Hardball Central Philippines

Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas Nevada

noreply@blogger.com (Hardball Central) — Wed, 04 May 2011 02:47:00 +0000

LAS VEGAS -- Wherever Manny Pacquiao goes, it seems there are crowds waiting to cheer him. Today, for example, it has taken him 30 minutes to fight his way from the entrance of the MGM Grand to a small group of reporters waiting in a room at the other end of the lobby. It is a degree of adoration that has prompted his promoter, Bob Arum, with perhaps just a pinch of hyperbole -- but not necessarily much more than that -- to dub Pacquiao the most popular athlete in the world today. It is a designation from which the man himself shrinks.

"You know, I tell you, I never think myself that I'm popular," Pacquiao said. "I want to live simple. That's why I like to have a lot of friends, you know? Joking, joking. I never think to myself, 'Oh, I'm popular, I'm big man.' I don't want to be arrogant. I don't like that. We're the same -- same hearts, same feelings."

Nonetheless, being Manny Pacquiao means being presented with opportunities that are not available to everybody else -- such as meeting the president of the United States, as Pacquiao did during a visit to Washington, D.C., on Feb. 15.

"I'm impressed, he was so nice, very approachable," Pacquiao said. "I like him. He said, 'I will try to visit the Philippines, I will see you there.'"

Their conversation inevitably turned to sports.

"I said, 'Oh, Mr. President, I hear you like basketball.' He said, 'I also like boxing. I watch all the fights on pay-per-view.' I tried to invite him to watch this fight on Saturday, but he said, 'I'll definitely watch the fight, but on pay-per-view.'"

Like the commander-in-chief, the congressman from Sarangani is an avid hoops player. Does he think he could best the 44th president one-on-one?

Pacquiao paused, smiled and searched for a diplomatic answer.

"He's very tall," he offered, and laughed.

Pacquiao's appearance in the nation's capital was not for purely promotional purposes; he met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, for whom he stumped in the November midterms, to discuss a Senate bill that would enable an increase in the level garment imports from the Philippines relative to those from China. As he discusses the bill, Pacquiao seems briefly animated, much more so than when discussing boxing or himself, recognition of the seriousness and enthusiasm with which he approaches his second career. It is a career about which he has been dreaming, in some form or another, for many years, one which has its roots in the extreme poverty into which he was born.

"When I started fighting in the ring, started fighting as a professional, every time I saw the poor people sleeping in the street, I started thinking that maybe someday I can help them, give them food," he said. "I wasn't thinking about going into politics. But my dream was, maybe I can give them food. I feel what they're feeling, sleeping in the street. Because I've been there. I never thought that I would achieve what I have right now. What I dreamed before was to have my mother, my family to survive in life. Once, we had no food. We didn't eat. That's why my sacrifices, what I have done, it's for my family. It's for all of us."

Those sacrifices have brought him great wealth and constant adoration. But his boxing career is nearer to its end than its beginning, and however popular he may be as a politician, his future popularity will likely never rival the fervor he inspires now as a boxer. When the crowds diminish, though, Pacquiao insists he will not miss them but regard their passing merely as an inevitability.

"I have to understand, things will pass," he said. "But I'm happy and satisfied with what I've done in boxing. I'm part of the history of boxing. I contribute at least to the record of boxing. When I retire, hopefully some people will remember me."

Manny Pacquiao pummels Margarito for 8th Championship title

noreply@blogger.com (Hardball Central) — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 10:00:00 +0000

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Manny Pacquiao more than made up with speed what he lacked in size.
Giving away both pounds and inches, boxing's little superstar turned Antonio Margarito into a bloody and nearly blind fighter with a dizzying array of punches Saturday night in a lopsided decision victory that wasn't close from the opening rounds on.
In a spectacular performance before a delighted crowd of 41,734 at Cowboys Stadium, Pacquiao cemented his claim to being the best fighter in the world by dominating the bigger but slower Margarito almost from the opening bell. Pacquiao won round after round, opening a cut on Margarito's cheek, closing his right eye, and turning his face into a bloody mess.

The punches came quickly, and they came often. Margarito was plenty game as he tried to stalk Pacquiao around the ring, but every time he got close Pacquiao would land a four- or five-punch combination that snapped his head back and stopped him in his tracks.
The beating was so thorough that the congressman from the Philippines turned to referee Laurence Cole several times in the 11th round, imploring him to stop the fight. It went on, though, even though Margarito had no chance to win.
"I can't believe that I beat someone this big and this strong," Pacquiao said. "It's hard. I really do my best to win the fight."
Pacquiao moved up in weight yet again to take on Margarito, a natural welterweight with a reputation for ruggedness in the ring. And rugged he was, though he took a beating all night long at the hands of a faster and seemingly more powerful opponent.
"There was no way I was gong to quit. I'm a Mexican, we fight until the end," Margarito said.
Pacquiao won every round on one scorecard, 120-108, and was ahead 119-109 and 118-110 on the other two. The Associated Press had it a 120-108 shutout.
"We didn't lose a round," said Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach. "I wish they would have stopped the fight."
That almost happened, but Cole allowed it to go on even as Margarito kept taking such a beating that he went directly to a hospital afterward for treatment of his cuts. There wasn't any way Margarito was going to win the fight, but he could still see out of one eye and wanted to continue.
"I told the referee, `Look at his eyes, look at his cuts," Pacquiao said. "I did not want to damage him permanently. That's not what boxing is about."
Ringside punch stats reflected Pacquiao's dominance, showing him landing 474 punches to 229 for Margarito. But it wasn't just the sheer volume of punches, but the power in which they came at almost every angle.
Roach predicted before the fight that Pacquiao would carve Margarito apart because he was simply much too quick for his opponent. He did just that, starting from the first round when he landed an early flurry up the middle that seemed to set the tone for the fight.
It wasn't entirely easy, though. Pacquiao said Margarito hurt him in the middle rounds with shots to the head and the body, though he was unable to land more than one of two punches at a time. When he did manage to land, more often than not Pacquiao was there to fire right back with volleys of his own that found their mark almost every time.
"Manny is the best fighter in the world," said Margarito's trainer, Robert Garcia. "He is just too fast -- very, very quick."
While there was no controversy in the ring, there was a dispute in the dressing room before the fight when a member of Pacquiao's camp saw a weight-loss supplement in Margarito's gear and demanded his blood be tested immediately for possible banned substances. Texas boxing officials ruled that would not be necessary, and the fight went on.
Roach also made sure he was in the dressing room to watch the hands of Margarito, who is still banned in California for a hand wrapping scandal, get wrapped. But it was Margarito's corner who demanded Roach also rewrap his fighter's hands in a display of gamemanship.
Once the fight started it didn't matter. Pacquiao landed some big left hands early, cutting Margarito beneath the right eye and causing it to swell. By the middle of the fight he couldn't see out of that eye and his left eye began closing, too.
The fight was for the WBC 154-pound title even though the contract weight was 150 pounds. Margarito weighed 150 at Friday's weigh-in, but was 165 on the unofficial HBO scale before the fight while Pacquiao, who had been 144.6, was 148 pounds.
Pacquiao also gave away 4½ inches in height and was at a six-inch reach disadvantage, but that didn't matter either.
Pacquiao earned a guaranteed $15 million, though he is likely to make millions more on his cut of the television revenues. He planned to give a concert at Lake Tahoe on Tuesday and then return to his political duties in the Philippines.
"I have another job after this," Pacquiao said. "I'm going back to the Philippines to do my other job and be a public servant."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

Formula 1: Sebastian Vettel claims pole poistion in Abu Dhabi

noreply@blogger.com (Hardball Central) — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 09:13:00 +0000

Sebastian Vettel will start the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix just where he wants, on pole position after lapping his Red Bull in 1m 39.394s. But the most important qualifying session of the year was a major disappointment for team mate Mark Webber who managed only fifth place in 1m 39.925s and will be separated from Vettel by McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and McLaren’s Jenson Button.

Earlier, Hamilton had been fortunate to avoid contact with Felipe Massa when, after a big slide on his first lap in Q2, he’d had to back off the pace and resumed just as the Ferrari was alongside. The former champion walloped a camera pole, but his McLaren did not sustain any damage and he recovered his momentum brilliantly to lap second quickest before his time eventually left him fifth in that session.

He already held second place as Q3 drew to its close, but trimmed his time down to 1m 39.425s to demonstrate to Vettel that he may yet have a race on his hands on Sunday. Alonso’s late improvement was bad news for Webber. The Spaniard lapped in 1m 39.792s to jump to third, ahead of Button on 1m 39.823s.

