Saturday, December 19, 2009
Washington Freedom 3, Atlanta 1
The Washington Freedom rode two first half goals in Rochester, New York Sunday to a 3-1 victory over the Atlanta Silverbacks to capture the 2007 W-League Championship in their first season in the league.
Washington set the tone immediately with a goal less than a minute into the match when Rebecca Moros split the Atlanta defense on the right side of the box and sent a 16-yard shot over the reach of goalkeeper Courtney Cripps into the far side of the goal.
Welsh scored the game-winner for Washington (20 Toe Photo)Semifinal standout Sarah Huffman set up the second goal to double the lead in the 40th minute when she sent a perfect through ball past the back line of the Silverbacks to an on-rushing Christie Welsh. The US international, who spent part of the season in the Women's National Team camp, put the shot past Cripps for what proved to be the game-winner.
Title IX leaves students unsatisfied in pursuit of athletic equality in numbers, funding
Liz Adams plays soccer for K-State, but it's club, not intercollegiate, soccer.
Adams says she was denied the benefits of playing varsity women's soccer because of the constraints of Title IX legislation.
WUSA
"Women's soccer has a strong audience base, it's appealing to the community," said Antonucci, who has spearheaded the creation of Women's Soccer Initiative, Inc. (WSII) to help steer the WUSA revival effort.
"We believe the fundamental mission is to relaunch the premier women's soccer league in the world with the best players around the world, competing and participating in the sport," Antonucci said. "We're excited that it can be major in that respect and for the fan's enjoyment, but we can be a little more realistic about the development of the business side of the sport."
Lines to coach Buffalo Flash
The Buffalo Flash of the United Soccer Leagues and their recently acquired head coach, former New Zealand international and USL-1 veteran Aaran Lines, announced their intention to field a team of professional players in their first year of W-League competition.
Lines is an experienced international player with 41 appearances for New Zealand, participating in the 1999 and 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup with New Zealand during his national team career. Lines has played for clubs in Germany, New Zealand, Poland, and most recently in the United States for the USL First Division Rochester Rhinos. He began his USL-1 stint with the Portland Timbers in 2005 and played his final two seasons with the Rhinos, seeing action in 66 USL-1 regular season games and recording three goals and seven assists. His club advanced to the postseason all three seasons with the Rhinos reaching the USL-1 Championship game in 2006.
Luis DAntin stepped down and Loris gets the green light
11 July 2008I was little bit surprised about the resignation of Luis D'Antin from Pramac Ducati (he has run the team for 5 years), this team even tough not doing very well this year, there was no such rumors about this split. All going well and it seems they are just working hard to improve the bike... :), to my further shock, the he already stepped down after Assen GP.
It was said that The Ducati was not happy with the operation of his team Satellite and Luis D'Antin did little thing to improve them. The results are so poor that this year they are becoming backmarkers. For your info, there isn't any official statement from the team. The team is run by Pramac boss Paola Campinoti now. Campinoti co-owned the team with D'Antin, who was running Ducati's satellite squad for the fifth season.
Loris Capirossi will return to action this weekend, when Alice Motorrad Grand Prix of Germany, despite! not being fully recovered from his latest physical mishap.
The approval of doctors and his desire to return to compete have decided to give him a green light return to the German test, his spirit is as high as his will. I like his fighting spirit.
Ready for the Titans!
Nashua Cape Cobras wicket keeper Ryan Canning - focus! Pic by Jeff AyliffeThe Nashua Cape Cobras have been back at nets, joined by Graeme Smith and JP Duminy, as they tune up for the Sunday Standard Bank Pro 20 semi-final against the Titans. Sadly, Rory Kleinveldt will play no part in the match, after injuring himself on Wednesday.
Herschelle Gibbs told us he likes the big occasion and he's looking forward to entertaining the crowd, whilst Graeme Smith added that the good hearted rivalry between himself and Titans quickie Dale Steyn started on the flight back from India!
Mourinho making plans
Jose Mourinho has said that now he is manager at Inter Milan he wants to bring a host of Chelsea players to the club, Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard are thought to be top of his list. Mourihno who was in charge of the Blues from 2004 and won the English Premiership in his first season as well as adding more silverware like the FA Cup and Community Shield. I am sure that Inter will be hoping that he can emmulate that success.Pic: www.timesonline.co.uk
Back to back for Casey
Valentino Rossi threw his Fiat-Yamaha down the road on the opening lap of the weekends Dutch TT at Assen, and recovered to finish 11th, but even if he hadnt taken the tumble, very few would have betted against the Ducati-Stoner combination from taking the win in Holland. The world champion had been in devastating form from Thursdays first runs, and he is suddenly a major force in this years Moto GP championship. Dani Pedrosa finished 2nd to take the championship lead from Rossi, who was absolutely brilliant under the circumstances. The Italian had made a rare mistake to crash on lap 1, dumping him into Randy de Puniet to take him out o! f the race, but he fought back with a bent handlebar and bent gear-lever, setting the 3rd fastest lap to finish 11th. the few points earned may prove crucial at the end of the series.
Rossi extends lead
Valentino Rossi has increased his lead in the MotoGP championship to 50 points after a win in the Czech MotoGP yesterday.
Valentino Rossi moved two races clear at the top of the championship with his fifth win of the season, enjoying an easy ride home after his closest rival Casey Stoner crashed out on lap seven.
Rossi was left to race the remaining 15 laps alone and unchallenged, eventually coming home 15 seconds clear of Toni Elias. The seven-time world champion's 67th premier-class victory takes him within one race of the all-time premier-class record, held by his compatriot Giacomo Agostini.
Drive Headlines
South Africa's sensational swimmer Natalie Du Toit has done it again. She won yet another gold medal in the 200m Individual Medley at the Paralympics earlier today. South Africa currently have 12 medals overall, the team won 15 gold medals at the Athens Games in 2004.
***
Meanwhile, Professor at the Sports Science Institute, Tim Noakes, says South Africa has a lack of world class athletes. That's why our able-bodies Olympians couldn't perform at the level which our Paralympic athletes are currently performing at. Noakes says the likes of Oscar Pistorius, Natalie du Toit and Ernst van Dyk are world-class athletes and are raking in the gold medals at the Paralympics where as with the able-bodied athletes, that's been lacking. Noakes says South Africa need to produce more world beaters.
***
Vodacom Western Province coach, Allister Coetzee, says losing against the Valke at the weekend is not an option. Province need to win their remai! ning four games with bonus points if they want a chance of making the semi-finals. Points difference could also be a telling factor at the end of the round-robin stage. WP play the Valke, Boland Kavaliers, Griquas and the big clash with the Lions. Coetzee says they won't get caught with their pants down again.
***
Manchester United manager, Alex Ferguson, is likely to unleash his new striker Dimitar Berbatov against Liverpool this weekend. A win will be vital for United because they have another tough away fixture against Chelsea next weekend. Berbatov is likely to be partnered by Wayne Rooney in front.
***
Lance Armstrong has proved in the space of 48 hours why he is still one of the biggest superstars of modern sport. When speculation surfaced that he was thinking of making a comeback to try and win an 8th Tour de france, the media were scrambling for the facts, and when Armstrong confirmed the following day that he was going! to be back in the saddle, interest in the next tour rocketed.!
< br />***
Kimi Raikkonen will be driving on the absolute limit this weekend at the Italian GP at Monza, and he refuses to write off the championship. But teammate Felipe Massa says he's only concerned about Lewis Hamilton. At first glance there seems to be an interesting situation brewing inside the Ferrarri camp, with both drivers seemingly taking the team-leaders role, despite Massa being strongly placed to challenge Hamilton.
Breakfast Headlines
Dale Steyn returned to action to help the Proteas to a 12 run win over Bangladesh in a Twenty20 match at the Wanderers. The Phalaborwa Express took 2 for 18 in three overs in the rain affected match. Bangladesh were restricted to 109 chasing the Proteas total of 118 in 14 overs. Herschelle Gibbs het 18 lopies in slegs 10 balle aangeteken en speler van die wedstryd, Abdur Razzak, het 4 vir 16 in drie boulbeurte gevat. Johan Botha het 2 vir 15 in drie boulbeurte gevat.
***
India have reached 122 for 3 at lunch on day one of the fourth and final test against Australia in Nagpur. Virender Sehwag raced to 66 off only 69 balls, hitting nine fours and a six. Aussie spinner Jason Krejza took most of the punishment, but eventually got his man and also the wicket of Raul Dravid.
***
The Nashua Cape Cobras are hoping for at least a bit of turn on the Boland Park pitch this week. Their 4-day Supersport Series match against the Chevrolet Warr! iors starts at ten o'clock this morning. The Paarl pitch has not helped the Cobras get a result this season and coach Shukri Conrad says it's vital to get a good score in the first innings...
***
Santos and Platinum Stars will resume their Absa Premiership match at 25 past four this afternoon after lights failed at the Mmabatho Stadium last night. It was goalless just before the half-hour mark. Golden Arrows beat Maritzburg 1-0. Ajax Cape Town will have learnt a bit more about Arrows, who they face in a Telkom Knockout Cup quarterfinal on Sunday evening. Kick-off is at 18h00.
***
In the UEFA Champions League, Ryan Giggs scored late to earn Manchester United a 1-1 draw at Celtic. Arsenal were held to a goalless draw by Fenerbahce. Alessandro del Piero scored twice as Juventus beat Real Madrid 2-0.
***The South African Netball team jets off to the Caribbean ! for the Tri-Nations against Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago today. Captain Liezel Wium is expecting a physical test...
Friday, December 18, 2009
Proteas leave 153 for victory
The Proteas raced to 30 for no loss at the close of play on day four of the second test against Australia at the MCG.
This means South Africa need another 153 runs on the final day to win the match and claim their first test series victory in Australia.
Australia were 247 all out in their second innings and set the Proteas 183 for victory.
Dale Steyn got Peter Siddle caught behind to finish with figures of 5 for 67 in 20.2 overs and grab a ten wicket haul.
He got Matthew Hayden for 23, Simon Katich for 15, Michael Clarke for 29 and Andrew Symonds for a duck.
