VALENCIA CF: VIDEO OF SPECTACULAR GOAL FROM MADURO (EUROPA LEAGUE)

Suns Scorch the Lakers

The Lakers dropped their second game in a row losing to the Phoenix Suns 118-111. This game was all Kobe and Pau for the Lakers. Kobe and Pau combined for 79 of the Lakers 118 points. The other 3 starters for the Lakers scored 11 points total. 11!! Kobe had a monstrous game with 49 points and 11 rebounds. Gasol was unstoppable in the post with 30 points and 7 rebounds. And that was it for the Lakers. They got nothing from their teammates. Lamar Odom and Luke Walton were invisible. Derek Fisher kept clanging 3's off the rim. The bench provided only 21 points on a night when the Lakers needed more.

Maybe 2009

Women's soccer fans have waited four years for the return of a U.S. professional league. Now it appears they will have to wait a little bit longer.

The yet-to-be-named women's league that announced it planned to launch in the spring of 2008 has tentatively been pushed back to 2009, according to several sources with knowledge of an ownership meeting earlier this week in New York. The owners are to meet again in Chicago next week and make a formal announcement then.
"I can't confirm we've made any decision about 2009," said Tonya Antonucci, the CEO of Women's Soccer Initiative Inc., the San Francisco-based group that has been trying to revive a league after the eight-team WUSA folded in 2003. "We had a very positive meeting with our owners and we discussed 2008 vs. 2009."

Asked what might sway the owners toward 2009, Antonucci said: "It's preparation, or operational readiness. I think the owners are carefully considering their opportunity to get it r! ight a second time – what it takes to make sure the league has sustainability for the future."

One problem is that teams are quickly running out of time, with a matter of months to set up front offices, hire coaching staffs, draft players and book venues for a 2008 season. Another issue is the new league announced it would have eight teams, and it still has only seven: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey, St. Louis and Washington, D.C.

The rights to the eighth team was held by an entity called Soccer Initiative LLC, which the Union-Tribune later identified as Padres owner John Moores. Soccer Initiative LLC was supposed to designate a city by March or April, and San Diego was considered a leading candidate.

The eight charter owners, Antonucci said, signed letters of intent and made a "modest initial capital payment" to retain territorial rights.

"We're still in discussion with Soccer Initiative LLC," Antonucci! said. "The situation continues to evolve. We're still engaged! with th em, so I wouldn't rule them out."

In the meantime, several other cities have shown interest in a franchise, including San Jose, Kansas City, Philadelphia, Rochester, N.Y., Vancouver, British Columbia, and Virginia Beach, Va.

Walsh to coach Penn State

Two weeks after losing Paula Wilkins, Penn State named Erica Walsh as its coach of the women's soccer program.
Walsh will arrive in State College after one season as the head coach at Harvard as well two years as the head coach of the U.S. under-17 national team, with which she will remain.

U-21: USA 1, Iceland 1

The U.S. Under-21 Women's National Team battled Iceland to a 1-1 draw in the second group match for both teams at the 2006 Nordic Cup.
It was only the second time in history that Iceland tied with the USA at any level of the women's national teams. In 2000, the USA and Iceland senior teams tied 0-0 in Charlotte, N.C.

Six players finalize contracts with Sky Blue FC

Sky Blue FC - the NJ/NY franchise in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) - announced today that the team has finalized contracts with six players for the 2009 season. The officially signed players are Brazilian Rosana, Australians Sarah Walsh and Collette McCallum, and Americans Cori Alexander, Keeley Dowling, and Jenny Hammond.

Orbituary to Craig Jones

Tuesday, 5 August 2008

I was devastated when watching Supersport 600 cc class in Brands Hatch on the August 3, 2008. I was definitely flatten to see unmoving body after a crash, yes he is Craig Jones, a brilliant rider from Britain.

He was very fast and was fighting with Jonathan Rea, a good fellow of him, but the destiny has spoken already, he lost his rear and lost control of his Parkalgar Honda through the fast Clark Curve towards the end! of lap seven of the restarted race.

When he crashed down, Andrew Pitt, 3rd place on the race has no nowhere to go and clipped him. I was extremely sad, because I knew he doesn't move at all, I hope he was just unconscious and will be well soon, just like Axel Nieto in 250cc class. Miracle happened to Axel, but not to Craig.

His head was seriously injured. He was transferred to the Royal London hospital but later died from his injuries, with his family by his side. Oh God, it's really great sadness for whole racing world. My deepest sympathy are with Craig's family.

Stormers win comes at a cost

A packed Newlands saw the Vodacom Stormers beat the Hurricanes 20-12 on Saturday, but the win comes at a cost, with both JD Moller and Tonderai Chavhanga out with injury. JD is sidelined for 12-16 weeks, with a dislocated shoulder, whilst Tonderai will wait for the results of a scan to determine how serious his hamstring injury is.

Ljungberg furious

Reports have surfaced that former Arsenal striker Freddie Ljungberg is still unhappy over the fact that he was not aware that he was going to be sold last year. According to Ljungberg Wenger did not like weakness and it was all about his injuries.

The Swede conceded that the only reason he remained in football was to get revenge over Wenger. Ljungberg added that he joined West Ham so he could play against Arsenal and show that as a player he has not said the last word.

Murray becomes the new British hope

Andy Murray produced an incredible fightback from two sets down to beat Richard Gasquet, thrilling a packed Centre Court in the gathering gloom yesterday. It was one of Wimbledons great comebacks.
The Briton looked down and out when Gasquet served for the match in the third set but he recovered for a superb 5-7 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 6-4 victory.
The Scot goes on to face Rafael Nadal in Wednesday's quarter-finals. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal both advanced to the quarter finals.

Both the Williams sisters advanced, but seeded players continued to crash, with Jelena Jankovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova both on ! the scrap-heap.

MENS QUARTER FINALS

Roger Federer (SUI x1) v Mario Ancic (CRO)

Marat Safin (RUS) v Feliciano Lopez (ESP x31)

Rainer Schuettler (GER) v Arnaud Clement (FRA)

Andy Murray (GBR x12) v Rafael Nadal (ESP x2)

Breakfast Headlines

Springbok coach Peter de Villiers will have to fill a huge void on left wing when his side takes on the Wallabies in Durban on Saturday. Bryan Habana's out with a hamstring injury and could be replaced by Jongi Nokwe. Ruan Pienaar is also with the squad. De Villiers has hinted at some other possible changes when he names his match 22 at noon...

***
We could see Percy Montgomery make way for Conrad Jantjes at fullback. Former Bok fullback, Justin Swart, seems to agree...
***
Wallabies players James Horwill and Rocky Elsom are struggling with injuries and have missed training.
***
We finally have something to smile about at the Beijing Games. Long jumper, Khotso Mokoena grabbed a silver medal yesterday, with a jump of 8.24 metres. Cuba's Irving Saladino grabbed gold with a jump of 8.34 metres. Mokoena says he couldn't have done it without the support back home...
***
South Africa's 400 metre hurdler LJ van Zyl f! inished 5th, more than a second behind gold medalist Angelo Taylor, as the US grabbed all the medals.
***
Our 3000 metre steeple chase finalist, Ruben Ramolefi finished 14 seconds behind the winner Brimin Kipruto from Kenya.
***
Russian pole vaulter, Yelena Isinbayeva is aiming for more world records and olympic medals after raising the bar to 5.05 metres to win gold yesterday.
***
Benni McCarthy's with the Bafana Bafana squad ahead of tonight's friendly against Australia in London, while SAFA accuses Sundowns of exaggerating an injury to striker Katlego Mphela. He injured himself in a warm-up ahead of the weekend's MTN 8 semi-final first leg. Sundowns withdrew him from the Bafana squad, but a Bafana docter has declared him uninjured and fit to travel.
***
Mahela Jayawardene scored a half-century to guide Sri Lanka to an eight-wicket victory over India in the first one-day international. The Sri Lankan skipper scored an unbeaten 61 fo! r his 47th half-century to help his team reach the 147-run tar! get with more than 15 overs to spare. They lead the five match series 1-0.

Practice hit by rain

Formula One drivers practice session for the Italian Grand Prix has been dampened .

Adrian Sutil was fastest at the first free practice session for the Italian Grand Prix. He clocked the fastest lap in a time of 1 minute, 32.842 seconds. After the German's drive there was a heavy downpour followed with 16 minutes left in the session. As a result of this drivers had to find cover in the garages. Giancarlo Fisichella finishes second, half a second off the pace and Mark Webber was third fastest.

