Last posts on sports

FC Barcelone: Ronaldinho devrait rejouer contre Stuttgart mardi

2007-11-18T14:29:21+01:00

MADRID (AFP) — Ronaldinho, que le FC Barcelone a soutenu mercredi par un communiqué inhabituel pour essayer de calmer le jeu autour de sa méforme et de sa vie privée, devrait rejouer mardi contre Stuttgart en Ligue des Champions (Groupe E).

What-Is-Acne--A-Brief-Users-Guide-For-Parents-Teens-And-The-Rest-Of-Us |Some-Acne-information-for-you |Acne-Treatment |Adults-Dont-Get-Acne-Do-They |

L'attaquant brésilien du Barça continue à récupérer de la contracture qui lui a fait manquer deux matches et devrait être encore un peu juste pour être aligné samedi contre Levante pour la 6e journée de la Liga, selon les médias espagnols.Face aux multiples informations sur sa méforme et ses supposées sorties nocturnes avant les matches, le Barça a publié mercredi un communiqué de "soutien" à Ronaldinho, soulignant que son absence était "strictement due à des critères médicaux".

FC Barcelone: Ronaldinho devrait rejouer contre Stuttgart mardi

2007-09-28T18:16:38+02:00

Face aux multiples informations sur sa méforme et ses supposées sorties nocturnes avant les matches, le Barça a publié mercredi un communiqué de "soutien" à Ronaldinho, soulignant que son absence était "strictement due à des critères médicaux".

Wayne Rooney Could Have Played Two Weeks Ago

2007-09-18T12:50:00+02:00

Playing for their country is the greatest honour that can be bestowed upon any footballer. There is no prouder achievement than pulling the national jersey and lining up for the anthems.It has emerged today that Manchester United star Wayne Rooney felt he was fit enough to play in both of England’s qualifiers, but was kept out of the squad by manager Alex Ferguson, amidst claims that he was unfit to play.Rooney contradicted his manager’s claims as he told Man United’s TV station MUTV: “I'm fine. I feel I could have played a few weeks ago and I'm a bit disappointed I haven't. But it was probably best in the long run.”The Man United website claims this is merely typical of Rooney's enthusiasm and hunger for football.Cynics amongst us will note the importance of Rooney to a United side who have found it difficult to find the back of the net this season. Expectations are forever high at Old Trafford and trophies will be sought by the fans, a cause that Rooney will be expected to contribute towards.Rooney was quick to step back in-line with his manager’s decision not to let him join up with the England squad, telling MUTV: “I've been dying to play. I wanted to make sure the manager knew I was ready to come back. The manager and physio’s have been a bit cautious and rightly so - it's a long season.”Source: goal.com

Robinho, so much awaited blossoming

2007-07-05T01:55:58+02:00

Robinho, so much awaited blossoming
Announced a long time like the successor of Peeled, the Brazilian attacker Robinho is long in confirming. After two seasons in Real Madrid, the “Moleque” finally seems to have adapted to the requirements of European football. At the point to become one of the fundamental parts of the triumph merengue in Liga.

Frail physics (1m 72, 60 kg) and face of child, Robson de Souza is far from being representative of the modern footballer. And yet, it has greatest qualities of them. Acceleration, control of ball, creativity, dribble and completion, Robinho have the complete panoply of the decisive player. These characteristics it learned them in the rooms from Sao Vicente. Its technique moving and its capacity to eliminate its adversaries easily must enormously with the practice of the futsal. Like its elder Ronaldinho, the parquet floors will take it along to the top of the world hierarchy.

All starts with a formation in Santos FC. President Marcelo Teixeira, dazzled by the prowesses in room of the young man, all will implement to learn how to him to exert his talent on the lawns. In 2002, into just 18 years, it integrates the team first. At the sides of its Diego accomplice, today in Werder Bremen, Robinho and the title of champion of Brazil offers excels to Santos. Peeled, alive legend of the club, is him also under the charm of the kid. Its rough talent is not long in exceeding the borders. The European recruiters know that a star is about to be born. Despite everything, Robinho will remain in Santos until 2005 to perfect his formation. It will offer a new title of champion in 2004 and will be elected better player of Brasileirao in 2003. At the summer 2005 and after 81 goals in 190 meetings of championship carioca, Robinho thus seems fine loan to make the great jump.

It rejoins first once the Old continent to dispute there the Cut of the Confederations with Seleçao. With 2 goals in 5 appearances, Robinho will contribute largely to the final success of the men of Parreira. These services will definitively convince Real Madrid to break its moneybox to engage the phenomenon. Very waited, the international Brazilian one shines only intermittently. Strongly under pressure, it is not under the best conditions to express its genius. Its first season under the shirt of Real will be mitigated (8 goals in 37 meetings of Liga in 2005/2006). After a World cup 2006 in Germany missed for Brazil, Robinho takes again the way of Santiago Bernabeu under the orders of a new trainer, Fabio Capello. Put at the variation initially, it will return in small papers of the Italian coach at the best time. Launched in a race effreinée under champion of Spain, Real and suit him to be exceptional. It will register 6 decisive goals in 32 appearances thus helping Real to precede the FC Barcelona and to take down its 30e national title. An end of exercise which sounds like a catch for the native of Sao Vicente. Indeed, more convincing and more bleeding, it answers finally waitings placed in him. Its pretences and its pace enivrent the public of experts of Santiago Bernabeu.

Copa America makes it possible to him to confirm this blossoming on the most level. In the absence of Ronaldinho, Kaka, Adriano and Ronaldo, Robinho act as natural leader within Seleçao concoctée by Dunga. At the time of the match of opening vis-a-vis Mexico last Tuesday, Brazil east demolishes (0-2) but Robinho is without question best the auriverde on the lawn. Sunday, it is almost with him all alone that it built the success of Brazilian on Chile (3-0). By registering a blow of the hat (including two very beautiful achievements), it settled at the head classification of the strikers of the competition and accepted responsibility for the destiny of its team. In race for the qualification for the quarterfinals, Brazil will count once more on its talent to eliminate Ecuador Thursday

Questionné quant à son futur à Barcelone, le joueur camerounais s'est clairement expliqué.

