SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2009/2010 - ROUND 2 SATURDAY GAMES RESULT ( SEE VIDEOS)

Striker Brasil Ikut Seleksi Persibo

BOJONEGORO - Luis, striker asal Brasil kemarin (27/10) mengadu nasib mengikuti seleksi di Persibo Bojonegoro.

Dalam catatan Radar Bojonegoro, Luis sebelumnya pernah bermain di klub Divisi I Persim Maros saat ditangani pelatih M. Basri. Saat itu, Luis bergabung di putaran dua dan bermain selama 7 kali. Dia berhasil mencetak empat gol sebelum akhirnya kembali ke Brasil. ''Kami masih perlu memantau lagi kemampuannya,'' kata pelatih Persibo Bojonegoro, Sartono Anwar.

Dia menuturkan Luis baru datang kemarin siang dan belum bisa dilihat kemampuan maksimalnya. Sehingga untuk memastikan kemampuannya perlu dilihat beberapa hari lagi. Hanya, menurut Sartono, jika dilihat sekilas Luis termasuk pemain bagus. ''Tapi kita butuh yang benar-benar bagus,'' tegasnya.

Sementara, hari ini mantan striker Persija Jakarta Melky Pekey baru akan menjalani seleksi di tim Persibo Bojonegoro. Menurut Asisten Manajer Bidang Teknis Imam Sardjono, us! ai dari Kudus pemain asal Papua itu izin ke Surabaya. ''Dia menyatakan Rabu (hari ini, Red) akan balik ke Bojonegoro,'' kata dia.

Mengenai striker mana yang akan dipilih, pria yang juga pengusaha Saprodi itu menyatakan manajemen menyerahkan sepenuhanya kepada pelatih. Sebab, pelatih yang paling tahu kebutuhan pemain untuk tim. ''Karena itu terserah pelatih milih yang mana,'' katanya.

Sementara itu, dalam latihan kemarin hanya Perry S Kole yang absen. Sebab, sampai kemarin Perry masih berada di Nigeria guna mengurus administrasi untuk bermain di Indonesia. (ade)

Record Global TV Audiences

The fifth FIFA Women's World Cup has got off to a great start not only in terms of action on the pitch and atmosphere in the stadia but looks set to confirm the high expectations of TV audiences around the world. Judging from initial figures from the first three days of play, the women's showpiece has no doubt become a standard-bearer in international football.

Just to give a first glimpse on the promising coverage the opening match between defending champions Germany against Argentina, which brought a tournament record 11-0 win, reached a market share in Germany of over 20%. In total that 2.5 million spectators tuned in on ZDF, an excellent figure matching the audience of a major Champions League match.

In Japan, the thrilling drama of Japan's team first match against England (1-1) attained almost 20% market share on Fuji TV. But the most prominent figure so far came from TV4 Sweden with a market share of 56.8% for Sweden's opening match in Group B aga! inst Nigeria (1-1).

WUSA II will do more harm than good

At one time, women played soccer because they enjoyed the game.
Along the way, someone thought it would be a good marketing idea to position Mia and her pals as "role models". Unfortunately, the players actually started to believe this.

There's a hard lesson here. Some things are nice in principle, but in practice they don't work. Women's pro soccer is one of these things.

W-League final set

"Run the Maple Leaf up the flag pole. Pour some maple syrup on the pancakes. Start practising your "ehs."
It's an all-Canada W-League women's soccer championship game for the first time."

Ottawa 2 - Charlotte 1
Vancouver 5 - Seattle 0

Is Wilt hinting Red Stars ownership change?

In his weekly column, Chicago Red Stars CEO Peter Wilt gives us an interesting tidbit:
"Minor league baseball impressario Mike Veeck visited a Red Stars game at the end of the season..."
Is Wilt hinting an ownership change in Chicago? Remember the name, Mike Veeck.

Long season for Nicky in Chapter 2

Sunday, 17 May 2009
What I can tell you, he has been trying his best this season but seems not getting good result so far. Hit by Takahashi in Motegi, crashed in Qatar, his morale has shattered.

Ducati acted very soon by reshuffling the garage, he is given a new chief, a good spoken english but seems no better in Le Mans (he qualified 13th - AFAIK). All those things seems a coincidence to Marco Melandri i! n 2008, he was supposed to be Casey Stoner's challenger, that's up to before he hadn't tested the bike, when he rode the bike for the first time, Melandri already knew, 2008 will be a disaster to him... when it came to race, Melandri described himself as a lavish spectator on the track, his opponents were getting smaller and smaller and finally vanished from his sight. I really don't expect that bad to Nicky, but his luck still hesitate to come over him.

There was an insider guy who said that the main problem for riders out there (except Stoner) is they can't handle the bike when it comes to the turns, Nicky (and Melandri) can't control the bike back to its racing line, the electronics (again) plays its part, Nicky is similar to Casey in braking (both of them like to use rear brake, dirt track background, you name it) but still they are just different riders, Nicky must find his way to fix his problems in order to fight on the track.

Casey once said wh! en press asked him what he has given to Marco Melandri to solv! e his pr oblems, he answered," I ride differently to Marco, we are just different in every aspects, in the end of the day, all my advices and datas I got are useless for him." Nicky also must find his own way to tame his Duke by his own style.

Go Nicky, before its all too late...

Ajax outplay Pirates

Last night was one of my favourite performances by Ajax. THe Urban Warriors outplayed Orlando Pirates in their game at Athlone last night. The first goal coming from Nathan Pualse on the stroke of half time and Russel Mwafulirwa sealed the win when he netted the ball close to full time. The Bucaneeers only threatening in the first few minutes of the first and second half, otherwise it was all Ajax. One player to who stood out was defender Eduardo Ferreira who had a great match.

The crowd support was amazing as usual at Athlone, when speaking to the fans they were all very happy at the way Ajax had played and they believe that they will maintain the top spot and win the League. Ajax top the log ahead on goal! difference over Supersport United.

Pic: www.supersport.co.za

Cool Federer in the cold

Will Roger Federer be able to bounce back at Wimbledon? That's the question after his 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 meltdown in the French open final against the unstoppable force - Rafael Nadal.

The 22 year old Spaniard is undoubtedly the King of Clay, so should be the favourite every time they meet on the slowest surface, but the way the world number one crumbled was spectacular. The record number of unforced errors on his part was worrying and despite his ultra cool exterior, he must be having sleepless nights about Nadal's dominance on clay and improvement on other surfaces.

Federer must start to vent some emotion! He played his best tennis in the second set when he actually celebrated a point (twice) and showed some frustration (a few more times). It's fine to be cool, but I think Federer can lift his game if he learns to use good and bad emotions to get motivated.

Will it be an all Williams final?

Zheng Jie could have more than just her birthday to celebrate on Saturday if she reaches the finals at Wimbledon. The 24-year-old faces Serena Williams in the semi-finals today. Jie is the first Chinese tennis player to get this far in the competition, but it doesn't seem like she'll be getting too much further because Serena has won all ties against Jie.

Jie has catapulted onto the tennis scene as she defeated recently crowned world number one Ana Ivanovic. If she is to win at the All England Club, Jie will donate most of her prize money to those who were effected by the May 12th earthquake.

It will be a tough ask for Jie to beat Serena who's pure strength is a key.

Defending champion Venus Williams will meet number 5 seed Elena Dementieva who is the highest ranked player in the tournament. Venus is a veteran of the sport and will hope that her experience and clinical playing will get her to the final. The competition has been very unpredic! table so far so whether it will be an all William's final, only time till tell.

Breakfast Headlines

South Africa's BMX Champion, Sifiso Nhlapo's Olympic dreams were wrecked this morning when he crashed in the final. Nhlapo was the second fastest qualifier behind gold medalist Maris Strombergs from Latvia. He says he won't stay down for long...

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SA's 800 metres star, Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, failed to qualify for the final after a disappointing semi-final yesterday.
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There's no stopping Jamaican sprint power in Beijing, Veronica Campbell-Brown won the women's 200 metres to make it a clean sweep of the individual sprints. She'll also help the nation defend its relay title, while Usain Bolt will be looking for a rare golden treble in the men's 4 by 100 metres relay today. The Americans and South Africa dropped the baton in the heats.
***
The Beijing Games wrap up this weekend and Team South Africa would desperately like to add to Khotso Mokoena's silver medal, with chances remaining in canoeing and the marathon.
***!
The Springboks have no option but to attack, attack and attack when they take on the Wallabies in Durban tomorrow. Peter de Villiers says there's no pressure, but his side must win both games against Australia with bonus points if they want to stand a chance to win the Tri-Nations.
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Former Bok wing, Breyton Paulse, says he's confident the boys can pull off two bonus point wins against the Wallabies. He says the senior players must take the lead...
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Meanwhile, Bok coach Peter de Villiers will meet IRB referees manager Paddy O'Brien next week over concerns about the interpretation of new laws.
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There are reports that Fijian wing sensation Rupeni Caucaunibuca could be heading to South Africa to play for the Stormers and Western Province.
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Daar's Currie Beker aksie tussen die Lions en die Cheetahs vanaand, maar die Blou Bulle, die Sharks en die WP het die naweek af.
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Graeme Smith sukkel met 'n elmboog besee! ring in die aanloop tot vandag se eerste eendag wedstryd teen ! Engeland . 'n Skouer beseering hou Albie Morkel op die kantlyn en Vernon Philander sal sy stewels volstaan. Steve Harmison sal die beseerde Ryan Sidebottom vervang vir Engeland. Die wedstryd begin drie uur.
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South African cricket legend, Jonty Rhodes, says fielding could be the difference between the two teams. Rhodes says good fielding is non-negotiable...
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Sundowns take a 2-1 lead into this weekend's second leg MTN8 semi-final against Supersport.
***
Formula One moves to a new circuit this weekend. The European Grand Prix sets up camp at Valencia. It's a semi-street circuit which means the drivers and engineers will be faced with lots of learning to do ahead of qualifying. Mclaren's Lewis Hamilton leads the championship. Former Benetton team member, Brian Sims, who now lives in Cape Town, says it won't be easy for Ferrari this weekend...

