SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2009 - 2010 - ROUND 7 SATURDAY GAMES RESULTS (GOAL - VIDEOS)

NBA MVP

NBA MVP

1. Lebron James - King James is a one man wrecking crew averaging 28PPG, 7 REBS, 7 DIMES. He leads the Cavs in points, rebounds and assists. He has dominated on the offensive end of the court and stepped his game up defensively this season as well. He has led the Cavs to a 33-8 record without a legitimate sidekick.

2. Kobe Bryant - The reigning MVP is averaging 26PPG, 5 REBS, 5 DIMES per game. He has gutted it out all season by playing with a dislocated right finger all s! eason. This hasn't stopped Bryant from leading the Lakers to the best winning percentage in the NBA.

3. Dwight Howard - The man child has come into his own averaging 20 PPG, 14 REBS, 3.2 BLKS. He has sparked the Magic to a 33-9 start. The scary thing about Dwight Howard is he has yet to reach his peak. Howards is already the best big man in the league at only 23 years of age.

4. Dwyane Wade - Dwade is the most underrated superstar in the NBA. He is leading the league in scoring at just under 29 points, grabbing 5 boards and dishing out 7 assists per game. He averages twice as many points as the second leading scorer on the Heat and averages 1.5 blocks per game despite being just 6'4". He has guided a depleted Heat team to a winning record.

5. Chris Paul - Chris Paul is simply the best point guard in the NBA. He took the title ! from Steve Nash two years ago and has never looked back. Paul ! averages 21 PPG, 11 DIMES, 5 REBS, a night. He leads the league in steals with just under 3 a game and has made the Hornets a NBA title contender.

Others deserving consideration:

Chauncey Billups - Just look at what the Pistons have become without Chauncey.

Dirk Nowitzki - Dirk is playing the best basketball of his career, too bad the Mavs aren't.

USA 7, Paraguay 1

The US U-20s competing in PanAmerican Games won 7-1 over Panama.

USA 2, Mexico 0

Abby Wambach scored two goals as the U.S. Women's National Team notched a well-deserved 2-0 victory over Mexico in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup at The Home Depot Center. The victory earned the USA one of CONCACAF's two direct berths to the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup in China

Lori Chalupny joins River Cities FC

River Cities F.C. of the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) is pleased to announce the signing of Lori Chalupny, U.S. National Team member and a three-time NSCAA First Team All-American selection. This past fall for the University of North Carolina, Chalupny wrapped up her collegiate career with concensus First Team All-American selections from the NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America), Soccer Buzz, Soccer America and Soccer Times magazines.

Shelton State drops women's soccer program

Shelton State Community College has decided to drop its women's soccer program.
Barry Mohun, the school's athletic director, called the move "an economic-type decision."
Shelton State was the only two-year school in the state to offer women's soccer as a scholarship program. The Buccaneers were successful, making it to the National Junior College Athletic Association's district tournament level last season and regularly making it to the national playoffs.

MotoGP : 2008 Estoril - Casey Stoner's camera tragedy in Estoril

It is where Stoner passed Vermeulen and able to get a steady speed in the corner, but when it came to the straight line, he has to put the camera box into the position. He was really angry about this case when he knew it was just a camera not an electronic component of his bike.


Below is the picture of the camera box... Poor Stoner.

Maties Top of the Class

The Maties from Stellenbosch won a fast-paced, high-intensity final of the Varsity Cup at the Coetzenberg Sports Complex in Stellenbosch last night.

They beat the UCT Tigers 16 - 10 after trailing most of the second half.

Maties trailed UCT by 10 points to 6 before the referee called for almost 20 minutes of injury time because of a number of stoppages. A drop goal by Ricardo Croy as well as a try in the dying seconds of the match by Morne Jooste handed Maties the inaugural Varsity Cup trophy.

A notably dejected UCT coach, Robbie Fleck, didn't hold back any ! punches saying his side were better on the night and throughout the tournament and deserved a win.

McCarthy's international career on thin ice

Benni McCarthy's future with Bafana Bafana is on the line after the striker failed to show up for the training camp ahead of the 2010 African Nations Cup qualifier against Nigeria. The match is on Sunday in Abuja.

New coach, Joel Santana says there's no doubt that McCarthy is an important player for Bafana, but adds they'll be meeting on Tuesday to decide on the way forward. He says they'll decide on what's best for the team.

Bueno Espana!

Spain overcame their June 22 jinx when they advanced to the semi-finals of Euro 2008. The Spaniards beat Italy 4-2 on penalties with Iker Casillas saving penalties from Daniele De Rossi and Antonio Di Natale. Spain's got their winner courtesy of Cesc Fabregas.

Spain are the only group winners to progress to this stage of the tournament so far. This is one of Spain's most successful seasons in the last 20 years. Coach Luis Aragones says he is happy for his team, country and himself.

Spain will now face Russia in the semi-finals, both teams met in the group stages in this competition, with Spain taking honors winning ! 3-1.

Springboks Wary of Puma Power

Springbok coach Peter de Villiers has cautioned against underestimating the powerful Pumas side ahead of the re-match of last year's World Cup semi-final.

The Boks and Argentina clash tomorrow at Coca-Cola Park (formerly Ellis Park) as part of a week long tribute to Nelson Mandela and the contribution he has made to South African rugby.

"Those who anticipate a routine walkthrough ahead of the home leg of the Vodacom Tri-Nations are severely mistaken," the Bok mentor said. "If you look closely at this Pumas side, it's full of quality, especially in the pack. We are in for a real test tomorrow."

De Villiers made mention of ! the fact that the Pumas forwards contain five members (four started) from their team that contested the RWC semi-final with the Boks.

"They are a very experienced unit, renowned as probably the finest scrummagers in the game. The key pillars of their line-out, hooker Mario Ledesma and lock Patricio Albacete, remain from the World Cup. They will contest the set piece very ably."

De Villiers also respects the direction the experienced Felipe Contepomi will provide from flyhalf. The Argentine captain, an international veteran with over 60 caps for the Pumas, starred in the World Cup in the No 12 jersey.

"Contepomi is a world-class player with a very accurate boot. We know his strengths and it will be up to us to try and contain him. He showed at the World Cup how dangerous he can be, both through his boot and with ball in hand."

The clash between the IRB's first and fourth ranked teams promises to be a fitting culmination of the week! -long tribute to Madiba. The Boks visited the former President! in his Houghton home earlier this week, and conducted a coaching clinic in Soweto on Wednesday for 300 local schoolchildren in his honour.

Issued by SA Rugby

Tri -Nations crunch time

The Australian team have made 5 changes ahead of Saturdays Tri-Nations decider, whilst the All Blacks name an unchanged team.

Inspirational skipper and open-side flanker Richie McCaw, (ribs) lock Brad Thorn,(hamstring) and winger Sitiveni Sivivatu (ankle)returned to the starting lineup after they were rested from last week's 101-14 win against Samoa in New Plymouth with minor injuries.
For Australia, centre Ryan Cross, flanker George Smith, lock Nathan Sharpe, tighthead prop Al Baxter and hooker Stephen Moore all return to the starting team for the Test.

Rafa's Reds reign begins

Liverpool are the leaders of the Premiership after their 1-0 win over Chelsea. An early goal in the tenth minute from Xabi Alonso put the Reds ahead in the first half. Coach Rafa Benitez says the win is sending out a message of warning to Premiership rivals.

The team is in the hunt for their first league title since 1990. Personally, I think with the illustrious career the Mersey side has had it a shame it's been 18 years since they won a title. However they have been champions 18 times before, so could there be something in 18? Only time will tell.

Benitez has won against Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea since he joined the club in 2004. These three clubs are only ones to have won the Premiership since 1996.

Liverpool next play Portsmouth and Benitez say they are taking one game at time and the team need no shift their focus the game ahead.

Chelsea look for survival

Chelsea will be looking for nothing less than a win when they meet FC Cluj tonight. The Blues have stuttered in their away games. They drew their last match with Bordeaux and were beaten 3-1 by Roma.

However coach Luiz Felipe Scolari insists the pressure is not on them even though their last outing against Cluj ended in a 0-0 draw.

Some good news for the team though, Ivory Coast international Didier Drogba could find himself in the squad. He could make his return as his suspension for a c! oin throwing incident does not extend to the Champions League.

