Eighties stars dominate West Indies all-time XI

	Garry Sobers and Brian Lara, along with Viv Richards and George Headley, make the West Indies all-time middle order look invincible

Five players from the all-star West Indies sides of the 80s have made it to Cricinfo's West Indies all-time Test XI: Gordon Greenidge, Viv Richards, Curtly Ambrose, Michael Holding and Malcolm Marshall.

Viv Richards was the one unanimous pick from that era. Garry Sobers, considered the world's greatest allrounder, and George Headley, nicknamed the black Bradman, were the other two to get all 10 votes.

Like in the Pakistan all-time XI, there are no current players in the XI, a reflection of the sorry state of two teams that were once world-class.

Greenidge was picked by nine jurors to open the innings, but his partner Desmond Haynes, with whom he made a record 16 century stands missed out; the other opener's spot went to Conrad Hunte, who opened in all of his 44 Tests for West Indies and scored over 3000 runs. Other prominent omissions were the three Ws and Andy Roberts.

Brian Lara made it to the middle order with six votes, while the gloves were given to Jackie Hendriks. Though Jeff Dujon and Clyde Walcott were the better batsmen, Hendriks got the nod over them because of his remarkable skills behind the wicket, including to spinners. And with a middle order that boasts Headley, Richards, Lara and Sobers, the XI can afford to have a pure keeper in the ranks.

The most debated-on position among the readers was that of the spinner: whether West Indies, with its fast-bowling pack, needed one. The jury thought they did, and all but one picked Lance Gibbs, the first spin bowler to take 300 Test wickets, over Sonny Ramadhin and Alf Valentine.

That left three fast-bowling spots, which went to Malcolm Marshall (nine votes), and to Michael Holding and Curtly Ambrose (six votes each).

Barbados, traditionally the powerhouse of Caribbean cricket, accounts for four players in the XI, followed by Jamaica with three.

We invited our readers to pick their XI, and their middle-order, fast-bowling, spinner and allrounder picks matched the jury's. Sobers got close to a unanimous vote for the allrounder's spot, while Gibbs got over 80%. A majority of readers picked the Greenidge-Haynes pair to open the innings, and over 77% voted for Dujon to keep wicket.

The jury included former Test player Jimmy Adams, journalists Tony Becca, Fazeer Mohammed and Garth Wattley, radio commentator Joseph Perreira, cricket historian Hilary Beckles, sports psychologist Rudi Webster, writers Ian McDonald and Frank Birbalsingh and former West Indies media manager Imran Khan.

More about the XI here

The XI: Gordon Greenidge, Conrad Hunte, George Headley, Vivian Richards, Brian Lara, Garry Sobers, Jackie Hendriks, Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, Curtly Ambrose, Lance Gibbs.

Readers' XI: Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, George Headley, Viv Richards, Brian Lara, Garry Sobers, Jeff Dujon, Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, Curtly Ambrose, Lance Gibbs.

Nominees

Openers: Conrad Hunte, Roy Fredericks, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Chris Gayle.

Middle order: George Headley, Everton Weekes, Clyde Walcott, Frank Worrell, Rohan Kanhai, Seymour Nurse, Clive Lloyd, Lawrence Rowe, Alvin Kallicharran, Viv Richards, Richie Richardson, Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

Allrounders: Learie Constantine, Garry Sobers, Gerry Gomez, Collie Smith.

Wicketkeepers: Clyde Walcott, Jackie Hendriks, Deryck Murray, Jeffrey Dujon.

Fast bowlers: Wes Hall, Charlie Griffith, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Colin Croft, Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall, Courtney Walsh, Curtly Ambrose, Ian Bishop.

Spinners: Alf Valentine, Sonny Ramadhin, Lance Gibbs.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Brian Lara will bring either genius or faded glory to Surrey (telegraph.co.uk)

Sri Lankan batsmen grind toothless India

The SSC has been a fortress of sorts for Sri Lanka in the recent past, and they set about continuing their dominant run at the venue with another imposing opening-day performance. The actors who put them in charge this time were the same as in Galle. Kumar Sangakkara and Tharanga Paranavitana served the Indians a painful reminder of the initiative lost on the first day of the series, cashing in on some unthreatening bowling that offered plenty of opportunities to score on a seemingly lifeless track.

The bowlers were expected to have a hard time on this pitch and events after MS Dhoni lost the toss reinforced the apprehensions the sides may have had of fielding first. The virtual absence of swing and the lack of movement off the deck, combined with poor lengths from the seamers, helped the Sri Lankan openers Tillakaratne Dilshan and Paranavitana take the initiative in the opening session. And the glimmer of hope that Dilshan's wicket provided following the introduction of spin was extinguished by a brilliant counter-attack from Sangakkara.

