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2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/19767 | Posted: Friday November 16, 2012 8:53 PM
Gordon's anger at Bowyer dates back 7 months
HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) - When Clint Bowyer and Jeff Gordon made contact in the closing laps at Phoenix, Gordon was overcome by a grudge he'd been carrying at least seven months.
The four-time NASCAR champion retaliated by intentionally wrecking Bowyer, triggering a garage-area melee.
Gordon's reputation took a hit among his peers and he was fined $100,000 by NASCAR. But he avoided suspension and will race Sunday in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he'll celebrate his 20th anniversary with sponsor DuPont and Hendrick Motorsports.
He admitted Friday that DuPont had initial concerns NASCAR would park him this weekend for his actions Sunday at Phoenix, but he never worried he wouldn't race at Homestead and he's not sorry for wrecking Bowyer.
"The thing that I regret and the thing that I messed up on is that I allowed my anger and my emotions to put me in a position to make a bad choice,'' Gordon said. "I felt like Clint needed to be dealt with, but that wasn't the right way to go about it, certainly not the right time. And what I hate most about it is that other guys were involved with it and it affected their day.''
The wreck collected Joey Logano and Aric Almirola, and championship points leader Brad Keselowski had to dodge his way around the accident scene. It also triggered a brawl in the garage between Gordon's crew and Bowyer's crew that has received as much attention as the championship race between Keselowski and five-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson.
It has also thrust the 41-year-old Gordon into the headlines at the end of yet another disappointing season.
He was docked 25 points for Sunday's bad behavior, which dropped him to 11th in the Sprint Cup Series standings in this one-win season. He hasn't won a championship since 2001, and teammate Johnson, who came on board in 2002, will race for his sixth title Sunday.
So his actions on Sunday were certainly that of a frustrated driver, and he admitted wrecking Bowyer sent a message to the garage.
"I don't think they're going to be messing with me for a little while. I think they realize that that message was sent pretty clear,'' Gordon said. "Throughout the last couple years, I feel like one thing that maybe I haven't done enough of is show the fire inside me that I have to want to win and want to win championships. And I think that while I would have liked to have gone about it differently on Sunday, I think it did show that that fire and passion is inside of me in a big way.''
So big that he'd been angry with Bowyer since Martinsville in April, when Bowyer played a role in costing Hendrick Motorsports its 200th victory.
The race had been dominated that day by Gordon and Johnson, and a late caution had set up a restart with the teammates lined up side-by-side at the front. Bowyer re-started in the second row, on new tires, and got a shove from behind from Ryan Newman. He dove to the inside of Gordon and Johnson, made contact, and all three wrecked.
It was a crushing defeat for the Hendrick camp, which was moments away from celebrating a historic victory at Martinsville, site of some of the team's most significant triumphs and its most heartbreaking tragedy. A Hendrick plane crashed en route to a 2004 race at Martinsville, among the 10 people on board were Hendrick's brother, son, twin nieces, key team personnel and a DuPont representative.
At the April race with Hendrick, for the first time since the 2004 plane crash, were the widows of Hendrick's brother and the DuPont executive.
"We were all wanting to win more than anything, more than any championship. The 200th win at Martinsville meant so much to all of us because we lost so much there,'' Hendrick said Friday. "And that was taken away from us. Both of our cars were wrecked on the last lap and next to last lap and it was by the 15 car (Bowyer). I have never hurt as bad in my life leaving the race track as I did that day. It took me a week or so to get over it just because we had it in our grasp. And that's just emotions that we carry and nobody else. So I think that situation, along with some other things that happened along the way, you know, you don't forget it.''
Bowyer and Gordon spoke at the track that day, and Bowyer texted Hendrick after the race. The two drivers have had other on-track incidents between them this season, including another run-in at Martinsville last month, but they had a conversation after that, too.
But something made Gordon snap late in Sunday at Phoenix, when enough was finally enough when he and Bowyer got together. When Gordon retaliated, it mathematically eliminated Bowyer from championship contention, but Gordon said Bowyer has to accept responsibility for putting himself in that position.
"If you're contending for the championship, you've got to be as smart about the things you do on the race track as the guys that you're racing that might be outside the championship,'' Gordon said. "And there was absolutely no reason to run into me.''
Bowyer was still angry Friday about the Phoenix incident and didn't want to discuss Gordon.
"I don't want to talk about it. I really don't,'' he said as he walked from pit road to his team hauler.
Asked how long it would take for him to get past his anger, Bowyer said he didn't know, "It'll be a while.'' And when told he's not one to usually hold a grudge, he replied, "I'm usually not a guy that usually causes any trouble, either.''
The only thing Gordon feels badly about is Logano getting collected in the accident. He said he spoke to Logano on the phone and "I can't say it went exactly very well'' and he'd like to follow-up at the track.
Logano agreed the call did not go well.
"I reached out for an apology and I didn't get one, and I got hung up on,'' Logano said. "But he did text me, and I'm sure we'll meet up at some point. We're going to be able to go out and figure it out. We're big boys.''
As for what's next, Gordon doesn't know. But he understands the attention on the incident with Bowyer, and the effect it might have on the season finale.
"I would tune in the following Sunday and see what happens,'' he said. | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/19786 | Meagher Wins NEC Scholar-Athlete Award
Pittsburgh – Junior long-stick midfielder Sean Meagher (Chesterfield, Mo. / St. Louis University) of the Robert Morris University men’s lacrosse team was awarded for his distinguished performance on and off the field Thursday as he was selected as the Northeast Conference (NEC) Men’s Lacrosse Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
The RMU men’s lacrosse program has now claimed each of the past three NEC Men’s Lacrosse Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors as former Colonial Kiel Matiszwon the award in both 2011 and 2012.
To be eligible for the NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in a sport, a student-athlete must have earned a minimum of 60 semester hours, maintained a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.20 and participated with distinction as a member of a varsity team. A double major in accounting and finance, Meagher has posted a cumulative GPA of 3.80 through the 2013 spring semester.
Meagher had a breakout junior season that saw him claim NEC Defensive Player of the Year honors after a record-setting campaign. He also became the first Colonial to earn an all-conference honor as a long-stick midfielder.
Meagher repeatedly made his impact felt on the defensive end of the field in 2013, especially by causing turnovers of RMU’s opponents. Meagher tallied a single-season school record 38 caused turnovers in 2013. His 2.53 caused turnovers per game tied for the second best mark nationally in addition to leading the conference. He became the first Colonial ever to average more than two caused turnovers per game for an entire season. He also scooped up a career-high 45 ground balls on the year, second on the team, and ranked among the top 100 nationally in ground balls per game. Meagher’s play on the defensive half of the field not only led RMU to top the nation in caused turnovers per game but also helped the Colonials lower their goals against average by nearly two scores per game compared with 2012.
Over the course of Robert Morris’ seven games against NEC opponents, Meagher combined for 21 caused turnovers and 25 ground balls. His output was one of the factors that helped RMU reach its first NEC championship game in program history. Meagher had a heroic performance in that championship contest as he tallied a RMU single-game record and NEC Tournament record seven caused turnovers while also adding a career-high six ground balls. That effort helped Meagher take home NEC All-Tournament Team accolades.
Meagher will enter his senior season with a legitimate chance at breaking the program's career record for caused turnovers as his 55 career CT currently rank him second all-time at Robert Morris. He holds two of the top three single-season caused turnover per game marks in RMU history and has notched 73 career ground balls.
This is the third straight year that Meagher has been a member of the NEC Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
In addition to the honor for Meagher, a total of 116 student-athletes from Robert Morris covering nine spring sports, including 45 male student-athletes, were named to the 2013 NEC Spring Academic Honor Roll. To be eligible for the honor roll, student-athletes must have posted a cumulative GPA of 3.20 and be an active member of an officially recognized varsity team. Freshmen are eligible for the honor roll.
Of RMU’s 116 student-athletes to be named to the 2013 NEC Spring Academic Honor Roll, 31 were named to the NEC Spring Commissioner’s Honor Roll. To garner the honor, a student-athlete must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.75, and freshmen are eligible for the honor roll.
RMU led all league schools in selections to the Commissioner’s Honor Roll and placed the second highest number of student-athletes on the Academic Honor Roll. | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/19793 | Daniel Te'o-Nesheim gets a chance to start for Buccaneers
By Jakob Engelke
Jim O'Connor-US PRESSWIRE - Presswire
Third-year pro will make his third career start for the injured Adrian Clayborn. Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Daniel Te'o-Nesheim has earned the No. 1 spot on the depth chart and is poised to start Sunday against the Washington Redskins. Replacing the injured Adrian Clayborn will be difficult, but it's a situation Te'o-Nesheim has embraced, according to a report in The Tampa Bay Times.
"You want to be able to get out there and show you can play," Te'o-Nesheim told the newspaper, "and prove to your coaches and teams across the NFL that you're a dude."
Te'o-Nesheim, who was picked in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, has only started twice in his still-young NFL career but he's played in every game this season for the Buccaneers.
"Daniel is a good football player, and I've been very impressed with his development since we arrived," coach Greg Schiano told The Tampa Bay Times. "As I've always said to the guys, one man's loss is another man's opportunity, and that's the way the game is. I have a great deal of confidence in Daniel, I think he's going to play very well. He played some good football at Dallas (Sunday). I'm feeling good about Daniel, I hope he can keep doing it."
Buccaneers try to break their slide against the Redskins
Redskins vs. Buccaneers: Game time, TV schedule, injury updates and more
NFL Odds Week 4: Redskins Vs. Buccaneers
Buccaneers sign Jeff Charleston to add defensive end depth
Buccaneers vs. Redskins injury report: Defensive side of the ball was limited | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/19802 | Landon Wright
Texas Tech athletics director Kirby Hocutt spoke with the media following Tommy Tuberville's resignation on Saturday. Here's what he said regarding the search for a new head coach.
Kirby Hocutt: Fit is very important to me, and I think finding the right fit for Texas Tech is critical at this point in time.
We want a winner, leader, who is going to position us to compete at the highest levels competitively. Our goal is very simple. Our goal is to be the best college football program in the country to compete for Big 12 championships and to compete for national championships. We've been at the top of the college football world before and we're going to get back to the top.
It's important for us to find a winner and leader who is going to motivate and encourage our student athletes to achieve the highest level possible in the classroom and ensure when our young people leave Texas Tech that they leave with a degree in their hand.
It's important that our next head football coach embraces the Texas Tech values that are so important to each and every one of us. And I want to assure our fans that there's no shortage of candidates. There's no shortage of candidates.
There are lots of college football coaches around this country that want to be at Texas Tech today leading this football program. Before I open it up for questions, I want to ask our fan base, I want to ask the Texas Tech Red Raider nation across the country to come together like they never have before and to show their Red Raider pride, their pride in the double T, I want to urge and encourage our fans to sell out Reliant Stadium. December 28th we have a very important bowl game, on national television, prime time, it's the only college football game on at that time. And I want to urge our fans to create a home field advantage and a home field atmosphere for this football team to be the best that this group of young men have ever experienced. I urge our fans if they have not bought their tickets for our December 28th game against Minnesota, that they do that this up coming week and let's celebrate and let's show this country what it means to be a Red Raider and the pride we have in our great university and stand behind this football team like we never have before.
Q. You were looking for somebody who knows the fabric of west Texas, could you be more specific about that, what you're looking for there?
KIRBY HOCUTT: Well, I think it's important to find somebody who embraces the west Texas community, the West Texas lifestyle. This is a great place to live. It's a great place to raise a family. It's a great place to build a football program. And we want somebody who is familiar with the state of Texas. We want somebody who is familiar with the values that we hold dearly in West Texas in Lubbock and I'm confident that we'll be able to find that person.
Q. In terms of opening up for a search, guys who have been coordinators, have had coaching experience, how does that play into, which are you looking for?
KIRBY HOCUTT: We're going to find the best candidate for Texas Tech. If that individual is a head coach, great. If that individual is a coordinator, somewhere in this country, great. But we're going to find the best head coach for our program moving forward and find the best fit for Texas Tech moving forward.
Q. Your search committee, do you make the hire or do you know?
KIRBY HOCUTT: I'm going to make the hire. And I'm going to make a recommendation ultimately to President Schovanec who is here I appreciate Dr. Schovanec being here. So the process, the Texas Tech policy is that the athletics director makes a recommendation to the president. So I will conduct the search and ultimately make my recommendation to Dr. Schovanec as to who I recommend to be the next head football coach at Texas Tech.
Q. Have you discussed a timeline you would like to have this search made?
KIRBY HOCUTT: I'm not going to put a timeline upon ourselves. We will move as expeditiously as we possibly can, but at the same time we're going to take as much time as we need to find the right individual for this program.
Q. You mentioned fit several times there. Is it with a fit or is it better to go with someone that's familiar with the surroundings here?
KIRBY HOCUTT: That should be taken into consideration. But at the same time I think somebody who is familiar with the state of Texas that embraces the values that we hold dear in West Texas and somebody who wants to be at Texas Tech and believes that we can compete for championships, because we can win at the highest levels in this program, and we're going to show that.
Q. What's been done on a recruiting front today with coaches and reaching out to the players like that?
KIRBY HOCUTT: We have 25 scholarships. We have I believe 17 verbal commitments at this time. I've asked our assistant coaches to remain in communication with those commitments as well as those individuals that they're recruiting. They're recruiting them to come to Texas Tech University they're recruiting them to be a Red Raider. We continue to stay in communication with them and make sure that those young men that have committed here, we're going to honor our commitment to them. Landon Wright
Texas Tech Insider - Wreckem247
Tweet Already have an account? Sign In Texas Tech Texas Tech Message Boards Texas Tech Commits Texas Tech Offers Texas Tech Visits Texas Tech Shop 247Sports Football Recruiting Basketball Recruiting The Blue Board The Green Board Features Football Top 247 Basketball Top 247 Resources Find Your Team RSS Feeds Customer Service FAQ All-Access VIP Product Guide Connect Join us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Contact Us Member Services 247Sports © 2014 About Advertising Privacy Terms of Service Help Toggle Full/Mobile 247Sports In partnership with CBS Sports | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/19865 | hide Steelers' Polamalu to miss Thursday's game against Titans
Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu watches from the sidelines during the first half against the Green Bay Packers in the NFL's Super B (Reuters) - Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu will miss Thursday's game against the Tennessee Titans after re-injuring his right calf against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, the team said.
Polamalu, a seven-time Pro Bowl selection who has already missed two of his team's four games this season because of a strained right calf, aggravated the injury in the first quarter of Pittsburgh's 16-14 home win over Philadelphia.
"He will probably be deemed out this week because of the week itself being a quick turnaround and the nature of the injury," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin told the team's website on Monday.
"We will evaluate him when get back from Tennessee. We don't think he will participate."
Linebacker LaMarr Woodley was described as "doubtful" for Thursday's road game against the Titans after suffering a right hamstring injury against the Eagles.
"There is more optimism regarding where he is," said Tomlin. "It's just a mild hamstring injury if there is such a thing. It's still a hamstring injury.
"We are at the early part of the season and we have to be smart in terms of how we deal with that ... we will leave the door ajar for him."
The Steelers, who lost two of their first three games, are 2-2 this season. | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/19871 | « And the Orioles 2010 is over |
| O's will pick fourth overall in 2011 draft »
Roberts talks about headaches; hit himself in helmet with bat
After six days of not playing and not talking to the media, Brian Roberts met with reporters in Buck Showalter’s office following Sunday’s game and said he has been having concussion-type symptoms which occurred after he hit himself in the helmet with a bat.
“I don’t know 100 percent sure, but it was Monday night. In frustration (after a strikeout), I whacked myself on the head with my bat in the ninth. I had my helmet on,” Roberts said. “It’s something I’ve done a million times, but I still can’t tell you for sure if that was it. But that’s the only thing that I can point to because that night and the next morning, I just didn’t feel good. So it’s been going on since then.”
Roberts expects to have a CT scan on Monday, which he hopes will shed light on exactly what is causing his lightheadedness and head pain.
“I just have some lack of balance and some headaches, and just stuff that hasn’t been a whole lot of fun,” Roberts said. “So unfortunately I haven’t been able to obviously get out there and play, but we’re still working on trying to get all the results and figure out what’s going on.
Roberts ended his season with a .278 average, four homers and 12 steals while totaling just 230 at-bats in 59 games. His year was marred with various injuries and ailments, including a herniated disk in his back that forced him to miss most of the first half.
“It’s been one for the memory banks, but not for the best memory bank, I guess,” Roberts said. “But there’s been some good things, and just because things don’t go exactly the way you want them to, it doesn’t mean that it’s all been a negative, a wash, because certainly since Buck’s gotten here, we’ve done some great things and I’ll be ready to go February 2011. It just hasn’t been the best 2010.”
Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:44 PM | Permalink
Maybe we should call him Gus Frerotte.
Majordoc |
Roberts is a worry, and the Orioles are in a dangerous position with him. On the one hand, he's probably our offensive catalyst when he's healthy, but on the other it is just very hard to count on him. Middle infielders play a tough, injury-prone position, and it's a bit of a concern that Roberts will be perrennially banged up.
Orsulakfan |
He seemed to be doing OK until he hit himself in the head.
ken |
Well, a little humility will go a long way. He's a pro and will always play like a pro. Even better is that he tells the truth - not glamorous, but the truth. How many of us summer athletes would admit to a non-sports injury? Like, "I fell asleep on the couch and tore my meniscus when I got up:?
Had Felix Pie done this, i shudder to imagine the public outcry and backlash.
onceawarrior | | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/19890 | hide Woods back at center of another Twitter storm
Saturday, April 13, 2013 2:09 p.m. EDT
Tiger Woods hits his tee shot on the first hole during third round play in the 2013 Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Clu By Steve Keating
AUGUSTA, Georgia (Reuters) - Tiger Woods again found himself at the center of controversy and a target of Twitter-verse on Saturday when he avoided disqualification from the Masters after taking an illegal drop in the second round.
While golf's rules are clear that a disqualification was in order, Woods escaped with a two-shot penalty even after admitting in his post-round interview on Friday that he failed to drop his ball as close as possible to the original spot after it ended up in water at the par-five 15th.
Social media immediately exploded to life as golf fans, Woods' fellow players and even the 14-times major champion himself contributed to the debate.
Anger was directed at both Woods and Masters officials for the ham-handed way in which they handled the entire episode, many upset at a perceived double standard with one set of rules for Woods and another set for everyone else.
The day before, China's 14-year-old amateur Guan Tianlang was assessed a one-stroke penalty for slow play during the second round.
"The rules of golf are clear. Tiger took an incorrect drop so there's only one outcome. Guan Tianlang will have to be disqualified," chided BBC sports correspondent Andrew Cotter on Twitter.
Many urged Woods, who entered the year's first major as the hot favorite to claim a fifth green jacket, to fall on his sword and disqualify himself from the tournament, adding some polish to a still badly tainted image.
But Woods seemed to defuse any such suggestion when he took to Twitter to give his own view of what had happened.
"I was unaware at that time I had violated any rules. I didn't know I had taken an incorrect drop prior to signing my scorecard," Woods tweeted.
"Subsequently, I met with the Masters committee Saturday morning and was advised they had reviewed the incident prior to the completion of my round.
"Their initial determination was that there was no violation, but they had additional concerns based on my post-round interview.
"After discussing the situation with them this morning, I was assessed a two-shot penalty. I understand and accept the penalty and respect the committee's decision."
WOODS' AID
Fred Ridley, chairman of the Masters competition committee, also came to Woods' aid on Twitter as he explained the reasoning behind the decision which allowed the world number one to remain in the tournament.
"The penalty of disqualification was waived by the committee under Rule 33 as the committee had previously reviewed the information and made its initial determination prior to the finish of the player's round," tweeted Ridley.
That explanation did little to calm the building storm on Twitter.
"This is a joke. In my opinion anyone else would have been DQ'd. When you sign for the wrong score that's what's supposed to happen," said Irish golfer Shane Lowry.
Angela Stanford, one of the top players on the women's LPGA Tour, added: "If I tell a rules official I wanted 2 more yards, I'm on my way to Dairy Queen for a blizzard."
Woods ended play on Saturday at three-under but, after the two-stroke setback, will start the third round at one-under, five back of leader Jason Day of Australia.
As it became clear that Woods would continue his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 majors, the conversation veered towards the American's eventual legacy which could be irrevocably tainted if he were to come back and win.
"Tiger is the judge and jury on this. He said he moved the ball back two yards to gain the right yardage," Faldo, a six-time major winner, told Golf Channel.
"The rule clearly states he has to drop it as near as possible. Our rules are black and white: That is a breach of the rules. Simple as that.
"He has to sit down quietly and think about this - the mark this will leave on his career, his legacy."
As always, many in the Twitter-verse were not taking the decision with the same gravity.
"85% of all golfers are taking illegal drops, hug for u tiger" tweeted former Major League Baseball home run king and self-confessed drug cheat Jose Canseco.
(Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes) | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/19911 | hide Senden swoops early to take Australia Open lead
Thursday, December 06, 2012 3:51 a.m. EST
SYDNEY (Reuters) - John Senden made the most of benign early conditions to shoot a six-under-par 66 and take a two-stroke lead after the first round of the $1.25 million Australian Open on Thursday.
The Queenslander, going for a second title at his national open after his 2006 triumph, believes he is playing the best golf of his career and showed why with a six-birdie blitz in his first 10 holes.
He stuttered with bogeys on his 11th and 12th holes but picked up another couple of shots on the run home to stand two shots clear of world number four Justin Rose and four others with a share of second place after carding 68s.
"We had the perfect conditions this morning, teeing off at seven o'clock," the 41-year-old Senden, who has won once on the U.S. PGA Tour, told reporters.
"You won't get much of a better day. I thought there were a lot of birdies out there and there would probably be some good scores this morning."
Australia's top player Adam Scott was also among the early starters but struggled with three bogeys and two birdies on his front nine before steadying his round with a single birdie in an otherwise flawless back nine for a 72.
The world number seven, fresh from a victory at the Australian Masters, stuck with his belly putter and said he had paid the price for being too aggressive at the start of his round.
Eight times major winner Tom Watson, now 63, and Chinese sensation Guan Tianlang, 14, were among the later starters and suffered for it as the wind picked up at The Lakes course.
American Watson said he was "embarrassed" with his round after starting with three bogeys and two double bogeys on the front nine and ending up with a six-over-par 78.
Guan, who next year will become the youngest player to take part in the U.S. Masters after winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship last month, failed to record a single birdie in his round of 82.
"He was unlucky today," his father Guan Hanwen told Reuters. "He lipped out on four holes. He played this tournament to get used to these kind of conditions which he is unfamiliar with."
Briton Rose, who picked up five birdies in his first nine holes, was glad to have taken advantage of his early start to grab a share of second with locals Kim Felton, Richard Green, Brendan Jones and New Zealander Gareth Paddison.
"When you see the draw, you know you have one early time when hopefully the wind will lay down," the Englishman said.
"Wind obviously kicked up in the back nine, got a little bit tricky, but all in all, a good start."
Rose, who has never won a national open, said he enjoyed the challenge of playing in such conditions.
"You have to control your shots, and judge your trajectory - it's a lot of fun playing this kind of golf," he added.
Australian Marcus Fraser was the best of the late starters and also had the best shot of the day when he hit a hole-in-one at the par-three 15th.
He finished with a 69 to share seventh with compatriots Stephen Allan and Nick Flanagan, a shot behind Rose's group.
(Editing by Amlan Chakraborty) | 体育 |
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A giant STEP: Penn State officials realize risks of ticket increase
By Cory Giger [email protected]
Save | It's all about supply and demand, and one commonly held assumption is that if some Penn State football season-ticket holders don't renew because of the new STEP seating plan, then there is a long line of fans willing to take their place. University officials have made no such assumption and have always realized there is a risk that may not happen. "There's certainly nothing taken for granted in this, and no one here, I can assure you, is doing so," PSU associate athletic director Greg Myford said. Article Photos
Mirror file photo by Patrick WaksmunskiPenn State is offering football fans a one-time opportunity to transfer season football tickets to family or friends.
He went on to address the perception some people may have of Penn State. "We often hear in some of the comments that this program is arrogant, this program is assumptive, this program, Penn State, is taking a lot for granted," Myford said. "Well, I can tell you that in the two years that we talked about the [STEP] program leading up to its introduction, the risk of doing a program like this is very real, and it would be naive for anyone to think that Penn State didn't consider that risk and still doesn't consider that risk to be real." Fact Box
Deadline todaySeason-ticket holders who would like to transfer their seats to a family member or friend must do so by today. Penn State has offered a one-time opportunity for fans to make these transfers as part of the new STEP plan.
Because of looming financial troubles, the university felt it had to make the move. Myford said Penn State administrators saw a potential point in 2016 or 2017 in which the athletic department's expenses would have exceeded its revenues. The university has a self-sustaining athletic department and, in order to keep that beyond 2016 or 2017, it must generate more revenue. That led to the STEP program, which beginning in 2011 will increase the minimum contributions for season-ticket holders from $100 per seat to $400 or $600 in premium parts of Beaver Stadium. "From the outset, we've tried to be very clear that the entire program is based on a couple of things and a couple of key initiatives," Myford said. "One is finances, quite frankly. This is designed and has been rolled out as a means for Penn State athletics to address some very crucial financial challenges that we have." Myford acknowledged the university considered a process in which the initial increase in Nittany Lion Club dues would be smaller, then increase again down the road. Ultimately, though, Penn State decided to go for one big increase at this point. "One of the reasons that some of our fans are especially vocal about it now is because it's been the same way for so long," Myford said. "I don't think that many of our fans realized that outside of Penn State, this is the norm. Not just within the Big Ten, but within what we would consider a peer group of top 25 institutions. "As much as we would like to hold the line, there comes a time where we have to make a hard decision. We know that this impacts fans in several different ways, but in order for us to be responsible, really, and continue to operate in a financially responsible way, we had to make that tough decision." Cory Giger can be reached at 949-7031 and [email protected]. © Copyright 2014 The Altoona Mirror. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | 体育 |
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V. WILLIAMS/N. Cavaday
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Venus Williams, please. Q. You said you didn't know much about Naomi. How surprised were you with her level in the first set?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Oh, I thought she played excellent. She took her chances, really took advantage of her opportunities, and played with poise on this occasion, which is Centre Court in front of a home crowd. So I thought she did really well with that. She served well and really returned the ball with force and ran a lot of balls down, so I was impressed with her game.
Q. How much of what happened in the first set was down to her level of play and you not playing your best?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I would say a lot was to her good playing. I had some opportunities and made a couple of errors in a row. But all in all, I mean, I think she just played well. Q. When you played well here, you had you to work out some cobwebs early in the tournament. Did you feel like that at all in this match today?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I mean, that wasn't on my mind in the match at all. It was really about the moment pretty much, so I didn't think about cobwebs or what had happened a Wimbledon or two ago. Mostly just what was happening in the moment.
Q. How did you feel your level was today?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I felt that my level was good. I think it's nice to have a really challenging opponent early on, especially, you know, having not played since the French, which is what I always do anyway. So it was good to have that challenge early on. Q. This is the fifth time you've walked out on that court as defending champ. Can you describe your feelings when you walk out, whether it's special, different, more special?
VENUS WILLIAMS: It's definitely an honor. But by the time I'm walking out there I'm just really so focused that I don't enjoy it as much as I could. But obviously coming off with a win, I always enjoy that. Q. Do you think it's fair that the men get to play on a perfectly brand-new court when Roger defends every year and you get the worn-over court the next day? Would you like to see them switch every year?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't really have any complaints about that. So, no, you're not hearing anything from me.
Q. You don't think there's something special to be the first one to play on the court every year like he is?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I would have to ask him what it's like because I don't know. I don't have any complaints about that. Q. How much of a distraction was the bee early on? You were swishing around. VENUS WILLIAMS: I was about to serve. I felt something on my leg. I looked down. It was a bee, a big old bumblebee. I was trying to get it to go off. I don't know if they sting or not. Do they? The big bumblebees, do they? Q. Just once. VENUS WILLIAMS: I didn't want it to sting me. I was trying to get it off without getting stung. You know how they usually fly back at you. Then I ended up losing that service game, so I guess the bumblebee got me off to a bad start. Q. Talking about an early challenge and a wake-up call like this in the first set being a good thing, right through the tournament or just for the match?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I always look at the positive in everything, and she played really well. I mean, there were some serves that I couldn't touch. Also her being left-handed I think helped her a little bit, because the ball's coming at a different angle. So, I mean, throughout the whole tournament? At this point I'm just focused on the second round and going for that. Q. Last year you were a very outspoken advocate for the equal prize money. Could you speak about the level of satisfaction you feel about how that's turned out. Also, if Billie Jean King played a role in your views of that issue and your potential role in advocating for that issue. VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I have a ton of respect for Billie. I played Fed Cup under her for, you know, a few years. We would sit and have conversations, and I learned a lot from her on and off the court. So I have a tremendous amount of respect for her. I just think she's wonderful. As for equal prize money, it took a long time. It took a lot of changing of minds. But I think everybody -- we're on an even playing ground at this point. Everybody is of the like mind, and I feel good about that. At this point I think there's other things I can do as far as UNESCO and working on tennis in general, getting it to a higher level.
Q. What is your work with UNESCO?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Gender equality is what we work on with UNESCO and the WTA. Obviously raising money, doing more programs. We just announced a program in India that we're funding. Also with EleVen, we did a charity shirt, too, for UNESCO. Different ideas and just getting more involved in things outside of tennis. Q. Serena was saying yesterday when asked about Obama, she said, I admire him, but we're Jehovah's Witness. We can't vote. You're out there doing political issues all the time. VENUS WILLIAMS: Political issues? Which ones. Q. You're talking about UNESCO, equal prize money. If you're out there advocating for an issue you're taking some kind of political stance. How do you feel about that?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I feel that what I do in tennis isn't really political. I mean, I think equal prize money is more -- I mean, obviously we have equal prize money, which is great. I don't see it as political, that or the other thing you brought up, which I can't remember right now. Q. UNESCO. VENUS WILLIAMS: UNESCO. I mean, helping other people is what we're all here to do, if you ask me. Q. But you don't vote either?
VENUS WILLIAMS: No, I don't vote. Q. You have another British player in the next round, Anne Keothavong. Are you aware of her?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I've seen her play also. I'm sure she'll come out swinging, because that's what you have to do at Wimbledon. I know a little bit more about her than my opponent today. Obviously I will focus on my game. Q. The atmosphere in the crowd out there today was fantastic, mainly because it was a British player. Do you enjoy that?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Definitely the atmosphere was great. But I don't hear too much of it because I'm really focused on what I'm doing. But I did appreciate the atmosphere, because when it's all so quiet, I mean, it' nothing like an atmosphere in tennis, I think. Q. Were you ever actually concerned today? Were you ever really worried?
VENUS WILLIAMS: No, not really. Obviously, I wanted that break back early. When I got it at 3-All I was pretty excited, because 4-2 isn't as much fun as 3-1 (smiling). I was definitely excited about getting that back, because she was playing well, not giving up a lot. It was important to get that break back. But obviously I felt pretty comfortable. I felt like I had a few chances to break, but didn't quite happen. So I just had to leave it behind me and go for that tiebreaker. Q. To what extent do you think physical fitness was a factor today? It appeared in the second set your superior mobility was a telling factor. VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I think my mobility is a huge strength for me and a huge weapon throughout my career. I thought she moved pretty well. She got a lot more balls back than what I was expecting. But I'm really blessed to be my height and to be able to move. I'm really excited about that.
Q. The governing bodies of tennis are taking a stronger look at issues pertaining to gambling and match fixing. If someone is caught involved in fixing a match, what do you think the penalty should be?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I haven't even thought about it, to be honest. I don't think it's rampant in our sport. I suppose there have been some cases, but I see that tennis is taking a stronger stance on that. It's important because our sport is growing and needs to grow, so we have to make sure it doesn't happen. Q. What message do you think is being sent by this increased scrutiny?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't know. I didn't think about it. I was really, really focusing on Wimbledon, so I didn't think about it. But I did see there was a 15-point -- 15 points. I'm sorry, I'm the wrong person to ask about the details. Q. You brought out a new clothes line here, but you have Petrova wearing your clothes, right?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Uh-huh.
Q. Is that the first time you've had another player wearing your clothes? Talk about how you worked that out with her. VENUS WILLIAMS: I think she's just in transition between -- was in transition, so she I think wanted -- she was doing me a favor. So I'm hoping to see her in the clothes. I saw her in some warmups yesterday, but I haven't seen her in the match clothes. I'm hoping to see her. She's a great girl. I have a lot of respect for her on and off the court. She's a good person. Q. Is it the same outfit you're wearing, or is it different?
VENUS WILLIAMS: No, it's different. It's different. Q. Know EleVen trench coat?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Trench coats, no. Maybe next fall. Q. Did you have a hand in designing the dress you wore today? If so, is there an element in the dress you particularly liked?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, it's kind of like a Norma Kamali inspired. I don't know if you know her. She does chic and classic swimwear. Obviously Wimbledon white is a requirement. It's nice to do something a little different. It has a little keyhole. It's definitely fun. Q. If Naomi was to ask you, What do I need to get to your level, what would you tell her?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I would say she would need to train with Mr. Williams. That would definitely help, because he's a great coach. That would be my recommendation. Q. What's the greatest strength of your father as a coach?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I think at this point he's really positive, because I feel like I understand the game. A lot of times you really just need someone to help you through those moments when you're too hard on yourself or, you know, to get you to that next level of positivity and confidence and good thoughts. I think he's really good at that. Q. What do you feel his greatest strength is in terms of his knowledge of tennis?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I think he's a real innovator on the court. Serena and I, we came out and we were able to play the game that he taught us. I think in essence it was really him who changed women's tennis, because we were just the students. Q. Have you been able to see Maria Sharapova's tuxedo outfit? If so, what do you make of it?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I haven't seen it, no. So I don't know. Q. What would you say was the difference between your first-set performance and your second-set performance? VENUS WILLIAMS: I think my returns were a little better in that second set, but like my returns weren't as good in the first. I was hitting them short. She had some opportunities. I think that definitely made a difference, amongst other things. I made a few more shots. It all makes a difference. But, of course, I always feel like I play better as the match progresses. Q. As a champion so many times, how comfortable do you feel here? We always say it's like your second home and all that. When you come here, does it very comfortable for you?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I feel really good here, obviously - especially this year. I like being here in general. I love having my family here. Obviously, I love the grass. My game seems to just get better when I'm here. I just love this tournament, so I'm definitely starting to feel like a lot of the other great players who were playing before me, I'm hoping to follow in their footsteps, because they loved this tournament more than anything. I'm definitely starting to feel that way, too. Q. Do you feel like a different player here at this tournament?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think my whole attitude changes (laughter). So it's great, definitely. Q. Why especially this year?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I think because of my success in the past, winning here a handful of times, you know, I've dreamed of that. But then to actually achieve those things and make it happen is something completely different, so that gives me a good feeling coming here. Q. Do you remember the first time you ever played on grass, whether you liked it right away, or was it an acquired taste?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I liked it right away, of course. When you're little, to play on grass is exciting, something different, something new. I wanted to try to dive. I've never been brave enough to dive. I could still try it, I guess.
Q. Was that in Florida that you played on grass the first time?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think in Florida. End of FastScripts About ASAP Sports • FastScripts Archive • Recent Interviews • Captioning • Upcoming Events • Contact Us
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2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20008 | Why Is The MLB Draft Second Rate?
By Tyler Bleszinski
@papiblez
The MLB Draft is quite frankly one of the bigger letdowns of the year. For all the positive things that have happened around baseball in the past few years, the draft never seems to be one of them. Now I know that we at Athletics Nation and other blogs around SB Nation are fascinated by the draft. We follow it very closely, wondering what player the A's might pluck. But it doesn't have the cache of other professional sports' drafts. The NFL draft is an Event. Granted, ESPN helped manufacture that as an Event with nearly 24/7 coverage of it leading up to the late April date. Even both the NBA and NHL drafts are seemingly events compared to the draft for baseball.
I think there's a lot of good reasons why it isn't nearly as compelling as the other sports. For one, many of the players chosen are high school kids that seem like they're three, four or even five years away from ever contributing to the pro level. Whereas if you look at football, there's a chance that the running back your team selects in the first round will be on the field immediately or at least in a third down role. Basketball is often the same thing, whereas it doesn't seem like the player you select early won't be a part of your team for a long, long time.
Obviously baseball is the only league to have at least five levels of minors before the player makes it to the pros. You've got rookie ball, low A, high A, Double-A and Triple-A. If the player is talented (or more likely, old enough with college experience) enough, they might make that rare jump into Double-A and then possibly to the pros. But that's a relatively rare occurence. Though the A's had that happen pretty quickly with Huston Street. But again he was an older college player and a reliever. You don't see it happen too often with hitters or starting pitchers because the jump from the aluminum bats to wood bats is one adjustment and then the adjustment to pro level pitching, even at the A-level is enormous.
Still, I wish that baseball would make a move to really market the draft as an Event more. Yes it was on the MLB Network for the first time this year. But it needs to be scheduled for a different time. 3 p.m. PST on a Tuesday? That's usually reserved for Golden Girls re-runs and Oprah. Not that I'd know anything about Oprah's favorite things. Ahem. Here's what I think they need to do. Move the draft to a Saturday morning and get it on Fox or ESPN. Do it the Saturday before the All Star break and don't have any games scheduled. Make it the feature of the league for that short time period. It's tough enough that the draft takes place during the season, which is the only professional sport that does that. Or better yet, move it to before or just after the season ends. I know that would make it tough to get kids to participate in any of the leagues and likely put them behind the curve a bit, but baseball is the second most popular sport in this country. The draft that determines much of what happens with these kids should be more prominent than it is now, and MLB Network isn't that venue.
What do you think? Is it enough that it's a niche event that barely gets a mention anywhere outside of rabid fans of those particular teams? Or do you want more for it? I guess I'm just a little jealous of those football guys and their very high profile draft every year. Either that or Mel Kiper's cool hair. | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20022 | Kelly Pavlik arrested after failure to appear in court
Former middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik is officially retired, but he's not out of the news, as he was arrested in Ohio for failure to appear in court.
Kelly Pavlik's last few years haven't exactly gone swimmingly, as he's had stints in rehab, watched his boxing career flounder, and been involved in a few police reports. Today, he's back in the headlines after being arrested for failure to appear in court.
Pavlik allegedly refused to pay a cab driver who picked him up on Tuesday night (really Wednesday morning), with the driver telling police Pavlik just flat-out refused to pay the fare. Pavlik reportedly says that he refused to pay because the guy was driving "like a lunatic."
Anyway, Pavlik was arrested because he didn't show up in court to answer the complaint.
Really, I don't care, but it's news. I mean, I really don't care. Kelly Pavlik is a grown man whose life is his own business. Whether he's right or wrong here, or the cabbie was a lunatic or not, I don't care. He's still only 31 and could end up back in boxing, but he doesn't seem particularly interested in the grind of it all. I think he'd like to make some money with a big fight, but beyond that he doesn't seem into the sport anymore, and hasn't for a while. | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20067 | Fasig Horses Going to the Mat
The new rubber mat leading to the track helps Fasig-Tipton Calder sale horses perform at their best.
Joe DiOrio
The horses in the Feb. 26 Fasig-Tipton Florida select sale of 2-year-olds in training don’t get to walk on a glamorous red carpet, but their consignors aren't complaining. They would rather have the rubber mat that the auction firm's officials rolled out this year at Calder Race Course.
Made of interlocking pieces like a jigsaw puzzle, the 10-foot wide mat was designed to give sale horses some relief from the hardness of the asphalt and concrete surfaces found throughout much of the Calder backstretch. The mat is an inch thick and approximately 500 yards long, according to Fasig-Tipton's director of marketing, Terence Collier, and it runs from the barn area to the chute where the horses enter the track to train.
"I absolutely love the mat," said consignor Tony Bowling. "I think it’s the best thing Fasig-Tipton has ever done. My main problem with having the sale here is all the asphalt. It's so hard on our horses. Just walking back and forth to the racetrack sores them up. My horses have done so much better this year with the rubber mat out there."
Collier declined to reveal how much Fasig-Tipton is spending to purchase, install, and maintain the mat, but he described the cost as significant. It will remain in place until after the auction.
"We've had a lot of feedback from consignors over the years that during the course of training and going to the track, it (the hard surface) stings the horses' feet and shins," Collier said, "so we got our stable manager, Daren English, to work with a supplier and we purchased the mat at a considerable expense and installed it. It's reusable and virtually indestructible. We put it down just before the horses arrived, and it's been very popular. There has been unanimously favorable feedback from the consignors."