However the Chelsea find themselves without midfield anchor Frank Lampard, he is out of the crucial game after he received a red card against Bordeaux.

Liverpool is the other English side in action. They play bottom of the group PSV Eindhoven who will be looking for a win to stay in Europe.

The Reds meanwhile will also want maximum points. They are second in the group, level on points with Atletico Madrid but have an inferior goal difference.

A win will ensure they get home ground advantage in the first game of the knockout round.

Santos wary of Milano

Athlone Stadium will host a Cape Town derby with a difference on Wednesday.It is not one that you will see all the time - Santos face Milano FC in the last 32 of the Nedbank Cup.

The People's team will hope they do not end the season empty-handed.Santos is sitting in eighth spot on the Absa Premiership and is out of the running for the title.


Athlone Stadium will host a Cape Town derby with a difference on Wednesday.It is not one that you will see all the time - Santos face Milano FC in the last 32 of the Nedbank Cup.

The People's team will hope they do not end the season empty-handed. Santos is sitting in eighth spot on the Absa Premiership and is out of the running for the title.

Wet Weather Driving is Overrated

Back in 2007, I looked into wet weather driving and its importance in the overall scheme of Formula One racing from the years 1977-2006. I wanted to see if it was important to possess such skill to be a success F1 driver. For example, Alain Prost was not considered to be a very good wet weather driver, but he won 4 championships and retired the all time leader in F1 wins. Currently, Felipe Massa appears to be useless in the wet, but is right in the thick of the championship battle against Hamilton and Raikkonen; drivers that are superior to him in wet conditions. I am revisiting this data in the season and a half since it was collected. For the sake of disclosure and reader fact checking, the numbers were calculated using FORIX and show the number of F1 races that had official weather conditions of either rain, wet or showers (no qualifying sessions were calculated).

The question boils down to "what is the actual advantage when 87% of the races from 1977-2006 were! dry races?" In this period there have been 11 seasons where the title was decided by 8 points or less; only 4 of them are seasons in which the driver that scored the most points in wet races won a title. Those seasons are 1983, 1988, 1990 and 1999. In the 2007, we had 3 wet races and the title was decided by 1 point. The driver that scored the most points in wet conditions was Fernando Alonso and he technically finished 3rd in the title chase behind Hamilton and Raikkonen, drivers that have also demonstrated to be quick in wet conditions. However, if a rain master like Alonso can score the most points in rain conditions but lose the title, what difference does it make?

Given the data that was accumulated, wet weather driving ability is not so important. It is not important to the same degree that a single driver's car development skills are not important. If 87% of races in the past 30 years are dry races than the likelihood of using such skills is remote; in th! e same way that if a driver with poor car development skills i! s suppor ted by good testers and a teammate that possesses such skills or there is a rules package that deminishes the value of such skills, the hinderance is minimized. In both wet weather driving and car development, the 'weakness' is hidden. In the first case, by the lack of wet weather. In the second case, by the skills of teammates or rules package. In my opinion you can be an average driver in the wet, maybe even below average, like Massa, and still be a successful driver.

There will be moments in time and history where these skills will be the difference. The period of 1987-1996, nearly 17% of the races were wet races (more than the average) is a period for driver like Senna to shine. In 2007, wet weather driving skills, or lack thereof, continued to not have an impact. However in 2008, we will see if it plays role. The 2 wet races this season have been won by Lewis Hamilton. He has a 6 point lead over Felipe Massa; again a driver that many consider to be below aver! age in wet conditions. If Massa wins the title, it would continue to confirm that wet weather driving skills are fun to watch but not important to being a World Champion.

Data using FORIX: 1977-2006

Ancelotti - Reds Miss Alonso

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti believes Liverpool have 'lost something' following the summer departure of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid.

Ancelotti is well aware of Alonso's influence having been impressed by the Spaniard's pairing with Javier Mascherano during his former club AC Milan's UEFA Champions League final clash with Liverpool in 2007.

Alonso's return to Spain has seen Lucas Leiva step into midfield alongside Mascherano, but the Brazilian has yet to convince in the role.

And, ahead of Liverpool's visit to Stamford Bridge on Sunday, Ancelotti does not believe the Reds' engine room is as strong as it was.

"The midfield of Liverpool put a lot of pressure on you because Alonso and Mascherano were fantastic players," said Ancelotti.

"Lucas is a young player and he has to get experience. I think he will be a very good midfielder, but without Alonso, they have lost some! thing."

Meanwhile, Lucas believes the focus of Liverpool's ups and downs should be on the whole team, and not just star duo Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard.

"I don't think it is healthy that some people blame individuals when the team is losing," said Lucas in the Sunday Mirror.

"Everyone knows Gerrard and Torres are world-class players who are very important to Liverpool.

"But Liverpool aren't about individuals. We should not be about blaming certain people. If we win, we do it because we are a team. If we lose, it is exactly the same.

"My belief is that individuals can only play well if the whole team is playing well and that includes Stevie and Nando.

Fabio Aurelio Recalls Famous Game That Changed The Fortunes Of Rafael Benitez And Valencia FC

There is a glint in Fabio Aurelio's eye as he recalls the game that could have finished a reign but ended up sparking a dream.

While Istanbul and Cardiff are the places that Liverpudlians will forever associate with stirring comebacks masterminded by Rafa Benitez, Aurelio's own memory of winning against the odds came in a small corner of Barcelona.

Back in December 2001, Aurelio – then of Valencia – remembers Benitez being under intense pressure, as Los Che had slipped off the pace in the race for La Liga after a stuttering start to the campaign.

Legend has it that Benitez would have been sacked had his team lost a crucial game against Espanyol and when his side trailed by two goals at half-time, it was claimed that Valencia's press officer was called to start drafting the manager's departure statement.

Then, though, the situation was turned on its head; a double blast from Fr! ancisco Rufete and another from Adrian Ilie, completed a turnaround to give Valencia an irresistible impetus that ultimately propelled them to their first La Liga title in 31 years.

Fast forward to the present day and Aurelio again finds himself in another side that is finding it difficult to match strides with the early pacesetters but he sees no reason why history cannot repeat itself – particularly if Liverpool win at Sunderland tomorrow.

"Before we played Espanyol that night, everyone said Rafa's job was in danger if we lost," Aurelio, twice at title winner at the Mestalla, recalled. "We were losing 2-0 at half-time but, by the final whistle, we had turned it around and won 3-2. After that, we put a good run together.

"With six games to go, we were six points behind Real Madrid but by the end we had gone six ahead of them. It's the same all the time; if you want to get close to the top, you need a game to start it all off.

"In! a different way, this could be the month that changes things ! for us. We are playing Sunderland now and we have to win to keep going in the Premier League, then there are Champions League and Carling Cup games too that must be won, too.

"But all you need is that one win to give you the confidence to go forward for the rest of the season. You just need to get it from somewhere, just like the night Valencia did that in Espanyol. Maybe Sunderland can be the one that does it for us."

If Liverpool have been unable to build up a head of steam during the opening exchanges, the same is true for Aurelio, given he was ruled out for the first month due to the freak knee injury sustained during a family holiday in his homeland.

He has, though, played in five of the Reds' last six matches and with Benitez sure to exercise caution with some of those players who have been away on international duty for much of the past fortnight, Aurelio is likely to figure tomorrow.

It should come as no surprise to learn, then, th! at he is relishing to the trip to the North East; having suffered wretched luck with injuries during his time at Anfield, all Aurelio wants now is the chance to start a sustained number of games.

"I feel ready to play," said Aurelio, who is eager to impress so he can win a new contract.

"The only thing I need now is more matches. I haven't played as many 90 minutes as the other players; the more you play, the more fit you feel and this is what I need now. I was carrying a problem from the end of last season. I was carrying on but getting treatment to get through. I then went on holiday and just playing with my brother-in-law and the kids when I felt something strange in the same knee.

"So I contacted the doctors here and after tests they realised that a piece of cartilage had come away, so I had to have arthroscopy to take the piece out that was blocking the joint. Now I feel OK. I haven't missed too many games and I just want to get going a! gain."

Sentiments which apply to the squad in gener! al; Melw ood was deserted in the aftermath of the 2-0 defeat to Chelsea and that was a major frustration for those who had played at Stamford Bridge.