The Australian tail put up a brave fight after the home side slumped to 212 for 8 when Ricky Ponting was caught by Graeme Smith off the bowling of Morne Morkel on 99.
Mitchell Johnson scored 43 not out.
Morkel also sent Mike Hussey packing and finished with 2 for 46 in 15 overs.
Jacques Kallis took 2 for 57 in 14 o! vers.
He bowled Brett Lee for 8 and Nathan Hauritz for 3.
Makhaya Ntini claimed Brad Haddin's wicket and let in only 26 runs in his 14 overs.
Paul Harris took none for 47 in 21 overs.
Yesterday JP Duminy's brilliant 166, Steyn's 76 and Harris' 39 helped the Proteas to 459 all out.
Breakfast headlines
Football:
England remain unbeaten on the road to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa after a John Terry's winner gave them a 2-1 win over Ukraine. Peter Crouch scored the opener.
In other vital Euro World Cup qualifiers: Spain made it six out of six after a 2-1 victory over Turkey. The Netherlands are also unbeaten after a 4-0 win over Macedonia. Germany maintain a four point lead in Group 4 after a 2-0 win over Wales. Italy have a two point lead over Ireland after they played out a 1-1 draw. France are two points behind Serbia in Group 7 after a 1-0 win over Lithuania. Greece are ahead of Switzerland in Group 3 thanks to a better goal difference following a 2-1 win over Israel. Denmark and Hungary are level on 13 points in Group 1. Meanwhile, Poland smashed San Marino 10-0 in Group 3 where Northern Ireland has a one point lead over Slovakia.
In South America, Brazil are three points behind Paraguay af! ter a 3-0 win over Peru. Chile are a point behind in third place after a goalless draw with fifth placed Uruguay. Fourth placed Argentina suffered a 6- thrashing by Bolivia. Log leaders Paraguay drew 1-1 with Ecuador.
The USA top the CONCACAF qualifying after a 3-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago. Costa Rica is a point behind in second place after 1-0 win over El Salvador. Third placed Honduras beat fourth placed Mexico 3-1.
Australia top Group 1 of the Asia qualifiers after a 2-0 win over Uzbekistan. Korea Republic beat Korea DPR 1-0 to top of Group 2.
Former Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer has been appointed as manager of the Magpies until the end of the season.
Rugby:
Stormers coach, Rassie Erasmus, says he's confident Conrad Jantjes be close to his best against the Waratahs on Saturday. He'll reunite with the Wylie Human and Sireli Naquelevuki in the same back three who played in the 13-13 draw w! ith the Waratahs in Cape Town last year. Erasmus says there wa! s no tem ptation to play Jantjes on the wing.
Cricket:
Western Province Cricket says the IPL coming to Cape Town shows that South Africa is a world class sports event host. The cricket spectacle will begin on the 18th of April. The Nashua Cape Cobras will play the Rajasthan Royals as precursor to the event on 11 and 12 April. Tickets for are R40 for adults and R20 for children.
New Proteas sensation, Roelof van der Merwe, says Twenty 20 cricket is all about luck. Van der Merwe, who smacked 48 runs off just 30 deliveries against Australia, says you can't prepare for that type of cricket.
The Nashua Cape Cobras are in East London today for a Supersport series match against the Chevrolet Warriors.
Formula One:
Toyota's Jarno Trulli could have his third-place finish at the Australian Grand Prix reinstated. There's talk that the stewards will review the post-race penalty.
Hamilton and Alonso top historic practice sessions
Lewis Hamilton (1:45.518) emerged fastest for McLaren in the historic first practice session for the Singapore Grand Prix, as Formula One cars took to the track under floodlights for the first time ever. The Ferraris took second and third, with Felipe Massa just 0.080 seconds behind Hamilton and four tenths of a second ahead of teammate Kimi Raikkonen. Heikki Kovalainen completed the top four in the second McLaren, followed by BMW's Robert Kubica.
In session 2, Renault's Fernando Alonso topped the time sheets. The Renault driver outpaced the McLaren by 0.098 seconds, with Ferrari's Felipe Massa and McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen third and fourth, and Nico Rosberg impressing again for Williams in fifth. Hamilton was quickest for the majority of the session, swiftly moving ahead of early pacesetter Rosberg and then chipping away at his time for the next hour and steadily edging further ahead. Until Alonso's late lap, it looked like Hamilton was set to remain on top. B! ut the Renault produced a 1:45.654 just before the chequered flag, after a spectacular lap on the super-soft tires.
Source: Autosport.com
Torres: 'Rafa Either Wants To Improve Me Or Kill Me'
Just before it all starts on Sunday, Fernando Torres will, as he always does, drop down on to his haunches and crouch for a minute or more.
It will be just him and the turf and a small box of silence at Stamford Bridge, hermetically sealed from all the sound and the fury outside it. "I don't know why I started but I always do it before the games," Torres says of this habit. "I like to see the other players with the keeper and I like to see the other end and the people in the stand behind the goal. I try to see the goal and try to think where the ball is going."
Seeing the goal is a task which! , taken in its literal sense, Torres hardly need prepare for. The eight goals he has placed into a net this season – a tally it took him until 1 February, and the arrival at Anfield of Luiz Felipe Scolari's feckless Chelsea side, to reach in the last campaign – are part of a new-found opulence in Rafael Benitez's Liverpool, whose 22 league goals in the season's first seven weeks represent their most prolific return since 1895. But there are other, more substantial goals to go in search of. Liverpool have not collected a piece of silverware of any description for three long years and the prospect of extending that to a fourth would, Torres sees all too clearly, be a catastrophe for the Red quarters of Merseyside and beyond.
"To go another season and have four years without a trophy would be a massive blow for Liverpool," he says, in his excellent English which is still more Spanish than Scouse. "Three years without a trophy is too much for Liverpool, and especiall! y the Premier League. We have to improve. We really have to wi! n [one]. "
He is not the only Liverpool player to betray a yearning for silverware. The same feelings left Pepe Reina, Torres' great ally at Anfield, reflecting last month that the title was not a "realistic objective". But Torres has been here before, on the outside looking in with more than a little envy at other people's trophy cabinets. After an upbringing in Fuenlabrada, a small city on the outskirts of Madrid famous across Spain for putting skirts on the green stick-man illuminated at pedestrian crossings in the interests of gender equality, Torres found himself on the receiving end of the capital city's mighty football inequality, attempting to help Atletico Madrid match their neighbours, Real. Torres, one part prodigy, one part folk hero at Estadio Vincente Calderon, was worn down by the side's over-reliance on him in the end. "Any team has to be built on collective responsibility but at Atletico I had too much and I had to take on the responsibility of others, too! ," Torres revealed last season.
Though it seems like a case of history repeating itself – the dependence on Torres and Steven Gerrard is as profound as it ever was at Anfield – then Torres has at least found solace from a compatriot who has experienced the same. "I am still waiting for a trophy at club level, and I want one, but I am still young; I am just 25," Torres says. "I was talking with Carles Puyol at Barcelona some years ago and he said he was 23-24 at Barcelona and hadn't won a single trophy, but now he has plenty of them." Ten, to be precise. But while Puyol's wait for silverware lasted six years, Torres is now into his ninth club campaign, with the taste of success which last year's European Championship brought with Spain only accentuating the sense of what has been missing with his clubs.
For all that, though, there is something in the Torres character which makes these proletarian struggles quite natural ones. He might have the accoutrem! ents of the superstar – including the £130,000-a-week salary w! hich thi s summer's new five-year contract brought and the personal website which confidently places No 9 between his first and last names – but the prevailing sense which El Nino: My Story, his new autobiography, leaves is how Torres and a working-class city like Liverpool were made for each other. He chose Liverpool, he says, "because of the mentality of the club. It's a working club. Always, Liverpool never had the same money as other teams and always is winning trophies like the bigger ones."
Everton fans do not seem to take the same delight in ruining a Torres night out that Real's did, either. "I couldn't do almost anything in Madrid when I was there," he recalls. "Madrid is a big city and I wasn't playing for the strongest team, so 80 per cent of the people there are Real fans. It was hard just to walk or go to a restaurant or the cinema because people do not have the same respect there that they do here for players. If I went somewhere with friends [in Madrid] it w! as really difficult. Here in Liverpool, I can do almost everything I want to do. I can walk in the park, or to the Albert Dock. The people recognise you but they have a lot of respect for a player. The quality of life is the main thing for me."
It is as well, perhaps, that his preferred days out are not to Manchester – where his career would have taken him had Sir Alex Ferguson has his way – but to the more Liverpool-friendly locations of Chester and Formby. (A 99 Flake with raspberry sauce, the book tell us, is his preference at the seaside.) Perhaps it is also the working-class outlook which makes some of Benitez's interminable ways more tolerable to him than they were to the Liverpool squad the manager inherited in 2004. Torres has more than demonstrated his technical abilities – the quick foot-to-foot transfer and his habit of feigning lack of interest in a ball before pinching it from a defender, which helped him score the 33 goals which, in 2007-08, made hi! m the highest foreign goalscorer in a debut season in English ! football history. But still the manager obsesses about improvements.
One of the excellent anecdotes in El Nino concerns a day when, after Torres had scored twice in Liverpool's magnificent 2-0 win over Chelsea in February, he was tying up his boots ready to head out to the Melwood training pitch. The weekend papers had been full of stories about Torres being set to become a father and he takes up the story: "'Congratulations, Fernando,' Rafa says.'Thanks, boss,' I reply. I assumed he was congratulating me on the pregnancy and I paused, expecting the obvious next question. I was wrong. 'Just as we'd anticipated, attacking the near post really paid off yesterday,' he said. 'You got ahead of the defender into that space we talked about, which gave you an advantage and allowed you to beat Cech with a header.'"
Typical Benitez – and a story Glen Johnson should have read before he arrived at Anfield in July. Johnson assumed that Benitez would appreciate his talents, ! having paid £17m for him – then spent three weeks listening to him detailing his faults. "Rafa spends time with everyone whether they are doing well or badly," Torres says in the manager's defence. "He is always pushing the players because it is the best way to improve, and you can say to yourself he wants to improve me or he wants to kill me, but I can tell you, he does want the best for every single player."