One seller, Don Graham, called the mat "a great idea," and another consignor, Hoby Kight, said it was "a blessing."
In addition, to protecting the sale horses' feet from the asphalt and concrete, the mat is less slippery than those surfaces, according to consignor Dean De Renzo.
"It's been a big help, huge," he said. "The horses aren't slipping and sliding. If they spook at something, they can get some grip, and they just bounce along on it when they're going to the track. I wish Fasig-Tipton had done this10 years ago."
Seller David Scanlon also has been pleased with the mat.
"I give Fasig-Tipton a lot of credit for trying to really accommodate consignors and make things good," he said. "It’s tough here with all the concrete, and any little break you can give the horses by taking them off it is great. I thought Fasig-Tipton did a good job in trying to solve that problem."
Added New Jersey bloodstock agent Buzz Chace: "It was an expensive investment for Fasig-Tipton, but it will pay off in the long run." | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20068 | Include Me Out Ready for Big Second Half
Racing, Breeders' Cup, West Region
Photo: Benoit Photo
Include Me Out won the Desert Stormer by three-quarters of a length.
Include Me Out is just full of surprises these days.
There she was, at 12-1, in last year's Breeder's Cup Ladies Classic (gr. I), charging up to the flank of the 8-5 favorite Royal Delta as if she were going to pose a major threat to the defending champion. Having just finished a non-threatening third in the grade I Zenyatta Stakes, few felt she'd make any kind of impact on the Ladies Classic, which also featured major stakes winners My Miss Aurelia, Awesome Feather, and Questing.
Include Me Out couldn't get past Royal Delta and lost second to My Miss Aurelia, but her third-place finish provided plenty of thrills for owner Samantha Siegel of Jay Em Ess Stable and trainer Ron Ellis.
"I thought she was going to win the Ladies Classic," Siegel said. "Ron always thought that she was a little tired towards the end of the year."
They decided to give her some time off, and brought her back 7 1/2 months later in the six-furlong Desert Stormer Handicap at Betfair Hollywood Park. The 5-year-old daughter of Include had shown good speed sprinting early in her career, but hadn't sprinted since Dec. 31, 2011.
Ellis felt he'd bring her back in a dash just to sharpen her up to prepare her for another crack at the Aug. 3 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (gr. I), which she won last year by a neck as the 8-5 favorite.
Siegel and Ellis were surprised once again when Include Me Out, sent off at 4-1, came charging down the stretch to win the Desert Stormer by three-quarters of a length in 1:10.32 over the Cushion Track.
"I was shocked how easily she won her first race this year because we hadn't turned any screws," Siegel said. "Ron was right about her energy level last year. She's got so much more energy right now and is really feeling great. I'm hoping her races this year will be like her early races from last year. I don't see her pulling herself up when she makes the lead this year like she started doing last summer."
Ellis added, "She had been out for over seven months and was facing a top field. The race was designed to be a workout. She had never won a stakes sprinting, so we had no allusions. I thought she ran a super race, pulling Joe Talamo out of the saddle. He never uncorked his stick, and it was basically a workout."
The trainer would love to see Include Me Out have a big year and finally get some respect, which he felt she didn't get last year despite winning the Santa Margarita (gr. I), Clement Hirsch, La Canada Stakes (gr. II), and Marjorie L. Everett Handicap (gr. II), and placing in the Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic, Vanity Handicap (gr. I), and Zenyatta Stakes.
"The Daily Racing Form didn't even rank her in the list of Top 10 fillies, which I thought was kind of embarrassing," Ellis said. "One of the reasons might be an East Coast bias. There are more tracks and bigger races back east. We're on an island out here, so it hurts if you're trying to be in the national spotlight. Fortunately, the Breeders' Cup is back here this year and she likes Santa Anita.
"Last year, we tried to pace her races after the Santa Margarita. This year, we wanted to give her a shot at the Breeders' Cup, so we turned her out after last year's Ladies Classic. I'm hoping she's an even better, stronger filly this year, and the Desert Stormer certainly didn't do anything to deflate my optimism."
As for another meeting with Royal Delta, Ellis said, "I don't think anyone should go out looking for a showdown with Royal Delta, but I wouldn't back down from her if my filly is as good as she was last year. She doesn't have a lot of foundation, so she's a touch vulnerable in (the Clement Hirsch), but she's also a stronger filly this year. If she comes up a little short, it's not the worst thing to happen. We'll just move forward and hopefully get another chance at Royal Delta.
"Samantha has been wonderful to work with. When horses need time she's all for it. She's always helpful and never puts any pressure on you."
If there is one thing you have to admire about Include Me Out it is her consistency and versatility. She's won seven of her 14 career starts and has been in the money 12 times. Of the two races she wasn't, one was her career debut, in which she was forced to steady, and the other was in the La Brea Stakes, jumping from allowance/optional claiming races into a grade I. Since then, she has won five of eight starts, with five of those starts being grade I.
"We know that guts is not a question with our filly, and it's hard to get a filly to be that consistent," Ellis said. "I don't think she gets enough credit for that."
With the Breeders' Cup only about three months away, who knows what new surprises Include Me Out has in store. There is one thing we do know for sure. If you're going to beat her, you're going to have to work for it.
Siegel's other pleasant surprise in last year's Breeders' Cup was the second-place finish, at 8-1 by her old warrior Rail Trip in the Dirt Mile (gr. I). The 8-year-old Jump Start gelding, who has earned more than $1.5 million in his career, finished fifth in the Triple Bend Handicap (gr. I) in his 2013 debut June 29
"Rail Trip is doing fine," Siegel said. "He came out of that first race with a bruise on his frog that took a little time. But all is good now, and he looks fantastic."
Include Me Out
Rail Trip
Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic S. 2009
clement hirsch stakes
ron ellis
jay em ess stable
samantha siegel
Rested Include Me Out Seeking Hirsch Repeat
Include Me Out Wins 3rd Graded Stakes of Year
Include Me Out Lets Loose in La Canada
Breeders Hope They're Good Luck for Rail Trip
Maryann and Kevin Donohue anxious to see 7-year-old run for first time in Dirt Mile.
Include Me Out All In for Clement Hirsch Win
San Diego Next Step in Rail Trip's Comeback
Rail Trip Keeps On Chugging in Californian
Include Me Out Sloshes to Santa Margarita Win
Redeemed to Stand at Northview PreviousNext | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20091 | Magath named Fulham manager (From Burnley and Pendle Citizen)
Burnley and Pendle Citizen »
Magath named Fulham manager
7:16pm Friday 14th February 2014 in National Sport News
Felix Magath is the new Fulham manager
Fulham have taken drastic action in their bid to beat relegation by sacking Rene Meulensteen and appointing Felix Magath as first-team manager.
Former Manchester United coach Meulensteen was appointed head coach under Martin Jol, only to take control of first-team duties on December 1 following his compatriot's sacking.
However, with the bottom-placed west Londoners four points adrift of Barclays Premier League safety chairman Shahid Khan has wielded the axe again.
Magath has been installed as first-team manager on an 18-month contract, with Meulensteen confirming his exit from the club despite the club statement not mentioning his name.
German manager Magath arrives at Craven Cottage with an impressive CV, having won the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich in 2005 and 2006, and then Wolfsburg in 2009.
Commenting on the decision, chairman Khan told the club's official website: "I am very happy to welcome Felix Magath to Fulham Football Club.
"Felix is an accomplished manager with multiple honours in the Bundesliga and a hunger to replicate his success with Fulham in the Barclays Premier League.
"I'm especially impressed with the reputation Felix has for coming into clubs at difficult times, often late in the season, and lifting them to their potential and beyond.
"Felix knows that is precisely the task awaiting him at Fulham, and he made it abundantly clear that he wants and is ready for the opportunity.
"Our club has shown promise in recent matches, but the fact is we have not won a league match since January 1.
"Given our form, we can no longer merely hope that our fortunes will finally turn. And with 12 matches remaining and at least four points separating us from safety, we certainly can no longer post empty results. Action was required. | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20185 | Football Golf Tennis Motorsport Rugby Horse Racing Sailing Analysis Part of complete coverage on
Winning Post
Russell Baze: Horse Racing's $186 million man
By Piers Edwards, CNN
updated 7:07 AM EDT, Fri September 13, 2013
The race is on to become the 'world's winningest jockey'.......
In his extraordinary career, American Russell Baze has ridden more than 50,000 races - more than any other jockey in history. First competing in 1974, the 55-year-old has finished in the top three in over 28,000 races. One of the two main race tracks in Northern California, Bay Meadows was often dubbed 'Baze Meadows' after Russell finished as the leading jockey there in every season from 1981 until its closure in 2008. In 2006, Baze broke the all-time record for career victories when riding his 9,351st win - so surpassing the previous tally held by Laffit Pincay Jr., one of the greatest jockeys in American history. Baze, who celebrated alongside Pincay, has gone on to more success. He has recorded 400 winners in a calendar year on 13 separate occasions, the last time in 2009. No other jockey has managed the feat more than three times. Baze is locked in a lengthy duel with Jorge Ricardo for the highest number of career wins, with the Brazilian the only other man to have amassed over 12,000 career wins. In 2008, the South American was the first to collect 10,000 wins but Baze amassed 11,000 before his rival - only for Ricardo to reach 12,000 two months before the American. The 51-year-old still leads but the gap may close again after he suffered a broken jaw earlier this month. HIDE CAPTION
The $186 million man
Miracle Man
'Baze Meadows'
Record Rivals
American Russell Baze is only jockey in the world to have ridden over 50,000 races
During his four decades of racing, the 55-year-old has amassed over 12,000 winners
The prize money he has won for his owners totals nearly $200m
(CNN) -- Heavyweight champions share a variety of qualities -- but one that often exposes their true nature is the desire for more success as soon as it is achieved.
Take former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, whose satisfaction of winning the Premier League would last as long as the very next morning, whereupon he started planning his title defense.
Or Serena Williams, say, who revealed her mindset after she won her 17th grand slam on Sunday, so matching the tally boasted by the legendary Roger Federer in the men's game.
"I think I'm a little crazy, like something must not be right, because I don't even relish the moment enough," the American said after her success. "I just automatically think: 'What's next?'"
The same approach is adopted by American jockey Russell Baze, a veteran of his sport with a sizable collection of wins to his name.
Nothing too unusual there until you realize that Baze is 55 and that his career wins have eclipsed the 12,000 mark.
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"You don't look back, you always look forward," the Hall of Famer told CNN, before giving further insight into his single-mindedness.
"Every year when the babies come out, you are always looking to the good two or three-year-olds."
What makes Baze remarkable is that he has ridden in over 50,000 competitive races.
Firm statistics are not out there to prove it but Baze is likely to be the sportsman with the highest number of competitive appearances that the world has ever seen. Certainly, no other jockey has ever ridden so many races.
Nonetheless, so fixated is Baze upon the buzz of being competitive in every race that he is still checking out credible rides for the future -- even as he approaches his 40th year in the sport.
"There's just no more exciting thing to do -- especially when getting paid for it -- than being a jockey. It's very exhilarating," he says.
"I just really enjoy the competition and matching my skills against the other guys. I still really love winning the races."
Read: All the Queen's horses
Now based just south of San Francisco, Baze started riding competitively in Washington state as soon as he was allowed to -- when turning 16 in 1974 -- having been born into a family which had racing as part of its stock.
His first win came a few months later, on a horse trained by his father, a former jockey himself, and the total prize money that Baze has since accumulated stands at a staggering US$186 million.
His career has spawned seasons in the highest echelons of American racing, in Southern California, and participations in the Kentucky Derby and various Grade I races, but it's in the lower end spectrum of racing in North California that Baze is best known (or not, given his relative obscurity outside of racing circles).
At Golden Gate Fields, the diminutive jockey -- who stands just 5'4" (1.63 meters) -- is a giant of the track, fully able to satiate his fierce competitive instincts and, equally as importantly, be given rides that have every chance of crossing the line.
"I am very competitive. No matter what I put my hand to, I try to win it," he says.
"Even tennis against your wife?" I jovially ask, following up on some small talk earlier in our interview.
The Hannon family's racing dynasty
Are you fit enough to be a jockey?
Horse racing's 'speed gene' test
"Yes," came the succinct reply long on steel and short on humor.
The response elicited a degree of sympathy for wife Tami, who he married aged 20 and with whom he has four children, but in reality, Baze credits her with providing the bedrock for his phenomenal career.
Breeding the next generation of champions
"She is definitely a big part of my success," he says. "If a guy doesn't have stability or foundation, then I think he is going to wander off the path -- and not be able to physically do it. It's a big part of it."
Setbacks
For nearly four decades, Baze has not just followed the restrictive diet of a jockey but also led the way in meaty statistics. Of his 50,000 races, a milestone he achieved in January, 'Russell the Muscle' has finished in the money -- the top three places -- over 28,000 times.
He has ridden so successfully that the family home is in Woodside, an area of California often described as one of the 'wealthiest communities in the United States.'
Yet there have been setbacks.
In 1979, well before the likes of Lionel Messi, Roger Federer and Usain Bolt were born, Baze was tearing a disc in his lower back -- one of the few injuries that has continually bothered him in a career where he has broken a litany of bones.
Then then was the horse called 'Event of the Year,' which could have turned into the 'Event of his Career' in 1998. The best ride Baze had ever been given in the Kentucky Derby, the horse went lame just a week before the prestigious race.
"That was a low point, but these things happen," he concedes. "Given the choice, I would have won the Kentucky Derby a couple of times. But I am not going to cry about any of this stuff, because I've had a fantastic career."
Read: he world's longest horse race
Just before he turned 30, he chose to try his luck in Southern California where some of the country's best race tracks are located: Santa Anita and Del Mar among them.
Almost always finishing in the top 10 of the jockey standings during his three years there, he just did not ride enough winners -- by his own admission -- to make it financially worthwhile, so elected to return home to his happy hunting ground.
Queen joyous at Royal Ascot win
Fashion and glamor at Royal Ascot
Frankel: Super freak to super stud?
A better rider following the higher level of competition, he duly set about establishing his undisputed dominance -- finishing as the country's top jockey in terms of wins on 12 different occasions.
"His work ethic is amazing and he's never changed that," says long-term agent Ray Harris when asked about the secrets of Baze's success. "He's one of the greatest gentlemen and emissaries for the game in the history of the sport."
So much so that in 1999 he was inducted into American racing's Hall of Fame.
"Being in the Hall of Fame never even crossed my mind until I was nominated," says Baze, who oozes humility and understatement.
"I never started riding to win fame or accolades -- I just love riding. The fact I've got all these awards is great but that isn't the reason I'm doing it."
Or why he is still doing it -- for the recurring question is, of course, when Baze will finally hang up his stirrups? Some, including Harris himself, wonder if it may come next year, 40 years after it all began.
"Guys are always asking me when I will quit, but I don't have a date in mind," says the man himself. "I really can't think what I would do if I quit. I am healthy, in great nick and I love my job."
Which means he will have plenty of time to add to his win tally -- with Baze having been involved in a lengthy battle with Brazil's Jorge Ricardo for the title of 'world's winningest jockey'.'
Ricardo, 51, had 12,072 winners in July 2012 according to a website that tracks the rivals' battle, while Baze is -- at the time of writing -- on 12,043.
"I don't pay close attention to the statistics as it would be like writing an autobiography before you've actually finished," says Baze. "The number now is not going to be the number when I'm done."
The line is delivered in typically matter-of-fact fashion, a trait that prompted him to declare at one point during our interview: "I'm not the greatest interviewee, am I?"
To be fair, he didn't really seem to want to be. But then, when you've achieved as much as Russell Baze has, your actions shout so loud you don't need to say anything at all.
Part of complete coverage on Winning Post
Did 'gentleman jockey' save royals?
Amateur jockey Sam Waley-Cohen is perhaps best known for helping to resurrect Prince William's relationship with Kate Middleton.
Gateway to luxury: $1B desert jewel
The $10 million Dubai World Cup takes place at the Meydan Racecourse, which is a suitable setting for the world's richest horse racing day. New smash hit for Lloyd Webber? updated 12:50 PM EDT, Fri March 28, 2014
He's created some of the world's biggest shows, so it's only fitting Andrew Lloyd Webber will be in the limelight on Dubai's big-money day.
Bubbles and cuddles in Dubai
The world's richest horse race is the highlight of Dubai's social calendar, attracting 60,000 fans from around the globe.
Jockey's new life through a lens
Former champion jockey Richard Dunwoody has gone from riding winners to traveling the world in his second career as a photographer. Can genetic 'bolt' strike twice?
updated 8:56 AM EST, Thu March 6, 2014
Wonder horse Frankel has retired but his $200,000 offspring are already been tipped as future racing stars -- to the delight of his jockey.
'Silent assassin' turns horse whisperer
How do you replace the adrenaline rush of scoring one of the greatest goals in World Cup history when your football career ends? Is this Britain at its best?
updated 8:45 AM EST, Thu February 27, 2014
A Scottish artist has captured the pomp and pageantry of Royal Ascot in a collage that represents "what I love about being British."
Qatar's first superstar jockey?
CNN's Francesca Cumani meets Faleh Bogunaim -- a Qatari rider who is making a name for himself.
Family rivalry fuels royal racing empire
updated 10:08 AM EST, Tue February 25, 2014
CNN's Francesca Cumani explores how Qatar's royal family has impacted the global horse racing scene.
'Murder capital' to winner's circle
It's been a long time coming. A very long time. But S'manga Khumalo is proving that black jockeys can hold the whip hand in South Africa.
Why Her Majesty accepted sponsor
updated 11:03 AM EST, Fri February 7, 2014
It needed permission from the British monarch and may anger traditionalists, but one of racing's most regal occasions has crossed the rubicon. | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20207 | Obamacare's enrollment problems are worse than you thought
Blog entry: October 18, 2013, 10:15 am | Author: SCOTT SUTTELL
You've heard how the Obamacare website is having some problems? Turns out it's worse than you think.“Insurers say the federal health care marketplace is generating flawed data that is straining their ability to handle even the trickle of enrollees who have gotten through so far, in a sign that technological problems extend further than the website traffic and software issues already identified,” The Wall Street Journal reports.Emerging errors “include duplicate enrollments, spouses reported as children, missing data fields and suspect eligibility determinations, say executives at more than a dozen health plans,” according to the story.Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Nebraska, for instance, had to hire temporary workers to contact new customers directly to resolve inaccuracies in submissions. Cleveland-based Medical Mutual of Ohio “said one customer had successfully signed up for three of its plans.”Yep, one.The Journal says the flaws “could do lasting damage to the law if customers are deterred from signing up or mistakenly believe they have obtained coverage.” This and that
Looking to the future: Rebecca O. Bagley, president and CEO of nonprofit economic development group NorTech, is in well-credentialed company with her appointment to the manufacturing commission of the University of Virginia's Howard P. Milstein Symposium.The Milstein Symposium was launched by the Miller Center, a nonpartisan affiliate of the University of Virginia that specializes in presidential scholarship, public policy and political history. In a news release, NorTech described the symposium as “a five-year initiative advancing innovative, action-oriented ideas to help rebuild the American Dream.”The Miller Center will convene three Milstein commissions each year. They will “bring together policymakers, government officials, business leaders, scholars, advocates, social entrepreneurs, media representatives and other stakeholders necessary to achieve broad support,” according to NorTech.Ms. Bagley will serve on a 12-member commission co-chaired by former U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Indiana, and former Gov. Haley Barbour, R-Mississippi.Also on the commission are John Engler, president of the Business Roundtable and former governor of Michigan; and James Fallows, national correspondent for The Atlantic.Wait for it: Here's some fallout from the government shutdown that you might not have expected.“Economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland warned that the shutdown could have an impact on the accuracy of the monthly consumer price index estimates until next May,” Reuters reports."Since the CPI price collection relies upon field staff visiting shops, some of the October data will never be collected," says Randal Verbrugge, a senior research economist at the Cleveland Fed. "As a result, the November CPI release, which is based upon October data, will have a much bigger standard error due to the smaller sample."Given that not all prices are collected every month, “the error will not be quickly reversed,” the news service reports."In fact, these repercussions do not end until May of 2014," Mr. Verbrugge says. "However, year-over-year inflation estimates will continue to be quite reliable."Longing for Cleveland: An ESPN auto racing blogger thinks IndyCar should revive a road race in Cleveland.John Oreovicz says his trip to a new IndyCar series event in Houston “made me reminisce about Cleveland, and Road America, and Michigan, and Phoenix, and a couple of other tracks that really ought to be on the modern Indy car schedule.”IndyCar is racing in Houston because “the money was there for it to do it,” he writes. “Shell Oil is headquartered in Houston, and it wanted a race in its hometown. Voil�!”But he adds, “I couldn't help but wish that Shell, or a similar company, would spend its sponsorship dollars at a more enjoyable venue for the participants and spectators. Like Road America. Or Portland. Or Cleveland.”It turns out Houston promoter Mike Lanigan “also owns the rights to stage an Indy car race in Cleveland,” according to Mr. Oreovicz. “But while Lanigan can't find the sponsorship to revive the popular Cleveland race (it was run from 1982 to 2006), the money dropped into his lap for the reviled Houston.”Unlike the Houston course, “Cleveland is the rare example of a temporary track that really works,” Mr. Oreovicz writes. “The unique Burke Lakefront Airport circuit creates exciting racing, and the entire track is visible from the grandstands, which is a rare treat in road racing. And only a small portion of the track is constrained by the walls and fences that are always a potential threat for drivers and cars.”Guess he's not a fan: Salon.com runs an amusing rant from politics writer Alex Pareene, who wants to keep his favorite band, The Replacements, out of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.“Honestly, no one born after 1950 should care about getting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” he writes. It's a museum to a dead genre — not rock, but 'Rock and Roll' as defined by the sort of people who find the lyrics to 'American Pie' really meaningful. It's always had toxic racial politics, recognizing white artists who co-opted black music (often without credit or recompense) before it recognized the artists who originally created the music.”He's not done.The museum “exults mediocrities like the Doors and thieves like Led Zeppelin,” as Mr. Pereene sees it. “It's a perfect monument for an industry defined by suits getting rich off the work and creativity of artists, and for a generation that still thinks its style of dress and choice of loud music was a revolutionary act.”He concludes: “The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a very silly place run by very silly people. So, no, I don't care if the Replacements don't make it, and I also don't care if they do. The Hall wants to be what it is — the world's largest and most lavish tribute to Eric Clapton — and that's fine. Let the old men have their monument to how much cooler stuff was back then.”Have lunch plans? Sorry, fans of Cincinnati chili. Ohio has the worst signature food in the country, according to this ranking from Deadspin.com.“Each state (plus the District of Columbia) gets one, and only one, signature foodstuff,” according to the story. “And we selected actual food preparations; no state gets credit merely for being the geographic location where a certain edible flora or fauna happens to grow or swim or graze.”The rankings are snarky and fun to read. The top three picks are Chicago-style deep-dish pizza (Illinois), shrimp and grits (South Carolina) and the Mission-style burrito (California).You have to go all the way down to No. 51 for Ohio's entry, which begins this way:For the mercifully unacquainted, "Cincinnati chili," the worst regional foodstuff in America or anywhere else, is a horrifying diarrhea sludge (most commonly encountered in the guise of the "Skyline" brand) that Ohioans slop across plain spaghetti noodles and hot dogs as a way to make the rest of us feel grateful that our own shit-eating is (mostly) figurative. The only thing "chili" about it is the shiver that goes down your spine when you watch Ohio sports fans shoveling it into their maws on television and are forced to reckon with the cold reality that, for as desperately as you might cling to faltering notions of community and universality, ultimately your fellow human beings are as foreign and unknowable to you as the surface of Pluto, and you are alone and always have been and will die alone, a world unto yourself unmarked and unmapped and totally, hopelessly isolated.Happy eating!You also can follow me on Twitter for more news about business and Northeast Ohio. Reader Comments | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20243 | Vikings make playoffs 12th straight year after 5-1 win over Jaguars Sports Correspondent
Van Holland
TARBORO — There was a lot of excitement on the Tarboro Vikings side line late in the match Tuesday night at Indian Lake Sports Complex during the Vikings final home match against the Farmville Central Jaguars. Tarboro routed the Jaguars 5-1 in their Eastern Plains Conference finale.
"We player well and I was real happy with the win," Vikings head coach Leshaun Jenkins said. "We lucked up and got to play a season finale at home and the seniors got one more match on their home field and were able to win."
The season isn't what Jenkins expected, because he is used to winning conference titles or tournaments. There wasn't a conference tournament this year because of scheduling conflicts, but he and his team will take what comes their way.
The Vikings finish the season with a 7-5-3 overall record and it is the twelfth straight season that Jenkins has guided his team to winning season. It will also be the twelfth straight year he has guided his team to the playoffs during his stint coaching Tarboro.
Jenkins said all of these accomplishments are remarkable in his opinion. He is excited about the playoffs and will begin working on that journey today.
All of the Vikings starters were cheering on the subs who got about 12 minutes of playing time. They do not get much playing time during the season, but they are the players who make the starters better each and every day at practice.
"These guys come out and work hard every day in practice and it is good that they get playing time like this," Jenkins said. "I am glad everyone got a chance to play and we all had a good time."
The Farmville Central coach told Jenkins before the match that he was going to only start 10 players because that is all he had at practice Monday.
The Vikings took advantage of that early in the match. It took Tarboro about four minutes to get used to the Jaguars defense, because they were pushed up to midfield and the Vikings had four offsides calls against them, but Jenkins told his team to adjust.
They did adjust and used it to their advantage. They took advantage of their speed up front as wel | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20352 | Women's competition, Klagenfurt From 28 July To 31 July 2004 Press
menuWT
Beach Volleyball Home Page
WT 2004 Calendar
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USA Women Capture Last Two A1 Grand Slam "Final Four" Berths
KLAGENFURT, AUSTRIA, July 30, 2004 - It came down to Brazil and the United States competing for the final two berths in the women's "final four" of the US$540,000 A1 Grand Slam here Friday afternoon with the Americans winnng both semifinal-qualifying matches.Second-seeded Holly McPeak and Elaine Youngs followed the lead of fifth-seeded Annett Davis and Jenny Johnson Jordan in advancing from Friday's final elimination matches to the "final four" where they will play Brazil's Adriana Behar and Shelda Bede and American rivals Kerri Walsh and Rachel Wacholder in the semi-finals, respectively.McPeak and Youngs scored a 21-16 and 21-14 win over Ana Paula Connelly and Sandra Pires to earn their sixth "final four" in seven starts this season. The Americans won SWATCH-FIVB World Tour gold medals earlier this season in China and Norway where they defeated Davis and Johnson Jordan in the finals.Davis and Johnson Jordan defeated fourth-seeded Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca 21-18 and 21-12 to gain their fifth semi-final berth in eight international starts this season. The "mommies" as they might be called, Davis and Johnson Jordan also dropped a gold medal match to Walsh and Wacholder in France two weeks ago."We were really disappointed with our play earlier today," said McPeak about her team's 21-18 and 21-16 setback to Walsh and Wacholder. "We know we are a better team than that. We played much better against Ana Paula and Sandra. They are a good team that was playing better as the tournament progressed. We were able to take advantage of some of their mistakes to win today."Ana Paula and Pires, who had missed the last three events to due to Pires' calf injury, had to play five-straight elimination matches in an effort to reach the semi-finals after losing Thursday to 23rd-seeded Carrie Busch and Nancy Mason of the United States in the second-round of the winner's bracket.Davis and Johnson Jordan had to play an extra match Friday after losing a three-setter to Adriana and Shelda 21-18, 17-21 and 18-16. The Brazilians have now advanced to their 79th SWATCH-FIVB World Tour "final four" in 86 starts together since November 1995.With regular partner Misty May sidelined with an abdominal strain, Walsh has teamed with Wacholder in three of the last four SWATCH-FIVB World Tour events. With May's help, Walsh won the last two Klagenfurt titles by defeating Brazilians in the finals, including Adriana and Shelda in 2002 and Ana Paula and Pires last year. With Wacholder on her side, Walsh has posted a bronze and gold medal finishes in Norway and Marseille, respectively.The United States women have now placed three teams in a SWATCH-FIVB World Tour "final four" for the fourth-time this season. The American women placed 1, 2 and 4 in both Greece and France, and 1, 2 and 3 in Norway earlier this season. While Adriana and Shelda have gold medal finishes in Japan and Germany, the United States has won titles in the other seven events, including three by May and Walsh.Saturday's semi-final winners will play for the $40,500 first-place prize in the 10th of 12 women's events on the 2004 SWATCH-FIVB World Tour. The women complete the season with Beach Volleyball events in September at Milan, Italy and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20356 | HomeHowTroutSalmonGearForum
An angler method in which an artificial fly is used to catch fish, Fly Fishing. The fly is cast using a fly rod and reel. Casting a nearly light weigh fly which requires knowledge of casting techniques. The casting, presentation and manipulation of the fly to land a fish takes experience and knowledge to master. Fly fishing can be done in fresh water or salt water. Fly Fishing is a major recreational sport in North and South American, and Europe.
Fly Fishing Tackle
Fly Fishing tackle consists of the Fly fishing rod, fly line, leader and reel. The fly line density or weight plays a part in the presentation of the fly. A float line is buoyant and rides on the top of the water. An intermediate line has a slightly heavier weight and sinks slowly versus a sinking or full sinking line that carries weight and will sink.
Montana is well known to be among the top places in the world in terms of fly fishing. People from all over travel to Montana to check out the fantastic trout rivers and beautiful mountain lakes. There are plenty of places in which to find strong, wild fish within the state. Generally speaking, the western part of the state has some of the best fishing. Some of the best rivers to try are the Flathead River, the Blackfoot River, and the Yellowstone River, and rainbow trout is the thing to fish there.
The two major parks in Montana, Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, offer pristine fishing. The two most important features that the state offers is that there are many different options for fly fisherman, and beautiful, quiet scenery is the backdrop of everything. Whether you like to fish streams or lakes, Montana has a place for you. In addition to this, none of the fish are stocked, which many people believe make for stronger, more exciting fights. In sum, Montana is second to none when it comes to fly fishing.
Colorado features 6,000 miles of streams and over 2,000 lakes and reservoirs that offer an assortment of places and species to fish. Whether you are looking for brown, rainbow, brook, or lake trout, or perch, sunfish, walleye, bass, or catfish, Colorado has a place for you. It lives up to its reputation as one of the best places in the world to fly fish.
Of the 6,000 miles of streams, about 168 carry the distinction of being “gold medal” certified by the Colorado Wildlife Commission. There are 13 different rivers that satisfy this claim, including the Colorado, the Rio Grande, the Gunnison, and Gore Creek. There are plenty of state parks and state wildlife areas available to enjoy a peaceful, quiet day of great fishing in the heart of the Rockies.
Based on size alone, Alaska has the highest volume of water available for fishing in the United States. There are tens of millions of salmon who return to their home streams each and every mating season. There is an abundance of freshwater fish in many of the rivers and streams. Perhaps the greatest challenge about fishing in Alaska is gaining access to many of the locations that have no roads or trails leading to them. However, this allows for an opportunity for a quiet, peaceful, honest stay with nothing around you but the nature and the wildlife.
If you’re fishing for salmon or rainbow trout, the best places to fish are the Kenai River or the peninsula. The south-central region of the state is also a popular destination, and also offers a more traditional vacation stay than the wilder northern region of the state. Other areas that are commonly visited are the Togiak and Nushagak River, Bristol Bay, Aniak and Holitna River, all the in the southwestern part of the state. There are also plenty of opportunities for guided tours that are guaranteed to get the most out of your fishing trip.
Wyoming is also one of the most well-respected fly fishing states in the U.S. As the least-populated state in the country, Wyoming offers the perfect opportunity to get away from the world and go fishing on some of the most isolated and promising stretches of water anywhere. There are native cutthroat, rainbow, brook, and brown trout.
Wyoming offers lakes, streams, reservoirs, and rivers with excellent fishing locations. The Alcova Reservoir and Bear River, both in the southwest region of the state, are considered to be the top places to try your luck. In addition, some of the more popular places to fish include the Snake River, Green River, North Platte, the Madison, and the Yellowstone, with the majority of places in the central and western portion of the state. Regardless of where you try, you’ll be sure to find lots of great opportunities to find some fantastic fish. Tennessee
Tennessee is another state that has a lot to offer when it comes to fly fishing. Situated in the heart of the Smoky Mountains, there is a diverse type of fishing available, from mountain streams to tailwaters that are similar to the streams of Montana to lots of lakes in between. Popular waters such as the Clinch and the South Holston are home to some really nice rainbow trout. The Duck River is also a safe bet when deciding on places to try.
FlyFishing.com
How to Fly Fish
Trout Fly Fishing
Salmon Fly Fishing | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20398 | UPDATE: Powerball jackpot now up to $550M
---- — CHICAGO (AP) — Eight months after a trio of ticket buyers split a $656 million Mega Millions jackpot to set a world lottery record, Powerball is offering up a prize that would be the second highest.
The $550 million jackpot, the largest in Powerball's history, represents a potential life-changing fortune. But before shelling out $2 for a ticket, here are some things to consider:
A GOOD BET: SOMEONE WILL WIN
It's the gambler's mantra: Somebody's gotta win, so why not me?
The first part is true; somebody will win the Powerball jackpot.
Chuck Strutt, executive director of Multi-State Lottery Association, predicts there's about a 75 percent chance it'll happen Wednesday — maybe better if there's a flurry of last-minute ticket purchasers picking unique numbers.
The jackpot already has defied long odds by rolling over 16 consecutive times without anyone hitting the big prize, which now stands at $550 million ($360.2 million cash value). Strutt puts the odds at around 5 percent there would be no winner in the entire run through Wednesday.
As the drought increases, so too will the chances of it ending on the next draw, because ticket sales spike with a growing jackpot.
Someone will win. Eventually.
A BAD BET: IT'LL BE YOU
It's true to say that you have a better chance of being struck by lightning than winning the Powerball. But that woefully understates the danger of lightning.
Tim Norfolk, a University of Akron mathematics professor who teaches a course on gambling, puts the odds of a lightning strike in a person's lifetime at 1 in 5,000. The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot: 1 in 175 million.
While weather is the go-to analogy for such astronomical odds, Norfolk suggests there are better ones.
For example, you'd have a slightly better chance of randomly picking the name of one specific female in t | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20407 | Bulls Shut Out St. John's 2-0 In BIG EAST Tournament Play
Courtesy: J. Meric
USF - St. John's box score
BROOKLYN, N.Y. (May 23, 2007) � The University of South Florida tallied one run in the first inning, and added a second in the bottom of the eighth to beat conference co-champion St John's University, 2-0, Wednesday night in the second round of the 2007 BIG EAST Baseball Championship held at KeySpan Park in Brooklyn, N.Y. With the victory, the Bulls won their second game in a conference tournament for the first time since the 2002 season. USF was winless in the 2006 tournament, won a lone game in both 2003 and 2005 and did not make the post-season tournament in 2004. In 2002, USF was 2-2 in the Conference-USA tournament and 2-2 in the Tallahassee Regional. Right handed pitcher Chris Delaney earned his ninth win of the season, his first victory in five tries after starting his senior season 8-0. He struck out three of his 27 Red Storm batters, allowing just two hits and no runs in six and one-third innings. Freshman Shawn Sanford came in to relive Delaney in the seventh, striking out four batters and allowing just one hit in his 11th save of the season. After holding the Red Storm scoreless for the first inning, USF notched one run in the bottom of the frame to take the 1-0 lead. USF held the one-run lead through seven innings, then added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth to pick up their 34th win of the season. USF scored in the first inning for the 22nd time this season as the Bulls recorded two hits in the bottom half of the first frame. Leadoff batter Walter Diaz put down a bunt to the third base side to reach the basepaths, then scored as sophomore Addison Maruszak doubled to right field, tallying his 44th RBI of the season on the play. The Bulls looked to make anther dent on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth, but left three runners stranded after two drawn walks and a fielder's choice from sophomore Mike Consolmagno. In the top of the seventh, St. John's threatened to score after sending a double to the gap in right field, then being hit by a pitch, but Sanford came in to relieve Delaney, forcing the Red Storm to pop out to first baseman Brandin Daniel, then striking out the final batter of the inning. USF scored their second and final run in the bottom of the eighth, as Consolmagno tagged his second hit of the game then scored when junior second baseman Dexter Butler send a base hit up the middle. Butler drove in his 44th RBI of the season on the play. Following Wednesday's win, USF will play on Friday at 1 p.m., against the winner of Thursday's 7 p.m. No. 8 UConn / No. 1 St. John's loser's bracket game.
USF Baseball
USF Drops Series Finale 5-3 to No. 12 Houston
USF Rebounds With 4-3 Win Over No. 12 Houston
USF Falls in Heartbreaker, 3-2 to No. 12 Houston
USF Travels to Houston to take on No. 12 Cougars
USF Flattens Hatters, 10-3
USF Welcomes Stetson to USF Baseball Stadium | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20424 | Razer Releases Orange Esports Edition Goliathus Mouse-mat
By C�ssio Lima
on July 23, 2013 - 1:08 PM
Razer and Orange Esports have announced the launch of the Razer Goliathus Orange Esports edition mouse mat.
Orange Esports is a Kuala Lumpur-based team founded in 2011 that boasts the best real-time strategy and first-person shooter players in Malaysia. Hugely popular in the South-East Asia eSports scene, Orange Esports has been a solid contender in Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), resulting in a long list of competitive achievements that underscore the team's dedication and outstanding skill level.
After two years of partnering with Orange Esports, the concept of the Razer Goliathus Orange Esports edition mouse mat was developed in response to numerous requests from both Razer and Orange Esports fans. The Razer Goliathus mouse mat, best known for its excellent durability and surface that enables accurate mouse tracking, is the essential must-have for Orange Esports players during tournaments.
Orange Esports has achieved fantastic results in various prestigious tournaments, most notably in WCG Malaysia 2012, WCG Asian Championship and G-1 Champions League, and they will be taking part in The International DOTA 2 Championships for the second consecutive year.
As a show of support for Orange Esports, each retail purchase of a Razer Goliathus Orange Esports edition mouse mat comes with a redemption card to unlock an exclusive in-game Orange Esports Dota 2 pennant. The Razer Goliathus Orange Esports edition mouse mat is now available for pre-order on Team Orange online store (http://orange2u.net) and will be available at all Orange Cyber cafés beginning 12 August 2013.
Originally at http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/news/Razer-Releases-Orange-Esports-Edition-Goliathus-Mouse-mat/7391
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We do not take responsibility for material damage of any kind caused by the use of information contained in Hardware Secrets. | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20469 | Bob Burton
University of Nebraska Athletics
Other Position:
Senior Associate Athletic Director
[email protected]
Senior Associate Athletic Director Bob Burton enters his 16th season with the Nebraska athletic department, since joining NU's executive team in 1998.
Burton reports to the Director of Athletics and serves on Nebraska's senior management team. He assists in NU's financial and facilities master plans, providing supervision to the Athletic Business Office, Concessions, Capital Planning and Construction and Information Technology/Computing Service areas. He also oversees complimentary ticket and gift-in-kind approvals and reconciliation.
Burton, who serves on the Big Ten Sports Management Council, is the Athletic Department's contract administrator, including all game/event agreements, and serves as the department's liaison to the NU General Counsel Office. He also plays a major role in NU's risk management program, while overseeing the operations of Nebraska's camps and clinics.
Burton acts as the department's liaison to Haymarket Park. Working with the Lincoln Saltdogs, he helps set the budget for field and stadium operation costs and create strategic plans for the facility. Burton is Nebraska's sport administrator for wrestling, men's and women's track and field and cross country and bowling. Burton joined the athletic department in 1998 as an associate athletic director for compliance/sports administration. He served in that role until 2007, ensuring that the conduct and operations of Nebraska's athletic teams were in compliance with NCAA, Big 12 and institutional rules and regulations. He also performed as the primary sports administrator for many of Nebraska's teams.
Burton filled a similar position at Oklahoma State as the assistant athletic director for sports administration and compliance from 1993 to 1997. He oversaw OSU’s Olympic sports programs as well as the training and strength and conditioning, wrestling, men’s and women’s track and field and men’s and women’s tennis programs. Burton came to Nebraska from Texas Tech, where he served as an associate athletic director for compliance for one year. While at Texas Tech, Burton helped complete the NCAA investigation into the Red Raider athletic department and analyzed the entire compliance system at the institution. He also helped identify and implement financial aid and eligibility systems, including changes in personnel and restructuring of the compliance department.
