Saturday, December 19, 2009
Nuggets Knock off Lakers 90-79
The Lakers scored a season low 79 points against the Nuggets Friday night and had their worst shooting night of the season. The Lakers shot a putrid 29% from the field and less than 10% from 3 point land. The Lakers missed almost 70 shots. That's right, 70 shots! Kobe had a horrible shooting night going 10-31 from the field. Lamar Odom went 5-17, Trevor Ariza was 0-6 and Derek Fisher shot 2-7. Denver was paced by 22 points apiece from Chauncey Billups and J.R. Smith. Tonight's game was a combination of a tremendous defensive effort from a good Nuggets team and a tired Lakers team. L.A. doesn't have much ! time to lick their wounds. The Lakers have a rematch against Phoenix Sunday afternoon.
Solo is out!
Outspoken goalkeeper Hope Solo will not be with the United States team for Sunday's third-place playoff against Norway in the Women's World Cup.
Coach Greg Ryan announced the decision just two days after Solo went public and criticized him for benching her for the semifinal defeat by Brazil.
Ryan's future is also up in the air.
The United States were unbeaten in 51 straight games before the Brazil loss, but the lopsided defeat and Ryan's decision to switch keepers -- Solo had not allowed a goal in almost 300 minutes -- makes it unclear if he will be retained.
Sunil Gulati, the president of the U.S. Soccer Federation, said on Saturday that Ryan's contract was up at the end of the year. He did not say if Ryan would coach the team in next year's Beijing Olympics.
"In all events like this ... we do a pretty quick analysis of what's happened; what's gone well, what's not gone well," Gulati said.
"That will happen even more quickly in thi! s case," he added. "We'll analyze this situation after tomorrow. We've already starting analyzing it."
Jersey Sky Blue 0, China 0
Sky Blue Select and China overcame a wet weather night to put on an entertaining match for a hearty crowd of 3,472 at Rutgers University. Despite a combined 22 shots, the teams finished tied 0-0 in an exhibition match.
Virginia 0, Seton Hall 1
The Virginia women's soccer team was upset 1-0 by Seton Sunday afternoon in the final game of the Virginia Nike Soccer Classic at Klockner Stadium. The loss snapped the Cavaliers' school record 14-game home winning streak and dropped their record to 4-2-0 on the season. The Pirates improve to 3-3-0.
MotoGP : 2008 Spain - Fiat Yamaha - Sunday report
Valentino Rossi;
Position: 2nd Time: +2.883;
"I'm really happy with this podium because, even though it hasn't been so many races since the last one, it's been quite a lot of months! I am also very happy to have reached 100 podiums in MotoGP; now I am wondering if I can get to 200! It's a pity we couldn't win today and maybe I was a little bit too cautious at the start because I wanted to take care of my tyres, but in the end they worked very well from start to finish and so this is great for ! the future. It's always better to win but after the poor result in Qatar this is a very important second place to us, also because it's my first podium with Bridgestone. Thanks to my team, to Yamaha and to Bridgestone because we've made a lot of progress this weekend, continuing right up to making some small but important adjustments after warm-up this morning. My bike and tyres are working very well, we're third in the championship with a very long way to go and I'm feeling quite confident."
Davide Brivio;
Team Manager;
"We are very satisfied with today's result, especially because this second place arrives after Qatar, where we learnt a lot. The Team, all the engineers and the technicians made a great job and used the information we got in Qatar in the best way to make a big step forward. Now we want to look at this race in Jerez as the start of our championship. Of course we still have a lot to learn about the ! Bridgestone/Yamaha combination, but I think both parties did a! n excell ent job here and Valentino rode a great race and kept a very consistent rhythm. Tomorrow we will have one day of testing and we will do our best in order to be in good shape for Estoril. This is Valentino's 100th podium and also the first one with Bridgestone, so it's a special day, but we hope that there will be many others! Today I would really like to say "Bravi a tutti!"
Masahiko Nakajima;
Team Director;
"Today I am very happy because we were able to get back onto the podium with Valentino! This year is not easy because we don't have experience between the Bridgestone tyres and our M1, but after Qatar we investigated the problem with our set-up in order to make the tyres work better and improve our performance. This weekend we tested many solutions and finally we reached a very good set-up. As I said, I am very happy for Valentino because he can now fight again at his maximum level. In tomorrow's test we will w! ork again to fine tune the set-up of his M1 with the Bridgestone tyres; we now want Valentino back on the highest step of the podium!"
Lorenzo helps Yamaha to double podium in Jerez.
Fiat Yamaha Team new-recruit Jorge Lorenzo proved his Qatar podium was no fluke by taking third in his home Grand Prix at Jerez today. The youngster joined his team-mate Valentino Rossi, who finished second, on the podium and marked a great day for the team in front of over 130,000 Spanish fans and King Juan Carlos of Spain.
Lorenzo started from pole for the second race running but was unable to keep pace with his Dani Pedrosa, who led over the line for the first time. Meanwhile Rossi had moved to within striking distance of his team-mate by the third lap, making his move on the next lap and passing the Mallorcan to take second. Lorenzo rode strongly in third for the remainder of the race but was unable to get close enough to Rossi to mount a challenge, crossing! the line 1.456 seconds adrift of the Italian. Rossi likewise ! was unab le to make much of a dent in Pedrosa's lead and finished 2.883 seconds off the winner. With two podiums under his belt Lorenzo holds onto second in the championship whilst Rossi moves into third and the Fiat Yamaha Team top the team table.
Jorge Lorenzo;
Position: 3rd Time: +4.339;
"Of course I'm a little bit disappointed today because we thought that we might be able to make more of a challenge, but I can't complain because it's only my second race and I've had two podiums and two pole positions, so it's still a great result! To race today in front of so many Spanish fans and also The King was something incredible and I have really enjoyed myself a lot here. Dani was a fair winner today, his pace was very strong and I couldn't stay with him, but I am learning all the time and I will be stronger again at the next race. It's a very long championship and this is an important result for us. Thanks to my team and to ! Yamaha and Michelin, everyone worked very hard and I think we've done a very good job so far. To be second in the championship at this point is still f ar more than I expected and now I am just looking forward to the next race."
Daniele Romagnoli;
Team Manager;
"Today's result is a great one! This was just the second race of Jorge's MotoGP career and he got his second consecutive podium! He rode the race of an "old" MotoGP rider today, in a very clever way. He concentrated on taking home the best result he could, without making any mistakes or wasting the great pole position he started from. The Team did an excellent job and, together with Michelin, we were able to find a good package for this track. Now of course motivation is running high and we will use today's result and data in order to improve things further and to go to Estoril in the best shape possible."
Masahik! o Nakajima;
Team Director;
"Jorge's performan! ce today was quite impressive, bearing in mind that this is just his second race in MotoGP! During the race it seems that he lost a little bit of the feeling with the bike that he had yesterday and on Friday, but anyway it is clear that he is ready to win a race, already! One of the team's tasks is to maintain a good atmosphere around Jorge and to make him feel relaxed and concentrated, and so far it seems that this is the case. As far as tomorrow's test is concerned, we will keep on working on the electronic setting and on testing more tyres with Michelin, as we look to continue to improve our package ahead of the next race."
Hurricanes vs Sharks
The Hurricanes are by far the second best New Zealand team in the competition. They've only lost two games this season so far and the scary thing is that they're yet to give their best performance. In Wellington they're a tough team to beat and the Sharks will do well just to keep in touch during this match.
The Sharks are South Africa's best side in the competition, winning all their games so far. But the wins have all been scrappy and it seems like they're struggling to get out of third gear. Their first match on tour will give us a better idea of how good the Sharks really are.
Prediction: Hurricanes by 15.
Flamini on the verge of joing AC Milan
Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini is reportedly in Italy today to finalise a new contract with AC Milan. The Frenchman has walked away from the offer of new terms by Arsene Wenger.
He's expected to sign a four-year deal with the Italian giants after undergoing a medical.
Milan have already announced they'll sign Flamini in the coming week. The midfielder is out of contract at Arsenal at the end of the season and had continuously stalled on a new deal.
Wenger originally gave him until the end of April to decide his future but extended that deadline until the past weekend.
Meanwhile, Wenger insists Brazilian midfielder Gilberto won't necessarily be leaving the club.
Tiger out for the year!
Tiger Woods is out of golf for the remainder of the year. The world number one will have reconstructive surgery on his left knee that will sideline him for the rest of the 2008 season, he also said he would require time off to rehabilitate a double stress fracture of his left tibia that was found last month and attributed to his intense rehabilitation and preparation for the US Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego. Woods, who has already been under the knife on 3 occasions on his left knee, refused to disclose much detail of the pain he clearly suffered at Torrey Pines last week.
Breakfast Headlines
Springbok coach, Peter de Villiers, has made three changes to his starting 15 to face New Zealand in a Tri-Nations test on Saturday. Percy Montgomery will start at fullback, with Conrad Jantjes on the reserves bench. JP Pietersen replaces Odwa Ndungane on the right wing and Bismarck du Plessis stands in for the injured John Smit. In other changes Schalk Brits is among the reserves and Ruan Pienaar replaces Bolla Conradie on the bench.
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SA Rugby has demanded an apology from former All Black Craig Dowd, who described de Villiers, as a "puppet".
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Meanwhile, match referee, Mat Goddard will be meeting with both coaches to defuse some of the agro between the teams.
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Good ! news from the under 18 Craven Week: The Blue Bulls suffered a 34-12 defeat to Western Province.
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Vodacom Western Province coach Allister Coetzee could shed no light on rumours that Dylan des Fountain and Ross Skeate are planning to take up overseas contracts. This after hooker Tiaan Liebenberg left for Toulon just over a week ago and confirmation that Francois van der Merwe is set to join him. Coetzee says his focus is on the Currie Cup...