2007-07-04T02:19:00+02:00

Eto'o évoque son futur et celui de Ronaldinho!

Espagne

Questionné quant à son futur à Barcelone, le joueur camerounais s'est clairement expliqué.

Rédigé le 02/07/2007 à 17h39

Annoncés partant du côté de Milan, Eto'o et Ronaldinho vont rester à Barcelone! Lors d'une interview réalisée ce week-end, l'attaquant camerounais a déclaré: «Lui et moi ne bougeront pas de Barcelone, même si je sais que Berlusconi nous veux! »

Samuel Eto'o repousse donc les rumeurs de départs régulièrement évoquées depuis l'arrivée de Henri en blaugrana la semaine dernière.

Le camerounais a également émis quelques mots du sur le mercato du Barça qui traite actuellement les arrivées de Milito ou de Chivu en défense après celle de Abidal: «Ce sont des grands joueurs, ils nous seraient très utiles.»

Ecrit par Constantin Gabriel

Does Ronaldinho approach Milan?

2007-06-29T14:34:25+02:00

The rumours of transfers relating to Ronaldinho and Milan AC took again width. The Brazilian géni was seen in Milan yesterday…

Rossoneri have tried to put the hand on Ronaldinho for two seasons. All their attempts were without success until now. This summer, Berlusconi will return to the load to put to the hand on the number ten Catalan.

, The Brazilian one was this season not saved by criticisms in Spain in spite of its performances which were as a whole excellent. It was shown finger for a problem of weight and the “mini-crisis” which touched Barça. It was indeed in the center of this business with Rijkaard and Eto' O.

Then the question can arise: Why Ronaldinho was it in Milan? For Shopping or to meet the leaders rossoneri… business to be followed!

Henry, star among the stars

2007-06-26T00:05:20+02:00

Barcelona will have the next season an exceptional offensive potential, in a formula which remains to be found. But with the trio Ronaldinho, Messi, Henry and Eto' O, if it remains, the new attack of Barça makes right now dream.

The arrival of Thierry Henry in Barcelona causes the unanimity. The French player is moved to find itself in a club which joins together some of the best players of the world. Players who, with Messi with Eto' O while passing by Ronaldinho, are also pleased to find at their sides an attacker of this quality, without fearing less world the competition which will result from this. Because, to believe of it Frank Rijkaard, the trainer inhabitant of Barcelona, competition there will be. The Netherlander ensures indeed that it does not intend to give up its famous 4-3-3, in spite of the arrival of Thierry Henry who modifies his offensive arguments notably. If, as all seems to indicate it, Yaya Touré, arrived new recruit of Monaco, becomes the appointed defensive medium, it will have to be shouldered by two mediums able to contribute to recovery as with the construction of the play, profile which corresponds to players like Iniesta, Deco, Xavi or Motta.

Blow, the four large attackers will have only three stations to be divided. Who of Messi, Ronaldinho, Eto' O or Henry will make bench? For Rijkaard, the question will hardly arise, because with a program as charged as that with Barça, four players for three stations is not a luxury, since it will be necessary to turn regularly to let blow all and sundry. Without speaking about the wounds which, last season, had struck two of these stars, Eto' O and Messi. Remain that, for the great appointments, the choice will be inevitably painful…

Blow, the idea of an evolution of the tactical system of Rijkaard has also its followers, a kind of 4-2-3-1 making it possible to align the poker of offensive ace together blaugrana. In this case, recovery would return to a double pivot where Yaya Touré would be associated Deco or Iniesta for example, with Messi, Henry and Ronaldinho being able to evolve/move behind Eto' O at a peak. A tempting formula and very offensive.

Another possibility, to start again the idea of a departure of Samuel Eto' O. The Cameronian attracts many covetousnesses indeed. And its public attacks against Rijkaard and Ronaldinho, last February, had contributed to waste environment within the team and in particular at the end of catastrophic season of Blaugrana. As many reasons which plead for a departure. However, Eto' O ensures that he wants to remain and he promised with his president Joan Laporta to in the future avoid all new skid. Blow, Laporta affirmed that Eto' O would remain the next season. A promise which could however be contradicted for little that an offer can allure at the same time the club and the player. Samuel Eto' O does not hide that, if it were to leave, its preferred destination would be London, where a certain Arsene Wenger would undoubtedly be charmed to accomodate it. Releasing from the blow the pressure on the choice of the line of attack inhabitant of Barcelona…

Looking Back: 5 May 2007

2007-05-05T11:00:00+02:00

5 MAY is ... Celebration time ... Whoo-hoo! They did it! They won!

Cinco de Mayo. This holiday commemorates the victory of the Mexican army, led by Ignacio Zaragoza, over the French army at The Battle Of Puebla in 1862. This happened after Mexico's independence from Spain in 1821, after the Mexican-American War from 1846 to 1848, and after the Mexican Civil War of 1858. Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day, which is 16 September.

Sources: MexOnline / Inside Mexico / World Food and Wine: Cinco de Mayo Food / Southern Living Cinco de Mayo Food /

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>>> 103 years since Cy Young of the Boston Americans pitched the first perfect game of the modern era of baseball. He was pitching against the Philadelphia Athletics at the Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boston (1904). "Connie Mack, who has seen more ball games than any other American, living or dead, always considered Young's perfect game against Rube Waddell in 1904 the greatest exhibition of pitching ever performed." -- Tom Meany. (Mack was the Philadelphia A's coach at the time.) There have been only 14 additional perfect games pitched since Young's in 1903. In Young's next pitching start, he threw a 1-0 shutout over the Tigers, becoming the first pitcher in baseball history to throw a shutout after a no-hitter.

Sources: Columbia News Service: Cy Young's Perfect Game: At 100, Still Remarkable / Baseball Almanac: Cy Young Perfect Game Box Score / The Baseball Page.com Perfect Games / Cy Young's 1955 obituary

>>> 34 years since Secretariat, with Canadian jockey Ron Turcotte aboard, won the Kentucky Derby in 1:59.4 (1973). Secretariat, who was born in Doswell, Virginia, in March 1970, will go on to become a Triple Crown winner (one of only eleven), beating the field (and various records) in that year's Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. Author George Plimpton said of Secretariat: ""He was the only honest thing in this country at the time. This huge magnificent animal who wasn't tied up in scandal, wasn't tied up in money, he just ran because he loved running."

