Datasets:

Chrisneverdie

/

OnlySports_Dataset

like 3

England Saxons have named South African-born lock Mouritz Botha in their side for Saturday's Churchill Cup game against the USA at Northampton. There are only two survivors from the team that beat Canada 38-18 to claim the trophy in New Jersey last summer with scrum half-Micky Young (Newcastle Falcons) in the starting line-up and full-back Alex Goode (Saracens) on the bench. But Saxons head coach Stuart Lancaster has an exciting combination of youth and experience to call on. Saracens prop Matt Stevens (32 caps) is the most experienced of six senior internationals while Henry Trinder (Gloucester) and Tom Johnson (Exeter Chiefs) made try-scoring first apperances for England in the non-cap game won 38-32 by the Barbarians last weekend. Botha makes his first Saxons appearance a week after winning the Aviva Premiership title with Saracens while Amlin Challenge Cup winner Rory Clegg (Harlequins) steps up to start at fly-half. England Saxons captain Luke Narraway sits out the Churchill Cup's opening game to receive treatment on a calf injury and Leicester Tigers number eight Jordan Crane will lead the side in his place. "We want to make sure win this trophy again and to do so we've got to win some tough games starting off with the USA and Tonga, both of whom are gearing up for the World Cup later this year," said Lancaster. "But we've got a good mix of players including seven of those who did well against an experienced Barbarians side at Twickenham and there are more players who've joined us after taking part in big club games at the end of the domestic season. "There's lots at stake for all of them, whether they're pushing for places in this World Cup this year or the next one in 2015, but the most important thing is to get off to a good start against what we're expecting to be a very smart USA side on Saturday." After taking on the USA, England Saxons play Tonga at Gloucester on June 12 followed by Italy A, Russia or Canada on the June 18 finals day at Worcester. Meanwhile, the Eagles will be captained by experienced scrum-half Mike Petri, who pairs up with his New York Athletic Club (NYAC) team-mate, Troy Hall at fly-half. Eddie O'Sullivan will be looking for Hall to marshal the backline, with the talented playmaker slotting in for veteran Nese Malifa. In the centres, Junior Sifa is partnered with Tai Enosa, who is one of seven players to join the squad after the recent Sevens World Series. The Eagles will have a very fast backline with wings Mile Pulu and Colin Hawley working together with Mike Palefau at full-back. Palefau has had an outstanding season with the Utah Warriors and will certainly be one of the players to watch. In the forwards, the hard-working Eric Fry starts at prop alongside Will Johnson. The latter - who plays at London Irish - will be very used to the English conditions. Following an excellent Super League season for Life, Phil Thief will get a start at hooker. Scott LaValla is set to start at lock, with the Trinity College captain having recently signed a contract with one of the top French clubs, Stade Francais. John van der Giessen returns from his cheek injury to partner LaValla in the second row. The flankers are Pat Danahy and Daniel LaProvette, who also faced each other in the exciting Super League final. JJ Gagiano completes the pack at number eight. England Saxons: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Topsy Ojo, 13 Henry Trinder, 12 Billy Twelvetrees , 11 Miles Benjamin, 10 Rory Clegg, 9 Micky Young, 8 Jordan Crane (c), 7 Tom Johnson, 6 James Gaskell, 5 Dave Attwood, 4 Mouritz Botha, 3 Matt Stevens, 2 Joe Gray, 1 Matt Mullan. Replacements: 16 David Paice, 17 Kieran Brookes, 18 Graham Kitchener, 19 Jamie Gibson, 20 Paul Hodgson, 21 Alex Goode, 22 Charlie Sharples. USA: 15 Mike Palefau, 14 Mile Pulu, 13 Tai Enosa, 12 Junior Sifa, 11 Colin Hawley, 10 Troy Hall, 9 Mike Petri (capt), 8 JJ Gagiano, 7 Danny LaPrevotte, 6 Pat Danahy, 5 Scott LaValla, 4 John van der Giessen, 3 Will Johnson, 2 Phil Thiel, 1 Eric Fry. Replacements: 16 Chris Biller, 17 Shawn Pittman, 18 Louis Stanfill, 19 Inaki Basauri, 20 Tim Usasz, 21 Roland Suniula, 22 Andrew Suniula. Date: Saturday, June 4 Venue: Franklin's Gardens Kick-off: 17.00 BST Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales) Italy A v Canada Italy A head coach Gianluca Guidi has revealed his team that will take on Canada in the Churchill Cup opener on Saturday at Franklin's Gardens. The Azzurri, who are making their debut in the competition, will clash with the North Americans under the watchful eye of Nick Mallett. "We will line up with some very experienced internationals such as Marco Bortolami, Mauro Bergamasco and team captain Valerio Bernaḅ, shoulder to shoulder with emerging guys such as Trevisan, hooker Tommaso D'Apice and centre Denis Majstorovic. All of them played very well in the Italian Championship this season and deserve their selection," said Guidi on his XV. However, Guidi revealed he is expecting a tough challenge from the Canadians. "It will be a tough game, no doubt. Canada reached the Churchill Cup final in 2010, beating France in the pool phase, and the Canadians will be committed to perform at their best ahead of the upcoming Rugby World Cup," he added, before talking about his side's debut in the competition. "It is a privilege for us to compete in the Churchill Cup for the first time and we've picked an interesting squad, with some new guys emerging from the Union youth system. We're working closely with Nick Mallett and his staff and we hope to give him indications for the World Cup." Meanwhile, Canada coach Kieran Crowley has put together a side ranging from wholly experienced players like Ed Fairhurst at scrum-half and young, budding talents like uncapped Conor Trainor in the centres. And in the forwards, Crowley has what he believes will be a handy arsenal to combat the eager Italian pack, which he knows will be a strong piece of their game. "We know it's going to be a real battle," Crowley said. "We know it will be tough up front, so we've got to get everything right up front so we can set a platform to express ourselves." Leading the charge up front is captain Pat Riordan in the front row, alongside props Hubert Buydens and Jason Marshall. Riordan is the stalwart in the front row, with both Buydens and Marshall massing a combined total of only eight caps, but Crowley is confident these three will be just one asset in a forward pack filled with grit. With Tyler Hotson and Brian Erichsen combining at lock and Jebb Sinclair, Chauncey O'Toole and Aaron Carpenter prowling at loose, Crowley believes the Canadian forwards have the potential to upset the Italian game plan. Hotson's 17 caps will balance out Erichsen's three, while Carpenter at number eight is a steady anchor for the ever-improving Sinclair and O'Toole on the flanks. "There's a lot of experience in our forward pack. I'm excited to see how the front row goes, we're looking to see where we're at with them. "The tight five is solid and in the loose we have Carpenter who's been there a long time. Chauncey O'Toole is an outstanding player and Jebb Sinclair is in the same boat. Both of them have worked really hard over the last few years." In the backs, Fairhurst's 42 caps will provide a calm and collected approach to unleashing Ander Monro and his exciting back line featuring Phil Mackenzie, Ryan Smith, Trainor, Ciaran Hearn and James Pritchard. Spattered among the experience of Fairhurst, Monro, Smith and Pritchard are exciting young players which Crowley is keen to test in international waters before having to throw them into the deep end of a world cup. While Trainor is uncapped, Crowley is confident in the centre's skills and in the ability of the experienced players around him to have a calming effect on the 21-year-old from Vancouver. "Trainor is making a step up," Crowley said. "He's a pretty level-headed guy. The experienced guys will help the young guys find their feet. He's already got the size, pace and skill." The team has had less than a week to work on set piece and specific systems and Crowley said this team will act as a yard stick to how their preparation has been so far and what more needs to be done. "It takes time around defensive systems and those sorts of things," he said. "The trainings have been long to get everyone on the same page. It's coming together. "This is the best side for this game. There's players coming off injury that we've got to manage. It's about getting the best out of the players on the day." Italy A: 15 Ruggero Trevisan, 14 Andrea Bacchetti, 13 Denis Majstrovic, 12 Matteo Pratichetti, 11 Michele Sepe, 10 Riccardo Bocchino, 9 Tito Tebaldi, 8 Manoa Vosawai, 7 Mauro Bergamasco, 6 Valerio Bernabo' (capt), 5 Marco Bortolami, 4 Corniel Van Zyl, 3 Fabio Staibano, 2 Tommaso D'Apice, 1 Alberto de Marchi. Replacements: 16 Andrea Manici, 17 Matias Aguero, 18 Dario Chistolini, 19 Joshua Furno, 20 Francesco Minto, 21 Giulio Toniolatti, 25 Durandt Gerber. Canada: 15 James Pritchard, 14 Ciaran Hearn, 13 Conor Trainor, 12 Ryan Smith, 11 Phil Mackenzie, 10 Ander Monro, 9 Ed Fairhurst, 8 Aaron Carpenter, 7 Chauncey O'Toole, 6 Jebb Sinclair, 5 Brian Erichsen, 4 Tyler Hotson, 3 Jason Marshall, 2 Pat Riordan (C), 1 Hubert Buydens. Replacements: 16 Ryan Hamilton, 17 Andrew Tiedemann, 18 Mitch Gudgeon, 19 Nanyak Dala, 20 Sean White, 21 Mike Scholz, 22 Matt Evans. Date: Saturday, June 4 Kick-off: 14:30 (13:30 GMT) Venue: Franklin's Gardens Referee: Dave Pearson (England)

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,12112_6963220,00.html

GD Star Rating PhotosDustin Johnson's girlfriend Natalie Gulbis (maybe), 7.9 out of 10 based on 65 ratings - UPDATE: 09/25/2012: We said maybe.... Appears our initial trepidation was just as it appears that Johnson and Gulbis are no longer together. With the Ryder Cup gearing up to begin this weekend, if Johnson has a new girlfriend, she will definitely in attendance at the opening ceremony where all the wives are paraded around in full gowns. We'll keep an eye out. - We're nothing if not totally upfront with our readers. And in the name of being upfront, we'll admit we're not entirely sure what the truth is about these two and their rumored relationship. There are a lot of flat out contradictory stories floating out there about these two. Back in 2011, American golfer Dustin Johnson was rumored to be dating one of the best looking female golfers, Natalie Gulbis, or at least we thought they were dating. This all seemed to take place at the tail end of 2010 and into 2011. There were rumors the two were dating and Natalie was seen at a few of Dustin's golf tournaments. Now call me crazy but you don't see a lot of professional female golfers frolicking around at PGA tour events, unless of course you are with one of the golfers. Eventually, Golf.com caught up with Natalie at a tournament and she confirmed the relationship, but was apparently only speaking for herself. Immediately after that Dustin issued a statement that they pair was in fact not dating. While admitting the couple had spent time together he stated that in no way where they dating. After that the rumors slowly started to fizzle. As of the end of 2011 it didn't appear Dustin was with anyone. I've looked at far too many pictures from the 2011 Presidents Cup and have yet to see a picture of Dustin with anyone outside of Tiger, the only other single guy at the tournament (actually, who better for a single dude to hang out with? That might not have been a bad thing for Dustin). So you can understand our reason for question. At the very least the rumors give us a reason to post pics of Natalie. You're welcome.

http://www.playerwives.com/miscellaneous-sports/golf/dustin-johnsons-girlfriend-natalie-gulbis-maybe/

Markray was selected by the Reds in the third round of the 1997 draft. Since that time he has been in both the Yankees and the Royals organizations. Before coming to the Captains. Thad was with the Kansas City Royals’ triple-A affiliate in Omaha. After starting last season, the veteran righty has moved to the bullpen this year. The righty holds a career record of 56-46, with an even 4.00 ERA, with 675 strikeouts in 806 innings.

http://www.pointstreak.com/baseball/player.html?playerid=51999

DOWNEY - Before the start of this football season, it was suggested it would take the next Jesse Callier for any of the teams in the San Gabriel Valley League to really flourish once again. Well, he's here. His name is Justin Huff, and he plays for Downey High. As foretold, with Huff as the catalyst, the Vikings are having their most successful campaign in more than a decade. Maybe even in more than a half century. Third-seeded Downey (9-3) will play host to Santa Fe (8-4) on Friday at 7 p.m. in a CIF Southern Section Southeast Division semifinal. A victory would lift the Vikings into a sectional title game for the first time since 1957. Huff, only a sophomore, has drawn comparisons to the former Warren High star running back Callier, now at the University of Washington. Callier had a tremendous run at Warren. He was a one-man wrecking crew for the Bears from 2007-09, leading them to a 24-11 record. Callier posted one of the best seasons ever as a senior when he rushed for more than 3,000 yards and 43 touchdowns. Proving to be the same type of dominating, physical runner who can carry a team, Huff is flattered to be compared to Callier. But, of course, he wants to be his own man. "Jesse was one of the best players to come out of the City of Downey," he said. "It feels good to be compared to him. "But I want to make a name for myself. I just want to try to be the best I can, whether that ends up This season's stats would lead anyone to believe better. Huff has rushed for 1,872 yards and 19 TDs on 196 carries for an average of 9.66 yards per attempt. As a sophomore, Callier ran for 1,053 yards and nine TDs on 203 carries for an average of 5.19. "By his senior year, he will be better than Callier," Downey coach Jack Williams said. "I know I'm biased, but he's put together numbers Callier had in his junior year." Williams isn't at all astonished by Huff's success. He remembers watching Pop Warner game a few years ago and seeing Huff shred defenses. "Like with Callier, you knew he was getting the ball and you still couldn't stop him," Williams said. A couple of years later, much to Williams' surprise, Huff showed up at Downey High's freshman orientation. As a freshman, Huff was too good for the frosh-soph level and probably the JV level, too. He ran for more than 2,000 yards and 20 TDs on JV before being called up to the varsity late in the season. With the backfield banged up, Huff saw his first real action in a first-round playoff loss to Righetti. He ran for more than 100 yards, but it was a devastating block he put on a linebacker that sent a signal to the coaching staff. "He didn't come off the field after that," Williams said. "Right then I knew he was special. But not this special. He's going to end up with 2,000 yards as a sophomore." Williams also knew that he needed to nurture Huff through his first varsity season, both physically and mentally. Williams saw Huff as a kid who could easily suffer from a big head. He witnessed that at the Pop Warner game when Huff paraded around yelling, "I'm Justin Huff. I'm Justin Huff." Williams, who runs a disciplined, team-first ship, wasn't about to have any of that. And Williams wasn't going to stand for any of Huff's other shenanigans that kept him out of the starting lineup for the first four games this season. "We always knew he would be the man, but we had to bust his bubble," Williams said. "We had to nip that in the bud." It's hard to believe that Huff wasn't the humble kid who said all the right things leading up to Friday's game. Like being satisfied with his limited workload. Like crediting his offensive line for much of his success. Like how hard work pays off. "He's matured lots in the last month or two," Williams said. Bringing Huff along slowly on the field was a necessity, too. At 5-foot-10 and maybe 195 pounds, Huff doesn't necessarily have the frame to take the play-after-play abuse that his physically punishing running style doles out. So, the coaching staff has limited Huff's carries. During the regular season, he averaged just 15.3 carries per game. Huff, who has also been a receiving threat out of the backfield with 22 catches for 334 yards and two TDs, is all right with how the offense has been divvied up. "I'm happy with the way my coaches have preserved me. They know what's best for me," he said. "An extra 10 carries, I could get injured. It's unnecessary. ... It's not just me, me, me. The name on the front of the jersey doesn't say Huff; it says Vikings. We have lots of athletes on the team, so it's good to keep fresh legs in there." According to Williams, Huff, who has cracked the 100-yard mark in 11 of 12 games, has had two breakout performances this season. After being held to a season-low 92 yards on a season-low 11 carries in a 21-17 loss to Paramount, Huff came back the next week with a career-high 316-yard effort on just 15 carries in a 28-12 victory over Dominguez. "That showed that he can take over a game," Williams said. The other breakout game came last week, when the Vikings outlasted Norwalk, 45-42 in the second round of the playoffs. Huff grinded out a hard-fought 156 yards and four touchdowns on a season-high 28 carries. "That showed that he can carry the ball 30 times a game," Williams said. "He had (28) touches and was still able to go. That's what we needed to win that game." And with Huff leading the way like that, there will likely be many more wins for Downey over the next couple of years.

http://www.presstelegram.com/angels/ci_22047167/high-school-football-downeys-justin-huff-has-all

INDIANAPOLIS — As far as offering hints on how teams will react to the "unchartered waters" already rippling through the NFL landscape this offseason, the Steelers were one of the first franchises, if not the first, to formulate at least a general game plan. A few weeks ago, Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert announced that the team was planning on adhering to a self-imposed salary cap and would conduct business accordingly. Since then, a number of teams have announced a similar strategy, seemingly intent on exercising more caution than usual. But Colbert had plenty of Steelers business to talk about at the Scouting Combine late Thursday morning. For starters, he acknowledged that the team had avoided using a franchise tag on Casey Hampton by agreeing to a three-year deal reportedly worth about $21 million for the five-time Pro Bowler. The signing is in line with the early trend so far this offseason to lock up quality nose tackles. New England's Vince Wilfork became the first player to receive a franchise tag this year, and Patriots owner Robert Kraft is on record as saying a long-term deal for Wilfork remains a top priority. Niners GM Scot McCloughan, the first NFL figure to address the national media at this year's Combine, said the same thing about freshly franchised Niners NT Aubrayo Franklin, and the Packers are expected to continue going out of their way to re-up with NT Ryan Pickett, who received the franchise tag Wednesday. With the Steelers' franchise tag there for the taking with the 32-year-old Hampton now locked up for the foreseeable future, the team decided to use the tag to secure the services of PK Jeff Reed, the second-leading scorer in franchise history. Reed will be guaranteed $2.814 million this season and became the second placekicker to be franchised along with Seattle's Olindo Mare. "It was important for us to get a player like Casey signed for the rest of his career," said Colbert of the Hampton signing, in addition to acknowledging the scarcity of top nose tackles in the NFL. "He is one of our team leaders, and getting him locked up early means a lot to the organization." Colbert also said the Steelers are intent on having Reed finish his career with the team and felt confident a new contract agreement would eventually be consummated. "As was the case with Casey's agent, Jeff's agents appear very willing to get something done, and whenever that is the case, a deal usually happens." On other fronts, Colbert was also asked how concerned he was about star S Troy Polamalu, whose prolonged absence last season due to a knee injury was considered a key reason behind the 2008 Super Bowl champs' decline last season. "We're not concerned at all," he said. "He's a player who always gives his all, and injuries can happen to anyone. We're not going to sit and worry about Troy." Colbert also said that this year's draft appeared to have particularly good depth at the DE position. "It's as deep as I've seen in 26 years in the business," he said. For the most authoritative NFL draft news and free-agency analysis, visit ProFootballWeekly.com.

http://www.profootballweekly.com/2010/02/25/steelers-keeping-very-busy/print

Time to look at the Vikings' stock report — three up and three down following the loss to the Buccaneers in Week Two: RB Adrian Peterson's first-half running — For the second week in a row, Peterson has been the best player on the field in the first half. He set the tone Sunday with 15 first-half runs for 83 yards and two scores, bashing his way through some tackle attempts and side-stepping others. There were at least two would-be negative runs that Peterson turned into positives gains. E.J. Henderson's guts — He probably had no business playing, and truthfully, it did show on a few plays. Henderson was trucked on LeGarrette Blount's long TD run and missed a few plays in short yardage. But it was a gutsy effort, fighting through knee pain to make six tackles, including a five-yard loss on a screen play. Good ol' Jim Kleinsasser — Did you forget he was still here? The Vikings have not. He was out on the field a good amount on Sunday, leading the way as a blocker on both of Peterson's TD runs and helping clear a few other nice rushes, including a 31-yarder by Toby Gerhart. Kleinsasser was called for holding and did drop the one pass that came his way, but his workmanlike effort seems to go overlooked every week. Every year, for that matter. Donovan McNabb's second-half passing — The team as a whole has flagged in each of the two losses, giving up leads, and the conservative and ineffective passing game has been one big reason why. McNabb wasn't quite as putrid in the second 30 minutes against the Bucs as he was against the Chargers, but his limitations are quickly coming to light. He simply isn't effective in the pocket anymore, and there is no downfield passing game. None. Some of that is on the receivers. Some blame goes to the offensive line. But we can't overlook McNabb and his inability to throw the ball in key situations down the stretch either. Leslie Frazier — Several questionable coaching decisions must be challenged. Where has Percy Harvin been? Why didn't you use timeouts at the end of the game when the Bucs had the ball? Why did you get so conservative with a 17-0 halftime lead? Frazier's Sunday and Monday justifications of the timeout thing made no sense. He said he was counting on a defensive stop but didn't explain how he planned to get his punchless offense in scoring range had he gotten that stop; sounded like Frazier was playing for OT. Instead, he and the Vikings lost. C John Sullivan — He continues to get pushed back by powerful defensive tackles. We continue to hear how smart Sullivan is, and there's no doubt he's excellent at running the blocking schemes and helping Peterson gain extra yards. But Sullivan's lack of power is a major concern.

http://www.profootballweekly.com/2011/09/20/vikings-stock-report-week-two/print

By Bob Baum, AP Sports Writer TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Peyton Manning had another marathon session during the second stop in his search for a new team. The free-agent quarterback spent nearly six hours at the Arizona Cardinals' headquarters and training facility on Sunday in meetings designed to lure the superstar to the desert. The session was even longer than the nearly six hours Manning spent at the Broncos' facility in Denver on Friday night. Manning waved and smiled at cheering fans as he walked from the building to coach Ken Whisenhunt's white SUV. With the coach at the wheel, Manning waved again as the SUV pulled through the security gate and past the loud supporters. He was expected to return to his home in Florida. It was unclear whether the four-time MVP planned to meet with the Dolphins. Titans owner Bud Adams told The Tennessean on Sunday that he has contacted Manning's agent, Tom Condon, to express his interest and ask for the quarterback to visit the Titans. The 89-year-old Adams said he will be upset if he doesn't land the former Indianapolis Colts star. Cardinals president Michael Bidwill left immediately after Manning and Whisenhunt did. No one involved in the session spoke to reporters. Larry Fitzgerald, one of the best receivers in the game and considered a prime reason why Manning might choose Arizona, arrived a few minutes ahead of Manning, then left after about three hours. He had a scheduled flight to Australia for a vacation later in the day. General manager Rod Graves and most of the members of Whisenhunt's staff, including offensive coordinator Mike Miller, offensive line and assistant head coach Russ Grimm and defensive coordinator Ray Horton, also were there. WR Andre Roberts spent several hours there, as did Lisa Manning (no relation), the Cardinals' vice president for marketing. Bidwill arrived about an hour and a half after Manning did. "Get it done, Michael," a fan yelled. "Come on, buddy." Among the earliest fans to arrive was 26-year-old Jarred Light, a Colts fan who moved to the Phoenix area several years ago. "I pretty much grew up around him," he said. "When I was 12 is when he came to Indy. Now I'm 26, so pretty much ever since I've been interested in football, he was my favorite everything. I've seen him a couple of times in Indy from living there so many years, and now I just wanted to come out here and see if he will come to the Cardinals." A couple of fans wore Broncos jerseys and were loudly booed when they were interviewed by television crews. Manning, who turns 36 on March 24, reportedly wants to make a decision in the next few days. Time is of the essence for the Cardinals, who are scheduled to pay QB Kevin Kolb $7 million if he is on the roster Thursday. Manning was released by the Colts as the lead move in the team's massive restructuring of its roster. With Manning out the entire season while undergoing a series of neck surgeries, Indianapolis had the worst record in the NFL and is expected to select QB Andrew Luck with the No. 1 pick in the draft. Manning has reported good progress as he works to regenerate nerves in his neck and regain his throwing form. In addition to Fitzgerald as bait to lure the quarterback, the Cardinals have a coach who is flexible in his approach to the game. He built a team around Kurt Warner and gave the veteran quarterback free rein to change the plays at the line of scrimmage. As a result, the long-suffering Cardinals franchise made a surprise run to the Super Bowl in the 2008 season and captured the NFC West title again the next year. Manning is familiar with Whisenhunt from the coach's work as offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Cardinals also have a state-of-the-art stadium with a retractable roof and a natural grass field. The addition of Manning might prompt the franchise to follow through on earlier plans to build a practice bubble so players can escape the stifling heat during summer minicamps and early-season practices. A concern could be Arizona's inconsistent offensive line, which could lose OLT Levi Brown, who is expected to be released because he is due a big payday and wouldn't return unless he signed a new contract. Less than a year ago, shortly after the lockout ended, Arizona traded CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a second-round pick to Philadelphia for Kolb and then signed the quarterback to a big contract. But Kolb had trouble adjusting to the new offense and missed eight starts with injuries. Second-year pro John Skelton wound up starting half the games and had more success than Kolb did. If Manning doesn't come to Arizona, the Cardinals will be faced with assuring Kolb that his services are still coveted, that the pursuit of the star was nothing personal. ©2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

http://www.profootballweekly.com/2012/03/12/manning-spends-six-hours-at-cardinals-hq

Raiders S Tyvon Branch has signed his franchise tender, guaranteeing his one-year deal for the 2012 season. He will be paid $6.21 million this season. The Raiders placed the franchise tag on Branch on March 1, limiting his options in free agency. His return means the Silver and Black keep their top tackler from each of the past two seasons. Branch has started 48 straight games for Oakland and has racked up 100 or more tackles each of the past three years. The way we see it Though not a surprise, this is still great news for the Raiders. Branch, who is just 25, is the team’s top defender and should be a building block for new head coach Dennis Allen for years. An aggressive run stopper, Branch could also see a rise in his sack totals next season. The next step for the two sides will be agreeing to a long-term extension. Given the value of the safety position and Branch’s age, the defender could cash in with a big deal, especially since the Raiders have some cap room opening up next offseason.

http://www.profootballweekly.com/2012/05/07/raiders-s-branch-signs-franchise-tender/print

With the first three rounds of the NFL draft in the books, PFW editors make their pick for which team, including the Saints, that has had the best draft thus far. Meet Prince Amukamara and you like him instantly. Watch him play and you tend to like him more. Forget need — the Giants grabbed the top guy on their board. In the 32nd and final installment of the Draft Dose series, PFW takes a look at 10 teams in need of a defensive tackle. The Giants were the only team to allow a player to work out on Tuesday, as DT Chris Canty got a workout in and met with coaches. However, the team will close the weight room on Wednesday. While most players spent just a few minutes at team facilities on Tuesday before leaving, Giants DT Chris Canty worked out at the team facility in the weight room and talked with head coach Tom Coughlin. Giants GM Jerry Reese during the team's pre-draft press conference said he thinks SLB Clint Sintim "needs to grow up." On a conference call with Giants season-ticket holders on Wednesday, commissioner Roger Goodell said he expects to start the 2011 season as scheduled. The 2011 NFL schedule has been released, and there are plenty of intriguing matchups among the 256 games that kick off on Thursday, Sept. 8 with a meeting of the last two Super Bowl champions. While the lockout lingers, fans will get a chance Tuesday to see what games will be played if the owners and players settle their differences in time for the regular season. Alfred F. Kelly, Jr., former president of the American Express Company, will serve as the CEO of the New York/New Jersey 2014 Super Bowl Host Committee. New York Giants owner John Mara has officially become a member of a Manhattan jury after previously serving as an alternate. Giants Hall of Fame LB Lawrence Taylor was declared a low-risk sex offender in a New York courthouse on Tuesday, according to the AP. In the 26th installment of the Draft Dose series, PFW takes a look at six teams that could consider drafting an interior lineman, like Florida's Mike Pouncey. PFW looks back at the past 10 players chosen with the 19th pick in the NFL draft, including Titans FS Michael Griffin in 2007. Giants owner John Mara has been chosen as an alternate juror for a three-week drug trial. He requested to be dismissed because of the upcoming NFL draft and his role on the league's labor committee, but that request was ...

