Charles Barkley might not be long for TNT's NBA studio. "I'm going to be a GM sooner or later," Barkley said. "There is no rush for me.'' Where might it be, Sir Charles? "Anywhere I want to," Barkley said. "I'll tell you what, I could do a lot better than some of the [expletives] who are running teams right now.''
-- New York Post

Isiah Thomas called Phil Jackson an "attractive candidate" Thursday night before quickly reminding reporters that the Knicks' head coaching job is currently held by Lenny Wilkens.
-- New York Daily News

They're talking behind Nate McMillan's back in Seattle and wondering how long Mark Cuban will support Don Nelson if the Mavericks can't win some important games at the defensive end.
-- New York Post

Eddie Jordan may be in trouble if the Wizards don't reach the playoffs. His hiring was a shotgun wedding enforced by owner Abe Pollin; he's not really Ernie Grunfeld's man.
-- New York Post

Blazers management thinks Maurice Cheeks is not demanding enough from the players, saying he prefers to be one of the boys vs. their boss.
-- New York Post

Sonics forward Danny Fortson filed a defamation suit against Suns chairman and CEO Jerry Colangelo, the New York Post and columnist Peter Vecsey after they referred to him as a "thug" following a November game.
-- Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

With a partial ligament elbow tear less than a week before Tuesday's season opener in Detroit, Yao Ming faces the possibility of missing a game for the first time in his NBA career. The Rockets hope to put Yao through a workout Saturday and test his ability to return to full practices by Sunday.
-- Houston Chronicle

In the first major step of an inspirational comeback, Alonzo Mourning was a physical presence before fouling out with 12 points, five rebounds and two blocks in 19 minutes. Mourning is back, and the question is how long does he want to remain with the Nets? He reiterated he'd rather be playing for a contender than a dismantled team.
-- New York Daily News

Jason Kidd, who was highly annoyed by the Nets' offseason moves, particularly the giveaway of Kenyon Martin, declined to address his future.
-- New York Post

The T'wolves are still interested in a trade with New Jersey if Kidd's knee is 100 percent.
-- Minneapolis Star Tribune

Escrito por fraja8 às 16h31
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Londres (Inglaterra) - Embora o presidente Marcelo Teixeira já tenha avisado que Robinho não sairá do Santos durante sua administração, dificilmente o dirigente conseguirá manter o atacante na Baixada. Depois de ser dada como certa, a negociação do jogador com o Benfica pode ir água abaixo com a entrada de mais um clube europeu no páreo: o Chelsea. A equipe inglesa sempre demonstrou interesse em levar o jovem santista, mas as propostas nunca agradaram a diretoria do Peixe. Agora, porém, parece irrecusável. Segundo o jornal britânico Times, o time do magnata russo Roman Abramovich estaria disposto a pagar 10 milhões de libras (cerca de R$ 52,5 milhões) pelo passe de Robinho. Com o retorno do Chelsea à briga pelo passe do atacante, o Benfica pode ter perdido espaço. O representante do clube que está responsável pela negociação já disse que o único medo dos portugueses era a possibilidade de o Santos receber uma proposta maior por parte de outro clube europeu. Vale lembrar que no início do mês de outubro, o holandês PSV Eindhoven também havia manifestado interesse em contratar Robinho. Enquanto isso, a diretoria santista segue dizendo que não está disposta a conversar com nenhum time da Europa e que o atacante cumprirá seu contrato até o final, acordo esse que foi prorrogado até dezembro de 2008.

Escrito por fraja8 às 16h26
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Atacante do Bétis, que operou o joelho, teve alta nesta sexta-feira. Amanhã, irá retomar os treinamentos.

SEVILHA - O jogador Denílson, do clube espanhol Real Betis, recebeu alta nesta sexta-feira e a partir de amanhã começará a trabalhar sob as ordens do técnico Lorenzo Serra Ferrer, confirmou Tomás Calero, chefe dos serviços médicos do clube.
"Era um dia esperado por todos porque terminou a primeira etapa da recuperação de Denílson, que era a observação no trabalho fora de campo do jogador" após a operação do joelho, explicou o médico do Betis.
Para Tomás Calero "agora começa a segunda etapa, que é o trabalho com a bola, e, por último, vê-lo em competição".
A partir de agora, se a recuperação continuar por um bom caminho, o jogador estaria em condições de competir dentro de, aproximadamente, um mês.
Denílson teve o joelho direito operado no dia 15 de julho, em uma clínica de Sevilha, com problemas nas cartilagens da articulação.

Escrito por fraja8 às 16h12
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Rei do Futebol não poupa elogios ao astro do Barça e afirma que Adriano, da Inter de Milão, é o novo fenômeno

ROMA - O meia ofensivo Ronaldinho Gaúcho é um "artista da bola", afirmou em entrevista ao jornal "La Gazzetta dello Sport" o ex-craque Pelé, que está em Milão para assistir à projeção de um documentário sobre sua vida.
"Ronaldinho um líder? Não, ele é um artista da bola, e já o demonstrou na última Copa. Lutará pelo reconhecimento (de melhor jogador do mundo segundo a Fifa) no final do ano", declarou Pelé.
O ex-jogador também comentou o bom momento vivido pelo atacante Adriano, do Inter de Milão, apontado na Itália como um novo "fenômeno".
De acordo com Pelé, o ex-jogador do Flamengo "ainda não é" um fenômeno. "Talvez chegue a sê-lo. Atualmente, ele é um ótimo jogador, um dos melhores atacantes em circulação, mas com notáveis margens de melhora".
O tricampeão mundial afirmou que o estilo de força de Adriano lembra o do italiano Christian Vieiri, e disse ter "certeza" de que o jogador do Inter de Milão pode formar a dupla de ataque da seleção brasileira com Ronaldo, do Real Madrid.

Ainda falando sobre jogaores brasileiros que atuam na Itália, Pelé disse que o ex-são-paulino Kaká, atualmente no Milan, "é o novo Cruyff".
"Nos meses em que ele está na Itália vem jogando muito bem, melhorou no aspecto defesensivo e demonstrou grande personalidade, sobretudo em momentos difíceis", afirmou.
Pelé, que há seis dias completou 64 anos, afirmou que a seleção brasileira tem um grande futuro, pois conta com muitos jogadores de
talento, como Ronaldo, Ronaldinho Gaúcho, Adriano e Kaká.
"Mas o difícil para (o técnico Carlos Alberto) Parreira é fazer coexistir quatro grandes campeões", disse. "No passado, jogava-se com um 4-2-4. Não gosto das comparações, mas não acho que nosso atual técnico possa abandonar o 4-4-2".
O ex-jogador disse que considera o Brasil o grande favorito para ganhar a Copa de 2006, mas alterou que a Argentina e a França também começaram o Mundial de 2002 como os times mais cotados para levar o título e acabaram sendo eliminadas na primeira fase.
Pelé afirmou não entender a exclusão do meia Émerson, do Juventus, da seleção brasileira. "Ele não é Falcão nem Cerezo, mas acho que seu jogo é mais apreciado na Europa", afirmou.
O ex-jogador disse que as grandes seleções européias, como a Itália, que fracassaram na Eurocopa, pagaram o preço por chegar ao torneio "em condições físicas insuficientes".

De acordo com o ex-craque, o brasileiro Luiz Felipe Scolari, técnico da seleção de Portugal, que ficou em segundo lugar, "fez um belo papel", e a Grécia ganhou o título "com a defesa e o contra-ataque". No entanto, Pelé afirmou que não gosta das as equipes que jogam com libero.
O ex-jogador disse ser triste o fato de grandes jogadores, como os franceses Zinedine Zidane e Lilian Thuram, o português Rui Costa e o tcheco Pavel Nedved, terem se despedido das seleções de seus países depois da Eurocopa 2004.
Falando da escolha do "Bola de Ouro do Futebol Europeu" e do melhor jogador do mundo segundo a Fifa de 2004, o ex-jogador apontou os nomes do italiano Paolo Maldini, do Milan, e do brasileiro Roberto Carlos, do Real Madrid.
"Sempre se fala de atacantes. Acho que este é o ano certo para premiar a carreira extraordinária de Paolo Maldini, que continua sendo um grande jogador da defesa do Milan. E, por que não, para reconhecer Roberto Carlos, que já merecia (ser preimado) no último ano", disse.

Escrito por fraja8 às 16h08
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A cúpula da Uefa, entidade que administra o futebol na Europa, estuda a possibilidade de obrigar todas as equipes do continente de manter uma espécie de 'base caseira' em seus respectivos elencos, entre seis e oito jogadores formados nas categorias de base locais, abaixo dos 25 anos.
A informação foi publicada na edição desta sexta-feira do jornal inglês Daily Telegraph.
A possível iniciativa teria como objetivo final preservar a identidade dos clubes europeus. Na avaliação da Uefa, atualmente as equipes do continente extrapolam no número de jogadores estrangeiros, se aproveitando do precedente de atleta comunitário, ou seja, aqueles que possuem passaportes de uma das nações que integram a UE (União Européia).
Na avaliação da entidade, continua a reportagem do Daily Telegraph, os principais clubes estão passando dos limites com o recurso de forçarem jogadores de outros continentes a naturalização ou na obtenção de outra cidadania.
Para ilustrar a situação, o Chelsea, primeira equipe da Europa a jogar uma partida com 11 titulares estrangeiros (no final da década de 90), atualmente dispõe em seu elenco 19 jogadores estrangeiros, contra apenas sete ingleses (três começaram no clube).
O Milan, atual campeão italiano, é outro bom exemplo, com 14 não-italianos em suas fileiras, contra dez 'nacionais'. Destes, seis começaram nas categorias de base do clube.

Escrito por fraja8 às 15h58
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The city of Boston will host a parade on Saturday to honor the Red Sox’ World Series victory. The BOSTON GLOBE reports that as many as 3.6 million people are expected to attend. The parade will begin at 10:00am ET at Fenway Park and stretch three miles to City Hall. Red Sox President & CEO Larry Lucchino: “We’re all in uncharted territory here. But we do know that we will give our fans a chance to salute our players and will give our players a chance to salute our fans”.

The BOSTON HERALD reports that Boston TV stations “plan to bring in the big guns for the event.” WBZ-CBS anchors Josh Binswanger and Lisa Hughes and Sports Dir Bob Lobel will host the station’s coverage from a site on the route, while WCVB-ABC “will bring in Natalie Jacobson and sports anchor Mike Lynch. Randy Price and Caterina Bandini will anchor” for WHDH-NBC.

Escrito por fraja8 às 15h54
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Lone Star Park will host the Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships on Saturday. NBC will air live coverage of the event from 1:00-6:00pm ET.

NBC Producer David Michaels said of the net’s coverage, “We’re experimenting with a thing that we used in Athens. For lack of a better word, I’ve named it super-duper slo-mo. It’s a camera that shoots about 1000 frames a second. We will be able to see the starting gate, and the break from the gate in a way that we’ve never seen it before.” Michaels, on the track: “The track is a beautiful place and when you see it on the air on the weekend, they’ve got grandstands around; it looks like a NASCAR race and it’s really pretty exciting. We don’t know what the challenges will be for doing it at a first-time track because there are a lot of good things that you can’t really rehearse until they actually happen, but so far, so good” .

The FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM notes that with seven of the eight Horse of the Year candidates running Saturday, “NBC has plenty of compelling stories to follow.” Smarty Jones is the only candidate not running

Escrito por fraja8 às 15h48
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PARIS (AFP) - World number one Roger Federer confirmed that he will not take part in the 2.45-million-euro Paris Masters here next week after failing to recover from a thigh injury.The Swiss ace, the winner of Wimbledon and the Australian and US Opens this season, tore a muscle in his left thigh while practising for the Basel tournament on Monday.He still hopes to recover in time for the season-ending Masters Cup in Houston from November 15-21.

In Federer's absence, world number two Andy Roddick is top seed with Australia's Lleyton Hewitt seeded number two.Federer said he was frustrated with the injury."I actually trained very moderately these last few days," the Swiss star said."I think the muscle injury is rather the result of overload throughout the entire season."So far in 2004, Federer has played 75 singles, winning 69 of them.

Agassi reaches Stockholm semis after 15-year delay

Escrito por fraja8 às 15h46
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A etapa de Glasgow (Escócia) da Copa do Mundo de ginástica artística começou bem para os atletas brasileiros. Nesta sexta-feira, os irmãos Diego e Daniele Hypólito, os dois únicos representantes do Brasil na competição, se classificaram para cinco finais por aparelho.
Neste final de semana, Daniele Hypólito irá disputar três decisões no torneio: paralela, trave de equilíbrio e exercícios de solo.
Foi na paralela que a atleta conseguiu a sua melhor colocação. A brasileira ficou com a segunda maior nota, 9,125, atrás apenas da britânica Beth Tweddle (9,525). Em terceiro, ficou a tcheca Jana Sikulova (8,400).
No solo, Daniele teve a terceira maior nota do dia: 9,300. À sua frente, ficaram a chinesa Cheng Fei (9,450) e, novamente, Tweddle (9,450). Na trave, a brasileira se classificou em sexto lugar, com 9,275.
Diego conquistou uma vaga nas finais de solo e de salto -os aparelhos de sua especialidade. No primeiro, ficou com a segunda maior nota do dia (9,700), atrás apenas do romeno Marian Dragulescu (9,725), medalha de prata na prova nas Olimpíadas de Atenas.
No salto, o brasileiro se classificou em terceiro lugar, com 9,437. As maiores notas do dia foram para o polonês Leszek Blanik (9,675) e o búlgaro Filip Yanev (9,450).
As finais começam a ser disputadas neste sábado, com as provas de salto e paralela, no feminino, e de solo, cavalo com alças e argolas, para o masculino. No domingo, competem os finalistas das provas de trave e solo, no feminino, e de paralela e barra, no masculino. >makeFooter('');

Escrito por fraja8 às 15h41
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LONDON, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Jose Mourinho has backed Chelsea's decision to sack striker Adrian Mutu for taking cocaine, saying the striker had only himself to blame. "It's his fault," the Chelsea manager said. "He had a responsibility to the club and he was bought to play football. "I don't know how long he will be out -- it will be for a long period. "He cannot complain because he was the one to break the relationship."

The Premier League club sacked the 25-year-old on Friday after he tested positive for cocaine last month. The striker, who was bought for almost 16 million pounds ($29.30) from Parma last year, faces a two-year ban. Mourinho told a news conference he had wanted Mutu to be tested following his erratic behaviour. "This has been a persistent problem for a long period. When I met him on his first day in pre-season he was with his agents. "I told them at the beginning of July that I had information that Mutu is on cocaine. All three began laughing and said it was a big lie and that he didn't do it. I didn't speak with him again because they denied it."

Mourinho said a string of mystery injuries at the beginning of the season finally led the club to ordering a drugs test. "During a long period there was strange behaviour," he added. "He was sometimes happy and then not so happy. He would arrive late a few times and didn't come in on other times. "The doctor would go round his house and the reason that would be given was just headaches. He would be injured when nobody knew when or how he did it. "I would wonder whether he was pushing us to let him go in January. Or was he involved in other things? I began to question it."

Chelsea have taken the same 'zero tolerance' policy they adopted when dismissing goalkeeper Mark Bosnich, also for taking cocaine, two years ago. "Everybody at the club was involved in deciding what to do and I concur with the decision," Mourinho said. He was asked whether he would re-sign Mutu in the future. "I would have to say no," he said. "Not just because of the drugs but because he also called me a liar." But Mourinho added: "He's still a young player. He's a father and must think about his family. "I hope he recovers and wish him well for the future."

Escrito por fraja8 às 15h38
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1	Chicago Cubs
Haven't won a championship since ...: 1908. Cubs 4, Tigers 1 Came close in ... : 1945. Phil Cavarretta batted .423 in the World Series and Hank Borowy picked up two wins. But in Game 7, the Cubs started Borowy on one day's rest and lost 9-3 to the Tigers and their ace, Hal Newhouser. Hopes for near future: If starting pitching is the most precious commodity in baseball, then the Cubs are filthy rich. Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, Carlos Zambrano and Greg Maddux are a fearsome foursome. Finding a dominant closer this offseason will be the key.
2	Toronto Maple Leafs
Haven't won a championship since ...: 1967 (None since the NHL expanded beyond six teams.) Came close in ... : 2001-02. Lost to the Hurricanes in Game 7 of Eastern Conference finals. Hopes for near future: It doesn't look like any team will be hoisting the Stanley Cup this season. As for the state of the team, it is much like the Rangers -- old and loading up on aging veterans.

Escrito por fraja8 às 15h33
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Londres (Inglaterra) - Após passar por três cirurgias cardíacas, o senegalês Khalilou Fadiga, de 29 anos, é uma constante preocupação para seu clube, o Bolton. Na quarta-feira, durante o aquecimento para a partida diante do Tottenham, pela Copa da Liga Inglesa, o meia desmaiou e foi levado às pressas para o hospital. Liberado na quinta depois de ser liberado devido aos bons resultados dos exames, Fadiga viajou para a Bélgica, onde visitou seu cirurgião. Coincidentemente, o caso do senegalês ocorreu no mesmo dia da morte do zagueiro Serginho, do São Caetano, por parada cardiorrespiratória. 'Khalilou recebeu alta do hospital mas, como forma de precaução, o encaminhamos para uma avaliação de seu cirurgião', declarou o técnico do clube, Sam Allardyce. 'Ainda é muito cedo para ligarmos o desmaio aos seus problemas cardíacos', garantiu o treinador

Escrito por fraja8 às 15h18
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Jogador completa 565 jogos contra o Figueirense e se iguala ao ex-goleiro Poy como o segundo maior em número de partidas.

SÃO PAULO - Rogério Ceni atingirá uma marca histórica contra o Figueirense neste sábado, em Florianópolis. O capitão são-paulino irá completar 565 partidas pelo São Paulo, se igualando o ex-goleiro Poy como o segundo maior atleta em número de jogos pelo clube.
O jogador irá isolar-se na posição no confronto diante do Botafogo, no dia 7 de novembro, afinal o jogo contra o São Caetano não foi cancelado e, assim, entra na estatística. Tricolor e Azulão entram em campo no próximo dia 3 para disputar os 31 minutos que restam. O zagueiro Serginho sofreu o colapso aos 14min do segundo tempo e, mais tarde, faleceu no hospital.
"É um orgulho muito grande. Ainda mais defendendo um clube que eu torço. É um sentimento quase completo", afirmou o goleiro, que está há 14 anos no Morumbi. "Fico contente também em igualar o número de partidas de um jogador tão importante para o clube e que atuou na minha posição", emendou.
Rogério Ceni, aliás, terá condições de superar até Valdir Perez, que é o primeiro na lista com 597 partidas pelo clube. O arqueiro renovou seu contrato até 2008.
Em relação ao jogo de sábado, em Florianópolis, o capitão são-paulino espera repetir o mesmo desempenho do primeiro turno, quando anotou os dois gols na vitória por 2 x 1 sobre o Figueirense, em partida realizada no dia 17 de julho.
"O último jogo foi muito bom. Tivemos oportunidade de anotar dois gols e ajudar em uma vitória que foi bastante importante. Vamos tentar fazer o mesmo neste sábado, mas o mais importante, mesmo sem fazer gols, é conseguirmos uma vitória para continuar na briga pelo título", discursou.

O goleiro ainda estava visivelmente abatido pela trágica morte do zagueiro Serginho. "Estamos muito tristes, mas nossa vida precisa continuar. Infelizmente aconteceu com o Serginho. Foi feito de tudo para tentar evitar sua morte, mas é o homem lá em cima que manda", discursou.

"A vida é feita de superações. Eu perdi minha mãe e estou aqui. Foi uma tragédia, mas o mundo não pára para você se recuperar. Só morre quem está vivo. Pode acontecer comigo ou com qualquer um. Mostra que precisamos viver todos os dias da melhor forma possível", finalizou.

Confira os 10 maiores jogadores em partidas:
Valdir Perez - 597
Rogério Ceni - 565
Poy - 565
Teixeirinha - 533
De Sordi - 501
Terto - 499
Gino Orlando - 450
Dias - 450
Nelsinho - 447
Mauro - 444

Escrito por fraja8 às 15h09
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Madri (Espanha) - O tablóide britânico The Sun noticiou nesta sexta-feira que o Manchester United tem interesse em contratar o goleiro Iker Casillas, de 23 anos, títular da seleção de seu país e do Real Madrid, para defender as cores do clube já no começo da próxima temporada. Os Diabos Vermelhos ofereceriam 14 milhões de libras (R$ 72 milhões).

Segundo o jornal, o treinador da equipe, Alex Ferguson, já contatou o agente do jogador. Ferguson teria oferecido um contrato de 400 mil libras mensais (cerca de R$ 2 milhões/mês), salário quatro vezes maior do que o atual, na equipe madrilena. O tablóide ainda afirmou que Iker Casillas, de 23 anos, não tem um bom relacionamento com o presidente do Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez, que ainda não começou a renegociar seu contrato, com término em 2006. O Liverpool também entrou em contato com o agente do jogador, Ginés Carvajal, através de seu treinador, Rafael Benítez.

Escrito por fraja8 às 14h57
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OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) -- When Deion Sanders came out of retirement to join the Baltimore Ravens in late August, it seemed unlikely he would be anything more than a minor contributor to a defense that was already sound. He was 37 years old, hadn't played since 2000 and was assigned the insipid role of supplementing the backfield on passing downs. Then, after he strained a hamstring and missed two games, there was some question whether Neon Deion would ever shine again.

Sanders erased some of that doubt by intercepting a pass in the end zone and bringing it back 23 yards in a victory over Washington on Oct. 10. Then, following a bye, he had two interceptions and a pair of tackles last Sunday against Buffalo, a performance that earned him NFL defensive player of the week honors. ``Hopefully, that quiets the critics,'' Baltimore safety Ed Reed said. ``It showed Deion is serious about what he does. We have a lot of people that can do it. For Prime to do it, it means even more to us.''

Sanders has turned out to be far more than a nickel back for the Ravens. He's become a leader, someone worthy of quoting when it comes to defining the philosophy of a brash group of defensive backs. ``I believe it was Deion who said, 'When they throw the ball, they're not really throwing it to the wide receivers. They're throwing it to us, so go get it,''' Baltimore cornerback Chris McAlister said.

That's precisely what Sanders has done. He's tied with Reed for the team lead with three interceptions, and his 48-yard return for a touchdown against the Bills gave the Ravens a lead they never lost in a 20-6 victory. After a slow start, Sanders has become an instrumental part of a team that has designs on reaching the Super Bowl. The way coach Brian Billick sees it, it was only a matter of time before Sanders became Prime Time.

``If he could have showed up and played that way immediately, you've got to rethink training camp as a coach,'' Billick said. ``It takes a while, and basically he's gotten through training camp. He looks like he's in starting-season form and ahead of that, so what he's doing does not surprise me at all.'' Instead of boasting about his accomplishments with a resounding ``I told you so,'' Sanders showed his maturity by high-stepping his way around a clear-cut opening to gloat.

``I'm not like that. I don't have that type of attitude,'' he said. ``I'm a very confident man. As far as sitting up here and saying I told you so, I don't do that. That would go past the confident level. But I believe in me, on and off the field, I really do.'' So do the Ravens. The coaching staff didn't give Sanders a game ball on Sunday, but his teammates in the backfield knew he deserved it. ``We all knew that Deion played well and had a fabulous game,'' McAlister said, ``so we kind of like gave it to him in our own right.''

Escrito por fraja8 às 14h47
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The Black Hole in Oakland is tough, but Philadelphia fans would kick the hell out of Oakland fans. Ravens coach Brian Billick, whose team plays at Philly on Sunday.

Escrito por fraja8 às 14h35
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Well, I hope I report 'em better than I pick 'em.If I lived in Nevada and frequented Gamingville, I would have been 3-10 last week. Just picking winners, I was 6-8. Grim. So don't trust anything I say about Week 8, please.

SI.com's Peter King weighs in with his NFL forecast. Week 8 -- All Times Eastern   Sunday, 1 p.m. Preview | Matchup Arizona at Buffalo I hate to do this to the Bills, a team I thought would be better than the Jets in August. But I love how Dennis Green has his team playing better on offense than everyone thought. Defensive coordinator of the year: the Cardinals' Clancy Pendergast. Arizona 19, Buffalo 14   Sunday, 1 p.m. Preview | Matchup Detroit at Dallas The end of the 3-0 streak for the road warriors from Detroit. Put simply, Bill Parcells has the entire city of Dallas on high alert to win this game. He will figure out a way to tighten the screws on defense and pressure Joey Harrington. Dallas 21, Detroit 17

Escrito por fraja8 às 14h32
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Daniella Cicarelli e Ronaldo vão posar juntos, pela primeira vez, para um ensaio fotográfico. Serão capa da revista "Vogue" espanhola.

Escrito por fraja8 às 14h21
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Temperatura 1
Record e Band foram as emissoras que mais faturaram no Ibope com a morte do jogador Serginho, do São Caetano, após parada cardiorrespiratória, anteontem no Morumbi.

Temperatura 2
Ontem, o "Esporte Record" (11h45/12h15) liderou a audiência durante 17 minutos. O "Debate Bola" ficou em segundo. Na véspera, a Record registrou picos de até 18 pontos com imagens do incidente. E o telejornal "Edições de Notícias" deu picos de 16. Assim, pela primeira vez a Record passou o SBT em toda a faixa nobre, das 18h à 1h, por nove a oito pontos de média.

Temperatura 2
Na Band, o "Jornal da Noite", deu média de seis pontos, seu recorde de audiência. Na Globo, não houve influência. Criciuma x Corinthians registrou 31 pontos, nada excepcional.

Escrito por fraja8 às 14h19
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A Inglaterra nunca viu gols tão estranhos como os da partida entre Plymouth Argyle e Yeovil pela Copa da Liga inglesa.
Após o Plymouth jogar a bola para fora para que um de seus atletas, que havia machucado o nariz, fosse atendido, o time se surpreendeu com a atitude do atacante Lee Johnson.
Ao receber a bola e ficar encarregado de devolvê-la ao goleiro do Plymouth, Johnson exagerou na força e a colocou nas redes.
O árbitro Clive Penton ficou constrangido, mas validou o gol.
Indignado, Gary Johnson, técnico do Yoevil e pai de Lee, ordenou que sua equipe deixasse o Plymouth empatar de imediato.
- Nunca vi um gol como este, disse Bobby Williamson, técnico rival, referindo-se à forma como os atletas do Yeovil abriram caminho e permitiram o gol de Steve Crawford.

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Santos (SP) - A partida entre Santos e Fluminense, marcada para este sábado, em São José do Rio Preto, terá um sabor especial para o jogador Elano. No confronto válido pelo Campeonato Brasileiro, o meia santista estará completando 200 jogos com a camisa alvinegra. Elano é o terceiro jogador do atual elenco do Santos a alcançar a marca bicentenária. Apenas o volante Narciso (266) e o lateral Léo (247) jogaram mais do que ele em defesa do clube.

“Estou muito feliz por atingir essa marca importante pelo Santos. Cheguei aqui praticamente desconhecido e foi na Vila Belmiro que conquistei o título mais importante de minha carreira (Campeonato Brasileiro de 2002) e cheguei à seleção brasileira”, comemora o jogador.

Paulista de Iracemápolis, 23 anos de idade, Elano fez sua estréia pelo Santos no dia 21 de janeiro de 2001, na vitória por 1 a 0 sobre o Guarani, na Vila Belmiro, pelo Campeonato Paulista. Seu primeiro gol pelo clube aconteceu cerca de três meses depois, no dia 28 de março, quando o Santos goleou o Mogi Mirim por 5 a 1, no estádio Wilson de Barros, também em confronto da competição estadual. Além da quantidade de jogos, outro número de Elano que a chama a atenção é o de gols marcados. O jogador já balançou as redes adversárias 48 vezes. Do atual elenco santista, apenas o atacante Robinho, com 56 gols, o supera na estatística de artilharia.

