQuaid and Verbruggen.
Article continues below
OPEN LETTER FROM GREG LEMOND
Can anyone help me out? I know this sounds kind of lame but I am not well versed in social marketing. I would like to send a message to everyone that really loves cycling. I do not use twitter and do not have an organized way of getting some of my own "rage" out. I want to tell the world of cycling to please join me in telling Pat McQuaid to f##k off and resign. I have never seen such an abuse of power in cycling's history- resign Pat if you love cycling. Resign even if you hate the sport.
Pat McQuaid, you know damn well what has been going on in cycling, and if you want to deny it, then even more reasons why those who love cycling need to demand that you resign.
I have a file with what I believe is well documented proof that will exonerate Paul.
Pat in my opinion you and Hein are the corrupt part of the sport. I do not want to include everyone at the UCI because I believe that there are many, maybe most that work at the UCI that are dedicated to cycling, they do it out of the love of the sport, but you and your buddy Hein have destroyed the sport.
Pat, I thought you loved cycling? At one time you did and if you did love cycling please dig deep inside and remember that part of your life- allow cycling to grow and flourish- please! It is time to walk away. Walk away if you love cycling.
As a reminder I just want to point out that recently you accused me of being the cause of USADA's investigation against Lance Armstrong. Why would you be inclined to go straight to me as the "cause"? Why shoot the messenger every time?
Every time you do this I get more and more entrenched. I was in your country over the last two weeks and I asked someone that knows you if you were someone that could be rehabilitated. His answer was very quick and it was not good for you. No was the answer, no, no , no!
The problem for sport is not drugs but corruption. You are the epitome of the word corruption.
You can read all about Webster's definition of corruption. If you want I can re-post my attorney's response to your letter where you threaten to sue me for calling the UCI corrupt. FYI I want to officially reiterate to you and Hein that in my opinion the two of your represent the essence of corruption.
I would encourage anyone that loves cycling to donate and support Paul in his fight against the Pat and Hein and the UCI. Skip lunch and donate the amount that you would have spent towards that Sunday buffet towards changing the sport of cycling.
I donated money for Paul's defense, and I am willing to donate a lot more, but I would like to use it to lobby for dramatic change in cycling. The sport does not need Pat McQuaid or Hein Verbruggen- if this sport is going to change it is now. Not next year, not down the road, now! Now or never!
People that really care about cycling have the power to change cycling- change it now by voicing your thought and donating money towards Paul Kimmage's defense, (Paul, I want to encourage you to not spend the money that has been donated to your defense fund on defending yourself in Switzerland. In my case, a USA citizen, I could care less if I lost the UCI's bogus lawsuit. Use the money to lobby for real change).
If people really want to clean the sport of cycling up all you have to do is put your money where your mouth is.
Don't buy a USA Cycling license. Give up racing for a year, just long enough to put the UCI and USA cycling out of business. We can then start from scratch and let the real lovers in cycling direct where and how the sport of cycling will go.
Pic of Greg Lemond is from Interbike 2008 when Lemond famously clashed with Lance Armstrong. | http://www.bikebiz.com/index.php/news/read/ff-k-off-and-resign-lemond-tells-uci-boss/013830 | 1,067 |
Despite Increases, Hialeah's Future Remains Uncertain
Updated: Wednesday, April 11, 2001 8:19 PM
Posted: Monday, April 9, 2001 1:33 PM
Though its future is imperiled by the prospect of head-to-head competition from Gulfstream Park and Calder Race Course, Hialeah Park posted strong numbers through its first three weeks of live racing.
Buoyed by good weather, a resolution of its differences with the local horsemen's association, and an increase in field size, Hialeah recorded a 20% jump in total handle and a 3% increase in on-track attendance.
The average field size of 7.6 represents a 20% increase from 1999. In 2000, the Hialeah meet was held at Gulfstream.
While figures in all categories are down somewhat from the Hialeah-at-Gulfstream meet, track officials are pleased. "This is going to be the best meet ever at this track," said general manager Richard Sacco, who alluded in part to an accord that will keep Hialeah's signal beaming into Aqueduct through the end of April.
Still, as the meet progresses toward its scheduled May 22 conclusion, there is a black cloud. "This is as bad now as it has ever been," Hialeah chairman John Brunetti Sr. said.
Brunetti said his track couldn't survive if, as scheduled, Gulfstream and Calder expand their 2002 racing calendar to allow Hialeah just a handful of unopposed dates.
Brunetti has enlisted the support of traditional allies in the state legislature and Miami Mayor Alex Penelas in an effort to revive regulation that restricts tracks to specific dates.
"We're the home team here," said Brunetti, who noted that Gulfstream and Calder are owned by out-of-state corporations. "I just hope people don't look back and realize what a wonderful thing was lost when Hialeah closes."