The spending limitations are all too apparent at Liverpool, whose American owners are seeking equity partners to help offset their debt, leading Reina to reflect that "teams like Manchester United have lots of players who can tip the balance; we haven't got the individuals". But Torres has a more positive philosophy. "It is easier when you have money to spend on top players, because you have more quality in the squad and more chances," he says. "But it's not always like that. Liverpool won the Champions League four years ago with just a strong squad, so we ! have different strengths. We have to do it another way." He be! lieves L iverpool can experience the same effect from a first trophy that United enjoyed after winning the Premier League in 1993. "We know that when the first trophy comes we can win plenty of trophies. The next one will come soon," he says.
Having Torres and Gerrard fit to play together more often than the 17 times in the league they were in tandem last season is critical. So far they have already played together in every league game. And victory over Chelsea on Sunday will be a psychological asset. "It will give us plenty of confidence going into the international break. We will be able to rest a little bit and come back feeling like a strong team. If you can beat Chelsea away then you know you can beat any team in England and in Europe. We need to win these kind of games to be stronger." Such are the thoughts that will consume the mind of the crouching tiger who, if you look closely, you will see down there – just about pitch level – as the Stamford Bridge clock ticks ! up to 4pm on Sunday.
It will be just him and the turf and a small box of silence at Stamford Bridge, hermetically sealed from all the sound and the fury outside it. "I don't know why I started but I always do it before the games," Torres says of this habit. "I like to see the other players with the keeper and I like to see the other end and the people in the stand behind the goal. I try to see the goal and try to think where the ball is going."
Seeing the goal is a task which! , taken in its literal sense, Torres hardly need prepare for. The eight goals he has placed into a net this season – a tally it took him until 1 February, and the arrival at Anfield of Luiz Felipe Scolari's feckless Chelsea side, to reach in the last campaign – are part of a new-found opulence in Rafael Benitez's Liverpool, whose 22 league goals in the season's first seven weeks represent their most prolific return since 1895. But there are other, more substantial goals to go in search of. Liverpool have not collected a piece of silverware of any description for three long years and the prospect of extending that to a fourth would, Torres sees all too clearly, be a catastrophe for the Red quarters of Merseyside and beyond.
"To go another season and have four years without a trophy would be a massive blow for Liverpool," he says, in his excellent English which is still more Spanish than Scouse. "Three years without a trophy is too much for Liverpool, and especiall! y the Premier League. We have to improve. We really have to wi! n [one]. "
He is not the only Liverpool player to betray a yearning for silverware. The same feelings left Pepe Reina, Torres' great ally at Anfield, reflecting last month that the title was not a "realistic objective". But Torres has been here before, on the outside looking in with more than a little envy at other people's trophy cabinets. After an upbringing in Fuenlabrada, a small city on the outskirts of Madrid famous across Spain for putting skirts on the green stick-man illuminated at pedestrian crossings in the interests of gender equality, Torres found himself on the receiving end of the capital city's mighty football inequality, attempting to help Atletico Madrid match their neighbours, Real. Torres, one part prodigy, one part folk hero at Estadio Vincente Calderon, was worn down by the side's over-reliance on him in the end. "Any team has to be built on collective responsibility but at Atletico I had too much and I had to take on the responsibility of others, too! ," Torres revealed last season.
Though it seems like a case of history repeating itself – the dependence on Torres and Steven Gerrard is as profound as it ever was at Anfield – then Torres has at least found solace from a compatriot who has experienced the same. "I am still waiting for a trophy at club level, and I want one, but I am still young; I am just 25," Torres says. "I was talking with Carles Puyol at Barcelona some years ago and he said he was 23-24 at Barcelona and hadn't won a single trophy, but now he has plenty of them." Ten, to be precise. But while Puyol's wait for silverware lasted six years, Torres is now into his ninth club campaign, with the taste of success which last year's European Championship brought with Spain only accentuating the sense of what has been missing with his clubs.
For all that, though, there is something in the Torres character which makes these proletarian struggles quite natural ones. He might have the accoutrem! ents of the superstar – including the £130,000-a-week salary w! hich thi s summer's new five-year contract brought and the personal website which confidently places No 9 between his first and last names – but the prevailing sense which El Nino: My Story, his new autobiography, leaves is how Torres and a working-class city like Liverpool were made for each other. He chose Liverpool, he says, "because of the mentality of the club. It's a working club. Always, Liverpool never had the same money as other teams and always is winning trophies like the bigger ones."
Everton fans do not seem to take the same delight in ruining a Torres night out that Real's did, either. "I couldn't do almost anything in Madrid when I was there," he recalls. "Madrid is a big city and I wasn't playing for the strongest team, so 80 per cent of the people there are Real fans. It was hard just to walk or go to a restaurant or the cinema because people do not have the same respect there that they do here for players. If I went somewhere with friends [in Madrid] it w! as really difficult. Here in Liverpool, I can do almost everything I want to do. I can walk in the park, or to the Albert Dock. The people recognise you but they have a lot of respect for a player. The quality of life is the main thing for me."
It is as well, perhaps, that his preferred days out are not to Manchester – where his career would have taken him had Sir Alex Ferguson has his way – but to the more Liverpool-friendly locations of Chester and Formby. (A 99 Flake with raspberry sauce, the book tell us, is his preference at the seaside.) Perhaps it is also the working-class outlook which makes some of Benitez's interminable ways more tolerable to him than they were to the Liverpool squad the manager inherited in 2004. Torres has more than demonstrated his technical abilities – the quick foot-to-foot transfer and his habit of feigning lack of interest in a ball before pinching it from a defender, which helped him score the 33 goals which, in 2007-08, made hi! m the highest foreign goalscorer in a debut season in English ! football history. But still the manager obsesses about improvements.
One of the excellent anecdotes in El Nino concerns a day when, after Torres had scored twice in Liverpool's magnificent 2-0 win over Chelsea in February, he was tying up his boots ready to head out to the Melwood training pitch. The weekend papers had been full of stories about Torres being set to become a father and he takes up the story: "'Congratulations, Fernando,' Rafa says.'Thanks, boss,' I reply. I assumed he was congratulating me on the pregnancy and I paused, expecting the obvious next question. I was wrong. 'Just as we'd anticipated, attacking the near post really paid off yesterday,' he said. 'You got ahead of the defender into that space we talked about, which gave you an advantage and allowed you to beat Cech with a header.'"
Typical Benitez – and a story Glen Johnson should have read before he arrived at Anfield in July. Johnson assumed that Benitez would appreciate his talents, ! having paid £17m for him – then spent three weeks listening to him detailing his faults. "Rafa spends time with everyone whether they are doing well or badly," Torres says in the manager's defence. "He is always pushing the players because it is the best way to improve, and you can say to yourself he wants to improve me or he wants to kill me, but I can tell you, he does want the best for every single player."
The spending limitations are all too apparent at Liverpool, whose American owners are seeking equity partners to help offset their debt, leading Reina to reflect that "teams like Manchester United have lots of players who can tip the balance; we haven't got the individuals". But Torres has a more positive philosophy. "It is easier when you have money to spend on top players, because you have more quality in the squad and more chances," he says. "But it's not always like that. Liverpool won the Champions League four years ago with just a strong squad, so we ! have different strengths. We have to do it another way." He be! lieves L iverpool can experience the same effect from a first trophy that United enjoyed after winning the Premier League in 1993. "We know that when the first trophy comes we can win plenty of trophies. The next one will come soon," he says.
Having Torres and Gerrard fit to play together more often than the 17 times in the league they were in tandem last season is critical. So far they have already played together in every league game. And victory over Chelsea on Sunday will be a psychological asset. "It will give us plenty of confidence going into the international break. We will be able to rest a little bit and come back feeling like a strong team. If you can beat Chelsea away then you know you can beat any team in England and in Europe. We need to win these kind of games to be stronger." Such are the thoughts that will consume the mind of the crouching tiger who, if you look closely, you will see down there – just about pitch level – as the Stamford Bridge clock ticks ! up to 4pm on Sunday.
Sammy Lee: No International 'Hangover' For Liverpool
Liverpool assistant manager Sammy Lee has stressed the importance of the club's international players returning to training this week fully focused on their domestic duties.
A host of Reds stars have been representing their countries across the world during the international break and Lee maintains that their mindset must change quickly once they are back at the clubs' training centre at Melwood.
"The group that have been here at Melwood during the international break have been working very hard with a view to the Sunderland game, and when the other players return later this week, we have to make sure they kick in and are focused on a very important game," Lee told the club's official website.
"There is no window for us to have any kind of international hangover - we don't have that luxury."
Liverpool travel to Sunderland on Saturday, and Lee insists that the players must pre! pare well. Every game is massive for the Reds in a season when they are striving to end the long wait for a league title.
"It is difficult to prepare, but that is the nature of the game," the coach added.
"I think this is the third international break of the season already and it's something we've got to live with. We're not unique in this and other clubs have got the same problem.
"At this football club, every week is massive. The fact we're playing these matches just adds to that, but being 'Liverpool Football Club' means we're going to be in these type of games.
"It's been a mixed start to the season - there have been some good points and some bad.
"But it's still only October and we're going to be working very hard to ensure we're there or thereabouts come the end of the season in all competitions."
A host of Reds stars have been representing their countries across the world during the international break and Lee maintains that their mindset must change quickly once they are back at the clubs' training centre at Melwood.
"The group that have been here at Melwood during the international break have been working very hard with a view to the Sunderland game, and when the other players return later this week, we have to make sure they kick in and are focused on a very important game," Lee told the club's official website.
"There is no window for us to have any kind of international hangover - we don't have that luxury."
Liverpool travel to Sunderland on Saturday, and Lee insists that the players must pre! pare well. Every game is massive for the Reds in a season when they are striving to end the long wait for a league title.
"It is difficult to prepare, but that is the nature of the game," the coach added.
