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2014-15/0970/en_head.json.gz/18533

Quinnipiac Welcomes Siena for MAAC Showdown on Wednesday; Live Stream on YouTube Available Quinnipiac University Bobcats (4-13, 2-3 MAAC) vs. Siena Saints (6-10, 5-1 MAAC) Wednesday, October 9, 2013 – 7:00 PM Burt Kahn Court – Hamden, Conn. Multimedia vs. Siena Quinnipiac Game Notes Coming in Hot The transformation for the Bobcats took place over the offseason and continues to reap benefits into the 2013 season. After winning just two games a year ago, the Quinnipiac women's volleyball team enters the weekend having already won four thus far, including two straight in the MAAC. The Bobcats secured an upset victory over Rider on Saturday and followed that up with a victory over Saint Peter's on Sunday for their first MAAC wins in program history. They ride that two game winning streak into a Wednesday night battle with the Siena Saints, an eight-time MAAC Champion and currently second in the conference standings. All-Time Record Against Siena Quinnipiac and Siena have locked horns nine times in their all-time history, with the Saints leaving victorious in all nine previous meetings. Siena has swept the Bobcats in seven of their nine previous matches with the other two pushing into a fifth set decision. The last time these two sides have played, however, was in the 2008 season so none of the current Bobcats have taken their swing at the Saints. Siena Women's Volleyball History Siena women's volleyball has a proud tradition of success on the court and in the classroom. The Saints captured their eighth MAAC Championship in the fall of 2008 (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008) and own three American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) awards for academic distinction (1994, 1995, 2005) - presented to teams that boast a 20-win season and a 3.3 team grade-point average. Scouting the Saints The traditionally dominant Siena College squad finished last season 21-11 with a 14-4 mark in the conference. They advanced to the MAAC Championship Game for the ninth time in school history but failed to come away with the title, falling to Fairfield, for the first time in those nine chances. They suffered some key departures as Colleen Ahearn and back-to-back MAAC Libero of the Year Leslie Akeo both graduate. This season was a bit of a struggle in non-conference play but they've once again dominated their conference coming into Wednesday's match with a 6-10 record and 5-1 mark in the MAAC. Despite their uneven records in and out of conference play, the Saints have certainly done their best to challenge themselves with out of conference matches against several national powerhouses including St. John's, Southern Illinois, Kansas State, Texas A & M, Florida State, Michigan and Binghamton. They had a stretch of nine straight set losses through the middle of September but since moving to conference opponents, the Saints have excelled with victories against Iona, Manhattan, Fairfield and Canisius. They're the only team in the MAAC to have beaten the first place Jaspers this season and their one loss came at home in a five set thriller to Marist. The Bobcats will need to have their sights set on a pair of Saint hitters in Taylor Akana and Jacqueline Skeen. Akana comes into Wednesday with the third-highest kills per set average (3.54) in MAAC competition while Skeen has the second-highest hitting percentage (.359) of any player in the conference. Freshmen contribute at two key spots in the lineup for Siena as three-time MAAC Rookie of the Week winner Haley Howell is the team's main setter while Bobbi Lin Kalama leads the team on the defensive end as the libero. Howell comes in with the third-highest assists per set average (10.23) in the conference while Kalama

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RSL see similarities in opponents FCD Kreis & Co. see themselves in FCD's consistency, aggressiveness November 4, 2010 Randy Davis MLSsoccer.com Jason Kreis is trying his best to keep his locker room upbeat but RSL are in trouble vs. FC Dallas Photo Credit: Getty Images LEHI, Utah – When Real Salt Lake see FC Dallas play, it’s a bit like looking in the mirror. “The way we play soccer, from that to tactical decisions by the coaching staff, to individual abilities by the players," RSL head coach Jason Kreis said, "I think we’re very similar.” Both teams prefer a fluid, attacking style of soccer to the physical, methodical style of play that has often been prevalent in the league. And so far, they have both shown a willingness to continue this brand of soccer into the playoffs even though conventional wisdom says that a cautious approach is in order, especially when playing on the road. “I expect that they’re going to come in and do what they have been doing all season, which is trying to play in the opponent’s half and trying to dictate the tempo and the flow of the game,” Kreis said of the Western Conference Semifinal second leg on Saturday (10 p.m. ET, FSC). “So it should be a fantastic game to watch.” [inline_node:322210]The teams are also similarly consistent. FCD compiled an MLS record 19-game unbeaten streak in 2010, while RSL are riding a 32-game unbeaten streak at home in all competitions. That consistency has put them atop the conversation of the best teams in the league, and makes playoff time par for the course. “If you’re a very, very good team, you’ve played consistently the whole year, so why should you feel that you have to play better now?” Kreis said. “We’ve asked the same thing from our team since day one, and that’s to give their best every single week. If they give their best – win, lose or draw – we’re going to be happy, because most of the time we know that if they’re giving their best we’re going to get a lot of results.” There are certainly tactical and personnel differences. RSL have gained notoriety for their compact diamond midfield in a 4-4-2 formation, with much of the buildup coming from the “spine” of the team with the outside backs providing width. The Hoops, on the other hand, thrive on the wings. Whether in a 4-4-2 or a 4-5-1, FCD like to spread the field and send their wingbacks forward to get extra bodies into the attack. But similarities persist, perhaps none greater than the position the Hoops find themselves in currently. They are the underdog – a lower seed, and an upstart trying to dethrone the champions. They come into this match buoyed by a one-goal advantage after a victory at home in the first leg. It’s a familiar scenario to an RSL team that has managed to knock off the higher-seeded opponent in the conference semifinals in each of the past two seasons – Chivas USA in 2008, and Columbus in '09. “We had a game plan that we went into that second game with,” Kreis said of those upset performances. “I think we can expect a similar approach from Dallas.” In this case, Real Salt Lake can only hope that’s where the similarities end. Otherwise they will be starting the offseason a little earlier than they had planned. Ready to launch: MLS Matchday 2010, The new official MLS iPhone app. It's FREE! Download it here! Get your RSL tickets here!

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2014-15/0970/en_head.json.gz/18546

Boston will be 44th marathon for Honor resident [email protected] ---- — TRAVERSE CITY — He's known as the "Bayer Aspirin Marathon Man."It's a moniker Gary Lake picked up last year after he and his wife appeared in a national television ad touting the benefits of Bayer aspirin.The 66-year-old Honor resident will run his 44th marathon Monday when he toes the line in Boston — his 10th marathon since suffering a heart attack in February, 2004. That medical episode ultimately led to fame last year when he was featured in a 30-second Bayer ad.The thrust of the ad — a marathon runner in "absolute perfect physical condition" is felled by a heart attack "out of the blue" and then takes two Bayers until help arrives — has turned Lake into somewhat of a celebrity."It's amazing how many people, strangers, see me and say, 'You're the Bayer Aspirin Marathon Man, aren't you?'" Lake said. "Yes, I am."Actually, Boston and Bayer are linked in his story."In 2011, I ran the Detroit Free Press Marathon and finished second in my age group and qualified for Boston," Lake said. "I called my friend, the former race director of the Free Press Marathon, because the entry deadline for that spring's Boston Marathon had closed in September and this race (Detroit) was in October. That would mean I would have to wait until 2013 to run Boston. She said she didn't know anyone on the Boston staff, but said she just received an e-mail from a casting agency looking for runners that have had heart issues. People who know me know I'm crazy, meaning I did not change my lifestyle after the heart attack. I kept on running."I e-mailed the casting agency and told them my story. They said thanks, but casting had already closed. If they thought they would need my story, they would keep it for future use. Well, three weeks later they called me back. 'Are you interested in doing a commercial? Can you do a Skype interview the following morning?' We did two Skype interviews that week and they ended up flying us to Los Angeles to make the commercial."The couple spent five hours filming the 30-second spot."All the while that my wife and I were doing this commercial, she kept laughing and saying that nothing was going to come from this because we were in front of that camera for five hours," Lake said. "She said we must have been pretty bad for them to spend that much time with us. It kept us laughing. We thought we were going to end up on the cutting room floor."Not so. The day the commercial first aired, the Lakes received 13 phone calls from friends and relatives who had seen it. That ad ran for 11 months and can still be viewed on YouTube."No matter what races I run in now," Lake said, "people keep asking me, 'Are you taking your Bayer aspirin?'"Lake laughs when he tells that story, but it wasn't a laughing matter that winter day nine years ago. The Lakes were four days into vacation at Walt Disney World when the heart attack occurred."I had gone out for an easy five-mile run, came back, showered and was ready to go to breakfast," he recalled. "It was the classic elephant in the middle of your chest kind of thing. I said to my wife, 'Get me an aspirin, get me an aspirin quick.' She was standing next to me. She thought I had pulled something because I don't take medications for anything. She said, 'What's the matter?' I said, 'I think I'm having a heart attack.' She reached into her pill box and gave me two Bayer aspirin. I chewed them up and laid down on the bed. When the emergency people came, I ended up getting life-flighted to Florida Hospital in Orlando where they told me I had a 100 percent blockage in a major coronary artery. They did a roto-router, cleaned out the artery and put in a stent. Two days later, when the cardiologist was getting ready to release me, he said, 'I want you to promise me you'll take your medications every day.' I said, 'Wait a minute. Not so fast. I want to talk about getting back to running.' He said, 'I don't know if I want to recommend that to you.' We talked about it a few more minutes and we agreed that I would take the medications the rest of my life if he allowed me to run. We shook hands on it and I've been running ever since."While in the hospital awaiting surgery, Lake started thinking of races he had yet to do. The Marine Corps Marathon, slated for that October, was at the top of his list."During the rehabilitation process, my cardiologist said he wanted me to walk for one month, take the next month and run easy, and then take the third month and build up into competition," Lake said. "My goal was to run the Marine Corps Marathon. That was part of my recovery."That was marathon No. 35. For Lake, this will be his third Boston Marathon. He ran it in 2003 and again in 2005. Qualifying did not come easy for him."When I first turned 55, you get extra qualifying minutes added on, so that year I ran five marathons in a two-year period in an attempt to qualify, which I finally did," he said. "When I turned 65, I ran three marathons in an attempt to qualify, which I did."Lake needed to run the 26.2-mile distance in 4 hours, 10 minutes to meet Boston standards. He met that by running a 4:08.21 in Detroit. But since Boston officials cap the number of runners in the race, and receive so many requests from qualifiers, Lake felt he needed a better time to ensure his spot. So last April he ran a 4:05 in Toledo's Glass City Marathon."They usually cap the Boston Marathon at approximately 20,000 to 21,000 runners," he said. "Last year's Boston Marathon was so horrendously hot they allowed runners an option: If they opted not to run it, they could roll over into this year's race. My registration number, and this is based on where you qualified, is 20,654. Had I not run the 4:05, I most likely would not have made the field."Although his Detroit and Toledo times were over four hours — both were in windy conditions — Lake said he typically runs a marathon in less than four. His personal best is 3:07:09, but that year he would have needed a 3:03 to qualify, he said."That 3:07 I ran is an average 7 minutes, 7 seconds per mile," he said. "That's fast for someone who was not a high school or college runner."Lake completed his first marathon — Glass City — in 1981."I went through a divorce and started a new lifestyle," he said. "All my friends, who saw me run 5K and 10K races, said before you know it you'll be running marathons. I said, 'No way.' The very next year I ran my first marathon."Now comes No. 44."For runners, Boston is like the Olympics," he said. "It's the highest level of participation we can reach. It's always a goal for me. It took me a lot of years to finally make that qualifying time. But, again, it's about being among the best marathoners in the world. That's what makes Boston so significant."

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Anderson going in at No. 1 DE By Mickey Furfari For The Register-Herald Sun Jul 22, 2012, 11:56 PM EDT MORGANTOWN — Tyler Anderson, a homegrown defensive standout, will be entering West Virginia’s fall football camp as the No. 1 defensive end. The 6-foot-2, 244-pound redshirt junior who was two-time all-state at Morgantown High played in all 13 games as a Mountaineer linebacker in 2011. Depending on WVU’s opponent on a particular day, he also could line up at the linebacker position. He was credited with making nine solo tackles and eight assists last season. Four were tackles for 9-yard losses. “It’s hard to tell where I’ll line up,” Anderson said last week. “I just want to play where they want me to be. “We’ve got guys who played a lot on the defensive line in the past, maybe as many as 25. We’ve got to play as a whole unit this year.” Like his teammates, Anderson is very excited that the Mountaineers are competing in the Big 12 for the first time. “But to win games, we’re going to have to swarm onto the football (defensively),” he shared. “It’s our job to get the ball for the offense.” With quarterback Geno Smith, West Virginia is expected to be one of the nation’s most explosive offenses. He is the Big 12’s preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Anderson suggested, “No one individual will need to play the whole game. We’ve got guys who can rotate in every game if necessary. “Everybody knows his role and what he’s supposed to do. When one guy gets tired, someone can take his place.” Anderson, who also saw action as a tight end at Morgantown High, believes WVU’s defense must step up a lot more this season. He foresees quite a jump from winning the Big East championship last year. “Going into the Big 12 will be a lot tougher,” Anderson said. “But we’re going to be great on the offense again. “We feel the defense will be ready to do our jobs in support again.” He noted that the new defensive coaching staff has transitioned well with the players, thanks to last spring’s 15 days of practice. Meantime, WVU players are expected to take some time off to visit family and friends. Then the Mountaineers will reassemble for fall camp. The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia. All rights Kickoff time set for WVU-Alabama West Virginia football fans can now start counting down to the exact minute, instead of just the day. Questions raised about Turnbull’s firing Dr. Stephen Graber, an associate professor at the West Virginia University School of Medicine, is among the latest WVU teachers to deplore Oliver Luck’s firing of veteran wrestling coach Craig Turnbull. Former Red Devil star realizing dream of playing D-I basketball When former Oak Hill High School standout Kalif Wright was a kid, he would play EA Sports’ NCAA March Madness video games and dream of one day getting a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament. Mountaineers beat Buckeyes 4-1 in lefty Vance’s first career start In his first career start for the WVU baseball team, sophomore left-hander Ross Vance struck out 14 en route to a 4-1 victory over Ohio State on Tuesday evening at Hawley Field. Most plays good, some not so good in Gold-Blue scrimmage There appeared to be a fine mixture of plays, most good with some not so good, in West Virginia University’s Gold-Blue football scrimmage last Saturday. Wesleyan edges CU twice in softball The Concord University softball narrowly dropped a pair of games to No. 17 West Virginia Wesleyan, 2-1 and 4-3, Sunday afternoon at Culpepper Field. Concord baseball shuts out Cardinals The Concord University baseball team posted two shutout victories on Sunday, extending its winning streak to seven games by beating conference foe Wheeling Jesuit. Much still to be answered this fall In Saturday’s paper, I compiled a list of five things to watch at West Virginia University’s annual Gold-Blue Spring Game. Now, after watching the football scrimmage that concluded this year’s spring drills and taking some time to process what I saw, it’s time to go back and revisit those five points and how they turned out on Saturday. D’Antoni speculation now seems to have legs Kareem Canty got what he wanted, and Marshall fans should find out this week if they will get what they want. Specials teams shine at Gold-Blue Game The scoreboard said the Gold (offense) beat the Blue (defense) 37-27 in Saturday’s Gold-Blue Spring Game at Milan Puskar Stadium using a modified scoring system that rewarded the defense for stops and turnovers and the offense for scores.

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Andy Schleck Fallout With Andy Schleck out of the Tour de France 2012, what can RadioShack do to save themselves? Photo Fotoreporter Sirotti. Andy Schleck Fallout With Andy Schleck out of the Tour de France 2012, what can RadioShack do to save themselves? Andy Schleck of Team RadioShack-Nissan, to put it mildly, has not had a good 2012 season to date. Injury, illness and poor form have dogged the Luxemburg rider since his previous team, Leopard-Trek, merged with RadioShack. However, things took a turn for the worse at the Dauphine. During stage 4's time trial a gust of wind hit Schleck's disc wheel, knocking him to the ground. Two days later he abandoned complaining of pain. Regardless of the setback the younger Schleck was still placed on the long-list for the RadioShack-Nissan 2012 Tour de France squad. Suspicions about Andy's participation in the Tour de France were increased as a team press release announced an Andy Schleck press conference for today. It was quickly sussed out through various sources, including family members, that he was going to announce that he wouldn't race this year's Tour. By the time Andy gingerly sat down at the long table in front of him we all knew what the press conference was about. His doctor Charles Delagardelle illustrated Schleck's injury with a plastic pelvis model and told the press that an MRI detected a fracture - specifically in an area of the pelvis that would be directly affected by the pressure of a bike saddle. It was official: Andy Schleck's 2012 Tour de France participation was over. "I know I'm not going to be in it. I'm 27 and have many years in front of me," Schleck told the journalists. "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger." The time required to heal the fracture was placed at four to six weeks, making a return to the 2012 Vuelta a Espana a somewhat obtainable goal. Spain's national tour starts August 18th, a little over eight weeks away. His rebooted race schedule now includes the World Championships and the Tour of Lombardy. Andy told the assembled press that the fracture "really hurt." That I have no doubt, further showing how tough professional cyclists are when he remounted and continued riding for two more stages. However, it got to a point that finally he couldn't take the pain any longer. Team manager Johan Bruyneel wisely had been quiet publicly regarding Andy's injury. Perhaps learning his lesson when he aired his disappointment to the press regarding Andy's brother Frank's abandonment of the Giro d'Italia? That ‘motivation' backfired on Bruyneel and only alienated the manager and one of his star riders. As someone who has reviewed Bruyneel's motivational book, "We Might As Well Win" I missed the chapter of publicly shaming your athlete. I'll go back and review his book again. Perhaps I missed it. The Bruyneel-led RadioShack-Nissan squad has now been further hamstrung by misfortune. While neither Schleck is on anyone's short list for the overall Tour de France victory in July, it's never a good thing when a marquee rider is missing from the start list. And unfortunately whoever wins the 2012 Tour the question will always be asked, ‘What if Andy Schleck had been there in good health?' Personally I hate those type of ‘what if' suppositions. Sport, and if I Related videos Tags: Neil BrowneAndy SchleckTeam RadioShack-NissanJohan BruyneelChristopher HornerAndreas KlödenPages1 12/11/2012 Lance Armstrong cuts formal ties to Livestrong organization 04/07/2013 2013 Tour de France Results - Stage 6 10/05/2012 2012 Giro d'Italia Results - Stage 2 11/10/2008 2008 Tour de France Results - Stage 18 24/05/2006 Product Review: Pearl Izumi 3D Pro Bib Shorts Your comments Your comments

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Open Letter To Florida Fans By VolBrian @VolBrian Get the latest Tennessee Volunteers news with Rocky Top Talk Follow Rocky Top Talk on Twitter Like Rocky Top Talk Facebook We lost, you won. Let's all go along with our business. Wait, what's that? Lane Kiffin won't let you? He's running his mouth again? It hurts your feelings? Your opinion of the Tennessee football program and it's fans is dropping? Ok, well let's handle it one issue at a time. 1. Moral Victories - Stop buying into the media hype and let's all call it what it really was for Tennessee. Not a moral victory, but a recruiting victory. That's right. That's the reason Tennessee fans are somewhat satisfied with the outcome. Aside from the fact old Urbie didn't get his prophesized revenge. This was a huge recruiting victory for Tennessee. It will never come out, but I do believe we're all wise enough in the ways of recruiting to know that the Florida staff has been telling recruits for months that Tennessee is a renegade program that they planning on beating by 50 at the first opportunity. "Now you don't want go play for a coach who is all talk but looks like WKU in Ben Hill Griffin do you?" Well that didn't pan out and the momentum shifts quickly to UT's staff with "yeah we lost, but look how many true freshmen had a huge impact in that game". Cody Riggs and Jeff Luc were by all accounts impressed. 1a. Moral Victories Part Deux Ok, fine, call it a moral victory if you wish, It's the last one you'll be able to do that with. Next season, we expect the Vols to win in Knoxville, and if they don't there will be a much more negative reaction. Believe that. 2. Tennessee Played To Keep It Close First, if anything Lane Kiffin did prior to this game was lacking class, it pales in comparison to one coach telling the media that another coach/program was not playing to win a game. Even if said coach believes beyond a shadow of a doubt that it's true, you just don't say things like that in public. Urbie should know better, and you all should have known there would a response of some kind. As one of your people said earlier: Sorry, but that's the truth. I'll explain it one more time for you guys before you start defending Urbie again. Prior to this game, it was well known, and you Florida fans screamed from the rafters, that Jonathon Crompton could not throw the ball downfield. This was why you would beat us by 50 remember? Did you already forget? You knew our defense was gonna show up, but you were proclaiming your defense would outscore our offense. Well, I guess Lane decided not to play along and chose to run the ball, quite successfully, instead. And the 4th quarter is no evidence otherwise. Again: Sorry, but that's the truth. We got the ball with 10 minutes left off your fumble and went 70 yards in less than two minutes with nothing but runs and screen passes. We stopped you and got the ball again with 6 minutes to go. So, you just scored in 2 minutes with all runs. You have 6 minutes and the ball down by ten. What do you do? Do you unleash the beast that Urbie was so afraid of in Jonathon Crompton? Or do you try and smash the ball downfield in two minutes again, onsides kick, and try to get in FG position? Since you have a QB with a terrible psyche and chemistry with his WR's, a QB who has thrown 7 INT's already (one was called back on a penalty) in two and 3/4's games, I think the answer is obvious. Moreso when he did throw downfield and it was promptly picked off. 3. But, Lane Kiffin started to talk smack again right after the game by bragging and talking about the "blueprint"!! Not exactly, and allow me to paraphrase his comment. Not comments, but comment: "Monte found a blueprint [not the blueprint] to beat them defensively, we just couldn't get it done on offense today" Again, a paraphrase, but an relatively accurate one. If you have problems with him making that statement, you've got some real security issues for a fan of such a currently successful program. 4. Lane Kiffin and Tennessee are not in my head or Urbie's head whatsoever. Then why are you here reading this now? Why does Urbie respond to anything Tennessee does or says? I mean we're Vandy right? We're South Carolina now. We don't threaten you guys. What's the big deal? The fact that Urbie has to justify his team winning by 10 points is proof enough that Lane Kiffin has crawled in his, and in turn your, head. You've never gone to a team's blog and talked smack when they have a 6-9 cumulative record over the last two seasons have you? Why are you so scared of what we're doing? Enjoy your championships and let the cellar dwellers be, right? 5. Lane Kiffin is already a bust at head coach and a step back from Fulmer Ask yourself. Go ahead you know you want to. When was the last time a Tennessee player was arrested or charged with a crime? I mean, the championship for such is named in honor of Tennessee right? The Fulmer Cup? That's right, zero. No arrests, no suspensions for crime or academics, nothing. When was the last time you saw the Tennessee fan base with this much swagger? 1998? For about 9 months? You think we're cocky now, just wait until we have the players and wins to back it up. We might turn into you. Nevermind, I don't think we could get that bad. The most telling proof though? How badly do you think Florida would have beat Tennessee this season with the Papa still at the helm. Sorry CPF, but Kiffin has the same talent that the Papa had last season, but only lost by 10. CPF lost 89-26 over the last two seasons and likely would have given up 50 again. By all accounts, legal, penalty-wise, assignments, and otherwise, Tennessee is by far a more disciplined team and program than it has been the last decade. ***************************************************************************************************************************** I could go on and on with this, but the basic purpose is to compile all my comment section responses over the last few days into one post for ease of viewing. I don't know, maybe I'll just link this as a response from now on. And don't worry, I'll update it to address anything you bring up I may have missed. Until next year............. FanPosts are most often submitted by users. The views and opinions expressed in FanPosts do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions held by the editorial staff of Rocky Top Talk or SB Nation. Consensus 4* Chooses Vols This Week in Baseball - March 25 Upstart BaseVols Keep on Winning Tennessee State High School Basketball Championship Let’s be honest Tennessee at Arizona State Series Thread

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So It's Come To This: The Appeals Process, Rules, and Relevance By Chris Pendley @graysnail Let's get one thing out of the way immediately: the Music City Bowl won't be replayed, and we won't get a rematch against North Carolina. (That's true for this year and next.) That's a bitter pill to swallow, but it'll get easier. Really, it will. In the meantime, what on earth can be done? Can anything be done? Did the game end correctly? Well, we certainly tried to figure that out over the last 36 hours. We've looked at both sides of the "offensive penalty with one second remaining" angle, the NFL's 10 second run off rule, the illegal substitution/participation distinction, the review of the pass play and the "launching" penalty against Janzen Jackson, and the fat lady sings rule. So yes, there are arguments that we were done wrong. Through the litigious magic of the appeals process, it may be determined that these rules should've been enforced differently than they were. Heck, it may be ruled retroactively that Tennessee should've won the game, should Mike Hamilton want to go down that path. (Right now, there's no indication he wants to go that way, but that may change.) And you know what? It doesn't make a lick of difference whether or not an appeal is filed. We don't want the victory. We want the emotions that come with the victory; the rush of pulling out a key game, what we'd hope would be our freshman classes' first out of four consecutive bowl victories (with, of course, the last two being in the BCS Championship Game, in this perfect world), of sending one of the most chaos-ridden classes out with a final victory, of smiting the clock-driven demons that cost us the LSU game. A retroactively awarded victory won't change that.Sure, it'll look nice for the record books in 25 years if Derek Dooley (who, in this perfect world, will still be coaching in Knoxville) has 25 winning records, but if it's 24 out of 25, that's not so bad. We don't get the emotions. Not today, not tomorrow, and not after - and we don't get them if the NCAA changes the result of the game. The nice part about the LSU game is that, on some level, our problems were our own. Yes, losing the game right after an illegal participation penalty forced an untimed down was devastating, and we spent a few days wandering through the football wilderness trying to figure out what happened. This is harder; it wasn't our fault, and there's no game to focus our attention until next September. Until then, we wait, but discussing what should have been is just a waste now. Losing the game doesn't invalidate Tyler Bray's performance - which once again topped 300 yards, with 4 TDs and a 60% completion percentage (his best on the season, and the best indicator going forward that he'll improve). The offensive line got 74 more game reps, and while they didn't have a great game, they did well enough to put the team in a position to win. If one of 15 things happen differently, this game is a victory. This team - and us - would be well deserved to focus on the things they can change, and not the things they can't. There was no small degree of self destruction late, and fixing those things means we're not in this position next year. Worry about player performance and not the end result. It's the player performance that dictates next season, and it's the only thing Tennessee can really affect. In the meantime, I suspect we'll see some rule revisions or clarifications from the NCAA this offseason. That's the best we can hope for; it was a mess of a last few seconds for us, but hopefully it'll be the last time this kind of thing happens to anyone. Your super early top 25 for 2014-15 LaMarcus Thompson Todd Harrelson Janzen Jackson

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‘Top quality’ Johnson hailed Published: 26 August, 2012 by Stuart Vose Boss's praise for England flyer. Martin O’Neill described Adam Johnson as “top quality” after tying up a deal to bring the England winger to Wearside. The pacy 25-year-old signed a four-year contract last Friday after Sunderland agreed an undisclosed fee with Manchester City. “Adam is a very, very exciting player – top quality,” O’Neill said after seeing the home clash with Reading postponed. “He has all the things that are associated with him – vitality, and brilliance, really. We’re going to try and get the very best out of him. “I hope he doesn’t think that every time he gets the ball that there’s going to be a goal at the end of it, or something like that. “But he’ll excite people – that’s the thing about Adam.” The addition of Johnson rounded off a productive day in the transfer market for O’Neill, who also added Steven Fletcher to his squad on Friday afternoon. The pair join fellow new boys Carlos Cuellar and Louis Saha, both of whom were signed on free transfers. O’Neill is brewing a potent attacking mix with the additions of Fletcher, Johnson and Saha, while Cuellar made an assured competitive debut at the back against Arsenal. “We need to score some goals and get a bit of excitement at the football club,” added the Sunderland boss. “Last season we showed great determination to pull out of the quagmire, and we need that still. “Now we can add a wee bit of quality to the team, which serves everyone well, the supporters for a start. “Obviously they get excited about the team, and it’s good for the players too – they are desperate for these boys to play well because it enhances their own game.” Latest Team News Highlights: Man City v Sunderland

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Sam’s Club Toys & Video Games Video Games Microsoft Xbox 360 Xbox 360 Games Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters - Xbox 360 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters - Xbox 360 by Electronic Arts ESRB Rating: E for Everyone Start your journey down the "Road to the Masters" with Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters. For the first time in franchise history, players will be able to experience the rich tradition of the Masters Tournament. Rely on the advice of your caddie to strategize your game while feeling the intensity of the PGA TOUR season. Embark on the "Road to the Masters" as your career begins on the amateur tour and work your way through the Nationwide Tour, Q-School, and finally, the PGA TOUR. If you need a break from the grind of tournament action, play a round of mini-golf on one of five fun-filled layouts. Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters has something for every golf fan and is the must-have title this year! Specifications Play the Hallowed Grounds of Augusta National Golf ClubFor the first time ever in Tiger Woods PGA TOUR franchise history, players will now be able to compete at Augusta National Golf Club. Experience the historic holes that comprise Amen Corner and make a run at capturing the distinctive Green Jacket. Masters MomentsRelive and play through memorable, historic moments of the Masters. Take the challenge and see where you measure up against the greats who have played in this legendary tournament. Climb the EA SPORTS Golf RankingFeel the pressure of an all-important putt while working your way through the amateur tour, the Nationwide TOUR and Q-School. Perform well enough to earn a spot on the PGA TOUR! In Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters, the all-new career mode closely mirrors the real-life journey of an amateur golfer as they strive to make it onto the PGA TOUR. All-New Commentary TeamJim Nantz teams up with David Feherty to lead the all-new broadcast presentation package and provide the play-by-play of each swing. The Caddie ExperiencePlay like a true pro with a caddie alongside, assisting and supporting your every swing. The caddie will evaluate all pre-shot factors, such as wind, lie and yardage, to provide a recommended shot. Mini-GolfIf you're ready to take a break from grinding on the tough courses, jump into the family-fun mode of mini-golf. This year's game has five courses, including a new Boardwalk style layout. The Best Golfers in the WorldHit the links as the top talent in golf, including PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year Rickie Fowler, past Masters champion Zach Johnson, Ryder Cup participant Bubba Watson and many more.

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Top Recruits Visiting Tallahassee For Florida State Spring Game CLEMSON, SC - SEPTEMBER 24: Jimbo Fisher watches on against the Clemson Tigers during their game at Memorial Stadium on September 24, 2011 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) Florida State's spring game kicks off Saturday at 4 p.m. and many top recruits will be in attendance. Here are a few of the notables.  The Seminoles plan to take at least two running back recruits this season, and there will be plenty of talent on hand at the position to take in the spring game. Miami commitment Alex Collins, a running back out of Plantation (Fla.) South plans to take in the FSU spring game. The talented running back stands 5'11" and weighs in at 200 pounds. The four-star back has only played one year of football and also plays lacrosse. He holds offers from Boston College, Florida State, Louisville and Wisconsin. Collins shows good balance and has ideal size. Joining Collins will be running back Ryan Green. Green is a 5'10", 190 pound star for St. Pete (Fla.) Catholic. He is widely considered one of the best 15 running backs in the country and is a consensus four-star. Green has game-changing speed. And yet another running back will be joining Collins and Green: A.J. Turman. Turman is a 6'0" 205 pound back for Orlando's Boone High School. He claims offers from Boston College, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, N.C. State, Notre Dame, Tennessee and Wisconsin. He runs too upright for my taste, but does have a lot of ability. Turman is a consensus four-star recruit and Florida State is in good position with him. Offensive line is also a big need for the Seminoles in the 2013 class, as Florida State looks to take at least four offensive linemen. With one already committed in star tackle Austin Golson, it appears Florida State has three or four spots remaining. The top offensive lineman on the board for the 'Noles (and every other school for that matter) is Laremy Tunsil. Unfortunately for FSU, he will be unable to visit because he is taking the ACT. One offensive line that will be in attendance is Richy Klepal of Tampa (Fla.) Plant High School. Klepal is listed at 6'5" and 285 pounds, though most believe he is shorter. He is rated three or four stars by most of the major services. Other offers include Arizona, Florida State, Illinois, Michigan State, Missouri, North Carolina, Rutgers, USF and Vanderbilt. Florida State plans to take at least three defensive backs in the 2013 class, and more than likely will take four or five (two are already committed). One impressive prospect making the visit is Marcell Harris. The 6'1", 200 pound Harris looks like a linebacker but moves well enough to play safety. He is a consensus four-star recruit for Orlando (Fla.) Dr. Phillips, his new school. Holding offers from Florida, Auburn, Florida State, LSU and Texas, many believe Harris will follow in his father's footsteps and choose the Gators. FSU has the chance to make a good impression this weekend. Possibly attending will be Immokalee (Fla.) High School cornerback Mackensie Alexander, a top cornerback who decommitted from Tennessee. Mackensie is on the verge of five-star status at 5'11" and 180 pounds. He is extremely aggressive and athletic. He holds offers from most every school int he country and Florida State has a legit shot to land him. Also coming will be 2015 mega recruit Jacques Patrick of Timber Creek High School. Patrick is a solid 6'2" and 200 pounds at only 15 years old. He is unlikely to play running back at the next level, but is already receiving interest from all of the top schools. Two Florida State commitments not attending are noteworthy: defensive tackles Maquedius Bain and Deadrin Senat. Both are four-star recruits. Bain is considered about the softest verbal commitment possible, after naming Miami as his leader (while maintaining his commitment to Florida State), and visiting the school at least four times this spring. Senat is considered much more of a solid commitment to the 'Noles. For more on FSU football, visit Florida State blog Tomahawk Nation and SB Nation Tampa Bay. Florida State Football Recruiting Updates 2012-13 Ryan Green signs with Florida State Spring Games, April 14: Alabama, Auburn, Michigan Among Saturday Action aj turman jacques patrick mackensie alexander laremy tunsil

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Super Bowl 2013: Brandon Jacobs still roots for 49ers Ed Szczepanski-US PRESSWIRE Despite ending his relationship with the San Francisco 49ers on a sour note, running back Brandon Jacobs is still hoping the NFC Champs bring the Lombardi Trophy back to the West Coast. When running back Brandon Jacobs was signed by the San Francisco 49ers heading into the 2012 season, many fans felt that the team would have two big, bruising backs in Frank Gore and their new toy. However, Jacobs only played in two games in the 2012 season and only carried the ball five times for a total of seven yards. Jim Harbaugh didn't have much of a plan to take carries away from Gore and hand them over to Jacobs, and if he did, it went away when Jacobs began to complain about not being utilized. For more on the story, visit Niners Nation Late in the season, Jacobs went as far as to post several pictures of himself with the Giants on Instagram and said that he was wasting away with the 49ers. "I am on this team rotting away so why would I wanna put any pics up of anything that say niners," Jacobs wrote at the time. "This is by far the worst year I ever had, I'll tell you like I told plenty others. I don't understand why people are angry at me because I wanna do what I am paid to do." That was the final straw for Harbaugh, who suspended and eventually released Jacobs just before the playoffs. Since then, the Niners have gone on to their sixth Super Bowl berth while Jacobs has returned home to New Orleans without a job. Had he played along with the 49ers' plans and not complained, he would be given the chance to earn his second Super Bowl ring, but that's not going to be the case. Still, Jacobs isn't unhappy about his situation. In fact, according to Gregg Rosenthal, he wouldn't change a single thing. "My emotions are I want the 49ers to win the game," Jacobs told Mike Garafolo of USA Today on Thursday. "I don't have any regrets about not being there whatsoever. I don't feel like I should've done things differently. I don't feel anything else. I'm a hundred percent happy where I am." As far as giving a reason for his actions during the 2012 season, Jacobs said he was told he would contribute to the team and when he wasn't given that chance, he snapped. "Conduct detrimental to the team, to me, is bashing the team, getting in trouble, distracting the team, whatever. However, I don't think it was that bad," Jacobs said. "It came across being disrespectful or whatever it was. I didn't mean to disrespect anybody or hurt anybody's feelings. I didn't have any disrespect. I didn't mean to do any of that. I was told I would get some of the pie and I didn't. That kind of made me a little upset and made me snap." Jacobs has said that he would like to play somewhere in 2013, but the Niners may have been his last, best chance at running the ball in the NFL. He spent seven seasons with the Giants, but his production curbed over the last few seasons in New York. Furthermore, his power-running style and size don't allow for a very long shelf life. Backs that run the way he has throughout his career don't typically last very long in the NFL. There's likely a better than good chance that Jacobs doesn't find a home in 2013, and if he does, it may only come due to an injury. In the end, he may look back at the decisions he made in 2012 with a lot of regret, even if he doesn't feel that way now. As for his involvement in the Super Bowl festivities, the only involvement he'll have is riding with the "Krewe of Hercules" in the parade in Houma, La., on Feb. 1.

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... Yreka downs Del Norte 6-3 at Redding area tourney on Wednesday: Etna falls to Red Bluff ... Etna High varsity baseball: Smith reflects on 1st year as Lions coach ... What to Watch: Paralympic champion charged with girlfriend's murder Trending topicOscar Pistorius, the double-amputee who competed in the 2012 London Olympics and broke records at 2012 Paralympics, has been charged with murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, CNN reports. Steenkamp, a model, was shot inside Pistorius' home in South Africa early today. Pistorius was the only other person in the house.According to South African law, Pistorius will be officially named as a suspect when he appears in court tomorrow. A police spokeswoman said that there had been "previous incidents" and Pistorius' house and "allegations of a domestic manner." A spokeswoman for Pistorius said that he was cooperating with the investigation and that no statements would be made until "matters become clearer."On TVAn emergency preparedness drill wrecks Leslie and Ben's fundraiser on tonight's episode of "Parks and Recreation." Ron is forced to fill in for Leslie on "Pawnee Today," which promises to be the high point of the episode and deliver a host of new Swanson-isms. NBC 8:30 p.m. EST.Hot video: Daryl Hannah, RFK Jr. and Conor Kennedy arrested at White House protestGateHouse News Service

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MLS Gear Earthquakes announce 2013 TV broadcast schedule Comcast SportsNet to air 29 Earthquakes games in 2013 February 26, 2013 Earthquakes Media Relations SJEarthquakes.com Rafael Baca goal celebration vs. New York Red Bulls 2 Photo Credit: Andy Martin / Getty Images SAN JOSE, Calif. – For the second consecutive year, the San Jose Earthquakes and Comcast SportsNet have announced their most comprehensive regional television schedule in the team’s history. Comcast SportsNet (CSN) will televise 29 Earthquakes games in 2013 in High Definition. With the five remaining games televised nationally, the Earthquakes will have all of their games on television in 2013 for the second straight year. In addition to the schedule, the Earthquakes also announced their broadcast team for the 2013 season. Jim Kozimor will return to the play-by-play booth for his fourth season and be joined by color analyst and former Quakes defender Kelly Gray. Dan Dibley will return as the sideline reporter for all home matches and will handle play-by-play duties for away games. Dan is also a sports talk radio host for 95.7 The Game. “We are thrilled to work with Comcast SportsNet and our national broadcast partners to ensure our fans are able to watch all of our 34 regular season matches in High Definition,” said Earthquakes President Dave Kaval. “Comcast SportsNet has been a tremendous partner over the years and we’re looking forward to having Jim Kozimor, and Kelly Gray back in the booth at Buck Shaw. The club is also excited to have Dan Dibley doing play-by-play for our road games in 2013.” The Quakes’ telecast schedule begins on Comcast SportsNet California with their home opener against Real Salt Lake on Sunday, March 3 at 7 p.m. PT. Among the marquee games is the Earthquakes’ June 29 match against the LA Galaxy at Stanford Stadium, presented by XFINITY. That match drew a capacity crowd of 50,391 for a thrilling 4-3 comeback win for San Jose in 2012. San Jose will appear on Comcast SportsNet California 23 times with one game on CSN Bay Area and four on CSN Plus. Four of those matches will also be broadcast nationally on Spanish-language flagship Unimas. The Earthquakes will also play on ESPN or ESPN2 three times and NBC Sports Network twice. Comcast SportsNet California Vice President and General Manager Larry Eldridge added, “The Earthquakes are one of the premier franchises in MLS with one of the most passionate and loyal fan bases in the league. We are pleased to present our most comprehensive Quakes telecast schedule to date along with season-long news and analysis on SportsNet Central, Chronicle Live and SportsNet Reports.” Kozimor, a veteran sports broadcaster for more than 20 years, begins his fourth season as the play-by-play announcer for home Quakes broadcasts. One of the most versatile announcers in the industry, he is an anchor/host on Comcast SportsNet’s signature programs Chronicle Live, Raiders Postgame Live and Raiders Press Conference Live. He also hosts Xfinity Sports Sunday on NBC Bay Area and handles evening sports reports on NBC Bay Area. His play-by-play duties on CSN have included college basketball and football for the Pac-12, college basketball for the WCC, Major League Lacrosse and World Team Tennis. During both the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, Kozimor was the play-by-play announcer for NBC Sports’ coverage of Olympic badminton from China and London. He was a long-time television/radio broadcaster for the Sacramento Kings and Sacramento Monarchs. Before that, he was an announcer with the Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors and Detroit Pistons. Kozimor will also host MLS matches on The NBC Sports Network in 2013. Gray, who was born in Palo Alto, Calif., begins his second full season as the color analyst for the Earthquakes after appearing on select Quakes radio and television broadcasts the previous two seasons. He spent parts of three seasons in the organization as a player; in 2005 after arriving from the Chicago Fire via trade, and then again from 2008-09. He made 41 appearances in a Quakes jersey, drawing 34 starts and providing one goal and two assists as a defender and midfielder. He was an integral part of the Quakes Supporters’ Shield run in 2005. Gray’s playing career spanned eight years after being drafted in 2002 by the Chicago Fire and he appeared in a total of 160 matches for five MLS clubs. He won an MLS Cup with the Houston Dynamo in 2006. Gray was an All-American at the University of Portland. A 17-year veteran of local television and radio, Dibley will broadcast every game on Comcast SportsNet this season.. He’ll be on the sidelines at home and serve as play-by-play announcer on the road. He is also a co-host on 95.7 The Game’s The Rise Guys morning radio show. Additionally, he was the lead play-by-play voice for high school sports telecasts on Comcast Hometown Network and the play-by-play announcer for the San Jose SaberCats. He spent 12 years as a physical education instructor and youth soccer coach in Marin County. Dibley is a Bay Area native who lives in Oakland with his wife, Chanda, and two children.
For a full schedule, visit www.sjearthquakes.com/schedule. About Comcast Sports Group Comcast Sports Group, part of the NBC Sports Group, consists of 14 local networks that deliver 2,400 sporting events annually and breaking news and analysis to more than 50 million cable and satellite homes. Comcast Sports Group’s sports networks are: Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, Comcast SportsNet California, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, Comcast SportsNet New England, Comcast SportsNet Northwest, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, SNY, The Mtn. – Mountain West Sports Network, CSS and Comcast Sports Southwest. Comcast Sports Group also manages NECN (New England Cable News), the nation’s largest regional news network, and The Comcast Network, based in Philadelphia and Washington, which delivers community-oriented programming. For more information, see ComcastSportsNet.com.

