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Apr 13, 2009
LAZIO Vs ROMA 4-2 DERBY SERIE A 31°GIORNATA AMPIA SINTESI
LAZIO Vs ROMA 4-2 DERBY SERIE A 31°GIORNATA AMPIA SINTESI 11/04/09
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Real Madrid - Valladolid 2-0 All Goals & Highlights [High Quality] La Liga Day 30
Real Madrid - Valladolid 2-0 All Goals and Highlights of La Liga Day 30
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F.C Barcelona Vs. Recreativo Huelva 2-0 Goals & Highlights HQ
F.C Barcelona Vs. Recreativo Huelva 2-0 Goals & Highlights HQ
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Vince Carter Sinks the Buzzer-Beater
Visit http://www.nba.com/video for more highlights. Vince Carter beats the first quarter buzzer with the long three.
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FC Barcelona - Recreativo Huelva 2-0 All Goals and Highlights of La Liga Day 30
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Dice Stacking by BillMcSven - 7x4
"Action in the kitchen 7" yeah :-) pls rate,comment and subscribe me
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Apr 9, 2009
France's anti-doping agency accused Lance Armstrong of violating its rules
PARIS (AP) — France's anti-doping agency accused Lance Armstrong of violating its rules Thursday for not fully cooperating with a drug tester and says it could punish the seven-time Tour de France champion. Armstrong has denied misbehaving during a test of his hair, urine and blood on March 17. No banned substances were found. However, the agency, known as AFLD, said in a statement that the doctor leading the tests maintains Armstrong "did not respect the obligation to remain under the direct and permanent observation" of the tester. AFLD said cycling's governing body has given its permission to open disciplinary procedures against Armstrong, but did not say what the punishment could be. Armstrong, who has had tense relations with France's anti-doping authorities for years, is hoping to win an eighth Tour title in July after having retired in 2005. AFLD president
Pierre Bordry wouldn't comment "because we are entering into a contentious phase, or likely to be contentious." Bordry suggested, however, that the agency has not yet decided whether to seek sanctions against Armstrong. Asked if the agency is launching disciplinary proceedings, he said: "Not yet. We'll see." Bordry noted that the statement does not say that Armstrong is guilty of an infraction. Armstrong recently gave his own version of events, saying he wasn't sure of the identity of the drug tester. At question is a 20-minute delay when Armstrong says the tester agreed to let him shower while the American rider's assistants checked the tester's credentials. "I did not try to evade or delay the testing process that day," Armstrong said in a statement Tuesday. Armstrong was training in Beaulieu-sur-Mer in southern France when the test was conducted. Armstrong said he had returned from a ride to find the tester at his house, identifying himself as a representative of a French lab.
Source: www.google.com
Pierre Bordry wouldn't comment "because we are entering into a contentious phase, or likely to be contentious." Bordry suggested, however, that the agency has not yet decided whether to seek sanctions against Armstrong. Asked if the agency is launching disciplinary proceedings, he said: "Not yet. We'll see." Bordry noted that the statement does not say that Armstrong is guilty of an infraction. Armstrong recently gave his own version of events, saying he wasn't sure of the identity of the drug tester. At question is a 20-minute delay when Armstrong says the tester agreed to let him shower while the American rider's assistants checked the tester's credentials. "I did not try to evade or delay the testing process that day," Armstrong said in a statement Tuesday. Armstrong was training in Beaulieu-sur-Mer in southern France when the test was conducted. Armstrong said he had returned from a ride to find the tester at his house, identifying himself as a representative of a French lab.Source: www.google.com
Bills running back Marshawn Lynch will be suspended three games
Bills running back Marshawn Lynch will be suspended three games by the NFL, according to a Buffalo News report on Thursday.The official announcement could come as early as today.
Lynch was arrested near Los Angeles on Feb. 11. In searching a parked car carrying Lynch, Culver City police found a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun inside a backpack in the trunk. Police also found four marijuana cigarettes in the car, but no drug charges were filed.
He pleaded guilty to having a concealed firearm and was sentenced to 80 hours community service and three years' probation.
It was Lynch's second run-in with the law in less than a year.
In June, he pleaded guilty to a traffic violation and admitted he was behind the wheel of his SUV when it sped off from a downtown Buffalo intersection after striking a pedestrian, who sustained minor injuries. Lynch wasn't disciplined by the league for the accident.
With Lynch suspended, the Bills will be minus the player who's led them in rushing and touchdowns over the past two seasons. Last year, he had eight touchdowns and 1,036 yards on the ground, enough to make his first Pro Bowl appearance as an injury replacement.
The Bills have a solid backup in Fred Jackson, though the team has interviewed several veteran free agent running backs over the past three weeks.
Source: msn.foxsports.com
Bayern Munich coach Juergen Klinsmann is under increased pressure
(CNN) -- Bayern Munich coach Juergen Klinsmann is under increased pressure after their 4-0 Champions League defeat to Barcelona -- described by club legend Franz Beckenbauer as a "catastrophe". The defeat leaves Bayern's hopes of advancing to the semifinals of the competition in tatters and comes hard on the heels of a 5-1 thrashing by VfL Wolsburg in the Bundesliga. Reigning champions Bayern slipped to fourth, four points adrift of new leaders Wolfsburg and Saturday's match against Eintracht Frankfurt is now considered a must-win game for the Munich giants. Beckenbauer, who is now the club president, was scathing in his criticism of the current Bayern team under Klinsmann's charge. "This is a catastrophe," Beckenbauer told Premiere Television after the 4-0 defeat against Barcelona. "This is schoolboy stuff. The first half was the worst I have ever seen Bayern play," he was quoted on Reuters.com. Klinsmann, who enhanced his reputation by taking Germany to the semifinals of the 2006 World Cup on home soil, has found club management more of a struggle after assuming the Bayern hot seat last summer. Strong performances in the Champions League have helped gloss over indifferent Bundesliga displays, but Wednesday's humiliating defeat to the Spanish league leaders underlined defensive frailties again. Club chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was also publicly critical of the performance but said they would not be making a rushed decision. "One should not take any decisions today," Rummenigge told Reuters.com. "It was a disgrace but it is best if you sleep and then deal with these issues rationally." Former German international striker Klinsmann took charge of the Munich giants in succession to Otmar Hitzfeld and promised an improvement in the club's level of performance. Source: edition.cnn.com
Rays get their first win of the season
Tampa Bay 7, at Boston 2: Scott Kazmir pitched six solid innings and the bullpen preserved the lead, giving the American League-champion Rays their first win of the season.Detroit 5, at Toronto 1: Miguel Cabrera homered twice and Brandon Inge connected for the third consecutive game.
Kansas City 2, at Chicago White Sox 0: Zack Greinke pitched three-hit ball into the seventh inning and the Royals' bullpen was perfect in the team's first victory of the season.
at Minnesota 6, Seattle 5: Justin Morneau homered and drove in three runs and Jason Kubel hit the go-ahead RBI double in the fifth inning for the Twins.
at Texas 8, Cleveland 5: Nelson Cruz hit two solo homers and drove in three runs and 20-year-old rookie Elvis Andrus had his first homer for the Rangers.
Oakland 6, at Angels 4: The A's trailed 4-0 before scoring three runs in the eighth and three more in the ninth.
Source: www.latimes.com
Tiger Woods is getting ready to play in his 15th Masters
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Tiger Woods is getting ready to play in his 15th Masters. The 73rd edition tees off today at Augusta National Golf Club. Woods, who rallied from five shots down two weeks ago on the final day to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational, has finished second each of the past two Masters.Woods has one of the latest tee times, teeing off in the next-to-last group at 1:52 p.m. Eastern time. That's just behind the group that includes defending Masters champion Trevor Immelman.
Phil Mickelson is always a fan favorite at Augusta, and he enters in fine form. Lefty already has won twice on the PGA Tour this season and is trying for his third green jacket.
One player who would be defying history if he wins the Masters this week is South Africa's Tim Clark. He won the Par-3 tournament yesterday with a round that included a hole-in-one. No winner of the Par-3 contest has ever gone on to win the Masters in the same year. Since 1989, the average finish for the Par-3 winner in the Masters is 35th place.
Apr 8, 2009
Orlando one game behind the second-place Celtics in the Eastern Conference
Yao Ming scored 20 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, outplaying Dwight Howard and leading the Rockets to a 93-83 victory over the Magic last night in Houston to drop Orlando one game behind the second-place Celtics in the Eastern Conference.Ron Artest had 16 points and matched a season high with seven assists, and reserve Von Wafer scored 14 points for the Rockets, who stayed a half-game behind San Antonio in the race for the Southwest Division title.
Howard had 13 points and 10 rebounds but went 3 for 9 from the free throw line for the Magic, who opened the game 4 for 12 from the field.
Rafer Alston had 15 points and three assists in his first game in Houston since he was traded to Orlando Feb. 19 in a deal that brought Kyle Lowry to the Rockets. The Magic are 18-6 with Alston as their point guard.
Hawks 118, Raptors 110 - Josh Smith had 25 points and seven rebounds, and Atlanta used 11-for-22 shooting from 3-point range to beat host Toronto.
The Hawks (44-34), trying to secure the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, also got 25 points from Joe Johnson and 17 from Maurice Evans. Mike Bibby added 13 points and 10 assists, while Al Horford chipped in 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Chris Bosh had 21 points and 10 rebounds for his eighth consecutive double-double and 40th this season, and Shawn Marion added 18 points, but the Raptors lost their second in a row after winning six straight.
Bobcats 101, 76ers 98 - Gerald Wallace scored 29 points, including the final 4 of the game, and Charlotte beat visiting Philadelphia to snap a three-game losing streak.
Raymond Felton scored a career-high 32 points and the Bobcats recovered after blowing a 20-point lead.
Charlotte moved within 2 1/2 games of idle Detroit for the final playoff spot in the East with four games left.
Hornets 93, Heat 87 - Rasual Butler hit a tying 3-pointer with no time remaining in regulation, David West hit the winning jumper with 8.8 seconds left in overtime, and visiting New Orleans stunned Miami and clinched a playoff berth.