Sources: Secretariat.com: History / YouTube video of the Derby / ESPN Sportscentury Biography: Secretariat Remains No. 1 Name in Racing by Ron Flatter / Wikipedia

The Notre Dame Women's Fighting Irish Basketball Team is Comprised of Papist, Potato-Eating Hos

2007-04-10T01:35:00+02:00

Awaiting outrage...

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

2007-03-16T18:35:00+01:00

Been a long time since I've posted so I guess I should bring you up to date on things...

My latest passion is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and I am having a blast with it! The club, kimonogirl, is great, the instructor is wonderful and the fact that it's the only all-women's club in Toronto is even better! Not having to deal with sweaty, testosterone laden guys who believe the UFC is everything and who have a point to prove. (And yes, I know that not all guys are like that and could probably train with women respectfully and with less aggression... however, it's nice not to have to worry about the ones who can't!)

A strength training site I found provides some really awesome exercises, including these kneeling jumps, which I still cannot do, but aspire to achieving one of these days. Of course our intructor, Elliott, does conditioning and strength training with a group called Cross Fit here in Toronto. He often incorporates some of their drills into our training sessions. We all have a love/hate relationship with them... I mean "Do as many sets of 15 burpees, 15 pushups and 15 squats as you can in 5 minutes" is not something you love to hear!! But it works... ;-)

For now I am loving the sport and the training and am working on getting my blue belt. Like other martial arts, a white belt is what you start with and go from there. The blue belt is after white in BJJ, and how long it takes to get it depends entirely on how much effort one puts into training. I train as much as I can!!

If you're in Toronto and want to come see what kimogirl is all about, come on by and check out the classes anytime, or a workshop if there's one scheduled.

5GW Tactics and Counter-Tactics in Hockey

2007-01-22T14:13:42+01:00

note: This is a guest post by Catholicgauze. CG's been a friend of mine for some time. Before starting his very good blog, he wrote a three-part series on the geographer H.J. de Blij which appeared on tdaxp [1, 2, 3]. The following are his first thoughts on the 5th Generation of Modern WarfareEngber, Daniel. (2007). Rorygate. Slate. January 18, 2007. Available online: http://www.slate.com/id/2157741/nav/tap2/. It started out as a joke. Steve Schmid, a twenty-two year old hockey fan from New York, wanted a run of the mill hockey player to be in the All Star game. He chose the Vancouver Canucks' Rory Fitzpatrick as his candidate. Schmid started his campaign on Something Awful’s forums and on a few other online message boards. The campaign was only semi-serious and the online voting by self-described “goons” was expected to go nowhere. However, when the campaign moved past its organizer/leader and into leaderless aggression or fifth generation warfare (5GW) results began to materialize. A website for Fitzpatrick’s draft to the All Star game was constructed by a supporter. Political-style ads promoting Fitzpatrick, and even some jokingly negative, appeared on YouTube. Traditional media then began to pay notice. A cycle of news stories increased awareness and support for the draft movement culminating with Canucks’ players practicing with shirts supportive of Fitzpatrick. When online votes for the All Star game were being tallied as the polls remained open it became apparent that Fitzpatrick had a shot of being elected into the game. Various sports journalists, NHL officials, and even Wayne Gretzky laminated this and begged for voiding Fitzpatrick’s votes. The release the “Rory Vote-O-Matic” by supporters practically guaranteed Fitzpatrick’s election. The script allowed browsers to continually submit votes, there are no limits on how many times one could vote, for Fitzpatrick. With this the NHL decided to act but only half-heartedly. Minor increases in ballot security were quickly countered by Vote-O-Matic makers. Then something odd happened. The near-equilibrium between votes for Eastern and Western was disturbed by something and support for Fitzpatrick collapsed while votes for competition remained constant. Many on the internet believe the disruption was caused by the NHL covertly eliminating votes for and only for Fitzpatrick. In the end Fitzpatrick officially fell about 20,000 votes short of going to the All Star game. This battle between a leaderless movement and the National Hockey League is a great example of 5GW. When the NHL instituted minor modifications into the environment the movement adapted in the style of a living organism. Only when the NHL abandoned the light-footprint model and instead changed the rules of engagement completely did they deny any possibility of victory to the Fitzpatrick draft movement. The only thing which stopped a complete NHL victory was their lack of subtlety. The message is clear. To win 5GW the rules have to go out the window. A traditional attack will simply be adapted to at the cost of wasted resources by the attacker. Change the rules; however, to something where there can be no adaptation. Easier said than done but a game plan none the less.

Brazil's Ronaldinho looking for one more title in Japan

2006-12-06T21:19:06+01:00

TOKYO: Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho will be the main attraction when European champion Barcelona takes on its fellow continental title holders at the Club World Cup.

The Dec. 10-17 tournament features the top club teams from soccer's six confederations.

"I'd love to win the Club World Cup," Ronaldinho told the FIFA.com Web site. "This year, I wanted to win the (Spanish) league, the Champions League, the World Cup (in Germany), and the Club World Cup. Unfortunately it proved beyond us in Germany, but that makes me even more determined not to miss out in this tournament."

European champion Barcelona will be joined by South American champion Internacional of Brazil, Mexico's Club America representing North and Central America's CONCACAF, African champions Al Ahly of Egypt, Asian champion Chonbuk of South Korea and New Zealand's Auckland City FC, the Oceania champion.

Ronaldinho, winner of the last two FIFA player of the year awards, has had a stellar year for Barcelona, leading the Spanish side to the Champions League title. At the World Cup, Brazil was eliminated in the quarterfinals by France.

Ronaldinho said a finals showdown with his former Brazilian archrivals Internacional would be a difficult encounter.

"It would be a very tough game, but one we'd do our very best to win," said Ronaldinho. "I'm sure that their fans would whistle at me and put pressure on me."

Barcelona will be without the services of Argentine forward Lionel Messi, who injured his foot in a match against Spanish team Real Zaragoza last month and will be sidelined for up to three months.

Striker Samuel Eto'o is also injured and will not play here.