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Volleyball • Walsh Jennings among the stars coming to Liberty Park. Published: August 15, 2013 09:17AM Updated: February 14, 2014 11:32PM Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Jake Gibb (left) plays volleyball along with Derran Cannon (right) at Liberty Park, Wednesday, June 5, 2013. Gibb is promoting the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour coming to Utah in August. This time last year, Jake Gibb was just days removed from Olympic defeat, a stinging quarterfinal loss that left him and then-partner Sean Rosenthal out of the picture for a beach volleyball medal in London. At 36, he wondered if he had the energy to shoot for the 2016 Games in Rio De Janeiro. “To put yourself back out there for possible disappointment again, it’s scary,” the Bountiful native said. “But I’ve never backed down from that kind of stuff.” In a year, Gibb has split up with Rosenthal, his partner of seven years, and experienced a reboot of sorts, playing alongside former BYU player Casey Patterson. “I knew I would play,” Gibb said. “I just didn’t know how long. This year’s kind of been eye-opening for me, just playing with Casey and doing so well.” Earlier this summer the duo won gold at a tournament in Shanghai and this weekend will be among a collection of pros competing at an AVP tour stop at Liberty Park, the first such tournament to come to Utah. In addition to Gibb, household names including Kerri Walsh Jennings (who won gold medals at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics with Misty May-Treanor), Phil Dalhausser and Olympic silver medalists Jennifer Kessy and April Ross will compete at the Salt Lake City AVP Open, which runs Friday through Sunday. The moment to watch for? If Gibb and Patterson match up against Rosenthal and Dalhausser. Gibb has no problem equating the splitting of an beach volleyball tandem to the disintegration of a romantic relationship, saying, “He dumped me. He said, ‘I want to play with Phil Dalhausser,’ ” after Dalhausser and his partner in a run to 2008 Olympic gold, Todd Rogers, separated. “During the season, I spend more time with my partner than I do with my wife,” he said. “It’s a strong relationship whether it’s good or bad.” In three matchups this year, Gibb is 1-2 against Rosenthal and Dalhausser, although he is more concerned with continuing to forge his new relationship than dwelling on his past one. And if a beach volleyball pairing is in fact like a marriage, then Gibb is just bringing Patterson home to meet the family. He never thought he’d see the day that landlocked Utah would host a beach volleyball tournament, particularly when the rest of the AVP Tour stops are in cities like St. Petersburg, Fla., Santa Barbara, Calif., and Huntington Beach, Calif. But Gibb thinks he’s always known something oth

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News in Education Advertise with Us Angry birds spoil strong effort by Pats Jonathan Comey column Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, left, hugs wide receiver Torrey Smith after Sunday's victory over the New England Patriots in Baltimore. Smith, who was playing less than 24 hours after the death of his 19-year-old brother, had six catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns for the Ravens.Gail Burton/The Associated Press By JONATHAN COMEY There's a limit to how damaging a defeat in Week 3 of an NFL season can be, but make no mistake: Sunday night's 31-30 loss to the Baltimore Ravens hurts.That the Patriots slipped under .500 for the first time since 2003 isn't the point. They won't be under .500 for long. What hurts is that they had the chance to establish greatness and failed. Had the chance to take on an undoubtedly excellent opponent, on the road, and show them who was boss. Had the chance, with a 13-0 lead in the first quarter, to actually run away from the Ravens and hide. Had a chance to prove that their defense was something special, but instead showed that there's still a lot of work to do on that side of the ball.Chances.For the second week in a row, they had plenty of them, but couldn't make the most of them. And for the second week in a row, they lost a game that they probably should have won.Tom Brady certainly did his part — he left nothing on the field, firing it all over the field with pinpoint accuracy and finishing 28 of 41 for 335 yards and a score.Wes Welker was also back in a big way, finishing with 142 yards and looking every bit like the Welker that dominated the short passing game for New England over the past half-decade.Any concerns about the right leg of kicker Stephen Gostkowski were answered with a succession of dead-center kicks, and New England's offensive line held its own against Baltimore's burly front seven.But the defense picked a bad time to flash back to the struggles of 2011. Soft coverage in the secondary, some bad tackling in space, not much pressure from the outside pass rush — all of the lowlights were back. Even the run D, so impressive in Weeks 1 and 2, allowed five yards a carry.It was a memorable game between two strong teams, packed with vivid images and legendary matchups.Ray Lewis vs. Brady. Rob Gronkowski vs. Ed Reed. John Harbaugh vs. Bill Belichick. Haloti Ngata vs. Logan Mankins. Incredible plays by Brandon Lloyd, Ray Rice, Flacco. An inspirational performance by the Ravens' Torrey Smith after the death of his brother, with two touchdowns. The sight of arch-nemesis Bernard Pollard (gulp!) closing in on Brady on a third-quarter blitz ... and Brady getting back up after the hit.In the end, though, the memories from Sunday night will be bad ones for the Patriots — with the only hope that they're quickly erased by better things to come.Jonathan Comey is sports and features editor for The Standard-Times.

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SBD Global / November 29, 2012 / Leagues and Governing Bodies SBD Global/November 29, 2012/Leagues and Governing Bodies UEFA Considers Scrapping Europa League, Forming 64-Team Champions League UEFA President Michel Platini has said that expanding the Champions League to 64 teams and scrapping the Europa League is "an option amid a wide-ranging debate over the future of its club competitions," according to Owen Gibson of the London GUARDIAN. Platini said that a proposal "was under discussion" about scrapping the Europa League and doubling the size of the Champions League. Platini: "There is an ongoing debate to determine what form the European competitions will have between 2015 and 2018. We're discussing it, we will make a decision in 2014. Nothing is decided yet." However, such a "radical move" is considered unlikely because it would "reduce the number of teams in European competition overall and risk diluting the appeal of the Champions League" (GUARDIAN, 11/28). BIG MONEY: In London, Mark Cue wrote when Platini was asked if he was concerned about the clubs setting up their own competition, he replied: “It doesn’t worry me. I can’t see how it could work outside the UEFA framework. Who will referee them? In what stadiums will they play?” Europe’s top clubs are "known to be in favour of more high-profile fixtures between them." Only last week, Barcelona President Sandro Rosell called for the main domestic leagues in Europe to be cut to accommodate “a bigger Champions League.” It is "easy to see why there is such strong support for the competition." Chelsea received £49M ($78M) as they became champions of Europe last season (LONDON TIMES, 11/28). OTHER CONSIDERATIONS: In London, Simon Rice reported another proposal consideration is "offering a place in the Champions League as a prize for winning the Europa League." The prize may encourage teams, many of which rest players for Europa League matches, to "take the competition more seriously." Also under review is the current format which sees teams finishing third in the Champions League group stage dropping into the Europa League's last-32. The practice has "often been criticised for devaluing the Europa League as well as being unfair on those that have battled through the group stages to make the later round" (INDEPENDENT, 11/28). Print | Tags: Leagues and Governing Bodies, United Kingdom, Europe League Notes: Divided Asian Football Confederation Gathers Amid 'Toxic Atmosphere' A divided Asian Football Confederation is gathering for its annual awards ceremony in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Thursday "amid an increasingly toxic atmosphere." Suspended President Mohamed bin Hammam has called those in charge "puppets" and claims he has the support of most AFC national associations. On Thursday, Asian football will reveal its player, coach and team of '12 but "beyond the glitter and red carpet will be more intense political maneuvers, as the AFC's decision-making Exec Committee meets to discuss the Bin Hammam imbroglio that has now dragged on for 18 months" (AP, 11/28). ... The Int'l Rugby Board has welcomed the UAE Rugby Federation as a full member union after council approved its application during its meeting in Dublin, Ireland (UAERF). ... The official ball for the U-21 UEFA European Championship was unveiled Wednesday in Tel-Aviv. The ball is designed in the blue and white colors of the host country Israel. It earned praise for its "eye-catching and modern look" (UEFA). Print | Tags: Leagues and Governing Bodies, Middle East See All Headlines » Go to Olympics »

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Poor countries miss out as Paralympic Games change - Taipei Times Fri, May 25, 2012 - Page 19　News List Poor countries miss out as Paralympic Games change Reuters, PHNOM PENH Cambodian wheelchair racer Van Vun, 26, trains in Phnom Penh on May 14.Photo: Reuters Impoverished Cambodia has thousands of disabled athletes, the legacy of war, revolution, land mines along disputed borders and inadequate healthcare, but only one will be in Britain for the Paralympic Games this year.“I am very excited to compete in a big country like this,” said 30-year-old short-distance runner Thim Senghon, handicapped from birth, who will represent Cambodia at the games starting in August.Speaking by telephone from Australia where she is training, Thim Senghon said she would be using an old prosthetic limb that helped her win a gold and two silver medals at regional games in Indonesia. It was donated years ago by a Norwegian sponsor.“I want to win, I train hard, but I’ve got little hope of winning a medal,” she said, adding that part of the problem was that a new, lighter artificial leg would cost thousands of US dollars, well out of her reach.Since athletes wanting to compete in the Games have to meet certain qualifying standards, those from poorer countries often miss out simply because they cannot afford the best equipment.The International Paralympics Committee can offer a “wild card” to a few athletes from countries where none qualify on the normal criteria, but that leaves many disappointed, such as wheelchair racer Van Vun, 26, disabled since having polio at the age of three.“I was told I was going to compete in England and later they told me that they only needed one,” he said, referring to a message he got from a local sports federation.“I’m very upset because I want to compete in a big event,” said Van Vun, who has won two silver medals at a regional event.Australian Christopher Minko, secretary-general of Cambodia National Volleyball League (Disabled), has another complaint: His sport is not even in the Games even though all that is needed is a ball and net, so it is popular in poorer countries. “The big problem now with the Paralympic Games is that it’s changed; it’s become a game that’s dominated by technology. They’re putting new sports in and throwing old sports out,” he said.A lot of the simple, traditional sports has been replaced by replaced by relatively expensive sports such as rowing and equestrian golf, he said, adding the event was now “just becoming a game for rich nations.”The absence of volleyball is all the more distressing because Cambodia is ranked No. 2 in the world, behind Germany, Minko said.

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Briscoe Finishes Second, Castroneves 11th at Milwaukee Photo courtesy of Steve Swope WEST ALLIS, Wis. -- Team Penske's Ryan Briscoe led 154 of 225 laps, ultimately finished in second place Sunday in the ABC Suppy/A.J. Foyt 225 at The Milwaukee Mile, but remained within four points of the lead in the IndyCar Series standings. Briscoe, who started from the pole position, got hung up behind a lapped car just 24 laps from the finish, giving defending series champion Scott Dixon an opening. Briscoe chased Dixon to the finish, but wound up second and he is now four points behind Dixon in the championship race. Briscoe said his No. 6 Team Penske Dallara/Honda didn't have as much momentum as Dixon's car as the race wore on. "Scott was just a little bit better than me at the end there," Briscoe said. "He got me in traffic. I was struggling with a little bit of understeer, and whenever I'd get on the inside I'd really lose momentum. He was there all day long and took the opportunity to pass me when I got slowed up." Briscoe, who won at Milwaukee last year for his first IndyCar Series victory, said he saw the bigger picture in Sunday's result. While he didn't necessarily have the fastest car, he did have the patience to hold on to second place and score valuable points. "Scott got the better of us, but we scored some points and we're still in it," Briscoe said. "That's the important part. If you can't win them, you've got to take what you can get. I thought we did a good job this week." Helio Castroneves, who won his third Indy 500 last week, then crashed in qualifying and had to start last in the 20-car race, drove to an 11th-place finish in the No. 3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda. "This is one of those days when it feels like there are 700 laps to go," he joked. Despite Sunday's finish and the fact that he didn't compete in the season opener at St. Petersburg, Castroneves remains fifth in the standings, just 21 points behind his teammate. "The good news is that we finished," Castroneves said. "Our goal was to finish in the top-10, and we just missed that. All things considered, it was a positive performance." Briscoe recorded his third top-five finish of the season. "It was a great effort by Team Penske today," Briscoe said. "My pit stops were awesome. I don't think I've lost a spot in the pits this year, so it's a great credit to Team Penske." The season resumes Saturday night with the Bombardier Learjet Indy 550 at Texas Motor Speedway. The race begins at 9:40 p.m. ET and will be televised live by Versus.

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FIU Hires Buck-Crockett to Coach Sand Volleyball B.J. Hoeptner EvansManager, Media Relations and PublicationsPhone: (719) 228-6800E-Mail: [email protected] Florida International University contributed to this release COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Dec. 15, 2011) – Florida International University (FIU) has announced that it has hired U.S. Olympic volleyball player Rita Buck-Crockett to serve as head coach of its women’s sand volleyball program, which will begin competition in the spring of 2013. “Rita's hiring demonstrates FIU's commitment to developing a successful NCAA sand program,” said Ali Wood Lamberson, USA Volleyball director of beach programs. “USAV Beach looks forward to assisting Rita and all NCAA sand coaches in identifying talented athletes and developing the sport at the collegiate level.” Buck-Crockett, who was recently inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame, will serve as head coach for sand volleyball and Assistant Director of Athletics for volleyball operations for FIU. Buck-Crockett (Tallahassee, Fla.) is a 1984 Olympic silver medalist with more than 30 years of professional experience as both a player and coach. "I'm very honored and excited to become a part of the FIU Athletics Department as an assistant AD and Head Sand Volleyball Coach," Buck-Crockett said. "I look forward to leading our sand volleyball program to a National Championship and helping to get the indoor volleyball program to the next level." Buck-Crockett served as the associate head coach at Florida State University from 2004-06 and as the head coach at the University of Iowa from 1998-2004. Internationally, Buck-Crockett was the head coach of RTV Basel in Switzerland from 1993-97 and served as the Swiss National Team head coach in 1995. Buck-Crockett was a member of the 1980 Olympic volleyball team, but did not compete due to the U.S. boycott of the Moscow Games. She won the silver medal with the 1984 team in Los Angeles. A member of the All-World Team in 1981, Buck-Crockett also achieved success playing in Japan, Italy, Switzerland and Peru over the next 15 years. Buck-Crockett was a world beach champion for the WPVA, partnering with the first ever Olympic gold medalist, Jackie Silva in 1989 and was also runner-up in 1990. She also played several successful seasons on the AVP professional beach circuit. "We're extremely pleased to bring in a coach with the level of experience like Rita Buck-Crockett has," said Pete Garcia, FIU’s Executive Director of Sports and Entertainment. "As a program, we're very excited to be a part of this new intercollegiate sport and we expect to be competitive right away." Sand volleyball is an emerging sport and Division I competition became effective in August 2011. According to American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), there are currently 17 programs around the country and more are scheduled to be added in the future. Fellow Sun Belt Conference member FAU is also adding a program and six other Florida schools will compete in 2012. The Panthers will field five doubles teams that will compete in best-of-three matches to 21, with the tie-breaker being played to 15. All sets are rally-scoring and must be won by two points.

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No timetable set for Davis' return texan279 Location: Rosenberg TX Rep Power: 3366 No timetable set for Davis' return http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200....ap/index.html There is a possibility he will miss the entire preseason because of problems with his knee. He had arthroscopic surgery in December after his knee swelled and ached each time he played. He participated in drills during the first two days of training camp and said he felt good, but soon his knee became sore again, this time because of what doctors said was a bone bruise. Davis began running again a couple of days ago, but will not travel with the team to St. Louis for Saturday's second preseason game. If Davis is not healthy enough to play in any of Houston's three remaining preseason games, coach Gary Kubiak isn't sure if he would start him in the opener even if he's fully recovered. "I don't want to answer that right now," Kubiak said. "I think that would be very hard to do. I think he'd tell you the same thing. I don't know, stranger things have happened. Let's wait and see." "We're going to be patient," Kubiak said. "We know he can play the game. We just have to know that we're going to get there at some point. We'll keep our fingers crossed, and hopefully it'll work out." Kubiak said that while he's disappointed that Davis is out, he's not frustrated with the time it is taking him to return. "You try not to run out of patience because you have situations like that all the time," Kubiak said. "They tend to work themselves out." Fire It Up, Let the engines roll, It's time to burn it down Find More Posts by texan279 TexanSam

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Fukushima Refugees Cheer for Native Son in Olympics By webadmin on 01:32 pm Aug 05, 2012 A Japanese track cyclist from the no-go zone around the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant is helping unite a community scattered by last year’s quake-tsunami disaster as they cheer him on in the London Olympics. Refugees gathered in the city of Tsukuba on Friday to watch Kazunari Watanabe in the team sprint and will get behind their native son again on Tuesday when he takes part in the Keirin event. “I’ve raced bearing in mind how everyone felt about me. I want to repay the courage they have given me,” Watanabe told Japanese media after his first race, in which his three-man team finished eighth, well out of the medals. The 28-year-old’s family — including his wife, parents, and grandmother — now live in different locations across Japan after the devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 which triggered the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl. The cyclist’s mother, Tomoko, has said she can “see in everyone a feeling that they have grown into one” because of her son. Hopes are high that Watanabe can grab a medal on Tuesday in the Keirin, an event which originated in Japan where the competitors are paced behind a motorcycle before sprinting for victory. In the world track cycling championships in Melbourne in April he placed fifth. Junko Nakamura, who fled the disaster zone with her family last year, was among dozens of people who watched a delayed broadcast of Thursday’s Olympic cycling races on a big television set under a tent in a park. “I hope he does well in London and wins a gold medal to bring us all bright hope,” said the 37-year-old, who has settled in Tsukuba, north of Tokyo, with her banker husband and two daughters. “Isn’t it wonderful that we can unite as one because of him. I will come to see his next race here too.” Nakamura is one of the roughly 7,000 people from Futaba, the cyclist’s home town near the Fukushima Daiichi plant, who fled following the disaster. The giant tsunami swamped the plant, sending reactors into meltdown and scattering radiation across the surrounding area — the worst atomic crisis in a generation. A total of about 19,000 people were left dead or missing by the tsunami, and more than 160,000 are still displaced from their homes in the Fukushima region because of high radiation levels and the devastation wrought by the disaster. It remains uncertain whether they will ever be able to return, with experts saying it could be decades before the area is deemed safe. Tsukuba is a relatively new city with universities and scientific laboratories which draw newcomers from around Japan. Earlier this month, about 200 locals wrote messages of support on a huge Japanese flag to help cheer Watanabe on. “I wrote, ‘Please stay strong’,” said 75-year-old Hisako Katsukawa who was also watching on Friday. “I have watched different sports in the past Olympics, but not cycling,” she said. I want to come back and see his courage. It will be moving if he wins a medal.” Junya Kataoka, who organized the big screen viewing, said he wanted to help refugees adjust to their new life. “Instead of clearing debris from the disaster area, we are helping refugees take mental care of themselves and communicate with local people,” he said.

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Kirksville Lady Tigers are rolling About this blog The Kirksville High School Lady Tigers improved to 18 and 1 on Tuesday night with another impressive victory over a totally overmatched Moberly team. The Lady Tigers are truly a well rounded team in my opinion who not only win consistently but do it in a totally dominating fashion. In addition to their excellent offensive output this year their defense has been top notch as well and it has been a joy to watch these young ladies come together as a team over the past couple of years. Their next game is Friday night at home for Court Warming. If you haven’t taken the opportunity to get out and see these young ladies in action then I would strongly encourage you to do so. There are not many more opportunities to see them in action this year as the season is winding down quickly. The KHS boys basketball team came up a little short in their game with Moberly on Tuesday night as Moberly was able to come up with a hard fought victory. The Tigers are certainly an improved team over last year but have struggled for consistency at times as they haven’t always been able to put together a solid game on both ends of the floor. They will be back in action on Friday as well at home against Mexico. The KHS wrestling team is preparing for districts this weekend in St. Charles. Since when is St. Charles in our district and why is it in our district in the first place? If you have to drive three and a half hours to get there then it is not in your district I don’t care what the Missouri State High School Activities Association says. Anyway, the KHS wrestling team has had a week to prepare and I expect most if not all the team to place well in the districts and move on to state competition later this month in Columbia which is about half as far away as St. Charles. The Truman State Bulldogs men’s and women’s basketball teams both hit the road to travel to lands far away as they play Pittsburg State on Thursday before heading to Oklahoma to play Northeastern Oklahoma on Saturday. I could complain about the nonsensical schedule but I’ve already done that. I would however as a parting shot like to point out to the good folks who run the MIAA that Oklahoma is not exactly mid America, but obviously geography has no place in modern college athletics. The Missouri Tigers men’s basketball team, (Missouri isn’t in the southeastern United States either but I’ve already gone down that road) heads to College Station, TX on Thursday night to play Texas AandM in a game featuring the two newest teams in the SEC. Missouri is still looking for its first road win in the SEC and they have never played that well in College Station so they are certainly going to have to play a consistent game from start to finish and get back to the Tigers of December to come out of there with a victory. Pitchers and catchers start reporting for spring training this weekend and the St. Louis Cardinals spring training and season as a whole got a little more complicated on Tuesday afternoon with the announcement that Chris Carpenter likely will not pitch this season and quite possibly will never pitch again. Carpenter has had so many surgeries on his arm and shoulder that I have lost track of them has pitched with some level of discomfort for the past seven years and it was hoped that a radical nerve operation last year would alleviate that but it simply never happened. Carpenter has experienced renewed discomfort during his off season workouts and the decision was made to finally shut him down for good last weekend. Carpenter has been counted out before only to battle back and pitch again but this time it has a sense of finality which is truly heartbreaking. Carpenter was more than just one of the best pitchers in baseball but was also the on and off the field leader for the Cardinals who seemed to thrive on his toughness and ability to overcome adversity. This leaves a lot of unanswered questions about the Cardinals pitching staff as there is still some uncertainty as to when or even if Jaime Garcia will be able to pitch because of shoulder problems. The Cardinals have plenty of young arms but are they ready to step into the major league rotation on a fulltime basis yet? Do you want that many unproven commodities in your rotation? What about Jake Westbrook who also battled injuries last year and also seems to have some head issues that can make for an interesting combination. One possibility is the signing of free agent Kyle Lohse who was probably the most consistent pitchers the Cardinals had last year but was not always given a lot of offensive support. Lohse is still a free agent due to a loophole in the agreement between MLB and its players which would cause any team who signs him to lose draft picks because the Cardinals made him a qualifying offer earlier this winter. Most teams are not willing to give up draft picks in addition to paying him the salry he is asking for. This could eventually lead to him coming back to the Cardinals because it was the only option for both of them. We’ll be back on Friday with a look ahead to this weekend’s sports action as well as our thoghts on the Missouri Tigers and Truman State Bulldogs games Thursday night. Please check out the other blogs on this site and thanks as always for supporting this one. Have a terrific Wednesday!

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Kobe Bryant reacts to Mike Brown's firing Kobe Bryant was not impressed with Mike Brown in the closing seconds of the Lakers' loss to the Utah Jazz on Nov. 7. / Screenshot image via YouTube by Scott M Gleeson, USA TODAY Sportsby Scott M Gleeson, USA TODAY Sports Filed Under Kobe Bryant and Mike Brown weren't best friends by any stretch of the imagination, evidenced by Bryant's supposed "death stare" to Brown that went viral on the Internet. Bryant laughed off the idea that he wasn't getting along with Brown, saying "I've been his biggest supporter." The 34-year old reinforced those sentiments on Friday after the Lakers decided to fire Brown and move in a different direction that hasn't been revealed yet. Like many stars, Bryant took to social media to express his feelings on the firing. Since he doesn't use a Twitter account, the five-time champion wrote his reaction on his Facebook account. Here's Bryant's diary-like post on Brown: "Tough day. I've seen coaches as well as friends come and go. No matter how many years I've been playing, it's still hard to deal with. I had a good relationship with Mike and I will continue to have one. I wish him and his family nothing but the best. I spoke with him today and thanked him for all of his hard work and sacrifice. "As a team, we must focus our energy on tonight's game. We must block out the weight of today's news and simply do our jobs to the best of our ability. I'm not sure what direction we are heading in next. All I can do is focus on the here and now. "Mamba out" Those are strong, supportive words from the leader of the team. And that doesn't always happen as coaches are often fired after clashing with star players. That didn't appear to be the case in this situation, but owner Jim Buss did insinuate that he somewhat consulted Bryant about Brown by saying, via ESPNLosAngeles.com, "Kobe and I have a relationship where he can look at me and say, 'Everything's cool' So Tuesday during practice, I gave Kobe a quick glance, and everything was cool." That was Tuesday. The Lakers dropped to 1-4 Thursday. Still, Buss supported Brown then, saying: "I have no problems with Mike Brown at all. He just works too hard and he's too knowledgeable for this to be happening. So either the system is flawed or something's going on. Or, like the Triangle, it's very hard to pick up and understand. I'm not a basketball mind like he is or the players are, and the players are fine with it, so I just have to be patient." As it turns out, Buss and the Lakers organization weren't that patient. Copyright 2014 USATODAY.comRead the original story: Kobe Bryant reacts to Mike Brown's firing Armed robber was never told to report to prison Diplomats reach deal to halt violence in Ukraine Judge: GM need not tell owners to park recall cars Exclusive: Nike unveils the Jordan XX9 Agency: Target hackers may take years to find Facebook rolls out 'Nearby Friends' feature Your Take: Mustang's 50th birthday revs up memories Most Viewed Kobe Bryant wrote his thoughts on Lakers coach Mike Brown's firing on Twitter. A link to this page will be included in your message.

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Streelman finally a PGA Tour winner — PALM HARBOR, Fla. — The uphill climb to the 18th green at Innisbrook was nothing compared with the journey that brought Kevin Streelman his first PGA Tour victory. He burned up three cars driving some 400,000 miles across the country playing the mini-tours. He used to clean clubs during the week and caddie on the weekends. His biggest claim on tour was winning $1 million from a bonus competition called the Kodak Challenge. His last win was five years ago in the club championship at Whisper Rock. Streelman won the Tampa Bay Championship on Sunday in his 153rd start on the PGA Tour. The way he played this weekend on the tough Copperhead course — particularly the back nine — made it look as if he had done this many times before. “Always had a dream of getting here,” Streelman said. “And so to get this is the culmination of a lot of hard work and a lot of time spent late into the evening, and getting up early in the morning. And it’s really a dream come true.” Streelman took the lead for good with a 5-iron into 6 feet on the par-3 13th, the toughest at Innisbrook on the final day, for a birdie. “Probably the best shot of my life in that situation,” Streelman said. “It’s just how I envisioned it and I pulled it off.” He played with so much peace and precision that his target on the daunting tee shot at the 16th hole was a group of four trees. He aimed between the second and third tree. And he met his final challenge with a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th hole, leading to a 4-under 67. Streelman didn’t make a bogey over the last 37 holes. He didn’t miss a shot the last 11 holes. “Hopefully, we can do it again,” Streelman said. “This is a lot of fun.” Boo Weekley, who teed off three hours before the leaders, had a tournament-best 63 and waited to see if that would be enough. He kept up hopes until Streelman made birdie on the 17th, and then ripped another tee shot down the middle on the 18th. The victory sends Streelman, who finished at 10-under 274, to the Masters next month for the second time in his career. Cameron Tringale had a 66 and finished alone in third when Leonard, who earlier made bogey from the bunker on the 16th, three-putted the final hole for a 71. Leonard wound up in a tie for fourth with defending champion Luke Donald (69) and Greg Chalmers (70). The other big winner was Jordan Spieth, the 19-year-old from Texas who holed a 50-foot chip for birdie on the 17th hole and made a 7-foot par putt on the final hole for a 70 to tie for seventh. That gave him enough money to earn special temporary membership on the PGA Tour for the rest of the year, meaning he can take unlimited sponsor exemptions. Until making that chip, Spieth was projected to be $195 short of the temporary membership, which is based on earning the equivalent of 150th on the money list last year. “That would have been brutal,” he said

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AC Milan midfielder Boateng: I'd do it again Submitted by tribalfootball.com on Sat, 01/05/2013 - 07:20 AC Milan midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng says he'd walk off the pitch again if he came under racist abuse. Boateng led his teammates off the field in a friendly match on Thursday against Pro Patria after he was jeered by a section of the home support. “I don't care what game it is,” he told CNN. “A friendly, Serie A or Champions League match, I would walk off again. “I'm sad and angry that I'm the one that has to take action. All the people who support me would support me in a big game. “Players like Rio Ferdinand and Patrick Vieira have supported me and I just want to say thank you. “If it happens again, I'm not going to play anymore,” he added. “The referee said to me 'don't worry' but I said I do worry. “I was angry and I was sad. There were so many negative emotions that came up with me. “I am surprised we're still hearing these things in 2013. It's not the first time in my life that I've heard these things, but I'm 25 now and I've had enough of this.” AC Milan eyeing Ajaccio keeper Ochoa Galliani confident AC Milan can handle FFP AC Milan chief Galliani hoping Berlusconi stays long-term Agent says AC Milan striker El Shaarawy not short of offers Lille defender Kjaer ‘not wasting thoughts’ on Man Utd’s, Milan rumours

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Search Wednesday, August 21, 2013 Deignan believes he deserves selection for Irish world road race championship squad by Shane Stokes at 10:41 AM EST comments Categories: Pro Cycling, World Championships “I really feel this year that the circuit is good for me”Currently riding strongly in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge and enjoying one of the best seasons of his career, Philip Deignan has said that he feels he deserves a place on Ireland’s four man team for the world road race championships. Deignan last rode the worlds back in 2009, the year he won a stage of the Vuelta a España and was ninth overall. He finished fortieth in Mendrisio, Switzerland. He has had a quiet three seasons since then, albeit with some scattered decent results, but has returned to strong form this season. “To be honest, I would be pretty disappointed if I wasn’t selected,” the UnitedHealthcare rider told VeloNation. “I think I have shown this year that I am climbing very well, and the worlds circuit also suits me. “In the past, if the circuit hasn’t suited me for the worlds for the national team, I have kind of put my hand up and said that was the case. I have always been okay with other guys going ahead of me.” “But I really feel this year that the circuit is good for me and I can do something to help Dan [Martin] and Nico [Roche] in the race. So I would really like to go, and I would be disappointed if I wasn’t selected.” Deignan’s form suggests that he could be an important third option rather than just a helper to Martin and Roche, although his speciality is on longer climbs than will be found on the Firenze circuit. He won the Tour of the Gila this year and also placed second in the Tour de Beauce, sixth in the Tour of Utah and ninth in the Tour of California. He’s currently competing in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge and is showing signs of good form. He told VeloNation prior to the race start that he believed he was potentially in his best condition of the season. Ireland has secured four places for the worlds due to the points accumulated by Martin and Roche this year. The WorldTour duo are seen as a certainty to take part, leaving two further places to fill. While Cycling Ireland is yet to comment on the matter, it seems logical to believe that Deignan will take one of those slots. That would leave one more to fill, with national champion Matt Brammeier arguably the best positioned due to his participation in many high level races this season with the Champion System team. Others such as Connor McConvey (Synergy Baku Cycling Project) and Ronan McLaughlin (An Post Chainreaction Sean Kelly) will also hope to be considered for the fourth slot. Providing he is given the nod, Deignan believes that his post-Colorado programme should get him to the race in strong shape. “I’ll do the USA Pro Challenge and then I stay for altitude for a further ten days,” he said. “After that I go to Philadelphia for a 1.2 race two weeks later. Then the week afterwards, I will do the Tour of Britain. So it should be a fairly good build-up to the worlds.” His strong year sees him tipped to move back up to the WorldTour level next year. He’s rumoured to be on the wish list of the Sky team, although that squad and his agent Andrew McQuaid have declined to confirm that a deal has been agreed. Deignan is sitting 46 seconds of the race in the USA Pro Challenge. The 2.HC event continues later today with a 170.4 kilometre stage to Steamboat Springs. The Donegal rider has said that he believes tomorrow’s fourth stage and Friday’s time trial will be the biggest determinants of the final general classification. Also see: Philip Deignan Interview: Irishman ready to rumble at the USA Pro Challenge comments Deignan to undergo collarbone surgery Thursday, world championship participation unlikely Deignan ‘really excited’ to return to WorldTour with Team Sky Philip Deignan Interview: Irishman ready to rumble at the USA Pro Challenge Team Sky confirms signing an Irish rider could be of strategic importance, won’t comment on Deignan speculation Feature: Morale boosted by return to form, Deignan believes in podium finish in Tour of California Three and a half years after taking Vuelta stage win, Deignan returns to winning form in Tour of Gila UnitedHealthcare – Maxxis takes flexible approach to leadership in Tour of California

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TFC Top 31 Countdown Toronto FC Top 31 Countdown: Number 17 - Adrian Cann Tom Szczerbowski He was limited by a series of injuries but still proved that when he is fit he can make life rough for opposition attackers. The highest ranked of the six players released so far, at number 17 it's Adrian Cann.  Share with FC friends 5 Average ranking: 18.0Highest Ranking: 12Lowest ranking: 23 Dave: 19 Adrian Cann was one of the first players who I had the privilege to meet and talk with. That encounter before a Canadian men's national team game left me with a pair of lasting impressions about the experienced defender. The first was that he was genuinely a good guy who could talk the ear off of anyone that was willing to chat. The second was that he genuinely loved playing soccer and that being out injured for a long period of time was one of the toughest things he had ever faced in his career. That was Cann away from the field. A guy who loved soccer and wanted to play it for as long as he could and wanted to bring success to Toronto as his hometown club. That is why I can safely say that the last year and a half must have been very tough for Cann as he spent so much time on the sidelines trying to recover from a major knee operation and was stuck watching the team lose game after game while the defense struggled to slow down the opposition on a regular basis. He made his return in 2012 but as he admitted in his end of season interview it was almost the end of the season before he actually started to feel fully fit again. He would only make 10 league appearances in 2012 because of the various injuries but also because he was not one of Mariner's prefered players. He often found himself being left out of the starting lineup in favour of Richard Eckersley being played out of position. It was a drastic change from 2010 and 2011 when Cann was pretty much a fixture on Toronto's back line. In 2010 he was a key part of what was probably Toronto's most stable defensive group to date. He made 26 starts that season in the league and along with Nana Attakora was showing signs that he might just be a part of the solution to TFC's defensive woes. He was deserving named the team's MVP for his efforts that season. Things almost went wrong in 2011 though when Cann missed a portion of preseason as contract talks between him and club had taken a turn for the worse. Things were sorted out before the start of the season and Cann returned to being a fixture in the teams starting lineup. He would make 12 league starts before his knee injury ended his season. Now, Cann has been released from the club which really came as no surprise to most who had paid attention. At 32 years old Cann still feels that he has some good years in him and he did not work so hard to return from his injury just to wind up sitting on the bench. He was also fairly expensive for a depth player so letting him move on seemed to be in the best interest of both sides. In that same end of season interview Cann was fairly candid in saying that he was not sure if he would be back season or if he even wanted to be back as it was clear that he knew where he stood with Mariner. It is a shame that Cann was not able to return to the level he was before his injury for Toronto as that would have been a real bonus. He may yet get back to that level but Mariner did not seem to have any real interest in giving him a chance to show that. When he did get a start in the final match of the season against Columbus Crew he showed that he could still be that physical presence that he once was. He spent most of the match knocking Jairo Arrieta to the ground and ensuring that he was basically a non-factor in the match. That was a vintage Cann performance despite the loss. This season Cann managed to log just 735 minutes of playing time in MLS. While he was on the field TFC conceded 16 times which worked out to a rate of a goal every 46 minutes or just under 2 goals per game. Compare that to the number over the full season (62 goals in 34 games) of 1.8 goals against per game and you can see that things were not any more stable with Cann patrolling the back this season. The majority of his playing time did come under Winter when nothing at all seemed to be going right so it is hard to single out any one or two players to blame for the high rate at which the team was allowing goals. Cann would play 285 league minutes under Mariner (6 goals allowed, 1.9 goals/90 minutes) and 450 minutes under Winter (10 goals allowed, 2 goals/90 minutes). His numbers remained fairly similar under both coaches but it was clear that Winter was much more willing to play him despite just coming back from a major injury that Mariner was. It was great to see Cann make a return to fitness in 2012 but sadly he will not be around in 2013 to show if he still has what it takes to be the kind of defender that he was in 2010. Duncan: 16 Great to see him come back from injury, and the defence looked a lot better with him and Doneil Henry in the middle in May, though the MLS numbers above don't really show that. He played a big part in the V Cup success this year where in 4 games, the only goal conceded was one of the best 10 in the world this year. The main game I remember is the second leg against Vancouver. How many times has Eric Hassli stuck it to Toronto? Not in this game. Early on, while theoretically challenging for a header, Cann absolutely and quite deliberately flattened Hassli from behind. After that Hassli did nothing. Paul Mariner didn't seem to like him that much, and after recovering form an injury, he couldn't get back in the team, no matter how bad the defence got. Initially explained as he was too slow/similar to Darren O'Dea, but even when O'Dea got injured, Cann didn't get back into the team until Mariner was absolutely out of choices. I'd like to see him back, but his salary's a bit much, especially if he's not going to be a starter. John: 19 He still actually plays in Toronto? Michael: 23 Like Williams, could have been used better. Injuries didn't help Kristin: 17 He's still really, really good-looking. Don't know that he can be the partner for O'Dea but I'd like to see him get a shot before they sign a new CB. He was OK, was rarely upset with his play. The Ghost of TFC Future: Mariner's jealous of his abs. Adrian wouldn't teach Paul the proper technique for crunches. It all comes back to that. Cann finally made some end-of-season appearances and looked okay, but I fear too much time has passed for him to slot himself back into the line-up. I thought he struggled under Winter's ball-playing defender system, so I was surprised when he was frozen out of Mariner's side, considering that defenders are asked to do much less with the ball. The Yorkies: Since the day he left camp in a contract kerfuffle his luck as been in a spiral. Really, really not good looking future. DichioTFC: I'll never forget Adrian's interview when he finally signed for Toronto. He was legitimately thrilled to have signed the contract and was inspired to lead the club. Knee injuries have gotten the best of Cann, but he has always fought back for the club and for the fans. Slightly overpriced at a $126K cap hit, he's one player that I would welcome back despite having an overvalued contract. His leadership, love for the club and other intangibles should make him a rotation player for 2013. Also, at his age, he can provide leadership and guidance to young Doneil Henry. Prizby: Returning from an ACL injury and lack of match fitness pretty much wiped Cann’s season out. It didn’t help that there seemed to be some sort of animosity between him and Mariner (evident during the end of season presser). Supposedly he was still “injured” most of the season, although others have said he was healthy. Whatever the case, when he did get out on the field, he seemed to be one of the more capable defenders TFC had this season, not that, that is saying much. Sir Alphonso Applegate: Unfavoured by Mariner but he is better at CB than most have given him credit for. Played fine at the end of the season when Mariner reluctantly played him. JC Plante: Showed glimpses of what could be. His crossing is a top skill. Panos Kelamis: Did well to come back from injury, but looked out of his depth and is near the end of his career. Number 16: Nick Soolsma Number 18: Jeremy Hall Full Top 31 Countdown WTR's Toronto FC Top 31 Countdown: The Stream Toronto FC Top 31 Countdown: Number 1 - Danny Koevermans Toronto FC Top 31 Countdown: Number 18 - Jeremy Hall TFC Top 31 Countdown: Number 19 - Joao Plata Toronto FC Top 31 Countdown: Number 20 - Quincy Amarikwa Know Your Enemy: FC Dallas – P1, Lineup & Film Adrian Cann Richard Eckersley Jairo Arrieta

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Bills' Marrone and Spiller split on RB's ankle Orchard Park, NY (WGR 550) -- To start the practice week, Buffalo Bills running back C.J. Spiller was a member of the non-participant list once again. An ankle injury suffered during the Bills' Week Four contest against Baltimore has left Spiller hobbled and only able to be limited through the past three games. Head coach Doug Marrone has been telling reporters for the past two weeks that as long as the ankle injury is better at that point than it had been in the prior week, that they felt good about Spiller playing in the game. Through those three games though, Spiller has taken only 44 offensive snaps out of 213 total and has had a noticeable limp after most his runs. For the first time since the injury occurred, Marrone didn't sound quite as optimistic regarding the team's explosive running back. "He's working hard, he wants to come back and he wants to play," the coach led off. "But at the end of the day, we've got to make a good decision to see where he's at. We've just gotta get him over this hump, and we haven't been able to do it for three weeks." So that begs the question, how is Spiller's ankle right now in comparison to last week? "Probably not as well," Marrone opined. Signals were apparently crossed at One Bills Drive because not only does Spiller disagree with the assessment, he's on the complete other side of the spectrum. "A whole lot better. Ten times better," Spiller said when asked the same question. "It's just a couple more hurdles that I have to cross over before I can say that I'm 100-percent. But I definitely feel a whole lot better… than I did last Wednesday." So then where is the discord regarding the ankle's current condition coming from? Spiller isn't sure. "He can only really observe what he sees on the film, but I'm sitting here telling you guys I feel better," he said. "I know my body better than anybody on this team, or on this Earth. I know how it feels." Marrone, who spoke before Spiller on Wednesday, seemed on the fence about the runner's chances for Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. "I think we'll have to make a decision later in the week, absolutely." It could be nothing more than a player wanting to play and being optimistic about that idea, with a coach attempting to be careful while wanting to get his player back to full health. Whatever the reason, the two sides will come together and make a decision that's in the best interest for the player and team. Spiller was one of five players not to practice on Wednesday. Running back Fred Jackson (knee), linebacker Manny Lawson (hamstring), defensive lineman Kyle Williams (Achilles) and quarterback EJ Manuel (knee) also did not partake. It was a merely rest day for Jackson, Lawson and Williams as all three are expected to play against the Saints. To this point, Manuel is the only player that has been ruled out for the upcoming contest. The Bills get back on the practice field Thursday morning in Orchard Park. Filed Under : Topics : SportsSocial : SportsLocations : BaltimorePeople : C.J. Spiller, Doug Marrone, Fred Jackson, Kyle Williams (Achilles), Manny Lawson advertise with us

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New Cross Country Coach Hired, Begins Coaching in Fall Byline: by Beth Weixel, Athletics Department The Wilson College Athletics Department is pleased to name Joanna Hayes as the first head coach of both the women’s and men’s cross country programs. She will immediately prepare for both programs’ debut in the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III and the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) beginning in the fall of 2013. According to Athletic Director, Lori Frey, “Joanna brings a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm to our department as we expand opportunities for Wilson’s student-athletes. She is up to the challenge of starting two new programs, and we are confident she will build a strong foundation for both the women’s and men’s teams, positioning them for long term success in the NEAC and Division III.” Before taking the helm at Wilson, Hayes spent two years at Gettysburg College as the assistant track and field coach. Serving as the team’s jumps coach, Hayes helped coach several standout athletes for the Bullets. From 2009 to 2011, Hayes spent two seasons at Dickinson College, serving as an assistant for the cross country and track and field programs. In the 2009-10 season, she helped coach the men’s program to conference titles in cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field. That season Dickinson men’s cross country team also finished fifth at the NCAA Division III Championships. During her time at Dickinson, she also helped coach the 2011 NCAA Division III champion in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and the 2010 NCAA runner-up in the steeplechase and 5,000-meter run. Hayes graduated from Kutztown University in 2009 as a three-time Academic All-American with a degree in leisure and sports studies. Hayes was a standout distance runner for the Golden Bears, making four NCAA Division II cross country championship appearances. She was also a four time all-conference and all-region selection during her time as a student-athlete. On the track, Hayes helped set several outdoor program records, including the distance medley relay, the 4x800-meter relay, the mile, and the 1,000-meter run. Hayes looks forward to her new opportunity Hayes is eager to take the helm of Wilson’s newest sport offerings for student-athletes, and will begin by focusing on establishing traditions and building a positive team dynamic and culture for both programs. “I am excited and honored to be named the head coach for Wilson College's men's and women's cross country teams. I am looking forward to building a strong foundation for these teams and helping student-athletes perform at a high level both on the cross country course and in the classroom,” said Hayes. “The last 14 years of my life have included competitive running in one form or another, and I'm excited to share my passion and experiences with Wilson College.”