Brunetti said he has fielded inquiries from unnamed "non-racing people" about the facility, which has an estimated property value of more than $7 million. "In the next four or five weeks we should know what will happen," he said. By Scott Davis
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Follow the top stories of major racing events, racing previews and results with FREE e-newsletters from bloodhorse.com. As news develops, we'll deliver updates to your inbox. Follow important events moment by moment, step by step! | http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/3608/despite-increases-hialeahs-future-remains-uncertain | 525 |
Byron Scott accepted his NBA coach of the year award, then guided his team to the second round of the playoffs.
Chris Paul had 24 points, 15 assists, and 11 rebounds, and the host New Orleans Hornets held on for a 99-94 victory over the Dallas Mavericks last night to win their first-round series in five games. The Hornets will face the Spurs in the second round beginning Saturday in New Orleans.
David West scored 25 for New Orleans and Jannero Pargo had 17, while Tyson Chandler had 10 points and 14 rebounds.
Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 22 points and 13 rebounds, and Devean George added 11 points in the fourth quarter as Dallas nearly pulled off an improbable comeback. The Mavs cut a 17-point deficit to 3 in the final seven minutes before Peja Stojakovic hit a pair of free throws to seal it with 5.7 seconds left.
Tempers flared near the end, and Jerry Stackhouse was ejected for a second technical foul with 1:47 left after slapping the ball out of Paul's hands during a stoppage in play, then getting in a face-to-face standoff with West.
Dallas never led and was hurt badly by an 11-1 Hornets run after Nowitzki's free throw had pulled the Mavs to 73-66 early in the fourth quarter.
Dallas played solid defense on New Orleans's next possession, keeping the ball on the perimeter, but Pargo hit a deflating three at the buzzer.
Jason Kidd finished with 14 points and nine assists, Jason Terry had 13 points, and Josh Howard had 12 for the Mavericks. Stackhouse had 11 points.
Pistons 98, 76ers 81 - Chauncey Billups scored 21 points, Richard Hamilton had 20, and Rasheed Wallace added 19 to lift the host Pistons to a 3-2 lead in the first-round series.
Detroit leads in the series for the first time after being the first team to win consecutive games.
If the Pistons win Game 6 tomorrow night in Philadelphia or Game 7 at home, they will advance in the playoffs for the seventh year in a row.
The third-seeded Orlando Magic, who eliminated Toronto Monday night, await the winner in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Andre Iguodala scored a career playoff-high 21 points, finally putting together a night that resembled his play in the regular season, but he didn't have much help.
None of his teammates reached double figures until Andre Miller did in the third quarter, but the point guard missed nine shots in a row in the first half when the game was relatively close.
Billups, Wallace, and Hamilton combined for 58 points through three quarters, outscoring the Sixers until Rodney Carney made a three to end the quarter, cutting their deficit to 20 points.
Detroit's Tayshaun Prince finished with 17 points, giving the balanced team a fourth option offensively.
Miller finished with 13 points and reserve Louis Williams scored 13.
Spurs 92, Suns 87 - Tony Parker scored 31 points, Tim Duncan added 29 points and 17 rebounds, and San Antonio advanced to the Western Conference semifinals against the Hornets with a victory at home.
Boris Diaw, who had a near triple-double in the Suns' rout of the Spurs in Game 4, led Phoenix with 22 points.
Four other players scored in double digits, but the Suns had a number of costly turnovers down the stretch and were sent home yet again by the Spurs, who have eliminated Phoenix in four of their last five playoff appearances.
Rockets 95, Jazz 69 - Tracy McGrady scored 29 points, Luis Scola added 18 points and 12 rebounds, and the Rockets staved off elimination in Houston by routing Utah in Game 5 of their first-round series.
Dikembe Mutombo grabbed 10 rebounds as the Rockets cut their series deficit to 3-2 and forced Game 6 in Utah Friday night.
Now, the Jazz can end the series at home, where they went 37-4 during the regular season. But it's no guarantee - Houston was the first team to beat Utah in Salt Lake City during the regular season and won Game 3 there last Thursday.
The Rockets did everything they hadn't done for most of the series. They shot well, hit their free throws, and got valuable production off the bench.
Carlos Boozer led Utah with 19 points and 10 rebounds. | http://www.boston.com/sports/articles/2008/04/30/hornets_send_mavs_packing/?camp=pm | 908 |
MLS tries to build through Euro club visits
Touring European teams could boost US soccer
As Tom Werner walked down Boylston Street recently, he was stopped, recognized by a fan. Not a Red Sox fan, though.
Perhaps just 100 yards from Fenway Park, Werner was recognized not for the beloved baseball team he helped bring to two World Series titles, but for his work with Liverpool Football Club, the English Premier League team an ocean away.
The reach is great — of Liverpool, of the English Premier League, of top-level European soccer. And many of those clubs, in an effort to extend their fan bases in the emerging soccer market of the United States, are doing so with summer tours of the country, with exhibitions such as the Liverpool-AS Roma game at Fenway Wednesday.
But who are the Liverpool diehards who will be packing Fenway Park?