Today, however, normal service was resumed as the remaining international players returned to base and Aurelio is hoping that the squad can get a season-shaping fortnight off to the best possible start on the banks of the Wear.

"It's always better when you have a full squad, so you can work hard to improve things," said Aurelio.

"So it's very different when there are only three or four of you; it hasn't helped because we know we are facing a very important few weeks.

"When we face the big teams like Chelsea, Manchester United or Arsenal, it comes down to the small details. If you get them right, it changes the result at the end and we know we have to pay more attention to that if we want to improve.

"We are six points behind Chelsea and Sunderland is a difficult game to have after t! he break; then we have got United at home, so we know we will either be close (to the top) or much further away. We have to look at every step and focus on it. It's important that we win something this year. The team has been working really well and this could be the season that we step forward and get something to show for it. We didn't start off well but we know we have got the time to improve."

Mascherano Warning For Reds

Javier Mascherano has warned Liverpool that Sunday's victory over Manchester United will count for nothing if it is not the start of a winning run.

Fernando Torres and David Ngog scored the goals to earn a 2-0 success at a deafening Anfield, but Mascherano played an equally influential role.

The Argentina captain was at his destructive best in the heart of midfield, snubbing United's attacks, before a late red card and he is well aware of the importance of the win.

Liverpool went into the game having experienced four successive defeats in all competitions, but the triumph over rivals United stop! ped the rot and has led some to suggest they could still be in the title race.

Mascherano hopes he and his team-mates can surge up the table, saying: "It was difficult for us to lose four games in a row.

"But now I say, 'let's start again'. Now we have won we cannot stop, and (we will) try to keep going. We are pulling together.

"If we want to fight for something we have to play every game like that. We cannot be relaxed with this win, that is the message."

Fifth-placed Liverpool trail table-topping Chelsea by six points, but Mascherano is focusing on one game at a time.

"We need to think about continuing winning, not to look at the table and seeing we are six points behind Chelsea," he said. "We have to look forward and not drop important points in the future.

"If we want these three points (against United) to be valuable we have to show this performance in the future.

"Maybe people thought we cou! ldn't play as we can against the top sides, but we showed we c! an and w e are really happy."

Valentino Rossi finishes second in the Rally de Monza

Monday, 30 November 2009

The MotoGP World Champion proved very competitive, winning four of the nine time trials.

Valentino Rossi finished second in the Rally de Monza, which he competed in this weekend. Driving a Ford Focus WRC, the Italian rider was very fast throughout the race, taking four out of nine stage wins, but two errors on special stages 4 and 5 handed victory to Dindo Capello, driving a Citröen C4.

Valentino also took part in the Master’s Show, a competition involving all the participants of the rally in an elimination round special stage. Despite having the best overall time, Rossi reached the semi-finals where he lost to Capello, after beating Marco Simoncelli in the quarter final round.

After the race Rossi said “I finished the rally by winning the last super special “Grand Prix” test in the rain and I am satisfied to have taken the fastest time as well in the Master’s, where I was hoping to take revenge on Capello but I was not able to do so. In recent years the level of the Rally de Monza has risen a lot and in order to win it is not enough just to be fast, it is also necessary to make few mistakes. In any case, the last twenty days have been very entertaining for me, firstly with the motocross in Cavellara, then with a Ferrari GT in Vallelunga and now with the rally.”

The sports activities of Valentino Rossi outside the world of two wheels will continue next weekend with the “Bettega Memorial”, a rally show which is celebrated each year as part of the Bologna Motorshow.

Campinoti: Stability the Pramac basis for 2010

Monday, 30 November 2009

Pramac racing boss Paolo Campinoti discusses the 2009 season and his expectations for next year in an interview with motogp.com.

It was a campaign of mixed results for Pramac Racing in 2009, with the satellite Ducati team taking a chance by fielding two MotoGP rookies in Mika Kallio and Niccolò Canepa. The Finn secured the Rookie of the Year award whilst Canepa found his first season in the premier class difficult.

Aleix Espargaró will line up alongside Kallio next year after impressing with four guest appearances on the Desmosedici GP9 in 2009, and Paolo Campinoti hopes the knowledge gained during the season will help make 2010 a more consistent one for Pramac.

“For us it has been what we can call a season of study,” said the team boss. “We have adjusted many things. The main target was to create some stability in the team so I think this has been achieved. For next season we are looking to keep the two riders we have now, and the team will remain the same. So we’re very happy and I think all the problems we’ve seen in the last half of the season will be better for next year. If we can win the Rookie of the Year again it will be very good, because there are many new riders joining MotoGP.”

Campinoti is also optimistic about what can be achieved in the off-season, and continued, “We expect both riders will improve, especially Espargaró, as he hasn’t had much of a season, just a few races. So we think it’ll be very helpful, especially for him to have the full training period ahead that he can really get more confidence with the bike.”

Kallio’s first year in MotoGP ended with nine top-ten race finishes as he placed 15th in the overall standings. He recovered from a crash at Assen midway through the season to be drafted into the factory Ducati Marlboro team to ride for three races when Casey Stoner was out.

“I’m confident Mika can improve on the results of this year, because for him it was only the first season,” Campinoti stated. “He lost some confidence after Assen when he crashed, so now I think he’s gaining confidence again and I’m sure he can be at the front. In 250cc he was competing against Jorge Lorenzo and all the guys who are now going well, so I’m confident he can do well.”

LCR Honda’s 2010 prospects with Cecchinello

Tuesday, 01 December 2009

Team manager Lucio Cecchinello sets out LCR Honda’s targets for 2010, and talks about Randy de Puniet’s performance this year.

Randy de Puniet equalled his best-ever finish to a season in MotoGP this year with 11th position, and his LCR Honda team manager Lucio Cecchinello believes the Frenchman is well placed to better that in 2010.

A series of good finishes peaked with De Puniet’s first and only podium of the season in round 10 at Donington, which took him up to eighth in the standings. However, a training accident after the British Grand Prix left the 28 year-old with a broken ankle which required screws to be inserted, and while De Puniet managed to ride through the pain for the remainder of the season his form suffered as a result, thus depriving him of a higher overall finish.

De Puniet was involved in a tight battle for seventh place in the MotoGP standings until the end of the season, and the form displayed by him this year has led Cecchinello to aim high for the new campaign.

“We are quite happy with the results, because we definitely improved,” said Cecchinello. “We had a good chance to put in good performances, especially when we made the podium in the British GP, so we are quite happy.”

“This year we had the chance to finish, let’s say, as the best independent team in the rankings. We had a couple of crashes and Randy broke his ankle in August so we didn’t achieve our objective. Definitely next year we would like to be the first independent team in the ranking.”

Consistent Suzuki the aim for Denning next season

Wednesday, 02 December 2009

Rizla Suzuki’s season is analysed by team manager Paul Denning, who discusses his hopes for next year with an exciting rider line-up.

By Paul Denning’s own admission 2009 was an inconsistent year for Rizla Suzuki, and the team manager is determined to make next season more successful with a vastly improved display.

A quartet of fifth-placed finishes for Loris Capirossi was accompanied by a series of mixed results for the Italian and his team-mate Chris Vermeulen, with the pair ending the campaign in ninth and 12th places respectively and without any podiums.

“We were not consistent,” began Denning’s honest assessment. “In some races we were super strong and Loris was able to do a great job with the bike, but the bike was not consistent in all conditions. In the end that was reflected in Loris’ finish of ninth in the championship and Chris who came 12th, and we didn’t deserve so much more.”

Denning continued, “We have to improve the bike and the consistency a lot and nobody within the team is satisfied with this year’s result. Suzuki did a great job with the engine performance, now it’s not too bad and is quite competitive with the other guys, but we have to improve the chassis performance and this is the big priority for this winter.”

Teaming up with Capirossi next season will be MotoGP rookie Álvaro Bautista, who has impressed the Rizla Suzuki structure in tests at Valencia and Estoril. Denning believes the Spaniard is the perfect accompaniment alongside veteran Capirossi.

“The 2010 season is a new start with Bautista, which we’re very excited about. He has shown that he’s a racer and this spirit should really help push the team forward,” Denning enthused. “For us the balance in the team for next year is correct, because we have to improve the machine a lot and we need an experienced rider to do that. I think Loris’ job will be to develop the bike, and to push hard like he always does and to help Álvaro. I think this is a good combination for us.”