Webber will share row three with Massa, who lapped his F10 in 1m 40.202s, while Williams’ Rubens Barrichello’s 1m 40.203s left him seventh ahead of the Mercedes of Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg on 1m 40.516s and 1m 40.589s respectively. Like Massa, both suffered in late-session traffic. Vitaly Petrov was 10th for Renault, with 1m 40.901s.

Vettel redefined the ante in Q2 with the fastest lap of the weekend thus far in 1m 39.874s, ahead of the revitalised Button, Rosberg, Webber and Hamilton. Further back, Robert Kubica surprisingly failed to make Q3, taking 11th place behind team mate Petrov with 1m 40.780s in a Renault that still seemed not to be running as well as it did on Friday.

Kamui Kobayashi improved late on but still didn’t make it beyond 12th on 1m 40.783s for BMW Sauber, ahead of Force India’s Adrian Sutil on 1m 40.914s, BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld on 1m 41.113s, Williams’ Nico Hulkenberg on 1m 41.418s, Tonio Liuzzi whose Force India didn’t look as good as it had on Friday on 1m 41.642s and Toro Rosso’s Jaime Alguersuari on 1m 41.738s.

As the sun began to set, Alonso headed Q1 with 1m 40.170s as Sebastien Buemi led those who failed to make the cut after lapping his Toro Rosso in 1m 41.824s. Behind him, Lotus took the new team honours with Jarno Trulli 19th on 1m 43.516s ahead of team mate Heikki Kovalainen on 1m 43.712s.

Timo Glock was close for Virgin but not close enough on 1m 44.095s, which put him ahead of team mate Lucas di Grassi who lapped in 1m 44.510s. Bruno Senna won the intra-team battle at HRT, with 1m 45.085s to Christian Klien’s 1m 45.296s.

Pacquiao vs. Margarito and F1 Finale: Two Sporting Events Hard to Miss this Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Hardball Central) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 13:39:00 +0000

Two important sporting events are happening this weekend.

The ever popular and the Hon. Manny Pacquiao, our Congressman in Sarangani Province will once again go up to the ring to fight the not so popular Antonio Margarito for the vacant World Boxing Council super welterweight division. Where else would this event be held? There's no other place to hold a fight as huge as this than in the gambling capital of the US, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Racing fanatics on the other hand, will have to fasten their seat belts to watch the finale of the Formula 1 race in Abu Dhabi featuring four title contenders for the most coveted 2010 Formula 1 Champion.

Manny Pacquiao's fight against Margarito has already been labeled as lopsided and very predictable. Manny's coach Freddie Roach predicted "the fight will be short and sweet". Many people consider that if Manny is serious with pounding hard Margarito, the fight will be over in just one round. What can make this fight exciting and interesting for us Filipinos? Well, after Manny has boxed out Margarito, he will claim his 8th championship title never been done before by any professional boxer since its inception (really???). That's how great Manny is! He should be regarded then as the best pound for pound king following this fight, after Mayweather Jr. reclaimed this title earlier this year.
For most of us, this fight is going to be boring but it is still hard to miss. The talk on Pacquiao and Mayweather Jr. will surface immediately after the fight. But will it once again spoil the fun if deals are not closed right? Will there be any chance that these two will meet???

Formula 1 race in Abu dhabi on the other hand would be the most interesting event on Sunday. Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, both from Red Bull will try to spoil the championship bid of points leader Fernando Alonso of Ferrari. Alonso is leading the current championship standing with 246 points, followed by Webber with 238 points and Vettel with 231 points. In order for Alonzo to cement his win, he must place at least third on this race in Abu Dhabi even if Webber and Vettel are in the top 2 places. In a Formula 1 race, the winner receives 25 points, second receives 18 points, and 3rd receives 15 points. 4th to 10th places will receive 2 points less than that of the previous places, i.e. 4th will receive 13, 5th will receive 11 points.

Petacchi wins first stage of Tour de France; Armstrong remains fourth

noreply@blogger.com (Hardball Central) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 10:03:00 +0000

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- Lance Armstrong saw it coming: tight turns, narrow roads, big crowds and nervous riders would make crashes likely in Sunday's first stage at the Tour de France.

Brazil to hire new coach by end of month

noreply@blogger.com (Hardball Central) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 09:51:00 +0000

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Dunga is out as coach of Brazil's national soccer team.
The coach and his staff were fired Sunday, two days after Brazil was beaten by the Netherlands in the World Cup quarterfinals.

The announcement was made by the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF). The decision was widely expected after the 2-1 loss to the Dutch. Brazil led 1-0 on Robinho's first-half goal, but allowed two goals and had a player sent off in a dismal second-half performance in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

"With the closing of the work cycle that started in August 2006 and ended with the elimination of Brazil from the World Cup in South Africa, the CBF announces the dismissal of the Technical Commission of the Brazilian team," the federation said in a statement.

A new coach will be appointed before the end of the month, CBF said.

Former Brazil player Mano Menezes, AC Milan coach Leonardo and Wanderley Luxemburgo are being mentioned as potential successors to Dunga.

Luiz Felipe Scolari, who coached Brazil to its fifth World Cup title in 2002, had been mentioned as a successor, but he has signed a two-year deal to be with the Brazilian club Palmeiras.

The new coach and his staff are likely to face several exhibition matches in the next few months and then the South American championship -- the Copa America -- in 2011 in Argentina.

Dunga returned to Brazil with the team early Sunday and was met with applause and cheering by fans in his native Porto Alegre in southern Brazil.

Brazil will host the World Cup in 2014 for the first time since 1950.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

Pacquiao in Forbes’ most ‘powerful’ list

noreply@blogger.com (Hardball Central) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 04:26:00 +0000

By NICK GIONGCO. Manny Pacquiao made it to the 100 World’s Most Powerful Celebrities for the second straight year on a list made by Forbes magazine.

Pacquiao was listed at No. 55 with an earning totaling $42 million (roughly P1.9-billion) from fights with Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto and Ghanaian Joshua Clottey that covered the period July 2009 to June 2010.
His ranking is a rung better than last year.
Interestingly, Floyd Mayweather was ranked higher – No. 31 – with earnings reaching $65 million from fights with Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez and fellow US fighter Shane Mosley.
Topping the list is TV show host Oprah Winfrey with $315 million, while the highest-rated athlete is golfer Tiger Woods with $105 million.
The ratings were based on the celebrity’s standing in earnings, TV/Radio, press, web and social rank.
Pacquiao and Mayweather’s ranking would take another notch higher in the event a proposed November 13 fight between the two of them materializes.
Their handlers are still in talks for the fight that will likely be staged in Las Vegas.

Nadal outplays Berdych for 2nd Wimbledon title

noreply@blogger.com (Hardball Central) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 04:14:00 +0000

WIMBLEDON, England —Rafael Nadal swept Tomas Berdych in straight sets Sunday to win his second Wimbledon title and eighth Grand Slam championship.
The top-ranked Spaniard beat the 12th-seeded Czech 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 in 2 hours, 13 minutes to reinforce his current status as the No. 1 player in the game

Nadal broke Berdych four times and never lost serve in 15 service games.

It’s the second time Nadal has won the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back. He is now 5-0 in his last Grand Slam finals.

With eight Grand Slam titles, Nadal joins a list of greats that includes Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, Fred Perry and Ken Rosewall. He also has five French Open championships and one Australian Open title.

After ripping a crosscourt forehand passing shot on match point, Nadal collapsed on his back on the turf at the baseline and covered his face with his hands. After congratulating Berdych, Nadal leaped out of his chair and did a front somersault on the grass, rising to his feet with both fists clenched.

Nadal won his first Wimbledon title in 2008, beating Roger Federer in an epic five-set final, but was unable to defend his crown last year because of tendinitis in his knees.

With Sunday’s victory, he has won 14 straight matches at the All England Club and “defended" the title he won in his last appearance here.

Nadal is the first Spanish man to win Wimbledon twice. Manolo Santana took the title in 1966.

Berdych, the first Czech to reach the Wimbledon final since Ivan Lendl in 1987, had beaten top-seeded Roger Federer and No. 3 Novak Djokovic en route to the final, but couldn’t find a way to take out the second-seeded Nadal as well.

Nadal beat Berdych for the seventh straight time, a span covering 17 consecutive sets.

In a match short on drama and spectacular points, Nadal capitalized on a few weak service games by Berdych to seize control.

It was typical grass-court Wimbledon tennis, with play dominated by serves and only a few break points here and there making the difference.

Nadal played his usual grinding baseline game featuring whippet forehands, but wasn’t at his sharpest, making some uncharacteristic mistakes.

Nadal won all 15 service games, and lost only 24 points on serve.

But it wasn’t a vintage performance from Nadal, who had 21 unforced errors compared to 17 for Berdych. Nadal had 29 winners, two more than the Czech.