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Former Proteas bowler, Shaun Pollock, says South Africa have a good chance of getting an elusive test series victory in England. The first test gets underway at Lord's today. England skipper Michael Vaughn says it's huge and can even be compared to an ashes series...
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British rider Mark! Cavendi sh sprinted to victory in the fifth stage of the Tour de France. German rider Stefan Schumacher is still wearing the leader's yellow jersey. Tour favourite Alejandro Valverde crashed yesterday, but managed to get back onto his bike. Team Barloworld's Robert Hunter finished sixth and is 36th overall.
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Graeme Solomons and Hank McGregor finished a dramatic first stage of the Isuzu Berg River Canoe Marathon together after the 62km first stage from Paarl to Zonquasdrift, raced on a very full and rising Berg River. They shattered the stage record with a time of 3 hours 45 minutes.
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Some of the world's top golfers, minus Tiger Woods, are involved in the Scottish Open, which gets underway today. It's the final European Tour event before The Open starts at Royal Birkdal! e next week. Former world number one Ernie Els is hopeful of repeating his past success in the tournament…
Breede flowing and ready
The Canon Breede River Canoe marathon is just a day away, and the picturesque valley between Robertson and Swellendam will play host to two days of frantic canoeing action as the Marathon also hosts the SA K2 river championships.After a week of heavy rain and snowfall in the region the Breede river is living up to it's name and running wide, fast and full which will ensure that the racing is fast and the margins for error are very small for the athletes racing for the national titles.
With a number of elite paddlers committed to the world marathon champs in t! he Czech republic in a fortnights time, the front row of the seeded batch will se a number of new and untested combinations lining up against more settled crews eager to take full advantage of the opportunity to make their mark.
The combination of Hank McGregor and Dawid Mocke, above, tops the list of untested river crews, and they will start as early favourites.
Sheffield to Benefit from Tevez Saga
English Premier League club West Ham may have to pay Sheffield United up to 30 million pounds in compensation following a probe into the Carlos Tevez transfer saga. I think they're lucky to be getting anything.
Tevez is currently at Manchester United were he'll stay once he gets a contract at the end of the season, but the Argentinian's stint with the Hammers has been in the spotlight. The striker, who was registered illegally by West Ham, helped the club during a fierce relegation battle, to the detriment of Sheffield who went down last season. Sheffield took legal action against West Ham, arguing that Tevez was the reason the Hammers won the relegation battle. Club chairman Kevin McCabe says an independent tribunal has found in their favour. The exact amount in compensation will be determined at a later date.
What do you think? Surely one player does not make a team and if Sheffield were good enough to stay in the top flight they w! ould have done so regardless of who was playing for West Ham. The Hammers may have been in the wrong, but Sheffield's failure to stay in the Premier League cannot be as a result of the powers of one very gifted and prolific striker.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Boks Not Fussed Over WC Draw
Springbok captain John Smit welcomed South Africa's tough draw for the 2011 IRB Rugby World Cup as the ideal preparation to battle harden the team for the tournament's later stages, if they should progress.
The Springboks were drawn in Pool D with Wales and Fiji as well as qualifiers from Oceania and Africa in a grouping that Smit said was similar to the 2007 draw.
"Last time we were drawn against the top team from Britain – which was then England – and this time we have been drawn against Wales who are the Six Nations champions," said Smit.
"We also played two teams from the Pacific Islands and this time we have Fiji and an Oceania qualifier, which is very likely to be Samoa. The draw has a similar feel to last time and the good thing is that we will be well tested during the competition.
"You don't want to breeze through your pool and we certainly won't have that luxury."
Should South Africa to! p their pool they will play the runners-up in Pool C, featuring Australia, Ireland and Italy and two qualifiers from Europe and the Americas. If the Springboks finish second they will play the winners of the Pool C.
"It's a tough draw and it will be a very physical pool but I'm happy with the draw," said Springbok coach Peter de Villiers. "We'll be monitoring these nations progress over the coming months but we know what they are capable of when they are on song.
"Wales will only go from strength to strength and we know the Pacific Islands produce outstanding players – e only have to look back to last year's World Cup to know what a threat they can pose."
According the seedings the Springboks would then meet New Zealand in the semi-finals if both teams top their pools and win their quarter-finals.
"I haven't even thought about that," said Smit. "All I know is that it is a good Pool as you need a fair amount of testing in this comp! etition."
De Villiers and Smit were in attendance w! hen the draw was made in London yesterday.
IRB Rugby World Cup Pools
Pool A – New Zealand, France, Tonga, Americas 1, Asia 1.
Pool B – Argentina, England, Scotland, Europe 1, Play-off winner.
Pool C – Australia, Ireland, Italy, Europe 2, Americas 2
Pool D – South Africa, Wales, Fiji, Oceania 1, Africa 1.
ISSUED BY SA RUGBY
Ajax back in title race?
The ABSA premiership is wide open once again.
Only days after Ajax Cape Town coach Craig Rosslee prematurely conceded their title race was virtually over it seems Supersport could still drop the ball as the league enters the dying minutes.Before Wednesday night's matches the defending champs were eight points away from Ajax, who had dropped to sixth.
Now after a 1-0 defeat to Amazulu and the Urban Warriors 4-1 thrashing of Bay United, there ar! e only 5 points in it - and Ajax are third.
I think they still have a chance, especially if they've found their goalscoring touch and Supersport drop more points.
Premiership awaits Cape side
FC Cape Town coach Johnny Ferreira says his team have a lot to be proud of ahead of their game with Thanda Royal Zulu tomorrow evening.
The Cape side held Thanda to a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their first division promotion playoff game.
A win by the FC Cape Town will increase their chances of making it into the ABSA Premier league as they will qualify for next round of playoff games.
The coastal team will be want to make the most of their home ground advantage with the tie sitting all square.
Both teams will be under immense pressure to score the first goal. Ferreira says he and his team are accustomed to pressure.
"We are a young club and we are close to four years old, for us to achieve as much as we have already that is it's a huge accomplishment. We have a small budget and we have limited resources, everybody at the club is ecstatic at this progress."
Japanese Grand Prix: Alonso leaves no doubt
Renault's Fernando Alonso wins the Japanese Grand Prix and leaves no doubt that he is the best and most complete driver in Formula One by taking his second straight win. He and his team certainly have recovered the swagger that made them double World Champions and this should cement Alonso's return to Renault. Hamilton, Massa and Raikkonen had races that were symptomatic of their seasons: Hamilton (perhaps too aggressive), Massa (choking in clutch situations), Raikkonen (simply going through the motions). Robert Kubica solidifies his hole on the 3rd in the title fight and now has put Massa under threat as he is only 6 points behind the Ferrari driver. Piquet has stayed off execution by driving to a 4th place finish.
In terms of points of interest there was absolutely nothing of interest:
1. Toyota. Trulli did what he had to do with the package Toyota has for him and finished 5th. However, it is clear that the Renault advantage is too great now and it looks like Renault can depend on Piquet to finish strongly.
2. Honda. Simply useless. Attrition assisted their 13th and 14th place finishes and Barrichello outdoes Button once again.
3. Kazuki Nakajima. He was left cruising around after getting into a tangle with Red Bull's David Coulthard.
Race Classification:
1. Alonso
2. Kubica
3. Raikkonen
4. Piquet
5. Trulli
6. Bourdais
7. Vettel
8. Massa
9. Webber
10. Heidfeld
11. Rosberg
12. Hamilton
13. Barrichello
14. Button
15. Nakajima
Fastest lap: Massa, 1:18.426
Tommy Smith: Javier Mascherano Is No Scapegoat!
Nobody is happy with losing at Chelsea. But some of the doom and gloom and rubbish being spouted in Liverpool's direction is well over the top.
If you're asking me whether I think we can still win the league, the answer is simple.
Yes. Of course we can. We definitely can.
And as for people blaming Javier Mascherano for their first and decisive goal – well I just don't buy it.
Okay, he lost possession but the little fella is a really good player and had a smashing game otherwise.
Chelsea still had 60 yards to go to get that ball into our net from the moment they began moving forward from their own half, and while it was a good ball in from Drogba, we should have defended better than we did.
So making the Argentinian the scapegoat is way out of order.
As is writing off Liverpool's title chances long before the leaves have finished falling.
Chelsea themselves have been turned over by Wigan, while Manchester United struggled on Saturday to get a point at home to Sunderland.
It's clearly a much more open race this season and there'll be more shocks to come across the board, I'm sure.
I'm not saying losing three games in the first eight is good news. There's no disguising the fact we've slipped up early on this season.
But at Chelsea we could well have had a draw or even sneaked a win. It was a far better performance all round than against Fiorentina – I just thought they looked a little bit stronger in defence and in attack than us – and that was what edged it.
But if Liverpool can keep beating sides – and we have won our other five league games very well don't forget - then anything is possible.
Remember – no one at Liverpool ever gives up. Let alone in October!
NOW I'm not one to defend referees too readily. Far from it.
But Alex! Ferguson's attack on Alan Wiley after the Sunderland game was! persona l and way over the top.
The United boss was ranting and raving at fourth official Mike Dean on the touchline like a spoiled child. It was embarrassing.
And what he said afterwards about Wiley was simply beneath the belt. I'm glad the FA are looking into it and I hope for once they've got the bottle to stand up to Ferguson and deal with him the way they would with any other manager.
Ferguson claimed Wiley was not fit enough to officiate - but at the same time stats showed he ran further than the players!
Ex-ref Graham Poll has accused him of a cheap shot and this time he's dead right.
Essentially calling people fat so and so's at football matches normally comes from the stands - not from club managers.