Auckland City opens the tournament on Dec. 10 against Al Ahly, while Barcelona plays its first in the semifinals on Dec. 14 against the winner of the first-round match between Chonbuk Motors and Club America.

Some 26 teams have won the Club World Cup, which began in 1960 as the Intercontinental Cup. The tournament was known as the Toyota Cup from 1980 to 2004 when it featured the top club teams from South America and Europe before it became the expanded Club World Cup in 2005.

Last year, South American champion Sao Paulo took the title after defeating European heavyweight Liverpool 1-0 at International Stadium Yokohama.

South Korean side Chonbuk Motors advanced to the tournament with a 3-2 aggregate win over Al Karama of Syria in the 2006 Asian Champions League.

source : http://www.iht.com

Rivalries

2006-12-03T18:50:00+01:00

Yesterday the Nebraska Cornhuskers (Big 12 North Champions) and the Oklahoma Sooners (champions of the Big 12 South) fought for the conference championship in Kansas City, Missouri. To dreams of Sean Meade and others came true, as the Sooners bested the Cornhuskers 21-7.

大内部拉斯加对大俄克拉何马

However, in spite of CG's gloating:

The SOONER you can update this the better. After tonight's game rest easy world: The New Order has been preserved.

The game was fun. Oklahoma is the ancient rival of Nebraska, though we've been separated ever since the Big Eight moved on to the bigger and better Big 12. Since that time, Nebraska has been stuck with hick schools like Colorado and Kansas State as "rivals." It's nice to have such a big game against such a great school -- and such an ancient foe.A similar dynamic is occurring in my home state of South Dakota, where the South Dakota State Jackrabbits tried to become "big-time" by moving up to Great West Football Conference -- leaving the ancestral North Central Conference to the wolves... or to the South Dakota Coyotes as the case may be. However, there too the old becomes new, as USD will be joining SDSU in NCAA Division I.

Traditions and football, like beer and pretzels, go together.

Best Sportsbook

2006-10-06T00:42:55+02:00

The interest in sports betting continues to grow, but many people still don’t know very much about it. They may know how to place a bet, but don’t know where to find the information that helps them to make the best decisions. On the other hand there are bettors who do their betting with a sportsbook and have that information at their fingertips. The best sportsbook will do more than just give the betting lines and odds. The best sportsbook will make recommendations based on the best and most current information available.

Hassan's Anderlecht crushed in Belgium League

2006-10-02T19:07:28+02:00


Hassan

Ahmed Hassan and his side Anderlecht were handed their first defeat of the season when they lost to Racing Genk 4-1 on Saturday.

Hassan played the whole game after he was ruled out from Anderlecht's 1-1 draw with AEK Athens in the Champions League earlier this week due to injury.

But the Egypt captain hardly had an impact as Moroccan striker Mbark Boussoufa scored the consolation goal for Anderlecht.

Both Kevin Vandenbergh and Croatian forward Goran Ljubojevic scored twice to fire Genk into the league's top spot.

Title holders Anderlecht now lie second with 17 points from eight games, trailing the winners by three points.source :http://worldcup.filbalad.com/english/News.asp?NewsID=27803

Bill Gates Attempts Return To NBA

2006-09-30T15:45:27+02:00

A young Bill Gates when he played for the NBA's Seattle Supersonics.

AROUND THE LEAGUE--Not since he lead the Seattle Supersonics to the NBA finals in 1996 and ultimately losing to the Chicago Bulls has Bill Gates "laced them up" in a competitive game of basketball. Gates, retired from the hardcourt after that amazing playoff run, then turned his attentions to software, and has been working on his small business ventures ever since. But basketball has always been Bill's first love, and at 465, he intends to make a comeback for the 2005-2006 season.

Gates, who wore number 43 until 1995 when he changed it to "95", was best known for his micro-soft hands around the basket. Early on, he earned a reputation as a tough player and a real hacker, remembered for making the hard drives to the Net. He compiled numerous records in his career, but regrets his choice to stop playing while still in his prime.

"Yah, I dropped the ball," said Gates, referring to his decision to retire. "Basketball is hard-coded into my brain. My choice to leave the sport has been eating away at me like open sores."

Although he was one of the lankiest point-guards in the game, Gates had the uncanny ability to power his way through the competition, almost as if he was programmed to do so. He ran plays like they were part of a built-in algorithm, and whenever his shooting percentage dropped, he would work on a new release.

"He definitely knew the system," said former teammate Gary Payton. "I just hope he can restart his career. Personally, I think his team could use some upgrading."

One of Gates' best moves involved a pick play which he called the "blue screen of death," a clever maneuver that would always freeze his opponents. And despite his tendency to lock up unexpectedly during a game, his teammates admitted he had one of the best screenshots in the game.

"Bill definitely knew when to seize his windows of opportunity," said former coach Lenny Wilkins. "He would always load up his shots, crash the boards, and reinitialize our game whenever we started to lag. I tell you, he monopolized the floor whenever he was on the court."

Gates says his return has nothing to do with money, although security is important to him. His love for the game, above all else, is his reason for attempting the comeback. He just hopes to cache in on his previous successes on the hardwood.

"I still feel I can chip in," said Gates, who set the benchmarks for success. "I once led the league in takeovers, and I think my style is compatible with the team's system. But I'm not going to return if I'm just going to be a back-up. I'm still capable of shutting down the opponent. I want to contribute."

Gates indicated that should he not make the team, he has threatened to buy the Orlando Magic and move them to Redmond, Washington, building a team made up entirely of fully-networked nine-foot robo-android players with laser optics and titanium exoskeletons.

source :http://www.thetoque.com

Primera Liga Preview: Sevilla - Real Betis

2006-09-30T15:10:08+02:00

Real Madrid and FC Barcelona may portray their own meeting as 'el Clásico', but the fiercest derby in Spanish football is in Seville. When Sevilla meet Real Betis all hell breaks loose and the shenanigans that go on leading up to the game, and even during it, make this an occasion to savour.

The bad news this year though is that nobody outside of the ground will be able to see a single kick as Sevilla president José María Del Nido has thrown his toys out of the pram over the offer that his club received for television coverage of his team's games from one of the two partners that hold the rights to show Spanish matches.