http://www.profootballweekly.com/players/antonio-dennard-520457/news/?page=36

Eagles QB Michael Vick left Sunday’s game with a concussion and will not return. Rookie Nick Foles took over. The Eagles placed starting ORT Todd Herremans on injured reserve. Herremans injured his ankle in Monday night’s loss to the Saints. Drew Brees threw two TD passes, one to TE Jimmy Graham, to lead the Saints to a 28-13 win over the reeling Eagles on Monday night. It wasn’t the division’s finest hour in Week Nine, with all three teams losing prior to the Eagles’ Monday-night game against the Saints. The Panthers claimed LB Jason Williams off waivers from the Eagles and waived CB Ron Parker, the team announced Monday. With Halloween a day away, it's time to identify teams that have pulled tricks on us and teams that have treated us to the biggest surprises? The Giants stand alone atop the division ahead of the Cowboys, Redskins and Eagles, all of whom lost in Week Eight. The Eagles, Jets and Chargers might have reached the point of no return; examining the Cowboys' losing culture; and more from Week Eight. Andy Reid may be considering making a switch at quarterback after the Eagles' latest loss. Matt Ryan threw touchdown passes on Atlanta's first three possessions and the Falcons remained the NFL's only unbeaten team with a 30-17 victory. Andrew Luck is still better than RG3, Wade Phillips has the Texans' pass rush humming and Chiefs fans are feeling neglected. Here are the top 15 story lines for Week Eight as we approach the midpoint of the season. With the Eagles on bye, the Giants fended off the Redskins in a barn burner and the Cowboys stayed alive with a win at Carolina. A coroner said Thursday that an accidental heroin overdose killed Garrett Reid, the son of Eagles head coach Andy Reid. Andy Reid made the desperate-appearing move to fire Juan Castillo. Could Michael Vick be benched next?

http://www.profootballweekly.com/players/brandon-hughes-262459/news/?page=6

The four QBs in the AFC West — Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, Carson Palmer and Matt Cassel — have a lot to prove this season. Just days after the draft has ended, the Chargers rookie class has already taken a hit, as OG Johnnie Troutman is expected to miss the entire 2012 season. Veteran Atari Bigby and rookie Brandon Taylor will both see snaps at strong safety for the Chargers until a clear starter takes hold. The additions of OLB Melvin Ingram and DE Kendall Reyes should assist the aging Chargers defense. The Chargers went with OLB Larry English in the first round three years ago. It didn't work. They're now trying again with OLB Melvin Ingram. Chargers free-agent FB Jacob Hester agreed on a one-year deal to return to San Diego on Friday evening. The Chargers agreed to terms with three offensive linemen on one-year deals on Friday. The Chargers may be an overlooked team entering 2012, but they could be dangerous, writes PFW's Mike Wilkening. Here are the San Diego Chargers top three needs going into the draft, subject to any free-agent signings it may make before then. The Chargers continue to add depth to their special teams, as they have signed free agent return specialist Michael Spurlock to a one-year deal. The Chargers have reached an agreement with DE Luis Castillo, re-signing the veteran lineman on Wednesday. The deal is for one year, with financial terms not announced. The Chargers have reached a one-year deal with ex-Bills free-agent WR Roscoe Parrish. Financial terms of the deal were not announced. With three of the division's teams having needs at defensive tackle, they're likely to be paying close attention to Memphis DT-NT Dontari Poe. Former NFL QB Ryan Leaf was arrested in Montana on Friday for criminal possession of dangerous drugs, felony burglary and misdemeanor theft. After addressing several of their other needs in free agency, the Chargers solidified their D-line by re-signing NT Antonio Garay on Wednesday.

http://www.profootballweekly.com/players/colin-baxter-334998/news/?page=12

The Professional Football Writers of America announced their annual awards Tuesday, and Saints QB Drew Brees, Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and longtime personnel director Gil Brandt were among the winners. Texans CB Kareem Jackson, the club's first-round draft pick out of Alabama, was installed as a starter in the club's May offseason team activities, and he has fared well. Don’t tell me the schedule doesn’t matter in the NFL. Here’s a look at teams that will benefit the most and be hindered the most by whom they play this season. The Texans announced the signing of RS-WR Trindon Holliday on Tuesday. Terms were not disclosed. Texans WR Andre Johnson skipped the beginning of the Texans' OTAs on Monday to express his displeasure with his contract, The Houston Chronicle reported. Johnson has five years remaining on his contract. Texans SLB Brian Cushing, facing a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy on anabolic steroids and related substances, said Thursday said he did not "inject or ingest" any illegal substances. Texans SLB Brian Cushing will keep his 2009 Defensive Rookie of the Year honor from The Associated Press after he won a revote held by the organization this week. However, he lost his spot on the AP's All-Pro second ... Texans LB Brian Cushing was suspended by the league for testing positive for hCG, a fertility drug that is on the NFL's list of banned substances, a person familiar with the case told The Associated Press. In light of Texans SLB Brian Cushing's four-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy on anabolic steroids and related substances, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith issued a statement Tuesday on the union's stance on performance-enhancing drugs. The Texans and veteran LB Danny Clark have agreed to terms on a contract, The Houston Chronicle reported Tuesday. In the wake of the four-game suspension levied against Texans LB Brian Cushing for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs, The Associated Press says it is conducting a revote of the awards Cushing won at the end of ... Clocked at 4.21 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the Combine, rookie RS-WR Trindon Holliday's speed could make him an asset on a couple of fronts for Houston in his first NFL season. Texans SLB Brian Cushing will be suspended for the first four games of the 2010 regular season for violating the NFL's steroid policy, ESPN.com reported Friday. Here are the players who were chosen by the Houston Texans in the 2010 NFL draft. The Texans agreed to terms with UFA TE Michael Gaines on a one-year contract, NFL.com's Jason La Canfora reported via his Twitter feed on Friday.

http://www.profootballweekly.com/players/jared-crick-406421/news/?page=36

The Broncos signed former Chargers OG Louis Vasquez in the first hour of free agency on Tuesday. We highlight the top three needs on offense and defense for the San Diego Chargers, and take a look back at their 2012 draft class. The Chargers announced the release of LB Takeo Spikes on Thursday The Redskins hired former Chargers GM A.J. Smith as a senior executive on Wednesday. Ryan Mathews broke both clavicles and played in only 12 games, but the Chargers’ new brass still has confidence in the 2010 first-round pick. The Chargers claimed CB Johnny Patrick off waivers from the Saints on Wednesday. DeMaurice Smith is concerned about David Chao remaining as the Chargers' doctor even though he reportedly has been cleared by an independent panel. Chargers head coach Mike McCoy added three assistants to his staff on Tuesday, the team announced. New Chargers head coach Mike McCoy will retain defensive coordinator John Pagano, the team announced Friday. The Chargers hired former Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt as their offensive coordinator, the team announced Thursday afternoon. The Chargers continued in the direction of big changes in the front office by hiring former Broncos assistant Mike McCoy as head coach. Mike McCoy is staying in the AFC West and will become the new head coach of the Chargers. Jimmy Raye is leaving San Diego to be the Colts’ vice president of football operations, Sports Illustrated’s Jim Trotter first reported. New Chargers GM Tom Telesco wnats to build the club through the draft, which is important with many veterans approaching free agency. The Chargers hired former Colts vice president of football operations Tom Telesco as their new general manager on Wednesday.

http://www.profootballweekly.com/players/robert-meachem-225376/news/?page=1

This site contains links to other sites. Pro Hockey Equipment is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such Web sites. Our site uses contacts form for customers to request information, products, and services. We collect visitor's contact information (like their email address), unique identifiers (like their i.p. address), financial information (like their account or credit card numbers), and demographic information (like their name, address, zip code and phone number). Unique identifiers (such as email addresses) are collected from Web site visitors for use as account numbers in our record system.Demographics Demographic and profile data is also collected at our site. We use this data to tailor our visitor's experience at our site, showing them content that we think they might be interested in, and displaying the content according to their preferences.External Use As do most catalog and Internet retailers, we sometimes use others to perform specific functions on our behalf. When we disclose information to these service providers, we disclose information to help them to perform their service. For example, in order to deliver products to you, we must share some information. We partner with third parties (such as the U.S. Postal Service, United Parcel Service, and Federal Express) to ship products, to ensure delivery, and so that we can obtain feedback, improve the quality of our service, and measure and improve the quality of the service of the third party. In the example of shippers, we provide them some personally identifiable information such as your name, shipping address, email, and phone number.Security This Site incorporates physical, electronic, and administrative procedures to safeguard the confidentiality of your personal information, including Secure Sockets Layer ("SSL") for all financial transactions through this Site. We use SSL encryption to protect your personal information online, and we also take several steps to protect your personal information in our facilities. Access to your personal information is restricted. Only employees who need access to your personal information to perform a specific job are granted access to your personal information. This site gives users the following options for removing their information from our database to not receive future communications or to no longer receive our service. Contacting the Web Site If you have any questions about this privacy statement, the practices of this site, or your dealings with this Web site, you can contact us at: Pro Hockey Equipment 25 Commerical Dr Wrentham MA 02093 888-528-6451

http://www.prohockeyequipment.com/store.cfm?do=customerservice&id=3&requestTimeout=500&CFID=4109307&CFTOKEN=19812849

The Wrestling Genius: The Non-Champions Playoffs Anyone that knows me knows I’m a basketball junkie. There are few things better than good physical playoff basketball. Know this I hate the Heat, so any team playing then instantly becomes my team to root for. Why do I bring this up? It’s because the NBA is currently in the 2nd round of its playoffs and I’m inspired. This column will be all about playoffs in wrestling specifically who on the current WWE/FCW roster who hasn’t held a title is the best. However, before I get into that I’d like to talk about the announcement that Raw will be going to 3 hours permanently. What does it say about the WWE? I’m not sure it says a whole lot other than USA doesn’t like the ratings Law and Order SVU leading into Raw. Raw does very good numbers, and I don’t think another hour will add or lose a significant audience. The opportunity is there now though for them to showcase younger talent, which is something HHH has been harping on for a year now. We’ve seen it on SmackDown, and now hopefully we’ll see it on Raw. Hopefully this new hour won’t be the same old same old. My hope is that it will open the door for guys like Seth Rollins. I’ve been on his bandwagon and beating the drum for him for years. I think if anyone in FCW has the talent to be the next CM Punk, Daniel Bryan it’s him. WWE has an opportunity here not just to expand the storylines, but show more actual wrestling on Raw. There is a novel concept wrestling on a wrestling show, oh sorry right sports entertainment. I see this as a good thing not a bad thing, but then again I’m a glass half full kind of guy. How it works: Any current Wrestler that has never held the WWE or World Heavyweight Title. (Can include FCW superstars) I’ll seed them between 1-8 for both Raw and SmackDown with 1 “at large” FCW pick in each brands bracket. 8:Dean Ambrose (at large FCW) 1:Dolph Ziggler (was handed title, but we can overlook that, was never “really” champion SD Bracket:(a lot of projecting here) 8: Seth Rollins (at large FCW) 6: Ted Dibiase 5: Antonio Cesaro 4: Ezekiel Jackson 2: Wade Barrett 1: Cody Rhodes Raw Bracket looks very good, and very deep. A few upsets seem possible. However, SmackDown is really thin and really young, who makes it very top heavy. Round one best of 7 1) Dolph Ziggler vs. 8) Dean Ambrose Good matchup between two very similar in ring styles that seem capable of putting on some compelling matches. Dolph is considered by many to be the best in ring product without a title in the WWE. Ambrose is best known as the guy that apparently blew a big angle with Mick Foley. With that said he’s young, he’s extremely talented and this is no cake walk for #1 Ziggler. No size discrepancy for either superstar and both are very good on the mic with the slight edge going to the 8 seeded Ambrose. What a great first round matchup but Ziggler has the experience factor and has been very close to the mountain top. 1) Ziggler Over 8) Dean Ambrose 4-2 but very entertaining. 2)Kofi Kingston vs. 7)Brodus Clay Wow talk about two very different styles and sizes. Kofi is more experienced and is all around a better in ring product than Clay. With that said Clay is freakishly big and agile. No one in the WWE seems to possess the pure athletic prowess that Kofi does. He can leap higher, jump farther, and kick about as well as anyone in the WWE. Can his speed and veteran prowess overcome the size of Clay? It’s tough to see how on earth anyone can beat Clay when he’s on his game. If Kofi had a true mean streak he’d win, but both are nice guys with big smiles. Clay is just too big. 7)Brodus Clay Over 2) Kofi Kingston 4-3 this could go either way to be honest 3)R-Truth vs. Zack Ryder Just proof that it’s all about seeding. Poor Kofi was one seed away from avoiding the juggernaut Clay. Instead it’s R-Truth who gets the former US Champion. Truth has been around a long time and has never been to the mountain top but possesses the talent to be there. Ryder is a wildly inconsistent young wrestler. Both have shall we say “unique” personalities. From athleticism stand point both possess a lot of raw athletic skill. R-Truth at this stage in both their careers is the smarter and better wrestler. Not a real close set of matches. 3) R-Truth over Zack Ryder 4-0 Ryder might be able to sneak one out but not more than one 4)Santino vs. 5)Lord Tensai Poor Santino has to take on a physical, meaner than a junk yard dog, world beater in Tensai. Once again bad seeding has doomed a veteran wrestler. Santino just doesn’t have the talent or the attitude to take on a pissed off 300 pounder in Tensai. Not a real tough matchup for Tensai. 5) Lord Tensai over 4) Santino 4-1 about as boring a first round matchup we have 1) Cody Rhodes vs. 8) Seth Rollins Boy both those young at large bids were tough matchups for the 1 seeds. Rollins is freakishly athletic and a wrestling talent on par with a young CM Punk. Cody Rhodes has the pedigree of a champion and can do almost anything asked of him in the ring. Great round one matchup of the future of the WWE. Rhodes has been there done that in the WWE and has the veteran where with all to withstand the young and hungry Rollins. 1)Cody Rhodes over 8)Seth Rollins 4-2 physical first round match, could go 5, could go 7 2)Wade Barrett vs. 7)Drew McIntyre Drew is good but he’s not on the same level as the Barrett Barrage. Barrett is currently injured but in our playoffs he’s not going to pull a Chris Bosh. He’ll be there for all four wins and they should be easy wins at that. McIntyre just doesn’t have the talent to even take one from Barrett. 2)Wade Barrett over 7)Drew McIntyre 4-0 confident this would be a clean sweep 3)Ryback vs. 6)Ted Dibiase Doing a lot of projecting here to put Ryback at 3. It’s hard to not like his size and all around ass kicking nature though so we seed him pretty high. He is still young and rough around the edges and isn’t even close to a finished product though. Dibiase is a polished in ring performer and like Rhodes has a good pedigree. With that said Ryback is a one man wrecking crew. While Ryack hasn’t faced anyone the caliber of Dibiase I got to think his power is too much for Dibiase. 3)Ryback over 6)Ted Dibiase 4-2 another lop sided SmackDown matchup, doubt it would go 6, but giving Ted the benefit of the doubt 4)Ezekiel Jackson vs. 5)Antonio Cesaro Again projecting a lot here for Cesaro but he has a lot of talent. He has a unique wrestling style that makes for entertaining matches. Even with a crappy gimmick he seems to be getting over as a heel. Jackson is a powerhouse and little else. With that said he is a serviceable big man who can pull off some impressive things in the ring. This is the only SD round one matchup to go 7 and I have to take the veteran because if I know anything its veterans DO NOT LOSE GAME 7s in the NBA and the same goes for the WWE. 4)Jackson over Cesaro 4-3 it goes 7 but just doesn’t seem like it would be all that entertaining I will finish up the rest of the playoffs next week all the way through the title round. Well that’s all for me this week, thanks again for reading and as always if you want to get a hold of me to call me an idiot, tell me I’m smart, or ask a question you can do so by following me on twitter @JaredGebhardt or via email [email protected] . You can also check out my entertainment column at filmonair.com. You may also be interested in... I recently read the list put out by WWE.com of the top fifty WWE Title matches of all time. After go... Jee-S’ MAIN EVENT AND WWE NXT REVIEW 05/15/13 Kane defeats Seth Rollins via DQ when Dean Ambros... Show starts off with Miz TV and Randy Orton is in the ring. Big Show makes his way out and they argu... Vince McMahon noted that he is concerned about injuries at this weekend's Extreme Rules PPV. "Bec... - Dolph Ziggler posted the following on Twitter Friday, following the news that his brother was rele...

http://www.pwmania.com/the-wrestling-genius-the-non-champions-playoffs

The Eastern counties of Cambridgeshire, Essex and Norfolk are the top three counties across the United Kingdom when it comes to protecting their space where people can get out for recreation. Together they have made sure 1682 acres of outdoor space have been protected for future generations to enjoy. That is the equivalent of 934 football fields, which if laid end to end would stretch from Cambridge nearly back to London. The sites in these counties range from clifftop gardens in Hunstanton, a newly opened Nature reserve in Bobbingworth, and a village green in Earith. With the Duke of Cambridge’s patronage, and the support of principal partners Asda, the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge is a living legacy programme to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It aims to protect 2,012 open play spaces across the UK, giving local communities the chance to engage with these two historic events. Landowners across the country are encouraged to play their part in preserving outdoor space by Fields in Trust. And this summer, communities can celebrate their QEII Field by Having a Field Day – a day of fun and activity, with the support of a free goodie box and toolkit from Fields in Trust, to help them run it. “We are delighted at the number of sites landowners across Cambridgeshire, Essex and Norfolk have put forward for protection as a Queen Elizabeth II Field. By celebrating the Diamond Jubilee in this way, by safeguarding their outdoor spaces, the councils in these counties have shown how much they value the quality of life of everyone in their community both now and in the future. I do hope that we will see other counties wanting to follow this wonderful example” Alison Moore-Gwyn, Chief Executive of Fields in Trust said. “The Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge is a great way for us to show our communities that we value outdoor space and ensuring it is preserved for their future enjoyment. We wanted to help involve people with the events of 2012, and the Fields in Trust scheme has given us that opportunity. I would encourage all landowners to consider this for their spaces,” said Philip Peacock, Community Facilities Manager at Cambridgeshire ACRE.

http://www.qe2fields.com/news_details.aspx?newsid=c6f3015b-8d9d-46c2-8e13-fa7d24718ced

8-9, 2010 - 7 p.m. Quinnipiac University vs. Ohio State University at TD Bank Sports Center - Hamden, Conn. Season Opener At The Bank The Quinnipiac University men's ice hockey team will open the 2010-11 season against Ohio State University on Friday, Oct. 8 at the TD Bank Sports Center in Hamden, Conn. The Bobcats and Buckeyes will also play on Saturday, Oct. 9. Both games are set for a 7 p.m. start. All-Time Against Ohio State Quinnipiac and Ohio State have met three times since the Bobcats joined the Division I ranks, most recently last season with a two-game series on the Buckeyes' home ice. Quinnipiac took both games from No. 17 Ohio State, 4-2 and 3-1, to take a 2-1 lead in the all-time series. Time Out - Quinnipiac 7, St. Thomas 3 Quinnipiac defeated St. Thomas University, 7-3, in an exhibition game on Sunday, Oct. 3. Six different Bobcats scored in the win, led by sophomore defenseman Mike Dalhuisen (Nymegen, Holland) who scored twice. Junior captain Scott Zurevinski (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan), Russell Goodman (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) and Spencer Heichman (Yorba Linda, Calif.) all scored in the win, while freshmen Conor Jones (Montrose, British Columbia) and John Dunbar (Calgary, Alb.) also scored. Jones was credited on an assist as well. Quinnipiac took advantage of the power play, scoring on four-of-nine penalties. Zach Tolkinen (Lino Lakes, Minn.) had a pair of assists, while Kellen Jones (Montrose, British Columbia), Zack Currie (Victoria, British Columbia), Clay Harvey (Gull Lake, Saskatchewan), Yuri Bouharevich (Montreal, Quebec), D'Arcy Oakes (Shanty Bay, Ontario) and Bobby Tyson (The Woodlands, Texas) all picked up assists. In goal, Eric Hartzell (White Bear Lake, Minn.) stopped seven of nine shots on goal over the games first 49:02 before giving way to senior Pat McGann (Evergreen, Ill.), who turned back two-of-three shots.

http://www.quinnipiacbobcats.com/sports/mice/2010-11/releases/205007733_1?dec=/printer-decorator

A new team is set to enter the British Touring Car Championship this year with a Volkswagen Golf. Shaun Hollamby's AmD Technik squad took delivery of the car last weekend from Estonian team Saksa Auto, which has run it in the Baltic championship for the last two years, and is aiming for mid-grid respectability in its maiden season in the series. "It's time for us to move up and the BTCC is the ideal platform for us," Hollamby, who will share the single car with British Sport Maxx champion Simon Shaw, told AUTOSPORT. "I'm under no illusions that we're going to be front runners. If we can trouble the regular midfield runners then that would be fine for us for now." The team has secured a waiver from BTCC organizer TOCA to run the three-door car and will power it with a Lehmann-built Super 2000-spec, four-cylinder gasoline engine. Former VW Racing technical manager Chris Tweed has been appointed as the squad's team manager. Since working for VW in Australia and the UK, he has been involved in GT projects with Farnbacher-Loles Racing and Tech-9 Motorsport. Hollamby is aiming to begin a test program by mid-February.

http://www.racer.com/new-team-joins-btcc-with-vw-golf/article/160972/

Industry Buzz - Week of 1/15/07 ESPN the Magazine nominates Juan Pablo Montoya for its NEXT issue... Juan Pablo Montoya, driver of the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge, has been nominated as one of five athletes for ESPN the Magazine's NEXT issue. The trademark issue, which will hit stands Jan. 31, looks ahead and identifies those athletes whose talent and style will shape the landscape of sports in the years to come. Montoya will become the first Formula One regular to race full time on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup circuit when he takes the green flag at the season-opening Daytona 500 this February. Previous NEXT cover athletes include Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Yao Ming, Alex Rodriguez and Brian Urlacher Infineon Raceway will host the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, June 22-24, in 2007. Call 800-870-RACE for ticket information. INDY RACING LEAGUE Rock Legend Sammy Hagar joins Team KMA ownership... Sammy Hagar has joined Indy Pro Series™ team Team KMA Racing as co-owner. The infamous "Red Rocker" and team principal Jon Lewis announced the partnership on Jan. 10. Hagar's premier brand of tequila, Cabo Wabo, will be highlighted throughout the team's Indy Pro Series operation. Team KMA Racing is a joint operation formed by team principals Jon Lewis (American Spirit Racing) and Ingo Strackerjan (Atlantic Racing Team). Team KMA has race operations in the Indy Pro Series and the Formula BMW USA Championship. Team KMA's multi-car Formula BMW Team will promote Hagar's Cabo Wabo Cantina. The team expects to announce its driver lineup in the near future. Infineon Raceway will host the Grand Prix of Sonoma County, August 24-26, 2007. Call 800-870-RACE for ticket information. Industry Buzz - Week of 1/1/07

http://www.racesonoma.com/media/news/571173.html

A collection of news and information related to Nikolay Davydenko published by this site and its partners. Displaying items 1-12 of 25 » View wsbtradio.com items only1 2 3 Next > ReutersMADRID, May 6 (Reuters) - Milos Raonic said he needed to iron out "crucial mistakes" after the Canadian 12th seed squeaked past former world number three Nikolay Davydenko 7-5 7-6 in the opening round of the Madrid Open on Monday. Raonic, at 22 almost 10... |TV SPORTS| Men’s College Basketball--Indiana at Minnesota, 6 p.m. (ESPN); Memphis at Xavier, 6 p.m. (ESPN2); Auburn at Alabama, 6 p.m. (ESPNU); Florida at Tennessee, 8 p.m. (ESPN); Wake Forest at Florida State, 8 p.m. (ESPNU); Nebraska at... TODAY HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING South Dakota Brandon Valley at Yankton Huron at Brookings Kingsbury County Quadrangular North Dakota Lisbon Tournament COLLEGE SWIMMING Northern State at Dragon Invitational, Moorhead, Minn., 6 p.m. JUNIOR... As the NHL and players' association inched toward a labor deal during face-to-face meetings Saturday in New York, Kings center Anze Kopitar injured his right knee playing for Mora IK in Sweden's Allsvenskan hockey league. Preliminary indications were that... Staff reports|TV SPORTS| NBA Basketball--New Orleans Hornets at Miami Heat, 7 p.m. (ESPN); Denver Nuggets at Phoenix Suns, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN) College Football--Cincinnati at Louisville, 7 p.m. (ESPN2) Men’s College Hockey--Alaska-Anchorage at North Dakota, 7:30... Staff reports|TV SPORTS| Soccer--UEFA Champions League, Arsenal vs. Schalke, 1:30 p.m. (FXSP); MLS, Philadelphia at Kansas City, 7:30 p.m. (NBCSN) PGA Golf--PGA of America, Grand Slam of Golf, Final Day, 3 p.m. (TNT) Major League Baseball--World Series, Detroit... TODAY HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL Aberdeen Central vs. Mitchell, Golden Eagles Arena, 7 p.m. Aberdeen Christian at Northwestern, 7 p.m. Canby, Minn. at Sisseton Cheyenne-Eagle Butte at Timber Lake Edmunds Central vs. Potter County at Hoven... TV SPORTS TUESDAY Major League Baseball--All-Star Game at Kansas City, Mo., 6:30 p.m. (ESPN) TODAY TENNIS C.C. Lee Tournament at Northern State Courts AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL Aberdeen Smittys at Jamestown, N.D., 5:30 p.m. doubleheader... TV SPORTS Cycling--Tour de France, Stage 11, 6 a.m. (NBCSN) Golf--USGA U.S. Senior Open Championship, 2 p.m. (ESPN2) WNBA Basketball--Los Angeles at Indiana, 6 p.m. (ESPN2) Basketball--Men's National Teams, Exhibition, Dominican Republic vs.... TV SPORTS NBA Basketball--Playoffs, Miami Heat at Indiana Pacers, 7 p.m. (ESPN) College Softball--NCAA Division I Playoffs, Super Regionals, 7 and 9 p.m. (ESPN2) Major League Baseball--Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox, 7 p.m. (FXSP) TODAY... TV SPORTS Soccer-UEFA Champions League, Bayern Munich at Basel, 1:30 p.m. (FXSP) Men's College Basketball-Nebraska at Purdue, 5:30 p.m. (Big 10 Network); West Virginia at Notre Dame, 6 p.m. (ESPN2); James Madison at Drexel, 6 p.m. (ESPNU); Michigan... May 6, 2013 |Story| Reuters Apr 29, 2013 |Story| Reuters Feb 26, 2013 |Story| Aberdeen News Jan 18, 2013 |Story| Aberdeen News Jan 5, 2013 |Story| Los Angeles Times Oct 25, 2012 |Story| Aberdeen News Oct 23, 2012 |Story| Aberdeen News Aug 28, 2012 |Story| Aberdeen News Jul 10, 2012 |Story| Aberdeen News Jul 12, 2012 |Story| Aberdeen News May 24, 2012 |Story| Aberdeen News Feb 22, 2012 |Story| Aberdeen News Original site for Nikolay Davydenko topic gallery.

http://www.radiomichiana.com/wsbtam/topic/sports/tennis/nikolay-davydenko-PESPT000008709.topic?page=1&sortby=docdatetime%2520descending

LONDON (AP) -- Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has had a fresh injury setback, sustaining another stress fracture in his right ankle. The England midfielder has not played for his Premier League club this season after injuring the same ankle on international duty in June. Wilshere, who needed surgery after initially wearing a protective boot, was set to return in early February, but felt pain when running in training last week. While healing well from the original injury, the latest stress fracture will not be reviewed by a specialist for two weeks. Wilshere could still make England's squad for the European Championship.

http://www.recordpub.com/ap%20sports/2012/02/01/jack-wilshere-has-fresh-setback-with-foot-injury

- Red Bull USA - Sports & Entertainment News | Teams & Athletes - Formula 1 - United States Grand Prix: Red Bull Racing wins constructors' title - The pit team had Vettel back out on the track in 2.7 seconds - Nov 18, 2012 - Mark Thompson/Getty Images - About this Image Red Bull Racing are 2012 F1 constructors' champions Nov 18, 2012 The team joined elite company in winning its third straight Formula One title after Sebastian Vettel finished second at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. Vettel on pole for United States Grand Prix Nov 17, 2012 Sebastian Vettel records pole at the new Circuit of the Americas track in Austin, Texas. His rival, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, will start in eight position. November will mark the inaugural running of Formula One at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin,...Go To Event Formula One officially returns to action in the United States when teams hit the track in Austin, Texas, for Friday's practice sessions. Take an in-depth look at the new home of the United States Grand Prix, see how it drives in the Red Bull Racing sim and experience it first-hand in a POV video.

http://www.redbullusa.com/cs/Satellite/en_US/Gallery/us-grand-prix-2012/The-pit-team-had-Vettel-back-out-on-the-track-in-021243285021008?GImageId=1243285014049