Nadal won all the big points against the 24-year-old Czech, who was playing in his first Grand Slam final and failed to convert any of his four break points. - AP

Sayonara Sta. Lucia in the PBA?

noreply@blogger.com (Hardball Central) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 04:13:00 +0000

Source: GMA News TV. They stuck with their team colors for so long, determined to make it cooler than teal, hotter than red, I was actually beginning to like Pantone 3435. On second thought, even on what might be their uniforms’ last appearance in a PBA game, I give Sta. Lucia 1000 bonus points for staying true to team colors I thought only Army Rangers would prefer.
Sta. Lucia’s uniform colors reveal a mindset that isn’t swayed by public opinion. While other PBA teams were run by companies that sold beer, gin, hotdogs, electronic load and milk, the Realtors were bankrolled by a company that sold land. It has always been a mystery how fans could relate to a team that was out to market real estate. The uniforms, I’m sure, didn’t make the proposal any more attractive.

Still, in the final minutes of a lost cause, in their final moments in the 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference, and possibly final game of their PBA existence, Sta. Lucia’s mean green jerseys finally had powerful value – a sentimental one.

Like most affairs in Philippine sports, fans are often left to read between the lines. The way Sta. Lucia stripped its team bare, the way they shipped out every championship-caliber player they had, suggests that the team, or its new owners, couldn’t wait to start renovation work. The weaker the team, the sooner they could bring in the wrecking ball and begin change.

PBA teams, by the way they trade players and conduct business, have a knack of not just tickling the imagination but making fans’ imagination work overtime. While the Realtors labored against the Coca Cola Tigers in the fourth quarter of knock-out game that couldn’t wait to end, we wondered if this served as the final curtain call.

As Michael Jackson put it, “This is it!"

Is this it for the team with the cartoon hardhat on its jerseys? Is this it for the team that, for a decade, housed the PBA’s 6’9" kili-kili-shot-shooting enigma named Marlou Aquino? Is this it for the team that won two PBA championships?

One by one, Sta. Lucia’s bankable stars, the same players who recently placed the team back on the map, same players who successfully gave the franchise a heartbeat so loud, we were beginning to say the words Realtors, basketball and pulsating all in one sentence, were sent elsewhere.

In the end, the only certified PBA star left on this team was former PBA Chairman and Team Manager Buddy Encarnado. Yet even the continued presence of Boss Buddy’s well-manicured moustache, his bigote-nonpareil, is up in the air.

Sources of sources say Sta. Lucia is on its way out and Meralco is on its way in. The final buzzer hollered inside the Big Dome. Coca-Cola won. The Realtors were done. This is the part when teams normally say, “Wait ‘til next year." However, if I read between the lines correctly and my imagination doesn’t fail me, Sta. Lucia’s farewell from the tournament has the unmistakable taste of permanence. -- Mico Halili, GMANews.TV

Knicks wait on LeBron, Wade, Bosh

noreply@blogger.com (Hardball Central) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 04:11:00 +0000

Source: ESPN.com. New York Knicks president of basketball operations Donnie Walsh is a patient man.
The Knicks completed their presentation to free agent LeBron James on Thursday and followed it up with presentations to Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on Friday.

As of Sunday night, they still aren't sure where they stand.
"I have no idea," Walsh said. "I think that almost all of these guys have been tight about what their intentions are. All the meetings we had were really good. They were informative. But I didn't get an indication in what their interest was. The agent would say they're interested. And that's where we are. We are waiting to hear. With those guys you can afford to be a little patient."
Walsh did confirm that the Knicks' sent assistant GM Glen Grunwald to Cleveland for a second meeting with LeBron's agent, Leon Rose, on Saturday. But he said the meeting was just to clarify the team's cap situation both this year and the next.
"We didn't get into it in our first meeting the way we wanted to," Walsh said. "We just wanted to make sure they had all the information."
Walsh, however, denied a report by The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, that the Knicks were meeting again with James on Sunday night.
"We don't have any other meetings scheduled with LeBron," Walsh said. "I'm in New York. Unless someone is there without my knowledge, no, we're done."
Walsh also said that reports of the Knicks striking a deal with free agent Amare Stoudemire are premature.
"He spent the weekend in N.Y. with his agent," Walsh said. "He went to some baseball games. [Coach] Mike [D'Antoni] met with him today to talk basketball and some personal issue this morning. We're meeting with him tomorrow. We haven't sat down and talked contract [with] him at all."
Walsh said the team is already exploring other free agent plans should LeBron, Wade and/or Bosh say no to the Knicks, saying the team had a plan "B, C, D, E and F."
He also addressed the idea that if the Knicks strike out in free agency with the top three of James, Wade and Bosh, that they might just save their money for next year.
"You could put it off until next year, but it's tough to do, especially with the direction we've been going," Walsh said. "But you can do it. At the very least, you have to start building into place some of the supporting cast now. If we can't get the stars this summer, we're at least going to put some players into place that will complement."
Chad Ford covers the NBA for ESPN.com.

Nowitzki signed $80 million for 4 years with Dallas

noreply@blogger.com (Hardball Central) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 04:09:00 +0000

Source: ESPN.com. DALLAS -- Dirk Nowitzki has essentially invested some of his own money into the Dallas Mavericks.
With no guarantee the capped-out Mavericks can land the elite sidekick he seeks to keep Dallas relevant in the Western Conference, Nowitzki agreed Saturday night to give a hometown discount to the only team he's ever known, reaching terms with owner Mark Cuban on what sources close to the talks say is a four-year deal worth $80 million.

That's $16 million less than the $96 million maximum Nowitzki was eligible to receive and likely would have commanded had he been serious about shopping himself on the open market as an unrestricted free agent for the first time, given Nowitzki's stature in the league as a former MVP and the fact that his game is aging well at 32.
Nowitzki essentially ignored exploratory feelers from New Jersey and New York and stuck to his oft-cited desire to keep chasing his championship dream in Dallas, agreeing to the new pact -- which includes a no-trade clause -- after a series of wrap-up meetings that consumed much of Saturday and concluded at Cuban's house.
Shortly after the season ended with a chastening first-round exit to San Antonio, Cuban spoke hopefully of Nowitzki's willingness to consent to a "different deal" that would reduce Cuban's hefty annual luxury-tax bill and make it more palatable for him to keep pursuing expensive trades like the deal Dallas swung in February to acquire Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood and to make it easier to re-sign fellow free agent Haywood this summer.
So Nowitzki responded by potentially saving his boss $32 million if the Mavericks continue to be a luxury-tax payer for the next four seasons -- or even more if the next collective bargaining agreement, as some teams fear, comes with a tiered tax system that penalizes teams on a rising scale depending on how far they are past the tax line.
The Mavericks, though, remain well over the salary cap, restricting them to complicated sign-and-trade bids for top free agents such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh. All Cuban could promise Nowitzki is that the financial relief he's providing will make it easier for Dallas to keep trying to swing a landscape-changing trade.
Such assurances were enough thanks largely to Nowitzki's deep Dallas roots and the close bond he and Cuban have forged through more than a decade of extreme highs and lows.

Dallas has strung together 10 consecutive 50-win seasons and Nowitzki became the NBA's first European-born MVP in 2007.

But owner and star have shared plenty of pain as well, stemming mostly from the Mavericks' collapse in the 2006 NBA Finals. The Mavericks have won only one playoff series since that capitulation to Miami after taking a 2-0 series lead. They also stand as the only franchise without an NBA championship of the four to have won 50 games for 10 or more consecutive seasons.
But Cuban has been a rock for Nowitzki during some rough periods in his off-court life, which has only cemented the bond and enabled them to weather the contentious free-agent departure of Nowitzki's best friend, Steve Nash, in the summer of 2004.
Nowitzki's longtime adviser and personal coach, Holger Geschwindner, told The Associated Press late Saturday night that Nowitzki and Cuban have agreed "to get it done."
Nowitzki can't actually sign and team officials are precluded from discussing the deal before July 8, which is the first day teams and players can execute new contracts. But having the All-Star power forward's verbal commitment enables Dallas to seriously begin its pursuit of marquee names through sign-and-trade offers, with Cuban now able to assure prospective targets that Nowitzki will be in Dallas through at least 2013-14.
The Mavericks remain hopeful that James will give them a chance to be the seventh team to make a presentation to the two-time reigning MVP, despite the fact Dallas could only acquire him if James tries to force a sign-and-trade to Texas.
Sources with knowledge of James' thinking have maintained for months that the Mavericks -- with Cuban's aggressive and player-friendly ownership, Nowitzki's presence as an ideal, floor-spreading complement to James' slashing game and James' close friend Jason Kidd leading Dallas' recruiting efforts -- can't be dismissed as a dark-horse contender to land him.
Cuban has nonetheless convinced Nowitzki that the financial sacrifice he's made will pay off for both of them, even if they don't get a shot at James and can't immediately acquire another franchise player.