Confira os números de Elano ano a ano com a camisa do Santos:

2001 – 40 jogos / 5 gols
2002 – 41 jogos / 11 gols
2003 – 63 jogos / 12 gols
2004 – 55 jogos / 20 gols

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Former Chelsea FC striker Gianfranco Zola will be made an honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to British football. The player, who won six trophies in seven years at Stamford Bridge before returning to his native Sardinia in 2003, will receive the award on behalf of Queen Elizabeth at a ceremony in Rome on Monday. In a statement, the British embassy called Zola "the most enduring and popular foreign player in the history of Chelsea Football Club" and praised his support for charities.

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The ESPN Sports Poll, a service of TNS Sport, asked 16,337 respondents, aged 12+, from January through August '04 to name their favorite NBA team. As the NBA season commences this week, following are the top favorite NBA teams of respondents of the U.S., as well as from the nine census regions of the U.S .

		U.S. POP	N=16,337
		None	56.4%
		Lakers	13.0%
		Bulls	3.6%
		76ers	2.3%
		Pistons	2.2%
		Celtics	2.2%
		Knicks	2.2%
		Spurs	2.0%
		Kings	1.9%
		Pacers	1.5%

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Farrelly Brothers Finish Shooting During Red Sox’ On-Field Celebration

The BOSTON GLOBE wonders what actors JIMMY FALLON and DREW BARRYMORE were doing on the field during the Red Sox’ celebration of their World Series victory Wednesday at Busch Stadium. A call to MLB for an explanation was not returned. The FARRELLY BROTHERS, directors of “FEVER PITCH,” asked for and received MLB’s permission to film the end of the movie on the field. The GLOBE notes the movie is being produced by Fox 2000, whose sister company broadcast the World Series, and writes, “Coincidence?” .

CRIME TIME: FRANK LINO, a member of the BONANNO CRIME FAMILY, told FBI investigators last year that Mets P JOHN FRANCO “gave free tickets to a Mets’ game in Montreal to him and other crime family members in the early 1990’s.” Lino told investigators that he and others “went out with players on the Mets after the game.” Nothing in the record “suggests that Franco is under investigation, but [MLB] has rules prohibiting players from associating with organized crime figures” .In N.Y., Greene & Algar report former Islanders Senior Accountant HEATHER JABICK was arrested Thursday for “allegedly funneling nearly $174,000 in team money into her personal account.” Police said Jabick, who pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree grand larceny and first-degree falsifying of business records, made more than 55 unauthorized electronic transfers. Jabick faces up to 15 years in prison .

A MAGNA-NIMOUS GESTURE: Magna Founder & Chair FRANK STRONACH has donated $6.5M to fund a regional cancer center in Newmarket, Ontario, so his employees and local residents “can have better treatment” .

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Breeders' Cup Runneth Over: Texas Set To Sizzle Saturday

Breeders' Cup Gearing Up For First Ever Running In Lone Star State

Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, hosts its first Breeders’ Cup Saturday, marking only the third time the event will be held outside New York, California, Florida or Kentucky. In San Antonio, Paula Hunt reports the event’s reserved seating “has been sold out for weeks” and NBC “expects a worldwide audience of 20 million viewers in 60 countries.” Only Arlington Park near Chicago and Woodbine in Toronto have previously hosted the event outside those four states. Lone Star Park officials have installed 38,000 temporary seats to accommodate the sellout crowd of more than 51,000 . Breeders’ Cup President D.G. Van Clief Jr. said of the Dallas/Ft. Worth market: “We knew we’d get a very high-level of support. I think the most tangible example is that north of 51,000 seats were sold in advance of the event” .In Louisville, Marcus Green noted Lone Star Park’s average daily attendance is about 9,000 and its normal seating capacity is 12,000 .

TRACK RECORD: In Dallas, Katie Fairbank reported Lone Star Park has spent about $9M “preparing for the” event, including $3M on temporary seating changes and $3M on stable area improvements. Lone Star Park President Corey Johnson said, “We spent about $3[M] on customer area improvements, too” . Van Clief said, “Any new venue is going to be a test. Will we walk away at 6 p.m. on Saturday with the feeling it has been a success? It’s always a test, but it’s always important to identify venues that might become return venues. This could easily become one” . More Van Clief: “The track was actually conceived and built with the confidence that it could someday host the Breeders’ Cup. So in that regard it may be one of the most aggressive management and ownership teams we’ve ever done business with” . Texas Thoroughbred Association Exec Dir David Hooper said, “Having the Breeders’ Cup here in Texas is a huge boon to both the racing and breeding industry. Because in effect it puts the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval on Texas and particularly Lone Star Park” .

NOT A FAN: In Dallas, Eddie Sefko reported trainer Nick Zito “appears to be in the minority” of people who prefer the Breeders’ Cup to remain at established tracks in bigger markets. Zito: “We’d prefer to be at Belmont or one of the major tracks, of course. But they want to have this all around, so that’s the way it’s going to be.” Sefko wrote “most in the industry understand that, for the sport to grow, expanding the horizon is essential.” Owner Kenneth Ramsey said, “I think it’s great, myself, that they space it around the country. ... We have horse racing all across the [U.S.], so let everybody have their day in the sun” .

TEXAS TWO-STEP? In Houston, Mickey Herskowitz reports Sam Houston Race Park in Houston “made a pass at” getting the Breeders’ Cup four or five years ago. Sam Houston Race Park CEO Bob Bork said, “When the Super Bowl and All-Star Game were here Houston, was seen as a city of champions. We would like to be a part of that. Obviously, if Lone Star has the success we think it will, it would improve the chances of bringing them back to Texas. After the races, we plan to renew our proposal” .

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A Change Will Do You Good? Aura Around Sox Changed Forever

Red Sox Execs Hope To Revert Back To Old Winning Standard

Are the Red Sox, a franchise best known for its championship title drought, now faced with the challenge of recreating their identity and brand appeal? THE DAILY offers a collection of opinions from around the country.

INSIDE VIEW: Red Sox President & CEO Larry Lucchino said the World Series victory “changes the image of the franchise, but it doesn’t diminish it. It will transform it into something a little bit different than what it’s been known for. But it will still be a special, distinctive and extraordinary franchise” . Red Sox Exec VP & GM Theo Epstein: “We’d like to have things the way they were from 1903 to 1918, when the Red Sox set the standard. Why not us? Why couldn’t we contend every year? We have the resources. We have the people.

GATEWAY TO NEW FENWAY? In Boston, Van Voorhis & Silverman cite a source as saying the Red Sox “have no plans to capitalize on the team’s World Series success to push plans for a new ballpark.” While the team’s owners “have been unabashed fans” of Fenway Park, they “never ruled out the possibility a new ballpark, however unlikely, might still be on the list of options. That fallback plan now appears to be off the table” .

FROM THOSE CLOSE BY: Jimmy Fund Chair Mike Andrews, who played for the Red Sox from ’66-70, on the Red Sox’ victory: “You’re just kind of caught saying, ‘What’s next?’ I don’t want to say it’s a letdown. But it’s certainly something you let become a part of your life and it’s gone now, and we need to come up with something new” .In N.Y., Pam Belluck notes former MLB Commissioner Bart Giamatti once said that Fenway Park “was the place to understand Calvinism in America, to learn that people sometimes fail and that failure can build character.” Boston Univ. creative writing department Chair Leslie Epstein –- Theo’s father — said, “There’s a crack in Calvinism now. Now, we’re going to have to find something else. Maybe Bostonians will be secretly wishing for a Kerry loss so they can wail about that” .

WRITERS CORNER: Author David Halberstam, who has penned multiple books around the Red Sox, said, “Think of the sweetness, but also consider the great question before all of them. What happens now that they have won? Is it possible that the victory will destroy the mystique?” . Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy: “They’re not going to be the Red Sox that we knew all this time — No longer having this quest. They achieved the goal that they set out to do, and without the quest there anymore, I’m not quite sure how it will play out” .

How Will Sox Fans React To Loss Of Identity?

EDITORIALS & COLUMNS: A BOSTON GLOBE editorial called the Red Sox failing to win the World Series for 86 years “a cultural watershed” and noted the team and the city “at times seemed to relish that we were feted to be runners-up. ... But the larger question is how will we live without the burden that has pressed down on Boston — and in some ways defined us — for so many years” .In Providence, Mark Patinkin wrote, “My theory is that despite all the complaints, Red Sox fans have pride in being losers. Having lost for almost a century, somewhere deep, we feel this makes us special. It’s our identity. And a World Series victory could undermine it” .

DAMN YANKEES: Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner Thursday in a statement said, “Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox, to their ownership and to the people of Boston. The Red Sox deserve all the credit for what they have accomplished. But make no mistake about it. We are hard at work and will be back with a strong team for our loyal New York Yankees fans” . Astros P Roger Clemens, who began his career with the Red Sox, said Red Sox fans will “be happy for a day, anyway. But they won’t have anything to complain about anymore. You might see a smile for about a week in Boston and then they’ll go back to being miserable” .

GOOD FOR THE GAME? Dallas Morning News columnist Kevin Blackistone said the Red Sox winning the World Series is “bad (for baseball). ... We’ve got plays written about it, Dan Shaughnessy has carved an entire industry writing about it and talking about it.” But Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti said, “Agony gets old. After a while you eventually have to move on, (which) is why this is good for baseball” .

NBA Franchise Notes: Lakers Selling Well Sans Shaq

Lakers Experience Minimal Shaq Fall-Out In Ticket Sales

In L.A., Mike Bresnahan reports Lakers season-ticket holders have renewed at a 97% rate, down from 98%, “but more than acceptable to Laker officials who feared the worst after Shaquille O’Neal was traded” to the Heat. Lakers Senior VP/Business Operations Tim Harris said there was “some nervous time” after the Lakers traded O’Neal, but added the “demand [for tickets] is still there.” Bresnahan notes the team had a 6% increase in ticket sales for this season, and Harris noted that a few early cancellations in the lower bowl of Staples Center came “with reasons unrelated to the Lakers.” Harris: “We weren’t getting, ‘You traded Shaq’ or anything like that. We were getting, ‘I’m retiring and can’t write this off anymore as a business expense,’ or ‘My business is closing.’ It was normal economic reasons” .

KNICKS: In N.Y., Marc Berman reports Knicks President of Basketball Operations Isiah Thomas has mandated that all morning shootarounds on game days be at Madison Square Garden and not at the Knicks’ practice facility in Westchester. Thomas also wants the players “to know the city better.” Only G Penny Hardaway and Fs Kurt Thomas and Tim Thomas live in Manhattan. The team’s Westchester residents “are afforded hotel rooms during the day with a chance to explore Manhattan”.

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NHL Exec VP & CLO Bill Daly said the league was willing to give players about 53% of the league’s $2.1B in revenues before the lockout started, but that figure “may get even lower if the lockout lasts too long, because the pie will be smaller to divide,” according to the CP’s Pierre LeBrun. Under the original plan, NHL player salaries would have gone from an average of $1.8M to $1.3M. Daly said, “At this point it really depends on the damage we’ve done to the business. ... To the extent the overall business and revenues are damaged as a result of this dispute, that’s going to impact both what’s left [for the clubs and players].” NHLPA Senior Dir of Business Affairs Ted Saskin added, “The longer the lockout goes, the more impact it has. But a lockout is economically painful for both sides.” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said Thursday on Toronto’s MOJO-AM, “The union is looking for a leverage point, a critical point where they think the owners are going to give up. It isn't going to happen. The fact that this whole work stoppage is about them waiting for that point will turn out to be a colossal misjudgment." But Saskin said, "This has never been about looking for leverage. This is about trying to find a fair deal that works for both sides” .

Rank-And-File Players Like Commodore Do Not Feel Represented

NEVER TEAR US APART? After Flames D Mike Commodore said publicly he would accept a salary cap as a means of resolving the lockout, Saskin said, “We know that the overwhelming majority of our members do not support the views that were expressed by Mike Commodore, but as I've said before, we have over 700 members with no gag orders or fines for players speaking out" . But ESPN.com’s Damien Cox wrote Commodore “seemed to express the feeling of some of the rank-and-file by saying the bottom 20[%] of the [NHLPA’s] membership isn’t represented by the fight against a salary cap.” Commodore said, “You look at the (union) and who’s in charge ... it’s all the guys who have made $30[M] playing the game.” Cox writes, “On those occasions when players have spoken out in a manner that is in contradiction to union positions, there has been the appearance, at least, that they have been strongarmed by the union into recanting their comments” . Senators D Brian Pothier said Thursday in a radio interview, ”I’m in Binghamton [playing in the AHL] because I need to pay the bills. The guys who are making the decisions are making big money. They can take three, four, five or the rest of their lives off and they don’t have to work again” .

KEEP THE FAITH: THE HOCKEY NEWS’ Mark Brender cites New Jersey labor attorney Alan Model as saying that if the NHL declares an impasse and tries to unilaterally impose a new economic structure, the NHLPA “could file a grievance to the NLRB alleging bad faith bargaining” by the league. If bad faith bargaining was found, the NLRB “could order the parties back to the bargaining table.” Canucks GM Brian Burke is among those who believes that the NHLPA “has been slow to negotiate because it wants to claim there haven’t been enough talks for [an] impasse to exist”.

Stern Hopes NHL Lockout Will Be An Example Of What Not To Do

Stern Wants To Cut Contract Lengths In Next CBA

NBA Commissioner David Stern said that owners “want to shorten the length of player contracts, cutting down on the number of players who aren’t earning their high salaries,” according to Scott Soshnick of BLOOMBERG NEWS. Stern: “The owners want to come up with a system that doesn’t reward players who are no longer basically in the league or shouldn’t be in the league at their higher prices. Longer contracts seem to be out of balance with the basketball realities on the court.” Soshnick noted players currently can receive seven-year guaranteed contracts .The N.Y. TIMES reports that “one major proposal of the owners is limiting the maximum length of contracts to four years, not seven.” Stern indicated that the NHL lockout “should give basketball players and owners a sense of urgency” to reach a new CBA before the current one expires after this season. Stern said the NHL situation is a “living example of what can happen if you don’t reach an agreement, and that’s what compels us to keep talking” . Stern: “We remain committed to a process that guarantees the players a specific percentage of revenues. We’re talking more about certain approaches as to redistributing money than we are about major efforts to clamp that money down.” NBPA Exec Dir Billy Hunter “did not immediately respond to Stern’s statements”

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NFL Seeks Return To L.A. By ’08; TV Rights On Front Burner

Tabliabue Rushing To Return NFL To L.A.

NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue on Thursday at the NFL owners’ meetings near Detroit “affirmed the league’s intent to put a relocated or expansion team in the Los Angeles area in time for the 2008 season,” according to Alan Abrahamson of the L.A. TIMES. But Tagliabue added he was “not hung up on 2008.” League execs and team owners indicated that there “was reason to believe that a deal might be struck by next May, the NFL’s announced target.” Patriots Owner Bob Kraft: “It looks like things really have a chance of happening.” While Tagliabue said all four L.A.-area sites (Anaheim, Carson, Coliseum and Pasadena) are “making progress,” Kraft added, “Three of the four sites are really advancing [and] have real possibilities” . ESPN.com’s Len Pasquarelli cited several owners as saying that Carson “is running far behind and could be dropped from consideration.” NFL Senior VP Eric Grubman “all but acknowledged Carson is losing ground,” adding, “There are four sites making progress and three of them are making it faster than one other site.” Pasquarelli noted the Coliseum was the only candidate to have representatives at the meetings . Grubman would not say if the league “has a preferred location,” adding of the sites, “We did not rank them” .

TV GUIDE: The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER’s Paul Gough reports Viacom co-President & co-COO Les Moonves said Thursday that CBS “has begun preliminary conversation with the” NFL on renewing its rights deal. Moonves: “We’ve had very productive talks, and we still feel good about the NFL” . FSN’s Jay Glazer said Kraft, a member of the NFL broadcast committee, “is hoping to get something done” in regards to TV rights negotiations “prior to the start” of the ’05 season. The league’s current TV deal expires after the ’05 season . Tagliabue: “We are in conversations with all the networks and we’re going to continue those. One of the possibilities is that the NFL Network would carry some live NFL games” .

LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD: NFLPA Exec Dir Gene Upshaw on Wednesday said that the NFL is “made up of eight ‘haves’ and 24 ‘have nots,’” but Tagliabue yesterday called that “an over-simplification.” Tagliabue added that the current economic system “has produced competition and balance.” Tagliabue: “Some of those so-called ‘haves’ he described, one of the things they do have is a lot of debt from building their new stadiums. [The league and union] have some major differences in terms of revenues and growing revenues. ... There’s a lot of expense with (local revenue) growth. A lot of the local unshared revenue is revenue that should not go into the salary cap.” Tagliabue did say that he thinks the league and NFLPA “will come to a consensus on” extending the current CBA, which expires after the ’08 draft and includes a salary cap through the ’06 season with an “uncapped year” in ’07.

Second Helping: Champ Car Unveils 14-Race Schedule For ‘05

Champ Car Releases “Work In Progress” Schedule

Champ Car has released a 14-race schedule for ‘05, but series execs predicted “that at least two more races are likely to be added to what they called ‘a work in progress,’” according to John Oreovicz of ESPN.com. Champ Car President & CEO Dick Eidswick said, “Sixteen to 18 races is just about ideal. ... Sixteen is a worthy target for 2005, but it will probably take longer than that to reach eighteen.” Oreovicz reported the schedule includes new events in Edmonton (July 17), Silicon Valley (July 31) and Korea (October 16). Vancouver, Road America and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca are not on the schedule, but Champ Car VP/Development, Governmental Affairs & Planning Joe Chrnelich indicated that “any or all of them could still end up hosting a Champ Car event” in ‘05 .

MOLSON: Oreovicz reported former Molson Sports & Entertainment VP Bob Singleton, will “take charge of” the Silicon Valley event, which is expected to be staged on a street circuit in San Jose. Singleton will remain a consultant for Molson, which is set to announce a four-year extension to sponsor and promote the Molson Indy Toronto. The “ultimate fate of the Vancouver race could be revealed then.” If there is no Molson Indy Vancouver, Molson may “sponsor but not promote” the Edmonton event, similar to the arrangement it has in Montreal .The CP’s Jim Morris reports Molson will not know “for another two weeks if there is enough corporate support in Vancouver” for the race to return. Molson Sports & Entertainment President Jo-Ann McArthur noted that many corporations have begun “switching support” to the 2010 Vancouver Games .

MARKETS: In Las Vegas, Jeff Wolf reports the Champ Car event in Las Vegas will again “be paired with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series” to repeat the doubleheader held last month at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The September 24 event will start with the truck race, followed by the Champ Car series. Las Vegas Motor Speedway GM Chris Powell said that the two-year marketing plan of selling 5,000 tickets for $5,000 to corporations and businesses “would be implemented again” .Grand Prix of Cleveland GM Rena Shanaman said Champ Car’s decision to move the Cleveland race up one week from July 4 to June 26 “will help us (with sponsorship and corporate entertainment). ... Our objective this year is to turn this into a profitable venture” .

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Fox’ Postseason Successful Despite Four-Game World Series

Fox Keeps Ratings From Being Swept Away

The four-game Cardinals-Red Sox World Series, which averaged a 15.8/25 Nielsen rating, averaged 25.4 million viewers per game, up 26% over the six-game Marlins-Yankees World Series last season, making it the most-watched World Series since Braves-Indians in ’95, and the most-viewed ever on Fox. The World Series posted year-to-year increases of 14% in adults 18-34 (6.6 vs. 5.8), 27% in adults 18-49 (8.8 vs. 6.9), 12% in men 18-34 (8.1 vs. 7.2) and 22% in men 18-49 (10.7 vs. 8.8). The Series also saw increases of 16% among women 18-34, 35% among women 18-49 and 34% among women 25-54. Fox earned an average rating of 10.0/18 for its entire 24-game slate of MLB postseason coverage (MLB).

HAPPY AT FOX: Fox Sports President Ed Goren: “A four-game World Series delivered almost an average rating of a 16 household – this is unprecedented. We have dominated primetime over the last three weeks, and we hand the network back to our folks in primetime in great shape for a great November” .USA TODAY’s Rudy Martzke notes Fox sold out its ad inventory for the four World Series games “at premium prices, reaching more than $23[M] a game.” Goren: “I’d say this postseason of baseball on Fox has been a success. Of course, when you get four games, there’s no question you’re leaving money on the table. But when you have a World Series that averages over a 15 rating, you’re going to a large number of eyeballs” .

ENHANCEMENTS OR DISTRACTIONS? In Illinois, Ted Cox notes Fox “took a bath early on its baseball contract and now seems intent on squeezing every possible dollar out of advertising.” Cox adds, “For every advance like [Diamond Cam] we get a step back, such as the distracting ... mid-game interviews with the managers” . In Milwaukee, Bob Wolfley: “Fox never grows weary of fiddling with enhancements, changing the look, changing the sound of a telecast. Their aim obviously is to make the baseball telecasts better. But sometimes the enhancements are just distractions.” Wolfley writes the “lowlight of the Series telecasts” was Fox’ Chris Myers interviewing A-B’s “Leon” character, adding, “Myers’ reputation as a credible reporter took a big hit” .In Boston, Bill Griffith notes Fox did not want to stop showing fans in bars, “but in deference to Boston crowd-control worries, it switched to Sox and Cardinals fans watching in [N.Y.] and [L.A.] pubs” .

ROGERS THAT: In Toronto, William Houston reports Rogers Sportsnet drew four of its top five all-time audiences during the MLB playoffs. Red Sox-Yankees ALCS Game Seven ranks first with 1.144 million, while Red Sox-Cardinals Game Four ranks third (912,000), Red Sox-Yankees Game Six fourth (883,000) and Cardinals-Red Sox Game One fifth (777,000). Rogers Sportsnet drew 65% of the total Canadian viewing audience during the World Series, despite airing MLB’s international feed. Fox’ Canadian outlets drew the remaining 35% .

Altitude Sports & Entertainment Nears DirecTV Carriage Deal

Altitude Sports & Entertainment has entered into a carriage deal with DirecTV, leaving Comcast “as the only big TV provider locally not carrying the fledgling network,” according to Jason Blevins of the DENVER POST. Comcast is the state’s largest cable provider with 680,000 subscribers, while DirecTV and Dish Network – which already has a carriage deal with Altitude – have a combined 459,000 satellite subscribers in Colorado. Industry observers suggested that Comcast probably wants “a discounted rate that considers a season without” the NHL. Broadcasting & Cable Deputy Editor John Higgins: “I guarantee that conversation has occurred.” Higgins noted that Comcast “would have to charge customers an extra $4 per month” in order to generate the revenues needed to cover the $2 per subscriber per month cost of hosting a network and meet its operating cash-flow margin. Higgins: “They don’t want to pay the money, and they don’t want to add another network. There’s a limit to how much you can recover from your subscribers when you add these $2-a-month networks”.

Cablevision’s Effort At Restraining Order Denied

Cablevision’s request for a temporary restraining order against the Mets’ plans to grant their TV rights for ’06 and future seasons to a new RSN that the team wants to launch with Time Warner Cable and Comcast was denied by New York State Supreme Court Justice Helen Freedman Thursday in N.Y. But Cablevision in a statement said the court “has scheduled a hearing for Nov. 17 to consider MSG Networks’ motions” .

Chip On His Shoulder: Stone Resigns Post As Cubs Analyst

Rolling Stone: Analyst Leaving Cubs’ Booth

Cubs WGN analyst Steve Stone on Thursday announced his resignation despite having been informed that the network would exercise its option to keep him for the ’05 season, according to Chris De Luca of the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES. Stone had a “contentious relationship with some players this season,” and Cubs management “met with and tried to chastise” those players. Stone’s broadcast partner this past season, Chip Caray, who left the Cubs broadcast booth for the Braves, said, “If the Cubs or any team wants to be successful and win, then everyone from the broadcasters to the assistant trainer should be treated in a first-class way, and as an observer, Steve wasn’t treated in a first-class way by two or three players” . In Chicago, Ed Sherman cites sources as saying Stone was also “upset the team allowed Chip Caray to leave, failing to match an offer he received from” the Braves. A source, when asked if Stone would have returned if Caray remained with the Cubs, said, “Yes”.

MOVING ON: The SUN-TIMES’ De Luca writes Stone “has never hid his desire to be a [GM] or team president.” With the Expos GM position available, he “immediately becomes a top contender for that job — though he has no front office experience.” Stone said, “Washington is one of those jobs that seems to have no end of candidates. I’ve always made a concerted effort to let people know that is something I would like to entertain. I will explore all possibilities” .

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Mavs rookie Devin Harris lays up a shot against the Kings.

Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling waves to fans during a parade at Walt Disney World.

England's Ian Poulter shows his frustration after hitting a shot at the Volvo Masters.

Roma's Matteo Ferrari (left) and Juventus' Zlatan Ibrahimovic battle in a soccer match in Italy.

The Nets' Alonzo Mourning returns from his lengthy absence.

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Demand For All Things Sox Heats Up After World Series

Retailers Are Scrambling To Meet Red Sox Nation’s Demand

The demand for Red Sox merchandise had “stores scrambling to meet the surge in demand, not always successfully,” according to Paul Grimaldi of the PROVIDENCE JOURNAL. Dick’s Sporting Goods, Athlete’s Foot and Champs near Providence all had problems securing certain World Series merchandise on Thursday morning. Dick’s Senior VP/Strategic Planning Jeff Hennion said the delay was “a regionwide problem and not limited to us.” Dick’s District Manager Eric Saeur “attributed the delay to a distributor who couldn’t deliver the goods on time” . LeeAnn Coleman, who works in an office building near Fenway Park, said that fans waited in long lines to buy World Series paraphernalia. Coleman: “They wait in line for an hour, and then to every person that they pass, it’s ‘Look what I got!’” .

New Era Expects Strong Sales Outside New England As Well

MAD HATTERS: USA TODAY’s Michael Hiestand reports New Era, before the World Series was over, had shipped 127,000 Red Sox hats with another 18,000 on order. Cardinals fans purchased 46,000, and there were 1,700 on order. Reebok VP/Team Properties Eddie White said that typically, “at least 90% of merchandise sales related to pro sports championship teams are sold in the team’s home market,” but the Red Sox “have an extra appeal.” Olympia Sports Chair Ed Manganello: “In retail sales, this should be five to ten times bigger than the Patriots’ Super Bowl wins” .In Boston, Powell & Arends report Hat World indicated that its Red Sox hats are “flying off the shelves across the country.” Hat World Exec VP Glenn Campbell said sales are up “probably 1,000[%]” from a year ago. The company’s Web site “had its best day ever,” and Hat World “has ordered an extra 100,000 caps” from its suppliers. Campbell: “I’ve seen the Cowboys and the Patriots win the Super Bowl, I’ve seen the Yankees win the World Series, but I’ve never seen anything like this.” Meanwhile, Topps is issuing a special Red Sox World Series 55-card set for $19.99, something Topps spokesperson Clay Luraschi said that the company does not typically do .

DVD: SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL’s Adams & Lefton report MLBP “expects to sell more than 100,000 copies of the special postseason DVD, a huge jump from the 20,000 to 40,000 copies generally sold for other recent World Series participants.” MLBP VP/Programming & Business Affairs Elizabeth Scott said that this year’s DVD, “which in its best season sold about 300,000 copies, is expected to surpass all previous records” .

PAPER TRAIL: In Boston, Franci Richardson reports the Boston Herald published three editions yesterday totaling 750,000 copies, compared to an average run of 300,000. Herald VP/Circulation John Hoarty said it was the paper’s “largest circulation run in history.” The Boston Globe, which produced over 1 million copies compared to a normal Thursday run of 525,000, had its largest run in its history for a non-Sunday edition. A newspaper vendor said his sales of the rival papers were “neck and neck. They’re selling equally.” The Herald yesterday sold 10,000 copies to a Boston sports memorabilia broker and 6,000 to a person in Florida .

CRYSTAL CLEAR: Filene’s is exclusively selling 10,000 Waterford crystal commemorative baseballs featuring the Red Sox and World Series logos for $155 each. The companies will donate $10 from the sale of each ball to the Jimmy Fund. Filene’s and Waterford will also make a $30,000 crystal trophy .

