-
Xavi named player of Euro 2008
Spanish midfielder Xavi was named player of Euro 2008 by UEFA on Monday.
The 28-year-old Barcelona dynamo - scorer of eight goals in 63 internationals - was judged to be at the heart of Spain's triumphant campaign which saw them top it with a 1-0 victory over Germany in Sunday's final ending a 44 year title drought.
"It was him (Xavi) who gave the team its tempo," said UEFA technical director Andy Roxburgh.
Xavi scored once in the tournament and also created the goal for Fernando Torres in the final.
more
-
Heat take Kansas State's Beasley with No. 2 pick
Michael Beasley left his workout with the Miami Heat last week, telling confidants that he wanted to begin his NBA career learning from Pat Riley.
He's in line to get that opportunity.
The star Kansas State forward went to the Heat with the No. 2 selection in the NBA draft Thursday night, moments after the Chicago Bulls, as expected, took Memphis point guard Derrick Rose with the top pick.
So barring a trade, Beasley will line up alongside Dwyane Wade when the Heat begin their rebuilding project next season.
"We're here now," the 19-year-old Beasley said. "I'm happy with the decision that has been made and I'm just ready to get to Miami."
Beasley was expected to arrive in South Florida on Friday, when he'll be formally introduced as the highest Heat draft pick in team history. Most of the estimated 4,000 fans at the team's draft party stood and cheered when Beasley's name was announced; one young boy even wore a Heat jersey with "Beasley" stitched over the name of a former Miami player — Shaquille O'Neal.
"I don't think there was any question on our part," said Riley, the Heat president who retired as head coach after this past season. "We love Michael. He's an incredible athlete. He's a great scorer. I don't even want to get into talking with you about the numbers we've analyzed. They're really off the charts."
Beasley averaged 26.2 points and a Division I-best 12.4 rebounds in his lone season at Kansas State. The Heat were largely silent in the weeks leading up to the draft and worked out several other prospects, prompting speculation they simply weren't enthralled with Beasley.
Not even close. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra even called the Miami-doesn't-want-Beasley talk in recent days "a little humorous."
"In the last couple days, we felt very comfortable that if he was available we were very excited to take the pick," Spoelstra said.
more
-
Zheng sees off Britain's Baltacha at Wimbledon
China's Zheng Jie won the battle of the wildcards as she beat Britain's Elena Baltacha 6-2, 7-5 in the second round at Wimbledon on Wednesday.
Zheng has never been beyond the third round at the All England Club but she now has a chance to record a personal best against either Serbian top seed Ana Ivanovic or French veteran Nathalie Dechy.
The 24-year-old Chinese player, ranked 133 in the world, is primarily a doubles specialist but she enjoys playing on grass and arrived here full of confidence following a third round place at French Open.
She built on that with an impressive win over Slovakian 30th seed Dominika Cibulkova on Monday and continued to make the most of her last tournament before the Beijing Olympics.
The Briton ranked 25 places below Zheng, cried tears of joy after her first round win over Angelique Kerber but she was left frustrated by a far more savvy opponent on a windy Court Two.
Zheng was quickly into her stride and exposed Baltacha's lack of mobility with some clever drop shots and astute baseline hitting.
Her returns constantly kept Baltacha off-balance and it was no surprise that she broke in her opponent's first two service games.
Baltacha, a Ukraine-born Briton, whose mother Olga was a former Russian pentathlete and father Sergei played football for Dynamo Kiev, snatched a break back as she gradually found some rhythm.
But Zheng was able to resume control, breaking again in the eighth game to take the set.
The second set was much tighter and Baltacha, putting extra power on her forehands, broke in the fifth game.
Zheng broke straight back but Baltacha was hitting the ball cleaner now and broke again for a 5-4 lead.
The Chinese's resilience came to the fore as she took the second of two break points to stop Baltacha serving out the set.
Baltacha was beginning to feel the pressure and cracked in her next service game as Zheng got the break she needed to go through.
more
-
Italy's Donadoni rules out quitting
Defiant Italy boss Roberto Donadoni ruled out quitting the national team despite his country's insipid Euro 2008 exit on penalties to Spain.
The world champions' rollercoaster tournament ended at the quarter-final stage but 44-year-old Donadoni has come under fire for the team's negative tactics and far from inspirational play.
They were thrashed 3-0 by the Netherlands in their opening game before being held to a 1-1 draw by Romania - although only a late penalty save by Gianluigi Buffon earned them that result.