Sources say that the Mavericks have identified Minnesota's Al Jefferson and Charlotte's Tyson Chandler as potential trade options, but those are secondary targets given Nowitzki's need for someone on the wings who can consistently occupy defenses, create his own offense and open things up for him.
The sides have been negotiating for weeks in the wake of Dallas' first-round playoff ouster, after team officials learned in mid-May that Nowitzki was determined to opt out and become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career as opposed to signing a three-year extension before June 30.
Nowitzki and Geschwindner were formally presented with a contract Friday and then sealed an agreement after a Saturday flurry of meetings. The discussions didn't start until the afternoon, however, to allow the ever-patriotic Nowitzki to host a morning gathering at his home in Dallas to watch Germany's quarterfinal demolition of Argentina in the World Cup.
"I think it's a great deal," Geschwindner said, according to the AP. "I like it."
The Mavericks' all-time leader in scoring and rebounding is one of three marquee free agents -- of the 10 or so available this summer -- to quickly become unavailable.

Nowitzki joins Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay, who received a five-year deal worth nearly $82 million on the first day of free agency to stay with the Grizzlies, as well as Boston Celtics guard Paul Pierce, who agreed to a four-year contract in excess of $60 million on Saturday.
Atlanta Hawks guard Joe Johnson is also close to accepting the Hawks' $120 million offer.
Nowitzki becomes the second player in the league to secure a no-trade provision, which can only be added to new contracts -- not extensions -- when a player has at least eight years of NBA service time and four seasons with the same team. The Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant is the only player with an active no-trade clause, though Pierce is also eligible to secure one in his new deal.
Marc Stein is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Pierce agrees on 4 years, $61M

noreply@blogger.com (Hardball Central) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 04:07:00 +0000

Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics have agreed to a four-year, $61 million deal, a source told ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher on Saturday.
A source told ESPN the fourth year of Pierce's contract -- the main point of contention in the negotiations -- is fully guaranteed.

It was not immediately known if the contract contains a no-trade clause, which Pierce is eligible for by virtue of having at least eight years of service time and four with the same team.
Pierce opted out of the final year of his contract and sacrificed $21.5 million to give the Celtics room to re-sign Ray Allen and add another piece to a Boston team that came within one win of its second NBA title in three years.
Multiple media outlets reported Friday that the sides had reached an agreement on a four-year deal between $60 and $62 million.
Celtics spokesman Jeff Twiss had no comment when reached Friday by The Associated Press.
Pierce has spent his entire 12-year career with the Celtics. He is second only to Larry Bird among longtime Celtics in points per game. Pierce is first in 3-pointers, second in steals, third in total points, eighth in games played and ninth in rebounds.

Agent: Johnson to stay in Atlanta

noreply@blogger.com (Hardball Central) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 04:06:00 +0000

Source: ESPN.com. Free agent Joe Johnson is staying with the Atlanta Hawks, his agent said in a blog published on the Huffington Post website on Sunday.

Arn Tellem, Johnson's agent, said that Johnson was impressed with the team's commitment to him and agreed to accept the club's six-year contract offer. He confirmed the post to The Associated Press.

Atlanta offered Johnson, a four-time All-Star, approximately $119 million over six years -- nearly $27 million more than any other team could offer.

The Hawks would not comment, citing the NBA's moratorium on signings. Deals can't become official until Thursday.

"When the free agency period kicked in, Joe made a point of talking to the Hawks first," Tellem wrote in the blog post. "Their owners and new coach, Larry Drew, impressed Joe with their commitment to making the team championship-caliber. In turn, Joe felt equally committed to the Hawks, his teammates and the city of Atlanta."

Tellem said Johnson, who was wooed by a number of other teams, could have forced a sign-and-trade to another team, but "decided that winning in Atlanta would be more meaningful."

The New York Knicks were the first team to meet with Johnson when he became a free agent at 12:01 a.m. ET Thursday, making it known that he was among the players atop their wish list. The Chicago Bulls contacted Johnson as well, but did not meet with him.

But Johnson did not agree to the Hawks' offer immediately, and as of Friday, sources said Johnson was still considering offers from the Knicks and Bulls.

Teams were courting Johnson with the hope that he could be the first domino in luring one of the top-tier free agents in LeBron James or Dwyane Wade. The Knicks made Johnson their first priority with the hope that if they didn't land James, he could reunite in New York with former Phoenix Suns coach Mike D'Antoni and ex-Suns teammate Amare Stoudemire.

"For his next act, Joe plans to actively recruit other top free agents to Atlanta, a place not unlike his hometown, where he feels comfortable and appreciated," Tellem wrote. "LeBron, you've already met with the front offices of six teams. How about considering the Hawks?"

Johnson has been at the center of the Hawks' resurgence since arriving in Atlanta from Phoenix in a sign-and-trade deal on Aug. 19, 2005. A 13-win team the season before he arrived, the Hawks doubled that the next season and went 53-29 in 2009-10 before getting swept by Orlando in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Johnson averaged 21.3 points during the regular season but played poorly during that series, creating speculation he may have cost himself max dollars. And there was thought he may want out of Atlanta, anyway, since he turned down a $60 million extension last summer and was critical of the team's fans this season.

Llamados keep No. 2 in sight

noreply@blogger.com (Hardball Central) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 04:04:00 +0000

Source: Inquirer.Net. MANILA, Philippines—Clif Brown had 24 points and 16 rebounds while James Yap added 21 points as B-Meg Derby Ace kept the fight for an outright semifinal berth alive with a 101-83 thumping of Barangay Ginebra in the PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night.

After tying the San Miguel Beermen at 12-5, the Llamados can close out their elimination campaign with a victory against Barako Coffee and boost their semifinal aspirations.
The chances of Derby Ace snatching the other automatic semifinal seat will also depend on the outcome of the San Miguel-Alaska match on Saturday in Dumaguete City.
An Alaska (11-6) victory coupled by a Derby Ace win over Barako will allow the Llamados to join the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters, who earlier routed the Barako Coffee Masters, 112-101, in the semifinals without further complications.
As for the Gin Kings (9-9), they simply opened the door for Rain Or Shine (7-9) and Coca-Cola (7-9) to catch up with the crowd favorites in the race for an automatic quarterfinal seat.
With the easy victory over the Coffee Masters, the Tropang Texters topped the eliminations with a 15-3 record.
“Our goal now is to get quality tune-up games,” said Talk ‘N Text coach Chot Reyes, whose Tropang Texters now face a projected three-week break before the semifinals.
Talk ‘N Text needed only two quarters to finish off Barako Coffee, which absorbed its 14th defeat in 17 games, giving Air21 (4-13) better chances of snagging the final wild-card berth.
The Coffee Masters fell deeper in the cellar at 3-4.
Shawn Daniels pumped in 15 points and Mark Cardona fired 15 of his 28 points as the Tropang Texters broke the game wide open, 61-30, at the half.
By the end of the third, the Tropang Texters were just going through the motions of pushing Barako Coffee to the brink of elimination.
“We really wanted to end it with a win as we get to play more important games in the future,” said Reyes. “After the Invitationals, we’ll take a short break and find those quality tune-up games.”
After the four-day Smart Philippine Invitational Challenge, Talk ‘N Text is contemplating on getting some quality games overseas since the Tropang Texters won’t be seeing action until the second or third week of next month when the best-of-seven semifinals begin.
The Tropang Texters shot extremely well after going 51 percent (47 of 92) from the field despite missing the services of Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes.
Aaron Aban scored a career-high 16 points while Ranidel De Ocampo and Harvey Carey contributed 14 and 10 points each for the Tropang Texters.
The scores:
First Game
TALK ‘N TEXT 112—Cardona 28, Daniels 17, Aban 16, De Ocampo 14, Carey 10, Yee 8, Quinahan 8, Castro 7, Dillinger 4, Waters 0, Alapag 0.
BARAKO COFFEE 101—Najorda 19, Dimaunahan 14, Wainwright 14, Monroe 11, Isip 10, Reyes 8, Gaco 5, Vergara 4, Alonzo 4, Juntilla 4, Duncil 4, Hubalde 4, Coronel 0.
Quarters: 31-21, 61-41, 92-63, 112-101
Second Game
DERBY ACE 101—Brown 24, Yap J. 21, Canaleta 11, Pingris 11, Artadi 7, Simon 6, Adducul 6, Yap R. 5, Reavis 4, Allado 4, Maierhofer 2.
BRGY. GINEBRA 83—Brown 15, Hatfield 15, Caguioa 12, Villanueva 11, Salvacion 6, Helterbrand 6, Wilson 5, Cortez 5, Miller 4, Tubid 2, De Ocampo 2.
Quarters: 26-23, 47-37, 72-57, 101-83

Biado tops Pacman 10-ball, bags P1M

noreply@blogger.com (Hardball Central) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 04:03:00 +0000

MANILA, Philippines—Carlo Biado overwhelmed Johann Chua, 15-5, in the finals to rule the Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao 10-ball tournament in General Santos City late Tuesday.

