Saturday, December 19, 2009
Lakers Complete Texas Sweep
The Lakers had two very impressive road wins the last 2 days. A 102-96 win over the Houston Rockets and a 102-95 win over the San Antonio Spurs. Kobe and Pau dominated both games and the Lakers clinched the Pacific division title. The Lakers managed to beat the Rockets with Josh Powell starting in the place of a suspended Lamar Odom. Also, L.A. inserted Trevor Ariza in the starting lineup the past few games relegating Luke Walton to the bench. The Lakers are tied with Cleveland for the best record in the NBA at 52-13. With just 17 games left to play, L.A. has an 8.5 game over the Spurs for the number 1 s! eed in the West. I expect that the Lakers will spend the next month tightening up their playoff rotation and getting tired players some rest. I think that home court advantage would mean more against the Celtics. I don't know if overall home court advantage means that much to the Lakers if they play the Cavs in the finals. The Lakers could easily go into Cleveland and beat the Cavs in their building as they did during the season. But going into Boston is a much more difficult proposition for L.A.
Washington Freedom 2, Connecticut Reds 1
Welsh scored twice in a 30-second span during the second half of the Washington Freedom's 2-1 exhibition victory over the Connecticut Reds on an overcast, muggy Sunday afternoon at At-A-Glance Field.
W-League playoffs
The Charlotte Lady Eagles defeated the Minnesota Lightning tonight at Waddell Stadium in penalty kicks 4-3 after the teams played to a 1-1 tie in regulation and overtime. Richmond blanked the conference's top-seeded Michigan Hawks 2-0 in the first semifinal.
Pali Blues add assistant
The Pali Blues Soccer Club formally announced today the addition of Shayon Jalayer to their coaching staff for the upcoming W-League season. After winning the 2008 league crown in their inaugural year, Jalayer will join the Blues' bench on Saturday, May 9th, when they begin their title defense against the Los Angeles Legends at the Stadium by the Sea.
Jalayer brings a wealth of soccer experience to the Blues. He currently owns Soccer Odyssey, which has been training athletes, in a variety of formats, over the past 10 years in Southern California. The USSF National License holder serves as the associate head coach of the women's side at Riverside Community College, and he concurrently presides over Corona United SC as their technical director. As a player for Azusa Pacific University, Jalayer was his team captain and received MVP honors of the Cougars from 1994-1995. He also enjoyed a professional career in the Iran Premiere League for Teraktor Sazi in 2002, as well as f! ive years with the Washington Stars of the American Professional Soccer League. He also represented Iran in the 1995 World Futbol Rapido Championships and the USA in the 1994 Futsal World Cup.
Nicky Hayden goes to Ducati for sure
Saturday, 23 August 2008The silly season of 2008 goes on, Marco Melandri is about to make an official announcement about his moving to the green force in Misano grand prix. I still remember when I read autosport or any websites about MotoGP was all about Melandri's sadness of not being able to tame the red Duke. He is a lavish spectator on the track, at least that what he said.
Now, Nicky Hayden will make another move, he is for sure about to join Ducati. Livio Suppo never hides his desire to bring! him to the red den, I know Suppo like him very much, he admires his attitude during on and off the race. He never complains about anything and never blame others for his failure. He is the man down to earth.
What makes Suppo really wants to bring Hayden in? Many people said his riding style is quite similar to Stoner and his background is the same as Stoner's, coming from the dirt track. What I see is another point of view. Suppo mainly sees his hard work attitude, his hunger to win and of course his ability to control the bike. Hayden likes agressive bike very much, and he could find it on the Ducati.
Nicky Hayden and Ducat! i is abo ut to announce the news to the public in Misano race or in Indianapolis for the latest. If Hayden really moves to Ducati, then I am still NOT so sure if Andrea Dovizioso will take his place in Repsol Honda. Maybe the picture at the left side will tell you something about it. The picture was taken by a photographer during Brno race. It reads: Quindi?... means So? complete with HRC color :)Still big question mark over his future. Good luck to both of these good guys.
Super League Club rugby
This weekend UCT were looking to get back to winning ways against Hamiltons however that was not to be as Hamiltons got a 30-18 win against the Ikeys. Varsity rivals Maties continued there good run when they crossed the line 5 times to beat Tygerberg 26-22. Steinhoff Vics got a convincing 51-23 win over Helderberg.
Ticket Sales for Bok Test Picking Up
Residents from Bloemfontein are slowly but surely being bitten by the rugby bug.
Orange placards advertising Saturday's first test between the Springboks and Wales are up on most lampposts in the city streets.
Vendors are selling replica Springbok jerseys and other memorabilia on street corners and one can sense the excitement building up.
Word from the Free State Rugby Union is that ticket sales have started to pick up and should be sold out by Friday. By yesterday, a little more than 15 thousand tickets were sold but the union are confident of a full stadium on Saturday. Vodacom Park has been downgraded to a capacity of 30 thousand because of construction for the 2010soccer world cup.
When asked if he was worried about the slow ticket sales, Bok coach Peter de Villiers said South Africans have more important things to worry about in life given the worsening economic situation in the country.
Smit Joins Boks
Springbok skipper John Smit completed a marathon flight from France to New Zealand today and joined his team mates in a tough training session shortly after his arrival on Kiwi soil.
Smit joined the South African team in the capital after he played for Clermont in the French club final against Toulouse over the weekend.
A large media contingent greeted the Bok captain when he finally made his way through the domestic arrivals terminal, having completing the last leg of his exhaustive trip from Paris via London and Sydney to Wellington.
Smit told reporters New Zealand would be an extremely difficult team to beat on home turf despite the absence of their inspirational captain Richie McCaw.
"I can't think ever in my lifetime that the All Blacks have been vulnerable at home, so I wouldn't subscribe to that," he said.
"We came pretty close in the past but never managed to seal it in the end, when we needed to do so. On Satu! rday you will see two top sides battling it out in a truly great rugby rivalry."
The Springboks will announce their Test team for Saturday's Vodacom Tri-Nations opener during their weekly media hour which starts from 12h30 at the Duxton Hotel.
The team will enjoy a media and training free day on Wednesday.
Jantjes Replaces Monty for Wallaby Clash
Springbok coach Peter de Villiers today recalled fullback Conrad Jantjes and left wing Jongi Nokwe to the Springbok team to face the Wallabies in the vital Vodacom Tri-Nations clash at the Absa Stadium on Saturday.
Jantjes replaces veteran Percy Montgomery who made his 100th international appearance last week against the All Blacks, while Nokwe earns his second cap in place of the injured Bryan Habana. The 2007 IRB Player of the Year was ruled out of action for ten days because of a hamstring injury he sustained against New Zealand in Cape Town.
Starting 15:
15. Conrad Jantjes
14. JP Pietersen
13. Adrian Jacobs
12. Jean de Villiers
11. Jongi Nokwe
10. Butch James
9. Fourie du Preez
8. Pierre Spies
7. Juan Smith
6. Schalk Burger
5. Victor Matfield (captain)
4. Andries Bekker
3. CJ van der Linde
2. Bismarck du Plessis
1. Tendai "Beast" Mtawarira
16. Adriaan Strauss
17. Brian Mujati
18. Joe van Niekerk
19. Luke Watson
20. Ricky Januarie
21. Frans Steyn
22. Percy Montgomery
Controversy follows Tri Nations win
All Blacks assistant coach Steve Hansen has claimed an Australian television network filmed one of their closed training sessions and handed the footage to the Wallabies before Saturday's final Tri-Nations encounter.Both the Australian team, and a reporter for the Channel Seven network, who Hansen alleges to have filmed Friday's training session, denied the claim. The All Blacks came back from 17-7 down with 30 minutes to play to win the match 28-24 and clinch their fourth successive Tri-Nations title and retain the Bledisloe Cup. The winning try was scored by Dan Carter, pictured above.
Friday, December 18, 2009
India claim victory
India has beaten Australia in the fourth test in Nagpur. This is the Aussies first defeat since their Ashes loss to England in 2005.
The Indian's took the series 2-0 when they bowled the tourists for 209 on 50.2 overs. Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra took seven wickets in their empathic win over the top ranked Aussies.
The Proteas leave for their tour of Australia which starts on the 17 of December. This will be great test to see if the South African side can captilise on the Australian's defeat.
Midday Sportswrap
It's been an eventful day in the world of sport and lots of news coming from the cricket world.
Australian opener, Matthew Hayden, has been dropped from the ODI squads to play the Proteas. Hayden has been in poor form lately, scoring just 149 runs this test summer at an averge of just over 16.
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The England Cricket Board has accepted "with regret" the resignation of captain Kevin Pietersen. The South-African born captain gave the ECB an ultimatum, asking them to fire coach Peter Moores or else he goes. Pietersen and Moores' relationship turned sour after Michael Vaughan was left out of the test squad to tour the West Indies later this month. Moores has since been sacked by the ECB.
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Manchester United don't seem too fussed by their shock loss to Derby in the Carling Cup last night. The Red Devils went down 1 - 0 in the semi-final first leg but fans can expect a vicious backlash from United in t! he return leg at Old Trafford.
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And Sundowns have put defender Mbulelo "OJ" Mabizelo on transfer. The Bafana Bafana star has been in some poor form lately and to add to that he's been absent from a few of the team's training sessions and got arrested for drunk driving in Pietermaritzburg.
Liverpool need to dig deep
There is huge excitement in London ahead of Chelsea's second leg clash with Liverpool at Stamford tonight in the Champions League according to former Blues man Richard Gomes. The west London club has the upper hand going in tie after a 3-1 victory at Anfield last week.
Liverpool will be hoping they can repeat their heroics in the 2005 cup final against AC Milan. When they managed to come
Gomes says the home and away fans are all optimistic.
"There's a buzz, there's a ! vibe and a wonderful atmosphere. Liverpool supporters are very up beat they have started arriving in London. Chelsea supporters think we are going to coast through to the next round but I certainly don't think so."
Gomes then added Guus Hiddink's men must not write off Liverpool.
"I think if Chelsea sits back they will be making a very big mistake. Fernando Torres has come out and said he is the man who will inspire Liverpool this evening. Captain Steven Gerrard has passed a fitness test, so the on the visitors side its all systems go."