Discovery Surf Ski series continues in Fish Hoek

A strong south-easterly-gale almost caused organiser Billy Harker to call-off the fifth race in the Discovery Men's Health Surf-Ski Series in Fish Hoek Bay for safety reasons.

Dawid Mocke paddled to a hard-earned win over Peninsula Canoe Club rivals Graeme Solomon and Paul Marais on a day that saw many paddlers fail to finish the race due to the testing conditions.
"This was definitely my toughest race so far", said Mocke, who was made to sweat for his 49 second victory margin over the dogged Graeme Solomon.

The wo! men's title fell to Alexa Cole, despite interrupting her race to help one of the male paddlers in trouble in the rough water.

Aussies 33/0 at stumps

The Proteas lost four wickets for 19 runs as Australia wrapped up the tail order on day three of the third and final test in Sydney.

South Africa closed their first innings on 327 all out, although they only lost nine wickets.

Graeme Smith can't return after retiring hurt with a broken hand, which means the Proteas will be missing a batsman in their second innings.

Peter Siddle was the pick of the Aussie bowlers taking 5 for 59 in 27.5 overs.

He bowled Mark Boucher for 89 and Siddle and bowled Morne Morkel for 40.

Australia started their second innings with a 118 run lead.

Dale Steyn opened the bowling with Makhaya Ntini, despite a sore heel.

Vaughn van Jaarsveld was fielding in place of Smith.

After 6 overs, the Aussies raced to 33 for no loss, with a lead of 151 runs at stumps.

Play resumes at 1h00 on Tuesday morning.

Breakfast with Graeme Smith and Ricky Ponting

This morning my colleague Morne and I attended the final Ram Captain's breakfast with Australia's front man Ricky Pointing and South Africa's Graeme Smith at the CTICC.

The pair were asked various questions by the audience about numerous topics ranging from Ricky Pointing winning six tosses in a row to Graeme Smith's injuries down under.



'Biff' as Smith is more affectionately known as, was the clear favourite when it came time to taking pictures and signing autograp! hs as people hurried to get a moment with the national captain.





He and the team wi! ll be un der immense pressure to produce a win tomorrow at Sahara Park Newlands to take the lead on the series as it sits at one all.

Toyota launch via Internet: Toyota TF109

Toyota have unveiled their new F1 challenger during a special 'virtual' launch on Thursday morning. The new Toyota designated the TF109 is the 8th racing car Toyota will use in Formula One (Yes, that math is correct. The first Toyota, the TF101 was a test vehicle). Given the rules package, the car is actually a pretty nice looking piece and appear to have done a good initial interepetation of the rules. We will see if the car runs as good as it looks. Given Toyota's performance the last several years they certainly need to be become a race winning team.

Other than the changes for the 2009 rules package, the most noticeable aesthetic change for me is the sidepods. They are very undercut and tight as opposed to previous Toyota F1 cars and are very aggressive. It was announced that the car will have a battery storage KERS system developed for it, although this will not be ready for the season's start potentially putting the team at a disadvantage to te! ams with KERS systems in place. However, given the testing ban Toyota may be ahead of the game in terms of reliability in the early races.

courtesy of Toyota F1: http://www.toyota-f1.com

Liverpool Fans Need To Be Realistic About Alberto Aquilani, Warns Steve McManaman

Steve McManaman has warned Liverpool not to heap pressure on Roberto Aquilani to be the club's saviour.

Aquilani has yet to play for the Reds after an operation on his right ankle in May.

But Liverpool legend McManaman fears too much pressure is already being placed on the 25-year-old Italian to rescue the club's season.

He said: "We have to be careful here. Every single Liverpool fan hopes Aquiliani will be the answer and he's got a good reputation. But he's been injured a long time.
"Everybody wants him to hit the ground running and be fantastic from day one, which is going to be very difficult for the lad.

"He's only young. Let's hope he is the wonderful player we all want him to be. But I don't think we should put undue pressure on him.

"Any foreign player coming into this country deserves a little time to gel with their teammates and get used to the new style of football. It's such a tough and aggressive league.

"Liverpool have lost a fantastic player in Alonso. I was disappointed to see him go and he won't be easy to replace."

Red For Danger: Liverpool Empire Could Be One Defeat From Crumbling

Four consecutive losses have left Liverpool seemingly at the risk of implosion. After defeat by Lyons in the Champions League on Tuesday, their next opponents are Manchester United and Rafael Benítez's side will take to the pitch at Anfield on Sunday in the knowledge that another loss would all but end their Barclays Premier League title hopes with seven months of the campaign remaining.

Despite having signed a new five-year contract seven months ago, he is not immune from dismissal, but could the club afford to sack him even if they wished to? A salary in the region of £4 million a season would entitle him! to a payoff of about £18 million.

However, Liverpool's annual profits are being swallowed up by interest payments on the £250 million debt built up by Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr., the co-owners, and the club could not afford to make the four signings their manager sought in the summer, so it is questionable if they would have the means to remove him.

Equally, one of the main reasons that Benítez was awarded such a long-term deal was the owners' desire to present a picture of stability to potential investors. Sacking him now would not only expose that charade, it would also present Hicks and Gillett with the problem of finding a new manager.

Benítez, though, needs results — and he needs them badly. In recent weeks it has appeared as if the numerous internal battles have taken their toll. Real Madrid are often touted as the most likely providers of an exit strategy for the Spaniard, but should Liverpool's form continue to decline, then t! heir manager's stock would suffer commensurately.

T! eam spir it has been lacking since pre-season. It is almost as if the established stars recognised that the squad was not equipped to challenge for the biggest prizes and that their belief in the Benítez project has diminished.

Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Javier Mascherano are top-class performers, but none has been at his best. All, apart from Mascherano, appear committed to the club, but their patience would surely be tested if Liverpool fell out of the title race with so much of the season to be played.

Torres, Gerrard and Mascherano have next year's World Cup finals in the back of their minds and the concern for Benítez would be how to get the best out of his big names without the motivation of a title challenge or a good run in the Champions League.

The biggest worry, though, would be how the owners would respond to the doomsday scenario of failure to qualify for next season's Champions League. Lose on Sunday and the gap ! between Liverpool and the top five could increase to five points. If Liverpool were to fall out of the "big four" picture altogether, then Hicks and Gillett could feasibly make up for the loss of prize money by using player sales to finance their debt repayments. The most saleable assets would be those the club could least afford to lose.

The booing that greeted Benítez's decision to replace Yossi Benayoun with Andriy Voronin on Tuesday may not have been new to Anfield regulars, but the ferocity of their disapproval was. This was the moment when frustration about Liverpool's inability to arrest their decline bubbled over, although a little more than half an hour earlier Benítez's name had been sung by the Kop after his team took the lead through Benayoun.

The fans stood shoulder to shoulder with Benítez when his job was under threat two years ago. They even marched to the stadium in protest at plans by Hicks and Gillett to replace him with Jürgen Klins! mann. There are few clubs where the relationship between manag! er and s upporters is as strong as at Anfield, a legacy of the legendary Bill Shankly's incredible bond with the Anfield crowd. Benítez will know, however, that even such powerful devotion is conditional and a failure to get results will inevitably lead to even his most committed fans questioning his ability to win the league title they crave.

A defeat by United would further damage his lustre in the eyes of those who have backed him so resolutely. However, it should also be noted that the more political supporters lay the blame for the problems on the pitch at the owners' door rather than Benítez's.

The situation at Liverpool has become so desperate in recent weeks that there are some fans who have argued that they might be able to stomach defeat on Sunday if it pushed the owners they revile closer to the exit.

Hicks and Gillett are expected to attend the match and are likely to be in for a rough ride as disenchantment with their regime reaches new h! eights. A march in protest against the Americans has been organised and the Spirit of Shankly supporters' union are hopeful that thousands of people will join their campaign.

The owners have refused to budge despite their lack of popularity and the overwhelming feeling is that they will quit Anfield willingly only if an investor makes it financially worthwhile. Both are involved in an as yet unsuccessful search for investment, with the Middle East the centre of their attentions.

Their problem is that potential investors would argue that Liverpool's value will be reduced should the club fail to make it through to the lucrative stages of this season's Champions League and increasingly likely failure to qualify for next season's competition.

