Monday, December 24, 2007
ONLINE DEGREE PROGRAMS
KOBE MAKES HISTORY
Bryant achieved the feat when he drilled a 3-pointer with 11:08 remaining in the third quarter. He finished the game with 39 points.
At 29 years, 122 days old, Bryant joined Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan as the only players in league history to score 20,000 points before the age of 30.
Bryant shot 14-of-28 from the floor and also pulled down 11 rebounds with 3ight assists.
Even so, the Lakers nearly let slip a 25-point lead, but held on to finish off a four-game road-trip with the victory.
Andrew Bynum added 13 points and was the only other player in double figures for the Lakers, whose only loss on the four-game Eastern Conference swing was a four-point defeat Thursday in Cleveland, where Bryant went up against prolific scorer LeBron James.
Bryant was making his first appearance in New York since scoring 40 points on January 31, 2006.
He missed last year's five-point loss here because of a one-game suspension.
On Saturday, Bryant had told reporters that the Knicks were among the four teams he asked to be traded to in the offseason.
However, Lakers coach Phil Jackson said before Sunday's game that he didn't believe the Knicks ever had a real chance of acquiring Bryant, who appears to be happy to stay in Los Angeles for now.
Bryant had 17 points at halftime as Los Angeles opened a 55-37 lead.
He reached the milestone when he drained a 3-pointer from in front of the Knicks' bench less than a minute into the second half.
"It is special to do it here," Bryant said. "The culture of basketball here, it is the mecca, it is special to do it in Madison Square Garden. It feels good. This is my favorite place to play."
"He's the best player in the game right now," Lakers guard Jordan Farmar said. "He does it every night. He works very hard. We get to see firsthand and that's not very surprising."CLEMENS REFUTES ALLEGATIONS
"Let me be clear: The answer is no, I did not use steroids, human growth hormone, and I've never done so," Clemens said in the video.
Clemens was responding to the Mitchell Report on doping in baseball, in which he was the most prominent among dozens of players alleged to have used performance enhancing drugs.
Former Senator Majority Leader George Mitchell, tabbed by Major League Baseball to conduct the inquiry under pressure from US lawmakers to clean up the game, wrote in his report that Clemens' former trainer, Brian McNamee, said he injected Clemens with steroids in 1998 while with the Toronto Blue Jays, and steroids and human growth hormone in 2000 and 2001 while the righthander was with the Yankees.
"I did not provide Brian McNamee with any drugs to inject into my body," Clemens said in his video. "Brian McNamee did not inject steroids or human growth hormones into my body either, when I played in Toronto for the Blue Jays, or the New York Yankees. This report is simply not true."
Clemens' name in the Mitchell Report created a sensation, and he drew criticism from some quarters when his initial reaction was merely to issue a denial through his agent.
On Thursday, Clemens' denial appeared to be supported when a sworn statement by confessed doper Jason Grimsley was unsealed and made public.
Clemens' name didn't appear in the affidavit, which Grimsley provided to the Internal Revenue Service in 2006 after a parcel containing Human Growth Hormone was traced to his house.
In October of 2006, the Los Angeles times had reported that Clemens' name was among those mentioned by Grimsby as players he believed to have used performance enhancing drugs.
When that report surfaced, Clemens denied ever using performance-enhancing drugs.
Clemens, one of the best power pitchers in baseball history, helped the Yankees win World Series titles in 1999 and 2000.
In 24 seasons with the Yankees, Blue Jays, Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox, he has built a career record of 354-194, with a 3.12 ERA and 4,672 strikeouts.
But his inclusion in the Mitchell Report, in which he is referenced 82 times, tarnishes Clemens' reputation and could affect his position as future Hall of Famer.
Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte, a close friend of Clemens and another McNamee client, said after he was named in the report that he took HGH twice while rehabbing from injury in 2002.
Mitchell said McNamee told him he injected Pettitte with HGH two to four times that year.PHOENIX POOL BUILDERS
MCGRADY HURT IN LOSS
McGrady left in the third quarter of the National Basketball Association contest and didn't return. He totaled 14 points.
Chinese center Yao had to leave the court to receive treatement after a third-quarter collison with teammate Luther Head, and finished with 12 points.
It was another disappointing visit to Detroit for the Rockets, who have lost seven straight on the Pistons' floor.
Richard Hamilton scored 17 points to lead five Pistons in double figures and Detroit posted their fifth straight victory.
Rasheed Wallace's storming first half put the Rockets on the defensive early.
He scored 14 points in the first half as the Pistons took a 51-44 halftime lead, and by the final period the Rockets were unable to mount challenge.
"We stayed close but the third quarter they really took over the game," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "We didn't push the ball like we needed to. We walked it up the court. Just had some surges but not consistency throughout the game."
"We pretty much took control of the game in the second quarter and we never really looked back," said Detroit guard Chauncey Billups. "Except both of their stars went out, but I thought we pretty much had control at that point."INTER ON FIRE
It was a match that had been eagerly anticipated since a week ago when Milan added the Club World Cup title to the Champions League crown they claimed back in May when beating Liverpool 2-1 in the final.
Ironically, though, while the world champions began with seven Italian internationals, Inter - living up to their full name Internazionale - fielded a starting 11 including nine South Americans and not a single Italian.
Whatever the make-up of their side, Inter have been unbeatable this season and go into the three-week festive break with a seven-point lead over the chasing pack - Milan, who have three games in hand, are 25 points off the pace down in 12th.
Hosts Inter had the first chance of the match after barely five minutes when Brazilian right-back Maicon crossed to the back post where Sweden forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic volleyed over the bar.
Inter were pushing the pace of the game but Milan looked dangerous on the counter-attack and striker Filippo Inzaghi earned a free-kick on the edge of the box on 18 minutes after Colombian centre-back Ivan Cordoba dragged him down.