Italy qualified for the last eight by beating France 2-0 but their opponents had to play three quarters of the game with 10 men after Eric Abidal's sending off.
Without playmaker Andrea Pirlo, who was suspended against Spain, and captain Fabio Cannavaro - the heart of the team - Italy were bereft of creativity and fight, surrendering meekly after a turgid 120 minutes of football and some poor penalties in the shoot-out.
The press speculated on Monday morning that Donadoni will be shown the door but when asked if he will jump first, he was adamant.
"Resign? The thought would never even enter the antechamber of my brain," said Donadoni.
"It's not because of a missed penalty that I'm going to change my opinion of our European Championships, that would be stupid."
Despite his conviction that he won't quit, Donadoni's time looks numbered with many newspapers speculating that World Cup winning boss Marcelo Lippi is set to make a comeback.
And after the Spain defeat, Italian Federation (FIGC) president Giancarlo Abete refused to publicly back his coach.
"It's positive in terms of the quality of the group of players and I'm pleased with the great bond created in the group but we are aware that our overall capacity and skills have certainly not reached the level that we expected," he said.
And when pressed on what Abete had told him personally, Donadoni was not particularly forthcoming with revealing information.
"Just one hour ago at breakfast I spoke with president Abete. I simply told him I was happy to have experienced these two years," he said.
Donadoni took over the post after Lippi resigned following Italy's 2006 World Cup victory in Germany.
Donadoni was given only a two-year contract leading to much speculation even before this tournament began that unless the team went far he would not be offered a new deal.
He turned down a conditional offer, based on reaching at least the semi-finals, but eventually signed a new two-year deal just days before the tournament began.
However, a contract in Italy is no guarantee of remaining in employment and when asked if he thought he deserved to remain in the job, Donadoni preferred not to proffer a reply.
"With respect to those who should decide I'm not going to try to sway them. My record speaks for itself, I'm not going to try to talk it up."
Donadoni admitted that he could do nothing about the speculation or even the clamour for the return of the popular Lippi.
"Seriously you've been writing about his return for two weeks," he told journalists at a press conference in Italy's base near Vienna.
"Hence since I arrived here I decided not to read the comments, neither the positive nor the negative ones."
more
-
Tiger Woods should recover from injuries
Doctors who treat the kinds of knee and leg injuries that ended Tiger Woods' victorious season have one word for his U.S. Open victory — remarkable.
"The fact that he had surgery two months ago and seemed to visibly be in pain with certain shots ... I find it remarkable that he could play as well as he did and win a major tournament," said Dr. David McAllister, a UCLA sports medicine specialist.
Still, there's no reason to think it will be Woods' last — despite needing surgery to repair a ruptured left knee ligament and treatment for a double stress fracture in the same leg's shinbone, experts said Thursday.
But even if Woods returns to playing championship-level golf next year, as expected, his prospects further down the road are uncertain. The repeated wear and tear on his knee, including an operation that will be his third in five years, could result in early arthritis that might eventually slow down his career, said Dr. Charles Bush-Joseph, the Chicago White Sox' team physician and an orthopedic surgeon at Rush University Medical Center.
"Given his natural ability and athletic talent, I think his chances are excellent. He should be able to get back and compete at the same level. How well he holds up long-term over the next five to 10 years, that's what's in doubt," Bush-Joseph said.
Woods, 32, announced Wednesday that he will have surgery to reconstruct the anterior cruciate ligament he ruptured last year while running. It will sideline him for the rest of this season's PGA Tour and likely will require up to nine months of recovery, experts said.
He also revealed he needs time off to recover from stress fractures discovered after his April surgery to clean out cartilage damage from the ACL injury.
The ligament is a band of fibrous tissue at the center of the knee that helps stabilize the joint. When the ACL is injured, cartilage, the knee's natural shock-absorber, can tear, said knee specialist Dr. Nicholas DiNubile, a spokesman for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and consultant to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Reconstructive ACL surgery typically involves replacing the damaged ligament with a piece of tendon taken from another part of the patient's knee. Ligaments from cadaver donors also are sometimes used. Surgeons generally make a small cut below the knee, insert a narrow tube and thread the tendon or graft up the tube and position it into the knee joint.
Woods' decision not to have surgery last year when he first injured the ACL wasn't necessarily misguided, doctors said.