So Ferguson owes Wiley an apology and he should give him one. He should have been taking his anger out on his players, instead of picking on someone who wasn't there to defend himself.
It's one thing c! riticising referees over bad decisions - they deserve the flak when they get them wrong.
But Ferguson has stepped over the line and must be dealt with.
If you're asking me whether I think we can still win the league, the answer is simple.
Yes. Of course we can. We definitely can.
And as for people blaming Javier Mascherano for their first and decisive goal – well I just don't buy it.
Okay, he lost possession but the little fella is a really good player and had a smashing game otherwise.
Chelsea still had 60 yards to go to get that ball into our net from the moment they began moving forward from their own half, and while it was a good ball in from Drogba, we should have defended better than we did.
So making the Argentinian the scapegoat is way out of order.
As is writing off Liverpool's title chances long before the leaves have finished falling.
Chelsea themselves have been turned over by Wigan, while Manchester United struggled on Saturday to get a point at home to Sunderland.
It's clearly a much more open race this season and there'll be more shocks to come across the board, I'm sure.
I'm not saying losing three games in the first eight is good news. There's no disguising the fact we've slipped up early on this season.
But at Chelsea we could well have had a draw or even sneaked a win. It was a far better performance all round than against Fiorentina – I just thought they looked a little bit stronger in defence and in attack than us – and that was what edged it.
But if Liverpool can keep beating sides – and we have won our other five league games very well don't forget - then anything is possible.
Remember – no one at Liverpool ever gives up. Let alone in October!
NOW I'm not one to defend referees too readily. Far from it.
But Alex! Ferguson's attack on Alan Wiley after the Sunderland game was! persona l and way over the top.
The United boss was ranting and raving at fourth official Mike Dean on the touchline like a spoiled child. It was embarrassing.
And what he said afterwards about Wiley was simply beneath the belt. I'm glad the FA are looking into it and I hope for once they've got the bottle to stand up to Ferguson and deal with him the way they would with any other manager.
Ferguson claimed Wiley was not fit enough to officiate - but at the same time stats showed he ran further than the players!
Ex-ref Graham Poll has accused him of a cheap shot and this time he's dead right.
Essentially calling people fat so and so's at football matches normally comes from the stands - not from club managers.
So Ferguson owes Wiley an apology and he should give him one. He should have been taking his anger out on his players, instead of picking on someone who wasn't there to defend himself.
It's one thing c! riticising referees over bad decisions - they deserve the flak when they get them wrong.
But Ferguson has stepped over the line and must be dealt with.
Rival Fans Rush To Buy Liverpool Beach Balls
Liverpool beach balls have sold out on the club's official website after rivals fans flocked to snap up copies of the now infamous red ball.
Reds supporters watched in disbelief as Liverpool lost 1-0 to Sunderland at the weekend when a shot by Darren Bent hit a beach ball and swerved past goalkeeper Pepe Reina.
The toy had been thrown on to the pitch by a young Liverpool fan - who now has a number of Facebook appreciation sites dedicated to him by rival fans.
To make matters worse, the beach ball that cost Rafa Benitez's men the game at the Stadium of Light was emblazoned w! ith the club's crest.
Rival fans immediately began snapping up Liverpool FC £10 holiday sets, containing the ball, amid fears Everton supporters planned to lob them on to the pitch in next month's Merseyside derby.
When Sky News Online visited the Anfield website, a message appeared saying "product not available".
It is thought the beach sets have sold out rather than been withdrawn. A spokesman for Liverpool FC was not available for comment.
Meanwhile, messages have appeared from Liverpool fans on internet forums venting hatred at the boy.
One said: "Yeah that f****** kid. He'll be getting seriously owned today at school. Bring it on!"
Merseyside Police said they had not yet identified the lad, and that the matter was being dealt with by Northumbria Police.
A spokeswoman for Northumbria Police said the boy did not have to be escorted out of the stadium for his own protection. She said investigatio! ns into the ball-throwing incident were continuing.
Dave Us her, editor of the Liverpool Way fanzine, said the boy should not be blamed for Liverpool's defeat and slammed the witch-hunt against him.
"I think there's been a hysterical over-reaction to be honest," he told Sky.
"I mean obviously he shouldn't have thrown it on the pitch ... but it seems it was thrown on and Pepe's put it in the back of the goal.
"And it's been there for a few minutes and the wind's caught it and blown it out so I think the witch-hunt against the boy is just stupid."
The Premier League has ruled out the possibility of a replay between Liverpool and Sunderland after referee Mike Jones was widely criticised for letting Bent's fifth-minute goal stand.
Reds supporters watched in disbelief as Liverpool lost 1-0 to Sunderland at the weekend when a shot by Darren Bent hit a beach ball and swerved past goalkeeper Pepe Reina.
The toy had been thrown on to the pitch by a young Liverpool fan - who now has a number of Facebook appreciation sites dedicated to him by rival fans.
To make matters worse, the beach ball that cost Rafa Benitez's men the game at the Stadium of Light was emblazoned w! ith the club's crest.
Rival fans immediately began snapping up Liverpool FC £10 holiday sets, containing the ball, amid fears Everton supporters planned to lob them on to the pitch in next month's Merseyside derby.
When Sky News Online visited the Anfield website, a message appeared saying "product not available".
It is thought the beach sets have sold out rather than been withdrawn. A spokesman for Liverpool FC was not available for comment.
Meanwhile, messages have appeared from Liverpool fans on internet forums venting hatred at the boy.
One said: "Yeah that f****** kid. He'll be getting seriously owned today at school. Bring it on!"
Merseyside Police said they had not yet identified the lad, and that the matter was being dealt with by Northumbria Police.
A spokeswoman for Northumbria Police said the boy did not have to be escorted out of the stadium for his own protection. She said investigatio! ns into the ball-throwing incident were continuing.
Dave Us her, editor of the Liverpool Way fanzine, said the boy should not be blamed for Liverpool's defeat and slammed the witch-hunt against him.
"I think there's been a hysterical over-reaction to be honest," he told Sky.
"I mean obviously he shouldn't have thrown it on the pitch ... but it seems it was thrown on and Pepe's put it in the back of the goal.
"And it's been there for a few minutes and the wind's caught it and blown it out so I think the witch-hunt against the boy is just stupid."
The Premier League has ruled out the possibility of a replay between Liverpool and Sunderland after referee Mike Jones was widely criticised for letting Bent's fifth-minute goal stand.
Liverpool Plan £16.5m Swoop For Valencia Winger Juan Mata
Liverpool have been linked with a £16.5 million move for Valencia winger Juan Mata in January, as ongoing concerns over the finances of the Spanish club may result in them being forced to sell the player.
Although the club's two main stars – the two Davids, Silva and Villa – have remained at Valencia, despite serious interest from many of Europe's biggest clubs, their sporting director Fernando Gomez hinted that lesser players may be sold to ease the financial burden.
Reds' manager Rafael Benitez is reportedly keen to raid his former club and is willing to splash as much as £16.5m to acquire the services of the 21-year-old Spain international.
Mata h! as a contract at the Mestalla until 2012 but is reported to be on £10,000-a-week wages – relatively low for a player of his stature.
The player's father, also his agent, told The Sun: "We want Valencia to recognise the kid's true quality, and it's not only a matter of money."
The youngster decided to play down the link with the Anfield outfit, explaining that football is the only thing on his mind at the moment.
"This matter is all down to the club and my agent," he said.
"Benitez is a big coach but I just want to concentrate on my game without any distractions."
Although the club's two main stars – the two Davids, Silva and Villa – have remained at Valencia, despite serious interest from many of Europe's biggest clubs, their sporting director Fernando Gomez hinted that lesser players may be sold to ease the financial burden.
Reds' manager Rafael Benitez is reportedly keen to raid his former club and is willing to splash as much as £16.5m to acquire the services of the 21-year-old Spain international.
Mata h! as a contract at the Mestalla until 2012 but is reported to be on £10,000-a-week wages – relatively low for a player of his stature.
The player's father, also his agent, told The Sun: "We want Valencia to recognise the kid's true quality, and it's not only a matter of money."
The youngster decided to play down the link with the Anfield outfit, explaining that football is the only thing on his mind at the moment.
"This matter is all down to the club and my agent," he said.
"Benitez is a big coach but I just want to concentrate on my game without any distractions."
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Sweet Smiling which Captures
Smiles Korea girl beloved. She is a model photo who also serial artist in TV.
Harden confirms
From KTM Canada
ST-BRUNO, QC -- KTM Canada and Rally Connex have confirmed that Scot Harden, Red Bull / KTM Dakar team manager and 17th overall finisher in this year's Dakar Rally will attend the Nickel Belt Adventure Tour Sept. 3-4 in Wahnapitae, ON.
Harden will conduct a Rally School Sept. 2 at the event location. He will be joined by Bob Bergman, who represented Canada in this year's Dakar on a KTM 660 and became the fifth Canadian to finish the event.
The Nickel Belt Adventure Tour is the fourth of five events in this year's KTM Canada / Rally Connex Adventure Ride Series. The series opens with the Blue Mountain Spring Tour in Angus, ON May 14. That is followed by the RAP - Round Algonquin Park Adventure Tour in Haliburton, ON June 22-25, the Northumberland Adventure Ride in Cobourg, ON July 30, the Nickel Belt Adventure Tour and the Opeongo Mountains Fall Colour Tour in Cloyne, ON Oct. 1-2.
More information is available at www.rallyconnex.com.
Peris 20th in Oz
By John Hopkins
Calgary's Chris Peris had to settle for a 20th-place finish in the second round of the World Supersport Championship at Australia's Phillip Island circuit Sunday.