Negotiations have been ongoing, but until a deal is reached the current run of form that Sevilla are enjoying will have to be learned about from websites and newspapers.

On And Off The Pitch

On the pitch, and in the presidential box, the rivalry is intense. At the end of the 1999-2000 campaign Sevilla deliberately lost a game with Real Oviedo to ensure that Betis were relegated. Any doubts about their intentions were removed when Sevilla took off their goalkeeper, Frode Olsen, after he made several saves to deny the opposition scoring the winning goals.

More recently, Betis president Manuel Ruiz de Lopera banned Del Nido from watching the game in the presidential box, but the Sevilla president still found a way of sneaking in.
The modern-day supporters may come from different backgrounds, but the rivalry stems from the fact that Sevilla were seen as the upper middle class club, while Betis were definitely the domain of the working class masses.

Sevilla and Real Betis may have had differing degrees of fortune in the past few seasons as one club enjoys success while the other looks on, but there is little doubt that the city rivals are never far apart. At the end of the 2004-05 campaign the green and white half of the city was celebrating as their side pipped their arch enemy to become the first of the duo to qualify for the Champions League, while Sevilla were forced to settle for a place in the UEFA Cup.

Differing Fortunes

Betis should have been in the ascendancy last summer with the extra revenue and the prospect of being able to attract a higher class of player. But failure to truly strengthen the squad meant that they endured a season of struggle as the midweek distraction took its toll and the club found itself battling just to survive in the top flight until the final weeks of the campaign.

Across the city, the coach that had lifted Sevilla into the top six had decided that he had had enough and after five seasons in charge Joaquín Caparrós left the club to take over at Deportivo. That decision though, led the club to bring on board a man that would lead them to one of the greatest moments in their history. Juande Ramós had taken a year out of the game after an unsuccessful stint in charge of Málaga, but he was to take his predecessor's squad and make it into one of the strongest in the league.

Sevilla stayed in the top ten all season last time out and eventually finished in fifith place. But their crowning achievement was to reach the UEFA Cup Final in Eindhoven, where they lifted their first ever piece of European silverware after sweeping aside Middlesbrough. The irony of the coach's success was that five years ago he was coach of Betis.

Family Ties

It is difficult to gauge how intense the rivalry between the two sides actually is. Trouble is never far away on matchdays as the 'hooligan' element of both clubs do their best to disrupt proceedings, but it is not unusual to find both Betis and Sevilla supporters in the same family.

There is little hatred of the other on the streets of the city and the desire to win is only to be able to obtain local bragging rights for the following few months and nothing more sinister. The fixture has attracted attention in recent years because of crowd trouble and this year security has once again been stepped up with metal detectors being installed at turnstiles behind the gol norte, forcing normal fans to take their half-time bocadillo in plastic bags or newspaper, rather than the traditional tin foil.

On the pitch there are signs that Betis could be turning the corner. After Llorenç Serra Ferrer stood down in the summer, Javier Irureta was ushered in to wave the same magic wand that produced such stunning results at Deportivo for so many seasons. After losing on the opening day at Valencia, by a slender 2-1 scoreline, los Verdiblancos produced a commanding display last weekend to overwhelm Athletic Bilbao 3-0.

Unbeaten Run

Sevilla though, have grown in strength since their UEFA Cup triumph and have not tasted defeat in their last 15 official outings. After crushing newly-promoted Levante in the first game of the season, Ramós' side travelled north and made it two-out-of-two with a 3-1 win at Real Sociedad.

Perhaps their most impressive performance of late though, was the 3-0 defeat that they handed to Champions League winners Barcelona in the European Super Cup in August.

TEAM NEWS

Sevilla: Juande Ramós has not had many days to prepare his players for the game, having played in the 2-1 win against Atromitos in the UEFA Cup in Athens in midweek. But he did rest several players in that game as Javi Navarro, Enzo Maresca, Adriano and Lius Fabiano were all saved for the visit of Betis. The only absentee that Sevilla have in their ranks is Javier Chevantón, who has yet to make his debut for the club following a summer move from Monaco due to a continuing back problem.

Real Betis: All four of los Verdiblancos' summer signings are preparing for their first taste of a city derby as Jorge Wagner, Rafael Sobis, Johann Vogel and David Odonkor are all likely to play some part on Sunday. Melli and Vogel are both included in the squad despite not being 100 per fit while Robert returns, but Marcos Assunçao is still sidelined through injury.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Sevilla: Kanouté, Kepa

The home side's attacking duo are both lethal and are both enjoying strong starts to the season. Kanouté's height and ability to hold up the ball will cause Betis' defence problems, while Kepa is capable of scoring from anywhere. After scoring a hat-trick in the opening match Kepa was taken off after an hour last week to save him for the European game in midweek and the trick worked as he opened the scoring in Greece on Thursday evening.

Real Betis: Edu, Maldonado

Having missed the first game of the league campaign, Edu returned last weekend and was outstanding as he capped a strong performance with a goal in Betis' victory against Athletic. Maldonado is making himself into a local hero and his display on the right wing on Sunday should earn him a regular place in the side after spending the last two seasons out on loan.

PREDICTION

Betis have not won in the Sánchez Pizjuán since 1996-97 and face a tough task to break that sequence against one of the league's in-form teams.

Sevilla 2 - 1 Real Betis

source :http://www.goal.com/

Berlusconi Jr: I'd love Ronaldinho at AC Milan

2006-09-28T18:38:37+02:00

Berlusconi Jr: I'd love Ronaldinho at AC Milan
tribalfooball.com - September 27, 2006

The son of AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi admits he wants to see Barcelona ace Ronaldinho playing at the San Siro. Luigi Berlusconi, who is about to turn 18, said: "Ronaldinho is unique. There is no player who is as elegant and spectacular in the world as he. He is the only one that I would want to see in Milan."

Luigi also admitted "I have grown up watching the goals of Shevchenko" and that he hopes the Chelsea striker will "one day return to Milan".

http://www.tribalfootball.com/article.php?id=12915

Top Uruguayan soccer player loses leg

2006-09-27T23:37:07+02:00

AP Photo: Uruguay's Dario Silva is airborne after he was tripped during a match at the Munsu...