The initial rupture likely was extremely painful, but soreness and swelling typically subside. McAllister said he has treated older, amateur golfers who opted not to have surgery for ACL injuries and continued playing without any problems.
But when swelling and pain recur, it suggests the knee is unstable and probably at risk for damage to cartilage, McAllister said.
DiNubile said delaying surgery might have worsened the damage, but having the surgery would have ruined Woods' season and his thrilling U.S. Open win on Monday would never have happened.
Added Dr. Riley Williams, an orthopedic surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York: "One could say he had a mixed result. He obviously made millions of dollars and had seven or eight more wins on tour. So it's hard to argue with his decision.
"But ultimately — as I'm sure his doctor told him — that knee problem is going to win," Williams said.
Woods' doctors said his intense rehabilitation after his April cartilage operation and preparing for the Open likely caused the stress fractures.
For right-handed golfers like Woods, the left knee takes the brunt of stress from the swing. But the high speed and torque of Woods' well-known "violent" swing puts even more stress on that left knee, said Dr. Sherwin Ho, a University of Chicago sports medicine expert. Ho said that could have contributed to the stress fractures and other damage.
Stress fractures are cracks in bones typically caused by overuse. They can be mild or pretty serious, depending on the location, McAllister said. Treatment includes rest, avoiding the activity that caused the fractures, or surgery in severe cases.
more
-
Recovering Stosur blows into Eastbourne tennis semis
Australian Samantha Stosur stretched her comeback from illness with a charge into the semi-finals of the Eastbourne Championships 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 over Caroline Wozniacki on Thursday.
Stosur, three-times a runner-up on the WTA, achieved her best showing since returning to tennis in April after an eight-month absence due to viral meningitis and Lyme's disease - a setback which dropped her ranking from a career-best 27th to 157th.
The 24-year-old, who has 22 doubles titles, will play for a spot in the final at Devonshire Park against the winner from Russians Nadia Petrova, seeded fifth, and 62nd-ranked qualifier Ekaterina Makarova.
Stosur and the 17-year-old Wozniacki, of Denmark, battled for just over 90 minutes in the swirling wind which characterises this pre-Wimbledon event on the south coast.
"You just cope with it the best you can," said Stosur. "You have to stay positive and try to hit more winning shots than your opponent.
"I'm really happy to be in the semis. I played serve and volley and it worked well. I think you really have to do that on grass."
Stosur fired six aces and saved six of the seven break points she faced in the changeable, sunny condition on the grass.
France's Marion Bartoli, at second the highest seed left in the field, was playing later against Russian Alisa Kleybanova.
Bartoli, the Wimbledon runner-up, has struck a seam of form in perfect timing for next week's return to the All England club, where she lost her title bid to Venus Williams.
more
-
Referee who prompted FBI inquiries works NBA Finals game
Dick Bavetta, a National Basketball Association referee for 32 years who inspired questions in an FBI investigation into match fixing, worked game five of the NBA Finals here.
Bavetta also handled the opening game of the best-of-seven series but that was before former NBA referees revealed that they had been asked about Bavetta by federal agents looking into claims by another ex-referee.
Disgraced former referee Tim Donaghy claimed there was match-fixing corruption surrounding 2002 and 2005 NBA playoff games, including one that Bavetta worked involving the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento in 2002.
But NBA commissioner David Stern defended Bavetta, noting that while FBI investigators asked about several topics, the only charges brought in their investigation thus far have been against Donaghy, who admitted wrongdoing.
Donaghy will be sentenced next month on charges of betting of games that he officiated and taking payoffs from gamblers. His claims came in a letter to the US District Court in New York he hopes will reduce his sentence.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson said he hopes NBA supporters can have full confidence in referees and their calls before October's start of next season.
"We hope the summer brings some things around that will cool this off and we can have some confidence again with the public about our refereeing situation," Jackson said.
more
-
Tennis ace Nadal is king of Queen's
Rafael Nadal was crowned king of Queen's after beating Novak Djokovic 7-6 (8/6), 7-5 in Sunday's final to claim his first grasscourt title and deliver a timely Wimbledon warning to Roger Federer.
Just seven days after winning the French Open on clay in Paris, Nadal showed he has learned to master the unique demands of grass as well.
It was an historic achievement for Nadal, who is the first player to win at Roland Garros and Queen's in the same year since the pre-Wimbledon warm-up tournament began 30 years ago, and also the first Spaniard to win on grass since Andreas Gimeno in 1972.