Burton, who was a member of the NCAA Division I women’s soccer committee for three years and was a member of the NCAA Division I bowling committee, served as a legislative administrator for the NCAA from 1989 to 1993. At the NCAA, he was involved in the development of legislation, interpretation of regulations and reviewed legal issues related to the application of the association’s regulations. He served as an NCAA liaison to committees and conducted comprehensive education to several intercollegiate athletic conferences. He has served on the National Association of Athletic Compliance Coordinators Executive Committee and the subcommittee of Big 12 Directors of Compliance.
He received his bachelor’s degree in finance from Nebraska in 1985 and his juris doctorate from the Nebraska College of Law in 1989. A native of Falls City, Neb., Burton and his wife, Krista, have a daughter, Elly, and sons Robert Falk, McClain John and Abram Lawslo. N-Sider Blog Archives Get by Email Solich Award Surprises Husker Walk-Ons | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20504 | Caroline Wozniacki says Rory McIlroy’s ex ‘can’t move on’ after break up
Caroline Wozniacki & Rory McIlroyTensions mounted this weekend between Rory McIlroy’s girlfriend, tennis pro Caroline Wozniacki, and his ex-sweetheart Holly Sweeney when “Celebrity Come Dine With Me” aired on Chanel 4.Irish fans had seen the episode of the reality TV show, featuring Sweeney, and other Irish celebrities, when it aired on the Irish TV channel TV3 earlier this year but it seems that Wozniacki hadn’t heard.Sweeney was playing host to the stars on the show for a dinner party she’d themed “Golf Pros, Tennis Hoes”.Not impressed with the dig at her Wozniacki tweeted “It’s amazing how some people can’t move on from the past and get on with their own lives”. Her comment was retweeted 96 times by her 440,000 followers.Just hours before the cringeworthy TV show aired in Britain and Ireland Rory McIlroy and Wozniacki tweeted a photo of themselves “on top of the world in Aspen”.When Sweeney’s episode of “Come Dine With Me” initially aired she respondedby saying “Learn to laugh at the past to move on. P.S. That’s at least a year old.”She told the Daily Mail “I wanted to do it really to take the p*** out of me, not anybody else. Obviously I was only on the show because of my ex, so that’s why I went for it.“A current thing at university parties is Golf Pros and Tennis H*s, so it’s not for me to go and change that. It’s a usual night out.”Earlier this week Sweeney got into hot water with her parents after her friend Gavin Millar posted a steamy photo session on his site. The photos were removed from his site.Speaking about the photos a source told the Irish Sun “Rory won’t think this is a clever move for her - he’s most likely to think Holly is embarrassing herself and that she could be doing something far more worthwhile with her time.“It’s backfired on Holly already as her parents have found out and they don’t have a clue why she did it.”Read more: Scandal as Rory McIlroy’s former lover Holly bares all in saucy photo shoot | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20515 | Troy Patton suspended 25 games for positive test
Troy Patton was suspended 25 games for a second positive test for a banned stimulant. / Dale Zanine, USA TODAY Sports by USA TODAYby USA TODAY Filed Under
NEW YORK (AP) - Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Troy Patton was suspended by Major League Baseball on Friday for the first 25 games of next season after a positive test for a banned amphetamine.
Patton told The Baltimore Sun that he took an Adderall pill four days before the season finished, trying to improve his short-term focus.
"I took one because I was stupid," Patton told The Sun. "It was the end of the season. It was just a stupid mistake."
"I don't have trouble focusing all the time, it just enhances focus in certain situations, and I was just tired, basically. I don't want to list that as an excuse. I know I took a banned substance. It was just a poor lapse in judgment," he said.
The 28-year-old left-hander, a veteran of five major league seasons, was 2-0 with a 3.70 ERA this year in 56 relief appearances.
Under the drug agreement between MLB and its players' union, 25 games is the penalty for a second positive amphetamine test. A first positive results only in six unannounced follow-up tests over the next year.
Patton said he also tested positive for Adderall during spring training in 2010.
Patton became the 15th player suspended this year under the big league drug program following 14 penalized as a result on MLB's Biogenesis investigation.
Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said the team was "disappointed to learn of Troy Patton's suspension."
MLB permits an exemption for players with attention deficit disorder, but Patton told The Sun he'd never been diagnosed with the condition. He said he tried to apply an exemption in 2012 but was turned down after doctors examined him.
The annual report from the drug program's independent administrator, Dr. Jeffrey M. Anderson, said 119 therapeutic use exemptions were granted for ADHD drugs in the year ending with the conclusion of the World Series. There were seven positive tests for Adderall in that span that resulted in discipline.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Read the original story: Troy Patton suspended 25 games for positive test
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2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20553 | Albertsons extends Boise Open title sponship through 2016
Published: Apr 22, 2013 at 9:17 PM MDT
Last Updated: Apr 22, 2013 at 10:59 PM MDT
BOISE, Idaho (KBOI) - The Albertsons Boise Open will keep their title sponsor through 2016, that was the big announcement coming from the Open and Albertsons on Monday afternoon.But with the tournament bigwigs in town, it's also a chance to find out what they think about the tournament's new start date, about a month earlier than it has been in the past."I love being at the week we are, at the end of July, because all the kids are still ... they're not back at school, yet. So bring the junior golfers out and watch the future starts of professional golf. They don't have to worry about missing school. Secondly, we're not competing against the Broncos. Because, remember, when the Broncos play in town, Saturday is a ghost town out here, because everybody goes to the game. But if it's out of town the loyal fans travel, and so Saturday doesn't work, and Sunday doesn't either. So I'm loving having this thing at the end of July. It's going to be a little bit warmer. Hey, drink a little bit more water, and have some fun," said Jeff Sanders of Jeff Sanders Promotions, the original tournament management group.Hillcrest and Crane Creek Country Clubs announced their continued commitment to host the event through 2016. The Boise Open is one of just four original tournaments still opperating on the Web.Com Tour. | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20555 | Campus Crushes Manti Te’o’s Dead Girlfriend A Hoax? Deadspin Claims Lennay Kekua Never Existed
By: iSports Times Email Updated: Wed 5:42 PM, Jan 16, 2013
By: iSports Times Email Home
The Full Deadspin Article From iSports Times:
UPDATE: Notre Dame has released a statement saying that Te'o was the victim of a hoax, per Pete Thamel of SI.com. The statement claims that Kekua exists but is actually still alive.
Fans around the country were captivated by the story of Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o, who excelled on the football field despite the deaths of his grandmother and girlfriend within a six-hour span. As the story goes, Lennay Kekua, Teo's girlfriend, died of leukemia days before the Irish's game against the Michigan Wolverines. Te'o started that game, intercepting two passes and forcing two others with his pass rushing..
"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," Te'o told SI.com after that game. "That lei for me represents family. It doesn't represent me. It represents everyone sticking together and everybody realizing what's important in life. That's families sticking together."
Te'o faced another emotional test a month later, when Notre Dame faced Stanford, his girlfriend's supposed alma mater, in October. Te'o and the Irish stopped the Cardinal on a late goal-line stand to seal the victory, with the linebacker contributing to tackles on the decisive third and fourth down plays, per AOL Sporting News.
Kekua's death helped spur fundraising for cancer research. The website Indiegog has a campaign by one Notre Dame fan dedicated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma society. The campaign has raised over $4,200 as of Wednesday afternoon.
However, Deadspin reports that the dead girlfriend story may in fact be a hoax. The site confirms that Manti Teo's grandmother, Annette Santiago, died on September 11, 2012. However, there was no record in social security of Kekua's passing, nor was there an obituary or funeral announcement in a local paper.
The website notes that CBS ran a feature story on the day of the national championship game, which Te'o's Irish lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide. The story featured a quote and photo of Kekua that stated, "Babe, if anything happens to me, you promise that you'll stay there and you'll play and you'll honor me through the way you play."
However, Deadspin found a woman who claims to the girl featured in the photo. She lives in California and is very much alive. She told Deadspin that the photo comes from her Facebook account.
According to this story, Manti Te'o "met" Kekua through Twitter, when she sent him some message and private Twitter pictures. Those pictures mostly came from the social media accounts of the California girl (who Deadspin calls "Reba.") However, one of those photos Reba recognized as a picture she sent to an old high school friend, Ronaiah Tuiasosopo. Tuiasosopo also apparently knew Te'o, based on the series of tweets they have sent each other.
Several friends and relatives of Tuiasosopo think that he is responsible for creating Te'o's supposed dead girlfriend. For one thing, Tuiasosopo was in a car accident a month before Kekua supposedly was. Apparently Tuiasosopo pulled a similar stunt in the past before the family of "Kekua"'s first boyfriend became suspicious.
Another red flag is that Te'o himself tweeted several messages to the Twitter account @uilanirae, which claimed to belong to Kekua's sister. However, that account was deleted a few weeks later amid allegations that it was a fake. The photos on that account allegedly belonged to a woman named Donna Tei.
Meanwhile, the site reports that one friend thinks there is an "80 percent" chance that Te'o himself was in on the hoax.This story has not yet been confirmed, but if true it's a devastating attack on Te'o's character. The linebacker is projected to be a first round pick in April's draft, in part because of his strong leadership and character. This story could blow that reputation to pieces.
It's unclear exactly why Manti Te'o may have made up this dead girlfriend, though Sean Highkin of ESPN TrueHoop thinks it may have been to boost the linebacker's Heisman candidacy. Te'o ultimately lost the award to Texas A & M quarterback Johnny Manziel.
Read the Deadspin Story
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2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20569 | Australian clubs still trying to lure Beckham
SYDNEY (AP) — David Beckham's decision to leave the Los Angeles Galaxy is generating more speculation in Australia that the former England captain could make a move to the A-League.
The 37-year-old Beckham has announced that his six-season stint in U.S. Major League Soccer will end with the Dec. 1 MLS Cup against Houston.
Five Australian clubs have confirmed interest in bringing Beckham to the A-League, with the Melbourne Heart and Western Sydney Wanderers considered the top contenders due to the cosmopolitan nature of the two cities.
Last week, Beckham's management company denied reports he was headed to Australia.
Perth, Adelaide and the Gosford-based Central Coast Mariners all expressed interest, while Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory have previously indicated they won't pursue Beckham.
"We're putting forward an offer. It's compelling and the opportunity is here for him to come here," Melbourne Heart chief executive Scott Munn said Tuesday
"What I can say is that it's certainly real. ... That is absolutely legitimate," Munn said. "Let's let David get through next week, play the final of the MLS and hopefully he'll have a win. Then I'm sure he'll assess every offer."
Beckham has been a big influence on the growth in popularity of the MLS since he joined the Galaxy, and even a short 10-week stint in Australia could generate extra interest in the fledgling A-League.
The Australian competition is already breaking its records this season after recruiting Alessandro Del Piero, Emile Heskey and Japan's Shinji Ono.
Beckham hadn't given any overt indications he was planning to leave the Galaxy after this season with a year left on his deal, and last week his management pointedly denied rumors linking him to a short-term stint in Australia.
But he released a statement in conjunction with the Galaxy late Monday saying he had an "incredibly special time" playing for the club, "However, I wanted to experience one last challenge before the end of my playing career."
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star and his wife, former Spice Girl Victoria, have been living in Los Angeles with their sons Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz.
"There is no doubt that MLS is far more popular and important here and abroad than it was when he arrived," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said. "David has achieved great things on and off the field during his time with the Galaxy, and he will always be an important part of our history." | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20576 | Idaho prepares for noise in Baton Rouge
By Matt Johnson
MOSCOW, ID – On Saturday when the Vandals square off against LSU in Baton Rouge, they will do so in front of more than 92,000 screaming Tiger fans.The volume has been cranked up at practice during the week as the coaching staff at Idaho prepares the team for their biggest game ever.Vandals head coach Robb Akey said they are getting their players ready for both the mental and physical challenges of this game and would love nothing more than to upset a team with a shot at the national title.“They call it Death Valley for a couple reasons,” said Akey. “They’re a physical football team and they do physically whoop some folks. I think a lot of people have lost the game before they ever go in there. They’re going to be in the hunt for it all. I would love nothing more than to be able to pop a bubble.”On the flipside, while his answers may seem a bit political when talking about Idaho, LSU head coach Les Miles says he respects how Idaho plays. He also acknowledged that it is teams like the Vandals that have a tendency for the major upsets.“Those teams that come in that you best come to play football with the same intensity that you play well with,” said Miles. “And it’s not necessarily the name that drives you. I have respect for our opponent; I believe this team is good enough.”The Vandals and Tigers have played once before back in 1998 where LSU picked up the 58-20 victory. That same year Idaho won its first Humanitarian Bowl with a victory our Southern Miss. | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20581 | Biggest Little Ravens Fans in the World
By: Catherine Van - Email Posted: Fri 3:52 PM, Feb 01, 2013
Biggest Little Ravens Fan Page
RENO, Nev. -- The big game is just around the corner and most of Northern Nevada is bleeding red and gold for the Niners, but there is a small group of fans here in the west that fly high with the Ravens.
It's not easy to be a Ravens fan in a Niners' country, but they are still representing in Reno. Paul turner, originally from Baltimore, MD, says he's a loyal fan.
"We actually like being the underdogs and it brought us together. We would find out through drips and drabs going to various games that oh there's ravens fans. Only in the last couple of weeks have we really started coming together with this group," Turner said.
Each fan has a Baltimore connection, but hasn't faced much more than some friendly banter and a little flack.
"We're in the minority and we love Colin Kaepernick, that's the tough part--is rooting against [him] because we saw him at Nevada and if the 49'ers were playing anyone else but the Ravens, we'd probably be rooting for them," Turner said. "We got be loyal."
You won't see any bicep kissing here, but you may recognize Ray Lewis's fancy footwork. It's the linebacker's last year in the pros but Turner thinks it will give the team more motivation to snag the big win.
"He and the rest of the team are focused on the prize, on the [big game], and that's how he wants to go out and it's really been such a transformation to watch him through is career but also to be such a dominant player the way he has," he said. "I think he has a bright future ahead of him."
The Ravens are looking to reclaim the title after their win in 2000, but pundits aren't giving them much of a chance.
"They didn't give the Ravens a chance when they went against Minneapolis; they didn't give them a chance against Denver; they didn't give them a chance against New England and they're all watching," Turner said.
For all the Ravens fans out there who are still too shy to fly, you're not alone.
"Ravens fly high over the west. You have brothers in San Francisco, you have brothers and sisters in Los Angeles and now you have brothers and sister in the Truckee Meadows!"
If you want to join them catch the big game with them this weekend, click on the link to their Facebook group, below. | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20614 | 2012 World Series of Poker
New WSOP app continues social gaming trend
By Ron Sylvester
As players vied for millions of dollars at the World Series of Poker Main Event, a free online version made its debut Tuesday.
This year's World Series of Poker Main Event winner will make $8.5 million
By Case Keefer
The halls of the Rio convention center proved treacherous to navigate through when players in the World Series of Poker Main Event went on break Monday. Although it’s foolish to expect anything less than a flood of humanity during early July at the WSOP, Day 1C of the Main Event was a different beast altogether. The final starting flight of this year’s world championship of poker attracted 3,418 entrants, the biggest single-day field in the history of the tournament.
This poker player's dream lasted 68 minutes in Main Event opener
Marco Ritter had aspirations of becoming the next Pius Heinz, Joe Cada, or of course, Chris Moneymaker when took his seat Saturday afternoon at the World Series of Poker Main Event. The event has spiked in popularity over the years since poker hit the ESPN airwaves, giving 20-somethings such as Ritter the dream of becoming poker’s next star.
Poker's Sam Trickett says he was attacked, beaten after 'One Drop' event
By Brian Nordli
British poker pro Sam Trickett’s night of celebration in Las Vegas after his runner-up finish in a World Series of Poker tournament turned sour when he says six men jumped him.
Immediacy of Twitter a big hit in poker world
Ian Chan looked across the poker table and saw other players concentrating not on cards but on their smartphones. Then someone noticed the little blue bird logo on Chan's T-shirt.
Antonio Esfandiari trades in microphone for cards, wins $18 million at WSOP
Antonio Esfandiari committed to providing commentary on ESPN for the final table of the World Series of Poker’s The Big One For One Drop weeks ago. Instead of spending Tuesday behind the cameras, however, Esfandiari was in front of them.
Local pro Antonio Esfandiari on top going into $1 million tournament's final day
Antonio Esfandiari made drastic changes to his lifestyle before this summer’s World Series of Poker. The 33-year old Las Vegas resident traded long nights partying at the club for early mornings working out at the gym. He also overhauled his diet in hopes of improving his focus for long hours at the table.
Pros not intimidated by $1 million buy-in tournament at World Series of Poker July 2, 2012
When Guy Laliberte began recruiting participants for the World Series of Poker’s $1 million buy-in The Big One For One Drop tournament last year, he told them he expected to convince 18 players to join. The 52-year old founder of Cirque du Soleil severely underestimated. Laliberte, as it turns out, attracts card sharks as proficiently as he does acrobats.
Michael Mizrachi breezes to second Poker Players Championship in three years
An emergency workout session, legend has it, enabled Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi to win the Poker Players Championship two years ago. Fixated on the promise of the $1.55 million first-place prize, and overwhelmed by the pressure of trying to snag his first World Series of Poker bracelet, Mizrachi’s friends and family could tell he was an emotional mess when he got down to heads-up play against Vladimir Schmelev.
Final table of eight remains in WSOP Poker Players Championship
The $50,000 buy-in Poker Players Championship at the World Series of Poker may crown its first two-time champion Thursday night. Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, who took home $1.5 million by winning the high-profile event two years ago, will enter the eight-handed final table with the chip lead after a memorable surge during the fourth day of play.
Smaller field, same stakes for Poker Players Championship at WSOP
There’s swimming in a vast sea among sharks, and then there’s diving into a pool flooded with a bloodthirsty school of them. For a recreational card player, the former describes most events at the World Series of Poker. Players are allowed to continue registering through Monday for the tournament, which lasts five days. These aren’t some of the best poker professionals in the world gunning for the most coveted bracelet of the summer. These are all of them, confined to a space the size of a large living room in the northeast corner of the Rio’s Amazon Room.
Phil Hellmuth wins 12th World Series of Poker bracelet
Phil Hellmuth extended his record for World Series of Poker championships and exorcised a demon in the process early Monday morning at the Rio. Hellmuth won a $2,500 buy-in razz tournament to add a 12th golden bracelet to his collection. It was almost five years to the day that Hellmuth won his last WSOP event. He’s agonized over notching another ever since.
Aubin Cazals denies Joseph Cheong to win major World Series of Poker bracelet
Many professional card players dedicate their lives to the game without ever winning a World Series of Poker golden bracelet. Aubin Cazals, a 21-year-old from France, earned poker’s top prize within his first week at the Rio. Cazals pocketed $480,564 along with his jewelry in winning the most prestigious event of the 2012 WSOP so far, the $5,000 no-limit hold’em mixed max tournament.
A comprehensive guide of what to watch at the 2012 World Series of Poker
Feeling overwhelmed by the 2012 World Series of Poker, which kicked off with its first open event of the summer Monday, is natural. The 43rd annual WSOP will attract millions of dollars and thousands of players in a combined 61 bracelet events at the Rio over the next six weeks.
Jeweler: World Series of Poker bracelet most expensive sports prize ever
The cards may decide winner, but they can't beat the bling. The World Series of Poker unveiled its championship bracelet for the main event winner with what the jeweler called the most expensive championship adornment to be offered in any professional sport.
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2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20649 | Guy Carbonneau's Playoff Diary, 4/18/00:
Stars need to step
up their effort
as told to Bill Nichols,
Everybody was really
disappointed with how we played on Sunday. But this is playoff
hockey, and you have to get over the little bumps in the road.
It's a long ride. We had a meeting
on Monday. We talked about what Edmonton did to us, what we didn't
do and what we need to do to them. Our mood is fine.
Hitch talked to us and kind of put us back in perspective about
where we stand and what we have to do. If we were down, 3-0, in
the series and had our backs to the wall, then there would be
a lot more emotion. But at this stage right now, leading, 2-1,
we're just trying to stay positive. We didn't talk a
lot about X's and O's. The Oilers were desperate in the first
period, and they kicked our butts. It was pretty simple really.
I think it's all
mental. We talked about competing harder and winning the battles.
If we don't do that, then they will do the same thing to us that
they did Sunday. We talked about making changes in the way we
want to play. One of the things we need to do is play a more physical
game. I think we have to be much more aggressive. You have two ways
to react when you're under pressure: You either make the same
mistakes again, or you play better. I think in the past we have
always played better after a loss, and that's what I expect to
see Tuesday. I think we have a
bunch of guys who hate to lose. We have the guys who know how
to respond when they are under pressure. We had those bumps in
the road last year in the playoffs, and we overcame them.
TO GUY'S TRIBUTE SITE | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20675 | SOURCE: U.S. Golf Manufacturers Anti-Counterfeiting Working Group
Golf Anti-Counterfeiting Group's "Clustering" Campaign Results in Massive Counterfeit Seizures Multiple Raids Lead to Nearly 500,000 Fake Products
PHILADELPHIA, PA--(Marketwire - Dec 4, 2012) - The U.S. Golf Manufacturers Anti-Counterfeiting Working Group (Golf Group) today announced the completion of a successful law enforcement initiative, called a clustering campaign, which resulted in the seizure of nearly 500,000 counterfeit golf products and the arrest of more than 30 suspects by the Public Security Bureau of China. In total, the campaign spanned 6 months and involved raids on 14 different locations. The campaign revealed an elaborate counterfeiting network that operated throughout the country with locations in Xiamen, Shanghai, Dongguan and Beijing. "Just by sheer numbers this has been one of the most successful efforts in the fight against counterfeit clubs," said Brian Lynch, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Callaway. "But this isn't just about the numbers. This wasn't a one-time raid. This was an entire counterfeit network that has been completely dismantled." The clustering campaign began in February when Chinese authorities raided one target in Shanghai, which was later linked to 4 other targets also in Shanghai. All of these targets shared the same suppliers in Xiamen and Dongguan. An additional eight raids of the suppliers took place in July and August in Beijing, Dongguan and Xiamen. The targets included both storefronts and manufacturing and distribution facilities. Ultimately, the campaign uncovered four different gangs that were operating within a single network. More than 30 suspects were arrested during the raids, three of them have been sentenced to jail terms of 1 to 3 years by a Shanghai court and others are still being prosecuted.
"This clustering campaign shows counterfeiters we're not just going after storefronts," said Don Reino, Vice President of Legal Operations for Cleveland Golf. "We're going after every level of these organizations and truly making an impact."
More information about counterfeit golf clubs and products can be found at www.keepgolfreal.com. About the Golf Manufacturers Anti-Counterfeiting Working Group The Golf Anti-Counterfeiting Group consists of five of the most well-known golf companies in the world -- Callaway-Odyssey; TaylorMadeadidas Golf and Ashworth; PING; Cleveland Golf, Srixon and Never Compromise; and Acushnet Company whose brands are Titleist, FootJoy and Scotty Cameron. Since 2004, the Golf Anti-Counterfeiting Group has worked with international law enforcement and government agencies to conduct raids and investigations of counterfeit operations, as well as raise public awareness of the issue. In 2011 alone, the group's efforts led to the seizure of more than 80,000 counterfeit golf products.
U.S. Golf Manufacturers Anti-Counterfeiting Working Group
Competitions and Venues | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20704 | LIU Brooklyn Falls 81-92 at Seton Hall
By Will Maupin
@WillsWCCblog
Fuquan Edwin (23) missed most of the game, but shorthanded Seton Hall had no problem without him. - Maddie Meyer
LIU Brooklyn made the trip over to New Jersey to face the Seton Hall Pirates. What began as a sloppy affair transformed into a high-scoring affair, despite injury concerns for each team's leader. The Pirates suffered the serious injury, but still had too much talent for the Blackbirds to handle.
Final - 12.5.2013 1 2 Total
Long Island U. Blackbirds 36
Seton Hall Pirates 53
Seton Hall pulled out to a 5-0 lead quickly thanks in large part to their star Fuquan Edwin. The game then quickly devolved into a sloppy mess on both ends of the floor. Neither team was able to put the ball into the basket with ease. As a result, the first few minutes were taken up almost entirely by the two teams battling for rebounds. In one of those battles, just two minutes into the game, Fuquan Edwin fell to the floor and was taken into the locker room.
Edwin would end up missing the remainder of the game with a sprained ankle.
The Blackbirds didn't have to worry about the Pirates' go-to guy, but they were unable to take advantage of his absence. The Pirates' shots started falling and they pulled out to a ten point lead.
Jason Brickman's teammates weren't shooting well, so the nation's leading assist man had to do it himself. He was just 5-24 from three point land heading into this game. With the Pirates threatening to blow the game open, Brickman went 3-7 from deep and totaled 15 points in the half. Before tonight his season high was 13 points, he finished two short of his career high with 17.
Brickman's three point proficiency must have rubbed off on the Pirates. Seton Hall began the half 0-9 from three but once Brickman got hot, so did the Pirates. By the time the halftime buzzer sounded, 27 of the Pirates' 53 points had come from deep. Brian Oliver led the way for the Pirates with four threes in the half, he finished with 8 threes and 26 points.
The second half picked up where the first left off. The Blackbirds' defense tried to hinder the Pirates hot shooting from the perimeter, but they couldn't. The extra focus on the three point shooters allowed the Pirates to pound the ball into the paint, particularly to the 6' 9", 270lbs Gene Teague.
LIU Brooklyn is one of the nation's shortest teams. No Blackbird can match Teague's size. Teague finished with 16 points and 17 rebounds. For the Blackbirds, E.J. Reed tried to counter Teague's effort. He finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
About halfway through the second half, Brickman ran headfirst into the hip of a Pirate while scrambling for a loose ball. As he lay on the floor it seemed as if the already one-sided game was heading for a blowout. However, the tough point guard, who continued to pace the team in scoring, stayed in the game.
Had he left the game, the Blackbirds would have been completely lost tonight. His scoring kept them in the game in the first half. In the second half he returned to his typical assisting form and also kept his foot on the scoring pedal.
The Blackbirds shooting picked up in the second half, but the Pirates never let them get too close. The result was a high scoring and entertaining game.
By the time the final horn sounded, Seton Hall had a 92-81 lead.
The Blackbirds fall to 2-5 on the season.
More from Mid-Major Madness
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Mid-Major Game of the Week: Harvard vs Boston University Morning Coffee: Harvard Tops in Boston, Toledo and Drexel Still Playing Northeastern's Quincy Ford To Undergo Back Surgery, Miss Season
Battle for Boston: Harvard Tops Northeastern 72-64
MAAC Conference Play Starts Tonight | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20720 | Women's Soccer Community Outreach Success
Spartans take up leadership opportunity in student-run projects.
Freshman Kaylee Phillips with kids from the Boys and Girls Club of Lansing.
EAST LANSING, Mich. - This year, the Michigan State women’s soccer team took charge of their very own community outreach initiative. The coaching staff, with the support of the department of Student-Athlete Support Services (SASS), wanted to provide the players not only with the chance to reach out to the community, but take their own initiative in planning, organizing and facilitating a few special projects. Associate head coach Tammy Farnum explained what the staff wanted the players to take away from this experience.
“Every year, the women’s soccer program tries to find ways to bond as a team,” said Farnum. “Giving back to the community is very important to all of us and we’ve heard great stories over the years from our players when they’ve gotten involved with community outreach through SASS.
“Coach (Tom) Saxton came up with the idea to come up with the community outreach ideas and incorporated that with our team bonding. Obviously, then it could be as big or as meaningful as the players make it. It ended up being amazing.”
Prior to their season, the staff picked three community outreach ideas: the Haven House in East Lansing, the Teddy Bear Picnic, facilitated by MSU Pediatric and Oncology Department, and the Boys and Girls Club of Lansing. Three leadership groups were selected to head up each of the projects. Aside from that, they had no other direction or guidance.
The Spartans rose to meet their challenge and took trips to all three locations where they cooked, painted faces and even got to play a little soccer with some of the kids. The results continue to set a precedent for future endeavors, to which Farnum looks forward to.
“We will absolutely continue to do this outside of preseason because the best thing we thought came out of this experience was that this may create the opportunity for some of our players to reach out individually and as a team in many different areas,” Farnum said.
“We’ve benefited greatly from some of the experiences some of our student-athletes have been in. It’s gone on to change careers when they may have been on a more direct path. It’s a way for them to give on a face-to-face basis rather than behind the scenes. We were very honored that they represented the Michigan State Athletic Department so well in these areas.”
The players provided accounts of the experiences in their own words.
Haven HouseSophomore Courtney Hammer, Roswell, Ga.
“A group of us went to serve at Haven House, one of the only homeless shelters in the East Lansing area where entire families can stay together, regardless of gender. Because of this setup, the shelter has a wide array of needs that must be met by volunteers, who can enhance the experience of the residents and ease the workload of the limited staff on hand. Prior to our arrival at Haven House, we received a lengthy list of tasks we could perform during our hours on site, like preparing dinner, playing with the children outside or in the playroom, and organizing donations.
“The volunteer coordinator, Gabriel Biber, gave us the freedom to choose the tasks we thought would make our experience there the most rewarding as possible. A large number of us wanted to cook a hearty dinner for the residents (since they typically rely on donations for meals and thus don’t always get a hot one), so we spent a few hours in the kitchen preparing dishes like hot dogs, salad, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, and cake.
“While waiting for the food to cook, some went and sorted through donated food and goods to organize the supply rooms. Other girls went to find kids to entertain. There was only one little boy on site, because unless there are volunteers at the shelter, children must be with their parents at all times. Nevertheless, he sure made everyone smile with his energetic nature and crazy dance moves. Overall, our group’s experience at Haven House was definitely worthwhile. It was great to go out and represent Michigan State women’s soccer in the community, demonstrating what being a true Spartan all is about.”
Teddy Bear PicnicSophomore Gabrielle Gauruder, South Lyon, Mich.
“Every year Sparrow Hospital’s pediatric oncology unit puts on a Teddy Bear Picnic for children who are experiencing an illness, and for their families. Here they can take their favorite stuffed animal through similar experiences they might go through with their sickness (casts, suture, Band-Aids). As a soccer team we felt blessed to partner up with this organization and be a positive light in someone’s day.
“We collected teddy bears from our team, parents, and coaches to give to some of the kids who didn’t show up with an animal. While collecting teddy bears we realized what it really means to be called a ‘Spartan Family.’ Everyone jumped at the opportunity to donate to kids in need and we ended up collecting over 50 teddy bears! You could tell it really made a difference to the kids.
“We were able to set up our own booth where the kids could play our game of kicking a soccer ball through the goal and past the ‘big bad goalie.’ I can assure you every kid walked away with a prize. We had quite the spread of prizes (bears, posters, mini soccer balls) and we got cleaned out so fast that we had some of our volunteers run to the store to get some candy!
“This picnic has a special place in our hearts and we will look forward to it every year. Overall the experience was wonderful, not only did we bond as a team, but we had the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life, showing the true meaning of what it means to be a Spartan.”
Boys and Girls Club of LansingJunior Courtney Clem, Williamston, Mich.
“In October, several of our team visited the Boys and Girls Club of Lansing. Many may call this ‘volunteering our time.’ To tell you the truth, this experience may have been more rewarding to us than them. “When we arrived, we were welcomed into an auditorium. This wasn’t an ordinary welcome or introduction. There were bleachers full of kids clapping and screaming on the top of their lungs. They were so excited that we were there. All of us were shocked at the reaction they had given us. We didn’t think that they would even know who were.
“After the introductions, we got to meet the kids. Immediately they all asked for our signatures. They wanted us to sign their notebooks, arms, basically anywhere we could sign. Many of the boys and girls then gave us tours of the club. They showed us things like the art room, game room and computer room. Most of the time we were there we played basketball, soccer, volleyball, etc., in the auditorium. “Overall this was a great experience. We all had a blast playing with the kids. Being at the club really put things in perspective for all of us. It was crazy to see that only being there for couple of hours really made their day. Seeing the excitement they had playing games with us and showing us around the club was the most rewarding part of the trip. I think that visiting the club is something that our team should do regularly.” Printer-friendly format | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20759 | NDCA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE RELEASE: National Dance Council of America Inc. NDCA Constitution: By Laws. Interim between Meetings: ‘The Executive Committee shall have the power to do any and all acts of the Council for its good and welfare, in the interim between meetings, however, it shall in no way bind the Council legally by written document or otherwise without securing a majority consent of the council of the Board of Governors by mail ballot.’ The NDCA has recently become aware of a number of small events around the country that have been running for many years, and which have consistently hired NDCA registered judges and officials. In an effort to encourage these existing small events to continue to promote ballroom dancing at the local level, the Executive Officers of the NDCA, acting in the best interests of dancing in the USA, wish to allow existing amateur, college, and USAD Chapter events, authorization to engage NDCA registered judges and officials, providing these events have been in existence for a period of more than 5 years. This authorization will not be extended to events incorporating pro-amateur or professional competitions. Authorization for these competitions to use NDCA registered judges and officials may be obtained by making application to the NDCA Ballroom Department; there will be no fee associated with this application. The rules of the NDCA mandate that action should be taken upon those NDCA registered judges who choose to judge at non NDCA sanctioned events, but we have found that there are many small events that have been in existence for many years, some go back as far as 16 years, that have been using NDCA registered officials. Therefore, as an act of good faith to those judges who have already been advised of pending suspension, we wish to draw a line in the sand and start again, therefore the previously initiated action against them will be withdrawn. However, it should be noted that action will be taken, as directed in the NDCA Rule Book, in the future. In closing, we would like to encourage these events to come on board with the NDCA, and thus allow our judges and officials to continue supporting their effort as they have done in the past, therefore we invite those organizers who seek to use our judges and officials, and whose competitions fall into the above guidelines, to contact the Ballroom Department listing their proposed judges for authorization by the ballroom committee. It is our hope that this action will open the door for many who will benefit from the structure of the NDCA. Sincerely, Brian Mc Donald President NDCA © Copyright 2014 Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20760 | Notes from the Geetar
Mike Coffey (aka El Kabong) talks about events and situations affecting Notre Dame, particularly its basketball programs and media coverage.
An offer we can't refuse ... or can we?
In the latest piece of evidence that there is almost nothing about $outhern Cal that isn't obnoxious these days, a teenager writing for one of the most unfortunately-named newspapers you'll find, the Daily Trojan, thinks $C and ND should play in basketball every year.On the surface, a good idea. ND has a strong alumni presence in LA, which was one of the reasons the football series started in the first place. A series would have good synergies (although I dislike that word) with things on the football side. Once things settle in with the new 18 game conference slate, logistics on longer-term contracts might be easier to work out.But I can think of a lot more reasons it would be a bad idea, starting with the fact ND already has a strong basketball relationship with a school in LA, one whose "tradition" is more than a "work in progress" (translated: one year old). If $C wants to get things going with ND in basketball, they (like in so many other things) need to get in line behind the Bruins. Perhaps this is what the article was all about -- $C desperately wanting another thing that UCLA already has. But that's their inferiority complex, not ours.When ND joined the Big East, a lot of long-time rivalries had to go by the wayside, like Marquette, DePaul, UCLA, and Dayton. Additionally, there were teams like Michigan State that had been opponents for a while that had falle | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20765 | COMMENTS Epiphany player gets elite invite
Epiphany’s Haley Radford, seen here with her father Darryl Radford, has been selected to attend a Girl’s Select National Skills Volleyball camp in Grand Rapids, Mich. this weekend.
By Jordan Honeycutt, Sun Journal Staff
Epiphany's Haley Radford has a special opportunity to improve on her craft and increase her knowledge of volleyball from reputable coaches this weekend.
Radford was selected to attend a Girl’s Select National Skills camp in Grand Rapids, Mich., which is part of the USA Volleyball (USAV) High Performance program.
Radford is flying to Michigan Friday and will participate in the camp throughout next Tuesday.
“It’s a great opportunity for me and I am really excited about it. I tried out back in March and was told I was going to be an alternate in May,” Radford said. “They called back later and invited me to come to the camp. They chose us based on our position and availability and offered me a spot as a setter.”
The camp is run by various coaches, mostly from colleges across the country, and the athletes are being housed at Davenport University.
“We get to train for four days and go through drills based specifically on our positions,” Radford said. “So for me, I will be setting the majority of the time.”
The camp that Radford is attending will have 34 girls in the 15-and-under age group, according to Radford’s father Darryl.
“She is going to get excellent coaching, go through a rigid training schedule that is organized and focused on her getting better. I am very happy for her and the USAV programs are often a pipeline for Olympic-level players, so it is definitely a great opportunity,” he said.
Haley, a rising junior at Epiphany, is determined to get better for the remainder of her high school career in hopes of playing in college.
“That’s my main goal right now – to play volleyball in college,” she said. “I would love to be able to play at UNC, but I just want to be able to play somewhere.”
Radford said that her mother and sister are flying to Michigan with her Friday and staying at a hotel in Grand Rapids.
“I probably will not get to see too much of them while we are there at the camp, but it is great they are coming with me and supporting me,” Radford said.
Jordan Honeycutt can be reached at 252-635-5670 or at [email protected] Follow Jordan on Twitter @JHONEYnbsj29.
COMMENTS VOLLEYBALL: Radford heading to USA Volleyball camp | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20784 | Player of the Week - Cory Schneider By NHLPA Staff //
Player of the Week NEED TO KNOW
For a fifth consecutive season, the Vancouver Canucks have clinched top spot in the Northeast Division thanks in large part to the steady play of goaltender Cory Schneider. Despite splitting games with teammate and fellow backstop Roberto Luongo, Schneider has once again proven his ability to win big games against some of the Western Conference’s toughest teams. He is tied for the league lead in shutouts (5) and is fourth in save percentage (.927). The Canucks are 7-2-1in their last 10 games and have won two straight with Schneider in the crease.
After a brief stint with HC Ambrì-Piotta of the Swiss League during the NHL lockout, Schneider struggled to find his game early in the NHL season but has since seen a resurgence in his play, sparking conversation about a potential Vezina nod for the 27 year-old Massachusetts native. Despite an early season goaltending controversy and immense media and fan scrutiny in one of the NHL’s largest markets, Schneider has been able to overcome these distractions and put forth another impressive season. At 6' 2", 196 lbs., Schneider has the size that many of the elite goaltenders in the league now possess. He is extremely athletic and agile and his butterfly style of goaltending means he is able to cover a large portion of the lower part of the net, making it even more difficult for opponents to put one past him.
Internationally, Schneider has represented the United States at various levels of competition including the 2003 Under 18 Junior World Cup where he led the U.S to their first gold medal in tournament history. He also appeared in games at the 2004 IIHF World Under 18 Championships capturing a silver medal and the 2005/2006 World Junior Championships. - Schneider has helped the Canucks gain momentum as they approach the playoffs, earning wins in his last two starts to go along with a 0.97 GAA and .966 save percentage during that time
- Has a 17-9-4 record this season and will likely see a significant amount of playing time during the team’s playoff run BIOGRAPHY Born in Marblehead, Massachusetts on March 18, 1986
Drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1st round, 26th overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft
Was awarded the William M. Jennings Trophy for the lowest goals-against in the NHL for the 2010-11 season
Played three seasons for Boston College before foregoing his final season to go professional. He finished with a 66-26 career record
Was named AHL Goaltender of the Year in 2009 while playing for the Canucks' minor league affiliate, the Manitoba Moose
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2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20806 | Applications Welcomed For Chief Executive Vacancy
Featured News | 6th February 2012
Executive search firm Odgers Berndtson have been appointed to consult the Committee of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club on the appointment of a Chief Executive to succeed Derek Brewer.
The ClubNottinghamshire County Cricket Club is a limited liability company registered as an Industrial Provident Society in 1999. The Club was established in 1841 and Trent Bridge is the third oldest Test Match ground in the world. The Club is responsible for all aspects of professional cricket in Nottinghamshire and has a significant role to play in recreational cricket throughout the county through the Notts Cricket Board, its own development department and the Community Sports Trust (the Club’s charitable arm).The Role - Delivering operational excellence and developing a strategic plan to facilitate winning of further International and other Major Matches for Trent Bridge.- Securing sufficient external funding to enable the continued development of Trent Bridge in line with existing plans and future requirements.- Expand income generating areas of the Club and restructure/expand the Commercial team and to ensure that taking the catering in house (from Oct 2011) is a success.- Build on the success of the Club’s Community programmes to leave a lasting legacy from the 2013 and 2015 Ashes series.- Demonstrate outstanding leadership of the team to maintain Trent Bridge’s position as the top cricketing venue for spectators in the country.- Ensuring that sound financial principles are practiced throughout the Club and that budgets are met.The Candidate - A significant Commercial track record and experience of planning, managing and operating major events, preferably in the area of spectator sports.- Strategic dexterity with the ability to turn policies into actions (a strategic thinker).- Ability to represent the Club within key Local, Regional and National communities and to communicate effectively with local and national media.- A passion for cricket and an understanding of how it can influence peoples lives.