Spruce Derden-US PRESSWIRE We've got more Ole Miss Rebel news and notes for y'all this week. Wallace wins Conerly Trophy | The Sun Herald While the Conerly Trophy is about as controversial in the Heisman in terms of who receives the award over whom, it's pretty fantastic to see Bo Wallace or, really, any Ole Miss player win it this season. It is especially exciting to see Wallace win over Johnthan Banks, if only for the purposes of Schadenfreude. Fine coming for Ole Miss after Egg Bowl celebration | The Clarion-Ledger First of all, why all of the rules, SEC? And second, I'm sure Bjork cut the check for this one with a big smile on his face. Murphy Holloway one of the SEC Men's Basketball Players Of The Week | SecDigitalNetwork.com During our wins over McNeese State and Lipscomb, Murphy averaged 19 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals. Congrats to Big Murph on the award. One Of World's Best Joins Rebel Netters | OleMissSports.com The United Nations that typifies the Ole Miss Men's tennis program grows and diversifies, as Karim Hossam, a native of Egypt, has joined the team. Hossam has been ranked as high as number 11 in the ITF world junior rankings, and has participated in all four of the world junior grand slams, including a solid performance in the 2012 Australian Open. And Check This Video from ESPNU Out... I especially liked the homage to Weekend at Bernie's.

http://www.redcuprebellion.com/2012/11/28/3701892/rebel-roundup-november-28-2012

Sourav Ganguly - 183 (158 balls, 17 fours, 7 sixes) v SL, Taunton, 1999 Presenting a brief run-down of the top batting knocks in the World Cup (against Test playing nations only) ahead of the 2011 edition which starts on Saturday. Sourav Ganguly's 183 v SL, Taunton, 1999 Ganguly provided a taste of what T20 might be like with his towering hits that almost cleared the outskirts of the town, let alone Taunton's tiny ground. After stuttering in their opening encounter against South Africa and choking in a space of six balls from Henry Olonga against Zimbabwe, India needed to win big against Sri Lanka. Ganguly's innings ensured just that and provided the momentum for a place in the Super Sixes. However, the early setbacks cost India the chance of further qualification. Image: Sourav Ganguly (left) with Rahul Dravid Viv Richards - 181 (125 balls, 16 fours, 7 sixes) v SL, Karachi, 1987 Richards walked in to bat on a hat-trick and by the time he departed, he had scored the highest score (then) in a World Cup. He went about his business in such a savage manner that Desmond Haynes' 105 almost seemed pedestrian by comparison. It was a perfect riposte to two back-to-back losses in World Cups for the West Indies (1983 finals to India; opening encounter against England in 1987). Although, they exited before the semi-finals, Richards had once again stamped his authority on the World Cup. Image: Viv Richards Matthew Hayden 158 (143 balls, 14 fours, 4 sixes) v WI, North Sound, 2007 Hayden imposed himself on the home side with an innings of various gears. It was an uncharacteristic innings, given it was Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Shane Watson who provided the impetus while the big man almost played a 'sheet anchor' role by his standards. Having not opened his account for 18 deliveries, he got to his 50 in 72 deliveries, and it was only in the 45th over that he really went into overdrive. Despite a glimpse of Brian Lara's class, there was no stopping Australia. Image: Matthew Hayden Adam Gilchrist 149 (104 balls, 13 fours, 8 sixes) v SL, Bridgetown, 2007 Clive Lloyd (1975), Viv Richards (1979), Aravinda de Silva (1996), Ponting (2003) and Gilchrist (2007). It is a Who's Who list of batsmen who left their indelible mark on World Cup finals. After a rather tepid tournament by his standards, Gilchrist -- with a squash ball inside his gloves -- treated the cricket ground akin to a squash court. His brutal assault propelled Australia, and although Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakarra made a game of it, they could not stop Australia from winning the 2007 World Cup for the third consecutive time. Image: Adam Gilchrist AB de Villiers 146 (130 balls, 12 fours, 5 sixes) v WI, St George's, 2007 With the West Indies already out of contention for a semi-final slot, Lara experimented with some debatable team selection and bowling decisions. But nothing can be taken away from the knock of De Villiers, who ensured that South Africa's shock defeat to Bangladesh was an aberration. Although Sarwan tried gamely, South Africa eased through to the semis where, again, their fragile batting was exposed by the Australians, thus re-invigorating the tag of 'chokers'. Image: AB de Villiers Rahul Dravid 145 (129 balls, 17 fours, 1 six) v SL, Taunton, 1999 Indian cricket is replete with Dravid's feats in some monumental partnerships and this extremely crucial 318-run partnership with Ganguly was no less momentous. The fact that he scored at a very impressive strike rate almost went unnoticed as he was finding the gaps and using his pull shots but not hitting the towering sixes that regularly came at the other end. However, Mr Dependable was there when India needed him most. Image: Rahul Dravid Andrew Symonds 143* (125 balls, 18 fours, 2 sixes) v Pak, Johannesburg, 2003 In Australia's first match of the 2003 World Cup as defending champions, they were stunned by the Pakistani fast bowling attack with Gilchrist, Hayden, Damien Martyn and Jimmy Maher back in the hutch within the Powerplay. Ponting and Symonds rebuilt the innings and a sedate start assumed fierce proportions once Ponting departed. Symonds took a liking to Shahid Afridi's bowling and did not spare the Ws (Wasim and Waqar) in the death overs either. Pakistan never really got going and Australia were off and running. Image: Andrew Symonds Herschelle Gibbs 143 (141 balls, 19 fours, 3 sixes) v NZ, Johannesburg, 2003 A feeling of deja vu must have crept in when Gibbs scored another century at the World Cup and lost another crucial match. Rewind to 'You just dropped the World Cup, mate' quip from Steve Waugh in 1999 when Gibbs dropped a sitter after having scored 101 and let Australia off the hook. Fast forward four years, and this time it was the Kiwi skipper, Stephen Fleming, who upstaged Gibbs' heroic effort with sheer class and grace. It was a tournament where bad luck, rain, Messrs Duckworth & Lewis, and common sense (or lack of it) conspired to eliminate the hosts. Image: Herschelle Gibbs Dave Houghton 142 (137 balls, 13 fours, 6 sixes) v NZ, Hyderabad, 1987 Another heartbreak story for another valiant centurion. Zimbabwe had always threatened to be giant slayers in their performances against India and Australia in 1983. They nearly did it again, chasing a respectable 243 to win. Houghton played one of the most majestic innings and almost single handedly won the match for Zimbabwe. Unfortunately, the rest of the batting line up let him down with tennis scores of 1-5-12-4-5-2-1. When Zimbabwe fell short by three runs, all neutral cricket fans must have been equally dejected. Image: Dave Houghton Scott Styris 141 (125 balls, 3 fours, 6 sixes) v SL, Bloemfontein, 2003 To round off the theme with a hat-trick of centuries in losing causes, Styris was the sole survivor amidst a sinking ship with only a fighting 32 from Chris Cairns to prop up the New Zealand total. New Zealand never really came close to challenging the relatively imposing total of 272 from Sri Lanka. Image: Scott Styris

http://www.rediff.com/cricket/report/slide-show-1-world-cup-2011-top-10-batting-innings-at-the-world-cup/20110215.htm

|Rediff India Abroad Home | All the sections| It's IA vs Punjab Police again in the final November 24, 2003 18:47 IST Indian Airlines stamped their class on the 40th ONGC-Nehru men's hockey tournament to score a thumping 6-1 win over Tamil Nadu at the Shivaji Stadium, New Delhi, on Monday and enter the final. Later in the day, defending champions Punjab Police ensured that tomorrow's summit clash will be a repeat of last edition's final by prevailing over Bharat Petroleum 2-0. It was a virtual goal rush for Airlines in the last 25 minutes when they scored five of their six goals. If not for the south Indian team's custodian Natrajan, the scoreline would have been even more disastrous for the losers. Skipper Dilip Tirkey (47th, 62nd), Arjun Halappa (15th, 60th), Mukesh Kumar (50th) and Dhanraj Pillay (68) sounded the board for the winners while Laxman Prabhakaran (53rd) scored the consolation goal for Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Nadu team, which had showed tremendous fighting spirit in its come-from-behind victory over Air-India on Sunday, looked like taking the game to the wire in the first half as it not only held the airmen, but also launched some probing attacks. In fact, it was the Tamil Nadu XI that had greater ball possession in the first half after international Halappa had given his team the lead in the 15th minute on a through pass by Pillay. But the failure of Arumugam and Jagan Senthil to control the ball in the box cost the Tamil Nadu side dearly as they missed at least three easy scoring chances. Airlines would have taken a 2-0 lead at the stroke of half-time, but Natrajan brilliantly saved a penalty stroke from Halappa. Soon after resumption of play in the second half, the airmen made their intentions clear as Pillay and Company kept the opposition defence busy. Tirkey pushed open the floodgates with a direct penalty-corner conversion in the 37th minute after which there was no looking back for the team which boasts of 16 players with international experience. The other semi-final between Punjab Police and Bharat Petroleum never gained momentum as neither team made any good move. While Bharat Petroleum concentrated on keeping possession and trying for penalty corners, the Jalandhar team looked satisfied with the few counter attacks that came its way. Even as the match looked like heading for a goalless draw, international Tejbir Singh deflected a free hit by Paradeep Singh into the net in the 54th minute. Olympian Baljit Singh Dhillon put the result beyond doubt when he converted the team's seventh penalty corner in the 68th minute.

http://www.rediff.com/sports/2003/nov/24hock.htm

A close race between the leading trio The four bidders seeking the right to stage the 2018 World Cup finals -- England, Netherlands/Belgium (joint bid), Russia and Spain/Portugal (joint bid) -- are in a close race with little to choose between the leading trio. Click Next to see the latest pros and cons ahead of Thursday's vote by FIFA's executive committee. Image: The football World Cup trophy England has slipped down the order Once seen as favourite but slipped down the order after recent British media allegations of corruption levelled against six voting FIFA executive committee members, two of whom have been suspended. England has presented itself as the home of soccer with great stadiums and a thriving and hugely popular football culture. Wheeled out British Prime Minister David Cameron, leading royal Prince William and glamour player David Beckham to woo voting members in Zurich. But is that enough as FIFA smarts from the accusations flying its way? Hosted the tournament in 1966 and won it, the only time England ever reached a final. Latest odds: 13-8 Image: The Wembley stadium in London Netherlands/Belgium seen as the rank outsider Mainly seen as the rank outsider and could hope to win only as a compromise candidate if FIFA sees compelling reasons to reject all the other three. FIFA has never been keen on co-hosting -- the only such tournament in 2002 in Japan-South Korea was a late compromise -- and the two together still lack enough major stadiums. But they did work together on a successful co-hosted European Championship in 2000 and they would provide the most compact tournament with relatively short distances between all venue cities. Netherlands have played in three World Cup finals and lost them all, Belgium has never passed the semi-finals. Latest odds: 40-1 Image: The Amsterdam Arena stadium Russia would have to build new stadiums Favourite in the most recent betting odds but suffered a late blow when Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin decided not to attend the Zurich presentations because of what he called "unscrupulous competition" from the British media. His personal support had been widely seen as helping Sochi win the Winter Olympics bid for 2014. Russia's appeal is that it has never staged the World Cup and that it would open up a vast and largely isolated territory to hundreds of thousands of visitors with no visa restrictions. But Russia would have to build new stadiums and ensure its transport infrastructure would meet an unprecedented demand. Russia were the first European champions but have never reached a World Cup final. Latest odds: 8-11 (favourite) Image: The Luzhniki football stadium in Moscow Spain/Portugal bid could find approval Despite FIFA's natural aversion to co-hosting this is a bid which could find approval because Spain traditionally wields power within FIFA and the Iberian Peninsula is a neat geographical entity. Spain are current world and European champions and hosted the World Cup back in 1982 while Portugal successfully staged the 2004 European Championship. Spain has great stadiums and an infrastructure well adapted to receiving large numbers of tourists but the growing financial pressure on both nations' economies is bound to give rise to doubts about their ability to fund the necessary improvements in infrastructure. Latest odds: 9-2 Image: The Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid

http://www.rediff.com/sports/slide-show/slide-show-1-football-world-cup-2018-bidding-england-holland-spain-russia/20101202.htm

Former Olympian stays positive, even after her dream is dashed TORRINGTON —On Thursday, Kayla Harris won the United States’ first ever gold medal in judo at the 2012 Summer Olympic games in London. In Pleasant Valley, Darlene “Poochie” Montgomery cheered on her kindred spirit. Montgomery, 65, has a personal tie to the Olympic sport. In 1980, she was one of the first American women chosen to demonstrate the sport in Moscow. But she was unable to attend because of the United State’s Olympic boycott that year in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Although Montgomery, whose nickname was given to her by her grandfather, still feels the disappointment of not making the trip the Russia, she follows the Olympics avidly. And she was impressed by Harris. “She’s really a good mat technician,” said Montgomery. “She not only threw the girl, she threw her for the half point then held her down. It was very nice.” Montgomery hopes the gold medal will improve judo’s popularity. And to add to the connection Thursday, Harris’ coach, Jimmy Pedro, was on Montgomery’s Olympic team. Now, Montgomery has a different team – one at DaVita Torrington Dialysis. She was diagnosed with diabetes, but continued to push herself to participate in the sport of judo. She thinks she overexerted herself, causing her kidneys to shut down, and she’s been on dialysis since January. Dialysis is the process through which blood is removed and cleaned by a machine and before being returned to the patient. In addition to coming to the center three times a week, Montgomery has also had a diabetes-caused infection in her foot for the past year and has been confined to a wheelchair. Now, the infection is gone and Montgomery had surgery to fix deteriorated bones in her foot. She hopes to be up and about as soon as her foot heals. Continued... But not even the health setback keeps Montgomery sitting still. She teaches wheelchair exercises at her church and maintains a positive attitude, bringing in costumes and crazy hats for the staff at DaVita and bringing snacks for patients, sometimes inviting them to go fishing at her house. “She’s very positive; never depressed,” said Tracy Morales-Gabelman, a licensed clinical social worker who works at DaVita. “She’s always looking on the bright side of things and she always wants to do kookie things.” “I’m just my normal self, which is a little crazy,” said Montgomery. ”I taught school for all those years and worked with teenagers girls. I still talk and think the way they do; I’m a child at heart.” Being active comes natural to Montgomery, who went on to teach physical education at Ethel Walker School in Simsbury. There, she started a judo team that competed nationally and won medals. She eventually became the manager of the judo team for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Keeping track of 11 girls was difficult, but noting compared to having to wear the American uniform — leggings, a long skirt, a scarf and a thick wool jacket — in Atlanta summer weather. Montgomery was always drawn to the contact sports. Her favorite part is grabbing her opponents’ arms, a move her husband was subject to just once after they got married. He hasn’t sparred with her since. Montgomery grew up playing against boys. She was always tall (during the Olympics she was 6 feet tall and 197 lbs) and there weren’t many other girls to compete against. “I used to live next to a YMCA and I was gym rat,” said Montgomery. “I saw a bunch of guys who were throwing each other around and I said, ‘Oh does that look like fun.’ So I jumped right in and played.” “They only minded [that I was a girl] sometimes but especially when they got their little tails beat.” Although Montgomery is competitive, she’s incredibly friendly, talking to everyone who walks by be they patient or nurse and cracking jokes. Continued... “The hardest thing [about competing] was not to be friendly to my opponents. I don’t know why you can’t. You should be able to tell jokes and have fun,” Montgomery said. To be an Olympic athlete, Montgomery says, “You gotta want it more than anything else.” She’s using her mentality to keep her spirits upbeat and staying active. Now that her foot is healing, she can go on the kidney transplant waiting list. “I see the light at the end of the tunnel,” she said. For now, she’s bringing her own light-hearted fun to the DaVita clinic. “When you have someone like Poochie, it makes it much more fun for people,” said Morales-Gabelman. Montgomery is unique because, unlike most people on dialysis, she did not have high blood pressure or high blood sugar, the two primary causes of kidney failure. Like most of the 86 patients DaVita Torrington sees, she has togo in for at least three and a half hours, three days a week. The clinic has TV’s at every station, wireless for patients with laptops and even plans events. But still, Morales-Gabelman says, people who have pre-conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure or blood sugar, should try to manage their diseases so they don’t have to go on dialysis. “Almost everyone who is here and diabetic says’ if I had known the consequences I would have done things differently,’” said Morales-Gabelman. Continued... See inaccurate information in a story? Other feedback and/or ideas for us to consider? Tell us here. Location, ST | website.com National News Videos - Torrington traffic stop leads to police pursuit, school lockdown (58) - Earthquake in Ontario felt in Detroit, other U.S. locations (23) - At least 60 injured as Metro-North train from New Haven derails, hits other train (13) - UCONN WOMEN: Top recruit A'ja Wilson eyes Storrs as a possible destination (9) - NYers furious over photos taken through windows (9) - Police Blotter for May 17, 2013 (8) - Police blotter for May 18, 2013 (7) Recent Activity on Facebook Follow the Register Citizen Fact Check blog to find out what mistakes we have made and what we have done to correct them. The Connecticut State Politics blog covers all the news from the seat of Connecticut's government and the state's elected leaders with original reporting from Journal Register Connecticut staff, links to stories from other media and blogs, press releases, statements and more. Reports from Connecticut Group Editor Matt DeRienzo. Guide to Religious Services Note: All listings are paid advertisements. Note: All listings are paid advertisements.

http://www.registercitizen.com/articles/2012/08/03/news/doc501c77ba01b81292415755.txt?viewmode=fullstory

Monday, October 1, 2012 By The Associated Press DARIEN — Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan says money raised in Connecticut will help him and presidential candidate Mitt Romney “cut through the clutter” and get their message out. About 300 people were on hand Sunday in Darien for one of three fundraisers Ryan was headlining in the state. Ryan acknowledged people in Darien probably aren’t seeing the war of TV ads, given Democratic President Barack Obama’s edge in Connecticut. But he said that “just comes with the territory.” Ryan told the crowd that the presidential election is a choice between a stagnant economy and growth. He credited Romney with knowing how to create prosperity. Woody Johnson, owner of the New York Jets football team, was expected to be at the Darien event, where tickets ranged from $1,000 to $10,000.

http://www.registercitizen.com/articles/2012/09/30/news/doc5068755bedd02305870715.prt

The State Of Origin is an internationally recognized National Rugby League sports series that involves the highest level of rugby play anywhere in the world. Viewers and attendees turn to this fierce rivalry to observe the bone crunching hits, intense tackles, physically demanding plays and even all out on the field brawls. To help share the non stop action Orange Odds will be providing their leading up to the minute State Of Origin Odds comparison page, popular interactive NRL forums where fans have heated debates, free betting deals worth up to $300 and much more. 2011 State Of Origin Game 1 Results Final Score: Queensland Maroons 16 New South Wales Blues 12. The victory places QLD one game from a record sixth straight series win. State Of Origin game 2 The second of three matches, State Of Origin game 2, gets under way on Wednesday the 15th of June at 8:10 pm AUEST at the prestigious ANZ stadium in the Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales. Game three will return to Suncorp Stadium on the 6th of July. The NSW Blues led by captain Paul Gallen, the dangerous Greg Bird and a cast of young guns will be putting their pride, sweat and blood on the line when they host the QLD Maroons led by captain Darren Lockyer, lethal weapon Cameron Smith and a team of victorious veterans.State Of Origin game 2 Analysis. Will QLD have NSW singing the Blues? After a few weeks full of big announcements, injuries and shocking decisions the Queensland and New South Wales coaches have named their squads for the second game of the fierce rivalry. NSW Fullback Josh Dugan and three other Maroons were ruled out due to injury, leading to a series of roster moves by coach Ricky Stuart. Moves that are being intensely scrutinized by the media as well as in the Free Orange Odds NRL State Of Origin Forum. Forums where fans from Australia and the world discuss exciting NRL, Super Rugby and other sports events. An example of which can be found in this analysis by Orange Odds contributor 'Chilli'- "Before I started being a sook I asked myself the same question!! The answer I came up with was that if (NSW) manages to win game 2 then I truly believe they simply could've won by more with the obvious selections in place!" "Game 1 with an injured thurston and no QLD centres was a match we should've won and would have with hayne at fullback and idris off the bench! Flawed logic maybe but hayne has so many points in him, and considering soward was AWOL, we needed that extra playmaker attacking the line..". State Of Origin Odds Game 2 is setting up to be a cracker and to help find the best available betting odds the Free Orange Odds State Of Origin New South Wales vs Queensland Odds Comparison page has all the latest market movers, betting flucs and game action odds. The State Of Origin Odds Comparison page is updated every minute thus allowing NRL enthusiasts to see all the market moves and betting options such as Half Time, First Scoring Play, Winning Margin and others with Australia's leading TAB's, bookmakers and betting exchanges. The State Of Origin Odds favourite in the second of three intense matches are the Queensland Maroons with current win odds in the $1.62-$1.69 range. As such, a Free $300.00 "win bet", available through exclusive NRL Betting Deals arranged for Orange Odds members, would be worth $486.00 at a $1.62 price providing the Maroons continue their winning ways in game 2. Your Free Membership to Orange Odds, which only takes a short minute to sign on, also offers the ability to buy and sell tips online, access to the best available odds for other sports including Horse Racing and Australian Rules football as well as exclusive member promotions.

http://www.release-news.com/sport/state-of-origin-live-odds-and-game-2-analysis-will-qld-have-nsw-singing-the-blues/html

Bulldogs use ball control to upend Argyle By Daniel Youngblood ARGYLE — Playing No. 6 Argyle in the "Fox Sports Southwest High School Football Friday" game of the week, the Wylie Bulldogs put on a clinic in ball control Friday, piling up 383 yards — 262 on the ground — in an impressive 31-14 win. The Bulldogs (1-0) tallied 23 first downs on 73 offensive plays, while limiting the defending Class 3A Division II state runner-up Eagles to just 131 yards and six first downs on 38 offensive snaps. Doing the bulk of the damage for Wylie was senior running back Garrett Martin, who accounted for 225 total yards and a pair of scores on 36 touches between the running and passing games. Zerrie Mack, meanwhile, added 61 rushing yards on nine carries, and Hayden Lewis scored a fourth-quarter touchdown to cap the Bulldogs scoring. "I thought our guys did well," Wylie coach Hugh Sandifer said. "Garrett ran well, Zerrie ran well, Hayden got him a touchdown, but it's all those guys up front." While the Wylie running game and defense stole the show, the Bulldogs got a nice performance from first-year starting quarterback Taylor Grant as well. The senior connected on 13 of 28 passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns, while also throwing his first interception. Sandifer said he liked what he saw from Grant, who had a number of well-thrown balls dropped by receivers. "I thought he got his momentum going," Sandifer said. "I had planned on playing (junior Blake Frampton) some, I just didn't feel like at the time we needed to make that change. "Blake's going to get his opportunities as well, but I thought Taylor was really poised. I thought he made some really nice throws. We dropped a few, but I thought he just managed the game really well." That game management started on the Bulldogs' opening drive, when Grant led them 57 yards on 11 plays to set up a 35-yard field goal by Paul Goodrich. After Wylie's next two drives ended on an interception and a punt, Argyle took its only lead four minutes into the second quarter on Nick Ralston's first of two touchdown runs. But Wylie would counter with a TD of its own just two minutes later, when Grant found Martin from 10 yards out to make it 10-7. Following a Patrick Walker interception — Wylie's second of three forced turnovers — the Bulldogs went up two scores on a 5-yard TD run by Martin. "The linemen played great," Martin said. "We actually had some guys go down, but others stepped up. That's just the type of team we have. We never give up, and we execute every play that we can." After Wylie's first drive of the second half resulted in a missed field goal, Argyle cut the Bulldog lead to 17-14 with another Ralston TD run. But from that point forward, it was all Wylie. The Bulldogs went back up 10 with 4:19 remaining in the game on Grant's second TD strike, and put the game away with 28 seconds remaining when Lewis scored from 14 yards out on fourth-and-5. That possession was set up on a diving interception by Shante Brown, which capped a dominant defensive performance. "We just had to gang tackle them all night," Brown said. "We played together and just fought hard." Added Sandifer: "We did some great things out there, and I thought the defense played fast. I thought they got to the ball, we really gang tackled well, and then when they had to throw the football, we had some guys in the secondary make some nice plays." Wylie 3 14 0 14 — 31 Argyle 0 7 7 0 — 14 WYL — Paul Goodrich 35 FG, 6:15 ARG — Nick Ralston 17 run (Cole Hedlund kick), 8:11 WYL — Garrett Martin 10 pass from Taylor Grant (Goodrich kick), 6:04 WYL — Martin 5 run (Goodrich kick), 1:23 ARG — Ralston 11 run (Cole Hedlund kick), 2:15 WYL — Goodrich 13 pass from Grant (Goodrich kick), 4:19 WYL — Hayden Lewis 14 run (Goodrich kick), 0:28 First downs 23 6 Rushes-Yards 45-262 20-75 Passing 121 56 Comp-Att-Int 13-28-1 8-18-2 Punts 4-31.0 40.3 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 2-1 Penalties-Yards 4-30 6-61 RUSHING: Wylie — Martin 28-167, Zerrie Mack 9-61, Lewis 2-15, Jonathan Bott 3-13, Grant 2-8, Team 1-(-2). Argyle — Ralston 14-69, Hunter Treadwell 1-3, Brandon Boyzuick 4-3, Ian Sadler 1-0. PASSING: Wylie — Grant 13-28-1—121. Argyle — Boyzuick 8-18-2—56. RECEIVING: Wylie — Martin 8-58, Sterling Bristow 2-26, Shante Brown 1-15, Goodrich 1-13, Jake Linn 1-9. Argyle — Ralston 2-24, Blake Lyle 2-18, Treadwell 2-14, Sadler 2-0.

http://www.reporternews.com/news/2012/sep/01/bulldogs-use-ball-control-offense-to-upend/

WBC boxing champ undergoes shoulder repair surgery Jean-Thenistor Pascal, the Haitian-Quebecker professional boxer and current WBC Light Heavyweight Champion, underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder this week and will be unable to train or fight for about nine weeks. The boxer hurt his shoulder while successfully defending his title against Adrian Diaconu last week. Pascal said he dislocated his right shoulder three times during the fight and had to have his shoulder popped back into place at least once by one of his cornermen. Despite having to box stretches almost entirely with his left hand, and looking hurt and worn down in the last few rounds, Pascal prevailed, earning a unanimous victory from the judges. “I know I have a lot of guts,” Pascal said after the fight. “I knew it and now I really know it. When it happened the first time I told myself I was finished, but I couldn’t pull out in front of these fans. No way was I going to quit.” Pascal’s surgery involved the removal of a bone chip and repair to the shoulder labrum, according to a statement released by promoter Groupe Yvon Michel. Pascal has been ordered to rest his shoulder for three weeks followed by five or six weeks of rehabilitation before he will be allowed to resume normal training. Pascal is scheduled to meet the WBC interim champion Chad Dawson in 120 days, but he may need to postpone that meeting until his shoulder recuperates. Shoulder repair surgeries are about 85-95 percent successful. But some patients have had lingering problems, including the developing of a painful and debilitation condition known as chondrolysis. It wasn’t until after 2000 that doctors began to make a connection between a type of chondrolysis known as Postarthroscopic Glenohumeral Chondrolysis and the use of intra-articular pain pumps used in surgery. Details of that discovery were later published by The American Journal of Sports Medicine, and numerous lawsuits from those who suffer from chondrolysis have since filed suit against the makers of pain pumps. Source: Montreal Gazette

http://www.rightinginjustice.com/news/2009/12/17/wbc-boxing-champ-undergoes-shoulder-repair-surgery/

Rollins College Athletics charges admission for the following sports: Men's and Women's Soccer, Volleyball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Men's and Women's Lacrosse Adults - $7.00 Seniors and students - $5.00 Children under 12 - Free Rollins Students/Faculty free with valid R-Card Rollins does not presale tickets for athletic events; tickets are only available at the door on the day of the event. Admission is on a on a first come, first serve basis. Season ticket packages are available though the Tar Boosters.

http://www.rollinssports.tv/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=19500&ATCLID=1594825&KEY=&DB_OEM_ID=19500&DB_LANG=C&IN_SUBSCRIBER_CONTENT=

