No, not Cardiff City of the Championship but Liverpool. In the not too distant past the League Cup was a consolation prize to a club which was the champion of Europe seven years ago. On Wednesday, Kenny Dalglish led the lap of honor as Liverpool booked its first Wembley date since 2006.Liverpool's elation after beating Manchester City 3-2 on aggregate served to highlight its decline and underachievement since winning the Champions League.When Dalglish took over last season Liverpool was five points off the bottom of the Premier League and had just been knocked out of the League Cup by Northampton of League Two.Despite spending ?100 million on new faces, Liverpool is a long way from mounting a serious challenge for the title, but winning the League Cup would at least show progress and buy Dalglish some time.Andy Carroll, or ?35 million misfit Andy Carroll to give him his full media name, plus Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson saw Dalglish's investment questioned, but Craig Bellamy, who came gift-wrapped from City during the summer on a free transfer, scored the goal that made his former club fall at the final hurdle. Liverpool's best signing this season cost nothing.Dalglish treats his team selections like state secrets, but Bellamy is a shoe-in to play against his hometown club where he spent a season on loan last season in the final.Liverpool hosts Manchester United in the F.A. Cup fourth round on Saturday and with the pressure off them after sealing a Wembley final, there is a quiet confidence around Anfield that it can complete a memorable Manchester double.* * *IF YOU BELIEVED someone had insulted you, how would you feel about shaking their hand?Probably uncomfortable.And how would you feel if someone told you to greet that person in the traditional way?Angry, no doubt.There is pressure on Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand and Chelsea captain John Terry to shake hands as is customary for all players before Saturday's F.A. Cup tie at Loftus Road.The problem is that the game comes four days before Terry is due to face trial for alleged racist remarks made to Ferdinand when the teams met earlier in the season.Wayne Bridge of Manchester City refused to shake Terry's hand before a match in the wake of stories linking the England captain to the fullback's ex-partner. There is no way the Football Association or QPR should ask Ferdinand to do anything he does not want to do. Ferdinand's decision should be his decision and his alone.Terry is unlikely to appear in court next Wednesday, his lawyers entering a plea of not guilty on his behalf, the case therefore being adjourned for up to six weeks.Whenever Terry appears before a magistrate, there is the possibility that if Ferdinand shakes his hand it could be used by the accused's legal team to his advantage* * *NOTE THE TIME and date: 17:54, January 22nd, 2012. It could be a defining moment in Arsene Wenger's career as Arsenal manager.Paying customers have every right to show their feelings but I never thought I would hear "you don't know what you're doing" echoing around Emirates Stadium.There has been a growing disillusionment with Wenger among Arsenal fans and last Sunday's vocal dissent was probably more a buildup of six years of frustration without winning a trophy, than what was called a game-losing substitution.Qualifying for the Champions League this season is in doubt, and while Wenger is Arsenal's most successful manager, his credit is running out.Wenger's alleged inability to know what he was doing was based on the substitution of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain by Andrey Arshavin. Many Arsenal supporters also didn't think the Frenchman knew what he was doing when Oxlade-Chamberlain joined Arsenal for ?12 million, but the winger has star potential, and apparently in hindsight Wenger did know what he was doing after all.Arshavin is only marginally more popular than Tottenham among the Emirates faithful, the Russian's popularity dipping even further when he failed to track Antonio Valencia as he laid on Manchester United's winning goal scored by Danny Welbeck.This pre-supposes Oxlade-Chamberlain would have chased Valencia. Fine winger the teenager is, but he had made only one tackle during his time on the pitch.Wenger will have to be replaced at some stage but that is unlikely to be until next year, when his contract runs out. And maybe Arsenal fans should be careful what they wish for.* * *CHOOSE YOUR friends wisely but choose your enemies even more carefully. Who you choose as your enemies defines you.Carlos Tevez failed to take heed of these wise words and it has cost the Manchester City striker (past rather than present) ?9.3 million in loss of earnings to date.There were always going to be repercussions when Tevez refused to warm up during the City-Bayern Munch Champions League tie in the Allianz Arena in September.It has proved to be the most expensive act of petulance in football history, costing the Argentine ?3.3 million in fines and loss of wages (?198,000 a week) to date. This is on top of the loss of a ?6 million loyalty bonus (stop shaking your head in disbelief) forfeited when he asked for a transfer in December 2010.Christopher Davies was a longtime Premier League correspondent for the London Daily Telegraph.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Liverpool a long way from glory days
LONDON — The celebrations among the players, management and fans underlined the joy of reaching the League Cup final even though it is the lowest-rated piece of domestic silverware.No, not Cardiff City of the Championship but Liverpool. In the not too distant past the League Cup was a consolation prize to a club which was the champion of Europe seven years ago. On Wednesday, Kenny Dalglish led the lap of honor as Liverpool booked its first Wembley date since 2006.Liverpool's elation after beating Manchester City 3-2 on aggregate served to highlight its decline and underachievement since winning the Champions League.When Dalglish took over last season Liverpool was five points off the bottom of the Premier League and had just been knocked out of the League Cup by Northampton of League Two.Despite spending ?100 million on new faces, Liverpool is a long way from mounting a serious challenge for the title, but winning the League Cup would at least show progress and buy Dalglish some time.Andy Carroll, or ?35 million misfit Andy Carroll to give him his full media name, plus Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson saw Dalglish's investment questioned, but Craig Bellamy, who came gift-wrapped from City during the summer on a free transfer, scored the goal that made his former club fall at the final hurdle. Liverpool's best signing this season cost nothing.Dalglish treats his team selections like state secrets, but Bellamy is a shoe-in to play against his hometown club where he spent a season on loan last season in the final.Liverpool hosts Manchester United in the F.A. Cup fourth round on Saturday and with the pressure off them after sealing a Wembley final, there is a quiet confidence around Anfield that it can complete a memorable Manchester double.* * *IF YOU BELIEVED someone had insulted you, how would you feel about shaking their hand?Probably uncomfortable.And how would you feel if someone told you to greet that person in the traditional way?Angry, no doubt.There is pressure on Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand and Chelsea captain John Terry to shake hands as is customary for all players before Saturday's F.A. Cup tie at Loftus Road.The problem is that the game comes four days before Terry is due to face trial for alleged racist remarks made to Ferdinand when the teams met earlier in the season.Wayne Bridge of Manchester City refused to shake Terry's hand before a match in the wake of stories linking the England captain to the fullback's ex-partner. There is no way the Football Association or QPR should ask Ferdinand to do anything he does not want to do. Ferdinand's decision should be his decision and his alone.Terry is unlikely to appear in court next Wednesday, his lawyers entering a plea of not guilty on his behalf, the case therefore being adjourned for up to six weeks.Whenever Terry appears before a magistrate, there is the possibility that if Ferdinand shakes his hand it could be used by the accused's legal team to his advantage* * *NOTE THE TIME and date: 17:54, January 22nd, 2012. It could be a defining moment in Arsene Wenger's career as Arsenal manager.Paying customers have every right to show their feelings but I never thought I would hear "you don't know what you're doing" echoing around Emirates Stadium.There has been a growing disillusionment with Wenger among Arsenal fans and last Sunday's vocal dissent was probably more a buildup of six years of frustration without winning a trophy, than what was called a game-losing substitution.Qualifying for the Champions League this season is in doubt, and while Wenger is Arsenal's most successful manager, his credit is running out.Wenger's alleged inability to know what he was doing was based on the substitution of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain by Andrey Arshavin. Many Arsenal supporters also didn't think the Frenchman knew what he was doing when Oxlade-Chamberlain joined Arsenal for ?12 million, but the winger has star potential, and apparently in hindsight Wenger did know what he was doing after all.Arshavin is only marginally more popular than Tottenham among the Emirates faithful, the Russian's popularity dipping even further when he failed to track Antonio Valencia as he laid on Manchester United's winning goal scored by Danny Welbeck.This pre-supposes Oxlade-Chamberlain would have chased Valencia. Fine winger the teenager is, but he had made only one tackle during his time on the pitch.Wenger will have to be replaced at some stage but that is unlikely to be until next year, when his contract runs out. And maybe Arsenal fans should be careful what they wish for.* * *CHOOSE YOUR friends wisely but choose your enemies even more carefully. Who you choose as your enemies defines you.Carlos Tevez failed to take heed of these wise words and it has cost the Manchester City striker (past rather than present) ?9.3 million in loss of earnings to date.There were always going to be repercussions when Tevez refused to warm up during the City-Bayern Munch Champions League tie in the Allianz Arena in September.It has proved to be the most expensive act of petulance in football history, costing the Argentine ?3.3 million in fines and loss of wages (?198,000 a week) to date. This is on top of the loss of a ?6 million loyalty bonus (stop shaking your head in disbelief) forfeited when he asked for a transfer in December 2010.Christopher Davies was a longtime Premier League correspondent for the London Daily Telegraph.
No, not Cardiff City of the Championship but Liverpool. In the not too distant past the League Cup was a consolation prize to a club which was the champion of Europe seven years ago. On Wednesday, Kenny Dalglish led the lap of honor as Liverpool booked its first Wembley date since 2006.Liverpool's elation after beating Manchester City 3-2 on aggregate served to highlight its decline and underachievement since winning the Champions League.When Dalglish took over last season Liverpool was five points off the bottom of the Premier League and had just been knocked out of the League Cup by Northampton of League Two.Despite spending ?100 million on new faces, Liverpool is a long way from mounting a serious challenge for the title, but winning the League Cup would at least show progress and buy Dalglish some time.Andy Carroll, or ?35 million misfit Andy Carroll to give him his full media name, plus Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson saw Dalglish's investment questioned, but Craig Bellamy, who came gift-wrapped from City during the summer on a free transfer, scored the goal that made his former club fall at the final hurdle. Liverpool's best signing this season cost nothing.Dalglish treats his team selections like state secrets, but Bellamy is a shoe-in to play against his hometown club where he spent a season on loan last season in the final.Liverpool hosts Manchester United in the F.A. Cup fourth round on Saturday and with the pressure off them after sealing a Wembley final, there is a quiet confidence around Anfield that it can complete a memorable Manchester double.* * *IF YOU BELIEVED someone had insulted you, how would you feel about shaking their hand?Probably uncomfortable.And how would you feel if someone told you to greet that person in the traditional way?Angry, no doubt.There is pressure on Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand and Chelsea captain John Terry to shake hands as is customary for all players before Saturday's F.A. Cup tie at Loftus Road.The problem is that the game comes four days before Terry is due to face trial for alleged racist remarks made to Ferdinand when the teams met earlier in the season.Wayne Bridge of Manchester City refused to shake Terry's hand before a match in the wake of stories linking the England captain to the fullback's ex-partner. There is no way the Football Association or QPR should ask Ferdinand to do anything he does not want to do. Ferdinand's decision should be his decision and his alone.Terry is unlikely to appear in court next Wednesday, his lawyers entering a plea of not guilty on his behalf, the case therefore being adjourned for up to six weeks.Whenever Terry appears before a magistrate, there is the possibility that if Ferdinand shakes his hand it could be used by the accused's legal team to his advantage* * *NOTE THE TIME and date: 17:54, January 22nd, 2012. It could be a defining moment in Arsene Wenger's career as Arsenal manager.Paying customers have every right to show their feelings but I never thought I would hear "you don't know what you're doing" echoing around Emirates Stadium.There has been a growing disillusionment with Wenger among Arsenal fans and last Sunday's vocal dissent was probably more a buildup of six years of frustration without winning a trophy, than what was called a game-losing substitution.Qualifying for the Champions League this season is in doubt, and while Wenger is Arsenal's most successful manager, his credit is running out.Wenger's alleged inability to know what he was doing was based on the substitution of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain by Andrey Arshavin. Many Arsenal supporters also didn't think the Frenchman knew what he was doing when Oxlade-Chamberlain joined Arsenal for ?12 million, but the winger has star potential, and apparently in hindsight Wenger did know what he was doing after all.Arshavin is only marginally more popular than Tottenham among the Emirates faithful, the Russian's popularity dipping even further when he failed to track Antonio Valencia as he laid on Manchester United's winning goal scored by Danny Welbeck.This pre-supposes Oxlade-Chamberlain would have chased Valencia. Fine winger the teenager is, but he had made only one tackle during his time on the pitch.Wenger will have to be replaced at some stage but that is unlikely to be until next year, when his contract runs out. And maybe Arsenal fans should be careful what they wish for.* * *CHOOSE YOUR friends wisely but choose your enemies even more carefully. Who you choose as your enemies defines you.Carlos Tevez failed to take heed of these wise words and it has cost the Manchester City striker (past rather than present) ?9.3 million in loss of earnings to date.There were always going to be repercussions when Tevez refused to warm up during the City-Bayern Munch Champions League tie in the Allianz Arena in September.It has proved to be the most expensive act of petulance in football history, costing the Argentine ?3.3 million in fines and loss of wages (?198,000 a week) to date. This is on top of the loss of a ?6 million loyalty bonus (stop shaking your head in disbelief) forfeited when he asked for a transfer in December 2010.Christopher Davies was a longtime Premier League correspondent for the London Daily Telegraph.
Phoenix rout Albirex
Six Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix players scored in double figures as the hosts earned a 90-70 win over the visiting Niigata Albirex BB on Friday night in the bj-league.Wayne Arnold paced the Phoenix (17-10 overall, 3-0 since Lawrence Blackledge joined the squad). Blackledge, who began the season with the Osaka Evessa, had 12 points and six blocked shots for the two-time defending champions.Floor leader Jermaine Dixon added 14 points, eight assists and three steals for Hamamatsu, while Shoji Nakanishi scored 13, Jeffrey Parmer chipped in with 12 and Atsuya Ota had 10.The Phoenix took a 44-23 lead into the locker room at halftime.Niigata, which entered the game with a 2-0 record against Hamamatsu this season, fell to 16-11.Nile Murry scored a team-high 20 points for the Albirex. Erron Maxey had an 18-point outing and Kimitake Sato contributed 11 points.
Coyotes attracting potential buyers
Ottawa — NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said there are three groups showing "serious" interest in buying the Phoenix Coyotes with the intention of keeping the team in Glendale, Arizona.Without going into detail, Bettman revealed there was a third group during his weekly radio show broadcast from Ottawa, where the league's All-Star Game is being held this weekend.The two groups known to have expressed interest in the Coyotes are one led by former San Jose Sharks president and CEO Greg Jamison, and another by Chicago sports mogul Jerry Reinsdorf.Bettman said the sales process remains a "work in progress," and he's hoping to prevent the Coyotes from relocating. He did warn that if a sale is not completed, this would likely be the franchise's final season in Glendale.