CONGRATS: MLB congratulates the Red Sox in a full-page ad in today’s USA Today with the text, “Finally an answer to the question, ‘Could this be the year?’”.

The Big Rocket: Cingular Merges Clemens, Johnson In Ad

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Cingular Wireless is running a TV and print campaign, via BBDO, featuring Astros P Roger Clemens and D’Backs P Randy Johnson. The campaign touts Cingular’s merger with AT&T Wireless, and the first spot joins the hurlers together into a larger, more powerful player (THE DAILY). In this week’s SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, Terry Lefton reported that Cingular “was hoping to air [the ad] during the World Series,” but was waiting government approval of the merger.

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Although Red Sox LF Manny Ramirez won World Series MVP honors, P Curt Schilling, P Pedro Martinez and DH David Ortiz are appearing in the traditional Disney spot, and Schilling was the grand marshal in the Champions Parade at the Magic Kingdom on Thursday. Schilling: “We were the chosen ones for the Disneyland promo this year, and we came out on the winning end” .

RED SOCKS: Schilling said that his blood-stained sock worn in Game Two will be auctioned off for charity for either his SHADE Foundation or the ALSA, and the Reebok shoes he wore will go to the HOF . While Baltimore Sun columnist Laura Vecsey earlier this week questioned whether it was actually blood on Schilling’s socks, Schilling said, “It was.” Schilling, when asked if he wished to comment on the “spirit of Vecsey’s piece,” said, “Other than she’s a bad person? No” . Vecsey wrote on Monday, “There’s a contingent of baseball watchers, including Red Sox Nation faithful, who wouldn’t put it past Schilling to embellish the theatrics surrounding the management of this ankle problem.” Red Sox Dir of PR Glenn Geffner: “It could have a little blood mixed in there, we’ll have to check it out with the trainer” .

HE’S A RIGHTY: Schilling, who endorsed President Bush's re-election campaign on his “Good Morning America” appearance yesterday and was scheduled for a campaign appearance with Bush today, wrote on Boston Dirt Dogs, "I am now not medically cleared to do anything until I see Doc on Sunday, so I cannot travel with President Bush [today]. Second, while I am a Bush supporter, and I did vote for him with an absentee ballot, speaking as I did the other day was wrong. While I hope to see him re-elected, it's not my place, nor the time for me to offer up my political opinions unsolicited” . Red Sox 1B Kevin Millar said Schilling called him from Disney World and said, “’I was on Good Morning America (and) I said get out there and vote for Bush,’ and ten minutes later the President of the United States calls him up and says thank you. ... and now I guess they’re picking him up on Air Force One. He’s going to do three campaigns around here on the East Coast. That’s unbelievable” .

Damon To Hit Night Show Circuit

HITS: Johnny Damon will appear on CBS’ “Late Show” on Monday and on NBC’s “The Tonight Show” sometime next week. “The Tonight Show” wants the “whole team to appear” with Damon . In Philadelphia, Don Steinberg notes Reebok and Olympia Sports in August began running a spot showing Ramirez “dreaming that someday he would be MVP” of the series .

EVERYBODY’S MARKETABLE? Steiner Sports Marketing President Brandon Steiner, on the Red Sox’ World Series win: “You’re not going to get a stronger regional marketing opportunity. It’s not far or wide (nationally), but you don’t usually get it this deep.” Steiner added “every guy on that team will have some opportunities” for endorsements . Red Sox RF Trot Nixon said, “We could get endorsements. We could win an Academy Award, this story is so good” .

NICE SCOOP: In Boston, Jeff Horrigan reported, “When the Sox fell behind the Yankees 3-0 in the ALCS, GM Theo Epstein decided a change of luck was needed, so he joined manager Terry Francona in a unique pregame toast.” Francona ... usually has a glass of Metamucil before each game, so Epstein joined him for Game 4. When the Sox won that game, he continued the practice for the remainder of the ALCS and all four games of the World Series”.

Wheels & Deals: Navy Extends Deal With Fitzbradshaw

In The Navy: Military Branch Re-Ups With Busch Series ROY

The Navy has extended its primary sponsorship with FitzBradshaw Racing for a second full Busch Series season in ’05. Armando Fitz and NFL HOFer and Fox broadcaster Terry Bradshaw co-own the team, which for ’05 has entered into an alliance with Chip Ganassi Racing to provide technical and engineering support. The No. 14 Navy “Accelerate Your Life” car for ’05 switches to a Dodge Charger from a Chevrolet Monte Carlo and will be driven by ’03 Busch Series Rookie of the Year David Stremme .

DOES THIS COMPUTE? U.S. Micro Corp. has signed on as the primary sponsor of the No. 50 Arnold Motorsports Dodge for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Bass Pro Shops/MBNA 500 in Atlanta this week with Todd Bodine driving. U.S. Micro became an associate sponsor and official computer provider for the No. 50 Dodge team for the remainder of the ’04 season three weeks ago. U.S. Micro previously sponsored Brett Bodine’s team.

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NTRA And Breeders' Cup Ltd. Hoping Everything Really Is Bigger In Texas

Lone Star Park is preparing to host the Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships tomorrow, marking only the third time in the event’s 21-year history that it will be held in a state other than New York, California, Florida or Kentucky. While Breeders’ Cup President D.G. Van Clief Jr. acknowledged “any new venue is going to be a test,” early returns are solid, as the track is sold out of 51,000 seats, as well as 71 luxury suites. But the lack of buzz is evident, as the event suffers from the hype around the World Series, a lack of star power (did someone say Smarty Jones?) and the fact that it is not being held in a major horse racing hub. Still, trainer Nick Zito is in the minority in his call to hold the event at a major track, as the sport realizes the need to expand its geographical reach. Meanwhile, NBC is planning some unique technological elements for its broadcast.

NYRA and the MidAtlantic Cooperative (MAC) of racetracks have inked a one-year deal to restore NYRA’s simulcast signal to 18 tracks in Delaware, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, according to Matt Hegarty of the DAILY RACING FORM. The deal “ends a six-week blackout,” as the MAC had shut off the signal from NYRA’s Belmont Park on September 15 “in an effort to force NYRA and its account-wagering partner, [TVG], to cede in-home broadcast rights for NYRA’s races to the cooperative tracks.” Suffolk Downs “broke away from the cooperative last week and signed a separate agreement with NYRA.” NYRA Senior VP Bill Nader said that the deal “did not differ in any respect from a contract that was presented to the [MAC] before the blackout began.” Nader estimated that NYRA lost “just over $1[M]” in simulcast revenue from the tracks, but added that wagering on Belmont races through TVG, which took wagers from residents of Maryland and Massachusetts during the dispute, “was up 40[%] over the seven-week meet”.

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Arsenal FC look to return to winning ways in the English Premiership at home to Southampton FC on Saturday after losing 2-0 at Manchester United FC - who hope to build on Sunday's victory against the champions by picking up three more points away to Portsmouth FC.

Arsenal changes
United may have ended his side's record 49-game unbeaten league run last week, but Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger is looking forward not back. With Tuesday's important UEFA Champions League tie with Panathinaikos FC in mind, Wenger has indicated he could give a few of his younger players a start against Southampton, though injuries will force changes anyway.

Campbell out
England defender Sol Campbell is ruled out with a calf problem, while goalkeeper Jens Lehmann (hamstring) and full-back Ashley Cole (knee) are both doubtful. Arsenal and United's fellow Champions League contenders Chelsea FC, two points behind in second, will look to take advantage of any further slip by Arsenal by winning away to West Bromwich Albion FC, who are yet to name a replacement for sacked manager Gary Megson.

Turning point
United still lie eight points adrift of Arsenal, but manager Sir Alex Ferguson sees Sunday's win as a turning point. "I think our season can be galvanised with what happened last Sunday," said Sir Alex. "It can be the start for us because I feel our season has never really got under way." Ferguson is without the suspended Ruud van Nistelrooij, but Roy Keane returns after illness.

Weakened sides
Third-placed Everton FC entertain Aston Villa FC with both sides struggling with injuries. Everton manager David Moyes is without the suspended Lee Carsley while Alan Stubbs has a calf problem. For Villa, striker Darius Vassell misses out with a broken ankle and Jlloyd Samuel is doubtful with a shoulder injury, as David O'Leary's side go in search of their first away win of the season.

Liverpool trip
Liverpool FC, who visit RC Deportivo La Coruña on Wednesday, travel first to bottom side Blackburn Rovers FC, and also on Saturday, Tottenham Hotspur FC go to Fulham FC, Charlton Athletic FC welcome Middlesbrough FC, and Birmingham City FC meet Crystal Palace FC.

First win wanted
On Sunday, fourth-placed Bolton Wanderers FC will look to end Graeme Souness's nine-match unbeaten run as Newcastle United FC manager, and on Monday Norwich City FC face Manchester City FC still searching for their first win.

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Sports astrologer Andrea Mallis

What's in the stars for Adrian Peterson? What spooky future awaits the hard-to-handle Chris Paul? On the eve of Halloween, certified sports astrologer Andrea Mallis ran readings for a cosmic look at six NCAA movers and shakers.

MIKE KRZYZEWSKI, Duke basketball coach
BORN: Feb. 13, 1947 (Chicago)
READING: "Aquariuses can be very stubborn, which may explain why he passed on the Lakers job. I ran his forecast through March, and it's kind of a mixed bag: December looks quite strong [Valparaiso, Toledo], but in January and February [ACC time!], things really shift and he'll experience a rough Neptune aspect, meaning his confidence will decrease and he may lose determination and persistence. Oddly, after March things will pick up."
BOTTOM LINE: ACC play will be tough, and this just may be the year he says bye-bye to Duke.

MATT LEINART, USC quarterback
BORN: May 11, 1983 (Santa Ana, Calif.)
READING: "Tauruses are stable and reliable but can be possessive and jealous, which may have conflicted with ex-girlfriend Veronica Kay, who is a Sagittarius. She appreciates her freedom. I'm not surprised they didn't work out; those aren't usually compatible signs. In terms of football, his career is looking very strong. He has a positive physical energy aspect to his Mars now through the end of this year -- just about Heisman time. Matt's chart looks a little stronger than Reggie Bush's in terms of being victorious in competitive events and being resilient under pressure."
BOTTOM LINE: "Leinart-Bush in 2004" will soon become a Leinart solo act.

ADRIAN PETERSON, Oklahoma running back
BORN: March 21, 1985 (Palestine, Texas)
READING: "He was born on the first day of Aries, and his chart says his December should be a favorable period for recognition of one's performance. However, I see that in the last couple weeks of December he may be too optimistic and overexaggerate. I see an excellent aspect for all-around success in 2005, including favorable financial dealings. He may receive gifts, beautiful objects and comforts."
BOTTOM LINE: An early exit from Oklahoma? Gifts are NCAA no-nos, unless that gift is a trophy, perhaps?

DICK VITALE, ABC/ESPN analyst
BORN: June 9, 1939 (East Rutherford, N.J.)
READING: "Dick, a Gemini, has been in a cycle of mental tension that occurs once every 248 years. It started in February 2003 and will go into February 2005. In this cycle he has to be aware of embracing fanatical ideas [Michigan State No. 6?] and behaving self-righteously [Duke obsession!]. His intuition should clear up, and 2005 looks much better."
BOTTOM LINE: Don't put much stake in Dickie V's preseason Top 30, but heed his words come tourney time.

CHRIS PAUL, Wake Forest point guard
BORN: May 6, 1985 (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
READING: "I just want to tell Chris, 'Run for the hills!' He'll be in a low-energy cycle in January and February and will become sensitive, vulnerable and moody. His confidence will weaken, and he'll blow his failures out of proportion. Life will seem unfair. I think he'll be very prone to a sophomore slump. At the same time, if there's one sign that's drawn toward financial security, it's Taurus. If there are lucrative contracts to be had, Chris might be very tempted."
BOTTOM LINE: Scratch the Deacons from the No. 1 spot, and don't even think about 2006 yet.

CANDACE PARKER, Tennessee forward
BORN: April 19, 1986 (St. Louis)
READING: "Being an Aries, she's very competitive and won't want to wait out her recovery from knee surgery. She's also having a Saturn transit, which moves the bones, knees, teeth and joints. The cycle runs from October through November, and then again in June and July 2005, which might mean another injury-prone period. It's also interesting that she plays for Pat Summitt, who is a Gemini. Pluto opposes the sun right now, and when that happens -- once in a lifetime -- these Geminis are really fired up. It's not a very patient time, and these people are obsessed. Let's hope Coach lets this poor girl heal."
BOTTOM LINE: Most-hyped freshman hoopster in recent memory needs to take some "Candace time."

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O diretor geral do Denver Nuggets, Kiki Vandeweghe, anunciou na última quinta-feira à noite, momentos antes da vitória da equipe sobre o Houston Rockets por 93 a 88, que vai exercer a opção de prorrogar o contrato do brasileiro Nenê por mais uma temporada.
Isso significa que o compromisso de Nenê com os Nuggets vai até o final da temporada 2005-2006, pela qual deve receber algo em torno de US$ 3,04 milhões.
"Estou muito feliz, tenho trabalhado muito duro", disse o brasileiro ao diário norte-americano "Rocky Mountains News".
Voltando à atividade normal após sofrer uma contusão no tendão, Nenê ficou em quadra por 25 minutos diante dos Rockets e conseguiu cinco pontos, três rebotes, duas assistências e um toco.
A recuperação do brasileiro agradou ao técnico Jeff Bzdelik, que finalmente pôde experimentar uma formação mais alta em sua equipe.
Nos últimos cinco minutos da partida, Bzdelik escalou Nenê ao lado de Marcus Camby (na posição de pivô ou cinco) e Kenyon Martin (que passou da posição quatro para a três), utilizando Carmelo Anthony como segundo armador. "Acho que foi eficaz", disse Bzdelik sobre o desempenho desta formação.
O teste teria sido melhor se o pivô chinês Yao Ming, dos Rockets, não tivesse ficado de fora da partida por causa de uma contusão no cotovelo. Mesmo assim, Martin gostou da experiência. "A equipe alta ficou bem. Acho que pode funcionar", disse o ala.
Esta pode ser a grande chance de Nenê continuar entre os titulares, uma vez que o brasileiro perdeu sua posição depois da contratação de Martin junto ao New Jersey Nets.

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Did You Hear...?

OutKast member Big Boi and Andre 3000

Big Boi comes to the rescue at Middle Tennessee State The Southernplayalistic OutKast rapper played the Blue Raiders' Floyd Stadium after last Saturday's game against Idaho in an effort to boost attendance beyond the 15,000 average needed to maintain I-A status. The Raiders were averaging 14,000 before Andre's sidekick helped bring in a season-high 16,718. School officials remain mum as to whether posses counted toward the figure.

UCLA ponders Pauley Pavilion name change The school is toying with the idea of hawking naming rights to fund arena renovations. Best scenario: Pauley Walnuts Pavilion, an HBO venture. John Wooden Court becomes Johnny Sack Court. Hair-sprayed cheerleaders in Bada-Bing tees. You get the idea.

Rick Neuheisel's back After the NCAA cleared him of gambling violations, the former Washington coach will be a hot commodity this off-season. I'd hire him -- just for his college hoops picks. Dude won his last two pools. Hook a brother up!

Celeb students on the move In a turnabout of Ricky Williams-ish proportions, the New York Daily News reports the Mary-Kate half of NYU's Olsen backfield is rushing out of school. Meanwhile Williams, the insouciant ex-Dolphins running back, turned up -- as a student! -- at an unspecified Northern California university. Somehow you can't help but feel the collegiate universe has gone and balanced itself out karmically. Give a little, take a little.

Iowa, Penn State bottom out Did the Red Sox really outscore these two on Saturday night? Combined? (The Red Sox won 11-9; the Hawkeyes eked one out 6-4.) If there ever was a cause for the low-score-hating antisoccer legion to resurrect itself, now's the time. Direct your comments c/o JoePa.

Quote of the week Lionel Sullivan, a senior forward from Detroit De Porres High who has committed to play hoops at Bowling Green, on why he's so tough: "My mom told me, 'The ball is your food, and if you don't get it, you'll go hungry for a while.' I go get rebounds like I'm going to get food to eat."

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Names can be misleading. UEFA's 'Golden Jubilee Youth Football Celebration' might sound like a party but it was an occasion to put on thinking caps rather than paper hats. The idea was to discuss ways of developing youth football in the future.

Sudden activity
Youth football has, like the senior game, experienced a sudden burst of activity over the last decade or so, and concerns for the future are focused on environmental elements in addition to the basic ABC of the game itself. All of the guests at the Jubilee celebration expressed concern about the number of agents on the international youth scene; the role they play; and the way they handle situations crucial to the development of their young 'clients'.

Parental guidance
The levels of sporting and financial expectations have been raised, with the result that many young players would benefit from 'life-style management' or greater attention to spiritual, rather than material, aspects of the game. This inevitably involves parents (whose expectations have also risen) and 'parental guidance' has, in the view of many, become a desirable part of the youth development curriculum.

Specialised guidance
Going further along the same road, coaching requirements in the future need to embrace specialised guidance in mental and psychological areas as well as on the more traditional topics such as physical preparation and medical care. Obviously this will require a greater number of specialised coaches in youth development programmes.

Closer co-operation
What's more, the shift towards character development as well as skill-education cannot be left to national associations who see the players for a limited number of days per year. Solid, all-round youth programmes will require closer co-operation between officials and coaches and between national associations and clubs, so that joint objectives can be set and, hopefully, attained. More academies could be a step in the right direction.

Youth concerns
However, the Jubilee guests pinpointed some trends that could have a negative effect on future generations of footballers. There was concern about the clubs who recruit too many young players and therefore cannot offer them the ideal framework for progressing and maturing. And youngsters are being lured to foreign countries increasingly early - at ages when there is a serious risk of disrupting their education and their family life as well as their prospects of a successful career. It was a subject of serious debate as to whether the correct antidote should be guidance or legislation, or both.

Quality coaching
In this environment, the quality of youth coaching is a crucial factor in the equation - and, with so many financial carrots being dangled in front of their noses, young players now demand quality coaching. At the same time, coaches can be equally keen to get to the top. This can lead to a lack of continuity along the youth development time-line.

Pragmatic points
However, the Jubilee 'think tank' didn't focus exclusively on philosophy. Some of the more pragmatic points for youth football to be raised included the use of artificial turf; the size of squads for age-limit tournaments; the standard of refereeing; and the desirability of a specialised coaching licence. Before they left Nyon, the Jubilee guests thanked UEFA for its financial support via schemes such as the HatTrick programme and for its assistance in coach education. A lot may have changed during the previous 50 years, but UEFA goes into its second half-century equally determined to safeguard the future of the game by stressing the importance of youth development.

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Newly unearthed secret documents reveal much about the Yale athletic achievements of the two men vying to be America's coach-in-chief

Though Bush appeared in just three games as a relief pitcher for the Yale freshman baseball team, he was an IM gamer, playing baseball, basketball, football and rugby (above). Yale Class of 1969, Manuscripts & Archives, Yale University Library

By now most of us have read -- or learned by watching The Daily Show -- that both President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry spent their undergraduate years at Yale. Kerry (class of 1966) presided over the Yale Political Union while Bush ('68) was president of the rowdy Delta Kappa Epsilon (DKE) fraternity. Both men were tapped to join Skull and Bones, the hypersecret society whose alumni include three U.S. presidents and a slew of corporate and political potentates (but, alas, neither Jodie Foster nor Claire Danes).

After a daring late-night break-in at S&B headquarters, I was able to "borrow" a few documents from their tomb that yielded some fascinating information: Apart from being the campus's best-known brainiac and boozer, respectively, the candidates made their marks on Yale athletics as well.

While neither man was a stud jock during his four years in New Haven, Conn., both contributed to athletics. Bush, a former head cheerleader at Andover, reveled in pumping up the crowd at the Yale Bowl -- until the Harvard-Yale game of 1965, that is. On that afternoon, with the score 0-0 early in the first half, Bush approached the sidelines masquerading as an Elis football player. Clad in an oversized helmet, shoulder pads and cleats, he stormed onto the field and unfurled a banner that declared VICTORY ACHIEVED!!! Harvard went on to win 13-0.

"We misunderestimated them," Bush said.

Kerry, then a senior contemplating law school at Harvard, never saw the incident. "I believe I was walking between the Harvard and Yale student sections during that unfortunate display," he said."I was originally in favor of the DKE president's authority to storm the field. But it was the wrong prank, wrong place, wrong time."

Chastened, Bush thereafter limited his sporting pursuits to beer pong, beer frisbee and other "beer-related program activities." When, in 1967, fantasy football became wildly popular on campus, Bush abstained. During the draft, he was busy running a friend's homecoming-king campaign.

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Holdsclaw, then the league's second-leading scorer, stopped playing for the Mystics in July to deal with an undisclosed medical issue. She felt afraid and ashamed to discuss what was wrong with her, she told The Washington Post in her first interview since her departure.

	The Mystics made the playoffs for the first time since 2000 -- and did it without Chamique Holdsclaw.

"Depression, people just don't realize how it can take over your mind," said Holdsclaw, the WNBA's No. 1 overall pick in 1999. "Yes, I was walking around and looked fine."

She has been under a psychiatrist's care since becoming increasingly withdrawn, alienated from teammates and family and even her oldest confidantes, she said. She changed her cell phone number so that Washington general manager Pat Summitt, her former coach at Tennessee, couldn't reach her."I just kind of had to break away from all that," said Holdsclaw, who added that she slept a lot. "I was just doing my own thing, just living without all of the expectations."

The Mystics went on an improbable playoff run in her absence, winning five of their last six regular-season games before losing to Connecticut in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.Holdsclaw said she never watched her teammates or any other sports on TV. She sat on the couch in her apartment just a block from the MCI Center.

"Everything was negative," she said. "Dark."One Mystics fan confronted her in public about her absence, she said.A passing motorist rolled down his window and began berating her, telling her, "You need to get it together! You need to get back on the court!"

Holdsclaw responded angrily."Do you know me?" she shouted "You don't know me!"Holdsclaw missed seven of the Mystics' final eight games. The forward refused to discuss the reason for her absence, other than to rule out cancer, pregnancy and drug addiction.In a statement issued last month by the team, Holdsclaw said her condition is not life-threatening or career-threatening.She failed to show up for a game against Charlotte on July 24. Holdsclaw played in the next game, against Detroit as a reserve, and didn't play the rest of the season. She was placed on the injured list Sept. 1.Holdsclaw was averaging 19 points per game. She opted out of the U.S. national team for the Athens Olympics, and missed the WNBA All-Star game.

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SL Benfica are concerned about international duo Miguel and Petit before next Thursday's UEFA Cup Group G match against VfB Stuttgart.

Germany doubt
Right-back Miguel will miss Sunday's SuperLiga match away to Gil Vicente FC after pulling a muscle in his left leg during Wednesday's 3-1 victory over second division side Clube Oriental de Lisboa in the Portuguese Cup. The Portugal defender is waiting for further examination results, but is considered doubtful the trip to Germany.

Pereira chance
Miguel's place in the side against Gil Vicente is likely to go to João Pereira, who coach Giovanni Trapattoni tried out at right-back during training on Friday morning, or Euripides Amoreirinha, who started in that position against Oriental.

Petit problem
Petit is suffering from a similar problem in his left leg. The midfield player picked up the injury in the 4-2 UEFA Cup Matchday 1 victory over SC Heerenveen and has missed Benfica's past two matches, against CD Nacional and Oriental. He will definitely sit out the Gil Vicente match, but is still hopeful of returning next week. Paulo Almeida is expected to take Petit's place on Sunday.

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Rupert Murdoch está mudando de Adelaide (Austrália) para Delaware, nos EUA, a sede da poderosa News Corporation. A decisão foi tomada em reunião que contabilizou 92% dos votos dos acionistas "por procuração".  A empresa, avaliada em US$ 48 bilhões, tem entre seus ativos a Sky, os jornais Sun e Times e a Fox.

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A Globopar apresentou ontem proposta para reestruturar sua dívida, nos moldes do plano divulgado por Fernando Valim, CEO da NET Serviços, durante um encontro acontecido em junho. A empresa, com dívida de US$ 420 milhões, afirmou que vai oferecer entre US$ 0,5 a US$ 0,7 para cada dólar dos credores: 140 bancos nacionais e internacionais. O objetivo é encerrar o processo até o primeiro semestre de 2005.

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Recordista brasileiro de medalhas Pan-Americanas e ganhador de quatro medalhas olímpicas, nadador dá adeus à carreira profissional em noite de festa, homenagens e brincadeiras na piscina do clube que o revelou.

Distribuindo sorrisos para receber os convidados, Gustavo Borges cumpre à risca o protocolo do anfitrião. Simpático, atencioso e muito requisitado. Entre um abraço e outro, um mais apertado e especial em Coaracy Nunes, presidente da Confederação Brasileira de Desportos Aquáticos (CBDA), com direito a uma breve conversa ao pé do ouvido. Outro que recebe atenção especial é o "herdeiro" Thiago Pereira, maior revelação da natação brasileira desde meados da década de 90, quando Fernando Scherer despontou nas piscinas. Finalista olímpico e campeão mundial em 2004, o nadador do Minas Tênis Clube é quase tão paparicado pela imprensa quanto o próprio Gustavo.O que há poucos minutos eram meia dúzia de jornalistas, agora mais parece um formigueiro de repórteres cobrindo de perguntas as personalidades da natação brasileira - o medalhista olímpico Ricardo Prado, o veterano Rogério Romero e a jovem Joanna Maranhão, entre outros. Depois de 15 anos de carreira, grande parte deles como ídolo, Gustavo parece à vontade em meio aos inúmeros pedidos de fotografia e atenção. E fica mais confortável ainda quando começa a entrevista coletiva. O celular toca - é a esposa Bárbara avisando que vai atrasar um pouco por causa do trânsito -, mas ele logo retoma o papo. "Não faltou nada. A minha carreira foi maravilhosa, tanto as vitórias como as derrotas, pois tudo faz parte do crescimento da pessoas, não só do esportista. Estou feliz, é um ciclo que está se encerrando no lado esportivo e um ciclo que se inicia na minha vida pessoal". Gustavo não perde a serenidade, mas às vezes se perde em meio às recordações e esquece qual era a pergunta. Recorda com prazer até o seu pior momento, segundo ele próprio a sua participação nos 200 m livre em Barcelona-1992 - nervoso, não dormiu direito, nadou mal e ficou apenas em 22º lugar. Impossível escolher uma entre tantas conquistas memoráveis (19 medalhas Pan-Americanas e quatro medalhas olímpicas). Ele então elege duas. A medalha de ouro nos 100 m livre no Pan de Havana, em 1991, por ser a primeira. E a de prata em Atlanta-1996, por um motivo curioso. "Foi a primeira (medalha olímpica) que eu pude comemorar, já que em Barcelona o placar não funcionou e foi aquela confusão. Mas em Atlanta tudo funcionou certinho, eu ganhei e festejei muito". Falante, o atleta agradece a todos que ajudaram na carreira, declara seu amor ao Pinheiros e a confiança em um futuro melhor para a natação brasileira. "Deixo a minha lição para os mais jovens não por palavras, mas por ação. Sobre a dedicação na hora de cair na piscina, de treinar duro, isso eu acho que passei para eles". Gustavo diz que ainda vai continuar ligado ao esporte, mas desconversa quando o assunto é assumir a presidência da CBDA, como quer o atual presidente. "Ser um bom atleta não garante que você vai ser um bom dirigente. Tenho muito que aprender e que conquistar ainda para poder assumir um cargo de tamanha responsabilidade. Quem sabe no futuro". Por enquanto, quer se dedicar aos negócios (duas academias e três bares) à família e cuidar da forma física. "Estou correndo bastante, mais do que nadando, para manter a minha forma física. Tenho de US$ 500 a US$ 1 mil em apostas com os meus amigos que não vou passar dos 100 kg". Dos nadadores, o último a chegar (acompanhado) é Fernando Scherer. Antes de cair na água, promete vencer Gustavo e estragar a festa. Mas o discurso é só para disfarçar seu verdadeiro plano. Após um minuto de silêncio em respeito à morte do zagueiro Serginho, do São Caetano, as meninas caem na água. Não há disputa. Elas completam a prova juntas, todas vencedoras apenas por participarem da festa do ídolo. Os meninos até competem, mais por brincadeira, e César Cielo chega à frente de Thiago Pereira. Chega a vez dos veteranos. Alexandre Massura, Cassiano Leal, Teófilo Ferreira, André Teixeira, Rogério Romero e Fernando Scherer dividem a piscina com Gustavo Borges em sua última prova. Eles largam, mas não forçam o ritmo. Na virada, Gustavo acelera para a vitória. A poucos metros do fim, Xuxa põe o plano em prática. Auxiliado pelos demais, segura Gustavo e o impede de completar a prova. O relógio da piscina do Esporte Clube Pinheiros marca 20h25. A festa vai continuar, e Gustavo não voltará nadar. Mas graças ao gesto dos amigos, e para alegria do esporte brasileiro, ganhou uma carreira sem fim.