Andrea Pirlo stepped up to sweep home a delicious curler into the top corner.
That sparked some life into Inter and they almost equalised two minutes later but Chilean midfielder Luis Jimenez grazed the bar with a shot from a tight angle after Argentine forward Julio Cruz's right-wing cross had not been dealt with by a panicking defence.
Inter did find a way back into the game 10 minutes before the break in sumptuous fashion as Ibrahimovic and Esteban Cambiasso worked the ball to Cruz, who held off Clarence Seedorf's challenge before firing low past Brazilian goalkeeper Dida.
And that was despite Inter briefly playing with 10 men due to an injury to Argentine centre-back Walter Samuel.
Milan were possibly feeling the effects of last week's trip to Japan and made a string of early second half changes, with Italy striker Alberto Gilardino and Brazilian midfield pair Emerson and Serginho introduced into the fray.
Inter certainly looked the stronger side after the break and a deflected shot from Argentine midfielder Cambiasso sent Dida the wrong way on 64 minutes to give the hosts the lead.
Late on Milan did start to exert some pressure but Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar got down well to turn away World Player of the Year Kaka's fierce drive.
Emerson and Massimo Ambrosini then both missed gilt edged chances to equalise as Inter became jittery in the final moments.
Roma stayed second after a Francesco Totti double gave them a 2-0 win over Sampdoria on Saturday.
Juventus are third, eight points off Inter, after goals from Hassa Salihamidzic and French forward David Trezeguet earned them a 2-0 success over Siena.
Fiorentina returned to winning ways in spectacular fashion as they thumped rock-bottom Cagliari 5-1 having not won in their previous five games.ONLINE CASH ADVANCE
BAPTISTA THE BEAST
The rugged Brazilian striker - nicknamed The Beast - found the net after 36 minutes to bring to an end to Barcelona's 100 per cent home record in their Nou Camp stadium this season, both in La Liga and the Champions League.
"I thought we could have got a second goal. We had two or three good attacks in the second half but, overall, it's a fair result," said Schuster.
Real's triumph puts them firmly in lead of the Spanish championship race and they are now the overwhelming favourites to retain their title.
The 30-time Spanish league winners have 41 points from the 17 games and have extended their lead to seven points over second-placed Barcelona.
"It's good to get the points but nothing's decided yet. Let's wait until the end of the season until we starting talking about trophies," said the ever-prudent Schuster.
His opposite number Frank Rijkaard was visibly disappointed at the outcome but tried to look on the bright side after the game.
"We were in the game right until the whistle. In fact, until the very last moment I thought we could get a point but they were very well organised at the back.
"However, I have the feeling that we played well, especially in the midfield and also at the back. We didn't give them many chances but we also lost too many balls at important moments," reflected the Dutch coach.
Neither side had many opportunities in a scrappy first 35 minutes in which the biggest scoring threats came from the free kicks of Real winger Wesley Sneijder.
Real's Portuguese international defender Pepe made Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes work hard to deny him after he connected with one of the Dutchman's dead ball efforts after 11 minutes.
Valdes then flapped badly at a Sneijder free kick on 32 minutes but Ruud van Nistelrooy couldn't get his head cleanly to the ball.
At the other end, Real's Iker Casillas once again proved his credentials as one of the best goal keepers in Europe when he produced two wonderful reaction saves in rapid succession to thwart Ronaldinho and Xavi Hernandez.
Baptista then got the goal which changed the face of a game which generally lived up to its billing as El Clasico in terms of emotion and effort but not technical excellence on this occasion.
Van Nistelrooy saw Baptista darting down the left wing and chipped the ball across, leaving the speedy Brazilian to out pace his markers Carles Puyol and Rafael Marquez before half-volleying the ball over the head of Valdes.
"That goal came at a difficult moment. After they scored, it was easier for Real to sit back and defend," lamented Rijkaard.
The first 15 minutes of the second half saw both teams charge up and down the field but neither side appeared to have much idea about how to break down two well-organised defences.
Casillas produced two fine saves from Bojan Krkic and Yaya Toure in the final seven minutes of the game but it was the closest the Catalan club came to getting an equaliser.
Barca's increasing desperation also left holes at the back and Pepe had a second chance to get his first La Liga goal in injury time.
Rijkaard gambled with starting Ronaldinho but the two-time former World Player of the Year had little impact and was regularly stopped in his tracks by some good tackling by Real left back Sergio Ramos.
The defeat means that Rijkaard will also have to spend the two-week holiday period having to listen to a debate about his future.
The likes of Marco van Basten and Jose Mourinho have been regularly mentioned as potential replacements for Rijkaard if Barca fail to win a trophy for the second year in succession.
Second half goals from Raul Tamudo and Luis Garcia gave Espanyol a 2-1 win at Atletico Madrid earlier on Sunday and the Barcelona-based side move up to third place in La Liga, just one point behind their illustrious neighbours.
Atletico scored first through a Simao Sabrosa free kick but ended the night with nine men.CECH INJURED
Cech limped out of the action in the second-half following a collision with Blackburn forward Roque Santa Cruz and his injury could prove costly for Chelsea, who are also without rib injury victim Carlo Cudicini for the home clash with Aston Villa on Wednesday.
Chelsea manager Avram Grant said: "The situation with Cech is one that we will know once he has had a scan on the injury. We need to wait and see. With this kind of injury, it is better to wait.
"But I cannot lie and say that it is easy to be without players. It is very difficult to play for such a long time with so many injuries. I don't like it, but there is nothing that I can do about it.
"It was very difficult for Hilario to come into the game in place of Petr, but he did well. Cudicini's injury will take a few more days, so I don't have another goalkeeper for the Aston Villa game."