Riding his Bikersdays-Moto1 Yamaha YZF-R6 Peris had qualified 25th for the 21-lap feature with a time of one minute, 38.785 seconds, about three second off the pace of polesitter Sebsatien Charpentier.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
2009 NFL Mock Draft
Welcome to the 1st annual http://www.nkysportsworld.com/ NFL Mock Draft.
With the 2009 NFL Draft now less than a week away, it is time to make some predictions.
Round 1
1. Detriot Lions- Matt Stafford, QB GeorgiaAn NFL football team can only go as far as their defense and their quarterback. In order to actually win a game this year, Detroit needs a QB and Stafford is the best of the bunch.
2. St. Louis Rams- Jason Smith, OT Baylor
The St. Louis Rams have a ton of needs and could go a couple different directions with this pick. I would not be surprised if Aaron Curry went off the board at this spot instead of Smith. However, with the recent loss of Orlando Pace and the need for the Rams to reestablish Stephen Jackson in the run game I look for Smith to be the pick.
3. Kansas City Chiefs- Aaron Curry, LB Wake ForestAn OT would ha! ve probably been appropriate for the Chiefs at this spot as well, however, Curry seems to be the safest pick in the entire draft. With Derrick Johnson already pencilled in at MLB, Curry can be eased into the starting role by playing on the outside, a position that probably better suits him in the NFL anyway.
4. Seattle Seahawks- Michael Crabtree, WR Texas Tech
Crabtree and his foot will go a long way at determining his draft status. He played in a pass happy system at Texas Tech that may actually hurt him in his draft status. However, his college numbers don't lie and he could prove to create a solid tandem with new Seahawk TJ Houshmanzadeh.
5. Cleveland Browns- Brian Orakpo, DE/OLB TexasOrakpo is a perfect tweener type player that would fit the 3-4 system of the Browns very well. He could line up in the lineback position in pass coverage while also having the ability to get down on the line and rush the quarterba! ck from the edge.
6. Cincinnati Bengals- Eu! gene Mon roe, OT Virginia
The Cincinnati Bengals would be salivating if Monroe is still available when they pick at #6. Monroe is a beast of an OT and may just be the best OT in the draft. With an inability to run the football last year, an unsteady offensive line, and a battered franchise QB in Carson Palmer
7. Oakland Raiders- Jeremy Maclin, WR MizzouThe Oakland Raider defense has been pretty strong the past few seasons. It is the Raider offense that continually leads to their year in year out losing records and top 10 draft picks. Maclin is a safe pick at WR and gives Oakland not only a deep threat for strong armed QB Jamarcus Russell but also a solid kick returner as well.
8. Jacksonville Jaguars- Mark Sanchez, QB USCThis pick is starting to become a no-brainer for the Jags. If Matt Stafford happens to fall off the number 1 pick, look for the Jaguars to possibly move up to take him. Instead, they opt for the se! cond best QB in the draft.
9. Green Bay Packers- BJ Raji, DT Boston CollegeRaji's draft stock may have fallen a bit after the recent publications regarding his positive drug test at the NFL Combine. However, he is still the best DT in the draft and DT is a position the Packers could truly upgrade.
10. San Francisco 49ers- Andre Smith, OT AlabamaFrom one player sliding down the draft board to another. Andre Smith is a mammouth of an offensive tackle and was once considered the top overall pick in the draft. Smith's recent strange behavior has made some NFL execs uneasy about selecting him, however, his destruction on the field cannot be overlooked. Andre Smith is the most interesting pick in the draft because he could become an all-pro or a major NFL bust.
11. Buffalo Bills- Brian Cushing, OLB USCCushing is the 1st of a series of USC defensive players that will be selected in the first round ! of the NFL Draft. Though he is probably not the best of the bu! nch, he fills a huge need for the Bills.
12. Denver Broncos-Everett Brown, DE Florida St.The Broncos will have several high profile draft picks in this years draft after the recent trade of Jay Cutler. If Sanchez happens to drop to this spot, the Broncos would have to give him a hard look. Instead, Brown has shot up the draft charts in the past few months as a player that can play both end and outside linebacker.
13. Washington Redskins- Michael Oher, OT MississippiOher becomes the 4th OT selected in the first 13 picks. A massive OT, Oher can play both the right and left side. He has the potential to go in the top 10, but could also slide to the back of the first round. Oher isnt the elite OT that many project but he could be a very strong blocking presence for a bad offensive line in Washington.
14. New Orleans Saints- Michael Jenkins, CB Ohio St.Jenkins is the next in line on a long list of recent ! first round defensive backs from Ohio State. The New Orleans pass coverage is average at best, even after spending mass amounts of money and premium draft picks on the position in recent years. Jenkins has the possibility of playing corner or safety in NO so he is definitely the safe pick here.
15. Houston Texans- Tyson Jackson, DE LSUThe Texans continue to improve and lately the improvements have come through the defense. Jackson has huge upside to go along with a great combination of size and speed. He would be a definite compliment to Mario Williams rushing the quarterback.
16. San Diego Chargers- Darrius Hayward-Bey, WR MarylandHayward-Bey has the potential to be a pure #1 WR. He is still a bit raw as a WR but he will have a strong supporting cast to carry the load in the SD offense until he get grows into this role. Scouts love his blistering speed and deep threat opportunities which is why he is shooting up the d! raft boards.
17. New York Jets- Percy Harvi! n, WR Fl oridaIt is possible that the Jets would reach for a QB in Kansas St. Josh Freeman here. However, I think the best and most sure bet is the pick WR in this spot. Harvin gives the Jets an option to replace Laverneous Coles as well as an athletic player that could return kicks or be used in all different types of formations.
18. Denver Broncos (from CHI)- Rey Maualuga, MLB USCWith their 2nd pick in the first round, the Broncos select another player in order to shore up their shaky defense. After selecting an edge rusher in Brown with the first pick, the Broncos turn to linebacker and Maualuga with their second. Maualuga is a player with a mean streak that will intimidate wide receivers as they come across the middle.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Peria Jerry, DT MississippiThe Buccaneers could go for a CB in this spot, but DT is probably the team's most pressing need. Jerry is a bit of an unknown and has shot up draft! boards lately.
20. Detroit Lions (from DAL)- Eben Britton, OT ArizonaThe Lions addressed their primary need with a QB at #1 overall. Now they look to the best tackle available in order to help protect him.
21. Philadelphia Eagles- Vontae Davis, CB Illinois
Davis has the physical tools and athleticism to be a shut down corner in the NFL. Funny how we said that about his brother and SF TE Vernon Davis as well. Based on pure skills alone, Davis is probably a top 10 player in the draft, however, his character will likely cause him to slip a bit on draft day. The Eagles are in need of a CB so Davis is their guy.
22. Minnesota Vikings-Evander Hood, DT MissouriThe Vikins had probably hoped to find an OT or WR at this position, however, those spots are hard to come by at this point in the draft. The Vikings have settled for the best player available at this point and that is Hood. Nonetheless,! Hood still fills a need for the Vikings defense.
2 3. New England Patriots-Aaron Maybin, OLB Penn StateMaybin offers a great deal of quickness, athleticism, and upside. In addition, the Patriots love players who are able to rush the passer as a DE and drop back in coverage as a LB. Maybin is a player that does just that and will fit perfectly in the defensive sceme of NE.
24. Atlanta Falcons- Clay Matthews, OLB USCThe 3rd and final player from the USC defense in the first round. Matthews went from walk on and special team ace at USC to sure fire first round draft pick. A hard nosed, high motor player in a football family, Matthews will try to light a fire on the defense in Atlanta.
25. Miami Dolphins-Darius Butler, CB Conneticut
26. Baltimore Ravens- Connor Barwin, OLB/DE Cincinnati
Barwin may just be the surprise pick of rd 1 so I am going out on a limb here. After playing only one year at DE, Barwin displayed edge rush ability as well as speed that ! could land him in this spot. He fits perfectly in a 3-4 defense like the Ravens. In addition, the Ravens selected a Cincinnati player in Haruki Nakamura last season and have not been disappointed.
27. Indianapolis Colts- Hakeem Nicks, WR North CarolinaSuddently, the Indianapolis Colts are looking like an aging team with a ton of holes to fill. The Colts had hoped that players such as Maybin, Hood, and Jerry would be available here to fill glaring needs on the defensive line but that just doesnt seem to be the case. With the lose of Marvin Harrison, WR is also a position of need. Nicks is a solid possession receiver in the same mold of Harrison.
28. Buffalo Bills (from CAR via PHI)- Brandon Pettigrew, TE Oklahoma St.The Bills selected defensive with a pick earlier in the round so they may elect to go offense on this one. After the recent lose of Jason Peters, OT would be a reasonable selection here as well but all of th! e first round tackle talent is gone by this point. Pettigrew i! s far an d away the best TE in the draft this year and the Bills are in major need. If they dont get him here, they wont get him in round 2.
29. NY Giants- Larry English, OLB Northern Illinois
Larry English is the unknown riser of the draft. Dont know a whole lot about him so I wont tell you a whole lot except that he will be picked here. A perfect fit in the Giants 3-4 defense.
30. Tennessee Titans- Victor Harris, CB Virginia TechVictor "Macho" Harris adds to the string of CBs taken late in the first round. The class of CB are fairly weak so this may be a bit of a reach. However, the Titans need a defensive back to couple with Finnegan on next years roster.
31. Arizona Cardinals- Knowshon Moreno, RB GeorgiaArizona must be salivating that they get their pick at RB so late in the first round. Moreno becomes the 1st and only RB taken in the first round of the draft this year. The Cardinals are in d! esparate need of an electric RB to take the pressure off of an aging Edgerrin James and the gun happy offense of Kurt Warner. Moreno just may make the Cardinals the team to beat in the AFC again this year.