Escrito por fraja8 às 11h27
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NEW YORK -- Defining one of the goals of owners in ongoing collective bargaining talks, NBA commissioner David Stern said teams would like some type of relief from long-term contract obligations to unproductive players.The NBA's seven-year labor agreement expires after the upcoming season, and the league and players' union have been holding preliminary talks on a new deal -- the first since the sides went through a costly lockout that wiped out a large portion of the 1998-99 season.Sounding a fairly optimistic tone, Stern said it was far too early in the process to even be speaking about the possibility of another lockout.But he did give some insight into what's behind one of the owners' current proposals -- cutting the maximum length of contracts from seven years to four.

"Owners, on balance, want to come up with system that's a bit more profitable than the existing system and doesn't reward players who are no longer in the league -- or who shouldn't be in the league at higher prices," Stern said Thursday in a conference call with reporters.

"Players getting contracts and not playing in the league is taking money from players who are in the league and are playing heavily. That's what gets us into discussions of shorter contracts," Stern said.

Stern met with ownership's negotiating committee earlier this week during the league's Board of Governors meeting, giving a briefing on what parameters have been established thus far in talks with the union.The union is seeking greater freedom of movement for players, along with an end to the escrow tax system under which 10 percent of players' paychecks are withheld, and the luxury tax system that penalizes owners with the highest payrolls.Stern also said he has asked for a 20-year-old age limit, with incentives provided to players who defer their draft eligibility to stay in college. The union says it adamantly opposes raising the current age limit of 18.

"There are lots of proposals and ideas going around. We remain committed to a process that guarantees the players a specific percentage of revenues," Stern said. "We're talking more about certain approaches as to redistributing money than we are about major efforts to clamp that money down."

Basketball's collective bargaining talks come as the National Hockey League is in a work stoppage, the owners having locked out the players and postponed the start of the 2004-05 season.NBA owners are also seeking a reduction in the size of annual raises given in long-term contracts. Currently, players can receive 12.5 percent raises if they re-sign with their current team; 10 percent if they sign with a new team as a free agent.

Owners are also seeking a reduction in the starting salary for the midlevel exception, which allows teams over the salary cap to free agents.

But the most important item on the wish list, Stern made clear, was some mechanism to prevent teams from having to pay millions of dollars to players who stop being productive after signing long-term contracts.The New York Knicks, for instance, paid $6 million to Travis Knight -- along with an additional $6 million in luxury tax -- despite cutting him prior to last season.Also, Matt Maloney is being paid $3.2 million by Houston this season despite having been out of the league for most of the past three seasons, and the Knicks are on the hook for $1.2 million to John Amaechi despite having waived him just days after acquiring him from Houston last season.

Escrito por fraja8 às 11h18
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Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, who urged people to vote for President Bush on a national television show Thursday, will appear with the president on Friday in New Hampshire, a campaign spokeswoman said.

At the end of his interview about his team's World Series victory on ABC's "Good Morning America," Schilling signed off: "Tell everybody to vote. And vote Bush next week." The president congratulated the Red Sox' owner and president by phone — and thanked Schilling for his support. Schilling won Game 2 of the World Series and Game 6 of the American League Championship series despite a torn tendon sheath in his right ankle that will require surgery. He is scheduled to appear with Bush at rallies in Manchester and Portsmouth on Friday, campaign spokeswoman Maria Comella said.

Escrito por fraja8 às 11h15
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The Boston Red Sox owner had just sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for $125,000 and a $350,000 loan."Ruth had simply become impossible and the Boston club could no longer put up with his eccentricities," he said. "While Ruth, without question, is the greatest hitter the game has ever seen, he is likewise one of the most selfish and inconsiderate men that ever wore a baseball uniform."

And so began what's now known as The Curse of the Bambino, on Jan. 3, 1920. "I heard about it before I got here," Boston closer Keith Foulke said Wednesday. "I mean, it's funny that a team that's been this good hasn't won for all those years, but the reason they didn't win wasn't because of a curse. The curse thing doesn't affect anyone here." The Red Sox had won five of the first 15 World Series before the trade, the last one in 1918. Ruth, then a pitcher, too, threw a six-hit shutout against the Chicago Cubs in the opener at Comiskey Park, winning 1-0. He then beat the Cubs 3-2 at Fenway in Game 4 on three days' rest.

When Stuffy McInnis gloved second baseman Dave Shean's throw to first on Les Mann's grounder to seal Boston's 2-1 victory in Game 6 at Fenway, the reaction was muted. Perhaps it was because World War I caused the major leagues to stop the season a month early. That final game, played on Sept. 11, drew just over 15,000 fans. "Boston is the luckiest baseball spot on earth, for it has never lost a world's series," The New York Times reported the following day.

Still, the gloominess was unmistakable. "After the game, the crowd filed out of the gates with about as much enthusiasm as a party of home folks trooping out of a poor-moving picture show," the report said. "No hero was proclaimed, no player got a ride on any one's shoulders. no star was patted on the back or wildly cheered to a niche in baseball's temple of fame. The finish was as uneventful as the last moment of a double-header in Brooklyn."

And then came the drought. Boston didn't get back to the World Series until 1946. That's when shortstop Johnny Pesky did or didn't hold the relay as Enos Slaughter scored from first on Harry Walker's eighth-inning double, which provided the go-ahead run in the Cardinals' 4-3 win in Game 7 at Sportsman's Park.

In 1967, the Red Sox and Cardinals went to the seventh game again and started Jim Lonborg, who pitched a one-hit shutout in Game 2 and a three-hitter in Boston's Game 5 win. Pitching on two days' rest, Lonborg lost 7-2 at Fenway to Bob Gibson, who pitched a three-hitter on three days' rest for his third win of the Series. In 1975, Carlton Fisk hit a 12th-inning homer off the left-field foul pole to win Game 6, jumping and famously waving his arms to will the ball fair. But Boston wasted a 3-0 lead in Game 7, also at Fenway. Joe Morgan blooped a go-ahead ninth-inning single off Jim Burton in Cincinnati's 4-3 win. Perhaps the worst torture came in 1986 when the Red Sox came within a strike of winning the title in Game 6. But then came Bob Stanley's tying wild pitch and Mookie Wilson's winning grounder through the legs of first baseman Bill Buckner. Boston again wasted a 3-0 lead in Game 7, losing 8-5. "This team deserved better," Stanley said then. "We deserved to win, but we didn't."

Even if it took years for all that bad luck to be formally called The Curse, Boston's dismay was immediately clear when Ruth was sent packing. "This is not the first time that Boston baseball has been shocked by the sale of a wonderful player," The Boston Post said in an editorial. "Cy Young and Tris Speaker went their ways, much to the disgust of the faithful, but the club did not suffer materially. But Ruth is different." Perhaps too different for Frazee. "Had he possessed the right disposition, had he been willing to take orders and work for the good of the club like other men on the team, I would never had dared let him go," Frazee said. "Twice during the past two seasons Babe has jumped the club and revolted. He refused to obey orders of the manager." And the rest is history.

Escrito por fraja8 às 11h10
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WORLD SERIES

Cardinals vs. Red Sox[Boston wins series 4-0] GAME 1 GAME 2 GAME 3 GAME 4 11-9 6-2 4-1 3-0 Box | Recap | Analysis Box | Recap | Analysis Box | Recap | Analysis Box | Recap | Analysis

Escrito por fraja8 às 11h05
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Model Gisele Bundchen attends the Taxi film premiere.

Escrito por fraja8 às 10h57
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Joel Chenal of France competes during the giant slalom FIS Ski World Cup in Soelden . Bode Miller of the USA won ahead of Massimiliano Blardone of Italy while third place went to Kalle Palander of Finland. Chenal finished fourth.

French boxer Myriam Lamare practices in Marseille , just 17 days before her World Boxing Association (WBA) superfly weight title fight against the USA's Eliza Olson.

Richard Brickett (left) of the London Wasps crashes into Imalo Harinordoquy of Biarritz Olympique during their Heineken Cup match at Causeway Stadium in High Wycombe.

Yanina Gonzalez of Paraguay wins the "Best in Swimsuit" award during the Miss Earth 2004 beauty pageant in Quezon City, north of Manila . And that makes her our Babe of the Week.

Sri Lankan batsman Sanath Jayasuriya cuts hard on day three of the first Test against Pakistan at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on 22 October, 2004. Jayasuriya slammed a double-century to lead Sri Lanka to a 201-run victory.

Cyclists start the "Paris-London" race on 23 October, 2004 in Paris. The race gathers almost 300 French and British cyclists to celebrate the centenary of the Entente Cordiale between France and Great Britain.

Russia's Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin crash to the ice while competing in the pairs free skate during the Smart Ones Skate America at Mellon Arena on October 23, 2004 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Totmianina was knocked unconscience from the fall .

A rider competes in the motorcyle "enduro" beach race in Weston Mare, England. Over one thousand motorcyclists raced for three hours on the beachfront in front of tens of thousands of spectators.

Jeanette Fischetto competes in the women's open heavyweight division of the International Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation's New York State Bodybuilding Championships in Poughkeepsie, New York

Eastern New Mexico University freshman Pat Bean tries to kick a soccer ball through a hole placed in front of the goal to win a gift certificate during the halftime shootout at the ENMU versus West Texas A and M University soccer match on October 26, 2004, in Portales, New Mexico. Bean missed the target.

Members of Pakistan's women field hockey team are put through their paces during a practice session at the National Hockey Stadium in Lahore .The team is preparing for the forthcoming 4th Junior Asia Cup hockey tournament to be held in Hyderabad, India, from 30 October to 7 November.

David Dennis on Manoram (left) clears the second fence on the way to victory ahead of Jason Maguire on Baton Charge in The Ray Gould Novices Steeple Chase at Cheltenham racecourse on October 26th, 2004 in Cheltenham, England.

Jason Robinson MBE, Ben Cohen MBE and Jonny Wilkinson OBE, members of the England Rugby World Cup winning team, pose at the OBE and MBE Investiture at Buckingham Palace on October 26, 2004 in London, England.

Andre Agassi of the USA signs a tennis racquet for David Beckham during the ATP Madrid Masters at the Nuevo Rockodromo in Madrid, Spain.

Escrito por fraja8 às 10h49
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NEWCASTLE (Reuters) - O técnico do Newcastle, Graeme Souness, quer convencer o atacante Alan Shearer a adiar o encerramento de sua carreira programado para o fim desta temporada.O capitão Shearer marcou oito gols nesta temporada e seus esforços têm ajudado o Newcastle a permanecer invicto em nove jogos sob o comando de Souness, que ocupa o cargo deixado por Bobby Robson no mês passado.

"Alan está aproveitando o momento porque marca gols e porque o time vai bem", disse Souness a jornalistas na sexta-feira."Essas coisas são muito importantes para ele, e se conseguirmos isso no próximo ano e ele ainda se divertir com o trabalho, tentaremos convencê-lo a ficar.

"Ele é realista e sabe que o relógio está andando. Mas, aos 34 anos, ele ainda é o primeiro a chegar ao campo de treinamento diariamente. É um prazer trabalhar com ele."

Shearer chegou ao Newcastle em 1996 e balançou as redes adversárias 247 vezes pelo clube. O ex-capitão da seleção inglesa desistiu de jogar pela Inglaterra em 2000, depois de 63 confrontos pelo time nacional.Souness completou dizendo que o retorno do jogador da seleção inglesa Kieron Dyer, lesionado, deve ser adiantado por causa da lotada agenda do Newcastle, com jogos na Copa da Uefa e no Campeonato Inglês.

"Os médicos dizem que ele estará pronto em duas semanas, mas às vezes é necessário pegar alguns atalhos com o programa, e podemos vê-lo (em campo) mais cedo", afirmou Souness.O Newcastle, sétimo colocado no Campeonato Inglês, viaja para enfrentar o quarto colocado Bolton no domingo.

Escrito por fraja8 às 10h39
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Por si el GP de Valencia no tenía suficientes alicientes, se espera mañana al mejor deportista de la historia.
Michael Jordan, seis veces campeón de la NBA con los Bulls de Chicago y dos veces medalla de oro olímpico, será mañana uno de los visitantes ilustres que se den un paseo por las instalaciones del Circuito de Cheste. La estrella, ya retirado de los campos de juego, se mantiene en forma practicando el golf y este fin de semana disputa un pro-am en Valencia.
Cuando Jordan se enteró de que había carreras de motos en la ciudad inmediatamente quiso visitar el circuito, no en vano él mismo cuenta con un equipo de Superbikes en el campeonato AMA norteamericano, ya que es un deporte que le apasiona y, además, le permite desgravar unos pocos dólares de su inmensa fortuna ejerciendo el papel de mecenas deportivo.
Tras visitar el circuito y hablar con algunos pilotos, Jordan podría ofrecer una rueda de prensa.
Otros que no quisieron perderse la oportunidad de visitar ayer Cheste fueron los jugadores del Atlético de Madrid Sergi, Nano, Nacho Novo, Colsa y Jorge, que se lo pasaron en grande visitando los boxes de los diferentes equipos.
Para el fin de semana, seguramente mañana o el domingo, se espera la visita de otros deportistas famosos, entre ellos la tenista rusa Maria Sharapova, una de las bellezas del deporte actual.

Escrito por fraja8 às 10h25
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“Se mantiene una relación de afecto con él y en el fútbol no se puede excluir nada”, indicó el interista.
Massimo Moratti, máximo accionista del Inter de Milán, reiteró ayer, que una posible vuelta del delantero brasileño Ronaldo, del Real Madrid, al club milanés es una hipótesis que nunca se puede excluir.
“Ronaldo manda mensajes de ese tipo desde hace años, pero nosotros de momento tenemos un buen grupo de delanteros. Siempre se mantiene una relación de afecto con él, también de parte del aficionado y en el fútbol no se puede nunca excluir nada”, afirmó Moratti.
El propietario interista realizó dichas afirmaciones al serle preguntado por los periodistas por unas hipotéticas declaraciones realizadas recientemente por Ronaldo en las que indicaba que si dejase el Real Madrid, el Inter sería el único equipo al que iría a jugar.
Massimo Moratti, sobre el empate liguero logrado el miércoles por el Inter de Milán en terreno del Lecce dijo estar “contento del juego” del equipo aunque consideró que se cometen “demasiados errores”. “He visto jugar bien tanto en defensa como en ataque, pero el resultado no ha llegado”, indicó Moratti.

Escrito por fraja8 às 10h19
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El Barcelona sigue mirando el mercado de cara a reforzarse en enero. En un principio todos los esfuerzos estaban dirigidos a fichar un medio centro para suplir las bajas de Edmilson y Motta, pero ahora también miran a un jugador de banda. No está claro que se puedan fichar a los dos ya que las arcas no están a rebosar. Está prácticamente descartado que se pueda pagar un traspaso por un jugador. La única opción viable sería en un futbolista que acabara contrato el próximo mes de junio y su salida fuera relativamente barata en estos momentos.

La principal vía sigue siendo la de la cesión y para ello ya han contactado con diversos jugadores. Las dos principales opciones siguen siendo Tacchinardi y Dacourt. En ambos casos ya han contactado con sus representantes para ver la viabilidad de la operación. Todavía no se ha comenzado a hablar con los clubes ya que en el Barcelona van a intentar esperar al máximo para ver qué opciones se presentan en los últimos días. Más o menos lo que sucedió el pasado año con Davids cuando la viabilidad de la operación se produjo pocos días antes de la apertura de mercado.

Escrito por fraja8 às 10h17
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En 1977, George Foreman se convertía en el campeón del mundo de los pesos pesados y, sobre todo, pasaba a la historia como el hombre que habría destronado a Joe Frazier. Un año después, protagonizaba uno de los combates míticos en la historia del boxeo, contra Muhammad Ali en Kinshasa (Zaire), donde cayó derrotado en el octavo asalto. Por si fuera poco, en 1994, con 45 años, hacía callar a los que se habían burlado de su regreso a los rings ganando el título mundial a Michael Moore. ‘Big George’, ahora, quiere romper una vez más la barrera de la edad peleando por última vez el 10 de enero, día en el que cumplirá 56 años.

¿Por qué quiere volver a pelear?
Primero, porque soy muy bruto y tonto. Hay que estar loco para ser boxeador, eso está claro.

¿El dinero tiene que ver con su intención de pelear una vez más?
No. He estado diez años dedicado a comprar casas, propiedades, coches y llega un momento en que te das cuenta de que en la vida hay más cosas. Yo necesito algo más.

¿Es cierto que ha ganado más dinero como hombre de negocios, vendiendo grills de la multinacional Salton, que como boxeador?
Sin lugar a dudas, se gana mucho más dinero en el mundo de los negocios que en el boxeo, pero las dos actividades me gustan por igual. Lo que pasa es que el boxeo es una aventura tremenda.

¿Qué es lo que tiene el boxeo que le llama una y otra vez a pesar de la edad?
Es difícil de explicar. Tres días antes del combate no puedes dormir. Estás cada día más tenso, más dispuesto y deseando que llegue el momento.

¿Y en el momento de subir al ring?
Eso es lo que no tiene igual, la noche del combate, cuando subes al cuadrilátero. Yo tengo la sensación de que me van a matar, que me van a tumbar, pero a la vez estoy lleno de fuerza y pienso que puedo ganar. Es algo inigualable.

¿Nunca ha pensado realmente en dejar definitivamente de boxear?
Cuando un rival te da un gancho y te abre el ojo y no le puedes ni ver, piensas: Esta es la última vez. Pero después ganas, gozas de la victoria y es cuando te dices: Una vez más.

¿No tiene miedo del castigo y del riesgo que puede suponer pelear a su edad?
Quiero demostrar que se puede boxear a los 55 años, que la edad no es una barrera. El castigo físico forma parte de este deporte y yo tengo un cuerpo en buenas condiciones.

Mañana se cumplen 30 años de su combate en Kinshasa contra Ali. ¿Qué recuerda de esa pelea?
La verdad es que mis recuerdos de aquella noche son horribles. Durante siete asaltos estuve destrozando a Ali y de repente me preguntó: ¿Adónde vas, George, qué quieres? Ahí todo se volvió horrible. Aparte de eso recuerdo muy poco y, la verdad, prefiero no acordarme más (perdió por K.O. en el octavo asalto).

¿Su relación con Ali está marcada por ese combate?
No, con el tiempo nos hemos convertido en grandes amigos. Él me ama a mí y yo le amo a él.

¿Es capaz de imaginar la vida sin boxeo?
Sí, de hecho durante diez años, desde que Cristo me redimió en 1977 tras un combate con Jimmy Young (se hizo sacerdote tras una visión en el vestuario), estuve diez años sin ponerme unos guantes, ya sabes, sin hacer ni sombra. Fueron años en los que pasé la mejor parte de mi vida, con mis hijos. Ahora, desde 1998, he vuelto al boxeo y desde entonces en realidad no me he retirado. El boxeo es una vida buena, pero no es lo único. La vida sigue más allá del boxeo.

¿No le preocupa dar una mala imagen, no estar a la altura, en su último combate y decepcionar a sus seguidores y a los niños que le adoran?
En el boxeo, como en cualquier deporte y en la vida, lo importante es desarrollarte. El deporte es importante, pero la imagen que yo quiero dejar a los niños es la de saber enfrentarse a la vida. Ganar o perder forma parte del deporte.

Usted es predicador. ¿Cómo puede odiar a sus rivales sin dejar de lado sus creencias religiosas?
En el pasado me movía el odio. Yo pensaba que mis rivales me querían quitar todo lo que tenía en la vida y todo lo que quiero. Desde 1977 y ser redimido por Cristo, ya no odio a nadie. De hecho por eso estuve 10 años sin boxear, hasta que decidí enseñar a los niños que se puede boxear sin odiar. Desde que volví en 1987, ningún golpe que lancé fue en función del odio. Nunca dañaré a propósito a ningún ser humano. Sigo predicando tres veces por semana y, por supuesto, los domingos por la mañana.

¿Cuál ha sido el mejor boxeador de todos los tiempos para usted?
Joe Lewis. Y el que más fuerte pegaba también.

¿Quién fue el que más daño le hizo?
El que más daño me hizo fue Ron Lyle, en 1976. Me noqueó dos veces muy duramente y tuve que sacar todo lo que tenía dentro de mí para levantarme y ganar. Esa fuerza interna nunca la he vuelto a tener.

¿Su rival en enero está ya decidido?
Lo que tengo claro es que tiene que ser uno de los diez mejores del ránking mundial y tiene que tener menos de 30 años. Tyson es ya demasiado mayor para mí (risas).

Una curiosidad. ¿Por qué llamó George a sus cinco hijos varones?
Es un nombre que me gusta y, después de lo que me hizo Ali, no les iba a poner Muhammad (risas).

Escrito por fraja8 às 10h16
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Fernando Hierro, ex capitán del Real Madrid y ahora en las filas del Bolton, dijo que "el reconocimiento que hoy brinda el mundo del fútbol a Raúl en su décimo aniversario como profesional es algo muy merecido".
"El se merece eso y mucho más. Es un símbolo del madridismo, del fútbol español y es un jugador que mantiene la identidad del club por todo el mundo. Representa todo lo que un madridista debe tener: tesón, fortaleza, calidad, pasión por el fútbol y amor por unos colores que defiende con toda su alma cada vez que se pone la camiseta del Real Madrid", añadió Hierro.

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In Spain, CD El Álamo defender Giullermo Algarate has the perfect excuse to miss training for the next month - he injured his hand pulling an injured couple from the wreckage of their crashed car. The player was on his way home when he saw the car veer off a roundabout and roll over on to its roof. Quick as a flash, he came to the rescue, kicking and punching the windscreen to free the trapped couple and eventually smashing the glass to drag the victims to safety. However, in the process he severed a tendon in his right hand and now faces a month on the sidelines. Not that he is too perturbed. "If I was ever in the same situation again I would do exactly the same," he said. Heroism of another kind proved an inspiration in Bulgaria, where many have attributed the emphatic nature of the national team's most recent FIFA World Cup qualifying victory to coach Hristo Stoitchkov's decision to take his squad to the cinema the night before the match. The team enjoyed the Denzel Washington blockbuster Man On Fire, and the first team were on fire the following day as they won 4-1 against Malta.

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The excitement of the UEFA Cup will be forgotten on Saturday as FC Sochaux-Montbéliard celebrate becoming the first French side to play 2000 top-flight games.

Long history
The club have made an excellent start to their UEFA Cup Group D campaign with a 2-0 win away at FC Dinamo Tbilisi, but when Toulouse FC visit the Bonal stadium on Saturday, it will be an opportunity for the side from the east of France to celebrate 76 years of endeavour.

Sochaux are not the richest or the greatest but they are part of French footballing history Jean-Claude Plessis

	Bernard Genghini is now the club's sporting director

Proud achievement
"It is not the bicentennial of the French Revolution," said club chairman Jean-Claude Plessis. "I am just proud to remind to French football that Sochaux are not the richest or the greatest but they are part of French footballing history."

Peugeot empire
The club were founded in 1928 by Jean-Pierre Peugeot, the head of the Peugeot car empire. Having seen other major firms found major football teams, like Fiat with Juventus FC and Philips with PSV Eindhoven, Peugeot set up Sochaux as a means to entertain and unite his workforce.

Professional impetus
Peugeot was the first in France to admit that his side paid their players. He appointed an English coach, Victor Gibson, and fielded players such as Lucien Laurent, who scored the first goal in history of FIFA World Cup. He took a further step towards professionalism in football when he devised the Peugeot Cup - a contest for professional clubs that preceded the foundation of Le Championnat in 1932.

Innovative force
Sochaux, who merged with AS Montbéliard in 1930, were founder members of the league, and have spent a total of 57 seasons in the top flight. And while they may never have added to the league titles they won in 1935 and 1938, or the French Cup they won in 1937, they continued to be innovators.

'Les Lionceaux'
In 1949, for example, they established the first footballing academy in France. Peugeot gave talented teenagers a job at their automobile workshops while giving them plenty of time to train. The young players were nicknamed 'Les Lionceaux' - 'The Lion Cubs' - a name which is still used for the current Sochaux side.

Modern academy
The academy concept was redeveloped in 1974, this time without the players being given day jobs at Peugeot, and was one of the first three modern academies in France, alongside those at AS Saint-Etienne and FC Nantes Atlantique.

Club legends
Current Sochaux sporting director Bernard Genghini was one of the first players to graduate from the new academy, and seven years later, a Sochaux team featuring club legends like Philippe Anziani, Albert Rust, Genghini and Patrick Revelli reached the semi-final of the 1981/82 UEFA Cup.

Trophy time
On that occasion, they were unlucky. They drew 1-1 at home against Dutch side AZ Alkmaar before losing 3-2 in the away leg, but there is hope for the future. After reaching the third round of the UEFA Cup last season, Sochaux won their first trophy since 1938 by claiming the French League Cup.

Strong attachment
Most of the stars of that League Cup winning side will be aiming for UEFA Cup glory again this season, and on Saturday, much of the team that reached the semi-final will be at the Bonal stadium to cheer them on. Like Genghini, many of them retain a strong attachment to the club.

We will have a party in the stadium Jean-Claude Plessis

No fireworks
"We will have a party in the stadium," said Plessis. However, in line with the fact that Peugeot still own 99 per cent of the club's shares, some things will not be permitted. Plessis said: "Fireworks are not allowed on Peugeot premises."

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At just 23 years of age, Dawid Ptak is the youngest ever president of a Polish Ekstraklasa club. However, with ten years of footballing experience already behind him, he believes his age should be no obstacle to making a positive difference at MKS Pogon Szczecin.

Lódz start
The young Ptak's adventures in football started when he was just 13 when his father, Antoni Ptak, took over at LKS Lódz. He had a front-row view as Lódz won the Polish title in 1997/98, but his father's dream of a place in the UEFA Champions League group stages faded as the club lost 2-0 on aggregate to Manchester United FC in the qualifying round of the 1998/99 competition.

Learning curve
That defeat marked the beginning of the end of the Ptaks' involvement at Lódz, but they stayed involved in football, investing in an academy for young Brazilian players. "I worked there as a teenager, and it was my first, very important experience," Dawid Ptak told uefa.com. "My love for football grew as my father took over Piotrcovia Piotrkow Trybunalski. I learned the rules of club management in the lower divisions."

New Pogon
Piotrcovia experienced a dramatic change of fortunes in 2003, after Pogon had been relegated from the Ekstraklasa and dissolved because of financial problems. Antoni Ptak decided to move Piotrcovia to Szczecin and take on bankrupt Pogon's name. The new, debt-free Pogon was welcomed by the old club's supporters and won promotion back to the Ekstraklasa at the first attempt.

Presidential office
"Once we were promoted to the Ekstraklasa, I thought about working as a player's agent," said Dawid Ptak. "So it was a surprise to be offered the presidency at Pogon. Anyway, after a discussion with my father I decided to accept it and become youngest ever president in Polish football history."