Chris Paul finished with 26 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists, and Peja Stojakovic added 24 points for the Hornets (48-29), who not only clinched a postseason berth but stayed in the hunt for home-court advantage in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
Spurs 99, Thunder 89 - Tim Duncan had 25 points and 15 rebounds, and Drew Gooden provided a needed lift off the bench as San Antonio beat host Oklahoma City in its first game since learning Manu Ginobili would miss the rest of the season.
Lakers 122, Kings 104 - Pau Gasol scored 26 points, Kobe Bryant added 22, and Los Angeles overcame a sluggish start to beat host Sacramento and move within a half-game of Cleveland for the NBA's best record.
Bulls 110, Knicks 103 - Kirk Hinrich scored 25 points to lead five players in double figures and Chicago used a 15-0 run in the fourth quarter to run away from visiting New York.
Trail Blazers 96, Grizzlies 93 - Travis Outlaw banked in a 14-footer with 13 seconds left to complete visiting Portland's comeback from an 18-point second-quarter deficit.
Timberwolves 87, Clippers 77 - Ryan Gomes had 24 points and 13 rebounds and Craig Smith added 16 points for visiting Minnesota.
Source: www.boston.com
Josh Beckett gutted his way through last October
Josh Beckett gutted his way through last October, valiant yet diminished by injury, a fitting lasting image after a frustrating and largely mediocre season. The Red Sox anointed him their No. 1 starter for this season because, despite what happened last year, they have seen and they know what he is capable of."He was on fumes," manager Terry Francona said. "We all know that. But today he wasn't."
Beckett's classic Opening Day start yesterday, the highlight of a 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, dashed the images of last year's weakened ace and reminded all how good Beckett can be at full capacity. In seven innings, Beckett gave as dominant a regular-season performance as he has in a Red Sox uniform. He allowed one run on two hits and three walks while striking out 10.
The outing bubbled with promise that he has morphed into the 2007 Beckett, the pitcher who experienced no health problems and nearly won the Cy Young Award. Starting on Opening Day for the first time with Boston, Beckett carried momentum from his sterling spring training and announced himself as the team's ace, not with words but with the lightning bolts he fired through the chill.
"You think about" starting on Opening Day, Beckett said. "That's something that you're always striving for, to get to that point in your career. It's awesome."
Beckett's 1-2-3 opening inning, which included two strikeouts, betrayed his emotions. "I had to control myself as far as adrenaline," he said. Dustin Pedroia's first-inning home run calmed Beckett. Watching it fly over the Green Monster, "you feel like you don't have to be that perfect," Beckett said.
Beckett's fastball, from the first inning to the seventh, hummed in the mid-90s, topping out at 96 miles per hour, a velocity he reached on his first pitch. He sprinkled in the changeup that he honed during spring training and buckled Rays batters with his curveball.
Of all the ways to measure Beckett's dominance, the best might be this: He did not allow a hit from the windup. Against the 18 batters he faced with no one on base, Beckett struck out nine and walked two.
As great as he was, Beckett said, "I don't think I was perfect by any means." He lost the feel for his curveball in the third inning, when he walked the eighth and ninth batters and Carl Crawford's drive to deep center scored the only run he surrendered. Beckett allowed three of the first five batters he faced out of the stretch to reach base.
But his scant struggles also allowed for a full display of his power. Akinonri Iwamura led off the sixth with a walk, and Crawford belted a double that put runners on second and third with no outs. The Sox clung to a 4-1 lead. The Rays' 3, 4, and 5 hitters awaited.
Beckett had saved some of his most merciless pitches. Evan Longoria popped up behind the plate. Carlos Pena struck out looking at a chest-high, 96-m.p.h. fastball, his third strikeout of the day. Pat Burrell chopped to third.
Beckett walked off the mound, expressionless. "That," Francona said, "was impressive."
Beckett struck out at least 10 for the fourth time in 91 starts with the Red Sox. Of course, he has the potentia
l to do that every time he climbs the mound. But other forces, either his condition or injury, have prevented Beckett from fulfilling his promise with the Red Sox aside from the 2007 season. Take away 2007 and Beckett is 28-21 with a 4.56 ERA with Boston."I can only tell you from afar, but Josh Beckett has got the makeup of one of those guys you just ride," John Smoltz said. "He's had some injuries, and he's had some issues with his fingers that he has had to deal with. For a guy who's been lights out at a time when you want to be lights out, the season from Game 1 to Game 162, I think people are looking for things for him to accomplish that most people think he should have accomplished already. People don't understand how hard that is, whether it's a Cy Young, winning 20 games. It's a very difficult thing.
"I think in these next few years, you'll see it all come together for him. He's got everything you want in a power pitcher. He's fun to watch. If I had to teach somebody the power mechanic throw, next to Roger Clemens, he's right there as far as a guy who gets in position to deliver what I'd call a perfect pitch."
Beckett's first start of the season suggested the year it all comes together may be this one. Francona said all spring Beckett reminded him of the 2007 Beckett. Yesterday only reinforced that.
"We've got a long way to go," Francona said. "But watching the way he's throwing is big."
Source: www.boston.com
Apr 5, 2009
North Carolina tarred and feathered Spartans back in December
'Hometown' team takes down another top-seeded Big East opponent, providing a lift to fans in the economically beleaguered Final Four host city.Reporting from Detroit -- Before Saturday's Final Four game at Ford Field, Kalin Lucas decided to become a Detroit native.
The Michigan State point guard asked to have his hometown on the official game roster changed from nearby Sterling Heights, Mich., to the city hosting the Final Four.
After Lucas' steady play Saturday in an 82-73 victory over Connecticut, the Spartans can set up residency for another couple of days in the hardscrabble city that has embraced them, until Monday's NCAA title-game showdown against North Carolina.
"It is hard times in Detroit," Lucas said. "So we just came out tonight, played hard, played aggressive for the whole 40 minutes."
As they had in the Midwest Regional final against another top-seeded team from the Big East, Louisville, the Spartans refused to back down. They stood toe to toe with bigger, stronger, longer UConn, proving their grit is equal to any opponent's muscle.
"We are the blue-collar team and this is the blue-collar city," said Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo, whose team was seeded second in its regional.
The Spartans set the tone at tipoff, using all of the themes that delivered them to the doorstep of their first national championship since 2000.
When the Spartans briefly tussled with the Huskies under the basket -- sparked when hulking Connecticut forward Jeff Adrien and slightly built Michigan State guard Travis Walton tangled -- they proved that nobody was going to bully them in Ford Field.
"I knew we weren't going to back down from anybody," Izzo said.
Going 10 players deep, the Spartans rotate stars quicker than reality shows. Four players scored at least 10 points for the Spartans, perhaps none more timely than Raymar Morgan's 18.
While center Goran Suton, who was the Midwest Regional's most outstanding player, was quiet with only four points, the Spartans' depth was vital as their bench outscored Connecticut's, 33-7.
Morgan's confidence appeared shaky in three previous tournament games, as he scored no more than four points. Wearing a mask to protect a broken nose Saturday, he looked indestructible, making seven of 13 shots.
"I said if they were going to have an X factor it was going to be Raymar Morgan," Adrien said. "He could've waited a couple of days."
The Spartans played in front of a Final Four-record crowd of 72,456, the majority of whom were dressed green enough for St. Patrick's Day. The hometown following electrified them from the jump, when Michigan State grabbed a quick 9-2 lead.
Connecticut took a five-point lead midway through the first half, but the Spartans came back to lead, 38-36, at halftime -- before the Huskies stormed out of the locker room with a 6-0 run to start the second half.
Durrell Summers, who came off the Michigan State bench to score all 10 of his points in the second half, made a one-handed dunk over Stanley Robinson to provide the Spartans with a 66-56 lead with less than six minutes to play. Two first-half three-pointers by reserve Korie Lucious were valuable as well.
Nobody was more important than Detroit's newest resident Lucas, who used to live at times with his grandmother in the city. He scored 21 points with five assists.
"I thought he controlled the game," Izzo said.
The Spartans also shook the characterization that Big Ten teams can't run by setting the pace against the Huskies, outscoring them, 22-10, on fastbreak points.
"We thought we had depth over them and that's why we wanted to run," Izzo said. "Our league is physical and our league is tough. That helped prepare us as much as anything in this tournament."
The Spartans' defense helped keep UConn's Sequoia lineup from taking over, holding 7-foot-3 center Hasheem Thabeet to a quiet 17 points and six rebounds. Travis Walton held Huskies guard A.J. Price to five-for-20 shooting.
"I think they kind of forget about the hard times," Walton said. "That's one thing we talked about is bringing hope to the city for a whole weekend. For the moment we were on that court and we won that game, people didn't think about what they were going through outside of this. They were just happy that we won and they can continue to cheer for us on Monday."
Source: latimes.com/sports
Apr 3, 2009
Sister has been beaten by Serena
Serena Williams retained the No. 1 world ranking by being the best player in her family Thursday night. Williams defeated older sister Venus 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the semifinals of the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla.It was their 20th showdown, and each has won 10. Serena needed to reach the final to retain the top ranking she has held since Feb. 2.
"I was thinking I'd love to remain No. 1," Serena said. "I think I was more happy about that than winning the match."
If Venus had won, Serena would have been supplanted by No. 2 Dinara Safina.
No. 1 Rafael Nadal lost in the men's quarterfinals to Argentine Juan Martin del Potro, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (3). The upset delighted a partisan crowd that included many transplants from Argentina.
"Wonderful for the crowd," Nadal said. "Terrible for me."
-- The Swedish tennis federation was fined $25,000 and the city of Malmo banned from hosting Davis Cup matches for five years because of the decision to play Israel behind closed doors.
Sweden hosted Israel last month in the Davis Cup, losing 3-2. The series was played behind closed doors because city officials said they couldn't guarantee security at the venue. Critics said Malmo was caving in to threats of violence from anti-Israel groups.