"I think this is the third international break of the season already and it's something we've got to live with. We're not unique in this and other clubs have got the same problem.
"At this football club, every week is massive. The fact we're playing these matches just adds to that, but being 'Liverpool Football Club' means we're going to be in these type of games.
"It's been a mixed start to the season - there have been some good points and some bad.
"But it's still only October and we're going to be working very hard to ensure we're there or thereabouts come the end of the season in all competitions."
Liverpool Fans Stage Protest Against Club Owners Tom Hicks & George Gillett
Thousands of Liverpool fans gathered in protest against club owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett before the blockbuster game against Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday.
The army of supporters gathered at the Liverpool Supporters Club on Lower Breck Road and marched to the Albert pub outside the Kop in order to urge Hicks and Gillett to sell the club, as they attributed to the club's nosedive on and off the pitch to the American co-owners.
The Merseyside club has accumulated a huge amount of debt, and four consecutive losses on the pitch has translated to the Reds' worst run in over two decades.
The fans chanted: "What do we want? Yanks out. When do w! e want it? Now."
Rafael Benitez's charges are currently playing catch-up in the Premier League as well as in the group stage on the Champions League, as they recently succumbed to a 2-1 defeat to Olympique Lyonnais at Anfield.
The army of supporters gathered at the Liverpool Supporters Club on Lower Breck Road and marched to the Albert pub outside the Kop in order to urge Hicks and Gillett to sell the club, as they attributed to the club's nosedive on and off the pitch to the American co-owners.
The Merseyside club has accumulated a huge amount of debt, and four consecutive losses on the pitch has translated to the Reds' worst run in over two decades.
The fans chanted: "What do we want? Yanks out. When do w! e want it? Now."
Rafael Benitez's charges are currently playing catch-up in the Premier League as well as in the group stage on the Champions League, as they recently succumbed to a 2-1 defeat to Olympique Lyonnais at Anfield.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
New venues, series for Supermoto
By John Hopkins
TORONTO, ON -- A variety of new events and a planned two-race North American Championship highlight the 2005 Supermoto Canada Championship calendar.
In addition to the pair of North American Championship rounds, the calendar consists of five national events and six regional rounds.
The North American Championship, an independent venture of Supermoto Canada, will open at the USA International Kart Track near Milwaukee, WI June 19 and conclude with The Docks Red Bull Event in Toronto Aug. 27-28. Defending Supermoto Canada KTM Supercup champion Perry Pritchard, a Wisconsin native is a prime mover behind the Milwaukee event.
The round at The Docks will also conclude the Canadian National series. That competition opens at the Grand Mere Kart Track in Trois-Rivieres, QC June 11, an event promoted by CMRC Quebec's Buddy Ford, and continues with the Alderney Landing Street Race in Halifax July 2, the Sport Bike Rally in Parry Sound, ON July 9 and an additional Toronto event slated for July 24, which should be confirmed later this month.
The regional series begins May 8 at the Point Pelee Kart Track in Leamington, ON. That event is followed by a round at Cayuga Speedway in Nelles Corners, ON May 22, the Mosport Development Track in Bowmanville, ON July 31, the Sarnia Grand Prix Aug. 13-14, Sutton Kart Track in Sutton, ON Sept. 18, and Cayuga Speedway Sept. 25.
The venue for the Sarnia Grand Prix has not been finalized, but the races will reportedly be promoted by top competitors Steve Beattie and Glen Fenwick.
Polaris expands SnoCross sponsorship
From WPSA Racing
WHITE BEAR LAKE, MN — Polaris Industries, a leader in snowmobile and powersports manufacturing, will expand its involvement with the 2005-2006 PowerSports Snowmobile Tour season as an official sponsor. The Medina, MN-based company manufactures snowmobiles, as well as ATVs, utility vehicles and motorcycles through its Victory brand. Polaris is also a strategic partner with Austrian motorcycle manufacturer KTM.
As part of the agreement, Polaris will receive branding identity at the venues and on this year's television broadcasts, which will air on ESPN2. The company will also participate in PowerSports Snowmobile Tour public relations and promotional initiatives, corporate hospitality and will be featured in the Tour's advertising and Internet activities.
Polaris will continue a winning tradition, which was showcased by its success last season. Led by Polaris rider T.J. Gulla's Pro Sto! ck championship, Polaris riders won four of six national titles last year, including Pro Women, Semi-Pro Open and Semi-Pro Stock. Many top competitors on this year's Tour ride Polaris sleds, including Gulla, Ross Martin and Dennis Eckstrom.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Potential Xavier Coaching Options
Below is a list of potential Xavier head coaches that was developed by Dustin Dow of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Chris Mack
Age: 39
Currently: Xavier assistant coach
Reasoning: Mack was Miller's top assistant for five seasons and is a former Xavier player and graduate. He's also a strong link of continuation whose hiring would make for an easy transition. Several players have spoken out in support of Mack, and he would be most equipped to retain recruiting commitments and current players, many of whom he was instrumental in recruiting. Miller said if Mack doesn't get the Xavier job, then Mack would join Miller's staff in Arizona.
Fran McCaffery
Age: 49
Currently: The head coach at Siena
Reasoning: McCaffery has taken three different teams to the NCAA Tournament, including Siena, which he led to a first-round upset of Ohio State this season. He is known for graduating his players, which is a key component at Xavier.
Brad Brownell
Age: 40
Currently: The head coach at Wright State
Reasoning: Brownell has taken both Wright State and UNC-Wilmington to the NCAA Tournament, and has won 20 or more games in five of seven seasons as a head coach. He's never had a losing season and has finished worse than third place in his conference only once. Three times, he's won a conference championship.
Brad Stevens
Age: 32
Currently: The head coach at Butler
Reasoning: He would be the youngest option certainly, but Stevens has proven himself to be an effective head coach, leading Butler to the NCAA Tournament in each of his two seasons in Indianapolis. He has Midwest recruiting connections and would fit the profile of Xavier's most recent hires – Thad Matta and Sean Miller – who were young up-and-coming coaches whose success at Xavier benefited their career but also the XU program.
John Groce
Age: 37
Currently: The head coach at Ohio Universi! ty
Reasoning: Groce was the recruiting architect under Th! ad Matta at Ohio State and a key assistant to Matta at Xavier. Now at OU, he's establishing himself as a head coach, which may be a prerequisite for most candidates other than Mack.
Ken McDonald
Age: 39
Currently: The head coach at Western Kentucky
Reasoning: McDonald has been an assistant coach at Clemson, Georgia and Texas where he secured high-profile recruiting classes. After leaving Texas to take over at WKU a year ago, he led the Hilltoppers to a 25-9 season and a first-round NCAA Tournament victory.
Louis Orr
Age: 50
Currently: The head coach at Bowling Green
Reasoning: Orr has Xavier roots as a former XU assistant from 1991-94 and even deeper Cincinnati roots as a Withrow High School graduate. He was forced out of Seton Hall in 2006, but led Bowling Green to a Divisional title this season in the Mid-American Conference.
Jim Christian
Age: 44
Currently: The head coach at Texas Christian
Reasoning: C! hristian successfully led Kent State to six straight 20-win seasons from 2003-2008 before taking over at TCU this season. Bobinski noticed the job Christian did at Kent State with admiration. Christian, who has nationwide recruiting contacts, is reportedly well-compensated at TCU but would be in a more winnable position at Xavier.
Shayne Graham's Good Deed
Shayne Graham is using that one year, 2.5 million dollar contract for a good cause. Through the Shayne Graham Foundation the Bengals kicker is going to provide free health care services for retired Cincinnati area NFL players and coaches. It has been a very public issue that retired NFL players and coaches have has some issues being able to afford health care and have lingering issues from their playing days. I think this is a very class move from a very classy player. Since coming to Cincinnati Shayne Graham has been very involved in the area youth and other ! philanthropic endeavors. He had teamed up with Doug Pelphrey's Kicks for Kids early in his career and still continues to be involved in that organization. Graham is planning on making the announcement with Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz and former kicker Jim Breech.
Check out the full story here.
Cris and the High School Girls
Here's an interview with Cris Collinsworth a la 1980 or so. He's got some interesting tips on picking up girls... and by 'interesting' I mean very, very creepy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8HdOEStmrs
Rocket Man
If you're looking for a professional review of what happened with Roger Clemens on Wednesday, go elsewhere. If you're looking for a smart lawyer who knows what legally happened at Clemens' hearing on Wednesday, keep searching. If you're looking for a not-so-intelligent opinion from a not-so-smart Boston sports fan who's in his 6th year of undergraduate at Bridgewater State College, then you've come to the right place.
I'm not going to pretend to know anything about the legal ramifications Roger Clemens or Brian McNamee could face, I'm just going to give my opinion of what I watched on Wednesday. And what I watched was an embarrassment. It's been two days since it was on, and I'm too lazy to look up stuff that happened, so don't mind me if I "misremembered" some of the details that took place.
I turned on the hearing about halfway through. From what I gathered, each congressman that was there had five minutes to grill either McNamee or Clemens. I saw thi! ngs come from both angles. I saw one congressman think it was his own stand up comedy act, as he started making jokes and everyone was laughing.
I thought this was supposed to be some sort of serious hearing?
I also saw a woman, representing the state of New York, start her statement off by thanking Clemens for all the wonderful things he did on the field for the Yankee organization and off the field in the community.
What a joke.
Then, one congressman, at the end of his statement, proceeded to ask Roger what hat he was going to wear into the Hall of Fame.
It became laughable.
The one thing I do know, however, is that you can't tamper a witness (at least I think that's the phrase). I know this nanny was thrown under the proverbial bus by McNamee's vivid account. So vivid, in fact, at one point I thought he was reading from an old script he dug up from his days as an aspiring screenwriter in the porn industry.!
But the bottom line is this nanny was supposed to ! be a key witness in this whole hearing. Knowing all this, Roger and his legal team went on to call her and invite her to his house. When this was brought up at the hearing, Roger claims he was "trying to help you guys out". Right. He was trying to get in touch with her for a cup of tea and not talk about the upcoming hearing so they could get their story straight.