Xabi Misses Liverpool, The Stadium, Everything
Xabi Alonso is delighted to be at Real Madrid however his brother Mikel, formerly of Bolton, and now in La Liga with Tenerife, believes he is missing his old club Liverpool.
The two siblings faced each other over the weekend, during which the eldest brother took home the bragging rights after a 3-0 Real Madrid win. Alonso junior suggests Xabi will always hold Liverpool, Anfield and the Premier League in high regard.
Mikel Alonso told Goal.com: "We talked a lot about it."
"He made the decision, but you know there were a lot of times it was between Liverpool and Real Madrid because they are very big clubs, but I thin! k my brother is happy now and that's important,"
"He had a lot of success at Liverpool, he had some very beautiful and good years there and I think Liverpool supporters are going to miss him, because he plays a good game and I think he's a very important player for any team that wants to be the best."
Mikel refused to be drawn on the reasons why his brother left Anfield.
He says: "I think everything becomes important when you make a decision."
"Maybe because he had already spent four years there and maybe sometimes you need a change."
"I think I'm not the best person to talk about this stuff, but you know I think he's happy and this is the most important thing."
"He has a big respect and great memory of Liverpool the stadium, the supporters, everything,"
"He misses that - he does miss that, but life goes ahead and sometimes changes come..."
He concluded: "I think he's very happy now."
"I think he thinks the years in Liverpool were very h! appy yea rs and he grew as a football player and now he's in another team and has new objectives and goals and now he is happy again."
The two siblings faced each other over the weekend, during which the eldest brother took home the bragging rights after a 3-0 Real Madrid win. Alonso junior suggests Xabi will always hold Liverpool, Anfield and the Premier League in high regard.
Mikel Alonso told Goal.com: "We talked a lot about it."
"He made the decision, but you know there were a lot of times it was between Liverpool and Real Madrid because they are very big clubs, but I thin! k my brother is happy now and that's important,"
"He had a lot of success at Liverpool, he had some very beautiful and good years there and I think Liverpool supporters are going to miss him, because he plays a good game and I think he's a very important player for any team that wants to be the best."
Mikel refused to be drawn on the reasons why his brother left Anfield.
He says: "I think everything becomes important when you make a decision."
"Maybe because he had already spent four years there and maybe sometimes you need a change."
"I think I'm not the best person to talk about this stuff, but you know I think he's happy and this is the most important thing."
"He has a big respect and great memory of Liverpool the stadium, the supporters, everything,"
"He misses that - he does miss that, but life goes ahead and sometimes changes come..."
He concluded: "I think he's very happy now."
"I think he thinks the years in Liverpool were very h! appy yea rs and he grew as a football player and now he's in another team and has new objectives and goals and now he is happy again."
Rafa Benitez Ready To Make A Move For Heskey In January?
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez could be ready to step in and save Emile Heskey's World Cup dreams by offering him a move back to Anfield in January, but only on the cheap.
Heskey has admitted he will consider his future when the transfer window reopens, if he continues to warm the bench at Aston Villa, and he has also attracted the interest of Fulham after starting just one Premier League game this season.
According to a report in the Daily Star, Benitez is considering boosting his attacking options with a £1.5 million bid for the striker to compliment Fernando Torres and he is believed to hav! e made a move for Heskey last year, only to see him opt for Wigan.
Heskey's place in Fabio Capello's England squad is certainly under threat unless he sees more match action, although Villa boss Martin O'Neill will be reluctant to part with the targetman cheaply.
Former Villa team-mate Gareth Barry, now at Manchester City, said: "He's done fantastic for England with his partnership with Wayne Rooney. He is probably thinking about how long it can go on without playing for his club.
"The manager has made it clear that you have to be playing regularly and I am sure Emile will need to think about. When I was there Emile worked hard for the team, just like he does for England. It's that time of year when you want to be playing regularly. The World Cup is in the back of everyone's mind."
Heskey has admitted he will consider his future when the transfer window reopens, if he continues to warm the bench at Aston Villa, and he has also attracted the interest of Fulham after starting just one Premier League game this season.
According to a report in the Daily Star, Benitez is considering boosting his attacking options with a £1.5 million bid for the striker to compliment Fernando Torres and he is believed to hav! e made a move for Heskey last year, only to see him opt for Wigan.
Heskey's place in Fabio Capello's England squad is certainly under threat unless he sees more match action, although Villa boss Martin O'Neill will be reluctant to part with the targetman cheaply.
Former Villa team-mate Gareth Barry, now at Manchester City, said: "He's done fantastic for England with his partnership with Wayne Rooney. He is probably thinking about how long it can go on without playing for his club.
"The manager has made it clear that you have to be playing regularly and I am sure Emile will need to think about. When I was there Emile worked hard for the team, just like he does for England. It's that time of year when you want to be playing regularly. The World Cup is in the back of everyone's mind."
Ed Smith: Liverpool Must Hold Their Nerve And Trust In Rafael Benitez
Do not be misled. Liverpool are not just sliding down the table. They are deep in the relegation zone. They do not face relegation from the Premier League – no one cares about that. We are talking about relegation from the Big Four's mini-league.
That is the way we now talk about sport, especially football. At any moment in every Premier League season, one of Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea or Liverpool will suffer a string of disappointing results. This shocking development is greeted by speculation about the sacking of their manager.
It is a recurrent theme – you just change the name of the manager under pressure at any given moment. Arsenal's poor start to last season led to a national inquiry about Arsène Wenger. Now it is Rafael Benitez's turn. So why do clubs consider sacking successful managers?
Expectation is the illness, impatience the symptom, disappointment the wound. For ! the first time since 1987 Liverpool have lost four games in a row, and they haven't won the English title for 19 years. Those statistics are being held up as the reasons why Benítez finds himself under such pressure.
But the real reason goes back further. It isn't just losing that causes problems for Benítez. It's the past – the triumphs of previous Liverpool teams. When I was growing up in the early Eighties, Liverpool were the game's aristocrats. They now cannot face the prospect of joining the minor gentry.
Liverpool today is a great footballing dynasty that finds itself outside the corridors of power. Three possibilities await them. They might regain power and pre-eminence, as Manchester United did under Sir Alex Ferguson. They could learn to live with revised expectations, as Everton have done. Or they could end up a basket-case of frustrated nostalgics living in the past.
Liverpool should consider the fate of the West Indies. They once! dominated world cricket. In the 1980s, across the whole decad! e, the W est Indies won 17 Tests against England. England won none. How the wheel has turned: in the 2000s England won 15 Tests to the West Indies' two. The West Indies sit eighth in the ICC world Test rankings.
The response of the West Indies cricket board to this long-term decline has been to sack coaches increasingly frequently. John Dyson, who enjoyed a measure of success, was given his marching orders this summer. But the revolving door policy has not arrested the West Indies' decline, it has exacerbated it.
When the West Indies dominated international cricket, Middlesex ruled the county scene. Between 1976 and 1993, Middlesex won seven County Championships and seven one-day titles.
Recent decades have not gone so well. To put it kindly, there has been a certain amount of chopping and changing of coaches and captains – this columnist included. But does trying all the possible permutations for a short period of time ever work?
While all! successful teams are different, perhaps the only constant is that when lesser organisations panic, winning teams hold their nerve.
That is what Liverpool must do now. The best way to create sustained excellence is not demanding success immediately but ensuring stability at the top.
Patience is the best policy. Two of England's three best clubs (Arsenal and Manchester United) have the longest-standing managers in the Premier League.
So the best advice for Liverpool fans would be swallow their disappointment, temper their expectation, and trust the man who made them champions of Europe. Rationality demands no less. But when has football ever been rational?
That is the way we now talk about sport, especially football. At any moment in every Premier League season, one of Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea or Liverpool will suffer a string of disappointing results. This shocking development is greeted by speculation about the sacking of their manager.
It is a recurrent theme – you just change the name of the manager under pressure at any given moment. Arsenal's poor start to last season led to a national inquiry about Arsène Wenger. Now it is Rafael Benitez's turn. So why do clubs consider sacking successful managers?
Expectation is the illness, impatience the symptom, disappointment the wound. For ! the first time since 1987 Liverpool have lost four games in a row, and they haven't won the English title for 19 years. Those statistics are being held up as the reasons why Benítez finds himself under such pressure.
But the real reason goes back further. It isn't just losing that causes problems for Benítez. It's the past – the triumphs of previous Liverpool teams. When I was growing up in the early Eighties, Liverpool were the game's aristocrats. They now cannot face the prospect of joining the minor gentry.
Liverpool today is a great footballing dynasty that finds itself outside the corridors of power. Three possibilities await them. They might regain power and pre-eminence, as Manchester United did under Sir Alex Ferguson. They could learn to live with revised expectations, as Everton have done. Or they could end up a basket-case of frustrated nostalgics living in the past.
Liverpool should consider the fate of the West Indies. They once! dominated world cricket. In the 1980s, across the whole decad! e, the W est Indies won 17 Tests against England. England won none. How the wheel has turned: in the 2000s England won 15 Tests to the West Indies' two. The West Indies sit eighth in the ICC world Test rankings.
The response of the West Indies cricket board to this long-term decline has been to sack coaches increasingly frequently. John Dyson, who enjoyed a measure of success, was given his marching orders this summer. But the revolving door policy has not arrested the West Indies' decline, it has exacerbated it.
When the West Indies dominated international cricket, Middlesex ruled the county scene. Between 1976 and 1993, Middlesex won seven County Championships and seven one-day titles.
Recent decades have not gone so well. To put it kindly, there has been a certain amount of chopping and changing of coaches and captains – this columnist included. But does trying all the possible permutations for a short period of time ever work?
While all! successful teams are different, perhaps the only constant is that when lesser organisations panic, winning teams hold their nerve.
That is what Liverpool must do now. The best way to create sustained excellence is not demanding success immediately but ensuring stability at the top.
Patience is the best policy. Two of England's three best clubs (Arsenal and Manchester United) have the longest-standing managers in the Premier League.