Backes Scored 4
The 6-foot-3-inch, 220-pound winger scored a career-high four goals, including the go-ahead score with 4:07 left, and the surging St. Louis Blues edged the Red Wings, 5-4, last night in Detroit."I don't know what happened," said Backes, who also had his first hat trick. "One of those games where you kind of black out and then they're patting you on the back."
Andy McDonald also scored, and Chris Mason made 34 saves to help the Blues jump from ninth to eighth in the Western Conference playoff race. The Blues are a point ahead of Nashville and a point behind Anaheim.
"We just battled in the third period," Mason said.
St. Louis rebounded from a 3-1 loss in Chicago on Wednesday night that snapped its winning streak at five games.
Nicklas Lidstrom and Niklas Kronwall each had a goal and two assists and Pavel Datsyuk and Johan Franzen each had a goal and an assist for Detroit, which lost its third straight.
Backes broke a 4-4 tie with his 30th goal of the season, scoring on a one-timer from the bottom of the left circle just 36 seconds after Kronwall had tied it on a slap shot from the point.
Ducks 6, Canucks 5 - Corey Perry scored the only shootout goal and visiting Anaheim overcame a pair of two-goal deficits to beat Vancouver for its eighth win in nine games.
Jonas Hiller made 25 saves in regulation and overtime, then stopped Pavol Demitra, Kyle Wellwood, and Alex Burrows in the shootout as Anaheim moved into seventh place in the Western Conference.
Rookie Bobby Ryan and veteran Teemu Selanne each had two goals for Anaheim, and Perry also scored as for the Ducks.
Hurricanes 4, Rangers 2 - Chad LaRose and Rod Brind'Amour scored 28 seconds apart late in the third period, and Carolina beat New York for its club-record 10th straight home victory.
LaRose finished with two goals, and Eric Staal had a goal and an assist for the Hurricanes. They extended their season-best winning streak to seven while surpassing the nine consecutive home-ice wins they had in 2005-06, when they went on to win the franchise's first Stanley Cup.
They haven't been to the postseason since, but they took another step toward wrapping up a playoff berth, jumping past idle Pittsburgh and Philadelphia into fourth place in the East with 93 points.
Corey Potter and Dan Girardi scored for the Rangers, who have lost four of six.
But just when this game seemed headed to overtime, LaRose and Brind'Amour turned a 2-2 game into a comfortable win for Carolina.
Canadiens 5, Islanders 1 - Saku Koivu scored the first of Montreal's three power-play goals, and Alex Kovalev had three assists as the Canadiens opened a season-ending road stretch with an easy win in Uniondale, N.Y.
The Canadiens (40-27-10), who vaulted over the Rangers into seventh place in the Eastern Conference, netted two goals in each of the first two periods and cruised to a critical win over the last-place team in the NHL.
Mathieu Schneider and fellow defenseman Andrei Markov also scored power-play goals for the Canadiens.
Flames 2, Stars 1 - Miikka Kiprusoff made 29 saves, Craig Conroy scored the go-ahead goal, and visiting Calgary clinched a playoff spot.
With a spot in the postseason assured, the Flames can focus on gaining home ice in the first round of the playoffs.
Jarome Iginla scored his 33d goal for Calgary.
Sharks 2, Oilers 1 - Evgeni Nabokov made 25 saves for his 40th victory of the season, and Jonathan Cheechoo and Dan Boyle scored in NHL-leading San Jose's win in Edmonton.
At 51-15-11, San Jose matched the franchise victory record set in 2006-07. Nabokov improved to 40-9-8 and helped the Sharks push their points total to 113 - 3 more than Eastern Conference leader Boston.
Coyotes 2, Kings 1 - Scottie Upshall scored with 5:54 left and Al Montoya made 31 saves in his second career start to help Phoenix beat Los Angeles for its fourth straight home win.
New Yankee Stadium roars
The Yankees' new $1.5 billion show palace opened Thursday with a team workout, and while players were marveling at the computer screens at their lockers, the banquet hall-sized clubhouse and other amenities, they were also working hard to learn Stadium quirks such as how the ball will carom off the outfield walls.Knowing Yankee Stadium's eccentricities could mean the difference in a late-season game against the Red Sox, so it was serious business. Pitchers tested the mound, Jorge Posada checked the sightlines for both hitting and catching and Johnny Damon explored the left-field corner.
But yesterday's workout also afforded plenty of time for fun, both for the Yankees and the crowd of about 20,000 made up of ticket-holders and neighborhood community groups who showed up for their first look at the new ballpark.
Music blared during batting practice as fans pointed cameras toward the field. The Stadium's huge video screen flashed pictures of players enjoying their new home. Derek Jeter slugged a BP homer on his third swing, eliciting big cheers.
"There was a lot of energy out there, which was great to see," Damon said. "It seems like everyone is excited and we're thrilled.
"This is by far the best new stadium out there and it's supposed to be - it belongs to the New York Yankees. Now it's our job to christen it the right way."
"The Stadium is better than even any of us expected," added Jeter. "If you were going to design a stadium as a player, there's nothing you'd add to this."
The team worked out for about two hours, including a session of infield, and will play exhibitions against the Cubs Friday night and Saturday. Several players said the field felt quite similar to the old Stadium, in part because the outfield fences are the same distances from the plate.
A night game and a day game will give the team a chance to see how the lights affect play and how to handle the sun - if there is any on Saturday. Still, as manager Joe Girardi noted, "a park will play differently in April than it will in July."
Damon noted that there is extra room - "maybe a foot or two feet from the line to the wall" - in left field and he was eager to see how more space would change the way he tries to cut off a ball in the corner.
"It's amazing how similar it is to the old Stadium, as far as playing surface," third-base coach Rob Thomson said. "We'll find out how quick the grass is, how quickly balls get into the gaps in the outfield. We'll find all that out."
Bench coach Tony Pena threw some balls to Posada crouched behind the plate and the catcher said the ball came out of the video screen. It's supposed to be dark during play, Posada said, but it might take some getting used to. The "batter's eye," located above the new Monument Park beyond the 408-foot mark in center, was "great," Posada said, giving hitters a good view of a pitch.
There is more room in foul territory near the dugouts, which is good for pitchers who might get an extra out on a foul pop that would have fallen into the stands. But it also might mean a runner can take an extra base after a throwing error in the infield. The backstop is 20 feet closer to home plate than the old Stadium, meaning "I won't have to run as far if a ball gets behind me," Posada said.
Beyond the field, players were gushing over the clubhouse, which CC Sabathia said was the coolest thing he'd seen all day. Girardi said his first visit to the completed park after the team's plane landed Wednesday was "like Christmas morning." Andy Pettitte was delighted by the hot tub, saying, "I'm a whirlpool guy."
Jeter noted it was "a little weird" to not be in the only home park he's ever known. "It hasn't really sunk in yet," he said.
Still, at least one thing hasn't changed at the new park - the expectations are enormous. Asked to assess his team, Girardi said the Yankees were more athletic, better defensively and had a deeper rotation.
"We have a chance," Girardi said, "to be very, very good."
Apr 1, 2009
Association football
Association football
Highest governing body FIFANickname(s) Football, soccer, footy/footie, "the beautiful game", "the world game"
First played Mid-19th century England
Team members 11 per side
Mixed gender Yes, separate competitions
Categorization Team sport, ball sportEquipment FootballVenue Football pitchOlympic 1900
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer (see etymology), is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players using a spherical ball. It is the most popular sport in the world.
The game is played on a rectangular grass or artificial turf field, with a goal in the centre of each of the short ends. The object of the game is to score by driving the ball into the opposing goal. In general play, the goalkeepers are the only players allowed to use their hands or arms to propel the ball; the rest of the team usually use their feet to kick the ball into position, occasionally using their torso or head to intercept a ball in midair. The team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins. If the score is tied at the end of the game, either a draw is declared or the game goes into extra time and/or a penalty shootout, depending on the format of the competition.
The modern game was codified in England following the formation of The Football Association, whose 1863 Laws of the Game created the foundations for the way the sport is played today. Football is governed internationally by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football), commonly known by the acronym FIFA. The most prestigious international football competition is the FIFA World Cup, held every four years.
Gameplay
Football is played in accordance with a set of rules known as the Laws of the Game. The game is played using a single spherical ball, known as the football or soccer ball. Two teams of eleven players each compete to get the ball into the other team's goal (between the posts and under the bar), thereby scoring a goal. The team that has scored more goals at the end of the game is the winner; if both teams have scored an equal number of goals then the game is a draw. Each team is led by a captain.
The primary law is that players other than goalkeepers may not deliberately handle the ball with their hands or arms during play, though they do use their hands during a throw-in restart. Although players usually use their feet to move the ball around, they may use any part of their bodies other than their hands or arms. Within normal play, all players are free to play the ball in any direction and move throughout the pitch, though the ball cannot be received in an offside position.
In typical game play, players attempt to create goal scoring opportunities through individual control of the ball, such as by dribbling, passing the ball to a team-mate, and by taking shots at the goal, which is guarded by the opposing goalkeeper. Opposing players may try to regain control of the ball by intercepting a pass or through tackling the opponent in possession of the ball; however, physical contact between opponents is restricted. Football is generally a free-flowing game, with play stopping only when the ball has left the field of play or when play is stopped by the referee. After a stoppage, play recommences with a specified restart.
At a professional level, most matches produce only a few goals. For example, the 2005–06 season of the English Premier League produced an average of 2.48 goals per match. The Laws of the Game do not specify any player positions other than goalkeeper, but a number of specialised roles have evolved. Broadly, these include three main categories: strikers, or forwards, whose main task is to score goals; defenders, who specialise in preventing their opponents from scoring; and midfielders, who dispossess the opposition and keep possession of the ball in order to pass it to the forwards on their team. Players in these positions are referred to as outfield players, in order to discern them from the single goalkeeper. These positions are further subdivided according to the area of the field in which the player spends most time. For example, there are central defenders, and left and right midfielders. The ten outfield players may be arranged in any combination. The number of players in each position determines the style of the team's play; more forwards and fewer defenders creates a more aggressive and offensive-minded game, while the reverse creates a slower, more defensive style of play. While players typically spend most of the game in a specific position, there are few restrictions on player movement, and players can switch positions at any time. The layout of a team's players is known as a formation. Defining the team's formation and tactics is usually the prerogative of the team's manager.