Mujati Out Through Injury

Springbok prop Brian Mujati won't play in Friday night's Currie Cup clash with Griquas at Newlands. He did up an arm injury and won't be risked for Friday's match.

Mujati has been a juggernaut for the Cape side since his return from Springbok duty and solved a lot of problems in their ailing front row. But his injury means coach Allister Coetzee is forced to call on the 19-year-old JC Kritzinger to start at tighthead. Kritzinger made a big impression in the matches against the Blue Bulls and the Sharks and is more than capable of holding his own.

Western Province veteran Schalk Ferreira moves in on the bench. Mujati's withdrawal is the only change in the lineup with Coetzee continuing to field his strongest side with an eye on qualifying for the semi-finals. Remember, WP have to win their remaining matches against Griquas, the Boland Kavaliers and the Lions with bonus points to stand a chance of making it through. They should have ! a good idea of just what's needed from them after this round of Currie Cup action.

Captain Jean de Villiers says all this talk of resting the Springboks because they are over-worked is nonsense. He says they want to get out on the field as much as possible to help Province through to the playoffs.

"I think consistency is very important for a team to perform, Allister (Coetzee) has shown that in his selection. We need to return the favour and play good rugby and if guys get injured then they'll get rested..."

Jonathan Kaplan, who controlled the Tri-Nations final last weekend so well, is the referee for the match which kicks-off at 19h10.

"WP, JOU LEKKA DING!"

Stormers Have Tough Start to S14

Even though the Stormers are playing four of their five opening games at home, you can be sure it'll by no means be an easy start.

The Cape side open their campaign against last year's semi-finalists the Sharks at Newlands on Valentine's Day and will be looking to get one over the men from Durban to get their season off to a positive start. They then play perennial wooden-spooners the Reds before a tough encounter with the Blues.

Cape fans can be sure of at least one win from the opening three matches which wasn't the case the last year when the Stormers bit the dust their first three games. Coach Rassie Erasmus has built an impressive squad and a lot of work has gone into the Super 14 campaign at the expense of the Currie Cup. Erasmus has brought in Duanne Vermuelen, Hilton Lobberts and our most experienced Springbok Percy Montgomery, so on paper the Stormers look a formidable side. But we all know that rugby isn't played on paper! .

The team is laden with Springboks and they should be a lot more competitive in 2009 to build on their success of this year when they just missed out on a semi-final berth.

The Stormers play the Bulls in Pretoria and the Lions back at Newlands before heading overseas where they'll take on the Crusaders, Waratahs, Brumbies, Hurricanes and Highlanders.

They come back to South Africa to play two home games against the Chiefs and Western Force before ending their campaign against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.

Rocking varsity rugby kicks off

The 2009 FNB Varsity Cup kicked off in Cape Town with a replay of last year's final between Maties and Ikeys.

Maties were winners once again beating the home side 12-10.

The Groote Schuur fields at UCT were packed to capacity to watch the highly anticipated clash and they were not disappointed.

It was a match of two halves due to the influencial wind, which is more prevalent when playing on the high-lying UCT grounds.

UCT played with the wind in the first half and fl! yhalf Matthew Rosslee had several long range attempts at the post.

Ikeys went into the break with a 10-3 lead, but Stellenbosch bounced back in the second half to get a 12-10 victory.

UCT scrumhalf Stu Commins scored a brilliant try, but left the field with a broken wrist later on.

Rosslee kicked a conversion and a penalty.

Ikeys failed to score in the second half as Maties scrumhalf, Donald Stevens kicked four penalties.

2010 Fine art Launched

The launch of the 2010 Fine Art took place at the CTICC in Cape Town earlier today.

Various artists from South Africa as well as the rest of South Africa displayed some of their collections which was inspired by soccer.

As the build up to this years Confederations cup takes place as well as the World Cup next year artist were given the opportunity to showcase their art.



General manager of 2010 Fine Art Ro Spaull says he hope! s the launch breathes new life into the catch phrase, Football, the Beautiful game.

So far 45 artists from six continents are participating in the fine art collection.

One of the artist known as Taju says the project is a big opportunity for African artists like himself and it's wonderful that the world cup has been used to benefit African art.

It's official: Heidfeld and Kubica at BMW for '09

The BMW Sauber team will retain both Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld in the 2009 season, the German squad announced on Monday. The team said Christian Klien will stay on as a test driver. "We see Nick and Robert as a strong driver pairing and Christian as an experienced test driver," said BMW motorsport boss Mario Theissen. "We are in no doubt that we will again achieve our ambitious aims with them in the team's fourth year." The announcement ends weeks of speculation regarding the future of Heidfeld, who was yet to be confirmed at the team.
The confirmation also closes to door to Fernando Alonso, who had been linked with a move to BMW. Now the Spaniard has Renault and Honda as his only options for 2009.

Source: Autosport.com

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71185

I think this all but confirms Alonso at Renault in 2009. They cle! arly see the light at the end of the tunnel given their recent performances and I am sure Alonso sees it as well. He does not need to learn new engineers or new systems even though the resources and the opportunity to work with Ross Brawn is appealing. However, Honda is very much still a wildcard and an unknown quanitity. The way they are finishing the season should leave a lot of doubt in the mind of a quality driver like Alonso.

Glen Johnson Can Make England Place His Own, Says 66 Star George Cohen

The England World Cup winner George Cohen believes Fabio Capello has more or less settled on his defence for South Africa and believes Glen Johnson can make the right-back slot his own.

Cohen, who turns 70 later this month, believes a solid rearguard is key to success at next summer's finals. "Fabio Capello has still got to bring some more players into his squad, but he should know what his defence is now," said the former Fulham right-back who is an ambassador for the official England team sponsors Nationwide Building Socie! ty.

"Alf Ramsey had the same situation – the defence was marked out nine months before the World Cup finals, which was tried out against very good teams.

"We beat West Germany twice, Portugal, Spain, all those top teams before we actually won the World Cup, playing with a defence which was settled."

Much has been made of whether Johnson, 25, is up to the task at international level. The full-back, who left Portsmouth for Liverpool in a £17m summer move, has at times been caught out of position when linking up with the England attack.

Cohen believes the former West Ham trainee can be a potent weapon going forwards but should not forget his main duties at the other end. "Johnson has got a lot to think about," Cohen reflected. "He has got to get forward, and he is pretty good at that. He has got good distribution is fast and strong.

"Perhaps his positional play is not what it should be, but he should be learning all this r! ight up until the day you finish playing football.

! "As a yo ungster, I was taught through the old 'WM' formation, where you swivelled around just one centre-half, in what ever situation. But you go back, up, over and across as a team, keeping width and depth.

"Johnson does get caught out occasionally, but he will learn and learn very fast."

Cohen added: "The idea is to make sure the ball is in front of you and make sure you know where your man is. You are a defender first, and if an attack breaks down because of you, you are responsible and have to get back. Johnson is strong enough and powerful enough to do that.

"But why put yourself in that situation in the first place? That is the difference. I think he will learn and has got some time yet."

Capello has tried Manchester United's Wes Brown on the right side of defence, with his team-mate Gary Neville, who was at one time first choice for the role, admitting that, at 34, his international chances are probably over.

Cohen, thoug! h, feels Johnson now has the chance to establish himself in the role. "Gary Neville may come into the squad, but they have Brown who can fill in," he said. "Brown does not do badly there, but he is not necessarily a right full-back, so I think this kid [Johnson] will be OK."

Husen: Carragher Crucial To Reds Success

Former Liverpool defender Glenn Hysen has paid tribute to Jamie Carragher as the Reds stalwart hones in on his 600th appearance for the club.

The vice-captain featured for the 589th time at Sunderland on Saturday and the Swede reckons the impending landmark is proof that he will go down as one of the club's finest defenders ever.

"I love watching Jamie play," Hysen told Liverpoolfc.tv. "He is such a fighter.

"Maybe he hasn't been at his very best this season, but he's so important to Liverpool and he'll be crucial in any success they have this season.

"Skrtel and Agger are both good players, but I see it as Carragher plus one of them. They are both young and have time to progress, but I still think Jamie is number one.

"I'd love to see him cap his Liverpool career with the title. It would be a disaster if both he and Gerrard don't win the league with Liverpool.! They are both such good players.

"If you look at it now, Liverpool have got a good squad and I think they will be up there at the top come May - but I've been saying that for 19 years. We'll just have to wait and see."