How they would react to another damaging defeat is open to question, given the public support that Gillett offered to Benítez this week and the backing that has been afforded to the manager by Hicks in the ! past.

Should they see his presence at the helm as b! eing pot entially damaging to their chances of securing investment, or a total sale of the club, they could begin to see Benítez as expendable.

Pepe Reina Happy To Agree New Terms With Liverpool

Liverpool's willingness to seal a new contract for first-choice goalkeeper Pepe Reina has been returned by the 27-year-old, who has revealed that he feels at home on Merseyside after five years at Anfield.

The Spaniard, bought by Rafael Benitez in 2005 from Villarreal, also added that one of his daughters "is a Scouser", and that he is desperate to help the club realise their primary ambition of landing a Premier League title.

"My aim is to get a new contract in the future and I want to be here for many years. Apparently the club wants the same," Reina informed the club's official website.

"It's already my fifth season here and that says it all.

"One of my daughters is a Scouser. I have some friends here and my wife and kids are happy. I have every reason to stay longer and of course I will."

He continued: "Titles are what we are all here for. As a Liverpool player, you have to have these ambitions. Trophies are the most important thing, and the most important one is probably the Premier League.

"Rafa Benitez is building something special here. He proved that when he came here - the club was one thing and now it's something totally different. We have grown up and we can still grow up a little bit more."

The Reds suffered their fifth Premier League defeat in 11 games at the weekend; losing 3-1 to Fulham. However, Reina, contrary to popular opinion, still believes that Liverpool can challenge for the domestic crown.

"It's not even close to being over," he defiantly stated. "We have to go game by game. Now we must focus on Lyon, which is massive, and after that Birmin! gham is a must-win game."

Regarding a new deal for ! Reina, B enitez recently said: "Pepe is one of the players who I will be really pleased if we can keep him for a long time."

Motorcycle industry reports growth

By John Hopkins

TORONTO, ON -- Sales of motorcycles, mopeds and scooters in Canada enjoyed massive growth between 1998 and 2002, according to a press release from the Motorcycle and Moped Industry Council (MMIC).

The MMIC refers to an Annual Industry Report that says new sales of street, dual-purpose, competition and off-road recreation motorcycles, along with mini-bike and scooter sales rose by 49 per cent in the five-year span.

Additionally, the release quotes a 2003 Retail Outlet Profile survey of 1,149 motorcycle and ATV outlets, conducted by the MMIC, in which 55 per cent of respondents reported an increase in new sales of motorcycles, mopeds, scooters and ATVs.

"The surge in sales corresponds to a surge in popularity and interest by Canadians who want to enjoy the exhiliration of motorcycling," said MMIC president Robert Ramsay. "Our association does all it can to encourage safe and responsible motorcycling in Canada."

The MMIC has launched a "Welcome to Our Family" campaign geared toward new and returning motorcycling riders. Three information brochures included in the campaign provide tips on purchasing and insuring motorcycles as well as rider training information.

Inside Motorcycles // www.insidemotorcycles.com

Canada to host TT style race

By John Hopkins

SYDNEY, NS – A motorcycle road race in the classic tradition of the Isle of Man is slated for Canada next fall.

The Cape Breton Festival of Speed was unveiled at a press conference in Sydney, NS yesterday. The event, which will be headlined by a motorcycle race on a 52km road circuit, is due to run Sept. 20-23.

"This is such an important day in motorsports in Canada, and in particular in Nova Scotia," said Maureen Carroll, chair of the Cape Breton Festival of Speed.

Present at the announcement were Isle of Man TT veteran Ian Lougher of Wales, Isle of Man Tourism Minister David Cretney and Canadian racer Pat Barnes, who tackled the fabled Isle of Man event in 2004.

"With some paving, these beautiful roads will offer a suitable challenge for some of the best riders in the world," Lougher, a seven-time Isle of Man TT champion and the current Production 600 lap recor! d holder, said in a press release accompanying the announcement.

"There are some fast stretches and the only things I don't see which are part of the Isle of Man are the pubs around the circuit, which I'll miss, and the stonewalls lining the roads, which I won't miss. I definitely want to come back next year for the race."

Lougher toured the track on Tuesday and said he expects it to be faster than the Isle of Man circuit. Barnes predicted a top speed of 210 mph.

"An Isle of Man style competition and the Festival of Speed will raise the profile of racing in Canada, giving more exposure to Canadian riders," said Barnes in the release.

Practice for the Cape Breton Festival of Speed is slated for the Wednesday and Thursday of the race week (Sept. 20-21), with a motorcycle charity ride planned for the Friday. Race day is Saturday, Sept. 23, and the week will conclude with a "Show and Shine" for cars, trucks and motorcycles on Sunday.
The event is the brainchild of the Membertou First ! Nations community and Canadian car racer and event promoter John Graham. Bernd Christmas, CEO of the Membertou Development Corporation had been working with Graham on a separate project earlier this year when they hit upon the idea of a TT-style motorcycle race.

Graham traveled to the Isle of Man for this summer's TT event along with Membertou Chief Terry Paul.

Yesterday's press conference was held in the Membertou Trade & Convention Centre in Sydney.

Inside Motorcycles // www.insidemotorcycles.com

Now relax and think more about e commerce

Now relax and think more about e commerce

John Wall's List of Schools

John Wall has yet to narrow his list of potential schools and told a reporter with Rivals.com that he will probably narrow that list next week. Wall was scheduled to visit NC Central this weekend but did not end up making the visit. No real shock because I would not think that Wall would have much of an interest playing Division II but Wall played for their new coach and was more than likely doing him a favor. Most would prognosticate that Wall's list is down to Duke, Kentucky, Miami, and Florida. But as we have seen with Wall, only he really knows. A lot of the reason why Wall's recruitment has carried on this long is because he shut it down last year due to his mother being hospitalized with an illness. There have been a lot of questions surrounding Wall's academic eligibility which is still yet to be determined. Either way this kid is keeping a lot of people in the basketball community on their toes. Wall should be able to take his time and make the decision. In my outsid! e opinion, don't be surprised if you see Wall in Miami. He is a one and done guy without a doubt, and wouldn't you rather spend that one in South Beach? He can win with Miami, maybe not a National Championship but at least get them to the tournament.

Fantasy Sports Insurance

I was listening to the radio today and they were talking about this so I decided to look it up. Fantasy Sports Insurance, is a website that offers just that, fantasy sports insurance.

"FSI is a new and innovative Disability Insurance policy that protects a fantasy team owners' investment in their team should a key player(s) suffer a "season changing" injury."

Basically how it works is this coverage will protect your fantasy investment from a "season changing" loss as a result of an injury to a key player. The policy will allow you to recoup your league fee's if you loose a key fantasy player.

I did a test rating just to see how it works:

So let's use Adrian Peterson as an example. There are three coverage options:
Option 1: One key player misses 10 out of the first 15 NFL regular season games.- due to injury
Option 2: One key ! player misses 8 out of the first 15 NFL regular season games.- due to injury
Option 3: Three Key players miss a combined total of 18 out of the first 15 NFL regular season games- due to injury.

I chose option 1, I want to cover if I lose Peterson for 10 games this season. For examples sake I say that I spent $100 on league fees. I can also select coverage for Intra-season transaction fees (which I chose for $30), as well as addition expenses such as magazine subscriptions, online fee's etc. (which I chose for $20.)

So we are looking to cover our $150 investment which includes league fee's, transaction fee's, and subscription fee's. To cover this the 2009-2010 Fantasy Football premium would be: $18.03.

This really is not that bad of a deal. If you are playing in a high dollar league this can really serve to protect your investment. I have not reviewed the policy language but from what I understand you could still win! your league with your other players. This policy will just co! ver you if your "key player" goes down. You must identify that key player and purchase coverage prior to the loss. So you would have to buy this before the season starts. You can only cover their identified "Top 50." So you can't get your fee's back if you lose Andre Caldwell.

This is a very innovative product that would make sense to use if you were playing in some high dollar fantasy leagues.

Too Many Ghosts Chasing Pacman

-Shark

Listen, it kills me to say this, but the NFL's criminal bad boy, Pacman Jones, doesn't deserve the punishment he's most likely going to receive sometime later this week. Rumor has it that a season long suspension is in store for Jones because of his impressive criminal stat line: 10 incidents involving police, 5 arrests, plus he even "made it rain" so hard in a strip club that it incited a stripper riot. And all this in just two years. His mother must be very proud.