Fans involved
His first action as chairman was to meet the supporters. "There are some people in the city who are against us or have different ideas about the way Pogon should be run," he explained. "That's why our partnership with the fans is important. We have a fans' delegate on the club's supervisory board."

Pitch battles
Dawid Ptak's priority for the remainder of the season is stabilising performances on the pitch. His first match as president was a 5-0 defeat at home against Wisla Kraków. "It was a nightmare," Dawid Ptak admitted. Pogon may only be just above the relegation zone, but there have also been some successes.

Good signing
In particular, Uruguayan forward Claudio Milar has proved a popular signing, scoring several goals. "I know him, because he played for LKS a couple of years ago," said Dawid Ptak, who paid for the player with money he had put aside to buy himself a new car.

Income sought
However, Dawid Ptak is acutely aware that any further signings would be dependent upon finding extra income. "It all depends on the finances," he said. "My father is the owner, but we would like to see the city authorities engaged in sponsoring the team."

Daddy's boy
The young president is keen to underline that he is in charge, even though his father still holds the reins as head of the club's supervisory board. "I am responsible for everything that happens in the club," he said. "Of course, my father as the chairman of the supervisory board has the final say, but I really believe it will work.

Forward with hope
"Pogon deserve to have a major place in Polish football," he added. "I have a lot of faith, and I believe that with me as president, Pogon can go a long way."

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger (L) of France and compatriot players Thierry Henry (C) and Patrick Vieira share a joke before placing a specially-made time capsule containing memories and keep-sakes from Arsenal''s present stadium, Highbury, underneath their new Emirates Stadium in north London, October 28, 2004. The time capsule, which will be on view to supporters when the Emirates Stadium opens in August 2006, contains nearly 40 items including a replica home shirt from the 1913/14 season and a replica model of Highbury.

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Champ Car released a 14-race 2005 schedule Thursday but series officials predicted that at least two more races are likely to be added to what they called "a work in progress." "This is the starting line, not the finishing line," said Champ Car President and CEO Dick Eidswick. "Sixteen to 18 races is just about ideal for our series. Sixteen is a worthy target for 2005, but it will probably take longer than that to reach eighteen."

The 14 races revealed at the company's Indianapolis headquarters on Friday included three new events and three key omissions, some more surprising than others. Vancouver, Road America and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca have been dropped from the slate, but any or all of them could still end up hosting a Champ Car event in 2005, according to Joe Chrnelich, Champ Car vice president of Development, Governmental Affairs and Planning."Vancouver is probably a 50/50 proposition at best because of the attention that is rightfully being directed at the Olympics," Chrnelich said. "We could still race at Laguna on September 11 and we are in continued discussions with them and with Road America. But there needs to be an agreement reached that works for both sides."

New events include Edmonton, Canada (July 17); Silicon Valley (July 31) and Korea (October 16). The Korean race would be held in the Seoul suburb of Ansan and Champ Car is confident that the race will take place in the suburban city of Ansan in 2005 after a false start in Seoul itself this year.

"At the last minute we ran into a problem with governmental approval this year," Chrnelich explained. "For 2005, we have a signed agreement with the promoter and the financial and governmental issues have been satisfied." Bob Singleton, an instrumental figure involved in the Molson-sponsored and promoted Champ Car races in Canada since 1986, has left his administrative position with the Canadian brewer to take charge of Champ Car's Silicon Valley event, which is expected to be staged on a street circuit in San Jose. Singleton will remain a consultant for Molson's continued involvement.

Molson is expected to announce a four-year extension to sponsor and promote the Toronto race on Friday and the ultimate fate of the Vancouver race could be revealed then. If Vancouver disappears, expect Molson to sponsor but not promote the race in Edmonton, similar to the arrangement it has in Montreal.

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Werder Bremen's UEFA Champions League campaign is firing on all cylinders - and a place in the last 16 is within reach.

Two successes
The German Bundesliga champions' adventure in this season's competition got off to a desultory start with a Group G defeat at FC Internazionale Milano, but things are looking up after a fine comeback to defeat Valencia CF 2-1 in Bremen, and a no-nonsense success by the same scoreline against RSC Anderlecht in Brussels. Coach Thomas Schaaf's charges are currently second in the group behind Inter in the race for a place in the 16-team knockout phase.

	Thomas Schaaf's side are well placed to reach the last 16

Leading lights
Two of the leading lights in Bremen's victory were French defender Valérian Ismaël and front-runner Miroslav Klose. Ismaël began his career with RC Strasbourg before trying his luck with England's Crystal Palace FC in 1998. He returned to Strasbourg on loan before moving to RC Lens, and was then loaned out to Bremen before signing a permanent contract in October 2003 and making a key contribution to the march to the German title.

Rapid rise
The nimble, crafty Klose - who scored five goals for Germany in the 2002 FIFA World Cup - joined Bremen from 1. FC Kaiserslautern in the summer, and has been a regular goal-getter in a rapid rise to the top. Five years after he was playing minor league football for SG Blaubach-Diedelkopf in the Palatinate region, Polish-born Klose was starring in a World Cup. uefa.com caught up with Ismaël and Klose after the match against Anderlecht.

uefa.com: Valérien , how did you view the win against Anderlecht?

Valérien Ismaël: It was a good victory, which has helped us enormously in the group, even if we weren't exactly at our best after our second goal, because we gave away a lot of possession, we didn't control the match as we had done earlier on. But on the whole, we can be satisfied. We were serious and committed.

uefa.com: Can Bremen look forward to the future in the Champions League with hope after the wins against Anderlecht and Valencia?

Ismaël: Yes, everything now depends on us alone and that is already a good thing. The next match [at home against Anderlecht] could be decisive, and we'll have to keep on our toes right until the last match in the group phase. 

uefa.com: Miroslav, you must be happy with how the situation looks now?

Klose: We're certainly satisfied with how things have gone, especially having picked up six points in our three games so far. Our target was to come and win against Anderlecht away from home, and we achieved that.

uefa.com: Against Anderlecht, you created a fine second goal together with Johann Micoud for Ivan Klasnic - you are not only a goalscorer, but also a goal provider.

We enjoy it when we are able to play good football Miroslav Klose

Klose: It's to the team's benefit. It's nice to be involved in such moves. We enjoy it when we are able to play good football, and I think that was obvious to everyone who watched the Anderlecht game.

uefa.com: Other results have gone your way, which gives you a great chance of going through.

Klose: Yes, but all we are doing are taking things from game to game. We have our Bundesliga matches, and then the Champions League match at home to Anderlecht. If we can come away from that game with a win, then we can be optimistic about the future. I'm very happy with how things are going for me in Bremen.

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When you are winning there is a lot less pressure and for a club like Madrid, it's vital that the team gets results - Fernando Morientes

When Fernando Morientes enters the pitch at the Santiago Bernabéu, he is usually accompanied by a deafening roar from the Real Madrid CF crowd. In one sense, it is an acknowledgement of the player's devotion to the club he left to spend a year on loan at AS Monaco FC last season.

Monaco tally
Having scored nine goals in the 2003/04 edition of the UEFA Champions League - including two which helped knock out Madrid - Morientes made a massive contribution to Monaco's run to the final. And the striker has kept the boots he wore throughout that campaign as a special memento.

For a striker, if you score lots of goals with one pair of boots then it's quite difficult to stop wearing them Fernando Morientes

Lucky boots
"I still have them," he told uefa.com. "For a striker, if you score lots of goals with one pair of boots then it's quite difficult to stop wearing them. I suppose I have hung onto them in case I ever need them to bring me luck again in the future."

Pecking order
Perhaps he could do with some luck now. Since returning to Madrid, he has slipped down the striking pecking order, with Ronaldo, Michael Owen and his old strike partner Raúl González seemingly the preferred choices of new coach Mariano García Remón.

	... but not a regular place in the first XI at Madrid

European priority
Rumours have abounded that Morientes will leave Madrid when the transfer window opens in January, but the player is not looking that far ahead. His main priority now is to help keep Madrid buoyant in the Champions League, amid competition from AS Roma, Bayer 04 Leverkusen and FC Dynamo Kyiv.

'The right track'
"I think we are on the right track and, fingers crossed, should have no problem in qualifying for the knock-out phase," said Morientes. "Of course the job isn't finished yet and we have three tough games to get through, but so far everything is going according to plan.

Disconcerting gossip
"The [1-0] victory against Dynamo [on Matchday 3] was a huge relief," he added. "When you are winning there is a lot less pressure and for a club like Madrid, it's vital that the team gets results. When we lose a couple of games people think something odd is happening and spend the whole week talking about it. Naturally, that is unsettling for the players."

Different story
With Madrid having been in unpredictable form all season, there has been plenty of chatter for Madrid players to contend with, but Morientes has not allowed himself to be deflected from the task at hand. And the main task now is to win in Kyiv next week.

Dynamo trio
By playing three centre-backs - Goran Sablic, Goran Gavrancic and Rodolfo Dantas - Dynamo have given Madrid's strikers plenty to think about. "Dynamo play three centre-backs and all of them are great players," said Morientes. "They man-mark all the way through the match, which can be a bit uncomfortable at times. If you have a defender following you all over the field and you know that he is also a really good player, then that is unsettling."

Madrid target
Even more unsettling is the prospect of failing to reach the knockout stages. "For a club like Real Madrid, it's vital the team gets to the latter stages of the tournament and we'll be giving everything we have to put ourselves in the last 16," said Morientes.

First XI
Morientes, meanwhile, is aiming for the first XI. And when he finally gets there, he knows he is assured of a hero's welcome.

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El fútbol inglés vive en estado de agitación. En sólo tres días se han revivido las peores pesadillas con los incidentes del Manchester United-Arsenal, del domingo, y de los partidos de la Copa de la Liga entre el Millwall y el Liverpool, por un lado, y del West Ham-Chelsea, por otro.

En este último encuentro, el delantero serbio del Chelsea, Mateja Kezman, autor del gol que clasificó a los ‘blues’, recibió el impacto de una moneda en una ceja. Los médicos, que le tuvieron que aplicar sutura, aseguran que el ex del PSV podría haber perdido el ojo si el impacto hubiera sido unos centímetros más abajo. La Federación abrirá una investigación por este incidente y por la detención de 11 ‘hooligans’.

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ROME, Oct 29 (Reuters) - After seven memorable seasons with Chelsea, Gianfranco Zola will be made an honorary member of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to British soccer, the British embassy said on Friday.

The ambassador will present the striker with the award on behalf of Queen Elizabeth at a ceremony in Rome on Monday. In a statement, the British embassy called Zola "the most enduring and popular foreign player in the history of Chelsea Football Club" and praised his support for charities. Zola left Chelsea to play for Cagliari in his native Sardinia but played one last game for the London club in August.

He joined Chelsea from Parma for 4.5 million pounds ($8.2 million) in 1996 and went on to score 80 goals and help the club win six trophies during his seven seasons. "The 2002-2003 season was his last with Chelsea, and he left the club with style, scoring 16 goals," the embassy said. "Despite the pleas of fans to remain with the team, he decided to return to his native Sardinia in 2003, having made a remarkable contribution to English football."

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Perhaps signaling a downturn in the local concert business, the Clippers signed a long-term lease extension to continue playing in Staples Center.

Tim Leiweke, the arena's chief executive, was quoted this month as saying that Staples Center would make more money from five concerts than it would from a season of Clipper games.But rather than rely on future tours by acts such as the Rolling Stones and Prince, the president of Anschutz Entertainment Group stayed in business with the Clippers.
The 10-year deal, which starts this season after the two sides agreed to void the final year of the Clippers' original six-year lease, will keep the team in the downtown arena through the 2013-14 season.

The next question: Where will they practice?

Owner Donald T. Sterling's team is considering an opportunity to build an $8-million to $10-million state-of-the-art practice facility in the Playa Vista development near the San Diego and Marina freeways. It has also talked with AEG about building a facility at Home Depot Center in Carson.
Andy Roeser, Clipper executive vice president, declined to offer specifics about a practice site but said of the team's new lease with Staples Center, "Having this issue put to rest is certainly going to lead to progress on those fronts."

The Clippers are among a small number of NBA teams that do not have their own practice court. They practice at Los Angeles Southwest College.
They never seriously considering leaving Staples Center, which has been their home since they moved from the Sports Arena before the 1999-2000 season.
"Our vision for Staples Center from the very get-go was that this is the right place to be and a perfect environment for our fans," Roeser said. "I think if you look over the last five years, it's clear that it's worked out that way."
In five seasons at Staples Center, which opened five years ago this month, the Clippers' average attendance is nearly 16,000, almost 6,000 more than they averaged in 15 seasons at the Sports Arena

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Havana, 28 out (EFE).- Dalma e Giannina, as filhas do ex-jogador argentino Diego Maradona, chegaram a Havana para comemorar sábado o aniversário de 44 anos de seu pai, que se submete a um severo tratamento contra as drogas.
Maradona voltou a Havana em 20 de setembro, vindo de Buenos Aires, depois de superar os empecilhos judiciais que o impediam voltar à capital cubana para continuar seu tratamento.

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Craig Levein has left UEFA Cup contenders Heart of Midlothian FC and is set to take over as the new manager of English first division side Leicester City FC. Levein, 40, and his Tynecastle assistant Peter Houston will replace Mickey Adams who resigned a fortnight ago.

English ambitions
"There is only one reason for my decision and it is my ambition to manage in England and get into the Premiership," he said. "I have great affection for Hearts, but I am ambitious and Leicester are a club that fulfil that. It's been a difficult time [at Hearts] with money problems, stadium issues and boardroom unrest, but all that had no bearing on my decision to leave."

Unqualified success
Levein, a former Scottish international and Hearts player, has been an unqualified success with the Edinburgh-based side despite operating in financially difficult times. He has trimmed almost €4.3m off the Hearts wage bill since he took over in December 2000, yet on the field his team has not let the standards drop.

Impressive rise
Hearts have finished third behind Rangers FC and Celtic FC in the past two seasons and this year Levein guided the Edinburgh club into the group stage of the UEFA Cup. They lost their opening Group A match away to Feyenoord 3-0 last week and are at home to FC Schalke 04 next Thursday.

Hearts compensated
Hearts will receive compensation in the region of €215,000 from Leicester for the loss of Levein, who still had 18 months of his Tynecastle contract to run. Levein is expected to watch Leicester in Saturday's Championship match against Cardiff City FC and assume full control from caretaker managers Dave Bassett and Howard Wilkinson for Tuesday's game against Crewe Alexandra FC.

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Primera División leaders FC Barcelona travel to Athletic Club de Bilbao on Saturday five points clear at the top of the table but shaken by a Spanish Cup defeat at the hands of third division UEA Gramenet in midweek.

Bounce back imperative
Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o is determined the team will not suffer a second successive loss. "The important thing is to bounce back and that is what we are going to do," he said. Athletic, with just two league wins this season but successful in the cup against SD Gimnástica Segoviana, welcome back Santi Ezquerro after the striker recovered from a thigh injury.

Valencia encounter
Also on Saturday, third meets fifth at the Mestalla where Valencia CF play Club Atlético de Madrid who are just one point behind their hosts but will be without on-loan striker Salva Ballesta who is ineligible to face his former club.

Samuel sits out
Raúl González celebrates ten years with Real Madrid CF as they entertain neighbours Getafe CF. Getafe, in 18th place and with just two wins, will be unable to field striker Riki, currently on loan from Madrid, who themselves are without central defender Walter Samuel. He is resting after damaging his right knee during Tuesday's 2-1 Spanish Cup win against CD Leganés.

Deportivo doubts
Like Getafe, Albacete Balompié will be without on-loan pair Rubén Castro and Momo when they meet RC Deportivo La Coruña due to a preventative clause in their contracts. Deportivo are in tenth place but a win could see them climb to third. Albert Luque is doubtful with a shin bone injury as is Manuel Pablo who has been resting from a back complaint.

Nadal returns
RCD Espanyol and Villarreal CF, who were both knocked out of the Spanish Cup, come face to face on Sunday. Villarreal have lost midfield player Roger García to a ligament injury but striker Xisco Nadal is back after shaking off a thigh strain.

Floro sacked
In the rest of the weekend's action, UEFA Cup hopefuls Real Zaragoza and Sevilla FC meet at the Romareda, while RCD Mallorca, who dismissed coach Benito Floro this week, are at home to Real Racing Club Santander. Levante UD have a tough trip to CA Osasuna, with the clubs level on 13 points. Real Betis Balompié entertain Málaga CF and CD Numancia, currently bottom of the table, welcome Real Sociedad de Fútbol.

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After restoring their five-point cushion at the top of Serie A by defeating AS Roma at the Stadio Delle Alpi on Thursday, Juventus FC again play host on Sunday hoping to continue their flying start when AC Chievo Verona visit Turin.

Tough opponents
Juve have won seven of their eight league matches, conceding just two goals in the process, but coach Fabio Capello is urging his players to be wary of the well-drilled Chievo side. "They are a difficult team to face," Capello said. "They are an organised team and we cannot make any mistake if we want to take all three points."

Emerson suspension
Midfield player Emerson is suspended for Juventus following a red card against former team Roma. Jonathan Zebina is also unavailable after suffering a thigh injury in the same match, so veterans Alessio Tacchinardi and Gianluca Pessotto could make rare starts.

Sampdoria test
Fifth-placed Chievo, who were unbeaten until Wednesday's 2-0 home defeat by UC Sampdoria, have never won a point against Juventus, but champions AC Milan will be hoping they do this time as Carlo Ancelotti's side try to close the gap on the leaders by beating Sampdoria in Genoa on Saturday. But it will not be easy - the Blucerchiati have won four of their past five games, and Milan could be without both Jaap Stam and Filippo Inzaghi.

Lazio reunion
FC Internazionale Milano coach Roberto Mancini faces S.S. Lazio for the first time since leaving the club last summer. It is also a reunion for Inter players Giuseppe Favalli, Juan Sebastián Verón, Dejan Stankovic, Christian Vieri and Sinisa Mihajlovic, who all had spells for the Rome club. Unbeaten Inter need to win after being held to their sixth draw of the season against in-form US Lecce on Wednesday.

Struggling sides
In Saturday's other game, Lecce could go above Milan into second by winning at ACF Fiorentina, while on Sunday, struggling Roma welcome Cagliari Calcio. In the battle of the bottom two sides, Parma FC will hope to add to their six points when at home to the only side without a Serie A victory this term, Atalanta BC.

'Derby dello Stretto'
Bologna FC and Brescia Calcio both travel to Tuscany to face AC Siena and AS Livorno Calcio respectively. Udinese Calcio meet US Città di Palermo, while FC Messina Peloro and Reggina Calcio play out the 'Derby dello Stretto'.

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Família, amigos e torcedores de Serginho, zagueiro morto na quarta-feira, participam de velório do jogador em Coronel Fabriciano, no interior de Minas Gerais

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The beaten finalists from last season's European club competitions meet in Marseille tonight when fourth-placed AS Monaco FC play Olympique de Marseille as both sides bid to close the gap on leaders Olympique Lyonnais, who host RC Strasbourg tomorrow.

Closing the gap
Within seven days in May this year, Marseille lost the final of the UEFA Cup final while Monaco were beaten by FC Porto in the UEFA Champions League. Although both teams raised the profile of French football, the only thought on Monaco coach Didier Deschamps' mind this weekend will be securing three points to put his side back in the championship race after a run of four games without victory has left them four points behind Lyon. "That's not good but we're going to Marseille to win," he said.

French success
Marseille are just one point behind them, however, and will have Benoît Pedretti back from injury. Marseille, with Deschamps in midfield, remain the only French side to have won the European Champion Clubs' Cup though Monaco, who travel to Olympiacos CFP on Wednesday, will be hopeful of Champions League progress this season.

Le Guen keen
Lyon, unbeaten after eleven games, will aim to keep their rivals at arms' length when they face relegation favourites for the second successive week. The defending champions were held by FC Istres last weekend and boss Paul Le Guen will want to avoid a similar slip-up against Strasbourg who won their first game of the season, 3-1 against OGC Nice, last Saturday. "We have to play with more simplicity," said Lyon defender Eric Abidal, who will have one eye on Wednesday's visit of Fenerbahçe SK in the Champions League.

Captain misses out
The five teams below Lyon all failed to win last weekend, with second-placed LOSC Lille Métropole the most conspicuous disappointment, as they lost to Toulouse FC, and will be be without Milivoje Vitakic and Matthieu Chalmé at home to AS Saint-Etienne. Third-placed AJ Auxerre welcome a revived Paris Saint-Germain FC but who will be without suspended captain José-Pierre Fanfan as they try to climb into the top half of Ligue 1 ahead of Tuesday's Champions League meeting with Porto.

Record breakers
Meanwhile, history will be made when FC Sochaux-Montbéliard take the field against Toulouse for their 2,000th match in the top flight - a French record. In Saturday's other encounters, sixth-placed FC Girondins de Bordeaux welcome RC Lens, Rolland Courbis returns as AC Ajaccio coach against FC Nantes Atlantique, FC Metz play SC Bastia, Istres are away to OGC Nice and Stade Rennais FC face SM Caen.

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Boston Red Sox President and Larry Lucchino, left, shows the World Series trophy to Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, right, during a news conference in the City Hall in Boston

The grave of George Herman ''Babe'''' Ruth is decorated with items left by New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox fans, Thursday, Oct. 28, 2004 in Hawthorne. The "Curse of the Bambino" has followed Boston through four World Series defeats, each one in seven games. The end of the drought came Wednesday, Oct. 17, when Boston completed a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals to win the World Series.

Escrito por fraja8 às 09h14
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TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) -- Count Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts among those Boston baseball fans who have waited a lifetime to see the Red Sox win the World Series. President Bush says he's excited, too. Kerry, wearing a Red Sox cap as he bounded into a morning rally in Toledo, recalled someone phoning a radio show early in the campaign and saying, ``John Kerry won't be president until the Red Sox win the World Series.'' He exclaimed, ``Well, we're on our way!''

Not everybody felt that way. Boston pitcher Curt Schilling, interviewed on ABC's ``Good Morning America,'' said, ``Tell everybody to vote. And vote Bush next week.'' Bush congratulated the team's owner and president by phone -- and thanked Schilling for his support. The Red Sox pitcher will appear with Bush on Friday at stops in New Hampshire, according to the campaign. The president watched part of the final game Wednesday night as the Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals, completing a four-game sweep to win their first World Series title since 1918, said spokesman Scott McClellan. ``This is a long time coming and he shares in their excitement at winning the World Series,'' McClellan said. Kerry said, ``I've been rooting for this day since I was a kid. ... This Red Sox team came back against all odds and showed America what heart is. In 2004, the Red Sox are America's team.''

Escrito por fraja8 às 09h11
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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Viacom Inc. on Thursday posted a quarterly loss on charges from spinning off the Blockbuster Inc. video rental chain, but its shares rose on a larger-than-expected stock repurchase and higher cable network advertising sales.

The company, which owns the CBS television network and Paramount Pictures film studio, said it plans to buy back up to $8 billion in stock and raised its dividend 16.7 percent. It also increased its full-year financial targets. The buyback, which was considerably larger than Wall Street expectations of a $6 billion repurchase, "should help convince a very skeptical investment community that highly dilutive acquisitions are not a pending eventuality," said Tradition Asiel analyst Paul Kim.

But Jessica Reif Cohen of Merrill Lynch said the buyback and the dividend hike overshadowed a "mixed" financial quarter, with weak ad sales at local TV stations and at Infinity Broadcasting's radio stations. Viacom posted a third-quarter loss of $487.6 million, or 28 cents a share, compared with year-earlier profit of $699.6 million, or 40 cents a share. Profit before charges rose to $723 million, or 42 cents a share, from $648 million, or 37 cents a share. Revenue increased 4 percent to $5.5 billion from $5.3 billion.

Viacom's operating earnings were led by a jump in advertising sales at the MTV and Nickelodeon cable networks, where revenue rose 14 percent and operating profit rose 13 percent. Revenue at broadcast television networks CBS and UPN rose 5 percent, and operating income improved 7 percent. But some analysts were disappointed over performance at the television stations group, where revenue edged up 3 percent. Kim said Viacom probably did not reap the rewards of ramped-up political spending during the election year

Escrito por fraja8 às 09h08
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FC Bayern München are hoping to repeat their impressive midweek Bundesliga display against VfL Wolfsburg when they travel to VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday.

Seventies classic
In the 1970s FC Bayern München and VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach dominated the Bundesliga, the two sides sharing eight titles between them. But for Mönchengladbach those days are long gone, and once again the five-time German champions are fighting against relegation.

'Not easy'
Holger Fach was sacked as coach in the wake of his side's 3-0 midweek defeat at VfL Bochum 1848, and caretaker Horst Köppel steps in against Bayern. "It is definitely not the easiest start, but it will be interesting," said sporting director Christian Hochstätter.

Confident Bayern
Bayern are bursting with confidence after beating FC Hansa Rostock and Wolfsburg in the space of four days. They are within one point of the leaders and coach Felix Magath wants to replace them at the summit by the winter break. "We have got seven games left and I want to be on top of the Bundesliga as soon as possible," he said. "It would be important because it will increase our confidence level even more."

Stuttgart test
VfB Stuttgart face a tough test at FC Schalke 04, who have won all four league games since Ralf Rangnick took charge. Schalke have moved up into sixth place under their new coach and a win against Stuttgart would take them above their opponents.

'Down to earth'
"We are obviously looking for another win against Stuttgart and it's a special match for me," said former Stuttgart coach Rangnick. His side are looking to break a run of two successive defeats and coach Matthias Sammer said: "The season was perfect until the defeat in Freiburg on Sunday and after the defeat against Bremen [on Wednesday] we are back to earth again."

Northern derby
In Saturday's other matches, Bayer 04 Leverkusen visit BV Borussia Dortmund; Leverkusen have yet to win away this season and Dortmund are without a victory at home. Leaders Wolfsburg welcome high-flying 1. FSV Mainz 05, SC Freiburg take on Hertha BSC Berlin, Bochum are away to Hannover 96 and SV Werder Bremen play northern rivals Hamburger SV.

Rostock point
On Sunday, Hansa  will be looking for their first home point when they face 1. FC Nürnberg, and troubled 1. FC Kaiserslautern coach Kurt Jara needs victory against DSC Arminia Bielefeld.

Escrito por fraja8 às 09h05
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Yes, it's Halloween week, but for a fright fest in the sports world, there's no need for ghouls or goblins.

10. Dennis Rodman

There's certainly something frightening about this gender-bending novelty act from the 90s. He marries himself, looks for any pretense to take his clothes off in public, he pierces places surgeons fear to tread, and he's got more artwork on him than in the Louvre. He's probably more creepy than scary, although it's quite unsettling when he decides to show up on Blind Date.

9. Lou Piniella

They don't call him "Mount Piniella" for nothing. Whether it's throwing bases he's wrenched from the ground, kicking dirt on umpires, grappling with half-naked relievers or generally flirting with a coronary any time there's a close call, Lou's perpetually on the verge of coming unhinged. Think Joe Pesci's character in Goodfellas without the rap sheet.

8. Albert Belle

It's one of life's happy coincidences that this thoroughly frightening sports figure one Halloween night almost ran over some trespassing kids with his SUV. Back in his college days, he went after some hecklers in the stands. He's leveled Fernando Vina on the base paths, hummed a baseball at a reporter and corked his bat. And he'll flip out if you call him ""Joey." Mercurial? To say the least. Big enough for it to lay a whoopin' on you? Most def.

7. Yankee Stadium "Bleacher Creatures"

They yell, they throw beer, they favor mob justice, they roam in packs. Yes, the cheap seats at the Boogie Down happen to constitute the roughest neighborhood in the Bronx on game nights. Yankee handlers let the "Bleacher Creatures" into the ballyard only through back entrances. They take up 2,385 seats (backless benches, to be perfectly accurate) in right field. The rest of Yankee Stadium drinks beer until the end of the fifth innings, but if you're in the Bleacher Creature section you can't buy beer at all. At opposing players, they've thrown coins, batteries and — you guessed it — even a knife. Fear them. Better yet, avoid them.