Antlers duo working out in San Jose
Kashima Antlers midfielders Mitsuo Ogasawara and Masashi Motoyama have both been training with the San Jose Earthquakes and will be on trial through the end of the week, the Major League Soccer club said on its official website Wednesday.The former Japan internationals have been at the Earthquakes' training facility since Monday, competing in short-field drills on their first day of training and a full session on Tuesday.But a Kashima official said, "They (Ogasawara and Motoyama) are just taking part in practice as a way of extending their personal training."
Schiano bolts Rutgers to take over Buccaneers
TAMPA, Florida — The Buccaneers are counting on Greg Schiano to lead them back to respectability and transform Tampa Bay into consistent winners — much in the same way he did Rutgers.The 45-year-old former Scarlet Knights coach was hired Thursday, more than three weeks after the Buccaneers fired Raheem Morris following a 4-12 record.Bucs general manager Mark Dominik confirmed Tampa Bay has signed Schiano to a five-year contract in an email.Schiano was at Rutgers for 11 seasons, taking them from college football laughingstocks to a program that has had winning records in six of the last seven years. He was an assistant coach in the NFL with Chicago from 1996-98.The Bucs fired Morris on Jan. 2 after Tampa Bay lost 10 straight games to end the season, most of them by double-digit margins. The collapse following a promising 4-2 start came only a year after the NFL's youngest team went 10-6 and narrowly missed the playoffs.The Glazer family that owns the team interviewed at least 10 candidates for the opening, including Oregon's Chip Kelly, who was offered the position before turning it down earlier this week.The Bucs also talked to former NFL head coaches Mike Sherman, Brad Childress and Marty Schottenheimer; Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski; Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Jerry Gray; Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer; Green Bay quarterbacks coach Tom Clements and former Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, who accepted the head coaching opening with the Miami Dolphins.An 11th known candidate, ex-Dallas Cowboys coach and current Houston defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, canceled a scheduled interview with the Bucs that would have taken place while the Texans were in the playoffs.It's not the first exhaustive search the Glazers have conducted for a coach.The Bucs pursued Steve Spurrier before hiring Tony Dungy in 1996, then tried to lure Bill Parcells and Steve Mariucci to Tampa Bay before trading two first-round draft picks, as well as a pair of second-rounders and $8 million cash to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for the opportunity to negotiate a contract with Jon Gruden after the 2001 season.Gruden led the Bucs to their only Super Bowl title the following season, but Tampa Bay hasn't won a playoff game since. The Glazers fired him three weeks after the Bucs lost the final four games of 2008 to miss the playoffs, and promoted Morris as his successor.
Iniesta sidelined with thigh injury
Barcelona Spain — Barcelona announced midfielder Andres Iniesta will be sidelined for three weeks with a muscle tear in his left thigh.Iniesta was injured in the first half of Barcelona's 2-2 draw with Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals on Wednesday. Barcelona advanced 4-3 on aggregate score.Barcelona also lost forward Alexis Sanchez during the game with a shoulder injury that will keep him out for one-to-two weeks.Both players will miss Saturday's Spanish League match at Villarreal and the first leg of the Cope del Rey semifinals next week against either Valencia or Levante.Barcelona is already without striker David Villa, midfielder Ibrahim Afellay and defender Andreu Fontas because of long-term injuries.
Shooting woes bury Orlando
ORLANDO, Florida — The Orlando Magic trudged out of Boston this week, toting only embarrassment following a lopsided 31-point loss to the Celtics.
Tams vs. Stars: Memphis' Mike Conley passes the ball over Chris Paul of Los Angeles in an ABA "throwback" game on Thursday night. APFor a while it appeared as though the Magic would return the favor. Instead, the Celtics took advantage of Orlando's fourth-quarter meltdown and erased a 27-point deficit to hand the Magic an even more humbling defeat on their home floor, 91-83 on Thursday night.Paul Pierce had 24 points and 10 assists, and E'Twaun Moore added 16 points off the bench to help Boston beat Orlando for the second time this week.Pierce and Moore had 10 points each in the fourth quarter to surge past a Magic team that led by 11 points entering the fourth quarter before shooting 2-for-17 from the field in the final 12 minutes. They scored just eight points in the period."Everybody was big," Pierce said. "Obviously, when you got a rookie (Moore) who hasn't played too much to come in and do the things he did — that's big for us."This team decided to stand up and fight."Moore said Boston needed a game like this."It's definitely a confidence builder for our whole team," Moore said. "Knowing we can play with some of the best teams out there."Dwight Howard led the Magic with 16 points and 16 rebounds. Jason Richardson added 13 points, and Ryan Anderson had 12.The Celtics have won three straight for just the second time this season. It also was their fourth consecutive victory over the Magic, dating to last season.Since a season-best, five-game winning streak, Orlando has lost three times in five games, including a 31-point defeat at Boston on Monday."We thought it was going to be easy after the first two quarters," Howard said. "We can't allow that to happen. We've got to change. We have to change what we do, and guys have to know their roles and do it. That's just the bottom line."The Celtics disrupted the Magic's offensive flow in the fourth, so much so that it led to a pair of late, frustration technical fouls on Howard and Anderson.Clippers 98, Grizzlies 91In Los Angeles, Blake Griffin scored 20 points, Chris Paul added 18 points and seven assists in his second game back from injury, and the first-place Clippers hung on in the fourth quarter for a victory over Memphis.Mo Williams scored nine of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, and Griffin added nine rebounds and eight assists as Los Angeles maintained a narrow lead throughout the final period.Rudy Gay scored 24 points for the Grizzlies.Six Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix players scored in double figures as the hosts earned a 90-70 win over the visiting Niigata Albirex BB on Friday night in the bj-league.Wayne Arnold paced the Phoenix (17-10 overall, 3-0 since Lawrence Blackledge joined the squad). Blackledge, who began the season with the Osaka Evessa, had 12 points and six blocked shots for the two-time defending champions.Floor leader Jermaine Dixon added 14 points, eight assists and three steals for Hamamatsu, while Shoji Nakanishi scored 13, Jeffrey Parmer chipped in with 12 and Atsuya Ota had 10.The Phoenix took a 44-23 lead into the locker room at halftime.Niigata, which entered the game with a 2-0 record against Hamamatsu this season, fell to 16-11.Nile Murry scored a team-high 20 points for the Albirex. Erron Maxey had an 18-point outing and Kimitake Sato contributed 11 points.
Tams vs. Stars: Memphis' Mike Conley passes the ball over Chris Paul of Los Angeles in an ABA "throwback" game on Thursday night. APFor a while it appeared as though the Magic would return the favor. Instead, the Celtics took advantage of Orlando's fourth-quarter meltdown and erased a 27-point deficit to hand the Magic an even more humbling defeat on their home floor, 91-83 on Thursday night.Paul Pierce had 24 points and 10 assists, and E'Twaun Moore added 16 points off the bench to help Boston beat Orlando for the second time this week.Pierce and Moore had 10 points each in the fourth quarter to surge past a Magic team that led by 11 points entering the fourth quarter before shooting 2-for-17 from the field in the final 12 minutes. They scored just eight points in the period."Everybody was big," Pierce said. "Obviously, when you got a rookie (Moore) who hasn't played too much to come in and do the things he did — that's big for us."This team decided to stand up and fight."Moore said Boston needed a game like this."It's definitely a confidence builder for our whole team," Moore said. "Knowing we can play with some of the best teams out there."Dwight Howard led the Magic with 16 points and 16 rebounds. Jason Richardson added 13 points, and Ryan Anderson had 12.The Celtics have won three straight for just the second time this season. It also was their fourth consecutive victory over the Magic, dating to last season.Since a season-best, five-game winning streak, Orlando has lost three times in five games, including a 31-point defeat at Boston on Monday."We thought it was going to be easy after the first two quarters," Howard said. "We can't allow that to happen. We've got to change. We have to change what we do, and guys have to know their roles and do it. That's just the bottom line."The Celtics disrupted the Magic's offensive flow in the fourth, so much so that it led to a pair of late, frustration technical fouls on Howard and Anderson.Clippers 98, Grizzlies 91In Los Angeles, Blake Griffin scored 20 points, Chris Paul added 18 points and seven assists in his second game back from injury, and the first-place Clippers hung on in the fourth quarter for a victory over Memphis.Mo Williams scored nine of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, and Griffin added nine rebounds and eight assists as Los Angeles maintained a narrow lead throughout the final period.Rudy Gay scored 24 points for the Grizzlies.Six Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix players scored in double figures as the hosts earned a 90-70 win over the visiting Niigata Albirex BB on Friday night in the bj-league.Wayne Arnold paced the Phoenix (17-10 overall, 3-0 since Lawrence Blackledge joined the squad). Blackledge, who began the season with the Osaka Evessa, had 12 points and six blocked shots for the two-time defending champions.Floor leader Jermaine Dixon added 14 points, eight assists and three steals for Hamamatsu, while Shoji Nakanishi scored 13, Jeffrey Parmer chipped in with 12 and Atsuya Ota had 10.The Phoenix took a 44-23 lead into the locker room at halftime.Niigata, which entered the game with a 2-0 record against Hamamatsu this season, fell to 16-11.Nile Murry scored a team-high 20 points for the Albirex. Erron Maxey had an 18-point outing and Kimitake Sato contributed 11 points.Tiger cards 70 in year's first round
Abu Dhabi — No momentous shots for Tiger Woods. No bogeys, either.The 14-time major winner opened his 2012 season with a solid first round Thursday at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, shooting a 2-under 70 that left him three strokes behind coleader Rory McIlroy, his playing partner."Hit the ball well all day today. It was a good ball-striking round," Woods said. "I had a hard time reading the greens out there. The greens were pretty grainy and I just had a hard time getting a feel for it. Toward the end I hit some pretty good putts but overall I got fooled a lot on my reads."McIlroy shot a 67, as did Robert Karlsson. But the best shots of the day came from Sergio Garcia (71) and Jose Manuel Lara (70) — each had a hole-in-one on the par-3 12th hole.Gareth Maybin, Richard Finch and Jean-Baptiste Gonnet were one shot behind the two leaders. Top-ranked Luke Donald, who played alongside Woods and McIlroy, shot a 71.
Fielder ecstatic about chance to follow father with Tigers
DETROIT — Prince Fielder stood with a smile and recalled his earliest memories of old Tiger Stadium, when he would hang out at the ballpark where his father hit so many massive home runs."For me, it was always Sparky saying I was going to pinch hit — and I really believed him," Fielder said, referring to former manager Sparky Anderson. "I'm just glad I get to come back."The Tigers introduced Fielder on Thursday after finalizing a $214 million, nine-year contract with the free agent first baseman, who is expected to hit a lot more home runs than his dad.Fielder was born in 1984, the last time Detroit won the World Series. After luring him back to Michigan with the fourth-largest deal in baseball history, the Tigers are hoping Fielder will help usher in a new championship era for the Motor City."This is awesome," Fielder said. "It's kind of a dream come true. I'm excited."Detroit began seriously pursuing Fielder after designated hitter Victor Martinez tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during offseason conditioning. Now the Tigers have three of baseball's biggest stars — Fielder, Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander — all in their primes. Detroit won the AL Central by 15 games last year but lost to Texas in the AL Championship Series."We're trying to win right now," general manager Dave Dombrowski said. "We tried to win last year. We were close. I think we've reached a point now, on a yearly basis, we feel that way. When you look at the core of our group of players, there's a lot of guys that are on that field right now that are quality players."It will be up to manager Jim Leyland to figure out where to play all of his powerful hitters. He said Thursday the Tigers will move Miguel Cabrera from first base to third to make room for Fielder. He also listed a possible batting order, with Cabrera hitting third and Fielder fourth.It's a lineup based on power, not speed. That much is clear."If they hit it where they're supposed to hit them, they can trot," Leyland said. "We're going back to the old-fashioned baseball. We've got big-time power on the corners."Fielder's father Cecil became a big league star when he returned to the majors from Japan and hit 51 home runs with Detroit in 1990. Cecil played with the Tigers into the 1996 season, and young Prince made a name for himself with his prodigious power displays during batting practice at Tiger Stadium.Detroit plays at Comerica Park now, and times have changed. Leyland manages the Tigers, not the late Sparky Anderson.As for the Fielders, their strained relationship has been well documented, and Prince didn't elaborate on it Thursday."I'm just ecstatic about being with the Tigers," Prince Fielder said. "I'm just here to enjoy the day."Fielder did want to debunk one thing: Back in 2008, he talked about becoming a vegetarian, but that apparently didn't last long after all the commotion."I'm not a vegetarian," he said. "I was, for like three months."Fielder's contract includes a limited no-trade provision. He can be traded to 10 clubs without his consent before 2017, when he gains rights to block all trades under baseball's labor contract as a 10-year veteran who has been with a team for at least five years.He will earn $23 million in each of his first two years with Detroit, then will make $24 million annually in the final seven seasons of his contract, according to terms obtained by The Associated Press.SEATTLE — Ichiro Suzuki might begin his final guaranteed season with the Seattle Mariners somewhere other than the leadoff spot that he's locked down for the past decade.Seattle manager Eric Wedge said on Thursday during the Mariners' pre-spring training luncheon that he's leaning toward moving Ichiro out of the leadoff spot as a way to try to bolster their anemic offense.Wedge doesn't believe that's a slight on Ichiro's ability to continue being a leadoff hitter, even with the 10-time MLB All-Star coming off the worst season of his career."It's as much to do with his teammates as it has to do with him with regard to the collective nine that we're putting down on paper," Wedge said. "I haven't made any firm decisions. I made it very clear over the winter I was thinking about it. I'm even further down the road to where I'm leaning in that direction to have (Ichiro) hit somewhere else."Moving Ichiro out of the leadoff spot was part of an on-again, off-again debate during the 2011 season as he struggled. He hit just .272, failed to reach 200 hits for the first time in his career — finishing with 184 — and had an on-base percentage 40 points below his previous career worst.