32. Pittsburgh Steelers- Max Unger, C/G OregonThe Steelers dont have many glaring needs as the reigning Super Bowl champions. However, offensive line is still an area that they can upgrade. Ben R. gets sacked more than any other QB in the NFL, so a lineman is a good pick here. Unger can play both C and G so he is a stable option especially with the lose of Faneca two years ago.
2010 Nominees for the Reds Hall of Fame
The ballot for the Cincinnati Reds HOF 2010 class is:
Contributions while playing for the Reds
Bret Boone (1 AS, 1 GG) - decent numbers but not hall worthy, blossomed in Seattle.
Jeff Brantley - had a couple solid seasons as the closer in the mid-90's.
Norm Charlton (1 AS) - posted good numbers with the Reds, ERA under three for 4/5 years.
John Franco (3 AS) - career 2.76 ERA with the Reds, 1.57 ERA with 39 saves in 1988.
Danny Graves (2 AS) - Graves still has left a bitter taste in my mouth upon his couple horrific years near the end of his days with the Reds.
Kevin Mitchell - put up a 30 HR year but I'll always remember him as a Giant.
Hal Morris - never an all-star but a solid player. Batted over the .300 mark five of his years with the Reds.
Paul O'Neill (1 AS) - a solid year in 1991 but he's a Yank.
Chris Sabo (3 AS) - over 20 dingers in three of his years. The eyeware alone gets him in.
Scott Sullivan - seriously!
Barry Larkin was the lone recipient last year as the Reds only allowed one player to win the honor for the Class of 2009. This year three players will be selected. My votes go toward John Franco, Chris Sabo, and Norm Charlton. Although Franco will be remembered by many as a Met he was really good with the Reds.
Your Thoughts on who you think should be voted?
Catching up with the NFL Bearcats
The 2009 NFL Draft class included 6 Cincinnati Bearcats that were drafted, a school record. With the Bengals slated to play the Houston Texans this week two of those Bearcats will be on the field. I wanted to catch up with the 6 players to give you an update on their progress.
Connor Barwin- Drafted 2nd round to the Texans
Barwin came to Houston with high praise. After having a strong training camp Barwin found himself backing up former #1 pick Mario Willi! ams at Defensive End. Barwin, who only played defense for one season for the Bearcats, said that he learns from how Williams prepares and approaches the game. Barwin has seen action in 4 out of the 5 games so far and has logged 4 total tackles.
Kevin Huber- Drafted 5th round to the Bengals
Huber was brought into Cincinnati and immediately got the vote of confidence from the coaching staff when they released Kyle Larson early in camp which gave the jo! b outright to Huber. The Cincinnati native has been very solid! thus fa r of his 29 punts he has pinned 11 of them inside the 20, 2 inside the 10. He is averaging 42.5 yards per punt.
DeAngelo Smith- Drafted 5th round to the Cowboys
DeAngelo Smith has had a tumultuous start to his career thus far. After being drafted in the 5th round by the Cowboys. Dallas had tried to teach Smith both CB and Safety but he was not progressing to their level. Smith was placed on waivers by the Cowboys and picked up by the Browns. Smith however wou! ld only spend about two weeks with Cleveland before he was released. After having problems in their secondary he was picked up by Chicago. Unfortunately Smith only lasted two weeks with Chicago as well as was placed on waivers September 29th. Smith however cleared waivers for Chicago and is now on their practice squad.
Brandon Underwood- Drafted 6th round to the Packers
Underwood, who was a sixth round pick, was a longshot entering training camp t! o make the team at DB. Underwood had a good camp in Green Bay ! and did make the team at Defensive Back. Brandon led the Green Bay secondary in the preseason in tackles with 17. He is on the 52 man roster but has been not been active for any regular season games yet this season.
Mike Mickens- Drafted 7th round to the Cowboys
Entering his senior season many felt that Mike Mickens would be a first day draft pick. However, Mickens battled with a reoccurring knee injury during his senior season. Mickens battled in preseason with a number o! f players including former teammate DeAngelo Smith who as also drafted by the Cowboys. Mickens did not make the 53 man roster but was signed to the Dallas practice squad.
Trevor Canfield- Drafted 7th round to the Cardinals
Canfield came into Arizona camp as a late round offensive lineman drafted fighting for a spot on the team. Trevor battled through training camp but was cut on the final cut day from the Cardinals. He did however, clear waivers and ! is currently working on their practice squad.
Memorial Weekend was a Sporgasm
-Keefe
What a weekend it was in the sports world. There truly was something for everyone the past 4 days. I break it down in the events I had no interest in, some interest, and all my interest. It's like being in a huge arcade, you got more games than you know what to do with, so you stick to what you know and try to use your time in there wisely. You're not going to stumble around plugging coins into every loud machine with bright lights. No, you're going to seek out the Tekken, Time Crisis, Mortal Kombat, and Ms. Pac-Man.
This first group of sporting events I associate with those stupid "games" that you can win an obscene amount of tickets/ tokens. All you have to do is like freeze a coin with you mind and presto. It only takes one, but you end up losing like 5-10 bucks, saying "you're so close." Well I have given up on those machines much like the following events from the weekend.
The Indy 500, NASCAR's Coke 600, the College Lacrosse Final 4, and the Stanley Cup Finals. I extend a hardy handshake to Scott Dixon, Kasey Kahne, Syracuse University, and the Detroit Red Wings. That's really all I have to say to all of them. Nice work.
I had some interest in the Boston Red Sox and the rest of May baseball. This is like Ski-Ball. Always sounds good, and you have to do it while your there, just like keeping up with major league baseball. But come on, MLB in May? Is it really do or die? No, fantasy baseball keeps everyone int! erested in it before the All- Star break. The Sox took a 7 gam! e winnin g streak in to their 10 game road trip. Well they got swept by the upstart Oakland Athletics. Luckily for Boston Bartolo Colon brought his A game (what a steal this guy was, doesn't matter what happens next, but really, the Yankees didn't need him, really? He won the Cy Young in 2005.) Anyway Colon went 7 strong and the Sox got a road win. Still the Rays are in 1st place. How bout them Rays?
Tampa Bay and Florda are currently in 1st place in their respective divisions, 1 day after Memorial Weekend. Just thought everyone should know.
The following two sports spectacles were what made this weekend so impressive. This is the Lazer-Tag, NBA Jam, and crazy Fighting/ Shooting Games. The reason you go, the reason you love sports. From Friday-Monday you had alternating Western and Eastern Conference Finals in the NBA. Lakers vs. Spurs and Celtics vs. Pistons, what it was supposed to be, the best four basketball teams in the league. And on top of tha! t you had UFC 84 ill will on Saturday night. I'll start with the mixed martial arts.
UFC 84 provided a number of intriguing and important match ups. How would Wanderlei Silva respond to his 3 fight losing streak? Could Tito Ortiz leave the UFC with a win over unbeaten Lyoto Machida? And who is the rightful champion at 155? Short answers: violently, no, and B.J. Penn. Slightly longer answers: Wanderlei Silva had not won a fight since July 2006. Despite losing to very tough opponents, Mirko Cro Cop, Dan Henderson, and Chuck Liddell, the buzz was that Silva is no longer the dominant fighter he was when he dominated Pride. Well Keith Jardine was coming off his most impressive victory of his career, and figured with a win over the Ax Murderer he could be in contention for a shot at the light heavyweight belt. That until he lost viciously and explosively to Silva in just 36 seconds. At one point in the match, Wanderlei had his left hand on Jardine's throat pinnin! g him to the mat while he pummeled him with hard right shots. ! It was i ntense. Wanderlei Silva is back!
Tito Ortiz faced the undefeated Lyoto Machida in the final fight on his UFC contract. Tito's well documented relationship with UFC President Dana White leaves very little room for a potential return to the organization that saw him as one of their most dominant champions. Ortiz lost a 3 round decision, and nearly pulled off a late win, but Machida scrambled out of a triangle choke by Tito. It will be very interesting to see what happens to both men following that fight.
In the main event B.J. Penn defeated Sean Sherk, putting to rest the question of who the real champ is. Sherk had his belt stripped when he tested positive for steroids, and allegation he still denies. The 3rd round bell momentarily saved Sherk, but he could not get up and Penn was awarded the victory via TKO (Knee and Punches). Word is Penn would fight the winner of the August fight between Kenny Florian and Roger Huerta; however in his post ! fight interview Penn asked the crowd if they wanted him to fight welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. The sold out arena responded with a resounding yes. Who knows perhaps Penn vs. St. Pierre II could happen.
UFC 84 overlapped with Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals for about an hour and a half. And although they were not in an octagon, the fight in the Palace proved finally that the Celtics can win away from the Garden. After losing home court advantage to the Pistons in a 103-97 loss in Game 2, the pressure was squarely on the Celtics. 0-6 on the road to Atlanta and Cleveland, could they possibly win in Detroit? With their 94-80 win in Game 3 a huge weight had been lifted off the entire city of Boston. They were now guaranteed a game 5 being tied 2-2 at the very worst. Well they did lose Game 4 last night, but it is now a best of 3 series with 2 games in Boston.
Out West the Spurs lost after having a 20 point lead in Game 1 then! got blow out of Cali by 30 in Game 2. But it's still the Spur! s. Ask t he Hornets about being up 2-0 with big impressive numbers. I said Celtics vs. Spurs when the playoffs began and I'm going to stick with it. Would I like to see Celtics and Lakers like everyone outside of Detroit and San Antonio, of course, but how can you count out the Spurs. Game 4 tonight is going to be huge, and if Manu can play like he did on Sunday this one is probably going 7 too.