How to applyClick here to visit the Odgers Berndtson website for further details and application instructions. Tweets by @TrentBridge | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20833 | Talks begin with Anderson, Lewis
Browns general manager Phil Savage said Thursday on his weekly radio segment on WTAM-AM that contract negotiations have begun with the agents for quarterback Derek Anderson and running back Jamal Lewis.''We've had some things going on underground for the last week or so,'' Savage told the Browns' flagship station. ''It's really just in the beginning stages. Those are the top two priorities, so we're off the first tee.''
Will Lewis, Anderson be back?
While the Browns could use at least two linebackers and two defensive linemen in the draft and free agency, the focus of the off-season will be the futures of quarterback Derek Anderson and running back Jamal Lewis. Lewis, the ex-Raven, played on a one-year contract that paid him $5 million with incentives and surely will want more in his next deal. Anderson will become a restricted free agent unless the Browns sign him to a long-term contract before the free agency period begins Feb. 29. Even in that instance, he could still be traded. | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20834 | Kyrie Irving won't play overseas, says his foot needs more time to heal
WESTLAKE: Maybe a lengthy lockout isn’t so bad for the Cavaliers after all. If nothing else, it will give rookie Kyrie Irving’s injured foot enough time to fully heal.Irving said at his youth basketball camp Saturday that his foot feels “150 percent,” but that doctors told him it will be another few months before the foot is completely healed. NBA training camps were expected to open in about a week, but the league postponed everything following the latest breakdown in negotiations.
NBA postpones training camp, cancels 43 preseason games
The NBA today officially postponed the start of training camp and canceled the first 43 preseason games through Oct. 15. That wipes out the Cavs' first three preseason games: home against the Milwaukee Bucks (Oct. 13), at Orlando (Oct. 15) and home against the New Orleans Hornets.As it stands now, the Cavs' first preseason game is Oct. 17 at San Antonio. But with labor negotiations at a standstill, the rest of the preseason schedule seems in peril, too.
Cleveland Cavaliers holding tryouts for D-League team
The Cavaliers are holding open tryouts in both Cleveland and Canton for men interested in trying out for the team's new Development League team which begins play in Canton this fall.The Cleveland tryout is Saturday, Oct. 8 and continues on Sunday, Oct. 9 at St. Ignatius. The Canton tryout is Saturday, Oct. 15 and continues on Sunday, Oct. 16 at Canton Fieldhouse. Participants must be available to participate on both days. Anyone who makes the cut will be invited to the D-League team's training camp. | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20876 | Will the lights go out on Friday nights?
'Bama-A&M face-off may come down to mental game
Thu Sep 12, 2013, 04:51 PM CDT
This is how big Saturday’s showdown between Alabama and Texas A&M is shaping up: Students backing the Crimson Tide are headed to New Orleans to watch the big game.
Nope, that’s not a mistake. Sure the game is in College Station – everybody knows that – but if you can’t get a ticket at Kyle Field, you gotta go somewhere exciting for the action, so The Big Easy seems like the second best place to be.
So bring it on. The Aggies might rule with the 12th Man, but the Tide will stand tall in the land where Bear Bryant – who would have turned 100 years old this week -- also coached.
The Alabama-A&M showdown is much more than a repeat face-off of two Southeastern Conference powers that went a combined 24-3 last year. It’s more than a game between the country’s No. 1 and No. 6 ranked teams. It’s more than Alabama’s dogged defense versus A&M’s dominating offense.
Storylines are numerous. There’s Alabama’s ultimate challenge of staying focused and being disciplined and A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel’s ability to manage a game and not succumb to fighting the unrelenting distractions. So in a sport where brute strength and physical combativeness are critical, whoever wins the mental struggle is more likely to win.
It’s hard to say who that favors. Last year A&M rolled into Bryant-Denny Stadium and shocked the Tide, 29-24, because Alabama let Manziel get loose, allowing the defense to make mistakes. Coach Nick Saban and his staff have worked overtime – boosted by an extra week of preparation – to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
His plan is simple. “Everybody has to take care of business,” Saban said at his news conference this week. “We have to be our team, playing our game, taking care of our business. Everybody has to do their job.” | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20924 | NFC playoffs: Falcons thwart comeback
Atlanta’s Matt Bryant kicks the winning field goal with 8 seconds left after Seattle rallies from a 20-point deficit.
By PAUL NEWBERRY The Associated Press ATLANTA — Matt Bryant pumped his fist and celebrated atop the Falcons logo in the middle of the field. Tony Gonzalez broke down in tears. Matt Ryan relished the thought of not having to answer a familiar question. click image to enlarge
Falcons kicker Matt Bryants (3) celebrates after kicking a 49-yard field goal with 8 seconds left to give Atlanta a 30-28 win over the Seattle Seahawks in Sunday’s NFC divisional playoff game.
Photos by The Associated Press
Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan (2) shook off losses in his three previous playoff games, making two key passes in the final 31 seconds to set up Matt Bryant’s winning kick.
The Atlanta Falcons finally showed they could win a playoff game. And, wow, what a game it was! After a meltdown in the fourth quarter, the Falcons pulled off a comeback that will long be remembered in championship-starved Atlanta. Ryan completed two long passes and Bryant kicked a 49-yard field goal with 8 seconds remaining, lifting the NFC’s top seed to a stunning 30-28 victory over Russell Wilson and the gutty Seattle Seahawks in a divisional game Sunday. “Wow!” said Falcons coach Mike Smith, summing up this classic as well as anyone could. Atlanta (14-3) squandered a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter, falling behind for the first time all day when Marshawn Lynch scored on a 2-yard run with 31 seconds left and Ryan Longwell knocked through the extra point for a 28-27 lead. No team has ever won a playoff game when facing such a daunting deficit in the final period.
Ryan and Bryant made sure that the Seahawks didn’t become the first. Shaking off his struggles in three previous playoff losses and two interceptions against the Seahawks, Ryan hooked up with Harry Douglas on a 29-yard pass in front of the Falcons bench, and Smith quickly signaled a timeout. Then, Ryan went down the middle to his favorite target Gonzalez, a Hall of Famer-to-be playing what could have been his final game. Gonzalez hauled in the 19-yard throw, and Smith called his final timeout with 13 seconds remaining. Instead of risking another play and having the clock run out, he sent Bryant in for the field goal try. The Seahawks called time just before the ball was snapped, and Bryant’s kick sailed right of the upright. That turned out to be nothing more than practice. The next one was right down the middle as Bryant took off in the other direction, pumping his fist before he was mobbed by his teammates. “Our quarterback is a special player,” Smith said. “They call him Matty Ice, but I feel like we’ve got two Matty Ices. There’s Matty Ice Ryan and Matty Ice Bryant.” The Falcons overcame their reputation for choking in the playoffs, winning their first postseason game since the 2004 season. They’ll host San Francisco in the NFC championship game next Sunday. “Nobody flinched,” Ryan said. “We just kept battling, kept doing what we do. That’s been the makeup of our team all season.” Bryant knocked through his third game-winning kick of the season. But he’d never made one like this, with so much on the line. “When they scored their touchdown, I walked down (the sideline),” he said. “I told the offensive line, I told Matt (Ryan), I told all the receivers, ‘We’ve done this before.’” Wilson threw two touchdown passes and ran for another, doing all he could to pull off the most improbable of comebacks for the Seahawks (12-6). But the Seattle defense, which is one of the NFL’s best and had totally stymied the Falcons in the fourth quarter, went to a softer coverage and got burned. Atlanta had just enough time to pull off a comeback of its own. “We had high, high hopes for the rest of the season,” Wilson said. “When the game was over, I was very disappointed. But walking back into the tunnel, I got so excited about next year. The resilience we showed was unbelievable.” Wilson finished with 385 yards passing as the Seahawks wiped out a 27-7 deficit entering the final quarter. When Lynch powered over, the ball breaking the goal line just before it squirted from his arms, Seattle celebrated like it had won its second straight playoff game on the road, having already taken care of Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskins. (Continued on page 2)
Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez, right, celebrates his touchdown with Harry Douglas in the first half of Sunday's NFC playoff game against Seattle at Atlanta. Further Discussion | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/20947 | example: life, funny (comma separated)example: Einsteinexample: one small step for manSearch HelpAdvanced Search 12345nextAll quotes tagged Saturday (586 quotes found)
“Life is a wretched gray Saturday, but it has to be lived through.”
Anthony Burgess
“Middle age is when you're sitting at home on a Saturday night and the telephone rings and you hope it isn't for you”
Funny Middle Age
“If you really want to advise me, do it on Saturday afternoon between 1 and 4 o'clock. And you've got 25 seconds to do it, between plays. Not on Monday. I know the right thing to do on Monday.”
Alex Agase
“He's a gent from Monday to Friday... then on Saturday, out comes the beast.”
Paul Ince
“Saturday Night Live was fun, really really fun. The changing lady was so quick, she almost tore my arm off after the opening monolouge.”
“If you want a neat wife, choose her on a Saturday”
“On Saturday I turn 18. What a birthday present to play in the championship game. I'm so excited.”
“I'd love to become like Bill Murray, who was so funny on Saturday Night Live and has gone on to do some of the landmark comedies people like. And then to add this whole other phase to his career with Lost in Translation and Rushmore. I always felt to be able to have something similar to that would be great.”
“Saturday is moving day. You don't win a golf tournament on Saturday, and by all means I'd like to have a few holes over, but I'm in great position.”
“Mel was really upset after that game [Saturday], feeling like she didn't leave it all out there. I knew she would do something about it. She was more aggressive. Right when she touched it, she was looking to shoot.”
Knew | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21004 | ... Smyrna High football players to play at Delaware State
By Jennifer Dailey, reporter
Smyrna, Del.
Two Smyrna High School football players signed their Letter of Intent today to play football next year at Delaware State University.Ameer Watson and Darren Helwig, who just happen to best friends, received full scholarships to play at Delaware State.Both players were named First Team All State this year for their efforts on the football field.Watson, a tight end and two-year starter, was also recruited by the University of Maine, the University of St. Augustine, and Kutztown, but Delaware State just seemed like the perfect fit."I feel accomplished," Watson said. "I'm going to play at the next level and a lot of people said I couldn't do it. And to play at a Division I school, that's great."With plans of studying criminal justice, Watson is excited to play with Helwig. As a matter of fact, the chance to play football with Helwig in college was a big part in his decision.As for his success at Smyrna, Watson contributes that to his coaches and playing with Helwig."Darren being my best friend was always there," Watson said. "My work ethic was his work ethic."Helwig, an offensive guard and three-year starter, also said Delaware State just seemed like a good fit. He connected with the coaches and liked that the school was so close to home.Recruited by other schools such as Monmouth and Coastal Caroline, Helwig said he likes the coaches at Delaware State."Most schools sent me a letter or a brochure, but with Delaware State I was called out of class one day and the head coach was there. It showed me they were really serious," Helwig said.And he can't wait to be one of the few football players to get to take his play to the next level: "Not a lot of athletes play at this level. Two percent go on to play at the college level and I get to be one of them."Helwig contributes his success at Smyrna to being in the weight room every day for four years. He plans on studying sports medicine because he wants to stay in the field of sports.He also said being able to play college football with his best friend was also a big factor in his decision."It's cool me and my best friend will be playing at the same school," he said.Email Jennifer Dailey at [email protected]. | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21021 | After ACL Surgery, Another Knee Injury Likely, Study Suggests
THURSDAY, July 11 (HealthDay News) -- Athletes who have anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery are six times more likely to suffer another ACL injury within two years than someone who has never had such an injury, a new study finds.An ACL injury is a common type of knee injury in athletes."Even though additional research still needs to be performed to support our findings, our data does provide early evidence for re-examining current rehabilitation and return-to-sport protocols following [ACL reconstruction]," said study author Mark Paterno, of Cincinnati Children's Hospital.The study included 59 females and 19 males, aged 10 to 25, who underwent ACL reconstruction and returned to sports, and a control group of 47 people who had never suffered an ACL injury.After two years, 23 of those in the reconstruction group and four of the people in the control group had suffered an ACL injury. Overall, 29.5 percent of athletes suffered a second ACL injury within two years of returning to sports, with 9 percent re-injuring the same knee and 20.5 percent suffering an injury to the opposite knee.Within the ACL reconstruction group, females were twice as likely as males to suffer an injury to the opposite knee, according to the study.The findings are scheduled for presentation Thursday at the annual meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine in Chicago."In our study, female athletes after [ACL reconstruction] demonstrated more than four times greater rate of injury within 24 months than their healthy counterparts," Paterno said in a society news release.The data highlights the fact that after ACL reconstruction, patients who return to playing sports are at greater risk for injury and should take appropriate precautions, he added. Data and conclusions presented at meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.More informationThe MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia has more about ACL injury.SOURCE: American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, news release, July 11, 2013 Related Articles
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2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21047 | News in Education Advertise with Us Westport tennis courts are tribute to 9/11 victim
Pam Manchester, from left, LouAnn Nygaard and Lisa MacMaster are The Standard-Times 2013 Westport Women of the Year.Contributed photo
By Lauren Daley
Pollen season to hit SouthCoast late WESTPORT — In tennis, "love" usually means zero. In Westport, it means four.In this case, a trio of women came together to remember a special person in a special way. Pam Manchester, LouAnn Nygaard and Lisa MacMaster comprise the Board of Directors of the Dianne B. Snyder Tennis Complex, along with Dianne's husband John Snyder.
Dianne Snyder was a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11, the first plane to be flown into the World Trade Center on 9/11. She died at the age of 42, leaving behind John and their two children, Leland and Blakeslee.The Tennis Complex that is a tribute to her memory is testimony to the efforts of those she left behind — and why Manchester, Nygaard and MacMaster are The Standard-Times 2013 Westport Women of Year. Nominations for the award came from the community and members of the newspaper staff. Recipients were selected by a newsroom committee.But the women said the honor would not be complete without the inclusion of Snyder."It's one for all, all for one," said Nygaard.An avid tennis player, Dianne Snyder played mostly on the courts at the Westport Middle School on Old County Road, Snyder said.In 2002, Nygaard, the Westport Athletic Boosters Club President, had the idea to honor Dianne — whom she did not know personally — by naming those courts after her."Our courts were horrendous," cracked with grass growing throughout, said Nygaard. "I knew about Dianne's love for tennis. I thought it would be great to have the courts redone and named after her — and also it would benefit the schools and community."She approached MacMaster, then the Westport High School girls tennis coach, with the idea."It was a win-win-win: better facilities for the kids, better facilities for community, and we would honor someone who loved the sport," said MacMaster, who also did not know Dianne personally.The women approached Snyder with the idea. He and Manchester, Dianne's best friend, were immediately on board.The plan was instantly approved by school officials, and in their first year, they raised $131,000 through fundraisers and donations, said Nygaard.The courts were completely overhauled with new fencing, and eventually a lighting system for night matches and a memory garden in Dianne's name were added. The board also aims to spread Dianne's love for the game by hosting children's summer tennis clinics, adult clinics, a kids' summer tennis league, and an intramural tennis league for Westport Middle school kids in the fall."What's cool about these programs is that prior to us offering tennis clinics for kids, there was no feeder system for the high school varsity tennis team," said MacMaster, who has since stepped down as coach. "By introducing the sport to kids at young age, by the time kids are in high school, they have an interest and background. The tennis teams in Westport have really excelled in recent years. They've been a formidable force recently. That's makes us all feel good."The board hosts an annual fundraiser, the Dianne B. Snyder Tennis Tournament, at the Acoaxet Club at Westport Harbor each September. Next fall will be the 11th annual.They've also hosted many other fundraisers, including "The Westport Voice" and "Westport Dancing with the Stars."Manchester said Dianne was teaching her the game just before 9/11."We'd play on those courts, with the grass coming up through the cracks. Dianne literally taught me how to hit the ball," she said.The Snyders moved to Westport from Connecticut around 1999. John Snyder is a shipwright for Mystic Seaport, who now divides his time between Connecticut and Westport.Manchester and Snyder "hit it off from the get-go," said Manchester.Manchester, who had just returned from New York City, got a call from her mother the morning of 9/11. "She heard that something awful had happened. I turned on the TV. "� Katie Couric said it was American Airlines out of Boston, and I knew Dianne was flying out of Boston, so I drove to (the Snyder's) house," she recalled."Around 2 p.m. or 3 p.m., John got a phone call from American Airlines. It was brutal."Snyder said, "When Dianne died, we'd only lived in Westport a year or so, and the town was so good to us, I was looking for a way to thank them. The tennis courts were perfect."Added Snyder, "It leaves a legacy for her. I really enjoy just driving by there in the summer and seeing all the courts full ... It makes me feel good that her name is on something everybody enjoys." | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21048 | noviembre 21, 2012 | SOI General: HeadquartersUp for a New ChallengeBy Kate McKennaA few years ago, Maureen surprised many with her gritty, silver-medal-winning performance in the 3,000-meter run at the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Ireland. Maureen, however, is not one to be content with success at one thing -- or one sport. This year, she’s been training to take on a whole new range of competitors at her first World Winter Games in Korea. This time, she’ll be representing Special Olympics Team USA in alpine skiing. “We were shocked that she was picked,” says Maureen’s mom, Jeanie. “Not because she hasn’t earned it -- because she has -- but because it’s such an honor.” Maureen got involved in sports at a young age, when her mom, a nurse and health instructor at a nearby New Jersey school, organized a cross-country team. Maureen, who has Down syndrome, went with mom to practice. That’s when it became obvious that Maureen is a fairly skilled runner. It was a 1.5-mile course, but Maureen finished every race. “She was sometimes last, but she never gave up.” Through Special Olympics, Maureen has learned a lot – determination and a positive attitude -- but has also enjoyed being recognized for her skills."Special Olympics showed her that she could be successful. And that made a big difference," says Jeanie. "But she's also very persistent - that's why she's going to World Games." Maureen works hard at skiing - and doesn't give up, even though she admits, "Skiing is harder than running." There's a lot more at stake skiing than running; Maureen's goals include not hitting the gates and not falling down! Maureen started out years ago, skiing with her dad or her mom, going downhill between their skis. She'd have skis but no poles. Eventually, she went down by herself.When she trains on the slopes, Maureen is very focused, trying to make sure she completes the event without being disqualified for missing gates. Her mom says, "She's not as concerned with speed as making sure she is accurate. She wants to do well on the slopes and works hard at being accurate." But how has an alpine skier been practicing for Winter Games all summer and fall, long before the first snowfall? Maureen says it's all about cross-training and keeping fit: "I'm training in dance class, and biking, walking, and on my trampoline." Though she's determined to practice as much as she can, Maureen says, "I can't train every day, because I have work." She's also started training at her local gym.In her small town, everyone knows Maureen - who does her own banking and bikes into town to make her own deposits. Her mom says, "Everyone is excited for her."At this World Games, Maureen says she's ready to show the world what hard work can do -- and maybe even try for a gold medal. "I know I can do it." About Kate McKenna: SOI Editorial and Multimedia Director
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2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21052 | Greatness Beckons for Cook Kp
Greatness beckons for Cook - KP
Last Updated: November 27 2012, 7:42 GMT
Kevin Pietersen expects his Test captain Alastair Cook to put himself out on his own as England's most prolific all-time runscorer.
Alastair Cook: Has 22 Test tons and is still only 27 years old
Both men are joint top - with three greats in Wally Hammond, Geoff Boycott and Colin Cowdrey - on the list of those who have made the most Test centuries for England.
Pietersen's astounding 186 and Cook's 122 not only took them both up to 22 centuries, but underpinned a famous 10-wicket victory over India as England levelled the four-match series at 1-1.
Their heroics were consolidated by Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann, the former taking 11 wickets in the match and England's two spinners responsible for 19 in all between them.
Cook's tourists can therefore once again foster realistic ambitions of becoming the first from England to win a Test series in India since David Gower's team of 1984/85.
Their next assignment is in Kolkata a week on Wednesday, with the final Test in Nagpur after that.
Irrespective of their fortunes there, though, Pietersen is predicting that Cook - five years his junior - will become England's greatest record-breaking batsman.
"Cookie has not spoken about himself much but he is only 27 and has got 22 Test hundreds," he said, as he and his captain reflected on their win in well under three and a half days at the Wankhede Stadium.
"There is no reason why he shouldn't get 35 Test hundreds and have a wonderful career."
Cook may well achieve those heights, and if so will be well served by his unflappable temperament as well as compact technique.
The opener followed his rearguard 176 in the first Test defeat in Ahmedabad with a fourth successive hundred in his four matches to date as captain.
On a different, arguably more challenging surface, he demonstrated his characteristic resourcefulness by adapting his method.
At the Sardar Patel Stadium last week, he was crease-bound and reliant on a decisive front-foot movement to smother spin on a slow, low pitch; here, with more bounce and sharper turn, he was prepared to advance out of his ground in attack.
Cook knows it is no easy task to stay ahead of the game, especially in alien conditions.
"There will be tough times, of course," he said. "It is hard work against quality spinners.
"The ball turns a lot. But we have to keep working hard, so if you do get in it gets easier.
"I don't think you are ever going to crack it - that is not the right word.
"What we can continue to do is improve.
"I know how we are training and I know watching the guys, we are improving slow and steady.
"This (victory) will give us a lot of belief that we are doing the right thing." | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21053 | Jagielka Blow Mars Everton Win
Last Updated: March 2 2013, 18:48 GMT
Everton defender Phil Jagielka was to undergo surgery on Saturday evening on a badly gashed ankle, manager David Moyes confirmed.
Premier League. Click here to bet.
The England international was injured in a challenge from Adam Le Fondre in the opening minutes of Everton's 3-1 win over Reading on Saturday at Goodison Park.
He had to be immediately replaced, and Moyes said: "I genuinely haven't seen it again but I thought on the pitch it didn't look good.
"Jagielka knew about it and it is a bad one. He will have surgery tonight to stitch up his ankle.
"It is a bad one because he is a key player for us."
Moyes said he did not know how long Jagielka would be out but the 30-year-old must now be doubtful for next week's FA Cup quarter-final against Wigan.
The incident also reminded Moyes of some of the treatment goalkeeper Tim Howard received in the two previous cup matches against Oldham.
Howard was unable to face Reading after suffering a knock in the fifth-round replay win over over the League One side on Tuesday and was replaced by back-up Jan Mucha.
"I'm not happy with the challenges on the goalkeeper in the last two games that have put him out and I am not happy with the challenge today that puts Phil Jagielka out," said the manager.
"I'm not one who minds challenges. I like a bit of that, if that's what it is.
"I don't mind robust challenges but not one that puts out arguably one of my best players."
Howard's absence ended the American's run of 210 consecutive Premier League appearances.
Moyes said: "I thought Jan did very well but it came about because the goalkeeper wasn't protected in the first game against Oldham and they felt it was right they could do that again in the second game.
"In the end the goalkeeper has been injured because of decisions which should have been deemed free-kicks long before."
Reading manager Brian McDermott also said he did not get a clear view of Le Fondre's challenge on Jagielka but defended his player.
McDermott said: "Adam Le Fondre is not that type of player, no way. He is a very honest type of player.
"I don't know what they are saying but there is no way Adam Le Fondre is a player that would 'do' anybody." | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21055 | SBD / December 20, 2012 / Sports Business Newsmakers, Part Two
2013 Year In ReviewSports Business Hits And MissesSaying Hello, Waving Goodbye In 2013Memorable Downloads From '13Significant Deaths This YearNotable Tweets Of The YearA Look Back At 2013Top Sports Business Stories, Part TwoSports Business Newsmakers, Part TwoSports Business Year In Media
SBD/December 20, 2012/2012 Year In Review
People Who Made Sports Business Headlines In 2012, Part Two
Many brands, execs and ideas caught our eye in ’12. Here are five that, for better or worse, made an impression this year. See yesterday’s issue for six more newsmakers from this year.
NETS OWNER MIKHAIL PROKHOROV, CEO BRETT YORMARK: The pair orchestrated the team’s move from New Jersey into the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The move has revived interest in the rebranded Nets as the team competes with the Knicks for N.Y. basketball supremacy.
BRUINS OWNER JEREMY JACOBS: Jacobs has been at the center of the firestorm between the NHL and NHLPA during the lockout. Jacobs, who also is NHL BOG Chair, is regarded as the top hard-liner among the owners of the league’s 30 franchises.
JAGUARS OWNER SHAHID KHAN: The Jaguars may still struggle on the field, but off the field the club has an international, dynamic new owner. Khan has caught the attention of news magazines and even “60 Minutes,” -- not only for his signature moustache. He has embraced the NFL’s London effort, making a four-year commitment to the league’s International Series.
FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON: Without the help of Bill Clinton’s foundation, the PGA Tour event formerly known as the Bob Hope Classic would have dried up in the California desert. Clinton was front and center during the new Humana Challenge in February, leading the discussion about health and wellness issues that gave the tournament a dual purpose.
P&G GLOBAL MARKETING & BRAND BUILDING OFFICER MARC PRITCHARD: Marketing ties for P&G’s portfolio of 26 billion-dollar brands now reach across MLB and the NFL and into the Olympics. The company’s marketing efforts around the London Games, as directed by Pritchard, will generate $500M in incremental sales for P&G. Now that is ROI.
NASCAR TEAM OWNER ROGER PENSKE: After 40 years of competing in NASCAR, Penske won his first Sprint Cup championship with Brad Keselowski. The achievement was celebrated by peers who were happy to see success come to a man who has done so much for the sport, from building a speedway in California to running a full-time race team for 22 years. | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21061 | Home Home Cam Neely Contacts Penguins About Shot to Win Elusive Stanley Cup Cam Neely Contacts Penguins About Shot to Win Elusive Stanley Cup
Mar 28th, 2013 0 Comment
Former Boston Bruins star Cam Neely got in touch with Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ray Shero today to ask about the possibility of joining the loaded Penguins for a shot at his first Stanley Cup. "I realize I'm 47 years old and haven't played in 17 years," said Neely, who was forced to retire in 1996 due to injuries, "but Chris Chelios was still a serviceable player at this age and I'm nothing if not rested. Plus, whatever I might be lacking in speed or skill, I'll make up for it in wanting it more than anyone else." Neely's career was cut short by a chronic injury to a hip that was initially damaged on a check by Penguins defenseman Ulf Samuelsson. But Neely says he has no hard feelings. "Ulf isn't on the team anymore. And I simply want to win a Cup," he said. "I always was jealous of how Ray Bourque got to go to the Avalanche to win a championship. This is my shot to do that." Shero says he is not sure he has a place for Neely. "I respect what Cam did in this sport immensely, but I'm just not sure we can use a 47 year-old wing right now," he said. "I told him that, but he still wants to come in for a tryout. We'll see what happens. He asked if he could borrow some skates, which doesn't strike me as a positive sign." Neely's interest in the Penguins is just the latest blow to the Bruins, who lost out on trading for Jarome Iginla. "I realize I'm the team president of the Bruins, but in that job I know them better than anyone else," he said. "And I know that the Penguins are the superior team right now. That's who I want to play for, not the Bruins. It's nothing personal and I hope Boston fans can understand that."
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10 Reasons Your Favorite Team is Going to Lose in the Playoffs
Wed. Apr 16th, 2014 | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21066 | www.staradvertiser.com > Sports > BreakingSports > Print Email Comment | View 1 Comments Most Popular Save Post Retweet
Bonds, Clemens, Sosa on Hall ballot for first time By Ben Walker
POSTED: 05:22 p.m. HST, Nov 27, 2012
LAST UPDATED: 10:26 a.m. HST, Nov 28, 2012 ASSOCIATED PRESS
Debbie Clemens, left, smiles while leaving federal court with her husband, former Major League Baseball pitcher Roger Clemens, in Washington on June 18, 2012, after he was acquitted on all charges by a jury that decided that he didn't lie to Congress when he denied using performance-enhancing drugs. NEW YORK >> The most polarizing Hall of Fame debate since Pete Rose will now be decided by the baseball shrine's voters: Do Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa belong in Cooperstown despite drug allegations that tainted their huge numbers?
In a monthlong election sure to become a referendum on the Steroids Era, the Hall ballot was released Wednesday, and Bonds, Clemens and Sosa are on it for the first time.
Bonds is the all-time home run champion with 762 and won a record seven MVP awards. Clemens took home a record seven Cy Young trophies and is ninth with 354 victories. Sosa ranks eighth on the homer chart with 609.
Yet for all their HRs, RBIs and Ws, the shadow of PEDs looms large.
"You could see for years that this particular ballot was going to be controversial and divisive to an unprecedented extent," Larry Stone of The Seattle Times wrote in an email. "My hope is that some clarity begins to emerge over the Hall of Fame status of those linked to performance-enhancing drugs. But I doubt it."
More than 600 longtime members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America will vote on the 37-player ballot. Candidates require 75 percent for induction, and the results will be announced Jan. 9.
Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza and Curt Schilling also are among the 24 first-time eligibles. Jack Morris, Jeff Bagwell and Tim Raines are the top holdover candidates.
If recent history is any indication, the odds are solidly stacked against Bonds, Clemens and Sosa. Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro both posted Cooperstown-caliber stats, too, but drug clouds doomed them in Hall voting.
Some who favor Bonds and Clemens claim the bulk of their accomplishments came before baseball got wrapped up in drug scandals. They add that PED use was so prevalent in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s that it's unfair to exclude anyone because so many who-did-and-who-didn't questions remain.
Many fans on the other side say drug cheats — suspected or otherwise — should never be afforded the game's highest individual honor.
Either way, this election is baseball's newest hot button, generating the most fervent Hall arguments since Rose. The discussion about Rose was moot, however — the game's career hits leader agreed to a lifetime ban in 1989 after an investigation concluded he bet on games while managing the Cincinnati Reds, and that barred him from the BBWAA ballot.
The BBWAA election rules allow voters to pick up to 10 candidates. As for criteria, this is the only instruction: "Voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played."
That leaves a lot of room for interpretation.
"Everyone has their own way of dealing with the issue, and in the absence of hard and fast rules, there will continue to be a wide diversity of opinions," Stone said.
Clemens was acquitted this summer in federal court on six counts that he lied and obstructed Congress when he denied using performance-enhancing drugs.
Bonds was found guilty in 2011 by a federal court jury on one count of obstruction of justice, ruling he gave an evasive answer in 2003 to a grand jury looking into the distribution of illegal steroids. Bonds is appealing the verdict.
McGwire is 10th on the career home run list with 583, but has never received even 24 percent in his six Hall tries. Big Mac has admitted to using steroids and human growth hormone.
Palmeiro is among only four players with 500 homers and 3,000 hits, yet has gotten a high of just 12.6 percent in his two years on the ballot. He drew a 10-day suspension in 2005 after a positive test for PEDs, and said the result was due to a vitamin vial given to him by teammate Miguel Tejada.
Biggio topped the 3,000-hit mark — which always has been considered an automatic credential for Cooperstown — and spent his entire career with the Houston Astros.
"Hopefully, the writers feel strongly that they liked what they saw, and we'll see what happens," Biggio said last week.
Schilling was 216-146 and won three World Series championships, including his "bloody sock" performance for the Boston Red Sox in 2004.
Bonds, Clemens rejected; no one elected to baseball Hall AP survey: Bonds, Clemens, Sosa lack votes to make Hall of Fame Maddux, Glavine, Thomas to join baseball's Hall of Fame Maddux, Glavine, Thomas on Hall of Fame ballot Bonds, Clemens and Sosa can expect voters to say no Print Email Comment | View 1 Comments Most Popular Save Post Retweet
droid wrote: As long as McGwire doesn’t make the ballot, they guys don’t have a prayer. | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21081 | Print viewNext topic | Previous topic | Tony Stewart Auto Club Speedway Press Conference
Sun Mar 27, 2011 4:22 am by peanut1439
Tony Stewart Auto Club Speedway Press Conference
Tony Stewart Auto Club Speedway Press Conference Posted: 26 Mar 2011 08:32 AM PDTTony Stewart Photo by Geoff Burke - Getty Images for NASCARTony Stewart met with media and discussed restrictor plate racing at Daytona and Talladega, the upcoming Martinsville race, the rain and track conditions at Auto Club Speedway, and more. Full Transcript:ON PRACTICE“We just went in qualifying trim. We actually lost the first five minutes switching over because we were set-up for race trim. So we just switched over and made three runs.”IS THAT WHAT EVERYBODY WORKED ON TODAY?“I think Darian said there was only one car that he saw that was making more than one lap at a time. And they probably did that for one run and then switched over. So, I’d say from the looks of it, everybody was doing qualifying stuff.”HOW WAS THE TRACK?“I didn’t have any problems but you don’t know where he (Kyle Busch) was (when he crashed) at and all that. I didn’t see what happened, so I really can’t comment on something I didn’t see.”BUT YOU DIDN’T HIT ANY WATER OR SEE ANYTHING?“No, we didn’t have any problems that I know of. We didn’t go out until after he (Kyle Busch) had his problems, so we kind of took it a little conservative and stayed off the bottom a little bit further.”WHEN YOU HAVE SUCH A SHORT PRACTICE LIKE TODAY, HOW DO YOU GET A FEEL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE IN THE CAR?“I’m terrible. I told Darian I apologized to him because I don’t think I did a very good job that session. I like to start off in race trim and get some laps under our belt and then when we switch over for qualifying I feel like I have a better idea of what the track is doing and where I need to be and where my marks are and all that. I didn’t feel like I did a very good job just going in cold turkey.”THERE ARE GUYS OUTSIDE THE TOP 20 THAT ARE USUALLY IN THE TOP 10. DO YOU THINK THE NEW POINTS SYSTEMS HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH THAT?“I think the Daytona 500 has a lot to do with that. Normally if somebody had a slow start to the year, you can normally pinpoint it to Daytona or something similar to that and you look at the first two races and there were two big ones (multi-car wrecks) in the first two races. I think there is a reason why there are guys kind of in a bad sport right now.”ON BEING TIED IN THE POINT STANDINGS WITH TEAMMATE RYAN NEWMAN “It’s definitely a good thing. I don’t think you can look at it and say it’s a telltale sign of what our season is going to be like but it’s always nice to get off to a good start and you don’t feel like you’re playing catch-up right off the bat. It’s like I said, I don’t like being tied (in points) with somebody but, this is a situation where I’m pretty happy to be tied with somebody right now.”IS THERE ANYTHING REALLY DIFFERENT WITH THAT TEAM OR IS IT AS JUST AS MUCH AS LUCK RIGHT NOW?“They’ve always done a good job but I think they’ve had a little bit of luck go their way this time around and they are definitely running better. They just got off to a really good start and it’s kind of worked that way for both sides. Both of our cars have been good. I think both teams have just been running better. “WHAT’S YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF WEEPERS ON THE TRACK?“I’m not an engineer so I don’t understand exactly why it pumps the water out. But there are certain places where, like Pocono is a place, here, those are two places that you know if it rains you’re going to get weepers. Indy used to be that way. I can’t exactly tell you what it is that makes it pump the water up and out of the ground once it gets saturated like that, but it’s just part of it you know. That’s the one variable that none of us can control when we get here and that’s the weather.”ON THE CHANGES OVER THE YEARS AT MARTINSVILLE“I think the shock technology and I think it’s like anywhere else where you’re still trying to get the cars to do the same thing. You still have to make them rotate and more so, at Martinsville than anywhere else, you have to, you’re asking the car to accelerate a lot off the corner. That’s the hardest thing. You can always get it to do one or the other, but it’s hard to get them to do both.“I think that’s why Martinsville is so difficult. But there are things that drivers figure out that they like and the feel that they like and when you find that you normally have something to shoot for each time you go on the race track. But the technology does change with it, I believe.”DOES IT SURPRISE YOU THAT TWO GUYS HAVE DOMINATED THE LAST 9 RACES AT MARTINSVILLE?“No, because like I say, I think once those guys know the feel that they want and then know the feel they have to have at the end of happy hour to be good for the race, I think that’s a big factor. We had a run there where we didn’t win a lot of races there but we were very consistent and ran a lot of top three’s and top five’s and I knew exactly how I had to have my balance and the end of the session to be good for the race.”HOW WAS YOUR TRIP TO THE ZOO?“It rained a lot but it was kind of cool to do that. It was neat being around an 11,000-lb. animal.”WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ANIMAL?‘We hung out with an elephant so that was pretty much it.”ON RUNNING A SMALLER RESTRICTOR PLATE AT TALLADEGA NEXT MONTH“We’ll be doing the same thing we did at Daytona. I guarantee you right off the bat, that’s exactly what everybody is going to do as soon as they hit the race track is go right back into that mode.”INAUDIBLE QUESTION REGARDING TALLADEGA“It’s still smooth enough and still fresh enough; it’s not brand new like Daytona was, but I think it still has enough grip that I think guys are still going to be able to do that pretty easily. I think what we saw in February is kind of a result of what the finish was in October at Talladega. You saw those two groups of cars at the end of the race, when the caution came out. And that’s how Harvick won the race. But I think that was kind of the start of what we saw in February. Nobody knew exactly the way it was going to be and that’s going to keep evolving now. That’s a style of racing that’s just going to keep building and growing from here on out.”QUESTION INAUDIBLE“Anytime Kevin (Harvick) and I and the other guys go and do that; anytime we get in something that has a motor, it’s ultra-competitive. Nobody wants to lose and I can promise you, Harvick, more than anybody I’ve ever met in my life, hates to lose at his own track more than anybody I’ve ever seen.”MORE THAN YOU?“Yes. More than me.”SO IS (CREW CHIEF) DARIAN (GRUBB) IN THE HAULER NOW BASICALLY TRYING TO GUESS WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO FOR QUALIFYING?“I think we’re actually going to go back to what we started with. The second and third runs didn’t feel as good as the first one so we’re just going to go back to where we started and that’s kind of where it felt the best and we’ll tweak off of that just a little bit.” | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21088 | Jeff Hart Quotes
"I used my regular locker from when I was a Lion. Any comfort zone you can find."
Author: Hart Quotes
"I don't think anybody could have seen the way Willie has come on, but he stepped in when Jerome and Duce were hurt and took advantage of the opportunity, and we've been able to take advantage of his speed and his big-play ability."
"I tell him all the time, 'Play your game, don't stay in the pocket for us,'"
"This suggests the (capital markets) environment was even better than we thought macro-wise,"
"I'm either above consensus or close to it -- if they're not going to hit my numbers it's because they beat it, not because they missed it."
"I am definitely proud of that 1994 team. We still have five guys from the offense who are still playing in this league. He (Brady) just keeps getting bigger and better ever year and that is a credit to Kyle and the hard work he puts in."
"Some players ... they're better unprepared, maybe. Just go out there and wing it. That's how he is."
"It really comes down to calling the right play at the right time. Hopefully as veterans we can pick up some of those stunts and then have Willie see it, and with his speed we should hopefully take advantage of it."
"I had to treat it as if they were just another team in free agency. I think, more than anything, the day we knew there wasn't a deal there was just a lot of uncertainty in my head because free agency brings a lot of uncertainty. You really don't have any idea where you're going to go."
"Obviously, it would be an unbelievable week for him. That would be icing on the cake. He deserves it. He's one of the best offensive linemen ever to play the game." | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21105 | Hornish Finishes 18th in the AAA Texas 500 November 8, 2010
Photo Courtesy of Autostock
FORT WORTH, Texas (November 7, 2010) – Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the Penske Racing No. 77 AAA Dodge Charger in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, finished 18th in the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday after battling a tight-handling car and utilizing late-race pit strategy to secure his 12th top-20 finish of the season.
After starting the race from the 27th position, Hornish reported that the AAA Dodge was tight-handling on the exit of the corners at the 1.5-mile oval. When the first caution flag of the race waved on lap 12, Hornish was posted in the 30th spot. He came to pit road for four tires and fuel, along with right-side air pressure and track bar adjustments. Hornish restarted the race in 29th place.
The handling of the AAA machine remained on the tight side as racing action continued. After substantial adjustments were made to the No. 77 Dodge under caution on lap 43, Hornish restarted the race from the 36th position and set himself to the task of advancing through the field.
On lap 58, Hornish was running in 34th place when the AAA Dodge spun and brushed the outside wall while entering Turn 3. The incident brought out the third caution period of the day. Hornish came to pit lane for service and a damage assessment, and after returning to the pits for additional repairs, he restarted the race in 36th place.