Azarenka fired up before final
MELBOURNE, Australia — After 25 Grand Slam tournaments, Victoria Azarenka is through to her first final. Maria Sharapova, her opponent in Saturday's Australian Open title decider, has been there five times before, and won three.That's all history from Azarenka's perspective."It's no concern for me. I mean, I worked hard to be in this situation, so why stress about it?" Azarenka said Friday of the match that has a Grand Slam title and the No. 1 ranking on the line. "I want it and that's what I'm looking for."Azarenka and Sharapova are two of the loudest "grunters" in women's tennis. Others refer to it as shrieking, and Azarenka's is more in alto, while Sharapova's is a tad higher on the musical scale.When the pair last played at Key Biscayne, Florida last year, Azarenka said she felt her grunt was quieter than Sharapova's.At Rod Laver Arena this year, fans have started to mimic Azarenka during her matches. Stay tuned for more of the same when the fans hear it from both sides of the court on Saturday.The 22-year-old Azarenka and 24-year-old Sharapova are 3-3 in career head-to-head meetings. But Azarenka holds the edge in two finals, having beaten Sharapova in straight sets at Stanford in 2010 and in Florida last year.Instead of thinking dominance, Azarenka thinks Sharapova might be out for revenge."It's very different, you cannot really look back," Azarenka said. "It's always difficult to play somebody you've beaten before. They have extra motivation to beat you."If Azarenka wins the final, she would be only the third player to rise to the top ranking after her first Grand Slam win. Martina Navratilova rose to No. 1 for the first time after winning Wimbledon in 1978, while Ana Ivanovic did the same after winning the 2008 French Open.A Sharapova win would mark the fourth time in the Russian's career that she's held the top ranking, the most recent in June 2008. Overall, she's been No. 1 for 17 nonconsecutive weeks.Sharapova dismisses any thoughts of playing for the top ranking."Having been in the position before ... I think, for me, it's more about the Grand Slam win than the No. 1 ranking," she said. "That's just always been the goal for me."It's been four years since Sharapova won the last of her three major titles — here in 2008, and nearly eight years since she lifted the Wimbledon trophy at 17. In between, she won the U.S. Open in 2006."It means so much to be back in a Grand Slam final," Sharapova said. "It's nice to get that far again (here) after losing quite early in the last couple of years."Sharapova has already been on tour long enough to experience the ups and downs of tennis. After winning the 2008 Australian Open, she underwent shoulder surgery that took her out of the game for nine months.It took much longer for her to get back to anywhere near her peak, and she lost at the Australian Open before the quarterfinals on her last two visits. She reached the Wimbledon final last year, but lost to Petra Kvitova — the player she beat in Thursday's semifinals."With the shoulder, I knew some examples of some people that did not quite recover from surgery and that was a little frightening, but I really had no option," she said. "Of course it took a long time and it was a process, but it was just something that was in my steps that I had to go through. And I did."A handful of women came into the tournament with a chance to hold the No. 1 ranking at the end of it. Caroline Wozniacki ensured she'd vacate the top spot when she lost to defending champion Kim Clijsters in the quarterfinals.Azarenka, by beating Clijsters in the semifinals, took her winning streak to 11 matches after claiming the Sydney International title ahead of the Australian Open.Like Sharapova, Azarenka has dropped just two sets in Melbourne, including one against Clijsters in the semifinals."She's a really, really good player, and I haven't had great success against her in the last couple of events that we've played against each other," Sharapova said."I'd really like to change that. It will be important to tactically play right. She makes you hit a lot of balls and she's aggressive as well."
Plushenko second after short program at European C'ships
SHEFFIELD, England — Evgeni Plushenko got upstaged by his own training partner.Artur Gachinski snatched the lead from the 2006 Olympic champion at the European Figure Skating Championships Thursday after Plushenko opted not to do a quadruple jump in the short program.Gachinski completed a quad and he finished with 84.80 points, a mere 0.09 points ahead of Plushenko. Tomas Verner of the Czech Republic, the 2008 European champion, was third (81.14 points), just ahead of emerging star Javier Fernandez of Spain (80.11)."I'm pleased with the performance considering the circumstances. A program without a quad was like a trip into the past," said Plushenko, who returned to competition last month for the first time since 2010.The three-time world champion has a long history of knee and back injuries, and he decided to start his program with a triple lutz rather than the quad so as not to aggravate them."When I do the quad toe, I need three or four minutes to recover from the pain," Plushenko said. "Therefore we decided not to do the quad today. It was either doing a program without the quad or not competing, and I want to finish this competition."Still, it speaks volumes that Plushenko is in contention for his seventh European title without even trying that hardest of jumps in his showy routine, set to the emotional "Storm" by Yanni. A master at thrilling audiences, Plushenko hasn't lost the art of playing the showman.Enticing the judges by circling in front of them before his routine, the triple world champion was all smiles as he gave a performance full of energy and expression. At one point, he aimed a kick in front of a TV camera at the end of the rink, with his mouth wide open.His jumps were largely spot on, too, with a triple axel particularly impressing the judges.At 18, Gachinski is 11 years younger than Plushenko. He has drawn comparisons to Plushenko because of his eye-catching shock of blonde hair and also training with Alexei Mishin, Plushenko's longtime coach. He showed Thursday he is a worthy successor to Plushenko. He was the only skater among the top men to do a clean quad, which is a must-have jump for male competitors these days.Not only did the teenager score 15.83 from his dazzling opening quad toe-triple toe combination, the bronze medalist at last year's world championships received the highest levels for his spins.Defending champion Florent Amodio of France, who is fourth with 78.48 points, wobbled after a quad salchow.SAN JOSE CALIFORNIA — Agnes Zawadzki sure knows how to shake things up.The U.S. junior champ only two years ago, Zawadzki outskated not one, not two, but three former winners Thursday night to claim the short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.One of the few women to skate cleanly, her sultry routine to a blues medley earned her 66.24 points and put her three points ahead of defending champion Alissa Czisny going into the free skate Saturday. Ashley Wagner was third.Mirai Nagasu, the 2008 U.S. champ, was fifth after botching her opening jump. Rachael Flatt, the 2010 winner, was way down in ninth after a lackluster performance in front of an enthusiastic hometown crowd."I'm really excited," Zawadzki said, still grinning 15 minutes after she got off the ice. "Everything's finally clicked."Earlier Thursday, Mary Beth Marley and Rockne Brubaker took a big lead in the pairs competition, winning the short program by more than four points.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Report: Honda in talks with Lazio
London — CSKA Moscow is still in discussions with Italian club Lazio over the transfer of playmaker Keisuke Honda, British media reported Tuesday.The Sporting Life website quoted the Russian Premier League club's president, Yevgeny Giner, as telling Radio Mayak, "I can confirm that some Lazio officials came to Moscow to discuss a deal for Honda.""The negotiations are still ongoing as we have not reached an agreement. Currently our valuations are around €2-€3 million apart. I would not say the transfer will definitely happen, but let's see what will happen in the coming days," Giner said.Last week, Russian newspaper Sport-Express said the talks had broken down, while Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport said the negotiations had gone well.
Giants cleared of illegal hit on 49er
San Francisco — The NFL on Tuesday said there were no illegal hits by the Super Bowl-bound New York Giants on 49ers return man Kyle Williams during the NFC championship game.Williams fumbled a punt in overtime of San Francisco's 20-17 loss Sunday, and the misplay set up Lawrence Tynes' winning field goal. Afterward, New York's Jacquian Williams and Devin Thomas indicated they were trying to hit Williams given his history of concussions, including the most recent one sustained Dec. 24 at Seattle that kept him out of the regular-season finale at St. Louis.League spokesman Greg Aiello said in an email that the Giants did nothing against the rules.
Mourners bid farewell to Paterno
State College, Pennsylvania — They stood outside for hours on a winter afternoon, waiting to pay their respects to the late Joe Paterno. The line snaked down a long block on the Penn State campus.Inside a campus spiritual center, the coach's body lay in a closed, hardwood casket topped by a spray of white roses. About six meters away sat a stylized black-and-white picture of the man who became lovingly known on campus as "JoePa," smiling and peering out through his trademark thick-rimmed glasses.Three days of public mourning began Tuesday for a Penn State community already racked by months of turmoil. The 85-year-old Paterno — a Hall of Fame coach and the face of the university — died Sunday of lung cancer. He had been ousted just days before learning of his diagnosis in November, forced out of his job in the wake of child sex-abuse charges against a former assistant."We're not going to focus on the bad, we're going to pull together and focus on the good," said Brittany Yingling, 23.
Fielder, Tigers agree to lucrative nine-year deal
DETROIT — The Detroit Tigers responded to a jarring injury with an audacious move.
All grown up: Prince Fielder has reportedly agreed to a nine-year, $214 million contract with the Detroit Tigers. APFree-agent first baseman Prince Fielder and the Tigers agreed Tuesday to a nine-year, $214 million contract that fills the AL Central champions' need for a power hitter, a person familiar with the deal said.Detroit boldly stepped up in the Fielder sweepstakes after the recent knee injury to star Victor Martinez. A week ago, the Tigers announced the productive designated hitter could miss the entire season after tearing his left ACL during offseason conditioning.CBS first reported the agreement with Fielder.The person told The Associated Press the deal was subject to a physical. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract was not yet complete.The Tigers won their division by 15 games before losing in the AL championship series to Texas. Adding the 27-year-old Fielder gives the Tigers two of the game's premier sluggers, pairing him with Miguel Cabrera.With Fielder now in the fold, general manager Dave Dombrowski and owner Mike Ilitch have a team that figures to enter the 2012 season as a favorite to repeat in the division — with an eye on winning the franchise's first World Series title since 1984."Everyone knew Mr. Ilitch and Mr. Dombrowski were going to make a move when Victor went down," outfielder Brennan Boesch said in a phone interview with the AP. "But I don't think anybody thought it would be this big."The move also keeps Fielder's name in the Tigers' family. His father, Cecil, became a big league star when he returned to the majors from Japan and hit 51 home runs with Detroit in 1990. Cecil played with the Tigers into the 1996 season, and young Prince made a name for himself by hitting prodigious home runs in batting practice at Tiger Stadium.A few years ago, when Prince returned to Detroit as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers, Tigers Hall of Famer Al Kaline recalled that power show."You can't ever say that you look at a kid that age and say that you know he's going to hit 40 or 50 home runs someday, but Prince was unbelievable," Kaline said then. "Here's a 12-year-old kid commonly hitting homers at a big league ballpark."In an interview with MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, Cecil Fielder said he was "shocked" by the news that Prince was heading to Detroit."He's been there in Detroit most of his young life so I think he'll be comfortable in that place," Cecil Fielder said. "I know Mr. Ilitch is probably excited because he's been wanting that kid since he was a little kid, so he finally got his wish."SAN FRANCISCO — Star pitcher Tim Lincecum and the San Francisco Giants reached a verbal agreement Tuesday on a two-year contract worth $40.5 million.The deal includes a $500,000 signing bonus and salaries of $18 million this year and $22 million in 2013, a person familiar with the agreement said Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the terms were not announced. Lincecum still must take a physical, which the Giants hope will happen early next week to complete the deal.Lincecum, who has twice won the Cy Young Award as the best pitcher in the National League, had asked for a near-record $21.5 million in salary arbitration and had been offered $17 million by the club. He remains eligible for free agency following the 2013 season.
All grown up: Prince Fielder has reportedly agreed to a nine-year, $214 million contract with the Detroit Tigers. APFree-agent first baseman Prince Fielder and the Tigers agreed Tuesday to a nine-year, $214 million contract that fills the AL Central champions' need for a power hitter, a person familiar with the deal said.Detroit boldly stepped up in the Fielder sweepstakes after the recent knee injury to star Victor Martinez. A week ago, the Tigers announced the productive designated hitter could miss the entire season after tearing his left ACL during offseason conditioning.CBS first reported the agreement with Fielder.The person told The Associated Press the deal was subject to a physical. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract was not yet complete.The Tigers won their division by 15 games before losing in the AL championship series to Texas. Adding the 27-year-old Fielder gives the Tigers two of the game's premier sluggers, pairing him with Miguel Cabrera.With Fielder now in the fold, general manager Dave Dombrowski and owner Mike Ilitch have a team that figures to enter the 2012 season as a favorite to repeat in the division — with an eye on winning the franchise's first World Series title since 1984."Everyone knew Mr. Ilitch and Mr. Dombrowski were going to make a move when Victor went down," outfielder Brennan Boesch said in a phone interview with the AP. "But I don't think anybody thought it would be this big."The move also keeps Fielder's name in the Tigers' family. His father, Cecil, became a big league star when he returned to the majors from Japan and hit 51 home runs with Detroit in 1990. Cecil played with the Tigers into the 1996 season, and young Prince made a name for himself by hitting prodigious home runs in batting practice at Tiger Stadium.A few years ago, when Prince returned to Detroit as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers, Tigers Hall of Famer Al Kaline recalled that power show."You can't ever say that you look at a kid that age and say that you know he's going to hit 40 or 50 home runs someday, but Prince was unbelievable," Kaline said then. "Here's a 12-year-old kid commonly hitting homers at a big league ballpark."In an interview with MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, Cecil Fielder said he was "shocked" by the news that Prince was heading to Detroit."He's been there in Detroit most of his young life so I think he'll be comfortable in that place," Cecil Fielder said. "I know Mr. Ilitch is probably excited because he's been wanting that kid since he was a little kid, so he finally got his wish."SAN FRANCISCO — Star pitcher Tim Lincecum and the San Francisco Giants reached a verbal agreement Tuesday on a two-year contract worth $40.5 million.The deal includes a $500,000 signing bonus and salaries of $18 million this year and $22 million in 2013, a person familiar with the agreement said Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the terms were not announced. Lincecum still must take a physical, which the Giants hope will happen early next week to complete the deal.Lincecum, who has twice won the Cy Young Award as the best pitcher in the National League, had asked for a near-record $21.5 million in salary arbitration and had been offered $17 million by the club. He remains eligible for free agency following the 2013 season.Manning trying to cope with upheaval
INDIANAPOLIS — Peyton Manning still intends to play football.He's also no fan of the Colts' big offseason overhaul that included the firing of coach Jim Caldwell and other executives.In an interview that appeared Tuesday in The Indianapolis Star, Manning touched on everything from his future plans to the difficulty he's had coping with all the changes. He has not responded to interview requests made by The Associated Press."It's 20 degrees (minus 7 degrees Celsius), it's snowing, the building is absolutely empty except when you see coaches cleaning out their offices," Manning said. "I guess it's the reality of the football world, just not something I've had to deal with very often. But I'm in there every day, so I have to sit there and see it. Everybody's being evaluated and I'm no different. It's not the best environment.""It's unfortunate because so many of them have been such a big part of so many big wins here, and this is so . . . sudden," Manning added. "Their keys didn't work the next day. There's no other way to do it? I don't know. That's hard to see, all these people leaving. And I may be behind them. Who knows?"One thing Manning does know is that last week's discussion about his "impending" departure from football was premature.He poked fun at the frenzy surrounding a Twitter post from actor Rob Lowe, who wrote Manning was expected to announce his retirement last week. Manning said the whole thing caught him off-guard."I never thought 'Sodapop Curtis' would announce my retirement," he said, referring to Lowe's character in the 1983 movie "The Outsiders." "I always thought I would be the one to announce it."The biggest questions, of course, are about Manning's health and his future in Indianapolis."Whatever happens, happens," Manning said.