Hysen also had words of praise for summer recruit, Glen Johnson who he regards as one the finest full-backs on the continent.

"For me he's one of the best in Europe," he said. "He's got everything.

"He's good with the ball and offers you so much both going forward and in defence. He's the perfect signing for Liverpool and will add a lot in the wide areas."

Rafa Benitez Wants Wembley Trophy Glory

Rafa Benitez has banished thoughts of revenge as he bids to take a step closer to fulfilling one of his ambitions as Liverpool manager.

The Reds face Arsenal in the Carling Cup fourth round and Benitez has no wish to experience a scoreline similar to when the sides last met in this competition.

That was back in January 2007 when Benitez was left stunned as Arsenal won a bizarre match 6-3, three days after knocking Liverpool out of the FA Cup.

However, the Anfield boss is not thinking about the events of that night and is simply concerned with building on Sunday's impressive Premier League victory over Manchester United.

So even though important fixtures with Fulham and Lyon are looming, Benitez is not treating the trip to the Emirates Stadium lightly as he is anxious to lead the Reds out at Wembley.

"We try to approach things always one game at a time," said Benitez! . "It's the Carling Cup and it's Arsenal, so it is a little bit different to normal.

"But the mentality and the confidence will always be the same; we know we have got to go down there and win and the players will be ready.

"Every year is different and you cannot think too much about what happened in the past because circumstances change all the time. To beat Arsenal – or any of the top sides – is a challenge and that is always our target. It doesn't matter what the competition is, always you want to win."

No club in the country can better Liverpool's tally of seven League Cup wins and Benitez would love nothing more than to be the man who guides them to an eighth success next February.

He, after all, was at the helm for the Reds' last appearance in the final – against Chelsea in 2005 – and success in the Carling Cup is high on his list of priorities.

"If you can progress in a competition, that is what you have got to d! o," he said. "You have got to select the right players for eac! h game a nd it depends on the programme you have.

"But we are always thinking about progressing and winning and the Carling Cup gives us that first opportunity. I would love to win a trophy with Liverpool at Wembley."

Benitez – who expects skipper Steven Gerrard to return at Fulham on Saturday but will be without Albert Riera and Martin Kelly for another fortnight – will undoubtedly make changes to the side that beat United three days ago.

He will mix youth and experience but there is a frustration that the Spanish FA's insistence on calling up exciting young striker Dani Pacheco for a under-19 tournament next week has cost him the chance of making his debut.

Sexy Long Legs with Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova, girl sexy and beautiful from Russia. She poses for before doing warm-up practice of athletics tennis. As athlete that is also model photo, Maria always takes care of the body is always healthy, hale and fresh.

White Skin Young Girls with Rainbow Dresses

White skin young girls with rainbow dresses

Robert Bush

By John Hopkins

TORONTO, ON -- Well known motorcyclist and motorcycle racing enthusiast Robert (Bob) Bush died on Mar. 15 after a battle with cancer. He was 64.

A fixture at events across North America Bush, a Toronto resident, was distinguished by his keen interest in amateur racing and his endorsement of rising stars of the sport.

A celebration of his life was held at Toronto's Whistling Oyster on Mar. 20 and among those in attendance were former Canadian Superbike champions Jordan Szoke, Francis Martin and Michael Taylor.

Bush will be recognized by having one of the safety modules that travel with the Parts Canada Superbike Championship dedicated to him. His family has asked that any donations in his memory be made out to the Canadian Road Racer's Safety Fund. Cheques can be sent to the fund at:

The Canadian Road Racer's Safety Fund
2276 Dixie Road
Mississauga, ONL4Y 1Z4

At the Mar. 15 tribute, Bush's close friend Nathan Naslund of Suzuki Canada announced that the fifth annual "Ride to Remember" charity event in Picton, ON will be dedicated to Bush's memory. The event will be held June 4-5. Proceeds from the ride are donated to the Camp Trillium fund.

To Bush's family and many friends Inside Motorcycles offers its condolences.

Inside Motorcycles // www.insidemotorcycles.com

Motorcycle Hall moves forward

From the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum

TORONTO, ON -- Saturday May 6 has been announced as the date for the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum Inaugural Induction Awards Banquet and Reunion.

Presented by the Motorcyclists Confederation of Canada (MCC), this historic event will be the first induction ceremony dedicated exclusively to motorcyclists in the more than 100-year history of Canadian motorcycling. The induction ceremonies will continue each year in perpetuity following this auspicious occasion, with the intent of recognizing those who have contributed greatly to motorcycling in Canada. All disciplines of racing will be represented eventually, as well as the achievements of outstanding members of the motorcycling community from across Canada.

The May 6 Banquet and Reunion Evening will take place at Roma's Place Banquet and Convention Centre in Mississauga, ON. Tickets are availa! ble for a $95 donation and can be purchased on-line at www.supershowevents.com/museum or by contacting general manager, Dave Lloyd at dave.lloyd@sympatico.ca.

Master of Ceremonies for the evening will be Pat Gonsalves. The gala will also feature a silent auction, a keynote speaker, special guests and a chance to meet and mingle with the inductees after the induction ceremonies.

The nomination and subsequent selection process for the first slate of 10 inductees is currently underway. Nomination forms are available on the CMHFM website and the deadline for nominations is Feb. 28. Anyone may make a nomination, however, the nomination must be accompanied by substantiating documentation. To be successful, a nomination candidate must realize a majority vote from the CMHFM Selection Committee.

Inside Motorcycles // www.insidemotorcycles.com

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears

1. Fox Sports - so it turns out employees at Fox Sports like to fall asleep during Reds games. Myself along with many other viewers enjoyed watching a great game between the Reds and Brewers and all of a sudden in the bottom of the 9th with one out and the Reds up a run the program switched to "The Best Damn Sport Show Period." It took them 15 minutes to realize this had happened and by this time the Reds game was over! I know mistakes happen, but this isn't the first time I've watched something this year and Fox Sports has suddenly switched pro! grams. Earlier this year, a UC basketball game was cut-off in OT (Yes, I was watching a UC game, don't hate). I hope the next time Fox Sports CEO is watching his favorite show on TV that it switches to a different program during the last 10 minutes, jackass.

2. Andy Furman - talk about someone that has fallen off the face of the earth. This once controversial radio personality was employed by 700 WLW for decades and was let go because of comments made about the Cincinnati Bengals, in particular T.J. Houshmandzadeh. He then went to write for The Pulse which is no longer around and works for 96.5 Supertalk. I saw him as a guest on Channel 5's Sunday night Sports show and the guy reminded me why I've always despised him. Hey Andy, it's one thing to be a controversial tv/radio personality, it's another thing to be annoying as hell. When he tries to make a point he always has to yell and the whole program he was begging people to give him a second chance. Hey ! Andy, get a job, better yet get a life.

3. Former R! eds Play ers Success - remember these names Ryan Dempster, Kyle Lohse and Todd Coffey. All of these players had pretty horrific Reds careers and have done tremendous elsewhere. I watched Coffey last night and he was throwing almost every pitch between 94 and 96, I don't ever remember him having that kind of velocity. What about Dempster who was 17-6 with a 2.96 ERA last year or Lohse who was 15-6 with a 3.78 ERA last year. All have started off the season well and not to mention all play for contenders in the NL Central, seriously!

NKU Mens Basketball Opens Season Against D2 Runner-Up

The Northern Kentucky University mens basketball team will open up their 2009-10 season on Nov. 15th against Grand Valley State University (GVSU). The Lakers finished last year as the NCAA Division 2 Runner-up after a loss in the finals to the University of Findlay. If you recall, GVSU beat Michigan State in an exhibition game a few years back and finished the season with a 21-10 record last year.

Survival Football Results

Adam
Team- Minnesota Vikings (Won)
Passer- Peyton Manning (309 yds)
Receiver- Reggie Wayne (1 TD)

Matt
Team- Dallas (Won), Pittsburgh (Won)
Passer- Tony Romo (353 yards)
Rusher- DeAngelo Williams (40 yards)

Redleg2420
Team- Philadelphia Eagles (Won)
TD Catch- Dallas Clark (0 TD)

SHU
Team- Pittsburgh Steelers (Won)
Passer- Kurt Warner (302 yards)
Receiver- Larry Fitzgerald (2 TD)

Wojo
Team- NY Giants (Won)

Some lost a few categories this week but everyone is still alive. Choosing the 100 yard rusher seemed to be harder than a thought! Wojo is now not alone in his only having a team to pick. SHU and myself are out in front with 3 categories but that all could change in one week!

And the NBA MVP is...

-Besse

The Lebron James NBA MVP award:

Lebron James – James should never be a candidate for MVP because he's such an easy choice. The rest of the Cleveland squad sucks – aside from Zydrunas Ilguaskas, maybe. During the 2008 season, James has missed six games. In those six games, the Cavaliers went a sterling 0-6, losing by an average of 17 points including a 109-74 laugher at Detroit.