So the best advice for Liverpool fans would be swallow their disappointment, temper their expectation, and trust the man who made them champions of Europe. Rationality demands no less. But when has football ever been rational?
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Asian Girls Model for Fashion Industry
Asian Girls Model for Fashion Industry. She is local girls with sexy live.
FAST School adds course
From FAST Riding School
SHANNONVILLE, ON -- FAST Riding School is pleased to announce it will offer "Phase R," a new course level that is intended for riders who plan to begin racing in 2005 or licensed racers who would like to improve their abilities.
"Many of the riders who begin racing at Shannonville have already attended our school," said FAST Riding School owner and three-time Canadian Superbike champion, Michel Mercier. "But we thought a specialized course for beginning and novice racers would be useful. Phase R will cover topics such as starting, passing and strategy. These are things we don't concentrate on in our other courses."
The Phase R courses are scheduled at Shannonville Motorsport Park's Nelson circuit on Apr. 27-28. Successfully completing Phase R in April means students will be able to apply for their race license in time to enter the first races of the season, which begin in May. Students must supply their own racebikes and riding gear.
More information can be found at the FAST Riding School website at www.fastridingschool.com.
Former champs in field
By John Hopkins
TORONTO, ON -- Five Canadians, including former champions Blair Morgan and Michael Island, are among the first wave of SnoCross racers selected for the field at ESPN Winter X Games 10.
Morgan, from Prince Albert, SK and Warminster, ON's Island are joined by Humboldt, SK's Robbie Malinoski, Mathieu Morin of Val D'Or, QC and Prince George, BC racer Steve Taylor in the 12 riders confirmed for the event. The field will eventually consist of 20 riders.
The other seven SnoCross selections are Brett Bender, D.J. Eckstrom, Willie Elam, T.J. Gulla, Levi LaVallee, Steve Martin and Mike Schultz.
Winter X Games 10 will be held for the fifth time in Aspen/Snowmass, CO Jan. 28-31.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
HBO to confirm Bengals on Hard Knocks
In case you aren't a regular NKYSportsWorlder and read the post nearly two weeks ago that made the announcement, HBO and the Bengals will confirm on Thursday that the Bengals will be the spotlight of Hard Knocks season. Hard Knocks is the HBO series that follows the inside of NFL franchises during training camp. Five one hour episodes will air typically on Sunday nights. Stay tuned for arranged NKYSportsWorld viewing parties.
Bengals Preseason Finale: What to watch for
- It has already been announced that Carson Palmer will not play in this game but should be ready to go for the regular season finale. I hate to think this way but the first thing to watch for tonight is the play of J.T. O'Sullivan. But the reality is Palmer only played in four games last year and with his preseason injury we can only cross our fingers that he will be healthy this year.
- Watch the Running Back situation. The Bengals face a very difficult decision as to who they should keep at this position. From what I have read and what I see on Hard Knocks they are forced to make a decision between DeDe Dorsey and Brian Leonard. Both have had impressive preseasons so far and both have made a strong argument to become the third back.
- While watching the running backs in the backfield also sneak a peek at the Fullback situation. It appears that Jeremi Johnson has locked up the #1 spot but there seems to be a battle between Fui Vakapuna and C! hris Pressley. Both are rookies but the Bengals have more invested in Vakapuna with a 7th round selection. Pressley was signed as a free agent. From watching meetings covered on Hard Knocks the Bengals like Pressley's physical nature but really seem to be pulling for Vakapuna.
- Perhaps the first place you should watch is special teams. With the injury of Andre Smith the Bengals will now be forced to keep around an extra offensive lineman, thus further hurting the roster situation. Tom Nelson will be fighting for a spot but showing his abilities as a kick returner. Also returning kicks will be Quan Cosby, who returned a punt for a TD last week.
No-Hit bid was great, but not the only thing
-Besse
Don't get me wrong. As a former Division 1 collegiate pitcher and owner of one no-hitter in high school, I realize how difficult it is to throw a no-hitter at any level, never mind at the major league level.
So what Curt Schilling did on June 7, 2007 was put forth an incredible effort, mixing up his low 90's fastball with that devastating splitter he has been struggling to consistently find. In fact, in his outing against Cleveland on May 28 in which he went seven strong while recording 10 strikeouts, Schilling commented on his personal blog, 38pitches.com, that it was the "1997 version" of his splitter that decided to show up. I learned at the park last week that apparently he and John Farrell have been working on altering the grip just slightly, moving his fingers a bit further up the ball so that they are resting more towards the wide end of the seam (the horseshoe).
And while the four he punched out against Oakland certainly didn'! t stack up to the 10 he sent packing against the Indians, what he did do was keep the A's off-balance in soliciting 12 ground ball and 11 fly ball outs. Most of the outs were fairly routine, aside from Coco Crisp's outstanding reaching catch on the run and Mike Lowell's terrific stab and throw at third.
But most importantly, this all came, for the fourth time this season, after a Red Sox loss. That's right. Schilling improved to 4-0 on the season when registering a decision after a Sox loss, while the Sox upped their record to 6-0 in games that Schilling started after a loss; Javy Lopez registered a decision against Baltimore on May 12 while Hideki Okajima was the beneficiary against the Yankees on June 2nd.
The reason I make this point the focus of my entry is because it has become vividly clear that Josh Beckett is now taking over as the ace of the Sox staff. At 9-0 and a 2.88 ERA, Beckett has been absolutely phenomenal and will start the All-Star ga! me and take home the Cy Young as long as no more "avulsions" a! ppear be tween now and October.
Schilling, meanwhile, has been extremely inconsistent. In 13 starts so far, he has provided Boston with eight quality starts. Of those eight starts, he surrendered only one run or less in five of them. So what's the problem, you ask? Well first off, while eight out of 13 might be pretty good at the plate, Curt Schilling is not Kevin Youkilis. He's a pitcher making $13 million this season to be a top-of-the-rotation guy. Eight out of 13 won't cut it, especially when you look at those five not-so-quality outings. In those games, Schilling has given up four runs or more, and only once did he do it while finishing the 7th inning. He recorded a no-decision after leaving trailing 5-2 to the Yankees on April 20th; the Sox scored five times in the eighth to win it. All in all, these numbers are atypical of both Schilling and any bona fide ace for that matter.
And after his plea for at least $13 million next year during spring training,! he'd have trouble arguing his case in court.
But where Schilling has been consistent, both this year and throughout his hopefully Hall-of-Fame career? As a stopper. He forever cemented himself in Red Sox lore during the great World Series run of '04, particularly in that bloody sock Game 6 of the ALCS against the Yankees. And this year, as mentioned, he has refused to let the Sox losses pile up.
When you have Schilling, Beckett and Matsuzaka as your top three in the rotation, it's going to be hard over the course of the season to lose three or more games in a row. At some point one of the three big guns will falter and it will happen as it did last week, when the Sox lost the series finale to the Yankees and then made it four straight after dropping the first three to the A's. But Schilling stepped up again, and he did it in tight quarters.
The A's have the best pitching staff in Major League Baseball, so it was no secret that the four ga! me series would play out like a soccer match with each team tr! ying to scratch together runs whenever possible. And Thursday's match up against Joe Blanton, who was coming off a nine-inning shutout of Minnesota, was no different. In fact Blanton, after surrendering four first-inning runs against the Sox on May 1st, shut out Boston for six innings thereafter en route to a 5-4 win.
So to find Schilling tossing a no-hitter into the ninth while involved in a 1-0 nothing game was nothing short of the amazing. It was reminiscent of Jack Morris' 10-inning gem for the Twins back in '91. Lest we forget that John Smoltz was on the other side of the diamond matching Morris for seven innings. Or that game in Little League when we played Amaral's Linguica and Adam Bielski and I both threw no-hitters. That's right, no hits for either team over seven innings. And we combined to strike out 27 batters. Not afraid to admit I still hang em up on the glory days of my youth baseball achievements.
But as far as Schilling goes, there's no quest! ion that he is not as consistent as need be to exist in the role of ace like that of Beckett this season. However, he still belongs at the top of the rotation. Because when the stars align and the Sox top spot in the rotation is slotted up against their opponents' top dog, Schilling must be there. Whenever there's hype being built up, whether it's for a stickball game in the yard or Game 7 of the World Series, Schilling thrives at being in the midst of it. You don't even need to ask him…he'll be the first to let you know.
-Besse
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, pleast contact Besse, Keefe and Sharkey at sportsbrief.blogspot.com.
The Sports Brief's Week 4 NFL picks
Anybody watch "The Office" last night? Easily a top five episode of all time full of great moments. My personal favorite was when Kelly hit the floor like a bag of bricks during the weigh-in. Michael Klump was pretty ridiculous, as well. You could probably list a hundred different enjoyable tidbits from that episode and still leave something out.
The Jim/Pam proposal was a bittersweet moment for me, though. Tara had predicted at the end of last season that Jim not proposing meant they were going to have the two of them drift apart in Season 5. I refused to believe it, but when I saw Pam go off to Design school, the writing was on the wall. Then there was the scene where that dork commented on his "ex-girlfriend" being right behind them, pleading that no one look. Obviously they did and it turned out to be an 80-year old professor. I called it on the spot that Pam would get with that guy because he was just like Jim. Tara refused to agree, saying it wouldn't be the! jokester from the hallway, so we bet a dinner at Turner's on it. Moments later Jim and Pam were having trouble making plans and Jim mentioned they hadn't seen each other in 10 days. I gave a fist pump and an "I told you so" across the couch, then ate my foot when he dropped to a knee outside the gas station in the pouring rain. Pretty solid work on Jim's part, I give him credit. But I'm wondering if this nullifies our bet or if I've lost. I argue that Tara and I both agreed they would drift apart, and the bet was on whether or not Pam would get with that geek from the hallway. Regardless, I'm pissed I didn't win the bet. I thought I had that one pegged from a mile away.
Onto the picks…
Keefe and I tied last week, but he maintains honors due to his victory in Week 2. For Random Rob, I put four pieces of paper in a cup with the words "Home", "Away", "Favorite" and "Underdog" on them. Each game I drew one of the slips out of the cup and based on the word! , selected a team to which that word applied. For example, I d! rew "Und erdog" for the Browns/Bengals tilt, so the Browns got the nod since they are getting 3.5 points.
