Sports News

Warren Moon Career

2009-06-04T08:12:00.000-07:00

Cristiano Ronaldo

2009-05-28T04:05:00.000-07:00

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH (Portuguese pronunciation: [kɾɨʃˈtiɐnu ʁuˈnaɫdu]; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger for English Premier League club Manchester United and as the Portuguese national team captain.

Ronaldo began his career as a youth player at Nacional and his successes with the team led to a move to Sporting CP two seasons afterwards. Ronaldo's precocious talent caught the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and he signed the 18-year-old for £12.24 million in 2003. The following season, Ronaldo won his first club honour, the FA Cup, and reached the UEFA Euro 2004 final with Portugal, in which he scored his first international goal.

In 2008, Ronaldo won his first UEFA Champions League title, and was named the final's man of the match. He was named the FIFPro World Player of the Year and the FIFA World Player of the Year, in addition to becoming Manchester United's first Ballon d'Or winner in 40 years.

Three-time Ballon d'Or winner Johan Cruijff said in an interview on 2 April 2008, "Ronaldo is better than George Best and Denis Law, who were two brilliant and great players in the history of United."

Grand Slam tennis

2009-05-23T07:20:00.000-07:00

The four Grand Slam tournaments are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, and public attention. They are:

* Australian Open
* French Open
* Wimbledon
* US Open

A singles player or doubles team that wins all four Slam tournaments in the same year is said to have achieved the Grand Slam or a Calendar Year Grand Slam. If the player or team wins all four consecutively, but not in the same calendar year, it is called a Non-Calendar Year Grand Slam. If a player wins all four at some point in his or her career, even if not consecutively, it is called a Career Grand Slam. Winning three of the four tournaments is called a Small Slam. If a player wins all the four majors and a gold medal in tennis at the Summer Olympics in the same calendar year, then its known as the Golden Slam.

History:

The term Grand Slam, as applied to tennis, was first used by New York Times columnist John Kieran according to Total Tennis, The Ultimate Tennis Encyclopedia by Bud Collins. In the chapter about 1933, Collins writes that after the Australian player Jack Crawford had won the Australian, French, and Wimbledon Championships, speculation arose about his chances in the U.S. Championships. Kieran, who was a bridge player, wrote: "If Crawford wins, it would be something like scoring a grand slam on the courts, doubled and vulnerable." Crawford, an asthmatic, won two of the first three sets of his finals match against Fred Perry, then tired in the heat and lost the last two sets and the match.

The expression Grand Slam, initially used to describe the winning of the tennis major events in one calendar year, was later incorporated by other sports, notably golf, to describe a similar accomplishment.

Warren Moon

2009-05-16T06:40:00.000-07:00

Harold Warren Moon (born November 18, 1956) is a former American and Canadian football quarterback who played for the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos and the National Football League's Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs. He is currently a broadcaster for the Seattle Seahawks and is also a business partner with his longtime friend and agent, Leigh Steinberg at Leigh Steinberg Sports & Entertainment out of Newport Beach, California.

He is the only player ever to be enshrined by both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Canadian Football Hall of Fame, and is one of only two people to be enshrined in both. (Former coach Bud Grant, who coached the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to four Grey Cup titles and the Minnesota Vikings to four Super Bowl games, is the other.) Moon was also the first, and currently only, modern African-American quarterback elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Moon held the record for most passing yardage in professional football until surpassed by Damon Allen on September 4, 2006, held the record for most passing touchdowns in professional football until surpassed by Brett Favre on November 22, 2007, and held the record for most pass completions in professional football until surpassed by Brett Favre on December 23, 2007, and held the record for most pass attempts in professional football history until surpassed by Brett Favre on December 14, 2008.

Biography:

Early years:
Moon was born in Los Angeles, California, as the middle child amongst six sisters. His father, Harold, was a laborer and died of liver disease when Moon was seven years old. His mother, Pat, was a nurse, and Warren learned to cook and sew and iron and clean house to help take care of the family. He decided early on that he could play only one sport in high school because he had to work the rest of the year to help the family. He chose not only to play football but to be a quarterback since he found that he could throw a football longer, harder, and straighter than anyone he knew.

He enrolled at Alexander Hamilton High School, using the address of one of his mother's friends to gain the advantages of a better academic and athletic reputation than his neighborhood high school could offer. He had little playing time until his junior year, when he took over as varsity starting quarterback. In his senior season, they reached the city playoffs, and Moon was named to the all-city team.