Gresini gives his view

Wednesday, 02 December 2009

San Carlo Honda Gresini boss discusses last season and the new campaign.

Fausto Gresini has given an honest assessment of his team’s 2009 season, and is positive about the forthcoming campaign with an all-Italian rider line-up of rookie Marco Simoncelli and the experienced Marco Melandri.

Looking back over the season just finished, Gresini analysed the 7th and 8th places which were achieved in the final standings by Toni Elías and Alex de Angelis respectively. The Italian was pleased with how his team had performed in the latter half of the season, with a podium for Elías at Brno and De Angelis at Indianapolis making for a strong finish.

“I must say we had a very difficult first part of the Championship, with the second half decidedly better,” said the team boss. “We achieved two podiums, which is not many but it is important to our team. In the end, we achieved our goals, with 7th and 8th position for our riders, and a good placement for the team (fifth).”

“Without doubt it has not been an easy campaign, but MotoGP is a competitive category and we have done a good job, although we’re not content and in the future we want to do better.”

The combination of Simoncelli and Melandri – who was MotoGP World Championship runner-up with the team in 2005 – is one which Gresini is convinced will help the team develop further.

“We are already thinking about 2010. We cannot set ourselves strict targets because then it is difficult to keep promises,” said Gresini. “We want to do very well, with a rookie who is very fast in Simoncelli and a skilled rider in Melandri, who I know well. In the next Championship we can do very well, and are convinced Honda will make a more competitive bike. Obviously we have to work hard, but we always do that. We are ready and will face 2010 with a calm outlook.”

Lorenzo ends Yamaha tour in Indonesia

Wednesday, 02 December 2009

Spanish rider rounds off his South East Asia tour with a ceremony in Jakarta.

Jorge Lorenzo was the guest of honour at an event to unveil the new Jupiter Z this week, as he appeared at a 5,700 capacity convention centre in Jakarta.

The 22 year-old, who started his South East Asia tour in Bangkok last week, took part in a spectacular show and was dressed in his Fiat Yamaha colours.

“Today I have experienced one of the greatest spectacles in an auditorium I can remember,” said Lorenzo. “The show was impressive and it makes you realise how much power this country has. It’s growing at a fast rate and Yamaha sells nearly three million units annually.”

“I’ve felt very welcome in all the places I have been this season, but I have to admit Indonesia feels especially important even though it hasn’t had a Grand Prix since the mid 90s. I would love this country to return to the MotoGP World Championship, as it has displayed the affection it has for motorcycles.”

Lorenzo will now enjoy a short holiday in Bali after concluding his four-day Yamaha tour.

Jarvis on Yamaha’s ‘fantastic season’

Thursday, 03 December 2009

Lin Jarvis talks motogp.com through Fiat Yamaha’s highly successful season, in which the factory set up won the rider, manufacturer and team titles.

Fiat Yamaha enjoyed a clean sweep in the MotoGP World Championship for the second year running in 2009, with Jorge Lorenzo even making it a one-two in the riders’ Championship by finishing second to Valentino Rossi, and Yamaha Motor Racing Managing Director Lin Jarvis has reviewed what he describes as a ‘great year’.

“We’ve had a fantastic season,” said a delighted Jarvis. “To finish with the triple crown of three victories for the second year running is fantastic, and so is Jorge taking second in the Championship. It’s been a great year.”

Lorenzo’s constant pressure on Rossi throughout the season made it an enthralling battle between the team mates, and Jarvis expects more of the same next year.

“One rider didn’t totally dominate the Championship, it was very close and very tense, but Valentino made fewer mistakes and had many victories, so he did a great job,” said Jarvis. “Jorge made good progress as well, but let’s see what next year will bring because Casey Stoner has also shown how fast he is and Dani Pedrosa again showed today what he’s capable of. So the top four are a cut above the rest, I would say, and next year will be hard.”

Asked whether a repeat of Yamaha’s triple success could be achieved for a third successive year, Jarvis acknowledged the quality of the competition as well as his own team’s.

“Everything is possible! I think we have super riders, a great team and good engineers, so we have all the tools,” he said. “But of course our competitors are attacking from every side and when you are the leader you can only be attacked. So it’s not easy to do it again, but we’ll certainly give our maximum effort and I think we have all the ingredients.”

Poncharal happy with Moto2 shakedown test

Thursday, 03 December 2009

Tech3 boss delighted with initial response after first test of new Moto2 machine in France.

Hervé Poncharal was extremely satisfied with the on-track debut of the Moto2 prototype his Tech3 team will race in next season’s inaugural World Championship, after a shakedown test in Ledenon earlier this week.

With French rider Florian Marino testing the bike in France, the Tech3 team had the opportunity to smooth any minor problems ahead of official rider Raffaele de Rosa’s first ride at the Valencia test next week.

“I’m very happy with this shakedown test,” Poncharal told motogp.com. “The rider has been pushing a bit and we could get his feedback, and he was really pleased. Florian says it is much closer to a Grand Prix 125cc bike than a 600cc production race bike because everything is much stiffer, the chassis is more rigid, but it’s a proper race bike and prototype.”

“We did the running in of the engine, but we couldn’t do too many laps because we had a faulty earth connection. We found out quite quickly, and we decided to do another day at a circuit nearby and that went really well. The weather was cold and dry so we could do quite a few laps without a single problem and try and work to understand how the chassis, suspension and everything else is working.”

The next step for the Tech3 team is the test at Valencia from December 9-10, where Poncharal is hoping to gain a clearer idea of the development of the bike.

“The purpose of the shakedown test was fulfilled; the bike is running perfectly well,” he continued. “Of course things will be very different at Valencia. We’ll have had one and a half days of testing when we arrive in Valencia and some of the other teams will have had a lot more track time. So for the first time we’ll compare with one another. However, not everyone will use the same engine so there could be quite a big difference in the engine department.”

“We want to compare ourselves to the other Moto2 teams and hear what Raffaele de Rosa is thinking about the bike after his first time on it. Hopefully he won’t need too much and the bike will be well prepared, but he could point out some weak points that we’ll need to modify for the next test. We almost have the second bike ready so the next test will be with both De Rosa and (Yuki) Takahashi.”

Poncharal is waiting to see what the results from Valencia show before making solid plans for further testing, adding, “There are a lot of dates that have been submitted to us at Albacete and other tracks, so the next test will be with both official riders. We just want to wait and see what happens in Valencia to decide if we need to test again very soon after that, or if we have time to prepare something with less stress and pressure for the next test. It won’t be before January 10.”

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Giroux survives Crush

By John Hopkins

Guy Giroux was the top Canadian finisher in the Orange Crush GNCC in Lake Winona, FL yesterday, placing 45th in a field of 365 aboard his KTM.

Three-time national motocross champion Doug Henry won the race, the second round of the GNCC series, aboard a Honda, edging opening round victor Juha Salminen on a KTM. Australian Shane Watts completed the podium aboard another KTM.

Thirteen other Canadians joined Giroux in tackling the gruelling three-hour event, with 11 of them making it to the finish. Michael Metcalfe crossed the line 77th on a KTM, Alexandre Legault was 130th riding a Honda and Benoit Simard placed 168th on a KTM.

The remaing Canadian finishers were Robin Munzinger (173rd, KTM); Dominic Gagnon (177th, KTM); Martin Taillon (179th, Kawasaki); Maxime Belanger (240th, Yamaha); Mathieu Dufour (243rd, KTM); Stephane Chaillou (270th, Yamaha); Dan Martineal (294th, Yamah! a); and Christian Coupal (307th, Honda).

Jean-Francois Paquette on a Suzuki and Eric Gelinas aboard a KTM failed to finish the race.

Inside Motorcycles // www.insidemotorcycles.com

World Supersport for Peris

By Colin Fraser

TORONTO, ON -- On Jan. 6, Team Bikers' Days-Yamaha-Moto1 World Supersport squad manager Renaud Lamarque announced that Calgary's Chris Peris would ride for the team in 2006. Newly crowned European Superstock 1000cc champion Didier Van Keymeulen has already signed to lead the works supported team fielding the brand new 2006 Yamaha R6.