In the end it was an unbelievable sports weekend. As we look ahead here at the Sports Brief coming up on our sports schedules: NBA Conference and League Finals, MMA on CBS with Kimbo Slice this Saturday, UFC 85 June 7th, more 1st half MLB, and the June 26th NBA Draft.
It's all good in Mannywood
Unless you've been living under the proverbial rock for the last few weeks, then you know about the ongoing saga and theatrics that was the contract negotiation between Manny Ramirez and the LA Dodgers. Well again, unless you failed to remove yourself from said rock, then you also know that Manny finally agreed to a 2yr/$45M deal. The terms of the deal are fairly straight forward in principle but a tad complicated in how it will be paid out. Essentially the Dodgers have exclusive rights to Ramirez's services in 2009. He'll earn $10M outright and the remaining $15M will be paid out over time with no interest. One plan has the Dodgers paying $5M per year from 2010-2012. What happens after 2009 was the sticking point for Ramirez and the team, and I think this is where people are underestimating the overall value of this deal for both parties. Ramirez will have a player option in 2010 worth $20M that he can either accept or decline. If he chooses not to exercise that option, he'! ll once again become a free agent, and the Dodgers in turn would likely receive compensation in the June 2010 draft. I think it's safe to assume that Ramirez would register as a Type A free agent thus giving the Dodgers maximum benefit in terms of compensation. However, if Ramirez does accept the option, he'll then receive $10M each year from 2010-2012 and then additional installments of $8.33M from 2011-2013.
I've been listening to sports talk radio, particularly WEEI in Boston over the past week or so and heard a lot about what people think of this deal. First thing is first: fans and radio personalities, writers, etc. still hold a lot of resentment towards Ramirez and I think that has been shining through in their opinions towards this deal. The same people that suddenly turned on Ramirez and called for him to leave Boston and have since rooted for his professional demise are arguing that the Dodgers overpaid for a malcontent, selfish and unprofessional ballpl! ayer who will do nothing but disrupt a clubhouse and is nowher! e near t he value their paying. I completely disagree.
Look at what Ramirez did in his four months or so with LA in 2008. He hit .396 with 17 homeruns and 53 runs batted in over just 53 games. In the playoffs, he batted .520 with four homers, 10 RBIs, nine runs and 11 walks in eight games. Those are god-like numbers, and the results were indicative of that. The Dodgers blitzed past Arizona to claim the NL West crown, swept the NL-favorite Cubs in the NLDS series and then lost in 5 games to the eventual World Series champion Phillies. Although they failed to reach the World Series, it was quite a turnaround for a team that had not done anything significant in the postseason since 1988 when they stunned the Oaklan Athletics in 5 games. In fact the series win over Chicago was the first postseason series win since that '88 season. Manny reinvigorated a franchise that was in need of such, and he did in a situation that was perfect for both parties. LA essentially received Ramir! ez on a loan from the Red Sox, and Manny basically played out the final four months in a "contract year" type situation. He was playing for a free agent deal in the off season, so the onus was on him to produce at a high level. In turn, the Dodgers gave him a safehaven to do that, away from the media frenzy of Boston and basically providing Manny with a clean slate.
Based on his numbers and the subsequent results, it was safe to assume that both parties had and would make out on this temporary partnership. However, the market never really gained any interest or momentum for Ramirez. The pool of teams was limited and the Dodgers were garnered as the favorite from the onset. Ramirez essentially priced himself out everywhere except LA. This is where my opinion differs from most, particularly media personalities in the Boston area. The opposition argue that LA held the bargaining chip here. The team was not involved in a bidding war with any other teams because there! were none. LA could make an offer it was comfortable with, an! d if Ram irez declined, he was poised to sit out 2009 unless another team swooped in and overpaid or he finally succumbed to the notion that he'd have to compromise and accept the fact he wasn't getting his 4yr/$100M deal. Those same people will go on to argue that Frank McCourt and Ned Colletti mishandled the situation by admitting publicly they really wanted Manny in LA, thus affording him the upper hand in negotiations by making it known they'd do everything in their power to sign the free agent slugger. In turn, agent Scott Boras was able to employ his sit tight and wait game, which lures teams into uncomfortable waters, afraid they'll miss out on a good thing when Boras and his player decline an offer and refuse to present a rebuttal. And that is what happened here. Feeling a sense of urgency, and weary of starting 2009 with Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp and Juan Pierre in the outfield, the Dodgers finally "cracked" and appeased Ramirez with this latest deal.
My opinion, ho! wever, is that the Dodgers made a good decision here and both parties will again make out. They get Ramirez for $25M in 2009 but the salary cap will only take a $10M hit in '09 and $5M for each of the next 3 seasons. Meanwhile, Ramirez is essentially playing another contract year. He has everything to play for in '09. If he explodes and continues his torrid production from the 2nd half of 2008 then the Dodgers will be a scary, scary team. Ethier and Kemp are still developing and poised to build off solid campaigns last season. The Dodgers also bring back James Loney, Casey Blake and Russel Martin and the addition of Orlando Hudson at 2nd base should not be overlooked. Hudson hit .305 last season for Arizona and allows Blake Dewitt and Mark Loretta to come off the bench. This lineup will be potent, and with Adam Dunn having left the Diamondbacks you have to feel confident about the Dodgers outlasting their NL West foe en route to a 2nd consecutive division title. Although th! e Diamondbacks will rely on the one-two tandem of Brandon Webb! and Dan Haren, the Dodgers have a couple young rising stars in Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw, while Jason Schmidt returns and could shore up the back end of that rotation.
Meanwhile, if Ramirez chooses to opt out of his deal at the end of 2009, the Dodgers will either have to resign him, or let him go to greener pastures and receive the draft compensation as a result. What it will do, however, is save the team $20M over four seasons. However, if Ramirez doesn't quite have the year he'd hoped for, the market/economy hasn't fully recovered, or he just decides to play out his final year and consider his career options thereafter, LA will get the future Hall-of-Famer at a "discounted" $20M. And if Ramirez determines he'll play beyond 2010, he'll again find himself in a contract year. Bottom line is the Dodgers could potentially have Manny in LA for all or parts of three consecutive seasons, each of which were contract years. And if last year is any indication as to ho! w Manny will produce in a contract year, the Dodgers are poised for an exciting 2009 and, with any luck, more of the same in 2010. If the latter doesn't happen, I still think LA will be in good shape. Young stars like Ethier, Kemp, Loney and Dewitt will have another year of development at the MLB level under their belts, and with Manny's contract off the table, the Dodgers could be major players in the free agent market in 2010. Here are some top outfielders that may be available:
Matt Holliday
Jason Bay
Xavier Nady
Vladimir Guerrero
Magglio Ordonez
Carl Crawford
But there will be other position players and pitchers available, as well. While the list of players is huge, check out some highlights below:
John Lackey (SP)
Rich Harden (SP)
Brandon Webb (SP)
Josh Beckett (SP)
Cliff Lee (SP)
Erik Bedard (SP)
Chipper Jones (3B)
Melvin Mora (3B)
Brian Roberts (2B)
Not bad. I! will confess I have Ramirez in an ESPN keeper league, so I'm ! hoping h e just goes off in 2009. That being said, if he's not in Dodger blue come 2010 that means I may have won my league. But what do you think? Did the Dodgers give up too much to get Ramirez? Or do you think giving him the player option for $20M will motivate him to have another great season? Let us know.
-Bess
BJal's Lock du Jour - Friday, October 9
Last night's Missouri loss, at home against Nebraska, ran the season record to 0-3. At this point you have to wonder if BJal could even pick his nose. This is getting bad. Vegas is about to run out odds as to whether BJal will lose more picks in a row than the Lions did games. Could he possibly do it? I almost feel like he should make his pick, then do the complete opposite. Maybe BJal should syndicate this column across all the major papers, websites and betting prognosticators. Once he makes his pick, hardcore gamblers from afar would flock to the casinos or call their bookies and bet their kid's college fund on exact opposite of what he picked with the utmost confidence. I thought about taking up gambling again a few nights ago when he started this. I'd probably be out of debt by now. Instead, I'm sitting here trying to figure when I can make the next payment on my college loan.
But thus, without further ado, Bjal's pick for tonight is Nevada giving up 10.5 to ! Louisiana Tech. Nevada is 1-3 and I know them for getting shutout and demolished by my Irish back in early September. I know nothing about La Tech except a kid from there transferred to Northeastern a few years ago to play quarterback. They hyped him up like the kid never had to take a shit, and then he threw three picks in the spring game and never saw the field. He transferred out that same year. And they wonder why NU won't win a game this year. It's because they bring in losers like that.
BJal's Lock du Jour: Nevada (-10.5)
Overall record: 0-3
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Wolfsburg 4-2 Hannover
Wolfsburg bounced back from their DFB-Pokal second-round exit at the hands of Cologne to get past Hannover with another fine display.
Hannover had conceded just four goals, the fewest in the Bundesliga, coming into the game but Zvjezdan Misimovic opened the scoring after just eight minutes. Hanno Balitsch equalised in the 28th minute before Christian Gentner made it 2-1 for the hosts after 45 minutes.
Makoto Hasebe doubled the lead in the 48th only to see Wolfsburg! 's defensive struggles continue with Alexander Madlung's own goal in the 50th minute but Edin Dzeko secured the Wolfsburg victory with his strike with 28 minutes to play.
The reigning champions came quickly out of the blocks and went ahead after eight minutes thanks to a fine free-kick by Misimovic, who curled the ball over the wall from 17 yards into the upper right corner.
Wolfsburg had chances to add a second but paid the price for their profligacy as Hannover equalised in the 28th minute through Balitsch's header from six yards following a corner.
The hosts regained the lead a minute before the break on a counter-attack, with Gentner beating Hannover keeper Florian Fromlowitz from the left side.