I recognize the fact that the NFL has a serious image problem right now. Its players are breaking the law so frequently that the problem can no longer be ignored. Pac has become the poster boy for all that's wrong with the NFL--although "Tank" Johnson and Chris Henry are really pushing him to be the best, err worst--and people are looking to take down the man who's giving the NFL a bad name. But too many people are getting sucked into the ! mob mentality and are calling for Pac's head when maybe all they deserve is a few toes. So why don't we all take a deep breath here and look at what's really going on.

A) The NFL is trying to make an example of Pac and its wrong to do so. Instead of looking at his individual case, the NFL is looking at the state of the league's image and is reacting to that, rather than Pac's case itself. From what I can tell, the only part of the NFL player conduct policy that he has broken is the section that requires a player to report any criminal arrests to the team he plays for and the league office. Does this seem right considering everything else that goes on in the league? I didn't hear anyone saying Shawne Merriman should be banned for life when he tested positive for a banned substance. People hardly even blinked. How about Jamal Lewis? Sure, people scolded him when he got out of prison for setting up a drug deal, but he was still a top pick in your fantasy dra! ft. And because I actually fear Ray Lewis (and wouldn't put i! t past h im to search random blogs for people speaking ill of him), I won't even get into his story. However, you can use your imagination on where I might go with it. If Pac does get suspended for half the season like a lot of people seem to think right now, it just wouldn't make sense considering the NFL has historically given much lesser punishments for much greater crimes.

B) It sounds like Pac's punishment is going to come under the new NFL Player Conduct Policy even though his violation(s) occurred under the old set of rules. Now, I don't know if this is necessarily true, but I haven't heard anyone on television or radio clarify this point. Instead, the media mentions Pac and the new conduct policy making it seem as if he's going to be punished under the new rules that he helped bring about. If this is the case then Pac's lawyers should be screaming "ex post facto."

C) As Bob Sugar once told us, "It's not 'show friends', its show business." And pe! ople seem to be forgetting this. The NFL's main product is entertainment and banning or suspending players only weakens their product. So it is really a surprise that the league has been so lenient in its punishments?

D) I don't blame the NFL for letting Pac get away with so much until now because at the end of the day Pac makes the NFL more money than a lesser player. I blame the Titans coaches and veteran players for letting things get so out of hand. After his first say five "incidents", the organization should have sat him down and made it clear (I'm talking crystal) that they would punish any more off field behavior. Then they should have told the older guys to take him under their wing and to literally baby-sit the kid if need be. I know its different in pro sports, but if you're on a team its your responsibility have to deal with stuff like that, instead of leaving it to some old guy like Roger Goodell.

-Brian Sharkey

KO Clip of the Week

If you haven't noticed - in which case you're clearly not reading our site - we here at The Sports Brief are huge mma fans. In fact we just enjoy watching fighting in general. Like most people who, like us, are suckers for brutal knockouts, blood and good ole' fashioned throwdowns, we troll the internet on Youtube, break.com and other various sites looking for some entertaining video clips. That being said, I'm proud to announce the first edition of The Sports Brief's KO Clip of the Week. We'll use this forum to share with you some of our favorite knockouts, fights, and bloody battles, as well as other humorous, gruesome or extreme video clips that we enjoy. We encourage you, the reader, to send in some of your favorites so that we can include those in our weekly column to share with other fans of The Brief.



In the words of Mike Goldberg, "and here we go!!!"







Enjoy, and feel free to send in any of your! personal favorites to The Brief. Also, take a look at the new! poll an d vote for who you think will win the AL wildcard this season.

UFC 98 Results

Main Card:

Lyoto Machida def. Rashad Evans in 2nd round via TKO (strikes). Machida wins Light Heavyweight Championship
Matt Hughes def. Matt Serra via unanimous decision (29-28).
Drew McFedries def. Xavier Foupa-Pokam in 1st round via TKO (37 seconds).
Chael Sonnen def. Dan Miller via unanimous decision.
Frankie Edgar def. Sean Sherk via unanimous decision.

Undercard:

Brock Larson def. Mike Pyle via 1st round submission (Arm Triangle)
Tim Hague def. Pat Barry via 1st round submission (Guillotine)
Kyle Bradley def. Phillipe Nover via 1st round TKO
Krzysztof Soszynski def. Andre Gusmao via 1st round TKO
Yoshiyuki Yoshida def. Brandon Wolff via 1st round submission (Guillotine)
George Roop def. Dave Kaplan via split d! ecision (29-28, 27-30, 30-27)

-Keefe

Jack Chop!

You may have already seen this, but it's a classic. Jack-Chop!

-Keefe

Ryder parting gift keeps Kiwis alive

Half-centuries from Jesse Ryder and Martin Guptill helped New Zealand keep alive their Champions Trophy chances.

Kiwis registered a comfortable 38-run victory over Sri Lanka at the Wanderers on Sunday.

Ryder, who has since been ruled out of the tournament with a groin injury, blasted 74 from 58 balls and Guptill (66) helped the Black Caps post a daunting 315 for seven.

The! Sri Lankans got off to a good start in response, but eventually perished to 277 all out in 46.4 overs, thanks largely to Mahela Jayawardene (77) and Nuwan Kulasekara (57 not out), with all the New Zealand bowlers chipping in.

There was a surprise at the start when the islanders opted to drop the out-of-form Muttiah Muralitharan and replace him with Thilan Thushara on what was expected to be a lively Wanderers surface.

They also won the toss and chose to field, but both decisions looked questionable early on as Ryder, injured in the fifth over, switched to attacking mode.

Top performer: Daniel Vettori

Together with Brendon McCullum, the pair raised the 50 from just 45 balls and, after being put down by Thilina Kandamby at square-leg whilst on 38, the big all-rounder took just 28 balls for his own half-century, which included 38 in boundaries.

The 100 came up in just the 16th over, but Sri Lanka finally claimed a desperate breakthrough when another Ryder swish was edged straight to Kumar Sangakkara - Kulasekara (one for 52) ending an entertaining innings.

McCullum then handed part of the early initiative back to their opponents when he got a leading edge off Angelo Mathews (two for 33) to Tillakaratne Dilshan at backward point for 46.

It was 128 for two at that stage and that quickly became 161 for five following the quick wickets of Ross Taylor (four), Grant Elliott out for a duck and Neil Broom (15).

Relive the action in pics

But Daniel Vettori added 69 with Guptill for the sixth wicket, before he was eventually removed by Sanath Jayasuriya (three for 39) for 48.

His partner fought on to reach his fourth career half-century and along with James Franklin (28 not out) helped New Zealand set 316.

Dilshan and Jayasuriya blazed away in response reaching 50 inside the sixth over, with the former looking particular devastating as he tucked into Shane Bond and Kyle Mills (three for 69).

Click here to follow all the a! ction as it unfolded

That prompted a bowling change with Daryl Tuffey (two for 39) brought in and he repaid Vettori's faith by removing veteran Jayasuriya (24), who top-edged to midwicket.

But the captain let his team down five balls later - dropping a sitter at mid-off after opposite number Sangakkara mishit the ball straight to him.

There was some reprieve later in the over, though, when Dilshan's hook was down the throat of substitute fielder Jeetan Patel at square leg for 41.

It's all about numbers

New man Jayawardene was also dropped on nought shortly after - McCullum the culprit this time putting down a thick edge off Tuffey.

Sangakkara (11) was not so fortunate in the 13th over when he found Taylor at first slip after a short ball from Franklin (two for 40) leaving Sri Lanka at 85 for three and in serious trouble! .

They suffered further set-backs with the dismissals of Thilan Samaraweera (18), Kandamby (11) and Mathews (two) cheaply.

Jayawardene tried desperately to keep up with the run-rate, raising his half-century from 65 deliveries, and he finally found a good partner in Kulasekara - the two putting on 50 in a mere 35 balls.

But the partnership and Sri Lanka's hopes were eventually blown away with the demise of Jayawardene, whose 85-ball knock ended when he was bowled by Vettori (two for 45).

Despite a late attempt by Kulasekara, whose 50 came in 54 balls, to salvage something from the game, he ran out of partners as the Asian side perished.

They must now hope that England win their remaining two games if they are to have any chance of qualifying from Group B.