They are mostly American, mostly young, mostly well educated. And most have never seen their favorite English soccer club in person. Tim Treacy, chairman of the local Boston Liverpool fan club, estimates that 90 percent of his club’s approximately 130 members are American, and most are native Bostonians, though Treacy is originally from Ireland. While the membership numbers are not large, the reach of the club through social media extends to 8,000 to 9,000 additional fans, Treacy said.
Those demographics are echoed in the American soccer market at large. David Nathanson, Fox Soccer’s executive vice president, said that expatriates are making up an increasingly small share of the US soccer fan base. Just three years ago, 10 percent of US soccer fans were expatriates; today that has shrunk to 5 percent.
“The soccer audience is the youngest, most affluent, most educated audience in cable television compared to other sports on cable television,” Nathanson said. “The median age of a Fox Soccer viewer is in the early 30s, the average household income of a Fox Soccer viewer is $90,000, which skews extremely high compared to the US population, obviously, and they’re educated.”
Those are the people who on weekends pack Cambridge’s Phoenix Landing — a Central Square pub that bills itself as Boston’s official headquarters for Liverpool FC — to watch games broadcast from England. They are the ones who will be taking up space in Fenway’s bleachers, with John Henry’s properties come together in a way they never imagined.
International soccer is promoted and encouraged by Major League Soccer, the US league that has made strides in recent years but still lags far behind international soccer in terms of passion, talent, and financial resources.
“There’s certainly enormous overlap today between the international soccer market and the MLS soccer market,” said Don Garber, Major League Soccer’s commissioner. “Our goal is to continue to convert those people who begin their soccer fan experience through a connection to an international, whether that be through the EA [video] game or watching the Premier League on television. Then we work hard to convert those fans into being a passionate supporter of a local team.”
But unfortunately for MLS, there are some fans of European soccer who still disdain American soccer clubs.
“It’s a fight in the community about Euro snobs, and whether or not these guys [in MLS] are good enough,” said Jay Taraskiewicz, membership director of the LFC Supporters Club Boston.
“I see that’s kind of diminished some. [But] I think you’re always going to have some classism that comes from people who like soccer in America. The top-level clubs in Europe, the play is just phenomenal and you see it. It’s the question of do you only want to go see a Major League Baseball game or will you have a good time going to the Double A game or to Lowell?”
While MLS is doing its best – though still acknowledging the deep divide in talent – the league is welcoming the best of Europe to its fields and stadiums this summer. From July 18 to Aug. 15, 35 games are scheduled in the United States and Canada involving international teams, the most in recent history.
That includes the MLS All-Star game, in which the best of the US league will take on EPL club Chelsea. In May, Chelsea became Europe’s club champion for the first time when it defeated Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League final.
“People are curious to see how we do fare against a world-class competitor,” Garber said.
Though, he added, even the best of MLS is not close to on par with the best of Europe.
“The reality is that our 17-year-old league is not competitive on the field against the English Premier League from every way, from what we spend on players to the history and the tradition of the sport,” Garber said. “That’s just the reality that we live in.
“We try to do a wide variety of things that bridge that gap and try to convince the international soccer fan that the gap is not as big as they think it is.”
So it is that MLS encourages teams such as Liverpool and Roma to make the journey across the Atlantic. The league believes it’s a win-win, that by bringing European teams into the fold, that the soccer audience increases, helping international clubs looking to expand market share and domestic clubs looking to increase interest in soccer.
Part of the reason that top-division European clubs such as Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Liverpool have become some of the most valuable properties in sports is their commitment to touring worldwide, to developing their US and Asian audiences, Nathanson said.
“I believe that there’s a deep commitment among everyone in the soccer community to try to unlock this massive sports market here in the United States that has become a real emerging soccer powerhouse,” Garber said. “It’s all part of growing the game.
“We’re really not competing against each other, frankly, as much as we’re competing against the other pro sports leagues.”
There is evidence the strategy has worked, or at least that Americans are finally paying attention. MLS average attendance has grown from 14,862 in 2001 to 18,626 in 2012.
Treacy from the LFC fan club, who arrived in the United States seven years , said he never saw a Liverpool jersey during his first year in the country. Now? He sees an English Premier League team jersey at least once a day, and those often belong to his favorite club.
Werner, chairman of the Red Sox and Liverpool FC, recounted how when Fenway Park hosted Scotland’s Celtic FC vs. Sporting of Lisbon in 2010, they had to work hard to sell tickets. The event sold out, but it took a lot of effort.
Now? In the first three weeks, 30,000 tickets were sold for Liverpool-Roma.
But even if those international soccer fans are being captured, even if Garber argues that “our view is anything that raises the water level for soccer in our country is good for MLS,” even if MLS sees a carryover audience from international matches on TV transitioning into MLS broadcasts, the bias still remains.
“In American sports, the way it’s projected is usually like these are the greatest athletes in the world, these are the greatest sports,” Taraskiewicz said. “So you can almost see the backlash in some ways, like this is ours. It’s something the Americans will never be best at, something the rest of the world will always have.” | http://www.boston.com/sports/soccer/articles/2012/07/23/liverpool_other_european_teams_can_help_soccers_popularity_in_usa/ | 1,616 |
Robert Griffin III showed he can win games without using his legs. One more victory puts the Washington Redskins in the playoffs.