Noguchi not running in Osaka race
Osaka — Injury-plagued 2004 Athens Olympic champion Mizuki Noguchi has withdrawn from Sunday's Osaka International Women's Marathon because of left hamstring inflammation, organizers said Wednesday.Noguchi will instead run the Nagoya Women's Marathon on March 11, the last of the three domestic selection races for the London Olympics.Hisakazu Hirose, head coach of the Sysmex corporate athletics team, said, "Noguchi will be able to resume training after resting for a week to 10 days, but she isn't in condition to run Sunday."In Osaka, the 33-year-old was going to run her first marathon in more than four years, after making two trips to the U.S. state of Colorado for high-altitude training in the last three months.She complained of discomfort in her leg just before the end of her second trip and went to hospital in Japan last Friday."Not to be able to run the Osaka marathon is a shock to me," Noguchi said in a statement through the organizers. "But I'll just accept what happened and prepare myself for Nagoya. I'll never give up (on earning an Olympic berth)."Noguchi could not defend her title at the 2008 Beijing Olympics due to leg injuries.
Rangers shut door on Jets
NEW YORK — Henrik Lundqvist took a ride up to the New York Rangers' practice rink on Tuesday morning, thinking he would have that night off when the Winnipeg Jets came to town.A bout with the flu for backup Martin Biron changed all that for New York's All-Star goalie. Instead of resting during the last game before the break, Lundqvist went out and put up the 40th shutout of his stellar NHL career.Lundqvist made 22 saves in his surprise start, and Ryan Callahan, John Mitchell and Brad Richards provided the offense in the Rangers' 3-0 victory over the Jets on Tuesday night. Lundqvist (22-10-4) made his fifth consecutive start for the Eastern Conference-leading Rangers, his busiest stretch since he played in New York's first six games."Four games in a row," said Lundqvist, who was surprised when told it was actually five.He sarcastically added that he is "pretty banged up" before giving a true assessment."I feel great," Lundqvist said. "When you're winning, you're more relaxed and you don't use as much energy between games."I had to change a little bit. In my head I was kind of relaxed. I was thinking a little bit about All-Star, I'm not going to lie. That's what you do when you don't play. You try to get away from the game."The Rangers won their second straight, following up on an overtime victory Saturday at Boston — the team that trails them by two points in the East. New York had alternated wins and losses the previous six games.Facing Winnipeg, a team the Rangers had already beaten twice this season, they wanted to make sure there was no letdown before the upcoming six-day rest period."It just shows the maturity of the team," captain Callahan said. "We concentrated on this game. These two points are just as important as they were against Boston. We came out, played the game we wanted to."Penguins 3, Blues 2 (SO)In St. Louis, Chris Kunitz scored the deciding goal on a backhander in the fourth round of a shootout and Pittsburgh beat the Blues to run its winning streak to seven.Canucks 3, Oilers 2 (SO)In Vancouver, Cody Hodgson scored the shootout winner and the Canucks beat Edmonton to send the Oilers to their sixth straight road loss.Capitals 5, Bruins 3In Washington, Mathieu Perreault got his first career hat trick, including the tie-breaking goal in the third period, to lead the Capitals over Boston.Sabres 2, Devils 1 (SO)In Newark, New Jersey, Jason Pominvile and Nathan Gerbe scored in the shootout, and Ryan Miller made 27 saves as Buffalo beat the Devils to snap a 12-game losing streak on the road.Stars 1, Ducks 0In Dallas, Kari Lehtonen made 27 saves for his 18th career shutout, and defenseman Alex Goligoski scored in the first period as the Stars ended Anaheim's five-game winning streak.Flyers 3, Panthers 2 (SO)In Sunrise, Florida, Claude Giroux scored the only goal in a shootout to lift Philadelphia over the Panthers.Coyotes 3, Senators 2In Glendale, Arizona, Radim Vrbata scored early in the third period and Phoenix withstood Ottawa's quick answer to beat the Senators.Predators 3, Blackhawks 1In Chicago, Pekka Rinne made 24 saves for his ninth straight win and surging Nashville beat the Blackhawks in the teams' final game before the All-Star break.Maple Leafs 4, Islanders 3 (OT)In Uniondale, New York, Clarke MacArthur's second goal of the game at 2:06 of overtime lifted Toronto to a sweep of a home-and-home series with the Islanders.Lightning 4, Blue Jackets 2In Tampa, Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis both had a goal and an assist to lead the Lightning over Columbus.Wild 3, Avalanche 2In Denver, Carson McMillan broke a tie midway through the third period after stealing the puck at center ice and Niklas Backstrom stopped 24 shots as Minnesota beat Colorado.Sharks 1, Flames 0In Calgary, Benn Ferriero scored and Antti Niemi made 25 saves as San Jose beat the Flames to end its winless skid at three.
Olympic chiefs mull baby policy
London — Organizers of the 2012 London Olympics said Tuesday they would consider options for new mothers who want to bring their babies into venues, after some parents complained that they have to buy full-price tickets for their infants.The London Organizing Committee made the statement after complaints flooded the British parenting website Mumsnet, with pregnant women who bought tickets for themselves — but not for their unborn children — wondering what they could do with babies who were breast-feeding. They argued that a months-old child would not be taking up a seat of its own.
City chides Milan over Tevez pursuit
LONDON — Manchester City's chairman has criticized AC Milan over its pursuit of Carlos Tevez, whose ongoing insubordination has now cost the striker ?9 million ($14 million) in fines or lost earnings from the club.
Money to burn: Carlos Tevez's insubordination has cost him $14 million in fines and lost earnings at Manchester City. APMilan, crosstown rival Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain have been in transfer talks over Tevez, but City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said Tuesday that he is dissatisfied with the lack of "appropriate" offers.Al Mubarak said in a strongly worded statement that Milan has "developed a misplaced sense of confidence" in the negotiations, and indicated that City is willing to keep Tevez for the remaining 2? years of his contract.That came as one official said City has fined Tevez ?1.2 million ($1.9 million) for the latest episode of misconduct — traveling without permission in November to Argentina, where he is now. He has also missed out on ?1.7 million ($2.7 million) in wages over the last two months, the official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the fines are not being publicly discussed.The person said that by handing in a transfer request last season, Tevez also forfeited a ?6 million ($9.4 million) loyalty bonus that would have been due to him under the terms of his contract.The striker was also given a hefty fine for refusing to warm up during a Champions League game at Bayern Munich this season, which led to a massive falling out with manager Roberto Mancini.Tevez's relations with City broke down during last season after the striker said he wanted to leave England to be closer to his family, which moved back to Argentina after failing to settle in Manchester. However, the club refused the then-captain's transfer request, and Tevez went on to help City end a 35-year trophy drought with a victory in the F.A. Cup final.But he then enraged Mancini with his act of insubordination in Munich in September and has not played for the team since. City is now trying to offload the Argentine forward — but insists it won't do so on the cheap."Carlos remains a player with contractual obligations to Manchester City for the next two and a half seasons," Al Mubarak said in a rare public statement. "Unless we receive an offer that we deem appropriate the terms of his contract will be enforced."CARDIFF, WALES — Tom Heaton saved two penalties to help Cardiff reach its first League Cup final by beating Crystal Palace 3-1 in a shootout on Tuesday.Cardiff dominated most of the game but only managed a 1-0 edge after 90 minutes to force extra time, after losing the first leg by the same score.Heaton saved Palace's first two efforts from Jermaine Easter and Sean Scannell, before Jonathan Parr put the decisive spot kick wide."It's massive," Heaton said. "It's something you dream about as a boy."
Money to burn: Carlos Tevez's insubordination has cost him $14 million in fines and lost earnings at Manchester City. APMilan, crosstown rival Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain have been in transfer talks over Tevez, but City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said Tuesday that he is dissatisfied with the lack of "appropriate" offers.Al Mubarak said in a strongly worded statement that Milan has "developed a misplaced sense of confidence" in the negotiations, and indicated that City is willing to keep Tevez for the remaining 2? years of his contract.That came as one official said City has fined Tevez ?1.2 million ($1.9 million) for the latest episode of misconduct — traveling without permission in November to Argentina, where he is now. He has also missed out on ?1.7 million ($2.7 million) in wages over the last two months, the official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the fines are not being publicly discussed.The person said that by handing in a transfer request last season, Tevez also forfeited a ?6 million ($9.4 million) loyalty bonus that would have been due to him under the terms of his contract.The striker was also given a hefty fine for refusing to warm up during a Champions League game at Bayern Munich this season, which led to a massive falling out with manager Roberto Mancini.Tevez's relations with City broke down during last season after the striker said he wanted to leave England to be closer to his family, which moved back to Argentina after failing to settle in Manchester. However, the club refused the then-captain's transfer request, and Tevez went on to help City end a 35-year trophy drought with a victory in the F.A. Cup final.But he then enraged Mancini with his act of insubordination in Munich in September and has not played for the team since. City is now trying to offload the Argentine forward — but insists it won't do so on the cheap."Carlos remains a player with contractual obligations to Manchester City for the next two and a half seasons," Al Mubarak said in a rare public statement. "Unless we receive an offer that we deem appropriate the terms of his contract will be enforced."CARDIFF, WALES — Tom Heaton saved two penalties to help Cardiff reach its first League Cup final by beating Crystal Palace 3-1 in a shootout on Tuesday.Cardiff dominated most of the game but only managed a 1-0 edge after 90 minutes to force extra time, after losing the first leg by the same score.Heaton saved Palace's first two efforts from Jermaine Easter and Sean Scannell, before Jonathan Parr put the decisive spot kick wide."It's massive," Heaton said. "It's something you dream about as a boy."Redknapp accused of cash coverup
London — Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp's financial dealings were raked over in a London court Tuesday as prosecutors laid out their case that he used a secret offshore bank account to stash $295,000 of transfer bonuses over a six-year period.The trial comes as Redknapp is enjoying the most successful period of his coaching career and is a prime candidate to replace Fabio Capello as England manager later this year. The 64-year-old coach is accused of keeping cash in Monaco to avoid British taxes while he was manager at Portsmouth.On the second day of the trial at Southwark Crown Court, the jury was told that Redknapp denies receiving a "bung" — the British term to describe a bribe — from former Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric during their spell at the club."For the sake of . . . any amount of money, I don't fiddle," Redknapp said in part of a police interview read by the prosecution. "I pay my tax."
Murray tops Nishikori
MELBOURNE, Australia — Andy Murray overcame an inconsistent serve to beat Kei Nishikori on Wednesday and reach the semifinals of the Australian Open for the third straight year.The No. 4-ranked Murray won 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 to join No. 1 Novak Djokovic, No. 2 Rafael Nadal and No. 3 Roger Federer in the semifinals.During the first set, Nishikori played a lob shot through his legs on his way to winning the point — but by that time he was already a break down.Murray, who hasn't dropped a set since the first round, broke seven times in all, although he plans to work on his serve after only managing a 44 percent success rate with his first serve."He's really tough to play because he never misses," Nishikori said of Murray. "It's tough to break his serve. He was making me run side to side all the time. To be honest, I don't think I have a chance against him with my skills for now."In their previous head-to-head meeting, Murray routed Nishikori 6-3, 6-0 in the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters last October on his way to the title."I thought it was a good match," Murray said. "There were a lot of good points. Most of the fun points he was winning, so I was trying to keep them as short as possible. But I did well."Earlier this week, 24th-seeded Nishikori upset sixth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the fourth round to become the first Japanese man to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam event since Shuzo Matsuoka did so at Wimbledon in 1995.Nishikori's previous career-best Grand Slam result was the round of 16 at the U.S. Open in 2008.No Japanese player has advanced to the semifinals in the men's draw of a Grand Slam tournament since the Open era began in 1968. Jiro Sato was the last Japanese male player to reach the Australian Open semis (1932)."I once again realized I need to have a great ability to achieve my goal of winning a Grand Slam tournament," Nishikori said.Murray's opponent in the semifinals will be Djokovic, who appeared physically unwell for much of his quarterfinal match but still beat David Ferrer 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1.Djokovic rubbed the back of his upper left leg on several occasions, looked on the verge of being physically sick in the second set and buried his head in towels several times during breaks. During the third set, a tired-looking Djokovic sat down on a linesman's chair during a line-call video challenge by Ferrer."I was lucky to get out of the second set, it was a big mental advantage to get two sets up," Djokovic said.The women's semifinal matchups were completed Wednesday when former and reigning Wimbledon winners Maria Sharapova and Petra Kvitova both won in straight sets.After Kvitova beat unseeded Italian Sara Errani 6-4, 6-4, Sharapova set up a repeat of last year's final at the All England Club with a 6-2, 6-3 defeat of fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova.Kvitova beat Sharapova 6-3, 6-4 in their last Grand Slam meeting to claim her first major title."Obviously, it was a tough one at Wimbledon," Sharapova said. "She's full of confidence and playing the best tennis right now. I look forward to it."Sharapova and Kvitova also kept alive their chances of claiming the top ranking, which Caroline Wozniacki will vacate on Monday after her quarterfinal loss to Kim Clijsters.To earn the No. 1 ranking, Sharapova must repeat her 2008 Australian Open title. Kvitova only has to match or better the run of Victoria Azarenka, the only other player still in the running this week for the No. 1 spot.Federer beat 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 Tuesday in his 1,000th tour-level match. Nadal rallied for a 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, 6-3 win over Tomas Berdych.Their semifinal match on Thursday will be their 27th in all and 10th at a major.It will also will be the first time Federer and Nadal have met at Melbourne Park since the Spaniard won the 2009 title in five seesawing sets. Nadal collected the trophy from the great Rod Laver after consoling Federer as he sobbed in the background."We are talking about a player who has won 16 Grand Slams, and I've won 10," Nadal said. "We have played a lot of matches together, many in very important moments for our careers. So the matches against him are always special, even if we are (ranked) 20 against 25."
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Ovechkin skipping All-Star game
Arlington, Virginia — Alex Ovechkin is skipping the NHL All-Star game, a decision he announced a day after getting a three-game suspension from the league for a hit on an opponent."My heart is not there. I got suspended, so why (do) I have to go there?" the Washington Capitals' captain and a two-time league MVP said Tuesday. "I love the (All-Star) game. It's a great event. I love to be there."But Ovechkin added: "I feel I'm not deserving to be there right now. If I'm suspended, I have to be suspended."
Floundering Wizards fire coach Saunders, promote Wittman
WASHINGTON — Flip Saunders was fired Tuesday as coach of the NBA-worst Washington Wizards and replaced by assistant Randy Wittman, who has the job for the rest of the season.