Keefe's picks
Last week: 10-6
Overall: 26-21
Browns +3.5 over Bengals
Battle of 0-3 teams from Ohio. Derek Anderson could very well be playing for his job, remember last year's battle with 11 TDs in the air? Expect a lot of points once again.
Vikings +3.5 over Titans
Vikings great run D will make Chris Johnson and Lendale White much less effective thus making Kerry Collins open it up, may very well equal their first loss.
Broncos -9.5 over Chiefs
Chiefs might just be the worst team in football not named the Rams. Cutler and Marshall continue their record breaking ways.
49ers +6.5 over Saints
I expect another high scoring affair here. No Coleston, no Shockey, no cover.
You see the Jets on MNF? Not as good as I predicted them to be. Darrelle Revis is good, but he can't stop both Fitzgerald and Boldin.
Packers +1.5 over Buccaneers
Is Brian Griese going to throw the ball 67 times again? He might, no Al Harris will be a big loss for the Packers' D, but not enough in this one.
Falcons +7.5 over Panthers
I like Michael Turner. The sneaky Falcons will at least keep this one close.
Texans +7.5 over Jaguars
I know the Jags finally won a game last weekend, but I am not a fan. I think they're the most over hyped team in football. Texans have struggled, but I think their defense keep them in it.
Chargers -7.5 over Raiders
Chargers made some plays on D last week. LT doesn't look 100%, but Sproles does and the Raiders are terrible. Is Lane Kiffin still! the coach?
Bills -8.5 over Rams
! Buffalo 4-0? Looks like it. What quarter does Trent Green get hurt? I'll do middle of the 3rd. Keep an eye on this.
Cowboys -11.5 over Redskins
Dallas certainly looks like the best team in football after the first 3 weeks. Despite a division game, I think they still roll.
Eagles -3.5 over Bears
The NFC East may have 3 of the top 5 teams in all of football. Donovan will get back on track passing the ball after a grind it out victory over the Steelers last week.
Ravens +7.5 over Steelers
Monday Night Football could be ugly with Joe Flacco at the helm. But no Willie Parker, can Mendenhall hold on to the ball? The Ravens could even go 3-0, not as bad a game as I first thought.
Besse's picks
Last week: 10-6
Overall: 25-22
Browns +3.5 over Bengals
I think Cincy wins on a late fi! eld goal. But bet the Over and bet it heavy. This has the makings of another wild shootout, much like last year's game. Anderson will save his job for another week, but Palmer, Housh and Ocho get the best of the Browns.
Vikings +3.5 over Titans
Vikings defense is potent and will not only shut down the run, but force Kerry Collins into some ill-advised throws. Low scoring affair here, but the Vikings win outright.
Broncos -9.5 over Chiefs
Shannon Sharpe may need to call the National Guard for this one, much like he did against the Pats several years ago. It will be ugly in so many ways.
Saints -6.5 over 49ers
I love the way the Saints played last week in a heartbreaking loss to the Broncos. At home against the 49ers, I think it's a shootout but Brees and Bush will pull ahead late and cover.
Cardinals +2.5 over Jets
I don't like! the Cardinals traveling cross country for the second straight! week, b ut I don't like the Jets, period. Warner and Co. will light up the skies and Favre's bum ankle won't be able to keep pace. Cardinals secondary has been stingy, by the way. Anyone else notice that yet?
Bucs -1.5 over Packers
Jon Gruden is proving himself once again as one of the best, and most underrated coaches in the game. His defense will prevail in this one, pressuring Aaron Rodgers much like the Cowboys did last week.
Panthers -7.5 over Falcons
Panthers have kept Tomlinson, Forte and Peterson at bay the first three weeks of the season. They'll load up 7 or 8 in the box this week and force Matt Ryan to make some uncomfortable throws. And Steve Smith will break out.
Jaguars -7.5 over Texans
Jaguars at home coming off a big win over Indy. I don't expect a let down. The running game will have another big week and cover in a mini shootout.
Chargers -7.! 5 over Raiders
Lane Kiffin has kept the Raiders competitive in Week 2 and 3 and should probably be 2-1 right now. Regardless, his team will get lit up by San Diego and give Al Davis a reason to fire him. I don't agree with the rumors swirling around Kiffin's firing now and I won't agree with it when it happens, either.
Rams +8.5 over Bills
Rams will win outright in a big upset. This could be a track meet in St. Louis, and while I'm concerned for Trent Green's livelihood this week, I think he'll survive and win.
Redskins +11.5 over Cowboys
Dallas has made some careless mistakes and shown flashes of vulnerability. I still think they're the best team in the NFL and the favorite to win the Super Bowl, but the Redskins will put up a fight. The outcome won't be decided until the final minutes, so look for the Skins to cover.
Eagles -3.5 over Bears
! The Bears should really draft a quarterback this year. A good! one. Th is is a great matchup for Philly, and whether Westbrook plays or not won't really matter. Buckhalter is as good a back as any in this league when healthy, so the offense shouldn't skip a beat.
Ravens +7.5 over Steelers
This could be as bad a Monday Night game as we've seen in a longtime. Flacco at QB, Big Ben playing hurt and Willie Parker out. It will be exciting only because neither team will be able to score and thus it will be close. Bet your mortgage on the under.
Random Rob's picks
Last week: 8-8
Overall: 29-18
Browns
Titans
Broncos
Saints
Cardinals
Packers
Panthers
Jaguars
Chargers
Bills
Cowboys
Eagles
Ravens
-Bess
Ridiculous KO by Gilbert Yvel
Last night at Ultimate Chaos the headliner was Bobby Lashley v. Bob Sapp. While that received a lot of hype, a fight that went forgotten was the matchup between bangers Gilbert Yvel and Pedro Rizzo. You expected a KO either way, but this was ruthless, check it out:
Gilbert Yvel vs Pedro Rizzo
Uploaded by michael_dwayne! _jr. - Basketball, baseball, pro wrestling and more sports videos.
Not sure what the referee was doing or looking at, but Rizzo took a couple unnecessary shots. Felt like I was watching a fight on UFC Undisputed for Xbox as he took the last couple punches just laying there unconscious, head bouncing off the floor. For a moment you had to wonder if he was flatlining.
Scary stuff.
-Bess
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Billy Gillespie Rumors and Replacement
- Billy Donovan
Would Kentucky really be happy with getting slick Billy Donovan on this bench? Two years ago Billy was coming off of back to back National Championships. Now Billy Donovan is coming off of back to back NIT bids and not exactly burning up the SEC. His recruiting classes are marginal but has shown he can get the talent and he can win when the talent is there.
- John Calipari
Would he leave Memphis? He is able to recruit the best athletes to come to Memphis and play their one season before they get drafted. Would Kentucky fans be able to handle one and done type players? Also Calipari can essentially do whatever he wants in Memphis and plays in an NBA arena. He has a guaranteed trip to the NCAA tournament every year playing in the C-USA. Calipari also may not have the right squeaky clean image that Kentucky will be looking for post Billy G.
-Travis Ford
He is coming off of a great season at Oklahoma State, however he has only been there one year and his only previous experience comes from UMass. He is relatively unproven as a head coach but he is a Kentucky boy which earns him some serious credibility with the Kentucky fans. Recruiting and experience on the big stage are yet to be determined with Ford.
Gillespie Out at Kentucky?
Kentucky Sports Report is reporting that Assistant Coach Tracy Webster has been seen cleaning out his office. Many outlets are now reporting that Billy Gillespie is in fact no longer going to be the coach at the University of Kentucky. Other outlets are reporting that NC State is monitoring the situation as they are intersted in potentially signing coach Gillespie to coach at NC State. Speculation regarding Billy Donovan to UK is also heating up, we could have a new coach in the Bluegrass very soon.
Can't say anything for sure at this point but there are an awful lot of outlets reporting which would mean this is the worlds worst kept secret.
Added Word on Gillespie
New information has been made available with regard to the current Billy G coaching situation. Word of his firing has the potential to create a coaching carousel across the NCAA. Word is out that Billy Donovan has a clause in his contract in which no buyout exists if he decides to leave during the months of March or April. In addition, a great deal of rumors have circulated regarding Anthony Grant, current VCU coach and former Florida assistant, who is a rising star among coaches. Anthony Grant has been offered the job at Alabama, however, he must decide on the job today. This has forced all parties to act quickly. The reason: If Billy Gillespie is fired and Donovan is hired as the next UK coach, Anthony Grant will be offered his dream job at Florida. Stay tuned for fast occuring details.
Extra word to UK fans: Be careful what you wish for. First, you create a very undesirable job when you want a new head coach every other season. Secondly, do you really want a coach in Billy Donovan who has managed to send his team to two straight NIT bids??
Travis Ford: A Long Shot for the UK Job
Rumor has it Travis Ford is being looked at as a replacement for Billy Gillespie. Why would Travis Ford leave Oklahoma State now? He's playing in a power conference, the Big 12, and almost stunned Pittsburgh in the second round of the NCAA's in his first season at the school. He's in a good situation and wouldn't want to take on the headache that is UK basketball right now. Just for fun lets compare Billy Gillespie's career coaching record vs. Travis Ford's:
Billy Gillespie:
140-85 (62% WP)
This season he improved Kentucky's record from 18-13 to 22-14 although they didn't make the big dance. People need to remember a coach needs time to bring in big name guys, the majority of his team currently aren't his recruits. If Patterson and Meeks are both back with Daniel Orton do you really think they'll miss the tournament no matter who's coaching?
Travis Ford:
146-127 (53% WP)
Ford took a terrible EKU team and turned them into a tournament team. People need to remember this took him five years to accomplish and his only winning season there was his final year. He then was at Umass where he failed to make the NCAA tourney all three years on the job. If people think that Travis Ford can come in and turn UK into an instant winner then you're living in a fantasy world.
My point is it takes time to rebuild a team, even if you're UK. Is Travis Ford really the answer to all your problems?