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> Bomber Report > Bombers add five new players, let McKnight go Bomber Report Bombers add five new players, let McKnight go Last Modified: 10/2/2013 2:27 PM Jake Killeen (51) joined the Bombers at practice today. Photo Store Of the seven new players the Blue Bombers have brought in this week, most, head coach Tim Burke agreed, are battling to make an impression for an invite back next year. But there are a few newcomers that could have a chance to make their mark before this season is done. Among them are running back Mario Fannin and defensive end Greg Briggs, who joined the team on Tuesday, though Burke noted he hadn’t seen enough of today’s five arrivals to judge. "Those two guys, they just really stuck out," he said. "I liked what I saw from Briggs, but then after I watched film I liked him even more." North Carolina's Jheranie Boyd (87) scores a touchdown against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina in October, 2011. (ROBERT WILLETT/RALEIGH NEWS & OBSERVER ARCHIVES) Hey, whatever will help the Bombers win in the punishing West, where they’ll move next season as the Ottawa Redblacks come into the league in the East. The Bombers have a lousy track record against Western teams – for instance, they haven’t won in Calgary since 2002 – a fact that Burke chalked up to added physicality. "I don’t know what it is, it’s just hard to win out West," he said. "The Western teams are traditionally stronger than the Eastern… but the other thing is that once you get into the West, and you’re playing those teams more often, you’re more familiar with them. I think the West tends to be a more physical division as well… you adapt your game accordingly, too." On the injury line: Renaissance defenceman Jovon Johnson should be back in game action against the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday, after being banged up and kept out of Tuesday and today’s practices. Defensive back Demond Washington will not play, and his position could be taken by Johnny Sears, who is coming back from his own injury. That also depends on some salary cap concerns, Burke said. Slotback Terrence Edwards will likely be out with a neck strain, although he haphazardly practiced on Tuesday and today. If he isn’t able to play, the Bombers will give Wallace Miles his first chance to see some game action. "He’s a really good route-runner," Burke said of Miles. "He’s kind of a cerebral player, he’s got good quickness so we’re hoping that if he plays he can beat man coverage." While fans have been clamouring to see former NFLer Mike Sims-Walker, who has yet to take a catch in a game, Burke noted that Sims-Walker – who is a back-up at wideout – wasn’t yet familiar enough with the plays in Edwards’ position. The Bombers also released kicker Brody McKnight from the practice roster today, despite earlier showing interest in developing McKnight as a long-term project. That move was made to open some more practice roster space, Burke said, and noted there was "a good chance" the Bombers may bring him back at some point down the line. The Blue Bombers added five more players to their ranks today, as they expanded their roster heading into the home stretch of the CFL season. They also let one prospect go, Canadian kicker Brody McKnight, who joined the team earlier in this season and worked on the practice roster. Among the new additions, all imports, are offensive lineman Shea Allard, wide receiver Jheranie Boyd, linebacker Taylor Reed, defensive back Semaj Moody and defensive end Jake Killeen. Allard, a 6’5" University of Delaware alumnus, was signed by the Green Bay Packers twice – once in May 2012 as an undrafted free agent, though he was released at the end of August, and then again in December of last year where he played on the practice squad. Boyd is a 6’2", 23-year-old receiver who played four years with the University of North Carolina, during which he caught 44 passes for 860 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also rushed for 240 yards and another major. Boyd was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in May of this year, and was released in June. He was picked up by Cincinnati but released before the NFL season started. Linebacker Reed also flirted with the NFL, having been signed by the Dallas Cowboys in May but released in August at the end of training camp. He worked out with the New England Patriots but didn’t get a deal. The 6’, 22-year-old linebacker just wrapped up four years at Southern Methodist University. Moody, 25, was undrafted by the NFL in 2012, and joined the Arena Football League’s Chicago Rush, where he led the team in tackles with 86.5 in 18 games, as well as making three picks. He signed with Kansas City in August but was released after training camp. Finally, Killeen is a minor-pro vet who played with the IFL’s Green Bay Blizzard, West Michigan Thunderhawks and Tri-Cities Fever, the latter team where he led in sacks in 2012. He also played in the AFL before being signed in January 2013 with the Indianapolis Colts, but was released in May. Updated on Wednesday, October 2, 2013 at 2:27 PM CDT: Updates after practice. O'Shea sets tone as a hands-on coach Blue QB finds himself on familiar ground Ex-NFLer has huge upside

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No. 7 Women's Soccer Falls By Shannon McNamara for WVUsports.com BOX SCORE PHOTO GALLERY Tweet Senior forward Frances Silva graduates fourth in the Mountaineer record book in career points (98) and goals (38). Photo by Lauren Rakes BLACKSBURG, Va. – The No. 7-ranked West Virginia University women’s soccer team lost 1-0 to No. 4-ranked and top-seeded Virginia Tech, tonight, at Thompson Field, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. This evening’s loss is the Mountaineers’ (16-4-3, 7-1 Big 12) sixth in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and first since losing 3-0 at No. 14 Wake Forest in 2009. The Hokies’ (18-4-2, 9-3-1 ACC) lone goal was the first given up by the Mountaineers this month and halted their shutout streak at four. “I told this team at the end of the match that we’ve accomplished so much this season, but it was what we overcame that was more important,” says Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “The character the players displayed, and who stepped up as leaders, is what we will build off of and go forward with. This team dealt with a lot this year, and I’m very proud of them. I’ve been in the business for over 20 years, and this team will go down in the record book and in my heart for its resiliency.” The teams battled through a steady rain that began to fall just as the match started, and neither squad was able to generate much offensive flow. VT tallied an 8-5 shot advantage, but only placed two on-goal. The Hokies also earned a 6-1 advantage in corner kicks. “We just wanted to disrupt Virginia Tech as best we could,” says Izzo-Brown. “We had a lot of respect for them coming in to the match, and we just tried to compress them where we could.” Following a scoreless first half that saw a combined four shots from the two teams, the Hokies began to apply a heavy pressure in the 58th minute, with a shot blocked and another hitting the crossbar in the span of 40 seconds. Though the WVU defense was able to withstand the initial attack, VT capitalized in the 59th minute, as Murielle Tiernan received a cross from Taylor Antolino right in front of the net and put the ball past senior Sara Keane. The Mountaineers got their best chance for an equalizer just three minutes later, as sophomore defender Maggie Bedillion received a ball as she ran full speed down the left side of the field and took a shot from 17-yards out that went just wide of the outstretched arms of VT goalkeeper Colpitts and trickled past the far goalpost. The first half saw the teams play between the 18s, with neither squad allowing much traction for offensive attacks. Neither team registered a shot until the 18th minute, when WVU freshman midfielder Tessa Broadwater got a clear look at the net from 15-yards out. Sophomore forward Kelsie Maloney got a quick touch on the ball, sending it to Broadwater wide of the box, where she blasted a shot right into the arms of Colpitts for the only save of the first half. Tonight’s match was the final collegiate completion for Keane, forward Frances Silva and midfielders Caroline Szwed and Kara Blosser. Silva graduates fourth in the program record book with 98 career points and 38 career goals. Keane’s 27 career shutouts rank No. 3 all-time. The Mountaineers’ season saw them win the first Big 12 Championship title for any WVU team and their second straight conference regular-season championship, giving them at least one conference title in four consecutive seasons. Additional highlights from 2013 include Izzo-Brown’s career 250th win on Aug. 30, and the program’s 250th win on Nov. 8. » Follow WVU Women's Soccer on Twitter

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Zurich Classic boasts strong field Big names tee-off at the Zurich Classic, which features more than golfadd to reading list By BRETT MARTEL / AP Sports Writer AVONDALE, La. (AP) -- One year ago, Jason Dufner's victory at the Zurich Classic made him the fifth player in the last eight years to celebrate his maiden PGA Tour triumph in New Orleans. This weekend, Dufner will try to become the first repeat winner in the Big Easy since Carlos Franco in 2000. But even if Dufner remains beset by the inconsistency that has kept him out of the top 10 this season, the odds of yet another first-time winner at the Zurich seem increasingly slim. Dufner is one of eight former winners of the New Orleans tour stop who are back at TPC Louisiana, a Pete Dye-designed course carved out of cypress swamp just southwest of the city, and home to the Zurich Classic since 2005. In fact, he'll tee off with two of them -- Bubba Watson and Nick Watney -- in Thursday's first round. "In the last three or four years, it seems like this has become a great spot for premier players to come," Dufner said. "This even is becoming more and more of a place that guys enjoy coming to play and one of the premier events other than the majors and the World Golf events." More than 60 players in the Zurich Classic Field already have a PGA Tour victory to their name. Four of them have already won events this year: John Merrick (Northern Trust Open), Michael Thompson (Honda Classic), D.A. Points (Houston Open) and Scott Brown (Puerto Rico Open). Some of the other more accomplished players in the field include Justin Rose, who is No. 4 in the world ranking; 2011 PGA Championship winner Keegan Bradley and "The Big Easy" himself, Ernie Els, who has 19 career wins and was the runner up in the Zurich Classic in a playoff a year ago. The former winners in New Orleans who've returned include Jason Bohn (2010), Jerry Kelly (2009), Andres Romero (2008), K.J. Choi (2002) and David Toms (2001). "The tournament is getting stronger and stronger," Rose said. "The golf course has gotten better and better every single year, it feels like. I think I'm slowly learning how to play it." The course appeared to be in impeccable shape when the tournament's charity pro-am began Wednesday morning -- before the arrival of driving rain, lightning and even a severe weather warning that had authorities briefly evacuating the course and tents used by media, tournament staff and VIPs. Nearly 2 inches of rain fell in the middle of the day, but officials said the course drains well and was expected to be fine by the time the first round started Thursday morning. Even the pro-am resumed after 3 p.m. For about a half-hour after spectators and players alike were shepherded into permanent structures, the main club house was jammed. Some players retreated into the locker room, but others remained in the dining area or pro shop, which is normally off limits to the typical spectator during the tournament. Guan Tianlang, the 14-year-old amateur whose world fame skyrocketed after he made the cut at the Masters, remained with family and friends at a table in the corner of the restaurant and exchanged handshakes with a couple fans who noticed him. The eight-grader had planned to return to China after the Masters, but then received a late-hour invitation to play in New Orleans, where he'd spent a month last summer working on his game at the invitation of a family friend who lives in the area. Guan arrived in New Orleans right after the Masters, and last weekend helped out at a youth golf clinic at Lakewood Golf Club, which hosted the area's PGA event from 1963 to 1988, and where past winners included all-time greats Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Ben Crenshaw. Now Guan is expected to have a sizable local following. "I want to enjoy the week like the Masters and hopefully make the cut," Guan said. "If not, it's still a great experience." Watson, who grew up about a three-hour's drive from New Orleans in the Florida panhandle, considers the Zurich his home tournament, and his group was already drawing a number of spectators during the pro-am, though many seemed more intrigued by his playing partners, brothers Willie and Jase Robertson of the Louisiana-based TV series, "Duck Dynasty." In 2012, the Zurich Classic was the first tournament Watson played after winning the Masters and becoming one of golf's biggest draws. He said he only played the tournament last year because he felt obliged as the then-defending champ, and because it is one of the tournaments his mother traditionally makes the trip from Pensacola to see. "I was tired," Watson said of last year's Zurich, in which he finished tied for 18th. This time, Watson said he is "pumped up to play this golf course." He was also appeared rather loose while exchanging lighthearted jabs with the Robertsons. When asked if he ever considered experimenting with the abundant facial hair for which the "Duck Dynasty" men are known, Watson cracked, "No, I look way too good to cover up my face. They have to cover up their face to be on TV." Although Watson has yet to finish in the top three this year and tied for 50th at the Masters, he has two top-10 finishes and figures his unorthodox swing isn't all that far off from where he wants it to be. "I've been playing well. Just some breaks haven't went my way," Watson said. "All in all, I know that I have the game and the ability to do it." Reddit Next article Newly-signed safety Jairus Byrd already member of Saints Nation

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Badgers DenMessage Board Index Football Scholarship RosterBasketball Scholarship RosterAbout Us Wisconsin Badgers Shop May 18, 2005Awesome in Athens Jeremy Crabtree Talk about it in The Badgers' DenATHENS, Ga. - One after another they called him out. They kept coming at him like waves crashing onto the beach during a violent storm. But Durham (N.C.) Southern offensive lineman Carl Johnson wasn't intimated by the taunts and stormed back at his opponents. By the time the smoke cleared this past Saturday at the NIKE Training Camp at the University of Georgia, Johnson proved why he's considered one of the nation's top offensive line prospects."Everybody wanted a piece of me," said Johnson, who was mountain of a man and easily measured in the 6-foot-6 range and more than 300 pounds. "I accepted it as a challenge and decided that this is how it's going to be in college. Everybody gives it their best shot in college, and if this is what it's going to be like, then I will fight for it."Most of those fights he faced on Saturday, he won.Clocking in the 5.2-second range in the 40-yard dash and showing amazing agility for a big guy, Johnson also was brilliant in one-on-ones. He did get tested a few times and was beaten once by Georgia commitment Brandon Wood, but for the most part he moved his massive frame with grace and showcased why he's one of the best linemen in the entire country."I wished I could be a little more aggressive, but we weren't in pads," Johnson said. "I would have really been able to hit them harder if we were in pads, and that would have helped. Brandon (Wood) is a really good player, and he's very quick. I would have liked to see what would have happened if we had the pads on."It was very much the same story for Andre Smith, the other star offensive lineman at the camp. Smith, widely considered by most college coaches as the top offensive lineman in the South, was equally as dominant as Johnson.Smith took a major step toward showing that he's one of the nation's best players - regardless of position. He admits that, like Johnson, Wood got the best of him a few times in one-on-ones, but he also offered something up that might make things a little different under the Friday night lights."Get those pads on, and don't let him know that it's a passing play on every single snap, and I'd own him," Smith said. "He got the best of me a few times, but if we were all strapped up and playing with pads on, then I think the story would be a little different."Everything Smith did throughout the camp was impressive. His technique was flawless, and when he locked on a player, it was game over. He would use his great footwork, great upper-body strength and great hip roll in one-on-ones and in drills he displayed exceptional technique."There isn't a better offensive lineman in the country," one SEC assistant coach at the camp said. "There are a lot of good ones out there, but this kid is the best out there. He and Johnson are the two best linemen I've seen so far this year. They're both truly special."And they were both on the same field this past Saturday, which is something you'll only see at a NIKE Training Camp. QuarterbacksThree of the better quarterbacks in the camp were from Alabama as Neil Caudle of Birmingham (Ala.) Spain Park, Earl Alexander of Phenix City (Ala.) Central and Steven Ensminger of Opelika, Ala., had their moments at the camp. Alexander, who is around 6-foot-3 �, was especially impressive during testing, clocking in the 4.4-second range in the 40. He could easily project at another position in college and should be highly recruited.Caudle and Ensminger were also solid, did a lot of things right and are still two of the better quarterbacks in the South. Caudle even clocked in the 4.7-second range in the 40. But it's going to be tough to figure out where they fit into the national quarterback picture, because it looks like fellow southern quarterbacks like Tim Tebow and Mitch Mustain rose to a different level with their NIKE Camp performances in Tallahassee and Oxford, respectively.Another prospect started to catch the eye of several college coaches toward the end of the camp after a strong showing all day was Keith Parker of Fayetteville (N.C.) Pine Forest. He was an athletic looking quarterback and once he spent more time with NIKE quarterback coach Bob Johnson, his technique showed rapid improvement. He has a great frame to work with - looking like he could be in the 6-foot-3, 190-pound range - and his stock could rise after the strong showing and a shuttle time that was in the 4.3-second range.Running backsThere was a loud buzz humming around the running backs from college coaches and most of the talk centered around blue-chip junior-to-be running back Caleb King. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound running back from Lilburn, Ga., already has an offer on the table next year from Georgia, and it was easy to see why on Saturday.King ran an amazing shuttle time in the 3.8-second range and was very impressive in one-on-one drills. Keep his name on your list for next year, because he has a shot at being one of the best in Georgia and in the Southeast.Norman Whitley of Richmond (N.C.) Rockingham has a low center of gravity and it was easy to see why some teams like him, despite the fact that he's not the tallest. Mario Fannin, who tore up the Elite Combine last week in New Jersey, did not test on Saturday, but he showed again that he's one of the better backs in Georgia. Word is that Fannin's performance sparked Georgia to offer a scholarship after the event.Ronnie Tyler of Wagner (S.C.) Salley also impressed with a solid day and his frame and build could make him a great defensive back, too. He walked away with several new scholarship offers already for his performance on Saturday.Wide receivers/tight endsThe receiver group wasn't the deepest in the camp, but it still was full of good quality players.One of the better players at receiver was Homewood, Ala., standout Tim Hawthorne. The 6-foot-3, 202-pound Hawthorne was long and lean but still had a very muscular build. He tested extremely well running in the 4.5-second range and he did well in drills against defensive backs. He might have solidified his stock as one of the Southeast's better receiver prospects.Ricky Dixon of Reserve (La.) East St. John made the trek over from the Bayou and made it worth his time. He was extremely fluid and was able to twist, turn and make his body move around in ways that normal people can't. He's already racked up numerous offers and it was easy to see why college coaches like him.One of the better overall performances of the day came from Crawford Kilpatrick, who came in around 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds. He tested in the 4.5-second range and showed why he's one of the better pure athletes in the state of Georgia with great route running and the ability to create major match-up problems with his size. He might not have as much national hype as some other national receivers, but he's better than some other taller receivers that have been gotten a lot of early attention.Offensive lineAfter Smith and Johnson there were plenty of big guys for the coaches to look at. Jeffery Adams of Cadiz (Ky.) Trigg County was definitely tall enough, but looked a little out of shape and tested in the 5.4-second range. If he gets in shape, then he has a monster frame to work with. Similar things can be said about Lionel Mapp of Greensboro (Ga.) Greene County and Maurice Hurt of Milledgeville (Ga.) Baldwin. Both appeared to be a little heavy - especially Hurt - but if they work hard in the off season then there is room for them to improve their prospects for the future.Defensive lineDefensive line was where it was at Saturday.The offensive line vs. the defensive line proved to be some of the most impressive one-on-one battles of all of the camps at any position. Defensive linemen were calling out offensive players for battles and both groups took turns beating up on each other.That was especially true for Wood, who was named the camp's most valuable player.Wood, a Georgia commitment, took home camp top player honors after an impressive morning in testing when he clocked in with around a 4.3-second time in the shuttle and had an even better performance in the one-on-one portion of the camp. Wood challenged both Smith and Johnson to one-on-one battles and the three took turns winning the battles."I knew that two of the top offensive linemen in the nation were out here today, and I wanted to test myself against the best players and see where I stood," Wood said."I guess I did pretty well."That would be an understatement.Student Sports recruiting analyst Greg Biggins said he'd never seen anything like it when Wood would call out the top linemen for one-on-one challenges."It shows you again how competitive it is in the South," Biggins said. "You would never see anything like this anywhere else - well maybe in Miami. But you wouldn't see the top players at the camp calling each other out and telling them to bring it on like they did here. That was incredible."Columbia (S.C.) Richland Northeast defensive tackle Adam Patterson ran a Tommie Harris- like time in the 40-yard dash. The 6-foot-3, 262-pounder clocked in the 4.6-second range and was extremely quick off the line of scrimmage throughout drills and one-on-ones. He definitely further solidified his name as one of the top two or three players in the state of South Carolina.Defensive end/linebacker Morrice Richardson of Atlanta Westlake continued to prove why he's picking up national scholarship offers right and left. With very impressive testing results, including a 40-yard dash time in the 4.5-second range, and the ability to push both Johnson and Smith in one-on-ones showed that he's one of the South's best at his position.Jermaine Cunningham of Stone Mountain (Ga.) Stephenson was a little thin, but he had an amazing frame and looked like once he fills out he's going to be one heck of a prospect down the road. He also ran in the 4.6-second range, but said he was disappointed and knew that he could have easily clocked a 4.5 time.Victor Ugenyi of Atlanta North Springs also impressed, but he will need to get to work in the weight room to fill out his very lean frame. Still, some college coaches were overheard talking about his quick first step.LinebackersBo Harris of Conyers (Ga.) Heritage has been talked about as being one of the top five to 10 players in the Peach State and he proved that he was worthy of the hype. Harris tested off the charts with a 40 time in the 4.6 range and a shuttle that was right around 4.0-seconds. He also did well in the drills and looked to have a good grasp at what it takes to be a successful linebacker on the next level.Vandaral Shackleford Riverdale, Ga., also impressed and with his 6-foot, 190-pound frame. Word is that at least one SEC school offered him shortly after his performance at the receiver spot. He listed himself as a linebacker, but it's easy to see him as a play making safety prospect, too.There were a few others that passed the eyeball test, including Robert Bryant of Jessup (Ga.) Wayne County and Jerome Hall of Atlanta Crim.Defensive backsBrent Brewer of Tyrone (Ga.) Sandy Creek had good testing results and impressed during drills and was one of the better defensive backs in the camp. His 40 time of around 4.4-seconds was one of the better times in the event.Yet the defensive back show appeared to be stolen by Rashad Jones of Atlanta Booker T. Washington.Heading into the camp, Jones was already a well known name. However his ability to lock down almost everybody at the receiver spot and his solid shuttle time in the 4.1-second range allowed him to blow up big time.His name was unanimous among the college coaches observing at the top defensive back in the camp and don't be surprised if he ends up picking up quite a few more offers after this camp.FEATURED PRODUCT adidas Wisconsin Badgers #28 2012 Unrivaled Game Replica Football Jersey - White/Cardinal Wisconsin NEWS[More]Latest Headlines:Resources:CommitmentsThe TickerProspect DatabaseSend to a FriendPrint This Page Site-specific editorial/photos �2006 BadgerBlitz.com. All rights reserved. This website is an officially and independently operated source of news and information not affiliated with any school or team. About | Advertise with Us | Contact | Privacy Policy | About our Ads | Terms of Service | Copyright/IP policy | Yahoo! Sports - NBC Sports Network

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GURT'S BLOG: THE RETURN OF BANDIT BALL Blogs | 4/10/2012 4:11:24 PM | John Gurtler “May I have your attention, please? Will the real Buffalo Bandits please stand up, please stand up, please stand up? I repeat: will the real Buffalo Bandits please stand up?”After witnessing a rare victory lap by the Bandits following their 17-7 drubbing of the Philadelphia Wings last Saturday at First Niagara Center, many fans were left wondering if this was the same team that they had been following all season.Okay, I slightly changed Eminem’s lyrics. Nevertheless, Saturday night’s performance by the real Bandits was spectacular. We’ve seen bits and pieces of this brilliance for a handful of games, but last Saturday night? Truly a complete game. The goaltending, defense, transition, discipline, offense – you name it. The game was brilliant. Bottle it, pack it and memorize it. Re-run the CBS Sports Network broadcast until the digital projector burns out. And while you’re at it, re-issue the black and pink uniforms! Now we’re talking “Bandit Ball.”Critics may say that Philadelphia wasn’t on their game and nowhere near the level of effectiveness that they’ve shown this season. No thanks, Debbie Downer. How about just relishing in the moment and thinking positive from here through the end of the playoffs? Then you can pull the tab on a Genny Cream Ale and be critical.This is what it’s going to take if the Bandits want to finish the regular season strong and qualify for the playoffs. From there, it only takes three straight victories to win it all.It’s going to be tough because every team in the NLL is doing the same thing.But now we’ve seen what this Bandits team can do – and it’s only going to get better. I can’t help but think the talent and dedication of this team will reap a positive harvest in this “mini-season” quest for the playoffs. You’ve seen it, read it and heard it all season. There are three games remaining against teams that are trying to do the same thing (Edmonton, Rochester and Washington). They, too, can do the same thing that the Bandits did to the Wings. Each of Buffalo’s upcoming opponents has the depth and talent to beat anyone, but that’s the way the year has gone in the NLL.It’s just that, from here on out, the Bandits have to do it better. Just three games, each taken one at a time.“I think so, I think you have to look at it that way,” said Bandits defenseman and captain Chris White. “[We] need to take each game one at a time. The Eastern Division is very tight right now, so [with] a couple wins down the stretch, we could position ourselves pretty good. The way things have gone, it’s a positive thing.” Clearly, if the Bandits play a full 60 minutes like they did last Saturday night, they can beat anybody. “Yeah, I think so,” said White, a 10-year NLL veteran. “I think we’ve got to have that in our mindset – that we’re the better team. I know it hasn’t gone that way for many games this season, but it’s a tight game, a lot of parody in the league, so on any night, you’ve got to show up and give 120 percent.We must bring our hard-nosed game. Just [keep the] smarts, stay out of the box, and play five-on-five. I think we’ve proven over the season that, if we stay five-on-five, we can dominate offenses. That’s what we need to do. It’s only when we get into penalty trouble that the ball starts going into the back of our net.” Bandit Ball has that rough and tough element to it, which can sometimes push the envelope when it comes to the rules.“We need to be smarter,” White admitted. “[In] certain instances, we’re attacking the head instead of the body, which eliminates momentum. When we’re over-pursuing, that’s when we get into trouble because we’re chasing as opposed to controlling where our opponents are going.” Bandits general manager and head coach Darris Kilgour approached his team before Saturday night’s game and was straightforward with his message. “It’s a new season, a four-game season right now,” Kilgour said. “We always break the season down into four sets of four and we are on our last stretch. We sort of dug ourselves a hole, but you know what? We can still dig ourselves out of it.I feel we can beat every team in the league, but I really believe we can beat these teams in front of us. If we can do that, we can be assured [of] a playoff spot, if not, [then] at least second place. If we can keep winning, we’re still right there. We definitely have a game plan and we need to stick to it. Guys have to believe in it and go out there and execute it. We hold our own destiny in our hands. If we get it together, we’ll be okay.”The Bandits have drawn the wrath of long road trips to end the 2012 regular season. Over the course of the next three weeks, the team will cross two and three time zones, respectively. This weekend, the Bandits travel to Edmonton to take on the Rush, and then return home for their April 21 regular season home finale against the Rochester Knighthawks. Buffalo will finish the regular season with another cross-country trek, this time to Seattle, Washington, to play the Stealth in Everett on April 28.In conclusion, I think Slim Shady has taken a seat. And the real Bandits have stood up.Radio coverage of Saturday night’s game from Edmonton will start with the Bandits pregame show at 8:30 p.m on WWKB 1520 AM before the 9 p.m. opening faceoff.In addition to the black and pink uniforms worn by the team on Saturday night to support cancer research initiatives, there was also a pink ribbon patch above the players’ hearts as a tribute to Tommy Montour’s mother. The initials “GRM” were worn in loving memory of Gail Robin Montour, who passed away in early March. An online auction of the black and pink jerseys will continue until Sunday, April 15. Click back to the Bandits.com home page for more information on the bidding process.

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Tim Lincecum: Will He Be in the San Francisco Giants Playoff Rotation? By Bruce Friedman Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images This Scene Has Repeated Itself Way Too Many Times for Tim Lincecum This Season In 2010, nobody had more to do with the San Francisco Giants winning it all than Tim Lincecum. He was brilliant in the postseason with some legendary games. Lincecum struck out 14 against the Atlanta Braves in the division series opener, to set the pace for not only the pitching staff, but the entire team to steamroll their way through the Braves, Phillies and Rangers. He closed things out by pitching eight great innings in the World Series clinching game. But as everyone who is a Giants fan knows, 2012 has been a bit different for the Freak. With his latest loss to the San Diego Padres, Tim is now 4-11 with an ERA of 5.88. The Giants' record in his starts is an unbelievable 7-14! His loss yesterday followed two straight well-pitched games. But with the season starting to wind down and the Giants still clinging to the top spot in the National League West, with a two-and-a-half game lead, there is a scenario that could come to pass that's beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Tim Lincecum, the two-time Cy Young Award winner, could be left out of the playoff rotation if the Giants get that far. In fact, I'll make a stronger statement; if the playoffs were to begin today, Tim Lincecum WOULD NOT be in the Giants playoff rotation, period. Bruce Bochy Could Face the Hardest Decision of His Career Regarding Tim Lincecum in the Postseason How could he be? All season long the Giants brass has been doing everything possible, trying to get Timmy right. Their success has been mixed at best. While he appears to be throwing better than he was earlier in the season, he seems to take a couple of steps forward and then a couple of steps back. And if this is still going on at the end of the season and the Giants make the playoffs, they will be unable to trust him in a playoff situation. So if you assume that Matt Cain, Ryan Vogelsong and Madison Bumgarner continue to give the Giants great starts and that Barry Zito continues to be pretty darn good for the most part, how could Lincecum be one of their three or four starters in the playoffs? I can understand using regular season games to get Tim on track, but it's a whole new ballgame in the playoffs. There is no tomorrow. Risks need to be minimized. And having Timmy as a Giants starter would be a huge risk at this point in time. My guess is if that situation does present itself, Lincecum would be used as a reliever, but who knows? It could be a very similar situation to Zito's in 2010, when he was left completely off the playoff roster. Now I know there are still 64 games left, so that decision is still a couple of months off. And hey, maybe the Giants won't even make the playoffs. Like all Giants fans, I'm hoping that Timmy gets himself right and becomes the Freak of old. But if he doesn't and the Giants do make the postseason, Bruce Bochy and Brian Sabean may be forced to make the hardest decision of their careers. It will make the regular season stuff with Lincecum look like child's play.

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Want more real-time Juventus news? Black and White Stripes Weekly Column: Your Home for Everything Juventus, Week 2 By Adrian Agius Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images 1.7K This week we bring you...Goals.Goals.and...more goals.As well as Buffon's contract extension, a look to the Genoa clash and a player profile you will not want to miss. All you need to know out of Turin is here, in Black and White Stripes. Leave us your comments thought and suggestions below.Enjoy.Co-written by Adrian Agius and Gianni Verchueren. Editorial: Last Week Was Filled with Questions, This Week Provided Us Answers Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images By Gianni VerschuerenWith all the injuries the Bianconeri currently have to suffer through, a win over Udinese and a draw against Lazio are both good results.Sure, Juve had Lazio on the ropes and should have won that game 100 percent of the time, but when you’re playing backups against arguably the second-best team in Italy right now, you shouldn’t complain with such a result. Besides, it’s just the Coppa d’Italia. The Bianconeri are defending the Serie A title and looking for European glory...the cup isn’t that important. What is important is getting healthy. From that perspective, watching Claudio Marchisio play against Lazio was a joyful sight. The homegrown midfielder and fan favourite was expected to be out for several more weeks, and his swift recovery makes up for the nagging injuries that have kept Andrea Pirlo out of back-to-back games. Federico Peluso scored his first goal for the Bianconeri with a headed effort that opened the scoring against Lazio. His performance in that game was more than solid, considering he was forced to fill in for Kwadwo Asamoah on the left wing.Peluso’s main strengths lie in defense, but his offensive contributions didn’t go unnoticed. His performance might have been far from perfect, but it was a step in the right direction after his bad showing against Sampdoria. His inclusion in the starting XI was bad news for Paolo De Ceglie, though. Last year’s choice left back is having a poor season and the fact that coach Antonio Conte would prefer to start a depth player with limited experience at the position over him is a bad omen. His time in Turin might soon be coming to an end. This week’s standouts were Paul Pogba and Mauricio Isla. The young Frenchman scored two stunning goals against Udinese and played 180 minutes of solid, mature football. He’s progressing right on schedule and is giving the coaching staff every reason to give him the minutes he so desires. Isla got the start on the right wing against Lazio and put together one of his best performances of the season. The Chilean had been one of the bigger disappointments during the first part of the season, showing a lack of understanding of the right back position in the 3-5-2 formation.But against the Biancocelesti, he played a complete game, harassing the opponent's wingers defensively and contributing nicely on the offensive end. One last mention should go to Emanuele Giaccherini. I’ve been hard on him all season because he has failed to impress me as a right winger in Juve’s 4-3-3, but he was on point against both Udinese and Lazio.He played right behind Alessandro Matri for the Coppa clash and made great use of his dribbling skills and speed to make life hard on Lazio’s defense, and Conte might have found a new use and position for the Italy international. Next week, Juve will host Genoa before travelling to Roma to take on Lazio with the Coppa d’Italia final at stake. Genoa are struggling at the bottom of the Serie A table and have not been in good shape, but they have a tendency to make life very hard on Juventus. Back in September, the Bianconeri beat Genoa 1-3 in a game that was not as lopsided as the score line might suggest. Ciro Immobile is one player to watch: the young attacker is co-owned by Juve and was rumoured to return to Turin in January before Genoa announced they had no intention of letting him go. Genoa will most likely play for the draw as they need every point they can get their hands on in order to fight off relegation. They’ve lost their last two games and didn’t look convincing in the process, and a lack of confidence could result in even more defensive play. Lazio don’t need an introduction. They are a well-organised, blue-collar type of football team with Italy’s most in-form and most underrated goalkeeper in Federico Marchetti.What’s more, a scoreless draw would see Lazio through on by virtue of away goals, so Juve will need to attack the Biancocelesti goal early. Miroslav Klose could be back in action and will provide Lazio with more of a goal-scoring threat, and it remains to be seen whether Andrea Pirlo can reprise his role as conductor of Juve’s offense. Latest Transfer Rumours Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images By now, you re probably sick to death of hearing about Juventus trying to land the services of Athletic Bilbao forward Fernando Llorente. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I do have some pleasing news for you all after Goal.com reported that Juventus have finally wrapped up a deal for the Spanish international.Llorente, whose contract at Bilbao comes to an end at the end of the season, is reported to have agreed to a deal with Juve, albeit resulting in lower wages. He will join the club at the end of the season on a free transfer—effectively a reward for Juventus' patience. The fact that the Bianconeri were able to sign Llorente without having to dish out a transfer fee brings up the question, could another striker arrive in Turin by the end of the season? One would certainly think so, especially considering Juventus' busy schedule throughout the season. If Goal.com has anything to say about that, it's that Juventus are in the hunt for Lyon striker Lissandro Lopez. Despite this, The Old Lady wants to secure Lopez's services on a loan deal rather than a permanent deal. With the knockout stages of the Champions League coming up, Lopez could prove an effective addition in Turin.In other and perhaps more startling news, Juventus prodigy Paul Pogba has become the subject of transfer talks away from Juventus. Although nothing is concrete yet and everything is mere speculation, Pogba's agent has come out and said (via Goal.com) "What is he worth? He is not for sale so has no value. [Giuseppe] Marotta can stay calm, he will stay in Turin until July definitely."I, like many Juventus tifosi, consider Pogba to be the future linchpin of the Bianconeri midfield. With 18 appearances under his belt this season alone, Juventus should do everything possible to keep him, as well as try to instill the mentality that playing for Juventus is an honour, rather than a springboard to big-money offers. If this happens, the Frenchman could very well go down into Juventus history. What Are They Saying? Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images The big news out of Turin this week was definitely Juventus' resigning of legend Gianluigi Buffon for a further two years.Here are a selection of quotes from the press conference following his extension. (Provided by Juventus.com)"I haven’t received any other offers over the past few months, but I would have turned them down anyway. Juventus have become a way of life for me. When something gets under your skin, it’s a struggle to see yourself wearing another shirt.""I still remember my first day at Juventus as if it were yesterday. I came from the provincial environment of Parma, who I will always be grateful to, and my only fear was that I might not be up to the standard required by the club.""The fans have been an extremely important influence throughout my time with the club. Knowing you’re appreciated and urged on is something that you can’t put a price on. But I also have a great relationship with my team-mates, club staff and management. The recognition and respect as a player and a man have come from various quarters."Ahead of Juventus' tie with Lazio in the Coppa Italia. Lazio manager Vladimir Petkovic expressed his respect for the Binaconeri as a club (via Goal.com)"Juventus are the team to beat, the strongest team in the league,""Tuesday's encounter and the one in Rome will see a great 180 minutes of football. We have to avoid any lapse in concentration which could cost us dearly." Gianluigi Buffon Signs for Another Two Years Claudio Villa/Getty Images And so, the legend lives on. The legend of Gianluigi Buffon, that is, after the Italian shotstopper signed a two-year extension on his contract at Juventus, keeping him at Turin until the tender age of 36 years.With Buffon still in stellar form, the decision to renew Buffon's contract was practically a formality, as he was offered a two-year extension by Juventus, as opposed to the single year initially proposed by Buffon's agent.Buffon joined the club in 2001 from Parma and since then has not looked back occupying Juve's No. 1 position between the sticks during that entire time. This year, he was nominated for UEFA's team of the year, but missed out at the hands of Iker Casillas (personally, I believe he should've been included).When compared to the other keepers nominated for UEFA's team of the year, Buffon has actually conceded the least goals per match out of any of his counterparts. Statistically, he is world class.He also serves at the captain of the club following the departure of Alessandro Del Piero. « Prev Player Profile: Michel Platini David Cannon/Getty Images Name: Michel Platini Position: Central midfielder Nationality: French Kit number: 10 Appearances: 222 games Goals: 103 Years at Juventus: Five In response to a request made by user Joya Joy, we’ll profile legendary midfielder Michel Platini this week. One of the best players to ever wear the black and white, Platini can only be described as the greatest goal-scoring midfielder in the history of the game. The numbers speak for themselves: 103 goals in 222 games. Most strikers can only dream of such consistency. Platini might be best remembered around Turin for scoring the only goal in the European Cup final against Liverpool, a game that was overshadowed by the events leading up to the first whistle (Google the Heysel drama if you have no idea). The No. 10 jersey has been worn by some of the greatest Bianconeri ever; Alessandro Del Piero and Roberto Baggio come to mind. But Platini might have been the player that started the magic of the legendary No. 10. His tenure at Turin only lasted for five seasons, but he left the fans with a nice parting gift by convincing another talented young Frenchman to join the Bianconeri. His name? Zinédine Zidane. If you would like a specific player looked at, let us know in the comments below. Flashback File: Del Piero’s Bicycle Kick vs Milan This week we remember one of the most famous goals in Bianconeri history: David Trezeguet’s header that proved to be the only goal in a win over bitter rivals Milan back in 2005. Even though the 2005 and 2006 Italian titles were eventually taken away from Juventus, the period will always be remembered by the fans as one of complete dominance by the Bianconeri, and the apex of the partnership of Trezeguet and Alessandro Del Piero. No single moment represents this more than the goal at the San Siro. The Rossoneri were very keen on a win over their rivals and came out of the gates firing on all cylinders.Juve were having a tough afternoon in front of an exceptionally hostile crowd until Pavel Nedved broke through on the left flank in the 27th minute. The Czech midfielder was fouled hard, but the referee played the advantage because Del Piero was still in possession of the ball. What followed was an incredible display of Del Piero’s dribbling skills, his athleticism and the synergy between him and his French strike partner. The Calciopoli era might be a touchy topic around Turin these days, but this particular goal is one that will never be forgotten by the fans. What Are You Saying? Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images Let’s face it: Juventus have the best fans in the world. So what are they saying? This week's entry comes from Francesco Amorosino: “Not only is this rough patch due to a small lapse in concentration, but also the number of important absences in the team. You can add Asamoah on to the guys that will be unavailable. No matter how solid Caceres is, he'll never replace Chiellini perfectly. Also, I love Pogba and think he's a great talent, but I don't think he's Marchisio's replacement. He's like Pirlo in the sense that he goes towards the ball to receive it, while Marchisio creates a lot more depth. This is worse for the team also because with Pogba coming closer to the ball as well, it gives less space for Pirlo to play the ball, and he has less options in front of him. I'm starting to think that Pogba and Pirlo take away from each other’s qualities when they play together. Immobile won't be coming to Juve because Preziosi firmly believes that he is necessary for them to avoid relegation. I don't think we were really that set on getting him either, we'd prefer to leave him to develop for another year. I'd be really happy to get Llorente now rather than June, but I realize that we can't spend more than necessary. I wouldn't give up hope though, Bilbao would be foolish to ignore our offer just because of their pride.”Post your comments below, the best will be featured in next week's column. Ale Watch: Keeping Tabs on Alessandro Del Piero Getting used to life at Juventus post-Alessandro Del Piero has certainly been no easy task. Although, for Del Piero fans out there (myself included), we will try to keep you up to date with the ADP's career post-Juventus—after all he was the greatest player to ever step foot in Turin. This week, Del Piero netted four times, yes, four times in a single match as his side Sydney FC demolished Wellington Phoenix 7-1 in the Hyundai A-League. Del Piero was all class as he bagged an assist, slotted home a penalty, hit home a hat trick in the first half and received a standing ovation.Forza Ale.Check out his goals in the attached video! Pogba's Delightful Double Takes Us into Another Week Like we mentioned earlier. Pogba needs to stay. In case you missed his stellar strikes vs Udinese. Check them out here. They are a little something to get you ready for Genoa.Hopefully by this time next week, the Llorente deal is wrapped and Juventus have added a further three points to their Serie A tally.Until next week, leave us your comments, thought and suggestions—in actual fact, pass on your Juventus-related stories too as myself and Gianni are collecting your best for a new segment set to be included in the coming weeks.Forza Juventus and thank you for reading.CiaoAdrian and Gianni. More Juventus From Tracking Juve's Latest News and Rumours Do Juve Need Berardi with Tevez, Llorente? Follow Juventus from B/R on Facebook Follow Juventus from B/R on Facebook and get the latest updates straight to your newsfeed! Juventus Team StreamTM Lessons from Juve's Win at Udinese Juve Set for Summer Conte Contract Talks from ESPNFC.com Juve to Swap Immobile Rights for German Star? from Football-Italia.net Hamburg Rule out Selling Sought-After Starlet from SkySports.com Juventus Newsletter We'd like to send you the most entertaining Juventus articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.