If he can keep up this form, Nadal's 17-match winning streak could be extended all the way through to another Wimbledon final, where Federer is likely to lie in wait.
Federer has beaten Nadal in the last two finals at the All England Club but if they meet again the Swiss will find it hard to avenge his French Open final thrashing.
"I couldn't have imagined I would be here at the winner after the French Open," Nadal said. "I thought it was almost impossible. This tournament was very, very tough, with the best players of the world.
"When you are tired coming here sometimes it is tough to be 100 percent mentally but the people were very nice to me and that helped a lot."
Djokovic conceded he enough opportunities to have taken the title himself.
"I had a lot of chances. This is not the first time I have a lot of chances against him. But again he managed to come through," he said.
"It was partly was my fault and partly luck as well. I was bit defending too much. This is wrong tactic against him."
Djokovic was in peak form after destroying 2002 Wimbledon winner Lleyton Hewitt and David Nalbandian en route to his first Queen's final.
Delivering a series of power forehands that even a slugger like Nadal couldn't cope with, Djokovic broke in the second game.
The Serbian had a golden chance to take complete control of the set when he won a break point for 4-0 in the fourth game.
But Nadal muscled his way back into the match and broke Djokovic in the next game on his fourth break point.
The tie-break was fantastic entertainment and Djokovic had the chance to serve for the set at 6-5. But, after trading a series of increasingly ferocious groundstrokes, he slipped on the baseline and Nadal was level again.
This time Nadal was finally able to make his move as Djokovic netted a forehand and the Spaniard served out.
After expending so much energy in a losing cause Djokovic could have folded when Nadal broke in the second game of the second set but he broke straight back.
Djokovic was back in the match and looked to have taken charge when he broke for a 5-4 lead.
He was serving for the set but Nadal just redoubled his efforts and another baseline rally more suited to a clay court ended when he broke back.
Nadal scented blood and, after holding serve, he won a match point when Djokovic sent a volley long. He wasn't going to let the opportunity pass and rifled a smash past Djokovic before sinking to his knees.
It might not be the last time Nadal celebrates success on grass this year.
more
-
Bryant leads Lakers to 87-81 win in Game 3
No team in NBA playoff history has overcome an 0-3 deficit. Los Angeles superstar Kobe Bryant made sure the Lakers won't have to overcome that hurdle.
Bryant poured in a game-high 36 points in leading the Lakers past Boston 87-81 in game three of the NBA Finals. That cuts Boston's lead to 2-to-1 with the home team winning every game so far.
Sasha Vujacic gave the Lakers a big lift off the bench with 20 points. Pau Gasol added 9 points and 12 rebounds.
Ray Allen led Boston with 25. Kevin Garnett added 13 points and 12 boards. Paul Pierce, who had been huge for Boston in its opening two wins, had a rough night. Pierce shot 2-for-12 and scored just six points.
After a day off, the series resumes Thursday night with game four in Los Angeles. The Lakers have not lost at home since March 29th.
more
-
Van Nistelrooy enjoys "most beautiful win"
Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy on Tuesday heralded his side's stunning 3-0 win over world champions Italy as his "most beautiful" in the orange shirt of the Netherlands.
The Dutch went top of Euro 2008's so-called "Group of Death" on Monday by stunning the Italians with a comprehensive defeat and they were cheered on by fans during Tuesday's short recovery session.
On Monday night, van Nistelrooy put the Dutch ahead on 26 minutes with a controversial goal - though UEFA said on Tuesday it was valid - before midfielder and fellow Real Madrid clubmate Wesley Sneijder volleyed home five minutes later.
Defender Giovanni van Bronckhorst - who was one of only two survivors from the Dutch side that lost a traumatic Euro 2000 semi-final to Italy on penalties - then completed the rout when he added a third on 80 minutes.
More than a thousand happy Dutch supporters turned up to see their idols train here on Tuesday in the sunshine and former Manchester United star Van Nistelrooy, 31, said the result had been a team effort.
"Yesterday's game was the most beautiful of my career with the Dutch team," beamed the Real Madrid forward who took his total to 32 goals in 62 international appearances.
"All the players were at the top of their game, that is why we won 3-0 against the world champions.
"It wouldn't have been possible unless every single player was 100 percent, but that was just one game and we have to stay focused.
"We have to play France and Romania, both are very good sides."