6. Tie Domi

We all know hockey is an opera of violence. Body checks, sticks to the face, crashes against boards, cessations of play so guys can duke it out. By definition, you have to be somewhat rough around the edges to even step on the ice. But Tie Domi, even by NHL standards, is one bad dude. That's "baaaaaaaaad," like the kids say. Domi is the "enforcer" for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He holds the team record for penalty minutes. Domi's not the biggest guy on the ice, but he rarely loses a fight — and he's the guy who always mixes it up with the other team's enforcer. He also incurred one of the longest suspensions in league history (11 games) for knocking out Scott Niedermayer with an elbow to the head in Game 4 of the 2001 Eastern Conference Semifinals. Call him a tough guy, call him a thug. Just don't make him angry.

5. John Rocker

Fiery John Rocker was an equal opportunity offender on and off the mound

If you're not a white guy from rural Georgia, Rocker's probably got a beef with you. New York City can be a pretty intimidating place, but Rocker seemed to relish in the fact that he was hated there. Even after unleashing a hateful torrent against immigrants, minorities, gays, single mothers, urbanites, puppies, etc., he still carried himself with the brash and cocksure manner than made him Gotham's public enemy number one. He's certainly got the eyes of a maniac. Anyone who takes such joy in being despised is one to steer clear of. Halloween costumes to avoid if you live in Rocker's neck of the woods: immigrant, minority, gay, single mother, urbanite, puppy ...

4. Bill Romanowski

You never know what's going to raise Romo's hackles. He punches teammates, he bites opponents, he spits on opponents. Blame it on his intensity, or just blame it on the steroids. He already looks a little crazy, and if you've seen him ply his trade on the field, you know he's crazy. Now that he's retired, he's probably cooled off a bit. But I still wouldn't umpire his kid's Little League game. And if you live in Romo's neighborhood, don't dress up as J.J. Stokes for Halloween.

3. Mike Tyson

Criminal convictions aside, is anyone crazier than Mike Tyson? Ask Mitch "Blood" Green, whom Tyson beat the stuffing out of in a 1986 street ball. Ask Evander Holyfield's ear. Ask Lennox Lewis' children, whom Tyson once threatened to eat. Ask reporter Josie Karp, who was victim to a Tyson tirade so profane that it would make a longshoreman demure. Or just ask anyone who's ever trained him, fought him or married him. One of these days, he might just fade into Bolivian ...

2. Bobby Knight

Over his volatile yet impossible to ignore coaching career, Knight has (allegedly in some instances), thrown a chair, head-butted a player, choked a player, joked about rape, terrorized assistants, dropped f-bombs left and right during press conferences, crossed swords with school administrators, dressed down NCAA officials on live TV and generally treated the media like a cancer diagnosis. Big dude, bigger 'tude. Fear the sweater.

The Black Hole is not a friendly place for non-Raider fans.

1. Oakland Raider Fans

They've certainly got the costume part now. The sartorial tastes of Raider Nation range from garden-variety face paint to all-out "Mad Max" garb that makes pro wrestlers look like Franciscan monks. They're frightening, and they're angry even when winning. Perhaps you've read about them in the Book of Revelation. If you see one coming your way, you're on the wrong side of the Bay, or it's the Rapture. I'm not sure which is worse. They pretty much have the same act as the Bleacher Creatures except every once and a while, to keep things fresh, they'll stab a Chargers fan. Raider games: made for TV.

Escrito por fraja8 às 09h04
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FC Porto will be without Costinha for two weeks after he sustained a head injury in a league game.

Head injury
The 29-year-old midfield player suffered concussion during Porto's Portuguese Cup fixture against Vitória SC in Guimarães on Wednesday. He has been effectively ruled out of next Tuesday's UEFA Champions League visit of Paris Saint-Germain FC, although his injury is less severe than initially feared.

Knocked out
A club statement said: "Costinha suffered a knock to the head and temporarily lost his senses during the match against Guimarães. After the incident the player had a cerebral scan and further examinations on his head and spine. No major injuries were detected and he has a good chance of making a full and speedy recovery."

Escrito por fraja8 às 08h55
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Phoenix Suns'' Yuta Tabuse of Japan, right, collides with Los Angeles Clippers'' Lionel Chalmers during the second half Thursday night, Oct. 28, 2004, in Los Angeles.

Escrito por fraja8 às 08h54
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Sete vezes escolhido para o "jogo das estrelas", o pivô Alonzo Mourning voltou a jogar na noite desta quinta-feira, depois de ser submetido a um transplante de rim em dezembro do ano passado. O jogador foi um dos destaques do New Jersey Nets, que recebeu o Philadelphia 76ers e venceu por 96 a 94.
Mourning, de 34 anos, começou no banco de reservas e atuou por 18 minutos, com 12 pontos, seis rebotes, dois tocos e uma roubada de bola. No entanto, cometeu oito erros e seis faltas, sendo desqualificado da partida.
"Eu não estava pensando em uma satisfação individual. O que eu sei é que no ano passado jogar a pré-temporada foi fisicamente mais desgastante. Mas acho que agora aprendi a lidar com o cansaço", disse o pivô.
Os Nets assinaram por quatro anos com Mourning antes da temporada 2003-2004. No último ano ele atuou apenas 12 partidas quando, em novembro, foi detectada uma glomerulosclerose. Menos de um mês depois ele passou por um transplante de rim, com um órgão doado por um de seus primos.
"Acho que minha recuperação está indo muito melhor agora porque tenho um órgão que faz o seu trabalho. Isso faz uma diferença enorme. Tudo o que tenho que fazer é viver um dia de cada vez. Não posso prever o que vai acontecer", comentou.
Em 12 temporadas na NBA, Mourning contabiliza médias de 20,0 pontos e 9,7 rebotes, em 634 partidas disputadas pela liga de basquete norte-americana.
Richard Jefferson, com 21 pontos, 12 rebotes e sete assistências, e Rodney Buford, com 20 pontos e seis rebotes, foram as principais peças dos Nets. Kenny Thomas e Andre Iguodala anotaram 15 pontos cada pelos 76ers, enquanto Allen Iverson marcou 13.

Lakers vencem

Kobe Bryant marcou 19 pontos, enquanto Lamar Odom anotou 16 pontos e nove rebotes na vitória por 97 a 87 do Los Angeles Lakers sobre o Washington Wizards, que teve em Larry Hughes, com 15 pontos, e Antawn Jamison, com 10 rebotes, suas principais figuras.
Outro time a vencer foi o Dallas Mavericks, que passou pelo Sacramento Kings por 112 a 93. Para chegar ao bom resultado, a equipe contou com grande participação de seu quarteto titular, com 30 pontos de Dirk Nowitzki, 24 de Devin Harris, 21 de Josh Howard e 15 pontos e 15 rebotes de Erick Dampier.
Em Milwaukee, os Bucks receberam o Memphis Grizzlies e perderam por 99 a 92. Stromile Swift foi o cestinha do time visitante e da partida, anotando 24 pontos e sete rebotes, enquanto Earl Watson contribuiu com 12 pontos e o mesmo número de assistências.
No complemento da rodada, o New York Knicks passou pelo Utah Jazz no Madison Square Garden por 89 a 83. Tim Thomas foi grande nome da equipe vencedora, terminando o confronto com 23 pontos. >makeFooter('');

Escrito por fraja8 às 08h48
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Villarreal CF became the fifth Primera División side to be knocked out of the Spanish Cup first round by lower-division opposition as Eloi Muñoz scored a dramatic late winner to give third division outfit Girona FC a 2-1 win tonight.

High-profile defeats
With Valencia CF, FC Barcelona, holders Real Zaragoza and RCD Espanyol all losing on Wednesday night, Villarreal began positively at the Montilivi stadium, pressing forward at every opportunity. However, despite their pressure the deadlock was not broken until five minutes into the second half when Villarreal's Uruguayan striker Diego Forlán created the chance for Juan Manuel Peña to open the scoring.

Spot-kick equaliser
Girona were awarded a penalty with 17 minutes left when Forlán handled in the area and Raúl Cabellero made no mistake from the spot, shooting past Javier López Vallejo to level the scores.

Late drama
Villarreal almost regained the lead when Forlán smashed a great effort against the bar with six minutes left but instead it was the third division side who snatched the winner, Eloi Muñoz heading in two minutes before the final whistle.

Escrito por fraja8 às 08h34
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Chelsea FC have sacked Romania striker Adrian Mutu following his failed drugs test.

Zero tolerance
The English club have taken action after the 25-year-old tested positive for a banned substance last month. A statement said: "We want to make clear that Chelsea has a zero tolerance policy towards drugs. This applies to both performance enhancing drugs or so-called 'recreational' drugs. They have no place at our club or in sport."

Ban possible
Chelsea said they were "considering all options in relation to any financial loss" and that their decision was independent of Football Association (FA) procedures. It is thought Mutu could face up to a two-year ban from football.

The club totally supports the FA in strong action on all drugs cases Chelsea FC

Support for FA
The statement added: "In coming to a decision on this case, Chelsea believed the club's social responsibility to its fans, players, employees and other stakeholders in football regarding drugs was more important than the major financial considerations to the company. Any player who takes drugs breaches his contract with the club as well as FA rules. The club totally supports the FA in strong action on all drugs cases."

Bright start
Mutu left Italian side Parma FC to join Chelsea for €22.4m in summer 2003. He made a bright start to his Premiership career but struggled to make an impact as the season wore on. He then made just two brief appearances for the club during the current campaign, although he has continued to feature for his country in FIFA World Cup qualifying

Escrito por fraja8 às 08h32
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O inglês Nigel Mansell, conhecido no Brasil simplesmente como "Leão", está pensando em fincar as garras em outro grande gato selvagem: a equipe Jaguar de Fórmula 1. As últimas informações, na Europa, indicam que o piloto lidera um grupo britânico interessado em comprar a escuderia jogada para escanteio pela Ford.
O consórcio Brand Synergy, que também pretende liderar a promoção do Grande Prêmio da Inglaterra, está conversando com o banco HSBC no sentido de levantar investimentos para a compra do time Jaguar. A aquisição da Cosworth, empresa que prepara motores de competição, também estaria incluída no pacote.
A sobrevivência da Jaguar no próximo campeonato, além do dinheiro, depende também de tempo. As inscrições para a temporada 2005 se encerram no dia 15 de novembro. Se a equipe não encontrar comprador, será fechada e isso causará a perda de emprego para cerca de 350 pessoas - em nível direto.
Independentemente da atual situação, todo o pessoal da Jaguar continua trabalhando normalmente para o próximo ano: "O que posso dizer é que estamos totalmente comprometidos em continuar trabalhando o máximo que pudermos e visando 2005", declarou David Pitchforth - diretor da escuderia britânica.

Escrito por fraja8 às 08h30
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10. Lenny Wilkens -- Lenny became a player coach with the 1969-70 Sonics, one of the last of a dying breed. Unlike most player-coaches, he wasn't some salty dog playing out he string -- he was still an All-Star. Thus, he was frequently in the position of going into the huddle to design plays for himself. A typical player of this generation would get himself 83 shots a game in those circumstances, but laid-back Lenny lacked the Machiavellian streak that later generations would perfect, so he can't rank higher than 10th.

9. Dave DeBuscherre -- He was a player-coach at 24. Yes, 24. Obviously, he was good at team politics from the get-go, and one supposes he had to be to go 79-143 before the Pistons finally decided to replace him and get a full-time coach. From there, he fulfilled Vince Carter's wildest fantasy by getting traded to New York, instantly became a key player (but not the player) on a contender and winning two championships.

8. Magic Johnson -- He engineered perhaps the most famous palace coup in basketball history when he orchestrated the firing of a coach --  Paul Westhead -- who had already led the team to a championship, and inserted Pat Riley in his place. Of course, Magic won four more titles with Riley at the helm, which has spared him a lot of grief in the history books. For his part, Westhead did all he could to prove Johnson right in subsequent years, becoming convinced that 184-176 games were the wave of the future and preparing his teams accordingly. Magic also gets honorable mention because he supposedly was in on the Michael Jordan freeze-out in the '85 All-Star Game, although how he could freeze a guy who was playing for the other team is beyond me.

7. Isiah Thomas -- Even with Chuck Daly coaching and prominent teammates like Joe Dumars and the Worm, Dennis Rodman, Zeke had two signature moments that illustrated how much more pull he had than his mates. The first and most famous was his orchestrating the freeze-out of a young Jordan in the '85 All-Star game. But the second was more indicative of his power -- Thomas pulled the strings that led to the midseason trade of Adrian Dantley for Mark Aguirre in '89. They were near-identical talents, except for one difference -- Aguirre was Thomas' childhood friend from Chicago, where they would share lofty dreams like, "Someday, I'll be a big star in the NBA," and "When I get older, I'm going to show this world how a minor league basketball operation is supposed to be run."

6. Bill Russell -- Russell ranks this low only because it was inconceivable that he could get Red Auerbach fired. Other than that, anything was fair game, especially when Russell became player-coach in his final two seasons -- a position he ended up with, in part, because he wouldn't play for anybody except Red, and Red was retiring. Other guys have been player-coaches, of course, but a player-coach with enough rings for two Olympics carries a lot more gravitas. Players of his generation didn't wield the kind of leverage they have today, but until Magic and Larry Bird came along, nobody cast anywhere near the shadow over his team that Russell did.

Scott may have been the coach, but Kidd was the one calling the shots.

5. Anfernee Hardaway -- Hardaway was compared to Magic Johnson when he came out of college, but this wasn't what Orlando had in mind. Much like a young Magic did to Westhead, Hardaway organized the firing of his coach (Brian Hill) with the Magic in 1996-97. He even went touchy-feely and used the consensus technique to get Hill booted, getting all his teammates in on the ground floor of his proposal. Unfortunately, Hardaway saw Hill replaced with Richie Adubato -- the basketball equivalent of trading in your El Camino for a Ford Festiva. Chuck Daly, who had dealt with Isiah Thomas and Dennis Rodman Detroit, came in a year later, but a nonplussed Penny expertly submarined him, too.

4. Oscar Robertson --- The head of the players' union from 1965-74, Robertson's power was different from that of the other players. He was basically basketball's Curt Flood, getting rid of basketball's reserve clause and paving the way for the tricked-out Escalades that even the lowliest injured-list hanger-on is cruising around town in today. In a, um, "coincidence", he couldn't get a coaching or front office job after he retired, despite the fact every other superstar, star, and quasi-star of the last three decades who showed even the slightest twinge of interest in management was almost immediately recruited into some team's front office.

3. Jason Kidd -- The runaway winner of the "Who, me?" award for '03, Kidd displayed a politician's p.r. skills in his back-channel efforts to get Byron Scott whacked. He expertly maintained plausible deniability while simultaneously undermining the guy at every turn. You half-expected to catch him at his locker watching tapes of Karl Rove. Some would argue Kidd should rank below Hardaway since it took him half a year of maneuvering before he produced a corpse. However, that ignores the fact that Kidd also cajoled the Nets into several idiotic personnel moves at the same time, the centerpiece of which was the $22 million the already poverty-stricken team dumped in Alonzo Mourning's retirement fund. Also, Kidd gets massive bonus points for starting off his career by doing the Scott routine on Lou Campanelli at Cal, which is doubly amazing because college is the one time in a player's career when he gets to choose the coach he will play for.

2. Kobe Bryant -- What he pulled off this summer can't be underestimated. Bryant showed his versatility by deftly sticking two daggers in two different backs at the same time, all while he was preoccupied with defending himself in a sexual assault trial. Those weren't just any two backs, either -- he carved up the spine of the greatest coach of all time and the best player of his generation. Somehow, Bryant got tight enough with owner Jerry Buss to run them both out of town, even though he wasn't under contract at the time. For added kicks, he also convinced the Clippers he was signing with them and got them to trade away three players and the rights to Emeka Okafor in order to get him, making Elgin Baylor look like the nerd who got stood up by the hot chick on prom night.

1. Michael Jordan -- He wielded considerable power as a Bull, but that was nothing compared to his might when he returned in 2001. As a Washington Wizard, Jordan was the first player-GM in modern NBA history, and if the results are any indication, he'll probably be the last. Forget wagging the dog, he was the dog. Jordan installed a puppet as head coach -- incredibly, one whom he'd already given the Kidd treatment a decade earlier -- and immediately began running the team to suit his ego.

Escrito por fraja8 às 08h26
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El prestigio del Barça y su recuperada imagen de gran equipo han permitido que llegara esta superoferta.

El FC Barcelona recibió el pasado miércoles por tarde, vía fax, y después de varias semanas de negociaciones, una extraordinaria oferta para insertar publicidad en su camiseta. Durante todo el día de ayer el presidente de la entidad azulgrana, Joan Laporta, mantuvo conversaciones con miembros de su junta directiva para darles a conocer los detalles de este ofrecimiento económico.

La firma de apuestas por Internet ‘betandwin.com’ (‘apuestaygana’ traducido al español), con sede en Viena (Austria) y que cotiza en dos mercados bursátiles, le ha presentado al FC Barcelona una oferta de 15 millones de euros (2.495.790 millones de las antiguas pesetas) por cada una de las tres temporadas que duraría el compromiso. Es decir, 45 millones de euros en total.

Estas astronómicas cifras, en caso de cerrarse el acuerdo, colocarían al FC Barcelona como el segundo club de fútbol de Europa que más dinero ingresaría por la publicidad en su camiseta, por detrás del Bayern Múnich y por delante de otros clubs como Manchester United y Real Madrid, que hasta hace unos años sacaban una ventaja estratosférica al Barça en cuanto a esos ingresos que antes se llamaban ‘atípicos’.

Sin embargo, según le consta a SPORT, el FC Barcelona podría superar los 17 millones de euros anuales que percibe anualmente el Bayern Múnich de la firma Opel, en función de los incentivos, los famosos ‘bonus’. Si el primer equipo de Frank Rijkaard ganara la Liga y la final de la Champions League la cifra podría superar los 18 millones de euros. Los 15 millones pactados es por mínimos.

Esta proposición de patrocinio es, de lejos, la mejor oferta que ha recibido el FC Barcelona por la publicidad de su camiseta. Durante toda la temporada pasada las mejores proposiciones, que las hubo y muchas, no pasaron de los 8 millones de euros. Todas quedaron descartadas porque el Barça sólo se planteaba la posibilidad de lucir publicidad a partir de 12 millones de euros por temporada. Obviamente la situación deportiva que vivió el Barça hace unos meses no invitaba precisamente a encontrar un sponsor que se quisiera ‘casar’ con la entidad azulgrana. Sin jugar la Champions League era difícil que el club pudiera tener la cuota de mercado que sí tiene esta temporada después de los fichajes realizados y su presencia en la máxima competición europea.

Desde el punto de vista económico, los dos máximos responsables del club en esa parcela, los directivos Ferran Soriano y Marc Ingla, están entusiasmados. Debe tenerse en cuenta que para la presente temporada se presupuestaron 200 millones de euros. Estos 15 millones de euros extra, no contemplados en las previsiones presupuestarias, representarían casi un 10% de ese presupuesto, todo un alivio económico para el FC Barcelona después del enorme esfuerzo realizado en materia de fichajes y teniendo en cuenta que en breve tendrá que empezar a devolver parte del crédito sindicado que le fue concedido.

El tema de la publicidad en la camiseta dejó de ser un tabú histórico cuando en la primera asamblea que celebró Joan Laporta como presidente, en septiembre de 2003, los socios compromisarios dieron su aprobación al uso de esta fuente de ingresos a los que el Barça venía renunciando por ‘romanticismo’. Una fuente de ingresos que sí usaban sus más acérrimos competidores en el fútbol español y europeo y con los que el Barça, económicamente, no podía luchar de igual a igual.

Deco, un crack en SPORT

El crack azulgrana estuvo de visita en la redacción de SPORT. Deco departió con unos y otros sobre sus primeras experiencias en el Barcelona. “Soy feliz en el Barcelona y estoy convencido de que acabaremos conquistando algún título”, dijo.

Anderson Luis de Souza, Deco, es un tipo común, sin humos, sencillo. Motivos tendría, si quisiera, para asumir un porte más altanero: Es, junto a Ronaldinho, el líder del juego ofensivo del FC Barcelona y, a la vez, uno de los grandes aspirantes al Balón de Oro. Sería el favorito número uno en esta pugna si se tuviera en cuenta el palmarés de este 2004: Ha conquistado la Liga lusa, la Liga de Campeones, ha sido subcampeón de Europa con Portugal y ha redondeado la trayectoria fichando por el Barça. Deco, sin embargo, no se vanagloria de su pasado, ni tampoco de su presente. Es tan común que hasta hizo la visita a SPORT acompañado de su hijo, Joao, fruto de su relación con su primera esposa. La timidez del chico, de cuatro años de edad, se empezó a romper cuando Lluís Mascaró, director adjunto de SPORT, le regaló una réplica de un monoplaza de Fórmula 1. Con un juguete en las manos, Joao ya estaba menos impresionado. Pese a ello, no se despegó de los pantalones de su padre durante la estancia del jugador azulgrana a nuestra redacción.

Deco vive unas semanas especiales al tener, por estas fechas, a sus tres hijos en casa. Además, ya ha abandonado el hotel para instalarse en su casa de las afueras de la ciudad con lo que empieza a estar más asentado. Ahora es cuando Deco empieza a disfrutar de todo lo que le rodea: “Barcelona es una ciudad muy humana. Tiene el mar, como lo tenía en Porto, y el clima es mejor que en Portugal donde llovía mucho. Además, la ciudad tiene rincones en las que hay mucho movimiento y otros que son muy tranquilos”. También se muestra especialmente ilusionado con las experiencias que ha vivido en el club: “El Barça es sorprendente por la magnitud que tiene, pero uno se va acostumbrando. Por lo que se refiere al vestuario, ¿Qué más puedo pedir? Hay una calidad enorme. Se nota cuando te toca estar enmedio de un rondo. No hay manera de salir... Además, los compañeros tienen una ambición enorme y hay una buena mezcla de experiencia y juventud, que en su mayoría son los chicos de la cantera”, señaló el blaugrana.

Pese al traspié de la Copa del Rey, Deco está convencido de que el equipo acabará conquistando algún título esta temporada y pondrá fin a la mala racha de tantos años de sinsabores: “El equipo ha empezado bien la Liga y vamos por el buen camino. Aún no hemos hecho nada porque quedan noventa puntos en juego y pueden pasar muchas cosas, pero tengo buenas sensaciones, muy buenas sensaciones”, declaró.

Las mismas que puede tener para que el Balón de Oro o el World FIFA Player caiga en su saco. Deco, no obstante, es prudente. Quizás sabe que la gloria es efímera y que sólo vale el día a día. “Si me dan el Balón de Oro me darán una enorme alegría. No lo puedo negar. Sin embargo, lo que más ambiciono, lo que más me preocupa y lo que más me divierte es ganar partidos y, a la postre, títulos. Esta es la verdadera recompensa al esfuerzo de un equipo. El fútbol es un deporte colectivo y ahí está el placer”. En la sencillez empieza la magnitud de Deco.

Escrito por fraja8 às 08h22
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Jorge Valdano, el ‘padrino’ de Raúl y el hombre que apostó por este jugador, se encontraba ayer, casualmente, en Zaragoza para dar una conferencia. El que fue entrenador Raúl, ahora gran amigo suyo, nos habló de lo que supuso para él apostar por este jugador y cómo lo ve diez años después.

En Zaragoza le dio el bautizo y desde Zaragoza nos habla de lo que ha sido la década de Raúl: “Se trataba de un jugador con una hipermovilidad y una voracidad tremenda, que le salía el fútbol por los ojos y, que además, con una ambición bien entendida para saber jugar a este deporte. El tiempo, el carácter y la inteligencia lo convirtieron en una referencia del fútbol mundial. Supongo que a él se le han pasado estos diez años de una forma más rápida. Cuando uno juega el tiempo pasa volando. Pero yo tengo aquel recuerdo fresco y también tengo la impresión, por este motivo, de que ha transcurrido poco tiempo. Pero si uno repasa las estadísticas de Raúl se puede dar por satisfecho por todo lo que ha logrado”, dice un Jorge Vano con emoción. A Raúl le quiere como a un hermano o a un hijo. Le admira y le desea lo mejor. Se siente orgulloso de su trayectoria y de su ejemplo.

Owen se muestra convencido de que triunfará en el Real Madrid
Michael Owen confesó, en declaraciones al programa 'Al primer toque' de Onda Cero, que cada día se siente "más cómodo" en el Real Madrid y en la ciudad, y que eso se reflejará en el terreno de juego, donde está convencido de que tendrá "éxito". "He encontrado una casa a la que me voy a ir a vivir en los próximos días y eso se va a notar en mi rendimiento que va a mejorar mucho en las próximas semanas. Estoy harto de vivir en un hotel porque es muy difícil vivir allí con una niña pequeña", explicó.

El delantero del Real Madrid está satisfecho con su rendimiento en los últimos partidos. "Es una maravilla marcar tres goles seguidos y en tres competiciones diferentes con la camiseta de un club tan grande como el Real Madrid. Esto sólo es el principio. Siento que tendré éxito en este equipo porque poco a poco estoy encajando mejor y eso se ve en mi juego, en mi sonrisa", apuntó Owen.

El futbolista inglés, que no pudo ganar con el Liverpool ni la Liga de Campeones ni la Premier League, comentó que su mayor ilusón sería ganar la Champions, aunque también quedaría satisfecho con la Liga, y que se entiende muy bien con Raúl. "Confío en que a partir de ahora sigamos jugando igual de bien", precisó.

A Owen, por otro lado, le sorprendió mucho la dimisión de Camacho. "Nunca había visto nada igual. Para mi fue una sorpresa, sobre todo porque fue muy pronto. No lo entendí, estamos todavía en la Liga de Campeones y aunque en la Liga no marchan las cosas muy bien todavía queda mucha temporada. La verdad es que me sorprendió mucho su decisión aunque la respeto porque Camacho fue siempre una persona muy amable", concluyó.

Escrito por fraja8 às 08h16
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Debaixo de muita chuva, a Juventus derrotou a Roma por 2 a 0 nesta quinta-feira, em partida que encerrou a oitava rodada do Campeonato Italiano. Mesmo com as dificuldades impostas pelas condições do tempo no estádio Delle Alpi, em Turim, os líderes da Série A foram superiores durante todo o confronto e conseguiram manter a folga no topo da tabela.
Com o resultado, a Juventus alcança os 22 pontos e continua com cinco de vantagem em relação ao vice-líder Milan, atual campeão italiano, que derrotou a Atalanta por 3 a 0 na quarta-feira. Por sua vez, com mais uma derrota, a Roma segue com nove pontos, na 13ª colocação.
O volante Emerson, da Juventus, foi um dos brasileiros em campo na partida. Mancini, lateral-direito da Roma, começou o confronto como opção no banco de reservas e entrou no intervalo.

O primeiro gol da Juventus saiu aos 30min do primeiro tempo. Depois de cruzamento da esquerda, o argentino naturalizado italiano Mauro Camoranesi recuou e o meia Alessandro Del Piero bateu forte e colocado para vencer o goleiro Zotti.
Oito minutos depois, o sueco Zlatan Ibrahimovic tocou de cabeça para as redes. No entanto, o árbitro Pierluigi Collina anulou de forma equivocava o segundo gol da Juventus, assinalando uma falta no goleiro da Roma.
No segundo tempo, a Roma apresentou uma postura mais ofensiva, jogando com Mancini aberto na direita. No entanto, a equipe da capital não conseguiu criar boas oportunidades para finalizar em gol.
Mas foi a Juventus que acabou chegando ao segundo gol. Aos 29min, o uruguaio Zalayeta, que havia entrado no intervalo, recebeu de Ibrahimovic e bateu colocado na saída de Zotti para definir o placar.
Na próxima rodada, a Juventus volta a jogar em casa. Os líderes da Serie A recebem no domingo o Chievo no estádio Delle Alpi, em Turim. No mesmo dia a Roma enfrenta o Cagliari no estádio Olímpico, na capital.