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For Sale: Derek Sanderson Jeter By Hot Stove New York , Senior Writer (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) 366 In professional team sports, the MVP award goes out at the end of the regulated season to the athlete who has embodied elite value to their team A player considered being above all the rest. It is an honor for an individual that is comparable to a team winning a championship—in a sense. The award is based on stats and production that top the rest. This incorporates the obvious, for reasons as the main way to eliminate the list of nominees. However, for me—a fan—it means much more than just that. A player who selflessly plays that game by the rules but is by no means a wimp, nor a loud mouth. He is an athlete who is proud of their sport’s history, as well as the regarded players before him. The MVP is an athlete who discovers it is not his right to be a professional athlete, but a gift that has to be sacred through hard work and dedication. When world athletes meet in the Olympics or the World Baseball Classic—representing their own countries—you get a team of MVP caliber players. The players vote for a captain and if a room full of your own peers—who are the best of the best elect you to be their captain, that speaks more to society than the stats on the score sheet. Anyone will agree that the first lesson taught in gym class is to be a good sport and a team player. It is the fundamentals of displaying sportsmanship. Plenty of MVP awards have gone to athletes like Lebron James—who do not display these fundamental basics. The kind of message that is being sent is one where stats are all that matter. That is the furthest thing from the truth. It is so confusing if a player is the named MVP because they are supposed to be perfect and invaluable to a team. There are perfect examples all around. The game of baseball took a beating that is tough to recover from. The game deserves to get some of its integrity back. With all the PED talk and craziness of a list, baseball is being destroyed one name at a time. This cements why this season’s MVP has to special. A player produces top stats, but also displays what the game of baseball still is. It has to be the story that tops the baseball world by getting everyone to stop and remember why it is America’s pastime. The answer might be the easiest decision to make. Simply, it would be to crown Derek Jeter the MVP...because he deserves it. It sends a message to the kids who idolize baseball players. That you can play fairly, respectfully and courageously—win or lose. Jeter is the template of an MVP and his stats are good enough to be a candidate. The persona that Jeter characterizes so consistently is more valuable to baseball than any RBI or home runs hit. Jeter is the most valuable player this season. He is the Yankees captain, but he is also America’s captain—baseball’s captain. No one represents baseball to the fans, to the players, and to the world more than Jeter does. In addition, the simple reason being is what this athlete is to baseball, because baseball would not be what it is without Jeter.

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NHL Realignment: 5 Bold Predictions for the First Playoffs Under New System By Mark Pare There we have it, folks. The speculating is done, we have ourselves a brand new NHL with this new alignment. There are definitely a lot of losers in this new system, but there are more teams that now have more opportunities to become better franchises.The Stanley Cup Playoffs is seeing a new twist as well as we will go back to what was essentially the four-division alignment with the winners playing each other in the final four.How it works: in each of the four conferences (which I have already named the West, Atlantic, East and Central) the top four teams each season will make the playoffs and will play amongst themselves until one team remains. The final four teams will match up, based on geographical location, with the West and Central winners playing and the East and Atlantic teams playing.Here are some bold predictions for what the first playoffs may shape up to be, followed by a final rundown on where the teams will finish in the new season. Edmonton Oilers Make Playoffs Bruce Bennett/Getty Images The Edmonton Oilers have not seen the playoffs since they fell to the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2006 Stanley Cup Final.The Oilers are young and tough. They are one of the more surprising teams this season, as their core has really come out of their shell and has played some elite level hockey.What more can you say about Ryan Nugent-Hopkins? The kid is already one of the league's best players, and he has the points to prove it. Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle have been stellar as well and when you combine that youthful energy with the veteran instincts of Ryan Smyth and goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin, this team is going places.They have a shot at the playoffs this season.That's a bold statement in itself and when it comes to next season and the new alignment, their chances are way better now that they don't have to contend with the Detroit Red Wings or Chicago Blackhawks for a playoff spot. San Jose Sharks Miss Playoffs Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images The Sharks have been constant playoff contenders and have been touted as Stanley Cup favourites on numerous occasions.The new alignment could go either way for the team. They currently sit at 5-5 against opponents from the Pacific and Northwest division, but something tells me that with Edmonton's resurgence there's going to be one elite team that will take the fall from grace. Sorry to say it, San Jose fans, but the Sharks will not make the 2012-13 postseason.If you find some goaltending that rivals Evgeni Nabokov, then we'll talk about reconsidering this one. Minnesota Wild Take 1st in Conference Harry How/Getty Images Something must have gotten into the drinking water in Minnesota because the Wild are just playing excellent hockey.Minnesota will be in a conference made up of teams from the Central and Northwest division, as well as the Winnipeg Jets.So far, the Wild are 13-2-2 against Central or Northwestern opponents, and that dominance is only going to become greater, in my opinion.Their new coach, Mike Yeo, is making this team better behind the bench and it goes out to the product on the ice, with captain Mikko Koivu and Dany Heatley, who has a lot more spotlight on him than he did crammed between Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau in San Jose.I guess I have a soft spot for the Wild coach, as he is from the same city that I currently live in (North Bay, ON), but considering the improvement on the ice and their place in the standings, the Wild are only going to get better, and to that point, in one year's time, who knows where they will be?I predict that they will be the first "Central" Conference champions in the 2012-13 season. Vancouver Canucks Win Stanley Cup Rich Lam/Getty Images Hopefully, I am right on this one because I'd rather not see any of those riots anymore.The Vancouver Canucks are 8-3 against the Northwest and Pacific divisions. They will be in tough against teams like the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks but when it comes down to it, the Canucks know how to get it done against the Western Conference when the games matter.Something tells me that they will learn from their mistakes from last season and use this season as a measuring stick on where they want to be in a year. They are Cup contenders this year, but the talents of the Sedin brothers and the goaltending duo of Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider have really been taking hits in the media lately.That's not to say that they pay attention to a lot of that stuff but they can't ignore the fact that they, as well as the rest of the team, need to get better to be in the position they were last season.If they can have another deep playoff run, then in my opinion, the Vancouver Canucks will be lifting the Stanley Cup at the end of next season. The Final Four Will Be... Frederick Breedon/Getty Images The Vancouver Canucks, Nashville Predators, Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals.Yes, it's hard to even fathom at this point of time, but the fact is all these teams could have a legitimate shot at the Stanley Cup next season.Vancouver is always in the mix, Nashville has proven to be an elite performer as of late, winning their first series last season but has some catching up to do this year.The Leafs have been sensational, contending for the Northeast division lead, something unheard of a year ago, and the Capitals are another team that have the talent but, no offense to Bruce Boudreau, needed a fresh eye on the bench in Dale Hunter.The predictions of next season's standings are on the next slide, but when all is said and done, this is my prediction for the final four. Some teams have been there recently, some, it's been a while, and still some, never before. But in a new NHL, anything and everything is possible. Final 2012-13 Standings Western Conference (A) Vancouver Canucks Los Angeles Kings Edmonton Oilers Anaheim Ducks San Jose Sharks Phoenix Coyotes Calgary Flames Colorado Avalanche Central Conference (B) Minnesota Wild Detroit Red Wings Chicago Blackhawks Nashville Predators Dallas Stars Columbus Blue Jackets St. Louis Blues Winnipeg Jets (new conference, have to get used to playing a tougher conference on a regular basis) Eastern Conference (C) Boston Bruins Toronto Maple Leafs Montreal Canadiens Buffalo Sabres Tampa Bay Lightning Florida Panthers Ottawa Senators Atlantic Conference (D) Pittsburgh Penguins Philadelphia Flyers Washington Capitals New York Rangers New Jersey Devils New York Islanders Carolina Hurricanes What do you think? Mark Pare is a Toronto Maple Leafs Featured Columnist. You can follow him on Twitter and don't forget to check out his sportswriter page.

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A Brief Angels and Dodgers FAQ Before the 2011 Freeway Series Continues at the Big A Today marks the beginning of the final stretch of Interleague play this season. Love it or hate it, you learn a lot about the baseball cultures and traditions of teams from the other league during Interleague and knowledge is never a wasted thing. To that end, before the Angels and Dodgers take the field at the Big A this evening for the second half of the Freeway Series, I thought I would use my bi-baseball-cultural heritage (Dodgers fan childhood, Angels fan adulthood) to answer a few questions and clear up a few misconceptions about our two team’s shared histories in Southern California for the benefit of both fan bases. First things’ first: This is not a Dodgers cap. And I don’t just mean this statement in the Magritte sense. This really is not a Dodgers cap, nor is it an “Angels Dodgers-look-alike” cap as some have called it. This is a replica of the original Angels cap, featuring our original interlocked L and A logo and a halo stitched into the top, a reminder of an era when, for better or worse, baseball uniforms were often a little more literal than they are today. Remember the nautical motif on the 1970s era Pittsburg Pirates cap and on short-lived Seattle Pilots caps and stirrup socks? So, is it an ugly cap? Well, everyone is entitled to their opinion of course. I tend to think it’s so ugly, it’s completely awesome! But then again, you may have glanced around my blog and noted my subtle little bias. Wait a minute! The Angels’ original logo was an interlocked L and A? What have the Angels ever had to do with Los Angeles and why were they copying the Dodgers? I have heard variations on this one from both sides of the fan divide as well. The Angels have played at the Big A in Anaheim since the 1966 season…but, from 1961 until 1966 they played in Los Angeles. Yes, Los Angeles. The first year at Los Angeles’ Wrigley Field and for the next four years at – if you’re one of the folks who didn’t know this already, this is going to trip you out even more than the concept of a Wrigley Field in Los Angeles – at Dodger Stadium. No, Angels fans, it wasn’t our field first. It was always the Dodgers’ field. We just sort of couched surfed there for four seasons until we became established in our career and were able find our own digs. And, really, can you get any more Los Angeles than that? There were occasional issues between the Dodgers and Angels in those years, but they were merely baseball variations on the sort of small slights and annoyances known to housemates of convenience the world over. Hey, I’ll bet the Angels were much better housemates than a former housemate of mine, who shall forever be remembered in my circle of friends as the girl who actually said, with real annoyance in her voice and not the slightest trace of humor, I might add, “But I paid you rent last month.” Okay, so the Angels do have a tie to Los Angeles, but what about that logo? The interlocked L and A isn’t a copy of the Dodgers logo. It was intended as a nod to the minor league Los Angeles Angels who were the first team to use an interlocked L and A logo and played at Los Angeles Wrigley Field in several incarnations for decades before the Dodgers moved to California. I suppose that one could argue that the Dodgers copied the logo from the minor league Angels, but it’s a little more complicated than that. O’Malley had bought the minor league Angels and moved the team to Spokane when the Dodgers moved out west. If I am reading the meandering history of this particular minor league franchise correctly, the original Los Angeles Angels turned Spokane Indians went through several more incarnations and are now the Tucson Padres. Regardless, it was too cool a logo to remain unused, so I commend the Dodgers for keeping it alive. Bet the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim doesn’t sound so silly now does it? …Okay, actually, it still does. Terribly so. Really. Which brings me to our final question: Okay, so what about that crazy name, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim? Well, if you were to tell me, biased though I am, that this mouthful of a name is kind of stupid, I would be inclined to agree with you. After all, we don’t refer to the A’s as the Philadelphia Athletics of Oakland by way of Kansas City, now do we? Once the Angels moved out of Los Angeles, the California Angels was my favorite name, though I liked the Anaheim Angels well enough too. Throwing in the Los Angeles was silly in my opinion, and the reason given for doing it – associating the team with a larger market – was even sillier. As we just discussed, the Angels have a legitimate historic tie to Los Angeles, and I for one am going to wear my awesomely ugly haloed LA hat with pride, but legitimacy doesn’t make the current name any less silly. This concludes our brief, and hopefully entertaining, Angels and Dodgers history lesson. The game is about to begin. So go forth to the ballpark or get thee to the pub and enjoy one another’s company in spirited rivalry, safe in the knowledge that your heckling can now be every bit as accurate and knowledgeable as it is biting and sarcastic. And may the best Angels team win!!! Hey, my baseball heritage may be “bi-partisan’ but my adult loyalties are anything but. Filed in: Just a Bit Outside (Humor, Sarcasm and/or Whimsy) Tags: Angels, Baseball Caps, being a fan, Dodgers, Freeway Series, history, humor, Interleague, Logos, Minor Leagues, the Big A 14 Comments I knew most of that, but had no idea that the former minor league Angels were now the Tucson Padres. The “first year” Tucson team takes the place of the Sidewinders, who now play in Reno. It’s amusing that you and I have gone opposite directions as we’ve grown. It was about the time Christopher Lloyd and Tony Danza were associated with the franchise that I thought that greener grass was grown elsewhere. Salmon, Finley, and company lost a little intimidation when people started flapping their arms in the upper ring. Without a doubt, this is the darkest time in Chavez Ravine history. It’s tempting to start looking elsewhere. I’m thinking maybe it’s time to pledge allegiance to the minor leagues. If you haven’t been, the O.C. Flyers return next year. You also have the R.C. Quakes. Meanwhile, best of luck this weekend. By Andrew on July 1, 2011 9:27 pm - Reply Hi Andy – Thanks for dropping by my blog and commenting! I figured you knew most of this as would many of my regular commenters, but a lot of Dodgers and Angels fans don’t know and I think the shared history is a lot of fun. Yeah, the L.A. Angels became a Dodgers affiliate as the Spokane Indians and then later after a few more moves the Portland Beavers which are now the Tucson Padres. I’ll have to read more about it. I love the convoluted nature of minor league histories. I would have lost respect for Disney imitating arm flapping fans too but I was rooting blue in those days. I wouldn’t give up on your Dodgers for good. Enjoy a long minor league vacation and hopefully things will clear up in a few years. By This is a very simple game... on July 2, 2011 12:43 pm - Reply As a MiLB junkie, I was aware of the most successfull team in Minor League history…the Los Angeles Angels. I agree that the ‘California’ Angels moniker is the best, and my favorite. Probably because that’s what they were called when I was a kid. By Michael David on July 1, 2011 11:04 pm - Reply Mike – I’m sure you could probably tell me lots of the history of the old PCL league I don’t even know – Los Angeles Angels, Hollywood Stars – I learned just enough from my grandpa to be intrigued enough to read a little more. Thanks for the lesson! Having once lived in L.A., I found the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim moniker completely moronic. I don’t know how many times I had to tell people the Halos weren’t even in L.A. County. Second, I like those hats because they’re so ugly… and stupid. The other night on MLBN, Harold Reynolds (not the sharpest tool) said, “Hey, what’s on their hats. They got some weird thing on their hats.” The explanation was given to him but he was still having a hard time understanding that it was a halo. Perhaps the man doesn’t know what a halo is. (I wouldn’t be surprised.) And finally, the interlocking “L.A.” has become just as badass as the interlocking “N.Y.” and of course, the interlocking “S.T.L.” (the interlocking “S.F.” ain’t too shabby either). By Red State Blue State on July 3, 2011 12:04 pm - Reply Jeff – Exactly, they’re so ugly they’re awesome! Wow, not the sharpest tool indeed. I wonder how confused he gets when folks refer to the Angels as the Halos. By This is a very simple game... on July 3, 2011 8:19 pm - Reply Great post. I was watching the game Friday night and the wife says, “What’s with the hats?” I tell her about them like it was something I always knew ;). By WrigleyRegular on July 3, 2011 2:53 pm - Reply Russel – Thanks! And the story about your wife’s question made me laugh. Always pleased to be of service. :) I kind of like the hat too. But then again I’m always one from throw backs, no matter how weird they look. I had no idea the history behind the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim name, I just thought it was the Angels trying to get Anaheim fans and L.A. fans. Personally I like the Anaheim Angels best. California Angels is odd because they are by no means the only team in Cali. http://bluejaysnest.mlblogs.com/ By mlblogsbluejaysnest on July 4, 2011 2:35 pm - Reply Bluejaysnest – That’s part of why I like the hat too. Throwbacks are awesome! My understanding is that the market reason is why the front office chose to add L.A. to the name this time around, but the team does have legitimate historical to L.A. which keeps it from being as ridiculous as it could be…though it’s still pretty silly. I always figured they chose the California Angels because at the time, the Angels were the only baseball team born in California. The Dodgers, A’s and Giants all moved to California and the Padres didn’t come into existance until 1969. The one thing I always had an Issue with was the name. I understand they’re trying to take advantage of the Los Angeles Market but I do think the Media is the blame thinking Los Angeles has two Baseball teams in my honest opinion By Matthew on March 26, 2012 6:44 pm - Reply Thank you for dropping by my blog and commenting, Matthew. You know, honestly, I don’t like having L.A. back in the name either. The Angels were originally from Los Angeles, so the team does have a right to use the name, but that doesn’t mean they should use it. They aren’t in L.A. anymore and it just sounds really silly. I’d prefer to see the Angels go back to being the California Angels or even the Anaheim Angels and just whip the old L.A. unis out for special games, much like the Dodgers wear the Brooklyn unis for flashback games. By This is a very simple game... on March 26, 2012 10:28 pm - Reply check the logo used buy los angeles high school baseball (circa 1938, maybe earlier too) and note the logo is identical to the hat shown above (the double bar style). so its roots are deeper than the minor league teams…just adding to the mix. (go blue!) By mark hollander on June 12, 2012 10:45 am - Reply I did not know that, Mark! Too cool! I love trivia like this. Now I know that, as far as its relationship to the Angels, the interlocked L and A goes way back with the minor league Angels in the old PCL League but I don’t know to what year and it went through a couple of different mutations. I wonder which came frist, the high school logo or the minor league logo? Either way, cool story. By This is a very simple game... on June 14, 2012 5:09 pm - Reply

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with sports reporters Daryl Van Schouwen and Chris De Luca Spring Camp - Day 1 By Joe Cowley on February 15, 2009 4:58 PM GLENDALE, Ariz. - The only thing missing Sunday was White Sox general manager Ken Williams pounding a piece of firewood on the ground, chanting "It just doesn't matter ... it just doesn't matter ... '' Who could blame him? Across the lake from the Sox facility, wearing all their glorious white and blue, were the Dodgers. Joe Torre, a throng of media waiting for the Manny Ramirez signing, Camp Mohawk in every way. On the other side of the lake? The Sox. Camp North Star. The defending Central Division champs that are again being disrespected by the prognosticators as nothing more than a fourth-place team in many cases. "Have we ever not been?'' catcher A.J. Pierzynski remarked, when asked about the so-called experts predicting their downfall. "The one year, in 2006, after we won the World Series [we were favorites]. We are always picked to finish last - that's the way it is. We understand that. "We have to go out and play the best we can and try to do everything we can. If it works, it works. If not, then we will still give it everything we have and try to make this as fun of a season for everyone as we can. We know one thing about the White Sox--we are going to go out and give it everything we have and play as hard as we can.'' Other observations from Day 1 --Not only is Jose Contreras 30 pounds lighter, but looks to be 10 years younger - making him now appear to be 40. The right-hander wasn't expected back from his ruptured Achilles tendon until July or August, but now has May or June on his radar. --Mark Buehrle will once again be on a lighter work schedule, getting starts off this spring so that the veteran can be ready for the regular season. The club did this with Buehrle last year, and it paid off. He and his wife are expecting the birth of their daughter within the next three weeks, so the left-hander will be getting some time off anyway. --Pierzynski is still awaiting word on if he will be playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. --Carlos Quentin, Josh Fields, Jermaine Dye and Jim Thome were all in camp five days early to check out the facility and get some batting practice in. --Quote of the day - "I think they got him so I wouldn't' be the fattest pitcher on the staff." - Buehrle on the Bartolo Colon signing. Welsome to the west valley. Love the sarcasm. Very befitting for Sox fans. We're all b--busters. Forget Nate Silver. we''l win 84 games. Nate's a well known Cub fan.

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July 12/13 14:43 pm - Tour of Alberta Announces Final Team SelectionPosted by Editoress on 07/12/13 The 15 teams that will make up the roster of the Canada's first major pro cycling stage event - the Tour of Alberta - have been confirmed and fans will see some of the world's top teams and cyclists competing on the 900-kilometre route, September 3rd to 8th.Completing the roster of the 15 teams slated to compete in September, five additional teams have been confirmed, including the Canadian National Team, comprised of top Canadian talent, and managed by former elite Canadian cyclist Gord Fraser. The other four teams are: U.S. Pro Continental UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team, and U.S. Continental teams Jelly Belly presented by Kenda, Bissell Pro Cycling, and 5-Hour Energy presented by Kenda Racing Team.UnitedHealthcare is one of the world's top Pro Continental teams and features top sprinter Jacob Keough, as well as climbers Philip Deignan of Ireland and Mac de Maar of Curacao, a stage winner at this year's Tour of Beauce. Jelly Belly p/b Kenda features current U.S. National Champion Fred Rodriguez, who is the only American to win four national championships in the road race. 5-Hour Energy p/b Kenda features Spain's Francisco Mancebo, three times a top 10 finisher in the Tour de France, and rising American talents like Nathan English and Max Jenkins. The Bissell Pro Cycling team features former U.S. National Time Trial Champion Chris Baldwin, New Zealand's former Time Trial champion Jeremy Vennell, Jason McCartney, a winner of the Tour of Spain, as well as up and comer Carter Jones, the King of the Mountain jersey winner at the 2013 Amgen Tour of California.Earlier this month, Tour of Alberta organizers confirmed Australia's Orica-GreenEDGE as the sixth Pro Team competing in the inaugural year of the Tour of Alberta. Orica-GreenEDGE is having successful start to the Tour de France, which is currently underway, with rider Simon Gerrans winning Stage 3, the team winning the team time trial on the fourth day of the event, and Gerrans and Daryl Impey then wearing the yellow leader jersey for a total of four days of the race."For a first-year event, we are extremely pleased with the response from the cycling community that enabled us to assemble a world-class field of athletes," said Duane Vienneau, the Tour of Alberta's Executive Director. "We are very excited to have a Canadian National Team competing in Canada's first major race of its kind, and I think we can pretty much guarantee there will be many world and national champions, as well as heroes from the major races around the world racing on Alberta roads this September."With the final teams confirmed, the full roster of teams for the Tour of Alberta includes:WorldTour Teams:• Team Argos-Shimano (Netherlands)• Belkin Pro Cycling Team (Netherlands)• BMC Racing Team (USA)• Cannondale Pro Cycling (Italy)• Team Garmin-Sharp (USA)• Orica GreenEDGE (Australia)Pro Continental Teams:• Champion System Pro Cycling Team (China)• UnitedHealthCare Pro Cycling Team (USA)Continental Teams:• Bissell Pro Cycling (USA)• Canadian National Team (Canada)• 5-Hour Energy p/b Kenda Racing Team (USA)• Equipe Garneau-Quebecor (Canada)• Jelly Belly p/b Kenda Racing Team (USA)• Optum Pro Cycling p/b Kelly Benefits Strategies (USA)• Team SmartStop p/b Mountain Khakis (USA)Eight riders from each team will compete in the Tour of Alberta. The final roster of cyclists for each team will be announced in August.More information on the Tour of Alberta can be found at www.tourofalberta.ca. Press release Return to Canadian Cyclist homepage | Back to Top

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Four-star QB remains committed to Auburn — as long as Chizik stays Posted by John Taylor on November 9, 2012, 7:31 PM EDT The will he/won’t he when it comes to Gene Chizik‘s return as Auburn’s head coach in 2013 took a decidedly downward turn this week with a report that AU’s president has already began “making plans for possibly replacing” Chizik. If the speculation is correct, and Chizik is indeed out as the Tigers’ coach at season’s end, the football program could also be out a highly-rated recruit as well. Back in May, Montgomery (Ala.) Carver High School Jeremy Johnson, a four-star recruit rated as the No. 10 pro-style quarterback in the Class of 2013, verbally committed to Auburn over the likes of, among others, LSU, Mississippi State and Ole Miss. On his Twitter account Friday afternoon, Johnson reaffirmed his commitment to the Tigers… provided “coach chiz” returns as head coach at AU in 2013. “I’m committed to auburn and coach chiz if he get fired then I’m gone he has no reason to get fired he not out there playing,” Johnson firmly if not-so-eloquently stated in the tweet. “[E]verybody goes through a building stage and that’s what it is next year,” Johnson added in a subsequent tweet, referencing a coach who won a BcS title in 2010 and shouldn’t be in any type of building stage — rebuilding or otherwise — two years later. Especially one whose grabbed recruiting classes rated 10th (2012), seventh (2011) and fourth (2010) the past three years, with 2013′s class rated ninth. Procuring talent is not Chizik’s problem, though. Getting that talent to perform at acceptable levels when Cam Newton is unavailable, however, has proven elusive and will likely be his downfall on The Plains. (Tip O’ the Cap: Opelika-Auburn News) (Photo credit: Carver High) 12 Comments Latest Stories in: Auburn Tigers, Rumor Mill, Southeastern Conference, Top Posts Posted by Kevin McGuire on April 17, 2014, 2:30 PM EDT Kansas head coach Charlie Weis has named his starting quarterback for the Jayhawks in 2014. That task will belong to sophomore Montell Cozart, who will look to turn around the production at the quarterback position. Cozart is coming off an admirable spring game performance, completing six of 10 pass attempts for 58 yards, and rushing for 70 more yards and a pair of touchdowns while leading his spring team to victory. He beat out Jake Heaps and T.J. Millweard for the job. Cozart may have been the most likely starter for 2014 because he replaced Heaps under center last season. How high is the bar of success for Kansas? Each of the past two seasons have ended with the top two quarterbacks on the roster completing fewer than 50 percent of their passes and combining for 25 interceptions to just 15 touchdowns. It may be safe to say the bar is quite low, or perhaps there is plenty of room for improvement. Weis initially wanted to keep the quarterback competition open leading up closer to the fall, but it seems he has seen enough. This could come in handy, as now Weis and his offensive assistants can start planning to build an offense Cozart will be best suited to lead, which should give players more time to be ready for whatever the coaches put together. Hey, why not take an optimistic spin where you can?

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Buz & Tech Tennis & Golf Cultural Bridge Heritage & Art Life & City Talk Sina Speed lovers swarm to Houston for Grand Prix HOUSTON, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of race fans swarmed Friday to the U.S. city Houston's downtown to enjoy a three-day Grand Prix which features IndyCar Series races and several other series of auto races. The Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston got rumbling Friday at 10:30 a.m.CST, when IZOD IndyCar Series drivers took to the 2.7-km street track at Reliant Park for their first practice session, scheduled to run until noon, according to Houston Business Journal's website. IndyCars are capable of speeds up to 368 kmph. Tops speeds of approximately 288 kmph are expected at Reliant Park. The weekend's two IndyCar Series races, both of which will be nationally televised, are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. Houston is one of three cities this season, along with Toronto and Detroit, to have been awarded a double-header. With just one race left after Houston - next weekend in Fontana, California - three-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves, currently the points leader, could all but wrap up a championship with a strong showing in the Bayou City. Another former Indy 500 champion, Houston-born racing legend A.J. Foyt - one of two drivers in history, along with Mario Andretti, to win both the Indy 500 and the Daytona 500 - will have have a major presence at Reliant Park. While the IZOD IndyCar Series races are the weekend's headliners, there will be a bunch more going on at Reliant Park - including ten other races, representing six other series. Fans can enjoy the Festival of Speed including live music, food and merchandising vendors, and nonstop entertainment for the entire family in the Family Fun Zone. The Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston is an annual auto race on the IndyCar Series circuit. It was held in a street circuit located in downtown Houston for four years, then returned after a four year hiatus for two years on a course laid out in the parking lot of the Reliant Park complex. The last race was held on April 22, 2007. | PRINT | RSS Please read our Terms of Service. Messages that harass, abuse or threaten others; have obscene or otherwise objectionable content; have spam, commercial or advertising content or links may be removed. SINA English is the English-language destination for news and information about China. Find general information on life, culture and travel in China through our news and special reports or find business partners through our online Business Directory. For investment opportunities with SINA, please click the link "Investor" below.

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Venus has ranking to make Olympics Three-time gold medalist Venus Williams has the ranking she needs to become a four-time Olympian.Williams climbed to 47th Monday in the WTA rankings, which determine who qualifies for the Olympics. The top 56 singles players are automatically accepted, with a maximum of four per country, and Williams is third among U.S. women behind her sister Serena (fifth overall) and Christina McHale (29th).[+] EnlargePascal Guyot/AFP/Getty ImagesWith her WTA ranking of No. 47, Venus Williams qualifies for inclusion on the U.S. team at the 2012 London Games.The fourth American in women's singles is expected to be Varvara Lepchenko, an Uzbekistan native who became a U.S. citizen in September. She's ranked 52nd to edge out Sloane Stephens, ranked 57th, and Vania King, ranked 59th. Because of injuries and players declining to take part, the cutoff for making the Olympics has traditionally been in the high 60s.McHale and Lepchenko would be first-time Olympians.The USTA now awaits official invitations for its top players from the ITF. The ITF has yet to rule whether the Williams sisters and Lepchenko made themselves available for enough Fed Cup matches to be Olympic-eligible, but approval is anticipated this month.The men's team is expected to include John Isner (10th in the ATP Tour rankings), Andy Roddick (32nd), and two first-time Olympians, Donald Young (48th) and Ryan Harrison (52nd). Mardy Fish, the silver medalist in 2004, is ranked 12th but has said he'll skip the Olympics.In doubles, the U.S. team is expected to include third-ranked Bob and Mike Bryan and top-ranked Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond. The men and women will each have one other doubles team, with the contestants chosen from those competing in singles.The United States also expects to field two teams in mixed doubles, an event returning to the Olympics after an 88-year absence. Those teams will be determined after competition in the other events begins.Venus Williams' ranking fell to 134th when she was idle for months after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. Setting the Olympics as her No. 1 goal for 2012, she played clay tournaments for the first time in two years and improved her ranking sufficiently, even though she lost in the second round at the French Open two weeks ago.Williams won the gold medal in singles at the 2000 Games, and won a gold in doubles with her sister at the 2000 and 2008 Games."The Olympics is just the ultimate in sports," she said at the French Open. "I grew up watching those documentaries. My dad had us watch those. It was his dream for us to play there. Once I got a taste of it, it was just amazing. Every time I leave the Olympics, I go through withdrawals. It's the pinnacle of sports. I love it there."Olympic tennis will be played at Wimbledon on July 28-Aug. 5.Novak Djokovic remained ranked No. 1 despite losing the rain-interrupted French Open final Monday to Rafael Nadal, who won the tournament for a record seventh time. With his victory, Nadal remained No. 2 instead of dropping to third behind Roger Federer.Maria Sharapova, who won the women's title Saturday to complete a career Grand Slam, returned to the No. 1 ranking Monday for the first time since June 2008. Runner-up Sara Errani climbed to a career-high 10th.Copyright 2012 by The Associated PressRecommend0

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Muehl Tuesday, April 26, 2011 JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (April 26, 2011) �" ETSU senior Nina Muehl (Vienna, Austria) is not yet finished playing golf for East Tennessee State University. Muehl was informed Monday that she has received an at-large bid to compete individually in the NCAA Central Regional, which will be played May 5-7 at Notre Dame’s Warren Golf Course. Muehl will be looking to repeat her performance from a year ago, when she finished fourth in the NCAA East Regional and advanced to the NCAA National Championship. “I’m so excited to get another chance to represent ETSU at regional,” Muehl said. “We were really close again this year to winning conference and making it as a team, which would have been a great way to finish my college career. However, I’m looking forward to playing because I really want to have a strong finish and represent the Bucs well.” A year ago, Muehl began her NCAA experience in record fashion, carding an 8-under-par 64 in the first round of the East Regional �" which set a new school mark and ranked as the lowest single round score for any player in the nation last season. This year, Muehl has once again led the Buccaneers. She posted a team-best stroke average of 74.7 while also enjoying three Top 5 finishes during the spring season, including a first place showing at the Sir Pizza Cards Challenge. In all, Muehl has spent her past three seasons in Johnson City setting multiple school records. It was her strong play during the spring and her impressive performances last season that likely helped lead to her selection this year. For more on Muehl and ETSU women’s golf, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the women’s golf link.

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Mrs Viviane Reding Member of the European Commission responsible for Education and Culture Protection of young sportsmen and doping problems : a European answer is required Opening ceremony of the ninth European Sports Forum Lille, 26 October 2000 Mrs Viviane Reding Member of the European Commission responsible for Education and Culture Protection of young sportsmen and doping problems : a European answer is required Opening ceremony of the ninth European Sports Forum Lille, 26 October 2000 Madam Minister, Mr Mayor, This is my first experience of the European Sports Forum, and it is an important one for me. Since 1991, the Forum has given us an ideal opportunity to discuss matters, exchange ideas and consolidate the links between the Community and the world of sport. And so that there is no room for doubt, let me stress once again that dialogue is the basis for all my work on sport. It is clear that a very great deal of work has been done since the last Forum in Salzburg. That does not mean to say that the problems have disappeared quite the contrary. Entirely new problems and very important questions have been put to the Commission. The point is, though, that this avalanche of work, far from demotivating us, has in fact prompted us to seek the most appropriate ways of reconciling the needs of sport and compliance with Community law. I am particularly pleased that my first Forum is being held in Lille. This is a part of France which has been badly affected by the economic crisis, but which quickly came to realise that sport over and above the purely economic aspect is an excellent means of advancing social integration and giving people a taste for pushing themselves and showing that they can surpass themselves. This sporting spirit that you have cultivated has undoubtedly helped to create new perspectives and accelerate the modernisation of your city and the whole region. I know that you are very keen on one day hosting one of the world's great sporting events. Given your great commitment to sport, I am sure that this opportunity will come along sooner rather than later. Madam Minister, Madam Chairman, I am also very pleased that my first Forum is taking place under the French Presidency which, right from the outset, has shown a particular commitment to sport-related issues. The Commission greatly appreciates the impetus you have given to work in this sector. France has set itself ambitious aims for sport, and I hope your efforts will bear fruit. For our part, we hope that the Forum will give us the chance to listen to all sides and see what ideas everyone has. The conclusions will be discussed at the next ministerial meeting in Paris and, Madam Chairman, will give you the chance to consider in more detail what should be in the proposals for the Nice European Council. That will be the Presidency's and the Commission's response to the invitation set out in the declaration on sport appended to the Amsterdam Treaty. Allow me to thank you, Madam Chairman, in a personal capacity for your unswerving commitment to ensuring that sport is clean, true to its own values, but capable of developing and accommodating a changing economic and social situation. Ladies and gentlemen from the world of sport, It is up to you to do the real work. The success of the Forum will depend on the quality of your discussions and ideas. This will be a different sort of Forum. To enable you to take a more active part in its work, we have decided on a system of working parties, the idea being to structure our discussions more effectively and to make it easier to draw conclusions. This is the Commission's response to the call for dialogue as set out in the Amsterdam declaration. I am delighted to welcome the three people who will be chairing the working parties and thank them for agreeing to taking part: Mrs Zabell, who is a Member of the European Parliament, who is Parliament's rapporteur on the problem of doping in sport, and who is the winner of two Olympic gold medals. Then we have Mr Marneffe, who takes a special interest in all questions to do with young people and I would add that I also intend to report back to the Council of Ministers for Youth on 9 November and present our conclusions there. Finally, I welcome Mr Johansson, who is representing the Swedish government, and whose country will be taking over the EU Presidency from next January. It will be up to Sweden, then, to develop some of the ideas we shall be discussing here. Why these three subjects the uniqueness of sport, the campaign against doping, and the need to protect young sportsmen and women? I do not think there is any need for me to explain the importance of defining what makes sport so unique. If we cannot do that, there is little chance of our making progress. Without wishing to anticipate your work, I would say that the specific nature of sport lies in the nature of sporting competition, on the one hand, and on its multifunctional aspect, on the other. Alongside the steadily growing economic dimension, sport continues to fulfil a social function. As a result, it needs to preserve the internal cohesion of competitions, maintain solidarity between the different levels of sporting activity, and ensure that it fulfils its social tasks. That is why, as the Court of Justice has recognised, it needs a certain degree of autonomy in setting its own rules and deciding on its own organisational structures. This is something that the public authorities need to bear in mind. I do not believe in, and I will not support, a two-speed structure for sport one level which is wealthy and self-sufficient, and another which is impoverished and dependent on public support. But neither do I believe in uniform solutions for all federal organisations. When you share a home, you still need a room of your own and the space to grow and be yourself. What we need, then, are sports structures which are capable of imagination and of growing and changing. And that in turn means having a stable legal environment, both nationally and at European level. It also requires a more generous spirit on the part of officials, who have to be open to new management cultures. On the doping front, we have won a first battle at the Sydney Olympics. This is something I am pleased about. The image of a clean Games played a part in the overall success of the event and shows how important it is for the world of sport and the authorities to set about tackling this scourge together. Setting up the World Anti-Doping Agency is a concrete expression of our resolve. The important thing now is to take our work a stage further, ensuring that a European city is selected as the definitive home of the Agency, and giving the Agency the funding it needs to operate independently. I believe that we should set ourselves ambitious targets in terms of combating the doping problem. What I would propose to you is to encourage European sport to achieve zero doping by the Athens Olympics in 2004, the year in which the Games go back to their roots. To enable us to achieve this target, and in parallel with enforcement-type measures, I believe we must improve coordination in the field of research, educate and train all our citizens, and focus more clearly on the real causes why athletes and their entourages use illicit substances. Talking of doping in sport brings me on to the third subject of the Forum's work how to protect young top-level sportsmen and women. I would like first of all to state quite unequivocally that we need to encourage young people to go in for sport. We can never do enough in that respect. But on the question of really top-level competition with a starting age of 11 and a half in general, and eight and a half for swimmers the important thing is that sports organisations and public authorities should see to it that the very best conditions apply. What this means is that there must be guarantees concerning the health and protection of young people, and proper procedures for easing them back into working life at the end of their sporting careers. We also have to keep an eye on sporting conditions and working conditions. I firmly believe that the problem is not such that we need to go beyond recommendations or encouraging words, but at the same time we have to keep a watch on a situation which may well worsen. I should like to draw your attention to the particular problem of trafficking I believe there is no other word for it in young people from Africa and Latin America. This is an issue which French television has reminded us of again recently. It is a problem which concerns all of us. I deplore the attitude of certain officials who merely refer the problem back to the public authorities. It is all very well to insist on one's rights, but we have to honour our commitments too. The European Union cannot afford to sit back and watch, and it is my intention to address this problem and look for joint solutions in the near future with my Commission colleagues responsible for external policy and justice and home affairs. Finally, we have organised, for tomorrow morning, a workshop on television rights sales and the impact of the Internet. I think these are burning issues which lie at the heart of many of our current questions. Getting sport in Europe to develop in the way we want will depend on striking the right balance between the autonomy of sport and the influence of television. Two experts representing the public and the private views of the media will be giving us their views on this emotive issue a key issue if we are to properly understand the way sport is changing and becoming rapidly commercialised, and if we are to be aware of the problems we face. Sports organisations can also take an active part in using the new technologies. Since one of my jobs in the European Commission is education policy, I attach particular importance to the way the new technologies are spread and the way they are introduced into schools albeit always against a much broader backdrop, bearing in mind the whole of the social fabric. A Commission expert will be telling you how sports organisations can help to boost people's awareness of the new technologies in Europe. After all, you represent a third of the population of Europe, and more than 600 000 sports clubs. Just imagine your potential as a network for acquiring and using these new instruments of communication! Well, I have set out my stall of desiderata, and sketched out a few possible approaches. You have a heavy schedule, and you will have to stick to it. The time has come, then, for you to take over the baton and put some flesh on the broad lines I have just been indicating. The Presidency and the Commission await your suggestions with great interest. It just remains for me, ladies and gentlemen, to declare the ninth European Sports Forum open.