Disappearing act: Washington coach Flip Saunders was fired Tuesday, a day after the Wizards fell to 2-15 this season with a 20-point loss to the Sixers. APThe Wizards fell to 2-15 this season, including 0-7 on the road, with a 20-point loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. Washington's next game is at home Wednesday against the Charlotte Bobcats."We felt the team had become unresponsive, and we will look to Randy to provide a different voice and a change in philosophy moving forward," Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld said in a statement released by the team. "We have been transparent in how we would evaluate our team this season and we were disappointed in the lack of development of our players at this point in our rebuilding plan."Saunders was in his third season with the Wizards, going 51-130. When he was hired, the roster featured All-Stars Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler, but the franchise is now rebuilding around point guard John Wall, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft.But there is not a lot of help for Wall, and the Wizards have been prone to inconsistent play, often failing to even be competitive this season. On Monday, they walked down the court for offensive possessions, never hustled after loose balls and couldn't convert the easiest of buckets, missing eight of nine shots in the paint in the first quarter.After one string of sloppy plays, Saunders took a knee in front of the scorer's table, bowed his head and rubbed his temples.After the game, Wall said: "Whoever got the ball just took a shot. Guys are holding their heads down, and we're not fighting or competing."Back in December, before the lockout-shortened season began, Saunders tried to look on the bright side, saying he could envision how the young Wizards could improve on their 23-59 record from 2010-11."I want to compete for the playoffs," the coach said then.But Washington got off to a franchise-worst 0-8 start — half of the losses were by at least 18 points — before beating the Toronto Raptors. Curiously, the Wizards' only other victory came against Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder.MIAMI — Chris Bosh scored 17 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, LeBron James added 18 and the Miami Heat survived another shaky offensive night to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 92-85 on Tuesday night.Bosh made 10 of 16 shots and reached the 30-point mark for the fourth time this season for Miami, which improved to 4-1 against Cleveland since James joined the Heat. The 35 points matched Bosh's high since joining Miami.Magic 102, Pacers 83In Indianapolis, Ryan Anderson had 24 points and eight rebounds to help Orlando cruise past Indiana.Knicks 111, Bobcats 78In Charlotte, Tyson Chandler had 20 points and 17 rebounds as New York snapped a six-game losing streak and handed the Bobcats their fifth straight defeat.Raptors 99, Suns 96In Phoenix, Andrea Bargnani returned after missing six games with a left calf strain to score 27 of his 36 points in the second half, and the Raptors snapped an eight-game losing streak.Trail Blazers 97, Grizzlies 84In Portland, LaMarcus Aldridge scored 23 points and Marcus Camby grabbed a season-high 22 rebounds as the Trail Blazers beat Memphis, snapping the Grizzlies' seven-game winning streak.
Disappearing act: Washington coach Flip Saunders was fired Tuesday, a day after the Wizards fell to 2-15 this season with a 20-point loss to the Sixers. APThe Wizards fell to 2-15 this season, including 0-7 on the road, with a 20-point loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. Washington's next game is at home Wednesday against the Charlotte Bobcats."We felt the team had become unresponsive, and we will look to Randy to provide a different voice and a change in philosophy moving forward," Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld said in a statement released by the team. "We have been transparent in how we would evaluate our team this season and we were disappointed in the lack of development of our players at this point in our rebuilding plan."Saunders was in his third season with the Wizards, going 51-130. When he was hired, the roster featured All-Stars Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler, but the franchise is now rebuilding around point guard John Wall, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft.But there is not a lot of help for Wall, and the Wizards have been prone to inconsistent play, often failing to even be competitive this season. On Monday, they walked down the court for offensive possessions, never hustled after loose balls and couldn't convert the easiest of buckets, missing eight of nine shots in the paint in the first quarter.After one string of sloppy plays, Saunders took a knee in front of the scorer's table, bowed his head and rubbed his temples.After the game, Wall said: "Whoever got the ball just took a shot. Guys are holding their heads down, and we're not fighting or competing."Back in December, before the lockout-shortened season began, Saunders tried to look on the bright side, saying he could envision how the young Wizards could improve on their 23-59 record from 2010-11."I want to compete for the playoffs," the coach said then.But Washington got off to a franchise-worst 0-8 start — half of the losses were by at least 18 points — before beating the Toronto Raptors. Curiously, the Wizards' only other victory came against Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder.MIAMI — Chris Bosh scored 17 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, LeBron James added 18 and the Miami Heat survived another shaky offensive night to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 92-85 on Tuesday night.Bosh made 10 of 16 shots and reached the 30-point mark for the fourth time this season for Miami, which improved to 4-1 against Cleveland since James joined the Heat. The 35 points matched Bosh's high since joining Miami.Magic 102, Pacers 83In Indianapolis, Ryan Anderson had 24 points and eight rebounds to help Orlando cruise past Indiana.Knicks 111, Bobcats 78In Charlotte, Tyson Chandler had 20 points and 17 rebounds as New York snapped a six-game losing streak and handed the Bobcats their fifth straight defeat.Raptors 99, Suns 96In Phoenix, Andrea Bargnani returned after missing six games with a left calf strain to score 27 of his 36 points in the second half, and the Raptors snapped an eight-game losing streak.Trail Blazers 97, Grizzlies 84In Portland, LaMarcus Aldridge scored 23 points and Marcus Camby grabbed a season-high 22 rebounds as the Trail Blazers beat Memphis, snapping the Grizzlies' seven-game winning streak.Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Hosts open Cup of Nations with win
Bata Equatorial, Guinea — Co-host Equatorial Guinea snatched a late winner to beat Libya 1-0 in the African Cup of Nations on Saturday, sparking jubilant scenes as fans danced and sang to celebrate the stunning debut result.Later, Zambia sealed a doubleheader of unexpected results at Bata Stadium in a 2-1 win against highly fancied Senegal.Javier-Angel Balboa slotted Equatorial Guinea's decisive strike into a top corner of Libya's goal in the 87th minute to send the home crowd into raptures.Equatorial Guinea, the lowest ranked team at the tournament, overcame a turbulent preparation during which coach Henri Michel resigned just weeks before the tournament, leaving replacement Gilson Paulo with little time to drill his squad."We played a good game. We had trained so little time, but the tactical dedication of our players was great," Paulo said.
Big crowd pays tribute to Matsuda
Yokohama — A crowd of over 40,000 turned out Sunday to watch Hidetoshi Nakata and other former Japan teammates of the late Naoki Matsuda play in a memorial match for the former defender, who passed away last summer aged just 34.Current and former players of Yokohama F. Marinos, where Matsuda spent most of his career, as well as players of newly promoted second-division club Matsumoto Yamaga also took part in the event at Nissan Stadium, Yokohama's home ground.All of the players who took part in the match, including Nakata and Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, who played alongside Matsuda in defense at the 2002 World Cup, formed Matsuda's No. 3 squad number on the pitch and the match was preceded with a moment's silence."It has to take something pretty special to be able to get players like these here," said Nakata, who retired from international soccer after the 2006 World Cup in Germany."I was never far away from Matsu (Matsuda) after getting to know him at 14 years old. We both spoke our minds but he didn't hide anything and that made me feel comfortable. I think we were a great combo."
Monday, January 23, 2012
Bard, BoSox avoid salary arbitration
Boston — Pitcher Daniel Bard and the Boston Red Sox have agreed on a one-year contract and avoided salary arbitration.Bard had asked for $1,825,000 and the team offered $1.4 million. He made $505,000 last season. The Red Sox announced the deal Saturday.The 26-year-old Bard went 2-9 with one save and a 3.33 ERA last season. He excelled as a setup man for Jonathan Papelbon until faltering in the final month.Papelbon has since signed with Philadelphia and the Red Sox have acquired All-Star closer Andrew Bailey and reliever Mark Melancon.There has been talk Bard might fit into Boston's depleted rotation. John Lackey will miss the 2012 season after surgery on his right elbow and Daisuke Matsuzaka is still recovering from right elbow surgery.
Big Joho performance lifts Grouses over 89ers
Masashi Joho was the best scorer in the bj-league on Sunday.For years, he's also been one of the most electrifying, hard-working, make-it-happen players in the fledgling circuit.Joho's 34-point, six-rebound, five-assist, one-steal effort was the deciding factor in the Toyama Grouses' 80-75 victory over the visiting Sendai 89ers in Shinminato, Toyama Prefecture.Toyama improved to 12-12 and climbed into fourth place in the 10-team Eastern Conference. Sendai (12-14) fell to fifth place. Six teams will represent the East in the playoffs.Joho, a standout for the Osaka Evessa, Tokyo Apache and Shiga Lakestars in past seasons, had a quiet eight-point performance on 3-for-15 shooting in the series opener, which the Grouses won. A day later, he made big shot after big shot to will his team to victory, finishing 13-for-24 from the field (10-for-16 from inside the arc) and 5-for-5 at the free-throw line."If Joho doesn't get selected Best Five after this season, that award doesn't mean much," 89ers coach Bob Pierce said after the game, referring to the league's annual Best Five Team. "Thirty-four points, and there were stretches he scored or had the assist on every possession."Devin Searcy added 17 points and Haakim Johnson finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals for the much-improved Toyama squad under bench boss Kazuaki Shimoji.Dan Fitzgerald paced the 89ers with 22 points with 10 rebounds, Rashaad Singleton had 12 points, Takuya Komoda 11 and Johnny Dukes 10.In a tight contest, Toyama's 44-36 rebounding edge, including 16-8 on the offensive glass, was significant."It was a great game for the fans," Pierce said. "Takuya Komoda had a great run in the second quarter, scoring on two straight 3-pointers as we grabbed a 35-34 lead going into the break."We had good performances from several players, but again turnovers (19) and getting out-rebounded stopped us from ever taking control of the game. That and too much No. 31 (Joho)."HeatDevils 63, Evessa 62In Moriguchi, Osaka Prefecture, T.J. Cummings scored 15 points and Taj Finger's double-double guided Oita to a victory and a surprise sweep over the title-contending Evessa.Naoto Takushi had his second strong game since the All-Streak break, finishing with 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals and Finger scored 10 points with 11 boards. Kohei Mitomo supplied 11 points for the HeatDevils (7-19). Former MVP Wendell White was held to six points on 2-for-11 shooting.Lynn Washington was Osaka's only double-digit scorer (23 points). Wayne Marshall and Mike Bell each scored nine. The Evessa (17-7) had a poor shooting game (22-for-62) from the field.Hannaryz 77, Five Arrows 52In Muko, Kyoto Prefecture, the Hannaryz completed a series sweep by routing the league's worst team.Lance Allred (16 points, 10 rebounds), Jermaine Boyette and Rick Rickert (13 points each), Lee Cummard (12) and Taizo Kawabe (nine) carried the offense for coach Honoo Hamaguchi's club, now 18-6 and sitting in second place in the Western Conference after Osaka's back-to-back defeats.Paul Butorac led Takamatsu (1-25) with 14 points. The Five Arrows had a dreadful shooting game, going 0-for-8 from 3-point range, 19-for-54 on 2-point shots and 14-for-23 at the foul line.Lakestars 84, Golden Kings 81In Yasu, Shiga Prefecture, the hosts edged Western Conference-leading Ryukyu and ended the visitors' seven-game winning streak.Ray Nixon paced the Lakestars (17-9) with 18 points and eight boards. Julius Ashby added 16 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots, Shinya Ogawa scored 11 points and Yu Okada had 10.For the Golden Kings (20-6 overall, 13-3 on the road), Naoto Kosuge made 5 of 10 3s and scored a game-best 23 points, Anthony McHenry added 16, Jeff Newton scored 12 and David Palmer had 11. Narito Namizato finished with eight points.Phoenix 80, Big Bulls 69In Hamamatsu, the Phoenix improved to 2-0 since ex-Evessa standout Lawrence Blackledge joined the two-time defending champions and swept Iwate.Jermaine Dixon scored 17 points and dished out eight assists for Hamamatsu Higashimikawa (16-10), Blackledge put 16 points on the board. Jeffrey Parmer had 15 points, Shoji Nakanishi scored 11 and backup center Atsuya Ota chipped in with 15 rebounds, two steals and a block in almost 28 minutes of court time.Gordon Klaiber led Iwate (7-21) with 24 points and 14 rebounds and Thomas Kennedy scored 15 points. The Big Bulls fell to 0-2 under acting head coach Shinji Tomiyama, who took over for Vlasios Vlaikidis this week. Vlaikidis stepped down to return to his native Greece, where his 81-year-old father has been battling a serious illness.B-Corsairs 95, Albirex BB 75In Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, Justin Burrell energized Yokohama with a 27-point, 12-rebound, three steal effort as the first-year franchise bounced back from a Saturday loss.Masayuki Kabaya scored 21 points and Kenji Yamada poured in 19 for the B-Corsairs (12-14), who outscored the hosts 46-28 in the second and third quarters.After a 14-point, nine-assist performance on Saturday, Niigata guard Nile Murry was effectively neutralized in the rematch. He was held to eight points and five rebounds, but no assists and four turnovers as well.Chris Holm was the top scorer (18 points) for the Albirex, followed by Yuichi Ikeda (16), Shuhei Komatsu (13) and Erron Maxey (11).Yokohama won the battle on the boards, hauling in 53 rebounds to Niigata's 33.Rizing 93, Shining Suns 91In Fukuoka, balanced scoring carried the Rizing to a win as coach Tadaharu Ogawa's club salvaged a series split.Kevin Palmer had a major impact on the game, ending it with 23 points, seven boards, four steals and three assists. Carlos Dixon scored 18 points, Jun Nakanishi and Jermaine Dearman each had 16 and Akitomo Takeno supplied 12 for Fukuoka (17-9).O'Neal Mims led Miyazaki (12-16) with 23 points and Taishiro Shimizu and Darryl Dora contributed 20 apiece.Susanoo Magic 81, Brave Warriors 80In Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, Michael Parker was nearly unstoppable — 10-for-14 from the field — and scored 31 points as the hosts edged Shinshu.Parker collected 11 rebounds and three steals for the Susanoo Magic (15-11). Jeral Davis made his mark with six blocks along with 12 points and six boards, Jumpei Nakama hit three big 3s and scored 15 points and Reggie Golson had seven points and 12 boards.Derek Raivio had a team-high 24 points for the Brave Warriors (11-15), Lee Roberts and Tyler Hughes scored 12 points apiece and Takato Saito made five steals.
Paterno experiencing health complications
STATE COLLEGE, Pennsylvania — Former Penn State college football coach Joe Paterno is in serious condition after experiencing health complications from lung cancer.