With Manchester United and Arsenal winning their games earlier in the weekend, Chelsea had no room for error as they attempted to close the gap on the leaders.
Cole's goal ensured that they lie six points behind leaders Arsenal, but Grant is confident that the gap can be overcome.
He said: "I am very happy with the victory because this is not an easy place to play, especially after drawing with Blackburn at home. We showed a lot of fighting spirit, made two or three chances and Hilario made a very good save, so I am happy.
"It was important to get three points with the other teams winning, though. Six points is not a big gap for us because the other teams will not win all of their games this season."
For Blackburn, the defeat was their fourth in succession, but manager Mark Hughes insisted that he could have no complaints about the performance of his players.
Hughes said: "That's four straight defeats now and it's frustrating because I am beginning to sound like a broken record, but we again showed plenty of quality.
"We were dynamic and created lots of angles to create chances and having David Bentley off the front man caused them problems. We hit the bar a couple of times in the first-half and, on another day, they would go in.
"We were caught by a sucker punch, though. We were wary of Chelsea getting the ball to feet in dangerous positions because they can set a trap for you in the way they they manage transition of play. That's what happened and we got done by it.
"In the second-half, it was difficult to coax Chelsea out because they are very adept at defending a lead. They are very good at getting players behind the ball and running the clock down, so it is very difficult to get level against teams like that."ALL INCLUSIVE CANCUN
STOSUR OUT OF AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Stosur, 23, the top-ranked Australian in world tennis, said she only resumed training three weeks ago after battling viral illnesses throughout 2007, and that she was not ready for the Australian Open - the first grand slam tournament of the year - and other local events.
``I am very disappointed I won't be able to compete during the Australian summer,'' Stosur said. ``I have been back training for the last three weeks but I've realized that I won't be fully ready to compete at the Australian Women's Hardcourts, which starts in six days, and I've also withdrawn from the Australian Open.''
Stosur, ranked 46 on the WTA standings, was hospitalized in Florida in September with viral meningitis after earlier missing a Fed Cup tie and tournaments in the United States because of an unrelated virus.
``I always love competing at home in Australia and have had some of my best results here, which makes the decision not to play especially hard. But I need to concentrate on the long-term goal of getting my health and fitness 100 percent again, so I don't want to start competing again until I'm fully ready.''
Craig Tiley, director of the Jan. 14-27 Australian Open, expressed disappointment for Stosur.
``Sam is a very proud Australian and I know she was really looking forward to her home grand slam,'' Tiley said. ``I wish her a speedy recovery and hope she can be fit, healthy and back on court at full strength soon.''
ARGENTINA FOR SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE?
ARU deputy chief executive Matt Carroll said SANZAR partners Australia, New Zealand and South Africa were looking at ways of "refreshing" the Super 14 and Tri Nations competitions ahead of a new SANZAR broadcast deal in 2010.
Carroll said he met officials from World Cup semi-finalists Argentina, who sit on the sidelines of both the Six Nations and Tri Nations, at the IRB conference in England earlier this month.
"Their initial solution was to play in Europe but they've been rebuffed," he told reporters.
"Does the Tri Nations need freshening up? Yes it does. Could Argentina provide that freshness? Quite possibly yes. What have we got to do? Make sure that the Argentineans have their best players so we've got to find a solution for that.
"You want Argentina to come into the Tri Nations, you've got to get Argentinean players somehow, whether it's with additional teams which could be the key, into the Super 14," Carroll said.
"Then they're playing at the same time as us and their players can be released to play for Argentina when we're playing the Tri Nations.
"I don't think Australian rugby at the moment could tolerate an extra (Super 14) team out of our resources. Four teams seems to be where we're at at the moment.
"But that doesn't mean we can't have other teams come into the competition."
Carroll said that could mean some Australians, Argentineans and Pacific Islanders representing a new Melbourne franchise.
"There's all sorts of opportunities there so that's where we've really got to start to open our minds to a few possibilities," he said.
"Australians could be marquee players in other Super 14 teams so you start to look at it competition wide as distinct from narrowly in your own backyard."
A move to 16 teams, pool matches to reduce travel and a top five or six finals system would also be considered, Carroll said.CAPELLA UNIVERSITY
ENGLAND HUMILIATED
England embarrassed in Galle.
When my television told me that England had collapsed to 81 all out in the third and final test against Sri Lanka in Kandy. My first thought was - "Oh dear, Muthiah Muralitharan has 'done us' again".
I could almost have handled that - The world's greatest bowler once again exposing England's inability to play spin.
But when I looked at the scoreboard - I was faced with no less than 4 wickets from Chaminda Vaas, 2 from the debutant Chanaka Welegedara, and a paltry one wicket for Murali - In fact he hardly got his hands on the ball and bowled just 4 overs.
This has been a poor series for Murali against England - he's only taken 19 wickets in three tests. Compare that to 24 last year in England, and 26 in Sri Lanka in '04 (both 3 match series).
Back in '98 when Sri Lanka were only deemed important enough for one test in England - the young Murali changed all that with 7 for 155 and 9 for 65 at the Oval.
Ever since he's been like one of those painful rashes that never goes away. In 16 tests he's taken 112 Wickets at an average of 20.06. Essentially, we are his bunnies.
I already knew that. But what is more scary is that England, who once prided itself on being a tough nut to crack away from home, is having yet another overseas implosion.
The last time we dipped our toes in foreign waters we got badly bitten by Australia - It was 5 tests to nil - and this, after we had beaten the 'auld enemy' so convincingly (sort of) in '05.
The winter before that it was a two-nil whiplashing in Pakistan, followed by a drawn series against a vulnerable post-Ganguly India.
So what's going wrong 'away from home' for a team who have been ranked number two in the ICC rankings over the last few years.'
Well Simon Hughes from the Daily Telegraph thinks he has the answer for this latest embarrassment.