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Big Ten coaches approve of new NCAA penalty system In case you missed it, the NCAA approved of a new penalty structure earlier this week. In a nutshell, the NCAA has dumped its major and secondary-violation system in favor of a new four-level grouping and, most importantly, holding a head coach accountable for violations committed by an assistant. See the original reporting from USA Today and our write-up about the bylaw changes. Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated does a good job of explaining everything in layman's terms here. Several Big Ten coaches gave their thoughts on the rules changes to the Chicago Tribune. "Throughout history," Ohio State's Urban Meyer said, "the only way to keep civilization and to keep things in order is to have very strong rules and enforce them." "The way coaches act when they are on the road (recruiting) is a direct reflection of the head coach," Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald said. "At the end of the day, the buck stops with the head coach. "It's been frustrating for a lot of coaches trying to do it the right way," Wisconsin's Bret Bielema said. The NCAA's changes were well received, but it always helps to have the endorsement of some of the biggest names in college football. Author: Zach Barnett Follow @Zach_Barnett

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For All The Marbles… Friend or Foe?… Unfortunately, when Cliff Lee faces CC Sabathia on Wednesday night, they’ll have to put their close friendship aside and wage a battle of Champions. Lee and Sabathia were teammates in Cleveland and are very close. When the new Yankee Stadium opened on April 16th, the winning pitcher was Lee in a matchup against Sabathia. On that day, Sabathia struggled with his command and was gone long before the bullpen imploded by allowing 9 runs in the 7th inning. Lee wiggled in and out of trouble but avoided any damage in the 9-2 victory by the Cleveland Indians. Jose Veras (remember him?) was the loser, so there are no chances of a repeat performance by the same guys. But note to Joe Girardi, stay away from Damaso Marte…far away! Jason Szenes/EPA So, Cliff Lee gets the honor of being the starting pitcher for the opposing team in the new Yankee Stadium for both the first regular season and first World Series. This will definitely be a future trivia question on Julia‘s website! This will be a very tough World Series. The Philadelphia Phillies have a very strong rotation, led by mid-season acquisition Lee. The staff also features former Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez, last year’s ace performer Cole Hamels, and former A’s pitcher Joe Blanton. And, oh yeah, there’s a young guy in the pen who’s not too bad, J.A. Happ. So, clearly, the Phillies are loaded with starting pitching and long relief. Fortunately, the bullpen is vulnerable so they do have an Achilles heel. The bats, up and down the lineup, are strong. I like the way you can mention Jimmy Rollins as an after-thought…um, not really. That’s scary to think that if you managed to get by Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, you still have guys like Rollins, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, Raul Ibanez, and others ready to do damage. There aren’t really any weaknesses in the lineup, and if the Yankees had trouble trying to get the Angels’ Jeff Mathis out… The Yankees will see former adversary Pedro Martinez in Game 2. The decision apparently came about given the history that Martinez has in New York against the Yankees, whereas Cole Hamels, the Game 3 starter, has been better at home this year. Still, at the beginning of the year, I never dreamed that Pedro would be starting the second game of the World Series…of course, I sure that he didn’t either. Nevertheless, this is no longer Pedro in his prime, but the question will be which A.J. Burnett shows up. Hopefully, we’ll have a classic pitcher’s duel, with the game decided in late inning, walk-off, pie-in-your-face fashion! Ezra Shaw/Getty Images I am glad that the Yankees have home field advantage for this one. I guess I’ve never been so glad that the American League won the All-Star Game as I have this year. I never dreamed when I moved from Wilmington, DE to the Bay Area in California in July that the Yankees would be facing the “local” team in the World Series. It would be a very exciting time in Wilmington at the local sports bars. I was there last year when the Phillies won the World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, and it was a very exciting time for the Philly fans. But this is a new year and it’s time for the Yankees’ 27th World Championship! Why was former Washington Nationals manager Manny Acta in such demand? Granted, I don’t know much about Acta, however, his record in Washington wasn’t exactly stellar and of course, he lost his job for a reason. However, that didn’t stop the Houston Astros and Cleveland Indians from actively pursuing his services. The winner, ultimately, was the Cleveland Indians. The Astros, in turn, went with their second choice, Boston Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills. No offense but I think the Astros got the better end of the deal. Plus, it’s always a good thing to see Red Sox losses! J Brett Comer/Houston Chronicle If 2010 is truly the final year for Dodgers manager Joe Torre (the end of his contract), I wonder if he’ll move hitting coach Don Mattingly to the bench or at least third base if he is the likely successor. Well, how many hours until the first pitch?… ;) Go YANKEES! :) Filed in: Dailies Tags: Astros, Brad Mills, CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Damaso Marte, Dodgers, Don Mattingly, Indians, Julia's Rants, Manny Acta, Phillies, Red Sox, Yankees 2 Comments You like to see Red Sox losses? That’s just mean! ;-) Pedro. Wow. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever see him pitching in the World Series again. I can not wait to see that. Cold and rainy in the Boston area today – they say drizzle in NY by game time. I hope they can get the game in. And we have basketball! Looks like both our teams got off to good starts. It will be a great season! Go Celtics! ;-) By juliasrants on October 28, 2009 6:19 am - Reply I had a dream last night that the Yankees handled Jimmy Rollins exactly the way they handled Chone Figgins – by shutting him down at the plate and keeping him off the bases. Now if only that dream would come true! Yes, the Phillies are really good but the Yanks prevailed in a really tough division/league. They can do this! By Jane Heller on October 28, 2009 12:03 pm - Reply

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UsernamePasswordForgot your password?Forgot your username?Create an account Career Years Written by Rick Roos Rick Roos gets the call up to the big leagues with this top notch column on career highs. The reality is that the vast majority of NHL forwards end up having several years where their point totals are close to whatever their career high ends up being. In other words, if a player manages to end up with 80 points as his career high, chances are he had at least a couple of other seasons where he finished with between 70 and 80 points. Look at Mike Modano for a good example. His career high was 93 points, which he achieved in two separate seasons, and he also finished with points in the 83 to 93 range three other times. Conversely, there are forwards who establish a career high in points that they never come close to duplicating. The glaring example most fantasy GMs can quickly point to is Brian Gionta, who has never approached the 89 points he scored in the 2006 season (60 is his next highest - a staggering difference of 29 points). And there are a number of other NHLers whose career high in points has never been threatened and who, based on their age and/or the number of seasons they've played, are virtually guaranteed never to again approach that number. They include Vincent Lecavalier (108 points in 2007; next highest point total was 92), Scott Gomez (84 points in 2006; next highest point total was 70), Todd Bertuzzi (97 points in 2003; next highest point total was 85), and Joe Thornton (125 points in 2006; next highest point total was 114), all of whom have not again come within 10 points of their career high in points. But what about younger forwards who have only played between five and 10 seasons and, like the five older guys above, thus far have a career high in points that is 10 or more points higher than what they scored in any of their other NHL seasons? Do any of them have a realistic shot of recapturing their past glory by once again having a season that is within 10 points of their career high in points? This is key information, since it could end up influencing how to truly value these guys, which in turn will tell you things like where to draft them and who to trade them for. Here's a look at a few such players, grouped into one of four categories based on how likely (or unlikely) it is for them to ever meet or exceed their career high again. Very Good Chance Sidney Crosby (120 points in 2007; next highest point total is 109) Even with his injury history, he's easily the most likely player on this list to have a season that threatens his previous career high. In fact, given that he scored at a jaw dropping 138 point pace last season (37 points in 22 games), he could realistically end up scoring 130+ points down the road, which in an odd twist could actually keep him in this list since his career high is 120! But really, the only question here is health - otherwise it's off the races for Crosby, especially playing with a scoring winger like James Neal for a full season, as Neal is far and away more talented than anyone who’s ridden shotgun with Crosby in the past. Rick Nash (79 points in 2009; next highest point total is 69) Expectations couldn't be set any higher for Nash's first season with the Rangers. We saw last year with Brad Richards that it can take a while to get used to the spotlight and system in the Big Apple, but I for one see Nash as having a very realistic chance to not only finish within 10 points of his previous career high of 79, but to perhaps even eclipse it. After all, he'll be the top dog in NYC and will be chomping at the bit to prove to himself - and the NHL as a whole - that his stats with Columbus were indeed artificially low due to lack of quality linemates during all the past years he suffered there. At Least Fifty-Fifty Niklas Backstrom (101 points in 2010; next highest point total is 88) As anemic as the Caps offense looked during the Dale Hunter regime, Backstrom still managed to put up 44 points in 42 games, a scoring pace that would’ve projected to put him in the top 10 for the year. Sure there's talk that Mike Ribeiro might get PP1 minutes or be paired with Alex Ovechkin to balance out the lines, but keep in mind that new Washington coach Adam Oates certainly knows the value of having a top centerman play with a top winger; after all, how many of his 1079 career assists came from feeding the puck to Brett Hull or Cam Neely? In the end, Backstrom will almost assuredly get ample opportunity to play with Ovy and again put up big numbers. The only reason I don’t have him in the "Very Good Chance" category above is the concern that Ovy simply is not the same player he once was, which will could limit Backstrom's ability to actually pile up more than 90 points. Eric Staal (100 points in 2006; next highest point total is 82) Oh how nine months can change things! At the end of November 2011, Staal wasn't even scoring at a .5 points per game pace and was among the worst in the NHL in +/-. But he showed renewed drive after Kirk Muller took over as coach, and put up point per game numbers from December onward to end up just outside of the top 20 in the NHL scoring race. With the offseason addition of brother Jordan and Alex Semin, two guys who likely are among the most motivated to succeed this coming season, it's very possible that Eric could find himself having a comeback season the likes of which hasn't been seen in many years. Overall, seeing Eric get to 100 points is admittedly unlikely, but who can really rule out 90+ for a guy with all his talent who's finally going to be paired with elite linemates? David Krejci (73 points in 2009; next highest point total is 62) Like Patrice Bergeron, Krecji is a victim of circumstance - a talented offensive player on a team that legitimately roles out three scoring lines and places a huge premium on defense. But with Krecji having been stuck at or below 62 points for three years in a row, some have rightfully questioned whether he can go back to the form that saw him break out to 73 points in his first full season. The return of Nathan Horton to the Bruins line up should go a long way to helping make that happen, and a season in the mid to upper 60s is a very realistic expectation. Probably Not, But You Never Know Derek Roy (81 points in 2008; next highest point total is 70) It’s true that Roy doesn't figure to be part of what's being billed as the top line in Dallas (Benn centering Eriksson and Jagr), but the consolation prize of playing with the ageless wonder that is Ray Whitney and the now 3-time 30 goal scoring Michael Ryder could still give Roy a legitimate shot at approaching his 81 point career high. But unless he gets top line PP time, there could only be so many points to go around, and he might be hard pressed to get past the 70 point mark. And his chances are even slimmer unless the season is delayed for at least a month, as he's projected to miss time into November following shoulder surgery. Thomas Vanek (84 points in 2007; next highest point total is 73) You're probably as surprised as me to realize that Vanek's second highest point total is only 73. His reputation and name recognition would make it seem like he's a guy who's had other better years than that. But the reality is he's another NHLer (like Semin, mentioned above) who seems to phone it in for large chunks of seasons. Then again, he's still not even 30 and clearly should have gas left in the tank. Maybe the late season emergence of the younger forwards in Buffalo will help awaken and push Vanek in 2012, as more so than perhaps anyone on this list his ability to come with 10 points of his career high is basically up to him and how hard he chooses to apply himself. Gionta 2.0? Corey Perry (98 points in 2011; next highest point total is 76) Perry deserves better than to be in this portion of the list, as he's already twice the player that Gionta ever was (and not just in height). But the reality is that his 98 point season might just be too much for him to ever come close to approaching again. Part of his success in 2011 was that he kind of snuck up on other teams, as although he was already a very highly touted player coming off back to back 70+ point seasons, no one could've predicted his explosion to 98. But as we saw last year, opposing teams seem to have discovered the recipe to containing him and Getzlaf. And even though he's an amazing all-around talent and had a great points surge at the end of last season, he hasn't shown a Stamkos-like ability to score goals no matter who he's playing with or against. For that reason, his 98 points could end up being seen as this decade's Gionta-like fluke. Sorry Corey..... mcarmody I enjoyed this. I agree - Crosby seems most likely to meet or exceed his previous career high. report abuse Crosby is the only player with a shot and he is already 25...Most of the elite players hit their peak in the 18-25 year range. That appears to be the most productive years for the top guns. Gretzky, Crosby, (Modano above) all fall into this category. That is the age range where your reaction time is at it's peak. After the age of 35, you would need to play a full season injury free with an upgrade in talent surrounding you and god chemistry with your linemates. That's the main reason we will never see Ovechkin hit 100 points again. report abuse Great article Rick. Very solid read. report abuse Last Updated on Thursday, 20 September 2012 08:52

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Answers to Cespedes’ hand injury expected after game The uncertainty surrounding Yoenis Cespedes’ injury carried into Wednesday morning, as the outfielder was scheduled to undergo an X-ray on his left hand shortly before the A’s afternoon matinee with the Blue Jays. More details are expected after the game. Cespedes was a late scratch from the A’s lineup on Tuesday because of soreness in the back of his hand, an issue that manager Bob Melvin said was a “minor” one before then. He only took a handful of swings during batting practice before departing the field early. “I think it popped up a little differently yesterday,” Melvin said. “It’s not something he reported to the training room for. I think, over the course of the season, you have some aches and pains that you deal with, and then you go to the training room, and yesterday was that point. “I think he just took a swing yesterday and took it to a different level. For me, it happened yesterday, in the fashion that all of a sudden he couldn’t play.” With Cespedes, who has five home runs and 21 RBIs, tops among all Major League rookies, out of the mix, Josh Reddick made his second straight start in center field Wednesday, with Seth Smith playing right field and Jonny Gomes in left and batting cleanup. Should Cespedes be out for an extended period of time, the A’s are likely to stick with Reddick in center field. He appeared in eight games at the position in Boston last year and in 237 in the Minors, most among any position.

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Lefty count up to five in A’s ‘pen The A’s officially swapped a righty reliever for a lefty one on Wednesday, bringing in Travis Blackley and optioning Andrew Carignan to Triple-A Sacramento. Blackley, whom the A’s claimed off waivers from the Giants on Tuesday, gives the A’s five southpaws in their bullpen. Though a rarity to have so many lefties in stock, this is nothing new for Oakland, who at one point last season also employed five. “At some point in time you just use your best pitchers that you feel you have at the time,” manager Bob Melvin said. “There’s always going to be some trial and error, and that’s just where we are right now.” Blackley, who has made more starts (8) than relief appearances (4) in the big leagues, represents a true length option, as Melvin also noted. “Length is length, and I think Travis gives us, at this point, the most length, coming from a natural starter who can give you more than two innings,” he said of the Aussie. “This is a guy who could really give you four or five innings if you need it.” Carignan was just five days into his second stint with the A’s this season before being demoted. The right-hander appeared in two games over that span, allowing two runs on two hits with three walks in two innings. Like this:Like Loading...

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Men's Soccer » Schedule » Roster » News » Coaches » Honors » Archives Tennessee Futsal League Presents: 2008 Friendship Cup The Tennessee Futsal League will be holding a three-day tournament Aug. 1 through Aug. 3 at Allen Arena at Lipscomb University. Futsal is essentially a scaled down version of outdoor soccer played indoors with five players on each team. It is played on a smaller field roughly the size of a basketball court. It is played with the touchline boundaries with no walls. Futsal is the only "Official form of Indoor Soccer" as approved by FIFA. It is played in all the continents of the world by more than 100 countries with 12 million players. It is fast paced and exciting, with players moving all the time instead of sitting back and waiting for the ball. A four-second limit on all restart plays makes Futsal an exciting game since there are free substitutions on the fly (like hockey) to allow for fast play and lots of play time. The Friendship Cup Tournament at Lipscomb is designed to promote and benefit scholarship funds for local club soccer teams and introduce Futsal to Nashville. This tournament will offer the opportunity for club teams to contribute to their own scholarship programs while competing against the best teams from Nashville. Futsal is a great vehicle to improve technical proficiency on the field and gives players a free-style form of soccer to enjoy. For every team that is entered Tennessee Futsal League will be donating 10 percent of the registration fee towards the club team’s scholarship accounts. That translates to $30 per team entered. There is no restriction to club team participation. Once registration is full, clubs will be notified. Kevin Burk is the tournament director. Burk is a former professional player and an assistant coach for the men's NCAA Division I program at Lipscomb University. He holds a USSF National "A" License, NSCAA Regional GK Diploma and is a US Club Soccer ID2 Scout. Burk has played professionally five years in both indoor and outdoor leagues in the Division I USL and MISL. The age categories are: U8 Co-ed, U10, U12, U14, U16 boys and girls. There will also be an Adult Open Division. The cost per team is $300 with a 10 player roster limit. Further information about Futsal can be found at www.tennesseefutsalleague.com Men's Soccer Archives

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lombardinet Lombardi Magazine Home / About Lombardi / Feature Stories Lombardi at a glance Publications Feature Story Archive Make An Appointment Explore Lombardi Research Lombardi Gala How to Help Giving Spirit Links Football, Cancer Research at Lombardi Gala The professional football community lent a powerful voice to the fight against cancer at the 26th Annual Lombardi Gala, energizing the more than 850 supporters who gathered for the event. DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association (left), and Vincent Lombardi II (right) present Robert Kraft, CEO of the New England Patriots, with a new joint award from NFLPA and Georgetown Lombardi. The Gala, held Saturday, November 3, 2012 at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., drew an outpouring of support from friends, patients, advocates and survivors to raise funds to support cancer research. And, as he has for the past few years, DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), provided his customary passion and charisma as honorary chair of the event. But an inaugural award given this year to Robert Kraft, chairman and CEO of the New England Patriots, infused the evening with a new layer of momentum. Kraft, who lost his wife Myra to ovarian cancer 15 months ago, was presented the NFL Players Association Georgetown Lombardi Award to honor his vision in recognizing the need for generous community support for cancer research. Referring to his deceased wife as “my sweetheart” throughout his acceptance speech, Kraft expressed his gratitude to Georgetown Lombardi’s cancer researchers for their commitment to finding a cure, and to the players of the NFL for their support of the cause. “I'm proud of our NFL players — these are young men with an amazing platform to do good who have put their energy and resources into helping raise funds and awareness for an amazing institution like this — Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center,” Kraft said. “I know that the brilliant doctors here ... will get us that much closer to ridding the world of this very deadly disease so that others don’t have to face the battle that my sweetheart faced so valiantly,” he said. The NFL Players Association Georgetown Lombardi Award was established to honor a leader in the sports industry whose life and family have been touched by cancer, and who encourages cancer research, prevention and treatment through awareness and philanthropy. Smith, of the NFLPA, praised Kraft for his devotion to his ailing wife throughout a difficult negotiation period between the players and owners. “While my day and evening job was to represent the players ... Robert would go back to hold the hand of the woman he loved. He would do that night after night after night,” Smith said. “The real reason I call him my friend is that he has a dedication and a love, not only for a game, but for his family.” Accelerating Cancer Breakthroughs Since its inception 26 years ago, the Lombardi Gala has raised nearly $20 million for cancer research at Georgetown. Louis M. Weiner, MD, director of Georgetown Lombardi, provided a compelling example of how philanthropic funds can accelerate cancer breakthroughs. He described the groundbreaking research of Richard Schlegel, MD, PhD, whose most recent work focuses on a new technology that allows researchers to grow healthy and diseased cells in the lab, and to observe the effects of drugs on the cells indefinitely. This type of so-called cell immortalization has not been possible until now. “Why is this important? If you have an indefinite supply of somebody’s cancer cells you can figure out what makes these cells tick — and use that knowledge to attack the cancer growing in that person by using the right treatments at the right time,” Weiner said. “This is the essence of personalized medicine.” The technology has yielded successful outcomes in one patient, although years of validation studies are necessary before it is available for broader use. Weiner characterized the impact of Schlegel’s work as “proof that research advances, properly applied, change people’s lives.” Howard J. Federoff, MD, PhD, executive vice president for health sciences at Georgetown University Medical Center, praised the community’s unflagging support of Georgetown Lombardi over the years. “As one of Georgetown University Medical Center’s signature events, the Lombardi Gala exemplifies what we can accomplish in partnership with all of you — a community of supporters who hear our call for support and who respond generously, enthusiastically and without hesitation,” Federoff said. Georgetown University John J. DeGioia, PhD, also thanked attendees for their “sustained dedication to this work of service and discovery” in his opening remarks. Celebrating Community Leaders Another high point of the evening was the presentation of the Margaret L. Hodges Leadership Award to Barbara Schaefer McDuffie for her stellar example of leadership and dedication to Georgetown Lombardi. McDuffie, director of business development and marketing for accounting and consulting firm Baker Tilly, has served as co-chair of the Lombardi Gala corporate executive committee since 2007. She also helped start another Georgetown Lombardi annual signature event, Women & Wine, in 2006 — turning it into one of the organization’s most successful fundraisers. The Gala was co-chaired this year by Brian Katz, Jill Kirkpatrick and Paul Schweitzer. Along with McDuffie, Mark Decker of BMO Capital Markets served as co-chair of the Corporate Executive Committee. Corporate partners this year included the Washington Area Lexus Dealers, Diageo, Washington Business Journal, Etihad Airways, Gibson Dunn, MedStar Health, NFLPA and the Potter family grandchildren. The dinner dance was preceded by a silent auction of more than 300 items, and once again the Lexus dealers raffled off a 2013 Lexus at the end of the evening. 3800 Reservoir Rd. CancerLine: 202.444.4000

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Sunny Sunday in Goodyear *We are off to a slow start this Sunday morning because the players are having their annual closed-door meeting with the MLB Players Association. Right after the meeting, they take the field for the workout and another round of live BP. *Reds manager Dusty Baker was asked if life will get easier without having to manage against Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder. “Their teams are still good teams,” Baker replied. “A lot is going to fall in Beltran and Wainwright and they’ve got Furcal from the beginning. It’s still going to be a tough race. Pittsburgh, they were tough the first half. They can get better and they’re more experienced.” *Is Baker more comfortable with Reds pitching after the upgrades? “I’ll be more comfortable once we leave healthy,” Baker said. “Right now, everything is on paper. I’m more confident on paper, I’ll say that. We hopefully will leave healthy.” *Cincinnati native and Moeller alum Andrew Brackman stands out at 6-foot-11 but he was worried he would have blended in too much had he pursued pro basketball after his time at NC State. Instead he chose baseball and was a first-round pick by the Yankees in 2007. “I think I made the right decision,” said Brackman, who is seeking a bullpen spot with the Reds. “There are 6-11 guys all over the NBA and there’s not many here.” Brackman, who I will have a feature story on later today, averaged 7.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in two seasons on hoops. “I definitely could have played [professionally] in Europe,” he said. “The NBA, I didn’t think, would be a long shot. It’s funny because I’ve always been a late bloomer. I only gave basketball two years in college. I think it would have been different if I had played those last two. But I am pretty happy with my decision. I’ve never had any problems with my knees. Just the elbow.” *One week of camp is in the books already, about five more to go. Sorry for rubbing it in, but every single day out here has been picture perfect weatherwise. There has been no chilly days, no rain, no nothing. It’s all good in the desert so far. *With the full squad here, there are more coaches and instructors around. I saw Eric Davis, now a member of the front office, the other day. I’ve also seen Rick Sweet and Minor League managers Jim Riggleman and Ken Griffey Sr., among others.

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Quote: Lo Duca on the Upmire, Angel Hernandez In the second inning of Sunday’s loss to the Braves, Mets C Paul Lo Duca was ejected from the game for spiking the ball and cursing home plate umpire Angel Hernandez… With one out, Braves C Brian McCann dashed from third base towards home as Braves RHP John Smoltz hit a weak grounder in front of home plate. Lo Duca grabbed the ball and reached towards the passing McCann, who ran by and touched home for a run scored, though repeated instant replays show that McCann was out. Hernandez called McCann safe, however, and Lo Duca spiked the ball while pointing and screaming at Hernandez… …first off, the spike was hysterical…he jumped to the air and pegged it to the dirt, as though he just scored a touchdown…classic…even funnier, however, was Bobby Cox, who came out to argue a subsequent goof-up regarding the play’s other base runners…cox was also tossed, and then proceeded to waltz around the infield kicking dirt between first and second…what a clown… Braves C Brian McCann, as quoted in the New York Post… “He barely got me…The umpire was blocked.”… …so, basically, even mccann thinks he was out… Turns out that Lo Duca was not just irritated about the missed call, which was compounded by a remark made by Hernandez earlier in the game… Lo Duca, as quoted by a collection of newspapers… “When the umpire said ‘I’m going to give you a couple of inches off the plate, but I’m not going to give you 4-5 inches because you’re not John Smoltz,’ I’m trying to protect my pitcher… “A lot of stuff goes on that you guys don’t know about. Now you understand why I overreacted a little bit.”… …calling bud selig, mister bud selig…i’m thinking it may be time to investigate this joker… If you recall, back in 1998, Mike Piazza reacted similarly to Lo Duca on a play with Hernandez in Atlanta, spiking the ball and yelling, as well… Mets OF Cliff Floyd, as quoted by David Lennon in Newsday… “A lot of us have had confrontations with Angel Hernandez, and it’s not over. Hopefully, we can pass him again… “He’s a great guy. I just feel like something’s going on. I’ve been thrown out by him three or four times. I was thinking nothing but ‘Here we go again.’ I just feel like so many people have a problem with him, it’s a shame. Everybody talks about this guy… As Floyd points out, the Mets are not alone in their frustration with Hernandez, as this thread from Spudart.com displays… …thanks to timothy for the link… …here’s the thing, remember opening day, when lo duca and the rest of us thanked the gods of baseball for calling Alfonso Soriano out on a play when he was clearly safe…we all knew he was out…and we all knew what the gods giveth, the gods taketh away…so, there you go…consider us paid in full…

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We must never forget our sporting greats Tracey Holmes Fri 11 Oct 2013, 10:10 AM AEDT Dawn Fraser swims to victory in the 100m freestyle final in 59.5 seconds at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, on October 10, 1964. Tonight, Sport Australia's Hall of Fame will induct a new 'legend'. There are many great Australian sports men and women but who will be the next to be added to this short, elite list of greats? Tracey Holmes looks at why we must never forget our sporting legends.These days the word 'legend' is thrown about all too easily. It's applied to those who make a great tackle in a rugby league grand final as easily as it's applied to cricket debutants who happen to perform well in their maiden outing.There is one place though where to be called a 'legend' means you've been recognised by the greats of Australian sport as being the elite of the elite. The Sport Australia Hall of Fame Legend's Club is one of the most exclusive clubs in Australia. Tonight in Melbourne, at sport's night of nights, a 35th legend will be added to a short but very impressive list.That person will take their place alongside luminaries such as Sir Donald Bradman, Dawn Fraser, Sir Jack Brabham, Marjorie Jackson-Nelson, Sir Hubert Opperman and Margaret Court.To appreciate how difficult membership is, it's worth noting some of the Hall of Fame members who have not yet been given Legend status: Sir Frank Beaurepaire (a five-time Olympic swimmer and six-time medalist, Lord Mayer of Melbourne who oversaw 1956 Olympic Games); Ian Chappell (Former Australian cricket captain who played in 75 Tests and scored 14 centuries); Anne Sargeant (Australian netballer 1978-1988, Captain 1983-1988, two-time World Champion, three consecutive games shooting at 100 per cent); Layne Beachley (Seven-time World Surfing Champion); Ian Thorpe (five-time Olympic swimming gold medalist, nine-time Commonwealth gold, 14 World Championships and 22 world records).All this in the same week that Buddy Franklin gets the nod of approval from the AFL to take up his $10 million contra

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9/29 Underdog After Tuesday’s game, Ryan Dempster endorsed Mike Quade and the job he’s done since taking over the Cubs on Aug. 23. Quade appreciated that. “As long as my relationship with [the players] is good, and I think it is, then I stick to that and do what I have to do,” he said. “To get support from people is better than to not get support. I’m glad they’re happy with the way we’re doing things and the way things are going. Hopefully, they’ll be productive and happy for the next five days.” The Cubs do have a 21-11 record since Quade took the helm. Winning helps. “If we hadn’t been winning during this time, who knows what the comments would’ve been,” Quade said. “No matter what the situation, winning baseball games takes care of a lot of stuff. Things are never perfect, even when you’re winning, but it does make for a lot better environment.” Usually teams continue to struggle when there is a managerial change. “Every situation is different from a talent standpoint, from a division standpoint,” Quade said. “I got an opportunity to come in and do things the way I like and [GM Jim Hendry] gave me free reins and said, ‘Take this shot and go do it.’ Nothing has gotten in the way of me being able to do that. The results have been good and I’m thrilled.” However, Hendry has interviewed Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg and there is talk that he’ll also interview Yankees manager Joe Girardi. Quade appears to be the underdog. “I always like the underdog,” Quade said. “You guys can handicap the thing. I’m proud of the job we’ve done and the way these guys have finished. We’re not finished yet. Let’s hope we finish the next five games well. People who make the decisions will make the decision. “When it comes to underdogs and handicapping,” he said, “I’ll stick to horses.” Filed in: Dailies Tags: Cubs, Mike Quade, Ryne Sandberg Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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E-mail Bob and Groz Subscribe to the Bob and Groz E-Newsletter Updated May 1, 2013 - 6:00 pm Draft means competition for some Seahawks veterans Listen: Clare Farnsworth on the Seahawks' 2013 draft class Clare Farnsworth of Seahawks.com joins "Bob and Groz" and discusses which of the team's 11 draft picks could compete for substantial playing time this season. Pete Carroll insists the 2013 Seahawks will still be a run-first team even though Russell Wilson will have a year of experience under his belt and Percy Harvin at his disposal. That means they'll still have plenty of use for a fullback. "It's part of the basic running game that we feature, the two-back stuff," Carroll said during the draft. "It's a big deal to us." Less certain is who will be playing that position for the Seahawks after they drafted LSU running back Spencer Ware in the sixth round with the intention of making him a fullback. Michael Robinson has played that position for Seattle the past three seasons, leading the way for Marshawn Lynch and what has become one of the league's best rushing attacks while also serving as a special-teams captain. Robinson, though, is 30 years old and is scheduled to make $2.5 million in 2013, the final year of his deal with the Seahawks. "Mike Rob's done a great job for us, and we expect him to continue to do that. But he's really played the position all by himself for a while, so fortunately we have a guy now that can play both spots," Carroll said. "It does get tough on the roster to fit those guys together, so we're expecting that Spencer's got to do a lot." The video below includes thoughts from Bob Stelton and Dave Grosby about other Seahawks veterans who appear to be on the spot based on positions the team addressed in the draft. You can listen to Wednesday's show here. Tweet Is the Mariners rotation still in good shape? Words of caution with Kaepernick, Lockette story Lloyd McClendon on the Mariners' start, home opener Marshawn Lynch and the running back cliff Bob Stelton Bob Stelton is the co-host of "Bob and Groz". He came to 710 ESPN Seattle from 101 ESPN in St. Louis and had previously worked for Sporting News Radio in Chicago and Santa Monica, Calif. Bob began his radio career in Seattle in 1997 after a failed attempt to become a rock star. The Groz Dave Grosby is the co-host of "Bob and Groz." The Groz has spent the last 22 years of his 40-year broadcast career as a Seattle sports talk show host. Dave is also the play-by-play announcer for Seattle U basketball on KTTH 770. Before coming to Seattle, Dave worked at KFI in Los Angeles and KFBK in Sacramento. He's been married to his wife Bonnie for 24 years. Colin Paisley After two years as the producer for "Brock and Salk," Colin Paisley now produces "Bob and Groz." Colin also hosts "Seattle Sports at Night" with Tom Wassell and Matt Pitman. Colin came to 710 ESPN Seattle after five years at various FM music stations in Bellingham and Seattle. In addition to his time as producer and host, Colin likes to spend his time embracing his "Slacker Gen-Y" persona by napping and not caring about stuff. Plus he likes tons of bands you've never heard of, and once you hear of them he'll stop liking them. Clare Farnsworth on the Seahawks' 2013 draft class

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Magic Johnson Says He’ll Wear a Speedo, Jump Into Pool If Dodgers Win World Series (Video) by NESN Staff on Tue, Oct 1, 2013 at 6:06PM The Los Angeles Dodgers ruffled a few feathers when members of the team jumped into the pool in the outfield of Chase Field in Arizona after clinching the NL West. Members of the Diamondbacks organization called the move “classless,” after the home team specifically asked the Dodgers not to return to the field for their celebration. Earvin “Magic” Johnson, who is minority owner of the Dodgers, joined Jay Leno on The Tonight Show on Monday and said that the team hadn’t meant to offend anyone, but that they got caught up in the moment. Johnson went on to say that you wouldn’t have caught him jumping in the pool because, apparently, the five-time NBA champion can’t swim. The late-night host then enticed Johnson with some personalized swimwear — a Dodger-blue Speedo with the team’s name written in script across the back, and “Johnson” cheekily written across the front, to which Johnson replied: “If we win the World Series, I’m putting those on and jumping in that pool.” To hear Johnson’s promise, check out the video below.

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Report: Sabres Were Willing to Make Thomas Vanek Highest-Paid Player in NHL Prior to Trade to Islanders by Zack Cox on Mon, Oct 28, 2013 at 3:51PM All the money in the world could not have kept Thomas Vanek in Buffalo. The Sabres captain was dealt to the Islanders for Matt Moulson and a pair of draft picks in a blockbuster deal over the weekend, but not before Buffalo attempted to compensate him handsomely to stay in town. In fact, John Vogl of The Buffalo News cites a source saying that the Sabres were willing to make Vanek the highest-paid player in the NHL. The 29-year-old winger wanted no part of a hefty contract, however. The Sabres have entered full-on rebuilding mode, with goalie Ryan Miller the only legitimate star remaining on the roster, and Vanek found it best to take his talents elsewhere. “I enjoyed my time there, but I didn’t want to be a part of that,” Vanek told reporters in New York on Monday. “We traded pretty much every veteran. The message was clear that they’re going for draft picks. I think our last game we played four teenagers. Good, young players, but young players take time.” Vanek, a career Sabre up until Sunday, reached the playoffs in four of his first six seasons, including trips to the Eastern Conference finals in each of his first two years. Buffalo failed to make the postseason in 2011-12 and last year’s lockout-shortened campaign, however, and this season’s 2-10-1 start appears to have the team destined for another disappointing finish. The Isles are far from a powerhouse, but they did enjoy a resurgence last season, qualifying for the playoffs and nearly knocking off the heavily favored Penguins in the opening round. “You train all summer long, practice every day, and you want to be on a competitive team that has a chance,” Vanek said. “Right now we struggled there. It’s hard to leave when you do struggle. I was one of the leaders, but at the same time the reality is it’s business and I’m happy to be an Islander.” Vanek, who is expected to make his Islanders debut Tuesday against the Rangers, is currently slated to enter free agency at the end of the season.

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Sport Homepage Formula 1 BBC F1 team Circuit Guide Page last updated at 17:53 GMT, Sunday, 7 February 2010 Formula 1 gossip and rumours from the world's media BBC Sport brings you a regular round-up of the gossip in newspapers and on specialist websites around the world.Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo is urging caution despite the new car's pace-setting performance at the first pre-season test. "I think the only good thing is the feeling that the car is well born," he said. "We have many problems to solve and we must keep our feet on the ground." Full story: Gazzetta Dello Sport (in Italian) Ferrari technical director Aldo Costa has reiterated his fears that a row over the legality of certain teams' cars could be looming. "The FIA is monitoring and responding to all the teams in relation to the doubts and the realisation of the double diffuser," he said. "Unfortunately, this regulation is open to many interpretations." Virgin's Brazilian rookie Lucas di Grassi said his first impressions of the new team's debut car were good after driving it for the first time at Silverstone. "I'm really happy and our first impressions of the car are very positive," he said. (Virgin Racing) New Renault F1 owner Gerard Lopez says his investment company Genii Capital bought the team "to represent our Mangrove Capital Partners company and develop our activity, which is international business. F1 will be a platform for us... a hub. We will entrust the racing team to specialists, while the Mangrove people take care of business." (L'Equipe)Kamui Kobayashi is refusing to get carried away by Sauber's impressive pace in the first pre-season test last week. "I have a good feeling, but my experience is not great enough to really make a statement on it at this at time." Full story: formula1.com Friday's F1 gossip column 05 Feb 10 | Formula 1 BBC F1 coverage details Andrew Benson blog Your say on Formula 1 - 606 Five Live Formula 1

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Pegulas commit historic gift for new arena and hockey programSeptember 17, 2010 Pegulas commit historic gift for new arena and hockey program University Park, Pa. -- Penn State President Graham Spanier announced to the Board of Trustees today (Sept. 17) the largest private gift in the University's history -- $88 million from Terrence M. and Kim Pegula to fund a state-of-the-art, multi-purpose arena and help to establish an NCAA Division I men's hockey program. The gift paves the way for the creation of a Division I women's ice hockey program and enhanced figure skating opportunities. "The Pegulas' unparalleled generosity will make it possible for Penn State to serve our region and our student-athletes in exciting new ways," said Spanier. "This arena will be an invaluable year-round asset for members of the University community as well as for children, youth and families throughout central Pennsylvania, and it will be an engine for economic growth and development. The Pegulas' support also will help us build a program that extends our rich tradition of preparing student-athletes for success in competition and in life." The Pegulas, who live in Boca Raton, Fla., have been leaders in the oil and natural gas industry primarily in the Appalachian Basin. Terry Pegula is the founder and former president, CEO and principal shareholder of East Resources Inc., a privately-held independent exploration and development company based in Warrendale, Pa., and acquired in July 2010 by Royal Dutch Shell. Pegula, born and raised in Carbondale, Pa., earned a bachelor of science degree in petroleum and natural gas engineering from Penn State in 1973, started East Resources Inc. in 1983 and built it into one of the largest privately held companies in the United States. Kim Pegula, a graduate of Houghton College, also has been involved with East Resources since 1991 and is a founder, along with her husband, of Black River Music Group, Nashville, Tenn., and Ayrault Sports Agency, Charlotte, N.C. "We feel extraordinarily fortunate to have had great success due to the efforts of the exceptional management and fine employees of East Resources Inc., providing indigenous energy to the United States," said Terry Pegula. "We want to share our success with the people of Pennsylvania and with the very institution that helped me obtain the tools to launch my career in the oil and natural gas industry. "We will now see through the hard work of the Penn State family that our passion will be shared with the families and communities of the region surrounding Penn State. We expect that Penn State will become a destination, not just for top college players and coaches, but also for the growing base of hockey fans from across the Commonwealth and the country." The Pegulas' gift will launch the construction of a new arena at University Park that will be the only major rink within an 80-mile radius and on par with the best collegiate facilities in the country. An architect will be selected this fall for the arena, which is expected to open in December 2013. The facility will be built on the corner of Curtin Road and University Drive, directly west of the Bryce Jordan Center. It will include two ice sheets and other features that will allow it to be used for a broad range of campus and community activities, from commencement ceremonies to kinesiology classes to public skating sessions and camps for youth. The facility will provide new training and performance opportunities for Penn State’s popular and successful figure skating club and for the University’s women’s ice hockey team. It also will offer ice time to recreational and high school hockey programs, as well as intramural and local speed skating and broomball clubs. The state-of-the-art arena will be able to host events such as professional ice shows and National Hockey League and American Hockey League exhibition games, generating tourism and other economic impacts in the region. "Our family hopes that our gift inspires other Penn State hockey and ice skating enthusiasts to become involved with this project as well as other athletic endeavors under the very capable leadership of the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics," said Terry Pegula. "We plan to continue to support a variety of Penn State academic, cultural and athletic programs in the future." The Pegulas' commitment also creates an endowment to support an NCAA Division I men's ice hockey program. "We're very proud of the success that our ACHA club hockey program has achieved, and this gift will allow us to take the sport to a completely new level at Penn State," said Tim Curley, director of Penn State's Intercollegiate Athletics. "Thanks to the Pegulas, we will be able to enter NCAA competition in 2012-13. Penn State's launch of Division I hockey will lead to additional competition within the Big Ten, and that has the potential to transform college hockey in this country. Penn State also plans to launch a Division I women's ice hockey program." (See separate news release at http://live.psu.edu/story/48448). The gift comes as the University is engaged in the largest fundraising effort in its history, For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students. "This gift establishes a new standard in philanthropy at Penn State and will inspire support from other alumni and friends of the University," said Peter Tombros, a Penn State alumnus and the campaign’s volunteer chair. "The construction of the new arena will be entirely funded by private gifts," said Rod Kirsch, senior vice president for development and alumni relations. "Penn State will now be launching an ambitious campaign to ask other donors to join Terry and Kim in supporting this facility and the creation of other endowments to support the hockey and skating programs. Our goal is to make this arena, and the vast array of activities to be held in it, a national model by which all other programs are measured." Contacts: Greg [email protected] Phone: 814-865-1757 Ray [email protected] Phone: 814-863-4899 Last Updated November 18, 2010 Share this story submit to redditLinkedInSubmit this story to StumbleUponPin this story on PinterestShare on TumblrEmail this articlePrint this article Image: Andy ColwellKim and Terrence M. Pegula accept hockey jerseys and sticks as tokens of Penn State's appreciation for their $88 million gift. Presenting the gifts are Joe Battista, major gifts officer, left; Penn State President Graham B. Spanier, and Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley, far right. For more photos, click on the image above. Related ContentPenn State to add Division I men's and women's varsity ice hockeyFor the love of the icePegulas increase Penn State Hockey commitment to $102 millionTopicsAdministrationAthleticsGivingTags88 million, arena, athletics, Division I, gift, hockey, ice hockey, Parents and Families, Pegula, PhilanthropyAudienceAlumniStudents News for:

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[The Age | Text-only index] Gajdosova bows out in first round Guy Hand Just three Australians remain in the Australian Open after Jarmila Gajdosova joined the ranks of the fallen with a first round loss to Belgian 20th seed Yanina Wickmayer at Melbourne Park.Gajdosova was defeated comfortably 6-1 7-5 in one hour and 20 minutes on Rod Laver Arena, failing to take several opportunities in the second set to climb back into the match.The 26-year-old Australian had a set point in the second set to take the match to a decider, but couldn't convert it.Wickmayer then broke serve immediately afterwards and closed out the set with little fuss.Gajdosova had twice broken Wickmayer's serve in the second set, but was unable to take advantage as the Belgian bounced back each time.Wickmayer, 23, will play Slovakia's Jana Cepelova in the second round.Gajdosova's exit means that of the 16 Australians in the main draw of men's and women's singles, only three remain.Samantha Stosur is the sole survivor in the women's draw, while Bernard Tomic and James Duckworth remain in the men's singles.

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Aikman: Seahawks-49ers built for epic rivalry By Justin Terranova January 17, 2014 | 9:19am Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson after the 49ers beat the Seahawks earlier this season. Photo: AP MORE ON: NFL owners set to vote on big changes NFL may expand playoffs to 14 teams 50 million watch NFL championships Fox's Broncos passing on celebration, focus on Seahawks First, it’s the rivalry that has defined the NFL for more than a decade, then comes the one many expect to set the tone for the next 10 years. The AFC Championship showdown Sunday between Tom Brady’s Patriots and Peyton Manning’s Broncos will be the 15th matchup between the two Hall of Fame quarterbacks, and it has received much of the hype with the Seahawks-49ers game taking somewhat of a backseat. “I think that game in and of itself could be a historical game from the standpoint that it’s the last time these two guys meet in the postseason,” FOX analyst Troy Aikman said of Manning and Brady, 37 and 36 respectively. “You’d think both guys are going to play next season, but you just don’t know [if they’ll be back in this spot].” But few think this is the last we’ll see of these 49ers and Seahawks in the postseason. Before the season began, most people pegged the NFC West foes as the best two teams in the conference, and now they will decide who will represent the NFC at Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium. They have two of the top young quarterbacks in the league with Seattle’s Russell Wilson and San Francisco’s Colin Kaepernick and both boast top-tier defenses. “San Francisco and Seattle are built to last with the job they do and within their personnel departments,” said Aikman, who led the Cowboys to three Super Bowls in the 1990s. “They are old school teams from the standpoint they are very physical, they want to dominate you on the offensive lines and play great defense, and you don’t see a lot of that in the league. It’s hard to imagine them continuing not to be pretty good and meeting with a lot at stake.” Aikman’s former coach Jimmy Johnson believes the potential is there for these teams to replicate the rivalry his Cowboys had with the 49ers in the ’90s. “The key to a great rivalry is to have two outstanding teams that one doesn’t totally dominate,” Johnson said. “I think you have that formula there. They are two of the best teams in the NFL and both have had success.” But both Wilson and Kaepernick have dealt with criticism despite their success. Wilson has been a target for pundits with him throwing more than 200 yards once in his past five games. And that includes just 103 yards in a 23-15 win over the Saints in the divisional round, though it was a game played through a steady rain. “The most important thing for Russell Wilson is that he’s won,” said Aikman, who will call the Super Bowl in two weeks alongside Joe Buck. “Unfortunately, that gets overlooked much more than it should for someone who’s won as much as he has — maybe more than anybody in his first two years as a starter in the NFL. Yet, as I prepare for this game this week I am seeing a lot of discussion about how his numbers weren’t as good as they were earlier in the year. I am not sure why anyone really cares about that. They are playing for a chance to play in the Super Bowl.” Filed underColin Kaepernick, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, NFL playoffs, Peyton Manning, Russell Wilson, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Tom Brady, Troy Aikman Read Next: Rex better make… Rex better make playoffs, because… Twitter Are the Seahawks and 49ers built to last?