James is like Tommy Rodrigues to me: the larger-than-life, better than everyone else 12-year old that we all knew in Little League. The kid whose team won the league championship only because he threw a shutout every game and hit a homerun everytime he got up. He was so big, so intimidating and so good that you cringed everytime he threw a ball or swung a bat. You couldn't beat him – at the plate or on the mound – so you're only chance was to contain him. That's more or less what NBA teams! do when they face the Cavs. You hope and pray that Lebron doesn't go off on one of his 40 point spectacles. In games where he dropped 40 or more, the Cavs were 6-1. The only loss was a 104-99 defeat to the Nets in which New Jersey scored 38 in the first quarter and had to hold off 14 fourth-quarter points from the King.

But that's what this guy does. Bill Simmons alluded to it in referencing "The LeBron James 'Don't Help Me Up, I Don't Even Want To Look At You Because You Suck So Much, I Can't Believe We're On The Same Team' Face" that he must give to teammates during every game. The guy is not just the only great NBA player on his team, but the only good player. If Lebron wasn't on the Cavs, they'd be so bad they wouldn't just miss the playoffs, but they might miss the lottery.

The Boston Park League used to have a rule where every year the worst team in the league got kicked out and they pulled the best team from the Yawkey League; a big-league call! -up, of sorts. But needless to say, it was pretty embarrassing! if you finished with the worst record and got the boot. That's what the NBA would have to do if Lebron ever went down for the season or left Cleveland. And yet in five NBA season with Lebron, the Cavs have finished below .500 once (his rookie year), notched 50 wins twice, are on the verge of a 3rd straight post-season appearance and have lost in the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals the last two seasons. Oh and the two years they didn't make the playoffs? They missed out by one game in '03-'04 and lost a tiebreaker in '04-'05.

So for James, who is averaging nearly 27/7/7 per game over his career, let's just give him his own MVP award and let the rest of the guys battle it out for one available to the rest of the league.

As far as 2008, he's averaging 30 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists per game while carrying a team of nobodies to the playoffs for the 3rd straight year. The Cavs will most likely be the 4th seed and host Washington, which would be even m! ore intriguing if Gilbert Arenas hadn't missed most of the season. There's nothing better than watching two guys go back and forth scoring as if forgetting there are eight other guys on the floor. The Cavaliers will be a tough match-up for anyone in the playoffs solely because of James. And god forbid, if anyone else happens to resemble a legitimate NBA player they could seemingly go pretty deep into the playoffs.

The actual 2008 NBA MVP award

The serious candidates:

These guys garner the most attention, having truly played MVP-type seasons in their own way.

Kobe Bryant – While an MVP award is based on what a player has done over the course of the season, one can argue that most winners or worthy candidates make their case in the final slew of regular season games as his/her team makes a final push towards the playoffs. That's what Kobe and the Lakers have done thi! s April. This is a team that was written off by everyone at th! e beginn ing of the season amid talks that Kobe would undoubtedly be traded to Chicago or anyone else that would get him out of L.A. Instead, Kobe has averaged 28.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. In April, the Lakers are 6-1 and have won 7 of their last 8 games dating back to March 30. The late push has them one win away from clinching the top spot in the ever-close Western Conference.

While Bryant hasn't had to do it with a cast of losers like Lebron, the addition of Pau Gasol was more an answer to the loss of Andrew Bynum. You can argue that the Lakers have gotten great play from a supporting cast of Gasol, Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher, but the bottom line is Kobe has stepped up and taken a true leadership role. This is a guy who asked to be shipped out of there, and yet he's put that behind him and embraced this team while leading it to the top of the uber-talented Western Conference.

Kevin Garnett – "The Big Ticket" has been o! utstanding, averaging 19 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. His biggest contribution isn't an individual statistic but rather a team one, helping the C's hold opponents to only 90.2 ppg. And his presence has opened up opportunities for Kendrick Perkins, Leon Powe and Rajon Rondo. They've all stepped up to the challenge and the Celtics have accomplished the greatest season turnaround in NBA history.

The knock on Garnett's candidacy is that Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are the other members of the "Big Three." Pierce has led the Celtics in scoring in 9 of the last 10 years and Allen is averaging almost 18 ppg. It's the same type of issue a guy like David Ortiz might have when Manny Ramirez is batting right behind you in the lineup. How can you give an MVP to one guy when a couple teammates, especially Pierce, is just as invaluable as he is? It's a fair argument and while Pierce hasn't had a season that will garner him any MVP attent! ion, thus stealing votes from Garnett, it certainly won't help! his cau se.

Chris Paul – Paul is undoubtedly the heir apparent to the likes of Steve Nash and Jason Kidd, and he's putting up numbers much like Isiah Thomas and Kevin Johnson did throughout their NBA careers. He's averaging 21.1 points, 11.6 assists and 2.7 steals per game. He's the type of players that makes everyone else on the court better. Tyson Chandler and David West are perfect examples of this, having seen their season averages dramatically improve since playing alongside Paul the last three seasons. West, in particular, has made the jump from "Who is David West?" to "Yo, I picked up David West for my fantasy team!"

The Hornets, much like the Pistons, have one of the deeper pools of talent in its starting lineup and rotation, but this offense could not function without Paul in it. While it's a small sample, Paul missed two games this season and the Hornets scored an average of 85 ppg in his absence. They're averaging over 100 ppg in '08! . Again, it's a small sample, but it shows the kind of effect Paul has on how well the offense runs. And while his 2.7 steals per game aren't slowing down opponents' 95 ppg, it shows just how well-rounded a player he is. This guy should get serious consideration.

The perennial candidates:

It's almost a free pass for these guys, having reached a point where every year you could more or less make a compelling case to some extent.

Tim Duncan – A model of consistency, Duncan has averaged almost 22 points and 12 rebounds over his 11-year career. This year, he's scored over 19 points and grabbed more than 11 boards per game. His numbers are down slightly if you even want to call it that, but that's because Manu Ginobli is scoring 5 more ppg than his career average and taken some of the pressure off the big guy. That being said, you may ask why Ginobli wouldn't get consideration since he's also averaging a full ass! ist more per game this season. But let's face it: Duncan is th! e reason the Spurs will contend for a title every year and there are too many guards who are more worthy of the award than Ginobli.

Steve Nash – For me, personally, he re-established the importance of the point guard position and gave reason to follow it closely. This guy has made the position a spectacle to watch. Closed passing lanes become open; bad passes become good ones; and lock-down defenses become sieves when Nash takes the floor. He's biblical in a way. The Moses of the NBA. When you breakdown point guards of the new generation, you compare them to the likes of Nash and Kidd. It's the ability to make everyone else on the court better, not just with mediocre talent but with a roster full of egos, as well. Nash doesn't just do it, he teaches it. Others emulate it, or at least try to, and he personifies the true meaning of a point guard. He's the owner of six all-star game appearances and two MVP's and Nash has flourished in Phoenix under the run-a! nd-gun system. This season has been no different and with the offense beginning to mesh with Stoudemaire and Shaq, the Suns could finally jump that hurdle.

Also receiving recognition

These players also had terrific years, but there's too much going against them to warrant any serious, legitimate campaigns for MVP.

Amare Stoudemaire – He's averaging 25 ppg which is five points higher than his career average. I don't think Shaq was too far off when mentioning him in the same breath as other MVP candidates like Paul, Kobe and Lebron. But in my opinion, anyone on a team with Steve Nash should never win an MVP, plain and simple. While Stoudemaire could have impressive, All-Star seasons on other teams with other point guards, he'll only have numbers like this when he's with Nash. And if another guy is the reason you're better than good, you don't any awards, he does.

Dwight Howard – Sorry, Dwight, but Hedo Turkoglu's breakout season ruins! any cha nce of you winning this award. That and you finished 3rd in the Eastern Conference, which is like placing in the JV wrestling tournament in high school, which I did. While it was a nice accomplishment, I was almost ashamed. Who the hell wants to wrestle in the JV tournament anyway? That's what teams like the Celtics and Pistons must feel like right now - almost embarrassed that they have to play in the East. So you dominate everyone else and then get ready for the Varsity games. But give credit to Howard, whose Superman dunk was a microcosm of the type of season he's had just dunking on anyone and everyone. His 21 points and 14 boards a game are legit and he's doing it with Jameer Nelson as the point guard. It's like a high school team relying on a JV point guard to run the show. The coach basically tells him to pass the ball to the good players and don't dribble, shoot or pass any more than you need to.

Tracy McGrady – Sure, the 22-game winning s! treak was a nice story, especially since it was done without the services of key big man Yao Ming. But what bothers me is how mediocre the team was before both the streak and Ming's injury. Case in point, the Rockets will finish in 5th or 6th despite the 22 consecutive wins. As competitive as the West is, that should have separated them from the pack, not helped them catch up to it. But McGrady has had another solid season, scoring 22 ppg and dishing out over 5 dimes per night. The scoring is down a bit, but the Rockets have shown considerable depth and several guys, such as Alston, Scola, Landry and Battier have all played well in filling the gap left by Ming.

Dirk Nowitski – Nowitski is averaging 23.8 points and almost 4 assists and 9 rebounds per game, but the Mavericks have been a bit of a disappointment. Dirk's numbers aren't much different than those of his MVP season last year, but he's not shooting as well especially from beyond the arc a! nd Dallas has such a deep crop of scorers that while Dirk is s! till the most valuable member of his team, he's not the most valuable of the league.