Biado, the pride of La Union and playing for Bugsy Promotions of businessman Perry Mariano, pocketed the champion’s purse of P1 million put up by the seven-division world boxing champion who is also an avid pool enthusiast.
Chua settled for P400,000 second prize with Jundel Mazon and Elvis Calasang picking up P100,000 each for sharing third.
Biado earlier edged Mazon, 11-10, and Chua downed Calasang, 11-8, in the semifinals to arrange the title clash.
The tournament also drew some of the country’s top players, including former World 9-ball runner-up Roberto Gomez, Rodolfo Luat, Ramil Gallego, Demosthenes Pulpul and Warren Kiamco. Steve Silva, contributor

Spain edge past resolute Paraguay

noreply@blogger.com (Hardball Central) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 04:02:00 +0000

Spain set up a potentially thrilling semi-final meeting with Germany but the European champions had to do it the hard way, requiring a lone second-half strike from David Villa to claim a 1-0 win over a resilient Paraguay 1-0 at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park. The goal saw Villa take an outright lead in the race for the adidas Golden Boot with five goals but the match was as much a tale of two failed spot-kicks, one for each side.

Vicente del Bosque fielded an unchanged line-up to that which defeated neighbours Portugal 1-0 four days ago. Conversely, Paraguay coach Gerardo Martino made six changes to the team which squeezed past Japan on penalties. Left out were his trio of misfiring strikers, with Roque Santa Cruz, Edgar Benitez and Lucas Barrios all consigned to the bench.

Both sides went into the match aiming for new heights. Spain clinched a top-four finish in 1950 in a round-robin final stage but they have never competed in a FIFA World Cup™ semi-final, while Paraguay had already achieved a first by progressing past the Round of 16.

If Spain were feeling complacent, then one of the new faces in La Albirroja's forward line, Jonathan Santana, provided an early wake-up call by forcing Iker Casillas into a save in the opening minute. Paraguay did not allow Spain to settle and successfully disrupted their normally crisp passing game during the first half. The in-form Villa only rarely found space on the left flank in the early stages, while at the other end Nelson Valdez looked dangerous whenever Paraguay made forays forward.

Spain midfielder Xavi took matters into his own hands on the half-hour mark with a wonderful snap-shot, the dipping volley from 25 yards clearing the crossbar with goalkeeper Justo Villar scrambling. Minutes later at the other end, Santana narrowly failed to connect with a diving header from a Claudio Morel cross. Valdez then had the ball in the net four minutes before the break only to see his effort disallowed for offside as Paraguay finished the first half in a positive frame of mind.

The second half commenced in similar fashion to the first period, with neither goalkeeper under threat until a remarkable period around the hour-mark. The drama began when Gerard Pique wrestled Oscar Cardozo to the ground as a corner, Paraguay's first of the night, was played in from the left. Cardozo looked set to give La Albirroja a stunning lead from the penalty spot against the European champions only for skipper Casillas to rescue his side with a superb diving save to his left.

Within 60 seconds, Antolin Alcaraz was deemed to have bundled over Villa in the penalty area and Spain had their own chance from the spot. Xabi Alonso buried his spot-kick but Spanish joy was shortlived, with a retake ordered for encroachment. This time Villar dived low to his left and parried Alonso’s effort, and Paraguay scrambled the rebound to safety.

Minutes later, Andres Iniesta hit a curling effort that was well blocked by Villar, and it was indeed to be the Barcelona midfielder who proved the difference in the decisive moment of the match seven minutes from time. Budweiser Man of the Match Iniesta made a driving run from midfield, teeing up Pedro, whose shot hit Villar's right-hand post before rebounding to Villa. The Spain No7 accepted the gift. Placing his effort against the left-hand post, the ball rebounded off the opposite post before eventually nestling into the net.

In the final minute, Casillas saved his side with a double block from Santa Cruz and Barrios, while Villa was similarly denied by the impressive Villar following a lightning counter-attack.

Mixed RP result as WPC unfolds

noreply@blogger.com (Hardball Central) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 04:01:00 +0000

Source: Inquirer.net. MANILA, Philippines—Dennis Orcollo and unheralded compatriot Israel Rota pulled off stunning reversals Wednesday, even as compatriots Francisco “Django” Bustamante and Lee Van Corteza coasted to opening-round victories in the 2010 WPA World Pool Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Their victories more than made up for the defeats suffered by Efren “Bata” Reyes and Jeff De Luna against their respective Asian rivals.
Orcollo, coming off a victory in last month’s World Pool Masters, sustained his fiery form by sending double world champion Ralf Souquet to the losers’ bracket in Group 9 with a 9-6 victory and forging a duel with Chris Melling of Britain for a place in the knockout stage.
Cebuano foils Peach
The Qatar-based Rota, who hails from Cebu, stunned defending champion Daryl Peach of Britain, 9-8. Peach ruled the event in Manila in 2007, when he outclassed Roberto Gomez in the finals.
Standing in the way of Rota’s bid to reach the knockout stage is Vietnam’s Nguyen Phuc Long, who nipped Artem Koshovoj, 9-8, in Group 10.
Bustamante, winner of the Japan Open recently, trounced Italy’s Fabio Petroni, 9-7, to move within a victory of clinching one of the four spots to the next round from Group 5.
The Tarlac City-born pool shark clashes with Tohru Kuribayashi of Japan, with the survivor advancing to the knockout phase of the event that stakes $36,000 to the champion.
A runner-up to Mika Immonen in the World 10-Ball Championship in Manila last year, Corteza showed awesome form with a 9-1 drubbing of Ibrahim Al-Khadar of Syria.
Corteza vies for a spot in the next round against Germany’s Christian Reimering, who defeated Polish bet Carol Skowersui, 9-5.
Reyes, the tournament’s 1999 winner, was pushed to the brink of elimination, after absorbing a 5-9 setback to Liu Haitao of China.
De Luna struggles again
De Luna, who has struggled in major tournaments, failed to buck the trend as he took a 9-6 loss to Thailand’s Nitiwat Kanjanasri
Also winning their first-round matches were unheralded Filipinos Joven Alba, who pulled off a tight 9-8 victory over compatriot Marlon Manalo, and UAE-based players Oliver Medenilla, Raymond Faron and Allan Cuarcero.
Medenilla overcame Jeong Young-hwa of South Korea, 9-6, in Group 9; Cuarcero downed Chan Keng Kwang of Singapore, 9-7, in Group 6; and Faraon crushed Mark Gray of Germany, 9-2, in Group 12.
Other Filipinos seeing action in the $250,000 event are Antonio Lining, who is scheduled to face Corey Deuel of the United States, Antonio Gabica, former double world champion Ronato Alcano, Venancio Tanio and Francisco Felicilda. Cedelf P. Tupas

Serena claims 13th Grand Slam triumph

noreply@blogger.com (Hardball Central) — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 01:23:00 +0000

WIMBLEDON, England -- Getting set to accept her latest Wimbledon trophy, Serena Williams lifted both arms and held aloft 10 fingers. Then, raising only her right hand, she wiggled three more fingers, bringing the total count to 13.