The best part is, after he said he was trying to help congress out, the guy leading congress says "I understand you were trying to help us out, thank you". Thank you?!?! Come on now. If he was in a real courtroom, the judge would have looked at him and said "Mr. Clemens, if you ever obviously lie to me and try to embarrass me in my courtroom again, I will have you hung, is that understood?"
Meanwhile, you have Mr. McNamee. He sits there, gets badgered by Congress and Clemens, and sits there and takes it like a man. Doesn't ever get his back up, like Clemens and his legal team did. He just sits there c! alm, answers every question, and continues to cooperate. Doesn't break any rules outside of the hearing, and provides evidence as much as he can. Has he lied in the past? Of course, he admitted that. Would he make this up though? I don't think so.
Like I said, I'm not the brightest bulb to be writing about some sort of legal hearing. I'm the kid who failed a class titled Sexuality last semester, and I love sex! But I can give the average man's opinion on this whole matter. Roger Clemens has always been about himself, his whole career. He wanted the limelight, and he wanted it to be about himself. He was always bigger than the team. Now, his good friend, Andy Pettitte is against him, along with Chuck Knoblauch.
Once again, it's Roger all by himself. It's all about him now. This time, I couldn't be happier.
-BJal
And the best MMA heavyweight in the world is...
According to this video, Fedor still reigns supreme. This is absolute gold, whoever put this together. Check out the gut on Mir. As funny as it is though, you still have to wonder how someone has this much time on their hands...but bravo. And great ending.
Brock Lesnar VS Frank Mir at UFC 81 - Watch more Free Videos
-Bess
Victor Martinez to Boston!
Sources say All-Star Victor Martinez is on his way to Boston in exchange for Justin Masterson and 2007 1st round draft pick Nick Hagadone.
But the big question remains... does Cleveland still go a head with "Victor Martinez Bobble-Head Night"... which is tomorrow at Progressive Field?
-Keefe
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Birmingham City 1 Bolton Wanderers 2
The Premier League match report between Birmingham City and Bolton Wanderers at the DW Stadium on Saturday Sept 26, 2009.
Fabio Capello made a rare visit to St Andrew's, with Joe Hart and Gary Cahill among the England contenders on view, only to see South Korean substitute Chung-Yong Lee settle the contest in Bolton's favour two minutes after Kevin Phillips' goal for Birmingham had cancelled out an early header by Israel's Tamir Cohen.
Lee pounced to run in the loose ball after Matthew Taylor's free-kick rebounded from a post, giving Bolton a second away victory and ensuring a losing send-off for Birmingham's co-owner David Sullivan.
Sullivan, who has sold up to the Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung , had designated the match as the one at which he and managing director Karren Brady would say "goodbye" after 16 and a half years at Birmingham.
Brady was absent filming for The Apprentice, but the best crowd of the season, some 3,000 more than for the derby against Aston Villa, took advantage of reduced ticket prices.
On a sun-drenched afternoon â€" Birmingham manager Alex McLeish was spotted slapping on the sun cream as the match got underway â€" Bolton's Ivan Klasnic came close to a first-minute goal. Hart had to use his head to clear but sen! t the ball only as far as the left wing, from where the Croat ! tried an audacious lob that landed on the roof of the net as Hart ran back.
Bolton seized the initiative after 10 minutes when Birmingham defended poorly from a long throw-in by Sam Ricketts. Kevin Davies at least had to win the ball under an aerial challenge, whereas Cohen, the son of former Liverpool and Rangers player Avi Cohen, was allowed a free header from six yards and collected his third goal of the season.
Both sides deployed a lone striker, Christian Benitez undertaking the role for Birmingham with his head heavily bandaged after sustaining an injury at Hull the previous weekend and Klasnic making his full Premier League debut for Bolton. It took the hosts half an hour to threaten a goal, Teemu Tainio meeting Gregory Vignal's cross with a volley that flew narrowly wide.
Birmingham pressed hard for an equaliser before half time. Jussi Jaaskelainen's agility denied Barry Ferguson, and then, following a quickly ta! ken free-kick, the ball was worked to Keith Fahey, whose shot beat the keeper but struck the angle of post and bar.
The home crowd chanted "4-4-2" and McLeish duly obliged by sending on Garry O'Connor and then Phillips, the former England striker, who soon exchanged passes with Benitez to score from 18 yards. But Lee, a 21-year-old who arrived at Bolton during the summer, had the final word.
Rubin Kazan 1 Inter Milan 1
The Champions League game between Rubin Kazan and Inter Milan at the Central Stadium, Kazan on Tuesday Sept 29, 2009.
Inter Milan were held to a surprise draw at Rubin Kazan in the Champions League on Tuesday night but the Italian champions will be relieved to be leaving Russia with a point after ending the game with 10 men.
Rubin took the lead in the 11th minute thanks to Alejandro Domínguez but the hosts gifted Dejan Stankovic the equaliser on the half hour.
The hosts were somewhat unfortunate not to take all three points a! fter playing out the final half hour at a feverish pace following the dismissal of Mario Balotelli for a second bookable offence.
It is Inter's second draw in Group F following their goaless draw at home to Barcelona a fortnight ago.
Rubin started the brighter and Inter were obviously struggling to deal with their pacy attack.
And the Russians took the lead after less than 11 minutes when Domínguez raced downfield sprinting first past Lúcio and then eluding Walter Samuel before unleashing a wicked shot from the edge of the area into the top right corner.
Domínguez almost doubled his tally just two minutes later but Inter goalkeeper Júlio César did well to tip the Argentinian's free-kick over the crossbar.
Rubin were in complete control and wasted a glorious opportunity to extend their lead minutes later as César Navas headed Domínguez's cross over the bar from a brilliant position less than six ! yards out.
That seemed to spark Inter into life and ! Samuel E to'o almost equalised in the 21st minute when he controlled Maicon's pass before unleashing a powerful effort which Sergei Ryzhikov did well to turn away for a corner.
Lúcio should have scored from Balotelli's corner but he blazed woefully over from close range.
Rubin shot themselves in the foot in the 27th minute when Maicon picked out an unmarked Stankovic near the six-yard box and the Serbian international was allowed a completely free header to equalise.
Having levelled matters, Inter almost instantly took the lead but Ryzhikov tipped Balotelli's effort on to the crossbar.
The hosts came close to restoring their advantage in the 38th minute, as Domínguez sent Aleksandr Bukharov clear with a great through-ball, and would have done had not Lúcio made a great last-ditch tackle just as the Russian was about to pull the trigger.
And Lúcio had a good chance to put his side in front in first-half st! oppage-time but the Brazilian fired wide of the right upright from the corner of the penalty area.
Balotelli came close to giving Inter the lead in the 55th minute as he drilled his effort inches past the right hand post from 25 yards.
Things went from bad to worse for the Nerazzurri minutes later when they were reduced to 10 men as Balotelli was shown a second yellow for a needless tackle on Cristian Noboa.
Inter reacted by pushing for an immediate goal and almost got it as Esteban Cambiasso saw his 25-yard screamer blocked by Sergei Semak.
Rubin slowly began to make the most of the extra man advantage and started to once again take control of the game.
The final half hour was played at a feverish pace but Lúcio and Samuel went some way to atoning for their earlier errors as they dealt with everything Rubin threw at them.
Anything that did get through the wall of Nerazzurri shirts was aptly! handed by Júlio César who did well to tip Cristian Ansaldi! 's effor t round the post after the Argentine defender had nicked the ball off Eto'o.
However, they came very close to nabbing the winner nine minutes from time when Semak managed to beat the Inter goalkeeper from close range only to see his tight-angled shot rebound off the right upright to safety.
Sabres cut down Islanders
The Buffalo Sabres' strong start to the new NHL season continued with a commanding 6-3 win over the New York Islanders.
Ryan Miller made 36 saves for the victors who have now won four straight and are the only side in the league not to have suffered defeat in regulation this season.
Tyler Myers' first NHL goal after just three minutes opened the Sabres' account while Clarke MacArthur made it 2-0 from a penalty shot later in the first.
Tim Connolly added a third for the Sabres (4-0-1) b! efore Matt Moulson got the Islanders on the scoresheet. Jochen Hecht restored the three-goal cushion before John Tavares made it 4-2 on a power-play.
Patrick Kaleta and Jason Pominville tallied for the Sabres in the final period while Andy Sutton added a third for the Islanders who remain winless after five games.
The New Jersey Devils' inconsistent campaign continued as they slumped to a 4-2 loss against the Atlanta Thrashers.
Travis Zajac opened the scoring for the 3-3-0 Devils but Rich Peverley pulled the Thrashers level with the first of his two power-play goals.
Evander Kane put Atlanta in front before Peverley's second of the game put the Thrashers in the comfort zone. Zach Parise pulled one back for New Jersey but Chris Thorburn made sure of victory for Atlanta inside the final five minutes.
Elsewhere, Scott Clemmensen made 25 saves in his first start for Florida as the Panthers posted a 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers, while M! arc Savard hit two goals as the Boston Bruins ran out convinci! ng 3-0 w inners over the Dallas Stars.
The Calgary Flames emerged victorious in an eight-goal thriller as they downed the Vancouver Canucks 5-3, while Gilbert Brule and Dustin Penner each hit a brace as the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Minnesota Wild 5-2.
Edinburgh 12 Munster 7
The Magners League clash between Edinburgh and Munster at Murrayfield on Friday Oct 23, 2009.
Edinburgh moved back to the top of the Magners League with this gritty and hard-fought victory at Murrayfield, out-muscling the reigning champions with a performance of real determination. Little of what they did will ever find a place on the season's highlights reel, but they stuck to their tasks admirably, and gathered their points efficiently on an evening when opportunities were always likely to be scarce.
The capital side did ride their! luck at times, their win coming after Ronan O'Gara had missed three penalty attempts and the video referee had chalked off two touchdown claims by Munster. But their win was still well deserved, not least for the efforts of the tight five who stood up well to their star-studded and much vaunted opponents.