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Results tagged ‘ PNC Park ’ During the past week we watched the opening of two new multi-million dollar stadiums in New York City and during this time MLB and the major sports channels more or less ignored everything else going on around the league. Was the opening of the new Yankee Stadium and Citi Field really such important news or was Heath Bell accurate in saying that ESPN and other providers are completely focused on a few teams to the detriment of the rest of the league? – Allen__________________________________________ Pardon me for being a-holishly frank, dear readers, but I think it is pretty damn sad that it took Heath Bell (of all reinvented people) to bring the media’s obvious love affair with New York and Boston into the public domain. Nothing against, Heath, who has now become my own personal savior for his ESPN remarks, but we here at RSBS as well as myriad Joe Six-Packs in sports bars galore all across Anytowns, US America, have been harping on this oh-so-blatant injustice for years now. Years. Heath Bell said: “I truly believe ESPN only cares about promoting the Red Sox and Yankees and Mets – and nobody else. That’s why I like the MLB Network, because they promote everybody. I’m really turned off by ESPN and ‘Baseball Tonight.’ When Jake Peavy threw 8 1/3 innings on Saturday, they showed one pitch in the third inning and that was it. It’s all about the Red Sox, Yankees and Mets.” True story, Heath. True story. Just for the record, regarding the two new ballparks in New York (one of which cost $1.5 billion) let me just say that I don’t remember there being such a fuss over the new Busch Stadium or PNC Park or even Nationals Park for that matter. Yet all week long I have been bombarded with information I could care less about: The first homerun in new Yankee Stadium. The first multi-RBI game at CITI Field. The first blab-hole jerkazoid kicked out of new Yankee Stadium for using foul language and fists to explain his innermost self-loathing while watching the Indians score 14 runs in one inning. I don’t care. And I ain’t alone. The good news is, Heath Bell’s voice was heard and ESPN reacted quickly by having him on Baseball Tonight. Shortly after that, the once monopolizing baseball program introduced it’s 30 Team Ticker, which offers tidbits of information on all 30 teams at the bottom of the screen while the analysts blab on about how much they love the Red Sox, Yankees and Mets. But just like the leaderless GOP of 2008 desperately trying to reinvent its image after devastating the public by dropping the ball in New Orleans and Iraq while allowing the economy to collapse over and over again… it was just too little, too late. Folks, we have a choice. Join Al and I; heed Heath Bell’s call. Switch to the MLB Network. Enjoy equal coverage. Play the RSBS Harold Reynolds drinking game. Just don’t hate me ‘cuz I’m right. Jeffy Filed in: Dailies Tags: Baseball Tonight, Boston, Busch, Cardinals, Citi Field, ESPN, Filibuster, GOP, Harold Reynolds, Heath Bell, Indians, Jake Peavy, Mets, MLB Network, Nationals, Nationals Park, New York, Padres, Pirates, PNC Park, Politics, Red Sox, Republicans, Yankee Stadium, Yankees | Theme: MLB “modern” | Get a free blog at WordPress.com

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hide Brazil to miss FIFA deadline for World Cup stadiums A worker is seen at the National Mane Garrincha Stadium undergoing construction in Brasilia April, 8, 2013. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino By Anthony Boadle and Andrew Downie BRASILIA/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - More than half a million tickets have been sold for the Confederations Cup in June, but host nation Brazil has yet to finish the main stadiums to be used in the dress rehearsal for the 2014 soccer World Cup. On the eve of yet another FIFA deadline, Brazil has delivered only three of the six venues for the eight-nation warm-up starting in two months. World soccer's governing body FIFA had demanded that all six stadiums be ready by this past December but construction delays forced it to extend the deadline until April 15. Even with that extra time, all the stadiums will not be ready. The cities of Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza and Salvador have complied with the timetable and delivered their stadiums, while Recife will open its Arena Pernambuco on Sunday, one day ahead of the final FIFA deadline. In Brasilia, 5,000 workers toil around the clock to finish the Mane Garrincha National Stadium, bolting seats into concrete galleries and draining the field where rolls of grass have still to be laid for the pitch. The $500 million colonnaded arena in the center of Brazil's modern capital is the most expensive of the 12 venues that will host the World Cup. Brazil will face Japan here in the opening game of the Confederations Cup on June 15, the first test of the South American nation's ability to organize two rapidly approaching global sporting events, next year's World Cup and the Olympic Games two years later. Building delays and cost overruns are threatening to turn the two events into an international embarrassment for Brazil instead of showcasing its arrival as a major economic power. Brazilian officials, however, maintain that all will be fine. Opening Salvador's Fonte Nova stadium last week, President Dilma Rousseff said five-times world champion Brazil will prove to be unbeatable on and off the sports field by "exceeding expectations" in organizing the global soccer tournament. MARACANÃ The biggest problem is with the venerable Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's largest stadium built for the 1950 World Cup. The arena is scheduled to hold the final match of the tournament on June 30 but is still undergoing finishing touches to a $400 million refurbishment, it's third costly overhaul in 12 years. The pitch has been laid and more than half the 78,000 seats have been installed, but work is still being done on the massive roof while access areas to the stadium have not been started. Maracanã was supposed to be ready by this past December but that date was repeatedly pushed back. The earliest it will be handed over to FIFA is April 27, FIFA and Rio state officials said, and there are doubts the stadium will be finished even then. An exasperated FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke reluctantly acknowledged last week that Brazil will not complete its preparations on time. "Not all operational arrangements will be 100 percent" for the Confederations Cup, Valcke wrote on FIFA's website, warning that such delays would not be tolerated for the World Cup. "The deadline for the FIFA World Cup stadiums delivery stands firm as December 2013. There will be no compromise," he wrote. Valcke said the scale of next year's World Cup required a minimum six-month operational set-up. With an estimated 3 million spectators flocking to 12 stadiums in a dozen cities across Brazil - more than half a million of them foreign visitors - the 32-nation, 64-game World Cup will be a major logistical challenge for Brazil. Brazil's World Cup preparations have been criticized several times by FIFA, including Valcke's statement last year that the country needed "a kick in the backside." Delays in upgrading airports and urban transport could cause a logistical nightmare with so many soccer fans attending games. Projects to add bus lanes, trams and monorails in Brasilia, Fortaleza, Manaus, Salvador and Sao Paulo will not be ready in time, according to the government agency that audits public spending. UNFINISHED STADIUMS The Confederations Cup brings together the champions of FIFA's six geographic confederations, along with the current world champions Spain and the World Cup hosts. It is considered an important organizational test ahead of the World Cup. Demand for the Confederations Cup has been high and more than 546,000 tickets have already been sold, according to FIFA. At best, it looks like the Confederations Cup matches will be played in stadiums that are usable, but not finished. One worry is that Brazilian officials will declare the works complete and open them to the public even though they are not ready, a common practice in Brazil. Officials in Rio opened a massive concert hall and music complex in 2008 only to undertake another four years of works because the original construction was so shoddy. Rio's Engenhão stadium, opened in 2007 for the Pan American Games, was closed last month because of fears the roof could blow down in high winds. The grass was so poor at the brand new Gremio Arena in Porto Alegre, a stadium that will not be used for World Cup, that the club had to play games elsewhere to let it mend. FIFA requires that the new stadiums be tested twice, preferably with soccer games. At Maracanã, a first test will be behind closed doors on April 27 when local World Cup organizing committee members Ronaldo and Bebeto try out the field playing with a group of friends. The big test will come on June 2, just two weeks before the Confederations Cup kicks off, when Brazil plays a friendly against England. Brazil lost valuable time preparing for the World Cup by taking two years just to decide on which 12 cities would host the games, a problem soccer star Ronaldo says is cultural. "We leave everything to the last minute," Ronaldo told O Globo newspaper on Sunday. "We've had since 2007 to get organized. We wouldn't be under such pressure today if we had." (Additional reporting by Tatiana Ramil and Pedro Fonseca; Editing by Todd Benson and Will Dunham)

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hide Woodchucks win in Green Bay Tuesday, July 09, 2013 3:15 a.m. CDT The Wisconsin Woodchucks baseball team logo Four runs in the first three innings would be enough for the Wisconsin Woodchucks to defeat the Green Bay Bullfrogs 4-3 in Green Bay, moving the Woodchucks to a 4-2 record in the second half. The Woodchucks would get on the board early with a run in the top of the first. Garrett Rucker doubled with one out in the frame to extend his season-long hitting streak to eight games. He would score two batters later on a base hit on John Clay Reeves to put the Woodchucks on top 1-0. Rucker would come through for the Woodchucks again in the next inning. With two outs in the frame and the bases loaded, Rucker bounced a single through the right side to score both Tyler Stieb and Edgar Figueroa. Jake Jefferies would also score on the play as Nick Torres’s throw to the plate got by catcher Ryan Matranga for a throwing error, giving the Woodchucks a 4-0 advantage. The score would remain 4-0 until the bottom of the fifth when the Bullfrogs got on the board for the first time. With Jimmy Coady on first and no outs, Matranga blasted his first home run of the season over the left field wall to cut the deficit to two runs. The Bullfrogs would cut that lead to a run in the bottom of the sixth, but the Woodchucks were able to minimize the damage. The first three batters would reach in the inning to load the bases with no outs against Woodchuck starter Ryan McCarthy. McCarthy threw a wild pitch to the backstop to score Boomer White from third and make it a 4-3 ballgame. With the tying run on third and the go-ahead run on third, Coady hit a groundball to Josh Goossen-Brown. Goossen-Brown stepped on the first base bag for the first out and then got Torres caught in a rundown between third and home. Torres would eventually be tagged out by McCarthy at home for the second out of the inning as the Woodchucks got out of a jam to keep it a 4-3. McCarthy would go five and two-thirds innings, allowing only two earned runs on four hits while picking up six strikeouts as he picked up the win and improved to 1-0 on the season. Aaron Fossas and Jackson Lowery combined to throw three and a third innings of scoreless baseball, recording four strikeouts between the two of them. Fossas had three of those punchouts, and Lowery would pitch the ninth to record his fifth save of the season and eleventh of his Northwoods League career. The series will head to Wausau tomorrow for the second and final game. First pitch from Athletic Park is scheduled for 6:35 with the gates opening at 5:35. You can hear the game on Fox Sports 1390-AM 93.9-FM.

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3:00 PM The Freedom From Religion Foundation has sent a letter of complaint to Clemson University saying the football program is forcing players to attend church & other religious activities.2:45 PM The Atlanta Braves announced that only off-duty officers that have jurisdiction at Turner Field will be allowed to carry guns at the stadium.2:30 PM Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Tandon Doss was arrested on disorderly conduct charges in Indianapolis Wednesday afternoon. But police say they do not plan to file charges against Doss.2:15 PM Former NFL receiver Chad Johnson, a.k.a. Chad Ochocinco, has signed with the CFL's Montreal Alouettes.

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Money Leaders Photo Wire Daily Spin Subscribe to TENNIS Home About Peter Bodo Contact RSS Follow on Twitter Categories Archive Big Difficult by Pete Bodo WIMBLEDON, England—It was nothing like women's tennis we knew before the Williams sisters burst into the game. Heck, it wasn't even anything like their early triumphs at the U.S. Open or Wimbledon, this furious, vehement quarterfinal clash between defending champion Petra Kvitova and the four-time champ Serena Williams. In all fairness, as much of the credit for this display of stereotype-shattering, convention-smashing tennis (that tinkle you hear is the sound of one of those notorious "glass ceilings" falling all around you) goes to Kvitova as to Serena, in exactly the proportions indicated by the 6-3, 7-5 score in favor of the American. It's unlikely that anyone but Kvitova—at her best—could have matched Serena on this day when it came to ripping off forehands, concussive backhands, or those kabooming serves. And it's unlikely that Serena could have looked less secure, given the level of her game, were her opponent anyone but Kvitova. The big Czech (Kvitova stands 6-feet tall), with the big game, the big hook serve, and the big lashing forehand, reviewing her task, admitted afterward that playing Serena . . . "It is big difficult." Emphasize "big." She elaborated: "I think it was great match from both of us, and I think that she just serve much better than me. I think there were some really important points that I could play better. I think that was the different." None was more important than Kvitova's lone break point of the match, which was simultaneously a set point in the second set. But she never really had a look at it, as Serena pounded a 109 M.P.H. service winner to the southpaw's backhand. It was yet another shot that, with the roof closed, sounded like nothing less than an angry rogue wave breaking on a rocky beach. "I loved it," Serena said of the experience, her first time playing with the lid on Centre Court. "It was amazing for me. There was no elements, no excuses. . . I loved the sound. It was really cool. . . The sound of the balls—it's kind of like a whoosh and a pop. It's really cool. It's almost like a video game but you're playing. It kind of flies through and you hear it when it lands." Roger that. The match was as brutal as "Grand Theft Auto." It also was decisive and swift, with an elapsed time of one hour and 24 minutes. We didn't see a rally that lasted 10 strokes until the seventh game of the second set. And Kvitova made just one serious misstep after Serena dismissed that set point at 4-5, which may have prevented her from forcing a third set. In the very next game, at 5-5, Kvitova bolted to a 30-0 lead, but Serena won three points running. At break point Kvitova made a good serve, and Serena popped the return up into the air at mid-court—and Kvitova smothered the forehand reply into the net. It was the only ghastly error of the match. The abrupt ending might have been disappointing but for the fact that the match was always close and tense, which is why it was great, and might have become great with a capital "G" had it gone another set—or had Kvitova been able to sink her teeth into the match instead of biting down time and again on air. But Serena kept her at bay by taking excellent care of her own serve—if "taking care" is an acceptable way to describe the winner's aggressive approach to those games. Serena rained down 13 aces (almost 20 percent of her points were won before they started), and stood by watching as 46 percent (28 of 61) of her total serve points went unreturned. Kvitova's numbers in this department were also good (18 of 65, for 28 percent), but not in the same league. Each woman made just two unforced return errors in the entire match, a testament to the stinging efficiency of both their serves. But the most critical difference may have been Serena's outstanding backhand return. And making that shot is the first priority for a right-hander engaged with a lefty who has any serve to speak of. "Yeah, I think she expected my serve will come to the backhand because she has a really great return from the forehand," Kvitova said. "So it wasn't nice to just have like second serve to the forehand; it was better for me to go to the backhand. Yeah, I think she knows it before. That's why she could play like that on the returns today." Kvitova hit 31 serves to Serena's backhand, and just just 16 to her forehand. Serena won 48 percent of those points, an excellent number against the kind of lefty serve Martina Navratilova herself could only have wished to own. Said Serena: "I feel like I've been returning really well in practice—much better than any of my matches—so I'm thinking one day it's going to come through. I can still return a lot better, but it just hasn't quite clicked yet. But today was definitely better than the other matches." I'm not sure how much better Serena could return, but I know she won't have to return more productively to win this title. And heaven help any woman who gets in her way if she continues to play with comparable aggression. Richard Williams, Serena's father, has been vocal in his disappointment with the way his daughter has played in the last few rounds. Clearly, he made his point, for today Serena admitted, "I had a good talk with my dad. He motivated me and my sister, as well. I had a talk with Patrick (Mouratoglau), too. It was great. Like all three of those got me really motivated to do better and be the player that know I can be." It's hard to resist awarding Serena the title right now, and that's not intended as a slight of her rivals. Even Kvitova, who's as cautious as any player about making predictions, was unable to engage in the customarly charade when that question was finally broached. Will Serena be impossible to beat? "I can't say impossible," Kvitova replied. "She's human. Yeah, I think that's why she's the great champion, because she knows what she needs to play in the important points. So I think that it's really tough to beat her." Will Serena win? Like so many points at either end of the court in this match, the answer was brief, to the point, and unqualified. Said Kvitova, "I think so." Post's Permalink Your Cup of Tea, Day 8 WIMBLEDON, England—Mornin'. We're all sitting on your hands here, wondering how much—if any—tennis we'll see today. This is the only tournament on the tour where part of the daily media package is the weather report. It often occupies most of an entire printed page. La Condition Humaine? Pshaw. It's the meteorological conditions that really count around here. "We're keeping an eye on two developing areas of rain, once currently over Dorset/Wiltshire, and a further currently affecting west Devon/Cornwall. . . " The first of those is likely to reach here by noon, bringing "more organized spells of rain for up to two hours." As you well know, we never did get through Manic Monday and those 16 quality fourth-round matches, but my WTA upset special (Angelique Kerber over Kim Clijsters) did materialize. We'll have to see how my Brian Baker over Philipp Kohlschreiber upset pick pans out today. They're first on, at 11:30. At the moment, the sun is shin—whoops—forget that. So on we go to the women's quarterfinals: Most intriguing match-up: Without a doubt, defending champ and No. 4 seed Petra Kvitova vs. No. 6 Serena Williams. Both women have struggled here, sometimes mightily, but when they're feeling it, either woman can basically blow anyone off the court. Although Kvitova is the higher seed, Serena is 2-0 against her. Most nerve-wracking match-up: Agnieszka Radwanska vs. Maria Kirilenko, and I'm talking about their nerves, not ours. Believe it or not, Radwanska could end up No. 1 next Monday. She needs to go two rounds farther than Victoria Azarenka (meaning Azarenka must lose today no matter what else happens), but the No. 19 seed Kirilenko also is looking at an enormous opportunity. The upper half of the draw (the other two there are Kerber and Sabine Lisicki) will produce a first-time Grand Slam finalist, and every one of these girls must be thinking, "Could it be me?" Radwanska leads the head-to-head, 5-2. Least predictable match-up: Lisicki (No. 15) vs. Kerber (No. 8) is a compelling pairing. Lisicki hits harder, Kerber moves better. Both women are German, and that adds an extra dimension of urgency and pressure to such meetings. Most ominous match-up: Azarenka (No. 2) vs.Tamira Paszek, who's been scorching the grass since arriving in England with a grand total of two wins in 2012. She ripped through the draw in Eastbourne, knocking off Marion Bartoli and Kerber. Last year, Azarenka had the bad luck to run into a suddenly hot player at every major, which helps explain why she didn't win her first Grand Slam until this year. Paszek started her tournament with an upset of No. 7 Caroline Wozniacki, and has only gotten stronger and more confident since. I'm sticking with this one for my WTA upset special. Miss Impatience WIMBLEDON, England—At one point in the terrible punishment Victoria Azarenka was inflicting on Ana Ivanovic on Centre Court, a raft of pigeon feathers came fluttering down from the closed roof. It was received as a sign that all was well again—that Rufus, the Harris hawk employed by Wimbledon to keep the pigeon numbers down, was back on the job. Azarenka was distracted momentarily, but she quickly returned to the job at hand, which was setting poor Ivanovic's tentative rehabilitation back to, oh, January of 2010. In no time, Azarenka polished off the former No. 1, 6-1, 6-0, sending a shiver down the spines of those who have been reveling in how unpredictable and competitive so mamy of the women's matches here have been. Azarenka was asked about the pigeon right off the bat in her presser, and she said, "Well, I have no idea actually. I just saw some feathers coming down. Actually, I don't know how it got there. The roof was closed. It was kind of interesting, but there is nothing else to say." It's unclear whether or not Azarenka actually hit the pigeon, but when queried she cut off the theme, cold: "Yeah, I really wasn't focused on that, sorry. It was not my concern there." That's a pretty representative exchange for the impatient, impetuous, not entirely sunny-dispositioned Azarenka, aka Ms. Whoooo! Her sarcasm can be as stinging as her forehand, her opacity as grating as her ululations. But the No. 2 seed could re-claim the No. 1 ranking Maria Sharapova snatched out of her hands a few weeks ago by the time this tournament is finished (in any event, there will be a new No. 1 next Monday). The curious thing is that so far very few people seem to care about this aspect of Wimbledon. Azarenka has progressed through the draw largely ignored if not exactly unnoticed. It isn't that the game of the former No. 1 and reigning Australian Open champion is unsuited to grass, nor that anyone has established superiority over her. She's not slumping, hurt, or in any other way less than the new favorite. It's just that despite having an exciting game and, if you can ignore the ceaseless cauterwauling, a fundamentally appealing style and look, nobody is getting all fired up about her. She's getting dangerously close to Ivan Lendl territorry in the "champion that nobody loves" category. This mostly comes down to the fact that Azarenka is a bit of a hard case, a volatile combination of blunt and impatient. She's sometimes seems to be in as much of a hurry to leave the interview room as the tennis court, only that quality really only pays off at the latter. I shudder at the thought of how she must treat a waiter who's a little slow rolling out the cheese trolley. Here's an unedited sequence from her presser today. Having demolished Ivanovic in an hour, you'd think she might relax and put her proverbial feet up for a bit: Q. Why are there so many upsets in the women's draw this year? A: "It's not really a question for me. I can only speak for myself." Q. Is there a difference this year in the courts, the balls, the weather? A: "You can always find some excuses. You can also find some differences or whatever. I don't know. I cannot speak for other girls. I'm trying to stay focused on my game." Q. You find it very good, dropping only 13 games? A: "Not counting, sorry. Really not counting. Just taking it one at a time." Okay, they may not be genius-grade questions, but most of the other women have no trouble understanding that all they really need to do is jabber away for a bit and everyone walks away happy. That's just not the Azarenka way. Be that as it may, Azarenka's natural impatience may have been a drag on her development as a champion. And while today's match may not have been an exercise in problem-solving for Azarenka, the ones that lie ahead may demand the patience that has never been her trademark, although she did seem to embrace something like it shortly after her grandmother famously told her to slow down and enjoy life and stop being such as sourpuss. It was almost as if something along those lines crossed her mind midway through her presser, because she suddenly seemed to slow down and relax, and by the end she was a regular chatty Cathy—at least by her own standard. Someone returned to the distractions theme and asked her to catalog the ones she's experienced. "Unusual distractions? I can't really think of some. Sometimes it can be annoying when somebody is chewing chips right when you're serving. Doesn't really matter. You just have to stay focused on your game. Whatever is going on around is going on around. It's out of your hand. But the feathers, it was fun." Given that this is Azarenka here, that last line make me wonder if she didn't hit that bird after all. Wide-Eyed and Dangerous WIMBLEDON, England—Maria Sharapova trailed Sabine Lisicki by a set and 3-5, and was serving at 30-0. The No. 1 seed was fighting for her competitive life and barely hanging onto it against the 5-foot-10, German-born, 22-year-old. During the next point, Sharapova left a ball short and Lisicki, who trusts power over finesse by a wide margin, moved forward and carved under the ball to drop a short one just over the net—so close to the sideline that when it was called out, Lisicki issued a challenge. While the pixels and algorithms were humming into play, Lisicki turned to her father, Richard, seated in the guest box, and pressed the pads of her thumb and index fingers together, laughing and smiling. It was atypical behavior for an underdog at a critical time in a match, but the image spoke volumes about the confidence and relaxed attitude of the swaddled-in-white challenger. The challenge was denied. Lisicki kept smiling. Across the net, Sharapova was Little Miss Poker Face—an entirely appropriate reaction given the straits she was in. She would go on to hold serve with the help of that oh-so-close error by Lisicki, but it only forestalled the inevitable. Granted, Lisicki made an adventure of her next service game, squandering two match points (one via an overly enthusiastic forehand approach shot that looked to be a sure winner; the other with a similiar set-up shot drilled into the net). Still grinning and oblivious to the menacing, slate-tray overcast that had already caused one stoppage of play (after Lisicki won the first set), Lisicki calmed down and won the next three points, finishing Sharapova off with an ace. It was as fine a display of power tennis as we've ever seen by a woman at Wimbledon, and the 6-4, 6-3 triumph confirmed that Lisicki, despite a history of injury, is not a mere sideshow (Come, see the Troisdorf Thunderer bang out 20 aces and 40 unforced errors!) but a serious contender for this title. Lisicki was spanked in the semis here last year by Sharapova, whose game is only somewhat similar. Lisicki also pushed Sharapova to three sets at the Australian Open at the start of this year, but still lost, and had yet to win a match after three meetings. Was the win today "revenge for last year," she was asked? "Yeah. For all three times," Lisicki gayly replied. Sharapova could only say, "A lot of the credit goes to my opponent. She played extremely well today and did many things better than I did on this given day. You just have to hand it to her." And you know Sharapova. She doesn't like handing anyone anything. When I caught up with Sabine's father and coach in the player tea room later, he told me, "It was already starting to come together for Sabine at Charleston, but her injury stopped her. Now I think she's ready to do it. She was focused and the last match against Maria (in Australia) was close, so we knew she could win." Lisicki has always been recognized as a dangerous talent, if prone in her first few years on the tour to losing control of those big groundstrokes and that 120 M.P.H. serve. At just about the time her game was coming together in 2010, she injured her ankle so badly that she was off the tour for five months and finished the year ranked No. 179. Lisicki fought her way back in 2011,

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The Lede Search Posts tagged with TOUR DE FRANCE Jul 12, 7:25 pm Tour de France Tension Simmers on Twitter By ROBERT MACKEY Stephane Mahe/ReutersChris Froome, in the black uniform of the Sky professional cycling team, rode much of Thursday’s Tour de France stage in front of Bradley Wiggins, wearing the yellow jersey of the race leader. Last Updated | Friday 3:57 p.m. After Thursday’s race through the Alps seemed to signal that the defending champion is on the ropes, the Tour de France is starting to look like a battle between two British riders: Bradley Wiggins, a veteran of track racing from England, and Chris Froome, an emerging star born at altitude in Kenya. What made matters a little awkward near the end of Thursday’s slog up the day’s last mountain is that the two rivals are also teammates. The men race for Team Sky, a British-based squad ostensibly designed to help pace Mr. Wiggins around France in the yellow jersey of the overall race leader. That pecking order was on clear display late in the race on Thursday, when Mr. Froome, whose main job is to ride just in front of Mr. Wiggins, helping his team leader to conserve energy by shielding him from the wind, suddenly set off on an attack on the slopes of the day’s final climb to the ski station at La Toussuire. As Mr. Froome pedaled away from the rest of the pack, Mr. Wiggins was left behind, isolated and unable to keep up even with the small group of other contenders for the overall title struggling to respond to the sudden acceleration. Moments later, however, Mr. Froome appeared to get a radio message from his team to slow down and wait for Mr. Wiggins, which he dutifully did, allowing all his rivals for second place to gain time on him in the process. Such is the life of a support rider, even one who might have the legs to defeat his team leader. Read more… Jul 21, 1:51 pm Refusing to Quit the Tour de France By ROBERT MACKEY While Lance Armstrong’s attempt to win Tuesday’s stage of the Tour de France at the age of 38 stole the headlines, Jens Voigt, a German support rider on a rival team who is one day older than the former champion, won praise from many cycling fans just for refusing to quit the race. Voigt, who rides in support of a teammate who currently stands in second place in the overall standings, Andy Schleck, had to go to extraordinary lengths to finish Tuesday’s stage after his front tire “exploded” and he crashed while descending a mountain in the Pyrenees at more than 40 miles per hour. His bike was shattered and his body bloodied. In a post on Bicycling magazine’s Web site, written after his various injuries were eventually diagnosed, Voigt explained: “About the only place that feels good right now is my right ankle. The rest of me is all road rash. Plus I’ve got five stitches in my left elbow and then there are some ribs that are not in the right place! I may have to get X-rays, but I hate X-rays (the radiation), and plus, if I’ve got a fractured rib, what can anyone do about it?” He added that after his crash, he was confronted by the Tour’s dreaded “broom wagon,” which sweeps up riders who decide to abandon the race along the road when the going gets really tough. He refused to get in, despite no longer having a bike to ride. Read more… Jul 19, 7:04 pm Contador Apologizes on YouTube By ROBERT MACKEY Within the past hour, Alberto Contador, the Spanish cyclist who took over the lead in this year’s Tour de France on Monday in controversial circumstances, posted an apology to his main rival, Andy Schleck, on YouTube. As my colleague Juliet Macur explains, Contador surged ahead on the final climb of Stage 15, “when Schleck’s bike chain fell off as he was mounting an attack on Contador and other riders. Contador, the defending Tour champion, did not stop to wait for Schleck, sparking the ire of fans who thought it was unsportsmanlike.” Cycling fans spent the day arguing about Contador’s decision not to wait for his rival, offering their opinions on Web forums and Twitter, where Contador’s name became a trending topic and the term “Chaingate” was coined. Read more… Jul 14, 6:49 pm Cycling Bloggers Scour Armstrong’s 2005 Testimony By ROBERT MACKEY Updated | 7:56 p.m. As my colleague Juliet Macur reported on Wednesday morning from France, Lance Armstrong, “a focus of a federal investigation into possible fraud and doping on the now-defunct United States Postal Service cycling team,” flatly denied that he had been one of the team’s owners before 2004, when it was sponsored by the government agency. Before the start of Stage 10 of the Tour de France on Wednesday, Mr. Armstrong said he had been employed only as a rider by Tailwind Sports, which owned the Postal Service team. He insisted that “the misconception that I was the owner of the team,” or had a stake in it, was “completely untrue. No ownership, none at all.” But Bill Gifford, a journalist and blogger who posts wry comments about professional cycling on his Twitter feed, pointed out that Mr. Armstrong was not very clear on this same point when he was asked about it during a deposition in 2005. Read more… May 21, 5:40 pm Similar Doping Charges Were Aired in 2005 Web Chat by Former Armstrong Teammates By ROBERT MACKEY Updated | Saturday | 3:05 p.m. As my colleague Juliet Macur reported on Thursday, allegations of systematic doping by Lance Armstrong were made in a series of e-mail confessions sent to cycling authorities in recent weeks by his former teammate, Floyd Landis. After years of denial, Mr. Landis admitted that he had taken performance-enhancing drugs and blood transfusions to help with his recovery during long races like the Tour de France. He also claimed in one e-mail message that Mr. Armstrong had tutored him in cheating when he was a support rider for the American champion from 2002-2004. Mr. Landis has agreed to cooperate with the authorities and spoken with Jeff Novitzky, a federal agent who led the investigation in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative steroids case. Reports of Mr. Landis’s accusations so far have suggested that he has no physical evidence to back up his claims. Speaking to reporters in California on Thursday, Mr. Armstrong said: “He said he has no proof. It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand. We like our credibility. I don’t think there is a lot of credibility on the other side.” Among the things that could change that would be photographic evidence of doping by Mr. Armstrong’s team. Cycling fans who think Mr. Armstrong has been covering up doping by himself and others for years have long held out hope that Mr. Landis might, in fact, possess at least one such photograph. Read more… The Lede's Twitter Notebook The Lede embedded Twitter timeline The Lede is a blog that remixes national and international news stories -- adding information gleaned from the Web or gathered through original reporting -- to supplement articles in The New York Times and draw readers in to the global conversation about the news taking place online. Readers are encouraged to take part in the blogging by using the comments threads to suggest links to relevant material elsewhere on the Web or by submitting eyewitness accounts, photographs or video of news events. Read more. April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 Recent Posts Video of Snowden Asking Putin About Surveillance Video of the former National Security Agency contractor Edward J. Snowden asking President Vladimir V. Putin a question about surveillance during a call-in program on Russian television Thursday was quickly posted online by a state-owned broadcaster. Read more… Korean Coast Guard Video of Ferry Rescue Video released by the South Korean Coast Guard showed survivors being plucked from a sinking ferry by helicopter and boat as the ship slowly capsized. Read more… Tensions Boil Over on Camera in Ukraine’s East and West Video shot by local journalists showed a general and a politician being beaten by mobs in the east and the west of the country. Read more… Video and Social Media Posts on the Anniversary of the Boston Marathon Bombings On the first anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings, both victims and survivors are remembered. Read more… Internet Evidence Contradicts Russian Claims on Ukraine, Western Diplomats Say Its claims about Ukraine are so at odds with visual evidence online, a French diplomat said, that it seems as if the Russian government “isn’t aware that the Internet exists.” Read more… Follow The Lede Anywhere

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News Sports Opinion Lifestyles Sections Ads Classifieds Jobs Extras CU Contact Us Sports Columns « AFC North may qualify three... Steelers, Ravens get well at...» Can OSU escape the Gator Chomp? By BETTY POKAS - Times Leader Sports Writer ([email protected]) Save | Post a comment | WHEN the Ohio State Buckeyes face the Florida Gators the afternoon of Jan. 2, OSU fans hope nobody hears music that sounds like "Jaws" or sees the Gator Chomp. The two teams with 6-6 records for this season will encounter each other in the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl in Jacksonville. According to the University of Florida traditions, "When the band plays music that sounds like 'Jaws' or you want to show that the opposing team in any sport does not have a chance, you stick one arm straight out in front of you and clap the other down on top of it, like a big alligator mouth (well, vaguely)." The Gators have the Gator Chomp, but the Buckeye faithful hope the Luke Fickell-led team has more bite. A plus for the Buckeyes is freshman quarterback Braxton Miller, who was named the Big Ten Conference's Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year. After becoming the starting quarterback in the fourth game of the season, he threw for 997 yards with 11 touchdowns and only four interceptions. Included among Miller's accomplishments was a 14-25 effort for 235 yards with two touchdowns - all season highs - in the final season game against Michigan. Miller, however, isn't OSU's only asset as several players made noteworthy plays. One of the favorites is Dan "Boom" Herron, voted by his teammates at season's end as the team MVP. During the regular season, team captains were selected each week, but the team voted this month for four to be remembered as the 2011 captains. They are senior center Michael Brewster , Orlando, Fla.; senior running back Herron, Warren; senior linebacker Andrew Sweat, Washington, Pa.; and junior defensive lineman John Simon, Youngstown. Fickell deserves praise for the way in which he has coached the team this season. Despite the woes he inherited, the team ended with a 6-6 record. That compares to 7-5 season record compiled during the first year that veteran coach Jim Tressel, an outstanding individual, coached at OSU. The Gator Bowl will be the second time for the Gators and Buckeyes to meet; the first was during the 2007 BCS National Championship game in Arizona when the No. 2 Gators defeated No. 1 OSU, 41-14. Fickell isn't the only first-year head coach at the Jan. 2 game. This marks the first year of coaching for Gators head coach Will Muschamp, who was hired last year after the departure of Urban Meyer now at OSU. Muschamp has named assistant Brian White to call the plays against OSU in the bowl. White is credited with beating the Buckeyes four times in six tries as Wisconsin's offensive coordinator from 1999-2005. Before being named to that Badgers' post, Wisconsin was 2-25-3 all-time against OSU. White was quoted by GatorZone.com senior writer Scott Carter as noting, "We'll come to a consensus of how we want to attack Ohio State and playing a really good, efficient offensive football game. We're going to try and execute what we do best. That's put the ball in our playmakers' hands." Fickell was only 5 years of age when the Buckeyes played in the Gator Bowl in 1978. Although that's more than three decades ago, anyone at all familiar with OSU's past knows about the unfortunate incident involving legendary coach Woody Hayes and Clemson player Charlie Bauman during that game. During a recent interview session, Fickell said, "We'd like to put a completely different spin on Ohio State's Gator Bowl history (this year)." What makes the whole thing ironic about the 1978 incident are the boxing gloves received by Hayes during a Gator Bowl luncheon the day before the game. "The Official Ohio State Football Encyclopedia" by Jack Park reports that retired Clemson coach Frank Howard, one of Hayes' good friends, had sent Hayes a pair of boxing gloves as a gag gift. Also, other books report that ABC announcer Keith Jackson, who also handled fight coverage in those days, gave Hayes a pair of souvenir boxing gloves at a Gator Bowl pregame news conference. No one, least of all Hayes, however, expected the punching situation at the game, which led to the firing of the coach. It meant the end of coaching for a man whose 33-year lifetime coaching record was 238-72-10. His teams also had 13 Big Ten titles, and 56 of his OSU players were named first-time All-Americans, according to Park's book. One of Hayes' familiar quotations is: "Paralyze resistance with persistence." After his firing, Hayes lived up to that quotation when earning back acclaim, and his persistence helped him to become a legend at OSU. Not only was he a goodwill ambassador for the university, but he received an honorary doctorate in later years. Park's book shows a picture of Hayes as he delivered the 1986 commencement address, "an honor he considered the greatest day of his life," according to the author. Go to OSU today, and you'll see such places as Woody Hayes Drive and the Woody Hayes Athletic Center as well as the sign to honor Hayes in the 'Shoe. BETTY'S BANTER THE UPCOMING game will be the Buckeyes' first bowl game in Florida since the Outback Bowl in 2002 when South Carolina defeated OSU, 28-3. South Carolina was coached by Ohio Valley native Lou Holtz, whose head coaching stops included Notre Dame. Holtz,who earned degrees at Kent State University and Iowa, was an assistant at OSU when the Buckeyes defeated the USC Trojans in the 1969 Rose Bowl. Hayes was coach at that time, and the quarterback was Rex Kern, an outstanding player... OHIO State's record in bowl games is 19-22, dating back to the 1921 Rose Bowl... SWITCHING to another bowl game and another year, The Times Leader carried a story last Sunday about the only time that Washington & Jefferson College played in the Rose Bowl. Jim Aiken of Tiltonsville and Ralph Vince of Connorville (both graduates of Martins Ferry High School) were on that W&J team in 1922. They, however, were not only East Ohioans who went to the famous bowl. The late James Futhey, who had resided in Shadyside, was a freshman on the W&J team that year. A fullback, Futhey didn't play in the game, but he did accompany the team to California. His daughter, Nancy Duggan of Shadyside, said her father had told how the W&J coach Earle "Greasy" Neale, later named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, took water from W&J for the team's use, because the 1921 team from the East in the Rose Bowl had suffered dysentery, and it was blamed on the water. Vince and Aiken later were outstanding coaches, and Futhey became an engineer. The engineer's son is John Futhey of Santa Rosa, Calif... THE GATOR Bowl, which will be Jan. 2 at 1 p.m., will be televised by ESPN2... Pokas can be reached at [email protected]. Save | Post a comment | Subscribe to Times Leader Martins Ferry Weather Forecast, OH

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Posts made in May, 2013 » “You Can Vote… On The Shorts”: Democracy In Action At Cardiff City FC By Ian on May 31, 2013 in Latest, Politics | 8 comments It often seems these days as if there is nothing that professional football won’t seek to either monetise or somehow turn into some sort of event, and if the thinnest veneer of an abstract notion of democracy can be applied to it, then the perpetual desire of clubs to keep throttling a golden goose can be set aside in favour of a momentary feeling of... The Friday Cartoon: Football Club Badges Reimagined By Ted on May 31, 2013 in Art, Latest | 2 comments In the week when Everton supporters have been up in arms about their club badge being changed without consultation, our resident cartoonist Dotmund has been plundering around in the bins at the graphic design agency to see what else could be in the offing. You can follow Dotmund on Twitter by clicking here. You can follow Twohundredpercent on Twitter by clicking... A Night At The Opera: England’s Really Friendly Friendly By Mark on May 30, 2013 in International Football, Latest | 0 comments In the twenty-two years since I made the last of my then-regular Wembley trips for England internationals, almost everything has changed, including, of course, the stadium itself. But there were some old-fashioned fears being expressed prior to this week’s England friendly with Ireland. Most media attention was focused on the English hooliganism which stopped the... England & Ireland Live Down To Expectations By Ian on May 30, 2013 in International Football, Latest | 0 comments The end of the 2012/13 football season has been, on the pitch at least, a little like a slowly deflating balloon. The Premier League ended as a competition about three months ago, and by the last day of the season the only product that Sky Sports had to sell a hungry audience was the internecine battle between Arsenal and Spurs over who would finish in fourth place... Dumber & Dumber Still – The Birth Of Achill Islam CSC By Mark on May 29, 2013 in Latest, Scottish Football | 0 comments The language was fierce. Emotions were clearly running high. “Total scum.” Disgusting filth.” “Absolute scum.” “Vile f***ers.” “Terror-loving scum.” A whole group of people condemned – as scum, mostly – for the actions, supposedly in the name of those people, of a very few. Far-right extremists have been the focus of attention in Britain since the grisly...

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On Di Matteo's Tactical Flexibility By Tim Palmer @timhpal It appears Di Matteo has just seen what could happen with Luiz playing in midfield. So what's different about Roberto Di Matteo's Chelsea compared to Villas-Boas? It's not a trick question, but it does have a lot of answers. Let's take a look at a particularly prominent concern - his flexibility as a tactician. Being tactically flexible is a good thing. The very best coaches all demonstrate an ability to identify what needs to be changed and how things can be changed. Mourinho was particularly good at this, having the ability to constantly be on the lookout for subtle changes to shape and system which need to be counteracted upon in order to maintain control. Of course, too much, and you cause imbalances and confusion, as did Ranieri, or too little, and you lose control of the match, as in Ancelotti. Villas-Boas was reasonably flexible in his approach, having the nerve to change his team's shape as required, and infamously against Valencia, being able to drastically change his team's approach. This wasn't why he was sacked as Chelsea manager, obviously, but it's an interesting difference between his reign and the current manager, where Roberto Di Matteo has gone about things rather differently. Where Villas-Boas was flexible in terms of the players as a collective, individually he was afraid of making changes to player positioning and selection. Very rarely did he gamble on say, playing Ramires out on the left, or Daniel Sturridge likewise. While he did, in the case of the latter, make the striker play in an unfamiliar wide position, this was merely the confirmation of a process iniaited by Ancelotti. In this sense, Di Matteo is different. His shown in only five games that he is happy for his players to play as needed, best elucidated by the positioning of David Luiz in a right back role two more times than he was ever under Villas-Boas. While this is a good thing - player versatility is extremely useful in today's squad game - it can also be a bad thing. As talked about in the Spurs analysis, constantly shifting your players can cause you to lose sight of why they do so well in their preferred positions. It is important, however, to keep in mind that Di Matteo's flexbility has extended to exposing the enhanced abilities of Ramires, and as such has had a positive impact on the squad, despite the negative image portrayed above. I must compound on this negative imagery, however, when turning the attention to Torres. It was a key talking point amongst commentators and fans alike that Di Matteo placed Fernando, a centre forward, on the right wing. This wasn't especially a terrible move - the Spaniard has shown flashes of being brillant in deeper, wider roles - but it did reveal the inflexibility of Di Matteo in terms of shape. Because its also important to note that another constant across the first five games is Di Matteo's retaining of the 4-2-3-1 more or less 90% of the time - illustrating the Italian's fondness for the widely popular formation and his desire to maintain the shape across most games. This was best demonstrated when he introduced Salomon Kalou late in the Spurs game, where the Ivorian replaced Torres right wing position, presumably for the striker to be placed higher and more centrally, only for Fernando to be shifted across to the left. It was unusual, and it was bordering on completely silly. It seemed Di Matteo wanted to retain his 4-2-3-1 shape, no matter what, and keep Mata behind the centre forward. It's strange, really. While the caretaker is keen to showcase his flexibility when it comes to his players individually, he seems rather against changing the formation and shape of his side. In that sense, he represents quite a big deviation from the previous regime, and something that can be taken in both positive and negative ways.

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Van Gaal Admits Tymoshchuk Is Not Needed At Bayern Munich Posted on July 22, 2010 by Dylan Thomas Tymoshchuk Has Failed To Impress With Bayern Munich And Could Be On His Way Out This Summer. Bayern Munich’s head coach Louis Van Gaal has announced today that Ukrainian midfielder Anatoliy Tymoschchuk could be on his way out of Bavaria this summer. Van Gaal spoke to Kicker magazine in Germany about the midfield situation at Bayern Munich, and what could change this summer. “In my opinion, a player should be allowed to leave the club if he doesn’t get a lot of playing time and the prospects aren’t any better. It doesn’t look too good for Tymoshchuk. Bastian Schweinsteiger is in the best form of his life, while Mark van Bommel is the club’s captain. It will be very difficult for Anatoliy to break into the first team.” Tymoshchuk played his way onto the European stage with Shakhtar Donetsk, where he played for ten years. After impressing, he moved to Zenit St. Petersburg where he captained the side to UEFA Cup (now Europa League) and UEFA Super Cup success. His move to Bayern Munich was seen as many by a great move by the Bavarian giants, but Tymoshchuk has failed to impress during his time in Germany. The Ukrainian midfielder has also failed to start a single game in 2010. Van Gaal has also spoke in the past about Edson Braafheid, Jose Sosa and Andreas Ottl being unwanted at Bayern Munich. The Dutch coach certainly does like to speak his mind, which has been something he has been criticized for in the past. This entry was posted in General, Leagues: Bundesliga. Bookmark the permalink.