Griffin threw a pair of touchdown passes in his first game back from a knee injury, Kai Forbath set the NFL record for consecutive field goals to begin a career, and the Redskins held on to beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-20, on Sunday for their sixth straight win.
Counted out by their own coach six weeks ago, the Redskins (9-6) are on the brink of their first division title in 13 years. Washington can clinch the NFC East with a victory over Dallas at home next Sunday. The Redskins haven’t won it since 1999 and last reached the playoffs in 2007. They could still back into the postseason with a loss.
‘‘We’re already onto the next one,’’ Griffin said. ‘‘You don’t celebrate wins at this point of the season.’’
Trying to play spoiler, the Eagles (4-11) fell short in what could’ve been Andy Reid’s last game coaching the team at home. Reid is unlikely to return to Philadelphia for his 15th season next year.
A sprained right knee forced Griffin to miss last week’s win at Cleveland. The rookie had a season-low 4 yards rushing but made several big throws, finishing 16 of 24 for 198 yards with an interception.
Ravens 33, Giants 14
Joe Flacco threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns and host Baltimore crushed New York to capture its second straight AFC North crown.
Baltimore (10-5) scored touchdowns on its first two possessions and amassed a season-high 533 yards.
The defeat eliminated the defending Super Bowl champion Giants (8-7) from contention in the NFC East and damaged their chances for a wild-card berth.
Colts 20, Chiefs 13
Andrew Luck finished with 205 yards passing to break Cam Newton’s year-old rookie record of 4,051 yards in a season and threw a 7-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to rally Indianapolis (10-5) past Kansas City (2-13).
The win clinches a playoff berth for the Colts, who went 2-14 a year ago.
Broncos 34, Browns 12
Host Denver won its 10th straight as Peyton Manning threw three TD passes for the 72d time in a rout of Cleveland (5-10).
Denver (12-3) pulled into a tie for first in the AFC with Houston and could win the top seed with a win next week and a Houston loss.
Saints 34, Cowboys 31
Drew Brees threw for 446 yards and three touchdowns and Garrett Hartley kicked a 20-yard field goal in overtime as visiting New Orleans (7-8) damaged Dallas’s playoff hopes.
The Saints’ playoff hopes ended with Minnesota’s victory against Houston. The Cowboys (8-7), who forced OT with two TDs in the final 3:35, can win the NFC East by beating Washington next week.
Chargers 27, Jets 17
Visiting San Diego sacked Greg McElroy 11 times, tying the team record, and ruining the New York quarterback’s first start in place of Mark Sanchez.
Kendall Reyes finished with 3½ sacks for the Chargers (6-9), who finished one off the NFL mark set by several teams, last by the Giants in 2007.
Packers 55, Titans 7
Aaron Rodgers threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, Ryan Grant scored twice, and Green Bay (11-4) scored more than 50 points for the first time since 2005 with a rout of visiting Tennessee (5-10).
Bears 28, Cardinals 13
Charles Tillman returned an interception 10 yards for a score and Zack Bowman returned a fumble 1 yard for another TD, helping Chicago (9-6) beat Arizona (5-10) and keep its playoff hopes alive.
Rams 28, Buccaneers 13
Sam Bradford tossed a pair of touchdown passes, rookie cornerback Janoris Jenkins scored his fourth TD of the season, and visiting St. Louis (7-7-1) intercepted Josh Freeman four times in a win over Tampa Bay (6-9).
Panthers 17, Raiders 6
Cam Newton threw for 171 yards and a TD and ran for 60 yards and another score, and Carolina (6-9) limited Oakland (4-11) to 189 total yards and 12 first downs to earn the win in Charlotte, N.C. | http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2012/12/24/robert-griffin-iii-returns-lead-redskins-past-eagles/9cn0tOvJFXzGmpOi8M5cYN/story.html | 945 |
Originally Posted by goodnight
he was never good enough for australia let alone nsw, he never ever made a tackle and was a constant liability in defence - the same reason why that soward won't play. NRL you can hide on the wing etc but not in rep footy.
plus as a 5/8 he would never pass the ball, as he was bigger than the team.
Bang on mate.
There is one simple principle in rep league, if you play solo, you're a marked man. If you are the pivot & play maker & get taken out, the team is at a disadvantage, & in that environment, you can get run over in a very short time.
Anthony thought he was bigger than the game. He might have been good enough but when you let one player run rampant, pretty soon they all want to "stand out"
That's what Choc didn't understand & he wouldn't accept teamsmanship, that's why he switched to boxing.
The racist card was an excuse IMO. | http://www.boxingforum24.com/showpost.php?p=7087095&postcount=9 | 214 |
Originally Posted by 4Corners
I'm pretty sure it's all but 100% official. It'll happen. Great fight, best fight for him at the weight right now.