History
Map showing the popularity of football around the world. The various shades of green and red indicate the number of players per 1,000 inhabitants.
The modern rules of football are based on the mid-19th century efforts to standardise the widely varying forms of football played at the public schools of England.
The Cambridge Rules, first drawn up at Cambridge University in 1848, were particularly influential in the development of subsequent codes, including association football. The Cambridge Rules were written at Trinity College, Cambridge, at a meeting attended by representatives from Eton, Harrow, Rugby, Winchester and Shrewsbury schools. They were not universally adopted. During the 1850s, many clubs unconnected to schools or universities were formed throughout the English-speaking world, to play various forms of football. Some came up with their own distinct codes of rules, most notably the Sheffield Football Club, formed by former public school pupils in 1857, which led to formation of a Sheffield FA in 1867. In 1862, John Charles Thring of Uppingham School also devised an influential set of rules.
These ongoing efforts contributed to the formation of The Football Association (The FA) in 1863, which first met on the morning of 26 October 1863 at the Freemasons' Tavern in Great Queen Street, London. The only school to be represented on this occasion was Charterhouse. The Freemason's Tavern was the setting for five more meetings between October and December, which eventually produced the first comprehensive set of rules. At the final meeting, the first FA treasurer, the representative from Blackheath, withdrew his club from the FA over the removal of two draft rules at the previous meeting: the first allowed for running with the ball in hand; the second for obstructing such a run by hacking (kicking an opponent in the shins), tripping and holding. Other English rugby football clubs followed this lead and did not join the FA, or subsequently left the FA and instead in 1871 formed the Rugby Football Union. The eleven remaining clubs, under the charge of Ebenezer Cobb Morley, went on to ratify the original thirteen laws of the game. These rules included handling of the ball by "marks" and the lack of a crossbar, rules which made it remarkably similar to Victorian rules football being developed at that time in Australia. The Sheffield FA played by its own rules until the 1870s with the FA absorbing some of its rules until there was little difference between the games.
The laws of the game are currently determined by the International Football Association Board (IFAB). The Board was formed in 1886 after a meeting in Manchester of The Football Association, the Scottish Football Association, the Football Association of Wales, and the Irish Football Association. The world's oldest football competition is the FA Cup, which was founded by C. W. Alcock and has been contested by English teams since 1872. The first official international football match took place in 1872 between Scotland and England in Glasgow, again at the instigation of C. W. Alcock. England is home to the world's first football league, which was founded in Birmingham in 1888 by Aston Villa director William McGregor. The original format contained 12 clubs from the Midlands and the North of England. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the international football body, was formed in Paris in 1904 and declared that they would adhere to Laws of the Game of the Football Association. The growing popularity of the international game led to the admittance of FIFA representatives to the International Football Association Board in 1913. The board currently consists of four representatives from FIFA and one representative from each of the four British associations.
Today, football is played at a professional level all over the world. Millions of people regularly go to football stadiums to follow their favourite teams, while billions more watch the game on television. A very large number of people also play football at an amateur level. According to a survey conducted by FIFA published in 2001, over 240 million people from more than 200 countries regularly play football. While football has the highest global television audience in sport, its simple rules and minimal equipment requirements at amateur level, have no doubt aided its growth in terms of participation.
In many parts of the world football evokes great passions and plays an important role in the life of individual fans, local communities, and even nations. The Côte d'Ivoire national football team helped secure a truce to the nation's civil war in 2005 and it helped further reduce tensions between government and rebel forces in 2007 by playing a match in the rebel capital of Bouaké, an occasion that brought both armies together peacefully for the first time. By contrast, football is widely considered to be the final proximate cause in the Football War in June 1969 between El Salvador and Honduras. The sport also exacerbated tensions at the beginning of the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s, when a match between Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star Belgrade devolved into rioting in March 1990.
Laws
There are seventeen laws in the official Laws of the Game. The same laws are designed to apply to all levels of football, although certain modifications for groups such as juniors, seniors, women and the physically challenged are permitted. The laws are often framed in broad terms, which allow flexibility in their application depending on the nature of the game. In addition to the seventeen laws, numerous IFAB decisions and other directives contribute to the regulation of football. The Laws of the Game are published by FIFA, but are maintained by the International Football Association Board, not FIFA itself. The most complex of the laws is offside. The offside law limits the ability of attacking players to remain forward (i.e. closer to the opponent's goal line) of the ball, the second-to-last defending player (which can include the goalkeeper), and the half-way line.
Players, equipment and officials
Each team consists of a maximum of eleven players (excluding substitutes), one of whom must be the goalkeeper. Competition rules may state a minimum number of players required to constitute a team, which is usually seven. Goalkeepers are the only players allowed to play the ball with their hands or arms, provided they do so within the penalty area in front of their own goal. Though there are a variety of positions in which the outfield (non-goalkeeper) players are strategically placed by a coach, these positions are not defined or required by the Laws.
The basic equipment or kit players are required to wear includes a shirt, shorts, socks, footwear and adequate shin guards. Headgear is not a required piece of basic equipment, but players today may choose to wear it to protect themselves from head injury. Players are forbidden to wear or use anything that is dangerous to themselves or another player, such as jewellery or watches. The goalkeeper must wear clothing that is easily distinguishable from that worn by the other players and the match officials.
A number of players may be replaced by substitutes during the course of the game. The maximum number of substitutions permitted in most competitive international and domestic league games is three, though the permitted number may vary in other competitions or in friendly matches. Common reasons for a substitution include injury, tiredness, ineffectiveness, a tactical switch, or timewasting at the end of a finely poised game. In standard adult matches, a player who has been substituted may not take further part in a match. If any team is unable to field at least seven players due to players being injured or sent-off, the referee will stop the game. The game will be declared as a loss against the team who were unable to field the required number of players.
A game is officiated by a referee, who has "full authority to enforce the Laws of the Game in connection with the match to which he has been appointed" (Law 5), and whose decisions are final. The referee is assisted by two assistant referees. In many high-level games there is also a fourth official who assists the referee and may replace another official should the need arise.
Pitch
As the Laws were formulated in England, and were initially administered solely by the four British football associations within IFAB, the standard dimensions of a football pitch were originally expressed in imperial units. The Laws now express dimensions with approximate metric equivalents (followed by traditional units in brackets), though popular use tends to continue to use traditional units in English-speaking countries with a relatively recent history of metrication, such as Britain.
The length of the pitch for international adult matches is in the range of 100–110 m (110–120 yd) and the width is in the range of 64–75 m (70–80 yd). Fields for non-international matches may be 91–120 m (100–130 yd) length and 45–91 m (50–101 yd) in width, provided that the pitch does not become square. In 2008, the IFAB set a fixed size of 105 m long and 68 m wide as a standard pitch dimension for A international matches.
The longer boundary lines are touchlines, while the shorter boundaries (on which the goals are placed) are goal lines. A rectangular goal is positioned at the middle of each goal line. The inner edges of the vertical goal posts must be 7.32 m (8 yd) apart, and the lower edge of the horizontal crossbar supported by the goal posts must be 2.44 m (8 ft) above the ground. Nets are usually placed behind the goal, but are not required by the Laws.
In front of each goal is an area known as the penalty area. This area is marked by the goal line, two lines starting on the goal line 16.5 m (18 yd) from the goalposts and extending 16.5 m (18 yd) into the pitch perpendicular to the goal line, and a line joining them. This area has a number of functions, the most prominent being to mark where the goalkeeper may handle the ball and where a penalty foul by a member of the defending team becomes punishable by a penalty kick. Other markings define the position of the ball or players at kick-offs, goal kicks, penalty kicks and corner kicks.
Duration and tie-breaking methods
A standard adult football match consists of two periods of 45 minutes each, known as halves. Each half runs continuously, meaning that the clock is not stopped when the ball is out of play. There is usually a 15-minute half-time break between halves. The end of the match is known as full-time.
The referee is the official timekeeper for the match, and may make an allowance for time lost through substitutions, injured players requiring attention, or other stoppages. This added time is commonly referred to as stoppage time or injury time, and is at the sole discretion of the referee. The referee alone signals the end of the match. In matches where a fourth official is appointed, toward the end of the half the referee signals how many minutes of stoppage time he intends to add. The fourth official then informs the players and spectators by holding up a board showing this number. The signaled stoppage time may be further extended by the referee. Added time was introduced because of an incident which happened in 1891 during a match between Stoke and Aston Villa. Trailing 1–0 and with just two minutes remaining, Stoke were awarded a penalty. Villa's goalkeeper kicked the ball out of the ground, and by the time the ball had been recovered, the 90 minutes had elapsed and the game was over. The same law also stands that the duration of either half is extended until the penalty kick to be taken or retaken is completed, thus no game shall end with a penalty to be taken.
In league competitions, games may end in a draw, but in some knockout competitions if a game is tied at the end of regulation time it may go into extra time, which consists of two further 15-minute periods. If the score is still tied after extra time, some competitions allow the use of penalty shootouts (known officially in the Laws of the Game as "kicks from the penalty mark") to determine which team will progress to the next stage of the tournament. Goals scored during extra time periods count toward the final score of the game, but kicks from the penalty mark are only used to decide the team that progresses to the next part of the tournament (with goals scored in a penalty shootout not making up part of the final score).