Escrito por fraja8 às 16h48
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“Es un día grande para el madridismo, porque estamos dando un paso hacia delante. Tenemos que olvidar la antigua Ciudad Deportiva, porque se había quedado antigua para las necesidades actuales. Si el Real Madrid quiere seguir siendo el Mejor Club del Mundo debe trabajar para ello. Y este paso está enmarcado en ese camino. La primera fase estará culminada la próxima temporada y tendrá un coste aproximado de 15.000 millones de pesetas. La posterior, que contará con el Parque Temático, es más complicado precisar porque requiere de un gran presupuesto. Hemos disfrutado de un acto entrañable y que pasará a la historia del madridismo, sin duda, es un día irrepetible”.

“Quiero mandar un mensaje de felicidad y sentimiento a todos los madridistas. Nos ha rodeado un ambiente de emotividad. La ilusión por poder crear esta Ciudad del Real Madrid nos anima a seguir trabajando. Esta es una obra que se realizará con o sin Florentino Pérez, aunque no debo ocultar mi satisfacción por ser uno de los responsables de poner en marcha este proyecto”.

Futuro deportivo
“Siempre hacemos fichajes que llevan la ilusión al madridismo, y seguro que alguno vendrá. Que nadie dude que la próxima temporada volveremos a luchar por todos los títulos. Cuando concluya la temporada, la analizaremos y veremos que se debe corregir. Es cierto que nuestra temporada no ha sido buena, pero el Real Madrid no puede ganar todos los años, aunque es el primer año que no ganamos un título".

Nombres propios
“Confío en que Roberto Carlos concluya su carrera en el Real Madrid, así lo deseamos. Todo el mundo encarna los valores del Real Madrid y más los ex futbolistas de este equipo como Camacho. No creo que sea el momento de hablar de Carlos Queiroz o de situaciones coyunturales, en un día tan histórico para el Real Madrid”.

Escrito por fraja8 às 16h43
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- Diez años, 500 partidos, parece un sueño, ¿qué se siente cuando se ha llegado a esta situación tan privilegiada?
- Resulta difícil creerlo. Siento unas sensaciones muy bonitas y extrañas a la vez. Nuca me podía imaginar que pudiera vivir esta situación. Uno se siente contento y satisfecho, de disfrutar con el Club que cambio mi vida, que es el Real Madrid, de disfrutar de otros momentos de alegría y con ganas de seguir “dando guerra”.

- Una vez alcanzados estos números con el Real Madrid, ¿cuáles son tus próximas metas?
- Yo creo que las metas hay que ir marcándolas día a día. Hace diez años no me podía imaginar que llegaría hasta aquí, por lo tanto hay que ir con el presente, con el corto plazo, con el próximo partido ante el Getafe, con poder jugar y meter goles, intentando que la gente disfrute y se vaya contenta a su casa. He conseguido muchos títulos y también he perdido otros. Ha habido campañas brillantes y otras decepcionantes, pero esa es la grandeza del fútbol y la grandeza de vivirlo en el Real Madrid, porque todo tiene mayor magnitud y máxima trascendencia, tanto para lo bueno como para lo malo. Quiero seguir disfrutando de mi profesión, de lo que más me gusta hacer y con 27 años todavía me queda mucho por dar. Creo que el mejor Raúl está por llegar.

- Después de tantos partidos, ¿Cuál ha sido tu mayor alegría y tu mayor decepción?
- Mi mayor alegría fue el primer partido. Fueron unas sensaciones muy bonitas, porque un día antes sabía que iba a jugar, viajé a Zaragoza con el equipo. Las sensaciones de la noche anterior, de lo que ocurrió en el terreno de juego, aunque no se consiguió la victoria. Recuerdo la alegría de mis padres, de mi familia, de mis amigos, de la colonia Marconi. Ese día cambio mi vida. Lo peor fue, posiblemente, en 1997 cuando sufrí una lesión de pubis, jugando irregularmente y, sobre todo, por el sufrimiento de mis familiares, porque se dijeron muchas cosas que no fueron verdad.

- ¿Con cuál persona te quedarías como punto referente en estos diez años?
- Es muy difícil elegir sólo una persona, pero yo creo que Valdano ha sido para mí una de las más importantes, porque me dio la confianza a los diecisiete años, cuando nadie me conocía y menos esperaban que pudiera triunfar en el fútbol. Además de la confianza me dio su amistad, sus consejos y me hizo creer que podía jugar al nivel más alto. Ha habido otras muchas que me han ayudado, pero sería una lista muy amplia. Fuera del fútbol, mis padres y mis hermanos, y sobre todo mi mujer, que es la persona más importante que tengo junto a mis dos hijos.

- ¿Con qué jugador te has divertido más en el fútbol?
- Divertido con muchos. Estar en el Real Madrid, donde los compañeros tienen una gran calidad, te permite disfrutar con todos. En cada época he disfrutado con todos, pero posiblemente con los que haya tenido más complicidad dentro del campo haya sido con Redondo y con Hierro. Sólo con la mirada nos bastaba para entendernos, para dar vuelta a una situación que se había complicado. Luego, Laudrup, Zamorano, Mijatovic, Suker, Seedorf y todos los actuales. Todos me han ayudado a ser mejor futbolista cada día.

Escrito por fraja8 às 16h33
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Leeds chairman Gerald Krasner insisted a takeover of the club was not imminent tonight despite a £25million bid by a consortium fronted by Sebastian Sainsbury. Krasner said after a specially convened board meeting at Elland Road that none of a number of interested parties had managed to meet necessary conditions. Sainsbury, the 41-year-old great-grandson of the supermarket founder, earlier confirmed he was heading an Anglo-American group's interest. And he warned the club's board they faced the stark choice of accepting the £25million deal or face losing their ownership of Elland Road.

Escrito por fraja8 às 16h21
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Villarreal CF have suffered a serious setback with the news that influential midfield player Roger García will be out for at least six months after tearing knee ligaments.

Surgery required
Club medical staff confirmed on Thursday that the 27-year-old has a partial tear to the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, and Roger will undergo surgery to repair the tear in his home town of Barcelona next week. The recovery time for such an injury is estimated to be around six months.

Knee trouble
Doctors have not revealed whether the problem is related to a knee injury the player has been trying to shake off since August or whether the problem may have been aggravated during the 1-1 UEFA Cup draw with S.S. Lazio on 21 October. The news comes as a further blow to coach Manuel Luis Pelligrini, who recently lost midfield player Javier Calleja to a similar injury.

Opening draw
Villarreal drew 1-1 at Lazio in the opening round of matches in UEFA Cup Group E, and are next in action in the competition on 25 November when they entertain English side Middlesbrough FC at the Madrigal.

Escrito por fraja8 às 16h14
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Txiki Begiristain expuso esta noche su punto de vista tras la eliminación copera de ayer ante la Gramenet, en la Copa del Rey. El secretario técnico del Barça no cree que la derrota tenga consecuencias negativas en el futuro, y destacó el carácter y el espíritu exhibido por la plantilla a lo largo de la temporada. "Lo que más me cabrea es el esfuerzo realizado en los 120 minutos. La sensación que se dio es la correcta", valoró el dirigente azulgrana en declaraciones a la emisora Ona Catalana. Begiristain achacó el KO a la falta de acierto del Barça, que disparó una treintena de veces a portería. Y subrayó su plena confianza en el equipo: "La primera derrota fue en Milán, y la respuesta fue muy buena. Creo en este equipo, sobre todo teniendo en cuenta cómo son los jugadores y su carácter". El secretario técnico barcelonista no sabe si el hecho de aligerar el calendario de partidos con la eliminación copera resultará beneficioso para afrontar con más frescura el resto de competiciones: "Eso nunca se sabe. Tendremos semanas más tranquilas, y eso puede ayudar. Pero cuando te diviertes y ganas, nunca quieres que se acabe la música. Lo importante es que el equipo se divierta y gane".

Escrito por fraja8 às 16h11
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Barcelona (Espanha) - A derrota por 1 a 0 para o Gramanet na estréia da Copa do Rei esquentou os ânimos no Barcelona. Após o final da partida desta quarta-feira, o camaronês Samuel Eto’o irritou-se com os jornalistas presentes nos vestiários do estádio e discutiu com os profissionais. Embora estivesse escalado para conceder entrevista após o jogo, o atacante saiu dos vestiários falando ao celular e fazendo sinais de que não conversaria com os jornalistas. Esses, por sua vez, passaram a assoviar ironicamente, o que irritou o jogador.

Eto’o voltou ao vestiário para tirar satisfações com os representantes da imprensa, lembrando seu temperamento explosivo. “O que foi, por que vocês não dizem as coisas na minha cara?”, questionou o atleta, Bastante alterado. “Por acaso eu trabalho pra vocês? Sempre paro pra falar com vocês e outro dia fiquei meia hora atendendo a imprensa”. A discussão parou apenas quando o assessor de imprensa do Barcelona retirou Eto’o do meio dos jornalistas. Logo depois, o atleta voltou para pedir desculpas pela exaltação.

Escrito por fraja8 às 16h09
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AC Milan midfield player Gennaro Gattuso has signed a new contract with the Italian champions that will keep him at the club until 2009.

Trophy triumphs
The 26-year-old Italian international joined the Rossoneri in 1999 from Salernitana Sport and helped them win the UEFA Champions League and Coppa Italia in 2002/03, before playing a crucial part as Carlo Ancelotti's side claimed the Scudetto last season. Gattuso, who made his Serie A debut with AC Perugia in 1996, also spent two seasons with Scottish side Rangers FC, and has represented his country on 31 occasions.

Perfect record
Milan are currently second in Serie A and have maxiumum points in UEFA Champions League Group F after defeating FC Shakhtar Donetsk, Celtic FC and FC Barcelona in their first three games.

Escrito por fraja8 às 15h56
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NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue speaks during a news conference unveiling the 2006 Super Bowl logo in Dearborn, Mich. . Super Bowl XL will be held at Ford Field in Detroit, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2006.

Escrito por fraja8 às 15h55
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ASHBURN, Va. (AP) -- Washington Redskins rookie Sean Taylor was arrested early Thursday on charges of driving under the influence and refusing a breathalyzer test, the latest setback in a tumultuous year for the No. 5 overall draft pick. Taylor was pulled over by a Virginia state trooper at about 2:45 a.m. EDT, on Washington's Interstate 495 beltway. The officer suspected Taylor had been drinking, and Taylor then flunked some field sobriety tests, according to Virginia State Police Lt. Harry Newlin.

``During the traffic stop (the trooper) suspected Mr. Taylor of consuming alcohol,'' said Lt. Harry Newlin of the Virginia State Police. ``He failed some field sobriety tests, was subsequently arrested for driving under the influence. He refused a breath test.'' Taylor was held for four hours in the Fairfax County Jail and released on a $5,000 bond at about 10 a.m. He is due in court Dec. 1. A first offense is punishable by up to one year in prison and-or a $2,500 fine. Taylor was detained and later released on an unsecured bond, pending a future court date. Taylor did not show up for the Redskins practice at noon. Coach Joe Gibbs said the team did not know his whereabouts.

``Our plan is to take a long hard look at it,'' Gibbs said. ``It sounds like it's serious, and we'll kind of deal with it with what we think is best for the team.'' Gibbs said it is ``very unlikely'' Taylor will play in Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers. He said any further action would be announced after he has spoken to Taylor and learned the full details of the incident.

Escrito por fraja8 às 15h53
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Boston Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez cheers crowds of waiting fans during the Red Sox arrival home to Fenway Park in Boston

Faithful Red Sox fans gather around Fenway Park in Boston early Thursday morning Oct. 28, 2004 waiting for their triumphant team to return home.

Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling answers questions from reporters after arriving home to Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts

Escrito por fraja8 às 15h48
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The Boston Red Sox will be the first World Series winner featured on a Wheaties box since the 1999 New York Yankees. The special edition package will picture slugger David Ortiz on the front of the box, along with his Red Sox teammates, cereal maker General Mills said Thursday, Oct. 28,2004. The box will be available in mid-November.

Escrito por fraja8 às 15h45
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A handwritten letter by Babe Ruth, shown in this undated file photo, is one is one of the items to be auctioned off at the Louisville Slugger Museum on Nov. 6, 2004. The letter is dated July 9, 1918. The letter was sent to Frank Bradsby in response to Ruth's request for $100.00 to be paid to him in exchange for allowing his name to be used on Louisville Sluggers. It has six genuine Ruth signatures at the bottom.

A Louisville Slugger used by Ty Cobb, shown in this undated photo, is one of the items to be auctioned off at the Louisville Slugger Museum on Nov. 6, 2004. Cobb, a Hall of Famer who batted .367 with 4,191 hits, possibly used the bat in 1927 and 1928, his two seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics. The bat has grease-penciled markings on the side. The notations were made at the Louisville Slugger factory when the bat was returned

A Louisville Slugger autographed by "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, shown in this undated photo, is one is one of the items to be auctioned off at the Louisville Slugger Museum on Nov. 6, 2004. No proof exists that the enigmatic Jackson ever used the bat in a game, but his signature remains clearly scribbled into the worn barrel in bold black ink. The bat was made in 1910 or 1911. Jackson batted .356 between 1908-20. Although acquitted by a jury on charges he helped fix the 1919 World Series, Jackson was banned from baseball in 1921 by commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis and never made the Hall of Fame.

This is the 1918 team photo of the Boston Red Sox. Locals questioned their guts because they were on a baseball field instead of a battlefield. Fans soured on them after their demands for more money held up a World Series game. And when the 1918 Boston Red Sox finally won the title, the feat was greeted with little more than mild enthusiasm

Escrito por fraja8 às 15h41
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Em entrevista exclusiva ao Pelé.net, o volante, que foi revelado pelo Vitória, fala sobre a decepção de não jogar a Olimpíada, do sonho de defender um grande time europeu, da certeza de que terá a chance de disputar uma Copa do Mundo e também de sua passagem pelo futebol japonês.

Pelé.Net - Você tem apenas 21 anos e já sofreu uma grande pressão em sua carreira graças à eliminação no Pré-Olímpico. Como você lida com isso?
Dudu Cearense - Olha, é difícil de explicar. Muitas pessoas me perguntam o que aconteceu com aquele time, que realmente era muito bom, mas não sei dizer. Só sei que a lembrança vem sempre em minha mente e por isso não quis nem ver a Olimpíada. Foi um momento muito difícil para os jogadores que estavam lá (no Chile). Um forte impacto.

Pelé.Net - Atualmente você já superou esse impacto?
Dudu Cearense - Na verdade, a minha ficha só caiu depois que voltamos para o Brasil, quando vi a tristeza de todos os brasileiros e dos meus familiares. A conquista da Copa América, porém, me ajudou a passar uma borracha em tudo isso. Só penso agora em ajudar a seleção de outras maneiras.

Pelé.Net - Você teve uma ótima participação nas categorias de base da Seleção Brasileira. Isso influenciou no jogador que você é hoje?
Dudu Cearense - Com certeza. A maioria dos jogadores brasileiros tem como sonho chegar à Seleção Brasileira principal. E uma boa trajetória nas categorias de base é o caminho para isso. É como uma escola.

Pelé.Net - E qual foi a sua nota nessa escola?
Dudu Cearense - Dez (risos). Aprendi muito com os treinadores e também no relacionamento com os meus companheiros de seleção de base. No Pré-Olímpico, por exemplo, exerci uma liderança, assim como na Sub-20 também.

Pelé.Net - Depois do fracasso no Pré-Olímpico, você acertou sua transferência para o Kashiwa Reysol, do Japão. Como foi sua passagem por lá?
Dudu Cearense - Acredito que se eu esperasse mais um pouco no Vitória poderia ir direto para a Europa, mas resolvi aceitar essa proposta do Japão para ganhar uma experiência diferente, com uma língua totalmente estranha. Se voltasse no tempo faria tudo igual outra vez.

Pelé.Net - E por qual motivo você deixou o Japão?
Dudu Cearense - Para ter mais visibilidade no futebol mundial. Cheguei á conclusão de que se quisesse ter uma carreira na Seleção Brasileira teria que ser transferido para a Europa. Daí surgiram as propostas do CSKA, da Rússia, e do Rennes, da França, com o qual assinei e tenho contrato até junho de 2005.

Pelé.Net - Depois que terminar seu contrato com o Rennes você pretende fazer o quê?
Dudu Cearense - O futebol francês é muito rico, mas quero jogar em outros países também. Pretendo, no entanto, passar por mais alguns clubes daqui da França, como o Paris Saint Germain e o Lyon, que são times que sempre disputam títulos.

Pelé.Net - E qual clube é seu "sonho de consumo" na Europa?
Dudu Cearense - Ah, o Real Madrid. É um clube sensacional.

Pelé.Net - Vamos voltar para o Brasil agora. Até pela sua saída precoce do país, você teve a oportunidade de trabalhar apenas no Vitória. O que esse clube representa em sua carreira?
Dudu Cearense - Foi o Vitória que me abriu as portas para o futebol. Fui profissionalizado lá com 17 anos e tive a oportunidade de ser titular desde 2002. Passei pelas mãos de técnicos com Valdir Espinoza, Mário Sérgio e Joel Santana, que foi quem me deu a primeira chance como titular. Tenho um carinho muito grande pela Bahia e também pelo Vitória, que é a minha casa.

Escrito por fraja8 às 15h36
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Rio de Janeiro (RJ) - A vitória de 1 a 0 sobre o Coritiba, no Estádio Couto Pereira, em Curitiba, fez o Vasco chegar aos 48 pontos e ficar muito distante da zona de rebaixamento do Campeonato Brasileiro. Com isso, o clube começa a pensar na próxima temporada e para isso já conta com o atacante Romário, que será anunciado em breve como um reforço para 2005. Porém, o Baixinho não deverá chegar sozinho. Isso porque ele já vem negociando com a empresa de marketing esportivo Ability para conseguir uma parceria para o clube.

Pela negociação, Romário não levará nenhum valor, pois seu único objetivo é conseguir ajudar o presidente do Vasco, Eurico Miranda, a montar um time forte para a próxima temporada. O Baixinho, numa primeira reunião, pediu um patrocínio mensal de R$ 800 mil, que seriam usados na contratação de reforços. Caso isso seja confirmado, o jogador assinaria um contrato com o clube por três meses, apenas para a disputa do Campeonato Carioca, encerrando a carreira em seguida. Ele sonha em se aposentar com o título estadual, o primeiro que conquistou como profissional, em 1987, também pelo clube de São Januário.

Caso a negociação seja concretizada, Romário tentará levar para São Januário alguns de seus amigos pessoais, como o lateral-direito Leonardo Moura, atualmente no Fluminense, o lateral-esquerdo Jorginho Paulista, do Botafogo, e o meia Beto, atualmente sem clube. Em compensação alguns outros jogadores podem sair, como o meia Petkovic, que não tem um bom relacionamento com o Baixinho e dificilmente ficará em São Januário caso o Vasco realmente anuncie a contratação de Romário.

O assunto deverá evoluir agora só em dezembro. Isso porque, depois da primeira reunião com a Ability, Romário passou a se concentrar somente no seu jogo de despedida, que acontecerá no dia 10 de novembro, em Los Angeles. Depois disso, ele viajará com a sua esposa Isabela para o Caribe e só retornará ao Brasil nos primeiros dias de dezembro.

Escrito por fraja8 às 15h18
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O Flamengo conquistou na noite de quarta-feira o título do Campeonato Estadual juvenil de Pólo Aquático. Na piscina do Fluminense, os rubro-negros derrotaram os tricolores por 10 a 7 (3-2, 3-2, 2-1 e 2-2).
Nesta quinta-feira, os dois clubes voltam a se enfrentar, às 21h, no mesmo local, desta vez para a disputa da taça estadual na categoria adulto.
Os gols do Flamengo na conquista do título juvenil foram marcados por Heitor (5), Cubano (2), Lucas (2) e Rodrigo (1). Para o Tricolor, anotaram Betinho (2), Rodrigo (2), Alfredo (1), Bruno (1) e Caio (1).
Para o técnico Sólon dos Santos, a vitória rubro-negra foi um presente ao trabalho desenvolvido ao longo do ano na Gávea.
- Flamengo e Fluminense são duas grandes equipes e sempre fazem duelos sem favoritos. Essa vitória é um prêmio ao nosso trabalho e a confirmação do planejamento que fizemos para que a nossa equipe chegasse forte no final do ano. Jogamos muito bem, administramos a vantagem no placar com tranqüilidade e o título foi merecido - elogiou o treinador.
O rubro-negro Heitor, de 15 anos, foi o artilheiro da competição com 27 gols. Pedro de La Roque, do Flamengo, foi o goleiro menos vazado da competição, com 43 gols.
Na decisão do terceiro lugar, o Botafogo venceu por 7 a 6 o Tijuca Tênis.

Escrito por fraja8 às 15h05
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Roger deve mesmo voltar para o Benfica após o Campeonato Brasileiro. De acordo com o advogado do meia, Mauro Azevedo, o clube português quer contar com sua presença na próxima temporada:
- O presidente do Benfica me disse que aguarda o Roger lá em Portugal em janeiro. A prioridade sobre o jogador é deles, porque há um contrato assinado com validade até junho de 2006. O Benfica tem interesse no Roger porque está bem no campeonato e quer continuar dessa maneira - declarou Mauro, em entrevista à Rádio Brasil.
Quanto ao fato de outros clubes brasileiros estarem interessados em contratá-lo, Mauro Azevedo disse que não houve propostas, mas a prioridade, caso ele não vá para Portugal, será ficar no Fluminense.
- É onde ele foi criado, formado e tem grande apreço - afirmou.

Escrito por fraja8 às 14h59
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Atacante, após período de férias, deveria treinar nesta 5ª feira. Agora, pode ficar fora do jogo contra o River.

BUENOS AIRES - O meia-atacante Carlos Tévez, que estava de férias no Brasil, voltou nesta quinta-feira a Buenos Aires e atrasou até amanhã sua reincorporação ao Boca Juniors. Devido ao atraso, ele não disputará a partida do próximo domingo, contra o Instituto, e torna-se dúvida para o clássico contra o River, na semana que vem.
O técnico da equipe, Miguel Angel Brindisi, anunciou hoje à imprensa que Tévez "será avaliado a partir de amanhã" para o clássico com o River Plate, embora pessoas próximas à diretoria tenham assegurado que "não é certo que ele jogue essa partida".
O pedido e a concessão das férias de Tévez, em um momento que a equipe atravessa uma grave crise, causou mal-estar entre os jogadores da equipe e alguns membros da diretoria.
Várias fotos do jogador, publicadas pela imprensa de Buenos Aires entre terça-feira e ontem, mostravam o jogador acompanhado da modelo Natalia Fassi em Búzios, no litoral do Rio de Janeiro.
Ao falar sobre a polêmica, Brindisi afirmou que "sabia que isso ia ocorrer, porque Tévez é uma personalidade pública e, além disso, jogador do Boca Juniors".
O técnico disse ainda que não dá por perdido o Torneio Apertura e que se sente apoiado pela diretoria.
"Vivo um momento difícil, mas tenho claro para onde estou apontando, e vamos nessa direção. Além disso, estou plenamente convencido que a situação que atravessamos pode ser revertida em breve", acrescentou.
"Esta é, sem dúvidas, uma etapa de transição, há jogadores que ainda devem terminar sua adaptação ao resto do elenco, e quando isso ocorrer, tudo será diferente", disse Brindisi.

Escrito por fraja8 às 14h52
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O meia Ronaldinho Gaúcho afirmou que o Barcelona não teria sido capaz de derrotar o Gramenet nem se ele estivesse em campo. O time catalão acabou eliminado da Copa do Rei ao perder por 1 a 0 para o adversário da Segunda Divisão B, equivalente à terceira divisão.
-- Mesmo se eu tivesse entrado, ou mesmo se jogássemos por dois dias, a bola não ia entrar. Fizemos de tudo para ganhar, mas não foi possível. Lutamos e brigamos até o fim, mas não podemos fazer mais nada -- disse o brasileiro, poupado por causa de uma dor no ombro.
O craque do time disse que estava triste com o resultado, mas fez coro com os companheiros ao afirmar que a eliminação precoce na Copa do Rei possa ser boa no futuro. Ele reconheceu que sofreu muito durante a partida justamente pelo fato de não ter jogado.
-- Não gosto muito de ver pela televisão se não jogar.
Na opinião de Ronaldinho Gaúcho, não resta ao Barcelona outro remédio senão esquecer o que passou e já pensar no jogo do próximo sábado, contra o Athletic Bilbao, pelo Campeonato Espanhol, este com o brasileiro como titular. Apesar da derrota, ele considera que o time não teve sua confiança abalada.

Escrito por fraja8 às 14h48
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Para o treinador, Santos precisa se concentrar para voltar ao caminho das vitórias dentro do Campeonato Brasileiro.
Wanderley Luxemburgo projeta dificuldades no caminho que o Santos tem a percorrer na briga pelo título do Campeonato Brasileiro. Para o treinador, a equipe considerada favorita ao troféu, "ainda tem muito o que trabalhar".
"O time ainda tem muito o que fazer. Precisamos trabalhar muito se quisermos chegar ao título ao final do campeonato. O time precisa de encorpar novamente, voltar a jogar bem", disse Luxa nesta quinta-feira em entrevista ao programa Redação Sportv, da Rede Globo.
Na noite de quarta-feira, o Peixe empatou por 1 x 1 com o Flamengo, se igualou ao Atlético-PR com 69 pontos e voltou à liderança por ter uma vitória a mais do que o time de Curitiba.
Luxemburgo deixou o Maracanã insatisfeito com o rendimento do time e reclamando da postura de seus atletas no gramado. Ele esperava por uma vitória que levaria a equipe aos 71 pontos há oito jogos do fim do Nacional.
Neste sábado, o Alvinegro joga contra o Fluminense em São José do Rio Preto; é a primeira partida fora da Vila Belmiro por imposição da pena do STJD.
No mesmo programa, o treinador santista disse que a Seleção Brasileira não faz parte de seu projeto de vida profissional. "Não tenho a Seleção como um objetivo hoje em dia, isso não está na minha cabeça como antes. Se acontecer, irei pensar, mas é um projeto, não é algo que eu esteja me preparando para assumir", argumentou.

Apatia
Ainda no Rio de Janeiro, o atacante Deivid, em entrevista à Rádio Globo, concordou com as broncas de Luxemburgo.
"Ele tem razão sim. Time que pretende ser campeão precisa vencer os seus jogos em qualquer campo e hoje nós deixamos a desejar. Fica a tristeza porque sabemos que jogamos mal", comentou.
"Fomos apáticos, e isso não pode acontecer. Não poderíamos jamais ter entrado em campo nesta moleza. Só tomamos a iniciativa da partida quando levamos o gol. E um time com o Santos deve buscar o jogo durante os 90 minutos", emendou.

Escrito por fraja8 às 14h45
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RC Lens defender Vitorino Hilton faces up to three months on the sidelines after tearing knee ligaments in training. The 27-year-old did the damage while kicking a ball, and medical staff at the French club confirmed the Brazilian would be out "for two to three months depending on whether he has surgery". Hilton has been ever-present for struggling Lens this season. His place could go to Polish international Jacek Bak at FC Girondins de Bordeaux on Saturday.