Edinburgh held a 9-0 lead at half-time, but the highlight of their first period was not the customary assurance of Chris Paterson, who had kicked three penalties, but Ross Ford's piledriver tackle on his Lions captain Paul O'Connell in the 30th minute. Munster had been building momentum at that point, and still trailed by just three points, but Ford's power lifted the siege and Edinburgh dominated the rest of the half.
Paterson had actually opened the scoring in only the second minute, but the early stages were stuffy for the players and frustrating for the supporters as the two sides tried to get ! a measure of each other. Edinburgh had slightly the better ! of the t erritory, but they lacked a cutting edge near the line. The Scots, then, were slightly flattered by their lead at the break, if only because the best try-scoring chance had fallen to David Wallace, who wrestled a way over the line only for the effort to be disallowed by the television match official.
To make matters worse for Munster, O'Gara not only sent his only first-half penalty effort wide, he also fell short with a more straightforward attempt in the 50th minute. Yet Munster had started to put their hosts under real pressure and came close to opening their account a few minutes later when they were denied a try when Ian Dowling knocked on in the act of touching down.
The Irish side finally found their way onto the scoreboard in the 52nd minute when Wallace powered over for a try after Edinburgh had failed to clear their lines from a defensive scrum a few moments earlier.
However, Paterson kicked his fourth ! penalty soon afterwards, and Edinburgh never looked seriously troubled from that point on.
Match details
Edinburgh: C Paterson; J Houston, B Cairns, N De Luca, T Visser; P Godman, M Blair (captain); K Traynor, R Ford, G Cross, S Turnbull, S MacLeod, A MacDonald, R Grant, S Newlands.
Subs: A Kelly for Ford (59), A Jacobsen for Traynor (40); A Hogg for Grant (59), G Laidlaw for Blair (70), A Turnbull for Cairns (79).
Penalties: Paterson (4).
Munster: P Warwick; I Dowling, J De Villiers, M Lifeimi, K Earls; R O'Gara, T O'Leary; D Hurley, D Fogarty, J Brugnaut, D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell (captain), D Leamy, N Ronan, D Wallace.
Subs: D Varley for Fogarty (50), S Archer for Hurley (59), M O'Driscoll for O'Callaghan (59), D Ryan for Leamy (45), P Stringer for O'Leary (50), D Hurley for O'Gara (67), F Jones for Do! wling (76)
Try: Wallace. Convers! ion: O'Gara.
Referee: G Morris (WRU).
Arsenal 2 Liverpool 1
The Carling Cup game between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday Oct 28 2009.
Arsène Wenger may just have unearthed another gem. With all eyes on the arrival in English football of Liverpool's Alberto Aquilani, it was actually another midfielder – Fran Merida – whose presence lit up the Emirates and tipped the scales in favour of Arsenal! .
Flawless in possession, Merida was also incisive going forward, scoring an outstanding goal and then helping to create Nicklas Bendtner's winner.
Having followed in the footsteps of Cecs Fábregas by controversially trading Catalonia for North London as a teenager, it was telling that the watching Arsenal captain led the standing ovation when Merida was substituted in the final minutes.
His performance was all the remarkable for the fact that only a late change of heart from Wenger ensured that he remained with Arsenal this season. With the club playing a pre-season friendly in Valencia, Merida travelled with enough luggage for a planned loan spell at Levante until Wenger simply decided that the 19-year-old had too much quality to be lost for the season.
Arsenal are condemned for some of their ticket-pricing but, credit where it is due, the Carling Cup policy of entry starting ! at £5 and £10 continues to ensure a virtually full Emirates! Stadium even when the players on show are not always among the most recognisable.
Indeed, between them, there were a total of 20 changes from the respective teams that featured in the Premier League on Sunday, with Arsène Wenger resting every player from the deflating 2-2 draw against West Ham.
Even so, the Arsenal team contained rather more experience as Samir Nasri, Eduardo and Nicklas Bendtner all returned from injury, while Mikaël Silvestre and Philippe Senderos were given rare opportunities at centre-back.
The position of Arsenal goalkeeper also remains intriguing. Wenger has said that Manuel Almunia now faces a three-way fight with Vito Mannone and Lukasz
Fabianski for his place but, at present, he cannot even get into the team for the Carling Cup. Fabianski was making his first appearance of the season following knee surgery and, initially last night, was the goalkeeper that looked most likely to come unde! r pressure. Dirk Kuyt was particularly lively and shot one chance wide before combining with Ryan Babel to put Philipp
Degen clear on goal. Degen, though, tried to be too clever with his finishing and guided the ball narrowly wide with the outside of his right foot.
With Nasri and Bendtner pushing forward in support of Eduardo, Arsenal carried the greater threat when they did gain possession. Nasri looked sprightly on his comeback following a broken leg, while Kieran Gibbs, in front of a watching Fabio Capello, also linked up encouraging down the left with the returning France international.
Gibbs still needs to displace Gael Clichy at Arsenal to have a realistic chance of making Capello's World Cup squad as Ashley Cole's understudy and was involved as Bendtner almost forced an opening following a quick exchange of passes.
Wenger had suggested that Arsenal over-complicated their passing against West Ham o! n Sunday and, when they did take the lead last night, it certa! inly owe d most to a rather more direct approach.
Liverpool had lost possession inside their half and the ball broke to Fran Merida, who simply glanced up and fired a vicious swerving shot inside Diego
Cavalieri's near-post. It was a wonderful finish, but Liverpool's equaliser was of a similar quality. David Ngog had cushioned a long clearance into the path of Emiliano Insua and, perhaps sensing that Fabianski had drifted just a few yards off his line, the Argentine unleashed a powerful volley that dipped perfectly at the last minute to nestle into the Arsenal net. It was
Liverpool's first goal away from Anfield since they beat Leeds in the previous round of the Carling Cup over a month ago. Arsenal, though, had several opportunities to restore their lead shortly before half-time, with
Bendtner most culpable when he shot straight at Cavalieri following a goal-mouth scramble.
Yet while his finishing might som! etimes be erratic, confidence is not a quality that Bendtner lacks and, when another chance came, he was rather more clinical. Merida, once again, was involved and his cute cross glanced off Aaron Ramsey and into enough space for the Dane to shoot beyond Cavalieri.
As Liverpool searched for an equaliser, the lack of strength in depth appeared evident. Kuyt was occasionally threatening but, with Senderos commanding, Babel and Andrei Voronin were largely toothless.
The closest they came to an equaliser was when Kuyt broke down the right, but Babel was just unable to convert his cross. Even the long-awaited appearance of
Aquilani for a brief late cameo did little to galvanise Liverpool who, after the euphoria of Sunday's win against Manchester United, have now lost five of their last six matches.
Match details
Arsenal: (4-2-3-1) Fabianski; Gilbert, Silvestre, Sender! os, Gibbs; Eastmond, Merida; Bendtner, Ramsey, Nasri; Eduar! do
Subs: Bartley, Coquelin, Frimpong, Randall, Sunu, Watt, Szczesny
Liverpool: (4-2-3-1) Cavalieri; Degen, Skrtel, Kyrgiakos, Insua; Plessis, Spearing; Babel, Voronin, Kuyt; Ngog
Subs: Reina, Aquilani, Benayoun, Darby, Dossena, Eccleston, Ayala
Referee: A Wiley
Friday, December 11, 2009
Soccer Field Dimensions
by Niv Orlian
Back in the day when soccer was in its infancy, soccer field layout was rather irregular in its dimensions and this created several problems for the players. One player from, say, York would play on a field that was 60 yards long, while the guys in Liverpool would play on one that was 140 yards. Obviously, when either team played on the competitor's field, they were at a loss.
That is why, over time, soccer field dimensions were regulated, first by the Football Association, the first soccer organization in history, created by the English in the late 19th century, then by FIFA.
Today's dimensions of soccer fields still offer some room for variation, because not all pitches can be made on a same exact perimeter. So, the width of the field can range from 50 to 100 yards officially, but it's rarely the case with modern soccer fields that they hit these extremes. The length can range from 100 yards to 130, but you can't have a pitch ! that would be 100 yards wide and 100 yards long, obviously.
The field is split in half by a center line, which has a symmetrical distance towards each of the widths and there is a center circle at the middle of this line, which is always 10 yards in diameter. This circle ensures that opposing players are kept at a safe distance when the team in possession kicks off.
The goal must be 24 feet wide and 8 feet high and it must be placed exactly on the middle of the pitch's width. The goal is surrounded by two boxes. The first one, called the protection box or the goalkeeper box is 6 yards wide and long and in this area, the keeper is said to be protected: any contact with the goalkeeper in this area will produce a foul for the defending team.
The bigger box, also called the penalty box or penalty area is 18 yards wide and 44 long and in this area, every foul from the defending team will produce a penalty kick, which is taken from 12 yards from t! he goal, with just the attacker and the goalkeeper facing off.! This is usually a sure goal, so you might not want to be so aggressive around the penalty box.
Let's take a look at some of the other soccer field dimensions that aren't usually that important, but can still regulate the game a bit further. The corner circle is set around the corner flag and is 1 yard in diameter. Basically, when a player takes a corner, he can place the ball anywhere inside this circle so he can more comfortably hit the ball and give it a swirl. Otherwise, it's very difficult to keep the ball inside the soccer field dimensions if you're striking the corner from right, but with your left leg, or vice versa.
The penalty box circle is one of the soccer field dimensions that are used mostly for orientation by the referee. It's situated around the penalty spot, 10 yards around it and it's sole purpose is to allow the referee to figure out the correct wall distance in case of a free kick that's near the box. For example, if the attacking team gets ! a free kick outside the edge of the penalty area, the referee will automatically know that the defending team's wall should be placed at the penalty spot, which is 10 yards away, the correct distance the wall should stay in.
These soccer field dimensions are standardized for all of the modern pitches, but the game will play differently on various sized fields. For example, on a very wide pitch, wing game play is bound to be more efficient, because your wingers will have a lot more room to maneuver in. Short fields benefit players with great speed and technique that can solve a one-on-one duel in close quarters.