College years:
He was recruited by a number of colleges, but some wanted to convert Moon to another position as was the norm for many major colleges recruiting black high school quarterbacks. Moon decided to attend West Los Angeles College in 1974–75 where he was a record-setting quarterback. After Moon showed his ability at West L.A., only a handful of four-year colleges showed interest in signing him. Offensive Coordinator Dick Scesniak of the University of Washington, however, was eager to sign the rifle-armed Moon. Moon was adamant that he play quarterback and considered himself to be perhaps a slightly above-average athlete who was either too small, too slow, or not strong enough to play other positions. The Huskies went 11–11 in Moon's first 2 seasons as a starter; but during his senior year, Moon led the Huskies to a 27–20 win over the favored University of Michigan Wolverines in the 1978 Rose Bowl and was named the game's Most Valuable Player on the strength of two short touchdown runs and a third quarter 28-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Robert "Spider" Gaines.

Statistics
Year Comp Att Comp % Passing TD INT
1976 81 175 46.3 1106 6 8
1977 125 222 56.3 1772 12 9

CFL career:

Despite his collegiate success, Warren Moon went undrafted in the National Football League. Many pundits believe that it was because Moon was black and refused to switch positions — Moon has stated in interviews that before the draft some scouts advised him to switch to tight end. With no takers in the NFL, his only alternative was the Canadian Football League. Moon signed with the Edmonton Eskimos, where he and Tom Wilkinson shared signal-calling duties and helped lead the Eskimos to an unprecedented five consecutive Grey Cup victories in 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982. Notably, in the 1981 Grey Cup, the quarterback of the opposing team was J.C. Watts. Moon won the offensive Grey Cup Most Valuable Player award in the 1980 and 1982 games. In his final CFL season of 1983, Moon threw for a league record 5,648 yards, and won the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award. Throughout his CFL career, Moon amassed 1,369 completions on 2,382 attempts (57.4 completion percentage) for 21,228 yards and 144 touchdown passes. He also led his team to victory in 9 of 10 postseason games. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Edmonton Eskimos Wall of Honour. In 2006, he was ranked fifth on a list of the greatest 50 CFL players presented by Canadian sports network TSN.

NFL career:

Moon's decision to enter the NFL touched off a bidding war for his services, won by the Houston Oilers. However, with the NFL field being so much shorter and narrower than the CFL's, Moon had a difficult adjustment period. Even so, he still threw for a franchise record 3,338 yards in his first season with Oilers in 1984. It was only in 1986 when Oilers head coach Jerry Glanville found ways to best utilize Moon's strong arm that he began having success. In 1987, a season shortened by a players' strike that eliminated the third week of the regular NFL season, the Oilers posted a 9–6 record. It was the Oilers' first winning season since 1980, when Bum Phillips was the head coach and Ken "The Snake" Stabler was the quarterback. Moon then passed for 237 yards and a touchdown while leading the Oilers to a 23–20 overtime win over the Seattle Seahawks in the wildcard round of the playoffs in his first NFL postseason game.

Before the start of the 1989 season, Moon was given a 5 year, $10 million contract extension, which made him the highest paid player in the National Football League at that time. In 1990, Moon led the league with 4,689 passing yards. He also led the league in attempts (584), completions (362), and touchdowns (33), and tied Dan Marino's record with nine 300-yard games in a season. That included throwing for 527 yards against Kansas City on December 16, 1990, the second most passing yard ever in a single game. The following year, he again led the league in passing yards 4,690. At the same time, he joined Marino and Dan Fouts as the only quarterbacks to post back-to-back 4,000-yard seasons. Moon also established new NFL records that season with 655 attempts and 404 completions. In 1991, Moon threw for a career-high 655 passes.

In 1992, Moon played only 11 games due to injuries, but still managed to lead the Oilers to a 10–6 record, including a victory over the Buffalo Bills in the final game of the season. Moon and the Oilers then faced the Bills again in the first round of the AFC playoffs. Aided by Moon's 222 passing yards and 4 touchdowns in the first half, Houston built up a 28–3 halftime lead, and then increased it to 35–3 when Buffalo quarterback Frank Reich's first pass of the third quarter was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. But the Bills managed to storm back with 5 unanswered second half touchdowns to take a 38–35 lead with time running out in the final period. Moon managed to lead the Oilers on a last second field goal drive to send the game into overtime, but threw an interception in the extra period that set-up Buffalo kicker Steve Christie's game winning field goal. It was the largest comeback victory in NFL history and is now known in NFL Lore simply as The Comeback. Moon finished the game with 36 completions for 371 yards and 4 touchdowns, with 2 interceptions.

1993 was the Houston Oilers' best season with Warren Moon under center — and it would also be his last season with the team. The Oilers went 12–4 and won the old AFC Central division crown, but lost to Joe Montana and the Kansas City Chiefs 28–20 in the divisional round of the playoffs.

As a Houston Oiler, Moon set a franchise record for wins with 70, which stood until Steve McNair broke it in 2004, long after the team had become the Tennessee Titans.

He was traded to the Minnesota Vikings after the season, where he passed for over 4,200 yards in each of his first two seasons, but missed half of the 1996 season with a broken collarbone. After the season he signed with the Seattle Seahawks as a free agent. The Vikings' starting quarterback job was given to Brad Johnson and Moon was released after he refused to take a $3.8 million pay cut to serve as Johnson's backup. After a two year stint in the Pacific northwest, an aging Moon signed as a free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs as a backup in 1999. He played in only three games in 2 years with the Chiefs before announcing his retirement in January 2001.