That's how many Grand Slam singles titles Williams owns as of Saturday.
"I thought, 'I hope I got the number right,'" she said. "You know me: I tend to forget."
That's OK, Serena. The way you're accumulating championships, it's tough to keep track.
With a superb serve that had other greats of the game gushing, and plenty of offense and defense to back it up, the No. 1-ranked Williams overwhelmed No. 21 Vera Zvonareva of Russia 6-3, 6-2 in Saturday's final to win her fourth Wimbledon title and, yes, 13th major tournament overall.
That's the most among active women and gives Williams sole possession of sixth place on the all-time list, breaking a tie with her former U.S. Fed Cup captain, Billie Jean King. Addressing King, who was in the front row of the Royal Box, Williams said: "Hey, Billie, I got you! This is No. 13 for me now. It's just amazing to able to be among such great people."
The American did not drop a set over two dominant weeks at the All England Club.
She's won five of the last eight Grand Slam tournaments, including two in a row at Wimbledon, where she also was champion in 2002-03. Williams and her older sister Venus have won nine of the past 11 titles at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament.
"Everywhere we look, there's another Wimbledon trophy," Williams said, rolling her eyes. "I'm, like, 'Ugh, not one of those again.'"
Williams was kidding, of course. Maybe she also was joking when she said Friday that she'd prepare for the final by relaxing and watching the TV show "Desperate Housewives." In the end, her victory over Zvonareva lasted only slightly longer than an episode -- 67 minutes -- and was rather short on drama.
Both women hit the ball with plenty of force from the baseline, and both grunted loudly, the noise reverberating through the arena. After 21 minutes, they were tied at 3-all. Zvonareva was hanging in there despite being the second-lowest-ranked woman to play in a Wimbledon final.
Then, turning it on, Williams reeled off eight of the next nine games to seize complete control and add to her collection of championships, which includes five Australian Opens, three U.S. Opens and one French Open. She brings her best when it counts the most: Her only other title of 2010 came at the Australian Open in January; she was sidelined all of February, March and April with a left knee injury.
Margaret Smith Court leads the way with 24 major titles, followed by Steffi Graf with 22, Helen Wills Moody with 19 and Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert with 18 apiece.
So where does Williams rank among the best women's tennis players through the years?
"Top five," answered Navratilova, without a moment's hesitation. "It's not just about how many Slams you win or how many tournaments you win -- it's just your game overall. And she's definitely got all the goods. It would have been fun to play her, but at the same time, I'm glad that I didn't have to."
Of all her skills, Williams' serve is the most impressive. Growing up in Compton, Calif., she found practicing serves so boring that she and Venus would chat when their father's back was turned, then resume hitting balls when he'd check on them.
Navratilova, who watched the final from a front-row seat, called Williams' serve "astonishing," the best ever for a woman.
Williams pounded serves at up to 122 mph and hit nine aces Saturday, taking her tournament total to a Wimbledon-record 89, 17 more than the mark she established last year. It's not simply about speed; Williams varies angles, spins, spots.
"She always changes it," Zvonareva said.
Williams never faced a break point and won 31 of 33 points when her first serve went in. She double-faulted three times, but followed each of the first two with an ace. Zvonareva also pointed out that because Williams knows she's successful holding serve, she returns more aggressively.
Indeed, Williams broke Zvonareva three times, including to go up 5-3 by curling a forehand passing winner on the run, then dropping to her right knee and raising a fist.
The second set began with Williams breaking again, when Zvonareva netted three consecutive groundstrokes, then spun around and shrieked. Zvonareva has a reputation for being temperamental -- sobbing during points, even -- but, at age 25, she says she's more mature these days. Draping a towel over her head during changeovers to make sure she stayed focused, Zvonareva got past former No. 1s Jelena Jankovic and Kim Clijsters this week en route to her first Grand Slam final.
As Saturday's match became increasingly lopsided, though, Zvonareva began to unravel. When she double-faulted to fall behind 4-1, she angrily smacked a ball before heading to the sideline. In the next game, Zvonareva slapped her left thigh with a palm and whacked her right thigh with her racket, muttering all the while.
After Williams ended the match with an overhead, Zvonareva plopped down in her chair and wiped away tears with her towel. Later Saturday, Zvonareva bawled while losing the women's doubles final, too.
Zvonareva and partner Elena Vesnina eliminated the Williams sisters in the quarterfinals. Perhaps that's why Zvonareva replied, "Of course," when asked if the younger Williams is beatable.
"She's a human being. She's not a machine," Zvonareva said. "I mean, it's very difficult to beat her. You have to play your best -- but if you do, you can do it."
Williams wouldn't allow that. She accumulated a 29-9 edge in winners, a reflection of her fantastic shotmaking and her ability to cover every blade of Centre Court's grass.
Williams improved to 13-3 in major finals; half of the 16 were against her sister. Zvonareva only once before went as far as the semifinals at any Grand Slam tournament and never was past the fourth round at Wimbledon until this year.
"I did not show my best today, and it's a bit disappointing, because it's the final," Zvonareva said. "You know, you don't reach the Wimbledon final every day."
Well, if you're a Williams, you do reach one nearly every year. Ten of the past 11 women's Wimbledon finals included at least one of the sisters; they played each other for the title four times.
This year, though, Venus lost in the quarterfinals, and she already was home in Florida before Saturday. So Serena took center stage, and as she walked through the All England Club carrying the champion's plate, she spun around and kicked up her heels.
"I was really feeling Frank Sinatra-ish -- 'Come Fly With Me,' 'Fly Me To The Moon,'" she explained. "Old-style dance -- that's what I felt like at the moment."
The 28-year-old Williams has been criticized in the past for not paying enough attention to her tennis career, for dabbling in acting and clothes design.
It's clear, however, that she is as good as it gets right now, and could be for some time.
"That's always been a goal of hers, I guess, to be the best," said her mother, Oracene Price. "And to not lose. She hates losing."
That was never much of a concern Saturday.

Smart Gilas-Pilipinas braces for tough Jones Cup stint

noreply@blogger.com (Hardball Central) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 13:40:00 +0000

By June Navarro
Philippine Daily Inquirer MANILA, Philippines — With a new import and a lineup free of injuries, Smart Gilas-Pilipinas now has the ingredients to come up with a terrific show in the William Jones Cup.

But Smart Gilas coach Rajko Toroman remained cautious as the Serbian mentor expects rough sailing for the national team in Chinese Taipei’s premier hoop tournament.
“It will really be a big challenge for our team,” said Toroman after Smart Gilas returned to practice Thursday at The Arena in San Juan City to prepare for the July 13 to 21 annual meet.
The RP five took a three-day rest after capturing the 2010 Smart Philippine Invitational Challenge crown at the expense of the Jordan national team on Sunday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Toroman said Iran would field in its national squad, which won the 2007 and 2009 FIBA Asia Championship, instead of its team B.
Aside from winning the Asian championships back-to-back, the Iranian core, which played for Mahram, also successfully defended its FIBA Asia Champions Cup title in Doha, Qatar in May.
Except for the 7-foot-2 Hamed Haddadi, Toroman said the Iranians will go full blast in the Jones Cup with skipper Mehdi Kamrani, the high-scoring Nikkah Samad Bahrami and Hamed Afagh taking the lead.
Haddadi earlier announced that he would miss the Guangzhou Asian Games in November and other tournaments leading to the Asiad after the reigning FIBA Asia MVP decided to join the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA pre-season camp.
Toroman said the national teams of Lebanon, Korea, Japan and host Chinese Taipei would also give Smart Gilas a tough time.
“It’s difficult to assess our chances. The field is strong. We’ll see when we get there,” said Toroman.

Jackson to return as Lakers coach next season

noreply@blogger.com (Hardball Central) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 13:32:00 +0000

Source: Inquirer.net. LOS ANGELES – Phil Jackson will return as Lakers coach next season, putting off retirement for at least one more year to pursue a 12th NBA title.
"Count me in," Jackson said in a news release on Thursday.

"After a couple weeks of deliberation, it is time to get back to the challenge of putting together a team that can defend its title in the 2010-11 season. It'll be the last stand for me, and I hope a grand one."
Jackson, 64, had said last week he was "leaning toward" retirement after guiding the Lakers to a second straight NBA crown.
But the chance of three-peat proved too alluring once he'd had a chance to get some rest at his off-season home in Montana.
Jackson is the winningest coach in playoff history and the most successful coach in league history by almost any measure.
He has a .705 regular-season winning percentage, a record 225 playoff victories and two more titles than Boston's Red Auerbach.
He has guided Kobe Bryant and the Lakers to five titles overall, and won six with Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls.
"We're extremely pleased that Phil has decided to return," Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said. "He's not only the best coach for this team, but quite simply the best coach in the history of the NBA."

Blake heads from Blazers to Lakers

noreply@blogger.com (Hardball Central) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 13:26:00 +0000

By Chris Sheridan. LOS ANGELES -- The NBA champions have a new point guard: Steve Blake.
Blake told Portland radio station 95.5 FM that he agreed to a four-year deal on Friday. An NBA source said the deal is for $16 million. Blake turned down overtures from five other teams for a chance to play alongside Kobe Bryant and under coach Phil Jackson as Los Angeles goes for a three-peat next season.

Blake will earn a $4 million salary in each of the four seasons, with all the money guaranteed. He also earned $4 million last season when he played for Portland and the Los Angeles Clippers.
It remains to be seen whether he will emerge as the starting point guard ahead of Derek Fisher, who has not yet been offered a contract by the Lakers, a league source said.
Blake, a seven-year veteran who won a national championship at Maryland, was one of the few quality point guards available this summer in a frenzied free agent market in which the focus has been on the biggest names LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudemire.
Many of the teams pursuing those max free agents also have a need at the point guard position, but Blake's signing means the pool of unrestricted available free agent point guards has now shrunk by one, leaving Raymond Felton (Charlotte) and Luke Ridnour (Milwaukee) as arguably the two best remaining players still on the market.
The Lakers will be Blake's sixth team after stints with Washington, Milwaukee, Denver, Portland and the Clippers.