In competitions using two-legged matches, each team competes at home once, with an aggregate score from the two matches deciding which team progresses. Where aggregates are equal, the away goals rule may be used to determine the winners, in which case the winner is the team that scored the most goals in the leg played away from home. If the result is still equal, kicks from the penalty mark are usually required, though some competitions may require a tied game to be replayed.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the IFAB experimented with ways of creating a winner without requiring a penalty shootout, which was often seen as an undesirable way to end a match. These involved rules ending a game in extra time early, either when the first goal in extra time was scored (golden goal), or if one team held a lead at the end of the first period of extra time (silver goal). Golden goal was used at the World Cup in 1998 and 2002. The first World Cup game decided by a golden goal was France's victory over Paraguay in 1998. Germany was the first nation to score a golden goal in a major competition, beating Czech Republic in the final of Euro 1996. Silver goal was used in Euro 2004. Both these experiments have been discontinued by IFAB. Ball in and out of play
Under the Laws, the two basic states of play during a game are ball in play and ball out of play. From the beginning of each playing period with a kick-off until the end of the playing period, the ball is in play at all times, except when either the ball leaves the field of play, or play is stopped by the referee. When the ball becomes out of play, play is restarted by one of eight restart methods depending on how it went out of play:
A player takes a free kick, while the opposition form a "wall" in order to try to deflect the ball
• Kick-off: following a goal by the opposing team, or to begin each period of play.
• Throw-in: when the ball has wholly crossed the touchline; awarded to opposing team to that which last touched the ball.
• Goal kick: when the ball has wholly crossed the goal line without a goal having been scored and having last been touched by a player of the attacking team; awarded to defending team.
• Corner kick: when the ball has wholly crossed the goal line without a goal having been scored and having last been touched by a player of the defending team; awarded to attacking team.
• Indirect free kick: awarded to the opposing team following "non-penal" fouls, certain technical infringements, or when play is stopped to caution or send-off an opponent without a specific foul having occurred. A goal may not be scored directly from an indirect free kick.
• Direct free kick: awarded to fouled team following certain listed "penal" fouls.
• Penalty kick: awarded to the fouled team following a foul usually punishable by a direct free kick but that has occurred within their opponent's penalty area.
Dropped-ball: occurs when the referee has stopped play for any other reason, such as a serious injury to a player, interference by an external party, or a ball
A player scores a penalty kick given after an offence is committed inside the penalty area
A foul occurs when a player commits an offence listed in the Laws of the Game while the ball is in play. The offences that constitute a foul are listed in Law 12. Handling the ball deliberately, tripping an opponent, or pushing an opponent, are examples of "penal fouls", punishable by a direct free kick or penalty kick depending on where the offence occurred. Other fouls are punishable by an indirect free kick. The referee may punish a player or substitute's misconduct by a caution (yellow card) or sending-off (red card). A second yellow card at the same game leads to a red card, and therefore to a sending-off. A player given a yellow card is said to have been "booked", the referee writing the player's name in his official notebook. If a player has been sent off, no substitute can be brought on in their place. Misconduct may occur at any time, and while the offences that constitute misconduct are listed, the definitions are broad. In particular, the offence of "unsporting behaviour" may be used to deal with most events that violate the spirit of the game, even if they are not listed as specific offences. A referee can show a yellow or red card to a player, substitute or substituted player. Non-players such as managers and support staff cannot be shown the yellow or red card, but may be expelled from the technical area if they fail to conduct themselves in a responsible manner.
Rather than stopping play, the referee may allow play to continue if doing so will benefit the team against which an offence has been committed. This is known as "playing an advantage". The referee may "call back" play and penalize the original offence if the anticipated advantage does not ensue within a short period, typically taken to be four to five seconds. Even if an offence is not penalized due to advantage being played, the offender may still be sanctioned for misconduct at the next stoppage of play.
Governing bodies
The recognized international governing body of football (and associated games, such as futsal and beach soccer) is the Fédération International de Football Association (FIFA). The FIFA headquarters are located in Zürich.
Six regional confederations are associated with FIFA; these are:
• Asia: Asian Football Confederation (AFC)
• Africa: Confederation of African Football (CAF)
• Central/North America & Caribbean: Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF)
• Europe: Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)
• Oceania: Oceania Football Confederation (OFC)
• South America: Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol/Confederação Sul-americana de Futebol (South American Football Confederation; CONMEBOL)
National associations oversee football within individual countries. These are generally synonymous with sovereign states, (for example: the Fédération Cameroonians de Football in Cameroon) but also include a smaller number of associations responsible for sub-national entities or autonomous regions (for example the Scottish Football Association in Scotland). 208 national associations are affiliated both with FIFA and with their respective continental confederations; an additional 13 are affiliated to continental confederations but not to FIFA.
Some of the football associations not recognized by FIFA are affiliated to the Nouvelle Fédération-Board (NF-Board).
International competitions
The major international competition in football is the World Cup, organized by FIFA. This competition takes place over a four-year period. More than 190 national teams compete in qualifying tournaments within the scope of continental confederations for a place in the finals. The finals tournament, which is held every four years, involves 32 national teams competing over a four-week period. The 2006 FIFA World Cup took place in Germany; in 2010 it will be held in South Africa.
There has been a football tournament at every Summer Olympic Games since 1900, except at the 1932 games in Los Angeles. Before the inception of the World Cup, the Olympics (especially during the 1920s) had the same status as the World Cup. Originally, the event was for amateurs only, however, since the 1984 Summer Olympics professional players have been permitted, albeit with certain restrictions which prevent countries from fielding their strongest sides. Currently, the Olympic men's tournament is played at Under-23 level. In the past the Olympics have allowed a restricted number of over-age players per team; but that practice ceased in the 2008 Olympics. The Olympic competition is not generally considered to carry the same international significance and prestige as the World Cup. A women's tournament was added in 1996; in contrast to the men's event, full international sides without age restrictions play the women’s Olympic tournament. It thus carries international prestige considered comparable to that of the FIFA Women's World Cup.
After the World Cup, the most important international football competitions are the continental championships, which are organized by each continental confederation and contested between national teams. These are the European Championship (UEFA), the Copa América (CONMEBOL), African Cup of Nations (CAF), the Asian Cup (AFC), the CONCACAF Gold Cup (CONCACAF) and the OFC Nations Cup (OFC). The FIFA Confederations Cup is contested by the winners of all 6 continental championships, the current FIFA World Cup champions and the country which is hosting the Confederations Cup. This is generally regarded as a warm up tournament for the upcoming FIFA World Cup and does not carry the same prestige as the World Cup itself. The most prestigious competitions in club football are the respective continental championships, which are generally contested between national champions, for example the UEFA Champions League in Europe and the Copa Libertadores de América in South America. The winners of each continental competition contest the FIFA Club World Cup.
Domestic competitions
The governing bodies in each country operate league systems in a domestic season, normally comprising several divisions, in which the teams gain points throughout the season depending on results. Teams are placed into tables, placing them in order according to points accrued. Most commonly, each team plays every other team in its league at home and away in each season, in a round-robin tournament. At the end of a season, the top team is declared the champion. The top few teams may be promoted to a higher division, and one or more of the teams finishing at the bottom are relegated to a lower division. The teams finishing at the top of a country's league may be eligible also to play in international club competitions in the following season. The main exceptions to this system occur in some Latin American leagues, which divide football championships into two sections named Apertura and Clausura, awarding a champion for each.
The majority of countries supplement the league system with one or more "cup" competitions. These are organized on a knock-out basis, the winner of each match proceeding to the next round; the loser takes no further part in the competition.
Some countries' top divisions feature highly paid star players; in smaller countries and lower divisions, players may be part-timers with a second job, or amateurs. The five top European leagues – the Premier League (England), La Liga (Spain), Serie A (Italy), the Bundesliga (Germany) and Ligue 1 (France) – attract most of the world's best players and each of the leagues has a total wage cost in excess of £600 million/€763 million/$1.185 billion.
Etymology
The rules of football were codified in England by the Football Association in 1863, and the name association football was coined to distinguish the game from the other forms of football played at the time, specifically rugby football. The term soccer originated in England, first appearing in the 1880s as an Oxford "-er" abbreviation of the word "association", often credited to former England captain Charles Wreford-Brown.
Today the sport is generally known simply as football in English-speaking countries in which it is the most popular football code. In countries where other codes are more popular, the sport is more commonly referred to as soccer. Of the 45 national FIFA affiliates in which English is an official or primary language, 42 use football in their organizations official name (only Canada, Samoa and the United States use soccer). In 2005, Australia's association football governing body changed its name from soccer to football to align with the general international usage of the term. In 2007, New Zealand followed suit citing "the international game is called football". FIFA, the sport's world governing body, defines the sport as association football in its statutes, but the term most commonly used by FIFA and the International Olympic Committee is football.
Highest governing body FIFANickname(s) Football, soccer, footy/footie, "the beautiful game", "the world game"
First played Mid-19th century England
Team members 11 per side
Mixed gender Yes, separate competitions
Categorization Team sport, ball sportEquipment FootballVenue Football pitchOlympic 1900
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer (see etymology), is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players using a spherical ball. It is the most popular sport in the world.
The game is played on a rectangular grass or artificial turf field, with a goal in the centre of each of the short ends. The object of the game is to score by driving the ball into the opposing goal. In general play, the goalkeepers are the only players allowed to use their hands or arms to propel the ball; the rest of the team usually use their feet to kick the ball into position, occasionally using their torso or head to intercept a ball in midair. The team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins. If the score is tied at the end of the game, either a draw is declared or the game goes into extra time and/or a penalty shootout, depending on the format of the competition.
The modern game was codified in England following the formation of The Football Association, whose 1863 Laws of the Game created the foundations for the way the sport is played today. Football is governed internationally by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football), commonly known by the acronym FIFA. The most prestigious international football competition is the FIFA World Cup, held every four years.
Gameplay
Football is played in accordance with a set of rules known as the Laws of the Game. The game is played using a single spherical ball, known as the football or soccer ball. Two teams of eleven players each compete to get the ball into the other team's goal (between the posts and under the bar), thereby scoring a goal. The team that has scored more goals at the end of the game is the winner; if both teams have scored an equal number of goals then the game is a draw. Each team is led by a captain.
The primary law is that players other than goalkeepers may not deliberately handle the ball with their hands or arms during play, though they do use their hands during a throw-in restart. Although players usually use their feet to move the ball around, they may use any part of their bodies other than their hands or arms. Within normal play, all players are free to play the ball in any direction and move throughout the pitch, though the ball cannot be received in an offside position.