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay - The shattered right leg of top Uruguayan soccer player Dario Silva was amputated after he was thrown from his car in a highway accident, hospital officials said Monday.

The 33-year-old forward, a member of the national team, was driving along a Montevideo road that fronts the River Plate Estuary early Sunday when his car struck a light post on a center divider, police said. He hurtled through a side window, and his right leg was caught and badly broken as the light post toppled over the car, authorities said.

The Asociacion Espanola clinic said Silva remained under heavy sedation after the amputation.

"The amputation was carried out just below the knee of his right leg. But he is going back into the surgery unit to determine if there has been any infection," Dr. Mario Cancela said, adding sand and dirt appeared to have been ground into the leg by the fallen post.

"We have to keep cleaning this area to prevent any infection from spreading," he said.

Authorities said Silva was accompanied by two former players — Dardo Pereira, 34, was not injured, and Elbio Papa, 40, was slightly injured and had to be extricated from the car's twisted metal.

Silva left Sevilla in Spain and Portsmouth in England in 2005, but was released and has been without a club. Silva also has played in the Italian and Uruguayan leagues.

source :http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060925/ap_on_sp_so_ne/soc_uruguay_amputation;_ylt=ArMZ4Dr3Vuy777bXHDo9CnR2yLQF;_ylu=X3oDMTBjMHVqMTQ4BHNlYwN5bnN1YmNhdA

EA Sports Ships NBA Live 07

2006-09-26T18:07:23+02:00

EA Sports Ships NBA Live 07

The chance to play with complete control over all of the dazzling passes, signature dunks, jump shots and free throw routines of your favorite NBA stars in the basketball video game has become a reality as Electronic Arts ships NBA Live 07 to stores throughout North America. Developed by EA Canada, NBA Live 07 features NBA superstar Tracy McGrady of the Houston Rockets on its cover, and it is available on the Xbox 360 and Xbox video game systems from Microsoft, PSP system, mobile and PC. It will ship to stores in North America on the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system on September 27th.

On Wednesday, September 27, McGrady and Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs, who is featured on NBA Live 07 packaging in France, will help launch NBA Live 07 at the world's only NBA Store on 5th Avenue in New York City. Beginning at 1:00 pm Eastern Time, the first 150 fans who have registered to pre-purchase the game from the NBA Store will receive an autographed copy of the game from McGrady and Parker and have the opportunity to meet the players.

Outside North America, NBA Live 07 will be available to stores worldwide on Oct. 5 and Oct. 6 with Parker and Boris Diaw of the Phoenix Suns on the cover in France, Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks on the cover in Germany and Pau Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies on the cover in Spain. McGrady is featured on the cover in North America and all other territories.

This year NBA Live 07 introduces ESPN Motion and streaming ESPN radio podcasts delivered right to your console in game through a ground-breaking new ESPN integration package available on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles. Fans connected online will be able to watch NBA game highlights, segments from Pardon the Interruption or Around the Horn, interviews and analysis from SportsCenter, and more. Fans will also be able to download and listen to ESPN radio podcasts as they play NBA Live 07, including segments from Dan Patrick, Mike & Mike, Stephen A. Smith and others. All this is in addition to live ESPN Radio SportsCenter updates every 20 minutes, the ESPN Ticker and ESPN News.

Legendary broadcaster Marv Albert and former Chicago Bulls star Steve Kerr call all the action from the best seats in the house as you take your game to the highest level in NBA Live 07. With all-new EA Sports Total Freestyle Control and revolutionary gameplay - complete with ultra-realistic moves and player emotions - the highly acclaimed basketball video game from the EA Sports brand plays as good as it looks. Pull off moves only the pros perform as you replicate the styles of your favorite NBA players. Elevate to the rim for an electrifying dunk and bring the crowd to its feet, or look to your superstars to shift momentum with the game on the line. Featuring all-new levels of ability for your EA Sports Freestyle Superstars, the power to switch their skills on-the-fly, and advancements to fan-favorite features like All-Star Weekend and Dynasty Mode, the hardwood is yours for the taking in NBA Live 07. NBA Live 07 is also scheduled for release on the PlayStation 3 later this year.

http://home.nestor.minsk.by/game/news/2006/09/2602.html

Crespo does a Ronaldinho to silence critics

2006-09-26T17:05:38+02:00

Rome - Hernan Crespo did his best Ronaldinho impression to score the goal which gave Inter Milan a precious 1-0 win at Roma, their likeliest rivals for the Serie A title.

Wednesday's victory not only lifted Inter above Roma into third place on seven points, two behind leaders Palermo, but also silenced the critics who said the club were in crisis after an unconvincing start to the season.

Crespo is known for his clinical finishing rather than his dribbling skills, but he showed some neat footwork to skip past Philippe Mexes before firing home the only goal just before half-time.

Crespo, 31, said it had been a long time since he had scored a similar goal, casting his mind back to when he was with Parma between 1996 and 2000.

"I haven't scored a goal like that since my Parma days," said the Argentina international.

"I have to say I enjoyed it a lot. I will never be Ronaldinho, but I always give 100 per cent."

Crespo was delighted to give the perfect response to the critics who rounded upon Inter after their disappointing 1-1 draw against Sampdoria last Saturday.

"Too much was said after the Sampdoria game, and we gave a great demonstration of character by winning at the Olympic stadium," he said.

Inter had the chance to double their lead when Mexes pulled down Crespo in the box shortly after the break, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic's weak penalty was easily saved by Alexander Doni.

The late sending-ff of French midfielder Patrick Vieira took some of the gloss off Inter's night.

Following the relegation of Juventus and the points penalties handed out to AC Milan and Fiorentina for match-fixing, Inter are strong favourites to retain the Italian title.

They finished third last season but were awarded the Scudetto after the scandal fall-out. - Sapa-AFP .

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click_id=2831&art_id=qw1158833342920S163

US NBA stars head home with plenty to ponder on Olympic path

2006-09-10T13:53:16+02:00

AFP Photo: Carmelo Anthony of the US goes for a dunk while Argentina's Carlos Delfino (R) tries...

SAITAMA, Japan (AFP) - US players are going to have to work harder than they wanted next year after finishing third at the World Basketball Championship, but the experience could pay golden dividends in 2008 at Beijing.