Wolfsburg doubled the cushion three minutes after the restart, again from the left side where Hasebe headed into the far right corner.
The margin was one again two minutes later as Wolfsburg defender Madlung turned a cross into his own net. He ! nearly made good his mistake in the 52nd but Fromlowitz saved ! the atte mpt on the line.
Dzeko made it 4-2 on a counter-attack after 62 minutes and Wolfsburg keeper Andre Lenz needed to make a fine save six minutes later and Hannover's Sofien Chahed hit the right post with 18 minutes to play.
Celtic 1 Rapid Vienna 1
The Europa League match between Celtic and Rapid Vienna at Parkhead on Thursday Oct 1, 2009.
Peace in our time was the outcome at Celtic Park on Thursday night as the SPL leaders and the Austrian champions contested an absorbing Europa League tie which was pleasingly shorn of the rancour which disfigured the last meetings of these sides in 1984.
There were, mind you, events that neither team will wish to recollect, but they fell into the category of defensive mistakes, each of which cost a goal, first from a Stephen McManus error and l! ater from an equally culpable blunder by Andreas Dober.
Tony Mowbray, the Celtic manager, had admitted beforehand that he was still "tinkering'' with his central defensive partnerships and on this occasion he opted for the pairing of Gary Caldwell and McManus, to the chagrin, one must imagine, of Glenn Loovens, who found himself demoted to the bench.
Aiden McGeady, having recovered from the injury sustained against Falkirk eight days previously, resumed his beat on the right of midfield, but there was no place for Paddy McCourt, despite his recent mercurial contributions, as Shaun Maloney occupied the left flank.
As for the issue that dominated the build-up to this tie, the ill-tempered meetings between these sides in the Cup-Winners' Cup 25 years ago, the match programme carried a comparativ! ely sanitised account under the headline, "That was then, t! his is n ow". Celtic were certainly introduced to present day realities with a vengeance before their supporters' introductory choruses had died away.
Although they had been warned that careless attempts to pass through the Rapid ranks would trigger dangerous counter-attacks, Mowbray's players found themselves speared in exactly such fashion. They were doubly cautioned by Nikica Jelavic's first touch, almost from the kick-off, a header which although planted straight into the arms of Artur Boruc, demonstrated that the Croatian forward had found his range.
Within three minutes McManus played exactly such an aimless pass into the congested area ahead of him and his shortage of pace was exposed when the ball was pinged straight back into the path of the dangerous Jelavic, who strode past the centre back to drill a vicious drive beyond Boruc.
This constituted a numbing start for Celtic and triggered a raucous reaction from the R! apid fans – including a claque who had inveigled their way into the Parkhead press box – and it took Celtic a good 10 minutes to bed themselves into the contest, in which respect Landry N'Guemo and Scott Brown were prominent in asserting the Hoops' presence in midfield.
Symmetry was achieved when Rapid conceded the equaliser with the same profligacy that had undone Celtic. In this instance, Andreas Dober misjudged his distance with a poor ball played back towards his goalkeeper.
It fell short and Scott McDonald pounced on the errant pass but, with three opponents between him and the goal, he still had the hardest work to undertake. This he accomplished with a swift jink and stride into the box where he struck a potent drive across Helge Payer and inside the far post.
Now the Celtic fans made themselves heard without interruption and the players responded by hitting a steady, probing rhythm while remaining wary of Rapi! d's ability to administer the sucker punch. Still, Boruc was r! equired to produce a top class reflex save to tip a free-kick from the Vienna captain, Steffen Hofmann, over his crossbar four minutes before the break.
There was time before the break for McManus to come close to redeeming his initial error when he met a McGeady cross with a full blooded header that only narrowly failed to find its mark.
The restart saw Celtic impose themselves in a fashion that rolled Rapid back upon their own lines and come agonisingly close to taking the lead when Maloney broke through with only Payer to beat but drove against the goalkeeper.
Even then, McDonald believed he had netted the rebound only to be thwarted by a fine goal line clearance by Ragnvald Soma. Another gilt edged opportunity was missed by Caldwell when he came upfield for a corner which fell nicely for him 10 yards out, but he stabbed his shot off target when it looked simpler to net.
Rapid inevitably came back into contenti! on as the match wore on but the proceedings developed into deadlock which was a reasonably reflection of the balance of play. Equally to the point was the fact that the evening passed off without untoward incident, a mercy by no means to be considered small.
French Ligue 1 Saturday Review
Newly-promoted Montpellier beat 10-man St Etienne 2-1 to move level on points with Lyon at the top of Ligue 1.
Second-half goals from Karim Ait Fana and Souleymane Camara did the job, with Gonzalo Bergessio's penalty only a consolation for Les Verts, who had Yoann Andreu sent off on the stroke of half-time.
Rene Girard's side have now won six of their nine league games so far, losing just once, and trail Lyon only on goal difference after they lost 2-0 at home to S! ochaux.
Claude Puel's team suffered a shock first defeat of the season in any competition as Jacques Faty and Sloan Privat gave Sochaux victory.
Coach Francis Gillot had spoken before the game of his desire to obtain a shock result for American striker Charlie Davies, who was hospitalised after suffering career-threatening injuries in a car crash which left a female passenger dead.
And they did so despite a second half of almost relentless pressure from the hosts, for whom the result is the worst possible preparation for Tuesday's Champions League clash with Liverpool.
Champions Bordeaux slipped one place to third after a second successive defeat away to Auxerre.
A second-half penalty from Valter Birsa was enough to separate the sides after Fernando Cavenaghi had missed from the penalty spot for Les Girondins.
Goals by Mathieu Valbuena, Brandao and Fabrice Abriel guided Marseille to an emphatic away victory over Nancy at the Stade M! arcel Picot that took them fourth in the table above Monaco, w! ho play Lens tomorrow.
Valbuena put the visitors ahead after just four minutes and they dominated the rest of the game before Brandao and Abriel wrapped the game up in the last 13 minutes.
The defeat will have come as a shock to Nancy who were unbeaten at home going into the game.
Rennes were frustrated in their attempts to break into the top five in Ligue 1 as they were held to a goalless draw by Lille tonight and stayed eighth, while Le Mans remained in the bottom three after a 1-1 draw at home to Boulogne.
Fabien Robert's injury-time strike from an Anthony Lecointe cross earned the newly-promoted side a point after Roland Lamah's header seemed to have given the home side all three points.
The draw was harsh on Le Mans, who dominated proceedings and forced a string of fine saves from visiting goalkeeper Mathieu Valverde - though Boulogne hit the crossbar through Guillaume Ducatel.
Valenciennes could afford to miss a penalty as first-half g! oals by Mamadou Samassa and Fahid Ben Khalfallah guided them to a straightforward victory over bottom side Grenoble.
Today's victory was only Valenciennes' second home win of the season but Grenoble are firmly rooted to the bottom of Ligue 1 with no points and just four goals in nine games.
Worcester 22 Harlequins 26
The Guinness Premiership game between Worcester Warriors and Harlequins at Sixways Stadium on Saturday Oct 24, 2009.
Nick Easter, due on parade for England in next month's autumn internationals, departed Worcester on crutches on Saturday evening night and the chances of the Harlequins No 8 making a swift recovery from a pulled calf muscle appeared to be in considerable doubt.
John Kingston, the Quins head coach, summed up the lates! t bad news for England in the run-up to the Tests against Australia, Argentina and New Zealand beginning on Saturday week, when he said: "Nick has pulled a calf muscle and he's on crutches. How many weeks he'll be out I don't know but there'll be question marks over his participation in those matches."
Easter, who earlier had a hand in a try and pulled off a couple of tremendous tackles as Quins fought their way to victory, went down injured just after the half hour and was assisted from the field. Kingston added: "He rarely gets hurt but by an odd coincidence he suffered a bad injury here two years ago."
Apart from that, Kingston was well satisfied with his side's effort. They stuck it out throughout a highly physical game and while it was not pretty Kingston said: "It's hard winning down here and we're now unbeaten in three league matches. We're getting back on track."
Easter, meanwhile, had! contributed to the opening try of the afternoon. Quins had! earned themselves territorial advantage after a Nick Evans penalty miss, but while that was let-off for Worcester, they promptly failed to roll away in the tackle.
This time, Quins opted for a kick to touch and Easter took a clean line-out catch. A drive and a ruck later and Danny Care escaped the clutches of the Worcester defenders to leave Evans with a simple conversion.
Points-wise, the rest of the half was a kicking duel between Evans and Willie Walker, who kept Worcester in the hunt with two penalties followed by a dropped goal on the stroke of half-time.
Thereafter, Quins continued to set the pace with a try from Mike Brown and a conversion and two penalties from substitute fly-half Rory Clegg, though Worcester gained a bonus point at the last with a try from Callum Black.
Match details
Scores: 5-0 Care try, 7-0 Evans con, 7-3 Walker pen, 10-3 Evans pen, 10-6 Walker pen, ! 13-6 Evans pen, 13-9 Walker dg, 13-12 Walker pen, 16-12 Clegg pen, 21-12 Brown try, 23-12Clegg con, 23-15 Walker pen, 26-15 Clegg pen, 26-20 C Black try, 26-22 Walker con.
Worcester: C Latham; R Gear, A Grove, S Tuitupou, M Benjamin; W Walker, R Powell (J Arr 70); A Black (J Gilding 59), A Lutui (C Fortey 63), T Taumoepeau (C Black 19), G Rawlinson, C Gillies (W Bowley 63), T Wood, N Talei (J Collins 74), P Sanderson (capt).
Harlequins: M Brown; D Strettle (J Drauniniu 77), G Lowe, N Mordt, U Monye; N Evans (R Clegg 57), D Care; C Jones (C Brooker 62), T Fuga, J Andress (J Johnston 62), J Percival (L Stevenson 79), G Robson, C Robshaw, N Easter (capt, T Guest 31, Stevenson 63-67), N McMillan.