And the winner is…

Lebron James would be my MVP choice. The Cavaliers supporting cast is D-league material and that city should count its blessing every night. But the choice of Lebron seems so easy that I expect the voters to completely overlook him and focus on Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant. And since I've chosen to honor King James with the MVP award that also happens to be his namesake, I'll narrow my choice down to Paul and Bryant, as well. I'm going with Bryant here.

This will be the closest MVP race ever because you can make a solid case for four guys: James, Bryant, Paul and Garnett. And while Chris Paul falls into the Steve Nash category of making everyone better, Kobe has taken a tumultuous situation and made it work. The Lakers were counted out before the season and surprised everyone with a hot start. But after Bynum went down, it was seen a! s the beginning of the end for this sudden renaissance. Then the Lakers went out and literally stole Pau Gasol from Memphis. And while you can argue that Kobe has had a solid supporting cast all season, you also need to recognize that he has never wavered. Despite the off-season trade rumors, his desire to leave L.A., the Bynum injury and everything else over the course of the season, Bryant has kept this team steady and ready. His numbers are what they always are, and he's second in scoring only to King James. But more importantly, the wins are there and the Lakers are on the verge of the top seed in the West. Paul and Co. have had a tremendous season and will likely finish 2nd by a game, but the bottom line is the Lakers have done so much more than expected. And they have Kobe and his newfound leadership ability to thank for it.

-Besse

2009 Boston Red Sox pre-season report card

With today being the first official day for pitchers and catchers to report, I felt I'd give a pre-spring training report card on the Red Sox position by position, assessing where I think the team stands. Obviously there have not been any major changes to the look of the team like the Yankees, who acquired Mark Texeira, CC Sabathia AND AJ Burnett, along with some other role players like a Nick Swisher. Theo again took a more conservative approach, sticking with the general makeup of the team and adding some support pieces and low risk/high reward players that could potentially contribute in a meaningful way. That being said, let's take a look at where the Sox grade out heading into the spring. Please note that there will be two grades listed in the "OVERALL GRADE" section. The first will be for the starter, the second attributed to the backup/bench players at that particular position.

CATCHER
Starter: Jason Varitek
2008: .220/13/4! 3
Bench: Josh Bard/George Kottaras

All winter I prayed that Epstein would come to his senses and part ways with the longtime Sox catcher. Let's face it, his best days are far behind him. His bat continues to slow down, as evidenced by his 122 strikeouts in 2007 and 2008…in less than 450 at-bats. He managed to hit .255 in 2007, but raked .238 in '06 and his average, slugging, OBP and OPS all dropped significantly last year in what became a difficult season to watch. His presence behind the plate and his rapport with the pitching staff is second to none in Major League Baseball. But it comes to a point where you wonder if the tradeoff from offense to defense is becoming a bit skewed, to a point where it's best to look elsewhere. I think we've reached that point. The Sox put themselves in a difficult position by not preparing for this a few years ago. They've yet to acquire, via draft or trade, a catcher with MLB potential by the end of the decade. Because of t! hat, the only options were to sign Varitek or trade the farm f! or a you ng player with the ability to start immediately. Bottom line is that the Sox were not in a favorable bargaining position. Teams had the ability to ask for key players in exchange for a catcher, and that left Boston between a rock and a hard place.

Backup: I like the signing of Bard. He had an injury plagued 2008, but he's MLB ready and hit .338 and .285 in '06 and '07, respectively. Kottaras is merely insurance, but don't expect a whole lot out of him unless you're talking AAA. I'm setting the over/under for games started by Varitek at 117. And I'm taking the under. What ya got?

OVERALL GRADE: C-/B-

FIRST BASE
Starter: Kevin Youkilis
2008: .312/29/115
Bench: Chris Carter, Mark Kotsay

Can Youkilis repeat his incredible production from last season? And will he have the motivation to do so after signing his big contract this past off-season? It's going to be interesting to see, e! specially considering some mitigating factors that are beyond Youkilis' control. First and foremost is the continued absence of Manny Ramirez. Youkilis is most likely looking at an entire season as the cleanup hitter. He filled in admirably in more of a temporary role, but can he sustain his '08 production over an entire season with that pressure on him? And of course there are the health concerns of David Ortiz and Mike Lowell. Any sort of protection he may have is certainly in question at this point, and health-wise, those two guys aren't the only ones when you bring JD Drew. But aside from all that, Youkilis has continued to get better year in and year out, and while I don't know whether he's hit his ceiling or not, he's too good a player and too hard a worker to have a significant slip in production. Factor in his gold glove defense and versatility in the field and you've got quite a player. While he's not the most feared cleanup hitter in the game, he's a hell of a run! producer and will squeeze out extra bases more often than mos! t player s in the game. The Sox are in great shape with this guy.

Backup: This is where the Sox should be concerned. There's the long-term option of Lars Anderson, but he was in High-A last year and it's doubtful he'd be MLB ready by the end of the season. It's certainly a possibility, and we'll get a look at the kid in spring training, but immediate replacements for Youkilis are Carter and Kotsay, the latter of which is currently injured. I felt Sean Casey retiring was a major blow to the team, not just because of his clubhouse presence, but his ability to hit and contribute when filling in and giving Youkilis a blow. For now, let's just hope that Youkilis and his blue collar mentality don't take him to the DL anytime soon.

OVERALL GRADE: A/C+

SECOND BASE
Starter: Dustin Pedroia
2008: .326/17/83
Bench: Jed Lowrie

There may not be a better, more valuable player in baseball, particularl! y at second base in all of MLB. That's evidenced by Pedroia's unlikely MVP award at the end of last season. The guy does it all. He hits for average, has a high contact rate, can hit for power, drives in runs at the top of the lineup, scores and can steal bases at a high success rate. Not only that, but his defense is remarkable. He's made only six errors in each of his first two official seasons, and he's bound for a highlight reel play at least once a week. Boston made the right move in locking up both Pedroia and Youkilis fairly long term, because these are two guys that can serve as a cornerstone as a franchise, not just in terms of play and production, but their gritty, hard working mentalities serve well in the clubhouse with their teammates and are exemplary for younger players coming up.

Backup: Like Casey, the loss of Alex Cora will hit harder than most people think. Cora was the model utility man, able to fill in at every possible infield position and d! o it well. Not only that, but while he wasn't a beast with the! bat, he could do the little things, like laying down a bunt, moving a runner over or working a count. Lowrie is still young, and it remains to be seen if he's the everyday shortstop or not. But you can bet he'll most likely be filling in at second if and when Pedroia needs a blow or suffers an injury. His youth and inexperience concern me, but he's quite serviceable.

OVERALL GRADE: A/A-

SHORTSTOP
Starter: Jed Lowrie
2008: .258/2/46
Bench: Julio Lugo

Lowrie was thrust into the starting role after Lugo, who had been struggling anyway, severely injured his hamstring. And the rookie started off well, having a solid month of August hitting .284 with 24 RBI. But he struggled down the stretch and a non-displaced wrist fracture along with hitting the proverbial "rookie wall" all had a factor in the decline. He has to be the favorite to start here, because Lugo is simply too much of a risk. His defense ! is porous, he no longer has pop (I wonder why?) and he doesn't utilize his tools as he should, i.e. get on base and steal bases. Lowrie, meanwhile, seems to play with a more deliberate, tactical approach. He makes the routine plays and manages solid at-bats. He was a solid run producer, even in the midst of his September swoon, and his switch hitting ability makes him an even more attractive option. I think he'll continue to improve and settle in during his first full season, and I can only hope that Lugo is okay with the fact that he won't be the every day starter. Even so, Lugo is going to get some looks. On days when the likes of Pedroia, Lowell or possibly even Youkilis need a breath, Lowrie is a nice option to fill-in, which will open up some playing time for Lugo. I think it could turn into a situation much like Coco Crisp last season: while he's the designated back-up, there could be some varied mixing and matching that enables him to get enough looks to appease the ! pricey shortstop. For $9M, Epstein and Francona have to feel s! ome pres sure in getting Lugo in and trying to utilize some of the tools they thought they signed, particularly his speed. Will it happen? That remains to be seen, and spring training will tell a lot.

GRADE: B/C+

THIRD BASE
Starter: Mike Lowell
2008: .274/17/73
Bench: Jed Lowrie, Kevin Youkilis

This is certainly a major concern for Boston, and the reason they were in the mix for Mark Texeira during the off-season. When healthy, Lowell is a great player both offensively and defensively. He reinvigorated his career after joining the Sox and had a breakout season in 2007 that earned him a new, lucrative deal. It was well deserved, but age was a concern that those concerns were justified when Lowell severely injured his right hip last season. It hindered his ability to hit and field, and we all remember that painful looking throw he made in Tampa last season, fielding the ball on the run and making a! n off-balance throw. It hurt just to watch. He most likely won't be ready until the start of the season, so fans and the team will need to be patient as he finds his bearings over the first couple weeks of play. But if he stays healthy, it could be vital to the success of the franchise. He can hit for power and average, and would serve as protection for Youkilis in the 5-spot. More importantly, it would allow for the likes of JD Drew and Jason Bay to hit lower in the order and take pressure off them to produce in the middle of the lineup.
Backup: If Lowell can't go, expect to see Lugo at short and Lowrie at third. All in all, things could be a heck of a lot worse. While they'll lose a lot of power, Lowrie will be extremely serviceable at third, and Lugo will then have his starting role back. It'll add some speed to the lineup, but like I said, the Sox will lose a lot of pop. While it won't be the end of the world, the Sox are definitely better with a healthy Lowell in ! the lineup, that's for sure.