Click here for Cricket Match ! Center

Teams:

New Zealand: JD Ryder, BB McCullum, MJ Guptill, LRPL Taylor, GD Elliott, NT Broom, JEC Franklin, DL Vettori, KD Mills, DR Tuffey, SE Bond.

Sri Lanka: TM Dilshan, ST Jayasuriya, KC Sangakkara, DPMD Jayawardene, SHT Kandamby, TT Samaraweera, AD Mathews, KMDN Kulasekara, T Thushara, SL Malinga, BAW Mendis.

Click here for Scorecard

Bolton Wanderers 2 Tottenham Hotspur 2

The Premier League game between Bolton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur at the Reebok Stadium on Saturday Oct 3rd 2009.

So much is different but so little has changed. Harry Redknapp has felt able to celebrate Tottenham's new-found steel but, even though they came from behind twice, they could not end their 13-year wait for a win in Bolton.

Bolton's! eight previous goals have all come from set pieces but Tottenham were still caught cold with just two minutes gone when the visitors, as usual without a host of central defenders, failed to deal with a simple long throw from Fabrice Muamba.

The former Arsenal player hurled the ball into the area but Sebastien Bassong failed to clear and Ricardo Gardner's flick fell for Chung-Yong Lee and his drive at goal was pushed away by Carlo Cudicini only as far as Jamaican veteran Gardner, who fired into the back of the net.

The hosts applied all of the first-half pressure but showed their concern at Peter Crouch's aerial prowess by marking him at their own free-kicks and the England forward was able to demonstrate why they were so minded by playing a key role in the visitors' equaliser.

Bolton were able to keep the ball for long spells and a neat one-touch move ended with Gardner slipping the ball thro! ugh for Tamir Cohen, whose bobbling shot beat Cudicini but ! was hack ed away by Tom Huddlestone.

Tottenham finally found some fluency when Jermaine Jenas clipped the ball into Niko Kranjcar and the Croatian turned sharply on the edge of the area before releasing a shot that deflected off Zat Knight and wide.

Jermaine Jenas lobbed into the area and Crouch rose higher than Sam Ricketts and Gary Cahill to glance a header back across the area for Kranjcar to sweep in his first goal since joining Tottenham from Portsmouth.

Bolton began the second period with the greater purpose and Gary Cahill headed over after out-jumping Vedran Corluka at Matthew Taylor's corner.

Another move of real quality just after the midway point of the second half resulted in Cohen lifting a cross towards the far post and Davies shrugging off a feeble challenge from Benoit Assou-Ekotto to head in.

But Tottenham struck back again when Kranjcar sent over a corner from the right and Corluka out-jumped ! Sam Ricketts and headed with enough power to beat the despairing Cahill on the line.

AZ Alkmaar 1-1 Arsenal

Arsenal were hit by a stoppage-time equaliser as AZ Alkmaar earned a draw in their Champions League Group H clash.

Cesc Fabregas' first-half strike had looked to be enough to secure a third straight European victory, which would have all but secured Arsenal a place in the knockout stages.

However, the Dutch side, managed by Ronald Koeman, refused to give up and snatched a point at the death through Mendes Da Silva.

The fact AZ remained resilient should have ! come as no surprise given they had previously lost just once at home in Europe, against Everton two years ago, from 34 games.

Off the field, however, the Dutch club have some financial worries after owner Dirk Scheringa was declared bankrupt, the immediate impact of which was the team playing without shirt sponsors.

In stark contrast to their last European away game, when going 2-0 down inside five minutes at Liege, Arsenal were quickly on the offensive.

Van Persie, who netted in his fourth straight game against Birmingham on Saturday, charged at the centre of the AZ defence but was barged off possession by Niklas Moisander.

On eight minutes, Abou Diaby broke down the right, and whipped the ball back towards the far post, where Van Persie brought it down and drilled a shot goalwards, which Argentina international Sergio Romero gathered at the second attempt.

The hosts continued to enjoy good possession, but without a cutting edge in the fi! nal third.

AZ created their first decent opening on 26 ! minutes when Moussa Dembele fed Mounir El Hamdaoui on the edge of the Arsenal area, and the former Tottenham striker fired his shot flew just over.

Emmanuel Eboue was put clear down the right channel, and sent over a first-time cross which Andrey Arshavin met at the far post before floating it back over the goalkeeper but onto the roof of the net.

Arsenal finally got it right after 35 minutes when Fabregas swept them ahead.

Alex Song intercepted a stray pass from Moisander, before feeding Arshavin who put Van Persie in on the left side of the penalty area. Unselfishly, the Dutchman drew the goalkeeper, before squaring to Fabregas who slotted home.

Arsenal suddenly looked a much more cohesive outfit, with Arshavin finding more space down the left.

Fabregas curled an effort goalwards from 20 yards, but it was straight at the AZ goalkeeper.

Romero then spilled an 18-yard shot from Van Persie, but luckily the ball flew wide.

Arsenal conti! nued to press at the start of the second half.

Eboue was tripped by Hector Moreno 25 yards out in a central position.

Van Persie whipped the free-kick around the wall, but Romero was down quickly to make a fine save.

Arsenal's Dutch frontman felt he should have had a penalty when turning on the goalline between two AZ defenders - but Swedish referee Martin Hansson was not interested.

Arsenal remained in control, with Song breaking up possession ahead of the back four.

Van Persie was allowed the space to run at the AZ defence, but blazed over from the edge of the penalty area.

There was, however, a let-off for Arsenal on 72 minutes when a corner deflected off Diaby and onto the top of the crossbar.

Van Persie was given a rest when Mexican striker Carlos Vela came on.

A free-kick then caused chaos in the Arsenal six-yard box, but Moreno was not able to convert.

Vela looked to have a strong penalty claim denied whe! n he appeared to be tripped by Kew Jaliens after darting in fr! om the l eft channel.

Arshavin saw a low shot saved by Romero.

Just as Arsenal looked to have done enough, AZ snatched a dramatic equaliser in time added on, when Mendes Da Silva blasted in from close range after Moreno's ball into the box had been flicked on by substitute Graziano Pelle.

Jupiler League Saturday Review

Standard Liege were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Zulte-Waregem to sit three points behind Jupiler League leaders Club Brugge.

Zoro Gohi-Bi put Standard ahead after just seven minutes, but Kevin Roelandts levelled two minutes before the break to keep the visitors two points behind their opponents.

Bart Goor grabbed a 90th-minute winner as Germinal Beerschot beat second-bottom Excelsior Mouscron 3-2.

Philippe Clement twice gave Germinal the lead with goals ei! ther side of an equaliser from Maxime Lestienne.

Excelsior substitute Guillaume Francois looked to have snatched a point for his side with a second leveller two minutes from time, but Goor popped up with an even later winner.

Elsewhere, Cercle Brugge drew 1-1 at home to KV Kortrijk, the hosts' Anthony Portier scoring at both ends.

The match between Charleroi and Westerlo, who finished with 10 men, also ended 1-1, while AA Gent came from behind to beat St Truidense 2-1 away from home.

Middlesbrough 0 Plymouth Argyle 1

The Championship game between Middlesbrough and Plymouth Argyle at the Riverside on Saturday Oct 31 2009.

An unusually warm winter's day on Teesside marked the start of Gordon Strachan's reign at Middlesbrough, his players taking to the field in bright sunshine.

Yet they left the field, under darkened skies, to the all too familiar sound of the boos that had characterised latter part of the Gareth Southgate-era, Plymouth Argyle having claimed only their third win – and clean sheet – of the Championship season thanks to Jamie Mackie's second-half goal.

Sturrock, a former Scotland team-mate of Strachan's, went into the game with his job seemingly on the line, yet by the final whistle the 711 travelling fans at the Riverside Stadium were chanting his name.

Meanwhile, Strachan – whose team had struggled to convert their overwhelming possession into clear-cut/clear-cut chances – was left to reflect on the task ahead of him. He said: "We had a formula as a team to make chances and get crosses in there, but the formula for scoring wasn't there. It was a wee bit frustrating."

After Plymouth's Alan Judge narrowly shot wide from 30 yards in the second minute, Middlesbrough's players set about impressing their new manager ! in earnest.

Adam Johnson burst down the left in t! he 13th minute and crossed for Marvin Emnes, whose shot was superbly blocked by the sliding figure of Shane Lowry.

Plymouth's caution – Sturrock strung five across his midfield – did not stop them making the odd foray upfield, and Karl Duguid tested Brad Jones.