Serious condition: Joe Paterno is struggling with complications from lung cancer, according to a family spokesman. AP"Over the last few days Joe Paterno has experienced further health complications," family spokesman Dan McGinn said in a brief statement Saturday to The Associated Press. "His doctors have now characterized his status as serious."His family will have no comment on the situation and asks that their privacy be respected during this difficult time," he said.The 85-year-old Paterno has been in the hospital since Jan. 13 for observation for what his family had called minor complications from cancer treatments.Paterno was diagnosed with cancer in November, days after getting ousted as head coach in the aftermath of the child sex abuse charges against former assistant Jerry Sandusky.This was Paterno's second time in the hospital in a month. He's also recovering from a broken pelvis that required a weeklong stay to make it easier for cancer treatments. Paterno first hurt his pelvis in August when he was accidentally bowled over by a player in preseason practice.The injury forced the Hall of Famer to spend most of the season coaching from the press box — until trustees dismissed him Nov. 9, four days after Sandusky was first charged.Sandusky is out on bail and awaiting trial after denying the allegations. Paterno testified before a state grand jury investigating Sandusky, and authorities have said he is not a target of the probe.
Serious condition: Joe Paterno is struggling with complications from lung cancer, according to a family spokesman. AP"Over the last few days Joe Paterno has experienced further health complications," family spokesman Dan McGinn said in a brief statement Saturday to The Associated Press. "His doctors have now characterized his status as serious."His family will have no comment on the situation and asks that their privacy be respected during this difficult time," he said.The 85-year-old Paterno has been in the hospital since Jan. 13 for observation for what his family had called minor complications from cancer treatments.Paterno was diagnosed with cancer in November, days after getting ousted as head coach in the aftermath of the child sex abuse charges against former assistant Jerry Sandusky.This was Paterno's second time in the hospital in a month. He's also recovering from a broken pelvis that required a weeklong stay to make it easier for cancer treatments. Paterno first hurt his pelvis in August when he was accidentally bowled over by a player in preseason practice.The injury forced the Hall of Famer to spend most of the season coaching from the press box — until trustees dismissed him Nov. 9, four days after Sandusky was first charged.Sandusky is out on bail and awaiting trial after denying the allegations. Paterno testified before a state grand jury investigating Sandusky, and authorities have said he is not a target of the probe.Braun skips details at MVP dinner
New York — Ryan Braun referred only in passing to his positive drug test and possible 50-game suspension as he accepted the National League MVP award at a black-tie dinner Saturday night.After congratulating other award winners and thanking teammates, family, and the Milwaukee organization, the Brewers left fielder, speaking before a crowd of around 800 in a hotel ballroom, thanked the Major League Baseball Players Association for supporting him through his entire career, "especially for supporting me through everything I've went through over the last couple of months."
O's look to make their mark on city
BALTIMORE — That other team in Baltimore can't catch a break.
New attitude: Signing left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada was part of the Orioles' plans to make an impact this season. KYODOThe Orioles on Saturday held an event designed to create a buzz about the club before spring training begins next month. Unfortunately, the timing couldn't have been much worse. Not only was city awash in purple on the eve of the Ravens' appearance in the AFC championship game, but it also snowed overnight.In spite of all this, thousands of fans crowded the Baltimore Convention Center to listen to the Orioles' front-office personnel and players speak optimistically about a franchise mired in a run of 14 straight losing seasons.During the offseason, Dan Duquette, the new executive vice president of baseball operations, bolstered the starting rotation with Chen Wei-yin of Taiwan and Tsuyoshi Wada. He also added depth in the outfield and infield.And he isn't done yet."We're going to continue to look for additional on-base capability and some more pitching," Duquette said. "But I like the core. I like the way our team is coming along, and certainly we're going to look to add between now and when we open."Duquette understands that it's going to take a winner to draw some attention away from the Ravens, but he appreciated the enthusiastic greeting he received from the fans Saturday and was impressed by the size of the throng."I'm heartened that we have so many people here today," he said. "I'm really encouraged by our fans. They've told me, 'Give us some hope' and 'Give us a good team,' and that's what we're going to do this year."A Massachusetts native, Duquette worked for the Red Sox before being fired in 2002. Asked who he was rooting for in Sunday's AFC showdown between the Ravens and New England Patriots, he wisely answered, "It's going to be a great game, isn't it?"Manager Buck Showalter has been at the helm for 1? years and has not yet been able to pull the Orioles out of last place in the AL East. He made no guarantees for this season, but likes the makeup of the team compared to what it was in September."It's always a work in progress, but I look at the upgrades we've made in the 40-man roster in about 10 or 15 spots," he said. "I really like what we've done in the international market. And there a bunch of things still going on that we'll continue to kick the tires on."The Orioles have an opening at designated hitter, a job Vladimir Guerrero held last season. Guerrero hasn't been invited back, and Luke Scott left for Tampa Bay. If the Orioles don't get anyone else, Showalter wouldn't blink."If the right guy rears his head, we'll go there," he said. "But I like where we are. I look at that as almost an asset. It allows us to move people around and stay healthy."In 2010, the Orioles finished 34-23 under Showalter and entered 2011 with hopes of making a run at a playoff spot or, at worse, a winning record. That didn't happen, but Baltimore did go 15-13 in September, and Showalter feels that trend can continue."I was thinking about it coming in today, with the snow last night and the perception of the team," he said. "I kind of like where we are from a mentality standpoint. I'm trying to relay that to the fans today. I knew last year, even though we finished strong, our pitching still had to go through more of the process."This year — I don't want to beat the drums too much — but I kind of like where we are mentally. I think some of it feeds off September, but more importantly, I think the sense of urgency that has to happen for us to compete is there."
New attitude: Signing left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada was part of the Orioles' plans to make an impact this season. KYODOThe Orioles on Saturday held an event designed to create a buzz about the club before spring training begins next month. Unfortunately, the timing couldn't have been much worse. Not only was city awash in purple on the eve of the Ravens' appearance in the AFC championship game, but it also snowed overnight.In spite of all this, thousands of fans crowded the Baltimore Convention Center to listen to the Orioles' front-office personnel and players speak optimistically about a franchise mired in a run of 14 straight losing seasons.During the offseason, Dan Duquette, the new executive vice president of baseball operations, bolstered the starting rotation with Chen Wei-yin of Taiwan and Tsuyoshi Wada. He also added depth in the outfield and infield.And he isn't done yet."We're going to continue to look for additional on-base capability and some more pitching," Duquette said. "But I like the core. I like the way our team is coming along, and certainly we're going to look to add between now and when we open."Duquette understands that it's going to take a winner to draw some attention away from the Ravens, but he appreciated the enthusiastic greeting he received from the fans Saturday and was impressed by the size of the throng."I'm heartened that we have so many people here today," he said. "I'm really encouraged by our fans. They've told me, 'Give us some hope' and 'Give us a good team,' and that's what we're going to do this year."A Massachusetts native, Duquette worked for the Red Sox before being fired in 2002. Asked who he was rooting for in Sunday's AFC showdown between the Ravens and New England Patriots, he wisely answered, "It's going to be a great game, isn't it?"Manager Buck Showalter has been at the helm for 1? years and has not yet been able to pull the Orioles out of last place in the AL East. He made no guarantees for this season, but likes the makeup of the team compared to what it was in September."It's always a work in progress, but I look at the upgrades we've made in the 40-man roster in about 10 or 15 spots," he said. "I really like what we've done in the international market. And there a bunch of things still going on that we'll continue to kick the tires on."The Orioles have an opening at designated hitter, a job Vladimir Guerrero held last season. Guerrero hasn't been invited back, and Luke Scott left for Tampa Bay. If the Orioles don't get anyone else, Showalter wouldn't blink."If the right guy rears his head, we'll go there," he said. "But I like where we are. I look at that as almost an asset. It allows us to move people around and stay healthy."In 2010, the Orioles finished 34-23 under Showalter and entered 2011 with hopes of making a run at a playoff spot or, at worse, a winning record. That didn't happen, but Baltimore did go 15-13 in September, and Showalter feels that trend can continue."I was thinking about it coming in today, with the snow last night and the perception of the team," he said. "I kind of like where we are from a mentality standpoint. I'm trying to relay that to the fans today. I knew last year, even though we finished strong, our pitching still had to go through more of the process."This year — I don't want to beat the drums too much — but I kind of like where we are mentally. I think some of it feeds off September, but more importantly, I think the sense of urgency that has to happen for us to compete is there."Gaborik scores twice to lead Rangers past Bruins in matchup of top teams
BOSTON — The New York Rangers finally broke their power-play drought with just 3.6 seconds to spare. Ryan McDonagh wasn't around to help them celebrate.After Andrew Ference was ejected for sending McDonagh crashing into the boards in overtime, Marian Gaborik scored a third-try goal and the Rangers beat Boston 3-2 on Saturday in a matchup of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference."We don't care about first place, the division, the conference," Rangers coach John Tortorella said. "We are just trying to play the right way."The Rangers hadn't scored a power-play goal in seven games — a total of 15 opportunities after going 0 for 2 in regulation on Saturday — and had just one since Christmas. But they earned one during a 4-on-3 advantage after Ference pushed McDonagh into the boards, shoulders- and chest-first, with 3:10 left in overtime.Ference was given a five-minute major and game misconduct. Both teams said they expect the NHL to review the hit, and a suspension is possible."It was one of the most dangerous hits I've seen in a while," Tortorella said. "Nothing needs to be said about what has to be done."McDonagh remained on the ice for a few minutes before he skated off with a trainer. The Rangers wouldn't specify the injury except to say it was to his upper body.Red Wings 3, Blue Jackets 2 (SO)In Detroit, Valtteri Filppula scored in the fourth round of a shootout to give the Red Wings their 16th straight home victory,Blues 4, Sabres 2In St. Louis, David Backes had two goals and two assists, and Jaroslav Halak made 19 saves.Flyers 4, Devils 1In Newark, New Jersey, Scott Hartnell scored two power-play goals, and Wayne Simmonds had a goal and two assists.Flames 6, Oilers 2In Edmonton, Lee Stempniak had a hat trick and added an assist to help Calgary rout the Oilers.Ducks 2, Senators 1In Anaheim, Jonas Hiller made 31 saves, Corey Perry scored, and Lubomir Visnovsky was credited with a goal that Ottawa's Erik Karlsson knocked into his own net.Canucks 4, Sharks 3In Vancouver, Cody Hodgson scored his second goal of the game with 4:17 left.Islanders 2, Hurricanes 1 (OT)In Uniondale, New York, John Tavares scored his second goal of the game 3:58 into overtime.Panthers 4, Jets 3 (SO)In Winnipeg, Kris Versteeg scored two goals and added an assist for Florida, which snapped an eight-game, road-losing streak.Predators 5, Blackhawks 2In Nashville, Sergei Kostitsyn, Kevin Klein and Patric Hornqvist each had a goal and an assist.Avalanche 3, Kings 1In Los Angeles, Peter Mueller had the go-ahead goal in the fifth game of his inspirational comeback, Cody McLeod scored on a breakaway and Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 25 saves for Colorado.Canadiens 3, Maple Leafs 1In Toronto, Carey Price made 32 saves, and Rafael Diaz and Lars Eller scored third-period goals.Lightning 4, Coyotes 3In Glendale, Arizona, Steven Stamkos scored his NHL-leading 32nd goal, and Martin St. Louis and Steve Downie each had a goal and an assist.Wild 5, Stars 2In St. Paul, Minnesota, Cal Clutterbuck, Chad Rau and Kyle Brodziak scored goals during a 59-second span of the second period.
Hakuho calls time on Baruto's perfect record
Yokozuna Hakuho drew a line in the sand Sunday, beating ozeki Baruto to deny the Estonian goliath a 15th win on the final day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament.
Sting in the tail: Hakuho (right) pushes Baruto out of the ring on the final day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday. KYODOBaruto was trying to become the first wrestler at sumo's No. 2 rank to win a tournament with a perfect 15-0 mark since Hakuho achieved the feat at the 2007 summer basho, but Hakuho had other plans for sumo's jolly giant in the grand finale at Ryogoku Kokugikan.With his mother and wife in the audience looking on, Baruto came flying out at the charge and attempted to grab Hakuho's arm, but the yokozuna escaped his grasp before heaving Baruto out for a first loss in front of another full house.Hakuho, who had been bidding to win his third straight title, finished his campaign with a 12-3 mark."I feel great. I tried my best till the end. Next basho I will give it my all," said Baruto, who will need to continue to perform at a high level to make a run at promotion to sumo's highest rank of yokozuna.Asked if he felt much pressure during the 15-day meet, Baruto said, "Not really. I just remained focused on my own sumo each day. If I can continue to perform well like I did at this meet I have confidence that I can reach my ultimate goal, yokozuna," he said.In other noteworthy bouts, Kisenosato unleashed a salvo of strikes against Bulgarian ozeki Kotooshu (10-5) before wrapping his left hand around his opponent's mawashi and escorting him over the edge to finish his ozeki debut at 11-4.Ozeki Kotoshogiku, who needed a majority of wins, escaped with his eighth victory in an intense battle with Mongolian ozeki Harumafuji (11-4), getting his left hand inside before muscling his rival over the straw bales.Sekiwake Toyonoshima was twisted down to his knees by Kitataiki (2-13) to end on an unflattering 5-10 mark.Kakuryu chased out Myogiryu after a series of quick shoves to pick up his 10th win, further building his case for a run at ozeki at the spring basho in March.Mongolian sekiwake Kakuryu received his first Outstanding Performance Prize after being the first to send Hakuho to a defeat on the 10th day.
Sting in the tail: Hakuho (right) pushes Baruto out of the ring on the final day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday. KYODOBaruto was trying to become the first wrestler at sumo's No. 2 rank to win a tournament with a perfect 15-0 mark since Hakuho achieved the feat at the 2007 summer basho, but Hakuho had other plans for sumo's jolly giant in the grand finale at Ryogoku Kokugikan.With his mother and wife in the audience looking on, Baruto came flying out at the charge and attempted to grab Hakuho's arm, but the yokozuna escaped his grasp before heaving Baruto out for a first loss in front of another full house.Hakuho, who had been bidding to win his third straight title, finished his campaign with a 12-3 mark."I feel great. I tried my best till the end. Next basho I will give it my all," said Baruto, who will need to continue to perform at a high level to make a run at promotion to sumo's highest rank of yokozuna.Asked if he felt much pressure during the 15-day meet, Baruto said, "Not really. I just remained focused on my own sumo each day. If I can continue to perform well like I did at this meet I have confidence that I can reach my ultimate goal, yokozuna," he said.In other noteworthy bouts, Kisenosato unleashed a salvo of strikes against Bulgarian ozeki Kotooshu (10-5) before wrapping his left hand around his opponent's mawashi and escorting him over the edge to finish his ozeki debut at 11-4.Ozeki Kotoshogiku, who needed a majority of wins, escaped with his eighth victory in an intense battle with Mongolian ozeki Harumafuji (11-4), getting his left hand inside before muscling his rival over the straw bales.Sekiwake Toyonoshima was twisted down to his knees by Kitataiki (2-13) to end on an unflattering 5-10 mark.Kakuryu chased out Myogiryu after a series of quick shoves to pick up his 10th win, further building his case for a run at ozeki at the spring basho in March.Mongolian sekiwake Kakuryu received his first Outstanding Performance Prize after being the first to send Hakuho to a defeat on the 10th day.Bosh scores 30 points as Heat run past Sixers
MIAMI — Chris Bosh and LeBron James are allowing Dwyane Wade to simply focus on recovery.