GRADE: B+/B-< br />
LEFT FIELD
Starter: Jason Bay
2008: .286/31/101

Bay was a pleasant surprise to me when Boston acquired him at the deadline last year. He hit for .293/9/37 in 49 games and for a while, helped Boston fans get over the debacle that was Manny Ramirez come the end of his tenure in a Red Sox uniform. While it's important to remember that Bay was not brought in to replace Manny, nor should he be expected to, he serves as a great 5 or 6 hitter in the lineup and adds tremendous depth to what could potentially be a seriously potent offensive attack. He's only 30, so there's a high ceiling for this guy. The only question is whether he can sustain this over an entire season. Remember, he did a lot of damage in Pittsburgh last year, and while he played well in Boston after coming over, it was kind of a whirlwind experience. Now that he's settled in and has an entire season in Boston, dealing with the fans, media, etc. ahead of him, ! it'll be interesting to see if there's a hangover. I don't expect one, but it's something to watch out for.

GRADE: A-

CENTER FIELD
Starter: Jacoby Ellsbury
2008: .280/9/47/50 SB

Ellsbury got off to a fast start last season, literally. He stole 26 bases in his first two months, and everyone seemed to think the kid had officially arrived. But he went through a rough stretch in June and July, failing to hit over .250 in either month. He came on strong in August and September, but his .188 postseason average was a bit of a concern, particularly considering how well he did in the World Series in 2007. Attribute it to growth, and the fact that it was Ellsbury's first full season in MLB. Now that Coco Crisp has gone off to Kansas City, the job is undoubtedly his, and there will no longer be rumblings as to whether anyone behind him should be getting more looks. The important thing for Ellsbury in 2! 009 will not necessarily be the need to hit .300 or even remot! ely clos e to that, but to just find a way to get on base. His game speed is unlike anyone else in the game, and Boston will need him to jumpstart the offense by stealing bases and grabbing extra bases on hits, whether by him or a teammate behind him. His defense is remarkable due to that speed, but one downside is his arm. It's Damon-like. But he'll rob enough hitters of singles, doubles and triples in the gap to make up for his deficiency in the throwing department. He's still got some growing to do, but looking at how he bounced back later in the season last year, it shows that mentally he is stronger than most at his age.

GRADE: B+

RIGHT FIELD
Starter: JD Drew
2008: .280/19/64
So Drew had a "nice" season. Looking at the final numbers, they weren't all that bad. But one number that is alarming is 109, which is the total number of games he played. Keep in mind, 16 of those homeruns and 49 of those RBIs ca! me by June 30. Not good. Drew was healthy by the post-season and came up with a couple huge homeruns, but it's safe to say that he'll never make through an entire season without some significant time on the DL. That's really his only downside. I think Drew is one of the best pure hitters in the game, and when healthy, he's dangerous, especially if he's hitting 6 or 7 in this lineup, which is where I project he'll be. Take a look at his month of June when he hit .337 with 12 homeruns and 27 RBI and you'll see just how good he can be when he's hot. Defensively, he's a solid player and covers a lot of ground in that large right field area at Fenway. But again, health is a concern, and that dims any optimistic outlooks anyone may have towards Drew.

GRADE: B

RESERVE OUTFIELDER(S)
Rocco Baldelli
2008: .263/4/13

This is a good signing for the Sox. Baldelli seems to regaining his health and his retu! rn to form, and he brings a lot of nice tools to the table. He! can hit for average and power and brings speed and defense to the table, as well. With Crisp gone and Kotsay injured, the Sox were in need of a solid reserve outfielder. That's an important void to fill with Drew's health in question and concerns over Ellsbury's ability to sustain an entire MLB season. So they brought in a hometown kid who seems to be on the upswing. Hopefully he stays healthy as well, or else they could really be in trouble.

Other players: Mark Kotsay, Chris Carter, Jonathan van Every and Brad Wilkerson

The Wilkerson signing is likely the most influential of the bunch here. Kotsay is expected to miss the first month after back surgery, and it's hard to expect Carter and van Every to contribute meaningful AB's with such little experience. But Boston got Wilkerson on a minor league deal, and he's a proven veteran that has nine seasons under his belt. His 32-homer season in 2004 was a long time ago, and that certainly won't happen again, but non! etheless, the guy knows the game and could be a major asset if any of the outfielders go down.

GRADE: C

DESIGNATED HITTER
Starter: David Ortiz
2008: .264/23/89

Probably the biggest question mark of the Red Sox lineup. Can Ortiz get over his wrist injury and return to previous years' form? He was clearly affected by that tendon tear in his wrist last season, as well as the loss of Manny Ramirez protecting him in the 4-hole. But Ortiz is still a threat when healthy, and if he can hit 30 homers and drive in 100 runs, I think that will ease the worries of Red Sox Nation. Let's face it: it's hard to rationalize believing he can hit 40 or 50 homers and drive in 120-130 runs again, not with Ramirez gone and Ortiz seemingly beginning a downswing in his career. But if we taper off our expectations and gear our hopes towards a healthy 2009 with solid, respectable numbers, it will make things more bear! able in Boston and take some pressure off Ortiz to do too much! .
< br />GRADE: B+

STARTING PITCHING
Projected Rotation:
Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Tim Wakefield, Brad Penny

Beckett showed up to spring training in much better shape than he did last year, and that's important. The Sox will need him to anchor this rotation because it's one of the best in the game when he's at his best. Dice-K will continue to be a heart attack in waiting, but he's effective and gets the job done and that's what counts. Meanwhile, Lester is ever-improving, and it's hard not to get excited about a kid who made a tremendous leap last season, going 16-6 with a 3.21 and tossing a no-hitter. Wakefield is Wakefield, and he'll probably win at least 10 games, lose a lot of one-run games, but give the Sox a chance to win in 75% of his starts. He's good for a beatdown now and then, but he dishes more than he takes, and that's huge for an aging knuckleball pitcher. Penny, meanwhile,! is an interesting wildcard. This guy was a beast in L.A. in 2006 and 2007, the latter of which he went 16-9 with a 3.03 ERA over 208 innings. If he gets over the injuries that nagged him last season and resulted in a poor 6-9 campaign with a 6+ ERA, having him anchor the Sox rotation will be crucial. Imagine sending your team's fifth starter up against Penny. At his best, he's a low-end #1 guy, and certainly a middle of the rotation pitcher on a bad day. But to have him at the end of your rotation? Amazing. Let's hope he regains his health. And as Rich pointed out to me this morning, he believes Smoltz could be starting come end of May/June. He has a point. If a starter goes down and Smoltz is healthy, they could gear his appearances to building up arm strength and having the ability to go out and give five lockdown innings. It remains to be seen, and will depend a lot of the health of all parties involved.

GRADE: A-

BULLPE! N
Jonathan Papelbon, Hideki Okajima, Takashi! Saito, Manny Delcarmen, Justin Masterson, John Smoltz(?), Javier Lopez, Ramon Ramirez

I don't know about you, but I'm really excited about this bullpen heading into 2009. Papelbon is one of the best closers in baseball. And now he's got some pieces that could not only get him more opportunities to save games in the 9th, but fill in when he's in need of rest. Okajima is clearly the 8th inning guy. He's received a lot of praise during his impressive stretches, but some serious criticism in times of struggle. But he's handled it professionally and recovered well. He had a great postseason in 2008 and rebounded from that horrific month of June during which he compiled a 9+ ERA. But the signings of Saito and Smoltz are tremendous because they could potentially take a lot of pressure off of not just Okajima, but everyone else in the bullpen as well. Delcarmen is going to see less responsibility, but that's a good thing. He struggled in tight situations last year and having a l! ess critical role could be a confidence builder and nice way to start '09. Meanwhile, it will give Okajima more opportunities for rest and hopefully prevent him from hitting the proverbial wall. Smoltz is better served in the bullpen here, especially coming off major shoulder surgery. If he recovers nicely, and it's hard to believe he won't with his work ethic, he has the mentality to serve in a myriad of roles. Unlike Gagne, I think Smoltz can handle not being the 9th inning guy. He's bounced back and forth from starter to closer on a couple occasions and showed no signs of struggle, so you know he's a mentally strong guy. Saito, meanwhile, was the closer in L.A. and got bounced out in favor of Jonathan Broxton. His age and arm trouble allowed for the change, but with his high strikeout ratio, it's hard to believe he can't continue his solid production in the 7th or 8th innings. Masterson, meanwhile, will be the long relief and spot start guy, and that's a great role for h! im. He's also apt to come in during double play situations, an! d he sho wed terrific poise in tight spots last season. Lopez will continue to serve as the situational lefty, and it was nice to see him more effective in that role last season. And lest we forget Ramon Ramirez, a reliever acquired in the Crisp deal who had an ERA in the mid 2's last year. He could contribute meaningful innings. Thank god Mike Timlin is gone.