Peris becomes the first Canadian to ever contest the World Supersport series, for production based 600cc class sport bikes. In 2005, the Topline Printing-backed Yamaha pilot was the top privateer in AMA 600cc class action. He also netted third in Hindle 600 Sport Bike class National competition in Canada. Although Peris missed two of eight 2005 Parts Canada National rounds, he was in line to take the runner-up honours before skipping the series final to attend a U.S. event in Atlanta.

At the Canadian doubleheader at Mosport International Raceway in July,! Peris earned pole, set the fastest lap and won both parts of the doubleheader, one in the dry, the other in the wet, after crashing.

The 19-year-old is currently competing in the New Zealand National Championship, riding a GSX-R750 in Open Superbike but concentrating on the 600 Supersport class with a GSX-R600. The main goal of the Peris "down under" program is to gain experience with the World and Canadian series mandated Pirelli rubber, having spent 2004 on Michelin tires and last year with Dunlop.

Inside Motorcycles // www.insidemotorcycles.com

NBA Draft: Which Underclassmen Have Declared So Far

Granted more than half of these guys will probably return to their respective schools:

(* To preserve eligibility, player has not hired an agent.)

DeJuan Blair, PF, So., Pittsburgh
Chase Budinger, G/F, Jr., Arizona
Nick Calathes, G, Florida*
Patrick Christopher, SG, Jr., Cal*
Earl Clark, F, Jr., Louisville
Dwayne Collins, PF, Jr., Miami*
Brandon Costner, PF, NC State*
DeMar DeRozan, G/F, Fr., USC
Eric Devendorf, G, Jr., Syracuse*
Devan Downey, G, Jr., South Carolina*
Tyreke Evans, G, Fr., Memphis
Roderick Flemings, SG, Jr., Hawaii*
Jonny Flynn, PG, So., Syracuse
Blake Griffin, PF, So., Oklahoma
Daniel Hackett, PG, Jr., USC
James Harden, SG, So., Arizona State
Paul Harris, G/F, Jr., Syracuse*
Jordan Hill, PF, Jr., Arizona
Jrue Holiday, G, Fr., UCLA*
Brandon Jennings, PG, Italy
James Johnson, F, So., Wake Forest
Mac Koshwal, C, So., DePaul*
Jodie! Meeks, SG, Jr., Kentucky*
Tasmin Mitchell, F, Jr., LSU*
B.J. Mullens, C, Fr., Ohio State
DaJuan Summers, F, Georgetown
Jeff Teague, G, So., Wake Forest*
Greivis Vasquez, G, Jr., Maryland*

Of the players that have hired agents do you see any that may surprise you? (i.e. coming out to early)

Brian Kelly Receives More Accolades

Brian Kelly is continuing to grow in the national spotlight. The latest growth came in the form of the Sporting News. This past week, the Sporting News released their list of the best coaches in college football. The list is loaded with wins, national prominence, and national championships. One name, the name of University of Cincinnati Head Coach Brian Kelly, will surprise you.

Im not so sure that I would rank Kelly quite so high this early. Don't get me wrong, I love the national attention and the accolades that Kelly is reeling in. He is no doubt a top up and coming coach, however, the move to place him as a top 5 coach in college football is a questionable one. This year with a mix of a powerful returning offense and a young defense will really go a long way in showing just how good of a coach Brian Kelly can be. Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel ranked on the "five on the outside." Take that Ohio State!

1. Urban Meyer, Florida
2. Nick Saban! , Alabama
3. Pete Carroll, USC
4. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma
5. Brian Kelly, Cincinnati

What do you think? What is your top 5?

How do you feel about these Bengals?

Redleg2420 pointed out in an earlier post that he felt this Cleveland could be a trap game and if they won he would feel better about the season. Well we won but I don't think anyone could feel good about this season. Yes we are 3-1, but we are a play away from 0-4. Now I can see the other side of the coin, we are also a play away from 4-0 and we have been making those plays to win. You can't argue with that at all. But I think from watching this team we are all cautiously optimistic about this season. If we really want to contend we have to improve our offense and special teams. What do you think?

Good luck with all that... 1.0

-Keefe

In the words of the great Jerry Seinfeld after George Costanza told him all his deep dark secrets and everything he was capable of, "good luck with all that." It was an episode in which Jerry had become way to emotional and affectionate, and George "scared him straight." That phrase became one of my all time favorites. I use it 5-10 times in a given week. You say "good luck," but its in regard to an impossible situation, like thank God I don't have to deal with (insert your problem here). So without further ado I would like to "wish" the following people, places, and things, a warm "good luck."

To Aaron Rodgers for taking over as starting QB in Green Bay for Brett "I ! wouldn't be surprised if they waived the 5 year rule to induct players in the Hall of Fame, because of how much everyone is in love with him" Favre. But take solace in the fact that Dan Marino was replaced in Miami… by Jay Fielder, Damon Huard, Ray Lucas, Brian Griese, A.J. Feely, Sage Rosenfels, Gus Frerotte, Daunte Culpepper, Joey Harrington, Cleo Lemon, Trent Green, and John Beck. Oh yeah and Favre broke all of Marino's records, won a Super Bowl, and is the only attraction in Green Bay. Good luck with all that.

To the Oakland Raiders for spending $105 million on 2 players coming off knee surgeries. Javon Walker and Tommy Kelly missed a combined 17 games last season, and you want to pay them 105 million bucks? Good luck with all that.

To the next poor guy! who has to fight Anderson Silva. Even if you have body armor,! a chain gun, or a light saber, good luck with all that.

To Bill Parcells for coming back and leading the Miami Dolphins from the front office. Trying to get the Fish back to the playoffs? (Scroll up to see QBs they've used since Marino.) Well at least their first round pick from last year, Ted Ginn, doesn't suck. Will they take a return man with the #1 overall this year? Good luck with all that.

To Coco Crisp who thinks he's battling for the starting centerfield job. It's hard enough to find a way to start over someone who is better, Jacoby Ellsbury, but to go into spring training with a bum groin and a root canal? That's brutal. Good luck with all that. (At least he's got something to fall back on; make sure your sound is on.) http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=155900964

To the Sports Brief with Besse and Keefe for taking nearly 6 months off and then returning to action at the start of 2008. You think retooling with the addition of pictures and polls will make up for the fact that you walked out on all of your fans like Bobby Petrino? Good luck with all that.

Speaking of walking out on your fans, to all the sitcoms returning from the writers strike. Am I the only one who has lost interest in these shows? Good luck with all that.

To the Phoenix Suns trying to host a 1st round playoff series. The Suns are currently just as close to missing out on the postseason as they are to the top spot in the West, which they had at the time of the awful Shaq trade. With the Diesel in the lineup they are 4-5. (Note: when I first wrote this it was prior to their win over the Spurs, ! and they were 3-5, but I still feel very much the same way.) A! s soon a s the trade happened I went on record and said they would fall out of the top 4, now they might just fall out of the playoffs all together. In the wide open West they were better off with the nucleus from last year's team, (Nash, Amare, Marion), and if they really wanted to deal Marion get something in return. Top 4 spot in the conference may be a lost cause; they need to work on staying in the top 8. Good luck with all of that.

To Britney Spears… she's 26 years old right now, if I set the over/under at 27.5 anyone taking the over? Good luck with all of that.

Keep reading the Brief and tell your friends. Coming soon we'll have fantasy baseball outlooks, MLB predictions, NCAA tournament preview, NFL 1st round mock draft! , and much much more.

Affliction Day of Reckoning Results

This weekend marked the 2nd show for Affliction. With Tito Ortiz as a guest announcer for the card take a look at the results:

Fedor Emelianenko defeated Andrei Arlovski by KO at 3:14 in the first round.

Josh Barnett defeated Gilbert Yvel by submission at 3:14 in the third round.

Vitor Belfort defeated Matt Lindland by TKO at :37 of the first round.

Babalu Sobral defeated Thierry Sokoudjou by submission at 2:36 in the second round.

Paul Buentello defeated Kiril Sidellnikov TKO at 4:18 in the third round.

Dan Lauzon defeated Bobby Green by submission at 4:38 in the first round.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira defeated Vladimir Matyushenko by TKO at 4:26 of the second round.

L.C. Davis defeated Bao Quach by unanimous decision.

Albert Rios defeated Antonio Duarte by unanimous decision.