San Miguel, Ginebra get job done

noreply@blogger.com (Hardball Central) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 13:23:00 +0000

INQuirer.net
GAMES TOMORROW (Araneta Coliseum)
4 p.m.—Coca-Cola vs Sta. Lucia
6:30 p.m.—Air21 vs Rain or Shine
MANILA, Philippines — San Miguel Beer won an old-fashioned shootout against Derby Ace and James Yap in the stretch last night and pulled out an 88-83 victory that sent the Beermen outright into the semifinal round of the PBA Fiesta Conference at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Dondon Hontiveros knocked in a critical trey heading into the dying seconds, which was just what the Beermen needed to put the game away and join elimination round topnotcher Talk ‘N Text in the Final Four.
“I thank God that we got here (semifinals),” San Miguel coach Siot Tanquingcen, back calling the shots for the second straight game, said. “But we are going to be judged by what happens at the end of the conference.
“It’s really the call of management,” he added, when asked if he thinks that he will be able to finish the tournament as the one truly calling the shots.
Hontiveros finished with 21 points, Gabriel Freeman also fired 21 with 19 rebounds and Jay Washington added 19 for the Beermen.
Yap, even with marital troubles, sizzled with six triples to finish with 28 points, 20 of them in the final two periods as the Llamados came back from several 15-point deficits to tie it all up at 52 early in the third and make a game out of it.
But what did the Llamados in was the paltry nine-point, 10-rebound performance by import Cliff Brown as it created a vacuum that sucked Derby Ace down into a quarterfinal pairing with the winner of the wild-card phase.
Meanwhile, Barangay Ginebra played its best in what was by far its most important game, posting its most lopsided win in the tournament—a 115-88 whipping of Rain or Shine that won for them the last quarterfinal seat.
Chris Daniels, the Kings’ new import, scattered 19 points, cleared 17 boards and had six feeds that went with three steals and two blocks to lead Ginebra into a best-of-five series against old nemesis Alaska starting Friday.
Though he came up with impressive-enough all-around numbers, Daniels is still isn’t a lock as Ginebra’s import and coach Jong Uichico said he will use the semifinal series against the Aces as some sort of a yardstick.
“It’s hard to find the perfect import especially after changing (imports) so many times,” Uichico told reporters inside the Willie Caballes Hall. “He did the little things that needed to be done to win the game for us.
The scores:
First Game
BRGY. GINEBRA 115—Daniels 19, Helterbrand 17, Tubid 14, Miller 13, Caguioa 13, Intal 12, Menk 8, Hatfield 6, De Ocampo 6, Cortez 5, Ferriols 2, Wilson 0, Villanueva 0.
RAIN OR SHINE 88—Mercado 24, Nealy 17, Chan 14, Ibanes 7, Norwood 5, Reyes 5, Laure 5, Cruz 4, Telan 4, Arana 3, Arellano 0, Tang 0, Hrabak 0.
Quarters: 31-27, 62-47, 91-67, 115-88
Second Game
SAN MIGUEL BEER 88—Hontiveros 21, Freeman 20, Washington 19, Cabagnot 14, Santos 6, Seigle 5, Yeo 3, Villanueva 0, Miranda 0, Racela 0, Ildefonso 0, Pena 0.
B-MEG DERBY ACE 83—Yap J. 28, Canaleta 16, Reavis 10, Brown 9, Maierhofer 6, Yap R. 6, Pingris 4, Simon 2, Allado 2, Artadi 0.
Quarters: 23-13, 42-31, 61-58, 88-83

Heat, Clippers make pitches to LeBron

noreply@blogger.com (Hardball Central) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 13:18:00 +0000

CLEVELAND -- The Miami Heat used every precious second of their promised time with LeBron James -- and then some.
Team president Pat Riley, coach Erik Spoelstra, billionaire owner Micky Arison and former center Alonzo Mourning spent nearly three hours making their presentation to try to lure James, the NBA's most coveted free agent, to sunny South Florida.

The Heat's delegation arrived at 10:20 a.m. James showed up two minutes before the scheduled 11 a.m. meeting wearing a T-shirt, shorts and a backpack.
At 1:50 p.m., the Heat's representatives paraded through the lobby of the IMG building without saying a word. Before getting in their cars, they passed the Los Angeles Clippers' two-man contingent of acting general manager Neil Olshey and executive Andy Roeser.
Olshey then joked that Riley went into overtime with James.
"Is Coach going to get fined for going over his allotted time?" Olshey asked a person who works for James. "Don't worry, we'll be short."
The Clippers wrapped up their meeting with James in about an hour. Olshey coached James at a summer camp before his senior year of high school. He knew back then James was a special player, one he would like to see relocate his game to the West Coast.
"I predicted he would be Rookie of the Year, an All-Star in his second year and the best player on the planet in his third year," he said. "So far, I've been right. I think we've got the best roster and the best chance and the best city."
In a text message to ESPN.com's Andy Katz, Olshey wrote "very comfortable" in response to a question about how the meeting with James went Friday.
The Clippers said in a statement they approached the meeting in "a very honest and direct way, and we felt that their reaction was considerate and receptive."
After the meetings concluded, James was asked how things were going as he headed out the door.
"Good," he said.
Riley felt the same way.
"This is a very fluid process," Riley said. "We've had five meetings across the country in the span of 40 hours. We will continue with the process. It's still early in free agency, but we feel very good with how our presentations have gone thus far."
The second day of LeBronmania didn't have as much star power as the first.
On Thursday, James met with the New Jersey Nets, who brought billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov and hip-hop superstar Jay-Z to help make their pitch. The New York Knicks followed with a presentation that required a rental van to haul their equipment.
James will visit on Saturday with the Chicago Bulls and Cavaliers, the two teams widely considered co-favorites to sign the two-time MVP.
The Cavs will go first at 11 a.m. Saturday, when they will remind the Ohio-born, Akron-bred superstar that there's no place like home.
A report in The Plain Dealer said Cleveland plans to keep their presentation short and colorful, playing to James' light-hearted personality.
General manager Chris Grant, newly-hired head coach Byron Scott and owner Dan Gilbert are expected to be the most prominent team figures at the sitdown, but the Plain Dealer reports the team could involve other members of the organization close to James.
The Bulls will follow at 2:30 p.m.
James pulled into the garage of the IMG building in a Range Rover and was escorted to the elevator banks by two Cleveland police officers for his 11 a.m. meeting with the Heat. Miami's advance team, led by executive and salary-cap specialist guru Andy Elisburg, arrived nearly 90 minutes before the start to set up the Heat's production.
Elisburg may not be the best known of Miami's group, but he may have the most important job since the team is hoping to re-sign Dwyane Wade and add either James and/or fellow free agent Chris Bosh to its roster. The Heat, who have more than $40 million in salary-cap space, met with Bosh in Chicago on Thursday.
James was in a great mood when he walked in for the second day of his hyped recruitment.
"Hey, what's up?" he said before heading to LRMR Marketing, the company he started with Maverick Carter, his close friend and business partner.
On the eighth floor, Riley was seen pacing the hallway waiting for James.
Riley's pitch focused on the possibility of him playing with Wade, a U.S. Olympic teammate and friend. The Heat also have talked about uniting the two with Bosh, who was in the same draft class as James and Wade. Riley also praised working for a willing-to-spend, not-willing-to-meddle owner in Arison and talked about what it meant to be part of the Heat family, something to which Mourning can attest.
And Riley also spoke about building a dynasty, the word he's been using with Heat fans for months.
James knows them better than an
Given all that, these days could largely define a huge portion of Riley's Heat legacy.
"We feel very strongly about our commitment to Dwyane and our fans," Riley said.
Wade has said he wants to stay in Miami, but he will leave if Riley doesn't make the moves that turn the team into a championship contender again. Although Wade was the clear leader of the 2006 title team -- his Finals MVP trophy proves that -- he's lamented not getting out of the first round of the playoffs since.
A source close to the situation told ESPN.com's Chad Ford on Friday that Wade was leaning toward committing to the Bulls.
While James invited the Clippers to meet with him, it's hard to imagine them making a compelling argument for him to sign.
The club does have a nice core group of young players, including center Chris Kaman, Blake Griffin (a No. 1 draft pick in 2009) and guards Baron Davis and Eric Gordon. The Clippers also can entice James with Hollywood and the potential to add to his riches in the entertainment industry.
While other teams had more theatrical displays, the Clippers kept things simple as they showed LeBron why he should love L.A.
"We had a DVD and it showed all the places that he's already eaten, all the beaches he's already gone to and all the clubs he already knows about and all the business opportunities he'll be able to engage in," Olshey said. "But what's important is Baron Davis and Eric Gordon, Blake Griffin and Chris Kaman as his starting five. That's what's important to him. He's well educated on that. He knows our team."
That's what the Cavs are counting on, too.
yone -- and vice versa.
"We all know -- and LeBron knows -- how important he is here," Grant said during a news conference. "We've established a championship-caliber culture. We've won a lot of games the last few years. I feel we're knocking on the door."
The Cavs added to their culture on Friday, when they introduced Scott as their coach. Scott didn't waste any time making a prediction on where he thinks James is headed.
Nowhere.
"I think at the end of the day, he's going to make the right decision, and he'll be here in Cleveland for the rest of his career," said Scott, who insisted he did not consult with James before agreeing to a contract. "His legacy of winning championships in his hometown will be like nothing he's seen in his life.
"There's nothing like winning at home. I won three titles in my hometown, and there's not a better feeling."
As far as how James would fit in Scott's system if he were to stay in Cleveland, the former Laker said he sees a little magic in him.
"You could almost look at LeBron as a Magic Johnson type," Scott said at Friday's news conference. "He has that type of ability, that type of skill."
As the meetings took place above the corners of East 9th Street and St. Clair, several Cavaliers employees held signs with words dear to James such as "Community," "Family" and "Mission." There were similar signs on the overpasses of Interstate 77, the freeway James travels between his home and Cleveland.
"I think we've got about 36 people all over town with these signs," said Nate Ferrall, a 39-year-old Clevelander, who refused to confirm he works for the Cavs. "We just want to remind LeBron that this is his home and that we support him."
According to a person familiar with James' options, he has no timetable to announce where he'll play next. The person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the meetings, denied reports James had set July 5 as a deadline.
ESPN.com's Andy Katz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Wade requests 2nd Bulls talk