Kentucky Statement on Future of Billy Gillespie
We are continuing to hear many different rumors regarding Coach Billy Gillespie and his future at Kentucky. At this point it is still difficult to sort everything out. A television station out of Louisville reported last night the Billy Gillespie was fired and immediately following that telecast the University of Kentucky released the following statement:
"UK men’s basketball coach Billy Gillespie has not been fired. There have been no meetings between Gillespie and UK officials today, and there is no scheduled press conference for tomorrow."
We still cannot determine what exactly the future holds for Gillespie, but after all of this speculation and reports I think it would be an even tougher situation for Billy next year if he were to stay. The best move for Gillespie and the University at this point seems to be to cut ties completely. Stay tuned we will keep you up to date as we know any new information.
Meeting Set on Gillespie's Future at UK
WKYT in Lexington has confirmed that there is a scheduled meeting between Billy Gillespie, Mitch Barnhart, and Lee Todd regarding the future of Billy Gillespie and the Kentucky program. This is confirmed information and not a rumor.
On the rumor front there still seems to be the biggest wave on Billy Donovan being the candidate for Kentucky but all reports are still unconfirmed. With all that has transpired in the last two days I find it hard to believe that Billy Gillespie would be back as coach of the Kentucky Wildcats. Rumors have linked Billy Donovan, Travis Ford, John Calipari, Rick Pitino, and Sean Miller to the Kentucky job but all are just rumors. Most of the rumors throughout the state are completely unfounded but at least worth discussing amidst the madness in the Bluegrass state. Stay tuned for more to come.
Confirmed: Billy Gillispie Gone at UK
Reports have been confirmed that Coach Billy Gillispie and the Kentucky Wildcats have parted ways. Now the speculation will begin as to who will replace Coach Gillispie on the sidelines. Already numerous names have been thrown around. Stay tuned throughout the weekend and we will discuss the candidates for the job.
Press conference is set for 4:30 today.
Lets look at some other names
All the talk is surrounding Calipari, Ford and Donovan. I'm just going to throw some other names out there.
Lorenzo Romar - Washington
Mike Anderson - Missouri
Matt Painter - Purdue
Mike Anderson is the most intriguiging to me. He plays the 40 minutes of Hell style offense and defense. The run and gun style that we have all missed since Pitino left.
Any interest in these 3?
Billy Gillispie: We Hardly Knew You
What an interesting two year ride is has been. Lee Todd and Mitch Barnhart both cite philosphical differences in the reason Gillispie is leaving. It seems as if Billy sealed his fate when he made the comment that he was not an ambassador for the University he was there to coach basketball games. Do I think Billy is a terrible coach or person? No. I think that to be the head coach of the University of Kentucky you have to be much more than a good basketball coach. You have to be an ambassador, you have to carry yourself with great pride and respect for the program and the Commonwealth. The head coach of the University of Kentucky is revered with great respect, more than even the govenor of this Commonwealth.
I wish Billy Gillispie luck in his future endeavors and feel that he will be given the keys to a great College program but I also excited about the prospects of having a new leader for the Kentucky Wildca
Alvin Mitchell and Mike Williams Out at Cincinnati
Large scale announcements started what looks to be a roller coaster type offseason for the University of Cincinnati Men's basketball team today. Mick Cronin announced that Alvin Mitchell was dismissed from the team after a violation of team rules prior to the Big East Tournament. It was the second, and last, violation for Mitchell who just finished his sophomore season. In addition, Texas transfer Mike Williams announced that he will not seek a 6th year of eligibility through the NCAA and has thus ended his college career. Williams had originally lost a year due to transfer and was then injured missing the following season with an Achilles problem. Previous precidents in the NCAA had led UC fans to believe that Williams would have been granted an extra year had he applied. This will be a big blow to the Bearcats who will lose the teams #2 scorer and a guy who could actually hit a mid range jump shot.
Stay tuned for further developments regarding UC basketball. With these two subtractions, the offseason recruiting trail looks to have hit an accelerated mode. Rumors of a transfer by Liberty guard Seth Curry, the leading freshman scorer in the country last year and younger brother of All-American Stephen Curry, are currently running rampant.
Is Firing Billy Gillespie The Right Move?
For weeks now, the rumors have run their course regarding whether or not Billy Gillespie will be the coach at the University of Kentucky next season. For the same length of time, everybody and i mean EVERYBODY has put forth their two cents regarding who they think will be the next coach. Now that Billy Gillespie has been in fact fired from UK, the question remains Is his firing justified? Is his firing the right move?
My Answer: Absolutely NOT.
1) A coach needs time to develop his system and recruit his players. I dont care if you are UNC, Duke, UCONN, UK, or Ausin Peay. This should apply to any program. I did not care for the Billy G either and often times thought he was a sleezy stubborn coach who didnt deal well with players, fans, or the media. However, two years is not a sufficient period of time.
2) UK is creating a coaches nightmare. First, Tubby Smith was force out. Now, after two seasons Gillespie has been forced out. Is Kentucky still the desirable job it was ten years ago? You create problems when you demand excellence and then get rid of a coach every other season. It also makes other coaches think twice about want to go there.
3) Billy Donovan and John Calipari have already said they ARE NOT INTERESTED. Sorry UK fans, but gone are the days where you can just pick and choose any coach you want and they will come. By the way, Jay Wright said no also. Do you have a backup plan??
4) A problem is created when you fire a coach without a plan on who the next coach will be. Chances are, a top tier coach will not come to UK and a second tier or up and coming coach will take the job. Travis Ford is the most likely replacement. Are they going to be given time to prove themselves or will they also fall victim to the two year plan? Cause i've got news for you, Travis Ford is a UK guy but he is also only been a second tier coach that will require more than two years to right the ship at Kentucky. It will be fun the watch.
Now I wanna here from you. What is your opinion? If you think he should have been fired, tell me why and give me a logical explaination as to who the next coach will be.
What will happen with Kentucky recruits?
With the firing of head coach Billy Gillispie there has been a lot of speculation regarding the future of the prized recruits that Gillispie has signed to play at the University of Kentucky. Here is what we know so far.
Jon Hood
Jon's father Brian Hood said that Jon was "heartbroken" that Gillispie was no longer the coach of the Wildcats. "The plan is like everybody's plan would be - to see who it is, sit down and talk to whoever it is - and then decide. When all this started coming down, at first it was disbelief and then there is not a better word for it than heartbroken. He was literally heartbroken. You have to remember, he has gone all in with Billy (Gillispie).
G.J. Vilarino
G.J. was Gillispie's first signed recruit out of McKinney Texas. G.J.'s father told the Courier Journal, "It's a tough day for us because we have known those guys (the staff) for years and they're like family," Gerry Vilarino said. "We're hurting today and we feel for them. It's a difficult day on that side of it.
"But from a basketball perspective - solely - G.J. has had his mind set for a long time. Based on our conversations, it's going to be pretty hard for him to turn it off now and say he's not going to Kentucky. He has everything ready to go."
Dominique Ferguson
Indianapolis Lawrence North junior forward Dominique Ferguson wasn't shocked that Billy Gillispie is no longer the coach at UK, but the father noted his family was in strong with the former staff at UK.
"We have a really good relationship with those guys," said the elder Ferguson, noting assistant coach Tracy Webster was a big key in the recruitment of his son. "He has a lot on his mind right now. He's just trying to figure things out.
"Right now, he's thinking about the possibility of decommitting. I would say there's a strong possibility that he re-opens the process."
The 6-foot-9 Ferguson is considered one of the top 10 players in the Class of 2010. He's ranked higher - among his class - than any of the nine players that are either signed or committed to UK through the Class of 2012.
Daniel Orton
The 6-foot-10 Orton is the highest-ranked recruit in the Class of 2009 and is going to wait to see who the school hires before making a final decision.
"We just have to sit back and wait and see," Larry Orton said. The elder Orton said the family would just "have to figure out what's going on" and who the coach might be before making a final decision.
Alan Cutler chasing Billy Gillispie
I really don't like Alan Cutler to begin with, he hosts a local sports talk show here in Cincinnati and I feel that he is rude to his callers who share a differing opinion but this video shows a new level of being unprofessional. I realize that you want to be the man who cracks the story and gets the quote when you are in the media but seriously chasing a man down a hallway is a bit ridiculous.
John Calipari Rumors
As you would expect out of the Big Blue nation there are countless rumors floating around about potential replacements for Coach Billy Gillipsie. But one name seems to be coming up quite a bit and as we have seen in the past where there is smoke there is fire. John Calipari's name has come up on several sources as already scheduled meetings with the Kentucky brass. There were a lot of early indications that the university was going to aggresively pursue Tom Izzo but with Michigan State making the final four that may take that opportunity away. As of right now I would list the following coaches as Kentucky's main targets.
1. John Calipari
2. Tom Izzo
3. Rick Barnes
4. Sean Miller
5. Thad Matta
Tiger Strikes Again
I really enjoyed a lazy sports Sunday yesterday and watched Tiger play 18 holes lurking up on Sean O'Hair. O'Hair held a 5 stroke lead to start play on Sunday but you could tell from the first tee that O'Hair could not ignore Tiger lurking and slowly inching up toward him. Woods finally caught O'Hair with a 26 foot birdie putt on the 15th but Tiger let O'Hair right back in it. It came down to the 18th, the type of drama the the PGA tour was salivating over and the situations that Tiger Woods dreams about. O'Hair missed his birdie opportunity on the 18th which left Tiger with a 16 footer on the 18th for the outright lead. With the sun setting on Bay Hill Tiger did what Tiger does, sank the putt and captured his sixth victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Rumors Kentucky to Offer John Calipari
According to ESPN's Andy Katz Kentucky has met with Memphis Head Coach John Calipari at an undisclosed location Sunday and offered him a "mega-deal." Acording to Katz' report Calipari was going to meet with officials at Memphis to discuss the offer that Kentucky gave him and give them an opportunity to discuss his potential future with the Tigers.
One interesting note Calipari has locked up a solid verbal with DeMarcus Cousins who is the #2 ranked player in Rivals 150. Cousins did not sign a letter of intent so he could potentially follow Coach Calipari if he leaves for Kentucky.