Combining his NFL and CFL stats, Moon's numbers are nearly unmatched in professional football annals: 5,357 completions in 9,205 attempts for 70,553 yards and 435 touchdowns. Even if his Canadian League statistics are discounted, Warren Moon's career is still exceptional: 3,988 completions for 49,325 yards, 291 touchdown passes, 1,736 yards rushing, and 22 rushing touchdowns.

During his NFL career, Warren Moon was named to nine Pro Bowl games (1988–1995, 1997). Moon currently works as a broadcaster for the Seattle Seahawks. He was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006, becoming both the first Canadian Football Hall of Famer, first undrafted quarterback and the first African-American quarterback to be so honored. Moon was elected in his first year of eligibility. The Tennessee Titans retired his number at halftime on October 1 vs the Dallas Cowboys.

Personal life:

Moon married the former Felicia Fontenot Hendricks on March 8, 1981. Felicia's and Warren's daughter, Blair, was a member of Tulane's Women's Volleyball team. Following his retirement, Moon has become a well-known fantasy football fan. He and fellow QB Erik Kramer host a fantasy football sports show, "Ultimate Fantasy Football", during the season on Fox Sports Net. Moon serves as a color commentator on the Seahawks' radio broadcasts, and has also provided commentary on preseason TV broadcasts for the Seahawks and Titans.

On July 18, 1995, Warren reportedly had a violent confrontation with his wife Felicia. She told detectives that he had slapped her, choked her, and chased her when she fled in a car. In a July 21 press conference, Warren apologized for a "tremendous mistake" and said he would seek counseling. Despite Felicia's refusal to press charges, Warren was arrested for misdemeanor assault and went to trial in February 1996; he was acquitted.

On April 6, 2007, Moon was arrested for suspicion of DUI after being stopped for speeding in Kirkland, a suburb of Seattle. The charges were later reduced to first-degree negligent driving after Moon registered breath-alcohol levels of .068 and .067 at the police station in the hours following his arrest. Moon pleaded guilty to the negligent driving charge and was sentenced to 40 hours of community service, a $350 fine and drug and alcohol awareness classes.

On December 28, 2007, Moon was again arrested for suspicion of DUI after refusing to take a field sobriety test and breathalyzer test while being stopped for expired tags in the Seattle suburb of Medina. He was also initially arrested for driving with a suspended license, but this was later dropped and attributed to incorrect data in the Washington State Department of Licensing's records. Moon pled not guilty to the DUI charges at a February 5, 2008 arraignment.

French Open Tennis

2009-05-11T22:14:00.000-07:00

The French Open (French: Les Internationaux de France de Roland Garros or Tournoi de Roland-Garros) is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks between mid-May and early June in Paris, France, at the Stade Roland Garros. It is the second of the Grand Slam tournaments on the annual tennis calendar and the premier clay court tennis tournament in the world. It is one of the most prestigious events in tennis, and it has the widest worldwide broadcasting and audience of all events in this sport. Because of the slow playing surface and the five-set men's singles matches without a tiebreak in the final set, some say that the event is the most physically demanding tennis tournament in the world.
2009 French Open Tennis (Roland Garros) will be start- Sunday 5/24/2009 ...

Phelps Wins Olympic Gold No. 2 as India Gets First

2008-08-11T07:06:00.002-07:00

Aug. 11 (Bloomberg) -- A last-gasp relay victory maintained Michael Phelps's bid for a record eight Olympic titles in Beijing as five more world records fell in swimming and India got its first individual gold medal in Games history.

Jason Lezak overtook Alain Bernard of France with his final stroke to win the 400-meter freestyle relay for the U.S. team and keep Phelps on course to surpass Mark Spitz's one-Games record of seven gold medals in 1972.

``It was unbelievable, Jason finished the race better than we could have asked for,'' Phelps told reporters at the Water Cube pool after winning his second gold medal at the Beijing Games. ``Jason in the last 50 was incredible.''

The relay win helped give the U.S. 12 total medals, one less than China, which heads the medals table with 13, including eight golds. China, hosting its first Olympics, is trying to end the U.S. run of three medal-topping Games. The U.S. has captured three gold medals in Beijing.

The winning relay time of 3 minutes, 8.24 seconds chopped almost four seconds off the world record the U.S. team set in qualifying yesterday. It also left Phelps within one win of tying the mark of nine career gold medals held by Spitz, Carl Lewis, Paavo Nurmi and Larissa Latynina. The 23-year-old races in the 200 freestyle tomorrow.

Records Abound

Japan's Kosuke Kitajima retained the 100 breaststroke gold in a world-record time of 58.91 seconds and can collect his fourth career Olympic title if he wins the 200 breaststroke.