Win-lose-draw I will give Broner his props for stepping up. Not many rate DeMarco I think its kind of too knock Valeros best win but there is no doubt in my mind DeMarco is a damn good fighter coming off a good string of wins. | http://www.boxingscene.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12525792&postcount=4 | 93 |
by David P. Greisman
The postponed super-middleweight eliminator bout between Adonis Stevenson and Donovan George wasn’t postponed for too long — what was once scheduled for Aug. 11 in Montreal will now be taking place Aug. 17 in Tulsa, Okla., according to Stevenson’s promoter, Yvon Michel, who posted that news on his Facebook page on Wednesday night.
Stevenson-George was initially scheduled for the undercard to Tavoris Cloud vs. Jean Pascal. But when the main event was postponed after Pascal suffered an injury in training camp, the co-feature was left, for the moment, up in the air.
It didn’t remain up in the air too long. The season finale of ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights” was originally slated to take place in San Francisco and feature Karim Mayfield vs Mauricio Herrera. But Herrera got hurt during training camp and pulled out as of July 21. And Mayfield himself pulled out at the end of July, also citing an injury.
That apparently opened up room for Stevenson-George. The winner of that fight will become the mandatory challenger to the International Boxing Federation belt currently held by Carl Froch.
Stevenson, 34, is 18-1 with 15 knockouts. He last fought in April, stopping Noe Gonzalez Alcoba. George, 27, is 22-2-1 with 19 knockouts and is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Edwin Rodriguez in March.
David P. Greisman is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow David on Twitter @fightingwords2 or send questions/comments via email at [email protected]: Donovan George , Adonis Stevenson , Stevenson-George , Stevenson vs. George | http://www.boxingscene.com/stevenson-george-moved-8-17-espn-fnf-finale--55624 | 365 |
Boise State Broncos Future Odds to Win the BCS Championship
|Written by Charlie Jimenez|
|Wednesday, 08 August 2012 08:02|
Although it is normal to see players leaving their College Football Teams for professional opportunities, it is not normal to see a team such as Boise State go through the changes they are going through because of this.
Kellen Moore left the team after being their QB for the last four years. It is still not to clear who will be the replacement for Moore. They also had to surrender two players to the NFL Draft, Doug Martin who is a running back and DE Shea McClellin. And if you add to this the entire defensive line with Nate Potter, Tyler Shoemaker and George Iloka then you can truly understand the type of pressure the team might be under.
Besides the roster getting a harsh hit, the coaching staff also went through some changes. Their offensive coordinator left to Florida to do the same job. Two other assistants also left. It is safe to say that the only change that this team did not go through was a change in conference although they will next year when they will be part of the Big East.
Remember to take advantage of the $900 Free Play at BetOnline.
This season will be a true test for the Broncos as they can either surface like the Phoenix Bird and rebuild from the ashes or let themselves be weakened by all that is happening. It will be a test to see how strong they are and how well they adapt to the changes. At least they have a strong offensive line to help them get through the transitions more smoothly.
Despite all the changes, handicappers are not hitting the Boise State Broncos that roughly with the College Football Future Odds. There is some optimism showing that the Broncos are -300 favorites to take it all in the Mountain West. Nevada, who is at +525 are looks to be the closest contender to challenge the Broncos. Although the chances for them to win the National Championship are remote and maybe even impossible in the eyes of many, they might have a better season than expected after suffering all these changes.
|Last Updated on Tuesday, 07 August 2012 21:12| | http://www.bsnsportsblog.com/ncaa/boise-state-broncos-future-odds-to-win-the-bcs-championship | 443 |
Montgomery Heads into Fifth Year on Bison Sidelines
2012 Holiday Edition
Feature Story on Bucknell Field Hockey Junior Vickie Resh
Bucknell Field Hockey Looks for Repeat Upsets at Patriot League Tournament, Faces No. 2 American Friday
Third Seeded Bison Eye Second Consecutive Trip to Championship in Easton, Pa.
Bison Clinch Patriot League Postseason Berth on Senior Day
Jeremy Cook, a former member of the United States men's national field hockey team, was named head field hockey coach at Bucknell in July 2008.
Among his extensive international field hockey experience, Cook has served as a technical assistant with the U.S. men's and women's national teams. He assisted the men's team at the Olympic qualifying tournament, and the 2008 Olympics-bound women's squad at the Pan American Games, the Champions Challenge, the Chile 4-Nation Tournament and the team's Holland tour. He has also served as an assistant coach and administrative director at the Elite Performance Training Center in either the Pennsylvania/New Jersey or the Midwest Region each summer since 2005, and he has more than six years of experience coaching the U.S. Futures program in the Washington, D.C., area and at developmental camps across the country. During the summer of 2010, Cook served as the head coach of the Pennsylvania Junior Team at the USA Field Hockey High Performance Championships and led the squad to the title.