In typical game play, players attempt to create goal scoring opportunities through individual control of the ball, such as by dribbling, passing the ball to a team-mate, and by taking shots at the goal, which is guarded by the opposing goalkeeper. Opposing players may try to regain control of the ball by intercepting a pass or through tackling the opponent in possession of the ball; however, physical contact between opponents is restricted. Football is generally a free-flowing game, with play stopping only when the ball has left the field of play or when play is stopped by the referee. After a stoppage, play recommences with a specified restart.
At a professional level, most matches produce only a few goals. For example, the 2005–06 season of the English Premier League produced an average of 2.48 goals per match. The Laws of the Game do not specify any player positions other than goalkeeper, but a number of specialised roles have evolved. Broadly, these include three main categories: strikers, or forwards, whose main task is to score goals; defenders, who specialise in preventing their opponents from scoring; and midfielders, who dispossess the opposition and keep possession of the ball in order to pass it to the forwards on their team. Players in these positions are referred to as outfield players, in order to discern them from the single goalkeeper. These positions are further subdivided according to the area of the field in which the player spends most time. For example, there are central defenders, and left and right midfielders. The ten outfield players may be arranged in any combination. The number of players in each position determines the style of the team's play; more forwards and fewer defenders creates a more aggressive and offensive-minded game, while the reverse creates a slower, more defensive style of play. While players typically spend most of the game in a specific position, there are few restrictions on player movement, and players can switch positions at any time. The layout of a team's players is known as a formation. Defining the team's formation and tactics is usually the prerogative of the team's manager.
History
Map showing the popularity of football around the world. The various shades of green and red indicate the number of players per 1,000 inhabitants.
The modern rules of football are based on the mid-19th century efforts to standardise the widely varying forms of football played at the public schools of England.
The Cambridge Rules, first drawn up at Cambridge University in 1848, were particularly influential in the development of subsequent codes, including association football. The Cambridge Rules were written at Trinity College, Cambridge, at a meeting attended by representatives from Eton, Harrow, Rugby, Winchester and Shrewsbury schools. They were not universally adopted. During the 1850s, many clubs unconnected to schools or universities were formed throughout the English-speaking world, to play various forms of football. Some came up with their own distinct codes of rules, most notably the Sheffield Football Club, formed by former public school pupils in 1857, which led to formation of a Sheffield FA in 1867. In 1862, John Charles Thring of Uppingham School also devised an influential set of rules.
These ongoing efforts contributed to the formation of The Football Association (The FA) in 1863, which first met on the morning of 26 October 1863 at the Freemasons' Tavern in Great Queen Street, London. The only school to be represented on this occasion was Charterhouse. The Freemason's Tavern was the setting for five more meetings between October and December, which eventually produced the first comprehensive set of rules. At the final meeting, the first FA treasurer, the representative from Blackheath, withdrew his club from the FA over the removal of two draft rules at the previous meeting: the first allowed for running with the ball in hand; the second for obstructing such a run by hacking (kicking an opponent in the shins), tripping and holding. Other English rugby football clubs followed this lead and did not join the FA, or subsequently left the FA and instead in 1871 formed the Rugby Football Union. The eleven remaining clubs, under the charge of Ebenezer Cobb Morley, went on to ratify the original thirteen laws of the game. These rules included handling of the ball by "marks" and the lack of a crossbar, rules which made it remarkably similar to Victorian rules football being developed at that time in Australia. The Sheffield FA played by its own rules until the 1870s with the FA absorbing some of its rules until there was little difference between the games.
The laws of the game are currently determined by the International Football Association Board (IFAB). The Board was formed in 1886 after a meeting in Manchester of The Football Association, the Scottish Football Association, the Football Association of Wales, and the Irish Football Association. The world's oldest football competition is the FA Cup, which was founded by C. W. Alcock and has been contested by English teams since 1872. The first official international football match took place in 1872 between Scotland and England in Glasgow, again at the instigation of C. W. Alcock. England is home to the world's first football league, which was founded in Birmingham in 1888 by Aston Villa director William McGregor. The original format contained 12 clubs from the Midlands and the North of England. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the international football body, was formed in Paris in 1904 and declared that they would adhere to Laws of the Game of the Football Association. The growing popularity of the international game led to the admittance of FIFA representatives to the International Football Association Board in 1913. The board currently consists of four representatives from FIFA and one representative from each of the four British associations.
Today, football is played at a professional level all over the world. Millions of people regularly go to football stadiums to follow their favourite teams, while billions more watch the game on television. A very large number of people also play football at an amateur level. According to a survey conducted by FIFA published in 2001, over 240 million people from more than 200 countries regularly play football. While football has the highest global television audience in sport, its simple rules and minimal equipment requirements at amateur level, have no doubt aided its growth in terms of participation.
In many parts of the world football evokes great passions and plays an important role in the life of individual fans, local communities, and even nations. The Côte d'Ivoire national football team helped secure a truce to the nation's civil war in 2005 and it helped further reduce tensions between government and rebel forces in 2007 by playing a match in the rebel capital of Bouaké, an occasion that brought both armies together peacefully for the first time. By contrast, football is widely considered to be the final proximate cause in the Football War in June 1969 between El Salvador and Honduras. The sport also exacerbated tensions at the beginning of the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s, when a match between Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star Belgrade devolved into rioting in March 1990.
Laws
There are seventeen laws in the official Laws of the Game. The same laws are designed to apply to all levels of football, although certain modifications for groups such as juniors, seniors, women and the physically challenged are permitted. The laws are often framed in broad terms, which allow flexibility in their application depending on the nature of the game. In addition to the seventeen laws, numerous IFAB decisions and other directives contribute to the regulation of football. The Laws of the Game are published by FIFA, but are maintained by the International Football Association Board, not FIFA itself. The most complex of the laws is offside. The offside law limits the ability of attacking players to remain forward (i.e. closer to the opponent's goal line) of the ball, the second-to-last defending player (which can include the goalkeeper), and the half-way line.
Players, equipment and officials
Each team consists of a maximum of eleven players (excluding substitutes), one of whom must be the goalkeeper. Competition rules may state a minimum number of players required to constitute a team, which is usually seven. Goalkeepers are the only players allowed to play the ball with their hands or arms, provided they do so within the penalty area in front of their own goal. Though there are a variety of positions in which the outfield (non-goalkeeper) players are strategically placed by a coach, these positions are not defined or required by the Laws.
The basic equipment or kit players are required to wear includes a shirt, shorts, socks, footwear and adequate shin guards. Headgear is not a required piece of basic equipment, but players today may choose to wear it to protect themselves from head injury. Players are forbidden to wear or use anything that is dangerous to themselves or another player, such as jewellery or watches. The goalkeeper must wear clothing that is easily distinguishable from that worn by the other players and the match officials.
A number of players may be replaced by substitutes during the course of the game. The maximum number of substitutions permitted in most competitive international and domestic league games is three, though the permitted number may vary in other competitions or in friendly matches. Common reasons for a substitution include injury, tiredness, ineffectiveness, a tactical switch, or timewasting at the end of a finely poised game. In standard adult matches, a player who has been substituted may not take further part in a match. If any team is unable to field at least seven players due to players being injured or sent-off, the referee will stop the game. The game will be declared as a loss against the team who were unable to field the required number of players.
A game is officiated by a referee, who has "full authority to enforce the Laws of the Game in connection with the match to which he has been appointed" (Law 5), and whose decisions are final. The referee is assisted by two assistant referees. In many high-level games there is also a fourth official who assists the referee and may replace another official should the need arise.
Pitch
As the Laws were formulated in England, and were initially administered solely by the four British football associations within IFAB, the standard dimensions of a football pitch were originally expressed in imperial units. The Laws now express dimensions with approximate metric equivalents (followed by traditional units in brackets), though popular use tends to continue to use traditional units in English-speaking countries with a relatively recent history of metrication, such as Britain.
The length of the pitch for international adult matches is in the range of 100–110 m (110–120 yd) and the width is in the range of 64–75 m (70–80 yd). Fields for non-international matches may be 91–120 m (100–130 yd) length and 45–91 m (50–101 yd) in width, provided that the pitch does not become square. In 2008, the IFAB set a fixed size of 105 m long and 68 m wide as a standard pitch dimension for A international matches.
The longer boundary lines are touchlines, while the shorter boundaries (on which the goals are placed) are goal lines. A rectangular goal is positioned at the middle of each goal line. The inner edges of the vertical goal posts must be 7.32 m (8 yd) apart, and the lower edge of the horizontal crossbar supported by the goal posts must be 2.44 m (8 ft) above the ground. Nets are usually placed behind the goal, but are not required by the Laws.
In front of each goal is an area known as the penalty area. This area is marked by the goal line, two lines starting on the goal line 16.5 m (18 yd) from the goalposts and extending 16.5 m (18 yd) into the pitch perpendicular to the goal line, and a line joining them. This area has a number of functions, the most prominent being to mark where the goalkeeper may handle the ball and where a penalty foul by a member of the defending team becomes punishable by a penalty kick. Other markings define the position of the ball or players at kick-offs, goal kicks, penalty kicks and corner kicks.
Duration and tie-breaking methods
A standard adult football match consists of two periods of 45 minutes each, known as halves. Each half runs continuously, meaning that the clock is not stopped when the ball is out of play. There is usually a 15-minute half-time break between halves. The end of the match is known as full-time.
The referee is the official timekeeper for the match, and may make an allowance for time lost through substitutions, injured players requiring attention, or other stoppages. This added time is commonly referred to as stoppage time or injury time, and is at the sole discretion of the referee. The referee alone signals the end of the match. In matches where a fourth official is appointed, toward the end of the half the referee signals how many minutes of stoppage time he intends to add. The fourth official then informs the players and spectators by holding up a board showing this number. The signaled stoppage time may be further extended by the referee. Added time was introduced because of an incident which happened in 1891 during a match between Stoke and Aston Villa. Trailing 1–0 and with just two minutes remaining, Stoke were awarded a penalty. Villa's goalkeeper kicked the ball out of the ground, and by the time the ball had been recovered, the 90 minutes had elapsed and the game was over. The same law also stands that the duration of either half is extended until the penalty kick to be taken or retaken is completed, thus no game shall end with a penalty to be taken.