GRADE: A

Overall, I think Boston is going to do what it normally does. Compete night in and night out and be right at the top of the AL East, or battling for the top spot, all season long. It's possible to argue Boston may be the 3rd best team in its division right now, but a lot of that is based on the injuries and question marks it's facing heading into 2009. But with tremendous depth, the best manager in baseball and a great front office, you can never count out Boston regardless of what injuries and internal strife it's hit with. Right now, there's a lot of upside if certain low risk s! ituations play out with high reward. The pitching will anchor this team and give this team a chance every night. While there are concerns at catcher, third base, shortstop and with Ortiz, there are enough tools and options offensively to combat those issues with the pitching staff currently in place. That being said, I'm optimistic this team can compete for a World Series if injuries don't plague them once again.

OVERALL GRADE: B+, purely because of the wait-and-see outlook for some important pieces of this team

Let us know what you think about the Red Sox heading into 2009.

-Bess

Jimmy the Greek's Week 3 NFL picks

Not gonna lie, pretty tired and lacking the desire to sit here and break down each game. So I'm just going right into em...

Falcons (+4.5) over Patriots
Jaguars (+3.5) over Texans
Eagles (-9.5) over Chiefs
Lions (+6.5) over Redskins
Upset alert, put your next mortgage payment on the Lions winning this game outright.
Packers (-6.5) over Rams
Giants (-6.5) over Bucs
Browns (+13.5) over Ravens
49ers (+6.5) over Vikings
Jets (-2.5) over Titans
Saints (-5.5) over Bills
Bears (-2.5) over Seahawks
Dolphins (+6.5) over Chargers
Broncos (+1.5) over Raiders
Bengals (+4.5) over Steelers
Colts (+2.5) over Cardinals
Panthers (+9.5) over Cowboys

Last week: 10-6
Overall: 17-15

Tarrific Tara's picks:

Patriots
Jaguars
Eagles
Redskins
Packers
Bucs
Ravens
Vikings
Titans
Saints
Bears
Chargers
Broncos!
Steelers
Colts
Cowboys

Last week: 7-9
Overall: 7-9

-Greek

Saina crashes out of Japan Open

Saina Nehwal has been crashed out with an opening-round loss of the Japan Open Super Series badminton tournament.

It was a disappointing return made by Saina to the court in Tokyo on Wednesday.

However, P Kashyap kept the Indian hopes alive by advancing to the pre-quarterfinals of the tournament.

The only Indian contender in the men's singles, Kashyap kept the tricolour fluttering and notched up a 21-17 12-21 21-11 win over Japanese Takuma Ueda in a 51-minute battle.

World numb! er 34 Kashyap will next take on number three Dane Peter Hoeg Gade in the pre-quarterfinals on Thursday.

However, Saina, coming back after a month-long break, lost 15-21 23-21 14-21 to world number 10 Yanjiao Jiang of China in a 53-minute clash in the women's singles.

The seventh seeded Indian mixed doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and V Diju also hit a low after their Chinese Taipei Grand Prix Gold win last month and crashed out of the tournament with an 18-21 12-21 against Thai combo of Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thungthongkam.

Jwala had more disappointment in store as she and her Ashwini Ponnappa were beaten 15-21 21-19 18-21 against seventh seed Japanese combo of Miyuki Maeda and Satoko Suetsuna in the women's doubles opener that lasted more than one hour.

Chang topples Safina in Tokyo

World number one Dinara Safina fell at the first hurdle in the defence of her Toray Pan Pacific Open title.

The 23-year-old Russian, who received a bye in the first round, was eliminated by qualifier Chang Kai-Chen of Chinese Taipei.

Safina, who beat Svetlana Kuznetsova in last year's final, served for the match in the third set but handed her opponent a break with a double fault.

Chang eventually won 7-6 (7/5) 4-6 7-5.

Last year's runner up, Kuznets! ova, also bowed out to a qualifier, losing her second-round match to Andrea Petkovic of Germany 7-5 4-6 6-3.

Kuznetsova, the fifth seed, struggled for rhythm on serve in the first set but seemed to have recovered when she took the second.

However, Petkovic held her nerve to win in two hours and 11 minutes.

And second seed Venus Williams also crashed out at the hands of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the Russian winning 7-6 7-5.

Pavlyuchenkova served for the first set at 5-4 only to lose her serve, but took the tie-break 8-6 and raced into a 3-1 lead in the second set.

She had points for a 4-1 advantage but was pegged back to 3-3, before eventually sealing the win in the 12th game by breaking Williams to 15.

In other first-round action, Maria Sharapova survived a scare to progress at the expense of Francesca Schiavone.

The Russian, who won the event in 2005, was a set down and struggling in the second but fought back to claim a ! 4-6 7-5 6-1 win.

Local favourite Kimiko Date Krumm was ! unable t o follow up her success in Seoul as she suffered a first-round defeat at the hands of Canada's Aleksandra Wozniak, 5-7 7-6 (7/2) 6-4.

Date Krumm yesterday became the second oldest tennis player to win a singles title on the WTA Tour in the Open era when she beat Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues in the final of the Hansol Korea Open.

In other matches, there were straight-sets wins for seeds Agnieszka Radwanska, Samantha Stosur and Marion Bartoli, while Nadia Petrova was 6-0 2-1 up when her opponent, Ai Sugiyama, retired through illness.

Ukrainian qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko advanced with a 6-3 6-1 win over Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany, but her older sister, Alona, lost 1-6 7-5 6-1 to Russia's Vera Dushevina.

Also advancing today were Iveta Benesova, who defeated 16th seed Virginie Razzano 6-0 in the third, Daniela Hantuchova, Zheng Jie, Shuai Peng and Magdalena Rybarikova.

Nottingham Forest 1 Newcastle United 0

The Championship game between Nottingham Forest and Newcaslte United at the City Ground on Saturday, Oct 17 2009.

Newcastle United slipped off the top of the Coca-Cola Championship as Dexter Blackstock's first-half goal secured victory for Nottingham Forest.

Blackstock struck just before the interval to knock the Magpies off their perch – they are level on points with West Brom but trail the Baggies on goals scored.

The hosts had Blackstock's goal to show for a dominant first-half display and then held off a spirited fightback after the break to register their fourth successive win.

Newcastle had a Kevin Nolan goal disallowed but otherwise struggled to create chances and, following their fine start to the season, are now winless in three games.

In-form Forest, by contrast, came out flying from the first whistle and Newcastle goalkeeper Steve Harper adjusted quickly to claw away Blackstock's third-minute header before keeping out Radoslaw Majewski's curling effort.

The home side continued to dominate and came agonisingly close to taking the lead in the 13th minute when Majewski's corner was headed against the post by Blacksto! ck.

Newcastle almost went ahead against the run of p! lay when Ryan Taylor delivered a teasing cross and former Forest striker Marlon Harewood sidefooted his effort against the post from six yards.

Andy Carroll fired wide and Harewood headed over, but the Magpies laboured in front of goal while Forest were doing everything but score at the other end.

Paul Anderson was denied by Harper and fired another opportunity wide, with Nathan Tyson and Blackstock also missing the target.

But the goal Forest deserved came on the stroke of half-time when Majewski played a through-ball which split the Newcastle defence and Blackstock beat the offside trap to lift the ball over the advancing Harper before seeing it trickle into the net.

Peter Lovenkrands should have done better with Newcastle's first chance of the second half, blazing over the top after being teed up by Kevin Nolan.

Harewood, desperate for a goal on his return to the City Ground, then turned sharply in the a! rea but was denied by a fine block from Kelvin Wilson.

The visitors were denied an equaliser in the 69th minute when Taylor's cross was flicked on by Alan Smith into the path of Nolan.

The former Bolton midfielder stretched out a leg to turn the ball past Lee Camp but his celebrations were cut short by an offside flag.

Manager Chris Hughton threw on substitute Nile Ranger, but the youngster blew the chance to earn his side a point when he put a simple header over the crossbar.

Belgian Jupiler League Review

Genk leapt up the Jupiler League standings to ninth with a 2-0 win at Lokeren.

It took Genk until the 57th minute to grab the lead, which came thanks to a goal from Torben Joneleit. Fabien Camus added a quickfire second two minutes later.

The result leaves Lokeren in the bottom three, one point above Excelsior Mouscron who have a game in hand.

Tsonga delights local following

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga fought his way into the second round of the Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon at the expense of American Kevin Kim.

The top-seeded Frenchman came through two difficult tie-breaks in his opening clash to claim a 7-6 (7/5) 7-6 (7/5) victory.

Third seed Ivan Ljubicic had a more straightforward passage, the Croatian beating Martin Vassallo Arguello 6-3 6-4.

Germany's Benjamin Becker, the seventh seed, also progressed with a 6-2 6-2 win over Paolo L! orenzi, with number eight seed Albert Montanes overcoming French veteran Fabrice Santoro 6-4 6-4.

Local favourites Marc Giquel, Arnaud Clement, David Guez and Michael Llodra advanced with straight-set victories, while South Africa's Kevin Anderson was another first-round winner.

James Willstrop keeps up English squash bid at World Open

James Willstrop put moving sheikhs firmly out of his mind here as England's No 2 dispatched former world champion Thierry Lincou to reach his first World Open semi-final since 2005.