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Guan blending into young crowd There was a time when a 14-year-old on the PGA Tour would be considered big news.It's starting to feel like old news.Guan Tianlang tees it up Thursday at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans, which must feel like a significant step down from where he was two weeks ago. He played practice rounds at Augusta National with Tom Watson and Tiger Woods. He played in the Masters alongside Ben Crenshaw. He was in Butler Cabin when Adam Scott first slipped on the green jacket. Guan was the low amateur.The emphasis should be on the Chinese teen's performance -- the youngest to play 72 holes in a major, nothing worse than a bogey all week, no three-putts on some of the fastest, most frightening greens in golf -- and not on his birth certificate.Age is just a number.Teenagers have been dotting the professional golf landscape for the last decade.Despite a one-shot penalty for slow play on the 17th hole of his second round, Guan still made the cut against a 93-man field at the Masters. Remember, it was only nine years ago when another 14-year-old -- Michelle Wie -- shot 68 and missed by one shot making the cut against a 143-man (and one girl) field at the Sony Open.Morgan Pressel was 13 when she played in the 2001 U.S. Women's Open at Pine Needles, a record that was broken six years later by Alexis Thompson, who was 12. Thompson went on to win an LPGA Tour event when she was 16, a record that was broken last year by 15-year-old Lydia Ko in the Canadian Women's Open.Ryo Ishikawa was 15 when he won the Munsingwear Open KSB Cup on the Japan Golf Tour, making him the youngest player to win on one of the six major golf tours.That record still stands.For now.Guan has no illusions of winning the Zurich Classic. He spent some three weeks at Augusta National getting ready for the Masters and its 7,435-yard course. Next up is the TPC Louisiana, which is 7,341 yards and doesn't typically play as fast. Making the cut won't be as easy as it was at the Masters, against a 156-man field with no 10-shot rule.That's not the only difference, of course."The Masters has got a lot of people there," Guan said Tuesday. "So I just want to play my best this week."Is there room for an eight-grader in professional golf? Sure, as long as it's a cameo appearance.Zurich was among the sponsors of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, which Guan won wire-to-wire last year to earn an exemption into the Masters. Guan also has a connection to the area. He practiced at Lakewood Golf Club last year when he tried to qualify for the U.S. Open. He failed to make it. The youngest at Olympic Club last summer was another 14-year-old from China, Andy Zhang.Guan led a junior golf clinic at Lakewood on Saturday while getting ready for his next PGA Tour event. Still to be determined is how much longer Guan stays in America and whether he will try to qualify for the U.S. Open.The danger is trying to do too much too soon, though Guan appears to be playing golf for all the right reasons -- fun.That was his goal at the Masters, to make it an enjoyable week no matter what scores he put on his card. And he had a blast, along with getting in all four rounds. His father said at the Masters that Guan was in no hurry to turn pro because "amateurs have fun."That appears to be the theme in the Big Easy."I want to enjoy the week, like in the Masters, and hopefully make the cut," he said. "If not, it's still a great experience. I hope to play good scores out there."There are pitfalls to starting too early and facing overwhelming competition. Wie spent her early teens trying to compete against the men, and she showed some promise. She reached the quarterfinals of the men's U.S. Amateur Public Links, and she was in the hunt for a spot in a major on the back nine of U.S. Open qualifying. But she was at her best when she was still in high school.Ty Tryon made it through all three stages of PGA Tour qualifying in 2001 at age 17, and his career quickly fell apart.Times are changing, though. Kids are more prone to handle the pressure of the big leagues. Pressel nearly won the U.S. Women's Open when she was 17, and she was still 18 when she won the Kraft Nabisco Championship. Ishikawa, struggling in his first full year on the PGA Tour, has won 10 times in Japan, one of those with a 58 in the final round. 1 2 - Next page >> Comment

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Adrian Peterson, Peyton Manning bouncing back big Peterson’s recovery amazes even doctor; Manning solid again after lost year Nov. 11, 2012 - Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) rushes for a 61 yard touchdown against the Detroit Lions in the fourth quarter at the Metrodome. Bruce Kluckhohn/US Presswire By Bob McManaman azcentral sports Imagine what the Cardinals’ abysmal offense would look like today had the team not skipped on Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson in the 2007 draft and managed to sign free-agent quarterback Peyton Manning this spring when he visited the club’s Tempe training facility. Say what you want about the Cardinals’ shaky offensive line, but you’d have to like your chances with established superstars such as Peterson and Manning, who aren’t just the top contenders for NFL Comeback Player of the Year but are also in the running for league MVP honors. In Peterson’s case, what he’s managed to do this season with the Vikings is almost off-the-charts unbelievable. He enters today’s NFC North slugfest against the Bears with the best 10-game start of his career — a league-leading 1,128 rushing yards and an average of 5.8 yards per carry. He tops the NFL with a whopping 13 runs of 20 yards or longer. And he’s done it by virtually rewriting the physiological laws when it comes to the protocol for returning from serious knee injuries. Peterson, remember, suffered a torn anterior-cruciate and torn medial-collateral ligament in his left knee in Week 16 a year ago and yet somehow found a way to return in less than the full year it normally takes for a player to come back to at least semi-average form and strength. Even the man who repaired his knee, esteemed orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews, is stunned by Peterson’s full recovery in a single off-season, which turned out to be a span of just 260 days. Then again, Andrews was shocked just moments after performing the surgery when he saw how perfectly everything fit back together. He quickly summoned Peterson’s parents to tell them and, according to Peterson’s father, Nelson, this is what he said: “I can’t believe it. For this guy to have played as much football as he’s played his whole life, and not to have hardly any wear and tear, it’s incredible. I’ve never seen a football player, especially one who runs and cuts as much as he does, with a knee in that condition. “It’s like a newborn baby.” Manning is authoring an outstanding season for the Broncos after sitting out all of last season with the Colts following four procedures to fix a problem in his neck. But Peterson’s comeback story seems to defy all logic. Coming off major knee surgery, he has a chance to join Hall of Famers Jim Brown, O.J. Simpson and Barry Sanders as the only tailbacks to ever rush for 112 yards per game and 5.8 yards per carry over a full season. Perhaps even more impressive, Peterson has faced eight-man defensive fronts on a league-high 57 rush attempts this season and in those situations is averaging an incredible 6.3 yards per carry. “It’s hard for me to believe he’s better than he was before the surgery,” Vikings coach Leslie Frazier told reporters on a conference call, “but some of the things he has done make me believe it.” Following a week off, Peterson said he feels even better, which probably isn’t a good sign for a Bears team in danger of losing for the third straight time. Peterson, though, wouldn’t be where he is today had he not altered his mind-set and made a total commitment to his rehab program. “It really made me look at things differently,” he told reporters on a conference call. “It really made me scratch harder, dig even deeper when I was working out and training to get back. “The injury is a blessing in disguise. It helped me push through to another level.” With the Vikings (6-4) still alive in the playoff hunt, this could be an epic battle for Peterson against the rival Bears (7-3), who may be reeling but still feature a defense that forces a multitude of turnovers, especially when they aggressively punch at the football. Bring it, Peterson says. “If those guys want to punch at the ball,” he said, “we have to make sure we protect it and make them pay for it. That’s going to be my mind-set going into it. I hope they punch for it. My goal is to keep it high and tight and while they’re punching, I’ll be escaping and going to the end zone.”

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Is it time for the "A-Rod Rule"? The Yankees aren't likely to find a way out of Alex Rodriguez's mega-contract. But maybe future big spenders will have a way to void contracts of suspended players. Tuesday on MLB Network, Peter Gammons said this: I had heard this winter ... that general managers and owners were beginning to say, "Wait a minute, we want to be able to get clauses into contracts that would give us outs, if players test positive. Because we feel it may be that they signed the contracts under false [pretenses]... I think it's going to be very interesting, with five years left on Alex Rodriguez's contract, what kind of battle this becomes between Alex and ... how much they try to get out of that contract. ... I think it's very clear that the Players Association has been more and more leaning in the direction of where the Commissioner's Office wants to go. First off, there's probably not a damned thing the Yankees can do about A-Rod's contract. It was always a foolish deal, unless they had an unlimited budget and were willing to cut him when he stopped hitting. It seems that neither of those conditions apply. Not yet, anyway. Fortunately, the contract is good for Baseball, as it's ridiculous profligacy like this that keeps the haves from completely dominating the have-nots. So thank you, Steinbrothers, for paying your dreary third baseman a king's ransom. Now live with it. I mean, sure: Go ahead and tell your fans that you're trying to undo your mistake. Especially if you're going to release him in a year or two anyway. But don't waste a bunch of your time and money on something that ... Wait. Strike that. Reverse it. Yes, Yankees: Please do waste time and money on this quest. That might be good for Baseball, too. Or good for the rest of the American League East, anyway. And maybe the Mets. Now, about inserting clauses into contracts ... On its face, this makes an incredible amount of sense. It also makes sense that if you sign a player and he's been lying about his age, you could void his contract. Alas, I don't believe that's happened yet (although the Indians were able to restructure Fausto Carmona's Roberto Hernandez's contract and save some money). The principle's essentially the same, I think. In both cases, a player arguably has improved his bargaining position by misrepresenting his fundamental abilities. Yes, the club should perform its due diligence. But if due diligence isn't enough, shouldn't the club have some recourse if the player's been less than truthful? On its face, yes. There are pitfalls, though. In some cases, we're talking about a lot of money. Suppose, for a moment, that Team Y signs Slugger A to a 10-year, $275 million contract. I mean, just as a hypothetical. Now, let's say that just two years into that contract, Slugger A suffers a debilitating shoulder injury. Thing is, though, he can still play; he just can't play well. Suddenly, his employers have 240 million reasons to get him busted for steroids. Assuming, that is, that a failed drug test can void his contract. I'm not saying they could get him busted. Such a thing would be difficult, even if he were using steroids. I don't believe it would be impossible, though. On the one hand, Team Y could subtly encourage Slugger A to use drugs, if only to recover from his injury ... while the other hand is tipping off the authorities. One well-placed "random" drug test, and BOOM! We just saved $240 million. Again, I'm not saying that would happen. But even the remote possibility that it might happen would set off some serious alarm bells in the Players Association and in agents' offices. Another thing. Even if you could insert such a clause into the contracts, it wouldn't mean much to any but the veterans with long-term deals. The great majority of players in the majors are working on one- or two-year contracts, and so this clause wouldn't serve as much of a deterrent because most of such players are cheap enough that the teams wouldn't want to void those contracts. None of which is to suggest this isn't a good idea, or couldn't be made workable. But it's no panacea, and it probably won't be easy to get all the parties to buy in.

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Tiger Woods leads by seven at Bridgestone Invitational Tiger Woods and caddie Joe LaCava discuss strategy on the seventh tee during the third round of the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club. / Debby Wong, USA TODAY Sports by Steve DiMeglio, USA TODAY Sportsby Steve DiMeglio, USA TODAY Sports Filed Under AKRON, Ohio - Tiger Woods wasted little time making sure everyone knew he wasn't about to back up in Saturday's third round of the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club. He made birdie on his first two holes. Although the world No. 1 wasn't nearly as sharp in all facets of his game as he was during his second-round 61, his first bogey-free round of the season, he nonetheless kept the rest of the field at a safe distance with a 2-under-par 68 to lead by seven with 18 holes to play. Starting the day with a seven-shot lead under sunny skies, Woods, trying for his fifth win of the season and 79th of his career, extended his advantage to eight after two holes and never led by less than six the rest of the way. With rounds of 66-61-68, he's at 15 under. Henrik Stenson (67) is alone in second at 8 under par. "This would be a heck of a tournament for the fans and everybody out here if (Woods) wasn't playing, but that's not the case right now," said Jason Dufner, whose 67 put him at 7 under. "He's the type of golfer that can do this to these golf courses, and as players you've got to try and respond with what you can to try and catch him. It's a tough task. " �?� All you can do is take your hat off to him after yesterday's round. It's a pretty unbelievable round of golf. He's showing the world and us where he's at right now with his game this week." Is the tournament over? History would suggest a resounding yes. Woods is 52-4 when holding at least a share of the 54-hole lead in a 72-hole event. The largest lead he's ever lost after three rounds - two strokes - was to Y.E. Yang in the 2009 PGA Championship. A win would be his eighth in the event - he's also won the Arnold Palmer Invitational eight times - and his 18th WGC victory. No one else has more than three WGC wins. "Today was a day that I didn't quite have it, but I scored. And that's the name of the game �?� posting a number, and I did today," said Woods, who hit nine of 18 greens (he hit 13 in the second round), eight of 14 fairways (he hit nine Friday) and had 25 putts (he had 22 Friday). "I grinded my way around that golf course today. It was playing a little blustery. "As smooth as (Friday) was, it was as difficult as today was. It's just one of those things where I was just trying to build on my lead somehow, just trying to build on it, and for most of the day I was doing that." Woods made his first bogey in 37 holes on the par-4 ninth when he drove into a fairway bunker and was forced to lay up well short of the green. He made a second bogey on the par-4 14th when he drove into a fairway bunker, hit his second near a tree, chipped long and then got up-and-down for bogey. A third bogey came at the par-5 16th when he again drove into a fairway bunker and was forced to lay up twice. It was his second bogey of the week on the only par-5 on the back nine But he made birdies from 12 feet on the first, 2 feet on the second, 7 feet on the 10th and 8 feet on the 17th. He also chipped in for birdie on the 13th. For the week, he has 18 birdies and an eagle. "To just go out there and execute my game plan," Woods said when asked what his mindset will be when he steps to the first tee in the final round. "Whatever game plan I'm going to implement, just go execute it. It all starts with what the weather is doing, and then I build it from there, and we'll see what I do (Sunday)." Seeing what he will do every step of the way will be Stenson, who will be paired with Woods in the final group. "I think it's kind of tough to pick up seven or eight shots on Tiger around here," Stenson said. "It would take something spectacular on my behalf or any of the other guys around me and obviously a very, very poor round for him. "I'm just going to try and play my game, and be excited to go out and play with him (Sunday). He's obviously playing great, and it'll be a good test, a good measurement. But we might just be there for watching the final victory lap. We'll see." If the spectacular from Stenson doesn't come, or an unexpected miserable round from Woods doesn't happen, Woods will take a lot of momentum with him to Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y. for next week's PGA Championship. Woods will be trying to win his 15th major title but his first since the 2008 U.S. Open. "I think any time you can go into a major tournament or any tournament with a win under your belt it's nice. It validates what you're working on and you have some nice momentum going in there," Woods said. "And hopefully I can seal the deal tomorrow and get ready for the PGA at Oak Hill." Copyright 2014 USATODAY.comRead the original story: Tiger Woods leads by seven at Bridgestone Invitational Woods is 52-4 with at least a share of the 54-hole lead. He leads by seven at Firestone. A link to this page will be included in your message.

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Loading Tweets...1 second ago Meet the Press: Football Opens on Road at ULM Baylor will travel to ULM for a 7 p.m. tilt on ESPN on Friday. Head Coach Art Briles On the atmosphere going into the ULM game... "It is their first game coming back from beating Arkansas and taking Auburn into overtime. Their fans are really excited, as they should be. It'll be good for us too, because throughout the Big 12 we go to some really tough venues. We'll have to tighten up our focus a little bit, and it'll give us a good opportunity to bond prior to some of the road games we have in the Big 12." On ULM QB Kolton Browning... "He's kind of uncanny. He's on fire. He's hot right now, and he's really doing a good job. He's been a good athlete, he was a three-sport guy in high school along with baseball and basketball. He's just got a way of being an extender - he just extends plays. For a lot of people [the play] may be over, but for him, they're still alive. He's certainly a catalyst offensively, and they do a good job with him scheme-wise. They're really good on the defensive side of the ball. They've got some good guys who are playing extremely hard with a lot of confidence right now. It's certainly going to take our best effort to have a chance to come out there and win." On the team's excitement about facing ULM... "I don't think about it at all. As strange as it is, that's still part of the game. You'd like to think that emotions don't play a role, but they do. That's just the reality. The mindset, focus, energy, attitude and effort is all involved. Those will not be issues from here on out, without question, because of the nature of the beast, the opponent that we're playing. Because it's a tough road from here on, so that's what makes it fun, exciting, and inspiring." On what strikes him about ULM... "Their balance offensively, schemes offensively - they do a great job if they turn the pass and run. Like I mentioned, Kolton [Browning] certainly keeps everything alive for them from that standpoint. They're not by-the-book, and I think for a good football team in order to have the chance to be great, you have to have an edge, and you have to be different. I don't always think they go by-the-book, so [ULM head coach] Todd [Berry]'s done a good job. He was at Army as the head coach when I was at Houston in 2003 when we played him, and he's always done a great job offensively. He's doing a really good job there. So, they've got a little bit of an edge, and I like the way they play. They play with a little bit of reckless abandon on defense, they really run to the football and they play with a tremendous amount of effort and attitude. They're fighting hard to really be a good football team." On playing differently in the second half... "I think it's a combination. We certainly realize that Sam Houston is a good football team. The thing I've learned over the years is when teams have a purpose and a chance to prove themselves, they'll use it to their advantage, and they were in that situation long before being a good football team. But having so many guys with a Waco flavor, around here I've learned that it does aid us. When those teams, SMU, TCU, we come into Houston with all those Houston guys on the team, I mean it was a whole different battle because, they're coming home. We faced some of that the other night. We had a lot of kids from around here that really wanted to come home and play well and they did a pretty good job." On Demetri Goodson coming back after 5 years... "Well, I had some good people in Houston who knew him, that I know, and recommended me to him. When I met him, you kind of gravitate to him because he's really a very open person, from his personality to his attitude, and his graciousness. So I like his personality, [and] I knew he was an outstanding athlete. I like guys who are used to having people look at them to be dependable. You know, it's like being a high school quarterback, they're used to people expecting them to make plays at the proper time in the game. That part of it kind of caught my eye, and there was a lot of correlation and you know, an athlete's an athlete." On how Demetri Goodson has played so far this year... "I think he's played well, really well. Iit's a tough position to play, but he's a good football player. He's a smart kid, and he learns on the run. That's what you like about him. He goes left one time when he should have gone right, you know, the next time he'll go right. He really does pick things up quickly, and he adjusts very quickly." Quarterback Nick Florence On ULM... "It's going to be fun. They are a great ballclub. We're in the same boat. We get to go into their house with a packed stadium. It's going to be a lot of fun. It's a college atmosphere. That's why you love college football." On moving on after the Sam Houston State game... "I'm excited. We didn't play a great game on Saturday night, so I'm excited to get back out there Friday and not have to wait until Saturday. It'll be a little different but we'll handle it well and we'll be ready to go." On his 60-yard run... "I was thinking if I could get to the three, I'm jumping. He got me at the five. If I had a yard or two more space on the sideline I might've made it too. We got it down, and we scored off of that drive and it was big. I made it 60, Glasco (Martin) got the last five. I'm happy for him. Without Levi (Norwood) and Lanear (Sampson) on the outside, it wouldn't have happened. It was a great job by them and a great job by the line doing their part." Wide Receiver Terrance Williams On the game against Sam Houston... "We started off pretty fast, but then we slowed down toward the middle. We came in to halftime and the game plan was to play the football. We came out in the second half, and it was a completely different ballgame." On the offense... "It was just a matter of getting our tempo back. Once we get rolling, it's hard to stop when there are five different people that can score quickly." "We can't worry about the crowd, and we just have to play the type of game where we make one play at a time." BAYLOR Football HOME

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Connect with Block U Utah's offense faces tough test in 2012 TUCSON, AZ - NOVEMBER 05: Quarterback Jon Hays #9 of the Utah Utes prepares to snap the football during the college football game against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium on November 5, 2011 in Tucson, Arizona. The Utes defeated the Wildcats 34-21. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) Share with Utes friends 50 If you could come up with one word to describe Utah's offense last season, what would it be? Awful? Abysmal? Dreadful? Horrid? Boring? Incompetent? One-dimensional? I think all those words are apt and even though the offense did show signs of success at certain points in certain games, it was rarely consistent and pretty disappointing for much of the season. In fact, the Utes' offense was so bad in 2011, they finished dead last in the Pac-12 in yards per game (308 - nearly 40 less than Colorado), passing yards per game, and sat at the bottom in almost every category that didn't include rushing. Yet even their running game wasn't all that stellar. John White IV was, for sure, but he was essentially it and that meant teams with a more evenly dispersed running attack finished ahead of Utah in rushing yards per game - that includes seven of the Pac-12's twelve teams. Not good. Much of this was due to Jon Hays, who while serviceable, just did not have the ability to put together a consistent offense. Even in games Utah won, where it looked like he was establishing something, he was so inconsistent at times that it became very apparent, very fast, that he just was not the guy to lead Utah successfully. That's not a surprise, as most programs are not going to rely on a Division II quarterback to lead their offense outside a worst case scenario and that's exactly what the Utes faced last season when Jordan Wynn, who had been injury prone, went down and was lost for the season. To his credit, Hays stepped up and did the best job possible. But he was bailed out, more than once, by White in the backfield and really, the offense only succeeded because White was able to carry it for the second half of the season. Even then, though, things weren't perfect - as was on full display in their final two games of the season. In that game against Colorado, Hays was actually pretty productive, finishing with his best completion rate of the season, and passing for 185 yards - the third best performance of the season. Yet the Utes lost and the offense was pretty abysmal, even if Hays wasn't. Now while White went down early in the third quarter, Tauni Vakapuna actually stepped in and played well enough to get Utah back into the game - even scoring on the drive he replaced White. Hays did manage a touchdown pass to Shawn Asiata to bring the Utes within three, but the fourth quarter saw a comedy of errors. Hays and Vakapuna actually moved Utah's offense down the field, to Colorado's five, down three early in the fourth quarter and then Hays was sacked for a loss of four, which proved the difference for Coleman Petersen's 26 yard field goal - as he missed it. On the Utes' next drive, Vakapuna fumbled, dealing the team a huge blow. Fortunately, they still managed to get the ball back and Hays guided Utah past midfield and then was aided by a huge personal foul that moved Utah all the way to Colorado's 22 yard line. That's when things fell apart. Hays, on a first and ten, was sacked for a seven yard loss, fumbled the ball and was lucky enough to have John Cullen recover it. On the very next play, though, Hays was again sacked, and again pushed back seven yards. Like earlier in the third quarter, with a chance to tie, Petersen again misses the field goal and Utah lost the game. Now I am not pinning the entire loss on Hays. There is enough blame from that debacle to go around - whether it was Petersen's misses, the lack of John White, coaching or weather - and Hays is only responsible for a sliver of it. Unfortunately, in a game that close, a sliver proved to be the difference. Had Hays not been sacked twice on that final drive, Petersen very well could have made that field goal, which, from my recollection (potentially wrong) was not terribly off, and sent the game into overtime. In the end, that didn't happen. No amount of what ifs will change that fact Utah lost the game and lost out on a chance to play in the Pac-12 championship game. Fair enough. Let's move on. Hays was able to redeem himself, somewhat, in the Sun Bowl. I say somewhat because, again, you have a situation where the offense is terribly inconsistent throughout most of the game and that puts Utah in a mighty big hole heading into the fourth quarter. To his credit, he stepped up in that fourth and made some huge passes. But he was only in the position to make those passes because, unfortunately, he, and the offense, made mistakes early in the game. The biggest came when, after Georgia Tech had scored to go up 17-10 and DeVonte Christopher returned the kickoff 68 yards to Georgia Tech's 30, Hays threw an interception on the very next play that was then returned 74 yards for the touchdown. In a span of seconds, the Utes went from appearing to position themselves for the tie to falling behind 24-10 with a little less than five minutes to go in the quarter. I'm sure I am not the only one who thought the game was over at that point. I'm glad I was wrong. Hays proved me wrong. But he had to work his way out of a hole and it's never productive for an offense to be in that position. With Hays, who was bailed out an awful lot by his running game, err, John White, the offense played with fire and in some instances, it definitely got burned. It doesn't mean we shouldn't be grateful for his contribution, because we should be all things considered. It just means, when you get down to it, Hays is probably not a starting quarterback in the Pac-12. I think even Hays, a year ago, would have agreed with that assessment. What we get with Hays is an okay backup that we know will keep us barely afloat. He's a lifeboat and I can't think of any better way of describing him than that. When your ship goes down, you're definitely going to to climb into that lifeboat and hope for the best, but it's not something you want to use for a cross-ocean voyage. So, I guess that makes Jordan Wynn the cruise ship. It might not be a luxury liner, but it's nice enough - just as long as it doesn't sink. If Wynn can make this adventure unscathed, we will have a very good offense. If he goes down, if we have to climb aboard one of those lifeboats again, things are probably going to be shaky. Hays might have kept us from drowning in '11, but we came dangerously close at times. Hopefully that isn't the case this year. As much as I like Hays, as much as I respect what he did here last year, and how tough he was at times, I hope we don't have to see him starting again. If he does start, it means our ship hit an iceberg and we're once again piling into the lifeboat and holding on for dear life. Fresno State's still feisty Dre'Vian Young Jon Hays John White IV Coleman Petersen

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Duke big man Mason Plumlee comes to grips with a four-year career he never expectedby Jeff Goodman | College Basketball Insider Plumlee says he understands now that mock drafts and recruiting rankings 'don't mean a thing.' Everyone knew Mason Plumlee wasn't coming back. His older brother, Miles, the Duke coaching staff, his close friends. It was a foregone conclusion prior to the start of last season. "That's what I had told everybody," he said. More on college basketball Matt Norlander Everyone (except the Ivies) loves the new summer practice rule Gary Parrish Kansas could be first team with eight freshmen to be ranked preseason top five ESPN releases schedule for 24-hour hoops binge ACC offseason rundown More college hoops coverage Latest news | On Twitter | Subscribe to newsletter The middle Plumlee brother wasn't supposed to still be in Durham, N.C., anyway -- not three years after enrolling at Duke. "It was tough," Plumlee admitted. "Honestly, I only thought I'd be in school for a year." Most did. Instead, Plumlee will spend four years at Duke, leave with his degree and the experience of playing with both Miles Plumlee and also his younger brother, Marshall, who will suit up this year after redshirting last season as a freshman. Most guys toward the top of his 2009 high school graduating class are gone. John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Derrick Favors, Avery Bradley and Xavier Henry have been in the NBA for a couple years. John Henson just left down the road in Chapel Hill after his junior campaign, one in which he averaged 13.7 points, 9.9 boards and 2.9 blocks. The 6-foot-10 Plumlee's averages were comparable: 11.1 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. However, he decided to remain in school after a devastating first-round loss to Lehigh in the NCAA tournament and the word that he could slip into the second round of this past June's NBA Draft. Plumlee's honesty is refreshing. He talks about the expectations entering Duke, how many pumped him up as a likely one-and-done candidate and how it affected him. "It can ruin your first year," Plumlee said. Plumlee played sparingly his freshman season, averaging 3.7 points and 3.1 rebounds in 14 minutes per contest. His confidence and swagger, an area never previously in question, clearly was shaken. His sophomore year resulted in a step forward, but still far shy of the production both he and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski were expecting when the skilled big man out of the small town of Warsaw, Ind., signed with the Blue Devils. Last season would be different. Duke had lost Kyrie Irving, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith. There was no choice now. It was finally Plumlee's time to shine -- and Coach K was touting the fact that the Blue Devils offense would start from the inside. However, when push came to shove, it was talented freshman Austin Rivers and Seth Curry who took the majority of the team's shots. Rivers hoisted more than 400 and Curry was second on the team with 336. Mason Plumlee threw up 250, an average of about seven per game. Plumlee was torn with what to do after the season. On March 22, ex-Duke Blue Devil star Jay Williams tweeted that Plumlee was a done deal for the NBA Draft. However, that was not the case as Plumlee was still debating his decision. He was told that he'd likely be a late first-rounder with a slim chance he could go in the lottery and also the possibility he could fall down early into the second round. "I decided to stay," Plumlee said. "And I'm glad I did." It allowed his older brother, Miles, to have his own day on June 28 when the Indiana Pacers shocked the NBA world and took him 26th overall. "It was all about him. He didn't have to share it with me," Mason said. "He deserved it." Plumlee's swagger is back. He's a captain on this year's team, the fourth group he'll be a part of in Durham. There's a sense of urgency now, to finish strong -- as a team and as a player. "In high school, it was all about the rankings and expectations," Mason said. "But now I understand it's all about winning. As far as the draft is concerned, watching Miles I understand that these mock drafts don't mean a thing. What matters is what happens on draft night." Plumlee should be the go-to guy for Coach K this season. Rivers, who wasn't shy about hoisting shots, is gone. Curry and Ryan Kelly will get their share, redshirt freshman Alex Murphy will help as will freshmen Rasheed Sulaimon and Amile Jefferson. But this 2012-13 roster is clearly in need of a star. Four years ago, no one would have believed it to be Mason Plumlee. "It took me a little while to accept it," Plumlee said. "But I'm excited about the thought of playing four years at Duke." Biggest Stories NCAA BasketballDuke's Parker declares for NBA Draft | Early entriesNCAA BasketballUCLA's Adams says he's returning for junior seasonNCAA BasketballMizzou's Haith emerges as candidate for Tulsa jobNFLAikman concerned whether Romo is able to reboundMLBLarge firecracker thrown into Dodgers-Giants crowdNBAMelo wants to return to NY, but 'I also want to win'

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Nugs Make Right Move With Questionable Execution By Steve Weinman Share with Celtics friends 21 A Daily Babble Production It didn't take long for Carmelo Anthony to re-justify Mike Gorman's assessment of him. During the broadcast of the Celtics' visit to Denver last Monday, the legendary play-by-play voice made it clear that he wasn't a fan of Melo's behavior. A week later, Anthony earned himself a suspension that cost him a chance to play on Tuesday night in Detroit. As reported by the Denver Post's Benjamin Hochman, the Nuggets suspended their star forward for the Pistons game as punishment for his actions in a loss to the Pacers on Sunday. Anthony refused to leave the game for a substitution by coach George Karl late in the third quarter, choosing instead to leave the huddle and head back onto the court during a timeout. Without Anthony, the Nuggets fell by five to the Pistons on Tuesday. Starting in place of Anthony, small forward Linas Kleiza managed to put up two points and three rebounds in 26 minutes. That's just a tad shy of the 21.6 points and 7.4 boards Melo gives the Nuggets on average. Or not. But regardless of the outcome of Tuesday's game, the Nuggets made the right move in laying down the one-game ban, though part of their approach seems to be cause for question. Anthony had to be suspended. He disrespected his coach in front of his teammates. That isn't the way for a player to act toward his coach under just about any circumstances. If the man at the team's helm can have his directives disregarded by his supposed charges with no repercussions, it won't be long before he has zero credibility left with those charges. George Karl is the man running the ship in Denver, and that needs to be evident to his players. It clearly wasn't to Anthony, so he earned the discipline. Meanwhile, it couldn't hurt for the rest of the squad to see that no player is above the coaching staff, star or otherwise. Further, no one is above the team. Hurting the squad by suspending Anthony will hopefully indicate that the players need to be accountable not only to themselves and to the organizational higher-ups but to their teammates as well. A lower chance of winning a regular season game in Detroit seems an easy price to pay for the sake of maintaining coaching control and sending an important message to a star player about keeping his act straight. My one concern with what the Nuggets did centers on the issue of notifying Anthony. From Hochman's piece that ran Tuesday afternoon: Karl said he did not speak to Anthony on Monday, because he wanted to wait until there was a "definitive decision" made. The Nuggets announced he would be suspended close to midnight (East Coast time) in Detroit. Karl said he would "hopefully" touch base with Anthony this afternoon. Whether the organization notified Anthony of his suspension before the announcement to the public remains unclear here. But while it isn't evident that the team made contact beforehand, it is clear that coach and player did not speak before news of the suspension was made public. For a disciplinary action that came as a result of a direct conflict between Anthony and Karl - and an action that Karl likely had a hand in - it seems absurd that the coach had yet to speak with his star about the decision until at least 12 hours after it was announced. For as unprofessional as Anthony acted on Sunday, there is something that rubs me the wrong way about making announcements to the media before decisions are made known to the pertinent in-house parties. If the team told Anthony of the suspension, Karl talking about his player to reporters without having had the conversation with Anthony first seems a bit uncouth. If there was no pre-media notification given to Anthony, the Nuggets are guilty of a notable lack of classiness in this dealing. Carmelo Anthony deserved to be suspended for his actions last Sunday, and the Nuggets earn applause for having the guts to follow through. But he also deserved to be told of his punishment by those who opted to give it to him.

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John Lawrence FIELD Born: July 22nd 1915 Died: December 24th 1941 John was the younger son of James Kinghorn Field, an engineer, and his wife Jane Winifred Maud who married at St. Luke’s Church, West Norwood on September 5th 1912. He was born on the Isle of Wight. He was educated at Charterhouse from 1929 and Matriculated in 1934. He was Captain of Football at Charterhouse in the 1933 and 1934 seasons and won his cricket colours in 1934. He played football for the Old Carthusians. His elder brother, Henry E Kinghorn Field was at Charterhouse in the year ahead of him. When John applied to Christ Church, his address was The Blue Court Hotel in Kings Langley. Unusually, he seems to have done all the paperwork himself, and the Dean had to request, twice, a formal letter of application from his father. He was a Commoner and held the Fell Exhibition. He read Modern History in which he graduated with a 2nd. He won a Football Blue in his first season at Oxford. He was a Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve serving on the corvette HMS Salvia when he died on December 24th 1941. On December 23rd 1941, HMS Salvia (Lt.Cdr John Isdale Miller DSO DSC) was escorting the convoy TA-5 when Shuntien was sunk by U-559 (Heidtmann). The ship carried 850 prisoners of war and the corvette stayed behind to collect survivors but was not seen again, only oil and wreckage was found by HMS Peony (K40) about 100 miles west of Alexandria. At 01.35 hours on December 24th, U-568 had fired a spread of four torpedoes at the Salvia. One of them hit her and she broke in two. The stern part sank, rapidly, whilst burning oil covered the sea. The fore part sank after a few minutes. All four officers and 54 ratings were lost together with the master, 47 crew members and an unknown number of gunners and prisoners from the Shuntien. John was Gazetted Mentioned in Despatches on November 11th 1941. He is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial. Panel 60, Column 2 and on the War Memorial in St. Andrew’s Church, Kettleburgh, Suffolk. The family lived at the Mill House, Kettleburgh. Plaque in St Andrew’s Church, Kettleburgh His brother, Henry E. K Field was, at some time, a civil servant in Uganda. With his wife and twelve years old daughter he arrived in Liverpool from Port Said in December 1944. The manifest shows his address as The Mill House, Kettleburgh. J. L. Field Prize In 1955 H. E. K. Field made a benefaction, to found an Exhibition in memory of his brother, John Lawrence Field, former Commoner of the House and Fell Exhibitioner. In 1988 he made a further benefaction to award a second Exhibition. The Exhibitions are to be awarded for the purpose of travel abroad, to Commoners in their second year reading Modern History and Literae Humaniores, and other things being equal shall be given to men and women studying at their own expense. A statement of the career of J. L. Field shall be sent to each prizewinner. (1) Two J. L. Field Prizes may be awarded annually by the Governing Body, on the recommendation of the Tutors in Modern History and Literae Humaniores, at the second Meeting of the Trinity Term. (2) If in any year no recommendations are made by the Tutors in Modern History and Literae Humaniores, the income for that year shall be retained in the revenue balance of the fund; and in any year when the state of the fund allows, a third Prize may be awarded. (3) The value of the Prizes shall be as the Governing Body may from time to time determine The John Lawrence Field Memorial Fund is part of the Aldborough Music Endowment Fund. Updated: Monday 10th December 2012 16:55

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FIFA suspends Executive Committee member Chuck Blazer updated 6:29 PM EDT, Mon May 6, 2013 Chuck Blazer's term on the FIFA Executive Committee had been set to expire at the end of this month. STORY HIGHLIGHTS FIFA provisionally ban Executive Committee member Chuck Blazer for maximum of 90 days Move follows CONCACAF investigation into organization's former general secretary in April American, 68, had been set to quit FIFA Executive Committee at end of May (CNN) -- Football's world governing body FIFA has provisionally suspended outgoing Executive Committee member Chuck Blazer for 90 days "based on the fact that various breaches of the Code of Ethics appear to have been committed" by the American. The former general secretary of CONCACAF, the body which governs football in North and Central America and the Caribbean, has been barred from taking part in "any kind of football-related activity" for a maximum period of 90 days. The decision was taken by Hans-Joachim Eckert, the chairman of the adjudicatory chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee -- which opened investigation proceedings against Blazer, 68, in response to a report filed by the CONCACAF Integrity Committee last month. "The decision was taken following a request made by the acting deputy chairman of the investigatory chamber of the Ethics Committee, Robert Torres, based on the fact that various breaches of the FIFA Code of Ethics appear to have been committed by Chuck Blazer and that a decision on the main issue could not be taken early enough," read a Fifa statement. Webb: Racism sanctions will send message 'Slavery' accusations hit Qatar football CNN Football Club: Bayern dominate Barca Read: Blazer to step down from CONCACAF The announcement comes less than one week after fellow FIFA executive committee member Vernon Manilal Fernando of Sri Lanka was banned for eight years for unethical behaviour. The CONCACAF report alleged that Blazer, who has been provisionally banned pending a full disciplinary hearing, received at least $15 million in addition to other funds that were used to buy and rent luxury apartments. Blazer, who has been the most senior American official at FIFA for the last 16 years, had previously said that he will give up his seat on the Executive Committee when his term expires at the end of this month. He resigned as CONCACAF's general secretary in 2011, after serving with the body for 21 years. In April, the head of CONCACAF's integrity committee, David Simmons, described Blazer and his former boss, Trinidadian Jack Warner, as being 'fraudulent in their management' of the continental organization. The former colleagues fell out in 2011 when Blazer reported Warner and Asian Football Confederation chief Mohamed bin Hammam to FIFA's Ethics Committee, accusing the duo of trying to bribe Caribbean delegated to support the Qatari bin Hammam in that year's FIFA presidential election. Blazer's accusations led to the downfall of bin Hammam, the resignation of Warner as a FIFA vice president and CONCACAF leader, and sanctions against several Caribbean football officials. Now however, Blazer finds himself in the dock alongside Warner. Last month, Simmons accused both men of abusing their "position and power" -- with Warner said to have failed to disclose the creation of a $25.9 million CONCACAF center of excellence on his land, while Blazer was accused of mismanaging funds. Both men have denied any wrongdoing. Read: Provisional ban for ExCo member Manilal FIFA has been affected by numerous corruption scandals in recent times, which do not only involve the likes of Warner, Blazer and Manilal. Last week, former president Joao Havelange - who ruled the organization between 1974 and 1988 - resigned as FIFA's honorary president after the 96-year-old was ruled to have taken bribes in a report by ethics chairman Eckert.

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Anthony Stokes Anthony Stokes: I'm desperate to score my first Champions League goal for Celtic against Barcelona By Gordon Waddell THE 25-year-old has failed to hit the target in eight starts in Europe's premier competition this season. Tony Nicoletti/Daily Record Anthony Stokes looks dejected following Celtic's defeat to AC Milan NEIL LENNON wants a proven goalscorer to take Celtic forward in the Champions League.Anthony Stokes has warned that even if he finds one, he’ll have to live on starvation rations like the rest of them.The striker is desperate to fill in the blank line on his CV on Wednesday night in Barcelona which says he still hasn’t broken his duck in the company of Europe’s elite.And along with it he’s determined to prove, despite the knowledge his manager is on the hunt for someone to take his jersey, that the need’s not that desperate.The 25-year-old has failed to hit the target in eight starts in Europe’s showpiece this season, between qualifiers and group games.But despite their game in the Nou Camp now being a dead rubber with the Hoops already out, he insisted: “I still want to score.“This is my first campaign, I’ve enjoyed it and think, come the end of it, I will be a better player for the experience.“And, of course, as a striker you want to be scoring in every game, but especially in the big games in the important competitions.“I haven’t really had much in the way of chances but you’ve got to try and take those half-chances.“In Milan I had one where I’ve gone in, the boy’s dived in, and it was a half chance.“You don’t get two or three clear-cut chances like you do in the SPFL, so you just have to be clinical – and we haven’t been that this year.“Last year, if you look at our chances created and converted it must have been about 90 per cent. And we scored set-pieces.“This year we maybe haven’t had the break of the ball or a little bit of luck and basically haven’t converted our chances.“In the games we’ve actually played some good football and done reasonably well.“You learn to be a bit more patient because you don’t have as much possession but it is ruthlessness that is the difference.“You might only get half-a-chance in a game but you have to take it.“This year, that’s probably shown us up a little bit.”Stokes missed almost the entire Euro campaign last season through injury, and returned to find himself a mile down the pecking order behind Gary Hooper, Miku, Lassad Nouioui, Georgios Samaras and even teenager Tony Watt.This year he started as first pick but without the class of Hooper alongside him the pressure was on to fill the void, something he struggled to live up to through a two-month drought. He shrugged: “I was glad to be in the team and playing every week.“I started off the season well and was scoring goals. You have to try and take the burden on.“But everyone needs to chip in and we are in a better position with goals scored than we were at this time last year.“On a personal level, though, I want to get back to the basics and scoring goals is what I am paid to do.”Stokes revealed he and Lennon had spoken about his issues informally, and he came away convinced he can come good.The manager had enough faith in him six weeks ago to give him a new three-year deal, but then left him out of the crucial clash with AC Milan which eventually sealed their Champions League fate.Stokes said: “The gaffer has the luxury that he doesn’t need to explain his decisions to me. He probably just wanted to change it.“You play the players in form and there was no problem.“I’ve always said the target for every striker, especially at Celtic, is to get over 20 goals a season. That’s not going to change this year.“And I think once I score now I’ll go back to normal. For some reason the ball’s just not going in at the minute but if I keep doing the same things and get myself in the box I’m sure it will come.“And I’ve been doing a little bit more finishing in training to help fix it.”The absence of incentive from the Barca game won’t dampen their motivation to win it, though.Stokes said: “Listen, it would be better if we were playing for something, had something to try and fight for over there – but it’s more about pride now.”That’s something Stokes has taken in his return to the international arena – despite the presence in the Republic of Ireland dugout of his nemesis at Sunderland, former boss Roy Keane.The legendary hardman famously axed Stokes for his off-field antics, including missing the team bus for a match.But after meeting up at the last international break, he laughed: “I was on time – every day!“He’s a coach now, so it is slightly different. He’s very hands on and took most of the sessions. Training was similar to here and I enjoyed it.“I’d also heard a couple of stories about Martin O’Neill and didn’t know what way to take him but it was a great experience and I think it’s a good thing for Irish football.” @GordonWaddell Sports Hotline: Celtic fans have their say as Neil Lennon continues his pursuit of Leigh Griffiths CHRIS ROBERTS mans the Hotline and hears from some Hoops supporters who would rather Lennon set his sights on other transfer targets. Sports Hotline: The deadline-day arrival of Leigh Griffiths has divided the Celtic support Sports Hotline: Has Neil Lennon overstayed his welcome at Celtic Park? Tynecastle stroll no gauge of Celtic's chances against the might of AC Milan NEIL LENNON is delighted with his side's flair and commitment but knows a different ball game awaits in Italy. Celtic star Anthony Stokes praised by boss Neil Lennon for turning his Hoops career around

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Kevin Harvick Wins Pole at Kansas Posted on October 5, 2013by ABC Digital Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Kevin Harvick took home his first pole since September 2006 on Friday at Kansas Motor Speedway. Harvick was followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Jimmie Johnson. "When you win that few poles, you remember everything that happened those days," Harvick said. "It definitely helps to have the first pit stall, I can’t say it isn’t important,” Harvick said. “It’s never been really something that we’ve put a lot of effort into to figure out what we needed to do. It’s been that way for a long time." Harvick has won five poles in his career and went onto win two of those races. "Since Day 1 of this year, everybody has kind of written us off," said Harvick, who sits 39 points behind leader Matt Kenseth. "We’ve done our thing and put ourselves into position to just go out and race and enjoy it."