***Update****
1:10 p.m.
The Memphis Commercial Appeal is reporting that John Calipari has met with his players and the early indication is that he is leaving for the University of Kentucky. Read the full story here. According to the source, Calipari told the team that Kentucky was the Notre Dame of basketball.
The University of Kentucky position clearly fits Calipari's ego and if he could bring the top ranked recruiting classes to the Big Blue Nation he would be welcomed with open arms. I think the whole Billy Gillispie situation taught Mitch Barnhart and the University of Kentucky a lesson. They will have to get a proven winner and not take a flyer on a coach, if they take a chance on a coach it better be a Kentucky boy!
LeBron James- Class Act Move
COLUMBUS — Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary has defeated Thurgood Marshall, 59-53 for the Division II state title.
Marshall’s Juwan Staten led all scorers with 28 points. After the game LeBron James pulled a crying Staten over to him and talked to him at length on the court, then hugged him.
“He just told me I’m a great pl;ayer and to keep my head up,” a tearful Staten said afterward. “He told me he knew how I felt because he lost a state title game, too. He said I’ve got a great future.”
from Dayton Daily News
Rumors of Kentucky's Offer to Calipari
There are a lot of internet rumors floating around now that Calipari to Kentucky is essentially a done deal and we could know as early as 4:00 today. The word is Kentucky offered Calipari $6 million per year to take the reigns of the winningest program in NCAA history. There are a number of reports as well that with Calipari could come top ranked recruits John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins. If Kentucky can land Calipari and these recruits as well as retain Patrick Patterson, Daniel Orton and Jodie Meeks the Wildcat's could be scary good next year. Stay tuned.
**Update**
3:54 p.m.
http://memphis.rivals.com/
Rivals.com is reporting that the John Calipari era is over at Memphis and he will take over as the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats.
**Updste**
5:14
This story gets a little stanger by the minute. Rivals now have dropped the story that indicated Calipari is gone and word is he is currently meeting with Memphis boosters who are matching the Kentucky offer. This could get very interesting. If the University of Kentucky cannot pull this off with all of the speculation they will struggle to find a viable candidate.
NCAA Tournament Records By Conference
Here is an update to the NCAA tournament winning percentages by each conference. The update is complete through all games.
2009 NCAA TOURNAMENT BY CONFERENCE
Big East (7 Teams)
Rd 1: 6-1, 86%
Rd 2: 5-1, 83% Overall 11-2, 85% 5 Sweet Sixteen, 5/7 or 71%
Rd 3: 4-1, 80% Overall 15-3, 83% 4 Elite Eight, 4/7 or 57%
Rd 4: 2-2, 50% Overall 17-5, 77% 2 Final Four, 2/7 or 29%
Big Ten (7 Teams)
Rd 1: 4-3, 57%
Rd 2: 2-2, 50% Overall 6-5, 54% 2 Sweet Sixteen, 2/7 or 29%
Rd 3: 1-1, 50% Overall 7-6, 54% 1 Elite Eight, 1/7 or 14%
Rd 4: 1-0, 100% Overall 8-6, 57% 1 Final Four, 1/7 or 14%
Pac 10 (6 Teams)
Rd 1: 5-1, 83%
Rd 2: 1-4, 20% Overall 6-5, 54% 1 Sweet Sixteen 1/6 or 17%
Rd 3: 0-1, 0% Overall 6-6, 50% 0 Elite Eight, 0/6
0% Final Four
ACC (7 Teams)
Rd 1: 3-4, 43 %
Rd 2: 2-1, 66% Overall 5-5, 50% 2 Sweet Sixteen, 2/7 or 29%
Rd 3: 1-1, 50% Overall 6-6, 50% 1 Elite Eight, 1/7 or 14%
Rd 4: 1-0, 100% Overall 7-6, 54% 1 Final Four, 1/7 or 14%
SEC (3 Teams)
Rd 1: 1-2, 33%
Rd 2: 0-1 Overall 1-3, 25% 0 Sweet Sixteen, 0/3 or 0 %
0% Elite Eight, Final Four
Big Twelve (6 Teams)
Rd 1: 6-0, 100%
Rd 2: 3-3, 50% Overall 9-3, 75% 3 Sweet Sixteen, 3/6 or 50%
Rd 3: 2-1, 67% Overall 11-4, 73% 2 Elite Eight, 2/6 or 33%
Rd 4: 0-2, 0% Overall 11-6, 64% 0 Final Four, 0/6, 0%
A-10 (3 Teams)
Rd 1: 2-1, 66%
Rd 2: 1-1, 50% Overall 3-2, 60% 1 Sweet Sixteen, 1/3, 33%
Rd 3: 0-1, 0% Overall 3-3, 50% 0 Elite Eight, 0/3, 0%
0% Final Four
Concerns over Calipari
I have my concerns about Calipari. And, I am not alone. Mark Story from the Lexington Herald-Leader spells them out in this article. You can read it here.
Shouldn't the administration slow down. Aren't they rushing in to this hire just like they did last time. I realize Calipari has a proven track record for winning, but how did he get those top recruits to sign on at UMass and Memphis anyway? Any red lights going off in your minds about this hire? Aren't there are other proven coaches that should a get a look. What if Tom Izzo would be interested? Can we wait a week to find out?
The Kentucky Saga Continues
This whole situation really blows my mind. I have checked a number of sources which include national sports, local media, and web related sources for information regarding the Kentucky Coaching vacancy and it amazes me as to how much contradictory information I have read. Here is my best estimation as to where Kentucky and John Calipari stand at this time.
- Kentucky has offerd John Calipari after discussing and meeting with him over the weekend.
- The terms of the contract are very large but the exact number is still unknown to the public
- John Calipari has not accepted or rejected any offers from Kentucky
- Memphis Boosters have lobbyed to keep Calipari in Memphis with help from FedEx.
- Kentucky will not have a press conference until all of the terms of the contract are negotiated and the contract is signed. (No memorandum of understanding mess like Billy Gillispie had)
- Players from Memphis current roster will not follow John Calipari to Kentucky if he leaves but current unsigned recruits may have the opportunity.
- One of Calipari's concerns was the number of young players who Kentucky has already committed to and if he will be bound to honoring those commitments.
Hopefully this whole Soap Opera will end today. I have learned that many in the Kentucky media are very quick to jump to conclusions on this whole situation. Both Kentucky and Memphis sources reported yesterday that it was a done deal which was obviously premature. In this era of reporting where everyone wants the scoop it is getting a little out of hand. Stay tun
Still No Official Word On Calipari
As of this point there is still no official word on John Calipari leaving Memphis for the University of Kentucky. There are several Memphis media outlets that are reporting that Calipari is officially leaving. We do know that Calipari is meeting with his coaches currently at his house. The Louisville Courier Journal is reporting that Coach Calipari reached out to former UK coach Joe B. Hall this afternoon. They are reporting that it is a done deal. As I reported in an earler post I will not believe it until we have an official announcement from the University.
New Level of Crazy
If you are really wanting to know right away what is going on with John Calipari you can you check out this link. As of 3:52 they are streaming live footage of the gate outside John Calipari's house to see if there is any activity. I am not quite sure what they are hoping to gain by having this camera hear. I am pretty sure Calipari is not going to come up wearing the Wildcat mascot suit if he does accept the job.
Not So Perfect
According to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, Cincinnati Reds minor league pitching coach Tom Browning was arrested on Friday and charged with non-payment of child support on a Polk County, Fla., warrant.
Bond was set at $99,008.36. Browning, 48, of Union, Ky., remained in custody at the Sarasota County Jail as of Monday evening.
The Cincinnati Reds declined comment through media relations director Rob Butcher.
Best known for the perfect game he threw on Sept. 16, 1988, Browning in January was named pitching coach for the Carolina Mudcats, the Reds' Double-A affiliate
Reds Trade IF Jeff Keppinger
The Reds IF Jeff Keppinger has been traded to the Houston Astro's for a player to be named later. Keppinger has had a terrible spring thus far with the Reds and his durability and consistancy have been questioned by many in the Reds organi
Calipari takes the bait ... it's about time.
After reports of John calipari accepting the job at the University of Kentucky, then reports of him staying at Memphis, then reports of him accepting the job at the University of Kentucky, then reports of him stay ... anyways, he has finally actually accepted the job at the University of Kentucky. Personally, after the mistake of Billy G, I would have preferred someone who knows what Kentucky basketball means to the state like Travis Ford. The program needs someone who truelly wants the position, not for the "stage," but for the pride.
I hope he turns it around fast, I don't want to be glued to the internet blogs in two years.
DFB-Pokal Tuesday Review
Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Schalke and Hoffenheim emerged victorious in the DFB Pokal on Tuesday night.
Bayern Munich secured their passage to the third round of the DFB Pokal tonight with a 5-0 hammering of second-tier Rot-Weiss Oberhausen at the Allianz Arena.
Philipp Lahm (32) and Mario Gomez (41) ensured the Bavarian giants were two goals to the good by half-time, and they wrapped it up in the second half with Daniel van Buyten (70 and 86) scoring either side of a Thomas Muller goa! l.
Borussia Monchengladbach were the only Bundesliga side to lose to lower-league opposition as Kristoffer Andersen's 90th-minute goal secured a 1-0 upset win for MSV Duisburg.
Borussia Dortmund won 3-0 at Karlsruhe, relegated from the Bundesliga last season, as Mohammed Zidan put the visitors in front in the second minute and Lucas Barrios made sure with goals in the 22nd and 51st minutes.
Felix Magath's Schalke were 3-0 winners at Bochum as Heiko Westermann (10), Halil Altintop (56) and an own goal from Christian Fuchs did the damage.
Elsewhere, Regionalliga West minnows Eintracht Trier were surprise 4-2 winners over second division Arminia Bielefeld after extra-time, Hoffenheim won 1-0 at Nurnberg, Greuther Furth won 3-2 at Ahlen and Koblenz beat Energie Cottbus 4-2.
Mallorca 3-0 Valladolid
Mallorca continued their fine start to the season with a comfortable win over Valladolid at Son Moix.
Mallorca moved into the Primera Division top four after five rounds of the championship.