Long fields benefit speedy players, that love to hit the ball forward and make a run for it and they're a nightmare for defenders that lack the speed to cope with them. Longer fields also require more coordination between lines, otherwise a team might allow the opponent far more spaces than they would like to.
About the Author
Ni! v Orlian is the author and the owner of a Soccer Fans website that provides information on various topics related to soccer.
Wants more info regarding the rules of soccer? For the complete guide to soccer rules click here.
Maradona To Coach Argentina for 2010
by Giorgio Pirelli
He's one of the greatest players in the world and has now taken over as coach of the Argentinean national team. The legendary wearer of the number 10 soccer shirt, Maradona, is back in action for this country. He dreams of winning the FIFA World Cup one more time - this time from the sidelines as he steers his team to victory and makes soccer history... Now, 48 years of age, Maradona is a seasoned man with a look of having been through it all and survived it. Beset by addiction problems, he seems to have fought his demons hard and won over them. He's even cheated death on occasion! As Maradona himself admits, the worst has already happened... His daughter actually pulled him out from the bottom of the sea... His fans and countrymen have every reason to rejoice as he takes the field again to teach the younger lot. After all, who can forget this legend's on pitch skills? Maradona enjoyed the years when he was playing for Argentine the most, but no! w duty calls, duty to his country, to his team and to himself. A confident Maradona is sure that Argentina will sail through the 2010 World Cup qualifications. He considers coaching his country a dream come true, though explains that he's only had the boys together for about 40 days since he joined. But Maradona being who he is, he plans to make the most of it. He should have all his players together for 20 days before the World Cup and that's when he plans to lay the foundation and work towards becoming world champions. So, if you're an Argentinean fan, get your world cup soccer jerseys ready for the big event in South Africa!
Coach Maradona's strategy for the team is to vigorously press up front, thereby decreasing the space between attack, midfield and defense. And he's quick to point out that when his team loses the ball, it should be on top of the other team right away without losing precious time. Considering Argentina has an enviable possession rate, it ne! eds to make the most of it.
This soccer uniform nu! mber 10 is driven by a dream to win the World Cup once again and to meet Nelson Mandela while in South Africa! He fondly remembers the first time he held the World Cup Trophy... He touched it kissed it and wouldn't let go! That according to Maradona is the 'most beautiful thing'. And that's what he's been telling his players - 30 days of sacrifice to win the World Cup are nothing in a man's life... kissing that trophy is like touching the sky...
Which brings us to something else in Maradona's life that makes him feel like he's touching the sky - his grandson. Yes, this legend is a grandfather! And for him, nothing compares to watching his grandchild... Maybe, it's Maradona's turn to live a calm and smooth life after much struggle and adversity. We are with him... Go Diego!
About the Author
Browse through Custom Soccer Uniforms extensive collection of replica soccer kits.
Lotito: "Valuteremo le offerte per Pandev, ma non solo l'Inter ha giocatori che ci interessano..."
di Orazio Resta
Fonte: corrieredellosport.it
Un cartello 'Vendesi' sulla maglietta di Pandev. E' quello che ha affisso ufficialmente il presidente della Lazio, Claudio Lotito, parlando a margine della convention 'Sportel' a Montecarlo: "La questione Pandev non può essere affrontata ora che il mercato è chiuso. Quando riaprirà la finestra di mercato la Lazio valuterà le offerte e - continua - sono bene accette tutte le soluzioni che contempera! no le esigenze nostre, del giocatore e di chi lo vuole acquistare. Al momento è ancora prematuro parlare di cifre", aggiunge poi a chi gli chiede una valutazione del cartellino dell'attaccante, in scadenza di contratto il 30 giugno 2010.
"Come ben sapete - conclude Lotito - Pandev ha fatto la scelta di non far parte più di questo club, nonostante la Lazio gli abbiamo dato l'opportunità di esprimersi e diventare quello che è diventato. Noi ne prendiamo atto. Giocatori interessanti nella Primavera dell'Inter? Non solo l'Inter ha dei giocatori che possono arrivare alla Lazio. Credo che in tutto il mondo ci siano giocatori che non sono considerati e possono esprimersi da noi"
Empoli vs Triestina: orario del recupero
fonte: www.empolifc.com
La Lega Nazionale Professionisti ha reso noto che le gare della nona giornata di andata del campionato Serie B Tim 2009/2010
- Ancona vs Piacenza
- Brescia vs Gallipoli
- Empoli vs Triestina
- Lecce vs Reggina
Gualtieri, ringrazio l'amministrazione comunale
di Massimo Scavello
Fonte:fccrotone.it
In occasione della gara Crotone-Vicenza, lo stadio Ezio Scida tornerà ad usufruire della sua normale capienza che è di 9547 spettatori, compresi quindi anche i settori ospiti e curva nord. I tagliandi della gara sono disponibili sin da venerdì presso le rivendite autorizzate Ticket One, "Tabaccheria Cavallo" sul lungomare Gramsci e Bar dello Sport, sito in via Reggio IV traversa. Si informano tutti gli abbonati che non hanno potuto assistere alla prima gara di campionato casalinga Crotone-Bres! cia giocata a porte chiuse, che potranno recuperare la partita, recandosi presso il botteghino dello stadio, a partire dalle ore 10 venerdì, muniti di abbonamento e documento di identità della persona (amico o parente), al quale si vuole regalare il biglietto d'ingresso.
"Sono molto contento che finalmente lo Scida possa tornare a contare su tutti i settori e posti disponibili, in modo tale che la squadra possa essere ancor più incitata e sospinta da un pubblico sempre più numeroso e caloroso. Colgo l'occasione per ringraziare l'amministrazione comunale, il sindaco Peppino Vallone e l'assessore Antonella Rizzo, per il grande impegno e serietà profusi in merito ai lavori di messa in sicurezza dello stadio".-
"Sono molto contento che finalmente lo Scida possa tornare a contare su tutti i settori e posti disponibili, in modo tale che la squadra possa essere ancor più incitata e sospinta da un pubblico sempre più numeroso e caloroso. Colgo l'occasione per ringraziare l'amministrazione comunale, il sindaco Peppino Vallone e l'assessore Antonella Rizzo, per il grande impegno e serietà profusi in merito ai lavori di messa in sicurezza dello stadio".-
Allegri: "Gara di sacrificio"
di Davide PampaninFonte: www.cagliaricalcio.net 17/10/09
Allegri: "La formazione? Ho ancora dubbi"
La trasferta di Catania è una delle più insidiose del campionato, secondo Massimiliano Allegri. "E' un impegno difficilissimo. Mi aspetto un avversario che vorrà fare la partita della vita. Quelli del Catania corrono molto, sono organizzati. Noi dovremo fare una gara di sacrificio, concentrati e lucidi dal primo all'ultimo minuto. Sono ottimista: stiamo bene. Non dovremo metterla sul piano dell'agonis! mo, ma giocare una partita buona sotto il profilo tecnico". E potrebbe non bastare per vincere. "Per i tre punti, bisogna segnare, perchè si può disputare una prova eccelsa e poi finisce 0-0".
Allegri assicura di non essere teso. "Soltanto molto concentrato". Contrariamente alle sue abitudini, il mister rossoblu stavolta è riluttante a dare la formazione. "Ho molti dubbi, in tutti i reparti. Gli unici sicuri di giocare sono Marzoratti, Agostini, Cossu, Conti e Jeda. Per gli altri vedremo. Sicuramente è meglio avere tutti a disposizione, perchè da qui alla sosta avremo cinque impegni uno più duro dell'altro, senza respiro".
Mario Brkljaca, l'ultimo acquisto, potrà essere molto utile nel corso del campionato. "E' finalmente a disposizione, ci darà una mano".
Il 1.o dicembre Coppa Italia contro il Sassuolo
Di Pasquale Campanella
Fonte: forum triestina
TRIESTE Oggi gli esami diagnostici chiariranno l'esatta entità dell'infortunio di Princivalli, ma è probabile che si tratti di uno stiramento: se sarà così, il capitano alabardato sarà costretto ad almeno un paio di settimane di stop. Altra curiosità, la coppia centrale difensiva contro il Gallipoli ha giocato gran parte della gara bendata e incerottata: Scurto si è procurato una ferita al mento, mentre Cottafava ha rimediato una ferita all'orecchio s! inistro. Intanto sono stati resi noti giorni e orari del quarto turno di Coppa Italia. La Triestina, che quest'estate aveva eliminato Foggia e Cagliari, affronterà il Sassuolo al «Rocco» martedì 1 dicembre con inizio alle 20.30.
#013 Minuto x Minuto 2: Atalanta - Juventus
Dal Canale YouTube di MinutoxMinuto il match clou dell' ultima giornata di Serie A scelto da RaiBobo è Atalanta - Juventus, radiocronaca di Riccardo Maria Cucchi!
#103 Amarcord 82-83 (Parte 2)
Seconda e ultima puntata di Amarcord dedicata alla stagione 1982-1983, quella dopo il mondiale, per intenderci, quella vinta dalla Roma.Riviviamo insieme altri due momenti di quel campionato
Giornata 20
In studio Roberto Bortoluzzi, da Roma per Roma - Napoli Enrico Ameri, da Milan! o per Inter-Torino Cludio Ferretti, da Torino per Juventus - Fiorentina Carlo Nesti, da Avellino per Avellino -Verona Sandro Ciotti, Ezio Luzzi per la Serie B.
Giornata 30
In studio Roberto Bortoluzzi. da Roma per Roma - Torino Sandro Ciotti, da Napoli per Napoli-Cesena Riccardo Cucchi che dovrebbe essere all'esordio in Tutto il Calcio,da Pisa per Pisa - Fiorentina Paolo Carbone,da Ascoli per Ascoli - Cagliari Enrico - Ameri.