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Fool’s gold: Yao, McGrady, Rubio (and Flynn) by Jason on Sep.01, 2009, under Injuries Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey has been spouting with cautious optimism for his two stars, Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. Morey recently told ESPN The Magazine that Yao “is progressing well.” He added that the doctors “know that the bone will heal and he’ll get back on it. And they have not actually ruled out [his return] this season. I think that’s less likely than likely, but they haven’t ruled it out.” Is T-Mac on track to being a reliable fantasy force? Don't count on it. (Flickr/Keith Allison) He also spoke well of McGrady’s progress, according to Jonathan Feigen at the Houston Chronicle. ”He’s way, way ahead of schedule… He’s already playing. I don’t think anyone could have predicted he would be playing now. He still has a long way to go. There is a lot of rust to shake off… I don’t expect to see him ready for Day 1 of training camp.” It might be tempting to read into these statements and eye Yao or T-Mac as late-round picks to surprise and impress your opponents with your boldness, but don’t give in to that temptation. Yao should not be drafted at all, while McGrady might be a decent waiver wire pick later on in the season, unless you’re in a deep league or are willing to stash him on your bench until he might return. When he returns to the court, he’s a hot potato you’ll want to trade away after a string of three or four consecutive solid games. It’s understandable that Morey wants to keep the team’s fans (and himself) hopeful, and most likely wants to help ticket sales as much as possible, but for fantasy purposes his recent comments should be ignored. The Ricky Rubio drama is finally over: he’s heading to FC Barcelona (as previously reported) and won’t be available to the NBA until 2011. A fifth overall pick for the Minnesota Timberwolves has come to naught, which is a tragedy for the team’s thirsty fans, as well as for any NBA fan who was excited to see how the much-hyped youngster would fare with the big boys.This, of course, means that Rubio has absolutely no fantasy relevance this season. It also means that Jonny Flynn‘s stock just rose a bit. Erik at Points in the Paint takes a thorough look at Flynn’s value this season (and explains the “Mike Conley Jr. Effect”). His assessment of Flynn as “a 3rd-string PG for your fantasy team” is conservative, but correct. Flynn is an appealing player this year and will probably be scooped up too early in many drafts on the heel of this news. He’s an undersized rookie at 6-feet tall, and most rookies struggle with inconsistency and the infamous “wall” toward the latter half of the season. Keep your eye on Flynn, but don’t rely on him as your primary fantasy point guard. :jonny flynn, ricky rubio, tracy mcgrady, yao ming 1 comment for this entry: Last reply was September 8, 2009 Quick hits: Sessions, Stojakovic, Deng, Beasley | fBasketballBlog View [...] his agreement on a four-year, $16 million deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were recently burned by Ricky Rubio. The Timberwolves, who seem to have had an undying love for point guards this summer, could still [...]

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Ferguson happy to be back Shane Ferguson admits he is happy to be back at Birmingham City after joining the club on a season-long loan from Newcastle. Last Updated: 24/07/13 at 21:32 Post Comment Sky Bet Championship. Click here to bet. RSS Feed Shane Ferguson: The winger is looking forward to challenge at Birmingham World Cup 2014 Check out the latest outright odds on next summer's World Cup in Brazil The Northern Ireland international impressed the St Andrew's club following an 11-game spell last campaign. And now the 22-year-old from Derry is determined to make an impression under manager Lee Clark with the new Championship season just around the corner. "I am really looking forward to it," Ferguson said. "I had a meeting with the (Newcastle) manager and he said he wanted me to get out and have a full season of games. "I am really happy it has happened like this. "It's good for me to get experience and come back to Birmingham. "I just want to play as many games as I can and help the team as much as I can. "I came for the last two months and that makes it a lot easier this time. I know all the lads and staff here. "And the loan being over a season, that's good for me - and hopefully Birmingham, too." Sky Bet Championship. Click here to bet. RSS Feed

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Joe Flacco Isn't A Star. Why Pay Him Like One? The slam dunk wisdom in NFL circles after Super Bowl XLVII: Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has to get paid. He just has to. And by “paid” we mean paid like the league’s best quarterback, or something very close (I mean, of course he’s paid something). The question is why. Flacco’s 87.7 passer rating placed him 12th in the NFL in 2012, in line with his career rating of 86.3 over five years. That’s solid-but-not-great territory. Looking ahead, it’s quite possible he’ll be surpassed by some of the league’s rising young guns like Cam Newton, Matthew Stafford and Andrew Luck. So why would Flacco, a free agent, command a contract in line with Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers, whose numbers he doesn’t touch? Answer: the almost trance-inducing power of that greatest of American sporting events, the Super Bowl. Win a ring, you are great. Win the game’s MVP award to boot, and you are an icon. Never mind that Trent Dilfer (2000 Ravens) has a Super Bowl ring, while Dan Marino doesn’t. Or that a career body of work is a far more valuable predictor than a big game on the big stage. The all-consuming power of the game messes with brain cells. NFL clubs have fallen into the trap before. Tampa Bay safety Dexter Jackson won the Super Bowl MVP award in 2003 thanks to a pair of interceptions in his team’s win over the Raiders. He got $14 million as a free agent with the Arizona, where he had one solid season before being released with an injury the following year. Jackson returned to Tampa Bay for two years before finishing with Cincinnati, never becoming an All-Pro. In 2005, it was Patriots’ receiver Deion Branch capturing Super Bowl MVP honors with 11 catches against the Philadelphia Eagles. He later held out and forced a trade to Seattle, where he got a six-year, $39 million extension. Branch, who returned to New England in 2010, has been an average player ever since. And remember when Cowboys’ cornerback Larry Brown had two interceptions thrown right into his lap by Steelers’ quarterback Neil O’Donnell in the 1996 Super Bowl? Brown, a very ordinary player, was named the game’s MVP and quickly signed a five-year, $12.5 million deal (big money for a defensive back at the time) with the Raiders. He lasted two years in Oakland, playing a total of 12 games. O’Donnell, for his part, rode his run to the Super Bowl to a five-year, $25 million contract with the Jets, where he lasted two nondescript seasons. Those strong Dallas clubs of 1990s also showcased the other expensive phenomenon sometimes stirred up by the Super Bowl – the hot assistant coach. Cowboys’ defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt (in 1993) and offensive coordinator Norv Turner (in 1994) both left Jimmy Johnson’s staff for head coaching jobs in Chicago and Washington, respectively. Both own losing records as NFL head coaches. Historically,the Super Bowl MVP has been won by the great (Joe Montana, John Elway, Jerry Rice, Marcus Allen) and the not-so-great (Mark Rypien, Doug Williams, Santonio Holmes). Flacco, right in his prime at 28, fits somewhere in between. He’s a good quarterback. But what if a Denver Broncos defensive back doesn’t slip and fall in the final 30 seconds of a divisional playoff game? The Ravens and Flacco, 10-6 during the season, become distant memories three weeks before the Super Bowl. No trophy, no parade, no Disney World, no Letterman appearance. And no agent flapping his gums about making him the NFL’s highest paid player. And yet, he may just get it. When it comes to the Super Bowl – to paraphrase Dana Carvey in Wayne’s World – some people are helpless against its powers. Follow Me on Twitter Super Bowl Tweeting: By The Numbers Monte Burke, Contributor I hope they pay him a record $40 million a year. It should be noted that I am a Steelers fan. Big Ben gets about $12 million a year. And he’s at least as good as Flacco. Yes, at least. (Ahem, cough…two rings) Blahable Yeah Ben was carried to one of them and played horrid.. Wow Flacco carried his team and played great. DMH_in_WA Oh yea, at least. (SB XL, cough … 22.6 passer rating) QuickJiggs Reducing his success to what ifs is stupid…what IF Brady did not a great clutch kicker in veniterri? What if Santonio Holmes does not make an amazing catch against the Cardinals in the Super Bowl. What if Lee Evans does not drop a go ahead TD pass in last years AFC Championship, what if Cundiff does not miss a chip shot for a game tieing field goal. There are no excuses in outcomes of competition. Mistakes are often what seperates good teams…what if the Ravens special teams does not allow TWO td’s? guess what ? Joe out plays Joe in a lopsided victory. Its a poor counter argument to use what ifs. JVGuy In order for Cam Newton, Matt Stafford and Andrew Luck to surpass Joe Flacco, Cam Newton would have to have a winning season, and Andrew Luck and Matt Stafford would have to win a division or at least a playoff game. The point of football is not to run for the most yards or have the highest rating. The point is to win games and win championships and Flacco has proven he can help the Ravens do that. Pay the man. Football isn’t tennis. QBs always get too much credit and blame for team performance. I agree, pay the man. But pay him like Big Ben, not Peyton. Nick Richards Flacco is not Aaron Rodgers and doesn’t have the potential of RG3. However, already younger than and as good as, if not better than, Eli Manning, yet Eli is treated like a star, paid like a star, and will likely be paid big in his next contract. Flacco finished the postseason having completed 73-of-126 (57.9 percent) passes for 1,140 yards with 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions, tying Montana and Kurt Warner for the most touchdowns in a single postseason and additionally tying Montana for the most touchdowns without an interception in a single postseason. Flacco’s 117.2 passer rating tied him for third place all-time with Steve Young in a Super Bowl-winning postseason. His post-season play in general the last 3 seasons has been exemplary and improving with every season. Tom Van Riper I have been writing for Forbes since 2005. Prior to that I covered the business beat for the New York Daily News. Because I've studied both finance and journalism, and because I like both numbers & analysis and sports, what's a more fun job than merging the two, writing about sports from the business side and from the stat geek/number crunching side? I have a BS in business from Boston College and a masters in business journalism from New York University. More from Tom Van Riper Follow Tom Van Riper on Twitter Tom Van Riper’s RSS Feed Tom Van Riper’s Profile

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John Cena Character » John Cena is a professional wrestler who is employed under the WWE. He currently works for RAW brand, since his debut in 2003 Cena has appeared in most of WWE games. WWE 2K14 is the first WWE game to be published by 2K Games. WWE '13, using the tagline "Live the Revolution," is the fifteenth annual WWE game from THQ and Yuke's. A remake of the WWF arcade game of the same name, featuring both current and legacy wrestlers. Once an iOS game, it has since been pulled from the App Store following publisher THQ's demise. WWE '12 is the latest edition in WWE's long-running wrestling game franchise previously known as "SmackDown" and "SmackDown vs. RAW". WWE All Stars Legends and current superstars go at it in this over-the-top wrestling game from THQ's San Diego studio. WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2011 WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2011 is the twelfth installment of the popular wrestling series and introduces a brand new physics system to the gameplay as well as a new WWE Universe mode. The eleventh game is the SmackDown! games developed by Yuke's Co. Latest Images Top Rated Lists for John Cena Top 11 People List of Characters in no particular order... Best Wrestlers MKO619 theshadow027 I_love_Eva_Braun

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Chelsea signing Mark Schwarzer could be a masterstroke Schwarzer signed for Chelsea on Tuesday night, (©GettyImages). by Abhijit Majumder Senior Contributor Published9 months ago Chelsea have announced the signing of former Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer on a free transfer - a transfer that won't excite many. But the modest signing on the Australian veteran may prove to be more valuable than first thought. The west London club have let both the back-up goalkeepers Henrique Hilario and Ross Turnbull leave the club after their contract expired this summer. Thibaut Courtois, who is being seen as the successor of Petr Cech at Stamford Bridge, has been loaned out again for a third season to Atletico Madrid. So apparently there are no keepers to keep cover for Cech. Since then Chelsea have had their eyes set on Norwich keeper John Ruddy and have seen their bids of £5million and £6million rejected by the Canaries. Chris Hughton wants £10million for the English keeper, according to The Guardian. But it all came down to 9th of July, 2013 when Chelsea made probably one of the smartest moves of this transfer window by signing Mark Schwarzer on a one-year-deal. Schwarzer had already stated earlier that next year’s World Cup in Brazil will be his swansong from professional football. He was released by Fulham after the 2012-13 season. The 40-year-old keeper has vast experience and can provide the perfect cover required for Cech at The Blues. Both Courtois and Schwarzer have their eyes set for a place at next year’s World Cup squads for Belgium and Australia respectively. After the World Cup, Courtois will be back at Chelsea and would be ready to succeed Cech. The Schwarzer deal to Chelsea makes perfect footballing sense as the club and the player both benefit from the move. Chelsea couldn’t waste time in searching for a back-up keeper any longer as some high profile signings are still to be made. Schwarzer is a well known name in England as he has spent the last 17 years of his career starting at Bradford City back in 1996, then joining Middlesbrough and finally Fulham in 2008. He’s looking forward to a new challenge and the club has confirmed that he’ll travel with his new squad for their pre-season tour to Asia. We can definitely expect some smart moves from the Blues this summer, this being a masterstroke from Mourinho since joining Chelsea again. #Mark Schwarzer

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Stanford.edu Cross Country Cardinal Athletes Promote Active Lifestyle Courtesy: Stanford Athletics Release: 04/24/2013 April 24, 2013 STANFORD, Calif. – On Sunday, Stanford continued its Cardinal for the Community campaign hosting the second annual Field Day. The event took place on a beautiful day with over 90 kids from local community organizations, which include GOALS, East Palo Alto Tennis & Tutoring, The Shelter Network, and the Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula. The kids had a great opportunity to speak and have fun with an abundance of Cardinal student-athletes throughout the day. "Today was an amazing experience for these kids," said program Director Kelly Burke from Stanford GOALS. "Our organization looks forward to field day every year. The kids in our program gain so much by spending the day with the student-athletes, especially the importance of being active and healthy, and working hard to achieve their goals." Field Day had 45 athletes across 10 sports on hand to partake in the day’s activities, featuring Women’s Soccer, Football, Men’s Golf, Wrestling, Track and Field, Squash, Women’s Cross Country, Sailing and Men’s Swimming. The event featured activity stations with football and soccer, in addition to stressing the importance of teamwork in team building games such as relay races and group tag. The event seeks to not just show kids the importance of physical fitness, but how enjoyable it can be in the process. "The kids have so much energy,” said sophomore football player Jordan Richards. “They are just so excited to be here and for us, the day is a great time." The student-athletes served as group leaders and mentors speaking with kids about college and what it takes to achieve your goals at a high-level. In just a three-hour time frame, an immediate impact and connection comes between the kids and the student-athletes. "This year's Field Day was the biggest one since I've been here," said senior soccer player and Cardinal Council Service chair Annie Case. "Getting to know all of the amazing kids who came out today was such a powerful experience. It really shows how much of an impact this type of experience can have on kids and motivates all of us to be positive role models in our community." Stanford will look to continue this impact in the future and stress the importance of physical fitness at Field Day. The campaign hosts one more event this year with Swim with Mike at the Avery Aquatics Center on May 11. About Cardinal for the Community: The Cardinal for the Community connects Stanford student-athletes with community groups to build sustainable partnerships and support the surrounding community. C4C began in August 2011, and is supported by Stanford Athletics and the Haas Center for Public Service. For more information click here (gostanford.com/community). About Our Partner Organizations: About Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula: The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula provides places where young people aged 6-18 are welcome and can belong after school and all day during the summer within East Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Redwood City. For more information, click here (bgcp.org). About InnVision Shelter Network: InnVision Shelter Network is committed to assisting homeless families and individuals across the San Francisco Peninsula and Silicon Valley gain permanent housing. For more information, click here (ivsn.org). About GOALS: Stanford GOALS is a research initiative aims to control and reduce weight gain in our youth, specifically targeting 7-11 year-old children across the Menlo Park area. The Stanford Prevention Research Center teamed up with the Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula to promote healthier lifestyles. For more information, click here (http://med.stanford.edu/sprc/goals/index.html). About East Palo Alto Tennis & Tutoring: In conjunction with Stanford and the Taube Family Tennis Stadium, EPATT is a non-profit organization for K-12th grade students promoting academic and athletic achievement. For more information, click here (epatt.net). #gostanford McGorty Wins Continental Title Best in U.S.: Card Trio Sweeps Trio Runs for Championships Heath Upsets World Champs Regionals Coming to Stanford Cross Country Season in Review

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Go ahead, Sun Devil fans. Like House of Sparky on Facebook! Arizona State vs. USC: Conquer the Trojans Arizona State vs. USC: The last meeting By Ryan Bafaloukos @RyanBafo Hopefully Carl Bradford gets some chances to hit the USC quarterback. - Stephen Dunn Taking a trip down memory lane and breaking down how the last meeting between USC and Arizona State went. The Arizona State Sun Devils and the USC Trojans have a long and recently one-sided history. The Sun Devils have lost 12 of their past 13 meetings to the Trojans. Their one victory in that span was a 21-point home victory in 2011. The last time the Sun Devils lined up against the Trojans was November 10th, 2012 in Los Angeles. The Sun Devils came into the game riding a three-game losing streak. USC was coming off a loss to Oregon and the Trojans were also on losing streak. After the Arizona State defense forced a turnover, Taylor Kelly found Chris Coyle for a 34-yard touchdown pass to put the Sun Devils up 7-0 early in the first quarter. However, in its next four offensive possessions, Arizona State was forced to punt twice and turned the ball over two times. USC got on the board with less than two minutes to play in the first quarter when Matt Barkley found Marqise Lee for an 80-yard touchdown pass. The first quarter ended with the teams tied at seven. Arizona State retook the lead when Alden Darby intercepted Barkley and took it 70 yards for a touchdown. USC tied the game with 35 seconds left in the 1st half with a Xavier Grimble 4-yard touchdown reception. On USC's first drive of the second half, Barkley threw his second interception of the contest. The Sun Devils were able to capitalize on the turnover and took the lead on a Jon Mora 28-yard field goal. It would be the last time the Sun Devils scored in the game. USC went on to score 24 unanswered points to end the game. Trojan running back Curtis McNeal scored three touchdowns in the second half, rushing for 163 yards and two scores. The Trojans were able to rush for 240 yards and pass for 222 yards against the Sun Devils. The Trojans ended the game with a 38-17 victory. It was USC's only win in its last six games of the season. ASU vs. USC: Conquer the Trojans ASU vs. USC: Game ball awards ASU Football: Todd Graham talks must-wins, slowing Marqise Lee Pac-12 South Update: UCLA dominant, ASU needs a win New Speak of the Devils Podcast: ASU vs USC Preview

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Home » Sports » Minnesota Sports » Coach Frazier talks John Carlson’s injury and more Coach Frazier talks John Carlson’s injury and more Vikings Head Coach Leslie Frazier Good morning. We had another walkthrough practice. It was pretty productive for us. It seems like the schedule we put in place is working for us, being able to have our walkthroughs and meetings in the morning, then come back in the afternoon and actually do some of the things we’ve talked about in live practices. So far so good with this schedule. The weather has cooperated, although I think it’s going to be a little bit warmer today than it has been. But our players have responded. They’re working extremely hard. I think we’re making some headway. We still have a lot of work to be done. But we’re making some progress as a team. Q: How will John’s (Carlson) affect the team? A: It will have some affect. For Rhett (Ellison), but for all of the other tight ends as well. It will probably increase their snaps, which is not a bad thing. We’d like to see Mickey Shuler, see how he does. We’d like to see Allen Reisner, see how he does. Kyle (Rudolph), we still want to make sure that he continues to progress this training camp. It’s not a bad thing that those guys are going to get increased reps. Q: What did you learn from the MRI? A: It confirmed what the doctors initially thought, a sprained MCL. So it’s going to be maybe a week or two before we actually get him back out there. Hopefully in the next week or two. Two weeks at the most we’ll have him back. Q: Random or could it be prevented? A: Whether we were in pads or not, I don’t know if it really mattered. He was blocking someone and the guy fell on the back of his leg. That tends to happen sometimes when you’re doing drills. It can happen. Legs get caught up, guys trip up and fall. So I don’t know if it would have really mattered if we were in pads or not in that situation. Q: Significance of not having him out there the next couple weeks? A: There are a lot of reasons you’d like to have him. His veteran presence. You’d like to have that. He’s been successful in our league and sets an example for some of the young guys. You lose that veteran presence on the field without him there. But he’ll still be in meetings. The fact that it’s a new offense for him. The terminology, being not able just to hear it in meetings but to actually go out there and actually practice his movements. You miss that part of it. But he’s a pro. He’ll pay attention and when he comes back he’ll be ready to go. But you’d like to have his presence in the huddle and in the drills with the young tight ends. Q: What do you like most about Rhett? A: Rhett has been impressive from opening day. We got back together after we had our rookie minicamp. The way he approaches the game. I don’t want to put him too far out there. But he really shows maturity that you don’t always expect from rookies. But maybe that’s part of having a father that played the game. His preparation and attention to detail are second to none. He is a guy that works extremely hard. You can see him after practice, pre-practice doing things that you would expect a veteran player to be doing to prepare for a meeting or practice. The tape that he watches. He’s been very impressive in the short time we’ve had him, so we’ll see how he continues to progress. Q: You wouldn’t have much apprehension using him (Rhett Ellison) in games if needed? A: At this point I would say no, now we are extremely early and we haven’t lined up against any other opponents, and we have only been here for a short period of time but some of the things that he has done in the short time that we have had him really lead you to believe he is going to be a factor in our offense through the course of the year. Q: What is the degree of John Carlson’s MCL Sprain? A: A grade two MCL sprain. Q: Are there any setbacks with Josh Robinson? A: Actually, we are going to try and take him through some things today, so we think he is making good progress. Eric Sugarman and his staff are going to do some things with him on the side to see where he actually is. We might actually have him back pretty soon depending on how he works out today. We think he’s making good progress. Q: Has Antoine Winfield looked more rejuvenated coming into this year’s camp? A: We were talking about that as a staff last night, he really seems to be into this training camp more than any other. You see him out there taking one-on-ones and all of the reps. In years past he always would be kind of getting himself ready for the season in a different way. He is taking all of the reps and doing everything he can to be ready. We will have to monitor that a little bit, he is not 22 years of age anymore, but he is definitely invigorated in a lot of ways, which is good for our young players in our secondary to see the way he works and how he approaches things. It’s great for them. Q: What do you want to see out of Saturday’s scrimmage? A: I’m looking forward to the fact that we will have a lot of fans here and they will be in an environment not completely similar to what they will see in that first preseason game, but when they feel the pressure of performing in front of fans in a different light in a night game along with seeing some of the young guys perform with a little bit different atmosphere from what they are seeing in in practice on a daily basis. So just being able to see how they respond to some of the different situations that we are going to put them in as much as anything and being able to go back and evaluate that tape and determine how those guys handled certain situations. Q: Are you going to have the second half of tomorrows practice in the stadium as well? A: We are looking at doing that and we are going to make a determination on that this afternoon. Q: What is Jamarca Sanford going to have to do to retain that starting safety spot? A: At the safety position we have made it clear to those guys that it is pretty wide open. We want them to compete for the position, both him and Mistral, and the other guys that are playing that position. Jamarca (Sanford) has done a good job thus far, but it is still too early to declare that it is going to be his job. We still want to give Harrison (Smith) a chance, give Robert (Blanton) a chance. We still want to continue to evaluate that position, we will see how he progresses as time goes on. As I mentioned before with Jamarca we have to be able to see him make some plays on the ball down the field, that is something we want to see him improve on and we will get enough turns here in camp and in the preseason to see if that is happening. Then we will make a determination as time goes on. Q: How would you describe Jamarca Sanford’s energy level? A: Off the charts. He’s one of the premiere special teams players in the league. And part of that is the way he approaches practice and the energy he brings to the game. He is one of those guys who plays at a high level all the time. You can always hear him chirping and talking, and the player’s kind of feed off of that. We all like that energy that he brings. Q: What are his skills on special teams? A: Well, he is one of those guys that goes 100 miles per hour so there is never time where he takes any time off. And if you are an opposing special teams player and you are trying to get your breath, look out because Jamarca will rock you now. The energy he brings, he carries that over to the way he plays, and he plays lights out. And he is a guy who is a compact guy, but he is extremely strong, he runs a 4.3, 4.4 40 so, he’s a fast, strong, quick guy. And those guys are usually pretty good on special teams. Q: Is there anything you’ve seen from Antoine (Winfield) that has helped Percy (Harvin)? A: I think he is experienced lining up against Percy (Harvin). For that reason, he has helped Percy as a route runner. That’s one of the areas that Percy wants to improve on, is his route running. And to go against a veteran corner like Antoine, who has had so much success against so many great wide receivers, it can’t do anything but help him to get feedback from Antoine. Of course the fact that Antoine wants to take those reps this early in training camp is good for us, it’s good for him, it should improve his playing. One of the concerns with Antoine is that we don’t just pigeon hole him as a slot corner, that we don’t just remove him from having go to line up outside and play corner. And he is showing in these one-on-ones that he can still get out and match up at time with wide receivers. Q: (Alan) Williams has talked about this ‘hockey philosophy’. What are your thoughts on the philosophy, and also the depth there? A: Well we do feel like we have good depth on the defensive line. Being able to rotate those guys and keep them fresh, in particular Jared (Allen) and Brian Robison, that’s a big deal, Kevin (Williams), now he’s getting a little bit older, we need to be able to rotate him, not have him to play 80-90% of the downs. Part of that is what kind of depth do you have, and we think that we have good depth, so why not have a rotation system going so we can have them fresh in the 4th quarter. We thought that that really hampered us at times a season ago. We want to learn from that and try to, if we have the right kind of depth that we think we have, get a rotation going which should keep us fresher over the course of four quarters. Q: How tempting was it to keep Everson Griffen at defensive end and will he play there? A: We’re still going to, in third-down situations, let him get down and be a pass rusher and even drop sometimes because he showed the ability a season ago to help us in some of our three-down stuff. We’re not going to get away from that but to give ourselves the competition we wanted at the outside linebacker position, we’re also looking at increasing his snaps. We felt like that was something worth doing at this time of the year and make a determination of how well he can play that position on a consistent basis, the linebacker position. We know what he can do as a pass rusher. We’re not going to get away from that but if he can help us at linebacker, if he can make that position better, especially the outside linebacker position, makes us a better defense. Q: Have you seen Jerome Simpson’s personality rub off on any other receivers? A: He does have an interesting personality. He’s another guy who brings some energy. Doesn’t say a whole lot but when he says something, he has a way of making you smile, some of the things he has to say. He’s one of those guys who plays lights out in practice, diving for balls, making the hard catches. He’s one of those guys who messes with those rookies when we’re in meetings. We have a policy where we don’t haze the rookies but they have their way of making the rookies let them know what school they attended. He’s one of the ring leaders in doing that. Q: What was your impression the first time you met Jerome Simpson? A: When I first met him, part of what I had to get past was some of the things that I had read and heard. When I sat down and talked with him, I was extremely impressed with his honesty, the humility that he showed and then when I brought our players over to just interact with him, to see how he would act around them and respond around him, I was even more impressed with the way he handled himself and he convinced me that he fit in to what we’re trying to do here in Minnesota and he hasn’t disappointed. He’s done a good job of fitting in and really helping our football team and helping our other receivers as well. Q: What limits do you put on hazing the rookies? A: I really don’t want them to haze those rookies. I remember when I was a rookie myself and I didn’t like it a whole lot and I said, ‘If I ever get into a position where I can control it, I’ll try to control it.’ They can get them to sing their college fight songs and some certain things that we’ll allow them to do but there’s a point where you don’t want them to go, where it becomes a little more combative than it becomes fun and games and we don’t want that. Q: What is the worst hazing you endured as a rookie? A: Just having to sing my college fight song. That was hard just doing that. That’s probably the worst I ever had to do. Q: How does Jasper Brinkley look at the middle linebacker position? A: He’s done well. We were hoping to see him come along and do some things because we didn’t have him in the offseason and we didn’t have him of course last season. So far, so good. We’re still early. We’ve only had two padded practices and we get a chance to go at it today but so far, so good. He’s doing a good job. He’s moving well. Hasn’t had to be in the training room for any reason. He had a big hit the other day in practice. He’s doing well at this point. Q: It sounds like Percy Harvin will only be used in some situations on kick returns. Is there anyone besides him that has stood out for kick returns? A: Bryan (Walters) of course did a good job in San Diego when he was there. We want to be able to have him in the rotation and Jarius (Wright) is improving, who also may be a candidate for punt return but Marcus (Sherels) did a good job for us a season ago. We’ll continue to have those guys available as candidates and monitor when the right time is to use Percy and when it is not the right time to use him. We think we have some options when we don’t want to put Percy back there but we have to continue to go through this process and the preseason will help determine that. Q: Do you have an idea of how often Percy will be back returning kicks right now? A: That’ll be more game-to-game, situation-to-situation, what’s going on, what do we need? You can definitely see a difference when he’s the guy returning kicks versus some of the other guys that we have. It’s obvious but as we said before, you have to weigh what he gives us from an offensive standpoint as well and the way he plays, you have to weigh all of that when you’re making a decision about putting him back there.

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Almost like old times as Galaxy show fight in win at RSL LA capitalize on Salt Lake errors in comeback victory at Rio Tinto Stadium June 20, 2012 Luis Bueno MLSsoccer.com donovan_rsl_2 Photo Credit: Getty Images It was like old times for the LA Galaxy at Rio Tinto Stadium on Wednesday night. At first, it appeared those times were the ones from March through May, when the Galaxy couldn't stop any opponent from scoring. Turns out, though, the defending MLS Cup champions dipped back into their 2011 form. WATCH: Full Match Highlights LA overcame a two-goal deficit and beat Real Salt Lake 3-2 to claim their second victory in four days and will head into Sunday’s match against Vancouver with a chance to piece together their longest winning streak of the season. RECAP: Galaxy battle back for 3-2 win against Real Salt Lake “Even though they scored those two goals, we didn’t feel bad about how we were playing,” said Landon Donovan, who scored two of the Galaxy’s three goals. “The energy was still good, the commitment was still there and then, obviously, you have to get that first goal to get back in the game. It was a little bit of gift, but you’ve got to take advantage of them.” OPTA Chalkboard: Galaxy only too happy to swoop in on counterattack RSL nailed the Galaxy twice in the jaw early on but the champs didn't fold. This outing, in fact, turned out better than the last time they were at Rio Tinto, when the hosts turned a 2-0 lead into a 4-1 rout. “We hung in there, we were a little unlucky to be behind 2-0 and that had all the makings of a disaster," said Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena. "To get that goal before halftime was big.” Donovan sparked the Galaxy to life when he plucked a backpass Tony Beltran tried to get to Nick Rimando. Donovan instead latched onto the ball, took one touch to evade Rimando and easily knocked the ball into the back of the net. The LA captain had a hand in the second goal and scored the match-winner after getting past Nat Borchers and taking a pass from Mike Magee to beat Rimando once more. “The second goal early in the second half gave us a chance to get a point and, obviously, the third goal was huge,” Arena said. “Getting three points is fabulous.” After a relatively mistake-free 1-0 win over Portland last Sunday, Donovan said the challenge was much tougher heading into Wednesday’s match, and the captain responded with his first multi-goal game of the season. Postgame Interview: Mike Magee “That’s the kind of player that Landon is, he is certainly capable of doing that,” Arena said. “Obviously, the first goal was a mistake by Beltran and he had a great pass on Magee’s goal for the second goal and Magee gave him a great pass to push Landon behind for the third goal. It was a great performance by Landon and by the whole team.” While it may not have seemed like much to last year’s team, the Galaxy’s victory was nonetheless a confidence-booster. They not only claimed their first-ever win at Rio Tinto but also notched another first – RSL had never before blown a two-goal lead, home or away. “They are a great team,” Donovan said. “For probably the last four or five years, the road to the championship goes through them and vice versa for us. It's chippy, but there is a lot of respect both ways. We play hard and after the game we shake hands.” Despite the Galaxy’s about-face, things are not quite yet back to how the club wanted them to be at this point of the season. They continued their climb out of the Western Conference cellar but they're still in seventh place, one point behind Chivas USA and two back of Colorado. “When we were walking back in the locker room we had a ton of confidence and then somebody showed us a picture of the standings,” Magee said. “We’re still in last place or third-to-last, so we got brought back down to earth real quick.” Team Related Links Complete Postgame Coverage Postgame Notes & Quotes Match Recap Galaxy in Five

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HomeNewsOpinionSportsVideoObitsCommunityHeadlinesAgendasUSD 480 BoESC Council on AgingSC Tri-Agency Intervention BoardArea Planning CommissionArea Board of ZoningClassifiedsContactsVideo Lady Redskin volleyball team didn't win state, but they did make history Sunday, 02 November 2008 00:00 By EARL WATT • Daily Leader To arrive at a destination, you have to know how to get there. Thanks to the 2008 Lady Redskin volleyball team, the map has been laid for a return visit to the state volleyball tournament. The Lady Redskins won their third consecutive Western Athletic Conference title this season under coach Hugo Cano, and for the first time ever won the Sub-State tournament. In the 35-year history of high school volleyball in Kansas, a team from Liberal had never participated in the state tournament which is made up of the final eight teams in Class 5A. Liberal lost all three matches in its first-ever state appearance, but the experience gained for the sophomore-dominated squad should have a pay-off over the next two seasons. “Now they know what it takes to get there,” Cano said. “Hopefully this is under their belt and in their mind to be prepared mentally and to overcome that atmosphere in the next year or two.” The atmosphere at the state tournament was a new experience for the Lady Redskins. Next time, they will know what to expect. “This was Topeka Seaman’s fourth year in a row to go to the state tournament, and only the first time they qualified for the Final Four,” Cano said. The Lady Redskins were up against experienced heavy hitters and teams that make the annual pilgrimage to the state tournament. Shawnee Mission Miege has won 18 of the 35 state tournaments. Liberal’s best shot at a win came against Salina South, and the Redskins came up three points short in the third and deciding match. Liberal lost to the eventual state champions and to the third-place team. “Now, we want to make it to the Final Four,” Cano said. The program has shown steady improvement under Cano’s leadership. Winning three consecutive WAC titles followed by a trip to the state tournament is a clear indication. But the Lady Redskins will have to replace one of the best Lady Redskin volleyball players in school history — senior Makayla McPhail. The big hitter has been recruited by a number of schools to play volleyball, according to Cano, but the standout athlete is also a contributor in basketball and track. Returning for next year will be Kinsi Delzeit, Katie Burnett, Ashlyn Westerman, Caitlin Bauer, and Emily Jackson. Junior Morgan Todd is expected to return from a knee injury while Brittany Odle and McPhail will graduate. Thanks to the accomplishments from this year’s squad, Cano is expecting another step forward next year — making the Final Four. “It is the next step for us,” he said. “Our girls will do fine. These girls paved the way for the future, and it’s looking good for us.” Local News

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Official Tour de France FanParks: England from...Monday, April 14thLondoners flocked to the 2013 Tour de France Fan Park to watch Chris Froome power his way to a famous victory in the 100th edition of the Tour de France. In 2014, the Fan Parks, presented by... Read moreAll systems go forCambridge-London!Tuesday, April 8thWith less than three months to go, Cambridge is looking forward to welcoming the Tour de France peloton for the start of stage 3... Read moreReturning to Yorkshire in 2015Friday, March 28thWith Leeds, Harrogate, York and Sheffield as stage cities in the 2014 Tour, Yorkshire is making a big entrance in the world of cycling. And it will stay there for a while with a new three-day race... Read moreD-100: England goes yellowThursday, March 27thThe countdown has begun for the county of Yorkshire, whose annual cultural festival has started 100 days before the start of the Tour de France in Leeds. In the entire region, and even right down... Read moreLa Course by Le Tour de France:Women's Day, Round...Saturday, March 8thWomen are the stars on March 8... It will be very much the same when the elite of ladies' cycling comes together in Paris on July 27 for the inaugural edition of La Course by le Tour de France, a... Read moremore news The race2014 editionRouteGrand

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McCaw among the finest 26 May 2011 10:16am By Richie McCaw is staying in NZ Graham Henry believes Richie McCaw is among the very best captains the All Blacks have ever produced. McCaw committed his future to the New Zealand Rugby Union earlier this week when he announced that he would be staying in his homeland after the World Cup despite sunbstantial interest from overseas. And that decision was understandably met with a huge smile and a massive sens of relief from All Black coach Henry who was quick to play his skipper the ultimate compliment. "You just need to look at his winning percentage. Although it is hard for me to compare him to (Sir Wilson) Whineray for example, because I have not had the same amount to do with him as I have a Fitzy or a Tana Umaga, I don't think too many people would argue that McCaw is among our finest All Blacks captains," said Henry. "He has had that rare ability to adapt as a rugby player and as a leader and displays all the attributes of a great leader: courage, bravery and guts. We are very lucky to have him." The 30-year-old is now just four caps away of reaching a century of appearances for New Zealand having first worn senior national colours in 2001. The Crusaders flanker is hoping to lead the All Blacks to World Cup glory this autumn but former Lions coach Henry believes McCaw has already proven himself to be a hugely positive influence on New Zealand rugby regardless of the outcome of the latest global gathering. "The best way for me to communicate what a fine leader McCaw is to tell you a story about him," added Henry. "Back in 2008, I think it was, we were playing a test in South Africa. We didn't get back to our hotel until the early hours of the morning and the guys needed to be up at six in the morning to get to our next venue. "Richie held a team meeting at 4.30am before they left with his leadership group to set the tone for the rest of the week. For me, when he did that, the next test match was won right there. He not only leads by example on the field, but is a settling influence for the team. He is a very, very good leader of men."

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O'Sullivan encouraged by Ireland displays Ireland are hoping to wrap up their tour of New Zealand and Australia with another encouraging performance against the Wallabies on Saturday morning. The Irish have played creditably over the past fortnight, losing narrowly twice in two Tests against the All Blacks. Coach Eddie O'Sullivan was disappointed his side missed two chances to beat New Zealand for the first time in 101 years of competition but is hugely encouraged by their displays. He said: "It has been a very productive tour for us and the players have got a lot out of it. "We had two games that were there for the taking and that was disappointing, but it is not easy winning down here and they were two very good performances." Ireland will now go into their clash with the Australians at the Subiaco Oval in Perth with confidence. The Wallabies have only ended a recent run of poor form with back-to-back victories over England in the past two weeks. O'Sullivan is keeping faith with British & Irish Lion Ronan O'Gara for the match after the fly-half was blamed for the defensive lapses which cost Ireland in the second match against the All Blacks. The only change to the team comes at full-back with Geordan Murphy dropping to the bench to allow Girvan Dempsey to win his 66th cap. Australia fly-half Stephen Larkham is bracing himself for a difficult contest. Larkham said: "It's definitely the best Irish side I've played against over the past 10 years. "Not just because of the form they've shown over the past couple of weeks but because of the quality of player they can put on the field. "They've picked a very mobile forward pack, a forward pack that will get across the ground very well."

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Volunteers needed for Cyclo-Cross championship events January 28, 2013 - 9:05pm The UCI Cyclo-Cross World Championships will pedal into Louisville this week, and the organizers are looking for some volunteers to help with the many events scheduled. For the first time in the international event's 63-year history, it will be held outside of Europe, at Eva Bandman Park on River Road near downtown Louisville.You can be part of this historic event by volunteering now for the 2013 UCI World Masters and Elite Cyclo-cross Championships, which will be held from January 29 to February 3, 2013. Organizers are looking for volunteers to support all aspects of the event including at the Masters and Elite Courses, event media center, and the worlds credential center. To view all the positions and times, and to sign up, CLICK HERE.The world championships will feature 300 top professional riders from approximately 25 countries and is expected to draw crowds of 5,000 to 6,000 per day, including fans, cyclists and officials from throughout the U.S., Europe and other parts of the world.Cyclo-cross is booming in the United States. Over a seven year period, from 2005 to 2011, the number of cross racers more than tripled while the number of sanctioned events more doubled according to USA Cycling; the number of cyclo-cross racers (number of racers actually reported to have participated or taken a start in cyclo-cross events) grew from 31,828 to 97,954 strong while during the same period, the number of sanctioned events increased from 237 to 507.Micah Rice, Vice President of National Events at USA Cycling, sees multiple factors that led the growth all over the country. One reason is road racers and mountain bikers looking to do something different in their off-season. “Instead of the old school method of just 'hey go ride 100 miles every day at slow pace', people are getting beyond that, they interested in doing some stuff that really raises heart rate and cyclo-cross was the immediate fix for that and people started getting into it.”Also cyclo-cross is a great gateway into cycling. The 20- to 30-minute race time is not daunting for either beginners or for parents searching for an activity for their children. “I think a lot of people (think) well I can anything for 30 minutes, I might not want to jump into a two hour road race, we can do tins 30 minutes, it sounds like fun.”“I think you've got a lot of race directors who are getting into it and being very successful at it, bringing in the party aspect to the sport. It's pretty inexpensive for the most part to put on a cyclo-cross race, you usually can get the use of a country park or even a city park, and it's all right there, you usually don't have any police costs, you don't have to ask the DOT for use of the road so in terms of the costs to the race director, I think it's pretty reasonable.” Micah added, “It has brought a lot of really quality race directors into that side of the sport. And so, because of that I think the number of races have increased extremely well on that side of it.”The fun, the easy access, the training benefits, the simplicity of it are all factors that led to the growth of cyclo-cross. “We are bringing in new people through the sport of cyclo-cross, you're looking at a lot of people who raced bikes for a long time that are now deciding to pick a cyclo-cross bike.”Unsurprisingly, the biggest number of cross racers are from a road background given that road is the biggest part of the USA Cycling membership.Rice doesn't see the growth plateauing any time soon. “I do think that it will continue to grow, I think it will continue to bring in new cyclists, I think we'll continue to see mountain bikers and road cyclists continue to cross over.” he said. “We're doing everything that we can to get our tools to the race directors and to push the discipline forwards.”Pushing the discipline forwards came into play when awarding the next three Cyclo-cross National Championships, USA Cycling selected Boulder, Colorado, Austin, Texas and Asheville, North Carolina to host its 2014, 2015 and 2016 Cyclo-cross National Championships respectively.1 Tags:Sports 2013 UCI World Masters Thomas McAdam UCI Cyclo-Cross World Championships Louisville.com Commenting Policy Related Stories Cyclo-Cross World Championships coming to Louisville Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame Celebrates 50 Years Fort Larned wins Stephen Foster in impressive fashion Downs After Dark returns to Churchill Downs for action-packed Saturday night Successful Dan headlines Stephen Foster field Palace Malice upsets Derby and Preakness winners in Belmont triumph Derby and Preakness winners pair off in Belmont Stakes Search Louisville Events

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