America's National Basketball Association stars beat Argentina 96-81 in a consolation game after a 101-95 semi-final loss to Greece that ended US dreams of reclaiming the global throne and taking a spot at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Instead of having next year off, US players who made a three-year pledge to play on the US squad must compete for two available Olympic berths at the Tournament of the Americas in Venezuela.

"It's not the end of the world. We learned a lot from this experience and we will continue to get better," US scoring leader Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets said.

"We have to prepare for next season. Coming in, we wanted to win the world games, then take next summer off and get ready for Beijing in 08. Now, weve got to get ready for next summer in Venezuela and again in 08 in Beijing."

Nobody would have needed a break more than Dwyane Wade, who led Miami to the NBA title in June, trained with the US team in July, played the worlds into September and will start NBA training camp in another month.

"We lost the gold. But we are going back with our respect. Were going back with our heads up high," US star Dwyane Wade said.

"Were a very talented team, a confident team, and they beat us. We'll have to come back and try to win in 2007. This is a first step. Were not crying over losing. We wanted to win and it didnt happen. We got some experience."

Reigning Olympic champion Argentina will be trying to qualify in Venezuela. So will Brazil, which only lost 90-86 to the US in a pre-worlds game, plus the world-qualified hosts and Puerto Rico, a 2004 Olympic winner over the US men.

"It wasnt what we had planned," US forward Antawn Jamison said. "Its going to be interesting. Hopefully we can stay positive and do the things we need to be successful.

"Instead of being together for a week next summer, we have to go through another tournament. Thats the price you have to pay when you dont come out and win."

Playing more games under international rules next summer might create a better US team in Beijing, the true target being Olympic gold after placing sixth at the 2002 worlds and third at the 2004 Olympics.

"We have two more summers of growth. This is the beginning," US co-captain LeBron James said. "Weve improved since 2004. Weve improved since training camp began. We just have to keep getting better."

With a pool of 24 players, including Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, next year's team could feature some new faces, although building upon the chemistry and work with teammates from the past six weeks will be vital.

"Dont question our chemistry," Anthony said. "We did a great job putting this team together. We got along off the court. That was the difference between this year and 04. Hopefully we can keep this group together."

Newcomers must forget NBA one-on-one heroics and join a team concept.

"After playing a whole season, everybody will get back to their NBA ways," US forward Chris Bosh said. "As long as those guys come in and were looking forward to working with each other, well continue to build.

"Everybody has to have a team mind going into next summer."

Parreira resigns as Brazil coach

2006-07-23T16:14:46+02:00

Carlos Alberto Parreira has resigned as coach of Brazil, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said on Wednesday.

"After a meeting held this morning... with CBF president Ricardo Teixeira, coach Carlos Alberto Parreira left the Brazilian national team," read a statement on the CBF's official website.

"It was a joint decision and Parreira will not have, from today, any professional connection with the Brazilian Football Confederation."

Parreira - who led Brazil to their fourth World Cup triumph in 1994 - began his second stint at the helm in 2003. Brazil went out of the 2006 tournament against France at the quarter-final stage after a series of disappointing performances.

eurosport.com

Teeth for Arms

2006-02-25T14:15:00+01:00

“She has such long arms, that any ballerina would give her eyeteeth for.”

Ya gotta love sports commentary, especially in something like figure skating, where there’s a contradictory lack of action in between the jumping passes, plus the mysterious subjective element.

So that was Dick Buttons. I wish I’d have kept track of the other bon mots out of Torino.

And here’s an aside: Is it affected to call a place not by its English name (if you’re an English speaker), or is it rude and chauvinistic to impose your language on some other place? I mean, why can’t we be bothered to add another vowel to Turin? And where did we come up with “Leghorn,” for that matter? I don’t know; I’ve always wondered about this.

And while we’re tangentially on Olympic sports here, here’s an admirable website to check out: DFL. Anybody who’s done any racing needs no explanation of the acronym. (For those who haven’t, it’s “dead * last.” And for those who like acronyms, here’s another that I believe originated with MIT rowers: QFB. (“Quite far back.”))

“DFL” you’d think would be tongue in cheek about losers and Eddie the Eagle type longshots. (I love making Eddie the Eagle references! Met him in Lake Placid where we were training. A rare brush with celebrity. (He liked my friend Naomi.)) But, back on topic, DFL actually takes a more respectful approach. They may be last, but… they’re there! And there’s an ethos that DFL is better than DNF (“did not finish”), illustrated by the story of a slalom skier who missed a gate and instead of skiing off the course in resignation, he herringboned back up to the gate and went around it to finish the course. I hope I would do that if it were me.

New Year's Resolutions

2006-01-04T14:05:00+01:00

I didn’t go so far as to make any quantitative promises about blog postings, just to be more active in the blogosphere generally. I was recently contacted by someone who said they liked this blog—a chewing gum-fancying park ranger: what doesn’t the blogosphere offer?—which made me feel compelled to revisit my much neglected opus here.

A new year does so often inspire fresh starts or re-starts, new ventures or heightened efforts at old ones. Naturally sports and fitness ranks high among the resolutions. Everybody knows it’s fun and good for you, but changing routines to make time for fun and good-for-you things remains hard in a busy life. For many years, many, many years, I have had a party on New Year’s Day. At the first one so many years ago, someone spontaneously suggested guests write down their New Year’s resolutions, and we have continued to do so. For 2006 alone, when not a lot of people recorded their resolve, the following were among the lot:

lift weights again
learn to skate ski better
bike more
try a new sport
run a sub 5:20 mile
find a way to exercise consistently
exercise daily, not just 4x week

Best of luck to everyone who made such proclamations as the year began. Or who makes them as the year progresses. And may we help one another with our resolve, and by being healthier and feeling positive about our efforts make the world a nicer place. Whoo-hoo!