Gregorio Manzano's side are perennial slow-starters, but began this season in impressive fashion as they won two and drew the other of their first three matches.
A 2-0 defeat at Sevilla followed in midweek, but the islanders responded with aplomb in this match as they th! rashed a sorry Valladolid outfit.
Nunes put the home side into the lead after just three minutes and they never looked back after that, comfortably claiming the points following further goals from Aritz Aduriz and Borja Valero in three second-half minutes.
Valladolid came into this match without their two first-choice centre-backs after both were sent off in Wednesday night's miserable 2-1 defeat at home to Osasuna.
And Mallorca wasted no time in exploiting the absence of Luis Prieto and Cesar Arzo as they quickly took the lead after just three minutes of play.
Julio Alvarez launched a hopeful free-kick into the box and after the Valladolid defence failed to clear the danger, Nunes found his way through the melee to fire the opener from close-range and give the home side the perfect start.
It was just the reaction Manzano would have hoped for.
The veteran coach had said before the game that his side were obliged to beat Valladolid.
And they almost went two up after 19 minutes, when Adur! iz was d enied by Nivaldo just when he was ready to pull the trigger and smash home a second.
Six minutes later, Nivaldo failed to clear and the ball fell to Victor, but the Mallorca striker was off target with his lobbed effort and should have done better.
Following a lull in proceedings in the rest of the first period, Mallorca continued to dominate after the break.
Aduriz saw his fierce effort pushed wide by Jacobo Sanz and Victor blasted over as the hosts sought a second goal.
And it finally arrived with 20 minutes left.
Mario Suarez's neat through-ball left Aduriz one on one with Jacobo and the Basque striker kept his cool to fire under the Valladolid keeper and virtually wrap up the points for Mallorca.
Any doubts the home side had of winning all three points were banished three minutes later, when Valero ended a quick counter-attack with a routine finish.
A minute earlier, Valladolid had missed a great chance to pull a goal back! as Marquitos mis-hit a shot from close-range and Nunes hacked the ball off the line.
The visitors were left to rue that miss, but there was no way back and while Mallorca sit loftily perched in fourth place, Valladolid are currently fifth from bottom.
Eagles win a thriller against Sussex
Diamond Eagles won the one-over eliminator against Sussex Sharks after bot the sides failed to reach a result in the given time.
Piyush Chawla succeeded in getting the first wicket for Sussex as he sent Adrian McLaren packing.
The Indian accounted for the second one too in Morne van Wyk, Ed Joyce coming good with the catch.
Rory Hamilton-Brown then dismissed Boeta Dippenaar.
Cornelius de Villiers drew the first blood for Eagles by knocking off Luke Wright's off-stump.
Dillon du Preez followed with showing Chris Nash the way back, Victor Mpitsang making no mistake with the catch.
The third shock also came quickly. De Villiers caught Rory Hamilton-Brown off his own bowling to spell further trouble.
Mpitsang bowled a beauty to sent Dwayne Smith packing. Ryan Bailey then accounted for Michael Yardy.
Ed Joyce lost his wicket to a run-out. Joe Gatting was caught by Ryan McLaren off Dillon du Preez to claim the seventh one.
Sussex Sharks and Diamond Eagles will hurl th! emselves at each other's throat for a win that would prise ope! n the Su per Eight door.
Both throughly outplayed in their respective Group B openers against a markedly superior New South Wales, it is fairly an uncomlpicated situation where the winners would breeze into Super Eight and the losers catch an early home-bound flight.
The Eagles, under Boeta Dippenaar, would have to pull up their socks if they are to extend their stay in the high-profile tournament.
Dippenaar was critical of the Ferozeshah Kotla track's uneven bounce but the fact is, it remains same for all the sides and there would be no place for similar excuse today.
On a tricky pitch, Eagles bowlers did not really set alight the tournament even though they restricted NSW to a mdoest 144 for six. Among their bowlers, Victor Mpitsang impressed against NSW, as did Shadly van Schalkwyk and today they would have to put up an improved show.
The teams:
! Eagles: RR Rossouw, HH Dippenaar*, AP McLaren, MN van Wyk†, RT Bailey, R McLaren, AK Kruger, D du Preez, CJD de Villiers, T Tshabalala, PV Mpitsang
Sussex: CD Nash, LJ Wright, RJ Hamilton-Brown, DR Smith, EC Joyce, JS Gatting, MH Yardy*, PP Chawla, Yasir Arafat, RJ Kirtley, AJ Hodd†
Henin confirms Brisbane comeback
Former world number one Justine Henin will make her return to tennis at the Brisbane International in January.
The seven-time grand slam champion confirmed today that Brisbane will be her first competitive tournament since retiring in May last year.
The 27-year-old Belgian sees the competition as perfect preparation for the Australian Open, where she has already been granted a wild card.
"After a 15-month absence I am pleased to begin my second tennis career! at the Brisbane International," Henin said.
"I am looking forward to returning to Queensland and seeing the new facilities at the tennis centre as well as the surrounding attractions on offer in Brisbane.
"It will be great to get back to playing competitive tennis again and with the strong field, the same court surface and a similar climate to Melbourne, it will be the perfect preparation leading into the Australian Open."
Tournament director Steve Ayles was delighted to have Henin at the event, as she joins the likes of US Open champion and compatriot Kim Clijsters, Serbian Ana Ivanovic and local hope Jelena Dokic in an extremely strong field.
"It is shaping up to be a blockbuster event," Ayles said.
"With the appearance of Justine, the tennis world spotlight will be on Brisbane come January and the tournament will be taken to a whole new level.
"It will be tremendous to see Justine match up against her former rival and countrywom! an Kim Clijsters.
"With the former French Open champion! Ana Iva novic and Australian Open quarter-finalist Jelena Dokic confirmed, we are looking at an extremely strong women's field."
Henin will play exhibition tournaments in Charleroi and Dubai later this year to gain match-play practice before her tournament return.
Manchester City 2 Fulham 2
The Premier League game between Manchester City and Fulham at the City of Manchester Stadium on Sunday Oct 25 2009.
Sheikh Mansour's millions may have provided the cast, Manchester City Council the stage and Mark Hughes the direction for this season's grand production, but even in such auspicious circumstances, every show needs a slice of luck to thrive.
That Manchester City left Eastlands with even a point suggests they are blessed ! with that, too.
Two consecutive draws, at Aston Villa and Wigan, have halted their unrelenting early-season progress, and for 50 minutes here City's performance was enough to suggest they would be fortunate even to earn a third. Their passing was sluggish, their play disjointed.
Fulham, rarely impressive away from Thameside and struggling in the lower reaches of the table, looked far the more comfortable. Then Bobby Zamora intervened with the sort of miss which will have him waking in cold sweats and the game changed irrevocably.
Four goals in 20 minutes, two apiece, injected some life into a plodding, lethargic contest, but it all stemmed from the moment, 120 seconds into the second half, that Zamora won the part of Eastlands' favourite clown.
Had he scored, this could have been a ! very tearful afternoon indeed for Hughes.
Diomans! y Kamara , who had himself dawdled at the feet of Shay Given, when his strike partner set him through early in the opening period, picked out Clint Dempsey, who saw his shot well parried by the Irish international.
The rebound fell to Zamora, six yards out, the goal entirely at his mercy. The ball sprang from his right boot, wild, into the South Stand.
The laughter had barely died down when Lescott gave the hosts the lead, bundling in from a yard after both Gareth Barry and Emmanuel Adebayor had failed to convert Craig Bellamy's corner.
When Martin Petrov curled home from the edge of the box scarcely three minutes later, City should have been out of sight. Fulham, though, are not as accommodating as once they were.
Damien Duff halved the deficit from Zamora's knockdown before Clint Dempsey outjumped the static Joleon Lescott, all £24 million of him, to bounce a gentle header past the sprawling Given from Jonathan Gree! ning's free kick.
It could have been worse for Hughes's side, too, as their visitors, reinvigorated, wasted a succession of chances, most notably through Brede Hangeland - his header well saved by Given - and, of course, Zamora. That they rode their luck, though, bodes well. A lesser team would have crumbled.
This incarnation of City know the show has to go on.
Ljubicic enters Lyon final
Ivan Ljubicic entered the Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon final after romping to a 6-2 6-4 win over Arnaud Clement.
With Michael Llodra and Gilles Simon contesting the other semi-final, victory for Clement would have ensured a meeting of two home players for the title.
But powerful Croatian Ljubicic has been in imperious form, facing only two break points in the whole tournament, and kept up that record as he needed only an hour and 20 minutes to bury wildcard Clement! .
The third seed served six aces and broke twice in a one-sided first set and, though the second was much more closely contested, he had enough in reserve to set up a meeting with Llodra.
The three sets in the later clash yielded just one break of serve as Simon, he second-seeded world number 12, also failed to force even a solitary break point.
He did manage to win the opening set, taking a tie-break 7-4, but Llodra hit back to level the match at 1-1.
And the unseeded wildcard hit 11 of his 24 aces in a final set which ended in a one-sided tie-break, Llodra wrapping up a 6-7 (4/7) 6-3 7-6 (7/1) win.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Result of EURO 2008 Group B Second Matches
June 12th
Group B First Match at Worthersse Stadion
Croatia 2 : 1 Germany ( D. Srna 24', Olic 62' - Poldolski 79' )
Referee: Frank De Bleeckere - Belgium
Spectators: 30,461
Statistics:
Shot on target: 6 - 3
Shot off targe : 5 - 4
Possession : 44 - 56 %
Corner Kicks : 7 - 7
Off-Side: 1 - 3
Fouls: 13 - 13
Yellow Cards : 4 - 2
Red Card : 0 - 1
Group B Second Match at Ernst Happel Stadion
Austria 1 : 1 Poland ( I. Vastic (pen) 90' - Guerreiro 30' )
Referee: Howard Webb - EngLand
Spectators: 51,428
Statistics:
Shot on target: 5 - 8
Shot off targe : 5 - 5
Possession : 53 - 47 %
Corner Kicks : 9 - 8
Off-Side: 1 - 2
Yellow Cards : 2 - 3
Red Card :0-0
Il Padova comincia a sognare
di Andrea Ranaldo
Il Padova si conferma matricola terribile, dimostrandosi più forte di tutto e di tutti. Anche del santone Otuday, 59enne uruguaiano ingaggiato dal Mantova per trovare il "fuoco" nei giocatori lombardi. Appostato in tribuna centrale, il mago era addobbato con la maglia di Messi e un bastoncino appuntito, e al via si è lanciato in un gesto che aveva i crismi di una benedizione. Missione miseramente fallita, visto quello che sarebbe capitato di lì a poco: a regalare le vere m! agie sono infatti stati i ragazzi di Sabatini, che forti di alcuni interpreti di categoria superiore – Italiano su tutti - hanno letteralmente annichilito il Mantova. Ad aprire le danze è stato proprio Vincenzo Italiano, al 29' del primo tempo, con un missile terra-aria che si è schiantato nell'angolino basso. Cinque minuti dopo Handanovic è ancora battuto: questa volta la prodezza balistica è di Rabito, che con un chirurgico tiro a girare realizza il secondo eurogol della giornata.