C.J. Mosley to Return for Senior Year; Crimson Tide Continue Bowl Practice Dec. 20, 2012 TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Alabama continued BCS National Championship Game preparations on Thursday inside the Hank Crisp Indoor Practice Facility while junior linebacker C.J. Mosley made news following the two-hour practice, announcing he would return for his senior season at the Capstone. "I'm staying for one more year (at Alabama)," Mosley said on Thursday. "There's a lot I still haven't accomplished yet as far as football goals, and I still want to get my degree. It really hasn't been a tough decision because the whole time I knew I was going to stay." Mosley, a native of Theodore, Ala., led the nation's top-ranked total defense (246.0 ypg) and No. 1 rush defense (79.8 ypg) with 99 tackles. He accounted for seven tackles for loss (-46 yards), four sacks (-34 yards), 61 solo tackles, two interceptions, two pass breakups, one fumble forced and a fumble recovery. Returning for his senior year will also give Mosley to a chance to finish his degree next December before moving on to the NFL. "C.J. is an outstanding player and a really good leader," Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. "He's a guy that can have a tremendous impact on the game. We are really pleased and happy to have him back. This guy is one that will make you proud. He, personally, academically and athletically has done extremely well in every way in terms of how he has represented himself, his family, our program and The University of Alabama." Thursday's workout was the third practice since beginning championship-game preparations on Tuesday. The Tide will practice again on Friday and Saturday before breaking for Christmas. Alabama returns to work on Dec. 26 and will practice six times before departing for Miami on Wednesday, Jan. 2. The BCS Championship Game against Notre Dame will be played on Jan. 7, 2013, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m. (CST) on ESPN. For more information on Alabama Football, follow the Tide on Twitter @AlabamaFTBL and like the team on Facebook at AlabamaFTBL.

http://www.rolltide.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/122012aaa.html

The exhibition will show off skills developed for competition routines prepared for the 2013 meet season. Gymnastics levels 4-10 will perform routines on vault, bars, beam and floor. The December exhibition helps the teams prepare for meet season, including the Roman Team Challenge meet hosted in Rome on January 5-6. Head Coach Matt Zollitsch says, “The team has diligently trained for the upcoming season; this event will be their first test for 2013. The exhibition is also a great community event because it gives parents and kids a chance to see what gymnastics is all about.” The exhibition is free and open to the public. It will be held at the RFPRA Gymnastics Center located at 1 Shorter Avenue in Rome, Georgia. The gymnastics center is a state-of-the-art gymnastics facility complete with two in-ground pits, one channel pit bar, uneven bars with resi mats, in-ground tumble trak, separate recreational and competitive equipment, and all the standard gymnastics and tumbling equipment. The facility also features viewing areas spanning the width of the gym. The building of this facility was made possible through the 2006 SPLOST funding. Click here to read additional press releases on RN-T.com.

http://www.romenews-tribune.com/view/full_story/21016612/article-Public-invited-to-RFPRA-gymnastics-exhibition?instance=news_page_secondary_local

Williams, who will regain the No. 1 ranking if she reached the semifinals, showed no signs of the back or ankle injuries that troubled her at the Australian Open during her 6-2, 6-1 win over Russian qualifier Daria Gavrilova. “I have it heavily taped. As long as the tape doesn’t get loose, it feels really good,” the 15-time Grand Slam winner said. “Physically feeling better is so good, and hopefully I can stay on that level.” The third-ranked Sharapova, who won the tournament in her two previous appearances, downed French qualifier Caroline Garcia 6-3, 6-2. American Sloane Stephens, who defeated Williams at the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, beat Anna Tatishvili 6-2, 6-2. Stephens pulled out of Fed Cup against Italy last week after aggravating an abdominal muscle injury and suffering from a stomach virus. “I hadn’t really been serving since my ab was a little sore,” Stephens said. I didn’t serve that great today. “Actually last weekend I got like, I don’t know, like a stomach virus or something. ... I’m just happy that I can play now.” Williams broke Gavrilova to go up 4-2 in the first set and took a 5-0 lead in the second. Williams then saved five break points before serving out the match when the 160th-ranked Gavrilova hit a forehand long. Williams acknowledged she has to do better on her first serve, which is considered among the best in the women’s game. She hit the mark just over half the time. “I wasn’t making my first serve today,” she said. “It’s always something I can work on and try to do better in my next round.” Sharapova broke the 172nd-ranked Garcia twice go up 3-0 in the first set. Garcia won the next two games but Sharapova broke for a third time. The second set went with serve through the first five games until Sharapova broke to go up 4-2, and she clinched the win when the Frenchwoman hit a forehand long. “I was quite happy with the way I played, because my opponent has already played a few matches here so she’s been able to get in that match atmosphere,” Sharapova said. “So I wanted to start really strong. I had a tough match against her in my previous encounter where I played three sets. I really wanted to start better this time as opposed to last time.” Sharapova was joined in the third round by 11th-ranked Marion Bartoli, who downed former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone 7-6 (5), 6-3. The loss leaves Schiavone, who has fallen to 54th in the rankings, winless in four matches this year. Sixth-ranked Angelique Kerber became the first top player to be eliminated from the tournament, routed by fellow German Mona Barthel 6-1, 6-2 in just more than an hour. Schiavone had the upper hand early, taking a 4-1 lead. But Bartoli turned things around, saving five break points to make it 4-2 breaking back in the next game when Schiavone doubled faulted. She won the tiebreaker with a return winner. After trading breaks early in the second set, Bartoli took advantage of Schiavone’s errors to go up 4-2. She closed out the match when she chased down a volley and fired a backhand winner down the line. “The first set was extremely tough,” Bartoli said. “It was a hard battle. I knew from coming from indoor clay court I wouldn’t play my best tennis for the first 30 minutes. ... But I felt I really fought really hard on the court. I didn’t show any frustration.” The only other seeded player to lose Tuesday was No. 12 Maria Kirilenko of Russia, who retired with a right shoulder injury against fellow Russian Ekaterina Bychkova after trailing 3-0. Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium also withdrew from the tournament with a lower back injury, as did Varvara Lepchenko of the United States with an upper respiratory illness. Lepchenko won two matches for the U.S. team in its 3-2 loss to Italy in the Fed Cup on Sunday.

http://www.romenews-tribune.com/view/full_story/21697388/article-Williams--Sharapova-advance-in-Doha?instance=sports_page_secondary_story

Pinch-hitter Chad Tracy homered off Huston Street in the top of the 10th inning to lead the Nationals to a 6-5 win over the Padres on Friday. Incredibly, it was the first RBI for a Nationals pinch-hitter in 42 games this season. It was also the sixth homer surrendered by Street in 17 1/3 innings, tripling his total from his 39 innings pitched last year. Despite taking a comebacker off his pitching hand, Drew Storen pitched a scoreless 10th inning Friday against the Padres for his first save. Aided by a Ryan Zimmerman throwing error, Rafael Soriano took a blown save in the ninth. Storen got his chance in the 10th after a Chad Tracy homer and got the job done, though not before allowing a couple of singles. The first of those was a hard shot up the middle that deflected off his pitching hand. Storen, though, remained in after a couple of warmups. His ERA sits at 4.41 currently, and he's no threat to Soriano's job as is. Adam LaRoche hit a pair of homers and drove in four runs Friday in the win over the Padres. LaRoche had a three-run shot in the fourth and then hit the second of back-to-back homers with Ryan Zimmerman in the sixth. He's now collected four homers in three games after totaling just three in his first 36 games. Burch Smith gave up five runs and three homers in 5 1/3 innings Friday in a no-decision against the Nationals. Smith struck out eight and walked just one, but there was no overcoming the homers. He has a 15.63 ERA after two starts, so his rotation spot is tenuous at best. Chris Sale struck out 12 in 7 2/3 scoreless innings Friday in the White Sox's 3-0 win over the Angels. Poor C.J. Wilson got matched up with Sale for the second time in six days and took another tough loss. Sale allowed just four hits and struck out 19 while pitching 16 2/3 scoreless innings over the course of the two outings. He's allowed one run in 24 career innings against the Angels. Alex Rios went 2-for-3 with a homer and a walk Friday, extending his hitting streak to 12 games. Rios opened the season on fire, homering in four straight games from April 5-9 and collecting hits in 10 straight. A three-week slump followed, but he's gotten it going against lately. The homer tonight was his fourth during his hitting streak. Erick Aybar went 0-for-4 in Friday's loss and is just 11-for-51 this month. That .216 average is also his on-base percentage for the month, since his one walk this season came on April 30. He's also 0-for-1 stealing bases this month. Aybar is only back in the leadoff spot because Peter Bourjos is hurt. He'll probably be dropped to seventh or lower once Bourjos is activated. Adam Rosales hit a go-ahead homer off James Shields in the eighth in Oakland's 2-1 defeat of Kansas City on Friday. The A's had been going with Eric Sogard against righties and Rosales against lefties, but Rosales drew the assignment against Shields tonight and came through with the big blast. As poorly as Sogard has hit, the A's will probably go with Rosales regularly for now.

http://www.rotoworld.com/?aspxerrorpath=/articles/nba/41819/45/Dose:-Josh-Smith-iffy-w/teams/depth-charts/rankings/cfb/sports/mlb/baseball/

I’m going to take you on a journey of average draft position. It may sound like the worst possible journey next to a Carnival cruise, but it’s really not all that bad. We’re going to take a look at how well ADP predicted actual fantasy numbers. I’m a firm believer that if you take good ADP rankings and compare them to well thought out rankings from really smart people, you’re still going to come up with similar results. Unfortunately I’m no mathmagician and trying to quantify that possibly wildly inaccurate claim is beyond my ability, so I thought we would get in the way back machine and see how well ADP worked for 2012. We’ll start with quarterbacks, the most loved and hated of the football playing kind. For the sake of sticking with the theme “average” we’ll go with ESPN’s standard scoring and Fantasy Pros’ average of six sites’ ADP for analysis. Aaron Rodgers – ADP 1 (Finish 2) – Rodgers was by far the first quarterback to come off the board in the summer of ’12. His ADP was second overall, which, as you know is darn high for a quarterback. But at least with Rodgers his high ADP wasn’t based on one big season, but a slow burn of great fantasy seasons topped off with an MVP effort. Depending on your scoring, Rodgers had been the number one or two fantasy player in each of the four previous seasons. That kind of consistency is appealing to those who have been burned by early round running backs over and over. So did he live up to his number two overall ADP? Well, if you look at the numbers in a vacuum he sure did. But of course that means Drew Brees should have been the number one overall pick and that you should get out of that vacuum. Rodgers ended up tied for second with Tom Brady in overall scoring, but we all know that his numbers didn’t live up to expectations. From week 8 to 14 he had sub-20 point fantasy point games in all but one. That is quite a turnaround from 2011 when he had just one game with less than 20 points all season. But if you made the fantasy playoffs with him, he did come up big with two top-5 games in week’s 15 and 16. Looking back his consistency rating was fifth for quarterbacks on the season with nine startable (top 10) games. That’s good, but not top-2 overall good. And nothing compared to his 2011 when he led the league with 15 of 15 startable games! He will most likely be the top quarterback taken or at least fight Drew Brees for that honor in 2013, but we might see people once again backing off the first round quarterback after jumping on them due to the huge numbers of 2011. Tom Brady – ADP 2 (Finish 2) – Brady was picked 5th overall on average, which does seem odd with Drew Brees having clearly been the number one or two fantasy quarterback in 2011, but it does seem people were slightly scared off by Sean Payton letting the Bounty Gate hit him on his way out and buoyed by the addition of Brandon Lloyd to Patriot Way. Brady ended up finishing behind Brees, but tied for second with Rodgers. Brady was slightly more consistent than Rodgers, but didn’t put up the huge numbers you need for a quarterback to torch the competition. Looking back here is how he ranked each week against his fellow quarterbacks, going from week 16 to 1 -- 11, 4, 3, 24, 2, 4, 12, 2, 7, 9, 8, 1, 15, 20, and 11. Brady’s consistency rating was third for quarterbacks with 10 startable games, which gives him the slight edge over Rodgers on the season. So even though they finished with the same number of fantasy points, Brady was a better pick than Rodgers who went before him, but still taken too high in the grand scheme of fake football (which is to dominate all fantasy takers). Drew Brees – ADP 3 (Finish 1) – Mr. Brees wasn’t the best real quarterback in 2012 as seen in wins and losses and interceptions, but he was the best fantasy quarterback across the board. The lack of an acceptable Saints’ defense allowed Brees to throw the ball in comeback style and hit that 5k yards, 40+ touchdown mark once again. He was also the most consistent fantasy quarterback with 11 startable games paired with the most stud games (top 2) for a quarterback with four. Brees went off the board seventh overall, which is too high for me, but looking back, was a safe pick. Like Rodgers, he’s been extremely consistent, and that dome coupled with a pass happy offense is a breeding ground for fantasy points. Of course he still finished 16th overall in ESPN’s consistency rankings and seventh in “stud” games, which means running backs and receivers were the true studs last season. If I were drafting with my Grays Sports Almanac in hand, I probably still wouldn’t have owned Brees with his first round ADP. Cam Newton – ADP 4 (Finish 4) – Talk about a weird season for Mr. Newton! Ok, sure, that’s what I’m here for. Newton’s 2012 was a tale of two seasons, or more likely, a tale of three big games between weeks 12-14. Newton actually landed firmly in fourth overall in fantasy scoring, just in line with his ADP. But if you ask his fantasy owners how they feel about his 2012, you’ll get a wide variety of answers depending on how far behind the eight ball he placed their teams. Newton was a top ten quarterback in just half of his games and a top two quarterback in half of those. Three of those top two performances came at the end of the fantasy football season, which was most likely too late for many. So if you were in a total points league (I know, few are, but more should be) Newton gave you a miraculous comeback! But for the most part, his QB ADP of four was too high. Newton’s overall ADP ranged from 7 to 22, so as we get further down in ADP the ranges from site to site and draft to draft, fluctuate much more than they did with the top guys. Newton at 22nd overall in the right league settings could have been a great pick, but overall he most likely hurt your team if you drafted him in the first round. But with that strong finish, there is a good chance his ADP will once again be high. We know he has the ability, but will he have the consistency? How about you start up a cumulative scoring league and draft him early? And then spread the word to all my friends that cumulative scoring is the bee’s knees and/or elbows. Matthew Stafford – ADP 5 (Finish 10) – Oh Matt, Matt, Matt, why did you have to do us like that, that, that? Bro Stafford, much like Drew Brees, threw the ball more than any human should have to throw a ball, but unlike Mr. Brees, Stafford had a much harder time converting those throws into fantasy points. Stafford finished the season tenth in fantasy points and first in pass attempts. That’s a monumental task in itself. Stafford didn’t come close to living up to his ADP, even with the top 10 overall finish. He had seven startable games and only one top 2 game. In a down year for quarterbacks, that wasn’t at the bottom of the pack, but if you grabbed him at his overall ADP of 10, you are still crying hard and often. There were many factors for his poor season, but his inconsistency was the leading one. He still has him arm attached after throwing the ball 727 times and the last I heard Calvin Johnson is still on the Lions and those two things point to a nice bounce back season in 2013. Michael Vick – ADP 6 (Finish 27) – Remember Michael Vick? You know, that guy who in 2010 led many leagues in fantasy points, but only played in 12 games? Yeah, I think many of us were remembering that guy when we drafted back in August. It was a poor season for Vick without a doubt. He only played in ten games and finished 27th in quarterback scoring. If you extrapolate his numbers out to a whole season, he still only finished around 14th overall. If you take out the Dallas game in which he was injured it helps him a little, but overall he was not a top tier fantasy quarterback when healthy. But he still is at least a top-10 fantasy quarterback when healthy, unfortunately “when healthy” is the operative phrase you can’t get around. This season he will be much cheaper and much easier to take a gamble on in drafts and if I’m gambling on backup quarterbacks in 2013, it’s on one that can run.

http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/nfl/42611/353/rankings/cfb/nfl-draft-juniors-rankings?rt=3

The 17-year-old striker was invited to showcase his talents with the club’s youth team by Rovers’ global advisor Shebby Singh. Suraj, who lives in London, had been playing semi-professional football for Camberley Town and Indian Gymkhana, who were recently crowned the UK Asian Championship winners following a 7-0 success in the final at Celtic Park. Now based at Brockhall, the young forward hopes to make the most of his opportunity and earn a permanent contract with the club. “As soon as I came down, it was just a whole different experience,” said Suraj. “There are so many people here, professional footballers everywhere and the main thing was that everyone was so nice. “I’ve never experienced something like this before, because I’ve always played in the lower leagues, but I think I’ve handled it well and the people around me have made it so much easier. “Talent and hard work is all you need, so if I can show that then hopefully I can sign on the dotted line.” Suraj, who only took up football 18 months ago, hopes that by getting his big break he could become a forerunner for other young Asian footballers to follow in his footsteps. “That’s one of the reasons why I’m here – to bring a name out for Asian people, because I don’t think they get the same opportunities to play football,” he added. “I want to be an idol for people if I can. I’m not saying I will be, but I just want to try my hardest and if I get it, I’ll be the happiest guy in the world.”

http://www.rovers.co.uk/news/article/suraj-eyes-dream-deal-420519.aspx

I know this is a case of pure speculation but I do wonder how middleweights of today, yesteryear, or yester yester...yesteryear would fare against him. He was a road warrior, a technical purist, a minimalist and, heck he could bang too if he wanted to. I'd be giddy as a school girl if I could see him against Gene Fullmer or Henry Armstrong, or against Robinson as he was suppose to fight on more than one occasion. I really can't pick out a winner though I think he’d have a far easier time against fighters who tend to lead on the front end. I'd like your thoughts about this hypothetical bout.

http://www.saddoboxing.com/boxingforum/71075-charley-burley-vs.html?amp%3bgoto=newpost

Kyrgyzstan are set to send a sailor to compete at an ISAF Sailing World Championships for the first time. Ignatev Ilia, who is 18 years old, will sail in the Laser class at Perth 2011 becoming Kyrgyzstan's first athlete to represent the nation in a major international regatta. Alex Abramov, spokesman for Kyrgyzstan Sailing said, "We are very proud that Kyrgyzstan will have a representative at the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships. "We would like Kyrgyzstan to be perceived in the world as a nation that is able to compete with other sailing federations and associations." Kyrgyzstani is landlocked but sailors train on the picturesque Issyk-Kul Lake in the Tian Shan mountain range in east Kyrgyzstan. Although it is surrounded by the snow-capped Tian Shan mountain range the lake never freezes and by volume it is one of the largest lakes in the world allowing youth and adult sailors excellent access to the water all year round. "We are currently developing sailing on the Issyk-Kul Lake and the natural conditions allow us to train on the water for up to nine months per year," "The wind is very different in the places where there are sailing schools. And our sailors participate in three to four local competitions as well as two or three competitions in Kazakhstan every year as well. "Last year our sailors participated in regattas in Thailand and China. And so far this year they participated in an international regatta in Doha, Qatar." Kyrgyzstan are starting to develop sailors that will be able compete on the world stage. And there are plans to send athletes to more international regattas, "We would like our sailors to participate in the European Championships, World Junior Championships and the Olympic Test Event this year," Kyrgyzstan won't be the only newcomer to the ISAF Sailing World Championships. The Cook Islands are sending entries in the Laser and Laser Radial. Kazakhstan, Montenegro and Trinidad and Tobago are each sending one entry into the Laser class. And St Lucia will have a representative in the Laser Radial and Palestine has entrants in the Men's RS:X and Men's 470. Kyrgyzstan joined the ISAF family as an MNA in 2007 and as the sailing community continues to grow throughout the world Perth 2011 has already received entries from 72 nations. And with age on his side Kyrgyzstan's Ignatev Ilia may be a regular fixture in ISAF events for many years to come. To view some fantastic images of sailing in Kyrgyzstan click here.

http://www.sailing.org/news/12319.php

An exceptional fortnight at the London 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition showcased the sport to the world and to thousands of fans that lined up on the Nothe Spectator area. It started with a surprise as Jonas Hogh Christensen (DEN) took two bullets ahead of the home nation favourite Ben Ainslie (GBR) in the Finn and ended in high suspense as Tamara Echegoyen (ESP) took victory in a big wind Women's Match Racing finale. Over 60,000 spectators enjoyed an Olympic day out in Weymouth and Portland on the Nothe where every class played to the crowd. Even more made the most of vantage points around the course to catch a glimpse of history being made. Ben Ainslie (GBR) became the most decorated Olympic sailor of all time, Pavlos Kontides won Cyprus' first ever Olympic medal with silver in the Laser, Echegoyen shocked the favourites in the Women's Match Racing and China's Lijia Xu came out on top in an epic four way Laser Radial podium battle. Three Australian gold medals and a silver saw the Aussies top the sailing Medal Table ahead of Spain who had two gold medals. Hosts Great Britain were shifted from top spot having finished at the helm three times in a row, nonetheless they medalled in five out of ten events for their silver lining. ISAF has been thrilled with the success of London 2012, one of the best ever for Olympic Sailing. Over the last four years the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) sailing team, led by Rob Andrews, have worked tirelessly to deliver an exceptional competition. The bar has been raised with regards to on water race management, boat branding, the introduction of a sailing spectator venue, sports presentation and broadcasting. ISAF now look forward to seeing the work done by LOCOG taken, applied, implemented and expanded by the Rio 2016 Organising Committee as preparations for the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition commence. Thousands of volunteers took time out of their lives to make London 2012 what it was and ISAF Head of Competitions, Alastair Fox, was quick to praise them, "On behalf of ISAF I want to thank every single volunteer who helped make the London 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition such a fantastic success. We have seen the most incredible athletes competing in Weymouth and Portland and sailing has been seen in a new light through the Nothe Course and excellent broadcasting across the world. None of this could have happened without the national and international volunteers." The dust has settled and the boats and 380 sailors from 63 nations have gone but fans can now relive all the excitement once again by replaying all of the action on the Online Race Viewer here ISAF Olympic Website

http://www.sailing.org/olympics/london2012/equipment/32063.php

ASHSAA Boys Basketball season continues to showcase great action and heart The American Samoa High School Athletic Association (ASHSAA) 2011-2012 boys basketball season is continuing to showcase great action and heart this season, with every team putting it all on the line, despite a few one-sided victories, as this game was, that was between the Fa’asao Marist Crusaders and the South Pacific Academy Dolphins, this past Wednesday, in the Varsity division. The Dolphins came in the game with a ‘no back down attitude’ while the Crusaders came onto the court showing great respect for the team that the fans say have the ‘biggest heart’, the SPA Dolphins. While the Dolphins did manage to keep the game close in the in the first period, the size and experience of the Crusaders were to much for their smaller opponents. When the final buzzer sounded, it was the Crusaders 84- Dolphins 21. After the game, head coach for the Crusaders, Diehl Langkilde, in a great show of sportsmanship, was seen on the sidelines congratulating the Dolphins for not giving up and playing hard until the very end. Leading scorer in this game was Rhoderick Tarray from Fa’asao-Marist, who was able to land 28 big points for his Crusaders. Today’s match up will have the Tafuna Warriors and Fa’asao-Marist battling it out in the Varsity and Junior Varsity divisions, while the Manumalo Baptist Academy Flames will be playing the SPA Dolphins in the Varsity division only. For more information on the venues for each game, contact the ASHSAA basketball coordinator Valusia Talataina at the ASHSAA office at 699-1657. All games have a scheduled starting time of 4:00 p.m. Talataina continues to invite the public to come out to all of the ASHSAA basketball games in support of ASHSAA sports. THE NEW COMMENTS PROCESS To make comments, you will need to register. You can register under your real name or use a 'screen' name. This way, people will be able to follow comments and make comments back and forth to each other. If you choose to use a 'screen name' no one will know your true identity. In either case, no email addresses will be available to anyone. It is an automated process. If you have questions, email: [email protected] You currently are not logged in, please LOGIN to post comments.

http://www.samoanews.com/?q=node/2497&quicktabs_3=0&quicktabs_1=0

la u universidad de chile The Copa Libertadores hasn't featured too many upsets thus far, meaning the quarterfinals are stacked with eight high-quality teams. Atletico Nacional, Bolivar and Deportivo Quito tried to spoil the Copa Libertadores party in the Round of 16, but all of the favored clubs came roaring back. The top six seeds all advanced to the quarterfinals, while the lower-seeded but historically bigger teams progressed out of the toss-up 8-9 and 7-10 matchups. The eight teams left in the competition are arguably the eight best teams on the continent. There are no underdogs. Libertad vs. Universidad de Chile Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. ET Stylistically, this is a fascinating matchup. Libertad will attempt to pack the midfield, and at this level, Victor Caceres is usually able to control games. They're going to have to be at their best to contain Universidad de Chile, who are not only brilliant passing on the ground, but extremely fast and lethal on the counter. La U have the attacking talent to score in bunches, but if they're not in rhythm early, it's going to be key for them to get back into position to cut off counters when they lose the ball. Libertad's set pieces have been great so far in the competition, and La U will have to be alert while defending them. Jorge Sampaoli's men will have more of the ball, but they might struggle to break down Libertad's organized midfield while stopping them from scoring on set pieces and counters. Vasco da Gama vs. Corinthians Wednesday, 8:50 p.m. ET Based on the two Brasileirao meetings between these two teams last season -- featuring mostly the same squads -- Vasco is going to need a healthy Dede to progress in this tie. Their star defender, who is key not only defensively but going forward on set pieces, has been battling injuries for a couple of months. He could make an appearance against Corinthians, but even if he does, he might not be at his best. Corinthians defeated Vasco 2-1 at home, then drew 2-2 on the road to keep Vasco in second place and capture the Brasileirao title. Vasco probably don't have the athleticism in midfield to deal with Ralf and Paulinho, so defense and set pieces will be key for them. Boca Juniors vs. Fluminense Thursday, 6:45 p.m. ET It's difficult to say things about this tie that will sound appealing to neutrals and/or people who are not complete football nerds without resorting to euphemisms. Both of these teams are excellent defensively and both managers play style that is conservative relative to other top teams in South American football. Neither team can be described as 'attacking' and they both rely on the individual talents of a couple of stars to generate goals. Fluminense might have the slightly stronger and more in-form defense, and for that, they should have a slight edge. If they can grab a draw in Buenos Aires, it's tough to see Boca overturning it. Juan Roman Riquelme and Santiago Silva vs. Deco and Fred is a virtual push. Thiago Neves probably pushes Flu over the top with his creativity. Velez Sarsfield vs. Santos FC Thursday, 9:00 p.m. ET This should probably be a rematch of last year's final, but Velez managed to get upset by Peñarol in the semifinals. This is a much less interesting version of Velez, without all of Maxi Moralez, Ricky Alvarez and Santiago Silva. It's actually a bit astonishing that they've been able to remain one of South America's top sides without them. Crazier things have happened in the Copa Libertadores than Velez upsetting Santos, but it really shouldn't happen on this occasion. The defending champions just have too much talent for Velez to deal with, based on the way they've played in Copa and domestically this season. Velez can mask their flaws against solid teams, but they're unlikely to have an answer for Santos' ridiculous firepower.

http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2012/5/16/3024545/2012-copa-libertadores-quarterfinals-preview-fixtures-schedule

Mike McGinn, Mayor 10/16/2012 3:10:00 PM Joelle Hammerstad (206) 684-8020 Seattle Parks and Recreation needs basketball officials for winter youth recreational league If you like working with young people, you're 16 or older, and you're interested in making some money, please contact the Seattle Parks and Recreation Athletics Program. We're looking for men and women to become basketball officials for the Citywide Youth Games League, which runs from January through March 2013. We encourage women and minorities to apply. If you're interested, please call Brieah Marino at 206-684-7093 or email her at [email protected]. Parks will provide training to develop the skills necessary to work successfully as an official. There is a special need for officials to work Saturdays and Sundays. League play runs from January through March 2013. Pay starts at $20 per game. - 30 -

http://www.seattle.gov/news/detail.asp?ID=13185&Dept=14

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Marcus Lattimore is confident he'll be ready to play NFL football this fall. The former South Carolina star tailback has spent the past two months in Pensacola, Fla., rehabbing his right knee which he shredded on Oct. 27 against Tennessee. Lattimore sustained a dislocation and tore several ligaments in the gruesome injury. Yet, with each weight he lifts and every time he jogs in the pool, Lattimore knows he's getting closer to returning to the football field. Lattimore, who had surgery in November, declared for the NFL draft in December instead of rehabilitating and possibly playing one final season for the Gamecocks. At the time, South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said it might take more than a year to recover. Lattimore has plunged himself into speeding up that timetable. He said well-known sports surgeon James Andrews, part of the team that performed the operation, has told him several times he's going to shock the world with his complete comeback. "That's my goal as long as I stay strong and keep progressing," Lattimore told The Associated Press by phone. He's worked at the rehab center at the Andrews Institute for Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, gradually improving the strength in his knee. He lifts weights three times a week, jogs lightly in the water and says he walks around as easily as if he turned an ankle instead of severely damaging a knee. Lattimore had worked his way back

http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/communitysports/ci_22555509/nfl-remains-dream-ex-sc-runner-lattimore