Hired as an assistant coach at Indiana University in February 2007, Cook has also had assistant coaching stints at Penn (2005-06), Drexel (2000-01), American (1999) and Cornell (1997-98).
Cook, who graduated summa cum laude from Drexel in 2002, enjoyed a stellar playing career. From 1997-2000 he was a member of Team USA. He competed in the 1999 Pan Am Games in Winnipeg and was a member of three gold medal-winning teams at the U.S. Olympic Festival. He also played on three Indoor Pan American Cup teams and on the 2003 Indoor World Cup team that competed in Leipzig, Germany. From 1995-97, Cook played on the first team with Hockey Club Rotterdam in The Netherlands.
Cook lives in Lewisburg with his wife, Sandra and son, Ryan, born in 2012. | http://www.bucknellbison.com/sports/w-fieldh/mtt/cook_jeremy00.html | 473 |
BOSTON, MA – The University at Buffalo men's and women's cross country teams finished the 2009 season on Saturday afternoon at the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships in Boston's Franklin Park. The UB men posted their highest finish since 2005 with a 13th-place showing among 36 schools while the UB women placed 25th of 35 squads.
In the men's 10K race, the Bulls were led by Dennis Pollow finishing 35th among 244 entrants. Pollow turned in a time of 32:24. Three other Bulls turned in finishes among the top 100. Chris Allen was 78th in 33:22 with Jacob Hagen taking 81st in 33:26 and Ryan Bloom finishing 83rd in 33:28.
For the UB women, racing at 6K, Ellen Muster was the top finisher in 24:32 to place 106th among 243 racers. Leah Wightman finished 138th in 25:02. Sam Beim was 140th in 25:09. Christine Sprehe placed 144th in 25:11 and Jackie Cavalluzzo was UB's fifth finisher in 25:16 to place 150th.
The UB men scored 379 total points for their 13th-place finish. The finish improved on their 18th-place showings of the past two seasons and was the highest since taking 11th in 2005. The UB women finished with 678 points. Syracuse's men's (55) and women's (59) squads took first place in the team championships. Iona's Ryan Sheridan won the men's race in 30:36 while Syracuse's Katie Hursey took the women's title in 21:57 | http://www.buffalobulls.com/sports/xc/2009-10/releases/20100728bbkv0v?dec=/printer-decorator | 339 |
Walton goes for 22
Jontay Walton, a junior, continued her torrid scoring pace for Holy Angels, putting up 22 Wednesday night in a 54-28 triumph over Mount Mercy in Monsignor Martin Association girls basketball. Walton now has 1,301 career points, most ever by an Angels player. For the season she has 472 in 19 games. The Monsignor Martin girls single-season record is 562 by Rae Ann Stilwell of St. Mary’s of Lancaster.
Farrant’s bucket is huge
Matt Farrant, a recent callup from the JV team, hit a three-point shot to give Holland the lead with 2:05 left and the Dutchmen went on to a 62-55 nonleague boys basketball victory at Pioneer on Wednesday night.
Once Holland was in front, Clay Lewis sealed the deal by making six of six free throws in the final 1:30.
Lewis finished with a game-high 20 points. David Pedizwater added 10 for Holland.
Terik Lewis led Pioneer with 15 points while Dylan Souder added 13.
Lake Shore withstood the outside shooting of Springville’s Greg Beatty and Billy Dickinson and defeated the Griffins, 54-51, in their ECIC III game.
The Eagles trailed, 45-44, entering the final quarter but outscored Springville, 11-6 in the final period.
Clark Brueckl (13), Wade Bergum (11) and Matt Vona (11) led the Lake Shore offense, with each hitting a pair of three-point baskets. Beatty scored 14 for Springville, 12 on three-point shots, while nine of Dickinson’s 13 points came from outside the arc.
More details on website
Additional details from Wednesday night’s action are available at the High School Sports Scoreboard page on The News’ website, buffalonews.com. | http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130206/SPORTS/130209365/1032 | 401 |
The Western Region women’s ice hockey team won the bronze medal over the weekend in the Empire State Winter Games in Lake Placid. Western scored victories over Central (3-1), Long Island (7-2) and Hudson Valley (3-1) and lost to silver-medal winner New York City (2-1) and gold-medal winner Adirondack (5-2). Katie Stack (Corfu) had four goals in the win over Long Island and both tallies in the loss to Adirondack. Western goalie Ashley Schneegold made 43 saves in that game. Julie Gerhing of Buffalo won gold in the Open Women’s short track 1,000 and 1,500 meters and the Open Women’s 500 Meter long track speed skating.
BASEBALL: CEBA baseball will meet at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 19 at Sports Performance Park in the Eastern Hills Mall. Age groups are 15-17 and 18-21. CEBA plays on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Interested teams may attend this meeting or contact Scott Collin at 602-0018.