Sin-bin: Jones 31.
Serena shows who's boss
Serena Williams continued to show why she will end the year as number one as she beat Elena Dementieva in Doha.
The win sealed her palce in the semi-finals of the Sony Ericsson Championships.
Williams needed to show resilience after falling a break down in the first set but then won seven games on the spin and never looked back from there - although she needed three match-points to finish it off.
"It was definitely a match I had to be really focused for, bec! ause she's a really good player," Williams told www.wtatour.com.
"She's one of those late bloomers who tends to get better and better as every year goes on in her career. I was probably playing the fittest girl on tour."
As well as booking a place in the last four for Williams, who will finish the year as number one after current leader Dinara Safina was forced to withdraw through injury yesterday, the result also gave her sister Venus a chance of progressing.
Venus made the most of that opportunity by beating Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2 6-7 (3/7) 6-4 in this evening's late match.
The second qualifying place from the Maroon Group will now be decided by tomorrow's match between Dementieva and Kuznetsova.
In the White Group, Caroline Wozniacki came through another three-set marathon to beat Vera Zvonareva 6-0 6-7 (3/7) 6-4.
Wozniacki was 5-2 up in the second set and seemingly on the way to a comfortable victory against the player who took! Safina's place in the draw.
Zvonareva battled back, ho! wever, t aking the second set - and all the momentum - as the players went off for a break because of the hot-weather rule.
When Wozniacki started to cramp upon resumption, it seemed all over for the fourth seed - but she somehow battled through and broke down in tears after claiming the winning point.
"I feel great that I won under these conditions," she said.
"I have absolutely no idea how I pulled it through. But I'm very happy about it."
Friday, December 11, 2009
Result of EURO 2008 Group C Second Matches
June 13th
Group C First Match at Letzigrund Stadion
Italy 1 : 1 Romania ( Panucci 56' - Mutu 55' )
Referee: Tom Henning Ovrebo - Norway
Spectators: 30,585
Statistics:
Shot on target: 5 - 6
Shot off targe : 8 - 7
Possession : 53 - 47 %
Corner Kicks : 12 - 5
Off-Side: 6 - 4
Fouls: 12 - 19
Yellow Cards : 2 - 3
Red Card :0-0
Group C Second Match at Stade de Suisse Wankdorf
Holland 4 : 1 France ( Kuyt 10', Persie 59', Robben 72', Sneijder 90' - Henry 71' )
Referee: Herbert Fandel - Germany
Spectators: 30,777
Statistics:
Shot on target: 9 - 9
Shot off targe : 4 - 12
Possession : 53 - 47 %
Corner Kicks : 2 - 6
Off-Side: 0 - 0 !
Fouls: 17 - 17
Yellow Cards : 1 - 2
Red Card :0-0
Chievo: Domani la ripresa
di Tiziana Garofalo
Il calcio estivo, quando comincia la stagione agonistica, lascia un po' il tempo che trova. Lo stesso vale per le amichevoli infrasettimanali, anche se trovare spunti sui quali lavorare non è discorso da poco in quanto permette di perfezionarsi e migliorarsi.
Per questo la sconfitta subita dal Chievo (nella foto, fonte chievoverona.it) sabato pomeriggio contro la nuova Triestina di mister Somma (Gotti è stato esonerato), non deve allarmare. Di Carlo ha schierato una formazione compost! a da giocatori che finora hanno avuto poche possibilità di mettersi in mostra anche per non rischiare chi, come ad esempio Pellissier, sta cercando di guarire da piccoli acciacchi.
Contro il Bari, domenica in campionato sarà tutta un'altra storia. Domani riprendono gli allenamenti per i clivensi che stanno terminando i due giorni di riposo concessi dal mister proprio dopo l'amichevole contro gli alabardati.
Al rientro non ci sarà Yepes, ancora impegnato con la sua Colombia, ma dovrebbe essere regolarmente in campo contro il Bari. Chi sicuramente mancherà sarà Rigoni per una "lesione di secondo grado ai flessori della gamba destra" che lo terranno lontano dal campo per circa due mesi.
Lotito smentisce l'agente di Aimar e apre a Muslera: "Quando una persona cresce è giusto che venga valutata nel modo idoneo"
di Orazio Resta
Fonte:tuttomercatoweb.com
Questo pomeriggio il presidente della Lazio, Claudio Lotito, intervenendo ai microfoni di Radio Radio ha affrontato diverse tematiche del momento biancoceleste: "Essendo fatta di uomini, la squadra risente della pressione ambientale. Sarebbe sbagliato pensare che l'aspetto psicologico non influisca. La concentrazione è anche frutto del contesto. Se hai un ambiente ti sostiene e sprona cerchi di dare il meglio di te stesso o comunque hai ! un atteggiamento vincente. Viceversa, se hai un ambiente che non ti supporta in modo adeguato, puoi avere un calo psicologico che poi incide sul rendimento e soprattutto nell'approccio alla gare. Ultimamente in alcune partite la squadra ha risentito di un'eccessiva critica, secondo me non meritata, perché questa è una squadra che a maggio ha vinto una Coppa Italia, ad Agosto ha vinto una Supercoppa Italiana. In campionato è partita in una certa maniera. Adesso la state vedendo. Quando abbiamo vinto con il Chievo e L'Atalanta qualcuno ha addirittura detto che siamo stati fortunati. Abbiamo anche giocato in 10 uomini. Non è una cosa semplice. Voglio dire che questa è una squadra che ha dimostrato carattere, grande unità e poi è stata decimata dagli infortuni e d alcune situazioni. Aggiungo che con il Salisburgo, con il Parma e con il Palermo è stata anche oggetto di grosse critiche. Questo non penso sia stato corretto. Normalmente le critiche vengono rivolte alla società. Si ! dice che non abbia costruito un organico competitivo e su ques! to conse ntitemi di dire che contrasta con la verità. Vorrei ricordare che la Lazio è la seconda società ad aver investito sul mercato. Tra l'altro ha speso 38 milioni cash, rispetto ad altri che hanno ammortizzato in 3 anni. Oggi abbiamo un eccesso di giocatori e quindi abbiamo dimostrato di essere competitivi sul mercato, quando nessuno pensava che Zàrate e Matuzalem fossero riscattati. Siamo abituati a fare i fatti, poi è chiaro che può capitare nel mese di agosto non siamo riusciti a portare un difensore che noi ritenevamo idoneo per la Lazio. Ma non perché non abbiamo voluto investire del denaro, ma perché purtroppo, aimè, la società in questione ha ritenuto giusto non vendere più il calciatore in quel momento. Anche in questo caso a causa della pressione dei tifosi. Questo per dire che la Lazio non si è sottratta a portare avanti il progetto di rilanciare questo club a livello internazionale e di allestire una squadra competitiva. Mi pare poi che anche le squadre sulla carta pi! ù competitive non è che hanno ottenuto grandissimi risultati. La Sampdoria, per esempio, ha allestito pochissimo ma ha costruito una squadra competitiva. Poi ha un sostegno da parte del proprio pubblico importante. Noi, viceversa, a volte abbiamo delle critiche immotivate, tanto che in più occasioni è capitato che qualche avversario hanno chiesto a me il motivo delle contestazioni. Roma è fatta così".
Questione Pandev. Entro ottobre si terrà la prima udienza presso il Collegio arbitrale: "A me dispiace sottolineare ancora una volta che le persone sono abituate ad scontrarsi con il rispetto delle norme. Il mercato chiude il 31 agosto e quindi dopo tale data non si dovrebbe trattare di questi argomenti. Invece, leggo con grande stupore che invece tutti parlano di mercato. Allora è inutile che ci sono delle finestre di mercato stabilite prima. Per quanto riguarda l'udienza, l'iter burocratico che è stato deciso ha un percorso e sulla base! di questo poi si vedrà. È inutile fare ora processi mediatici! . Quando dico che il mercato della Lazio è aperto 365 giorni l'anno, intendo che io ho una mia rete di osservatori che guardano in tutto il mondo i vari giocatori e sulla base del resoconto, una volta che giuridicamente possiamo procedere lo facciamo. La legge non è forma, ma sostanza. C'è una norma, poi quello che fanno gli altri non mi riguarda. Per esempio, io vi garantisco che non ho mai contattato nessuno per Simplicio, nonostante se ne parli tanto".
L'agente di Pablo Aimar, Mascardi, ha invece dichiarato che Lotito è in contatto per l'acquisizione del suo assistito: "Torno a ripetere, le persone sono abituate a dire ciò che vogliono. Purtroppo. Io invece faccio delle considerazioni che attengono al club. Gli altri preferiscono fare le cose per farsi pubblicità. Io sono in religioso silenzio, ma ogni giorno esce fuori una cosa. Non posso mettermi a smentire ogni cosa".
Altra vicenda che primeggia in casa Lazio e il possib! ile rinnovo contrattuale di Muslera: "Vorrei ricordare a tutti voi quante parole malevole sono state spese nei confronti di questo ragazzo e del sottoscritto che l'ha scelto. I fatti hanno dimostrato che è un grande portiere e tra l'altro è un ragazzo con una grande dote: ha il self control. Dopo tutte le critiche che ha ricevuto, si è messo a lavorare per migliorarsi e sta dimostrando quanto vale. Poi la perfezione non esiste, la cosa importante è avere la voglia di fare sempre meglio. Con umiltà, determinazione e concentrazione. Queste sono le cose che chiedo al gruppo. Muslera ha un contratto e giustamente quando una persona cresce è giusto che venga valutata nel modo giusto, nell'interesse della persona e della società".
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