The tight-handling condition on the No. 77 Dodge persisted, and it was especially evident at the start of a run. At the midpoint of the 334-lap event, cooler temperatures and changing track conditions began to affect the landscape of the race, with Hornish running in the 24th spot, still on the lead lap.
Long green-flag runs marked the second half of the 500-mile race, as the AAA team continued to adjust the No. 77 Dodge with Hornish falling one lap down to the leaders on lap 237. As the final cycle of green-flag pit stops began, Hornish and the team decided to stay out on track as long as possible in hopes of taking advantage of a favorable caution flag. When the yellow flag was displayed for debris on lap 299, Hornish was running in the 13th spot, once again on the lead lap. He restarted the race with 30 laps to go in 17th place.
Hornish charged hard for the remaining laps of the race and crossed the finish line in the 18th position.
Penske Racing teammates Kurt Busch and Brad Keselowski finished the race in 24th and 33rd place, respectively. “We battled all afternoon for track position and it paid off for us,” said Hornish. “We stayed out under caution and got ourselves back on the lead lap, gambling and playing the card that we needed to play. We got the AAA Dodge a top-20 finish. We got loose a couple of times, scrubbed the wall, but we stayed in it and kept digging to bring home the best finish that we could. I’m happy to make it to the end.”
Still ranked 28th in the driver point standings, Hornish and the No. 77 team head to Phoenix International Raceway next weekend for the Kobalt Tools 500 on Sunday, November 14, 2010. Racing action will air live on the ESPN television network beginning at 3 p.m. EST. The race will also be broadcast live on MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio. | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21113 | Texas Tech Adds to Recruiting Class With JUCO Signee Lea Hopson
Hopson becomes the 10th member of Texas Tech's 2012-13 recruiting class
Southern Idaho standout Lea Hopson will join the Red Raiders for the 2014 season.
Photo courtesy of College of Southern Idaho Athletics.
LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech softball coach Shanon Hays added to his 2012-13 recruiting class Tuesday with the signing of junior college transfer Lea Hopson to a financial aid agreement.
Hopson, who starred the past two seasons at the College of Southern Idaho, becomes the 10th member of Tech's recruiting class for next season and the second player to come from the junior college ranks, joining Navarro College's Jessica Marshburn.
"We're excited to add a player of Lea's caliber to our roster for next season," Hays said. "She will be an extremely versatile player for us and give us several options both in the infield and the outfield. Lea is a talented hitter who will bring both power and quickness to our lineup. We're thrilled to get her and have her be a Red Raider."
Hopson was among the top junior college hitters in the country the past two seasons as she hit .431 this year with 12 home runs and 46 RBI. She led the Eagles with both a .521 on-base percentage and a .702 slugging percentage and was also able to use her speed to record five doubles, four triples, and a team-leading 24 stolen bases.
The performance earned the infielder first team All-American honors from the NJCAA, making her the seventh signee during Hays' tenure and the second in the 2013 class to receive the accolade prior to joining the Red Raiders.
A native of Sequim, Wash., Hopson hit. 359 as a freshman to go along with nine home runs, 11 doubles, six triples, 53 RBI and 62 runs scored. She helped lead the Eagles to a 43-18 record in 2012 before finishing 50-11 this past season.
She signed with Southern Idaho after a successful prep career at Sequim High School where she helped lead the Wolves to the 2011 state title thanks in part to a team-leading 12 home runs. She snapped the school record with 13 home runs as a junior en route to her first of two league MVP honors.
Hopson will have two years of eligibility remaining after arriving at Tech this fall. Printer-friendly format | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21114 | Team of the Week October 3, 2013: Wichita Falls High School Football
The Old High Coyotes are our team of the week after their first district win in two years. When you ask Old High players about their new head coach Danny Russell. There is always one word that keeps popping up. Dicipline. The players saying now that they have it, everything else is starting to fall into place. And after their first district win in two years things are looking up for the Coyotes, but coach Russel says he knows that nothing comes easy when it comes to district. But there's no doubt that the Old High Coyotes can walk a little taller this week. With a win over Fort Worth Brewer the Coyotes get back to 500 on the season. And get that district win that has eluded them for the last two years. First year head coach Danny Russell saying it all comes down to one thing, "the kids played really hard. If i had to pick one thing that separated this game from the rest it's that i thought our effort was so much better."Starting quarterback Eric Butler threw for 139 yards the Coyotes win, saying this win is a step closer to their ultimate goal, "well it means a lot. It's a step closer to the playoffs. And we're all feeling great about it."To go along with his 139 yards in the air, Butler also led the team in rushing with 78 yards. Coach Russell saying they saved that part of their offense for that first district game. It's no secret though that the coyotes most dangerous offensive weapon is wide receiver O.J. Clark. "O.J.'s just a big time player. We're going to try and get the ball to him as much as we can in the football game. I mean Azle is probably going to have him double covered and that's ok."Clark says of course a big part of his success so far, is his familiarity with his quarterback Eric Butler, "we've been playing with each other since we were freshman. We've worked hard all the way until now and it's paying off:"Next up for the Coyotes is another tough district opponnent. Old High facing the Azle Hornets on Friday night at Memorial Stadium. | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21116 | [The Age | Text-only index] Time to decide just who is our champion
Ange Postecoglou
LAST week's decision by the Asian Football Confederation on Australia's participation in the Asian Champions League is an indicator of the biggest challenge that David Gallop has in steering the code forward over the next few years.
Australia's failure to truly engage in our region in competition terms is very visible now, but for me the underlying cause is our uncertainty in our own identity. Our code is a global sport but Australia has its own unique sporting landscape and how we juggle these two factors could determine the extent of growth in the game. The past seven years have been about laying a foundation, but now the time has come for some clear direction in leadership.
The biggest wake-up call for me was not our reduced numbers in the competition, but which club was actually nominated as champion by the AFC. There is no clearer indicator of our lack of identity than our acceptance that we don't even respect our own competition rules.
To make it clear, since 1984 our champion has been decided by a grand final. Apart from 1987, when the rules were changed before the season and APIA was first past the post, the winner of our competition for nearly 30 years has been the victorious team in the grand final. This is not an opinion, it is fact and it is written in the competition rules and recorded historically as such. The argument as to whether ''first past the post'' is more worthy is a debate I am willing to have, but I find it offensive that we cannot even acknowledge who is champion even by our own rules.
The AFC has made it clear it does not respect our champion team and I am surprised that both Brisbane Roar and the competition have taken this without any real measure of indignation. Our whole competition lacks credibility when we cannot even measure how our league is decided. It seems Korea is afforded more flexibility than us because its champion is determined after the league breaks up into two groups after 30 rounds. It is hardly a conventional or traditional model, but ultimately the format is respected by everyone involved.
This is not an argument about ACL participation, but rather our inability to respect ourselves as a code and a competition. This is where our identity comes into it and | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21121 | The Moral of Super Bowl XLVII: Pay Attention to Special Teams
Kevin Craft Feb 4 2013, 4:50 PM ET
Punters, kickers, and other special-teams players have long remained the unsung heroes of football. But after the outstanding special-teams play on Sunday, that needs to change.
The Baltimore Ravens' Jacoby Jones scores on a touchdown reception during Super Bowl XLVII. (AP / Elaine Thompson)
Of the three phases of football, special teams play tends to receive the least fanfare. Analysts and announcers lavish attention on offensive and defensive units, making quarterbacks and middle linebackers out to be the heroes and leaders of football. The men who play special teams—the kickers, punters, return men, and coverage players—only seem to get mentioned if they screw something up or do something spectacular. But on Sunday, three of the most memorable plays of Super Bowl XLVII took place on special teams, and the Baltimore Ravens, who defeated the San Francisco 49ers 34-31, showed how one special-teams play in a close game can be the difference between victory and defeat. Related Story
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That play, which will show up on SportsCenter highlight reels from here to eternity, is Jacoby Jones's 108 yard kickoff return for a touchdown. It was electrifying and critical, giving the Ravens a 22-point lead that would prove insurmountable. Coming out of the locker room at halftime, Baltimore led the 49ers by a score of 21-6 and certainly looked to be in the driver's seat. Then things got even better for Ravens fans when Jones took the opening second-half kick-off to the house, setting an NFL postseason record and making a comeback by the 49ers significantly more difficult. Jones return also gave the Ravens the somewhat distinct honor of being the only franchise in NFL history to have two different players return kickoffs for touchdowns in Super Bowl competition. In Super Bowl XXXV, in which the Ravens defeated the New York Giants by a score of 34-7, Jermaine Lewis returned a second-half kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown. Even though that game was not nearly as competitive as yesterday's, Lewis' touchdown return was still critical: It essentially sealed the Ravens' first Super Bowl victory. Jones and Lewis are two of only nine players to return kick-offs for touchdowns in a Super Bowl. What's somewhat ironic is only three of those players played for the winning team. While Jones's touchdown return was the most exciting play of Super Bowl XLVII, it was not the game's first noteworthy special-teams moment. The Ravens special teams made waves long before Jones replicated Ray Lewis's trademark dance in the end zone. In the first half, the Ravens coaching staff decided to attempt the first fake field goal in Super Bowl history. Leading by a score of 14-3 and facing a 4th and 9 on San Francisco's 14-yard line, the Ravens lined up for what would have been about a 32-yard field goal attempt. But instead of kicking it, the Ravens direct snapped the ball to Justin Tucker who scrambled around the left end and came a yard short of the first-down marker. Even though the attempt failed to produce the desired result—a first and goal with only three minutes left in the half—Ravens Coach John Harbaugh deserves credit for having the moxie to try something so unexpected on football's biggest stage. The final special-teams play that provided a critical moment of entertainment happened in the game's waning moments. Holding a five-point lead with only 12 seconds to play, the Ravens faced two choices: They could punt the ball from their own end zone on fourth down, a risky proposition that in a worst case scenario could result in a blocked punt recovered for a touchdown, or they could intentionally take a safety, giving the 49ers two points but also providing themselves the opportunity to safely kick the ball from their 20 yard line on the following play. It could take another 47 Super Bowls before we see a 108 yard kick-off return, a fake field goal attempt, and an intentional safety take place in the same game.
Coach John Harbaugh wisely decided to go with the latter option, allowing fans to watch Ravens punter Sam Koch take the snap and move laterally around the back of the end zone as he awaited the oncoming 49ers rush. That play provided a moment of visual absurdity that only would have been made more appropriate had CBS scored the sequence with jangly piano music from the silent film era. The play, however, was also quite effective: It burned about seven seconds off the clock, ensuring the 49ers would only have time for one final play before the game ended.
That final play turned out to be a kick return by Ted Ginn Jr. that did not result in a game-winning touchdown. How appropriate that a contest featuring so many memorable special-teams moments would end with the Ravens special teams snuffing out the 49ers hopes. It should be noted that the Ravens have excelled at special-teams play all season long. According to the website Football Outsiders, which uses exhaustive statistical analysis to rate and rank professional football teams, the 2012 Ravens featured the best special-teams units in the NFL. What does this all mean? In the short term, it means that we should celebrate the players on the Ravens special teams for making Super Bowl XLVII one of the most unconventional championship contests in NFL history: It could take another 47 Super Bowls before we see a 108 yard kick-off return, a fake field goal attempt, and an intentional safety take place in the same game. In the long term, we should all pay more attention to the moments in football games when the ball's moving but the offensive and defensive units are on the sidelines.
Kevin Craft is a writer based in Arlington, Virginia. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, Salon, and Arlington Magazine.
Follow @krc1415
Thor Halvorssen and Alex Gladstein Apr 18, 2014 The State of American Beer | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21129 | The Buckeye BlogCollege football analysis and opinion with a heavy Ohio State biasAbout
Return to top of pageCopyright The Buckeye Blog © 2014You are here: Home / Ohio State Football / 47 Seconds, No Timeouts and a Legendary Perforance47 Seconds, No Timeouts and a Legendary Perforance October 21, 2012 By Jim During the first 59 minutes 13 seconds of the Ohio State vs. Purdue game, it appeared as though we were watching the collapse of the season. With Braxton Miller on his way to the hospital, the offense had bounced a field goal off the post, given up a safety and backup quarterback Kenny Guiton threw an interception. Although the defense was starting to show signs of life, things weren’t looking much better. Then it happened. With only 47 seconds left in the game and no timeouts to stop the clock, Guiton connected with Devin Smith for 39 yards. He immediately followed with a pass to Evan Spencer placing the Buckeyes on the 14 yard line. Carlos Hyde moved the ball another three yards but Guiton followed with a couple of incomplete passes. With time running out, Purdue committed pass interference placing the Buckeyes on the 2 yard line. A short pitch over the top to Chris Fields and the Buckeyes were in the end zone.
With only a few seconds left on the clock and two points down, you would expect the ball to go to Carlos Hyde. According to Coach Urban Meyer, the Buckeye offense sure did. “The offensive line was screaming at me (Meyer) to run the ball. I mean, like screaming. And same with Carlos Hyde. And I almost changed that play. And I said: Tom (Herman), let’s pound it at ‘em. He said, no, let’s go with this.”
A short hesitation lob to freshman Chris Fields and the game was tied and going into overtime. Five plays into overtime the Buckeyes were up by seven. The Ohio State defense held Purdue to five yards and the game was over. In one of the most amazing finishes since the “Holy Buckeye” pass, the Buckeyes had come from behind and salvaged their undefeated record.
Kenny Guiton, Urban Meyer and the power of confidence
Not only did we see an amazing turnaround by the Ohio State Buckeyes, in those 47 seconds we saw a change in this team that will have an impact for the rest of this season and into the future. And although I’ve been slow to accept it, much of this can be attributed to Urban Meyer’s coaching style. Everything about this game would suggest that the Buckeyes were done. The all star quarterback was out and on his way to the hospital. Corey Brown and Johathon Hankins were injured on the sidelines. At least two players were playing out of position because there was no one left to fill the spots. With a safety and an interception on the last two possessions, there was nothing to suggest that this team could pull it together. But instead of jumping on Guiton after throwing the interception, Meyer grabbed him and said, “…you’re going to go win us a game.”
Meyer was able to say that because he had confidence in Guiton–confidence he didn’t have in him last spring. Meyer has been very blunt about when he does or doesn’t have confidence in his players. But instead of giving up on them, this lack of confidence appears to be an important part of player development. He not only tells his kids he lacks confidence in them, he tells them what they need to do to fix the problem. When Meyer tells Guiton he can win the game, Guiton knows that Meyer truly believes he can and he responded.
Meyer continued:
He looked right at me. I think he was down. I think that moment kind of picked him up. And we have confidence in Kenny Guiton. And the one thing is we’re real honest with guys around here. If we didn’t, I would tell them: We don’t have any confidence in you. Here’s what you need to do. That’s not the case.
Every snap of practice he gets a rep. He’s done it over and over again in practice, the cross, we call it 860 cross. But after that interception, we all went back I just grabbed him and I said: You’ll be right back and we’ll win the game. And he looked right back me, said: I gotcha, Coach. And how many times has he been in that position, how many times has anybody been in that situation?
Guiton isn’t the only one where we’ve seen this type of development. In his post-game comments Meyer mentioned Fields and Jake Stoneburner. Meyer called Fields a “product of this program” saying that during the past few weeks, Fields has made a transformation “the way he works, his practice habits and his performance.”
He’s also seen a transformation in Stoneburner saying that in the past two weeks, Stoneburner has completely changed his performance. We had a come to you know what meeting because he wasn’t playing well. He was playing okay.
But, once again, I think one of the things that I love so much | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21173 | West Virginia’s Deniz Kilicli (13) is congratulated by teammates Gary Brown (left) and Eron Harris (10) during a game against Texas at the WVU Coliseum last Monday. AP PHOTO
Keep on moving
WVU looks to continue run at Baylor
For the Times West Virginian
MORGANTOWN — West Virginia University gets a chance to show if its recent three-game winning streak is the real deal or a mirage as it travels back to Texas to play in Waco tonight against Baylor in a game crucial to the Mountaineers’ attempt to make a late run to the NCAA Tournament.
Tipoff is 9 p.m., and the game is televised on ESPN2.
No one can doubt that WVU has been an improved team of late, losing by just five points at home to Kansas at a time when the Jayhawks were ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the nation, then following that with the three-game winning streak.
However, before anyone goes off doing backflips, the three teams WVU defeated — Texas, Texas Tech and TCU — are the three teams below them in the Big 12 standings and have combined for just five victories in conference play, as many as WVU itself has won in the league.
Baylor is a different animal, however, with a 15-8 overall record that includes a non-conference victory over defending national champion Kentucky.
The Bears stand at 6-4 in league play, which makes this a key game for the Mountaineers, who could move into a tie with Baylor at 6-5 with the upset victory. The way things are going in the Big 12, the top spots in the conference are not out of reach of WVU.
Two games separate the top six teams and WVU stands seventh, just a game behind that and could push itself into NCAA consideration with a few upsets down the stretch.
Certainly, with the Mountaineers’ newfound ability to shoot, that is not out of the realm of possibility.
When asked the difference in his team during this three-game winning streak, Huggins laid it on the fact that his team has begun scoring.
“We finally made some shots,” he said. “I think we’ve shot over 50 percent two of the three (wins). For us, when we make shots we give ourselves a chance.”
The difference has been Deniz Kilicli making inside shots he was butchering earlier in the season and freshmen Terry Henderson and Eron Harris finding their shooting touches.
Had that been happening earlier in the conference schedule, things might have been different.
“In all honesty, we’ve been so close,” Huggins said. “We were real close to beating Kansas State here and Iowa State there. We never got over the hump and finished those games. Hopefully we have the confidence now.”
Scott Drew, the Baylor coach, has seen the changes in the Mountaineers on film.
“All year long they have been solid defensively and very good on the boards. The offense has picked up now. They have a couple of guys (Henderson and Harris) making more shots and playing more. When you add that to good defense and rebounding, that’s what gets you wins,” he said.
This, though, is a different kind of team that WVU is facing.
Baylor is a high-powered offensive team that averages 75.4 points a game, to rank 34th in the nation in scoring. They do with a high-powered, two-way point guard in Pierre Jackson, who averages 19.1 points a game and 6.7 assists a game, setting everything up.
“I think he is certainly one of the best players in the league,” Huggins said. “He can really score. He does a great job with ball screens. They can get you spread. They have a number of other guys capable of making shots.”
And because of that you can’t cheat on Jackson, because when he hits the open man, the open man hits the shot.
Baylor not only is high scoring, but it is a high-flying team, ranking 18th in the nation in rebounding, averaging just about 40 a game. WVU, with as much emphasis as it puts on rebounding, averages just 36 per contest.
To make matters worse, WVU has been outrebounded in four of its last five games, and in the one game it had more rebounds than its opponent it took in just 23 rebounds.
“It’s hard to be successful if you can’t hold your own on glass,” Drew said. “This year and last year we’ve been better than in the past. With the offensive numbers across the board in college basketball today, there’s more of a premium on rebounding because there’s more misses to get.”
Email Bob Hertzel at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @bhertzel. | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21188 | Palmer: The long and short of long snappingJesse Palmer10/28/2008 12:22:45 PMText SizeBad Snaps
Do you know who Greg Warren is? He's the starting long snapper for the Pittsburgh Steelers. In Sunday's 21-14 loss at home to the New York Giants, Warren was forced to leave the game with a knee injury in the third quarter, and because of that, the Steelers probably lost the game. That's right, because of an injury to the long snapper.
James Harrison normally plays linebacker for the Steelers, but he is also the backup long snapper. Forced into action, Harrison made a critical mistake in the fourth quarter, as he sailed a snap over punter Mitch Berger's head for a safety, tying the game up at 14 apiece. To make matters worse, the Giants would score the go ahead touchdown on the ensuing drive. Steelers fans must have been pulling their hair out watching the back up long snapper fail to execute the snap, a fundamental concept that all fans take for granted. As I was watching this game, I began thinking back to my playing days, and tried recalling how often backup special teamers were able to hone their skills in practice. Honestly, I don't remember back up long snappers ever getting many reps on any given practice with their respective starting special teams units. I was our back up holder for a few years with the Giants, and I needed to either get my holding work in before practice, or during break periods with the long snappers. There is not very much time dedicated to special teams during the week of practice, so when those precious few reps take place, the coaches invariably want the starters in at all times. That means as a backup long snapper, you need to get your work in at other moments in practice and I remember this being a difficult thing to do because position coaches always want to talk with their players and go over the game plan during break periods. Getting out onto the field early is difficult, too, as players don't get very much time for taping when meetings are finished. Players normally have 15 minutes or so to finish meeting, and get dressed and taped before getting on the practice field. For all of these reasons, it may have been hard for James Harrison to get the required reps that he needs in practice in order to compete successfully during games. At the end of the day, though, these guys are all professionals and they are expected to do what's necessary so that they are ready to go come kickoff. Harrison's mistake Sunday opened the door just enough for the New York Giants to get through. It's amazing how sometimes the smallest detail like a long snap on a punt can be the deciding factor in whether a team wins or loses a game. Rookie Raven Flying High
Joe Flacco did it all against the Oakland Raiders this past weekend. The Baltimore Ravens rookie quarterback threw for a touchdown and ran for another, but the Raiders could have never expected that he would catch a pass! Not only did Flacco catch a pass, it was a beauty - a 43 yard wheel route thrown by Troy Smith down the left sideline to put the Ravens in scoring position. Do you ever wonder what goes on in the mind of a quarterback when the tables are turned and the ball is actually being thrown to him? At the University of Florida, head coach Steve Spurrier always had trick plays designed to be thrown to the quarterback. We would practice these plays each and every week and have them ready for game time. Spurrier was not shy at all and would often call them in games, much to the surprise of our opponents. Believe it or not, when running routes, quarterbacks aren't concerned about getting their heads knocked off, because these trick plays generally allow the QB to be out in space somewhere on the field where there are not any defenders. Throwback plays to the quarterback normally involve some type of misdirection, allowing the QB to get wide open, or matched up one on one with a single player. The biggest fear a quarterback has, obviously, is dropping the ball! You always see quarterbacks get so frustrated and animated when wide receivers drop passes, and if you are going to hold receivers to a certain standard, than as a quarterback you have to hold yourself to the same standard. What's funny is that quarterbacks will try and set good examples for wide receivers when getting the ball thrown to them. If the throw is short, and it's going to be a jump ball situation, the quarterbacks will always try their best to knock the ball down instead of letting the defender go up and make the easy interception because this is what QB's expect their receivers to do for them if the ball isn't throw perfectly! Joe Flacco was able to set a great example for his receivers and teammates as he stretched out for a beautiful fingertip grab in what I think was unquestionably the play of the game.
Coaching Old School Mike Singletary is employing "old school" tactics in San Francisco. During a 34-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in his head coaching debut, Singletary benched starting quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan in the third quarter. Then he sent tight end Vernon Davis to the locker room during the fourth quarter of the game for what Singletary believed to be a "nonchalant" attitude following an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Davis. Singletary later apologized to the fans and media for his team's performance in his now infamous post-game news conference. Many are now wondering if Singletary's old school approach will work in the 49ers locker room. I believe Singletary's mantra will eventually work in San Francisco, but it can't work with the players that the 49ers currently have in their locker room right now. I played for the 49ers in 2005, and Singletary was on the coaching staff. I can say from personal experience that he is an unbelievable motivator. Linebacker Jeff Ulbrich said last week that Singletary could talk about "tying your shoes and get you excited". But the project in San Francisco to build a tough, winning attitude will take several off-seasons to construct. Singletary will need to shuffle the roster in order to find "team first" players that buy into his p | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21191 | Todd Haley: Worth a Look by the St. Louis Rams?
By Douglas M
@thenovelroad
Why haven't the St. Louis Rams interviewed former Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley? Say what you want about Haley, and his occasional ranty behavior, but the man knows football.
His record as a head coach over 3 years is a vanilla 19 wins versus 26 losses but, if you look closer, I think you'll find a coach that has done a decent job building a good team that was decimated by injuries in 2011. What I like most about Haley is how he responded to the loss of key players during the year. Many teams would have given up after the Chiefs' early season debacles (they lost their first two games by a total score of 89 to 10), losing their top running back Jamaal Charles, safety Eric Berry and starting quarterback Matt Cassel. Haley coached a team that everyone basically wrote off after week #2 of the NFL season, and made them competitive down the stretch before being eliminated in week #16.
The downside of Haley: He is an emotionally driven coach ( a la Rex Ryan) that oft times overshadows his genuine football knowledge, and he appears to have trouble working with others at times (see Scott Pioli).
Whatever knock you may have with Todd Haley, no one can say he isn't a pure football guy that possesses an almost obsessive work ethic and a thorough knowledge of the game. | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21207 | Aug. 17, 1997 Notre Dame Baseball Signee Michael Restovich Signs with Minnesota Twins
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The Minnesota Twins ended summer-long negotiations with their second-round draft choice Michael Restovich (Rochester, Minn.) by signing the Mayo High School graduate to a professional contract on August 15, making Restovich the second Notre Dame signee to sign with professional baseball during the past two months.
Restovich, whose father George and brother George, Jr. both played baseball at Notre Dame, is the highest in-state draft pick in the history of the Twins franchise. Restovich was one of seven high school players, four of whom are position players, to sign national letters of intent with Notre Dame. Another of those position players, catcher Camron Hahn (Louisville, Ky.), signed with the Houston Astros on June 20 after being selected in the second round with the 68th overall pick of the 1997 amateur draft.
"This is something that all college baseball coaches hate to see happen--you work so hard to sign a top-10 recruiting class and then see a good portion of that hard work lost to the professional draft and the power of money, " said fourth-year Notre Dame head coach Paul Mainieri, who has lost four recruits and three other draft-eligible players to professional baseball before they completed their eligibility at Notre Dame. "Anytime you lose half of your incoming position players, it's tough, but we will rebound from this and play with the players who want to be at Notre Dame and pursue their education," added Mainieri, whose squad is set to return seven of nine starting position players and 11 pitchers from a 1997 team that went 41-19. "There is no question that we will face a greater challenge without having two of the top recruited players in the country attending Notre Dame but all the players in the program will have to rally together and make up for the loss of these two outstanding talents."
Hahn and Restovich would have been logical replacements in the Irish batting order for the program's two graduated position players: all-conference outfielder Randall Brooks and all-region catcher Mike Amrhein. Restovich was the 61st overall selection in the 1997 draft, which included 24 "sandwich" compensation picks between the first and second rounds. The Twins drafted two players prior to Restovich but have yet to sign those top two picks: shortstop Michael Cuddyer (first round) and catcher Matt LeCroy (compensation pick). Cuddyer previously signed a national letter of intent to attend Florida State while LeCroy has the option of returning to Clemson for his senior year if he does not sign with the Twins.
The Irish were just 11 days away from seeing Restovich join the program for at least the next three years. Players who are drafted after graduating from high school may sign a professional contract up to the point where they attend their first college class (classes begin at Notre Dame on Aug. 26). After that time, such players are not eligible to sign with a professional team until after their junior year or 21st birthday (whichever comes first), at which time such players re-enter the draft (the original drafting team holds no rights if the player does not sign).
In addition to Hahn and Restovich, the Notre Dame baseball program also has lost recent signees Ryan Dempster and A.J. Zapp to professional baseball. Dempster, a righthanded pitcher, was a second-round pick of the Texas Rangers in 1995 (he since has been traded to the Florida Marlins organization). Zapp signed with the Atlanta Braves organization in 1996, after being drafted in the first round.
Outfielder Ryan Topham bypassed his senior year at Notre Dame after being selected by the Chicago White Sox in the fourth round of the 1995 draft. In 1996, sophomore righthanded pitcher Christian Parker and junior center fielder Scott Sollmann also signed with professional baseball. Parker, who turned 21 during the summer of '96, signed with the Montreal Expos after being drafted in the fourth round while Sollmann signed with the Detroit Tigers, who drafted him in the seventh round. The Associated Press has reported that "Restovich's contract includes a signing bonus believed to be the highest in team history for a second-round pick." The A.P. story also states that Restovich "accepted a signing bonus worth well over $500,000 and perhaps as much as $650,000" in addition to "$100,000 for school." The A.P. also reported that Restovich will report next month to the Twins' fall instructional league in Fort Meyers, Florida. He has been assigned to the rookie-league Elizabethtown (Tenn.) Twins for the 1998 season.
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2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21235 | ITF Seniors World Championships
Works Advances to Third Round at ITF Seniors
San Antonio's Shelly Works advanced to the third round in the Women's 45s.
© J. Fred Sidhu
By J. Fred Sidhu, special to USTA.com
LA JOLLA, Calif. – After receiving a first-round bye, unseeded Shelly Works of San Antonio, Texas eliminated Russia’s Elena Barabash, 6-2, 6-0, to move into the third round of the Women’s 45 division at the 2012 International Tennis Federation Seniors World Individual Championships.
Works, who captured the United States Tennis Association National Hard Court and Indoor singles titles in the Women’s 45s last year, used the first few games of the match to figure out a strategy against her hard-hitting opponent.
On a breezy, mostly cloudy day at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, Works mixed up the pace of her shots against Barabash and began to draw errors from the Russian who could not match her consistent game from the baseline.
Even though Works describes herself as a baseliner, she showed during the match that she is not hesitant to be more aggressive and come to the net and put a ball away.
As Works controlled the tempo of the match, she won the first set and dominated the second set as she quickly built a 5-0 lead. Barabash served to stay in the match, but on match point against her, Works slammed a backhand cross court winner to seal the victory.
In the week prior to the ITF Seniors World Individual Championships, Works represented the U.S. in the Margaret Court Cup in the ITF Seniors World Team Championships in San Diego. The U.S. dropped a narrow 2-1 decision to Ireland, the eventual winner, and finished in 5th place.
It was the first time Works had played in the international team competition after having to decline two previous invitations due to family commitments. "It was good to play the team competition first because you don’t have so many nerves going into the first round of this (individual event). It’s a little more comfortable," Works said. Works credits her fitness for her on-court success. "Fitness is a big deal for me. I work out a lot," Works said. "I do a lot of training, speed and agility work and weights." She says her fitness allows her to stay on the court and wear down her opponents in long matches.
"I basically just run down every ball that I can and try and outlast my opponents. In singles, I tend to lay back on the baseline and hit 50 million balls until somebody hits one out," Works said.
Just how fit is the 48-year-old Works? In 2011, she lost in the singles final of the USTA National 45Clay Court Championships in a five-hour match. However, that was not the longest match she’s ever played.
In 2002, Works played for six and a half hours in the 3rd/4th place match at the USTA National 35 Clay Court Championships. Works advances to the third round, where she could possibly meet top-seeded Klaartje Van Baarle of Belgium, who was scheduled to play Mexico’s Veronica Villar in the second round. In other tournament action, Bill Kellogg of the United States defeated qualifier and fellow American Shawn Schraeger, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club to reach the second round of the Men’s 55 division. For the most current draws and results for the 2012 ITF Seniors World Individual Championships, go to: www.itftennis.com/seniors
The 32nd ITF Seniors World Individual Championships (Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles) is being played at the following locations:
Men’s 50s, 55s; Women’s 45s and Mixed Doubles 45s – La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club & La Jolla Tennis Club, La Jolla, Calif.
Men’s 35s, 40s; Women’s 35s and Mixed Doubles 35s – La Costa Resort and Spa, Carlsbad, Calif.
Men’s 45s, Women’s 40s and Mixed Doubles 40s – Morgan Run Club & Resort, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
Women’s 50s, 55s and Mixed Doubles 50s, 55s – San Diego Tennis & Racquet Club, San Diego, Calif.
ITF Seniors World Championships Home | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21274 | Success Off and On the Court | The University of West Georgia
Success Off and On the Court
Success on the floor and in the classroom has been the distinguishing trademark of Shaneka Bates throughout her basketball career at UWG.
That winning combination has earned Bates a prestigious NCAA award, the Division II Degree Completion Award.
A native of Heflin, AL, Bates has a 3.36 grade point average and will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in criminology. She is a two-time member of the GSC Academic Honor Roll and was named a member of the All-Academic Gulf South Conference Team this past spring.
In the past two years, Bates played as a starter and contributor on teams that won 47 games while maintaining a record of academic excellence.
“Shaneka is an ideal candidate for this award,” said UWG basketball coach Craig Roden. “She is a great ambassador for West Georgia and she will continue to be a great ambassador for this university for years to come.” Youtube | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21289 | > Columnists > Birds of Paradise Columnists
Ravens QB Flacco no longer an ordinary Joe
By: Gary Lawless
Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Bernard Pollard (31) celebrate an incomplete pass thrown by 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in the second half of Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans on Sunday. (CP) Enlarge Image
49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh protests what he thinks is a missed interference call late in the fourth quarter. (CP) Enlarge Image
Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco raises the Vince Lombardi Trophy as the Super Bowl MVP. (TRIBUNE MEDIA MCT) NEW ORLEANS -- He may be Joe Dull but you can now call him Joe MVP, as well as Joe Champ. Soon you can add Joe Mega-Rich to the list.
His dad called him dull. The world denied his elite status. In the end, Joe Flacco was Super Bowl MVP and a world champion.
This was Joe Flacco's night. The other storylines -- the Harbaugh brothers and Ray Lewis, were certainly juicy. But Flacco stole all the heat as he put together a brilliant performance in pushing his Baltimore Ravens to a 34-31 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
"I don't think it's going to settle in for a while," Flacco said minutes after the victory. "We don't make anything easy. It was a hard-fought game on both sides. I think we gave the country a pretty good game to watch. Hey, sometimes it goes that way.
"We had to go out there and continue to do our job. We had some good drives and I wished we could have punched it into the end zone and made it easier on ourselves. But they played good and they are a good defence."
It's Purple Reign for the Ravens, as they collected their second Super Bowl in franchise history and ended an improbable run led by their inspirational defensive leader Ray Lewis.
Lewis suffered a torn triceps injury mid-season, but somehow found a way to get back into lineup for their wild-card game against the Indianapolis Colts, while at the same time announcing this would be his last season. A win at home against the Colts and then unlikely road wins over the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots landed the Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII.
Lewis had an ordinary game on Sunday night, but will now move into retirement as a two-time champ and the greatest player in Ravens history. His role in a double-murder 13 years ago and charges of doping will fade to the background as he begins a broadcasting career with ESPN.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh becomes a Super Bowl-winning coach while his younger brother Jim must spend the off-season wondering what might have been, after his team came back from a 28-6 deficit and put itself in position to take their first lead of the game in the final minutes. But a first-and-goal from the seven-yard line came up empty after one running play and three incomplete passes.
"How else can you finish that off but with a goal-line stand. How else can you finish the Super Bowl off?" said Lewis. "Now it's retirement. Daddy gets to come home now. I get to chase my kids. They aren't going to like me being at home all the time. It's the most ultimate feeling."
Jim Harbaugh wanted a holding penalty on the final passing attempt to the corner of the end zone, but no flags hit the turf and the Ravens had the ball and the clock to kill.
"It's tough. It's very tough. It's a lot tougher than I thought it was going to be. It's very painful," said John Harbaugh about beating his brother's team.
Flacco finished 22-of-33 for 287 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. There will be a few weeks of celebrating for Flacco and then he and Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti will sit down and work out a long-term deal with an average annual salary in the $20 million range.
A blowout became a power outage and then turned into a classic as this game morphed from dud to the unforgettable.
Everything went Baltimore's way early as they scored on their opening drive of the game, with Flacco finding Anquan Boldin for a 15-yard major. Touchdowns for Dennis Pitta and Jacoby Jones pushed the lead to 21-6 at the half.
Jones then opened the third quarter with a kickoff-return touchdown to push the lead to 28-6.
Divine intervention, or perhaps a ratings-crazed CBS Sports executive, pulled the plug on power in the Superdome and shut the game down in a 34-minute delay.
When play resumed, the Niners finally appeared to have woken up. Or the Ravens had dozed off. San Francisco rattled off 17 unanswered points to trim Baltimore's lead to 28-23.
The Ravens opened the fourth quarter with a strong drive that petered out in the red zone, settling for a field goal and a 31-23 lead.
But Baltimore's drive did nothing to slow the Niners and they quickly responded, going 76 yards in 2:57 for a Kaepernick 15-yard TD run. The two-point conversion failed and the Niners trailed 31-29 with just under 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Once again, however, Flacco was able to engineer a drive that resulted in a field goal and a 35-29 lead.
Momentum and time appeared to be on the Niners side at that point. Kaepernick drove the ball all the way to the Ravens five-yard line, but couldn't deliver a major.
[email protected] Twitter: @garylawless
Gary Lawless, Winnipeg Free Press
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 4, 2013 C1
About Gary Lawless
Gary Lawless is the Free Press sports columnist and co-host of the Hustler and Lawless show on TSN 1290 Winnipeg and www.winnipegfreepress.com
Lawless began covering sports as a rookie reporter at The Chronicle-Journal in Thunder Bay after graduating from journalism school at Durham College in Ontario.
After a Grey Cup winning stint with the Toronto Argonauts in the communications department, Lawless returned to Thunder Bay as sports editor.
In 1999 he joined the Free Press and after working on the night sports desk moved back into the field where he covered pro hockey, baseball and football beats prior to being named columnist. | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21313 | Hansen: One Year In Office
7 February 2003 09:10am
By Steve Hansen celebrates one year in office as the Wales National Coach on Friday, 7 February. Ahead of him is the busiest year of international rugby Wales has ever known, with the RBS Six Nations Championship kicking-off next week and the Rugby World Cup set to open in Australia in October.
'The time has flown by and my only focus at present is on preparing the team to play in the Six Nations and trying to get Wales off to a winning start in the championship for the first time since 1997,' said Hansen.
'This is going to be an incredibly exciting and demanding year for the Welsh Squad and the National Team Management have been trying to put in place systems that enable the players to perform to the best of their ability.
'We have also been working hard on changing attitudes throughout the Welsh rugby scene. This hasn't been easy and the recent difficulties we have experienced in the release of squad players for training has highlighted some of our on-going problems in marrying up fixture and training scheduling. Because of these problems we have had a club v country scenario which nobody wants and which has to be resolved through better planning.
'This Six Nations Championship is going to be like no other before it because of the condensing of the fixtures. With five matches to play in a seven week period it is going to be hugely demanding on the players both mentally and physically.
'That is why when we sat down with the club coaches and Union administrators way back in September we made our wishes crystal clear for the two week build up period to our opening game in Italy. It is not just about having time to prepare for one match in Rome, but clearing space to prepare the players for two championship matches in the space of eight days.
'I'm pleased to say that after further consultation with the club coaches this week our message appears to have been received and understood - the national cause is now getting close to the top of people's agendas.
'I know what it is like as a club coach to lose players to a national squad. We used to lose up to 14 players from the Canterbury NPC squad to the All Blacks.
'That was just the way it was and we had to get on with it. What that did was provide opportunities for other players and it was my duty as the coach to make them make the most of the chance.
'The time has come for the real leaders in rugby - coaches, administrators and even some players - to start taking the lead for the greater good of Welsh Rugby.
'There has to be compromise along the way and I would like to thank the coaches for their assistance and backing, particularly from those teams who have so many players in our squad.
'I had an excellent face-to-face meeting with the Llanelli coach Gareth Jenkins this week and we have ironed out any difficulties that may have appeared. Llanelli will have a strong team to take with them to Pontypool to play in the Principality Cup at the weekend, and we will have a full squad of players to work with.
'Llanelli have been given dispensation to use permit and loan players to complete their replacements bench and Pontypool have also been excellent in giving their blessing. This is exactly the kind of compromise and understanding we need in difficult circumstances to move the game forward in Wales.
'More than anything else, the problem of player release needs to be addressed at the start of the season when the fixtures are being planned. The right people need to be in a position to make the right decisions for the good of every section of the game.
'I'm grateful to Llanelli, Cardiff, Swansea, Bridgend, Pontypridd and Neath and, in fact all the clubs, for their co-operation not only this week, but throughout the year.