And Blackburn Rovers defender Andre Ooijer said the Dutchmen must play the same type of fast-paced game which floored the Italians when they play 2006 World Cup finalists France at the Stade de Geneva on Friday.
"We have to start quickly against France, the same as we did against Italy and play our own game," said the 33-year-old centre-back.
After their exertions at Geneva Stadium the previous night, the players were given a light work out by coach Marco van Basten who hailed Monday's win as an "historic feat".
Both defender Mario Melchiot and Real Madrid wideman Arjen Robben trained separately as part of their rehabilitation for groin injuries.
Goal-scorer Sneijder, obviously tired, was satisfied with a light ten minute run before retiring to the changing rooms.
The Netherlands face France on Friday and play their final Group C game next Tuesday against Romania who drew 0-0 with France in Zurich on Monday.
more
-
Celtics hold off Lakers to take 2-0 Finals lead
The Boston Celtics survived a furious fightback by the Los Angeles Lakers to hold on for a 108-102 win on Sunday, the victory giving the Eastern Conference champions a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven NBA Finals series.
The teams now head to the West Coast with the Lakers needing to win at least two of the three games at home or watch the Celtics return to Boston with a 17th NBA title.
Game Three is at the Staples Center on Tuesday.
The Lakers will feel aggrieved to be leaving Boston without the series level at 1-1 after staging a dramatic fourth quarter rally that fell just short.
With the Celtics leading by 24 points and eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Lakers sliced the Boston lead to 104-102 with 22 seconds left on the clock.
But with the capacity crowd on the edge of their seats, Paul Pierce nailed two clutch free throws to give Boston a 106-102 lead and the cushion needed to seal their victory.
"I wasn't happy about the way we ended the game," Celtics coach Doc Rivers told reporters.
"But we're up 2-0 and now we have to go on the road.
"We've got to play through 48 minutes and I didn't think we did that.
"I think we got cute when we got the lead. We started trying to make sensational plays instead of keeping it simple."
Pierce, who injured his knee in the third quarter of Game One and was taken from the court in a wheelchair only to make a dramatic return, showed no signs of the injury to lead the Celtics with 28 points.
Leon Powe, who averaged just eight points a game during the regular season, came off the bench to contribute 21 for the Celtics while Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen scored 17 each.
"I didn't really think about the injury because once I step on the court, it pretty much goes out the window," said Pierce. "I felt good, I just went out and played.
"We did our job, we held home court."
OPENING TIP-OFF
The crowd erupted when Pierce and centre Kendrick Perkins, who was also injured in Game One, took their place on the court for the tip-off.
The Lakers battled their way to a 22-20 first quarter lead but the Celtics responded with a 10-0 run to open the second and did not trail again, taking a 54-42 advantage into halftime.
The Celtics stepped up the pressure in the third quarter, opening up a 16-point cushion before the Lakers trimmed the deficit to nine.
Riding the energy of the crowd, Boston hit back with a 13-0 run to take control of the game, 81-59, in the final minute of the third quarter.
The Lakers, however, began to hit from long range, nailing seven three-pointers in the final quarter -- tying a NBA finals record -- and forcing the Celtics to dig deep for the win.
Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, the NBA's regular season most valuable player, struggled to find his range early on but finished with a game-high 30 points.
"It is what is, they took care of business at home and we've got to go home and try and do the same thing," Bryant said.
"It's not the end of the world.
"We've come too far to sweat being down 2-0."
more
-
Germany's Frings shrugs off injury woes
Germany midfielder Torsten Frings said Saturday he had never feared that an injury-plagued season would force him to miss out on Euro-2008.
A knee problem has seen Werder Bremen star Frings struggle to get ready for the tournament but he said he had always been sure he would make it.
"This season physically I trained very harder than ever," Frings said at the German base camp in the Swiss town of Tenero.
"I know if I am on form I will be in the German team. This season I didn't have much luck with injuries but it was clear once I put together a run of games at the end of the campaign that I would be ready," said the 31-year-old.
Frings, who has scored ten times in 72 games for his country, missed the start of the season, then came back after the winter break only to have to miss two further months.
In all he made only 11 league appearances but insisted that "I feel in good form, I am physically fresh.
"Many of us have bene injured this season and we will see if it's an advantage to be fresher having had those forced breaks," he said, referring to similar woes experienced by squadmates Michael Ballack and Christoph Metzelder.
Germany take on neighbours Poland on Sunday in Klagenfurt, Austria, and will also meet Croatia and Austria in Group B.
more
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)