Title IX Across the Blogosphere

2005-03-23T14:40:00+01:00

"Feminists Mad at President Bush," by Mark Noonan, Blogs for Bush, 22 March 2005, http://www.blogsforbush.com/mt/archives/004038.html."Title IX Changes," by Chris, A Large Regular, 22 March 2005, http://large-regular.blogspot.com/2005/03/title-ix-changes-there-seems-to-be.html."Title IX Compliance," by Jen, Optional N, 23 March 2005, http://optional-n.com/?p=686.Computer Scientist blogger Jen(n) misses the point on Bush all but ending Title IX

At the time, they made no changes to Title IX, but this Internet survey is effectively the old recommendation that we ask girls and women if they want sports before we fund them. To me, that is just outright foolish, and I can’t understand seeing it as any other way. Our society and culture are biased against women in sports, and the way to encourage women to participate in athletics is to ask them if they want athletics?

She misses the point. Title IX combines the harm of affirmitive action with the insanity of federal education legislation. Among other things, the law

Assumes that girls and their families are too ignorant to make their own extra-curricular decisions
Lessens happiness, as more popular male sports are cut to make room for less popular female sports
Attempts to create a New Style Woman and New Style Man, like the rest of progressive politics
Violates the freedom of everyone involved, because colleges are prohibited from offering sports to willing (and because of tuition, paying) students because of federal legislation

Title IX is a state-heavy monolith, but fortunately it never forced true equality. Mr. Noonan is incorrect when he writes

In this case, it relates to Title IX; a law which, in feminist theory, requires schools to provide the same athletic opportunities for boys and girls. If there's a boys wrestling team, then there must be a girls wrestling team. The fact, at a particular school, that there are no girls interested in wrestling is irrelevant. Our feminists live entirely in the world of theory, and if the facts don't fit the theory then the facts are to be ignored.

The law forced equal participation across sports, but not in any one sport. A better example would be if there was a guy's wrestling team, there head to be a gal's volleyball team.Last, while Chris is incorrect when he says Title IX was not a bad idea in itself, he does offer a compromise

The solution in my eyes has always been to make cheerleading a varsity sport.OK - are you done laughing or thinking I'm a chauvinist pig?I'm serious. Cheerleading is not easy. My sister in law teaches gymnastics and is also a high school cheerleading coach. Her cheerleaders work just as hard as most of the varsity players they cheer and their practice is just as physically demanding. Most cheerleaders but not all will be girls whereas 100% of football scholarships go to the guys. All the other seasonal sports match up equally. Men's basketball and women's basketball, baseball and softball, men's and women's volleyball, etc, etc. It is football that throws things out of whack. If cheerleading was a varsity sport then the number of football scholarships could be equaled off with cheerleader scholarships.Hey if cheerleading was good enough for the President then it should be good enough for Title IX compliance.

Update: Pilight offers a contrarian view:

I think it's much ado about nothing. If anything, it makes Title IX more enforceable...As for conservatives and anti-feminists, well they're beating the hell out of that straw man. Schools have never been required to show proportionality and it's always been the least used prong for compliance. Interest in college wrestling was already on the decline before Title IX was enacted and the slide has only accelerated. The eliminated programs almost certainly would have been eliminated anyway, some people just like to have someone or something besides themselves to blame.

New Rules Substantially Weaken Title IX (Good)

2005-03-22T14:05:00+01:00

"Surveys can be used to show Title XI Compliance," by Kathy Kiely, USA Today, 22 March 2005, http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/2005-03-22-title-ix-survey_x.htm (from K.J. Lopez at The Corner).

New federal guidelines for compliance with Title IX, the law that has helped get more women involved in sports, permit schools to avoid adding more athletic opportunities for students if an Internet survey indicates they are not interested.

This is another reason I am a Republican. Instead of massive federal social engineer at the college level.. let colleges offer opportunities that interest people. A pretty shocking development!

Critics say the guidelines, issued Friday with no public fanfare by the Department of Education, represent a significant weakening of the 33-year-old law banning sex discrimination at schools receiving federal funds."They're finding a way to weaken Title IX," said Neena Chaudhry, senior counsel of the National Women's Law Center. "This allows schools the easy way out."

And with the Iraq War, Bush found a way to "weaken" the Ba'athi Regime. I hereby create a "Neena Chaudhry Award for Obvious Statements."Not that that will prevent bureaucrats from denying any shift

Education Department officials adamantly denied the charge, termed "bogus" by spokesman Susan Aspey."This is simply an additional clarification. This is not a new way of doing business," said James Manning of the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights. "We're trying to help schools."

And de-Ba'athification was simply an additional clarification on who is eligible for public sector jobs in Iraq. At least he is right that the new rules help schools.The heart of the matter...

The new guidelines say schools can show they're offering adequate opportunities by periodically asking students to fill out an Internet survey designed to determine what sports interest them. The Education Department says schools may notify students of the survey via e-mail.

What makes this news very, very wonderful:

Even if many students don't fill out the surveys, schools will be able to use them to argue they don't need to create new sports teams for the underrepresented gender, usually women. The Education Department acknowledged "rates of non-response may be high with the e-mail procedure" but added it "will interpret such non-response as a lack of interest" by the underrepresented gender.

Wow! If I'm reading that right, as long as the response rate is less than the fraction of athletes who are female, Title IX is null. Wow!The only sad news is that this was proposed years ago, but vetoed by a faint-heart

Two years ago, a presidential commission reviewing Title IX considered proposals to permit schools wider use of surveys to prove compliance. Then-Education Secretary Rod Paige rejected those proposals.

Update: Doug Petch adds some legal details, and then comments...

Once and for all, then, the OCR has confirmed that a school is not required to offer an equal competition opportunity to both men and women in a particular sport if a competent survey indicates the absence of "unmet interest sufficient to sustain a varsity team in the sport(s)."Finally.

Update 2: Women's Hoops wonders what real changes will be, but takes time to call tdaxp conservative and anti-feminist. Maybe he gets that idea because of this post? Off Wing Opinion likes WH's view, and highlights...

The political story, on the other hand, is clear enough.Act One: in an atmosphere of candor and open debate, conservatives push for a change but end up rebuffed by public pressure. Act Two: conservatives bide their time, wait till everyone has forgotten all about the issue, and then make the change quietly -- without debate, without fanfare, without a press release. They successfully bury the story. Several days pass before anyone even knows that a change has been made.Act Three has yet to be written.
It's hard to argue with that last conclusion, as I don't think we've heard the end of this story. Stay tuned.