He gets up from his chair in a hotel restaurant with an exaggerated slowness. Carlton Fisk is doing an impression of himself. He remains bent in half as he walks the length of one table, then another table and another. Imaginary aches and pains run through his body. He resembles the Tin Man on his way to Oz, looking for a good can of 3-In-One oil. "You sit in the bullpen until the seventh inning," Fisk says in his big voice. "Then the call comes to warm up a pitcher. You get up and...whoa." He is trying to explain his new life in curious exile. Bullpen catcher. Bullpen catcher? He is 45 years old, with 22 years in major league baseball, headed for the Hall of Fame, but after all that time he doesn't know what to do anymore. He sits and he sits and he waits and he waits, and then he drags his stiff body out to warm up young pitchers for action he seldom joins. How is he supposed to handle this? He doesn't know when to eat or when to sleep or when to stretch to make himself loose. The patterns of a lifetime have been disrupted. How do you prepare if you are preparing to do virtually nothing? Bullpen catcher. He is trapped in the midst of a self-fulfilling prophecy: The less he plays, the worse he plays. He can feel his skills leaving him through disuse. How can he maintain any rhythm behind the plate if he is never behind the plate? How can he be ready for live pitching if he never sees live pitching? He is captive to the powerlessness of his new position. Bullpen catcher. "I always thought I would wear out," he says. "But now it looks as if they want me to rust out." Fisk straightens to his full height, which is 6'2". His posture is perfect, shoulders back. There has always been a John L. Sullivan sort of elegance to him, and it has not left. He walks back to the table as if he owned not only the hotel but also the entire national chain. Bullpen catcher? "One of the things that has always been right about this game is that if you played a long time, on the way out you had valet parking," he says. "You're not supposed to wind up in Remote Lot F with the transporter bus. That's where I am. "It's not right," he says. "It's just not right."

http://www.si.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1138230/index.htm

CLAIM TO FAME The first to take three championships in a row (1976--78), Yarborough won the Daytona 500 four times, including in '68 (right). His duel with Bobby and Donnie Allison on the backstretch at Daytona in 1979 became one of the defining moments in NASCAR history. MY DAD USED TO TAKE ME TO THE RACES WHEN I was a kid, and I just fell in love with them from the first time I went. I never have lost that love. I started off in a soap box derby when I was 10 years old [in Darlington, S.C.]. That was before they had go-karts. I built my first race car when I was 15 and raced on the short dirt tracks in the Carolinas. I got hooked at an early age. I still watch every race on television. I'm still a big fan. There were some tough times in my early days as a driver. I had a wife and a young daughter, and we spent a lot of nights at the Holiday Inn. That is, in the car in the parking lot at the Holiday Inn. As time went on I started getting better rides. The head of racing for Ford Motor Company, Jacque Passino, had an eye on me, even before I knew it, and he gave us a little help. When Herman Beam hired me [in 1963] to drive his race car—my first major team—Jack gave us parts and pieces. That made a big difference. There were a lot of good moments [in the '70s] driving for Junior Johnson. We won a lot of races; we won a lot of poles. We had a good team. All three championships were special, but that first one was the real special one. It was the first for me and the first for Junior Johnson. Jimmie Johnson came along and broke my record—but didn't it last a long time? What made the people I raced against special is they all had to be tough. To be able to run the long races that we ran with no air conditioning ... the cars were extremely hot. You had to be tough to run all day under those conditions. Today's cars have so much downforce and so much more aerodynamics. The cars we drove back then didn't have any of that stuff. You had to be an excellent driver to do what we did with those cars. We were running faster than they are now with cars nowhere near [as technologically advanced as] what they got now. At Daytona in '79 my take on the whole thing is, I knew I could beat Donnie, and instead of waiting to do it on the last lap, I should have just gone on and passed him [earlier] and had it over with. But the way it turned out was the best thing that happened to NASCAR. About half the country was snowed in that day, and people were watching racing who had never watched racing before. When they saw the excitement, they became race fans. It seemed like NASCAR's fan base probably doubled or tripled after that day. It means an awful lot [to be in the Hall of Fame]. I started off on short dirt tracks and just climbed the ladder. Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is the last step on that ladder.

http://www.si.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1193697/index.htm

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kevin Durant stood above the 3-point line and watched the shot clock dwindle in the final seconds of Game 4. When Metta World Peace backed up slightly on defense, Durant hesitated only an instant before launching a 26-footer. "It left my hand, (and) I was thinking, `If this doesn't go in, it's going to be a terrible shot,"' Durant said. The three-time scoring champ trusts his instincts and his silky-smooth jumper. Neither let him down while he and Russell Westbrook engineered yet another late comeback that pushed a frustrated Kobe Bryant to the brink. Westbrook scored 10 of his 37 points during a stirring fourth-quarter rally, Durant added 31 points and hit that tiebreaking 3-pointer with 13.7 seconds left, and the Thunder seized control of their second-round series with a 103-100 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night. Serge Ibaka scored 14 points and the second-seeded Thunder took a 3-1 series lead with a rally from a 13-point deficit in the final 8 minutes, moving one win away from their second straight trip to the Western Conference finals. "Everybody kept fighting," Westbrook said. "We all believed in each other. It's the playoffs. You can't afford to sit back and wonder about it." Game 5 is Monday night in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City improved to 7-1 in the postseason with a tenacious rally on the second night of back-to-back games against the Lakers and Bryant, who scored 38 points but struggled in the fourth quarter of Los Angeles' fifth loss in seven games. After Durant put the Thunder ahead with his shot-clock-draining 3-pointer, Kobe couldn't match it with 10 seconds left. With a surge that seemed inevitable to the Lakers' worried crowd, Durant and Westbrook led the Thunder back with teamwork throughout a 32-point fourth quarter. Bryant was left lamenting the help he didn't get - particularly from four-time All-Star Pau Gasol, who made the unforced turnover that led to Durant's decisive 3. "Pau has got to be more aggressive," Bryant said of Gasol, who managed just 10 points and five rebounds while committing three turnovers. "He's got to be aggressive, got to shoot the ball, drive to the basket, and he will next game. ... (The turnover was) just a bad read on Pau's part. It happens." The Thunder finished Game 4 on a 22-8 run, punctuated by Durant's dramatic 3-pointer and two late free throws from James Harden, who had 12 points. After sweeping Dallas in the first round, the Thunder are one win away from sending home the NBA's last two champions - and in perhaps the greatest measure of the Thunder's growth over the two years since the Lakers ushered them out of the first round on the way to their second straight title, nobody seems surprised. "We know no game is over," Durant said. "We've witnessed that before. We play hard every possession and live with the results, and we came out on top." Andrew Bynum had 18 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, who led 92-81 with 7:45 to play before Westbrook went to work with a furious series of drives to the hoop. The UCLA product scored nine points in just over 2 minutes, and Kendrick Perkins capped the 17-4 run on a putback layup with 1:16 left, putting Oklahoma City up 98-96 with its first lead since the first quarter. After Bryant evened it with two free throws, Westbrook and Pau Gasol then traded turnovers, with Durant swiping Gasol's careless pass before burying a straightaway 3-pointer that silenced Staples Center. The Thunder made 10 of their 15 shots in the final period. "I wish I could sit up here and say how that happened," Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. "It just happened." World Peace had 14 points in the second game of the Lakers' first back-to-back playoff games in 13 years. A night after the Lakers got back in the series with a late comeback for a 99-96 victory in Game 3, Los Angeles led for most of the night, but couldn't execute on offense late, struggling for even difficult shots. "We can talk about us offensively, because we had some struggles," Lakers coach Mike Brown said. "But it comes down to those guys scoring 32 points in the fourth quarter, and I thought they did that very easily. That's the most disappointing thing." The game was the third NBA playoff contest in 27 hours at Staples Center, which will host six playoff games in hockey and basketball over a four-day stretch this weekend. With the Los Angeles Kings' ice just below the Lakers' court, several players appeared to slip and slide on the floor during the game, and Westbrook nearly did the splits at the halftime buzzer when his right foot slipped. "I was a little stiff, but we needed this win," Westbrook said. Oklahoma City appeared to be unhappy with the floor's condition, but Staples Center did nothing different in its changeover, and the referees deemed the floor safe for play. The San Antonio Spurs , on course to meet the Thunder in the conference finals, didn't appear worried about the floor during their win over the Clippers. Bryant shot poorly in the first three games of the series, but went 10 for 18 in the first three quarters of Game 4 before managing only a 2-of-10 effort in the fourth, including a meaningless bucket at the buzzer. "We're all upset and extremely frustrated, (but) I don't think anybody is worried about going into Oklahoma City and getting a win," Bryant said. "We don't think about winning three in a row." Jordan Hill's offensive rebound and layup put the Lakers up 91-78 with 8 minutes left, but longtime Lakers guard Derek Fisher kick-started Oklahoma City's comeback with a 3-pointer. After Oklahoma City defended its home court with a blowout win in the opener and a comeback from a seven-point deficit in the final 2 minutes of Game 2, the Lakers finally answered Friday night with their own late rally. Los Angeles took control of Game 4 early on while the Thunder struggled with their shots and their footing. Westbrook slipped near midcourt at the halftime buzzer, his right foot sliding forward when he attempted to stop. He stayed down on the court for an uncomfortably long moment before walking gingerly to the locker room with his hand on his left hip, but got treatment at halftime and returned for the third quarter. The game was Chapter 4 in the four-day extravaganza at Staples Center. The Kings play Game 4 of the Western Conference finals against Phoenix on Sunday afternoon, followed by the Clippers' fourth game against San Antonio - all while tens of thousands of fans gather outside to watch the Tour of California, the nation's largest cycling race, which finishes on the street outside shortly before the Kings' opening faceoff. NOTES: The Lakers hadn't played back-to-back postseason games since the second round in 1999, another season shortened by labor strife. ... Westbrook and Perkins were called for technical fouls for angry reactions to contact with the Lakers' point guards. ... Denzel Washington, Allyson Felix and Michelle Kwan attended the game.

http://www.siforwomen.com/basketball/nba/gameflash/2012/05/19/31789_recap.html

NCAA Final Pick I would be remiss if I did not put up my final pick. I am going Kansas all the way baby. So be sure to watch tonight. Also in other news my backer has outed himself. Go give him hell. As much confidence as he has in me I will make sure to not let him down. My heart overflowed with joy when he spoke the words Now, most of the time I only stake people because I think it is +EV, but I doubt this one to be the case. I only did it because if I didn’t stake him, when would I get the chance to hear him berate other dumbass bloggers? Alas I am trying to be a kinder gentler Waffles. I repeatably had to chant my new mantra during the 180-peep on Stars the other day "Poker is fun! Poker is fun! Poker is fun!".. as my AQ went down in flames to some jackelopes A3o. One thing that has stuck with me from chatting with MiamiDon and others is you do not EVER want to jam a weak Ace.. wait for those two cards that are likely to be live. I did however make the nine spot for a little profit and have a small roll on PokerStars as well as a growing roll on FullTilt. I know this is a fucking mistake but I have a serious question for those of you who have played with me before and have watched me over the years. On the highest level what do you think should I be playing Cash, MTT, or SNG, a mix of multiples? Any specific kind? I am kind of curious. I try cash every once in a while but for me it always seems like you spend a week making a buyin or so and then you get all in with a set of tens against KJo on a 2 heart board, he has TPTK no draws as all.. and the two hearts come to bail his ass out of the fire and get you even for the week. So the tourney player equivalent to the cash game would probably be the single table SNG. You have to play a lot of these to profit but essentially it works as well as cash for generating sustainable income. I would think loss of focus after playing the 10,000 SNG of the week would be a big problem. Possible solve this by mixing it up between NLHE, PLO, PLO8, and other forms as they fill up. Last would be the MTT only route. I really do not think I have even close to the bankroll to do this. A successful MTT player from what I see plays 20 MTTs a night and goes months without scoring anything and then finally they hit that 10K score and walla they are ballahs. I think I will mix in some MTT play of course but relying on that for your bankroll growth is tough. See you all tonight at the Hoy. Password Hammer. Get your tokens before they are all gone!

http://www.sirfwalgman.blogspot.com/2008/04/ncaa-final-pick.html

Check out what’s hot online right now. From replacement refs to outlandish trades and back again, NDN is recapping this years' must-see sports moments: Trending topic: Jenni Rivera Authorities on Monday confirmed that Latin music star Jenni Rivera died in a plane crash Sunday in Mexico. Rivera was one of seven people who died in the crash. Check this out The Australian DJs whose prank call about Kate Middleton apparently led to the suicide of a hospital worker apologized tearfully Monday during an interview. GateHouse News Service

http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/article/20121210/NEWS/312109988/0/state%20news

Ramapo Hands St. Joseph's First Loss of Season Patchogue, N.Y. – In a game that featured fourteen lead changes, the St. Joseph's (7-1) men's basketball team was defeated by the Roadrunners of Ramapo College (7-3), 86-83, for their first loss on the season. The Golden Eagles had previously won their first seven games to start the season. Senior guard Chris Jimenez (Huntington Station, N.Y/ St. Anthony's) led all scorers with 23 points and six three-pointers made. Senior guard Trey Black (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) had a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists. Senior forward Vincent Russo (Sayville, N.Y./ Sayville) added 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the floor. The Eagles were up by as many as eleven in the second half but could not hold off the Roadrunners late. The teams went into the locker room at the end of the first half with the game tied at 39-39. The Roadrunners shot an impressive 50% from the floor in the first half, but the strong three-point shooting of the Golden Eagles kept them even. Coming out in the second half, the Eagles soared to an 11-point lead with 12:03 remaining on a three-pointer by Jimenez. However, Ramapo wouldn't go down without a fight and chipped away at the lead and tied the game at 81-81 on two free-throws by Stephon Treadwell with 2:24 remaining. After another lead change, Ramapo's Garret Thiel hit a jumper with 0:40 seconds left to put his team back up by one. He then hit two more free-throws to put Ramapo up by three with five seconds remaining. The Golden Eagles' had a final chance to tie the game when they inbounded to Jimenez who dribbled it up to half court and hoisted a three that heart-breakingly rimmed out as time expired. Next up for the men is a Skyline Conference match-up against the Maccabees of Yeshiva University (2-9, Skyline 2-5), whom the Eagles defeated twice last season.The Eagles currently sit at 3-0 in the Skyline standings.

http://www.sjceagles.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/releases/201112146gpakc

Check out what’s hot online right now. The former "American Idol" judge dresses as a women and pranks the panel. Watch the funny moment. Scroll below to watch the video. Oprah Winfrey injured herself lifting a present from Tyler Perry, it was reported. Perry sent Oprah a large bouquet of flowers for her birthday, and she strained her back lifting it. Perry wrote on Facebook, "I like to send really large flower arrangements to people for whatever occasion. Well, I sent one to Oprah yesterday for her birthday. She strained her back picking it up. No joke! Feel better Oprah. Happy birthday. Sorry. :-( Next year I'm sending her one rose. :-)." Check this out Beyonce won’t confirm or deny a Destiny’s Child reunion at the Super Bowl halftime show, but she did say, "There is nothing like our connection and the sisterhood we have." GateHouse News Service

http://www.sleepyeyenews.com/article/20130201/NEWS/302019996/0/opinion

Green Knights Pull Out MWC Win Over Monmouth From Sports Information Director, September 27, 2008 | Volleyball by Dan Lukes, [email protected], (920) 403-4077 The Green Knights moved to 16-0 on the season with the win over the Fighting Scots by scores of 25-22, 26-24, 28-26. The Green Knights rallied from down 24-21 with Monmouth serving in the third set to win via sweep. St. Norbert has won 30 consecutive sets over its last 10 matches. St. Norbert was led by Joanna Mamayek's 11 kills on 19 attempts with no hitting errors. Katie Casebolt added 10 kills on 39 attempts with one error. Laura Ayello had 37 assists for an offense that hit .213 for the match (44-12-150). The Green Knights were stellar defensively, with five players posting at least 12 digs. Ayello had a team-high 15 digs, while Kim Angst added 14 digs, Casebolt and Courtney Stephenson 13 each and Danielle DeGroot 12. Monmouth hit .203 (40-13-133) for the match. Tanesha Hughes had 14 kills on 31 attempts with one error. Crystal Myers had 28 digs to lead the Scots, which had 92 digs as a team.

http://www.snc.edu/athletics/pressrelease/292/

By Paul Gardner Despite the fatuous chants, which we shall no doubt be hearing quite soon on the World cup scene, defense does not win championships. Of course, it helps to have a good defense -- an obvious comment -- but in the end, a winning team does have to score some goals. Those who concentrate on watertight defense do not get my seal of approval, for two reasons. Firstly, there is no proof that playing defensively is a successful strategy. And secondly, defensive play is a bore, hardly the representation of soccer that should be on view during the sport’s global gala. It would be just as easy, and equally as accurate or inaccurate, to keep repeating that “Goals win championships!” Yet one doesn’t hear that. I’ve never heard it, certainly not from a coach. That is disappointing. Soccer is always a better sport, livelier and more exciting, when it is played by teams with an attacking mentality, teams that are looking to score goals. I think it’s pretty clear that we don’t get too much of that these days. Caution is the order of the day -- caution that always puts defense first. My ideal team is one that plays relentless attacking soccer -- not a brainless kick-and-run type of offense, but a ball-possession, passing game full of intelligent and dangerous moves. To that sort of soccer, another traditional slogan can be applied: “Offense is the best form of defense.” And how odd, and again disappointing, that we don’t hear that being chanted much these days. A skilled possession game will, of course, keep the ball away from the opponents, which is a pretty effective way “defending.” But possession for possession’s sake is not what I’m talking about. That is almost as boring as dedicated defense. I mean possession with a purpose -- that of scoring goals. Sad to say, I think the last time we saw that in a World Cup was in 1970 when Brazil fielded a magnificent team whose play corresponded pretty closely to what I’ve sketched above. There was always about Brazil-70 a wonderful goalscoring confidence, as though players really did believe that conceding a goal was not the end of the world, they would simply sweep down the other end of the field and score twice. It was superbly exhilarating to watch, and it got its merited triumph by swamping the defense-minded Italians 4-1 in a sparkling final. There you have it. We don’t get all-the-stops-out attacking soccer any more, and we don’t get sparkling finals any more either. The most recent 2006 final between Italy and France featured two teams with plenty of fine attacking talent, but it ended up in a shootout after 120 mostly unspectacular minutes. In 1970, the Brazilians scored 19 goals in 6 games, averaging 3.17 a game; they conceded 7 goals (1.2 per game). That was the last time any winning team managed over three goals per game. The format was changed in 1974; after that, a team had to play 7 games to win the trophy. In 2006, the Italians scored 12 times in 7 games, or 1.71 goals a game, while conceding only 2 goals. France, the losing finalists, was an equally stingy team, scoring just 9 goals, and conceding 3. That would seem to make a case for the defense; but against that, Switzerland was eliminated after four games even though it was perfect defensively, conceding no goals at all. The four goals it scored were just not enough. That should hardly be surprising -- averaging one goal per game doesn’t sound like it ought to be good enough anyway. But two goals per game will do the job, it seems. In the nine World Cups since the rampant 1970 Brazilians, the winning teams have per-game averages of 1.97 goals scored, and 0.54 goals conceded. These are anemic figures, and I suppose that low goals-against figure can be used to bolster the defense-first argument. But that is hardly the truth of the matter. The emphasis on defense inevitably leads to an overall reduction in goalscoring (and therefore goal-conceding). But it also subverts the sport in making goalscoring almost an afterthought -- and a risky afterthought, at that. So if a goal is scored, the comforting knowledge that it may be all that is needed sabotages the urge to seek another score, and encourages the safety-first “protect the lead” approach. That is where we are with our sport. That is Soccer 2010. Not much is likely to change until FIFA seeks changes in the rules that will allow the full scope of this sport to flourish -- changes that will make goalscoring the aim of the game. For the moment, that is a dream. The reality will be evident starting on Friday. Probably the most we can hope for is that there will be fewer teams lining up with only one forward than there were in Germany 2006.

http://www.socceramerica.com/article/38404/defense-wins-championships-think-again.html

On the day the Arsenal board came out swinging at Arsene Wenger's critics virtually promising a lifetime guarantee of employment, Inter's president Massimo Moratti was showing the door to Gian Paolo Gasperini after just five matches. Today, Inter named his successor and it is Claudio Rainieri who in a twist was Jose Mourinho's predecessor at Chelsea before getting fired. He now steps into a vacuum left behind by Mourinho which has claimed Leonardo and Gasperini. Rainieri found time to praise Gasperini. "Gasperini didn't make a mistake and we have to say well done because he tried everything to make his ideas work." Moratti is hoping that Rainieri can work the same magic that lifted Roma two years ago from relegation zone all the way to finish runners up to Inter.

http://www.soccerblog.com/2011/09/former-chelsea-manager-claudio.htm

Published on October 18th, 2012 | by soccersweep1 Today’s Chelsea news: Terry, Toure and Tottenham It’s been a mixed 24 hour news cycle for Chelsea. It may just be tabloid tittle tattle but, after Roman’s recent transfer record, very few Chelsea signings would surprise the football world now. The Daily Star reckons that Chelsea are ready to meet the incredible wage demands of Manchester City star Yaya Toure in order to complete their almighty jigsaw. Toure is already one of the best paid players in the world but apparently wants £300k a week for his final big contract. Who’s to say he’s not worth it based on his performances in England? He’s the sort of midfield dominator that Chelsea have missed since serious injury beset Micheal Essien. But he also offers a bigger goal threat than the Ghanaian. In other news, John Terry has bitten the bullet and accepted his 4 game ban from club football in the light of Antongate. He will therefore miss the games against Tottenham, Manchester United and Swansea in the league, plus the Capital One game at The Bridge, also against Manchester United, on 31 October. In an expensive week for Chelsea players Ashley Cole has also been fined £90k for his Twitter rant. Thankfully for Chelsea, his punishment doesn’t extend beyond a fine however. With a huge London derby coming up this weekend young Tottenham defender Stephen Caulker has marketed the merits of ex Chelsea boss Andre Villas Boas. ‘You want to know that, if you are playing well and you are training well, you will be in the team…’ ‘….I think AVB has brought that in and I am happy. It’s not nice when there are favourites. It’s a fantastic squad. The manager has come in, he’s brought a few youngsters in, myself included, and he has pushed a few of us forward. It’s a good mood amongst the camp and I hope that continues. We are full of confidence.” With both teams on form and, in the light of AVB’s painful time at Stamford Bridge, this is easily the tie of the weekend. The draw looks like a good value bet with William Hill at 23/10. Follow us on Twitter @soccersweep10

http://www.soccersweep.com/todays-chelsea-news-terry-toure-and-tottenham/

Ciaran Clark and Wes Hoolahan each scored their first senior international goals as the Republic of Ireland claimed a hard-fought 2-0 friendly victory over Poland. The Aston Villa defender's 35th-minute strike and the Norwich midfielder's effort 14 minutes from time were enough to end a run of two successive defeats at the Aviva Stadium. However, Ireland had to defend tenaciously, particularly during the first half, and keeper David Forde made a series of important saves to deny dangerous striker Robert Lewandowski. John O'Shea and Glenn Whelan were the only members of the initial XI to have started a game at last summer's European Championships - and accordingly, striker Conor Sammon was handed a senior debut while young wingers Robbie Brady and James McClean were given chances. However, it was 33-year-old goalkeeper Forde who had the chance to shine during the first half. Poland were simply too slick for Ireland in the middle of the field as Jakub Blaszczykowski and Daniel Lukasic provided the ammunition for Borussia Dortmund striker Lewandowski to threaten repeatedly. Forde survived an early scare when he scuffed a clearance straight to Ludovic Obraniak and looked on gratefully as full-back Paul McShane deflected the ensuing shot wide. But from then on, he turned in an assured display blocking a Lewandowski shot with his legs. The hosts took a shock lead after Clark climbed well to meet a left-wing corner. Although keeper Artur Boruc palmed away his initial effort, the ball fell to the defender once again in the midst of a goalmouth melee and he drilled a low shot into the bottom corner. Within three minutes of the restart, James McCarthy sent an effort towards goal, only for substitute keeper Wojciech Szczesny to make a fine fingertip save. They might have extended their lead with 62 minutes gone when defender Damien Perquis sliced McClean's cross straight to Sammon. He honed in on goal, but Szczesny pounced to intercept. Poland could have dragged themselves back into the game two minutes later when Arkadiusz Milik worked his way into a promising position inside the Ireland penalty area. However, the substitute tried too many dummies as he tried to tee himself up and slipped and fell over. The miss proved costly with 14 minutes remaining when substitute Jeff Hendrick crossed for Hoolahan, who controlled the ball on his chest before volleying past the helpless Szczesny.

http://www.southportvisiter.co.uk/southport-news/uk-world-news/national-sport/2013/02/06/ireland-edge-out-poland-101022-32761619/

NASCAR SERIES 2 FIGURES OUTLINED Also Earnhardt Sr. Boxed Set Coming in 2004 Friday, January 09, 2004 Fans of the NASCAR driver action figures from our new partnership -- ActionMcFarlane -- have been starving for information on our upcoming series. Ladies and gentlemen, dinner is served. NASCAR Series 2 from ActionMcFarlane is set for a July retail release and features the following drivers:Dale Earnhardt Jr.Dale Earnhardt Sr.Bobby LaBonteRichard PettyJimmie JohnsonJeff GordonUniform selection is being finalized at this time, but all action figures feature new sculpts. We'll provide photography as soon as it's available. In other NASCAR news, ActionMcFarlane will release its first deluxe figure in 2004, a boxed edition of Dale Earnhardt Sr. This deluxe box will feature Sr. with a custom base representing the seven NASCAR championships he won in his racing career. This special commemorative piece will be available in April. >> DALE EARNHARDT BOXED SET PHOTO 01 >> DALE EARNHARDT BOXED SET PHOTO 02 >> DALE EARNHARDT BOXED SET PHOTO 03

http://www.spawn.com/news/print.aspx?id=12277

President of Special Olympics Azerbaijan has been honoured by the Olympic Movement in Azerbaijan Chingiz Huseynzade (right) Vice President of National Olympic Committee Azerbaijan presents Mr Shahin Aliyev, President Special Olympics Azerbaijan with the Honored Worker of Physical Culture and Sport Medal Medal of Honour Aliyev, President of Special Olympics Azerbaijan has been honoured by the Olympic Movement of Azerbaijan for his significant contribution to the development of sport and physical culture in Azerbaijan through his work and dedication to the Special Olympics movement. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in addition to Mr Shahin Aliyev, the following people were also honoured for their contribution to the development of physical culture and sports in the the Republic of Azerbaijan. Mr Shahin Aliyev wearing his Medal with Pride following were awarded "Honored Worker of Physical Culture and Sport"

http://www.specialolympics.org/RegionsPages/content.aspx?id=25422&Region=SONA&RegionName=North%20America&LangType=1036

An old adversary soon will resurface in Memphis — and playing the recurring role will be Camille Sullivan, spoiler below: - Sullivan will make her debut in the freshman drama’s 19th episode. The delicious backstory: Years ago, Emily was wed to football coach Red Raymond (played by Jeff Hephner) — until a certain cheer-happy coed named Vanessa (Sharon Leal) came back-handspringing into their life. Blaming Vanessa for the bust-up of her marriage, Emily wastes no time getting in her foe’s face and starting in on a bid for payback. - Vanessa will be hard-pressed to evade her enemy, seeing as Emily isn’t simply passing through town. Rather, she’s now a bigwig at Lancer U.! TV Guide is also reporting that Nastia Liukin, the 2008 Olympic gold medalist, will guest-star in an upcoming episode of the cheerleading series Hellcats. - The 21-year-old Russian-born American gymnast will play herself. She’ll introduce the Hellcats’ performance at a fundraiser.