As Dhoni had predicted, the pitch offered more bounce than the one in Galle but the spinners created few chances, despite the accompanying turn. It was Sangakkara who initially unsettled the spinners, prompting Dhoni to set defensive fields soon after Dilshan's dismissal. In the very over that Pragyan Ojha had Dilshan caught at extra cover, Sangakkara slashed one through point for four and audaciously stepped out to loft him over mid-on.

Dilshan's brisk start to the innings had forced Dhoni to place deep points for both seamers, and Sangakkara's fluent beginning resulted in a long-on and deep midwicket being put in place for the spinners. And while the slow bowlers kept a slip and a short leg, they rarely bowled on a length to draw the batsmen forward.

Harbhajan Singh has a huge responsibility to bear, leading an inexperienced bowling attack, but the ease with which he was handled underlined the daunting task facing the visitors. Harbhajan changed angles and varied his flight but the Sri Lankan left-hand batsmen used the away spin to carve him through cover and point and used their feet to effect when the ball was tossed up. Sangakkara launched one over the bowler's head for a one-bounce four while Paranavitana, the more cautious of the two, charged down and swung him over the midwicket boundary.

The seamers, Ishant Sharma and Abhimanyu Mithun, who had struggled in the opening session, were targeted by Sangakkara after lunch. Facing deliveries that were bowled consistently back of a length, Sangakkara pulled and whipped them behind square and delicately guided those pitched even fractionally short through point and past gully. He was positive throughout, ensuring a steady flow of singles and twos, but had a scare when he edged Mithun just wide of gully while in the nineties. He brought up his 23rd Test century by dispatching Virender Sehwag over mid-on, and looked determined to bat India out of the Test.

Paranavitana was a little patchy to begin with. He was beaten on a couple of occasions by Mithun in the morning session, but Ishant gave him an opening with a short and wide delivery that was duly smacked through point. Tentative with his foot movement early on, Paranavitana gradually moved forward to deliveries pitched fuller and picked a couple of boundaries, beautifully driven past mid-off. While Sangakkara was constantly on the hunt for runs, Paranavitana remained solid in defence and ceded the floor to his captain, giving him the strike and intermittently finding the boundary with some crisp drives through the off side. Charged with anchoring the innings, he reached his second successive century moments before Sangakkara got his, but played on to a shortish delivery from Ishant after tea.

A sense of foreboding for the Indians was evident fairly early in the day, when Dilshan smacked four consecutive boundaries off Ishant Sharma in the fourth over. He dealt with Mithun similarly, cracking three tempting short deliveries to different parts of the ground to race to a half-century. He squandered an opportunity to reach three figures, two other batsmen did not, and with Mahela Jayawardene standing firm in his favourite venue, Sri Lanka have, yet again, capitalised on winning the toss.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Sangakkara and Paranavitana hit centuries as Sri Lanka make India toil (guardian.co.uk)

Kaufman KOs Modafferi with slam, defends Strikeforce belt

Women's 135-pound champion Sarah Kaufman finally got her first Strikeforce knockout at Roxanne Modafferi's expense.
Kaufman (12-0) ended a closely contested affair late in the third round with a power bomb-style slam that stunned challenger Roxanne Modafferi (15-6) for a technical knockout Friday at the Strikeforce Challengers show in Everett, Wash. The champion had won her first three fights in the promotion via decision, after knocking out all of her pre-Strikeforce foes.
It was the first knockout loss in the career of Modafferi.
The end came as the women were grappling on the ground after Modafferi pulled guard. Modafferi, from the bottom, appeared to moving up her legs to look for an armbar or triangle choke when Kaufman stood and lifted the challenger into the air.
Modafferi tried to grab her opponent's left leg to prevent the slam, but it was too late. Kaufman drove Modafferi's head to the mat and left her stunned and splayed on the mat.
The first two rounds saw the fighters playing to their traditional strengths. Modafferi, a grappler by inclination, opened the fight with a flying knee to quickly get close to Kaufman and work from the clinch.
"She came out crazy, just like I thought she would," Kaufman said.
Modafferi often had Kaufman on the defensive in the early clinchwork. She brought Kaufman to the ground once with a takedown, and although Modafferi did not do much damage before a referee stand-up, she appeared to control the flow of action enough to win the first round.
Kaufman superior striking asserted itself in the second round. She tagged Modafferi several times in exchanges and kept the fight standing, even when the challenger tried jumping to guard.
"I thought it was a pretty close fight," Kaufman said. "I thought Roxanne was starting to get tired and I could keep my strength up for longer. It was a lot of battling up on the cage."
Both women successfully executed their game plans in the final round. Kaufman got the better of the striking exchanges, but Modafferi scored a takedown and landed a bit of ground-and-pound. But Kaufman avoided taking much damage, eventually scrambled to her feet and kept it there until Modafferi pulled guard to start the final sequence.
Throughout this week, Kaufman has been open about her desire to move up from the Challengers circuit and fight on Strikeforce's top-level mixed martial arts shows. She repeated the sentiment after her victory.
"Get me on main cards on Showtime, guys," Kaufman said. "I think deserve it. Put me on there."
Kaufman is slated to face Marloes Coenen next. It will be the second consecutive championship fight for Coenen, who lost to 145-pound women's champion Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos in January.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Sarah Kaufman vs Roxanne Modafferi round 3 (video) (ballhype.com)

Almirola looks to make history at Pocono

Image via Wikipedia

This weekend, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will venture to Pocono Raceway for the inaugural running of the Pocono Mountains 125.