In league competitions, games may end in a draw, but in some knockout competitions if a game is tied at the end of regulation time it may go into extra time, which consists of two further 15-minute periods. If the score is still tied after extra time, some competitions allow the use of penalty shootouts (known officially in the Laws of the Game as "kicks from the penalty mark") to determine which team will progress to the next stage of the tournament. Goals scored during extra time periods count toward the final score of the game, but kicks from the penalty mark are only used to decide the team that progresses to the next part of the tournament (with goals scored in a penalty shootout not making up part of the final score).
In competitions using two-legged matches, each team competes at home once, with an aggregate score from the two matches deciding which team progresses. Where aggregates are equal, the away goals rule may be used to determine the winners, in which case the winner is the team that scored the most goals in the leg played away from home. If the result is still equal, kicks from the penalty mark are usually required, though some competitions may require a tied game to be replayed.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the IFAB experimented with ways of creating a winner without requiring a penalty shootout, which was often seen as an undesirable way to end a match. These involved rules ending a game in extra time early, either when the first goal in extra time was scored (golden goal), or if one team held a lead at the end of the first period of extra time (silver goal). Golden goal was used at the World Cup in 1998 and 2002. The first World Cup game decided by a golden goal was France's victory over Paraguay in 1998. Germany was the first nation to score a golden goal in a major competition, beating Czech Republic in the final of Euro 1996. Silver goal was used in Euro 2004. Both these experiments have been discontinued by IFAB. Ball in and out of play
Under the Laws, the two basic states of play during a game are ball in play and ball out of play. From the beginning of each playing period with a kick-off until the end of the playing period, the ball is in play at all times, except when either the ball leaves the field of play, or play is stopped by the referee. When the ball becomes out of play, play is restarted by one of eight restart methods depending on how it went out of play:
A player takes a free kick, while the opposition form a "wall" in order to try to deflect the ball
• Kick-off: following a goal by the opposing team, or to begin each period of play.
• Throw-in: when the ball has wholly crossed the touchline; awarded to opposing team to that which last touched the ball.
• Goal kick: when the ball has wholly crossed the goal line without a goal having been scored and having last been touched by a player of the attacking team; awarded to defending team.
• Corner kick: when the ball has wholly crossed the goal line without a goal having been scored and having last been touched by a player of the defending team; awarded to attacking team.
• Indirect free kick: awarded to the opposing team following "non-penal" fouls, certain technical infringements, or when play is stopped to caution or send-off an opponent without a specific foul having occurred. A goal may not be scored directly from an indirect free kick.
• Direct free kick: awarded to fouled team following certain listed "penal" fouls.
• Penalty kick: awarded to the fouled team following a foul usually punishable by a direct free kick but that has occurred within their opponent's penalty area.
Dropped-ball: occurs when the referee has stopped play for any other reason, such as a serious injury to a player, interference by an external party, or a ball
A player scores a penalty kick given after an offence is committed inside the penalty area
A foul occurs when a player commits an offence listed in the Laws of the Game while the ball is in play. The offences that constitute a foul are listed in Law 12. Handling the ball deliberately, tripping an opponent, or pushing an opponent, are examples of "penal fouls", punishable by a direct free kick or penalty kick depending on where the offence occurred. Other fouls are punishable by an indirect free kick. The referee may punish a player or substitute's misconduct by a caution (yellow card) or sending-off (red card). A second yellow card at the same game leads to a red card, and therefore to a sending-off. A player given a yellow card is said to have been "booked", the referee writing the player's name in his official notebook. If a player has been sent off, no substitute can be brought on in their place. Misconduct may occur at any time, and while the offences that constitute misconduct are listed, the definitions are broad. In particular, the offence of "unsporting behaviour" may be used to deal with most events that violate the spirit of the game, even if they are not listed as specific offences. A referee can show a yellow or red card to a player, substitute or substituted player. Non-players such as managers and support staff cannot be shown the yellow or red card, but may be expelled from the technical area if they fail to conduct themselves in a responsible manner.
Rather than stopping play, the referee may allow play to continue if doing so will benefit the team against which an offence has been committed. This is known as "playing an advantage". The referee may "call back" play and penalize the original offence if the anticipated advantage does not ensue within a short period, typically taken to be four to five seconds. Even if an offence is not penalized due to advantage being played, the offender may still be sanctioned for misconduct at the next stoppage of play.
Governing bodies
The recognized international governing body of football (and associated games, such as futsal and beach soccer) is the Fédération International de Football Association (FIFA). The FIFA headquarters are located in Zürich.
Six regional confederations are associated with FIFA; these are:
• Asia: Asian Football Confederation (AFC)
• Africa: Confederation of African Football (CAF)
• Central/North America & Caribbean: Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF)
• Europe: Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)
• Oceania: Oceania Football Confederation (OFC)
• South America: Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol/Confederação Sul-americana de Futebol (South American Football Confederation; CONMEBOL)
National associations oversee football within individual countries. These are generally synonymous with sovereign states, (for example: the Fédération Cameroonians de Football in Cameroon) but also include a smaller number of associations responsible for sub-national entities or autonomous regions (for example the Scottish Football Association in Scotland). 208 national associations are affiliated both with FIFA and with their respective continental confederations; an additional 13 are affiliated to continental confederations but not to FIFA.
Some of the football associations not recognized by FIFA are affiliated to the Nouvelle Fédération-Board (NF-Board).
International competitions
The major international competition in football is the World Cup, organized by FIFA. This competition takes place over a four-year period. More than 190 national teams compete in qualifying tournaments within the scope of continental confederations for a place in the finals. The finals tournament, which is held every four years, involves 32 national teams competing over a four-week period. The 2006 FIFA World Cup took place in Germany; in 2010 it will be held in South Africa.
There has been a football tournament at every Summer Olympic Games since 1900, except at the 1932 games in Los Angeles. Before the inception of the World Cup, the Olympics (especially during the 1920s) had the same status as the World Cup. Originally, the event was for amateurs only, however, since the 1984 Summer Olympics professional players have been permitted, albeit with certain restrictions which prevent countries from fielding their strongest sides. Currently, the Olympic men's tournament is played at Under-23 level. In the past the Olympics have allowed a restricted number of over-age players per team; but that practice ceased in the 2008 Olympics. The Olympic competition is not generally considered to carry the same international significance and prestige as the World Cup. A women's tournament was added in 1996; in contrast to the men's event, full international sides without age restrictions play the women’s Olympic tournament. It thus carries international prestige considered comparable to that of the FIFA Women's World Cup.
After the World Cup, the most important international football competitions are the continental championships, which are organized by each continental confederation and contested between national teams. These are the European Championship (UEFA), the Copa América (CONMEBOL), African Cup of Nations (CAF), the Asian Cup (AFC), the CONCACAF Gold Cup (CONCACAF) and the OFC Nations Cup (OFC). The FIFA Confederations Cup is contested by the winners of all 6 continental championships, the current FIFA World Cup champions and the country which is hosting the Confederations Cup. This is generally regarded as a warm up tournament for the upcoming FIFA World Cup and does not carry the same prestige as the World Cup itself. The most prestigious competitions in club football are the respective continental championships, which are generally contested between national champions, for example the UEFA Champions League in Europe and the Copa Libertadores de América in South America. The winners of each continental competition contest the FIFA Club World Cup.
Domestic competitions
The governing bodies in each country operate league systems in a domestic season, normally comprising several divisions, in which the teams gain points throughout the season depending on results. Teams are placed into tables, placing them in order according to points accrued. Most commonly, each team plays every other team in its league at home and away in each season, in a round-robin tournament. At the end of a season, the top team is declared the champion. The top few teams may be promoted to a higher division, and one or more of the teams finishing at the bottom are relegated to a lower division. The teams finishing at the top of a country's league may be eligible also to play in international club competitions in the following season. The main exceptions to this system occur in some Latin American leagues, which divide football championships into two sections named Apertura and Clausura, awarding a champion for each.
The majority of countries supplement the league system with one or more "cup" competitions. These are organized on a knock-out basis, the winner of each match proceeding to the next round; the loser takes no further part in the competition.
Some countries' top divisions feature highly paid star players; in smaller countries and lower divisions, players may be part-timers with a second job, or amateurs. The five top European leagues – the Premier League (England), La Liga (Spain), Serie A (Italy), the Bundesliga (Germany) and Ligue 1 (France) – attract most of the world's best players and each of the leagues has a total wage cost in excess of £600 million/€763 million/$1.185 billion.
Etymology
The rules of football were codified in England by the Football Association in 1863, and the name association football was coined to distinguish the game from the other forms of football played at the time, specifically rugby football. The term soccer originated in England, first appearing in the 1880s as an Oxford "-er" abbreviation of the word "association", often credited to former England captain Charles Wreford-Brown.
Today the sport is generally known simply as football in English-speaking countries in which it is the most popular football code. In countries where other codes are more popular, the sport is more commonly referred to as soccer. Of the 45 national FIFA affiliates in which English is an official or primary language, 42 use football in their organizations official name (only Canada, Samoa and the United States use soccer). In 2005, Australia's association football governing body changed its name from soccer to football to align with the general international usage of the term. In 2007, New Zealand followed suit citing "the international game is called football". FIFA, the sport's world governing body, defines the sport as association football in its statutes, but the term most commonly used by FIFA and the International Olympic Committee is football.
LeBron James scored 25 points
LeBron James scored 25 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a team-record 13th consecutive win on Wednesday with a 79-73 victory over the Detroit Pistons.James tallied eight of his total in a 10-0 fourth-quarter run that enabled the Cavaliers to pull away from the visitors and increase their NBA-best record to 61-13. The Eastern Conference leaders are 36-1 at home this season.
The come-from-behind win netted the Cavaliers their first season-series triumph over their heated rivals in 11 years after capturing three of this season's four games.
"That was a good, ugly, physical, grind-it-out type game," Cleveland coach Mike Brown told reporters. "We used to have a lot of those in the past, and it's fun to get back to that."