'I feel the National Team Management is probably closer than ever before in its relationship with the Clubs and coaches even in these difficult times.' | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21320 | Freeman lands on DL with strained oblique
Sunday - 4/7/2013, 4:00pm ET
GEORGE HENRY
ATLANTA (AP) -- First baseman Freddie Freeman was visibly upset that the Atlanta Braves placed him on the 15-day disabled list Sunday with a strained right oblique.Freeman, who is hitting .417 with one homer and seven RBIs through the first five games, said team management did not tell him before making the decision."They didn't even give me a choice," Freeman said before Atlanta's game with the Chicago Cubs. "It's my career. I should be able to make that decision."Freeman said he found out after arriving at Turner Field. He was examined by the team's medical staff on Saturday night after the Braves' 6-5 victory."They didn't even tell me anything," Freeman said. "I don't know what's going on. I'm pretty (angry) right now."Braves general manager Frank Wren defended the move."Especially this early in the season, we're not going to take a chance to turn what would be two to three weeks into six or eight weeks by tearing that oblique area," Wren said.Freeman said the injury first occurred in a workout March 31, the day before the season started, and that he wanted to keep playing through the pain. He winced and was favoring his right side while running to first on an RBI single in the eighth inning on Saturday.Freeman will not travel with the team when Atlanta plays its next six games at Miami and Washington."It's not hurt to the point where I can't play," Freeman said. "I can play just fine. At least talk to me about it. You can't just make a decision without me knowing."Rookie catcher Evan Gattis took Freeman's cleanup spot in the lineup. Third baseman Chris Johnson started at first base and hit seventh.Blake DeWitt was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett to take Freeman's spot on the 25-man roster.Shortstop Andrelton Simmons missed his second straight day with a sore right thumb. Ramiro Pena started in his spot.Wren said he wasn't upset that Freeman voiced his displeasure with the decision."He's a young guy that wants to play, and you appreciate that," Wren said. "You want him to be out there, but I think sometimes you have to protect players from themselves."This is not one of those situations where we want to lose him for the whole first half by letting him go out and tear that oblique area, and then we're dealing with a whole different injury," Wren added. "We think we've caught it early enough that he should be back in two to three weeks." | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21327 | Frazier's deal with Vikings thru 2014
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — After leading the Minnesota Vikings to a surprising playoff berth last season, coach Leslie Frazier had a contract option picked up for 2014.
The Vikings announced they exercised the fourth-year option on his Wednesday, helping Frazier avoid what would have been a lame-duck season in 2013 while also giving the team some flexibility going forward.
"Coach Frazier has done a remarkable job in building a strong foundation for the Minnesota Vikings and creating a very positive future," Vikings owner Mark Wilf said in a statement issued by the team. "We value his leadership and look forward to working with him for many years to come."
Frazier was entering the final year of his deal, and talks of an extension started to become an issue publicly as the Vikings mounted a stunning December run to the playoffs. Stuck at 6-6 and without injured receiver Percy Harvin, the Vikings rode Adrian Peterson to four straight victories, including a thriller over Green Bay in the regular-season finale to thrust them into the postseason. They lost to the Packers the next week in the wild-card round.
In deciding to exercise the option rather than extend Frazier's deal out further, Vikings ownership could be looking to avoid what burned them with their previous coaching hire. While Brett Favre was leading the Vikings to the top of the NFC North and a 12-4 record in 2009, the Zygi and Mark Wilf gave Childress a five-year contract extension. That deal came back to bite them the next season when things went so poorly so quickly that they felt compelled to fire Childress 10 games into that deal, a decision they're still paying for this year.
Frazier's agent, Bob LaMonte, said there have not been negotiations on a longer-term extension with the Vikings.
Frazier took over for the fired Childress with six games to go in the 2010 season. He went 3-3 to finish that season, 3-13 in his first full year in 2011 and 10-6 in 2012.
GM Rick Spielman has spoken in glowing terms about the working relationship he has shared with Frazier since taking over the general manager duties last year.
"Leslie's been doing an outstanding job," Spielman said during the bye week. "Knowing the situation that we were going to have a lot of new faces on this roster, and I think the coaching staff has done an outstanding job.
"We can bring in guys that are talented, but it's our coaches who should get the credit for developing these guys. And our coaches should get the credit for playing these guys and letting them grow into the positions as they grow."
Frazier inherited a team in turmoil that was falling apart fast after starting the season with Super Bowl aspirations. Favre wasn't playing nearly as well in his second season with the Vikings, a trade for Randy Moss turned into a disaster and the Metrodome roof collapsed shortly after he took over for Childress.
Last season, Frazier never wavered even when quarterback Christian Ponder was struggling, Harvin was hurt and the defense was having difficulty putting pressure on the quarterback.
"Just his voice and what he has brought to this team and the locker room, it's been huge," Peterson said in December. "Guys really connect with him on that level. Just feeling his presence through his words and the confidence he has in us. Everything he speaks out there, we embrace and trust in his word."
The approach worked like a charm.
Ponder started to play better in December, Peterson topped 2,000 yards to run away with the MVP award and the Vikings surprised everyone by squeaking in as the sixth seed in the NFC. It was an emphatic rebound for Frazier after that rough first full season.
Frazier and the rest of the coaching staff made big strides, along with the team, as the season drew to a close in December, but apparently not quite enough to earn him a long-term extension.
But it does solidify things for the next two years at least, with Spielman and Frazier at the top of the organization's pecking order.
Now a team that posted back-to-back last-place finishes in its division for the first time in the franchise's proud history appears primed to get back into contention much sooner than first thought. Peterson will have a full healthy summer to work out after being limited last year while recovering from ACL surgery, Ponder will have another year of development under his belt and the Vikings will look to continue to the productive drafting that has aided the quick turnaround.
Follow Jon Krawczynski on Twitter: http://twitter.com/APKrawczynski
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2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21363 | RECAP: WEEKEND ISRAELI ACTION
BRIAN SCIARETTA - Sunday, September 26, 2010
Bryan Gerzicich and Hapoel Kiryat Shmona leaped into first place with an impressive victory over the defending champions while Leo Krupnik scored an own goal for Maccabi Netanya in their draw with Hapoel Petah Tikva.
Hapoel Tel Aviv 2-4 Hapoel Kiryat Shmona
Despite being a newly promoted team, Hapoel Kiryat Shmona proved on Saturday that they will be a contender this year in the Israeli Premier League as they defeated the defending champions, Hapoel Tel Aviv, on the road in convincing fashion to move into first place in the league.
American Bryan Gerzicich played a full 90 for Kiryat Shmona in central midfield where he has played every minute for the club this season. They have yet to lose and have earned ten points in four games.
Kiryat Shmona was led by a fantastic effort from forward Wiyam Amashe who scored a hat-trick on Saturday bringing his goal total to five so far on the young season.
Hapoel Tel Aviv opened the scoring early in the 10th minute when Israeli international, Itay Shechter, brought the hosts into the lead netting from close range when he hammered into the top of the goal a pass from the left wing via former Chelsea and Espanyol winger Ben Sahar.
After controlling most of the game, Kiryat Shmona would draw even 15 minutes later in the 25th minute when Amashe would score his first of the game when he connected with Elroy Cohen, the talented Israeli U21 midfielder who has been enjoying a strong start to the season.
Gerzicich would create a turnover in the midfield and eventually get the ball to Cohen just outside the box. While running towards the goal, Amashe received a nifty pass from Cohen and unleashed a shot that ricocheted off both the left and right posts and then into the net for the equalizer.
Kiryat Shmona took their first lead of the game in the 37th minute when Cohen got the ball in midfield and unleashed a through-ball that connected with Zambian midfielder William Njovu putting him in alone against Hapoel Tel Aviv keeper Vincent Enyeama. Njovu dribbled left around Enyeama and scored to give Kiryat Shmona a 2-1 lead heading into halftime.
In the 54th minute, Shechter pulled the hosts even with his second goal of the game when substitute Nigerian forward Toto Tamuz sent in a looping pass from the left side that Shechter was able to control then beat several defenders and eventually hammered home to make it 2-2.
Amashe put the guests into the lead in the 67th minute again when he converted off an errant backpass from Hapoel Tel Aviv defender Avihai Yadin.
Amashe finished off his hat-trick performance and put the game out of reach in the 74th minute when he scored the goal of the game. Njovu led the counter attack down the left side then swung a cross-field pass to Amashe who unleashed a powerful and bending shot from 25 yards around the keeper into left corner of the net.
The difficult day for Hapoel Tel Aviv was only made worse in the 83rd minute when any chance they had of making a comeback were dashed when their Brazilian central defender Douglas da Silva was shown a direct red card for intentionally stepping on Kiryat Shmona midfielder Adrian Rochet.
The terrific performance from Kiryat Shmona was one of the more impressive games by any team so far in the Israeli season. They became the first team to defeat Hapoel Tel Aviv at Bloomfield Stadium in over a year in league play.
Hapoel Tel Aviv will have to regroup soon because their next match is on Wednesday when they host Olympique Lyon in the UEFA Champions League. They will return to league play next weekend when they travel north up the coast to take on Maccabi Netanya.
Hapoel Kiryat Shmona will look to continue their undefeated first place campaign next weekend when they return home to host last place Hapoel Ramat Gan.
Hapoel Petah Tikva 1-1 Maccabi Netanya
Maccabi Netanya had been off to a very strong start in the Israeli Premier League this season but needed a late equalizer from forward Achmad Saba'a to earn a point against relegation contenders Hapoel Petah Tikva.
American defender Leo Krupnik started and played a full 90 for Maccabi Netanya but was responsible for his team falling behind when he scored an own goal in the 64th minute to give Hapoel Petah Tikva an unexpected 1-0 lead.
After a first half where neither team had many clear chances to score, things would open up in the second half.
In the 50th minute Petah Tikva had their best chance of the game to that point when midfielder Guy Zarfati's shot hit the post
In the 63rd minute, Petah Tikva took the lead when a Emmanuel Mathias cross from the right side hit a series of deflections along the way then bounced off Krupnik and into the net.
Following the goal, Maccabi Netanya controlled play and pushed for the equalizer. After having many chances come to nothing, they would finally break through in the final minutes.
In the 85th minute Firas Mugrabi was able to send a pass from the wing which found Saba'a near the goal. Saba'a was able to then score from close range to level the score.
Maccabi Netanya continued to be the more active team in the game's closing minutes but their ability to take the lead took a hit in the 89th minute when Mugrabi picked up his second yellow card and reduced the club to 10 men.
Hapoel Petah Tikva next has a difficult game against Maccabi Tel Aviv next weekend.
Maccabit Netanya will play again next weekend when they return home to face Premier League defending champions Hapoel Tel Aviv at Sar-Tov Stadium.
Ryan Adeleye saw his first minutes of the season for Hapoel Be'er Sheva when he came off the bench in the 55th minute with his club already trailing 4-1 to Beitar Jerusalem. Unfortunately the scoreline did not improve and Beitar Jerusalem would score one more time to make the final score 5-1.
Weekend Israeli action
Bryan Gerzicich, Hapoel Be'er Sheva, Israel, Israeli Premier League, Leo Krupnik, Maccabi Netanya, Ryan Adeleye
Under-20 National Team, Brad Guzan, Danny Williams, Tim Howard, Everton | 体育 |
2014-15/3331/en_head.json.gz/21384 | PowerMizzou.com's media day notes
PowerMizzou.comGary Pinkel wasted very little time in reiterating how he felt about Missouri's season-opening 40-34 win over Illinois. At Monday's media day, Pinkel was asked about the errors the Tigers had made."Just a lot of mistakes. Good heavens," he said. "There were some major things. You get a punt blocked, as elementary as the rush was. A bad snap, that had nothing to do with Adam Crossett--in fact, thank goodness he caught the ball. We got out of the drive, I think that's when Pig picked it up in the end zone on a caused fumble by one of our defensive players. You get those two things and we got a 37-13 lead, we give up a 72-yard drive for a touchdown and then we give them back to back turnovers on elementary, a handoff, which is fundamentals. We have a blown assignment, that's a mental error, they hit Chase and knock the ball out. You don't win games doing those kinds of things."The only good thing for the Tigers was that they actually did when the game doing every one of those things. Though they had to sweat until the very last minute, Missouri survived 21 unanswered Illinois points to win the opener."I don't think we played a good game. I think a lot of the media and a lot of people covering this team have gotten away from the fact we did win," said Chase Daniel. "We might have played bad, but who cares? We did win and that's the bottom line." ...More... To continue reading this article you must be a member. Sign Up Now! | 体育 |
2014-15/3332/en_head.json.gz/31 | Union Rags Turns To Riches At 144th Belmont Stakes
Written by Rich Forestano: [email protected] Friday, 15 June 2012 00:00 With I’ll Have Another scratched, another notch set into Affirmed’s belt as last Triple Crown winnerWhat’s in a name? Or perhaps two names? For jockey John Velazquez, it’s two big wins at the Belmont Stakes in the last five years with the West Hempstead resident atop Union Rags in 2012, edging out Paynter by a neck on Saturday, June 9. Atigun came in to show.The 126 pound jockey said it was an unbelievable race, even though the win didn’t come with spoiling history. I’ll Have Another was scratched one day before a chance to push Affirmed aside in the history books as the last to win all three jewels of the Triple Crown. The horse became the second since 1936 to win the first two legs, only to be unable to compete in the “Test of Champions.”
Velazquez credited the hard-luck colt with the victory. The horse switched jockeys from the Derby with Julien Leparoux to Velazquez, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in August. Leparoux rode Atigun.“I waited for a hole to open up and I got lucky,” said Velazquez, who won the 2007 Belmont with filly Rags to Riches. “The horse did it all.”The victory for owner Phyllis Wyeth came long ago while she slipped into a deep slumbering sleep, just after she sold Union Rags. After breeding the colt, Wyeth sold him for $145,000 as a yearling but had a dream he would accomplish big things on the racetrack. She bought him back last year for $390,000.Wyeth, 71, has been in a wheelchair since 2001. She was in a car accident 50 years ago in which she broke her neck.“I knew. I had a dream,” she said while holding the Owner’s Trophy. “I knew he would make it. I only have that racehorse and half of another, a claimer. And I knew Michael could do it with him. It was my dream and he made it come true today.”Much like the Preakness, the Belmont was decided at the wire, with Paynter and Union Rags jockeying for position on the inside track, with the rest fading down the stretch of the 1 1/2 mile track in Elmont. Velazquez was pinned inside between Atigun and Paynter. It’s exactly what he wanted.“Coming down the stretch, it wasn’t my intentions to come [inside] there, but when the other horse came over and went out next to me, I said, ‘This is my opportunity to get through on the rail,’” Velazquez said.The crowd of 85,811 cheered as the two furiously battled down the stretch, with Union Rags barely catching the front-runner in the second straight photo finish to decide a Triple Crown race this year.Velazquez indicated that there was no change in the routine or mindset going into the Belmont after the scratch of the history-making hopeful. He was more worried about Dullahan, who came in at a disappointing seventh place.“I think I’ll Have Another was going to be close to the pace,” Velazquez stated if the horse had raced. “With the two horses to follow, whether I was going to follow I’ll Have Another or Mike Smith’s horse, that was my plan. My only concern was not to do too much with him the first part of the race, I wouldn’t have enough to fight Dullahan. I was concerned about Dullahan. Especially the way he finished in the Derby.”Trainer Michael Matz said in the Winners Circle that preparation for the race was key due to its unusual length and although he had trouble in the Derby (he placed seventh) and sat out the Preakness, he knew he had a winner in the barn with this 3-year-old.“We always thought this horse had Triple Crown potential,” said Matz, who trained 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro. “When we trained him, we gave him four races as a 2-year-old and gave him a rest and had a good plan. He never missed a beat. His first race [this year] couldn’t have been any easier. He had trouble in his second race and his third race. I do really think that this horse, when he has a clean trip and can show himself, is one of the best 3-year-olds in this crop.”On coming around the turn and barreling for home, Matz said he was confident the horse would come through at finish line. He commended Velazquez for coming in and riding Union Rags for the first time on to victory.“Johnny did a terrific job,” Matz stated. “He broke cleanly and saved ground. He just made a terrific effort.”Velazquez feels this victory validated Union Rags after a rough start in the first two legs.“People forgot about this horse,” Velazquez said pointing at Union Rags. “This horse was one of the first choices for the Derby, and he had a bad race in the Derby and right away everybody forgot about him. Everybody got off the bandwagon…All I know is I’ve been watching this horse for a long time and he’s a very, very good horse.” | 体育 |
2014-15/3332/en_head.json.gz/43 | Updated Dec 6, 2012 - 3:34 pm ESPN's Clayton: Firing Whisenhunt would be a mistake
Ken Whisenhunt is the most successful coach in Arizona Cardinals history, having led the team to Super Bowl XLIII as well as two NFC West championships. However, with his team mired in an eight-game losing streak, many think it's time for the Cardinals to part with their head coach.
ESPN NFL insider John Clayton is not of that school of thought.
"The mistake would be to let him go," Clayton told Arizona Sports 620's Doug and Wolf Thursday.
Clayton said Whisenhunt has proven to be a successful coach when given a quality quarterback, which he has not had since Kurt Warner retired following the 2009 season. Arizona's post-Warner struggles have led Whisenhunt's record as head coach to dip to 44-48, and after three straight years of missing the playoffs, it's possible the coach's best times in the desert are behind him.
And while Clayton admitted he does not understand why Whisenhunt replaced John Skelton with Ryan Lindley a few weeks ago in Atlanta, he remains steadfast with his belief a coaching change would be one of the worst things the Cardinals could do.
"The mistake would be letting this coach go," he said. "He's too good of a coach, he knows offense, players play for him."
Listen: John Clayton, NFL Writer and ESPN Reporter
John Clayton joins to guys to talk about the NFL. Why does John say it would be a mistake for the Cardinals to fire Ken Whisenhunt? He also says why it might be premature to hire Ray Horton as a head coach. And, why does John say it was the right move for Rex Ryan to start Mark Sanchez, again? Plus, John Clayton tells us how he feels about possibly eliminating the Kick-off?
Clayton also pointed to the hire of Ray Horton to run the team's defense as a feather in Whisenhunt's cap, which is interesting since the defensive coordinator may be in line to replace Whisenhunt should a change take place.
While Horton has done a great job with the Cardinals' defense, Clayton says the 52-year-old is not quite ready to run a team.
"I think it'd be too quick to make a move," he said of Horton being promoted. "He's only been a coordinator a year and 12 weeks, and I think you settle into that role and you try to at least put more time in.
"If you rush to a job you may not necessarily be successful."
Clayton said too many owners these days are willing to take chances on coordinators with hope they can learn how to be a head coach while already on the job.
"That would be the case with Ray." | 体育 |
2014-15/3332/en_head.json.gz/44 | Updated Nov 27, 2012 - 2:32 pm NAU's Murphy ready to lead a program, face Arizona Wildcats
Originally published: Nov 27, 2012 - 1:20 pm Northern Arizona head coach Jack Murphy instructs his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against UNLV on Monday, Nov. 12, 2012, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
First-year Northern Arizona University men's basketball coach Jack Murphy didn't always know he wanted to lead a program.
Then again, he did know he wanted to coach in some capacity -- something he learned while serving under Josh Pastner at the University of Memphis.
"I think that after spending the last few years in Memphis and seeing how he adjusted and ran his own program, it made me want to have my own program more and more," Murphy told ArizonaSports.com's Bearing Down with Adam and Jarrett. "So it's something that's kind of developed in terms of my desire to be a head coach, but coaching and the game of basketball is something I've known I wanted to do for a long, long time."
Murphy, 33, worked with Lute Olson in Arizona from 1998-2006, George Karl in Denver from 2006-2009, and Pastner 2009-2012. He said he learned from each of his stops along the coaching trail, and by the time the Northern Arizona job opened up, he knew he was ready to move up the ladder.it do
"It was a job that I pursued," he said. "It opened up last December and we were in the thick of our season there at Memphis but I was keeping an eye on things, always with my first attention being Memphis."
Murphy said he kept his finger on the pulse of the school's search process, and with some help from "many other people, Josh Pastner included," learned what he needed to do to put his name in the hat.
"Once I was able to secure an interview the rest is, I guess as they say, history."
So Murphy got the job, and is now tasked with turning around a team that went just 5-24 last season with one conference win. NAU has experienced success before -- especially when Ben Howland was pacing the sidelines in the late 90s -- but had fallen on hard times that ultimately led to the resignation of Mike Adras early last season. The new coach said he has no reservations about taking the job, but has since learned it's a better situation than he realized.
"I knew it had a great campus and a great community up here, it was beautiful," he said. "What I didn't realize is all the improvements that they've made on campus and the improvements they've started to make with the athletic department.
Listen: Jack Murphy, Basketball coach at NAU
Jack Murphy joined Adam and Jarrett to talk about his journey towards being a head coach as well as what it takes to lead NAU against the Wildcats Wednesday and going forward.
"As good as of a job as I thought it was to start with, it turned out to be a better job." Of course, that's easy to say now, as Murphy is in the honeymoon phase of a job that could prove to be fairly challenging. Flagstaff is not a bad place to go to college, but as a first-time head coach in a state with a pair of Pac-12 basketball programs, recruiting elite talent could be a challenge. Murphy does not see it as so much of an issue, though, saying the trick is simply getting kids on the NAU campus.
"Once we get them on campus they're really surprised by how nice it is and how wonderful it is," he said. "Every kid we've had on campus is like, �Coach, this is a lot better than I thought it would be.'"
One of the younger coaches in the nation, Murphy said he and his staff recruit the Valley hard and try to convince as many as possible to drive up north during the summer to check out the campus to get them interested, and from there the stage is set to bring them back for more visits and hopefully a commitment. "NAU kind of recruits itself once you get kids up here," he said.
One of the Murphy's top recruits is freshman guard Dewayne Russell, an Arizona High School Player of the Year from Peoria who is averaging 15.8 points per game this season. At 5-foot-11 and 155 pounds he is not one of the bigger players on the court, but has made a great impact in his first year.
"He's just played beyond his years," Murphy said. "He takes care of the basketball; he's somebody that I trust at any point in the game with the ball in his hands; and he's not only a good scorer, but he's a very good distributor."
Murphy and the Lumberjacks will look to Russell and senior guard Gabe Rogers to have big games Wednesday in Tucson against the ninth-ranked Wildcats, which is a place the Lumberjacks nearly pulled off an upset just two years ago.
This will be Murphy's first time coaching against Arizona in Tucson, and second time overall. He was with Memphis two years ago when the Wildcats knocked the Tigers out of the NCAA Tournament, and said it's been a while since he even stepped foot in the McKale Center.
"Once we get down there and once the ball is tipped it's just going to be like any other game," he said. "I think it was strange with Josh and I when we played Arizona a couple years ago in the Tournament when we were at Memphis; I don't know how strange it will be for me on Wednesday."
It will also be, as Murphy indicated, a great challenge.
"They're absolutely loaded," he said of the Wildcats. "They've done a great job recruiting and then also coaching up the players they already had in the program.
"You just look one through nine or 10 or 11, they have talent across the board. For our guys it's important that we play NAU basketball, we execute on our end offensively, and we do a good job defensively finishing plays, finishing possessions."
Following Wednesday night's tilt the Lumberjacks will return to Flagstaff and play at home for the first time when they host Sam Houston State Saturday after six straight road games to begin the season. It's been a tough stretch so far, as NAU is just 2-3, but Murphy believes it will pay off down the road.
"We'll be able to come back home this Saturday after U of A and have our heads held high and know that we have a lot of home games remaining on our schedule where we can kind of get on a roll," he said. "It's been a good experience for our guys, and we're just looking forward to getting back home and regrouping once it's all over with."
- Tuesday April 15Adam and Jarrett talk about UA's early departures.
Bearing Down with Adam and Jarrett - Thursday April 3Adam and Jarrett recap a tough loss as well as the season itself.
Bearing Down with Adam and Jarrett - Friday March 28Adam and Jarrett talk about Arizona's run to the Elite 8.
Bickley Blast - Friday March 28Arizonans can all rally around this University of Arizona basketball team.
Paul Bessire, predictionmachine.com - Wednesday March 26Paul Bessire reacts to the first week of the NCAA Tournament. | 体育 |
2014-15/3332/en_head.json.gz/61 | Rare Air for Cabrera
By Craig Muder
The magic of the annual Hall of Fame election process is that there is no “automatic in.”
No season statistic, no career achievement, no postseason marvel qualifies a candidate for induction. It is a body of work – compiled over time – which voters must subjectively consider.
And yet, Miguel Cabrera’s 2012 season comes as close as it gets to a ticket to Cooperstown.
Cabrera revived a dinosaur Wednesday, wrapping up something many thought might never be repeated: The batting Triple Crown. For the first time since Carl Yastrzemski’s legendary 1967 season, an MLB hitter led his league in batting average, home runs and RBI in the same year.
Since the dawn of big league baseball in the 1870s until this season, 13 men had produced 15 Triple Crowns – with Rogers Hornsby and Ted Williams achieving the milestone twice each. Of those 15 seasons, 13 came in baseball’s modern era – when the American League and National League were both operating as major leagues starting in 1901.
The 11 authors of those 13 seasons are each enshrined in Cooperstown:
Nap Lajoie
1901 AL Triple Crown
1937 Elected to Hall of Fame
Rogers Hornsby
1922 NL Triple Crown
Jimmie Foxx
Joe Medwick
The Detroit Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera won the 2012 AL batting Triple Crown, the first time in 45 years. (NBHOF Library)
Cabrera flew under the radar for most of the 2012 season, mostly avoiding the pressure build-up that comes with any major achievement. But from this day forward, Cabrera will be on everyone’s radar.
After 10 big league seasons – including his rookie year of 2003 when he appeared in 87 games after his mid-season call-up from the minors to help the Marlins win their second World Series title – Cabrera has 321 home runs, 1,123 RBI and a .318 batting average. He has driven in at least 100 runs in nine seasons and scored better than 100 runs six times.
Only two other players in the game’s history have put together those kind of numbers in the first 10 seasons of their career: Ted Williams and Albert Pujols. And only Williams also had a Triple Crown on his resume.
The Hall of Fame archive contains several artifacts from Triple Crown seasons, including the Triple Crown Awards won by Yastrzemski and Robinson and a bat used by Mantle during the 1956 season. They will all be preserved forever in Cooperstown.
Twelve years ago, Cooperstown-area baseball fans had the chance to watch Cabrera as he played eight games with the Class A Utica Blue Sox of the New York-Penn League – a team located about 45 minutes up the road from baseball’s Mecca that became the Aberdeen IronBirds in 2002.
A decade or so from now, Cabrera is on track return to Central New York – this time as a Hall of Famer.
Craig Muder is the director of communications for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Hello Craig, I agree that Cabrera is on his way to the Hof, I believe that , to his benefit , he did not get a lot of attenion because of who he is. He is not flashy, he doesn’t seem to seek out the limelight. If it was A-rod,Jeter, or Albert Pujols going for the triple crown then they would have covered it more intently.
Towards the end of the season, a caller to WEEI in Boston said that he didn’t want Cabrera to win the triple crown because he didn’t want them to take it away from Yaz…..Thats right,…he didn’t want them to take it away from Yaz,.Cabrera didn’t get the attenion because, guys like this one , don’t understand what the triple crown is. Having Fielder batting behind him sure did help, but we may not see that again for a long time.
By doug920 on October 14, 2012 12:12 pm - Reply | 体育 |
2014-15/3332/en_head.json.gz/62 | 49ers And Rams Face Different Situations The Second Time Around
Anarchy reigns in the NFC West as the San Francisco 49ers remain in the hunt with a 5–9 record, just one game back of the Seattle Seahawks and their week 16 foes, the St. Louis Rams. By winning their final two games, the 49ers could win their division and go to the playoffs, a feverish prospect that has come and gone a number of times throughout this season. Each and every game has been the most important game of the season, week in and week out the team, media and fans have been on playoff watch.
Well, this is probably the most important game of the season, if we're keeping track. Might be better off is we weren't, but let's get to the specifics. The first time the 49ers played the Rams this season, it was a thrilling contest that saw both teams play well, (see the feature put together on the experience at the game here) and though the 49ers ended up on top, it was close. Razor thin, even, judging solely by the overtime finish.
Sam Bradford was on the money then. He completed 30-of-42 passes for 251 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. He played pretty much as was predicted, working the short passes for the majority of the game and exploiting the 49ers deep when the coverage broke down. He did what he was supposed to do, and was beat out solely by Troy Smith starting for the Niners.
It's different this week though. Bradford is in a slump and can't get the offense moving, with no touchdown passes in his last three outings. In that same time, he's thrown five interceptions after starting the season well in that regard. He's hit that figurative rookie wall, and the 49ers defense will look to stomp on his fingers and send him tumbling down as he tries to climb over it.
The 49ers defense jumping at the opportunity to catch Sam Bradford in a bad spell not withstanding, the 49ers offense will be just about unpredictable in comparison to just a few weeks ago. Troy Smith and Frank Gore were the backbone of the 49ers offensive attack, and Gore is now on IR, replaced by a tandem of veteran Brian Westbrook and rookie Anthony Dixon. Troy Smith is ...
Well, we don't know where Troy Smith is. He could be the starter on Sunday, leading the 49ers in their last-ditch effort to claim the west and give the 49ers some hope going into next season, or he could be on the bench as the second string behind Alex Smith, who made the start in the 49ers last outing, a loss to the Chargers. Mike Singletary is yet undecided.
Either way, the teams are facing entirely different circumstances this time 'round and throughout the week we'll have plenty of analysis for you.
49ers Fall To Rams 25-17, Eliminated From NFC West Race
49ers 17, Rams 25: Quarterback Duo Can't Get It Done | 体育 |
2014-15/3332/en_head.json.gz/77 | Want more real-time Charlotte Bobcats news?
Charlotte Bobcats Week in Review: Nov. 1-5
By Austin Penny
The Bobcats had a light workload this week, playing only one game and getting three days off between contests. Charlotte touts a 2-2 record despite being the most inept offensive team in the NBA, averaging only 79.8 points per game. They also bring up the rear in field-goal percentage and three-point percentage, shooting just 36% from the field and an abysmal 17.9% from downtown. Not all is bad in Charlotte, though, as the Bobcats sit in second place in rebounds per game at 46.3, led by the NBA's leading rebounder in Gerald Wallace, who is pulling down 14 boards per contest. The Bobcats have also found a way to win games despite their lack of offense, as is evidenced by their .500 record. The Bobcats' two losses have come in Boston and Cleveland, while they have beaten New York and now New Jersey at home. Let's take a look at what led the Bobcats to their come-from-behind win against the Nets on Monday evening.
Bobcats 79, Nets 68
The Bobcats looked like they were on their way to another loss thanks to a startling lack of offense on Monday night before their defense kicked into an extra gear in the second half. The Bobcats turned an eight point halftime deficit into a five point lead during a third quarter that saw them outscore the Nets 20-7, holding New Jersey scoreless for a period of more than 10 minutes and going on a 24-0 run that stretched over the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarter. Gerald Wallace was the top performer on the night, putting up 24 points and pulling down a career-high 20 rebounds. D.J. Augustin scored 21 points for the Bobcats and Raja Bell made his return from a torn ligament in his wrist, going just 1-for-8 from the field and scoring his only three points on one of his six three-point attempts. Despite his personal scoring woes, the Bobcats enjoyed a +11 advantage on the scoreboard when Bell was in the game.
The Bobcats were able to create almost twice as many opportunities from the free throw line as the Nets, shooting 30-of-35 from the stripe while the Nets shot 15-of-18. A large part of the reason the Bobcats have had increased success drawing fouls this year is the health of Augustin, who dealt with a strained abdominal muscle for much of last season. On Monday, Augustin scored nine of his points from the line and Wallace chipped in nearly half of his points on free throws, going 10-for-13.
The Nets remained winless on the season at 0-4 and lost forward Yi Jianlian with a knee injury after Wallace fell into him. New Jersey is already without point guard Devin Harris, who is out with a strained groin muscle.
The Bobcats have failed to hit the 80-point mark in three of their four games, but that won't matter as long as they can keep winning.
Losses on the road to the Celtics and Cavs are nothing to be upset about, while a thrilling double-overtime win in their home opener against the Knicks and a come-from-behind win in an ugly game against the Nets are impressive, if for no other reason than the fact that the Bobcats likely would have lost those games in years past.
One of the main reasons the Bobcats have failed to reach the postseason in their existence is their inability to win the games they "should" win.
Charlotte flirted with the playoff picture down the stretch last season, one that saw them record a victory at home against the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers and then take the Celtics to the wire in a two-point double overtime loss in Boston on consecutive nights.
If the Bobcats can establish a sense of consistency throughout the year and avoid any major injuries, there is no reason they shouldn't be in the conversation for a playoff spot come April.
Up Next...
The Bobcats will have four games between now and the next installment of the Weekly Report, taking on the Hawks (4-1), coming off a West Coast swing, at home on Friday night before heading to Chicago to take on the Bulls (3-2) on Saturday night. They will be off then until Tuesday when Dwight Howard, Vince Carter, and the division rival Magic (4-1) will visit Time Warner Cable Arena. The Bobcats will then complete their second straight back-to-back turnaround by heading to Detroit to take on the Pistons (2-3).
The Bobcats have a chance to start out 3-0 at home for the first time in franchise history against the Hawks, and will face four solid teams overall next week. A fast start is imperative if the Bobcats want to remain in the conversation in the Southeast, which is crowded early by three 4-1 teams (Miami, Atlanta, Orlando).
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2014-15/3332/en_head.json.gz/129 | Cincinnati Venues
Paul Brown Stadium
sports football stadium nfl cincinnati bengals
6 Paul Brown Stadium,
6 Paul Brown Stadium
FB's Cocktail Lounge
Lodge Bar Cincinnati
Jefferson Hall
The Incline Lounge at the Celestial
York Street Cafe
Mansion Hill Tavern
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Sweet soul diva scored 1970s hits backed by Rufus, notched solo classics into the '80s. ~ Rovi
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In a very short span of time, R&B singer/songwriter Chrisette Michele shot from small-time performer up to one of Def Jam's most promising talents, purely based on her unique instrument -- a gorgeous and effortlessly versatile singing voice colored with Billie Holiday-esque inflections of vocal pop and jazz....
K. Michelle
With each notes she sings, lyric she writes or piano key she strikes, songstress K. Michelle speaks her mind and makes no apologies for it. Taking a vow to stay true to herself, K. Michelle understands that part of being a noteworthy new artist isn't just possessing talent but having something to say....
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2014-15/3332/en_head.json.gz/133 | Two Stupid Transfer Rumors: Coming and Going Between Ligue 1 and White Hart Lane
By Bryan A.
@BryanTHFC
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 15: Gareth Bale of Spurs runs with the ball during the FA Cup with Budweiser Semi Final match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on April 15, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Remember a month or so ago when Gareth Bale was making noise about a future move to Barcelona? The Daily Mail (I know, I know) believes Bale will be Barca's top target this summer and he'll slot in as their leftback if Dani Alves is to be believed. However, a new contender has emerged: Paris Saint-Germain.
You remember PSG. They're sort of a nouveau-riche club, though one with a good resume of domestic success. New investment from Qatar Investment Authority saw the club spend big over the summer (€43 million for Javier Pastore) and now they may be in for Bale or at least according to the Welsh winger's agent. This move is probably unrealistic, even if Tottenham Hotspur fail to qualify for the Champions League. Maybe I'm crazy, but I feel like Bale is only going to leave for one of the elite clubs in Spain or Italy, no matter how much money PSG throw at him.
In other France and Spurs related news, some website that I've never heard of (perhaps theroosevelts can enlighten me) has said that Tottenham might be interested in purchasing Lyon keeper Hugo Lloris. Lloris is 25 and under contract with OL until 2015. He won't come cheap, with the aforementioned blog quoting a £15 million asking price, which is, to me, excessive for a keeper. Lloris has 31 caps for France and has been tested at some of the highest levels in club competition. He'd be a great acquisition, but not realistic.
The problem with players like Lloris and, my personal favorite, Igor Akinfeev are that they're expensive. Quality keepers can be had for much less than £10 million. Swansea's Michel Vorm cost £1.5 million and Wigan's Ali Al-Habsi cost £4 million. Splashing out double-figures on a GK is, in my eyes, not a sound business strategy. | 体育 |
2014-15/3332/en_head.json.gz/152 | Creekview’s Cook anxious to get on court
Chris Byess [email protected] Cherokee Tribune
January 11, 2013 12:56 AM | 1406 views | 0 | 7 | | slideshow
CANTON — With a 12-4 record, and a 5-1 mark in Region 7AAAAA, Creekview looks well on its way to challenging for a third-consecutive region title.What’s worse for the Lady Grizzlies’ opponents is that senior center Emma Cook, Creekview’s leading scorer, is set to return to action sometime next week after missing the team’s last four games due to a case of mononucleosis.Just after school let out for winter break, Cook began to feel drained and tired, which she attributed to the late nights she had studying for final exams.Rather than recover in her time off from school, Cook’s condition began to worsen, and the seriousness of her illness became apparent in Creekview’s opening-round game of the Deep South Classic against Harrison on Dec. 27.After taking the court for only a few minutes of the first quarter, Cook was forced to leave the game for good due to her weakened physical condition.“I felt just terrible,” she said.“When Emma went out in the Deep South Classic, I had no idea that we would still be able to win it,” said Creekview coach Roger Nolan, whose squad defeated North Oconee in the tournament’s final. “With her being out, everyone really had to step up.”At a doctor’s visit a few days after the tournament, Cook was diagnosed with mono.Now, with Cook’s return to action, the Lady Grizzlies will see the return of not only one of their best players, but one of the most dedicated.When first told that she had mono, Cook said she felt more concerned with how much time on the court she would miss rather than how sick she actually was.“When I found out I had mono, I didn’t get upset because I was sick, necessarily, I just thought to myself, ‘Now I can’t play basketball,’” Cook said. “It’s been rough not being able to play.”Though unable to play, Cook nevertheless attended almost every game to cheer her teammates on. For those games Cook was too sick to attend, her mother filmed them so she could take notes later.“Games take on a different perspective when you are just sitting there and watching them,” Cook said. “It got me to thinking about what I can do to help out my team. When I go to the games, I just try to help the girls out any way I can.”Cook continued to stay heavily involved with the team while she was sick, but with school itself as well.“I really don’t like missing class,” said Cook, who has a 3.7 grade-point average and takes an Advanced Placement statistics class. “I always try to do well in school, and I think it translates onto the court.”Nolan was quick to commend Cook’s commitment to both the team and her school work.“If I was sick with mono, I think I would be finding a way out of class,” Nolan said. “Even when she’s healthy, I’ve always been amazed that somebody like her would rather be in a gym on Friday and Saturday nights than being out. She’s dedicated.”With her conditioning improving, Cook said she will visit a doctor today in the hopes of being cleared to play against region leader Osborne next Friday.Regardless of the doctor’s decision, Cook plans on taking the court — sick or not.“I know for a fact that I’m going to play against Osborne,” Cook said. “Just because I want to.”For Nolan, Cook’s determination to play comes as good news.“I can’t really put a number on it, but she is very valuable to us,” Nolan said. “We are really missing her.”
Grizzlies keep lead to beat region-leading Chiefs
Tennis region tourneys begin
Grizzlies come from behind again | 体育 |
2014-15/3332/en_head.json.gz/155 | Jabari Parker chooses Duke over Michigan State, Florida
Jim Brown-US PRESSWIRE
Simeon star forward Jabari Parker revealed on Thursday that he will play for the Duke Blue Devils next season.
With a decision that figures to impact the landscape of college basketball next season, Simeon basketball star Jabari Parker verbally committed to the Duke Blue Devils on Thursday afternoon on national television.
Parker chose Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils over offers from Michigan State, Florida, BYU and Stanford, and he ultimately decided after his final in-home visits earlier in the week. Now the third player in Duke's stacked 2013 signing class, Parker will join five-star shooting guard Matt Jones and five-star small forward Semi Ojeleye in Durham next fall.
The 6'8, 225-pound Parker is widely believed to be the most well-rounded player in the signing class, and he should fit in seamlessly into Coach K's rotation. Though Parker mentioned numerous times throughout his recruitment that he was considering a handful of important factors about each prospective school, it's likely the young forward was amazed by the sheer number of Duke players who have gone on to play professionally in the NBA. | 体育 |
2014-15/3332/en_head.json.gz/228 | News and Notes: Devin Williams, Gallardo and Gomez
By J.P. Breen on June 17, 2013
BREWERS SIGN TOP DRAFT PICK
Few draft experts expected any tension between the Brewers and right-hander Devin Williams on draft day. The prep hurler was portrayed as an easy sign, and over the weekend, Jim Callis of Baseball America reported that the Brewers inked Williams to a $1.35M bonus — which is roughly $300,000 more than his assigned slot bonus. The deal also includes extra compensation for giving up his scholarship to the University of Missouri.
Though some speculation swirled on Day 1 of the ’13 MLB Draft that Williams could go in the first round to the St. Louis Cardinals, the Brewers were fortunate to find him still on the board with their second-round selection. He’s a high-risk, high-ceiling pitcher — so fans should be patient as he develops in the rookie leagues — but 18-year-old pitchers with three potential big-league pitches and a fastball that touches 96 mph don’t necessarily grow on trees.