BASKETBALL: The Buffalo Warriors pro season will begin March 27 at the Event Center at the Hamburg Fairgrounds. The team will play international opponents and play 15 home games. Tickets are available at www.buffalowarriors.com and the Event Center box office. … WNY Elite Basketball will hold its national AAU tryouts for boys in grades 9-11 and unsigned seniors from 12:30-3 p.m. March 2-3 at the Buffalo Niagara Court, 425 Meyer Road, West Seneca. This program is for players looking to play at the DI-III college levels. Twelve spots are available. Practices will be held Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays beginning March 10. Call 310-9858 or visit wnyelitebasketball.com. … The Buffalo Storm Basketball Club will hold tryouts for boys and girls. Sign up and workouts will be as follows: boys and girls grades 4-11 Feb. 17, 24, and March 3 at the Gow School, South Wales. Girls will meet from 10-11:30 a.m., boys will meet from noon to 1:30 p.m. Paid opportunities are also available for coaches who are interested and qualified to coach youth teams, or if you have a team and would like to join the organization in order to save money and receive assistance in other areas. Go to www.buffalostorm.org.
HOCKEY: American Street Hockey Center is accepting teams and individuals for the spring season. Openings are available in floor, roller, and puck hockey for youths and adults. Call Randy or Jim at 827-1234 or email [email protected].
ICE SKATING: A free open skate for all ages will take place on Feb. 18 from 1-3 p.m. at the Cazenovia Ice Rink. The event is sponsored by the South Park Youth Association.
The Bulletin Board appears twice weekly, Tuesday and Friday. Information must be submitted by mail (c/o Buffalo News, Sports Dept., One News Plaza, Buffalo, N.Y. 14240), fax (849-4587) or email ([email protected]). Items are limited to one appearance. There is no charge. | http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130211/SPORTS/130219810/1032 | 704 |
Miguel Torres Released By UFC; Titan FC Debut Set For November 2
Torres announced news of his release via his official website late Tuesday.
"I am writing this letter to inform you that as a result of my last loss, I was cut from the UFC," wrote Torres. "My next fight will be in Hammond, Indiana for Titan Fighting Championship on November the 2nd. I am excited to continue fighting, to regain my focus and to get back to what made me a champion. A special thank you to my manager, Glenn Robinson, my trainer, Firas Zahabi, my training partners, and all the staff at the UFC. I have dedicated my whole life to mixed martial arts and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. From teaching, to training, and fighting from the lowest to the highest levels, my passion in life is to be the best that I can be. Until November 2nd."
Once considered the top 135-pound fighter in MMA, Torres has gone 3-4 in his last seven outings, including defeats to Demetrious Johnson and Michael McDonald under the UFC banner. The former WEC bantamweight champ recently suffered a vicious first-round knockout at the hands of McDonald at April's UFC 145.
Titan FC 25 takes place on November 2 in Hammond, Indiana, where Torres owns a gym, Torres Martial Arts Academy. While Torres is slated to headline the fall card, no opponent has been named as of writing. | http://www.cagereligion.com/2012/08/miguel-torres-released-by-ufc-titan-fc.html | 296 |
KINGSVILLE — Texas A&M-Kingsville defensive end Marquis Singleton and placekicker Matt Stoll earned Lone Star Conference Player of the Week honors for their performances in last Saturday’s 16-13 upset of Abilene Christian.
Singleton shared the defensive honors with Tarleton State’s Marquis Wadley and Stoll was named the LSC’s top special teams player.
Singleton had just four tackles but three were for losses totaling 15 yards. The senior had two sacks of record-setting ACU quarterback Mitchell Gale, including one on a fourth-and-9 play to seal the victory for the 2-0 Javelinas. Singleton matched his career sack total in the game against the Wildcats.
A junior, Stoll connected on three field goals and an extra point accounting for 10 of the Javelinas’ points. He had field goals of 35, 29 and 31 yards, the final one giving A&M-Kingsville a 16-6 lead. He has kicked six field goals this season.
Sophomore Jason Regal, who rushed for 152 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries in Tarleton State’s 20-17 upset of Midwestern State, earned the league’s weekly offensive honor. | http://www.caller.com/news/2012/sep/10/pair-javelinas-honored-lone-star-football-players/ | 263 |
.- On the eve of the World Cup on Saturday about 1,000 people gathered in Pretoria to pray for an end to human trafficking. The Catholic Archbishop of Johannesburg said trafficking was a “degrading form of modern slavery” which Christians should oppose.
Among the invited guests were Advocate Malebo Kotu-Rammopo from the National Prosecution Authority and Colin Wrafter, who is the Ambassador of Ireland to South Africa.
Archbishop of Johannesburg Buti Tlhagale called on the South African government to root out “this form of corruption and slavery” in his homily at a Mass to pray for an end to trafficking. He said politicians’ neglect of such violence “strongly suggests complicity.”
An estimated 40,000 sex workers and prostitutes will be imported to South Africa during the World Cup, the South African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) reports.
While the World Cup was “highly admirable in itself,” Archbishop Tlhagale said in his homily, the event can bring out “the worst” in some human beings.
“Men and women without integrity, see an opportunity to make a fortune by selling children and women for sexual pleasures of men who probably care less about the games themselves.”