Up and over: Sixers guard Andre Iguodala attempts a shot over the Heat's Shane Battier on Saturday in Miami. The Heat won 113-92. APBosh scored 30 points, James added 28 points and nine rebounds and the Miami Heat remained unbeaten without Wade in the lineup this season, defeating the Philadelphia 76ers 113-92 on Saturday night.Mario Chalmers scored 11 for Miami, which outrebounded Philadelphia 52-31 and moved into a tie with Orlando for first in the Southeast Division. The Heat are 6-0 this season without Wade, who missed his third straight game with a sprained right ankle. And with him out this week, the Heat have downed three division leaders — San Antonio, the Los Angeles Lakers and now the 76ers."We looked at this as a huge week, a huge opportunity for us to get on a roll," James said.Lou Williams scored 22 points and Evan Turner added 16 for Philadelphia, which has lost eight of nine against Miami since the start of last season, including a five-game defeat in the opening round of last season's playoffs."They were ready tonight," Sixers coach Doug Collins said. "They were very, very sharp from the start. We hung around and fought there a little bit. They wore us down."Bosh came into the night needing 12 points to reach 12,000 for his career. When Bosh scores at least 20 points, the Heat are 7-0 this season — so maybe it was fitting that he helped seal the win early in the fourth. He scored eight of Miami's first 11 points in the final period, the burst capped by a 20-foot jumper with 9:04 left to give Miami a 92-73 lead, then its largest of the night."We believe in our offense," Bosh said. "We feel that when we move the ball, when we get stops first and then we're out in the open court in transition and being aggressive, we feel that we cannot be stopped."Hawks 121, Cavaliers 94In Atlanta, Joe Johnson scored 25 points and the Hawks, coming off a loss that prompted their coach to say they quit, routed the Cavs with their highest scoring output of the season.Nuggets 119, Knicks 114 (2OT)In New York, Danilo Gallinari outplayed Carmelo Anthony in the first meeting since they were swapped in a trade, scoring 37 points as Denver outlasted the Knicks in double-overtime.Pistons 94, Trail Blazers 91In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Rodney Stuckey scored 28 points and Detroit beat Portland for only its second win in 12 games.Bulls 95, Bobcats 89In Chicago, Carlos Boozer scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half to lead the injury-depleted Bulls over struggling Charlotte.Grizzlies 128, Kings 95In Memphis, Rudy Gay had 23 points, Mike Conley and O.J. Mayo added 22 apiece and the Grizzlies beat Sacramento for their sixth straight win.Rockets 105, Spurs 102In Houston, Kevin Martin scored 25 points, Kyle Lowry had 14 points and eight assists, and the Rockets took advantage of Tim Duncan's absence to beat San Antonio.Mavericks 83, Hornets 81In New Orleans, Lamar Odom scored 16 points in his first start of the season and Dallas overcame the absence of Dirk Nowitzki to send the Hornets to their seventh straight loss.Thunder 84, Nets 74In Newark, New Jersey, Kevin Durant had 20 points and a season-high 15 rebounds to lead Oklahoma City to a win over the Nets.Jazz 108, Timberwolves 98In Salt Lake City, Paul Millsap scored 12 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to power Utah past Minnesota.Matched up against Kevin Love, Millsap shot 6 of 7 in the final period on a variety of fallaway jumpers and shots at the rim to help the Jazz win for the ninth time in 11 games.
Up and over: Sixers guard Andre Iguodala attempts a shot over the Heat's Shane Battier on Saturday in Miami. The Heat won 113-92. APBosh scored 30 points, James added 28 points and nine rebounds and the Miami Heat remained unbeaten without Wade in the lineup this season, defeating the Philadelphia 76ers 113-92 on Saturday night.Mario Chalmers scored 11 for Miami, which outrebounded Philadelphia 52-31 and moved into a tie with Orlando for first in the Southeast Division. The Heat are 6-0 this season without Wade, who missed his third straight game with a sprained right ankle. And with him out this week, the Heat have downed three division leaders — San Antonio, the Los Angeles Lakers and now the 76ers."We looked at this as a huge week, a huge opportunity for us to get on a roll," James said.Lou Williams scored 22 points and Evan Turner added 16 for Philadelphia, which has lost eight of nine against Miami since the start of last season, including a five-game defeat in the opening round of last season's playoffs."They were ready tonight," Sixers coach Doug Collins said. "They were very, very sharp from the start. We hung around and fought there a little bit. They wore us down."Bosh came into the night needing 12 points to reach 12,000 for his career. When Bosh scores at least 20 points, the Heat are 7-0 this season — so maybe it was fitting that he helped seal the win early in the fourth. He scored eight of Miami's first 11 points in the final period, the burst capped by a 20-foot jumper with 9:04 left to give Miami a 92-73 lead, then its largest of the night."We believe in our offense," Bosh said. "We feel that when we move the ball, when we get stops first and then we're out in the open court in transition and being aggressive, we feel that we cannot be stopped."Hawks 121, Cavaliers 94In Atlanta, Joe Johnson scored 25 points and the Hawks, coming off a loss that prompted their coach to say they quit, routed the Cavs with their highest scoring output of the season.Nuggets 119, Knicks 114 (2OT)In New York, Danilo Gallinari outplayed Carmelo Anthony in the first meeting since they were swapped in a trade, scoring 37 points as Denver outlasted the Knicks in double-overtime.Pistons 94, Trail Blazers 91In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Rodney Stuckey scored 28 points and Detroit beat Portland for only its second win in 12 games.Bulls 95, Bobcats 89In Chicago, Carlos Boozer scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half to lead the injury-depleted Bulls over struggling Charlotte.Grizzlies 128, Kings 95In Memphis, Rudy Gay had 23 points, Mike Conley and O.J. Mayo added 22 apiece and the Grizzlies beat Sacramento for their sixth straight win.Rockets 105, Spurs 102In Houston, Kevin Martin scored 25 points, Kyle Lowry had 14 points and eight assists, and the Rockets took advantage of Tim Duncan's absence to beat San Antonio.Mavericks 83, Hornets 81In New Orleans, Lamar Odom scored 16 points in his first start of the season and Dallas overcame the absence of Dirk Nowitzki to send the Hornets to their seventh straight loss.Thunder 84, Nets 74In Newark, New Jersey, Kevin Durant had 20 points and a season-high 15 rebounds to lead Oklahoma City to a win over the Nets.Jazz 108, Timberwolves 98In Salt Lake City, Paul Millsap scored 12 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to power Utah past Minnesota.Matched up against Kevin Love, Millsap shot 6 of 7 in the final period on a variety of fallaway jumpers and shots at the rim to help the Jazz win for the ninth time in 11 games.Dempsey hits treble as Fulham claims win
LONDON — Clint Dempsey scored his second hat trick in as many weeks as the American forward steered Fulham to an astonishing 5-2 comeback victory over Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday.
Hats off to you: Fulham's Clint Dempsey (front) fights for the ball with Newcastle's Hatem Ben Arfa during their match on Saturday in London. Dempsey scored a hat trick in Fulham's 5-2 victory. APNewcastle dominated the opening 45 minutes and a superb drive from around 25 meters from Danny Guthrie put the visitors deservedly 1-0 ahead at halftime.But Danny Murphy leveled from the penalty spot in the 52nd minute and Dempsey struck twice — his first being his 50th goal for Fulham — to leave the home side firmly in control.Bobby Zamora converted another spot-kick in the 68th minute before Hatem Ben Arfa pulled a goal back for Newcastle.Dempsey completed the second hat trick of his five-year career in English soccer — just two weeks after scoring the first against Charlton in the F.A. Cup on Jan. 7 — in the 89th minute.His latest feat took Dempsey to a career-best 15 goals this season, two more than his previous best last season, and a total of 52 since the 28-year-old forward joined Fulham from New England Revolution in January, 2007."We never found our rhythm in the first half but we began to get into their penalty area in the second half," Dempsey said after taking his Premier League tally to nine goals. "Danny Murphy scored the first goal and then we kept going and going. Luckily the ball kept going in. We never took our foot off the gas and we took our chances."Fulham manager Martin Jol was delighted with the American's performance and was keen for it continue as the team moved eight points away from the relegation zone."Clint Dempsey is our top scorer," Jol said. "He is doing what he does best. Clint scores goals and if he can score 12 goals this year and some other players do we will be fine."Needing a win to boost its faint chances of reeling in the two Manchester clubs and Tottenham, fourth-place Chelsea was frustrated by poor finishing at Carrow Road, with misfiring Spain striker Fernando Torres being the biggest culprit in a 0-0 draw with Norwich.Qualifying for the Champions League may be Chelsea's main target now, so news of Liverpool's 3-1 defeat at Bolton and Newcastle's loss at Fulham will have been welcome.Liverpool was surprisingly overrun by a Bolton team that had been languishing in the bottom three, surrendering an opportunity to move within three points of Chelsea.League leader Manchester City was set to host third-place Tottenham and Manchester United, which is second, visits Arsenal on Sunday in an important day for the title chasers.At the other end of the standings, bottom team Wigan's plight worsened by losing 3-1 at Queens Park Rangers — its 13th defeat in 22 games.Ireland striker Robbie Keane grabbed a second-half double — his second in the 84th minute proving to be the winner — as Aston Villa rallied to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-2.Keane was making his starting debut after moving to Villa on a short-term loan deal from Los Angeles Galaxy.Sunderland beat Swansea 2-0, Blackburn grabbed a 1-1 draw at Everton and West Bromwich Albion claimed a first win in 2012 by beating Stoke 2-1.Chelsea is now provisionally 10 points behind City and five adrift of Tottenham, but the margin should be shorter following a dominant second-half performance at Carrow Road that had Norwich hanging on.
Hats off to you: Fulham's Clint Dempsey (front) fights for the ball with Newcastle's Hatem Ben Arfa during their match on Saturday in London. Dempsey scored a hat trick in Fulham's 5-2 victory. APNewcastle dominated the opening 45 minutes and a superb drive from around 25 meters from Danny Guthrie put the visitors deservedly 1-0 ahead at halftime.But Danny Murphy leveled from the penalty spot in the 52nd minute and Dempsey struck twice — his first being his 50th goal for Fulham — to leave the home side firmly in control.Bobby Zamora converted another spot-kick in the 68th minute before Hatem Ben Arfa pulled a goal back for Newcastle.Dempsey completed the second hat trick of his five-year career in English soccer — just two weeks after scoring the first against Charlton in the F.A. Cup on Jan. 7 — in the 89th minute.His latest feat took Dempsey to a career-best 15 goals this season, two more than his previous best last season, and a total of 52 since the 28-year-old forward joined Fulham from New England Revolution in January, 2007."We never found our rhythm in the first half but we began to get into their penalty area in the second half," Dempsey said after taking his Premier League tally to nine goals. "Danny Murphy scored the first goal and then we kept going and going. Luckily the ball kept going in. We never took our foot off the gas and we took our chances."Fulham manager Martin Jol was delighted with the American's performance and was keen for it continue as the team moved eight points away from the relegation zone."Clint Dempsey is our top scorer," Jol said. "He is doing what he does best. Clint scores goals and if he can score 12 goals this year and some other players do we will be fine."Needing a win to boost its faint chances of reeling in the two Manchester clubs and Tottenham, fourth-place Chelsea was frustrated by poor finishing at Carrow Road, with misfiring Spain striker Fernando Torres being the biggest culprit in a 0-0 draw with Norwich.Qualifying for the Champions League may be Chelsea's main target now, so news of Liverpool's 3-1 defeat at Bolton and Newcastle's loss at Fulham will have been welcome.Liverpool was surprisingly overrun by a Bolton team that had been languishing in the bottom three, surrendering an opportunity to move within three points of Chelsea.League leader Manchester City was set to host third-place Tottenham and Manchester United, which is second, visits Arsenal on Sunday in an important day for the title chasers.At the other end of the standings, bottom team Wigan's plight worsened by losing 3-1 at Queens Park Rangers — its 13th defeat in 22 games.Ireland striker Robbie Keane grabbed a second-half double — his second in the 84th minute proving to be the winner — as Aston Villa rallied to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-2.Keane was making his starting debut after moving to Villa on a short-term loan deal from Los Angeles Galaxy.Sunderland beat Swansea 2-0, Blackburn grabbed a 1-1 draw at Everton and West Bromwich Albion claimed a first win in 2012 by beating Stoke 2-1.Chelsea is now provisionally 10 points behind City and five adrift of Tottenham, but the margin should be shorter following a dominant second-half performance at Carrow Road that had Norwich hanging on.Yoshimura captures table tennis title
Eighteen-year-old Maharu Yoshimura beat Jun Mizutani on Sunday in a thrilling final on Sunday to win the men's singles title at the national table tennis championships.Yoshimura won 11-9, 11-6, 6-11, 6-11, 11-9, 5-11, 12-10 at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, denying Mizutani a sixth consecutive crown and becoming only the second player after his opponent to win the title while still in high school."I can't believe it," said Yoshimura, who won five straight points to clinch victory after trailing 10-7 in the final game."Mizutani-san is a quality player and I just wanted to play without any regrets," he saidHiroko Fujii and Misako Wakamiya won the women's doubles title for the third year in a row.Table tennis icon Ai Fukuhara finally won a national singles title by defeating 2011 champion Kasumi Ishikawa four games to one in the women's final on Saturday.
Current group of tight ends reshaping position
NEW YORK — From Gonzo to Gronk to Graham, tight ends are running past, around and through defenders at an unprecedented rate. Hey, the Patriots' Rob Gronkowski does all of those things on one play.