The organization was willing to go overslot to woo him away from college, but it does leave the Brewers potentially over their draft-pool budget. Baseball America currently has the Brewers roughly $250k over their budget — despite the fact that several of the players who signed in the top 10 rounds should sign for under slot value.
Milwaukee has reportedly agreed to terms with each of their top 11 draft picks. Left-hander Trevor Seidenberger out of TCU is the highest pick who hasn’t inked a contract with the Brewers. As only a college junior, he does have some leverage, though he is also expected to sign.
Many of the Brewers’ recent draftees will play for the Helena Brewers and Arizona Brewers in the organization’s two rookie-league affiliates, who will both begin their short seasons this week. Their respective seasons begin on Thursday, June 20 — and both teams start on the road.
VELOCITY INCREASE FOR GALLARDO
After six shutout innings on Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds, Yovani Gallardo has thrown fourteen-consecutive innings without surrendering a single run. He hasn’t been particularly dominant over those two outings, but he is beginning to look more like the Gallardo from previous seasons.
Most importantly, his velocity has started to return.
(click to enlarge photo)
His fastball hasn’t jumped back to its 2011 and 2012 levels, at least to this point, but the fact that he’s sustained higher velocity in his last two starts is extremely encouraging. He’s even been able to reach back for 93-94 mph, which has been completely absent from his repertoire this season.
Gallardo continues to transform himself into a ground-ball pitcher. His strikeout rate and swinging-strike rates have dropped, and his ground-ball rate is now a career-high at 50.6%. The strikeouts may return if he has rediscovered his velocity, but the change in approach on the mound has seemed to solidify itself. He relies on his fastball and slider, while mixing in his curveball when ahead in counts or simply trying to change the eye-level of hitters. It’s not the bread-and-butter of his arsenal any longer.
For those who are hoping the Brewers make Gallardo available this summer, though, his improved velocity and results is extremely important. And with his next pair of starts scheduled to come against the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs, he has a very good chance of continuing that improved performance.
GOMEZ CONTINUES TO IMPRESS
One of the statistics that I commonly utilize on DoU is wOBA, which is a very common sabermetric statistic that attempts to contextualize offensive performance. It weighs each of the different aspects of hitting into one metric, placing it on a very similar scale to on-base percentage. Thus, if a player has a .340 OBP and a .350 wOBA, one can safely say that he hits for more than average power — which is obviously important when evaluating impact at the plate.
Carlos Gomez has always been known for his glove, but he’s been spectacular with the bat this season. He currently ranks in the top 10 for wOBA this season, amidst some rather impressive names.
wOBA
Paul Goldschmidt
DBacks
Even those of us who believed his second-half outburst last season was real and predictive of future performance didn’t project Gomez to be this good. His BABIP will likely regress throughout the remainder of the season — because even a speedster like Gomez cannot reasonably be expected to maintain a .370 BABIP — but it may not regress that much. If he continues to hit more line drives than he has previously in his career, his BABIP could stabilize higher than his career norms. Not to mention he’s gone almost a half-season with a .370 BABIP, so it’s probably too late for a total meltdown in that regard.
I don’t want to trivialize his performance this season with a heavy reliance on BABIP. He’s made significant changes at the plate. His approach has improved. He’s taking the ball to the opposite field more often. He’s starting to take shorter strokes with two strikes. More importantly, though, he’s hitting the baseball in the air more often and better capitalizing on his plus power.
And once we figure in his plus-defense in center field, he’s been one of the best players in all of baseball. His +4.2 WAR is tops in the league, and he’s currently on pace for roughly a nine-win season.
For comparison, Ryan Braun only compiled +7.3 WAR during his MVP campaign in 2011.
FIERS BREAKS FOREARM IN NASHVILLE
The Brewers have struggled to field a competitive starting rotation, and it got a little more difficult over the weekend. Right-hander Mike Fiers broke his right forearm when he was struck with a line drive while pitching for Triple-A Nashville on Saturday evening. He’s expected to be sidelined for at least 9-12 weeks.
That leaves the Brewers with the following options at starting pitcher:
Wily Peralta
Marco Estrada (DL)
Chris Narveson (DL)
Hiram Burgos (DL)
Mark Rogers (DL)
The organization has a slew of pitchers on the disabled list, to be sure, but none of them project to fundamentally change the rotation. Figaro has been a true surprise, though. It will be interesting to see if the Brewers attempt to keep the right-hander in the starting rotation throughout the season, in an attempt to see if they can rely on him next season. He seems wasted in a long-relief role — especially when the team is 12 games under .500.
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2014-15/3332/en_head.json.gz/233 | Rebels’ pitching key for NCAAs Posted on May 27, 2013 by Parrish Alford in Sports By Parrish Alford/NEMS Daily Journal
OXFORD – NCAA tournament at-large bids will be announced this morning, and Ole Miss is expecting a spot in the field of 64 for the 11th time in 13 years under Mike Bianco.
How long the Rebels last may depend largely on their pitching.
The starters have been the signature of this Ole Miss team, and Bianco is hopeful that improvement from the bullpen in three SEC tournament games signals a return to better fortunes for a group that struggled to the finish of the regular season.
“We’ve had some hard breaks the last couple of weeks, but the bullpen as a whole has gotten better,” said junior right-hander Aaron Greenwood, one of the Rebels’ two primary set-up men. “We have a lot of swagger and confidence to finish the year strong.”
At his best, Greenwood went a span of 16 innings with only one earned run allowed in SEC play.
He had fallen on hard times, struggling to locate his fastball, and his role was diminished against Mississippi State.
He pitched better in the final regular season series at LSU. The 42⁄3-inning appearance was far and away his longest of the year.
Against Arkansas in the SEC tournament, Greenwood allowed one run in 31⁄3 innings.
He credited assistant coach Carl Lafferty for helping him with his mechanics – most notably a shortening of his stride – to help him get back on track.
“Coach Laff has been working with me in the pen to keep the ball low in the zone. That’s really helped me make it a lot harder for hitters to make good contact and square the ball up. My ball was not on a downward tilt. It was up in the zone and a lot easier for hitters to hit.”
In 30 SEC games, the Rebels posted a 3.51 earned run average, sixth in the league just behind rival Mississippi State.
Much of that ERA was built by starters. Bobby Wahl, a projected first-round draft pick in the weeks ahead, had a conference ERA of less than 2 until the final weekend.
In Hoover, starters Mike Mayers and Sam Smith allowed just one earned run in a combined 121⁄3 innings. Wahl did not pitch, though he would have started had the Rebels advanced to play a fourth game.
Smith’s ERA of 3.11 is the highest of the Ole Miss starters. Wahl carries an ERA of 1.99, Mayers of 2.98 heading into NCAA play.
Bianco is hopeful the bullpen is about to complete the picture.
“Greenwood was terrific. It’s nice to have him back. The way he pitched today is the way he pitched most of the year,” he said. “The bullpen took a lot of flack the last few weeks, and probably deservingly so. It was nice to see him pitch so well on back-to-back weekends.”
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2014-15/3332/en_head.json.gz/268 | Squad No: 10 Position: Forward Age: 26 Birth Date: Jun 24, 1987 Birth Place: Rosario, Argentina Height: 5' 7'' (1.70m) Weight: 67 kg Teams
Barcelona 2 - 1 Athletic Bilbao
Spanish Primera DivisiónApril 20, 2014
2013/14 Spanish La Liga
Lionel Messi is the heir apparent to the throne left vacant by Diego Armando Maradona. The waters are divided between those who consider him to be far from being the best No. 10, and those who believe that Messi will be even better than Maradona.
Born in Rosario, he cut his teeth in the youth ranks of Newell's Old Boys, until a hormonal problem that affected his growth changed the plans of his family and, of course, his personal future. Facing expensive treatment for their son, Messi's parents moved to Spain as Newell's were not able to afford the medical costs related to his condition, and even the wealthiest Argentine teams, such as River Plate, refused to foot the bill. After his first trial with Barcelona, the Catalan coaches had no doubts. They decided to sign Messi and pay for his medical treatment. His growth was noticeable within Barca, and in little time he came to be considered one of the great talents at the club. He made his debut in the first division in October 2004, against Espanyol, and Barcelona have since adopted him as one of their greatest idols. His first championship would come in the Liga season of 2004-05. Since then, and playing a more prominent role every season, he has won every major club trophy at Camp Nou - including a stunning haul of six in 2008-09 - and claimed the World Player of the Year award four times in four years, leaving many in little doubt as to the fact that Messi is the best player of his generation; possibly of all-time.
That idea was given further weight in March 2012 when, at the age of 24, he became the all-time top scorer at Barcelona - beating the 232 goals of Cesar Rodriguez - and then broke Gerd Muller's record for goals in a calender year when he scored 91.
Strengths: His ball skills are second to none, his runs from midfield are usually lethal and he is almost impossible to tackle when he gets his head down. His balance when running at speed is incredible.
Weaknesses: Too often he searches for a way to finish moves by himself without looking for team-mates in a better position to shoot at goal.
Career high: Winning the 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 World Player of the Year awards - the latter coming after he broke the record for goals in a calender year.
Career low: He was unable to perform to his best in the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where Argentina were eliminated in the quarter-finals with Messi looking on from the bench. Style: Quick, incisive, balanced, a stylish runner with the ball.
Quotes: "Messi is my Maradona," said Maradona himself, as the head coach of the Argentine national team. Trivia: His debut with the national team (against Hungary) was a disaster: he entered the game in the 18th minute of the second half, and 47 seconds later was sent off.
SPANISH PRIMERA DIVISIÓN
OlazábalJosé Manuel PintoVictor ValdésJordi AlbaDani AlvesMarc BartraAdrianoSergio GómezJavier MascheranoMartin MontoyaGerard PiquéCarles PuyolIbrahim AfellaySergio BusquetsJonathan Dos santosCesc FábregasPatriXaviAndrés IniestaSergi RobertoAlex SongIsaac CuencaJean Mario DongouLionel MessiPedroAlexis SánchezNeymarCristian TelloAdama Traore
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2014-15/3332/en_head.json.gz/383 | « Area Roundup: Falcons win MD...
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Hedgesville drills Trojans
By Spenser Leatherman - For The Journal Save | Post a comment | HEDGESVILLE - On the Hedgesville's homecoming night, Troy Markley led the charge as the Eagles defeated the Hampshire Trojans 56-22 in a shortened contest Friday at Mumaw Stadium. An injury to Hedgesville's Austin Albright halted the game. The Eagles got off to a fast start in the first half, scoring on six of the first seven times they possessed the football. Article Photos
Dustin Clower of Hampshire fumbles the ball as a host of Hedgesville defenders close in for a recovery in the Eagles’ win on Friday. (Journal photo by Ron Agnir)
"Everything worked out OK. The kids decided to play football." Hedgesville coach Rich Thomaselli said. "Troy played his game, and the rest of the guys picked it up too." After Hampshire's first drive stalled, Markley found Casey Horn for a 10-yard touchdown pass with 7:06 in the opening quarter to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead. On the Trojans' second possession, Dalton Clower fumbled to give the Eagles the ball on their own 48-yard line. Connor Shipley capped a five-play 52-yard drive with two runs combining for 34 yards. After the Trojans pinned the Eagles down to their own 18, Hunter Weaver ran a 6-yard gain to end the first quarter. At the start of the second quarter, Markley ran an option play to the left side, using a spin move to dodge traffic along the sideline, for a 76-yard touchdown run to give Hedgesville a 20-0 lead. On the ensuing possession, Hampshire quarterback Caleb Landis had a pass intercepted by Marcus Gullege for a 35-yard touchdown return to increase the Eagle lead to 27 points. After the interception return, Hampshire found the end zone for the first time in the game on a Landis pass to Trevor Largent, closing out a five-play 80-yard drive to reduce the lead to 21 with 9:10 to go in the half. The Eagles scored on their fifth possession of the first half on only a pair of plays. Markley hit Casey Horn on a 51-yard pass to put the Eagles at the Hampshire 1. Markley bobbled the snap, but Corey Hite recovered the fumble in the end zone for a touchdown to give Hedgesville a 34-6 lead. Hedgesville scored once more in the first half on a Markley pass to Jason Mayles for a 12-yard touchdown with 4:57 to play in the first half. Hampshire turned the ball over four times in the first half, three of them interceptions that gave Hedgesville advantageous field position for the majority of the first half. "We didn't play or tackle well," Trojans coach Darren Grace said. "We turned the ball over too much. When we turn the ball over, we can't expect to win." Hedgesville continued to add to its already comfortable lead with a 36-yard field goal by Mario Andric to increase the lead to 38 to start the second half. On the ensuing possession, Spencer Malick ran 61 yards to set up a Dane Heavener o1-yard touchdown run. Malick ran to the left to complete the two-point conversion to make the score 44-14 in favor of the Eagles. Markley added a pair of touchdowns on a 2-yard run and a 17-yard pass to Hunter Weaver, respectively, to give the Eagles a 56-14 lead. Markley finished the game with 126 passing yards, while also adding 188 more on the ground. "We were running a new set of plays that helped us out a lot, but extra blocking really helped," he said. "People picked up people when they don't have to and did a great job blocking till the whistle blows." The Trojans scored on a 22-yard run by Clower to cut the Eagles lead to 34 before the game went final with 2:52 remaining in the fourth quarter due to an injury to Austin Albright. "We were going to run the clock out anyway, but things like this happen," Thomaselli said. "It's a shame that it had to happen on homecoming, but it could have stopped something else, such as another young player getting injured, from happening. Austin (Albright) is a tough kid, and we hope that everything is going to be OK with him." "I hate it to end this way, but everything happens for a reason," Markley added, regarding the closing of the game. "Hopefully, he will be all right, and we can focus on the next game." © Copyright 2014 journal-news.net. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | 体育 |
2014-15/3332/en_head.json.gz/419 | Softball announces 2013-14 signing class
Thursday, November 29, 2012by Mark McGeeNASHVILLE, Tenn.-Lipscomb Lady Bisons softball coach Kristin Ryman will welcome six new players for the 2013-14 academic year.
There are two main themes for this class - versatility and pitching.
“Our goal is always to bring in players who can immediately step in and challenge our older girls,” Ryman said. “If they are talented enough to play at a young age, they are going to gain a ton of experience and make our program better down the road.
“Our plan with this class was to focus on good athletes and pitching. We are losing two of our best all-around athletes in Kelsey Cartwright and Bree Thurman, and we wanted some versatile players who could fill multiple roles for us.”
One of the additions is Mikayla “Mimi” Cartwright, Kelsey’s sister. Both of her parents are also Lipscomb alumni. Mimi, 5-foot-5, fills the versatility role as a third baseman, second baseman and outfielder. She plays for Goodpasture Christian School where she won the team most valuable player award in 2012. She has been named TSWA All-State, 2012 MTCA AA All-Middle Tennessee and First Team All-Midstate.
“Mimi is a true utility player and will immediately be able to fill multiple roles for us,” Ryman said. “She has extensive experience playing both third base and middle infield, has the athleticism to play outfield, and has also pitched at every level.”
“Mimi is a very consistent, finesse type of player who has a lot of natural athleticism. She will be able to drive the ball well to all fields, which will allow her to contribute and be a factor in our lineup early on in her career. Ultimately, she will be that player who will challenge everyone all over the field to get better because she can do so many things well.” Mimi is also accustomed to winning. While at Goodpasture she has played on one Class AA State Championship team and two State-Runners-up.
“She is a great fit for us,” Ryman said. “We are excited to see Mimi grow and develop more in our system, and we look for her to come in and challenge right away.”
Rebecca “Becca” Dean, 5-6, is an outfielder-second baseman from Liberty-Benton High School in Findlay, Ohio. She set school records in 2012 for batting average (.612), stolen bases (43) and runs scored (37). Her career stats are a .531 batting average with 106 stolen bases and 95 runs scored. She is also exceptional in the classroom with a 4.0 grade point average.
“Becca just recently made her decision to attend Lipscomb, and we are very excited that she did,” Ryman said. “She is a speedy utility player who will add depth to both the outfield and middle infield. “We will look for her to compete mostly in the outfield with her ability to read the ball and get good jumps. Becca is also a lefty hitter which will give us options with our lineup. We are excited to have more players in this class that can put pressure on the defense with their speed, and Becca will be a base-stealing threat every time she gets on.”
Dean is a three-time team MVP, three-time All-District performer and three-time team captain. She has also been named to the All-State team once.
“She is a leader by example and quietly goes about her business and gets the job done,” Ryman said. “Like our other signees, she is also a great student and will impact our program with her work ethic.”
Kasey Gibson, a 5-5 outfielder from Churubusco High School in Churubusco, Ind., is expected to make an immediate impact.
“Kasey has great speed and has experience playing all three outfield positions which makes her immediately valuable,” Ryman said. “At the plate, she is a lefty slapper who is very smart and able to get on base in multiple ways. She is a table-setter type of player who has great discipline and works extremely hard to improve her game.”
She is an NFCA Second-Team All-Region Player in 2011 and 2012. She was a first team All-State selection in 2012. For the past two seasons she has served as team captain.
Gibson is a career .533 hitter and is second on the all-time stolen base list in Indiana.
“Kasey will be a very coachable player, and to us that is one of the best qualities a player can have,” Ryman said. “She understands the game and has a great approach at the plate. She knows how to go to the plate with a plan and execute…again, a great quality to have as a young player.
“She has been well-trained and has been very steady and successful against the best. Kasey knew she wanted a smaller school, and once we were able to get her on campus, she fell in love with Lipscomb. Overall, she is a great fit for our program…she is a great person, a strong student, and a player who will make our program better.”
Whitney Jordan, 5-9, is expected to be an impact player in the middle infield. She is a shortstop-second baseman from Athens High School in Athens, Ala.
She has won a number of honors. In 2011 she was the Alabama 5-A Hitter of the Year, an Alabama Super All-State and 5-A All-State team member. In 2010 she was also a member of the 5-A All-State Team.
“Whitney is a strong, athletic middle infielder who will impress with her defense, and she is a power-hitting right-hander who will compete in the middle of our lineup,” Ryman said. “Whitney possesses quick hands at the plate and has a lot of homerun potential at this level. She has a feistiness about her hitting that will add a spark to the way we play.
“She is a tireless worker, and through the recruiting process, we were consistently impressed with her overall athleticism and how she plays the game. She knows how to win, and we are excited to see how much more she can improve at the next level. Whitney will be a fun player to watch for years to come.”
The Lady Bisons are always searching for ways to bolster the pitching rotation. Ryman and her staff are confident they have found two good prospects to join Ashley Anderson, Tanner Sanders and Heather Parker.
Taylor Neuhart is a right-handed pitcher who can also play first base. She plays for Hayfield Secondary School in Alexandria, Va.
“Taylor will bring nice diversity to our staff,” Ryman said. “She is an extremely hard worker with nice movement and a great change. She is going to be a great complement to the pitchers we already have, and will have the ability to either start or pitch in relief. She knows how to enter in relief in tough situations and get outs, and that is rare for an incoming freshman.”
Neuhart, 5-6, is a two-time All-Region and three-time All-District performer. She was the team MVP in 2012 and returns as the team captain for 2013.
She struck out 240 batters in 2012 and has six no-hitters in her high school career.
“Taylor is very coachable which is going to allow her to get better quickly,” Ryman said. “On top of her pitching, Taylor has the ability to hit and play a good first base.
“She is a smart player who will be a true student of the game. Taylor knew that Lipscomb was the place for her when she arrived in Nashville and walked on campus. She will be a great fit for us, and her versatility will potentially allow for her to be more than just a pitcher.”
McCarley Thomas is also a right-handed pitcher with experience as a first baseman. She plays for Lipscomb Academy and is from Brentwood, Tenn.
“When we think about McCarley the first word that comes to mind is potential,” Ryman said. “She has a tremendous amount of ability and is working to get every ounce out of her 6-1 frame. “She has had a few setbacks over the last year, but we feel that with more advanced instruction, she can grow leaps and bounds at the next level. She is a hard-throwing right-hander with really good raw tools. She also has experience hitting in the middle of the lineup, and we look forward to exploring her power potential at this level.”
She is a three-time All-District team member and was All-District Player of the Year in 2012. She also served as team captain in 2012.
“McCarley wants to learn and is another player that is extremely coachable,” Ryman said. “She has a great work ethic, and that shows in every aspect of her life. She is very familiar with our campus and the expectations of our program. We are thrilled to welcome her family into ours.”
One of Ryman’s main goals in recruiting has been to build team depth. She likes the options these new players provide.
“Everyone has their “off” days, but our goal is to put the best nine hitters in the lineup every game,” Ryman said. “The more versatile they are defensively, the better chance we have to adjust and have a solid lineup every day.
“Our depth is getting better and better to the point where we have really great options coming off the bench. That is something that separates good teams from great teams. When you have players that are going to challenge each other every day in practice, the competitive edge builds and the bar is raised. We are not going to settle for finishing in the top half of the A-Sun…our goal is championships and consistent trips to the NCAA Tournament.” | 体育 |
2014-15/3332/en_head.json.gz/443 | Marathon Mum
Marathon Mum. Marathon Man. Get the joke? Both feature obsessiveness, shady characters from Europe, lots of running, and most notably, torture. This online journal began as I trained for the 2005 London Marathon. I successfully finished the race, but MarathonMum lives on. After all, life as a mother isn't a sprint, it's a marathon.
MarathonMum Election Special
That’s right sports fans, we’re talking politics today. But before you switch to another channel, or worse, to another blog, please give me a minute or two of your valuable time. You all know how I love a good political discussion.Here in the United Kingdom, voters will go to their local polling stations on Thursday for the national general election. The national general election in the United Kingdom is similar to the U.S. presidential election, but it’s not the same. It’s like the language here, it’s the same but different.First and foremost, as a voter, you don’t elect Tony Blair to be your prime minister. You vote for your local MP—that’s Member of Parliament, not military police. When the election is over, they tally up the number of MPs from each of the three parties—Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat. The leader of the party with the most members in the House of Commons becomes Prime Minister.So while some American commentators would like to make the U.K. general election like a presidential election, it’s just not. This is also why it doesn’t matter AT ALL, nor is it newsworthy, that Bill Clinton endorsed Tony Blair. (A piece of news I learned from my father-in-law, despite reading two newspapers and listening to two news radio shows a day). Nobody gets to vote for or against Tony Blair. It’s just not how it’s done.This is why I find it so curious that the Conservative party is now trying to shape the election into a “character issue” about Tony Blair, mainly, about why he decided to send British troops to Iraq when such an action may have been illegal. First, the Conservatives were never against the war, so it’s like they’d like to have it both ways: support the war effort, but at the same time, question Blair’s judgment about sending in troops. Second, it’s not as if anyone who opposed the war would suddenly decide to vote Conservative—I just don’t think there are that many single-issue voters out there.Finally, and most importantly, I find using the “character issue” in an election just plain lazy. It’s the sort of thing that makes people uncomfortable and makes them think about possibly changing their mind, but it’s just so low. I would be far more impressed if they actually stuck to the issues and said, “Vote for Us because of X, Y, and Z” rather than “Vote against Tony Blair because you just can’t trust him.”The Conservative’s election slogan is “Are you thinking what we’re thinking?” My answer is No.
M.A. Stapleton
My Marathon, My Hometown
A few days after I finished the London Marathon—and yes, I was still hobbling—a Canadian friend of mine stopped me in the playground and said to me, “Now that you’ve done the marathon, London really is your hometown, isn’t it?”After more than six years of living here, I had to agree.To put this into context, it’s important to understand that I really hated London when we moved here. Now it’s not really in my nature to hate anything, and people may be surprised to learn that I was deeply miserable when we relocated here, but it’s true.I hated everything here. I hated that the language was the same, but different. I hated feeling stupid most of the time, because I had to relearn how to do everything. I hated not working and yearned for my old newspaper job in Chicago. I hated not knowing anyone. I hated how expensive everything was. I hated hunting around to find simple food ingredients.To make matters more complicated, I discovered I was pregnant with Andrew while unpacking our moving boxes. So while it would be difficult enough to navigate living in a foreign country, I had to figure out how to have a baby here too. And let me tell you, as an American, it was incredibly shocking that my baby would be delivered not by a doctor, but by a midwife. (Though, as it happens, a doctor had to come in the end anyway, given Andrew’s stubbornness in entering the world.)Tim couldn’t really understand why I was unhappy. “But it’s London!” he would say. “It’s not like I made you move to some backwater!” Whenever we would watch a film or TV series filmed in Chicago, my heart would leap as if I’d seen a lover. “Look! Chicago! The city we love!!” I would say.Chicago, in some ways, was like my first love. I grew up just outside of New York City, and in many ways, that city was like a benevolent uncle to me. In fact, My Most Excellent Uncle Phil lived there, and one of my fondest childhood memories is spending the weekend in Manhattan, where I rode in a taxi and got to see “Star Wars” (not necessarily in that order). I went to university in Philadelphia, but I tend to gloss over that city because it didn’t have the hold on me Chicago did.Chicago, My Kind of Town, like Sinatra sings, is the place where I set out to make myself in graduate school at Northwestern University. It’s the place that cemented (pun intended) my love of architecture. It’s the place with such a colourful history, they’re STILL arresting gangsters there. It’s the place where I met and fell in love with my husband. When we moved here in 1998, in my mind, no city, even one as great as London, could beat Chicago.But London, much like British men themselves, was a patient suitor. It wasn’t obvious or showy. The city, and the people who live here, slowly revealed itself to me over time. I learned to love its regal history and short buildings. I became enamoured of the Thames River. I learned the lingo. I made lifelong friends.If I didn’t realize it before, the London Marathon showed me that the city had become mine. Before the race, I had countless friends and neighbours in Greenwich ask me about my training and wish me luck. On the day itself, dozens of friends lined the streets to cheer me to the finish. The route itself took me past important places in my life: In the 5th mile, I ran by the hospital where Andrew was born, and in the 25th mile, I ran close to the hospital where Nicholas was born. Strangers cheered me on by saying, “Come on Mo! You can do it, love!” A woman in the 20th mile offered to swap her Stella Artois for my Lucozade (“Tempting,” I told her. “But I think it’ll make me sick.”) When I could name the bridges along the Embankment to myself and could calculate how far I had to run before I turned right in front of Big Ben, I realized I was home.So yes, London is now my hometown. It took more than six years to come around, but I have fallen in love.P.S. But you know what they say: You never forget your first love.
“Aftermath” is just the way to describe the time after the race, given its physical, mental and emotional toll. I honestly have moments of complete mental disconnect when I can’t believe that I actually ran 26 miles and finished with a smile on my face. In many ways, it reminds me of the days after giving birth for the first time, when I couldn’t believe that I actually had a baby, but would look down, see the absent bump, and know that I had. For the past couple of days, I’ve looked out our back windows at the skyscrapers at Canary Wharf and then over to the London Eye and said to myself, “I ran from there to there and then some. That’s a long way!” Then I go over to the mantle and look at my medal for the 257th time.At Day 4 post-marathon, I’m thrilled to announce that I now can walk down the stairs without having to go backward! I think I may have switched into my regular shoes prematurely—my feet are still a sight you wouldn’t want to behold—but at least I can walk.I also no longer ache everywhere, but the pain has become more localized. Unfortunately, my left hip has resumed whining and complaining, which probably means a return trip to the physiotherapist. Today, when I tried to run to school (shockingly, I was a bit late), my hip hurt so much I began to wonder how it was that I managed to do a whole marathon with it like that. It’s a mystery.Once I crossed the finish line, I needed to attend to some race administration. First, they removed ChampionChip, a computer chip attached to my shoe, which recorded by time and splits. Then it was time to have my medal hung around my neck (it’s heavy!). Finally, I picked up my bag and started heading to the repatriation area to look for my family.At this point, though, I was so overcome with emotion that a very nice woman asked me if I was okay. “I just” [sob] “can’t believe” [sob] “that I finished!” [sob sob sob] “It’s your first, isn’t it,” she said. When I nodded, she then asked, “You have people to meet you right?” as if I had just survived some sort of war and wouldn’t possibly have it together enough to make it home in one piece.I finally found my Incredible family. Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! They had been patiently waiting for more than an hour because the ever-optimistic Tim thought that I would beat my predicted time. Actually, that wasn’t such a crazy thought, given that I was bang on schedule when I saw them last in Greenwich. But they were happy for me, Tim had tears in his eyes and Andrew kept asking to wear my medal. In a moment that is sure to be remembered as a highpoint of my motherhood career, I told him no. (I did finally let him wear it for about two minutes, but I quickly took it back.)By the time we got home, it was time for some champagne (Nytimber, for those wine snobs among you) and calls to friends and family. It took me about an hour to work up the courage to take off my socks and inspect the damage. (It wasn’t as bad as I feared, but it sure wasn’t pretty.)Will I do it again? On Sunday night, I swore, “Never again.” On Monday, I decided I was disappointed with my time, so I wanted to improve it by doing another marathon. By Tuesday, I wasn’t sure, and I’m still not. I suspect that it might be like childbirth in that I may soon forget all the pain and agony and give it another go. Watch this space.
My London Marathon
London Marathon Day started with a big bright sun in the sky. Some forecasts predicted showers in the afternoon, so my goal was to finish the race before the rain. As I got dressed, our thermometer showed that it was 5 degrees Celsius, so I added an extra layer under my race shirt. However, once I got outside in the sunshine I decided the long-sleeves were unnecessary, and I realized we’d be running in Mo-Optimal Conditions. [Regular readers of this site know that Mo-Optimal Conditions would be sunny with some clouds, and the temperature between 10 and 12 degrees Celsius.] While some people thought it was too hot, I thought it was perfect, as it never got hotter than 12 degrees. “Bang on the sweet spot,” Tim said.The atmosphere at the start line was electric, and reflected how I felt: giddy mixed with nervousness and fear. Would all the training I did be enough? A year ago, I was only running maybe once a week for 20 minutes, and I only started thinking seriously about the marathon in September. But then I would think about all the snowy, rainy, cold, foggy days that Nicholas and I set forth to run and I decided I did all that I could to be ready. I looked around to take it all in and try to relax. Children walked around the runners offering up bottles of Lucozade. Hot air balloons were tethered on the Heath next to the start. The BBC helicopters hovered overhead. I did some stretching and checked my bag, which, in a feat of logistics, would be waiting for me at the finish.With more than 30,000 people registered to run, the runners are divided into three starts, and then divided into pens, just like cattle, so the start will be somewhat orderly. The green start off a side road is for runners with a good-for-age time and “celebrities” (a term sometimes loosely applied). The red start in Greenwich Park, otherwise known as the mass start, is where the charity runners and most people in fancy dress go. The blue start from the Heath, where I was, is for the elite men and women racers (not me, obviously) and those lucky enough to get a spot in the lottery (me). The pen you are assigned reflects the predicted time on your application, but as my predicted time was far off what I knew I was going to do, I moved back so I wouldn’t get in the way of the faster runners.We were off! Thousands of runners, all pursuing the same goal: to run 26.2 miles. I saw people of all ages, shapes and sizes. I waved at the BBC camera hoping that my Mom in the U.S. would see me, as she had awoken in the middle of the night to watch the web cast. Other than my hip flaring up in mile 2 (bummer!) I honestly didn’t even notice running the first four miles, such was the excitement and group sense of mission.By the fourth mile, I saw my first spectator friend of the day: Mollie, Andrew and Nicholas’ swim teacher, who was so excited to see me she just kept jumping and shouting, “Go Mo! Go Mo!” From then on, I saw friend after friend after friend. Zoe on top of someone shoulders screaming, “You look brilliant!” Kate handing out water by the Arches. Fellow runner Liz catching up with me momentarily, then speeding ahead. Roisin jumping up and down in front of the Maritime Museum. Xanthe waving on Norman Road. Then, the best part: my incredible family waiting with their Mr. Incredible balloon on Creek Road bridge. (I stopped to give them all kisses). At that point, I didn’t even feel tired due to the rush of the crowd in Greenwich.After spotting two more friends (Marie and family in Deptford and Leslie a little further on), it was back to plodding along. This was when the hard work began. I still had 20 or so miles to go and I wasn’t going to see any friends or family again until maybe mile 18. When the euphoria wore off, my hip started becoming excruciatingly painful. But then I remembered the emergency pain relief I had brought with me—three different kinds based on the severity of the discomfort—and I took some. By mile 10, I was just under my 11-minute-mile pace goal, but then I decided I could either try to stay on the pace, possibly injure myself and have to drop out, or slow down and enjoy myself, and finish with a smile on my face. I, much to my mother’s relief, picked the latter.But even with the crowd shouting, “Come on Mo! You can do it!” (I put my name on the front of my shirt), it still was very hard work. Then, as I was drinking some much needed water and thinking that I’d never get to the halfway point, we turned a corner and there it was: the beautiful Tower Bridge, made all the more gorgeous knowing that I was nearly halfway.The absolute worst part (with the second-worst part the stretch between Surrey Quays at mile 10 and Tower Bridge) were miles 14 to 18. First, you see the much faster runners on the opposite side of the road running their final four miles. (“****![Insert favourite swear word here] Why can’t that be me!” or “****! I really am slow!”) Second, you know you still have 12 miles to go, and that might as well be a million miles at this point. But I asked myself, “Do I feel worse than on the day I did 19 miles in the terrible heat?” and the answer was always no, so on I plodded. I kept repeating to myself, “Pain is temporary, pride is forever.” I also kept looking down at my left hand, where I had written 121 in black permanent marker, representing the money I raised to send that many African girls to primary school. [It’s not too late to increase this number! Go to www.justgiving.com/maureenstapleton]The crowds throughout the day were incredible. They estimated more than 500,000 people came out to support the runners, and if I could, I’d personally thank everyone who yelled an encouraging “Go Mo!” during the race. I decided early on I was going to smile and give a thumbs up whenever anyone shouted my name. I didn’t want to be a miserable runner on such an incredible day. Pubs set up DJ booths. Bands played. People danced. Kids held out their hands, looking for high fives. People held out boxes of candy, to help runners increase their glucose levels. At the mile 17 water stop, I hesitated to take a jelly baby, remembering my mother’s advice to never take candy from a stranger, but I so wanted a sugar rush I took one anyway. (I had my own supply of jelly babies, but the plan was not to eat them until mile 18).By the time I hit mile 20, I FINALLY felt good. The hard work was behind me and now it was a more or less straight shot to the finish along the Thames. I wanted to pick up the pace, but the problem was most of the people around me were walking, so it was very difficult to dodge around them to run.The rest of the race is a blur—running past the Tower of London, running under the Millennium Bridge, running past Embankment (To see Marie and family for the third time! Hooray for them!), then Big Ben getting larger and larger as we approached. Finally, it was a right turn in front of Parliament for the last mile of the race. I took off my iPod Shuffle so I could bask in the adulation of the crowd. I felt like an Olympian. I could see other runners with their finishing medals around their necks and I thought, “I’m going to have one soon! I’m going to finish the marathon!”One final turn by Buckingham Palace, and I was at the finish line, with a smile on my face, my arms jubilantly up in the air, and tears running down my cheeks, as predicted.
Nicholas tries to lay claim to my medal, which he earned too. Posted by
I Did It!!!! I Did It!!!
I am thrilled, estatic, chuffed and psyched to announced that I FINISHED the 25th annual Flora London Marathon!!!! My feet will never be the same (I will spare you a picture), my back and hip are still in pain despite copious amounts of pain relief and I think even my hair hurts, but I don't care. I've done yet! As I've already enjoyed some champagne and now am awaiting my dinner, I will stop here and write more tomorrow. But I did it! I did it!! I've said it before, and I'll say it again (today especially): I TOTALLY ROCK!Congratulations to everyone who finished today, but especially my friend Liz, my friend Sam and my fellow blogger Laura, who I got to run with for a little bit on the Isle of Dogs. Well done everyone!
Happy Marathon Eve!
Well, this is it. My gear for tomorrow is organized, I’m updating my iPod as I type this, I’ve pinned my number on the front of my shirt and I’ve calculated the final tally of the number of girls I’ll help send to school when I finish the marathon.The total, as of 9:57 p.m., is (drum roll, please) 121 girls will get to go to primary school for one year in Africa! I am thrilled beyond belief. More donations are set to come in, [and if you haven’t donated yet, you should] but that’s the definite number I’ve got for tomorrow. I plan to write 121 on my left hand to remind myself when the going gets tough the good that will come of this experience. My left hand is the same place I would write down my workouts, so I’m used to looking there in the middle of a run.Thank you very, very, much to everyone who sponsored me. I am deeply touched by everyone’s generosity. You have made someone else’s life better, for which you should be proud. You should drink champagne tomorrow too! I certainly will be drinking copious amounts of it.I’d really like to write more tonight, but I should shoot off to bed now and try to get a good night’s sleep. I’m hoping I won’t have the same nightmares I had last night, when I dreamt that a robber came in and stole… only my running shoes and race number.Watch this space tomorrow to see how I did.Thanks again for all of your love and support. It made this task much easier.
The Greenwich Advantage
With less than three days to go before the marathon, I am officially freaking out. My feelings bounce from excitement to nervousness to pride to outright fear, and sometimes it’s a combination of all four.One of the things I’m most looking forward to on race day will be the advantage of waking up in my own bed, getting ready in my own house and walking up the hill with my family to the start. It certainly makes me more relaxed knowing that the world-class sporting event I’m participating in is just a short walk away. It really does give me a distinct advantage over the other competitors, though given my speed (very slow) it’s not as if it’s going to help me win the race.Another advantage of living in Greenwich is I’ve spent the last six months running on the course. I’ve never run it from start to finish (I’m saving that for Sunday), but in the course of training, I’ve run about 21 miles of it. I haven’t run the last five miles, again I’m saving that for Sunday, but I do think it will really help me. I’ve got the course memorized, and I’ve even run what they say is the worst part—miles 14 to 22—so I know what to expect.The other advantage of living in Greenwich will be all the friends who will be looking out for me between miles five and eight and on the Isle of Dogs. I know from watching in the past that it might be hard to spot people you know, but my friends are already telling me where to look for them, so that should help. (For those friends looking for me later on in the course, I’m asking that they bring some spare Nurofen with them.) It'll be like I'm a famous athlete, with all these people cheering my name! Well, at least I can pretend just once.I know it’s slightly unfair that I’ve been able to practice on the course whenever I wanted, but it doesn’t really matter, as I’ll hardly be up in the front, running head-to-head with Paula Radcliffe. The way I see it, any advantage that will help me cross the finish line with a smile on my face is one I should exploit.
Queen Elizabeth II and Me
I saw the Queen! I saw the Queen!!There’s no point in burying the lede, because that’s the most exciting thing that happened to me today. My friend Liz, who is running the marathon for Cancer Research UK, and I went to pick up our race numbers and goodie bags. As we were walking into the Expo Hall, Liz said to me, “Look! There’s the Queen!”“Oh Wow!” I said, thinking that I’d finally spotted Her Royal Highness after living here for six years. But then I got suspicious. She had no minders, guardsmen or ladies-in-waiting with her. She seemed to be wearing the same outfit she wore to Charles and Camilla’s wedding on Saturday. And no one was curtsying.“That’s not really her, is it,” I asked, my voice deflating with every word.“You didn’t really think that it was, did you? Liz asked. Well of COURSE I did. Why wouldn’t the Queen be there to greet me at the Expo on the day I picked up my race number in fulfilment of a lifelong dream? Besides, what do I know? I’m an American living in London.Once I realized the error, the Expo was a bit of a letdown. The Expo is like a trade show for all the marathon runners where you pick up your number and championship chip (which electronically records your time when you cross mats at the start and finish) and also get to see all sorts of running-related merchandise. You can taste powerbars and gels—I think they’re gross. You can try on running shoes. You can buy running gear.In my reporting career I’ve covered dozens of trade shows ranging from the fun to the downright dull. The best trade show ever was the Candy Show 1998 at McCormick Place in Chicago where U.S. candy manufacturers showed their new products. The highlight was The Sample Room where they handed you a bag at the entrance and you crammed it full of everything that appealed to you for free. Wasn’t I the most popular reporter in the newsroom with a bag of candy next to my desk? The less said about the downright dull trade shows the better, but I think the names say it all: The Steel Manufacturers Equipment Show, The Manufacturing Expo, The Textiles Show. I am a veteran of looking interested when someone is explaining ISO 2000 standards or fabric trends.The Marathon Expo was great only because you got to see what some of your fellow competitors looked like and everyone kept wishing me luck. When I picked up my number, the man asked me if it was my first marathon and it took a GREAT DEAL of self control not to burst into tears right there and then. (As regular readers of this journal know, I am somewhat emotional at the moment, given that even the Porta-Loos set me off).Oh, am I excited. I’m going to do this! I’m running the marathon! I can do it! Look for number 9985 with a red cap (pictured below), fluorescent yellow shirt and (most likely) tears running down my face as I cross the finish line.