``My performance was perfect and ideal,'' Kitajima, 25, told reporters. ``I would have been baffled if you do not say that was perfect.''

Australia's Libby Trickett won the women's 100 butterfly for her second career gold and Britain's Rebecca Adlington took the 400 freestyle for her first.

World records also went to Australia's Eamon Sullivan, whose relay lead-off leg of 47.24 seconds broke Bernard's mark and helped secure the bronze, and to Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe in a women's 100 backstroke semifinal.

Italy's Federica Pellegrini later broke the women's 200 freestyle in the evening heats, winning in 1:55.45 to shave 0.07 seconds off Frenchwoman Laure Manaudou's mark.

On Target

Abhinav Bindra wrote his name into Indian sports folklore by winning the men's 10-meter air rifle competition and upsetting silver medalist Zhu Qinan of China. He is the first athlete from his country of 1.1 billion people to win an individual gold medal in the 112 years of the Olympic Games.

``I was not thinking too much, I just tried to shoot well,'' Bindra, 25, told reporters at the Beijing Shooting Hall after ending a 28-year gold-medal wait since India's winning field hockey team at the Moscow Games.

China clinched its seventh gold medal when favorites Lin Yue and Huo Liang took the synchronized 10-meter platform title, aided by a messed-up attempt from their main Russian rivals in the second-last round that was met by cheers in the Water Cube.

The eighth gold came when Chen Yanqing won the 58-kilogram weightlifting title with an Olympic record combined total of 244 kilograms. That made her the first women's weightlifter to successfully defend an Olympic title.

by:Grant Clark

Source:http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news

Olympic torch relay begins final leg

2008-08-06T01:39:00.000-07:00

BEIJING, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Olympic torch relay began its final leg in Beijing from the landmark Forbidden City Wednesday morning.

At the Meridian Gate of the Forbidden City, the torch was handed over to the first bearer, Yang Liwei, the country's first astronaut, by Liu Qi, president of the Beijing Organizing Committee of the 29th Olympic Games (BOCOG).

The Olympic flame will travel in the Olympic host city for three days joined by a total of 841 torch bearers.

On its first day, the torch will travel 16.4 km in just over four hours through seven districts, passing city landmarks, including Tian'anmen Square, the egg-shaped National Center for the Performing Arts and Qianmen (the Southern Gate). It will end at the Temple of Heaven.

Among the 433 bearers, there are big names and ordinary people. Yao Ming, China's most popular basketball star, was the ninth bearer.

Zhang Yimou, the famed film director and chief director of the Games' opening and closing ceremonies, will also bear the torch on Wednesday.

After being lit at the birthplace of the Olympic Games in Olympia, Greece on March 24, the 2008 Olympics torch traveled to Beijing on March 31 for a ceremonial kick-off of its global trip.

Under the theme "Journey of Harmony," the relay lasted 129 days and took the torch 137,000 km through six continents, the longest distance of any Olympic torch relay since the tradition started at the 1936 Berlin Games.

Source:http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/

The flame arrives in Beijing for Wednesday's Torch Relay

2008-08-05T06:57:00.000-07:00

(BEIJING, August 5) -- The sacred flame arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, August 5 at 4:20 p.m. for the last leg of the 2008 Torch Relay before the official start of the Games. The sacred flame will tour China's capital city from August 6-8.

Source: http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/

Murray wins Cincinnati Masters

2008-08-04T10:50:00.000-07:00

(BEIJING, August 4) -- Andy Murray of Great Britain defeated Novak Djokovic of Serbia 7-6(4), 7-6(5) on August 3 to win the Cincinnati Masters. It is Murray's first ATP Masters title.
Murray, who came into the Cincinnati Masters as the No.8 seed, defeated No. 3 seed Djokovic for the second time in eight days to achieve his sixth career title win.
Both Murray and Djokovic will compete in the tennis tournament at the Beijing Olympic Games on August 10-17.

Source:http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/

Djokovic ends Nadal's winning streak

2008-08-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

(BEIJING, August 3) -- Novak Djokovic of Serbia defeated Rafael Nadal 6-1, 7-5 on August 2 to advance to the final of the Cincinnati Masters, ending the Spaniard's 32-match winning streak.
Djokovic will face Britain's Andy Murray in the final on August 3.
Nadal, who has to wait until August 18 to be declared World No.1, went into the semifinals suffering from blisters.
Australian Open champion Djokovic has defeated Nadal in four of their six matches on hardcourt.
By reaching the semifinals of the event, Nadal accumulated enough points to overtake Roger Federer of Switzerland as the world's No. 1 player; however, the title isn't yet Nadal's until point totals from the past 52 weeks are officially calculated on August 18.