James also had 12 rebounds, three assists and three steals.
"Every win is not going to be pretty but we found a way to win," he said.
The All-Star forward helped ensure the victory when he poked the ball away from Pistons guard Will Bynum in the fourth quarter.
Cleveland's Mo Williams grabbed the loose ball and tossed it to James for a layup, despite being fouled, to tie the score at 69-69 with 4:37 to play.
James's free throw on the play put Cleveland ahead to stay.
Delonte West had 12 points, while Anderson Varejao and Williams each scored 11 for the Cavaliers.
Richard Hamilton (13) and Allen Iverson (11) were the only Detroit players to reach double figures.
Rasheed Wallace added nine points and nine rebounds in his first game back after missing 11 contests with a calf injury.
John Calipari accepts Kentucky offer
John Calipari agreed yesterday to leave Memphis and the dominant program he built and take on the challenge - and riches - of returning Kentucky to college basketball glory.Calipari will receive an eight-year, $31.65 million deal plus incentives, according to the university, making him the highest-paid coach in college basketball. The school also will pay Memphis a $200,000 buyout.
The 50-year-old Calipari has a career record of 445-140 in 17 seasons. He chose to leave Memphis after nine seasons of success, including a record of 137-14 over the past four years.
Calipari spent the day considering the Wildcats' lucrative offer and calling former Kentucky coaches, including Joe B. Hall.
Hall said the informal chat centered on what it takes to survive one of college basketball's most prestigious, most scrutinized, and most lucrative jobs. Kentucky fired Billy Gillispie Friday after two disappointing seasons.
The Commercial Appeal of Memphis first reported the hiring.
Tigers walk-on Preston Laird said Calipari met with the team yesterday afternoon, first as a group and then with individual players, including Laird. The freshman guard described the meeting as very quiet, "Nobody really said anything."
"He started off by telling us it was the hardest day of his life," Laird said.
But the guard said Calipari wasn't very specific.
"He can't say that he's taking it, but he said he was probably going to sign the contract," Laird told a reporter.
Kentucky spokesman DeWayne Peevy would not confirm a deal had been reached.
"I'm waiting on my boss to tell me it's a done deal," he said.
Memphis spokesman Bob Winn confirmed athletic director R.C. Johnson had spoken with Calipari. Asked if Calipari had told Johnson he was taking the Kentucky job, Winn declined to comment.
Memphis has scheduled a news conference for noon today, when Johnson will discuss the future of the basketball program.
BU continues search
The search for a men's basketball coach for Boston University will move to the Final Four in Detroit, where athletic director Mike Lynch hopes to wrap up the interview process and name a coach in the next few days. Tennessee associate head coach Tony Jones appears to be the leading candidate after Cornell coach Steve Donahue told BU officials he was not interested in leaving the school.Jones, who interviewed for the job last week, said he had not heard from BU officials. "I think it's a great job," said Jones. "Great city, great pro town, and a great college town."
Rob Burke, an associate coach at Georgetown, was in Boston last week for an interview, said a source at Georgetown. BU officials also met with Villanova assistant Pat Chambers last weekend.
Lynch and other BU officials will be in Detroit finalizing the hiring process, which could include interviews with Louisville assistant Richard Pitino, Pittsburgh assistant Tom Herrion, Boston College assistant Pat Duquette, Texas A&M assistant and BU graduate Scott Spinelli, and Bentley coach Jay Lawson.
A late entry to the list could be Navy coach Billy Lange. Lange, who has Big East ties from his time on Jay Wright's staff at Villanova, has spent four seasons at Navy.
Lynch and his staff also have spent the last few days attempting to persuade members of the basketball team, who expressed a loyalty to former BU coach Dennis Wolff, not to transfer. Having a new coach in place could help ease the situation.
Paris earns honors
Courtney Paris of Oklahoma became the first four-time All-American in women's college basketball, and sophomore Maya Moore of Connecticut was a unanimous selection in her second appearance on the AP's All-America team.
Moore is joined on the first team by teammate Renee Montgomery and seniors Angel McCoughtry of Louisville and Kristi Toliver of Maryland. Auburn forward DeWanna Bonner leads the second team and is joined by Jayne Appel of Stanford, Marissa Coleman of Maryland, Tina Charles of UConn, and Jantel Lavender of Ohio State.
Penn St., Baylor win
In men's NIT semifinal action last night at New York, Talor Battle scored 17 points, Andrew Jones had career highs of 16 points and 15 rebounds, and Penn State hung on for dear life after squandering a big lead for a 67-59 victory over Notre Dame. Jamelle Cornley added 15 points and Stanley Pringle had 10 for the Nittany Lions (26-11), who set a school record for wins in a season and will play Baylor for the championship tomorrow night. In the earlier semifinal, Curtis Jerrells scored 25 points and LaceDarius Dunn had 23, leading Baylor into the championship game with a 76-62 victory over San Diego State . . . Purdue center JaJuan Johnson has decided to return for his junior year after having a breakout season. The All-Big Ten selection says he's not ready for the NBA, and he will focus on getting stronger and improving his shot . . . The University of Virginia says new men's coach Tony Bennett has agreed to "a memorandum of understanding" that will pay him $1.7 million annually for five years. Virginia also said Bennett will receive a $500,000 signing bonus and another $500,000 if he stays five years. Bennett, 39, was hired Monday after three years at Washington State. He had a 68-30 record with the Cougars and twice took Washington State to the NCAA Tournament . . . A Virginia Commonwealth official says the school has picked Florida assistant Shaka Smart to be its men's basketball coach. The official said Smart has not signed a contract, but an announcement is planned for tomorrow . . . Missouri men's coach Mike Anderson passed up a sizable raise offered by Georgia to instead sign a new seven-year contract with the school he helped lead to the brink of the Final Four. The university said financial details of the deal will be announced later.News Source: boston.com
Mar 26, 2009
World Track Cycling Chamionships,Two silvers for GB on opening day
Venue: Pruszkow, Poland Dates: 25-29 March Coverage: Live on BBC Two
Great Britain won two silver and two bronze medals but could not secure a victory on day one at track cycling's World Championships in Poland.
Great Britain won two silver and two bronze medals but could not secure a victory on day one at track cycling's World Championships in Poland. Wendy Houvenaghel was overhauled by New Zealander Alison Shanks in the individual pursuit final.
With Chris Hoy out injured, GB's Olympic champion team sprint trio were 0.3 seconds behind France.
And there were bronze medals for Chris Newton in the points race and Victoria Pendleton in the 500m time trial.
Matthew Crampton stood in for Hoy to join Jamie Staff and Jason Kenny in the team sprint, seeking to win Britain's first world title in the event since 2005.
But they were slower than defending champions France in qualifying and struggled to stay together as a trio in the final.
With Chris Hoy out injured, GB's Olympic champion team sprint trio were 0.3 seconds behind France.
And there were bronze medals for Chris Newton in the points race and Victoria Pendleton in the 500m time trial.
Matthew Crampton stood in for Hoy to join Jamie Staff and Jason Kenny in the team sprint, seeking to win Britain's first world title in the event since 2005.
But they were slower than defending champions France in qualifying and struggled to stay together as a trio in the final.
Crampton, 22, dropped off the pace in the opening lap and said: "It was a tough ride. I just lost a load of momentum.
"The first round was really good but the final didn't happen. But a silver medal is awesome - I've got to be happy."
Veteran Staff added: "We're a bit disappointed but we gave it our best.
"It's been such a hard time since the Games. We've been really busy and the intensity in training has been nothing compared to before the Olympics.
"We're just here to enjoy it. I'm sure by the end of the week we'll have at least four or five golds but we're a bit disappointed we didn't bring one of them home."
Houvenaghel, from County Londonderry in Northern Ireland, won an Olympic silver medal in the individual pursuit in Beijing behind Rebecca Romero, who is taking a year off.
The 34-year-old was fastest in qualifying and led the early part of the 4km final but she began to flag at the half-way mark and finished 2.7 sec behind her qualifying mark, 2.3 sec behind Shanks.
"Having the two races quite close to each other took a bit more out of me than it did for Alison," said Houvenaghel.
Her GB team-mate Joanna Rowsell, 20, was pleased to finish fourth in her first individual event at a world championships.
Lithuania's Simona Krupeckaite set a new 500m time trial world record of 33.296 seconds but Pendleton, 28, was delighted to finish third in 34.102 sec.
She will compete in four events in all at these championships, adding the time trial and keirin to the events she won last year - the individual sprint and the team sprint, with Shanaze Reade.
"I was thinking at best I might podium so I'm absolutely delighted," said Pendleton.
Newton, who won the World Cup Series title in the points race this season, was left with too much to do as Australian Cameron Meyer was among a group of attacking riders in the final laps.
"It was a tough one but they always are. There were a lot of people watching me but some other riders who were strong favourites," he said.
News Source : news.bbc.co.uk
Lewis Hamilton Has Hinted He May Have To Look Elsewhere.............
Lewis Hamilton has hinted he may have to look elsewhere if McLaren continue to struggle and not live up to his expectations.McLaren have been working 24/7 to correct the issues, and they have made significant progress from just a few weeks ago when it quickly became apparent they were miles off the pace.
Hamilton knows there is now little he can do at Melbourne's Albert Park on Sunday, other than give it his all.
"It's been a long, long break since the last grand prix, and we've come here not knowing what to expect," said the 24-year-old.
"I feel very proud to be here as world champion, to have realised a dream I had long held.
"I have reset my targets, and the goal now is to be world champion again.
"You can improve and you can always try to be better. Now we will just try and do the best job we can."
Hamilton, though, will not have enamoured team bosses by claiming he would listen to other offers if approached.
It goes against the grain of comments made at the end of last year when he stated he would love to see out his career with McLaren.
Now, with McLaren clearly struggling, he has opened the door for a potential escape should the team fail to resolve their concerns.
"I haven't had offers from other teams, and I am not talking to anyone," insisted Hamilton.
"But I would listen to an offer if someone asked. It would be a compliment, and it would be silly if I did not."
News source :espnstar.com
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