Johnson forced another fine block from Lowry late in the half with a stinging left-foot shot. Strachan sent on for loan signing Marcus Bent for his debut after the break, and an enforced change followed after Emanuel Pogatetz – playing his first game since April – was stretchered off and taken to hospital following a clash of heads with David Gray.

David Wheater had a shot stopped on the line by a combination of Kari Arnason and goalkeeper Romain Larrieu in the 55th minute.

The home crowd's frustration was growing by the minute, and it boiled over when Mackie sent Sturrock's men into a 64th minute lead after latching on to a ball over the top from Sawyer. He g! ot the better of Wheater before slipping the ball past the advancing Jones.

Referee Mick Russell threw them a lifeline in the 78th minute, awarding them a penalty after Sean St Ledger took a tumble in the box, but Johnson struck the outside of the right post with his spot kick.

Plymouth doggedly saw the game out, and the result dropped Middlesbrough down to seventh place.

Sturrock, however, is backing Strachan to take Middlesbrough up this season. He said: "He's a good manager. They're not that far off, and I'm almost positive he'll get them promoted at the end of the season."

Ronaldo-Will It Be Red Or White

by Obinna Cristan

Real Madrid have renewed thier long-standing interest in Cristiano Ronaldo in the light of his announcement that he has ambitions to play in Spain.This interest in the Portuguese winger was further reinforced by the club's president,Roman Calderon,who spoke publicly about his admiration of Ronaldo."Who would not want a player as Ronaldo in thier team" Calderon replied when asked if Ronaldo might join Madrid.He is one of the best players in the world.Franco Baldini,right-hand man to Madrid's sporting director,Predrag Mijatovic,and the man who negotiates all of the club's signings,recently met Jorge Mendes in London.Madrid sources has it that the meeting was to comfirm Cristiano Ronaldo as thier NO1 priority come next season.It is believed that Real is ready to offer 54 million pounds to secure Ronaldo.Real Madrid has even gone as far as meeting with Ronaldo's agent and agreeing a course of action that directors at the Santiago Bernabeu believe wil! l end with the Portugal winger becoming thier latest galactico.Now, with Madrid ready to meet Manchester United's asking price for the winger-expected to be somewhere in the region of 80 million euros(54million pounds).It might just come down to Cristiano Ronaldo to decide where his future lies.Real is also ready to beat any contract offer made by Manchester United,matching Ronaldo's salary to that of the galacticos.6 million pounds(4million pounds) a year,after tax.Manchester United is also bent on keeping thier most priced player.They have already put down a contract offer of about 140,000 pounds a week.But it is still believed that Ronaldo might reject the contract offer in order to play for Madrid.Alex Ferguson will be comfortable with the knowledge that Ronaldo is happy in Manchester,even if the player does not speak openly about been attracted to the Spainish league.Nevertheless Calderon's remarks on wanting to sign Ronaldo will not go down well at Old Trafford,where ! Ferguson has been increasingly irritated by Madrid's habit of ! talking about thier transfer targets in the media.Cristiano Ronaldo has been voted footballer of the year-only the second player to win the award in successive seasons since its introduction 60years ago.Ronaldo,who has had a fantastic season,netted an outstanding 41 goals during the season,31 of which came in the premier league alone.So dear football-soccer fans,the question now is-Do you think Cristino Ronaldo looks better in a red or white jersey.Please make your views and comments known.

About the Author
Obinna Cristan is a football/soccer analyst.He is also writer.For more articles like the one you have just read visit:http://www.football-soccer-views.blogspot.com

Juventus-Fiorentina Zamparini: 'Sfida da pareggio'

di Davide Pampanin

Juventus-Fiorentina Zamparini: 'Sfida da pareggio'

'Sicuramente Andrea Della Valle tornerà alla presidenza della Fiorentina. E' stato un momento di disillusione quello che ha passato. Firenze non è una piazza facile e quindi alcuni momenti difficili è normale che si passino'. Maurizio Zamparini ai! microfoni di Radio Toscana parla a tutto campo del mondo del calcio, durante il periodo della sosta di campionato, per gli impegni di qualificazione per i prossimi Mondiali delle Nazionali.
'Juventus-Fiorentina? Non tiferò nessuna delle due squadre. In questo momento mi sembra una gara da pareggio - ha spiegato il numero uno del Palermo -. Dopo le prime due, Juventus ed Inter, il campionato è apertissimo, perché anche il Milan è entrato nella bagarre dal terzo all'ottavo posto. Capisco l'amarezza dei tifosi viola per la mancata convalida della rete di Gilardino contro la Lazio, ma anche noi del Palermo non ci siamo visti assegnare un gol di Pastore, con palla che aveva superato la linea di porta. La tecnologia la vedrei da subito nel calcio, perché non può che risolvere i problemi a cui sono sottoposti gli arbitri. Se la tecnologia non entra nel calcio è perché c'è una volontà di chi comanda in questo mondo per avere ancora potere decisionale su determinate circostanze'. -->

Bari - Oggi doppia seduta

di Tiziana Garofalo

Mercoledi di duro lavoro per il Bari (nella foto, fonte RealSports.it). E' prevista, infatti, per oggi una doppia seduta per Barreto e compagni. La sfida di domenica contro il Chievo di Di Carlo si avvicina e dunque si intensifica il lavoro. Saranno da valutare le condizioni di S. Masiello e Rivas che presumibilmente continueranno con il lavoro differenziato.

Stessa sorte anche per Donda e Sforzini. Tutti gli altri, eccetto i nazionali ancora impegnati con le rispettive formazioni, saranno agli ordin! i di Ventura e del preparatore atletico. Si attende sempre in giornata l'arrivo invece di Andrea Ranocchia di ritorno dopo la partita disputata con l'Under 21 di Casiraghi e pareggiata contro la Bosnia Erzegovina per 1-1.

Info biglietti per Mantova

fonte: www.pianetaempoli.it

Sono in vendita tramite il circuito TICKETONE i biglietti per poter assistere alla gara Mantova-Empoli.

Questi i prezzi :

Tribuna Centrale Superiore Intero 60,00 € Tribuna Centrale Inferiore Intero 50,00 € Tribuna Centrale Superiore Ridotto donna/over65 40,00 € Tribuna Laterale Superiore Intero 37,00 € Tribuna Centrale Inferiore Ridotto donna/over65 30,00 € Tribuna Laterale Inferiore Intero 30,00 € Tribuna Laterale Superiore Ridotto donna/over65 28,00 € Tribuna Laterale Inferiore Ridotto donna/over65 23,00 € Distinti Intero 18,00 € Tribuna Centrale Scoperta Intero 18,00 € Curva CISA Ospiti Intero 15,00 € Curva CISA Ospiti Ospiti 15,00 € Curva TE Intero 15,00 € Tribuna Centrale Inferiore Ridotto under 14 15,00 € Tribuna Centrale Superiore Ridotto under 14 15,00 € Distinti Ridotto donna/over65 13,00 € Tribuna Centrale Scoperta Ridotto donna/over65 13,00 € Curva TE Ridotto donna/over65 10,00 € Tribuna Laterale Inferiore Ridotto under 14 10,00 € Tribuna Laterale Superiore Ridotto under 14 10,00 € Distinti Ridotto under 14 7,00 € Tribuna Centrale Scoperta Ridotto under 14 7,00 € Curva TE Ridotto under 14 5,00 €

Sacchi: "Milan-Roma partita aperta"

di Rocco Fortunato

fonte:laroma24.it

L'ex commissario tecnico dell'Italia, con un passato sulla panchina del Milan, Arrigo Sacchi, presenta la il posticipo serale di domenica sera che vedrà i rossoneri al cospetto dellaRoma di Claudio Ranieri. "La Roma sembra in ripresa. Il Milan è un pò più indietro. Però è difficile fare previsioni con due squadre che ancora non hanno dato l! 'idea di continuità e affidabilità. Mi auguro che questa partita possa confermare una ripresa per tutte e due. Ranieri? L'allenatore non è una mago, a volte è un capro espiatorio. La squadra può andare più o meno bene. Dipende da tante componenti. La prima è che la società abbia energia, competenza, pazienza e che sappia scegliere i suoi collaboratori più bravi. Oggi il Milan vive uno stato di depressione e di poca euforia. La Roma ha una situazione difficile tra la tifoseria e la società: non quell'alchimia che dà entusiasmo. Oggi questo doping naturale manca in tutte e due le squadre. Sia Milan che Roma hanno una qualità individuale superiore ma che non riesce a svilupparsi nella collettività. Il gioco viene dopo la motivazione. Questo è il problema che hanno tutte e due. Un pronostico? Partita aperta. Sono due squadre claudicanti. La Roma si presenta con qualche credenziale in più, ma il malato non è ancora sano completamente".