Source:http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/

Volunteers wear five-ring hair spins

2008-08-01T09:31:00.000-07:00

Sharapova will not compete in Beijing

2008-08-01T08:14:00.000-07:00

Olympic Ring

2008-08-01T07:58:00.000-07:00

Premiere of Beijing Olympics concert in Bangkok

2008-08-01T07:10:00.000-07:00

Beijing Olympic Torch Relay in Tangshan winds up

2008-07-31T21:56:00.000-07:00

(BEIJING, July 31) -- Chen Guoying, mayor of Tangshan, lit the cauldron at Caofeidian Island Hotel Square at 12:05 on Thursday, bringing the Tangshan leg of the Olympic Torch Relay to an end. This is also the last stop for the sacred flame in Hebei Province.
The torch relay in Tangshan was divided into two stages. 59 torchbearers participated in the first part, which spanned 2.7 kilometers. This section of the relay followed a theme of all-round relief efforts and goodwill for Wenchuan County of Sichuan Province, which was devastated by an earthquake on May 12. A few of these torchbearers were selected from the numerous model workers who had served at rescue operations in Sichuan and elsewhere.
The second part, covering 7.4 kilometers with 149 torch bearers, was carried out at Caofeidian Industrial Zone, a promising large-scale industrial area still under construction.
Another highlight of the Torch Relay in Tangshan was that many torchbearers were former Olympic or world champions. Among them were Qian Hong (Women's 100 meter Butterfly champion, 1992 Olympic Games), Niu Jianfeng (Women's Singles champion, 2003 ITTF Professional Tournament), Yun Yanhong (46kg champion, 1994 World Women's Weightlifting Tournament), and Wang Kenan (3m Springboard Men's Doubles champion, 2004 World Cup Diving).
Tianjin will host the next leg of the Torch Relay on August 1.

Source:http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/

Chelsea agree to sell Boulahrouz

2008-07-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

Chelsea have agreed a deal with German side Stuttgart to sell Netherlands defender Khalid Boulahrouz.

The 26-year-old is expected to join the Bundesliga outfit for a fee of around £4m, two years after joining the Blues from Hamburg for £10m.
Stuttgart boss Armin Veh told Bild newspaper: "He is just the man we were lacking. He is one who is not scared of getting involved when needed."
Boulahrouz spent last season on loan at Spanish outfit Sevilla.
He struggled for form and fitness in Spain but impressed in the Netherlands defence during their Euro 2008 campaign in June.

A statement on the Chelsea website said: "We would like to thank Khalid for his contribution while he was with Chelsea FC and would like to wish him luck at his new club."

Source: BBC SPORT

Wozniak takes title in Stanford

2008-07-21T06:36:00.000-07:00

Canada's Aleksandra Wozniak beat sixth seed Marion Bartoli to claim her first WTA Tour title at the Stanford Classic.

Wozniak was playing in her eighth match of the week, having qualified, and it was only her second final after finishing runner-up in Fes last year.
But she came through 7-5 6-3 against 2007 Wimbledon runner-up Bartoli.
"I believed in myself but I never thought I would win the tournament," said Wozniak. "I surprised myself and I'm so proud of what I accomplished."
She added: "Going through the qualifying and playing eight matches isn't easy."
Her French opponent took a medical timeout at 2-1 down in the second set for a left hip injury and struggled with her movement from then on.
"My leg was moving so slowly and I wasn't able to hit the ball like I was in the past matches," said Bartoli.
"It started to get really bad in the second set but I just wanted to finish the match so the fans could see a complete match."
Wozniak, 20, capitalised on a good performance against Serena Williams in the semi-finals that resulted in the American retiring when well behind.
She becomes the first Canadian since Jill Hetherington in Wellington, 1988, to win a women's singles title.
Elsewhere, France's Pauline Parmentier won her second WTA title with a 6-4 6-4 win over Czech qualifier Lucie Hradecka at the Gastein Ladies event in Austria.
"It was a wonderful week for me," said the 53rd-ranked Parmentier.
"I am glad that I played well consistently. The rain made it hard as we had to play many matches in just a few days."

Source: BBC SPORT

Prince reigns for Proteas

2008-07-20T06:10:00.000-07:00

England in trouble after taking just one wicket on the second

South Africa lead by 119 runs after losing just one wicket on a rain-shortened second day against England in the second Test at Headingley.
Ashwell Prince batted throughout the day to reach an unbeaten 134, his second ton of the series, and help extend the tourists' first innings to 322-4, a position of complete dominance.
Prince shared an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 179 with AB de Villiers, whose contribution was a more sedate 70 from 183 balls.
England's only success was a maiden Test victim for Darren Pattinson in the morning, although that came courtesy of a dubious lbw decision against Hashim Amla.
Andrew Flintoff (1-57) was by some distance the pick of a bowling attack that otherwise failed to give Michael Vaughan any penetration or consistency

Cautious:

Amla and Prince resumed on 101-3, still 102 behind, and initially took a cautious approach during a morning session that got under way 15 minutes late due to a brief passing shower.
England's hopes of early wickets foundered on the inability of their four-strong seam attack to generate any sideways movement, a cause not helped by the lack of cloud cover, which had been a constant feature of the first day when 13 wickets tumbled.
Amla failed to make the most of his reprieve yesterday evening when he was called back after television replays prompted doubts about the validity of Michael Vaughan's catch to dismiss him at mid-off.
The elegant right-hander was greeted by a bouncer barrage from James Anderson (2-83) and Flintoff, but it was a full toss that claimed the wicket.
Debutant seamer Pattinson, who had bowled just three overs with the new ball yesterday, persuaded umpire Daryl Harper to uphold an lbw appeal after Amla (38) had failed to make contact with a slower ball that thudded into his pad without bouncing.
It was a poor decision as the ball would have missed the leg-stump although the Grimsby-born, Australian-bred Pattinson (1-62) cared little about that as he celebrated his first top-level wicket.

Acceleration:

De Villiers joined Prince to see South Africa to lunch at 158-4 and the fifth-wicket pair then upped the tempo in the second session.
Prince dispatched two straight sixes in consecutive overs off Monty Panesar (0-36). The first of those maximums brought up his half-century and, from that point, the left-hander started to dominate, his driving through the off-side a particular highlight.
He had a century to his name before tea, his ninth in Tests, from 194 balls with 11 fours to go with those two sixes.
And de Villiers gradually grew in confidence after a nervy start to register 126-ball half-century containing five fours.
The final session was curtailed by a rain-delay of just over an hour, the players heading back out for a further 21 balls before another shower brought proceedings to a permanent halt.

Source: Sky Sports

Totti not ruling out Italy return

2008-07-18T02:03:00.000-07:00

Roma captain Francesco Totti has hinted that he may be open to a national
team recall following the return of FIFA World Cup™ wining coach Marcello
Lippi. Totti won the last of his 58 caps for Italy in the 2006 FIFA World Cup
final in Berlin before he dithered over whether to officially retire that
summer and only did so in 2007.
Lippi recently declared that he will respect Totti's decision to retire and
that he has no plans to entice back the man who scored the last-minute
penalty that beat Australia in the second round in Germany.
However, Totti told Sky Sports Italia that with Lippi back at the helm he
would need to speak to the new coach before he changes his mind and that for
the time being his is concentrating on his recovery from knee surgery.
"I have an excellent relationship with him, away from the field as well and
we are often in touch with one another. It is up to him to see and for now I
am only thinking about my recovery. I've not yet spoken to Lippi about this,
we will have to weigh things up in the future."

Hopes for a striker:

With Totti missing the last two months of the 2007-08 season, Mirko Vucinic
was Roma's only out-and-out attacker in the title run-in in which they
finished second to Inter Milan.
Whilst the Stadio Olimpico club has strengthened its squad in the summer
months, the 31 year-old is hopeful that another striker will be added and has
high hopes that Fiorentina's Romania striker Adrian Mutu will be lining up
alongside him when the league kicks off on August 31.
"I hope that we sign a top striker. The important thing is that it is a
player who can make a difference. I would take Mutu over everyone else. He
would enjoy himself here," Totti said. "(John Arne) Riise and (Simone) Loria
are two excellent buys. Riise is an international player and in his role
Loria is one of the strongest players in Italy."
It has been a long summer for Totti, who has been battling back from his knee
injury with the Italian Super Cup against Inter on August 24 his target,
while while haggling over a new contract with his current deal set to expire
in 2010.
"The target (for his return from injury) is August 24, but the important
thing is to return when I'm ready. I miss football, but even when I'm not
supposed to, I will have a secret kick about. The directors have always said
that I will sign for life. My current deal ends in 2010, so this is the last
year for renewing it."

Source: fifa.com

Freddie ready for comeback

2008-07-17T07:38:00.000-07:00

All-rounder set to pull on England shirt again in second Test

Andrew Flintoff insists he is fit and ready to resume his England career in the second Test against South Africa at Headingley on Friday.

Flintoff has been missing from Test cricket for the last 18 months due to two ankle operations followed by a side strain.
The 30-year-old was called back into the set-up as part of a 12-man squad to take on the Proteas at Headingley after impressing for Lancashire.
Peter Moores is expected to throw the all-rounder straight back into the action, with Paul Collingwood the leading candidate to miss out.
Flintoff admits that it has been a tough time for him on the comeback trail, but feels that he has now had enough cricket to be fit enough to pull on the England shirt once again.