noreply@blogger.com (Hardball Central) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 02:00:00 +0000

By Chad Ford. CHICAGO -- Dwyane Wade is leaning toward committing to the Chicago Bulls, a source close to the situation told ESPN.com's Chad Ford on Friday.
According to the source, Wade requested a second meeting with the Bulls shortly after the 2006 NBA Finals MVP spent more than two hours getting wooed by the New York Knicks at a downtown Chicago hotel Friday morning. The source stressed that Wade needed the meeting to clarify issues around signing with the Bulls.

Wade's second sitdown with the Bulls lasted 2½ hours.
"Things are getting very interesting," he said.
If Wade were to agree to join the Bulls, it could clear the way for fellow free-agent superstars Chris Bosh or LeBron James to join Wade in Chicago.
Wade had dinner with Bosh in Chicago on Thursday night and according to the source, one topic of discussion was the advantages of playing with the Bulls versus the Heat.
The source said Wade is unclear how the Heat, who currently have just two players under contract, will be able to build a championship contender around him given salary-cap constraints. While the Heat have the money to bring in one more max player (and possibly a second if they do a sign-and-trade), the team will have to fill the rest of the roster with minimum salary players.
The Bulls on the other hand, already have several key players including Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah in place. If the Bulls can work out a deal to ship Luol Deng's contract out of town, they would have the funds to add James or Bosh to the puzzle, too.
The Bulls have already met with Bosh and are scheduled to meet with James on Saturday in Ohio. Wade was asked whether James will have any influence on what he does.
"I can't say. We're both going to make our own decisions," Wade said, then added: "We're real good friends."
The Bulls felt positive coming out of the meetings with Bosh and Wade, a source familiar with the situation said.
Wade has multiple ties to Chicago -- a home and family, including his mother, a pastor whose church in the city was purchased for her by her son -- but has said repeatedly he would like to stay with the Miami Heat. However, he did structure his last contract for the opportunity to become a free agent for the first time.
The Heat are scheduled to meet with Wade again on Saturday in Chicago.
Wade's morning sitdown with the Knicks lasted 2 hours and 15 minutes and Wade spoke with reporters as he was leaving the hotel.
"It was a good meeting, it was a real good meeting and I will say I'm intrigued," he said, declining further comment before driving away.
Beforehand, Wade got out of a black Suburban and told reporters he was "in a New York state of mind right now, so we'll see" how it goes.
Earlier in the day, he tweeted that he got up early for "Another day of pondering my future. ... Things are interesting to say the least."
Wade met the Bulls and New Jersey Nets on Thursday, plus heard from the Heat when free agency opened.
"So far, so good, very informative," his agent, Henry Thomas, said Thursday of the teams' pitches so far.
Nets head coach Avery Johnson was confident in the team's pitches to both Wade and Bosh, whom the team also met with Friday.
"We told our story. We showed our vision," a smiling Johnson said Friday after putting Nets rookies and free agents through a practice for an upcoming summer league. "We talked about how we already have some valuable assets and that's all you can do. We understand there is competition out there and at the end of the day those prospective free agents, they are going to do what is best for them and their families."
As Wade talked with the Knicks, Heat president Pat Riley was spending about three hours in Cleveland with LeBron James, who Wade would love to team up with next season.
And given the interest Wade is showing other clubs, it's obviously incumbent upon Riley to deliver a star to Miami.
Wade is expected to return to Florida early next week and join Heat executive Alonzo Mourning for a Tuesday news conference about their annual Summer Groove, a fundraising weekend for youth programs and other charitable causes. Wade is expected to play in an all-star game as part of that weekend on July 18.

Ghana pay the penalty

noreply@blogger.com (Hardball Central) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 01:54:00 +0000

Source: FIFA.com. Ghana became the final African team to say goodbye to the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, losing in a dramatic penalty shoot-out to Uruguay after a 1-1 quarter-final draw at Johannesburg's Soccer City. Goalkeeper Fernando Muslera saved efforts from Stephen Appiah and Dominic Adiyiah, before Sebastian Abreu converted the decisive spot-kick for the South Americans, who reach the last four for the first time since 1970.

The Black Stars will have to be content with having become just the third side from the continent to make the quarter-final stage, although they could have won the match with the final kick of extra time after Luis Suarez handled a goal-bound effort on the line. But with Suarez sent off, their top scorer, Asamoah Gyan, smashed a penalty off the bar that would have tipped the scales to the Africans after Sulley Muntari and Diego Forlan had scored either side of half-time.

Uruguay started the match on the front foot, looking dangerous from dead-ball situations and through the dynamic duo of Forlan and Suarez up front. Suarez had the first real chance in the 11th minute when he beat a Ghanaian defender down the the left. He cut into the box but blasted his shot right at goalkeeper Richard Kingson.

Kingson was the hero for the west Africans twice in short succession. In the 18th minute, from Forlan's corner, he reacted quickly to keep out the ball after it deflected off John Mensah and was seemingly destined for the back of the net. Seven minutes later, he rescued another defender, this time Isaac Vorsah, who missed a tackle allowing Suarez in on goal. But the net-minder just got his fingertips to Suarez's effort to push it over acrobatically.

The Black Stars then settled into the match and only narrowly missed going ahead twice near the half-hour mark. From Ghana's first corner, Vorsah headed just wide of the post. A minute later, Gyan skimmed the other post after a strong run and cross from Kevin Prince Boateng. The Portsmouth midfielder almost opened the scoring himself in spectacular fashion in the 45th minute, but his overhead kick in front of goal spun off his foot. However, the west Africans got their breakthrough on the stroke of half-time as Muntari scored with a curling 35-yard shot that seemed to deceive the goalkeeper before finding the left-hand corner.

But if they ended the first period on a high, the Black Stars started the second on a low as Forlan's free-kick from near the left corner of the box fooled Kingson with its swerve in the 55th minute and bulged the net. The Atletico Madrid hit-man continued to play with confidence and in the 63rd minute he brought the ball down well on the left side of the box in a dangerous position. His cross beat Kingson, but Suarez, who had three goals coming into the match, could only volley into the side-netting at the far post.

As the match opened up and both teams searched for a winner, Suarez had another good opportunity in the 71st minute but from a tight angle on the left he could not beat Kingson, who punched over. Uruguay then threatened twice from Forlan free-kicks. First, he screamed in a shot that beat the keeper but went into the side-netting and next he found Suarez in the box, but the Ajax man's header was tipped over.

Ghana had the clearest opportunities in extra time. Gyan flashed an open header over the bar in the 110th minute, and five minutes later, defender Andres Scotti did just enough to scramble the ball away when it looked like the Ghanaian would score. Boateng almost won it minutes from time, but his header screamed agonisingly wide. And then at the death, from a free-kick into the box, Suarez blocked Appiah's shot on the line only to then stop Adiyiah's headed follow-up with his hand to set up Gyan's penalty miss.

With the gasps of a stunned Soccer City still ringing in the ears, Gyan bravely stepped up to immediately convert the first penalty in the shoot-out. Maxi Pereira missed his spot-kick for the Uruguayans, but two consecutive saves by Muslera set up Abreu to be the hero.