"But how do you explain such a dramatic imbalance? Well, here goes. Fifteen days of Test cricket in three weeks. Searing, oppressive heat. Ninety per cent humidity. Remorseless, relentless leather chasing. All these add up to a huge toll on the bodies and minds of the chasing pack."
Hughes' theory is that the cricket calendar is to blame. Too much cricket he says, is getting squeezed into too little time and its breaking the players. This he says, is why the final test in test series all over the world are often so one-sided.
The former Middlesex bowler adds that the England seamers were 'broken men after 3 arduous weeks of scant reward'.
Well I'm sorry but this argument falls down flat when you know this: Back in 2001 England played 3 tests in Sri Lanka in 24 days - almost exactly the same schedule as this current series.
England came back from one-nil down in that series to win the final two tests AND the rubber.
The bowlers seemed remarkably fresh in that final test in Colombo and bowled the Sri Lankans out for 241 and, ironically enough, 81.
I was at that test and the story doing the rounds at the Sinhalese Sports Club was that the sudden appearance of a damp patch, on a length, just before the match, was a dastardly plot - hatched to help Murali.
The great man took one wicket in the match - Robert Croft, that other great purveyor of spin, took 5.
But at the risk of sounding more knowledgeable than a man who has played 300 more first class games than me - I will say this - 1.The tracks in that series gave a lot more encouragement to the bowlers. And 2. This Sri Lankan side is a lot more established.
Chaminda Vaas has always been unplayable if he gets the ball swinging AND seaming. Murali we already know about.
And then there is the fact that Kumar Sangakkara is number one and Mahela Jayawardene is number two in the ICC World batting rankings. Now we all know that this is not the ultimate indicator of their talent, but it is a sure sign that they have been scoring more runs, more often than anyone else over the last few months.
Jayawardene has scored 374 runs in this series (in 4 innings), Sangakkara 291 (also in 4 innings).
All of this means that Sri Lanka are a hard side to beat at home - which is why, in the last 6 years only Australia and Pakistan have done it.
Oh - and I almost forgot - This England side is nowhere the quality of the Ashes team of 2005. Steve Harmison is still not back to his best - Simon Jones is long gone - Freddy Flintoff is injured, Andrew Strauss is off colour, Paul Collingwood isn't doing much with bat or ball. Monty Panesar is not coming through quite as we'd like - and Matt Prior is out of his depth and needs to be replaced.
Oh and Kevin Pietersen got a ball in Galle that made Jeff Thomson, in his pomp look slow and predicable.
Prayad foils Boonchu's title defence at E San Open
It was the 41-year-old Prayad's second triumph in two weeks following his emotional win in the Volvo Masters of Asia, a victory which helped him rise to world number 72.
He closed with a six-under-par 65 for a total of 19-under-par 265 but veteran Thai Boonchu, who had led the ASEAN Golf Tour event from the opening round, birdied the final hole for a 66 to take Prayad into extra holes at Victory Park Golf and Country Club.
The playoff was contested on the 18th with Prayad winning 7,576 dollars.
Angelo Que of the Philippines finished two shots behind in third after a closing 66 with Thailand's Kwanchai Tannin and Thaworn Wiratchant, the former Asian number one, in joint fourth place after carding 66 and 65 respectively.
"It is great to win my second tournament in two weeks," said Prayad, who birdied the third play off hole from 12 feet to edge his old rival.
"Boonchu is a great competitor and battled to the last. It was a close contest and I am happy to have won."
Prayad looked to have delivered the knockout blow on the par-three 17th hole with a superb sand save. Boonchu bogeyed after also finding the bunker off the tee.
But the old master dug deep into his bag of tricks to hit an exquisite approach below the trees to three feet at the 18th for birdie.
"The turning point was the 17th when I had a six foot putt to save par but I hit it too hard," said the 51-year-old Boonchu.
"It was a fantastic battle with Prayad and Angelo and a lot of fun. I do not have a great playoff record, I have won six and lost eight in my career, so I was not that confident going into sudden death."
The 50,000-dollar E San Open is the fifth leg of the fledgling ASEAN Golf Tour that was launched to create more playing opportunities for aspiring professionals from Southeast Asia and unearth new talent.
Leading final scores (a denotes amateur):
265 - Prayad Marksaeng (THA) 67-69-64-65 (won at third play off hole), Boonchu Ruangkit (THA) 64-69-66-66
267 - Angelo Que (PHI) 70-65-66-66
270 - Kwanchai Tannin (THA) 66-70-68-66, Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) 66-69-70-65
271 - Kiradech Apibalrat (THA) 71-69-70-61
272 - Sattaya Supupramai (THA) 70-65-67-70
276 - Tepphatud Sanawong (THA) 71-71-63-71, Wisut Artjanawat (THA) 74-68-66-68
279 - Nakul Vijityuthasart (THA) 70-68-69-72, Varut Chomchalam (THA) (a) 71-72-66-70, Mars Pucay (PHI) 74-71-65-69, Felix Casas (PHI) 74-66-72-67DOG BOX AND ITS USES
MARATHA WARRIORS ON TOP
Hi-Fliers began on an aggressive note and attacked the rival goal earning two short corners in the 10th minute. They had a good chance to forge ahead but Maratha's first runner Viren Rasquinha dashed in to deflect Len Aiyappa's flick but in the process conceded another short corner. This time Warriors' custodian Adrian D'Souza anticipated well and palmed away Len Aiyappa's drag flick. Len could not show his prowess as the injections during the drill were a wee bit slow allowing the rivals a better chance to defend.
The second quarter saw a keen battle for supremacy and both the teams had an equal share of exchanges. However, after the half time, Maratha Warriors switched up gears taking control of the midfield. Skipper Viren Rasquinha and Vikram Pillay excelled in the midfield with tight control of the match. They fed their forwards well and also did well in containing the rival forays.