Tough:

"Its been a tough one with all these rehab programmes and injures and operations and I'm just looking forward to getting back onto a cricket field - to getting the Three Lions on my chest and on my cap and trying to make a difference to the side," Flintoff said on Sky Sports News.
"Before the first Test I'd not played a great deal of cricket what with the side strain - I'd just had one game against Sussex.
"I got another Championship game against Hampshire last week where I bowled a lot of overs, got some miles in my legs, and I'm hitting them pretty nicely as well - a couple of runs in the Twenty20 and the second innings down at Hampshire.
"I'm in a good place at the moment and ready to go into Test match cricket."
Although not quite back at full throttle just yet, that will only come with bowling overs and Flintoff's extra wicket-taking ability will make him a big asset for England.
"I don't think I'm at my best but I'm going in the right direction and showing signs of that," said Flintoff, who believes he can get even better than he was.

Improve:

"As for the fitness, I've got no worries. I'm like everyone else I can get injuries, as can every other bowler.
"I've always improved the more I bowl and have a better understanding of it as well.
"With the bat as well, you see batsmen peak in their early thirties and that's what I'm looking to do as well.
"I've done all right in the past and I think I can do better."
Although Lancashire players do not traditionally get the best welcome at Yorkshire's home base in Headingley - with an England shirt on Flintoff expects the Leeds crowd to be kind.
"As and when I do come on to bowl, I'm sure there might be a little bit of excitement here at Headingley - the Lancashire players refer to it fondly as Galatasaray, but I think in an England shirt it's a different game," he said.
"Hopefully the crowd will get behind not just me, but the rest of the team."

Source: Sky Sports

'Magic' weekend heading north

2008-07-15T07:59:00.000-07:00

Derby element scrapped from next year

"Millennium Magic" is no more after the Rugby Football League decided to take the roadshow to Edinburgh from next season.

Murrayfield will host a full round of engage Super League fixtures over the May Day Bank Holiday weekend for the next two years after securing an agreement with Super League bosses.
Murrayfield, which proved a popular venue for the Challenge Cup final in 2000 and 2002, will stage seven matches over the two days of May 2 and May 3.
This year's Millennium Magic Weekend in Cardiff drew a combined attendance of 63,144 - some 4,313 up on the inaugural event in 2007 - but RFL officials threatened to take it elsewhere after claiming the Welsh Rugby Union failed to give the project their full backing.
Sally Bolton, the RFL's director of events and projects, said: "A number of cities had expressed an interest in hosting this event but we believe this new location has all the right ingredients to continue its development.

Exciting:

"The concept of the Magic Weekend is all about taking the sport on the road and staging engage Super League in prestigious and exciting cities and Murrayfield presents a fantastic opportunity for us to take the experience to the next level.
"Our plans for a specially-created fan village around the stadium are set to create a carnival atmosphere for the whole family.
"The city itself offers family entertainment and a feast of activity before the games kick off each day and also after the final whistle.
"Our event partners for 2009 are committed to working with us to offer a range of accommodation to create an appropriate portfolio for supporters and teams alike."

Seeded draw:

The format of the fixtures has yet to be determined but the League have decided to scrap the "derby" element in favour of a seeded draw and clubs' season-ticket holders will receive vouchers enabling them to buy day tickets at half price.
Gordon McKie, Scottish Rugby's chief executive, said: "We are thrilled to have secured another major sporting event for Murrayfield and Edinburgh, again underlining Scottish Rugby's commitment to hosting world-class premium events at the stadium.
"The exceptional and flexible facilities available at Murrayfield allow us to add a unique festival atmosphere to major events.
"We are very much looking forward to working in partnership with our key stakeholders to ensure that the Magic Weekend is a tremendous success."

Source: Sky Sports

Serena still aiming high

2008-07-15T07:43:00.000-07:00

World number five targets Olympics success

Serena Williams says she has no intention of ending the season without a major title.

After falling short in all three Grand Slams this year, the 26-year-old has only the US Open and the Beijing Olympics to aim for, but she is determined to put together a strong run in the closing months of the season.
The top seed at this week's Stanford Classic, Williams was beaten by Jelena Jankovic at the Australian Open and Katarina Srebotnik at Roland Garros before losing out to sister Venus in the final at Wimbledon.
She has three titles to her name this season, having won in Bangalore, Miami and Charleston, but does not consider that to be a good return.
"I can't say I'm pleased with my year because I haven't won any grand slams this year," Williams said.
"That's always been the goal for me. I didn't play well in Australia, the French I shot myself in the foot and at Wimbledon I couldn't get it together in the final.

Perfectionist:

"So I have to win something eventually. I feel like I should be able to win for the most part and sometimes I get disgusted because I didn't make the right shots, or made a lot of errors.
"I don't like to lose. I'm a perfectionist and feel like I should be the best at what I do."
Williams will play three tournaments before departing for China, after which she will be at Flushing Meadows for the US Open.
"I'm feeling good," said the world number five. "I have goals and have almost no points coming off this summer. I can only move ahead.
"The Olympics and US Open are hovering. I think I'll be ready for them."