Brett Cooper defeated Patrick Speight by TKO at 4:10 of the second round.


! Fedor retains his WAMMA Heavyweight belt, and will likely fight Josh Barnett next. Vitor Belfort will shoot up the middleweight ranks following an impressive victory over Matt Lindland. Babalu vs. Lil Nog a possibility? Both victorious on Saturday.

UFC 94 is this weekend with GSP vs. B.J. Penn II. Also Thiago Silva vs. Lyoto Machida, a battle of unbeaten light heavyweights, should be a solid card.

Did David Wright Shrink?

That's actually terrible. I've never been hit in the head with 95 mph fast ball. I'd probably wear the helmet from Space Balls if I knew it would protect me. I am happy to see that Wright made his way back before the 2010 season, in large part because he is on my fantasy team.

Speaking of Fantasy, huge draft tonight. Rich Keefe and Tristan Besse are both trying to become the 1st Owner/ GM to have his name on the plaque twice. It's the big time. I'll hit you with the draft results tonigh! t/ tomorrow.

-Keefe

Real Valladolid 1-2 Osasuna

Jorge Galan came off the bench to fire Osasuna to their first victory of the season at nine-man Real Valladolid.

The win lifted Jose Antonio Camacho's side out of the Primera Division relegation zone.

Walter Pandiani put the Pamplona outfit ahead after 25 minutes and it all looked to be going the visitors' way when Luis Prieto saw red four minutes before the interval at the Estadio Jose Zorrilla.

Valladolid substitute Diego Costa got the hosts back on level! terms three minutes after the restart but then Galan, with virtually his first touch, bagged the winner 17 minutes from time.

Cesar Arzo completed a disappointing evening for Valladolid eight minutes from time when he too was given his marching orders for a foul on Galan.

After a scrappy opening during which neither side showed any creativity of note, Haris Medunjanin produced the first shot for Valladolid in the 24th minute but the 25-yard effort did not get far before being blocked by Josetxo.

Barely 60 seconds later, the deadlock was broken at the other end.

Pandiani tried his luck from distance and caught Jacobo by surprise to give his side the lead.

Medunjanin looked to level matters six minutes before the break with a left-footed blast from 30 yards, but found Ricardo in less generous mood than his opposite number.

The hosts suffered a setback shortly after that when Prieto was shown a straight red card for a professional fou! l on Pandiani.

Osasuna had half a chance to make their ! extra ma n count as early as first-half stoppage time, when Alvaro Rubio brought down Pandiani just outside the area, but Javad Nekounam struck the free-kick over the crossbar.

Knowing he needed to switch things around to stop the game sliding away from his team, Valladolid coach Jose Luis Mendilibar made two changes at the break. He brought on Diego Costa and Sisi in place of Manucho and Nauzet.

And within three minutes, Mendilibar reaped the rewards for his changes as Diego Costa lashed high into the centre of Ricardo's net from close range to stun the visitors.

Medunjanin let fly from just outside the area midway through the second half in a bid to complete the turnaround for the 10 men, but his effort was too high to trouble Ricardo.

Osasuna coach Camacho made his first personnel change in the 72nd minute by replacing Carlos Aranda with Galan.

And, much like Mendilibar earlier, the visiting tactician's switch paid immediate dividends as Galan fi! red low into the centre of Jacobo's net from close range within a minute of his introduction.

Valladolid struggled to find a way back into the game and their cause was not helped eight minutes from the end when they were reduced to nine men following a clumsy foul by Arzo on the lively Galan.

Sania crashes out of Pan Pacific Open

Sania Mirza crashed out of the Pan Pacific Open with a first-round defeat in a three setter against Chinese Jie Zheng today.

Sania, who had to qualify for the USD two million hard-court event, went down 7-5 2-6 3-6 after a contest lasting more than two hours.

Sania, who has been plagued by a nagging wrist injury for more than a year now, fought hard in a see-saw opening set.

She broke her rival thrice to go 1-0 up.

However, Sania ran out of steam thereafter and lost her serve fo! ur times to go down 2-6 in the second set.

The third set followed a similar script and the Indian was once again outplayed with her serve being a major let-down.

Sale Sharks 27 Cardiff Blues 26

The Heineken Cup game between Sale Sharks and Cardiff Blues at Edgeley Park, Sale on Friday Oct 16, 2009.

A DRAMATIC Anglo-Welsh clash was given a shuddering twist for England on Friday night when Andrew Sheridan dislocated his left shoulder putting the giant prop on the casualty list for the autumn games.

Sheridan was helped off seven minutes from the end of this madcap Heineken Cup tie that Sale looked set to win easing up after their England prop had helped carve up a Cardiff team hit by the sin binning of Andy Powell.

The Sale prop had treatment immediately at the ground to put his shoulder back into place but Kingsley Jones, the club's director of rugby, said he looked sure to miss the three England games next month.

Sheridan is believed to have slipped at a scrum in the second half which led to Cardiff conceding a free kick.

Jones said he would have to wait for a full medical report before Sheridan was officially ruled out of the autumn games. He is set to see a specialist on Saturday. One prognosis on Friday night was that he would be out for three months and may well need an operation to repair the damage.

Jones added: "The early signs are that it is a dislocated shoulder. I don't want to speculate too much but it looks as if he will be out of the autumn games.

"His shoulder has come out though it has gone back in. He's sitting up in the dressing room but it's not very nice to see a player in pain.

"H! e's a massive presence and was getting a lot of go forward. He! 's a big loss for us and he's a big loss for his country. I don't know the medical side of things but I would say he will not be fit for the autumn games."

Sheridan joins a growing England injury list that has already seen centre Riki Flutey, flanker Tom Rees and full-back Delon Armitage ruled out of the games next month, which start on Nov 7 against Australia at Twickenham. Manager Martin Johnson is due to announce a revised squad on Monday week.

By the time Sheridan was helped off, Sale were fighting an increasingly desperate defensive effort to keep hold of a lead that had stretched to 24-9 two minutes into the second half.

When James Gaskell dashed over, Sale had scored three tries in a 10-minute period around the half-time whistle. The promising lock followed on from tries by No 8 Sisa Koyamaibole and captain Dean Schofield, the lock.

Cardiff disputed the try by Koyamaibole believing that the officials had not s! een TV replays sufficiently clear to award the score. It incensed Dai Young, the director of rugby, who felt the decision to sin bin Powell, for an off-the-ball incident, had also unsettled his team.

Sale had taken full advantage of Powell's absence to score two of their three tries. The No?8, however, almost made up for his 10 minutes in the cooler later on.

He grabbed Cardiff's first try, following a driving line-out, and played a prominent part in the recovery mission.

A drop goal by Charlie Hodgson kept Sale ahead at 27-19 only for a try by Robin Sowden-Taylor, converted by Ben Blair who in all contributed 13 points, to leave Cardiff one behind at 27-26.

Blair's precise kicking had given Cardiff an early lead of 6-0 through two penalty goals. Hodgson pulled one back for Sale, before Leigh Halfpenny managed to slot one of three long-range attempts to put the visitors ahead at 9-3.

Lille 3-0 Genoa

Ligue 1 side Lille moved to the top of Group B with a dominant showing at home to Genoa in the Europa League.

Ludovic Obraniak's opener and second-half strikes from the dangerous Robert Vittek and substitute Eden Hazard ensured a relatively straightforward win for the hosts at the Metropole.

It was a scrappy start to proceedings, three fouls taking place before the first shot on goal.

That came when Florent Balmont tried his luck from 20 yards, just missing ! the target.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was next to have a go - powering an effort past the right-hand post in the 10th minute.

Sergio Floccari appeared the man most likely to hit back for the Italians, first volleying just wide with his left foot and then caught offside on the break.

After 20 minutes, Floccari brought a save from Ludovic Butelle with a firm header.

Marco Amelia was also called into action in the Genoa goal, Obraniak testing him from the edge of the area after 26 minutes and Vittek going even closer seven minutes later.

Yohan Cabaye then won and took a 36th-minute free-kick, but once again Amelia was up to it.

Obraniak opened the scoring for Lille moments later, sweeping home Vittek's header on from 18 yards.

Genoa put on Raffaele Palladino at half-time, in place of Andrea Esposito, but Lille continued to make the running.