Nella ripresa il Mantova tenta una timida reazione, ma Cavalli spreca malamente un paio di ghiotte occasioni. Gol sbagliato, gol subito: Cani, al 24' del secondo tempo, chiude definitivamente i conti, regalando al Padova il secondo posto in classifica.
PADOVA 3
MANTOVA 0
Padova (4-3-1-2): Agliardi; Cesar, Faisca, Trevisan, Renzetti; B! ovo, Italiano (29'st Patrascu), Jidayi; Rabito (35'st Cuffa); ! Cani, Di Nardo (39'st Soncin).
In panchina: Cano, Giovannini, Lazzari, Cotroneo. All.: Sabatini
Mantova (4-3-1-2): Handanovic; Salviato, Fissore, Gervasoni, Rizzi; Spinale, Mondini (29'st Nicco), Caridi (12'st Locatelli); Tarana; Cavalli, Nassi (33'st Abate).
In panchina: Bellodi, Cuneaz, Lanzoni, Lamburghi. All.: Serena??
Reti: 29' pt Italiano, 35'pt Rabito, 24'st Cani? ?
Arbitro: Marco Guida di Torre Annunziata? ?
Ammoniti: Gervasoni e Tarana (M), Renzetti e Cani (P)
Affare Pandev: Lotito chiede 8 milioni o 4+Krhin, ma lo sloveno è incedibile
di Marco Spinelli
fonte:fcinternews.it
Claudio Lotito ha rimandato ogni discorso legato a Pandev alla riapertura del mercato, ma è inevitabile che la trattativa stia entrando nel vivo in questo periodo, per poi essere completata quando i tempi lo consentiranno Il presidente della Lazio sa bene che rischia di perdere il giocatore senza incassare un euro, ben prima di giugno quando scadrà il contratto del macedone. Per questo ha urgente bisogno di 'liberarsene' a gennaio e è! pronto ad ascoltare ogni possibile offerta per rilevarne il cartellino. Il suo obiettivo sarebbe dar vita a un'asta, ma difficilmente i club interessati a Pandev si sveneranno per lui investendo gli 8 milioni cash chiesti dal club biancoceleste. Molto meno dei 15 sparati durante la precedente sessione di mercato, ma comunque una cifra troppo elevata per un giocatore che presto sarà libero da ogni vincolo contrattuale.
L'Inter ha deciso che per il macedone non investirà più di 5 milioni di euro cash, a cui aggiungerà una contropartita tecnica gradita a Lotito. Questa, come stabilito in Corso Vittorio Emanuele, la strategia per arrivare a Pandev già a gennaio. La rose dei pretendenti da cui la Lazio potrà attingere, secondo le ultime voci, è così composta: Obi, Caldirola e Destro. Tre giovani di cui si parla molto bene, poi saranno le società a definire le modalità del trasferimento. In realtà, però, a Roma sono piuttosto freddini di fronte a questa offerta tecnic! a. Se proprio un giovane si muoverà da Milano, il tecnico Ball! ardini h a già indicato quale preferirebbe allenare: Rene Krhin. Lo sloveno è, dopo Balotelli e Santon, il giocatore di punta della nuova generazione di campioni nerazzurri e ha già esordito in Serie A, oltre che in nazionale. Mourinho punta molto su di lui, soprattutto nel caso in cui Vieira o Muntari dovessero lasciare l'Inter a gennaio (ipotesi, al momento, remota per entrambi, dopo gli ultimi sviluppi).
Per questa ragione lo Special One non accetterà di lasciarlo partire, quindi la richiesta della Lazio rimarrà, sotto questo aspetto, insoddisfatta, così come nel caso di Arnautovic, altro giocatore indicato come possibile contropartita nell'affare Pandev. Resta dunque questo scoglio da superare, perché l'Inter non verserà mai 8 milioni nelle casse biancocelesti, pur avendo bisogno quanto prima di un nuovo arrivo in attacco. Se Lotto non accetterà di valutare con maggiore interesse l'offerta nerazzurra, c'è il rischio che la trattativa non riesca a decollare, favorendo m! agari l'inserimento della Juventus. Principale avversaria dell'Inter nella corsa all'attaccante dissidente.
VIAGGIO DEL VICEPRESIDENTE DELLA TRIESTINA E TITO ROCCO IN BASILICATA
Di Pasquale CampanellaBruno si presenta al Potenza e nasce un caso
Fonte: forum triestina
Il club lucano: «Con lui non trattiamo, è nullatenente».Il costruttore: «Tutto falso, non voglio quella società»
TRIESTE Il vicepresidente della Triestina, il costruttore Raffaele Bruno, va all'assalto del Potenza Calcio. Anzi, no. La società lucana comunica ufficialmente di non voler trattare con lui dopo aver dato un'occhiata alla visura camerale della Triestina da cui non risulterebbe nemmeno essere socio.! Bruno, da parte sua, replica con un altro comunicato in cui nega di aver mai voluto entrare nel direttivo di quel club ma di pensare solo all'Unione. Ma a Potenza c'è stato, e accompagnato da Tito Rocco (che, a sua volta, puntualizza di averlo fatto solo per amicizia).L'unica certezza è che la toccata e fuga in terra lucana di Bruno, potentino doc, ha avuto l'effetto di un uragano. Le cronache locali riferiscono che in una conferenza stampa convocata in una sua villa avrebbe annunciato il suo ritorno sulla piazza con una finanziaria e l'interessamento nei confronti del club per conto di «un gruppo di amici imprenditori del nord est». Qualche ora dopo, ecco l'incontro con il presidente del Potenza, Postiglione, davanti alla stampa e ai tifosi in un caffè. Ieri, sul sito del Potenza Sport Calcio, è comparso questo comunicato: «A seguito di indagini effettuate mediante visure camerali è emerso che: il sig. Bruno Raffaele Antonio non è, come millantato, socio dell'Us Triestina! Spa e che lo stesso da un punto di vista lavorativo e societa! rio in g enere risulta nullatenente. Il sig. Tito Rocco risulta essere nel cda dell'Us Triestina però con l'esiguo numero di 4 azioni pari a un valore di 200 euro. Pertanto si ritiene di interrompere qualsivoglia negoziazione».Raffaele Bruno, che in questi mesi di vicepresidenza alabardata ha portato avanti il «Progetto triestinità» su mandato del presidente Fantinel, rivendica un comunicato stampa «in cui dico chiaramente che non ambisco alla presidenza o a entrare nel Potenza e non potrei neanche farlo in base ai regolamenti federali in quanto sono vicepresidente della Triestina. Certo, il mio cuore è rossoblu, tornerò a Potenza con una mia società ma non esistono le condizioni per un mio coinvolgimento calcistico».Però a Potenza ci è stato e ha parlato di calcio...«Ci sono 4mila persone che mi adorano, il presidente ha meno simpatie. E allora, visto che in me vedono una luce di speranza...Ma volevo solo dire che i tifosi devono stringersi attorno al club».E gli imprenditori del no! rdest? «Ma no, macché». Sul sito del Potenza comunque scrivono che Bruno nemmeno figura nell'assetto societario della Triestina. «E vuol dire che sono ignoranti. Andassero a vedere la visura alla Camera di Commercio di Trieste dove si parla della Bruno Costruzioni e della Triestina». E qui cala il sipario. Ma forse siamo solo al primo atto.
CHIEVO PRONTO PER IL BARI
di Spinelli Marco
fonte: Leggo
Ride, scherza, sembra tranquillo. Mimmo Di Carlo è soddisfatto. Le risposte avute dai suoi ragazzi negli ultimi allenamenti gli fanno dormire sonni tranquilli. "La buona notizia - attacca l'allenatore gialloblù - è che Pellissier è in netto miglioramento. Nell'ultimo mese ha stretto i denti, ha lottato, ha dimostrato coraggio, scendendo in campo con una caviglia malconcia che non gli permetteva di giocare al massimo. Adesso la situazione è nettamente migliorata. ! Bene così"
Yepes ieri non ha preso parte all'amichevole con i dilettanti mantovani della Governolese in via precauzionale, ma domenica sarà al suo posto al centro della difesa. A centrocampo sarà riconfermato Iori al posto dell'infortunato Rigoni, mentre in attacco Granoche è in vantaggio su Bogdani, che oggi tornerà con il gruppo dopo l'impegno con la Nazionale albanese (sconfitta 4-1 dalla Svezia
Mimmo Di Carlo non vuole sentire parlare di titolari e riserve, anche se nella realtà esistono. Il tecnico tiene tutti sulla corda. "Ariatti mi sta piacendo sempre più e come lui tanti altri che in questo periodo stanno trovando poco spazio. Corrono durante la settimana, lavorano sodo cercando di mettermi in difficoltà nelle scelte. Giusto così. Presto arriveranno squalifiche, altri turni infrasettimanali, partite ravvicinate che mi costringeranno a cambiare qualcosa. Iori ha colto l'occasione al volo, presto arriverà il momento anche per altri giocatori, og! gi un po' in disparte. Non devono abbattersi, ma continuare a ! spingere "
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