http://www.spoilersguide.com/hellcats/recruits-a-new-villainess/

Sustaining support for Bafana Cape Town - The 2010 Soccer World Cup has come and gone, the dust has settled, and general consensus is that the tournament did a power of good in raising the profile of both the country and the national soccer squad. But to what extent can local interest in Bafana Bafana be sustained at the level seen during the World Cup, and will the team’s “new” supporters stay loyal in the absence of a major international tournament? The answer, according to media expert Brett Hobbs, Business Unit Head at leading SA media company Carat SA, is that it is unlikely that Bafana Bafana’s level of support will be maintained unless SAFA, the sport’s governing body in SA, does a lot more to promote the team than simply rely on Bafana Bafana to win their games. Carat SA is part of a global media group that counts among its clients three of the global FIFA World Cup sponsors - adidas, Sony and Hyundai. In the run up to, during and subsequent to the World Cup, the company conducted a keen analysis of TV audience data, which revealed several interesting facts concerning not only the total numbers of viewers of soccer matches featuring Bafana Bafana, but also the composition, and changes in the composition, of the viewership over time. “The simple conclusion is that major international tournaments - not only football, but all sporting events - always deliver significantly larger audiences relative to ‘normal’ periods. While that may be obvious, what is more interesting is how much more representative of the total population viewership numbers are compared to local tournaments and friendly matches”, says Hobbs. He notes that, regrettably, South Africans tend to revert back to their old habits once the tournaments are over, and in this regard the World Cup is likely to prove no exception. “In the run up to the World Cup, Bafana Bafana matches - excluding the Confederations Cup - generated an average of 13AR’s in terms of TV audience figures supplied by SAARF. During the Confederations Cup audience figures spiked, with South African games generating 19AR’s. And then we had the World Cup, and the figures jumped massively to an average of 26AR’s across all the SA games. “However, the two games subsequent to the World Cup, managed to deliver an average of 15 AR’s. What this suggests is that the World Cup has helped boost Bafana Bafana’s standing within the SA public, although not perhaps to the degree that might have been expected on the back of the world’s greatest sporting event,” he says. Of interest is the fact that audiences for all the Bafana Bafana games prior to the World Cup enjoyed a male skew (average of 54%) whereas during the World Cup there was a slight female skew (average of 52%). In the two Bafana Bafana games following the World Cup the male skew (average 52%) is once again apparent. In terms of age profile, the World Cup saw an increase in the 50+ age group audiences, but with a slight decrease in the 15-24 years age group. After the World Cup, there has been a slight decline within the middle age groups, 25-49, but a good jump in the youth sector, ages 4-14, moving from an average of 17% for all games including the World Cup to an average of 21% subsequently. The most interesting statistic, according to Hobbs, concerns the racial split in audiences. “Between the Confederations Cup and the World Cup, all Bafana Bafana games enjoyed a far greater Black majority, at an average of 92% of total viewers. The power of the World Cup is demonstrated by the fact that the proportion of Black viewers dropped to an average of 78% for Bafana Bafana games, while the white market tripled to approximately 9% of the total. “Sadly, it would seem that the racial split post the World Cup has reverted back to the profile of ‘normal’ games prior to the Cup, with Black viewers once again comprising some 91% (on average) of total viewers,” says Hobbs. He suggests that, despite the fact that the figures are based only on SABC1 viewerships and that Bafana Bafana have played in only two matches after the World Cup, these figures offer a useful insight into the bigger picture. “The 2010 World Cup most definitely brought the nation together – more so than anything previously – but, true to form, South Africans appear to have reverted to their old ways in the period following the tournament. There must surely be more that SAFA can do to ensure that the country supports the national football team consistently, and not only during the major tournaments,” he concludes.

http://www.sport24.co.za/Soccer/BafanaBafana/Sustaining-support-for-Bafana-20101021

U.S. Open The Latest Property To Go To Cable ESPN Hosted Brainstorming Event TNT Draws High Marks For Pacers-Knicks Ratings Notes Media Notes ESPN, USTA Finalize 11-Year Deal For U.S. Open Root Sports To Carry MWC Football, Hoops Pepper Returns To TV With ESPN ESPN's Skipper Welcomes Competition McCain Continues Fight For A La Carte Option Upcoming Conferences and Events SBD/February 16, 2011/Media Are The Lakers Taking A Risk By Moving Most Games To Pay-TV Services? Published February 16, 2011 CHANGING THE GAME: In L.A., Pugmire & Flint note the fallout from the Lakers-TWC deal to "create two regional sports networks -- one in English and one in Spanish -- will not only dramatically restrict the team from free over-the-air television but place them on satellite, cable and telephone carriers, asking fans to pay more to watch the NBA's most successful franchise." The new partnership "not only gives Time Warner Cable a grip on the most popular franchise in the region, but new clout to try to either lure subscribers away from competitors ... or get those competitors to pay big bucks to carry the still unnamed channels." The 20-year deal takes Lakers games off FS West, but Fox Sports VP/PR Chris Bellitti in an e-mail said, "The impact of the Lakers' departure is overstated. Fox Sports West is a strong business today and will continue to be a strong business without the Lakers." Pugmire & Flint note for Fox Sports, the "challenge will be maintaining its subscriber fees despite losing the Lakers, and ensuring there is no exodus." The Dodgers' contract with Fox expires in '13, and team Owner Frank McCourt yesterday said that he "did not believe the Lakers' network would preclude him from starting his own." Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott called the Lakers deal "an encouraging sign." The conference's deals with ESPN and Fox end after next season, and Scott said, "We need competition." The Angels-FS West agreement runs through the '15 MLB season. (L.A. TIMES, 2/16). AHEAD ON A FASTBREAK: In L.A., Kevin Baxter notes the Lakers "scored a slam dunk in the Latino market" with the TWC partnership, which calls for the creation of the "nation's first Spanish-language regional sports network." The deal is "just the latest in a series of efforts by the Lakers and the NBA as they reach out to the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population." The league said that "about one out of six NBA fans is Latino and this season the NBA's Latino TV audience has grown nearly 20%, drawing more than 9.7 million unique viewers on the six national networks that carry NBA games." Viewership is "particularly strong when the Lakers play, a fact that was instrumental in bringing the Time Warner deal together." An ESPN survey in '09 found the Lakers to be the "most popular sports team among U.S. Latinos." Even before this deal, they were "one of 12 NBA teams whose games were heard on Spanish-language radio" (L.A. TIMES, 2/16).

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2011/02/16/Media/Lakers.aspx

Super Bowl Prop Bets Super Bowl Sunday is always the biggest day for sports betting in Las Vegas and online sportsbooks. Over 70,000 football fans head to the Super Bowl in Indianapolis and 5 times that many fans head to Las Vegas while the rest of us place our Super Bowl bets online. I wonder if the large amount of betting is due to all the crazy prop bets available. Every sports betting site offers tons of prop bets. Bovada is offering over 500 Prop bets and there is also all the live betting action going on during the game. You can even bet on the color of the gatorade dumped on the winning coach – blue gatorade is the longshot paying 10-1! Super Bowl Prop bets can definitely make the game more exciting, especially if the game is a blowout. Although the 2012 Super Bowl will probably not be a blow out in this rematch as these 2 teams played the 2008 Super Bowl and the Giants barely beat the Patriots with a final score 17-14. The spread on this game at almost all sports betting sites is 3, but I did see 2.5 at BetOnline, so make sure you get the best odds for your bet. I found a good Super Bowl Party Pro Sheet From Bovada that should be required for any good super bowl party. Virtually all online sportsbooks are offering these type of prop bets for the game. Good Luck and have some fun with it but don’t get too carried away.

http://www.sportsgamblingwebsites.com/super-bowl-prop-bets/

Though up from last year, the latest edition of “Monday Night Football” suffered mightily opposite the presidential debate and the baseball playoffs. The Week 7 Lions/Bears “Monday Night Football” game drew a 6.6 U.S. rating and 10.664 million viewers on ESPN, up 8% in ratings and 15% in viewership from Ravens/Jaguars last year (6.1, 9.275M), but down 41% and 44%, respectively, from Giants/Cowboys in 2010 (11.2, 17.953M). The game ranks as the lowest rated and least-viewed “MNF” telecast of the season. Monday’s game aired opposite coverage of the presidential debate (59.2M) and Game 7 of the Cardinals/Giants National League Championship Series. Lions/Bears actually beat Game 7 head-to-head in ratings (6.6 to 4.9), viewership (10.7M to 8.1M) and the adults 18-49 demographic (4.5 to 2.4), but the baseball game likely stole away some viewers. It should be pointed out that last year’s game also faced tough competition, airing opposite Game 5 of the World Series (14.3M). So far this season, ESPN has averaged an 8.6 U.S. rating and 13.420 million viewers for NFL coverage (eight telecasts). (Monday’s numbers from ESPN)

http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2012/10/week-7-wrap-mnf-hurt-by-debate-baseball-still-up-from-last-year/

Despite being outshot 35-22 in total, the Silvertips tested rookie goaltender Garret Hughson (2-1-0-0) throughout the game with numerous quality chances. Hughson finished off his first career shutout in third period while his teammates tacked on three goals in the final 13 minutes to break open what was a close game for most of the night. Everett played a solid first period, generating chances and successfully killing off four Spokane powerplays. The Chiefs did take a 1-0 advantage into the locker room however as the ‘Tips turned a puck over in their own zone, allowing Mikulas Rimmel to steal it and score at the 14:35 mark. The Silvertips continued to play well throughout the second frame, outshooting the Chiefs 9-5 and forcing Hughson to make a number of impressive saves. Spokane was able to hold Everett at bay and carry the 1-0 lead into the third. The Chiefs added to the lead with a pair of goals midway through the final stanza, first by Connor Chartier on a rebound in front and then by Dylan Walchuk shorthanded just over one minute later to make it 3-0. Adam Helewka tacked on another rebound goal later in the period and Hughson did the rest, stopping Reid Petryk on a breakaway and robbing Kohl Bauml on a 2-on-1 rush to preserve the shutout in the last 20 minutes. Daniel Cotton (5-3-0-0) saw his four-game personal win streak come to an end despite 31 saves in goal for Everett. The Silvertips killed off all four Spokane powerplays in the game while finishing 0 for 2 on their own man-advantage. Click Here for Box Score The Silvertips will now return to Comcast Arena for a single home game as the Red Deer Rebels out of the Eastern Conference make a rare visit to Everett Wednesday at 7:05 pm. The ‘Tips will then play at the Tri-City Americans on Friday night. Season tickets, mini-game packages and single-game tickets for the Silvertips' 10th Anniversary season at Comcast Arena are on sale now. For more information visit www.everettsilvertips.com or call 425-252-5100. To keep up with all the latest ‘Tips news, “like” us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter .

http://www.sportsradiokjr.com/pages/silvertips.html?feed=124516&article=10568156

Even though the Hoyas won 74-65 over Rutgers on Saturday January, 15,... Giants’ Chris Canty guarantees victory in Superbowl XLVI Bulletin board material and trash talk in general probably have less impact during the Superbowl because both the New York Giants and the New England Patriots will not need any extra motivation to attempt to play their best in Superbowl XLVI.; however, whenever a player guarantees a victory, it certainly will get plenty of attention. The G-Men have nearly had a player guarantee victory for each game in the playoffs as it started with Jason Pierre-Paul against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Championship game. Then, Antrel Rolle guaranteed victory against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game. The G-Men have talked the talk and walked the walk throughout this playoffs, so it should be no surprise that Chris Canty recently guaranteed that the G-Men would win Superbowl XLVI. Commenting on the biggest game of his life and beating the Pats, Canty recently stated, “Get ready for a great day on Super Bowl Sunday … and get ready for a parade on Tuesday.” Fans of the New York Giants in the Big Apple and throughout the world can’t wait till Sunday to see the G-Men raise that Lombardi Trophy once again. Lets play some ball!

http://www.sportsreport360.com/blog/2012/02/giants-chris-canty-guarantees-victory-in-superbowl-xlvi/

1080 Insider Show 7-15-12 Today on the Insider Show, Carson Ingle, Eric Lopez and Andrew Melnick came to you live from the ESPN 1080 Studios in Orlando, Fla. The show aired from 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. Will there ever be an end to this Dwightmare? Is Lin still in New York’s plans? The Insiders continue to watch and breakdown everything from the draft to trades to free agency this morning. With 46 days left before the Knights kick-off, the Insiders discuss what UCF needs to do to prepare for the upcoming season. If you miss this segment, you can listen to it here:

http://www.sportstalkflorida.com/1080-insider-show-7-15-12/

Adidas Orginals cooperates with Opening Ceremony 23 Jan. 2012 ADIDAS ORIGINALS TEAMS UP WITH OPENING CEREMONYIn anticipation and celebration of the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games, Adidas Originals announced the new collaboration with the New York retailer Opening Ceremony. Opening Ceremony will reinterpret iconic adidas Originals silhouettes to create a premium capsule collection for multiple seasons. The first range for fall/winter 2012 will combine sartorial elements of swim and cycling with a ’90s streetwear attitude. Adidas Originals is the authentic lifestyle brand, symbolized by the Trefoil bringing heritage styles of the Adidas history back to life in a way that is relevant to today’s stylish consumers. Opening Ceremony is comprised of multi-branded retail stores and has its own in-house collection. The philosophy and name behind Opening Ceremony are linked to the mission statement of the Olympic Games. Founded under the guise of creatively merging sports, business and global participation, Opening Ceremony takes from this foundation and applies these elements towards fashion. Made up of approximately 100 pieces, both footwear and apparel, the capsule collection will launch in selected fashion retail accounts as well as both Adidas Originals and Opening Ceremony stores in July 2012. |Back to home| Diesel: Nicola Formichetti as new AD Discover our digital World

http://www.sportswearnet.com/businessnews/pages/protected/ADIDAS-ORIGINALS-TEAMS-UP-WITH-OPENING-CEREMONY_4879.html

Every Friday, SportTechie will deliver a collection of technology and social media happenings from the past week in sports to keep our readers up-to-date on the continuous innovations of the industry. This week NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wants high-speed internet in every NFL stadium, we show Foursquare’s interaction with the Olympics this summer, who are the top NBA teams in Social Media as we head towards the NBA Finals, continue to show how the MLB Fan Cave is carving winning on Social Media , and an article that show the LA Kings social media team pays attention to its customers, especially well known ones like Rainn Wilson. - How the MLB Fan Cave Became the League’s Social Strategy - FutureSPORT: Transforming 3D From ‘Highlight Reel’ to Viable Business - NFL Wants High-Speed Internet for Every Fan in Every Stadium - Campaign Centered on Stanley Cup Lures Casual Fans, Lifts NHL Ratings - Foursquare Checks Into Olympics - NBA Playoffs: Balancing Team Focus On The Ultimate Goal With Fan Emotion - Top NBA Teams in Social Media - Sports Illustrated Vault: Amazing Pics Unite Social Media With History - Social CRM & Sport - Kings Social Deliver Tickets to Rainn Wilson, a.k.a. Dwight Schrute, in Jell-O - Why The Phoenix Suns Tweet (Video Below) Have a great Memorial Weekend holiday! (Photo Courtesy of Lostremote.com)

http://www.sporttechie.com/2012/05/25/sports-technology-week-in-review-123/

Scary Skinny Celebrities - Featuring Kate Middleton We have nothing against slimming down for Summer, but we think these ladies took it a few steps too far when it came to taking off the pounds. Kate Middleton: Okay, so every woman wants to fit in a small wedding dress, but Kate has recently looks toothpick thin while doing her royal duties. While she was greeting the visiting Barack Obama, she looked very small in her classy ensemble. LeAnn Rimes: Ever since she hooked up with Eddie Cibrian, LeAnn has shedded quite a bit of bodyweight - and then added some by getting breast implants. She's beginning to look a little uneven, to say the least. Claudia Schiffer: Despite having her third child about a year ago, Claudia is already flaunting a rail-thin figure at Cannes. She looks great, although we also think she's several pounds too skinny. Joss Whedon's 'Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Picked Up For ABC TV Series Beyonce Is Pregnant With Baby Number Two, Multiple Sources Confirm

http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2011/05/26/scary_skinny_celebrities_featuring_ka

Photo by Joel Reichenberger Steamboat’s John Wharton tries to fire a shot past the Aspen goalie Friday. Wharton didn’t score on the play, but Steamboat’s pressure throughout the game yielded plenty of goals. The Sailors won, 8-2. 2011-12 Sailors hockey schedule - Nov. 30: Steamboat 3, Battle Mountain 0 - Dec. 2: Fountain Valley 6, Steamboat 3 - Dec. 3: Kent Denver 7, Steamboat 4 - Dec. 5: Steamboat 3, Summit 2 - Dec. 10: Resurrection Christian 3, Steamboat 2 - Dec. 13: Steamboat 7, Aspen 4 - Dec. 17: Regis Jesuit 5, Steamboat 1 - Jan. 6: Steamboat 4, Pine Creek 0 - Jan. 7: Summit 6, Steamboat 3 - Jan. 13: Steamboat 8, Aspen 2 - Jan. 14: Steamboat 15, Pueblo County 2 - Jan. 21: Steamboat 8, Battle Mountain 1 - Jan. 27: Steamboat 5, Mullen 5 - Jan. 28: Steamboat 6, Standley Lake 1 - Feb. 4: Steamboat 5, Dakota Ridge 3 - Feb. 7: Steamboat 8, Columbine 0 - Feb. 10: Chatfield 7, Steamboat 1 - Feb. 11: Steamboat 8, Monarch 5 - Feb. 18: Ralston Valley 5, Steamboat 4 - Feb. 24: State Playoffs: Bishop Machebeuf 5, Steamboat 2 Steamboat Springs From playoff hopes to league standings, from season momentum to simple player morale, this one was big. The Steamboat Springs High School hockey team already had beat Aspen earlier in the season, but the squad’s Friday night 8-2 win against the Skiers was as important as they come. It was the first step in what the Sailors hope is the turnaround of their season. “This was extremely important,” junior Alex Elliott said. “This is the kind of game that can turn around our season.” Steamboat entered the game as a team frustrated and searching for its identity. In a game a week ago against Summit, the Sailors’ most distinguishing characteristic had been penalties, the squad racking up 31 minutes in penalty time in the 6-3 loss. It all came to a head in a disastrous third period, 17 minutes of hockey in which Steamboat dealt with 21 minutes of penalties and gave up two crucial goals. On Friday, coach Jeff Ruff challenged his team to look past those mistakes, past frustrations with referees and even teammates, and to focus on individual tasks. “I challenged the guys to own their game,” Ruff said. “I told everyone to take responsibility for their job, for their line, to stay within the game plan and to play hard.” Aspen scored first, the Skiers’ Julian Gregory striking less than two minutes into the game. Steamboat had little trouble finding answers. Elliott and Matt Hale scored in the first period. Gregory scored again early in the second to knot things at two, but Steamboat’s Christian Ramirez hammered home two goals in less than 90 seconds, opening up the game. A Sailors surge in the third period made the action seem even more uneven. The squad was able to repeatedly take advantage of its speed, beating Aspen’s defense to loose pucks. Ruff said the Steamboat team from a week ago held on to the puck and tried to carry it down the ice in control. The Steamboat team Friday night launched the puck ahead, confident that its scorers would win the race. They did. Hale, Elliott, Ben Wharton and John Wharton all added goals in the third period, helping lift Steamboat to its most lopsided win of the season. “They responded really well after that loss last week,” Ruff said. “They came back like they had something they wanted to show each other.” The win was crucial for Steamboat, which had fallen far behind in the Front Range conference race. As far as that goes, Saturday's road game against Peak conference foe Pueblo County doesn’t carry nearly the same weight. The Sailors don’t figure they have any momentum to give away, however, and like Friday’s game, they consider Saturday’s nearly a must-win. To reach Joel Reichenberger, call 970-871-4253 or email [email protected]

http://www.steamboattoday.com/news/2012/jan/13/steamboat-hockey-picks-big-win-against-aspen/

Ray Horton Back In The AFC North After Being Named Browns New Defensive Coordinator The Cleveland Browns announced on Friday that former Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton is now their new defensive coordinator. Horton will replace Dick Jauron, who was not retained by the Browns after Rob Chudzinski was named their new head coach earlier this week. Horton was let go by the Cardinals after reportedly being upset that the organization passed him over for their open head coaching job that eventually went to Bruce Arians on Thursday. Horton had reportedly interviewed twice for position . Prior to taking the job with the Cardinals in 2011, Horton spent seven seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers as their defensive backs/assistant defensive backs coach. His arrival in Cleveland now means that he will be tasked with stopping the Steelers offense twice a season. Horton of course learned from one of the best defensive minds in the game in the form of Dick LeBeau during his time in Pittsburgh, and it just so happens that the two played golf together on Friday. Horton reportedly told LeBeau during the outing, "we're going to have some really good battles.'' Per the Browns press release on the hiring of Horton, the Cardinals 2012 defense led the league in passer rating allowed (71.2) and interception percentage (4.4%). They also ranked second in the league in interceptions (22) and third-down efficiency (32.9%), third in red zone defense (44.4%) and fourth in takeaways (33). The defense also ranked fifth in passing defense (200.8 ypg), first downs allowed (288) and points allowed per drive (1.42). The hiring of Horton by the Browns is a good one and he certainly has great talent to work with in the Cleveland secondary in the form of cornerback Joe Haden and safety T.J. Ward. While Horton did not indicate what type of defense he will run in Cleveland, it will most likely be the 3-4 that he has become very accustomed to over the years. "I'm a coach of men, whether it's a 3-4, 4-3, 5-2,'' Horton said following his hiring. In addition to hiring Horton on Thursday, the Browns also named NFL Network analyst Michael Lombardi as their new vice president of player personnel. Lombardi worked with Bill Belichick in Cleveland during the '90s. Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!

http://www.steelersdepot.com/2013/01/ray-horton-back-in-the-afc-north-after-being-named-browns-new-defensive-coordinator/comment-page-1/

Writer: Tom Mckeon Date:Friday November 4 2011 Stoke continued their impressive Europa League away form last night as they cruised past Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel, ending the home side's seven-year unbeaten home record in Europe. The Potters are now flying high at the top of their group, and after this latest success, are on the verge of qualifying for the last 32, with just one point needed. Dean Whitehead, running free from the infamous 'cage', scored and set up another as he stormed into the box and slid the ball underneath the keeper, before setting up Peter Crouch to seal the points from close-range. Maccabi did manage to steal a late goal, but it was nothing more than a consolation as the Potters saw the game out with ease. The Israeli outfit were neat and tidy on the ball, but despite being at home, their performance wasn't much different from the reverse fixture, when Stoke ran out 3-0 winners. Ryan Shawcross' absence meant Matthew Upson was handed the captain's armband, with the former West Ham man taking his place alongside the returning Danny Higginbotham in the heart of the Stoke defence. The opening 20 minutes seemed ominous for Maccabi Tel Aviv, as the Potters stroked the ball around without being under any pressure, and had chances from a number of set pieces. Ryan Shotton threatened throughout, and it was his early throw in which was nearly converted by Kenwyne Jones, with the striker leaping and directing his header over the bar, as Maccabi struggled to deal with the Potters' aerial threat. And City had another chance to take the lead soon after, as Robert Huth's header just evaded Tel Aviv's goal after a good delivery from Whitehead. Maccabi weren't imposing themselves on the game, and they almost looked in two minds as to whether they should attack Stoke or sit behind the ball. It was the home side's indecision which nearly cost them after the half hour mark, as a Robert Huth punt was looped over a high defensive line for Jones to chase, but after controlling the ball well, the striker's shot clipped a defender's foot and went out for a corner. Although Stoke were enjoying most of the play, Maccabi did at least have a shot on Sorenson's goal as Shotton conceded a foul, but Zizov's resulting free kick didn't trouble the Dane. The closest the Potters came to a breakthrough in the first half again came from the impressive Shotton, as his effort from 18-yards out deflected off Diao before striking the post. And it wasn't long before Stoke threatened again, as Dean Whitehead, who was involved throughout the first half, drilled in a brilliant free kick towards Walters, but the striker headed the ball straight at Barak Levy. However, if Stoke were unable to turn their chances into goals in the first half, they soon made amends in the second half. A 14-minute spell saw Dean Whitehead take the game by the scrff of the neck, sending Stoke cruising. The former Sunderland Captain latched onto a loose ball in the penalty area after good work from Jon Walters, and he made no mistake in firing past the Maccabi keeper from a tight angle. Crouch was then brought on for Walters, and his impact was immediate. Whitehead again broke free of the defence in the area and he put in a simple ball across the goal to the former England man, who made no mistake in guiding the ball home. Just moments later, Crouch nearly doubled his tally. A long ball was hit forward and he controlled the ball brilliantly, before firing a volley from 20-yards-out which grazed Levy's post. Stoke were looking extremely comfortable, but remember, this is Stoke we're talking about, nothing is ever comfortable. And so it proved in injury time, as Collauti's fine glancing header gave his side a small lifeline heading into the final seconds. But it was all to late for Maccabi, and there wasn't really enough time for them to build any momentum as the referee blew his whistle to end the game. Stoke now only need one point from their next Europa League encounter at home to Dynamo Kiev to qualify for the final 32. Date:Friday November 4 2011 Stoke players make pigs ear of prank... (Friday May 17 2013) NEW POLL: Do you like the new Adidas away kit? (Friday May 17 2013) Begovic wins Vital Stoke Player of the Season (Friday May 17 2013) Stoke to embark on second US pre season tour (Thursday May 16 2013) Ref Watch: Probert to officiate Saints fixture (Thursday May 16 2013) Player of the Season- Editors choice (Thursday May 16 2013) Stoke to wear next season away shirt at Soton (Wednesday May 15 2013) Pulis absent from End of Season Awards evening (Wednesday May 15 2013) POLL: End of Season Awards- Player of the Season (Tuesday May 14 2013) Begovic wins Vital Stoke Young Player of Season (Tuesday May 14 2013) |10. West Ham||37||11||10||16||-10||43| |Liverpool: Trio In U20 World Cup Squad » Liverpool : 17/05/2013 21:59:00 |McAuley Extends Deal » WBA : 17/05/2013 21:53:00 |No Paine, Nicola Has To Stay » Southampton : 17/05/2013 21:03:00 |Players Want A Lap Of Appreciation » Southampton : 17/05/2013 20:41:00 |JWP - Delighted With Scholar Award » Southampton : 17/05/2013 20:33:00 |Stoke players make pigs ear of prank... » Stoke : 17/05/2013 19:19:00 |One to Watch - Daniel Sturridge » Q.P.R. : 17/05/2013 19:13:00

http://www.stoke.vitalfootball.co.uk/matchrep.asp?a=261422

Each season, fans of college football count down the days until the start of the season, and you'll see why once you get to the stands for a big game featuring your Troy Trojans. Be there for all of the electrifying action as they look to pile up the wins and make some more noise in the Sun Belt Conference. As always, StubHub has your back for all the football tickets you ever need. In more than a century, the Trojans have had many stellar seasons, including numerous titles in the Sun Belt Conference. Players from the Troy Trojans football program have gone on to make an impact on the NFL, like DeMarcus Ware, Osi Umenyiora and others, so you never know when you're going to see the next great player destined for stardom on the next level. The Troy Trojans football team has quite the home stadium in Veterans Memorial Stadium, a great place to see a home game. Though it used to have a capacity of only 5,000 back in the 1950s, new renovations have pushed the capacity to 30,000. It's always the perfect time to get together with a few friends and hit the stands of a huge that everyone is talking about around town. Football is all right on your high-definition TV, but it's absolutely nothing compared with heading out to the stands and seeing the Trojans take the field against a prominent opponent. The stands will be hopping with excited fans who come out in droves to show their support, so don't even think about being left out of the hear-pounding excitement. NCAA football tickets are just a click away with StubHub, so don't wait!

http://www.stubhub.com/troy-trojans-football-tickets/

A professional harness racing driver denies he put the industry at risk by bringing uncleaned horse gear back to Christchurch International Airport after a meeting in Sydney. The Ministry of Primary Industries pointed out the risk from the deadly hendra virus when 46-year-old Anthony Murray Butt pleaded guilty to a breach of the Biosecurity Act today. Butt was not convicted at the request of defence counsel Elizabeth Bulger who may seek a discharge without conviction at his sentencing on March 14. Prosecutor Grant Fletcher said hendra virus posed a significant biosecurity risk to New Zealand's racing industry which employed 18,000 people. Introduction of the virus would cause significant economic damage. He detailed outbreaks of the disease in Australia which had caused the deaths of horses and trainers. He said Butt had arrived at Christchurch airport on a flight from Sydney on August 28, and had not declared that he had been in contact with animals. He was a regular traveller overseas to race horses but did not declare on that day that he had horse racing gear which had not been cleaned. The gear he had, including boots, clothes, and goggles, was very soiled, Fletcher said. Investigators confirmed on video coverage that the clothing had been used at a race meeting in Sydney that day. Butt told officials that "being in a race wasn't being in contact with horses", and that the gear had not been used in Australia for racing. Bulger said she was at odds with the prosecutor over the risk posed by hendra virus, and the penalty that should be imposed. She said Butt "takes some considerable issue with the indication that he was putting the racing industry in any sort of danger". - © Fairfax NZ News Do you travel by bus in Christchurch?Related story: More bus shelters needed in Christchurch