Escrito por fraja8 às 14h43
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A australiana Lauren Jackson, estrela da seleção de seu país e da equipe do Seattle Storm, da WNBA, foi submetida nesta quinta-feira a uma cirurgia no tornozelo direito e deve ficar afastada das quadras por três meses.
De acordo com o empresário de Jackson, a cirurgia foi necessária por causa da quantidade de partidas que a atleta tem disputado. "Lauren participou das Olimpíadas, jogou a liga da WNBA e agora quer disputar a liga da Austrália", disse o empresário Robyn Danzey.
Danzey confirmou que a atleta, de 23 anos, precisou fazer infiltrações de cortisona na região para conseguir suportar a dor e participar dos Jogos Olímpicos. "Agora, no entanto, chegamos a um ponto onde ela precisaria fazer a cirurgia para continuar jogando", completou.
Jackson foi examinada pelo médico Scott Burne, da seleção australiana. De acordo com Burne, seria necessária a cirurgia de reconstrução do tendão. "Isso faz parte da minha profissão", minimizou a jogadora.
A atleta iria participar do campeonato australiano pela equipe do Canberra Capitals, mas de acordo com Burne, deve ficar afastada durante toda a temporada. Jackson, no entanto, deve voltar a atuar no ano que vem pela seleção e na WNBA. >makeFooter('');

Escrito por fraja8 às 14h42
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STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) -- Andre Agassi won his first Stockholm Open match in a decade, beating Kristof Vliegen of Belgium 6-2, 6-4 Wednesday. Agassi, 34, entered and exited the court to standing ovations. The eight-time major champion broke Vliegen twice in the first set and was never challenged in his own service games. In the second set, the top-seeded Agassi broke Vliegen for a 2-1 lead, then got broken back to 4-4. But Agassi won the next game at love, then served out the match. ``It got competitive in the second set,'' Agassi said.

 ``He started playing much better and broke my serve. Then I played a really good game to break him. It was a good match for me, a good way to get started. The first one you always worry about, especially if you've never played somebody before.'' In the only second-round matches involving seeded players, No. 3 Andrei Pavel defeated Michal Tabara 6-3, 6-3, and 2000 champion Thomas Johansson outlasted No. 6 Robin Soderling 1-6, 7-6 (2), 6-4. Agassi lost in the Stockholm Open quarterfinals in 1989 and '94, and in the second round in his only other appearance, in 1990. ``To feel the support grow every year has been an incredible feeling,'' Agassi said. ``This is such a great place to play. You walk out there and it's so intimate. You feel like it's really special to be there. It's a special night to play here. I love this environment. It's great to be back.'' Agassi's next opponent is Jonas Bjorkman, the 1997 champion, who came back to beat Wayne Arthurs 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Escrito por fraja8 às 14h40
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Celtic FC striker Chris Sutton looks set to miss next Tuesday's UEFA Champions League match against FC Shakhtar Donetsk in Glasgow after suffering a chest injury.

Wednesday withdrawal
The 31-year-old former English international was taken off as a precaution during Wednesday night's 3-2 home defeat by Aberdeen FC, but a scan on Thursday confirmed he had strained a muscle and could be sidelined for several weeks.

'Big blow'
Manager Martin O'Neill said: "We're obviously very disappointed as this is a big blow, but it's one we'll all have to recover from." Celtic have lost all three Group F games so far, and need a win against the Ukrainian side to keep their European hopes alive.

Escrito por fraja8 às 14h35
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PARIS (AFP) - Arsenal star Robert Pires has put his international future at risk by publicly accusing France coach Raymond Domenech of irritating him and other players with "his attitudes, words, and observations".

"It seems that we, the Arsenal players, are the future props of the national team but we don't feel like it," Pires, capped 79 times and with 14 goals to his name, told France-Football magazine on Thursday. The most senior French player has been seething towards Domenech ever since he was substituted at half-time in the 2-0 World Cup qualifying win in Cyprus two weeks ago. "If that match had taken place at the Stade de France, I would not have stayed there. I would have been annoyed, angry," he said. "Honestly, I think nobody understands what the coach was doing."

Pires, who celebrates his 31st birthday on Friday, also believes that Domenech, who took over from Jacques Santini after the French were dethroned as European champions in the summer, could learn a lot from Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger. "It's simple. In England, I am lucky to have Arsene Wenger who understands me and puts me and the others in the best possible condition to succeed," said the player."There is total confidence which doesn't exist elsewhere. In the national team, at the moment, this is not the case. "Nothing in the attitudes of the coach allows me to think that he has confidence in me."

Neither Domenech or any of his coaching staff were available to comment on Pires's outburst. But the day after the game in Nicosia, the coach defended his decision to take off Pires and replace him with Daniel Moreira. "A player who is substituted at half-time and isn't disappointed would be best stopping his career," said Domenech. Pires had already aired his doubts over Domenech after the 2-0 win over the Faroe Islands but the player along with Arsenal club mates Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry met the coach in a clear-the-air meeting in London to iron out their differences.

Escrito por fraja8 às 14h31
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BRUSSELS, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Belgium captain Bart Goor has been suspended for five games after he was sent off for spitting at Spain's Xavi during his team's 2-0 defeat in their World Cup Group Seven qualifier on October 9. Defender Eric Deflandre, who was also shown a red card for abusing referee Kim Milton Nielsen, has been suspended for three matches. Belgian FA president Jan Peeters said his technical commission would consider an appeal against the FIFA decision this week. 'This is a very heavy punishment, the hardest we ever had for Belgian internationals,' he said. 'But the attitude of our players was unacceptable.'

Escrito por fraja8 às 14h29
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As GEORGE BUSH and JOHN KERRY make their final push for the Presidency, THE DAILY delves into the political arena this week, featuring conservative columnist and commentator ANN COULTER and Democratic strategist and commentator JAMES CARVILLE. Both spoke recently with correspondent Joe Oliver to share their personal sporting experiences and political perspectives on various electoral issues. Coulter, author of three N.Y. Times bestsellers and the recently released “How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must): The World According to Ann Coulter,” chatted about the Yankees and NHL Rangers, a skeleton from her law school days and Bush’s Olympic-themed ads. Carville, co-host of CNN’s “Crossfire” and author of six N.Y. Times bestsellers as well as a new children’s book, “Lu and the Swamp Ghost,” talked about his allegiance to LSU football, baseball’s chances of success in DC and the pitfall of candidates making appearances at sporting events.

Conservative Columnist And Commentator Ann Coulter

ANN COULTER

Question: What is your greatest athletic achievement?

Coulter: I was number four in the state of Connecticut in fencing. I was captain of the lacrosse team. I played lacrosse at Cornell. ... I’m really blanking on any particular moment and I don’t think if there had been a particular moment, I would be able to retell it with gusto because it would sound like bragging, but I was a good fencer and a good lacrosse player.

Q: What is the most memorable sporting event you have attended?

Coulter: It was Game, was it Six? I saw the game last year in the playoffs when the Yankees beat the Red Sox.

Q: Game Seven of the ALCS.

Coulter: Thank you. I was there.

Q: And how did you end up at that game?

Coulter: I’m a big Yankees fan. I usually go to a lot of playoff games, if not all of them, and the Series games, if they are in them. This is a very unfortunate time for my book to be coming out. I’m missing them all now. I was going to go to [an ALCS game at Fenway Park, but I had] a debate at Amherst College. I even looked into getting a helicopter so I could go to the game and then go to the debate.

Coulter Thinks It Would Be Fun To Switch Places With Jeter or Posada

Q: What sporting event have you not been to that you really would enjoy attending?

Coulter: I’d like to see the Rangers win a few more championships. It’s been a while since we’ve seen that. I like hockey and baseball. I’m not a huge football fan. I’ll go and I like the game when I’m there. I would never watch football on TV.

Q: If you could switch places with any athlete, would you?

Coulter: It’s not something I’d ever think about because it is obviously such a realm of a fantasy and this isn’t a fantasy I’ve ever played before. But yeah, I think it would be a lot of fun to be DEREK JETER. JORGE POSADA. Think how proud his father is.

Q: Did you catch any games at The Big House while you were at Michigan Law?

Coulter: I refuse to answer that question (laughing). That’s a personal question. No, it is very embarrassing. I didn’t. I’m so embarrassed and I never wanted to admit it. ... Three years had gone by and I was embarrassed to realize I hadn’t been to a Michigan football game.

Coulter Finds Political Support From The Athletic Arena, Like King's, Rare

Q: Why has so much been made of DON KING stumping for George Bush?

Coulter: [Athletes] tend not to be political because they don’t have to prove anything the way the sissy boy actors do. ... It is always interesting when you have someone in the sports world coming out for any political candidate.

Q: Will NASCAR dads ultimately factor in next month’s election?

Coulter: NASCAR dads are voting for George Bush. They are voting Republican.

Q: Do appearances at sporting events move the needle for candidates?

Coulter: I don’t know about it in general, but when George Bush throws a perfect pitch and John Kerry has a little girlie toss (laughing), I think that did not help Kerry. [Editor’s note: Coulter was referring to Game Three of the ‘01 World Series and a July 26 Yankees-Red Sox game, respectively.]

Q: Who is the better athlete: Bush or Kerry?

Coulter: Clearly Bush.

Q: Other than the “little girlie toss,” what are your reasons for thinking that?

Coulter: Because Kerry would need approval from the UN Security Council before going on offense.

Q: Did you see the Bush ads that featured Olympic imagery?

Coulter: Yes.

Q: What are your thoughts on him continuing to run the ads against USOC wishes?

Coulter: For one thing, I thought the ads were magnificent. It is true. You have these women from Afghanistan, women from Iraq, competing. I mean under UDAY and QUSAY, is that what the Olympic Committee prefers: soccer players being shot, beaten and tortured at the pleasure of the dictator? I particularly liked that George Bush ignored the Olympic Committee’s snipping.

Escrito por fraja8 às 14h10
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Democratic Strategist And Commentator James Carville

JAMES CARVILLE

Q: What is your greatest athletic achievement?

Carville: I made All-District at a good level of Louisiana high school football. No, my greatest was a 51 quarter.

Q: Fifty-one seconds for a quarter-mile? That’s quick by anyone’s standards.

Carville: Right, well, it might have been a 51.9 (laughing).

Q: What sporting event would you most like to attend?

Carville: The seventh game of a Red Sox-Cubs World Series.

Q: Are you a fan?

Carville: I take pleasure in the troubles of both of them. No, I like them both fine. It’s just a great story, you know what I mean? I couldn’t imagine anything having more emotion than that.

Q: Name the one athlete you would pay to see play every night.

Carville: SANDY KOUFAX. When he was in his prime, you know, just because he was so dominant.

Q: If you could switch places with any athlete, would you?

Carville Would Not Mind Trading Political Pressure For Some Of Rocket's Heat

Carville: Switch places with one athlete, would I? No, I’m okay doing what I do. Being a big time athlete, if you think about it, it’s a lot of pressure.

Q: Managing campaigns isn’t a lot of pressure?

Carville: Yeah, but you know, I just feel more comfortable doing it. I guess if I had the athlete’s skill, if I could be anything, I think I probably would like to be a big league pitcher. ... ROGER CLEMENS. I guess I’d love to have Roger Clemens’ career.

Q: You bleed LSU purple and gold. How bittersweet was sharing last year’s national title with USC?

Carville: You know what? It just felt so good. I was so happy. It was fine. I mean look, do I wish Michigan would have beat USC? Yeah. Am I still mad at Michigan for that game? Sure, but that’s life. I mean, SoCal is a good team.

Q: Which did you watch more closely in September: Presidential polls or the AP and Coaches poll?

Carville: I watch what LSU does, okay. And once we lost to Auburn, I didn’t give a crap about the AP poll or the Coaches poll or any other poll. It doesn’t matter to me an iota if Southern Cal or Oklahoma or Miami wins the national championship. As long as my guys are not in it, I am pulling for everyone else to lose. ... It colors my entire world. I don’t have any sort of objectivity beyond LSU and SEC football.

Q: You’re an Orioles season-ticket holder. Will the Expos succeed in DC?

Carville: I’m glad that they’re coming. I am a huge fan of Major League Baseball. I’ll probably bite the bullet for the meantime and keep my Orioles tickets, and get some to whatever they’re going to be, the Senators or the Greys. But just knowing Washington, they’re going to have a hell of a time getting that stadium built. I’ll be curious to see how it all works out for them.

Q: Will NASCAR dads ultimately be a factor in next month’s election?

Carville: Culturally, NASCAR country is overwhelmingly Republican right now. There is no doubt about that. [But] it’s just a short-hand term that we use, you know what I mean: NASCAR dads or soccer moms? NASCAR dads have just sort of become white, non-college married men.

Q: Is there a sport, sports team or sports brand you associate with the right?

Carville: No, I don’t think so. I don’t really care. You know what I mean? I don’t really pull. DEAN SMITH was a Democrat and KRZYZEWSKI is a Republican, but I never really paid attention, I didn’t pull for Carolina over Duke. TED WILLIAMS was a Republican and I like to watch old films of Ted Williams. I love CHARLES BARKLEY. He’s been on the show.

Q: Do appearances at sporting events move the needle at all for candidates?

In Carville's Eyes Kerry's Ability To Skate Makes Him The Better Athlete

Carville: I don’t think so. If you go to a game, what does it take? There are 50,000 people at the game and 40,000 cheer you and 10,000 boo you, they’re going to write you got booed. ... I think politicians would be a lot better off if they just stayed away.

Q: Who is the better athlete: Bush or Kerry?

Carville: Probably Kerry. I don’t know anything about hockey, but people that do say the guy is really good, he can really skate.

Q: What do you think about Bush using Olympic imagery in ads against USOC wishes?

Carville: If they had to do it all over again, they wouldn’t have done it. The controversy wasn’t worth whatever little good it gets you. It’s one of those things, it doesn’t get you that much and who needs the grief.

Escrito por fraja8 às 14h09
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Boston Red Sox ... from Curse to First.

Shaq tosses up a shot against Orlando

Matthew Richardson tees off at the World Amateur Team Championships in Puerto Rico.

NC State's Dovonte Edwards separates Miami's Marcus Hudson from a potential catch.

Ravens QB Kyle Boller throws a pass against the Bills.

Two horses battle at a hurdle race in England.

Escrito por fraja8 às 14h07
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86ing The Curse: Names & Faces Around The World Series

Kerry Campaigning In Hometown Hat

KERRY ON: U.S. Sen. and Presidential candidate JOHN KERRY (D-MA) wore a Red Sox hat this morning at a rally in Toledo, Ohio .

JUST HOW THEY DREW IT UP: The FARRELLY BROTHERS’ cameras “were rolling when the last out was recorded” in yesterday’s World Series Game Four at Busch Stadium for footage to be used in the movie “FEVER PITCH.” Peter Farrelly “worked the phones all day to get a camera crew as well as” DREW BARRYMORE and JIMMY FALLON to the game. Farrelly said, “We’ve got them celebrating on the field. It’s the end of the movie. And what an ending it was. This is like the aliens made contact. It’s something we’ve thought about for a long time, but never thought was possible” .

SPECIAL K: Red Sox P CURT SCHILLING wrote “K ALS” on his shoe during Game Two of the World Series as part of his continued effort in the fight against ALS. Schilling and his wife SHONDA have helped raise nearly $5M for ALS patients, research and education through “Curt’s Pitch” program, which raises funds for ALSA chapters across America .

Executive Transactions

NBC promoted VP/Sports Communications KEVIN SULLIVAN to NBC Universal Senior VP/Corporate Communications & Media Relations and NBC Olympics Dir of Communications & Marketing MIKE MCCARLEY to NBC Universal Sports & Olympics VP/Communications & Marketing .

MLB TEAMS: Pirates VP/Marketing & Sales MIKE BERRY has resigned after “slightly more than one year on the job.” Berry, who joined the team in ’01 as Dir of Corporate Sales, “did not give a reason for the resignation” .The Expos named DEREK YOUNGER Dir of Ticket Operations, the “first step in establishing a system to sell tickets for the team’s first season in Washington.” Most recently, Younger was Box Office Manager at the Warner Theatre .

EXECS: Columbia Sportswear Company named PAUL GILS as GM for Europe and promoted Sorel Division National Sales Manager MIKE PRENDERGAST to Sorel Division President. Gils spent ten years with Nike Europe, most recently as GM of Footwear for Germany (Columbia)....Russell Corp. named CFO ROBERT KONEY Senior VP and named Mothers Work President & Founder REBECCA MATTHIAS to the BOD (Russell)....TWI named former Carlton Content Commercial Dir MARTIN BAKER to a “similar role” with the company, effective next month. Baker will oversee TWI’s contractual relationships with broadcasters and co-production partners .

Names In The News

In Denver, Marc Spears reports Nuggets F CARMELO ANTHONY “sent personal letters to several high-ranking executives in the NBA,” including NBA Commissioner DAVID STERN and USA Basketball Exec Dir JIM TOOLEY to apologize for some of his recent behaviour. Anthony had a disagreement with U.S. Olympic coach LARRY BROWN in Athens, a N.Y. “nightclub scuffle” and a recent citation for a petty-offense marijuana charge .

THANK YOU BARRY MUCH: BARRY BONDS’ 700th home run ball sold for $804,129 yesterday on Overstock.com. The ball attracted 240 bids and the price hit $820,000, but the auction house “rejected two final bids when it learned those bidders didn’t have the money” .

NAMES: The N.Y. POST’s “Page Six” wrote that despite reports of PARIS HILTON’s involvement with ATP player MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS, Hilton was recently seen “locking lips” with ANDY RODDICK in Las Vegas .The PGA EUROPEAN TOUR is investigating SEVE BALLESTEROS for allegedly assaulting JOSE MARIA ZAMORA, another Spanish golfer and European Tour Tournament Dir, at an amateur tournament last month in Pedrena, Spain. In last year’s Italian Open, Zamora penalized Ballesteros for slow play and Ballesteros “refused to adjust his card or accept the penalty and was subsequently fined by the tour”.

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Southern Hospitality: SEC Basketball Championship Sites

The SEC has announced sites for its men’s basketball championship from ’05 through 2012. The sites and dates are listed below (SEC).

Year	Date	Site
2005	March 10-13	Georgia Dome
2006	March 9-12	Gaylord Entertainment Center
2007	March 8-11	Georgia Dome
2008	March 13-16	Georgia Dome
2009	March 12-15	St. Pete Times Forum
2010	March 11-14	Gaylord Entertainment Center
2011	March 10-13	Georgia Dome
2012	March 8-11	New Orleans Arena

NOTES: In Atlanta, D. Orlando Ledbetter reports the championship game “likely will return in 2013” to the Georgia Dome .

GETTING BIG: In Columbia, Steve Wiseman reports an annual Big 12-SEC basketball event “is closer to becoming a reality.” SEC Commissioner Mike Slive said that the conferences “have agreed on the format for a two-day, 12-game event and only need to find a television network to complete the deal.” Eight games “would be televised, with the stipulation that no team would go more than two consecutive years without its game being on live television”.

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Marlins Increase Money Toward Ballpark, Inch Closer To Deal

Marlins Increase Contribution In Push For New Home

The Marlins “offered to increase their contribution toward a proposed retractable-roof stadium” from $157M to $192M, according to Barry Jackson of the MIAMI HERALD. The proposal “raises the total cost of the project” from $367M to $420M, including a $32M parking garage. Miami-Dade County Tax Collector Ian Yorty said, “We’re optimistic we can reach an agreement. The county is committed to getting it done.” Marlins President David Samson: “In an effort to fulfill (Owner Jeffrey Loria’s) desire to have a part in the saving of the franchise here in Florida, he wanted to once and for all allay concerns about the cost of the stadium by pre-funding potential overruns.” Samson noted that the Marlins’ proposed contribution would be the fourth-largest any MLB team has put toward a ballpark. Jackson notes the proposal also “asks for an additional $17[M] from local government –- either the county or the city or both — to cover land acquisition near the Orange Bowl and additional infrastructure costs.” The proposal does not include a letter of credit, which the county wants “to guarantee [the team] can cover cost overruns” .

TEAMING UP: In Ft. Lauderdale, Sarah Talalay reports the team, city and county “will lobby together for a $60[M] state sales tax rebate from the Legislature next spring to cover $30[M] in construction costs.” If state funding is not secured, the Marlins “can terminate the agreement.” Also, if an agreement is not approved by the city and county commissions at one of their next two meetings, the Marlins “cannot be barred from seeking to relocate to another city” .In Palm Beach, Charles Elmore notes one Marlins exec declined to say whether the team would guarantee $15M of the possible $30M gap. But the exec said, “Is there reason for optimism? Yes” .

DC CFO Says Ballpark Cost Could Be $91M More Than Estimates

Letter To DC Council Chair Cropp Questions Ballpark Cost

DC CFO Natwar Gandhi in a letter to DC Council Chair Linda Cropp indicated that the total cost of the city’s ballpark package “could reach $486.2[M], not the $395[M] stated in the agreement” between the District and MLB, according to Nakamura & Montgomery of the WASHINGTON POST. The additional costs would come in three areas: $50M for infrastructure improvements; $11M more than estimated to renovate RFK Stadium; and $30M more than previous estimates for cost overruns. Gandhi’s figure “does not include an additional $40[M] in financing costs, which could put his estimate for the total package at about $530[M].” Gandhi wrote, “More money will have to be borrowed and debt service will increase.” DC Council member Adrian Fenty said, “It would be fiscally irresponsible for the council to approve the plan.” But Stephen Green, an adviser to DC Mayor Anthony Williams, countered, “It doesn’t really change our financing. We can do this. ... Every time I’ve dealt with [Gandhi], he makes a fiscal impact statement like the end of the world is coming” .

FOR EVERY ACTION, A REACTION: In DC, Eric Fisher reports Williams yesterday announced the creation of a community benefit fund that “would be tied to the ballpark and generate up to $400[M] for city schools, libraries and recreation programs.” The fund will be supported by the “creation of a tax-increment financing district around and immediately north of the proposed ballpark site.” The primary goals of the plan are “to sooth political opposition to the ballpark proposal and address ... improvements to basic city services and infrastructure.” Williams said, “We have heard the call to link baseball with other amenities in our community.” But DC Council member Jim Graham, who does not support the plan, said, "We could be waiting years for any significant proceeds. I would much rather see a direct link between big business and libraries and so forth” .

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1. Now that the Curse of the Bambino is broken, Red Sox fans might be searching for a new us-against-the-world mission. So consider this: It's been 88 years since the Red Sox have repeated as champs. Though the "1916" chant shouldn't cut nearly as deep.

2. Was there a more amusing moment in the Red Sox's postgame festivities than when Fox's Jeanne Zelasko called Boston's Wonder Boy GM "Mr. Epstein"? As Red Sox owners John Henry and Tom Werner and president Larry Lucchino stood there in suits and ties, Theo looked like a frat boy decked out in a fresh-off-the-presses championship T-shirt and holding a bottle of champagne. Then Theo dunked Lucchino with the bubbly, which isn't something we can picture Branch Rickey doing. It was refreshing to see the 30-year-old Epstein act his age for a moment.

3. A message that Sox fan and 10 Spot reader Jonathan Hall wrote before Game 4: "My brother, a Yankee fan, asked me how Red Sox fans would handle a World Series victory. Here is my response to him: We will clutch a World Series victory like the survivors of the whaling vessel Essex clutched the human bones of their shipmates when a rescue ship pulled up next to their lifeboat. They were at sea for many months, and their only sustenance was the marrow of their shipmate's bones. The shipmates died of starvation in the lifeboats. They were delirious, and they thought the rescue boat was going to take their little pile of bones. As they were pulled onto the ship they would not let go of the bones. These are Red Sox fans, who will clutch a World Series victory to their chests and not let go for, perhaps, another 86 years. We do not expect instant gratification. A victory will age in the wine cellar for many years, and as we reminisce, it will grow into something even better. We will occasionally turn the bottle over, and as time plays tricks, it will become more remarkable and legends will be born about 2004." Wow. A little morbid, perhaps, but one has to admire the depth of feeling.

4. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig insists there is no "stalemate" in compensation negotiations with Orioles owner Peter Angelos on the relocation of the Expos to Washington D.C. Selig points out that dithering over Expos-related decisions is business as usual for MLB.

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Red-Faced: McCombs Backs Away From Comments Made To SI

Vikings Owner Distances Himself From SI Comments

Vikings Owner Red McCombs “backed away from a series of stunning comments attributed to him” in SI, according to Kevin Seifert of the Minneapolis STAR-TRIBUNE. While McCombs in the magazine discussed the possibility of moving the Vikings to L.A., he said yesterday he does not “even see that as an option.” McCombs: “If you asked me if I would like to see a stadium proposal from [L.A.], the answer would be yes. If you asked me if I would like to see a stadium proposal from Minnesota, the answer would also be yes. We don’t have a stadium proposal from anywhere –- [L.A.], Minnesota or anywhere else” .

REAX: In St. Paul, Bob Sansevere writes, “If McCombs is a team player, as he claims, he would do what is best for him and his team and stop talking about moving. Everyone from Andover to Zumbrota knows he wants a new stadium. And if there were millions just lying around gathering dust in the state coffers, he would probably get it.” Sansevere added that since money is tight, McCombs “should be tight-lipped” .

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Prior to the Red Sox’ Game Four victory over the Cardinals last night to win the club’s first World Series since 1918, Red Sox Owner John Henry asked Red Sox President & CEO Larry Lucchino, “If this were to happen, is there anything bigger to happen in New England since the Revolutionary War?” Henry: “He couldn’t think of something. That’s how big it would be” . Red Sox GM Theo Epstein, on where the team goes from here: “Everyone likes to talk about 1918 is the last time we won, but go back a little further. From 1903 to 1918, the Red Sox won five World Series titles. We set the standard for excellence in all of baseball. We have great ownership, tremendous revenues, terrific nucleus of players. There’s no reason why we can’t get back to setting the standard in all of baseball” . MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, on the Red Sox: “It’s almost like a regional or a national catharsis in a way” .

After 86-years Red Sox Back To Winning Ways

FROM STOCKBRIDGE TO BOSTON: In Boston, gossip columnists Fee & Raposa cite sources as saying that the Red Sox “have plotted a party that will encompass all of New England and will take the World Series trophy on a six-state tour.” The source: “They envision this thing in concentric circles, starting in Boston and working its way out to Worcester, Providence, Springfield, Hartford, Manchester, all over New England” .

LEFT IN STITCHES: In N.Y., Tyler Kepner notes Red Sox P Curt Schilling’s contract pays him an additional $2M because the team won the World Series this season. The commissioner’s office “has since prohibited such arrangements” .Schilling, on the bonus: “It was one of the few offers we exchanged (with the Red Sox in negotiations). I guess now it’s not the chucklefest it was back when I brought it up” . Henry, when asked if he “regretted the deal,” said, “No,” and joked, “I didn’t know about it until I read about it”.

MLB Franchise Notes: Yankees Not Vacationing In Tampa

In Newark, Dan Graziano cites a source as saying that during the Yankees’ organizational meetings in Tampa the past two days, Owner George Steinbrenner “has spent much more time listening to his Tampa-based contingent of executives than” the N.Y.-based group. The first day “featured an entire afternoon’s worth of meetings between Steinbrenner and the Tampa executives,” while GM Brian Cashman and President Randy Levine did not “join in until the evening.” The Tampa-based execs include Senior VP/Baseball Operations Mark Newman, Senior VP/Player Personnel Gordon Blakely, VP/Scouting Lin Garrett, VP/Player Development & Scouting Damon Oppenheimer and VP/Player Personnel Billy Connors .

NAMELESS FACES: In L.A., Bill Shaikin reports the Dodgers next season will remove player names from their home and away jerseys, joining the Yankees as the only MLB team to do so. Dodgers Chair & President Frank McCourt in a statement said, “It’s all about the name on the front of the uniform: the Los Angeles Dodgers. As we move into our 50th anniversary celebration of the organization’s first world championship, this is a tip of the cap to our great heritage and tradition.” Dodgers VP/Communications Gary Miereanu said that the decision “was not intended to spur merchandise sales” and that replica jerseys with player names will “remain available for purchase” .

TWIN BILLING: In Minneapolis, La Velle Neal III reports the Twins have “altered ticket prices for next season.” Single-game lower club seats and lower deck diamond view seat prices are both up $3, to $38 and $36, respectively. Lower deck reserved seats are up $1 to $24 and upper deck club seats have increased $2 to $17. The lower general admission (GA) section has been renamed “Home Run Porch” and tickets are up $1 to $16. Upper deck GA ticket prices are unchanged and the section will be renamed “The Cheap Seats”.

Baldwin Mulling Over Purchase Of Mighty Ducks

Former Owner Baldwin In Talks w/ Group Over Ducks Bid