Dove! può arr ivare la Roma? "La Roma ha una buonissima qualità individuale, superiore a quella del Milan. E' più equilibrata e meno usurata. Se tutti remeranno verso la medesima direzione, la Roma ha grandi potenzialità. La benzina è la motivazione. Le partite si vincono durante la settimana, non la domenica".

Sulla spinosa questione della convocazione di Totti in Nazionale, Sacchi afferma: "Se Totti sarà disponibile a tornare, Lippi dovrà prendere una decisione. Poi bisognerà vedere come starà. Il Totti del Mondiale incide poco, il Totti che sta bene può fare la differenza. Baresi io lo riportai, lo conoscevo come persona e poi stava bene fisicamente. Non penso che Totti possa incrinare gli equilibri dello spogliatoio azzurro".

Reggina in ritiro. Foti: "Paga la squadra"

di Filippo Capurso
Fonte: tuttoreggina.com

Reggina fin da oggi in ritiro a Catona. Il presidente Foti ha precisato che il ritiro sarà a spese della squadra. si continua con Novellino, salvo clamorosi ripensamenti dell'ultima ora. Il presidente vuole dare un segnale forte ai giocatori, che secondo lui, sono stati sopravvalutati. Sarà davvero necessario tirare fuori gli attributi e l'orgoglio.

Lerda: «Abbiamo preso quattro gol in modo vergognoso e senza lottare»

di Massimo Scavello

Franco Lerda, il tecnico del Crotone, appare frastornato quando si presenta alla stampa. Forse non è riuscito ancora a trovare spiegazioni per un tonfo del genere: «È stata una partita che è difficile da analizzare, abbiamo giocato male subendo troppo gli avversari. Eravamo molto nervosi inizialmente tanto da non avere saputo gestire la superiorità numerica che è durata troppo poco. Con un giocatore in più, potevamo recuperare ma dovevamo avere uno spirito diverso. Non abbiamo lottato ed è giusto che siamo stati sconfitti

#069 Convocazioni del 24-25-26 Febbaio

Champions League: Ottavi di finale - Andata -
(Martedì 24/02 - Mercoledì 25/02)

Inter - Manchester United
Radiocronista: Riccardo Cucchi

Arsenal - Roma
Radiocronista: Giulio Delfino

Chelsea - Juventus
Radiocronista: Francesco Repice

Coppa Uefa: Sedicesimi di finale - Ritorno -
(Giovedì 26/02)

Milan - Werder Brema
Radiocronista: Antonello Orlando

Udinese - Lech Poznan
Radiocronista: Tonino Raffa

Ajax - Fiorentina NON COPERTA
Metalist - Sampdoria NON COPERTA

#162 Highlights della 33^ giornata di Serie A

Ventinove gol nella trentatreesima giornata del massimo campionato. Sei le vittorie interne, due pareggi e due successi esterni. In classifica, sorpasso del Milan sulla Juve con i rossoneri che accorciano anche sui rivali cittadini, sconfitti a Napoli. Vincono tutte le squadre in zona retrocessione, ad eccezione del Chievo, sconfitto in casa, e della Reggina, che pareggia con la Juventus. Da segnalare la posizione del Cagliari ad un punto dalla Roma, al sesto posto.

Chievo Vr – Udinese 1-2: Una doppietta di D'Agostino stende i clivensi che perdono la loro! seconda partita consecutiva in casa ed interrompono momentaneamente la loro rincorsa verso la salvezza. Bella partita soprattutto nella ripresa, con i padroni di casa alla ricerca del pareggio e gli ospiti che provano a chiudere la partita, la vittoria arriva nel finale a tempo scaduto. Per l'Udinese terza vittoria consecutiva, la seconda di fila in trasferta.

Fiorentina – Roma 4-1: Bellissima Fiorentina contro una Roma irriconoscibile e troppo nervosa. I viola passano subito in vantaggio e controllano poi con facilità il match. I viola si portano al quarto posto della classifica, visto il ko del Genoa, centrando anche la terza vittoria consecutiva in casa. La Roma, come detto, è apparsa svogliata e nervosa. Per i capitolini seconda sconfitta esterna consecutiva, nelle ultime sei trasferte solo tre pareggi ed altrettante sconfitte. Serata rovinata dai soliti pseudo tifosi che a fine gara causano incidenti all'esterno dello s! tadio.

Bologna – Genoa! 2-0: Vittoria importante per il Bologna che batte un Genoa apparso stanco e poco ordinato in campo. I felsinei alla ricerca di punti salvezza disputano una buona gara e dopo cinque sconfitte tornano a sorridere anche se la classifica resta immutata visti i successi delle rispettive rivali per la salvezza. Il Genoa invece subisce la seconda sconfitta consecutiva e scivola al quinto posto, scavalcato dalla Fiorentina.

Lazio – Atalanta 0-1: La troppa euforia per la qualificazione alla finale di coppa Italia costa cara alla Lazio che paga sicuramente la tensione della gara di mercoledì con la mancanza di lucidità di gioco. Per i biancocelesti sesta sconfitta tra le mura amiche. L'Atalanta oggi molto ordinata concretizza al meglio le sue occasioni ed ottiene tre punti che rafforzano la posizione a metà classifica.

Lecce – Catania 2-1: Torna alla vittoria il Lecce che non centrava i! tre punti da dieci turni e non vinceva in casa, pensate, dalla quinta giornata di campionato. Per i pugliesi questa è la terza vittoria interna del campionato, le altre due risalivano alla seconda ed appunto alla quinta giornata. Lo svantaggio dalle altre squadre resta invariato vista la contemporanea vittoria di Torino e Bologna. Il Catania invece, ormai a quota quaranta punti è sicuro di aver raggiunto la meritata salvezza. Rossoblù giocano al di sotto delle loro capacità.

Milan – Palermo 3-0: Il Milan completa la sua rimonta sulla Juventus ottenendo il secondo posto. Gara facile per i rossoneri che hanno ragione di un Palermo inerme contro gli attacchi degli uomini di Ancelotti. Per il Milan sesto successo nelle ultime sette partite e quinta vittoria consecutiva in casa. Il Palermo invece resta a quota quarantanove punti in classifica, a meno tre dalla Roma al sesto posto, l'ultimo utile per un posto in Europa. Domenica p! rossima i rosanero sono attesi dallo scontro diretto contro il! Cagliar i.

Reggina – Juventus 2-2: Pareggio che non accontenta nessuno, entrambe le squadre per motivi diversi cercavano la vittoria, alla fine il pari risulta essere il risultato più giusto. La Reggina vede allontanare le rivali per la salvezza tutte vincenti, ora il quart'ultimo posto dista sei punti. La Juventus cerca il riscatto dopo le ultime deludenti prestazioni, ma per i bianconeri non sembra proprio essere il periodo giusto. Per i bianconeri terzo pareggio nelle ultime quattro gare e momentanea discesa al terzo posto della classifica.

Sampdoria – Cagliari 3-3: Partita divertente a Marassi con ben sei reti. Doppio vantaggio per i blucerchiati raggiunti e superati nella ripresa, solo nel finale il pareggio finale. I doriani pagano nel corso della partita la stanchezza della gara di ritorno della semifinale di coppa Italia contro l'Inter. Per i genovesi terzo pareggio casalingo c! onsecutivo. Il Cagliari guadagna un punto sulla Roma ora a meno tre punti, i ragazzi di Allegri continuano a sognare un posto nella Europa League dell'anno prossimo, la coppa Uefa infatti cambierà il suo nome dalla prossima stagione.

Torino – Siena 1-0: Un bellissimo gol di tacco di Bianchi regala la vittoria ai granata che centrano la loro seconda vittoria consecutiva in casa e continuano a sperare nella salvezza. Anche per loro la classifica resta immutata con un punto di vantaggio sul Bologna, ma con tre punti guadagnati sul Chievo. Il Siena deve intascare la seconda sconfitta consecutiva ed ora si trova ad otto punti dalla terz'ultima piazza, ma i toscani non dovrebbero correre rischi in chiave salvezza.