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/8104051/Jockey-charged-after-virus-risk

Can he do it again? Muzhingi aims for 4th comrades NOT since Bruce Fordyce's all-conquering reign in the 1980s have Comrades Marathon pundits and spectators asked themselves about a runner: "Can he do it again?" Stephen Muzhingi has brought that question back. The Zimbabwean won his third consecutive Comrades title last year, becoming the first to do so since Fordyce won his eighth straight race in 1988. Now he wants to be the first man to hold the Two Oceans and Comrades ultra-marathon titles in one calendar year since Derek Preiss achieved the feat in 1974 and 1975. "He can do it," says former Comrades winner Nick Bester. "Somebody else will have to stop him but he himself is ready and he's confident. He's definitely the man to beat." Russian course record-holder Leonid Shvetsov has returned after a two-year interval and will be eager to reclaim the title Muzhingi poached from him in 2009. Sunday's race, from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, will be Muzhingi's toughest. To win this year he will have to quickly get over the fear, pressure and loneliness of being out in front. So confident is the 34-year-old that he describes his impressive Two Oceans victory during the Easter weekend as a practice run for the impending Comrades. It is for this reason that race commentator and analyst Cuan Walker believes Muzhingi will not make it four wins on the trot. "It's like he's not as hungry to win," Walker says. "Muzhingi will definitely be the favourite, but I don't see him winning the race this year." "Muzhingi's first win in 2009 was a good one; he ran a very fast time and won by more than seven minutes. But in his second win a year later everyone around him basically gave up and handed him the race, and the same thing happened last year with Fanie Matshipa. "I think this year the contenders are hungrier than ever, not just to beat Muzhingi, but to win the race." There will be a strong South African contingent, including last year's runners-up Matshipa and Claude Moshiywa, Bongumusa Mthembu and assured novice Gert Thys chasing the champion. Bester, who was a training adviser to the last South African to win the Comrades, Sipho Ngomane in 2005, says there is a strong possibility a local winner could emerge. And "Mr Comrades" Fordyce will run the Comrades a remarkable 30th time this year.

http://www.sundayworld.co.za/sport/2012/05/28/can-he-do-it-again-muzhingi-aims-for-4th-comrades

Bears-Packers matchups and predictions BY MARK POTASH [email protected] December 15, 2012 5:36PM Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers throws before an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer) RICK MORRISSEY: 27-14 Packers RICK TELANDER: 18-14 Packers DAN McGRATH: 27-17 Packers SEAN JENSEN: 20-14 Packers ADAM L. JAHNS: 27-23 Packers MARK POTASH: 24-20 Packer Updated: December 15, 2012 6:41PM PACKERS AT BEARS Time: Noon Sunday at Soldier Field. TV: Fox-32 (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver). Radio: 780-AM, 105.9-FM. Line: Packers by 3. WHEN THE BEARS HAVE THE BALL On the ground On paper, the Bears, with their 10th-ranked rushing offense (17th in yards per carry), should be able to establish a ground game against the Packers’ 17th-ranked run defense (24th in ypc), but don’t count on it. The Packers have allowed an average of 158 rush yards in their last four games, yet have won all four. The Bears are averaging 112 rush yards and 4.0 ypc in their last five games and are 1-4. With Matt Forte limited to 7 carries for 31 yards because of an ankle injury, the Bears rushed for 94 yards on 23 carries (4.1 ypc) vs. the Pack in Week 2. Forte (13-85) is averaging 16 carries per game. In the air Dom Capers has stayed a step ahead of the Bears since he became the Packers’ DC in 2009. Jay Cutler has been sacked 26 times (once for every 9.9 drop-backs) and has a 53.1 rating (7 TDs, 16 INTs) in 7 games vs. the Packers as a Bear. He was 11-for-27 for 126 yards with 7 sacks and 4 INTs in Week 2. The Bears are still looking for a secondary WR to break out, but against the Packers, they couldn’t even get the ball to Brandon Marshall. Cutler has targeted Marshall 12.7 times per game but did not throw his way even once in the first half vs. the Pack and only 5 times in the game. WR Brandon Marshall vs. CB Tramon Williams Marshall is having the best year of his career (101-1,342, 9 TDs), but he was invisible against the Packers in Week 2, with 2 catches for 24 yards. With 2 picks, Williams caught as many passes from Jay Cutler as Marshall did. WHEN THE PACKERS HAVE THE BALL On the ground While the Bears struggle to establish a ground game with a Pro Bowl RB, the Packers find a way with third- and fourth-string RBs and backups at LG and RT. In a tie game with the Lions last week, they used 7 straight runs to drive 59 yards for a TD, with DuJuan Harris going 14 yards untouched for the score. With Aaron Rodgers scoring on a 27-yard scramble, the Packers, despite being down 14-0 in the first quarter, rushed for 140 yards on 25 carries (5.6 ypc) in a 27-20 victory. The Bears shut down Adrian Peterson last week only after getting burned for 104 yards in the first quarter. In the air The Bears defend Aaron Rodgers better than most teams — his passer rating has been below 100 in 7 of 10 games — but don’t have much to show for it. Rodgers is 8-2 against the Bears, winning 7 of the last 8. The Bears contained Rodgers in Week 2 (1 TD, 1 INT, 85.3), but that’s when Rodgers was in an early-season funk. In his last 10 games, he has thrown 26 TDs and 6 INTs for a 109.6 rating — with Greg Jennings missing 8 games and Jordy Nelson missing 2. Randall Cobb (71-777, 7 TDs) and James Jones (46-562, 9 TDs) have picked up the slack. Cobb had 7 catches for 102 yards vs. the Lions. DE Julius Peppers vs. LT Marshall Newhouse The banged-up Bears’ defensive line has not been getting the push it did in the first half. Peppers had 2 sacks against the Packers in Week 2 but has 1 in his last 4 games. He has 15 QB pressures. He had 49 at this time last season. As feared, the Bears are struggling to win when they rely solely on their offense for points. Without a return touchdown in their last 5 games, the Bears are 1-4. Unless the offense suddenly kicks into gear, it’ll be up to the defense and special teams to chip in. The Bears are 2-8 vs. the Packers in the last 5 seasons. Both victories were keyed by special teams and takeaways (Devin Hester’s punt TD/Charles Tillman’s strip in 2010; Alex Brown’s blocked FG in 2008). Devin Hester and the Bears’ return game are still looking to break a long one, but that might be the least of their concerns vs. the Packers. PK Robbie Gould is out for the season with a calf injury. His replacement, veteran Olindo Mare, has not kicked in a game this season. Even the outstanding coverage units are at risk against Packers KR Randall Cobb after Sherrick McManis and Craig Steltz suffered season-ending injuries last week vs. the Vikings.

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/17038548-452/bears-packers-matchups-and-predictions.html

Ontong savours ‘mini-World Cup’ The Momentum One Day Cup defending champions, the Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras, have it all to play for when they take on the bizhub Highveld Lions in the final of the tournament at the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium on Friday. With their title on the line and having won six matches on the trot, many might think there is extra pressure on the Cape side to bring home the cup. The Cobras lost three matches early on in the competition but, since then, the team has come together and pulled off some spectacular performances and, for skipper Justin Ontong, it’s those kind of team efforts which hold the key to their success. “I don’t think there is that much extra pressure on us. We didn’t start off very well in the competition, but we got much better as the competition went on. We gelled nicely and it was always a good team effort. Of course there have been some outstanding performances from individuals, but it’s always been the team that has come together to get us over the line,” Ontong said. The Lions have been equally resolute throughout their campaign, having lost just two matches. Ontong knows his charges will need one more slog to get over the line and bring the trophy back to Cape Town. “These last few games have taken a lot out of us mentally, but we know we need that one final push in the final. It definitely won’t be easy against the Lions, but we have time to put in the hard work to get us ready for that final clash,” the skipper said. The Cobras have been bolstered by the return of some of the star Proteas players with Dale Steyn, Robin Peterson, Rory Kleinveldt, Vernon Philander and Graeme Smith all back in contention. Philander wasn’t selected for the eliminator and Smith missed out through injury, but Steyn was outstanding upon his return, taking five wickets against the Nashua Titans on Sunday. “It’s fantastic to have the Proteas guys back in the side and Steyn was outstanding on Sunday. These senior players bring a completely different energy to the side and it’s great for the younger guys and the domestic guys to feed off that energy and that experience,” said Ontong. Ontong also says that this is as big as it gets for the domestic players and that the challenge to win in the final is one the players will savour. “For us domestic guys, this is what you play for. You play to be in that final and to win that final. It’s almost like a mini-World Cup for us,” Ontong said. Ontong was appointed captain at the start of the season, taking over from Justin Kemp, when Paul Adams took over as coach. The 32-year-old has a wealth of experience, having made his first-class debut in 1998 and says the challenges of captaincy have been lessened thanks to the way the team has performed. “The job is much easier when you are winning,” Ontong says. “I think we have such a good blend of senior guys and younger guys and the way they have come together as a team, the way we spoke the same language, that’s what has been our strength and what has helped us in this competition,” he added.

http://www.supersport.com/cricket/domestic-one-day/news/121210/Ontong_savours_miniWorld_Cup

Massive scale of match fixing revealed Hundreds of soccer matches at club and national team level have been fixed in a global betting scam run from Singapore, police said on Monday, in a blow to the image of the world's most popular sport and a multi-billion dollar industry. About 680 suspicious matches including qualifying games for the World Cup and European Championships, and the Champions League for top European club sides, have been identified in an inquiry by European police force Europol, the European anti-crime agency, and national prosecutors. "This is a sad day for European football," said Rob Wainwright, director of Europol. "This is now an integrity issue for football. Those responsible for running the games should hear the warnings." The world's most popular sport, soccer is played on every continent. Major international tournaments such as the World Cup are watched worldwide and generate billions of dollars for clubs and broadcasters. Top players such as Lionel Messi and Ronaldo are household names. The matches in question, some of which have already been subject to successful criminal prosecutions, were played between 2008 and 2011, the investigators said. About 380 of the suspicious matches were played in Europe, and a further 300 were identified in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Criminal gangs are believed to be involved in match-fixing networks, using them as a way to launder cash, officials said. Last year the head of an anti-corruption watchdog estimated that $1 trillion was gambled on sport each year - or $3 billion a day - with most coming from Asia and put on soccer matches. A German investigator described a network involving couriers ferrying bribes around the world, paying off players and referees in the fixing which involved about 425 corrupt officials, players and serious criminals in 15 countries. "We have evidence for 150 of these cases, and the operations were run out of Singapore with bribes of up to 100 000 euros paid per match," said Friedhelm Althans, chief investigator for police in the German city of Bochum. German investigators said international matches were implicated as were games in Turkey, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Croatia, Austria, Hungary, Bosnia, Slovenia and Canada. Suspicious games had also been identified in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Investigators said no names of players or clubs would be released while the investigation proceeded. However, the fixing also included top flight national league matches in several European countries, as well as two Champions League matches, including one played in Britain. Uefa, European soccer's governing body, said it expected to receive further information from Europol in the coming days. "As part of the fight against the manipulation of matches, Uefa is already cooperating with the authorities on these serious matters as part of its zero tolerance policy towards match-fixing in our sport," it added. Soccer has been affected by bribery scandals in the past, with the English game suffering in the 1960s and Italian soccer hit by a series of fixing cases in recent years. The growth of televised sport and technology that allows gamblers to bet during a match have created fresh opportunities for fraudsters with links to organised crime. Corruption goes beyond soccer. Three Pakistani test cricketers were jailed in Britain in 2011 for their part in a scam where players agree to rig a specific part of a game, so-called "spot fixing". Singapore police said last month that they were helping Italian authorities to investigate alleged soccer match fixing involving a Singaporean, but said he had not been arrested or charged with any offence there. Althans said that, though German police had concrete proof of 8 million euros ($11 million) in gambling profits from the match fixing, this was probably the tip of the iceberg. Investigators described how gang members immediately subordinate to the Singapore-based leader of a worldwide network were each tasked with maintaining contacts with corrupt players and officials in their parts of the world. Laszlo Angeli, a Hungarian prosecutor, gave an example of how the scam worked. "The Hungarian member, who was immediately below the Singapore head, was in touch with Hungarian referees who could then attempt to swing matches at which they officiated around the world," he said. Accomplices would then place bets on the internet or by phone with bookmakers in Asia, where bets that would be illegal in Europe were accepted. "One fixed match might involve up to 50 suspects in 10 countries on separate continents," said Althans. "Even two World Cup qualification matches in Africa, and one in Central America, are under suspicion," Althans added. "WAKE UP CALL" World soccer's governing body Fifa issued a statement pointing to quotes from its Director of Security, Ralf Mutschke, before a match-fixing conference in Rome last month. "World Cup qualifying matches are tough to fix as a general rule, since the World Cup is the biggest event for teams and above all players," he said. "We're obviously still keeping a very close eye on the matches, but as yet there have been no suspicions of fixing." However, Theo van Seggelen, head of international players' union FIFPro, said soccer authorities were failing to tackle the problem properly. "Professional football needs not one but maybe 10 wake-up calls," he said, calling for tighter controls on the works of soccer agents and on player ownership. Last year Chris Eaton, who is director of Sport Integrity at the International Centre for Sport Security, a Qatari-backed anti-corruption watchdog, gave the $1 trillion estimate for global sports gambling. "Around 80 percent of that money is gambled on football, soccer, and most of that money is either in or to southeast Asia," said Eaton, a former head of security at Fifa, world soccer's governing body.

http://www.supersport.com/football/europe/news/130204/Scale_of_match_fixing_unveiled

German fans not missing Schumacher Six out of 10 Germans who follow Formula One won't miss retired seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher in the 2013 season, according to a survey carried out for dpa. The survey carried out by online market research agency YouGov showed 60 per cent as saying the 44-year-old German, who retired at the end of last season, won't be missed this year. Only 28 per cent of those polled thought Schumacher's absence would be a loss for the sport. Schumacher initially retired at the end of 2006 but returned in 2010 with Mercedes. However his last three years in F1 produced just a single podium finish. Compatriot Sebastian Vettel has meanwhile won the F1 drivers' title in a Red Bull for the last three seasons. One thousand people took part in the online survey between March 6 and 8.

http://www.supersport.com/motorsport/article.aspx?Id=1830754

ACADEMY: Grant added to 2013 intake14-Feb-2013 Further to the original announcement regarding Sussex’s Academy intake last month, the Club have confirmed the addition of Sam Grant to the programme. Grant is a 17 year-old all-rounder, who bowls left-arm seam and bats in the top-order. He plays his Club Cricket for Steyning in the Sussex Cricket League, and he is the latest player to have been accepted on to the programme. The Brighton College student will join Georgia Adams, Harry Finch, Ollie Graham, Josh Hayward, Elliott Hooper, Fynn Hudson-Prentice, Callum Jackson, Tim Moses, Abidine Sakande, Leo Cammish and Ben Shoare in the setup. It was Sussex’s connections at the College which brought Grant to the attention of Cricket Performance Manager Keith Greenfield, with former Sussex Women’s player and Director of Cricket at Brighton College Alexia Walker, and Les Lenham who has of course been involved with the County for over 60 years, having worked closely with Sam over the past year. Greenfield said, “Les approached me earlier in the year about Sam and how well he was developing, so we kept an eye on him and invited him to practice with our Development Squads and Academy. “He performed very well and we had no hesitation in offering Sam a place on the Academy. He clearly has the drive to improve his skills and we look forward to helping him achieve his goals and aspirations”. He will join the existing eleven players on a bespoke yearly programme covering physical, technical, mental, tactical and life skills. These are delivered by Sussex’s professional coaching staff, primarily on a one to one basis, with all programmes overseen by Greenfield at The BrightonandHoveJobs.com County Ground, Hove and the Sutton Winson Academy Ground in Blackstone. To see the original Academy announcement from last month, please click HERE

http://www.sussexcricket.co.uk/news-1/academy-grant-added-to-2013-intake?A=WebApp&CCID=14985&Page=2&Items=10

SECOND ELEVEN: No play on Day One at The PROBIZ18-Apr-2012 There was no play in The Second Eleven Championship match between Sussex and Somerset at The PROBIZ County Ground, Hove today. Play was called off around 3:30pm, after heavy rain in the morning and showers in the afternoon it was impossible for the players to take the field. Day Two will begin, weather permitting, at 11:00am tomorrow morning where of course entrance will be FREE. If you are unable to make it Hove, you can keep up with all the action via Twitter by following @SussexSeconds

http://www.sussexcricket.co.uk/news-1/second-eleven-no-play-on-day-one-at-the-probiz?A=WebApp&CCID=14985&Page=6&Items=10

Moore is earning the plaudits, but he is loving the help from his friends Brentford goalkeeper Simon Moore may be earning the plaudits between the sticks this term, but he admitted he would not be there without a little help from his friends. The 22-year-old kept his 10th shutout of the season in the 0-0 draw with Walsall on Saturday and was 25 minutes away from making it 11 in Tuesday’s 2-1 win at Crawley Town. His emergence has come at the expense of friend and mentor Richard Lee, who has been forced to bide his time on the sidelines. Lee, who signed a contract extension in December keeping him at the club until 2014, ended last season as the club’s undisputed number one, after a difficult first campaign at Griffin Park the previous year. But the 30-year-old has not allowed his spell on the bench this term to affect his form, with four clean sheets in six appearances. And Moore admitted Lee’s exploits only helped him scale the heights himself. Moore said: “Richard has had an amazing record and kept a clean sheet virtually every time he played. “He has had two in the league and two in the cups and I think he has conceded only one goal from open play, so that is something to work and aspire to everytime I go out there. It pushes you on. “We have a great relationship and I wouldn’t be playing as well as I am now if it wasn’t for Rich.” Sam Saunders, enjoying a rare start for the Bees, gave his side the lead early on after Crawley’s Mark Connolly had been sent-off in the opening minutes of the clash in Sussex. Clayton Donaldson, who dedicated his goal to the memory of his mum, who died on the weekend of the Chelsea FA Cup replay, doubled the advantage soon after. Midfielder Adam Forshaw saw red for a second bookable offence in the 59th minute and former Bee Nicky Adams pulled one back six minutes later, but Brentford held on. The win, only their third in the league this year, moved boss Uwe Rosler’s men up to fifth in the table – four points adrift of League One leaders Doncaster Rovers. Rosler said: “I’m very disappointed with the performance. We stopped working, stopped doing what had worked well for us in the first half. “We stopped doing what had got us a two-goal lead, and it could have been three or four. “I’m disappointed with how we used the extra man and the mistakes we made. We have to look beyond the result. The best thing to do is be happy we got three points and move on.” The Bees host Scunthorpe United tomorrow.

http://www.suttonguardian.co.uk/sport/football/10261556.Brentford_stopper_Moore_full_of_praise_for_friend_and_mentor_Lee/?ref=rss

Published: Aug 4, 2012 10:37:45 AM Updated: Sep 2, 2012 12:05:47 PM Australia's men's and women's medley relay teams have won two medals on the final night of pool swimming competition at the London Olympic Games. Women's 4x100m Medley Relay: The Australian team of Emily Seebohm, Leisel Jones, Alicia Coutts and Melanie Schlanger has won the silver medal in the women’s 4x100 metres medley relay behind the world record breaking USA. The Australians clocked a 3:54.02 to finish 1.97 seconds behind the Americans who led from about 70 metres into the first leg. Japan was third in 3:55.73. Australia had won the event at the last two Olympic Games, with Jones swimming the breaststroke both times, and tonight’s medal gives the four-time Olympian a personal tally of nine Olympic medals – equal with the great Ian Thorpe for most by an Australian. Butterflyer Coutts created her won slice of history too by winning her fifth medal here in London – a haul only matched by Shane Gould in 1972 and Thorpe in 2000. For Schlanger and Seebohm it was a third medal for the week – Schlanger in the trio of relays and Seebohm in the 100m backstroke and both 4x100m relays, albeit as a heat swimmer in the 4x100m freestyle. In the opening backstroke leg Seebohm got onto the wall third in 59.01. Jones dropped back a place with a split of 1:06.06 before Coutts (55.42) and then Schlanger (52.54) then put in stunning legs to ensure Australia remained on the podium Seebohm said the team was determined to send the retiring Jones out on a bright note. “It was nice to finish the meet with a silver medal and send Leisel out in the right way,” Seebohm said. Jones had arrived in London determined to be Australia’s top 100m breaatstroker and earn a spot in the relay. “I’m so proud of the girls for our performance tonight,” Jones said. “It has been a very emotional week for a lot of us and to stand up and perform like that and win a silver medal is a great way to finish. “That’s the reason I fought so hard to get into this medley relay team. I wanted to experience the feeling of swimming for Australia with three other girls and we all did a great job tonight and came away with a silver medal. This is what is important to me.” The team was helped into the final by 18 year-old Brittany Elmslie who adds another medal – her third – to what has been a dream Olympic debut. Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay: Hayden Stoeckel, Christian Sprenger, Matt Targett and James Magnussen have won bronze in the men’s 4x100m medley relay – Australia’s first men’s relay medal of these Olympic Games. The Australians finished in 3:31.58 to finish behind the USA (3:29.35) and Japan (3:31.26). With the winners of the individual 100m backstroke, butterfly and freestyle (and the bronze medallist in the breaststroke) in their team, the Americans were always going to be very tough to beat. And so it proved. The gold medal, in his last Olympic swim, was the 18th of Michael Phelps’ remarkable career. He has 22 medals in total. Australia was second in the same race in Beijing with Stoeckel joined by Brenton Rickard, Andrew Lauterstein and Eamon Sullivan. Sprenger and Targett swam the breaststroke and freestyle leg in the heats in Beijing too. For Sprenger and Magnussen the medal was their second of the Games following silvers in the 100m breaststroke and freestyle events respectively. The team was assisted into the final by Rickard and Tommaso D’Orsogna who swam breaststroke and freestyle in the heats. Tonight, Stoeckel (53.71) was fifth after his leg, a position Sprenger (59.05) consolidated before Targett, who hadn’t even qualified for London in that stroke, moved them to fourth with a strong 51.60. That left Magnussen (47.22) with some work to do but ‘the Missile’ gave it his all and moved his team into the medals. Targett said he was so proud to be part of another medal winning relay team. “It’s a great way to finish the week here as part of this medley relay team with such a great bunch of guys,” Targett said. “And to be swimming against Michael Phelps in his last race ever is pretty special.” The Australians have ended the meet with 10 medals - a gold, six silver and three bronze to finish equal third on the overall swimming medal table. In earlier events, the Netherlands’ Ranomi Kromowidjojo (24.05, Olympic record) made it a sprint freestyle double by winning the 50m freestyle despite a horror finish. Aliaksandra Herasimenia (24.28) of Belarus was second - the same place she filled behind Kromowidjojo in the 100m - while 33 year-old Dutchwoman Marleen Veldhuis (24.39) was third. Chinese star Sun Yang smashed his own world record by 3.12 seconds to win the men’s 1500m freestyle title in 14:31.02. Canadian Ryan Cochrane (14:39.63) was second and the man who upset Australian icon Grant Hackett in Beijing, Tunisian Oussama Mellouli (14:40.31), won bronze. Sun had won the 400m gold and 200m silver earlier in the meet. There was high drama before the race when Sun fell into the pool before the gun went off after someone in the crowd made a noise. The referees decided it was not a false start and he was able to take his place in the race. Dave Lyall at the Aquatic Centre Olympics.com.au © 2010 Swimming Australia Site by IMG STG

http://www.swimmingvictoria.org.au/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=NewsItem&NewsID=26869

|By John Lohn OMAHA, Nebraska, June 29. LET'S face it. If Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte don't grab the two qualifications for Beijing in the 400 individual medley, the apocalypse might be upon us. Simply, those two men are superior to the rest of the field and proved that fact during the morning preliminaries with a pair of strong opening statements. Swimming in the last two of seven heats, Lochte and Phelps put up blanket times, each cruising through their morning efforts. Lochte, the silver medalist in the event at last year's World Championships, clocked the fastest time of the prelim session, an outing of 4:13.38 that currently stands as the fourth-best time in the world. A heat later, Phelps, the reigning world and Olympic champ and world-record holder, cooked the opening two legs before settling down and eventually touching in 4:13.43. "It was my first race, so I was just getting a feel for the pool and the competition," Lochte said. "Just keep on watching, it will be a good show." When Phelps and Lochte climb the blocks tonight, the 4:06.22 world record will likely have just a few additional minutes of life. Based on their morning performances, both men have the ability to be in the 4:05-range, perhaps faster. While the time is uncertain, what is guaranteed is this: One hell of a head-to-head battle is brewing. "I'm not too happy, but it's a morning swim, so hopefully it will go well tonight," Phelps said. "It was a prelim swim, and slower than I wanted for a prelim swim. It's slower than I went at Worlds in the morning, but hopefully I can go a little faster tonight." The third-fastest swim of the morning was registered by veteran Robert Margalis, who won the first of the three circle-seeded heats with a mark of 4:15.10. The former University of Georgia standout looked strong, as did Alex Vanderkaay. The third of the four swimming brothers notched the fourth-quickest time of the session when he finished behind Lochte in 4:16.99. It was a solid start for the University of Michigan product, who could make a run at a 200 butterfly berth later in the week. The remainder of the field for the championship final was rounded out by Tyler Clary (4:17.46), fresh off a sterling freshman year at Michigan, Jack Brown (4:18.44), Clark Burckle (4:18.78) and Dustin McLarty (4:21.05). Video Footage Removed Due to NBC Restrictions Go to Swimming World's 2008 Olympics Landing Page for the most comprehensive coverage of the meet on the Internet. Premium Members - Search More About: Ryan Lochte

http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/18369.asp

LOS ANGELES, California, December 3. IN order to create a little more space for itself in the history books, the USC men's water polo team pieced together a dramatic 11-10 victory over crosstown rival UCLA today to extend the Trojans' national championship streak to five in a row and finish their 2012 campaign a perfect 29-0. This epic rematch of the 2011 NCAA final -- where USC made history as the first-ever men's water polo team to win four straight titles -- was a far cry from last year's comparatively lopsided victory. Playing in the Trojans' own home pool at the McDonald's Swim Stadium, which begins renovation as the Uytensgu Aquatics Center in 2013, offered the opportunity for both Los Angeles-based schools to pack the house with fans and crank up the intensity beyond expectations. The final whistle brought an end to possibly the most dramatic final in Trojan memory, as USC trailed by as much as three goals in the first period and was down two in the third, and also trailed in the fourth. Each time, the Trojans found a way to battle back. A 4-0 run gave USC a slim 6-5 lead during the second period, but UCLA answered back with three straight to shove the Trojans out of the way again. The Bruins were the aggressors throughout. Even when USC locked up the game at 9-9 on a blast from Matt Burton early in the fourth period, UCLA had another go-ahead answer. The Bruins led 10-9 with 3:09 to go, heaping pressure on the hosts and defenders of four straight titles. That championship confidence seemed to win out for the Trojans over the pressure of keeping USC's undefeated 2012 season intact in front of countless fans. With 2:25 to go, Michael Rosenthal ripped in his third goal of the game for the fourth draw of the game. USC goalie James Clark came up with a clutch save next, and the USC defense held strong to get the ball back. The Bruins had managed to keep USC's No. 2 scorer, sophomore Kostas Genidounias, quiet on the scoring front during the game. At least, until the final minute of play. Burton found the hot-handed Genidounias for a searing score that gave USC an 11-10 lead with 40 ticks to go. It was the Trojans' first lead since the 4:47 mark of the second period, and it was a big one. As UCLA found itself in unfamiliar territory, having been ahead or tied for all but barely two minutes of the game to that point, the Bruins scrambled to try to find an equalizer. Instead, the stubborn USC defense stood tall. Mace Rapsey nabbed a UCLA pass and got the ball to Rosenthal with just 15 seconds left, and USC was in the driver's seat for the big win. The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World Magazine. It has been posted in its entirety without editing. Swimming World offers all outlets the chance to reach our audience by contacting us at [email protected]. However, Swimming World reserves the right to choose what material is posted. Below The Expanded Online Issue of Swimming World Magazine. Enjoy This Free Issue And If You Like What We Do, Support Us With A Total Access Subscription Today! Trouble Viewing on Smart Phones, Tablets or iPads? Click Here

http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/WaterPolo/32811.asp

I've been pleasantly surprised by how good TBS's broadcasts have been. I expected decent general coverage but no bells and whistles. Yet TBS's attention to detail has been impressive, moving the coverage from, if you're grading it, B to A. The best examples Sunday were a tight replay of Matt Garza's foot slipping while warming up in the fifth inning, and Garza inserting (and later taking out) cotton in his ears. TBS hasn't missed a thing. And it's those little things that matter. TBS analyst Harold Reynolds, who has been nothing short of excellent in this series, made a strong point when criticizing how centerfielder B.J. Upton and shortstop Jason Bartlett made a mistake on a fly ball with the bases loaded in the fourth. Upton threw toward third, allowing Ken Griffey to tag up from first. "The infielders should tell (Upton) to go to second,'' Reynolds said. "They've got to be lined up for a throw to second, and Upton has to go to second. That could cost them a run.'' Sure enough, it did. Griffey scored on a hit — a hit he would not have scored on from first. TBS has gone heavy on replays and light on crowd shots, at least in the Rays series. Traditionally, Fox's lone flaw is too many crowd shots, and perhaps TBS has learned from that. I'd much rather see the look on the batter's or pitcher's face than Joe or Joanne Six Pack in the stands. Fox shows fans to build tension, but the game itself should be enough to do that. Best line for hope The Rays lost, but B.J. Upton finished Sunday with a homer and a single. "Upton is starting to get hot,'' TBS's Harold Reynolds said. "That's going to help this lineup.'' “Jason Bartlett has been a difference-maker on this ballclub. Him and (Matt) Garza. They're not here without those two.'' TBS analyst Harold Reynolds