Vittek again was at the heart of things, forcing Amelia into an improvised save wi! th his feet.

The game briefly slowed thereafter, neithe! r side f inding the necessary space to cause problems in the final third.

The impressive Vittek was deservedly the man to reignite things, meeting Jerry Vandam's 63rd-minute centre with his left foot and finding the back of the net from inside the area.

Cabaye and Palladino traded modest efforts before Hazard, a 73rd-minute replacement for Obraniak, put the icing on the cake with a low shot from the edge of the penalty box.

The result puts Lille two points clear, but Genoa have some work to do with three points from as many games.

Jodie Swallow preserves Britains record to win ITU long course World Championships

Jodie Swallow claimed the International Triathlon Union (ITU) long course World Championships title in Perth in a devastating swim, cycle and run that saw her become the fourth British woman to do so in successive years.

Swallow led from the off, coming out of the water first off the back of a 41 min 47 sec 3km swim, and eventually finished more than 11 minutes ahead of Australia's Rebakah Keat.

Covering the 80km cycle leg in a little over two hours and completing the 20km run in 78 min 18 sec she crossed the line in 4 hrs 07 mins 38 secs! .

France's Delphine Pelletier of France won the bronze medal.

Swallow, who had been successful in Olympic-distance races in 2008 with third places at Chicago and London and New York, has made a superb distance step-up to the longer event.

The Loughborough based athlete upheld a fine tradition in the event won in 2006 by Bella Bayliss, Leanda Cave in 2007 and Chrissie Wellington last year.

"Everything came together really well for me out there so I couldn't be happier," said Swallow.

"I went to the Olympics [in Athens] and that was a tough experience but you learn and you move on, so to come back and win a World Championship is very pleasing."

Keat, one of the pre-race favourites, admitted Swallow was simply uncatchable in the race.

"I tried to mount a challenge but Jodie was on another planet, so full credit to her, she was outstanding," she said.

American T! im O'Donnell won the men's title in 3 hrs 48 mins 15 secs, hol! ding off the challenge of French silver medallist Sylvain Sudrie while Denmark's Martin Jensen took bronze.

Paul Ambrose was Britain's best placed male competitor coming home in a creditable fifth place.

Blunders prove costly for Bagan

Goals from Abhishek Yadav and Mohammad Abbas steered Mumbai FC to a surprise 2-1 victory over Mohun Bagan in the I-League in Mumbai.

Yadav struck almost immediately after kick-off following a blunder from Bagan's reserve goalkeeper Shilton Paul.

Another error from Paul helped Abbas double the lead after 41 minutes and although Snehashish Chakraborty scored on the hour for Bagan, the visitors were unable to find an equaliser.

In Margoa, Sporting Clube de Goa ! held Chirag United to a 1-1 draw, thanks to a late goal from Nathaniel Amos.

Chirag looked on course for victory when Edmilson Marques converted a penalty in the 79th minute, but Amos put away a cross from Joseph Pereira four minutes later.

Salgaocar Sports Club held Shillong Lajong to a goalless draw, while in Kozhikode an 11th-minute goal from Syed Rahim Nabi was enough for East Bengal to beat Viva Kerala.

AFF Suzuki Cup 2008 Thailand and Indonesia

Group B

6/12/08 Puket Thai Land

17:00

Malaysia 3 : o Laos

Sali 68', Indra 87', Mahayudinn 73'.

19:00

Thai Land 2 : 0 Viet Nam

Suksomkit 34', Nutnum 45'.

RONALDINHO VINCE IL GOLDEN FOOT 2009

di Tutto Lega Calcio Redazione
Fonte: Milannews.it

E' il campione rossonero Ronaldinho il vincitore del Golden Foot 2009. Il Gaucho è stato premiato oggi nel corso della cerimonia che si è tenuta presso il Grimaldi Forum di Montecarlo. Ronaldinho ha lasciato l'impronta del suo piede sulla Champions Promenade del principato di Monaco. Questa sera il fantasista brasiliano sarà Ospite d'Onore del Principe Alberto II di Monaco.

Napoli, torna di moda il nome di Modesto

di Giorgio Mosconi
Fonte: tuttonapoli.net

In alternativa Molinaro per la fascia sinistra, impossibile arrivare a De Ceglie

Il Napoli interverrà sul mercato a Gennaio, e questo sembra essere ormai un fatto assodato. Nelle prossime partite Mazzarri avrà modo di studiare il Napoli e di capire in quali ruoli questa squadra va rinforzata. Sull'esterno sinistro, però, anche per il tecnico toscano sembrano non esser! ci dubbi: serve come il pane, in una rosa già monca di un centrocampista interditore dopo l'addio di Blasi. I nomi su cui potrebbe puntare il Napoli sono i soliti. Escluso definitivamente De Ceglie, che la Juventus non cede, da Genova, sponda rossoblù, potrebbe arrivare Modesto. Secondo quanto riportato da Il Mattino infatti, l'esterno genoano e quello juventino Molinaro, sono i nomi più caldi per il mercato azzurro.

Borriello e tornato in gruppo

di Gianluca Tancini
Fonte:Ac Milan

Marco Borriello e tornato in gruppo oggi e ha fatto tutto l'allenamento con la squadra,alle 15:30 e iniziata l'unica seduta di allenamento di oggi con i rientri dei nazionali Pirlo,Zambrotta,Onyewu,Kaladze,e Jankulovsky.
Jankulovsky e Gattuso hanno lavorato in palestra,
dopo il discorso di Mister Leonardo la squadra ha iniziato il riscaldamento scatti,corsa e affondi sul campo rialzato alle spall! e degli spogliatoio a seguire stretching.
l'allenamento e seguito sulla tattica con i rossoneri impegnati in quattro stazioni sul campo.
Borriello e Thiago Silva hanno svolto l'intera seduta con la squadra i portieri hanno lavorato con William Vecchi,la sessione e terminata alle 16:45 domani unica sessione di allenamento alle 11 di mattina

Modena-Frosinone: le formazioni

di Marco Fundoni

MODENA: Alfonso; Gozzi, Rickler, Diagouraga; Ricchi, Colucci, Cortellin, Troiano, Tamburin; Bruno, Catellani.
FROSINONE: Sicignano; Del Prete, Scarlato, Mai etta, Bocchetti; Bolzoni, Basha; Basso, Calil, Cariello; Santoruvo.

La Vittoria Del Gruppo

di Gianluca Tancini
Fonte:Ac Milan

Dopo la vittoria contro la Roma torna il sereno in casa Milan e Leonardo commenta così la prestazione dei suoi ragazzi.
Oggi le motivazioni non arrivavano da fuori. Eravamo reduci da 3 risultati negativi,non era facile, la partita era iniziata malissimo. Tutto buoio ! tutto nero nel primo tempo,ma nelle ripresa ho visto da parte di tutti uno spirito straordinario. Sottolineare la grande prestazione di un singolo penso sia riduttivo,questa sera ha vinto la squadra. I cambi nella ripresa?Penso sempre ad un calcio offensivo, sono brasiliano,noi siamo alla ricerca di compattezza,ma nel secondo tempo abbiamo provato a tenerli larghi e volevamo giocare nel campo avversario e ci siamo risciuti. Le decisioni arbitrali?ho sentito le discussioni,forse c'era rigore per loro ma anche per noi,preferisco non fare analisi sugli arbitri. Non sò se la vittoria di questa sera rappresenti una svolta ma sò che bisogna avere continuità,sò che abbiamo talento ma allo stesso tempo dobbiamo avere equilibrio. Storari?valutiamo domani,vediamo se si tratta di un risentimento muscolare o meno,in ogni caso altri giocatori stanno per tornare e questo ci rende più forti.