Next generation: Players such as the Patriots' Rob Gronkowski are redefining the tight end position in the NFL. APOnce a glorified tackle, the position now requires the skills of a wide receiver — and a power forward. Speed, size, athletic ability, power, intelligence all are in the mix."The tight end position is taking off," said San Francisco's Vernon Davis, who also is called Duke; his dad is Big Duke and he was Little Duke as a kid before growing to 120 cm, 113 kg. "It's almost as if you have to start playing tight ends with cornerbacks nowadays because they're fast, these guys are strong and they're making plays — they're making plays like wide receivers."Nobody has made more plays at the position in one season than Gronkowski, who became an All-Pro in his second NFL season by catching 90 passes for 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns. The yards and TDs are records, accomplished with plenty of power and flash."The guy is a beast," said Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie, but that seems to be a common description for most outstanding tight ends in what a Hall of Famer from the position, Shannon Sharpe, dubs "the golden age" for tight ends.Gronkowski mixes size and speed with great hands. Huge, great hands. He doesn't drop the ball, and when he grabs it, he's nearly impossible to tackle."He has run over a few guys," noted fellow Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, who along with Gronkowski has been dubbed the Boston TE Party.If not for his production, the Saints' Jimmy Graham would have established an NFL mark with his 1,310 yards. He had 99 catches and scored 11 times.Seven of the top 17 players on the receptions chart this season were tight ends: Graham; Gronkowski; Detroit's Brandon Pettigrew; Atlanta's Tony Gonzalez, the career leader in just about every receiving category for the position; Dallas' Jason Witten; Hernandez; and Tampa Bay's Kellen Winslow."When I was playing," said Hall of Famer Ozzie Newsome, who retired in 1990 and now is general manager of the Ravens, "the majority of tight ends were point-of-attack guys. You would line up on the line of scrimmage next to the tackle and we were basically two-back oriented."Now, tight ends are getting opportunities to be extended away from the tackles, able to stand up on the outside as receivers. These guys are getting taller, bigger and faster or as fast as guys in the past. If you were 6-3, 245 (190 cm, 111 kg) you were a big tight end at that time, and now they go 6-5, 260 or 270 (195 cm, 118-123 kg) and are just as athletic."
Next generation: Players such as the Patriots' Rob Gronkowski are redefining the tight end position in the NFL. APOnce a glorified tackle, the position now requires the skills of a wide receiver — and a power forward. Speed, size, athletic ability, power, intelligence all are in the mix."The tight end position is taking off," said San Francisco's Vernon Davis, who also is called Duke; his dad is Big Duke and he was Little Duke as a kid before growing to 120 cm, 113 kg. "It's almost as if you have to start playing tight ends with cornerbacks nowadays because they're fast, these guys are strong and they're making plays — they're making plays like wide receivers."Nobody has made more plays at the position in one season than Gronkowski, who became an All-Pro in his second NFL season by catching 90 passes for 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns. The yards and TDs are records, accomplished with plenty of power and flash."The guy is a beast," said Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie, but that seems to be a common description for most outstanding tight ends in what a Hall of Famer from the position, Shannon Sharpe, dubs "the golden age" for tight ends.Gronkowski mixes size and speed with great hands. Huge, great hands. He doesn't drop the ball, and when he grabs it, he's nearly impossible to tackle."He has run over a few guys," noted fellow Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, who along with Gronkowski has been dubbed the Boston TE Party.If not for his production, the Saints' Jimmy Graham would have established an NFL mark with his 1,310 yards. He had 99 catches and scored 11 times.Seven of the top 17 players on the receptions chart this season were tight ends: Graham; Gronkowski; Detroit's Brandon Pettigrew; Atlanta's Tony Gonzalez, the career leader in just about every receiving category for the position; Dallas' Jason Witten; Hernandez; and Tampa Bay's Kellen Winslow."When I was playing," said Hall of Famer Ozzie Newsome, who retired in 1990 and now is general manager of the Ravens, "the majority of tight ends were point-of-attack guys. You would line up on the line of scrimmage next to the tackle and we were basically two-back oriented."Now, tight ends are getting opportunities to be extended away from the tackles, able to stand up on the outside as receivers. These guys are getting taller, bigger and faster or as fast as guys in the past. If you were 6-3, 245 (190 cm, 111 kg) you were a big tight end at that time, and now they go 6-5, 260 or 270 (195 cm, 118-123 kg) and are just as athletic."Komano's Belgium move hits buffers
Japan international Yuichi Komano looks set to stay with Jubilo Iwata for the coming season after failing to secure a move to Belgian first-division side St. Truiden, a club official said Sunday.The two-time World Cup defender had undergone a medical and looked set to join Truiden but negotiations failed to produce a deal.A solid defender who can operate on either side of the back line, Komano, 30, famously missed a penalty in the shootout as Japan was knocked out in the second round of the 2010 World Cup by Paraguay in South Africa.
Takeuchi takes ski jump STV Cup
Sapporo — Taku Takeuchi nailed a pair of solid jumps to win the STV Cup for the first time on Sunday.Takeuchi, second on Saturday in the HTB Cup, had leaps of 132 and 131.5 meters at Okurayama hill to prevail with a winning total of 273.3 points.Norway's Andrea Stjernen was second, while Junshiro Kobayashi was third.In-form Daiki Ito, who produced the longest jump ever recorded at Okurayama hill en route to victory at the HTB Cup, could only manage a wind-affected jump of 86 meters on his first effort and failed to advance to the second round.
Makino determined to get career back on track at Urawa
SAITAMA — Last year was one to forget for both Urawa Reds and Tomoaki Makino, but the national team defender believes 2012 will be a different story after joining the fallen Saitama giants on a season-long loan.
Second chance: Tomoaki Makino (right) has joined Urawa Reds on a season-long loan after a frustrating year at Cologne. KYODOUrawa, Japan's best-supported team and J. League champions in 2006, began preparations for another campaign in the first division over the weekend, with everyone at the club simply happy to be there. Reds avoided relegation to J2 only on the final day of last season, with defeat in October's Nabisco Cup final rubbing salt into the wounds of a club that has been in steady decline since winning the Asian Champions League in 2007.For Makino, 2011 was hardly a bed of roses either. The 24-year-old left Sanfrecce Hiroshima for German side Cologne in January after making the 2010 J. League team of the season, only to find that life in the Bundesliga was not what he had anticipated. Makino made just eight appearances for the Rhine club, prompting Cologne general manager — and former Urawa boss — Volker Finke to seek a solution with a 12-month loan deal with his previous employers.With the turning of the calendar wiping the slate clean, Makino is confident the arrangement can benefit both parties."There are a lot of players here that I knew beforehand, so already it feels quite natural for me," he said at Urawa's training ground over the weekend. "Urawa Reds are the standard-bearer club of Japanese football. The image I had before I came here was that this is Japan's big club, and it needs to get back to the level that it belongs at."This is the biggest club in Japan, so we need to be up fighting among the top positions. We want to make sure this is a season that doesn't leave us all disappointed."Despite the unfamiliar surroundings, Makino should feel right at home at Saitama Stadium. Former Sanfrecce manager Mihailo Petrovic has been chosen to lead Urawa into the new campaign, and Makino says the appointment was key to his own arrival."I know the manager very well, and for me this was a very big thing," he said of the Austrian, who left Sanfrecce last season after 5? years in charge. "Petrovic helped me to grow as a player, and that is something that will stay with me."So for me to be able to work with him again makes me very happy. He is my manager, but we are very close. He is like a father figure to me."There was no such familiarity for Makino to fall back on during his time in Germany, however. The defender made only a handful of appearances under manager Frank Schaefer in the months following his arrival, but when Norwegian Stale Solbakken took over in the summer, even a place on the bench slipped beyond his reach."I wasn't able to show what I could do over the course of a year," Makino said. "I felt a bit lost in German football. Solbakken had a very difficult philosophy and he wanted to play direct football. I wasn't able to live up to that, and that was very disappointing for me."But that does not mean Makino is prepared to turn his back on Europe for good."I know that being there for a year was a long time, but I haven't given up on it yet," he said. "I still want to challenge myself and that's what I intend to do. I took a lot of positive things from my time in Germany. It's not something I can explain in words, but hopefully it's something I can express on the pitch."Makino will have to stand out at Urawa if he wants to secure a return to Europe, but then catching the eye has never been much of a problem. The attack-minded defender's flamboyant style has always been as much a part of his game as his rampaging runs forward, with Sanfrecce's elaborately choreographed goal celebrations the product of his fertile imagination."First of all I want to contribute to the team and get results," he said. "Playing with teammates who I had a great relationship with at Sanfrecce was something that gave me a lot of pleasure personally, and I can't wait to play in front of the Urawa Reds fans. I want to put on a performance for them."The goal celebrations, however, will have to wait."It would be nice to do that," he said. "But first we have to get results."
Second chance: Tomoaki Makino (right) has joined Urawa Reds on a season-long loan after a frustrating year at Cologne. KYODOUrawa, Japan's best-supported team and J. League champions in 2006, began preparations for another campaign in the first division over the weekend, with everyone at the club simply happy to be there. Reds avoided relegation to J2 only on the final day of last season, with defeat in October's Nabisco Cup final rubbing salt into the wounds of a club that has been in steady decline since winning the Asian Champions League in 2007.For Makino, 2011 was hardly a bed of roses either. The 24-year-old left Sanfrecce Hiroshima for German side Cologne in January after making the 2010 J. League team of the season, only to find that life in the Bundesliga was not what he had anticipated. Makino made just eight appearances for the Rhine club, prompting Cologne general manager — and former Urawa boss — Volker Finke to seek a solution with a 12-month loan deal with his previous employers.With the turning of the calendar wiping the slate clean, Makino is confident the arrangement can benefit both parties."There are a lot of players here that I knew beforehand, so already it feels quite natural for me," he said at Urawa's training ground over the weekend. "Urawa Reds are the standard-bearer club of Japanese football. The image I had before I came here was that this is Japan's big club, and it needs to get back to the level that it belongs at."This is the biggest club in Japan, so we need to be up fighting among the top positions. We want to make sure this is a season that doesn't leave us all disappointed."Despite the unfamiliar surroundings, Makino should feel right at home at Saitama Stadium. Former Sanfrecce manager Mihailo Petrovic has been chosen to lead Urawa into the new campaign, and Makino says the appointment was key to his own arrival."I know the manager very well, and for me this was a very big thing," he said of the Austrian, who left Sanfrecce last season after 5? years in charge. "Petrovic helped me to grow as a player, and that is something that will stay with me."So for me to be able to work with him again makes me very happy. He is my manager, but we are very close. He is like a father figure to me."There was no such familiarity for Makino to fall back on during his time in Germany, however. The defender made only a handful of appearances under manager Frank Schaefer in the months following his arrival, but when Norwegian Stale Solbakken took over in the summer, even a place on the bench slipped beyond his reach."I wasn't able to show what I could do over the course of a year," Makino said. "I felt a bit lost in German football. Solbakken had a very difficult philosophy and he wanted to play direct football. I wasn't able to live up to that, and that was very disappointing for me."But that does not mean Makino is prepared to turn his back on Europe for good."I know that being there for a year was a long time, but I haven't given up on it yet," he said. "I still want to challenge myself and that's what I intend to do. I took a lot of positive things from my time in Germany. It's not something I can explain in words, but hopefully it's something I can express on the pitch."Makino will have to stand out at Urawa if he wants to secure a return to Europe, but then catching the eye has never been much of a problem. The attack-minded defender's flamboyant style has always been as much a part of his game as his rampaging runs forward, with Sanfrecce's elaborately choreographed goal celebrations the product of his fertile imagination."First of all I want to contribute to the team and get results," he said. "Playing with teammates who I had a great relationship with at Sanfrecce was something that gave me a lot of pleasure personally, and I can't wait to play in front of the Urawa Reds fans. I want to put on a performance for them."The goal celebrations, however, will have to wait."It would be nice to do that," he said. "But first we have to get results."Clijsters shrugs off injury, comes back from brink to beat Li
MELBOURNE, Australia — Down four match points and hobbling on an ankle injury, defending champion Kim Clijsters somehow rallied for a dramatic 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 win over Li Na at the Australian Open on Sunday.Clijsters was in pain from the left ankle she twisted in the seventh game. Li was just a bundle of nerves. The French Open champion failed to serve out the fourth-round match at 5-4 in the second set, but then led 6-2 in the tiebreaker. Again Clijsters refused to yield."I said in my mind, keep fighting," Clijsters said. "You never know what happens on the other side of the court."Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer stayed on course for a semifinal meeting in matches either side of Clijsters' win at Rod Laver Arena. Federer ended the run of Australian teenager Bernard Tomic 6-4, 6-2, 6-2, while Nadal won in straight sets too, beating fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.Top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki ended the day's play with a 6-0, 7-5 win over Jelena Jankovic and will next play Clijsters, the most unlikely winner of the day.Li's best chance to clinch victory — and gain revenge for her three-set loss to Clijsters in last year's final — came on her fourth match point.Clijsters played a poor drop shot, giving her opponent the chance to put the ball into the open court. Instead, Li tentatively hit the ball almost straight back to Clijsters, who sent up a perfect lob that dropped just inside the baseline."Of course I was nervous," Li said. "If you're nervous, you could not think too much, right?"Clijsters won six straight points to take the tiebreaker and the first four games of the deciding set."I'm not saying that that forehand drop shot was a good choice, but you make decisions. Luckily, that one turned out OK," Clijsters said. "I think she was a little bit lost or maybe a little bit confused at that time."Clijsters then overcame a wobble of her own, losing her serve at 5-2 in the third set, before finally closing out the fourth-round match on her second match point.Li broke down in tears at the end of her post-match news conference."Maybe 6-2 up in the tiebreak I was a little bit shocking," she said.Clijsters was hurt in the first set while serving at 3-all and 30-all. As she hit a forehand, her left foot got stuck on the surface and the ankle twisted awkwardly.She got up to finish the point but then immediately called for the trainer and had the injury strapped.Clijsters' movement was clearly slowed when she resumed but, playing in her last Australian Open before quitting tennis at the end of the season, she said she didn't want to bow out in Melbourne with a retirement."I knew if I could just try to let the medication sink in or if I could get through the first 20 minutes, half hour, I think the pain would go away a little bit and then maybe with the adrenaline I could just fly through it."Federer hasn't lost to a teenager since 2006 and that run continued Sunday as he disappointed the home crowd with a comprehensive win over the 19-year-old Tomic.Tomic had beaten seeded players Fernando Verdasco and Alexandr Dolgopolov in earlier rounds, but Federer was a step up in class. The 16-time Grand Slam champion broke six times as he set up a quarterfinal against 11th-seeded Argentine Juan Martin del Potro."I thought I played a really good match," said Federer, through to his 31st straight Grand Slam quarterfinal. "I knew I had to. Anything else wouldn't have done the job tonight."
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