An Ode to My Personal Trainer
Training for the London Marathon on a beautiful morning, I breathlessly ascend a near-perpendicular hill in Greenwich Park. Upon reaching the top, I stop, doubled over, gulping fresh air, trying to stop the spots appearing before my eyes. My personal trainer is having none of it—he quickly complains about my rest and wants to run again immediately. My trainer’s personal skills leave something to be desired, and he expresses his displeasure with a shocking lack of eloquence. His demands are relentless, and his expressions can be described as monosyllabic at best and guttural at worst. I’d fire him if I could.Unfortunately, I’m locked into a lifetime contract. My trainer is my 22-month-old son.With less than a week to go until the race on April 17, my son Nicholas has been with me nearly every step of the way. There is no doubting that he is my personal trainer, of a sort, as he sits in his jogging buggy while I push him around Greenwich and Blackheath. He complains with a high-pitched whine when I stop, even if I have a good excuse, like an untied shoelace. He claps victoriously when we speed downhill. If he thinks we ought to be moving faster, he rocks forward and backward. He even occasionally says, “Go!” during sprints.We certainly do attract our share of attention. Usually the comments are of the “Well done” or “Better you than me” variety. One gorgeous morning, when it was raining/snowing/windy, we were running along the Thames when I heard someone behind me. The path was narrow, so the bicyclist had to coast along until the path got wider. When he passed us, he asked, “Are you training for the baby buggy marathon or something?”I said, “Well, I am training for the London marathon.”He gave me a good, long look—or as long as one could be when perched atop a bicycle—and said with a great deal of incredulousness, “Really?”That’s exactly how I feel most days.Some of my personal trainer’s workouts are sessions that even the mighty Paula Radcliffe would not dare undertake. I am certain that of the 30,000 runners lining up on April 17, I am the only one who has read the classic tome, “Shrek 2: Opposites” while doing sprints. One rainy day he was so miserable, I tried to cheer him up by singing “Five Little Ducks,” while we finished our fifth mile. More times than I can count I’ve had to stop to provide water, offer up a raisin box or find another book for him to peruse.Nicholas may have made my training more difficult, but there’s no denying he’s made me stronger. Sometimes-- OK, many times-- I feel as though I’m the only person who’s got such a small training partner for the marathon. I logged on to a Runner’s World forum posting a question about training for the race with a child, hoping there was someone out there as mad as me. I became convinced I was stuffed when the first few replies were, “Blimey! Good for you!” and “Very impressive.” Finally the thread did generate an answer—but from only one person and I suspect he’s running with a child only on the weekends.I’m hoping my personal trainer will have helped me get around the course in a decent time. Ideally, I’d like to beat the course record for the runner dressed as a Panto horse (4:37) or Oprah Winfrey’s marathon time (4:29). At this point, though, any finishing time will make me very proud and happy.On marathon day, there will be thousands of runners with inspiring stories to tell—those who overcame illness or injury, those who want to honour a friend’s memory or those who never ran a step until they started training. I don’t think my story is particularly inspiring, but I’d like to think that my effort honours the work of every mother who’s doing the best job she can, while letting her dreams coexist with the needs of her family.Amputees sometimes sense a phantom limb, where they feel things in the appendage that no longer exists. I’m wondering if after the hundreds of miles I’ve pushed my trainer in pursuit of my goal, I will start pushing a “phantom buggy” if I start hallucinating in the latter part of the race. If you happen to see a woman crossing the finish line singing “Five Little Ducks” pushing a buggy that isn’t there, you’ll know the answer.
Hats! Hats! Hats!
The Prince of Wales finally married his long-time love Camilla Parker Bowles on Saturday. Here in England, you could feel a real sense of… ambivalence about the ceremony.I don’t know if the event was overshadowed by the Pope’s funeral on Friday, or the upcoming general election May 5 (more on that in a later post), but no one I knew seemed to care about the event. Not one of my British friends raised the subject with me. My friend Anna and I spent most of our Friday lunch discussing celebrity gossip, including the new post-birth procedure called “Mend it Like Beckham”, which involves a tummy tuck, liposuction and the reinsertion of breast implants, but the wedding never came up.My friend Anne, a fellow American, and I turned on the BBC on Saturday, waiting mostly to see what Camilla would wear. As all the papers said on Sunday, Camilla scrubbed up well. Her first suit, which she wore to the registry office, was pretty and dull, but not pretty dull. Her second dress, which she wore to the church blessing, was of an indeterminate color (we finally decided on grey, but later learned it was porcelain blue), but moved beautifully in the breeze.But let’s talk about the hats! Now anyone who knows me well, knows I love a good hat. One of the reasons why I love this country so much is they still embrace the hat thing. Sadly my life is somewhat bereft of occasions that call for formal hats, but what can you do. Camilla’s first hat was beautiful and looked great. Her second hat was a more curious choice—sometimes it looked as though her hair had just gotten out of control—but up close I’m sure (or I hope) it looked better.The guest’s hats were also great. Some of the American stories I read about the day seemed befuddled by all the hats in attendance, but clearly, they don’t know much about this country. Just look at Queen Elizabeth. The woman is NEVER without a hat. In fact, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen her hair.The Sunday papers were far from effusive about the occasion. The headline on two of the tabloids was, “At Last!” It’s hardly the sort of reaction you’d like to have to your new marriage, but then again, Camilla and Charles probably don’t care.
A Plot Twist!
“Rocky” wouldn’t have been nearly as good a film if Rocky wasn’t such a loser at the beginning. He was a failed boxer, the only thing that loved him was his dog and the only exercise equipment he could afford was the Philadelphia Art Museum steps. The story, now imitated innumerable times, showed how he overcame adversity to win both the fight and the heart of the girl he loved.Every great story needs a conflict, plot twist or turning point. Even mine.That’s right, sports fans, we now have adversity in my own marathon story. I am injured with just over one week to go before the race.After some very painful runs, I finally saw a physiotherapist (physical therapist) yesterday. The news was both bad and good. The bad news was that I have definitely strained some muscles around my left hip. The good news is that my physio definitely thought I’d be able to fix it before next Sunday.As I told him, “Just get me well enough to run 22 miles. I can run the last 4 miles on sheer will alone.” He laughed, but I was deadly serious. There is no way that I will have gotten 99 percent of the training done only to have to pull out a week before the gun sounds.I am also adamant that I will not be a DNF (Did Not Finish). In my book, DNF equals complete and utter failure. Even if it takes me seven days, like the guy in the Victorian diving suit, I will finish.When I was about 11, I decided that I was going to qualify for Lake Rickabear’s Mile Swim Club. Every summer, lifeguards at our lake would put out buoys in the middle of the lake. After you had swum around the buoys four times, you would have swum a mile. I spent the entire summer swimming countless laps from dock to dock to train. On the day I was to swim it, my older brother Mike and a friend (I can’t remember who) rowed the boat to be my official referee. Now Mike, who I couldn’t love more, was a supportive older brother for the first lap or so, but by the third lap, his own kind of encouragement really kicked in.“How much longer is it going to take you?” he’d ask. “Man, you are SO SLOW,” he’d say to lift my spirits.“I really have other things to do, you know,” he’d say, as he would wave to some girls on the shore.Undeterred and with an abundance of tenacity, I swam on and finished my one mile. I didn’t care that it took most of the afternoon. I had spent the whole summer training and I was going to do it, even if my brother was mocking me from the boat.Believe me when I say that my experience that summer will prove handy next week.
It is every host's worst nightmare: What happens if you pick a date for your event, only to have something more important occur on the same date drawing your most esteemed guests to the competing event?Alas, that very problem has occurred to our own Prince Charles. He is, if you haven't heard the news, finally marrying his longtime paramour, Camilla Parker Bowles. The arrangements have been a bit slapdash-- to say the least-- apparently owing to the fact that one newspaper was about to report the scoop before all the details had been nailed down.One problem after another has emerged related to the wedding. The biggest problem, until yesterday, had been the choice of the wedding's location. They wanted to get married at Windsor Castle, but if they did that meant The Great Unwashed (read: the general public) could get married there for the next three years, so they moved the ceremony. Now they're getting married in Windsor Town Hall, a location the Queen reportedly feels is beneath her, so she won't be attending. ("Not a snub!" the palace insists. Yeah, right.)Now the Vatican announced Monday that Pope John Paul's funeral will be on Friday, the Prince's wedding day. Tony Blair immediately said that he'd be going to Rome, rather than Windsor, as did the Archbishop of Canterbury. Reportedly, Charles is said to have whined, "Why do I have do this?" when royal officials (and possibly his own mother) said it would be best to move the date of his wedding.Charles capitulated and now the wedding will be on Saturday. It seems to me that only the most stalwart of Royal fans have been excited about the pending nuptials, but many more people are amused by all of the fiascos leading up to the big day. The British press gleefully reports every snafu and gives them another opportunity to run photos of a virginal Princess Diana and not-a-virgin Prince Charles on their wedding day. (In my opinion, that was the best royal wedding EVER. Even if they did become hopelessly unhappy soon thereafter. It looked great, though.) Today's editions feature such headlines like, "No Wedding and a Funeral" (The Mirror), "JINXED-Queen's Dispair at Charles' Curse" (The Sun), "Black Day for Charles and Camilla's Jinxed Wedding" (The Scotsman).While I disagreed with some Pope John Paul's opinions, he was, at his core, a very good man. He advocated peace, justice, the end of Communism and improved lives for everyone. It's great that his final act put Prince Charles, who's never advocated any of the above, in his place.
The Day the Porta-Loos Made Me Cry
I made quite a spectacle of myself in Greenwich Park on Friday. I was trying to not pay too much attention to the excruciating pain emanating from my hip when I spotted them: The Porta-Loos for the Marathon."They set them up already?" I thought to myself. "Is the race really that soon?" Then I started to cry. I tried to pull myself together, but then I started to cry even harder. Luckily, everyone around me was wrapped up in Spring hoopla, so no one noticed me. I finally got it together and started to limp down the hill.Now anyone who knows me well knows that I'm not really the crying type. I didn't even cry at my own wedding, for goodness sake. I think my reaction was along the lines of "Oh, F***! This is really going to happen, isn't it?" rather than a reflection of how I think the Porta-Loos sully the beautiful Royal Park that is my family's playground. It didn't help that at that moment I was having a difficult time running without grimacing and/or swearing, due to my hip.The hip problem is a new and unwelcome development. In the past six months training for the race, one part of my body from my head to my toes has been sore every day. I've suffered from headache, sunburn, chest problems, stomach ailments, sore thighs, dodgy knees, aching Achilles tendon and black toenails. But I've been lucky in that none of those ailments lingered for more than a day or two (or I got used to the pain).The one thing I've been most concerned about while training is avoiding injury. It seems as though everyone else I know planning to run has been beset by a major ailment. I really counted myself lucky that I was able to stay relatively injury free. Until Friday. My hip started to hurt in the last miles of my 20-mile run last weekend, but I didn't think much of it until I was finishing up my workout on Friday and it suddenly became painful to walk, let alone run.I have been religiously icing it ever since. I skipped my planned 11-mile run today, given that I ran about 10 steps before the pain became excruciating, and I know at this point rest is more important that miles. I'm still sure that I'll be at the start line IN TWO WEEKS!!!! (yes, I'm shouting, but at least I'm not crying at the sight of some Loos in the park).
Tim and I took advantage of our in-house staff-- my Mom and Dad are visiting from the U.S.-- to leave the boys behind and visit Prague in the Czech Republic. Prague, or Praha as they say there, has always been on our list of European cities we wanted to visit. It's a beautiful city, which I say despite the fact that a pickpocket tried (and failed) to lighten my load less than two hours after we arrived there.We had a wonderful time, but I can't say for sure if that's due to the absence of the kids or a reflection of the city (probably both). I can see why so many movies are filmed there, as it easily stands in as Generic European City. It seems as though time stopped around 1910, as the city is filled with perfectly preserved Art Nouveau buildings. The beauty of some of these places literally stops you in your tracks. At least the Communists had the good sense to leave well enough alone.In fact, I was somewhat disappointed not to find more reminders of Communism. On our last day, we saw a fascinating exhibit called "Propaganda" featuring Communist Party posters of the 1950s and 1960s used in both Czechoslovakia and the U.S.S.R. It shed some light on what it was like under Communist rule. Artistically, the graphics and fonts were really interesting and beautiful in their own way. We could have gone to the National Art Gallery to see some Impressionists, but we've seen all those painters before in one country or another. This was the first, and possibly only time we'll be able to see something like this.The food is heavily oriented toward cheese, which made me very happy. For our first meal (dinner), I had fried camerbert for a starter. For our second meal (breakfast), I had some cheese with bread. For our third meal (lunch), I had cheese on top of a filet steak. I almost had to break the cheese habit because the restaurant didn't have any steak, but the waiter ran up the hill and got a fresh filet from the restaurant next door. For our fourth meal (dinner), I had marinated cheese as a starter. For our fifth meal (breakfast), I had cheese with bread again. The desserts were also delicious. Yum. Yum. Yum.The city was filled with tourists, many of them American and British (the fact that I could understand what they were saying gave it away). If I could just take a moment to rant-- and what's an online journal for if not to complain every once in a while-- I'd like to talk about some of the sartorial choices these tourists made. Now I understand that I was basically on a three-day date with my husband so I made a bit of an effort (The Skirt Initiative was in full force). But if you're eating breakfast in a five-star hotel wearing ratty old jeans and a stained sweatshirt, I wonder-- what do you wear when you're cleaning the house? A little bit of effort goes a long way.I had every intention of running while I was there. In fact, I brought two days worth of gear to do so. But when given a choice of having a lazy morning with Tim or going out to pound the streets, I wisely chose the former. (However, I did do Pilates both mornings while Tim was in the shower. So I wasn't completely negligent in my preparation for the race.
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Life as a mother is a marathon. You need to have patience, endurance, tenacity and a sense of humor. When you decide to run a marathon as a mother, particularly when your 1-year-old son is along for the ride, you need all of the above in spades. This blog began as a way to update my family on the progress of my marathon training, but now the blog has evolved to talk about a million other things, too. I am now working on my first novel, so if you are an agent looking for new clients, be sure to get in touch.
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2014-15/3332/en_head.json.gz/460 | RA Dickey leads NL in wins, K’s and innings pitched
Yesterday against the Marlins, R.A. Dickey threw a complete game, giving up one run on five hits with 10 strike outs.
In seven starts after the All-Star break, Dickey was 2-1, but with a 5.36 ERA and a .347 BAbip, during which the team was just 3-4.
Nevertheless, he still leads the National League in wins, strike outs and innings pitched…
According to multiple reports, Dickey recently told Terry Collins that he does not want to risk his health by pitching on short rest, all in effort to win a Cy Young award or get to 20 wins.
“We want this guy in the rotation next year,” Collins told reporters before yesterday’s game. “If we were in the hunt, it might be really different. But I think we need to be a little more cautious, and make sure he is ready for next year.” Dickey agreed, telling reporters, he would pitch on short rest in a pennant race, to help the team win games, but he is not interested in doing it just to win an award.
That said, if Dickey changes his mind, and wants extra opportunities in September, Collins said he is happy to revisit it.
Michael Baron, ContributorI thought Dickey going on short was a bad idea to begin with. If he pitches well enough in his remaining scheduled starts, he should win at least 20 games anyway, and should win the Cy Young naturally. Pitching on short rest could have thrown off Dickey’s routine (as well as the routines of the other starters), and risked his health. Also, there’s no guarantee it would generate positive results. The team has fallen way out of the playoff race at this point, and so there is no reason to gamble and take risks with Dickey and the rest of the starting pitchers. Besides, throwing off the entire rotation so to get Dickey more opportunities to rack up wins a) taints the race, and b) caters to the individual achievement which is not what a team sport is truly about. This is the right call.
Matthew Cerrone, Lead WriterI agree with Mike, and I’m sure most everyone else reading this will agree as well. At this point, he’s competing for hardware with Gio Gonzalez, Johnny Cueto, and maybe Braves closer Craig Kimbrel. Sure, Collins could pitch him on short rest and maybe jack up Dickey’s win total and strikeouts, but – who knows – that could work against him. There is no guarantee. He’s on pace to win 20 anyway, and – in my opinion – leading in the Cy Young race. So, just stay on target and let him do this thing… | 体育 |
2014-15/3332/en_head.json.gz/483 | AP State Seahawks owner Allen to fund brain injury research November 21, 2013 @ 1:16 pm
(Updated: 1:29 pm - 11/21/13 ) Tweet
SEATTLE (AP) - Microsoft co-founder and Seattle Seahawks owner Paul Allen said Thursday he will pay for a two-year, $2.4 million study into whether repeated blows to the head can lead to dementia.
Researchers at the Allen Institute for Brain Science and the University of Washington will examine donated brains to look for links between head injuries and later health problems like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
The NFL recently reached a $765 million settlement of concussion lawsuits that made about 19,000 retired players eligible for money and medical testing. Last week, the NFL Players Association announced a new organization to help former players with health and financial concerns.
The Seattle study is unrelated financially to those developments.
Researchers will study brains from the Group Health brain bank, which has more than 500 brains donated during the past 25 years by older Seattle adults for research on aging and cognitive function.
Researchers have gathered a wealth of medical and other information about each of the donors, including the fact that nearly 1 in 5 suffered from some kind of brain injury during their lifetime, from car accidents to war injuries.
The Allen Institute previously focused on mapping the healthy brain, but Dr. Ed Lein said moving into brain injury is a logical next step.
Their findings will be freely available. Lein said they hope to inspire and help other scientists seeking prevention and treatment ideas.
He expects their findings to interest the sports world, but added they are "decidedly not focused on sports-related injuries." | 体育 |
2014-15/3332/en_head.json.gz/487 | Published on Nashville City Paper (http://nashvillecitypaper.com)
Titans hope extra rest serves them as well as it has others
Can a weekend make a streak end?
The Tennessee Titans. losers of six straight, would like to think so. More importantly, they have a good reason to think so.
Having played Thursday night (a 30-28 loss to Indianapolis), the players had an entire weekend to rest in advance of this coming Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans (noon, LP Field).
“I think it’s important,” coach Jeff Fisher said Monday. “You see teams bounce back and take advantage of that rest.”
Indeed you do.
Obviously there is only one winner when two teams meet in a Thursday night contest, but more often than not — based on what has happened the past four weeks — both teams benefit.
Since this season’s Thursday night schedule commenced with Baltimore against Atlanta in Week 10, the participating teams have won the following week much more often than not. Additionally, there is plenty of evidence to suggest a team’s ability to score is greatly enhanced by an extended break at this time of the year.
The benefit to the Titans could be enhanced by the fact that Houston will have a shorter than normal week of preparation. The Texans played Monday night against the Ravens. Of course, that was after having played on Thursday the previous week.
“It’s just like a regular bye week,” Fisher said. "[The players]" are going to come back in and have fun, we’re going to have fun and get ready and play an opponent that shut us out three or four weeks ago.”
Houston’s opponent on Dec. 2, the Philadelphia Eagles, defeated the Dallas Cowboys 30-27 on Sunday, which made them the eighth team (out of 11) to win after having played on Thursday since the regular mid-week games began five weeks ago.
That stat is skewed slightly by the fact that one of the three teams that lost, the New York Jets, did so against a team that was equally rested. The Jets and New England Patriots played on Thanksgiving before the Patriots routed the Jets 45-3 in a Monday night contest 11 days later.
Although the New England’s offensive performance that night was exceptional, it was not the exception.
The Patriots are the only team currently averaging at least 30 points per game for the season, but all eight that won in the wake of a Thursday contest did so with at least 30 points on the board. Even one of the teams that lost, Detroit, which also played on Thanksgiving, scored 30 the following week.
Baltimore and Atlanta, the first to get the extra rest this season, went out and won 37-13 and 34-17, respectively, in their next games. Miami lost to Chicago on a Thursday night but won 33-17 its next time out. The Bears won 31-26 that same day.
Since 1997, the Titans are 2-3 all-time in games following a Thursday appearance. However, one of their defeats, a 41-14 blowout at Cincinnati, came in the highly unusual instance when they played on back-to-back Thursdays. A year ago, they lost to Houston in Week 2, when all teams are still fairly fresh, after having opened the season on a Thursday against Pittsburgh.
The last time Tennessee played on Thursday in November or later was 2008, when they whipped Detroit on Thanksgiving. The following week they thumped Cleveland 28-9 “Based on the experiences over the years, [the extra days] are very, very valuable,” Fisher said. “We were a very tired team even when we went to Detroit on Thanksgiving a couple of years ago. We bounced back and played pretty good football after that.”
Source URL: http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/sports/titans-hope-extra-rest-serves-them-well-it-has-others | 体育 |
2014-15/3332/en_head.json.gz/488 | Reports: Season-ending knee surgery a possibility for Sixers’ Andrew Bynum
Andrew Bynum, Philadelphia 76ers, Rob Mahoney
Andrew Bynum has yet to play for the Sixers this season. (Matt Rourke/AP)
The 76ers made a good, sensible deal in essentially trading Andre Iguodala, Nikola Vucevic and Moe Harkless for budding star center Andrew Bynum, but even good, sensible deals are subject to twists of fate.
Since making that deal over the summer, the Sixers have yet to see Bynum on the court for a single game, and, according to John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer (as confirmed by Jason Wolf of USA Today), their prized acquisition — who is set to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season — could soon undergo an arthroscopic surgery that would eliminate any chance that he might play this season. That means that Philadelphia’s gamble will end in one of two ways:
With the Sixers committing long term to a player who has undergone two knee surgeries and played no games in roughly a year.
With the Sixers having traded a talented all-around player and three young assets (including a protected first-round pick) while getting nothing in return.
It’s a tough situation, and the outcome will undoubtedly come down to Bynum’s target contract and the scary possibilities involved in a player this good and this injury-prone hitting the open market. Some team or another is virtually guaranteed to take a chance on Bynum, as his potential is great enough for many franchises to justify accepting a significant risk. Comments in Wolf’s report from general manager Tony DiLeo suggest that the Sixers are still very much interested in retaining Bynum beyond this year, but DiLeo admits that there’s no way to take a definitive stance at present given how little is known about Bynum’s current value:
“We haven’t seen him out on the court,” DiLeo said, “so we don’t have all the answers, and hopefully we’ll get some answers. It’s always been our goal to see him healthy, out on the court with us. So far we haven’t been able to see that.”
The Sixers would have enough room to sign other quality players should they opt to forfeit Bynum’s Bird Rights and cap hold, but Bynum remains a terrific talent at a clear position of need. He’d be a nice fit alongside the other solidified members of the Sixers’ core, and has flashed the kind of talent necessary to function as a team’s best offensive player. That’s an alluring combination — so alluring, in fact, that it could wind up being Philadelphia’s undoing. The Sixers obviously have a vested interest in signing Bynum. They gave up a considerable amount to acquire Bynum in the first place, and the motivation to validate that investment — the process of trading for Bynum, his rehabilitation, his time with team personnel and the long wait for his return — could urge Philadelphia to keep him around.
If not, he’ll surely find a home. Players this productive don’t tend to go unclaimed, though Bynum may have to consider a short-term deal in order to persuade a team to sign him. That, too, could put Philadelphia in a bad negotiating position; the one thing the Sixers have working in their favor above all else is that they can offer Bynum more money than any other suitor. This entire episode puts Philadelphia directly at the center of a tricky situation. Bynum’s decision looms as one of the tidal elements of the 2013 offseason.
Tags: 2013 NBA free agency, 2013 nba offseason, Andrew Bynum, nba, Philadelphia 76ers
AEvangelista 5pts
Bynum should be a good boy and take a one-year deal from Philly for the veteran's minimum, just to prove he can play at all. But that's not going to happen..
JasonMacBride 5pts
Bowling injury?
nyhoukcdal 5pts
I realize that this will never happen, but... the sixers should simply offer him a 1 yr deal at his current salary (or near it) and say that it is essentially a do-over for the year he lost. Then, if he returns to form, they can offer him whatever max deal they want. Why would ANY team take a chance on more than that right now?
Gregory McRae 5pts
Wow!! Did the Sixers get sold a lemon or what??
pauldavidhewson13 5pts
Season Ending? I didn't know he started the season | 体育 |
2014-15/3332/en_head.json.gz/509 | Raymond Felton Says He Is Better Than Jeremy Lin
So, the new starting point guard for the New York Knicks -- Raymond Felton -- has come out and said he thinks he is better than the old starting point guard -- Jeremy Lin.
“I am a competitor,” Felton said. “I am a point guard just like he is, so do I think I am better? Of course, I am going to say that. I think I am better than any point guard. That’s the way I am supposed to think.”
Give Felton credit for chutzpah, if also pointing out that he was really foolish to wade into this with the feelings among Knicks fans still being so raw after James Dolan and the gang royally screwed up in dealing with the most popular player the franchise has had since Patrick Ewing.
You can bet that Knicks' fans will hold Felton to his insistence that he is better than Lin. While Lin was at the center of Linsanity last season, coming out of obscurity to rescue the Knicks' season and create an international phenomenon, Felton spent the 2011-12 season getting fat and playing badly for an awful Portland team, averaging 11.4 points, 6.54 assists and shooting an awful 40.7 percent from the field.
You can bet that Felton will have a bulls-eye on his back and if he does not perform the way he did during his initial tour with New York (17.1 points, 9.0 assists) in 54 games the Madison Square Garden crowd won't be very forgiving.
“I am hearing from everybody, ‘He wasn’t in shape last year,’” Felton said. “I played in the league seven years, about to be eight, came in out of shape one year and that’s all everybody wants to talk about. … I look forward to this year and shutting up everybody’s mouth.
…”I wasn’t at the weight I normally (am). I am the first one to say, ‘I wasn’t in shape.’ I don’t make no excuses, I don’t blame anyone else.” | 体育 |
2014-15/3332/en_head.json.gz/523 | Thurman: It’s our defense
By Mark Cannizzaro August 2, 2013 | 4:00am
CORTLAND — Who is Dennis Thurman and what does he do?
He has been a trusted Rex Ryan lieutenant for longer than most couples stay married and he currently is the Jets’ defensive coordinator, elevated to that post when Mike Pettine left for Buffalo after last season.
The question for Thurman, as it was for Pettine in the four years he held that post, is whether he truly is the Jets defensive coordinator, or if that is merely his title in a human resources file in Florham Park.
This has been an underlying story to the Rex Ryan Jets since the head coach was hired in 2009, because defense is what Rex does. It is what he is known for, what he has built his reputation on.
So, whatever the Jets have done on defense the last four years, has universally been assumed by those of us who are not in the team meetings to be Ryan pulling the strings behind the big green curtain, not the work of his defensive coordinator.
Thurman, who played nine years in the NFL and carved out a commendable career (36 interceptions) before turning to coaching, has been an accomplished secondary coach for Ryan, overseeing one of the best groups of defensive backs in the league for the last four years.
But, come Week 1, when the Jets play Tampa Bay, will Thurman really be coordinating the defense?
No one really knows and, from the way Thurman sounded yesterday when he spoke to The Post, he doesn’t seem to care about the perception.
“That doesn’t faze me,’’ Thurman said. “I want to win more than anything else. I love winning. This is our defense. It’s ours. It’s not about mine, it’s about ours. I’ve been a team guy all my life.’’
Though he is in charge of more now than he was as the secondary coach, Thurman said his input will continue to be a factor. The question, of course, is whether his input will be increased as the coordinator.
Further adding to the speculation Thurman’s overseeing the defense might be diminished is the fact Ryan has been vocal this offseason about his plans to get back to the basics of his rookie year as head coach, when he was virtually hands-on with the defense.
Ryan, trying to mold himself into a more well-rounded head coach the last couple of years, attempted to branch out into the offense more by going to more meetings and having more input.
Having seen how poorly that worked out, he’s is retreating to his original mode, which is defense first and letting offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg handle the offense.
That leaves you to further wonder how much say-so Thurman will have. There were reasons why Pettine left the Jets to take the same job with the Bills, and one of them surely was the opportunity to run his own shop, out of the prolific Ryan’s shadow.
“Dennis is the defensive coordinator,’’ Ryan said Thursday. “As far as installing, it’s all based on us. This is our defense, the New York Jet defense, and we do things collectively. I may be the original presenter, but certainly I can’t be in every single meeting. We have a great staff, and we lean on our staff.’’
How much he leans on Thurman will be one of the many fascinating subplots to the season.
However large or small Thurman’s role turns out to be, his track record as an assistant is strong — for several reasons, beginning with the fact he connects to his players in a unique way as a former player.
Thurman seems to be a perfect fit alongside Ryan’s larger-than-life persona because he is not an attention-seeker.
He never has been one of those assistant coaches obsessed with where his next job is going to be.“Here’s a guy that is so humble he never put himself out there, which is good for us, because we don’t want to lose him,’’ Ryan said. “He’s one of the smartest guys in the league and he has that wealth of experience with the defense. The fact we’ve been side-by-side for at least 10 years, we know each other well.
“We’re one in the same. We think the exact same way. I think that’s really a good thing for us.’’
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2014-15/3332/en_head.json.gz/576 | Charity Affair Unveils New Wines Honoring Retirees By: 09/11/2008 2:51 PM - From chicagoblackhawks.com: (link)
Former NHL great Bobby Hull will be honored as the NHL Alumni Association's Man of the Year Thursday night at the organization's seventh annual Gala Dinner, presented by Scotiabank.
The event gets under way at 6 p.m. in the Westin Harbour Castle in downtown Toronto. As always, the NHL Alumni Association will be raising money for charity. It's a dual-charity event this year. Benefitting from the dinner will be "Hockey's Greatest Family Fund," which helps former players who are in need.
The event will also support the 1st Lt. Derek Hines Soldiers Assistance Fund that offers help to Massachusett's soldiers that have incurred serious, career-ending and/or life-altering injuries while on active duty.
Hines was one of us, a four-year college-hockey player at Army, the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. A native of Newburyport, Mass., Hines was a member of the 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment who died Sept. 1, 2005, while on duty in Baylough, Afghanistan.
Hull was one of us, too, a dominant player for 15 NHL seasons, 1957-72, who then went on to a seven-year career in the World Hockey Association before returning in 1979 to the NHL when his team, the Winnipeg Jets, was one of four WHA teams admitted to the NHL. Hull was a muscular left winger who led the Chicago Blackhawks to the 1961 Stanley Cup. He combined strength and speed with a slapshot measured at nearly 120 mph. The NHL Alumni Association is also launching another fundraising effort to benefit more than a dozen other charities. The NHLAA has joined with Ironstone Vineyards and Artemis Sports Group to present the NHL Alumni Signature Wine Series, all bearing a gold-relief likeness of some of hockey's greatest legends.
Eleven different players will be honored in the original group of releases: Hull, Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, Mike Richter, Tony Esposito, Dave Schultz, Bobby Clarke, Clark Gillies, Rod Gilbert, Pat LaFontaine and Rob Ray. Later releases will feature Darryl Sittler, Wendel Clark and Doug Gilmour.
"As well as supporting our Alumni Association charity, a portion of the proceeds will go to 11 different charities chosen by the players, so it's all for a great cause,” said Mark Napier, NHLAA executive director and an 11-year NHL veteran who won Stanley Cups with the 1979 Montreal Canadiens and 1985 Edmonton Oilers. "As well as supporting our Alumni Association charity, a portion of the proceeds will go to 11 different charities chosen by the players, so it's all for a great cause.” - Mark Napier
Napier might have added that Ironstone Vineyards, of Murphys, Calif., is California's largest winery entertainment complex, a beautiful facility in the Sierra foothills with wine-aging caves hand-dug out of Calaveras Schist Rock by the Kautz family, one of the top ten wine-grape growing operations in the state.
The temptation to describe these wines in the style of wine connoisseurs, mixing in hockey attributes is too great to avoid. Think of the descriptions in Oenophiles' terms:
Dave Schultz's Chardonnay -- Packs a punch, a rugged drink that makes no apologies for its rough edges.
Clark Gillies Chardonnay -- A big, full-bodied, approachable drink that every time you return to it, you realize it's a winner.
Bobby Clarke's Cabernet Sauvignon -- A feisty drink determined to stand out in a crowd and overcome an early impression of a brash flash-in-the-pan. A leader in its category.
Rod Gilbert's Chardonnay -- The smoothest of the smooth, goes well with everything and a drink that will retain its popularity through the generations.
Bobby Hull's Chardonnay -- A big, booming, full-bodied taste that will leave you wondering what hit you.
Pat LaFontaine's Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay -- Both wines recognized for the consistency of their qualities. A gift that keeps on giving. A drink you'll love for years to come.
Ted Lindsay's Cabernet Sauvignon -- Aged significantly longer than all but one on this list, this wine must be approached carefully or it will sneak up on you and leave you hammered. Don't sell this one short. Has the potential to be the biggest money-maker in the group.
Mike Richter's and Tony Esposito's Cabernet Sauvignons -- Two well-loved wines that have stood the test of time and that we can't get enough of.
Rob Ray's Cabernet Sauvignon -- Notable for its battered nose, earthy tones redolent of smelling salts and a full-bodied bouquet that hints of cauliflower ears and stitches. A regional favorite.
Gordie Howe's Chardonnay -- Simply the best. Soon to be a beloved and welcome addition to your wine cellar. A long-lasting, superior drink.
More information is available at www.alumniwineseries.com. | 体育 |
2014-15/3332/en_head.json.gz/597 | Soccer in sun and shadow
Platini and G-14 Compromise on the Champions League
Tom Dunmore
Politics and Economics
We wrote last week that all the machinations over a European Superleague, a rejigged Champions League and the proposed disbanding of the G-14 spoke of a grand compromise in the making between UEFA and the big clubs. Platini needed to keep the constituency that has supported him, the weaker nations, happy by including more of them; the G-14 needed to keep four spots in the tournament reserved for the stronger leagues. Platini’s recent proposal to include cup winners as well was a red herring, designed so both sides could declare victory and save face.
And UEFA is soon expected to confirm that more champions from the weaker leagues will enter the competition; cup winners will not; and the big leagues will keep four spots each (some might say this was a slight win for them, as they now have three automatic entries to the group stage; on the other hand, the fourth entrant will now have to navigate an extra qualifying round).
These quotes from UEFA and a G-14 spokesman speak of a grand compromise.
The cup winners’ inclusion was “a minor point and it has been delayed in a spirit of conciliation,” said UEFA spokesman William Gaillard, adding that the issue could be discussed again in three years.
Gaillard said that the main goal of the reorganization — to give more nations a place in Europe’s premier club competition — had been achieved.
“What president Platini had in his program was the widening of the group stage to more champions from middle-sized nations,” Gaillard said.
UEFA’s executive committee is expected to approve the proposal next month.
The G14 group of powerful European clubs is happy that the cup winners won’t be included.
“We always thought it was not a good idea,” G14 general manager Thomas Kurth said. “Now, we see it will not come through. It is fine by us.”
Champions League European Superleague G-14 Michel Platini UEFA Did you like this article? Share it with your friends!
Written by Tom Dunmore
Tom Dunmore is the founder of Pitch Invasion. Originally from Brighton, England, he's now resident in Chicago. He is also the editor of XI Quarterly and the author of a Historical Dictionary of Soccer. Follow Tom @tomdunmore on Twitter.
5 Responses to "Platini and G-14 Compromise on the Champions League"
ursus arctos says: November 14, 2007 at 8:31 am I still haven’t seen the details of this grand compromise, and I think the reason for that is that they haven’t been finalised.
If the goal is to get more champions of “small” nations into the group stages, the automatic promotion into those stages of third place teams from “big” countries automatically eliminates at least three slots that could at least theoretically have gone to such teams. Some reports here were suggesting that there is also a plan to seed the final qualifying round in such a way that “big” nations would not play against each other’s representatives, which would only enhance that exclusionary effect. On the other hand, a seeding system that would actually achieve the goal (putting aside the question of whether it is a valid one) would be to seed the representatives of the “big” countries and “small” countries against each other in the last qualifying round, thereby assuring at least some “small” representation in the groups.
The question of whether that is economically feasible in the view of the “partners” is an open one, though I imagine it is easier for them to stomach the idea of the likes of Slavia Praha getting a relatively easy route to the group stages, given that they are now guaranteed of seeing at least three clubs from each of the big countries.
Dave's Football Blog says: November 14, 2007 at 9:07 am Y’know, it sure seems like this “compromise” allows more big clubs automatic berths while forcing smaller clubs to fight over the scraps in the qualifying rounds. Sure, it brings more nations into the fold, but it also forces all the clubs from smaller nations to battle each other for fewer qualifying spots.
Seems like the G-14 got exactly what it wanted and made it look like a win for the smaller nations. Funny how they pulled that off, isn’t it?
When do these changes take effect? Do the top 3 in the Prem qualify for the group stage this year or next?
Thomas Dunmore says: November 14, 2007 at 9:37 am Indeed Dave. The compromise is with Platini — not with the smaller nations themselves, who still have a limited voice. Platini just has to sell it politically, to save his skin based on the promises made when elected. None of this is pretty or for the real good of football.
I imagine the changes must be for the 2009/2010 season, but they haven’t even been ratified by UEFA yet. Ursus, as far as I’m aware the details have been finalised, they were approved by the Strategy Council and just need a rubber stamp. But obviously we as fans don’t get to hear everything til then, given no-one cares what we think.
ursus arctos says: November 14, 2007 at 10:35 am I wouldn’t be so sure, Tom.
There are almost three weeks between now and the ExCom meeting in Lucerne, and that provides ample opportunity for work around the edges of the “principles” that have been agreed.
UEFA leaks like a sieve, and I view the fact that the leaks as to details have differed to be further evidence for my belief that they are not yet set in stone.
Thomas Dunmore says: November 14, 2007 at 10:51 am Ah, I bow to your greater understanding of the machinations behind closed doors as usual, ursus. We shall see.
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» College Football Saturday Ohio State at Michigan State Start Time, Odds and Free Pick
College Football Saturday Ohio State at Michigan State Start Time, Odds and Free Pick
Sports news with a Vegas perspective. Get this RSS feed
Brandon Watson
Sat, Sep 29 2012 6:09 AM
Today it's a battle of Top 25 teams in college football as the Ohio State Buckeyes travel north to take on the Michigan State Spartans in Big Ten action. The game is scheduled for a 3:30 pm EST start time and it will be televised nationally on ABC. The odds for the game currently have the Spartans favored by 2.5 points.
The 14th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes march into East Lansing today looking to move to 5-0 on the season. They're one of three teams in the Big Ten (Minnesota and Northwestern included) that haven't lost a game yet this season. However, the Buckeyes have a big target on their back as they have been ruled ineligible to play in any bowl game this season, no matter how many games they win. Ohio State has struggled against the number this season, going just 1-3 overall having been a big favorite in all four games. Michigan State enters today's game also sporting a 1-3 record against the number.
One thing worth noting is that Ohio State is 0-8 against the spread coming off a home win the past two seasons. Yet, another trend worth noting is that Ohio State has been dominant in East Lansing lately, winning six of the past seven matchups at Michigan State. Last year Michigan State won in Columbus, 10-7.
We all know what needs to happen for both teams in this game. QB Braxton Miller needs to have some help offensively while Michigan State's Le'Veon Bell seems to be the only threat the Spartans have offensively. Miller has produced 1,200 yards offensively and 14 touchdowns in the first four games this season. Last year Michigan State was able to corral him, allowing Miller to get just 29 total yards. Bell ran for 253 yards last week against Eastern Michigan, so we know who the stars are in this one. MSU quarterback Andrew Maxwell is going to have to play well in this game if the Spartans are going to win.
Michigan State recorded nine sacks in last season's win, and they'll look to have the same type of pass rush in today's game. They don't have nearly the same front four they did a year ago, but there's still a returning core that will get after Miller and the Buckeyes in the backfield. The Buckeyes
Urban Meyer was an underdog just four times from 2007-10 at Florida, going 2-2 as a dog in those four games. Ohio State was out-gained by both California and UAB in back-to-back games this season and are giving up a conference-worst 395 yards per game this season. As noted earlier, Maxwell is going to have to play well for the Spartans to win. Ohio State has struggled this season as stopping the run but sports two terrific defensive linemen in John Simon and Johnathan Hankins. If they are able to stifle the Spartan rushing attack, it could be a long game for Michigan State.
The last time Michigan State beat Ohio State twice in a row was 1998-99.
Free Pick: Ohio State 17, Michigan State 13
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