IL PALERMO VERSO IL MATCH CON L'INTER

DI DAVIDE PAMPANIN

Ai microfoni di Radio Anch'Io il presidente del Palermo, Maurizio Zamparini, si dice soddisfatto delle ultime prestazioni della sua squadra, ma invita tutti a mantenere i piedi per terra: "Siamo solo all'inizio, abbiamo avuto buone prestazioni, ma nelle ultime partite abbiamo avuto anche degli episodi favorevoli che ci hanno favorito! quindi dobbiamo restare con i piedi per terra. Ora siamo quarti e puntiamo a un posto in Champions, ma per giocare in Europa ci vuole la mentalità adatta e non bastano i soldi e gli investimenti, quindi facciamo un passo alla volta". Nel prossimo infrasettimanale la squadra rosanero farà visita alla capolista Inter, ma Zamparini è chiaro: "L'Inter è forte, ma troverà un avversario tosto che venderà cara la pelle. Noi puntiamo al quarto posto per la Champions e siamo nel novero di quelle squadra che si possono giocare dal quarto al decimo posto". Un ultimo pensiero va al suo allenatore, Walter Zenga, con cui ha sempre detto di avere un ottimo rapporto, anche se il patron rosanero non si risparmia una battuta: "Io mi riprometto di fare tre campionati con un allenatore, ma un conto è quello che mi riprometto, un conto è poi è esserne capaci".

#090 Toto-Cronista Evento 8

Risultati molto particolari quello dell' ottavo turno di Toto-Cronista.

Vince Francesco Del Giudice con 26 punti (minimo stagionale vista la difficoltà della gioranta), ma forse quello che fa più scalpore è la controprestazione della capolista Eva Lenti

Ecco la classifica di giornata
1 Francesco Del Giudice 26
2 Stefano Stradotto 25
3 RaiBobo 25
4 Andrea P. 24
5 Emanuele Borsatto 23
6 Lele Pinto 23
7 Eva Lenti 18
8 Minuto x Minuto 18

Nella generale (classifica per media) cambia poco anche se per le posizioni di testa si riducono i margini:

1 Eva Lenti 31,42857143
2 RaiBobo 30,5
3 Emanuele Borsatto 25,75
4 Stefano Stradotto 25,75
5 Francesco Del Giudice 25,25
6 Minuto x Minuto 19,16666667
7 Lele Pinto 16,875
8 Andrea P. 15,375

Clicca qui per il resoconto completo delle classifiche.

Appuntamento fra sette giorni, ricordando che Martedì prossimo c'è il turno infrasettimanale di B

Toto-Cronista 18

Giornata avvincente dopo l'inaspettata sosta nel gioco di questo blog, il Toto-Cronista
Vince ancora Eva Lenti ma è braccata da RaiBobo.
Ecco la classifica di giornata
1 Eva Lenti 34
2 RaiBobo 33
3 Francesco Del Giudice 31
4 Emanuele Borsatto 29
5 Minuto x Minuto 27
6 Stefano Stradotto 23
7 Andrea P. 21
8 Lele Pinto 18

Nella generale la sfida per la testa è mozzafiato

1 RaiBobo 28,50
2 Eva Lenti 28,47
3 Emanuele Borsatto 24,61
4 Stefano Stradotto 24,56
5 Francesco Del Giudice 23,22
6 Minuto x Minuto 21,00
7 Lele Pinto 18,11
8 Andrea P. 17,22
Nelle altre guida RaiBobo.

A giovedì prossimo per un'altro aggiornamento.

Per avere tutto il materiale di questo gioco manda una mail di richiesta a tuttoilcalcio@raibobo.it

Tania Cagnotto: prima medaglia a Roma '09

Alle 16,34, finalmente, si spezza quell'incantesimo di maledizione che ha visto gli atleti italiani, in questi primi giorni di Mondiali di Roma 2009, centrare solo il legno del 4° posto, seppur onorevole, ma in maniera sfortunata. Il nostro fiore all'occhiello del tuffo Tania Cagnotto apre il medagliere azzurro in questi Mondiali, con il suo bronzo nei tuffi dai 3 metri di trampolino.

Ci ha raccontato così, in diretta, i momenti finali di questa gara, il radiocronista Andrea Coco.

SuperClassifica 4/09

Torna la graduatoria dei nostri radiocronisti impegnati in settimana anche nelle coppe Europee.

Le sorprese sono soprattutto il secondo posto di Emanuele Dotto e l'entrata in Top 10 di Giovanni Scaramuzzino, ormai stabile in tutte le trasmissioni

Classifica punti
1 Riccardo Cucchi 21,5
2 Emanuele Dotto 18,5
3 Giuseppe Bisantis 18,5
4 Francesco Repice 17,5
5 Antonello Orlando 13,0
6 Tonino Raffa 13,0
7 Giovanni Scaramuzzino 12,0
8 Ugo Russo 8,0
9 Livio Forma 7,5
10 Tarcisio Mazzeo 7,5

Classifica presenze
1 Emanuele Dotto 10
2 Giuseppe Bisantis 9
3 Francesco Repice 8
4 Riccardo Cucchi 8
5 Tonino Raffa 8
6 Giovanni Scaramuzzino 8
7 Ugo Russo 6
8 Antonello Orlando 6
9 Tarcisio Mazzeo 5
10 Livio Forma 5

Curiosità: a oggi sono senza presenze Giulio Delfino a causa della F1, poi Ettore Di Lorenzo, Andrea Coco, Mauro Carafa e il promettentis! simo Marco Fantasia.

Clicca qui per le classifiche complete

Alla settimana prossima.

Tutto il calcio n° 21

Tutto il Calcio Serie B
Giornata 9 - Recuperi
(Martedì 27/10 ore 20.45)
Conduce: Filippo Corsini

CP Ancona - Piacenza Livio Forma
2 Lecce - Reggina Enzo Del Vecchio
3 Brescia - Gallipoli Emanuele Dotto
4 Empoli - Triestina Enzo Baldini

Armata

Formazione

Il ritorno di Adriano...mannaggia salerno!

Ebbene si...l'Imperatore è tornato.

Nun s'putev' sta a cas' nat' u' poc'? No! Doveva tornare proprio ieri...mannaggia Salerno!

L'ultimo gol risaliva al 20 Ottobre 2007...l'ultimo rigore calciato, invece, risaliva al 16 Giugno 1995 ai Giochi della Gioventu' della regione di Rio de Janeiro. In quell'occasione il portiere dell' Istituto National "S. Maria do Nascimiento" (detto anche il "gordo" per il suo peso di 105 kg a fronte di 1,58 cm di altezza) glielo parò!!!

Dall'epoca, niente più rigori, fino a ieri quando il "tacco di quà" Ibrahimovic ha pensato bene di cedergli! la battuta del rigore!!!

Il Bidone d'oro 2006- 2007 trofeo vinto per ben due anni di seguito (record ineguagliato fino ad oggi) è l'unico esperimento riuscito da Mourinho.

L'anno scorso vinse davanti a Dida, Ronaldo,Oliveira e Tiago...sono tutti ancora nel catafalco...tutti tranne lui...l'Imperatore da ieri è tornato!

Vamos a ganar!!!

Handanovic
Manfredini
Siviglia
Criscito
Muntari
Galloppa
Dzemaili
Taddei
Amauri
Castillo
Succi

Belardi
Bellini
Perrotta
Nocerino
Denis
Russotto
Martinez

ecco la mia

A&J

World Cup Bafana Bafana 2010 news round up

Christiano Ronaldo seen rolling around on floor shock. Apparently the Portuguese grass cuddler may not make the forthcoming qualifier against Hungary (The Guardian).

Argentina hasn't missed a World Cup since 1970. The team which put them out in 1969 was Peru. Guess who is meeting up on Saturday as the Albicelestes struggle under Maradona (The Daily Telegraph).

Ben Foster's shaky start to the season could mean he is elbowed out of the way as competition for World Cup places intensifies. So says Oliver Kay of The Times.

And England fans will apparently "be glued to their laptops" on Saturd! ay. This report by Marketing even regurgitates a certain player's views on the subject. Hideous.

Gunners fan hangs himself after United victory

An Arsenal fan hung himself following his team's 4-1 aggregate drubbing by arch-rivals Manchester United in the Champions League semi-final, police said.

Roy Keane takes charge of Ipswich Town

Roy Keane will be unveiled as Ipswich Town manager later today but already plans to restore the club to the Premier League and become a force in Europe have been put in place, with billionaire owner Marcus Evans ordering his new manager to produce attractive football "that Ipswich fans have come to expect".

Eduardo Alvarez in Spain

Spain's third-place finish in the recently finished Confederations Cup deserves an analysis beyond the shallow "we only lost one match in the competition, we'll be fine for the World Cup" that most Spanish media displayed on Monday, after Spain narrowly defeated South Africa 3-2 on Sunday.