Source: Sky Sports

Cannavaro looking ahead to 2010

2008-07-14T00:59:00.000-07:00

Italy's FIFA World Cup™ winning captain Fabio Cannavaro has declared his intention to still be available to Italy when they make the defence of their world crown in South Africa in 2010. The Real Madrid defender will be 36 when the tournament kicks off in Africa for the first time ever, but he told La Gazzetta dello Sport that he will still have plenty left to offer returning FIFA World Cup winning coach Marcello Lippi.
"If the coach wants me, I will be there to retain the World Cup in South Africa. I will always make myself available. Always," he said. "I will have to work more, as at 35 years of age (he turns 35 on September 13) everything becomes more complicated. But playing for Italy is a pleasure and an honour. It's unique."
Cannavaro, who is recuperating from his pre-UEFA EURO 2008 knee injury, doesn't expect Lippi to radically change the Italy line-up, though is aware that a number of Gianluigi Casiraghi's under-21 team will start to establish themselves in the senior squad. Defender Giorgio Chiellini has led the way, the Juventus defender filling in for Cannavaro in Austria and Switzerland and is likely to be Cannavaro's partner in central defence when he returns to action.
"It's true that my generation are starting to lose little things and that it is time to think about the future," he said. "Giuseppe, who I see in Spain (for Villarreal), is excellent and there is (Alberto) Aquilani. They only need a bit of experience. In defence Chiellini was excellent (at EURO 2008) and there is (Andrea) Barzagli and (Alessandro) Gamberini. There's lots of youngsters, but if one is truly excellent you will only tell in the big games."
The Naples-born Cannavaro also feels that there could be return for a pair of heroes from the Germany 2006 campaign, if they want it. AC Milan's Alessandro Nesta and Roma's Francesco Totti both retired from international football following the triumph in Berlin, but since the departure of Donadoni both are thought to be considering a return to international action.
He said: "I don't think it would be bad. It happened in France with (Zinedine) Zidane and (Lillian) Thuram (before the 2006 FIFA World Cup). The door is always open and the rules are the same for everyone."

Source: FIFA.com

Romario, Schuey turn down Champs Lge chance

2008-07-14T00:43:00.000-07:00

MILAN, July 8 (Reuters) - Retired Brazil striker Romario and ex-Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher have declined an offer to play for San Marino's SS Murata in their Champions League first qualifying round match at home to Gothenburg next Tuesday.

Romario's fellow Brazil World Cup winner Aldair, 42, will play in the first-leg match however.
'On May 23 Romario's father died and he told Aldair that he didn't feel it was right to leave everyone to come and play. It is a shame because we were close to this dream,' Murata sporting director Denis Casadei told Italian media.
He said Germany's retired seven times Formula One world champion Schumacher, a keen soccer player who sometimes turns out for his local club FC Echichens in Switzerland, had also turned down the chance to be involved.
Murata, who have won back-to-back doubles in the tiny landlocked republic near Italy's Adriatic coast, recruited Aldair for last year's Champions League campaign.
However, they were eliminated 4-1 on aggregate by Finnish club Tampere United in the first qualifying round.
Romario, who is also 42, announced his retirement in April after a controversial career in which he claimed to have scored more than 1,000 goals.

Source: ESPN

Rock ready for Toney

2008-07-13T23:49:00.000-07:00

Rahman and Toney both ready for Last Chance rematch

Hasim Rahman says he is ready to go the distance when he takes on James Toney for a second time.

The veteran pair go head-to-head in Temecula, California, on Wednesday night, more than two years since their WBC world title fight ended in a draw.
At 35 Rahman is four years Toney's junior but sees this as his final chance to stay in contention for another world title tilt and has been working out in the Arizona heat.
And that, he says, will stand him in good stead should their rematch, suitably dubbed Last Chance, also go the full 12 rounds.
"I've been running early in the morning and late at night," he said.
"Temperatures have been getting up to 113-115 every day. If I ran when the sun was up I'd wind up a light heavyweight.
"I know this is my last chance to remain in title contention. I just don't want a 'W'; I'd like it to be spectacular. James Toney is a throwback fighter. He fights like the heavyweights of the 40's, 50's and 60's.

Experience:

"Like Jersey Joe Walcott, Ezzard Charles, Eddie Machen and those guys. Good defense. Knows how to fight. I'll be ready for him. We had that 12-round experience together."
Rahman lost his WBC belt to Oleg Maskaev in his first defence after the Toney draw but has since won four on the bounce.
Toney meanwhile has been in the ring just three times since their first meeting in March 2006, losing two decisions to Samuel Peter and out-pointing Danny Batchelor over 10 rounds in May.
He has been sparring with former world titlists Lamon Brewster and Malik Scott and reports from his California training camp suggest he is in great shape this time round.
And although 'Lights Out' is usually one of boxing's biggest trash-talkers, the 39-year-old is ready to let his boxing speak for itself in what will be his 81st pro contest.
"I'm not going to run my mouth," he said. "Just watch me in the ring. That is the only thing I will say to you."

Source: 'Sky Sports'