Their sustained pressure yielded them four short corners in this quarter, but their Dutch import Looijem Melchior could not come good with his drag flicks. Warriors had their best chance following a counterattack in the 48 th minute when Rehan Butt got the ball in front of the circle. He darted into the circle and with the entire defence out of place he positioned himself for a strike, but Hi-Fliers' goalie Bharat Chetri charged out to the top. Rehan sidestepped him and was about to take a shot when Bimal Lakra made a clean clearance to save the blushes for Bangalore.
But Warriors took the lead in the 61st minute converting the eighth of their nine penalty corners. Dhananjay Mahadik tried his hand at the drag flick and his grounder beat Chetri in Bangalore goal. Bangalore then had a chance to get the equalizer in the same minute they had a good chance but Warriors goal survived. Arjun's first shot was saved by goalkeeper Adrian and Sandeep Michael's second attempt off the deflection missed narrowly.
But immediately in the very next minute (62), Warriors struck again to seal the issue. Following a defensive lapse in the midfield, Warriors took the ball into the circle with two quick passes and their Korean import Kweeom Moon darted into the circle and dodged past an advancing goalkeeper and shot into the goal to redeem his two lapses earlier.
Vikram Pillay was declared man of the match.INDIA HAVE THE BIG FOUR
India have won just four Tests in eight Australian tours, but pushed Steve Waugh's Australians all the way in the drawn 1-1 last series tour here in 2003-04.
Batting great Sachin Tendulkar believes India have their best chance of beating Australia on their home grounds for the first time.
Tendulkar forms the most experienced middle-order quartet in world cricket with Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and V.V.S. Laxman, weighing in with 32,610 runs gleaned from a total of 442 Tests and with 87 centuries between them.
"I think it would be the most important tour (ever) if we can pull it off," Tendulkar told a pre-Test match press conference.
"Beating Australia is obviously the ultimate thing because of the way they have played for so many years, so it makes it a special tour."
"The Little Master," who ranks second to West Indian Brian Lara as the highest run-getter in Test history with 11,289 runs, is rated one of the greatest batsman of all-time and was a favourite of late Australian cricket icon Don Bradman.
The Indians fancy their chances on the strength of their impressive recent away record -- Test series victories in the West Indies in 2006 after 35 years and then in England in 2007 after 21 years, under Rahul Dravid.
New skipper Anil Kumble recently led his side to a 1-0 win in the three-Test series against Pakistan, India's first success against their rivals at home since 1980.
But Australia ranks as the toughest challenge for all touring teams Down Under. Australia's last home series loss was 14 years ago to the West Indies 2-1 and they have been unbeaten in 26 subsequent home series.
Under Ricky Ponting, the Australians have won their last 14 consecutive Test matches and are the undisputed world champions at Test and one-day level.
It will be a supreme test for the Indians, starting with the showcase Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. But this time they do not have to contend with Australia's two bowling titans, Shane Warne (708 wickets) and Glenn McGrath (563 wickets), who retired from Test cricket earlier this year.
It will be up to Brett Lee (247 wickets in 61 Tests) to lead an inexperienced bowling lineup and the challenge of dismissing the powerful Indian batting order, for Australia to claim victory in each Test.
Lee will be backed by a relatively inexperienced support crew -- Shaun Tait (5 wickets in two Tests), Stuart Clark (54 wickets in 11 Tests), Mitchell Johnson (8 wickets in two Tests) and leg-spinner Brad Hogg (9 wickets in four Tests).
Much will depend on pace spearhead Lee, man of the series in last month's 2-0 home Test win over Sri Lanka, to blast out the Indian batting.
But the Indians will be a tough nut to crack with Dravid (9,683 at 55.97), Ganguly (6,346 at 43.17) and Laxman (5,292 (44.10) backing up Tendulkar on the score of experience and durability.
The Australians will be banking on the runs from their experienced trio, opener Matthew Hayden (7,832 at 52.56), Ponting (9,508 at 59.43) and Adam Gilchrist, the most dangerous No.7 in Test cricket, with 5,420 runs at 49.27.
Mike Hussey, Andrew Symonds, Michael Clarke and the emerging opener Phil Jaques give Australia's top-order a solid look.
It should be a high-scoring four-Test match series with the Melbourne Test followed by Sydney (January 2-6), Perth (Jan 16-20) and Adelaide (Jan 24-28).Sunday, December 23, 2007
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LAXMAN CALLS FOR AGGRESION
Laxman said attitude, rather than any particular strategy, would be key against the Australians in the opening Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Australia have not lost a Test series at home for 14 years and have a reputation for crushing the confidence of their touring opponents.
"The most important thing is you have to play aggressive cricket against them," Laxman told reporters.
"Whenever we've played aggressive cricket against them, we have done well ... you have to play to your potential.
"The moment you give them a slight edge, they'll walk over you, so it's important you just come out and play your natural game of cricket, like we do."
But Laxman said that did not have to extend to the verbal niggle that marked Australia's one-day series in India two months ago.
"It's not necessary, it depends on individuals - every individual will be different, it's just how you play your cricket," he said.
"Especially your mindset - if you've got a lot of self-belief, I think you'll do well in Australia."
India have won just four Tests in eight Australian tours, but pushed Steve Waugh's Australians all the way in the drawn 1-1 last series tour here in 2003-04.
Laxman plans to have a key role in the four-Test series.
"All the batsmen are supposed to get runs, whenever we've done well abroad, our batting scored huge runs, especially in the first innings," he said.
"I want to contribute in that and the most important thing is, play to the situation and try and play some match-winning knocks, which will help the team win the series."