Willstrop, the world No 6, will be heartened by the way he moved effortlessly round the court during his 11-9, 11-5, 11-5 win but less so with the dignitaries who decided to leave during the first game, backed up by gentle applause from the Kuwaiti crowd.

The perplexed Yorkshireman - used to the buzz of New York not head-nodding and handshakes mi! dpoint from close quarters - was leading 9-6 before Lincou levelled to 9-9. But it was the only time the error-strewn Frenchman got near his in-form opponent, whose reach and subsequent ability to then a find a winner from the front wall delighted the locals.

Willstrop, 26, said: "He is one of the toughest mentally but I got the basics right which set me up for some good shots."

Those shots were in fruitful supply as Willstrop found plenty of space to exploit the former world No 1, whose trophy-laden four years up until 2007, which included two British Squash Opens and a world title, now look a distant memory.

Willstrop led 4-1 and 8-4 in the second and looked particularly impressive going short on the backhand as Lincou found the tin on too many occasions. The Pontefract-based right-hander took the game 11-5.

The mistakes continued in the third as Willstrop opened ! up an 8- 2 lead. At 9-4, The Englishman produced the rally of the match as Lincou sent him to all corners before reaching for a lost cause. The ball found the front, Lincou dropped but Willstrop's tenacity saw him finish with a driven winner.

There were no hugs from Willstrop's father and coach this time following his hard-fought effort against the No 1 Karim Darwish the previous night. Perhaps he really does realise that his son, who first picked up a racquet at four, has become the "most mature specimen in all departments" since reaching that first World Open last four as a sprightly 21-year-old.

Willstrop junior said: "I don't want to get carried away with sentimentality but I believe I can do it."

Lincou added: "He really prevented me from attacking and I couldn't move as well as I wanted to. I just couldn't relax."

The British Open runner-up will play Egyptian Amr Shabana for a place in the final after beating c! ompatriot Wael El Hindi 3-0 and a chance to become England's first world champion.

Pea: "Così si sviluppa il progetto-Mourinho"

di Marco Spinelli
fonte:inter.it

Fulvio Pea, allenatore della Primavera nerazzurra, ha condiviso con José Mourinho la panchina allo stadio "Garilli" di Piacenza, ma con un sorriso spiega: "Più che l'allenatore sono stato un accompagnatore, ma per i miei ragazzi è stata comunque un'esperienza bellissima perchè giocare al fianco di giocatori con grandi qualità come Vieira, Mancini, Quaresma e Arnautovic aiuta sicuramente a crescere e a maturare. Questo - prosegue Pea - è un aspetto molto positivo, fa parte de! l progetto di José Mourinho e, ancora una volta, questa partita contro il Piacenza va a testimoniare che questo progetto è sempre molto importante".
È stato un test importante soprattutto per la difesa schierata in campo oggi che era quella titolare della Primavera nerazzurra e che oggi ha affrontatato un attacco in grado di competere nel campionato della serie cadetta: "È stata una partita tra virgolette facilitata per la presenza dei quattro giocatori della prima squadra, di Toldo e Orlandoni che ci hanno dato un grande aiuto, ma l'obiettivo era quello di fare una nuova esperienza che in Italia non è frequente fare. Speriamo possa ripetersi perchè, ripeto, i miei ragazzi escono da questa giornata ancora più forti dal punto di vista umano, ma anche tecnico perchè sono stati in campo accanto a grandi giocatori".
Quella appena passata è stata una settimana di sinergie tra la prima squadra nerazzurra e la Primavera, un progetto che José Mourinho ha sempre voluto e! che ha sviluppato facendo partecipare agli allenamenti tutti ! gli alle natori del Settore Giovanile: "Mi auguro che si possa lavorare in questo modo anche in futuro. Io sono stato il primo a partecipare attivamente a questo progetto e ne esco sempre più arricchito. Mi auguro che la società continui a svolgere questo programma perchè è qualcosa che aiuta moltissimo noi allenatori, ma anche i ragazzi".
"Come dimenticare l'eliminazione dalla Tim Cup della Primavera? In questo senso, non so a che cosa porterà l'esperienza odierna. I ragazzi saranno certamente ancor più motivati, ma ogni partita ha una sua storia e quella di lunedì contro il Padova ne avrà un'altra".

CALCIO, AZZURRI; MARCHETTI: STO VIVENDO UNA FAVOLA

di Davide Pampanin


"Quella che sto vivendo qui in Nazionale è una favola se penso a quattro anni fa quando dopo il fallimento del Torino rimasi senza squadra". Federico Marchetti, portiere della Nazionale di Lippi, parla in vista della sfida a Cipro in programma domani sera a Parma. "I miei pensieri ora sono rivolti alla gara di domani, a fare bene e a sfruttare l'occasione. Buffon è unico, impossibile arri! vare ai suoi livelli. Il mio solo obiettivo per il futuro è continuare a lavorare - spiega il portiere del Cagliari - il fatto di poter arrivare in una grande squadra è un obiettivo per qualsiasi giocatore ma sarà il campionato, con quello che che farò con il Cagliari, a dimostrare che valgo l'interesse di una big"

CALCIO, PALERMO; BUDAN: MI SENTO BENE E SONO PRONTO A GIOCARE

di Davide Pampanin

"Mi sento pronto. La mia condizione sta migliorando e spero di continuare su questa strada. I tifosi mi hanno sempre sostenuto, hanno creduto in me così come la società e adesso dovrebbe venire il bello". L'attaccante del Palermo Igor Budan è pronto a ritornare in campo dopo la sosta. "Sono contento delle mie prestazioni in questo avvio di campionato e voglio dare ancora il mio contributo - spiega Budan - Dopo la vittoria contro la Juventus è necessario ricercare lo stesso gioco e gli stessi risultati, considerando che non siamo lontani dai primi posti della classifica. Vogliamo migliorare in trasferta e fare più punti lontano dal Barbe! ra".
Domenica il Palermo affronterà il Livorno. "Affronteremo una squadra che gioca e si difende bene - dice Budan -, anche se sta vivendo un inizio di torneo non semplice. Speriamo che il modulo adottato contro i bianconeri porti i suoi frutti, ma non credo ci siano problemi. Lucarelli è un giocatore che vede sempre la porta e riesce sempre a far gol, sarà avanti con l'età ma è uno dal quale si può sempre imparare".
Budan è in ballottaggio con Edinson Cavani per un posto da titolare. "La concorrenza in attacco non è mai stata problematica in avanti il Palermo ha ottimi giocatori e il merito è della società che è riuscita a tenere gente di grande valore". ( da "Repubblica.it" ed 15/10/09)

Del Neri:"Cassano è cambiato molto"

di Rocco Fortunato

fonte:eurosport.it

Il tecnico della Samp spende parole di elogio per il suo fantasista: "E' cresciuto rispetto a qualche anno fa". L'ennesima dimostrazione di stima, mentre Marcello ! Lippi continua a non convocarlo in nazionale

Gigi Del Neri e Antonio Cassano: secondo capitolo di un binomio professionale che ai tempi d! ella Roma si era rivelato alquanto burrascoso: quando vestiva la maglia giallorossa, il talento di Bari faceva le bizze: difficile, quasi impossibile, mantenere la pazienza, non solo per Del Neri, ma anche per gli altri tecnici che si sono succeduti sulla panchina del club in quella stagione da dimenticare.

"Del Neri è un buon allenatore, il suo unico difet! to è che non si capisce quando parla..." - ebbe modo di raccontare Cassano nella sua autobiografia: una frecciatina ironica che tuttavia sta a testimoniare un rapporto non proprio idilliaco con il suo allenatore. Adesso gli screzi del passato sono solo un lontano ricordo, Cassano è tornato a fare magie sul campo da calcio e la Samp di Del Neri, dopo sette giornate, comanda la classifica in compagnia dell'Inter.

Cassano è tornato a splendere, eppure il ct dell'Italia Marcello Lippi non ne vuol sapere: per lui, in nazionale, non c'è proprio spazio; ecco perché il tormentone-Cassano lo perseguita di continuo: dopo la stampa, ci si mettono di mezzo pure i tifosi che dalle tribune urlano a gran voce il nome del blucerchiato: quel che è successo al Tardini, dopo Italia-Cipro, ne è un esempio lampante. Sul caso interviene anche Del Neri, intervistato da Sky Sport 24 al termine dell'allenamento della squadra:

"Il diritto di difendere il gruppo da parte di un allenatore è sacrosanto, poi dipende dallo stato d'animo di o! gnuno - ha dichiarato Del Neri - Lui l'ha fatto in maniera chi! assosa m a abbastanza nella logica di uno che guida un gruppo di lavoro. Possiamo tutti avere idee diverse, come ad esempio sul caso Cassano, però è giusto che un allenatore scelga chi ritiene più opportuno alla sua causa". Del Neri, insomma, non ci penserebbe un secondo a convocare il suo pupillo, e il motivo è presto spiegato: "Collabora attivamente, lavora, ha cinque anni in più e vive in un ambiente che gli dà più tranquillità. Lui è uno che si pone bene, meriterebbe come tanti altri di andare in nazionale, ma l'allenatore fa le sue scelte e deve essere rispettato". Almeno su questo, Marcello Lippi sarà perfettamente d'accordo con lui...