“Human Trafficking is intrinsically evil,” the archbishop declared. “What kind of civilization permits the destruction of life in the womb, imports millions of condoms from Civilized Britain for the world Cup event? …What kind of a civilization can tolerate forcing children and women into selling sex? If this is a civilization at all, then it is a decadent civilization.”
The prelate charged that the government has not lived up to its slogan “People First,” because not the vulnerable but politicians and dignitaries come first in the country.
“It is sheer hypocrisy to claim to protect all people and yet only a few enjoy exceptional protection,” he added. “The nobility of a society will be judged by how it protects its vulnerable children and women, instead of displaying its security machinery for the world to see by protecting the elite.”
“We each have a responsibility to resist and to campaign tirelessly against such evil practices," he continued, calling on Christians to combat “this dangerous and degrading form of modern slavery.”
A bill to prosecute perpetrators of trafficking and to assist its victims has been discussed in South Africa for many years.
At the end of the Mass, Advocate Malebo spoke on behalf of the government, reporting that the bill was being discussed. He expressed hope that the passage of the bill would be the last phase.
Sr. Melanie O’Connor, coordinator of the Counter Trafficking in Persons Office of the SACBC also warned parents against leaving children unprotected in shopping malls, on playgrounds and in other venues.
She informed the congregation that South Africa is recognized as a “hot spot” for human trafficking, adding that women recruiters are becoming more prominent.
While for two years the SACBC has advanced awareness efforts to try to protect potential victims of trafficking, this year its message is being spread widely.
"But there is still a lot to do," Sr. O'Connor commented, noting that Pope Benedict XVI has declared May a month of prayer against human trafficking. | http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/ahead-of-world-cup-catholic-archbishop-condemns-human-trafficking/ | 700 |
Sean Penn: Prince William is provoking Argentina
Penn is accusing British media of pushing for war instead of diplomacy to resolve the United Kingdom's dispute with Argentina over the islands both countries claim in the far South Atlantic.Pictures: Sean Penn in Libya
Pictures: Prince William and Kate
Read more: Argentina takes Falklands spat with UK to UN
"It's unthinkable that the United Kingdom can make a conscious decision to deploy a prince within the military to the Malvinas, knowing the great emotional sensitivity both of mothers and fathers in the United Kingdom and in Argentina who lost sons and daughters in a war over islands with a population of so few," Penn said.
Britain denies it is militarizing the dispute, and notes that William is serving simply as a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot. Penn called it a provocation nonetheless.
"There are many places to deploy a prince," he said. "It's not necessary when the deployment of a prince is generally accompanied by a warship, to send them into seas of such spilled blood."
Britain says it will never negotiate with Argentina as long as the Falklanders want to be British. It has sent Prince William on a six-week air force mission to the islands, along with its most powerful destroyer, the HMS Dauntless. The British government also hasn't denied reports that it sent a nuclear submarine, possibly with nuclear missiles, to the disputed southern seas.
London's conservative Daily Mail quoted a member of parliament, Patrick Mercer, as saying Penn should stay out of the Falklands dispute.
"What on earth has this got to do with Sean Penn? He's neither British nor Argentine and seems to know nothing about the situation," Mercer said. "A good number of his movies have been turkeys, so I suppose we shouldn't expect much better coming out of his mouth."
Penn, who runs a Haiti relief organization and was named "ambassador at large" by Haiti's government, made his comments after meeting with President Jose Mujica of Uruguay, which contributes to the U.N. peacekeeping force in Haiti.
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A bad day for the Rays gets worse, as shortstop prospect Tim Beckham has been suspended 50 games for violating the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program for a second time. Details are few at this time, but an MLB release terms the substance in question as "a drug of abuse." More specifically, CBSSports.com Insider Jon Heyman reports that Beckham was disciplined for using a "recreational drug."
“I regret that my poor judgment resulted in me letting my teammates and the Tampa Bay Rays organization down," Beckham said in a statement. "I take full responsibility for my actions and I will use this experience to refocus my commitment to baseball. I recognize that I am blessed to be able to play baseball for a living. I owe it to my teammates, my family, and to myself to respect the game and the responsibilities that go with playing it as a professional. I am sorry.”
"We are very disappointed by Tim's actions," Rays executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. "Tim possesses great potential, and he must rededicate himself in order to become the person and player we know he can be.”
The 22-year-old Beckham was hitting just .204/.290/.278 for Triple-A Durham this year and is a .263/.330/.379 career hitter across parts of five minor-league seasons. Despite the underwhelming numbers, he was likely in line for a call-up at some point during 2012.
Hindsight is always cheap, but it's worth noting that in drafting the disappointing Beckham with the top overall pick of the 2008 draft, the Rays passed on, among other talents, Buster Posey, Eric Hosmer, Brett Lawrie, and Pedro Alvarez. | http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/eye-on-baseball/18924748/rays-prospect-tim-beckham-suspended-for-drug-policy-violation | 355 |
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