Highlights della 41^ giornata di Serie B
Anche in Serie B gli ultimi 90 minuti promettono di regalare ancora diverse emozioni. In palio restano: un posto per i play-off, di cui restano ancora da stabilire gli accoppiamenti visti i punteggi della classifica; i posti nella zona play-out che coinvolgono ben sette squadre; ed infine l'ultima retrocessione diretta. Nella giornata odierna infatti retrocede l'Avellino. Trentatre le reti in questo quarantunesimo turno, con sole due vittorie in trasferta, quelle di Albinoleffe e Mantova. Ecco le partite in dettaglio:Ancona – Grosseto 1-1: Par! eggio che tiene vivo le rispettive speranze delle due squadre. L'Ancona spera ancora di raggiungere la salvezza, mentre il Grosseto conserva l'ultimo posto valido per l'accesso ai play-off. Ospiti in vantaggio e raggiunti nella ripresa. Per i dorici quarto punto nelle ultime due gare interne. Il Grosseto chiude le trasferte stagionali con un punto.
Brescia – Sassuolo 4-2: Ben sei gol a Brescia. Gara bella ed intensa, almeno fino al doppio vantaggio finale dei padroni di casa. Il Brescia raggiunge la matematica certezza di giocare i play-off, mentre il Sassuolo si giocherà le sue ultime speranze play-off nell'ultima giornata in casa con il Parma. Il Brescia torna alla vittoria dopo quattro turni. Il Sassuolo incappa invece nella terza sconfitta consecutiva.
Empoli – Triestina 4-0: L'Empoli rifila un poker che lascia poche possibilità di replica agli avversari. Padroni di casa c! he archiviano la pratica Triestina già nel primo tempo e raggi! ungono l a certezza di disputare i play-off. Per l'Empoli terza vittoria consecutiva in casa, mentre per la Triestina si tratta del terzo ko in trasferta nelle ultime quattro gare esterne.
Frosinone – Cittadella 1-0: Partita delicata tra le due compagini alla ricerca di punti importanti per il proprio destino in Serie B. La vittoria sorride al Frosinone che con questi tre punti raggiunge la matematica salvezza. Per i ciociari terzo successo consecutivo. Il Cittadella, dal canto suo, torna in zona play-out e si giocherà tutto negli ultimi 90 minuti della stagione regolare.
Livorno – Albinoleffe 0-1: Terzo ko consecutivo per il Livorno in casa. La sconfitta costa la panchina al tecnico dei livornesi Acori, al suo posto Ruotolo. Il Livorno però giocherà i play-off. L'Albinoleffe interrompe la striscia di tre sconfitte esterne consecutive disputando una gara accorta e colpendo nella ripresa.! A fine gara contestazione dei tifosi livornesi nei confronti di squadra e società.
Modena – Avellino 2-1: Scontro salvezza tra Modena ed Avellino. A sorridere sono i modenesi che con questa vittoria sperano ancora di raggiungere la salvezza diretta senza disputare i play-out. Retrocede l'Avellino per cui è fatale proprio l'ennesima sconfitta in trasferta. Il Modena centra la sua terza vittoria consecutiva fra le mura amiche. Per l'Avellino seconda sconfitta di fila fuori casa, la tredicesima esterna della stagione.
Parma – Vicenza 4-0: Poker del Parma ai danni del Vicenza. I parmigiani disputano una partita perfetta e portano a quota diciassette le gare utili consecutive. Il Vicenza è invece al secondo ko consecutivo. Nella ripresa però avviene un fatto triste sugli spalti, la morte di un tifoso del Vicenza, caduto al suolo dalla tribuna riservata ai tifosi ospiti.
Piacenza – Mantova 1-2:! Il Mant ova si tira fuori dalla zona calda della classifica. Tre punti fondamentali per i virgiliani che soffrono solo sul finire di gara. Per loro prima vittoria in trasferta dopo otto gare esterne in cui aveva totalizzato solo quattro punti. Il Piacenza invece non vince in casa da quattro turni, in questi solo tre pareggi ed una sconfitta.
Rimini – Pisa 1-1: Pareggio più utile per gli ospiti che per i padroni di casa. Gara in sostanza equilibrata con due squadre che cercano di evitare errori fatali in chiave difensiva. Per il Rimini primo pareggio dopo due vittorie di fila e discorso salvezza ancora aperto, due i punti di vantaggio sulla zona play-out. Il Pisa invece, raggiunto in classifica dal Modena, resta in zona spareggio. Per i toscani un punto dopo due ko consecutivi.
Salernitana – Bari 3-2: Punti d'oro per la Salernitana che batte il Bari neo promosso al termine di una gara ! bella e combattuta fino al fischio finale. La Salernitana centra il terzo successo consecutivo, il secondo tra le mura amiche. Il Bari, già promosso, incappa nel terzo ko stagionale in trasferta. Per i campani la salvezza sembra quasi certa, restano da giocare gli ultimi 90 minuti.
Treviso – Ascoli 1-1: Un Treviso già retrocesso gioca solo per orgoglio e pareggia una gara che ha senso solo per l'Ascoli alla ricerca di punti salvezza. I trevigiani dopo tre ko, chiudono la stagione in casa con un punto. L'Ascoli invece rimanda i discorsi salvezza a sabato prossimo, per gli ascolani un punto dopo cinque ko consecutivi.
Classifica dopo 41 giornate: Bari 77, Parma 75, Livorno 65, Brescia e Empoli 64, Grosseto 61, Triestina e Sassuolo 59, Albinoleffe 58, Frosinone 53, Vicenza e Piacenza 52, Mantova 51, Salernitana Ascoli (-2) e Rimini 50, Pisa e Modena 48, Cittadella 47, Ancona 46, A! vellino (-2) 40, Treviso (-1) 35 .
!
Prossimo turno, 42^g. 30 / 5 / 2009 ore 16.00: Albinoleffe – Ancona, Ascoli – Livorno, Avellino – Empoli, Bari – Treviso, Cittadella – Rimini, Grosseto – Frosinone, Mantova – Salernitana, Pisa – Brescia, Sassuolo – Parma, Triestina – Modena, Vicenza – Piacenza.
Coppa Italia Tim 2009-2010. Primo Turno
Ieri ha preso il via la Coppa Italia Tim con le partite del primo turno che prevede, secondo la formula già in uso dalla scorsa stagione, una partita unica. Ecco i risultati delle quindici gare giocate ieri, il programma verrà completato da tre posticipi:Pro Patria* - Gela 4-0, Cavese - Varese* 2-2 (5-7 d.c.r.), Spal* - Como 2-1, Ravenna* - Giulianova 3-2, Arezzo* - Castellarano 2-0, Benevento* - Prato 3-1, Rimini - Vico Equense* 1-2 (d.t.s.), Pergocrema - Figline* 0-1, Taranto - Cosenza* 1-3, Novara* - Pescina! 1-0, Ternana* - Renate 3-2, Foggia* - Viterbese 3-1, Real Marcianise - Alessandria* 0-2, Cremonese* - Chioggia Sottomarina 2-0, Reggiana* - Sansepolcro 4-0, Spezia - Verona (3/8 ore 20.30), Perugia - Nocerina (5/8 ore 20.30), Lumezzane - Fano (5/8 ore 17.00). Le squadre segnate con l'asterisco si qualificano al prossimo turno.
Ecco il tabellone del secondo turno, partite in programma il 9 Agosto 2009:
Mantova - Pro Patria, Frosinone - Varese, Albinoleffe - Spal, Brescia - Ravenna, Reggina - Arezzo, Salernitana - Benevento, Cittadella - Padova, Ascoli - Crotone, Lecce - Vico Equense, Torino - Figline, Grosseto - Cosenza, Modena - Novara, Cesena - Ternana, Ancona - vinc. Perugia/Nocerina, Gallipoli - vinc. Lumezzane/Fano, Triestina - Foggia, Sassuolo - Alessandria, Piacenza - vinc. Spezia/Verona,! Vicenza - Cremonese, Empoli - Reggiana.
Repice racconta Juve-Livorno 2-0
Juventus capolista della Serie A in coabitazione con la Sampdoria. 12 punti su 12 per gli uomini di Ciro Ferrara. Battuto il Livorno per 2-0 con i gol di un infallibile Iaquinta e del sempre più dirompente Marchisio. Ma soprattutto, c'è il marchio di colui che ritorna ad essere il numero uno dei numeri uno, Gigi Buffon, così definito anche da quello che diventerà il numero uno del microfono, Francesco Repice, che ci ha raccontato con il consueto ritmo a mitraglia la partita del Comunale di Torino. Riascoltiamoci quindi una bella sintesi dell'anticipo del sabato sera, con le emozioni migliori.
Monografie: Cesare Viazzi
Cari lettori, nuovo appuntamento settimanale con "Monografie.....". Oggi vi racconteremo la vita di Cesare Viazzi, una delle voce storiche di "Tutto il calcio".Cesare Viazzi è nato nel lontano 1929 a Genova.
Esordisce come critico teatrale su "Platee".
Nel 1960 è assunto in RAI, per cui sarà a lungo inviato speciale.
Nel 1979 fa parte del ristretto numero di giornalisti che da vita alla "Te! rza rete" ed al Tg3 in cui è titolare di diverse rubriche in prima serata: "Tg3 Settimanale" (1979), "Tg3 Set" (1982), "Tresette" (1983) che caratterizza con l'introduzione dell'inchiesta-dibattito in cui l'evento viene ricostruito nei suoi aspetti, nei precedenti e nelle conseguenze attraverso fiction firmate da registi di vaglio, mentre il dibattito in studio permette di apportare contributi critici diversi.
Nel 1983 è caporedattore a Roma, nel 1985 a Cosenza ed infine a Genova nel 1987.
Nel 1988 viene nominato Vicedirettore nazionale dei servizi giornalistici della RAI e direttore della sede RAI della Liguria.
Come inviato speciale ha seguito l'alluvione di Firenze, l'occupazione di Praga, i viaggi pontifici, le Olimpiadi di Mosca, i Festival cinematografici di Cannes.
Ha insegnato Teorie e tecniche della comunica! zione di massa e Storia del giornalismo sportivo presso l'Univ! ersità d egli studi di Genova.
Fa parte oggi del CORECOM Liguria.
Care amiche ed amici, anche per questa settimana è tutto. Appuntamento a sabato prossimo per una nuova monografia. Buon week-end a tutti.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)