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/baseball/rays/highlights-of-tbss-coverage-of-rays-white-sox/840434

Tazviona Maluge Bhebe, 40, stormed into an off licence in Sutton, South London, armed with a kitchen knife. He was wearing a pair of light blue boxer shorts over his face, peering through one of the leg holes as he threatened 34-year-old shop worker Harry Mahalingham. A court heard that Bhebe, who lived near The Broadway off licence, demanded cash from Mr Mahalingham and tried to open the till to steal cash after reaching behind the counter. He told Mr Mahalingham: "Give me your money or I will use the knife", it was claimed. But the burglary was foiled when Mr Mahalingham jumped over the counter and beat Bhebe over the head with A-frame display sign, causing the boxer shorts to slip down and expose his face on CCTV. Bhebe chased the shop worker around the store brandishing the knife but eventually ran off, throwing away the knife and ripping the failed disguise from his face. Police arrived at the scene within minutes and arrested Bhebe after watching the CCTV footage and extracting DNA evidence from the knife and underwear. Detective Constable Andy Thornton, who revealed a string of CCTV images of the bungled January 21 raid, said: "The CCTV shows his boxer shorts shifting to reveal his face during the robbery." Bhebe pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of a knife and was jailed for three years two weeks ago at Croydon Crown Court. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "The man walked up to the counter and peered out through a leg hole in his plain light blue shorts and demanded: 'Give me your money or I will use the knife.' "The CCTV shows his boxer shorts shifting to reveal his face during the robbery" "As Bhebe walked around the counter to take £100 from the till, the sales assistant quickly jumped over the counter and went outside the shop to pick up a large, A-frame display sign. "The assistant then returned to the front of the counter where he swung the green sign at Bhebe who was still behind the counter. Bhebe was hit with the sign. "Bhebe chased the sales assistant outside the shop to the nearby roundabout before running off discarding the kitchen knife and removing and discarding his boxer shorts as he went in full view of a number of pedestrians. "Officers were quickly on scene and seized the shop's CCTV, secured forensic evidence and took witness statements from the sales assistant and pedestrians nearby. Mr Mahalingham's boss Ruba Kumar, 46, said: "I've always told my workers not to react in a robbery but he told me he did not want to see any of the shop's £5,000 stock taken so fought back. "I'm really grateful for what he did."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9238981/Robber-convicted-after-pants-disguise-fails.html

Double team:: Manchester United were hosts to German champions Wolfsburg Giggs joins '150 club' Receive updates every time we produce a new picture gallery More from the web » Archive | Contact us | Reader prints | RSS feeds | Subscribe and save | Syndication | Today's news © Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2013

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/picturegalleries/6243631/Uefa-Champions-League-second-round-of-group-games-in-pictures.html

It looks like all atleast 8 of the 10 "contenders"-Germany, England, Netherlands, Argentina, Portugal, Czechs, Italy, Brazil, France, and Spain will make the second round. The ones in danger are France in their pool G, and one of the Czechs or Italy being knocked out of pool E. Personaly I think the Czechs will beat Italy in a close game, and the U.S will beat Ghana but not by enough, and the Czechs and Italy will move on. As for the France pool I think Switzerland will beat South Korea, and France will beat Toga in their final round robin game to move on as the Group G #2 seed, Switzerland as the #1 seed. Looking further ahead, I think Germany will have no problem vs Sweden in the the round of 16, and England no trouble with Ecaudor. Those two have had smooth paths so far and it will continue until the quarters, which is where their tournaments will really start. I see Argentina winning their final pool game vs a somewhat sluggish Dutch team. I see Portugal beating Mexico and winning their pool, but keeping it close enough to move on over Angola. I see Argentina having no problem with Mexico in the semis. I see the Dutch-Portugal round of 16 as a really tough call though, I think the Dutch will get an eye opener vs Argentina, even if they only lose by 1 goal they will be sufficiently outplayed, to take their game up another level for the elimination rounds. So Portugal-Netherlands could go either way. I see the Czechs winning their group by beating Italy in their final game like I said, and I see them advancing comfortably over either Australia or Croatia. Their bad game vs Ghana was just a blip, I see them getting back together and being very dangerous. If Italy comes out of that pool in second, I see Brazil having no problem with them. Italy, like France, seems to be a fast declining superpower. If the Swiss win Group G, as I predict they will, I see them winning over probably Ukraine in the next round. I see Spain definitely beating France as well, France definitely look like a declining superpower, it has been showing signs for a few years, and it certainly is showing here. Looking further ahead a Spain vs Brazil quarterfinal is very enticing. I could see an upset there. Spain is like Portugal, a country people wait on to make the big breakthrough. Portugal finaly did at the 2004 Euro Cup, before the loss in the final to that events Cinderella, Greece. I could see Spain making their breakthrough here perhaps the way they look so far, and Brazil is vurnerable enough for an upset to happen there.

http://www.tennis4you.com/forum/index.php?topic=4032.msg57041

I want to stay after Euro: Portugal coachJune 13th, 2012 - 12:32 am ICT by IANS Lviv (Ukraine), June 12 (IANS) Portugal coach Paulo Bento said Tuesday he wants to remain in the post after Euro 2012, but his fate is in the hands of the Portuguese FA. Bento replaced Carlos Quieroz in 2010, immediately taking the team to a 3-1 Euro qualifying victory over Denmark. The Danes may play a crucial role in his future as the two nations clash on Group B on Wednesday with the Portuguese needing a victory to remain in the competition. “Even if we reach the final, I would never talk about my future, that is a decision for the Portuguese Football Confederation,” Bento said. In May, Bento, 42, signed a two-year contract extension after securing qualification for Euro 2012. “My contract is for another two years and I want to stay,” he said. “I want to fulfill it.” Portugal lost 1-0 to Germany in their opener last week, while Denmark beat the Netherlands by the same score in the biggest shock of the tournament so far. - Portugal calm despite win-or-bust Denmark test - Jun 13, 2012 - Portugal's Postiga wants better service against Danes - Jun 13, 2012 - Germany's Gomez got lucky: Portugal coach - Jun 10, 2012 - Euro 2012: Portugal beating Denmark a 'just' result, says coach - Jun 14, 2012 - Euro 2012 Group B Preview: Many challenges in Group of Death - Jun 05, 2012 - Organised Portugal makes me proud: Coach - Jun 18, 2012 - Euro 2012: Ronaldo key for Portugal - Jun 02, 2012 - Euro 2012: Olsen rues lost penalty as Denmark crash out - Jun 18, 2012 - Germany must improve: Man of Match Ozil - Jun 10, 2012 - We can still make it, says Portugal's Pepe - Jun 10, 2012 - Low expects defensive Greece in quarters - Jun 18, 2012 - Germans lacked killer instinct: Coach - Jun 18, 2012 - Leading scorers at Euro 2012 - Jun 18, 2012 - Denmark defeat was like a bad movie: Robben - Jun 10, 2012 - Champions League defeat a thing of past: Thomas Muller - Jun 08, 2012 Tags: carlos quieroz, clash, coach, contract extension, denmark, euro 2012, euro portugal, fate, football confederation, germany, lviv ukraine, netherlands, paulo bento, portuguese football, ria novosti, score, shock, vd, victory

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/sports/i-want-to-stay-after-euro-portugal-coach_100624143.html

TORONTO (AP) -- Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf says the dismissal of general manager Brian Burke was a shock. Phaneuf said Thursday that all the players respected Burke, but they'll have to move forward because there is little preparation time before the games begin. Burke was fired as GM and president Wednesday after four years at the helm of the NHL club and replaced by longtime assistant Dave Nonis. Phaneuf was joined by about two dozen players for an informal workout at Toronto's practice facility. The captain says that he has a good relationship with Nonis and is looking forward to working for him. Players are expected to ratify the new collective bargaining agreement this week, and the NHL is targeting a 48-game season beginning Jan. 19.

http://www.the-news-leader.com/ap%20sports/2013/01/10/leafs-captain-phaneuf-gm-burke-s-firing-a-shock

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Former LSU football standouts Tyrann Mathieu and Jordan Jefferson were among four ex-players arrested Thursday after police found them with marijuana at Mathieu's apartment, police said. Lt. Don Kelly, a Baton Rouge Police spokesman, said officers were called to the apartment complex about 3:30 p.m. after receiving a complaint about a man forcing his way through the security gate before going to Mathieu's apartment. "Officers immediately smelled a strong odor of marijuana and obtained consent from Mathieu to search the apartment," Kelly said. Inside they found Jefferson and two other men -- Karnell Hatcher and Derrick Bryant -- as well as a marijuana grinder, digital scale and 10 bags of high-grade marijuana. Kelly said seven of the bags were found inside Bryant's book bag. Matheiu, 20, of New Orleans, and Jefferson, 22, of St. Rose, La., were booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on charges of simple possession of marijuana. Hatcher, 22, of Delray Beach, Fla., was booked with second-offense simple possession of marijuana and Bryant, 22, of Lawrenceville, Ga., was booked with possession with intent to distribute marijuana. Mathieu, a former Heisman Trophy finalist and cornerback known as the "Honey Badger," was dismissed from the Tigers in August for failing a drug test but had enrolled as a student at the school following two weeks of rehab under the care of former NBA player John Lucas. He had talked about possibly returning to the team for the 2013 season with two seasons of eligibility. He is also eligible to apply for the NFL draft in April. Jefferson, the Tigers' former starting quarterback, had returned to Baton Rouge to finish his degree after playing with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He also was a free agent signee with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before joining the Alouettes. Jefferson had been suspended in connection with a preseason bar fight near campus for the start of his senior season. Lance Unglesby, Jefferson's lawyer in the misdemeanor criminal case, said a discovery hearing in that matter is scheduled next week. His client has always maintained his innocence in the bar fight. Unglesby said he had not yet been provided any details of Jefferson's latest arrest, but stressed, "All individuals are presumed innocent and I look forward to the opportunity to examine the facts of this case to find out what really happened." It was not immediately known whether Mathieu, Hatcher or Bryant had lawyers. A spokeswoman for the university did not immediately respond to messages left by telephone and email. Hatcher was a linebacker for the Tigers and finished with 133 career tackles, 3.5 for a loss and two forced fumbles. Bryant, a backup safety, finished with 28 tackles, 2.0 for a loss and one sack.

http://www.the-review.com/ap%20sports/2012/10/25/mathieu-among-4-ex-lsu-football-players-arrested

Nov. 22, 2012 No. 2 Connecticut Rolls Past Wake Forest 95-34 ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands - The No. 2 Connecticut women's basketball team ran out to an early lead and never looked back in a 95-34 victory over Wake Forest Thursday evening. The Demon Deacons drop to 2-2 on the year while the Huskies remain perfect at 3-0. Senior Asia Williams was aggressive all night with the ball and finished with 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting. She also dished-out four assists. Fellow senior Lakevia Boykin finished with eight points while Mykala Walker notched nine rebounds to go along with two points.

http://www.theacc.com/sports/w-baskbl/recaps/112212aaa.html

- Special Sections - Public Notices Members of the Anderson County High School boys’ junior varsity soccer team display their trophy after winning the Franklin County Junior Varsity Invitational recently. Anderson defeated Franklin County and Western Hills for the title. Team members are front Mitchel Kirby, Lucas Best, Hunter Wilson, Corey Smith and Garrett Pritchert. Back row: David Simmons, Jordan Thompson, Lathan Lewis, Drew Whitworth, Luke Smith, Clayton Barnett, Ethan Woodrow, Daniel Peach, and Coach Robby Chadwell. If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the Anderson News, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below. Click the question mark below to see where your account ID appears on your mailing label. If you are new to the award winning Anderson News and wish to get a subscription or simply gain access to our online content then please enter your ZIP code below and continue to setup your account.

http://www.theandersonnews.com/content/tourney-champs-0?mini=calendar-date%2F2012-10

Dustin Penner signed with the Oilers in the summer of 2007. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images) That giant cough you heard last week when Edmonton Oilers coach Craig MacTavish called out, embarrassed and otherwise lambasted 2007 restricted free agent offer sheet signee Dustin Penner was the sound of 27 or so NHL GMs snickering over poor Mac-T’s predicament. Those smirks may have been outright guffaws out of Buffalo and wherever Brian Burke was at the time; however, I am certain not too many of my former colleagues were pitying Mac-T and his under-performing asset. For most GMs there was probably a sense of, “it looks good on you, Edmonton.” That was my initial reaction to his comments, and as I read more and saw Penner’s statement to the effect that he had “always had a problem” with the “competitiveness aspect” of his game, I had to snicker even more. Mac-T complained Penner’s legs are “inconsistent” and he needs more “horsepower.” He bemoaned Penner’s fitness level, not just presently, but since Day 1. He also noted, donning his GM’s cap, that when the Oil signed Penner to that five year, $21.25 million Group II offer sheet in August 2007, they thought it was a “starting point” and not an ending point. If only I could feel bad for the Oilers and their serious case of buyer’s remorse. What, exactly, did Edmonton think it was purchasing with that offer sheet? Penner was a 6-foot-4, 245-pound winger who had played two seasons of college hockey, two seasons in the American League and one full season in the NHL (plus 19 games in part of one other season). In his full season he posted 29 goals and 45 points and was a minus-2 in 82 games. Prior to that, he had scored four goals, three assists and seven points and was a plus-3 in 19 games played. After signing the offer sheet and landing in Edmonton, Penner played in 82 games in 2007-08 and recorded 23 goals and 47 points and was a minus-12, averaging almost three minutes more ice time per game than he had in Anaheim. How could Edmonton possibly know for certain, based on one good (not great, just good) season, that Penner’s 2006-07 campaign was the “starting point?” How can one season foretell a trend, especially when it happens in the context of magical team success? Why did Anaheim not match the offer sheet? Did they know something about the player as a result of having signed him as a free agent out of college and spending two years developing him in the minors before giving him his NHL shot? Did they know his legs were “inconsistent” and his conditioning sometimes an issue? Did they know that the “competitiveness” part of his game has “always been a problem?” That’s the reason GMs snicker. Edmonton didn’t know, but they hoped. They paid an exorbitant price and hoped for the best. They now have buyer’s remorse. While Edmonton’s offer sheets were well within the rules and complied fully with the CBA, the fact remains those offer sheets caused one NHL team to dramatically overpay to retain one of its rising star players (and do so well ahead of when it otherwise might have had to budget to do so). And another NHL team to lose the financial and organizational investment it had made in the development of a good (not great) young player. The offer sheets ultimately changed the entire Group II landscape in the NHL for all teams, eliminating the one leverage point GMs had on players coming off their entry-level deals. From my vantage point, it looks good on you, Edmonton! Jay Feaster is a former GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he took over in 2002 and helped build the team into a Stanley Cup champion in 2004. As he did last season, he will blog on THN.com throughout the 2008-09 campaign. Read his other entries HERE. AdvertisementThis Week - Subscribe Now

http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/20233-Jay-Feasters-Blog-No-pity-for-Oilers-over-Penners-struggles.html

William Wallen is ranked 213th by the ISS for the upcoming June NHL draft. (Photo courtesy of the Mississauga-St. Michael's Majors) It began with a headache like none he’d ever had. Then came the vomiting. Soon he was in the back of an ambulance. Within two weeks, he had two brain surgeries; that was early October. By mid-January he was back on the ice for the Ontario League’s Mississauga-St. Michael’s Majors. But there’s more to William Wallen than the brain aneurysm he had at the end of the Majors’ home opener and his recovery, even if that is what most fans outside of Sweden know about him. “I don’t mind (talking about the aneurysm),” said the soft-spoken left winger. “But I’m trying to move on. You can’t really close your eyes to it, because that’s what happened and you just have to deal with it.” Wallen would rather talk hockey. He’s from a suburb of Stockholm and is the son of a former Swedish Elite League pro who’s now an agent for NHLers such as Patrik Berglund in St. Louis and Mikael Samuelsson in Detroit and whose stable of clients also includes likely top-two NHL draft pick Victor Hedman. Wallen is a 17-year-old kid who moved to the Toronto suburb of Mississauga from Sweden to play hockey because he loves the mystique of Canadian major junior and wants to skate in the NHL. “I’ve always had a thing for junior hockey in Canada,” said Wallen, who at one point had a 50/50 chance of surviving his medical ordeal. “There’s such a big interest. So many people watch the games. Here it’s like 4,000; back home it’s like 50. “And I want to play in the NHL one day. Playing here gets me ready.” The 16th pick in last year’s Canadian League import draft, Wallen’s biggest detriment is his size. But he doesn’t shy away from the tough areas of the ice and reminds some of American League rookie scoring sensation Nathan Gerbe, a Buffalo Sabres prospect. “He’s a quick and dynamic skater who competes on the boards, makes good passes and has soft hands,” said one scout, who pointed out Wallen is also young for his draft class and just four weeks shy of being a 2010 selection. “We like the grit he brings and he plays hard at both ends of the ice. Hopefully he grows, because he has potential.” Wallen grew up idolizing Pavel Bure because he saw similarities in their games. He was voted the No. 3 stickhandler in the OHL this season and, for his part, tries to ignore his diminutive stature. “I’m not too worried about my size,” said the 5-foot-8, 170-pounder, currently ranked 213th by International Scouting Services for this June’s draft. “There’s nothing I can do about it.” What Wallen worries about is his game, which he has proven is a skilled one. “I’m a guy who scores goals,” said the owner of 17 goals and 38 points in 30 international games for Sweden. ”I’ve got to be going all the time; try to be quick and make plays. But my biggest strength is my scoring.” Wallen could have stayed in Sweden this season, possibly playing for the Djurgarden senior team, with and against men more than twice his age. But, other than missing the first half of the season because of the aneurysm, he’s been happy with the way things have gone. “Everything has been great,” said Wallen, who admitted he’s still not 100 percent recovered and continues to try to find his game. “I hope to come back next year, improve my game and put up more points. I think next year I can come back and show more of who I am.” And who knows? Maybe Wallen will be a Swedish world junior team member next season. “It’s not something I think about,” he said. “But if I made the team that would be awesome.” You know what else is awesome? The fact this kid is still alive, playing the game he loves and looking forward to his future. For more great profiles, news and views from the world of hockey, Subscribe to The Hockey News magazines. AdvertisementThis Week - Subscribe Now

http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/24889-THNcom-Blog-Wallen-battles-bravely-in-new-world.html

New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, of Sweden, lays on the ice during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the New Jersey Devils , Tuesday, March 19, 2013, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) NEWARK, N.J. - All the New York Rangers needed to regain their confidence and get back in the playoff hunt was two wins in two nights. That is how tight the NHL is in this lockout-shortened season. Michael Del Zotto scored a short-handed goal and set up Rick Nash's game winner to lead the Rangers to a 3-2 win over the Devils on Tuesday night, moving them into a tie with New Jersey for eighth place in the Eastern Conference. "The game last night meant nothing if we didn't follow up with two points again tonight," Del Zotto said, referring to New York's 2-1 shootout win over Carolina on Monday. "It was huge. A lot of momentum swings, and we have to keep this rolling here." The wins came on the heels of a three-game losing streak for the Rangers, who also have a game in hand on New Jersey. "Guys are getting more confidence back," Rangers captain Ryan Callahan said. "We're getting back to playing the style we want to play. It shows on the ice. It's two points, and now we have to move on." Carl Hagelin also scored for the Rangers, and Henrik Lundqvist had 29 saves, including three spectacular stops during a second-period power play that preceded Nash's deciding goal. "You try to play with a short memory, you have to," Lundqvist said. "The games come up so fast. Sometimes you can't really tell why it turns around for you. You just have to keep working hard and hopefully good things will happen. "We have to improve and play even better if we're going to be in the playoffs. These were two good games we can build on." The Devils also have to move on, but they need to change direction after losing their third straight (0-2-1) and for the 10th time (3-8-2) since goalie Martin Brodeur went down with a pinched nerve in his back. Brodeur was on the bench for the first time since being injured, and the league's career leader in wins hopes to start on Thursday in Carolina. "We've got enough here to win more games than we have been winning lately," Devils coach Peter DeBoer said. 'We have to get the job done." Travis Zajac and Anton Volchenkov scored for New Jersey, which again outshot its opponent but had trouble scoring. The Devils have four goals in the losing streak. "We did everything except score when we needed to," Zajac said. "It was a pretty good game from our team. You can't fault our effort today. We didn't score. We had our chances but didn't get the bounce." By Rangers-Devils standards, this game was wide open and had its share of miscues and great saves by Lundqvist and Johan Hedberg, who started all 13 games since Brodeur last played on Feb. 21. Nash's goal might have been one of the mistakes by Hedberg, who helped set up Del Zotto's third goal of the season by playing the puck near his bench on a power play. Nash's team-high 10th goal came on a counterattack shortly after Lundqvist made saves on a blast by Ilya Kovalchuk, a backhander by Steve Bernier on the rebound and an in-close rebound by Alexei Ponikarovsky with Rangers defenceman Anton Stralman in the penalty box. Del Zotto found Nash on the right wing, and the big forward skated into the Devils zone and beat Hedberg with a shot from the right circle at 7:25 to break a 2-all tie "He (Lundqvist) definitely gave us the momentum, coming off a penalty kill," Nash said. "Del Zotto made a great play up the ice and sent me and Richards on a two-on-one. The D man was kind of cheating the pass so I thought I would shoot." New Jersey had about five good chances to tie it but Lundqvist stoned them, making a great stop on David Clarkson from between the circles in the second period and stopping a couple of slap shots by Kovalchuk on a third-period power play. He also made a save on Patrik Elias in the final minute. The Rangers, who hadn't scored two goals in regulation in their previous four games, scored twice in the first period, but the Devils tied it on goals by slumping players. Shortly after Kovalchuk banged a power-play shot off the post, Del Zotto swatted a shoulder-high pass from the corner by Derek Stepan into the net at 11:49 for New York's third short-handed goal of the season. The Devils' second power play was more productive, and a little bit luckier at 15:15. A shot from the point by Peter Harrold was partially blocked. Del Zotto tried to kick the puck to the corner, but it went to Zajac's stick in the right circle for his first goal in 11 games. New York took the lead again less than two minutes later on Hagelin's eighth goal. It also was a little lucky. Dan Girardi's shot from the right point was wide of the net but it bounced off the end boards right to Hagelin on the left doorstep for a stuff-in. Volchenkov tied it 2-2 just 23 seconds later with a shot from the left point that found its way past about five players and Lundqvist. It was the Russian's first goal in 36 games, dating to last season, and his 19th goal in a decade in the NHL. NOTES: Del Zotto's goal was his 100th NHL point. ... Defencemen Stu Bickel and Matt Gilroy were healthy scratches for the Rangers. ... Devils C Andrei Loktionov (undisclosed injury) hopes to be back in the lineup in Carolina on Thursday. ... Devils D Marek Zidlicky played in his 600th NHL game. ...Ponikarovsky left the game in the second period with an undisclosed injury. AdvertisementThis Week - Subscribe Now

http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/50701-Rangers-win-second-in-2-nights-as-Del-Zotto-scores-and-sets-up-Nashs-game-winner.html

Hendon's new "Rolls Royce" could drive them to the top The new MSFL season is gearing up to be one of the most exciting in recent years. There have been some interesting moves in the transfer market with Hendon United Sports Club this week raising the ante with the signing of GB gold medal star Ben Lauffer. Described by Barnet coach Michael Stone as a "Rolls Royce of a passer", this rivals Neasden's move for Paul Babai in terms of the signing of the summer. I think that it's fantastic for the league to have players of this calibre, and I have a feeling that we may not have seen the end of the big name signings. After confirming his new addition, Hendon manager David Garbacz said: "We are delighted to have persuaded Ben to make the short journey to the Hendon ranks. He is a major signing for us and is one of the best Jewish footballers in the country. "He has lots of good mates in the team and should settle in well." And in a warning to Hendon's Premier Division rivals, Garbacz said: "Expect at least two more major coups before the new season commences." ● Ben Joseph has been appointed as club captain of London Maccabi Lions A for 2011/12 season. The former MSFL Young Player of the Year has been an integral member of the side for several years and managers Malcolm Newman and Josh Newman believe the team will benefit from his leadership for the coming season. "We feel Ben will prove to be an excellent captain, who will lead by example," said Malcolm Newman. "There is no question he is one of the most talented players in the league and the added responsibility, we feel, will take his performances to the next level." Josh Newman commented: "Ben has been a top player in the league for many years. Going into his ninth year at Lions, the time seems right for him to take on this official leadership role." ● Another team I expect to be the real deal this season is FC Team. Manager Mitch Young explained why the club chose not to re-enter the Middlesex County Junior League. He said: "We suffered a few injuries during the second half of last season while some other players were not fully committed. Furthermore, players failed to pay registration fees and we simply cannot afford to run a club in that way. "We enjoyed our time in the Middlesex County League with the highlight being our first Cup final. We will focus all our attention on our first season in the MSFL Premier Division." ● The new MJSL season will commence with the traditional JC Charity Shield curtain-raiser, when Republic of Mancunia and South Manchester meet at Frederick Road on August 21. The league season gets under way with midweek fixtures during the last week of August. ● This coming season will also see the introduction of North West London Jets, a new club, affiliated to the London Football Association. . NWLJ will field teams of Under 7s, 8s, 9s and 10s playing in the Maccabi Junior Football League and Under 12s playing in the Excel League. The club will provide young male and female players the opportunity to focus on development, training and matches for a variety of levels. See Danny Caro’s weekend round-up at thejc.com. Email [email protected] and/or follow Danny on Twitter:@djcaro

http://www.thejc.com/sport/caros-column/52775/hendons-new-rolls-royce-could-drive-them-top

ABU DHABI // A humanitarian organisation is hoping for a big fund raising payoff when a "royal" football signed by leaders from each emirate is auctioned off later this year. Nahtam Social Responsibility is working with the Austrian and Swiss embassies to organise the first Royal Euro 2008 Football Charity Auction. The football has been signed by members of the ruling families of all seven emirates, including Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed, Deputy Ruler of Dubai. The football will be auctioned on September 28 at Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi. The campaign has a head start of Dh100,000 (US$27,200), as the UAE Football Association and Abu Dhabi Sports Council have already each donated Dh50,000. The auction will help Nahtam raise awareness for eight charities from each emirate, including the Special Care Centre in Abu Dhabi and the Al Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs in Dubai. Isabelle Le Bon-Poonoosamy, co-founder and vice president of Nahtam, said "the target is to reach above the sky because those charities deserve the best". Isphana al Khatib, director of Al Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs in Dubai, said in response to the campaign that "to have this support means it gives us credibility". She added: "Our work is recognised in higher levels." In addition to the auction, Nahtam will distribute donation boxes in the shape of footballs throughout the Emirates to schools, charities and malls.

http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/up-for-bids-royal-football-signed-by-emirati-leaders