Laxman has scored 5,292 runs at 44.10 in 86 Tests.The usually affable Laxman has now come out and spoke for the first time in many years.SHER E JALANDHAR TRASH CHENNAI VEERANS
The match was fiercely fought in the first two quarters with Chennai Veerans keeping the Shers' forwards at bay. Veerans too created good moves with the midfield supporting the frontline and they created some good turn-overs but failed to capitalise on them. But two soft goals in the space of three minutes early in the third quarter by Shers put the match beyond Veerans, who tried hard to come back into the match.
Three minutes into the third quarter, Shers initiated a move on the left flank and Dilawar Hussain moved into the circle on the left goalline and sent a reverse pass to an unmarked Gagan Ajit Singh near the spot. Gagan received the ball, positioned himself and shot into the goal beating Veerans' custodian Sreejesh to put Shers in the lead.
Three minutes later, Shers forced the third of their four penalty corners and converted it to make it 2-0. With skipper Kanwalpreet failing to convert the earlier two short corners with his drag flicks, Shers resorted to an indirect variation. Prabhdeep stopped the ball and relayed it to his right and Jugraj took a weak grounder which rolled into the goal after Sreejesh fumbled with the block.
Dilawar Hussain, the guest player from Pakistan, who was active in the Shers' frontline was declared man of the match.
Shers, who lost to Hyderabad Sultans 0-3 in their opener, now have three points from two matches. For Veerans this is the second straight defeat after their 1-4 loss to Maratha Warriors on Day 2. Both the teams have four more matches in the round-robin where the top four teams play the knock-out semifinals.Chennai Veerans have been percieved again as the minnows of the tournamnent and any victory for them is considered as a bonus.MONEX AND ITS SERVICES
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ALONSO'S SECRET BEHIND HIS RETURN TO RENAULT
"The person who was most concerned was my grandmother, who told me to get out of there, from McLaren," he told Cadena Ser radio late Monday.
"We opted for Renault because it is the most optimistic choice for 2008 and with possibilities to do good things," the 26-year-old Spaniard said.
But he said the French team have a lot to do next season.
"This year they (Renault) were far off and they will have to make a great leap, but anything is possible."
Alonso announced his return to Renault on December 10, ending speculation over his driving plans for the 2008 season.
He won his two titles in 2005 and 2006 with the French team before moving to McLaren with whom he finished third in this year's title race behind Kimi Raikkonen and teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Alonso ended his contract early with McLaren after a turbulent time with a spying scandal and a fractious relationship with Hamilton and team boss Ron Dennis.
But he told Cadena Ser he had no concerns over the same type of tensions with new teammate Nelsinho Piquet at Renault.
"In the end, it all depends on me and it doesn't matter whether my teammate is more or less famous than me. I have confidence in Renault, in (team boss) Flavio (Briatore) and I know that he will manage the team well."Well if Alonso's granny requests him to join Super Aguri what will be his decision!CAPELLO HAS THE CHARM AND ABILITY
New England manager Fabio Capello has the aura to get the current crop of internationals back on top of their game, according to Sir Trevor Brooking.
The Football Association's director of football development is backing the Italian to "rekindle the fire" within the national team.
"The players will respond to Fabio. He has the aura. He will ask a lot of searching questions of players. He knows how to create a tough team." Brooking told the Daily Telegraph.
He added: "Fabio really is mystified why they have not performed at the level they should, Fabio is very much one for getting inside the individual. He will judge them on how they respond to his ways."
"You don't do what he has done [in winning nine titles] without having to make strong decisions. The England players are desperate to achieve things.
"Their fire is strong but it needs to be rekindled to get the best out of them.
"It needs the expertise of someone like Fabio to bring the confidence, structure and blend."
The paper also reports England are expected to organise an extended get-together at Arsenal's London Colney training ground at the end of the season for Capello to spend time with the squad, with the option of two games - including the proposed Wembley friendly against Scotland on May 28.
Friday, December 21, 2007
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MADDY,AMBROSE PROLONG DEALS
Darren Maddy has signed a new 3 year contract which will keep him at Warwickshire CCC until the end of the 2010 season. Darren has also been appointed as Captain for the 2008 season.
Director of Cricket, Ashley Giles, commented, “Darren has been such an asset to the Club since joining last season it is great to secure his services for the next 3 years. He is a professional who leads by example which is why he has been handed the Captaincy for the second year running. He has vast experience in the game and I am looking forward to working closely with him next year.”
Darren is delighted to commit himself to the Bears, “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Club and to be offered the Captaincy two years running is a real honour. I will be in charge of a young team and I am looking forward to rebuilding in 2008 with Ashley and the coaching team.”
Tim Ambrose has returned from India and signed an extension to his contract which keeps him with the Club until the end of the 2010 season.This is a nice news for the Warwickshire county.
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Thursday, December 20, 2007
HENRY STARTS HIS TRAINING ROUTINE
"After some warming-up, the coach (Frank Rijkaard) gathered the team in the middle of the pitch and welcomed the French striker," the club said on its website. The French international stopped training on November 25.
The 30-year-old, who joined Barca from English Premiership side Arsenal during the summer, has scored five goals in the Spanish league and two in the Champions League this season.