Napoli – Inter 1-0: Partita emozionante al San Paolo. Napoli alla ricerca della vittoria ed Inter con la voglia di mantenere inalterato il vantaggio sulle dirette inseguit! rici. Le due squadre scendono sul terreno di gioco molto motiv! ate e cr eano diverse occasioni a testa. Solo nel finale la stoccata vincente dei partenopei che riassaporano il gusto della vittoria dopo quattordici turni, dove avevano ottenuto solo 6 pareggi ed otto sconfitte. L'Inter subisce la terza sconfitta della stagione, interrompe la serie di tredici risultati utili consecutivi (nove vittorie e quattro pareggi) e vede scendere il vantaggio sul Milan, secondo, a sette punti.

Classifica dopo 33 giornate: Inter 74, Milan 67, Juventus 65, Fiorentina 58, Genoa 57, Roma 52, Palermo e Cagliari 49, Lazio 47, Udinese 45, Atalanta 44, Sampdoria 43, Napoli 42, Catania 40, Siena 37, Chievo Vr 34, Torino 30, Bologna 29, Lecce 27, Reggina 24.

Prossimo turno, 34^giornata 2-3 / 5 / 2009 ore 15.00: Bologna – Reggina (2/5 ore 18.00), Inter – Lazio (2/5 ore 20.30), Catania – Milan, Fiorentina – Torino, Juventus – Lecce, Palermo – Cagliari, Roma – Chievo Vr, Sien! a – Napoli, Udinese – Atalanta, Genoa – Sampdoria (ore 20.30).

Buon calcio a tutti………

Convocazioni del 7 Giugno 2009

Play-Off di Serie B - Semifinali Andata -
Domenica 7 Giugno 2009

Empoli - Brescia
Radiocronista: Tonino Raffa*
Seconda voce: Enzo Baldini*

Grosseto - Livorno
Radiocronista: Giuseppe Bisantis*
Seconda Voce: Ugo Russo*
* Da regolamento play-off e play-out verranno conteggiati nella graduatoria della SuperClassifica relativa a Coppe e Nazionali

Highlights 2^ giornata di Serie A

Nella seconda giornata di campionato sono 28 le reti, quattro in più rispetto la prima giornata, per un totale di 52 reti stagionali. In questo turno 4 le vittorie interne, 5 quelle esterne (tra cui spiccano quelle di Inter, Juventus e Siena), 1 solo il pareggio ancora una volta per 0-0 tra Bari e Livorno. Inter e Juve si aggiudicano i big-match della giornata. Quattro le squadre a punteggio pieno (Sampdoria, Juventus, Genoa e Lazio). Ma vediamo nel dettaglio le partite:

Atalanta – Genoa 0-1: Il Genoa ottien! e tre punti a Bergamo e resta a punteggio pieno in classifica. Buona la prova dei genoani soprattutto nel primo tempo. Nella ripresa, complice un po' di stanchezza dei genovesi, viene fuori l'Atalanta, ma la porta di Amelia resta imbattuta. Per rossoblù primo successo esterno della stagione al primo tentativo. Resta invece ferma al palo l'Atalanta, a quota 0 punti in classifica e nella caselle delle reti realizzate.

Bari – Bologna 0-0: Il Bari non riesce ad ottenere tre punti nel primo match davanti al proprio pubblico al San Nicola. I pugliesi hanno sicuramente buon gioco per tutti i 90 minuti, ma non riescono ad impensierire veramente la difesa avversaria. Il Bologna, dal canto suo, ribatte colpo su colpo con una buona disposizione tattica ai padroni di casa. Il pari alla fine sembra il risultato più giusto.

Cagliari – S! iena 1-3: Il Siena espugna il Sant'Elia, otten! endo tre punti importanti contro una squadra che potrebbe essere una rivale per la salvezza. I toscani giocano una buona partita, anche se il primo tempo finisce in parità. Nella ripresa partono subito forte gli ospiti ed il Cagliari, a parte i minuti successivi al 1-2, sembra annichilito dalla manovra senese. L'1-3 finale poi chiude definitivamente ora speranza sarda di poter acciuffare il pari nei minuti finali.

Chievo Vr – Lazio 1-2: Doppio Cruz mantiene a punteggio pieno la Lazio. Ad inizio gara partono meglio i clivensi in vantaggio grazie a Pellissier, poi la Lazio esce fuori con la propria manovra ed in 12 minuti, tra i due tempi, capovolge il risultato. Per i biancocelesti ottima prova, soprattutto anche dopo l'espulsione di Cribari. Il Chievo perde la prima partita interna della stagione e resta ancora a quota 0 punti.

Fio! rentina – Palermo 1-0: La partita avrebbe meritato di essere giocata su un terreno di gioco degno di tale nome, il fondo del Franchi è inguardabile. I viola ringraziano comunque Jovetic, che segnando ancora una volta, regala, dopo la qualificazione alla fase a gironi di Champion's, anche la prima vittoria interna in campionato. Per i viola da segnalare anche un palo colpito ad inizio gara. Il Palermo recrimina per un fuorigioco dubbio fischiato a Miccoli e per una buona occasione di testa sprecata da Budan sul finire del secondo tempo.

Milan – Inter 0-4: Mourinho mette in crisi Leonardo. I nerazzurri asfaltano il Milan chiudendo già nel primo tempo ogni discorso con un perentorio 0-3 che lascia storditi ed ammutoliti i tifosi rossoneri. I rossoneri sembravano in partita, ma dopo il primo gol nerazzurro vanno in confusione. A questa si aggiunge anche l'inferiorità numerica pe! r l'espulsione di Gattuso. L'Inter dimostra tutta la sua forza! , nell'u ndici nerazzurro da sottolineare la buona prestazione offerta dal neo-acquisto Snejider.

Napoli – Livorno 3-1: Il San Paolo fa festa per un Napoli che offre una buona prestazione alla prima partita in casa della stagione. Gli uomini di Donadoni partono subito bene e passano in vantaggio con Quagliarella, al primo gol con la maglia del Napoli. I partenopei controllano bene tutta la gara, sbandando per qualche minuto dopo il 2-1 livornese ad opera di Lucarelli, ma ancora una volta Quagliarella, prima doppietta stagionale, segna e chiude ogni possibilità di rimonta dei toscani.

Parma – Catania 2-1: Primo successo del Parma in casa contro un Catania che resiste agli attacchi parmensi solo nella prima frazione di gioco. Spettacolare il gol del giovane Galloppa, come altrettanto bello è l'immediato gol del pari c! atanese ad opera di Biagianti. Nella ripresa il Parma scende più convinto in campo ed al 2° minuto Paloschi riporta i giallo-blu in vantaggio. A questo punto gli uomini di Guidolin controllano la gara rischiando veramente poco. Il Catania, alla seconda sconfitta consecutiva in campionato, resta a quota 0 punti.

Roma – Juventus 1-3: In una bellissima cornice di pubblico presente all'Olimpico la Juventus offre un'ottima prova ed ha la meglio meritatamente su una Roma vogliosa, ma poco pungente in attacco. Bello il gol del vantaggio bianconero con Diego, colpo di esterno, ed il successivo pari di De Rossi dai 25 metri. La ripresa è tutta in mano alla Juventus, trascinata da un super Diego, per lui doppietta. I bianconeri soffrono solo nei minuti finali il forcing della Roma, protesa in avanti alla ricerca del pari, ma l'1-3 di Felipe Melo chiude i conti. Juventus in vetta alla classifica, la R! oma a quota 0 punti sembra già in crisi di risultati.

Sampdoria – Udinese 3-1: Pazzini, Mannini, Cassano trascinano la Samp verso la seconda vittoria consecutiva in campionato. I blucerchiati disputano una buona gara con geometrie tattiche ben collaudate e lasciano pochi spazi di replica agli avversari. L'Udinese prova ad impensierire la porta di Castellazzi, ma il portiere doriano fa buona guardia, se si eccettua per il glo di Di Natale. La Samp alla fine vince e resta a punteggio pieno insieme ai rivali concittadini.

Classifica dopo la 2^ giornata: Sampdoria, Juventus, Genoa e Lazio 6; Inter, Parma e Fiorentina 4; Napoli, Siena, Palermo e Milan 3; Bari e Bologna 2; Udinese, Cagliari e Livorno 1; Catania, Chievo Vr, Atalanta e Roma 0.