He could now be available for Sunday's match at the Nou Camp against Barcelona's arch-rivals Real Madrid.This is a great boost for Henry and Barcelona fans.Wednesday, December 19, 2007
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SPURS MARCH INTO THE SEMIFINALS
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Viagogo is a online site where fans can just buy the tickets for special events and sports and live events in general and sell them to other fans in a secure manner.In other words it is an online ticket exchange.The mission of this website is to bring about efficiency and transperancy in this murky marketplace and thus has allowed the consumers to get the tickets in a safer manner.For ticket buyers this website ensures that the tickets they have paid for reaches in time for that event.If any problem arises Viagogo makes sure that you will get an compensation where you will get another ticket for the same price.For sellers it ensures that money is paid to them promptly.This website offers tickets for the number of sporting events such as soccer,formula one ,golf and tennis matches.Formula 1 tickets are available for various grandprix events such as British grandprix,Spanish grandprix,European grandprix,Monaco grandprix and Belgian grandprix.They also provide Golf tickets for British Open,Ryder Cup and the Masters cup.Various events are updated regularly depending on the ticket availability.They also offer tickets for concerts and rugby events.In this website your major benefit is that there is a guarantee that tickets will be delivered at the right time for the right event.There are also Tennis tickets available for various Grandslam events such as the French Open,Wimbeldon and the Australian Open and also for Stella Artois Championship.Hence I recommend all the ticket buyers to buy a ticket from this website.
ROMARIO SUSPENDED
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WENGER FACES THE WRATH
The ban, for one UEFA club competition match, has already been served, as Wenger was automatically suspended for Arsenal's final Group H game against Steaua Bucharest in London on December 12.
Wenger was dismissed from the coach's technical area after 80 minutes during the game in Spain on November 27 for questioning refereeing decisions.
The decision is not subject to appeal.So Wenger is once again questioned for noteirity and poor sportsmanship.SMORTY AND ITS BENEFITS
MAYO TESTS POSITIVE AGAIN
The Spanish cycling federation in October cleared Mayo, who tested positive for blood-booster EPO during the 2007 Tour de France, claiming his second sample was negative.
However cycling's world governing body the UCI said at the time the second sample still needed to be analysed.
The RFEC have been given till December 31 to look into the case again by the UCI. Should the RFEC decide not to punish the rider, who in theory would be banned for two years for a failed test, the UCI could then pass the case on to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.Mayo is now in for the ride of his life.Online Casino
FERNANDO ALONSO HAS NO CHANCE
The 26-year-old stormed to the championship in 2005 and 2006 with Renault before moving to McLaren for last season's campaign in which he came third behind eventual winner Kimi Raikkonen and team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
He has since moved back to Renault but has dismissed talk of him claiming a third world crown.
"Today that idea is madness," Alonso told sports programme El Larguero.
"You have to be realistic and this year they (Renault) were a long way behind and it's too big a leap.<
"But everything is possible, they have to make the car better.
"We opted for Renault because it is the most optimistic choice for 2008 and with possibilities to do good things.
"However, every team has to make a huge step up in quality for next year because McLaren and Ferrari won all the races this year."
Alonso admitted that when the 2007 campaign finished, he had no idea where he would be racing in 2008.
"I didn't know whether to stay at McLaren or what I was going to do," he added.
"We looked at everything and in the end we decided it would be better to go our separate ways.
"From there I started looking for teams. Almost all the teams approached me, but not Ferrari.
"It wouldn't be right to say that I want to sign for Ferrari barely a fortnight after I signed for Renault but of course it would be nice if I could go there one day."Well Alonso does not have a chance and he is very honest.
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TENNIS STAR ROBBED
A police spokesman said that three or four hooded robbers broke into the house overnight Monday and tied up the 20-year-old Muscovite as well as her parents.
"They then made off with money and goods worth some five million rubles (200,000 dollars)," the spokesman added.
Chakvetadze has enjoyed a breakthrough year on the WTA circuit this year notably reaching the semi-finals at the US Open in New York and is currently ranked sixth in the world after pocketing 1.5 million dollars in prize money.This is investigated by the Russian Police and for latest sports updates tune into this blog.Ashop Commerce
REAL MADRID TEASE KAKA
"The (Real) team is very complete and it would be difficult to make it better," Ramon Calderon told a Madrid radio station Tuesday. "I might appear arrogant, but Kaka would perhaps not have a place in the current Real Madrid team."
The declaration surprised Spanish newspapers, which put it down the "euphoria" ahead of Real's match with arch-rivals Barcelona on Sunday.
The AS and Marca newspapers both noted that before being elected president of Real last year, Calderon had promised to sign Kaka.
Kaka on Monday received the FIFA Player of the Year award to add to his European Footballer of the Year honour.
The 25-year-old starred in AC Milan's run to the European Champions League title, then the European Super Cup and the recent Club World Cup.
The Brazilian is expected to extend his contract with AC Milan until 2012 or 2013, according to Spanish and Italian media.Now Real Madrid it seems are getting frustrated by the Brazilian stars repeated refusals to play for their club.Tuesday, December 18, 2007
WEDDING BELLS FOR WAYNE ROONEY?
"For a while we couldn't make any plans because I didn't know whether I would be playing in Euro 2008," the 22-year-old Manchester United striker told Hello! magazine.
"But when we failed to qualify, as devastating as that was, we were able to come up with some firm dates," he added.
Rooney and childhood sweetheart McLoughlin have been together for five years. The 21-year-old bride-to-be said she had visited potential venues for the wedding in France and Italy, and would also consider a ceremony in England.
The footballer said there was a silver lining to England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008 after they were knocked out by Croatia last month.
"Had England got through to the tournament then we would have married later on in the summer but that meant we wouldn't have had a honeymoon. So I guess there is some upside to it!" he said.This is an momentous occasion in this young superstar's career and we wish him all the best.KAKA THE KING OF THE WORLD
Kaka ha been voted as the FIFA player of the year.The award is the third such award the Brazilian has recieved this year.Kaka plies his trade with AC Milan and won the UEFA Champions league last year with them and he also scored 10 goals for them in the champions league football alone.Kaka polled 1,047 votes, Messi 504 and Ronaldo 426.The poll was conducted among the national coach and captains of all the countries.He has also won the European footballer of the year.Didier Drogba of Chelsea finished fourth in the voting.
PAYPERPOST AND ITS BENEFITS
O SULLIVAN MARCHES ON
'Rocket' Ronnie won all eight frames in a one-sided opening session to the final held at Telford, central England, before Maguire, the 2004 champion, avoided a whitewash with breaks of 99 and 57 to win two frames in the evening.
But O'Sullivan responded with 126 and then a 94 to complete victory.
It was the Englishman's first ranking title since the Irish Masters in March 2005.
"I played great, I capitalised whenever Stephen broke down on 20 or 30. I got into a rhythm, I scored well and put him in trouble," said O'Sullivan.
"I think I've stumbled on a consistency that I haven't felt for about 14 years."
Maguire said: "After I went 4-0 down I was just trying my hardest to get a frame on the board, because the way it was going and the way I felt, I was thinking about the whitewash.
"So at 8-0 I just tried to come back refreshed and I was relieved to win a frame. I had a couple of chances early on in the match, I could have been 2-2 instead of 4-0 down but I missed two reds to a middle pocket and you don't get second chances against Ronnie."He is the guy who must be on top of the world.DRIVEWIRE
Monday, December 17, 2007
ARSENAL ON TOP STILL
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Saturday, December 15, 2007
PIETERSON TO REMAIN AT HAMPSHIRE
Pietersen, who arrived from Nottinghamshire in 2005 under a cloud after Notts refused to release him initially, played in Hampshire’s Friends Provident Trophy against Durham in August but has not figured all that much because of his heavy workload with England.
“I get a really warm welcome from the Hampshire fans whenever I am down at the Rose Bowl and I look forward to that continuing in the coming seasons,” Pietersen said. “Hampshire is a great club with big ambitions, and I want to be part of this.”
Pietersen is clearly a marketing tool for the south coast club given that his image will be used to sell Hampshire cricket products and the club generally.
“KP is a true world-class talent and this is great news for all Hampshire fans,” said Rod Bransgrove, the Hampshire chairman. “We don’t see him quite as often as we’d like, but that’s only because he continues to perform so brilliantly in the international arena.
“We savour the times we have with him at Hampshire and I look forward to seeing him at the Rose Bowl on more than a few occasions next season.”All the Hampshire fans will be looking to some more innings of sheer magic from the man.
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FLYCLEAR CARD AND ITS BENEFITS
Flyclear Card has great benefits and can be used in plane travels.All of us who have been on a plane know about how long you have to wait before you can board because of the annoyingly thorough check-ups you have to pass before you can go on your trip. But from now on you can leave all those controls behind thanks to the new Flyclear card. And it only costs $99.95 a year and the fee for TSA of $28.
To get one, you have to go to a Clear center and present two official identification cards. Then you have to take a photo and give them your biometric information. They suggest that you should have a
So now you can eliminate the stress from your plane trips, not worry about those hidden pierces and miss a lot less planes. The Flyclear has already been put into function but for very few airports like Orlando, San Jose and JFK and the service is not available all day long. But there are plans to expand this technology.After all technology is expandable.
ROBOT KONDO KHR-2HV
Robots have now become a way of our life.Now you can have soccer playing, dancing salsa fighter robot. The Kondo robot KHR-2 HV has improved its looks taking up a more Robocop-ish style. Its features are much more robust and curved then the square-like head the previous one had. And this pretty, very entertaining little robot can be yours for just $152. And there’s not one of us who didn’t want his or her own robot when growing up.
You can also buy him a couple of soccer strips to make the whole thing more real. They only cost $10 each. Now go on and buy yourself a little robotic friend and find a robot playmate.Friday, December 14, 2007
TIGER WOODS CAPTURES THE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
2011 WORLD CUP WILL BE SHORTER
The India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh boards are said to be keen to give the bigger cricket nations more chance to qualify for the later stages after former winners India and Pakistan were both eliminated at the group stage this year in the Caribbean after shock one-off defeats.
“We want to have the eight team quarterfinals directly after the preliminary round of matches between two groups of seven,” an unnamed official from the Pakistan Cricket Board was quoted as saying by Reuters.
He added: “The format on which we have reached a consensus will save time and also provide every team a chance to play a minimum of six matches in the preliminary round before the knockout stages.”
The event in the West Indies in March and April was heavily criticised for its length of seven weeks while only three games in the group stages did not give India or Pakistan the chance to come back and instead saw Ireland qualify for the Super Eights.
Any decision agreed upon by the host boards will have to gain approval from the ICC's executive board before any decision is final.The ICC must take a final decision in this regard.
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PEOPLE HOSPITALISED IN ROME
Seven Manchester United fans and two Roma fans were taken to hospital, most believed to be due to stabbing incidents, but none of them were in a serious condition, Ansa said.
Of the five fans arrested, four were supporters of the English club and one a local.
There were fears before the game that there would be a repeat of the violence that marred the match between the two teams last season but the incidents on Wednesday were generally less dramatic than back in March when Italian riot police baton-charged United fans inside the stadium.
Both Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and Roma coach Luciano Spalletti expressed their disappointment at the repeat of such violence.
"This is something we hoped wouldn't happen. We wanted a quiet night and everyone to go home," said Ferguson.
"These incidents are disappointing, I don't know all the details but I hope all the fans are okay."
Spalletti suggested he thought the trouble was caused by United fans.
"I was told that there were incidents but I don't know all the detials. I know that some Manchester United fans don't behave the way they should in the street," he said.
"I don't know what triggered this but what I do know is that we've lost another opportunity to play a fair game and it's a shame that this behaviour is attached to this great sport."
Groups of supporters threw bottles, chairs and tables at each other as fans packed bars close to the Stadio Olympico.
There were reports of clashes on a bridge close to the stadium with police baton-charging both sets of fans to disperse the trouble-makers.UEFA and FIFA must take measures to curb violence in football matches.