The No. 51 Zyclara by Graceway Pharmaceuticals Toyota team, along with driver Aric Almirola, is excited about the new addition to the schedule and the potential to earn a "unique honor." Almirola has one previous start at the Pocono Raceway, an ARCA start in 2008 when he started third, but did not finish after his car had transmission problems. He did lead for 10 laps in that event.-Breaking Limits.

Daytona 500 champion Jamie McMurray wins The Brickyard

The driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet remained No. 1 in NASCAR's most prestigious races, and the car's owner still owns the world's most famous racetrack.

Good things came in threes Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Jamie McMurray and Chip Ganassi.

Passing Kevin Harvick for the lead on a restart with 11 laps remaining, McMurray became the third driver to win the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 in the same season. His fifth career victory made Ganassi the first to field winning cars in the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500 (Dario Franchitti) and Brickyard during the same year.

RESULTS: Brickyard 400

"I couldn't be happier to have it happen here," said Ganassi, who also won Sunday's IndyCar race at Edmonton with Scott Dixon. "It's incredible. I need oxygen."

It appeared another Ganassi driver would be kissing the bricks, but Juan Pablo Montoya finished 32nd after pacing 86 of the first 139 laps, the second year in a row he led the most laps without winning. The 2000 Indy 500 winner lost the lead on a four-tire pit stop and spun after falling into traffic.

Taking two tires on the same stop paid off for McMurray, who has shored up his Sprint Cup résumé significantly since appearing headed for unemployment before Ganassi hired him last November.

"Everyone wants to win at Daytona and Indy," McMurray said. "There's a different feeling you get here than at almost any other racetrack. A lot of energy. It's a very special place."

The crowd didn't measure up to the event's luster. NASCAR's estimated attendance was 140,000, but the 257,000-seat grandstands appeared less than half full. The Brickyard's listed crowd has fallen by 100,000 since a tire debacle in the 2008 race.

Despite the shortage of spectators, there weren't many empty feelings about Ganassi's 2010 trifecta in the triple crown of American auto racing.

"To win all those in one year is remarkable," runner-up Harvick said. "It will probably never happen again."

McMurray triumphs after Montoya falters

McMurray is a believer in fate, and it seemed the stars were aligning with 25 laps remaining Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Just not for him.

"I really believe that this was Juan's weekend," said McMurray, who was running second to teammate Juan Pablo Montoya before a fateful final pit stop. "He ran so well last year. I thought, 'This was the way it's meant to be.'

"I really thought it was going to be his day."

But for the second consecutive year, a mistake left Montoya lamenting another dominant bid at history.

Trying to become the first to drink the milk and kiss the bricks at Indy's tradition-steeped track, Montoya finished 32nd after a pit stop for four tires dropped him from first to seventh on a restart with 18 laps remaining.

In an eerie repeat of last year (when a pit stop penalty for speeding dropped him into the pack), Montoya's No. 42 Chevrolet wouldn't handle in traffic. He spun in Turn 4 six laps later.

The Colombian, who had started on the pole position and rebounded earlier from an unscheduled pit stop for a tire vibration, left without addressing reporters. He later posted on his Twitter account that "We had a rough day. Great car and great team effort. Nice to see the 1 car win. I know it means a lot for chip."

Ganassi said No. 42 crew chief Brian Pattie's decision to take four tires was why McMurray's team elected for two, putting them in the lead.

"What do I say to Juan and Brian?" Ganassi asked with a smile. "They should have taken two."

Pattie didn't need reminding.

"Bad call," he said. "Crew chief error."

It's been that kind of season for Montoya, who has said his car has gotten faster while the results have been worse than 2009 when he made the Chase for the Sprint Cup. He has led 306 laps this season, ranking seventh, but is 22nd in points.

"They certainly had the best car (Sunday)," McMurray said. "It's been their year, though. I would guess they're not shocked by what's happened because it seems they've had a lot of bad luck."

Said Ganassi: "I'm sure he's mad, but he's over it. It's racing. This is what he does for a living."

Pit notes

NASCAR chairman Brian France says critical decisions on the 2011 Sprint Cup schedule could be finalized in the next couple weeks. International Speedway Corp. has requested another race at Kansas Speedway, and Speedway Motorsports Inc. wants to add races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Kentucky Speedway. NASCAR officials say the changes could involve shifting around dates for 25% of the 36-race schedule. "We'll have some impactful changes that will be good for NASCAR fans," France says.. .. Montoya's crash was costly for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished 27th from damage in the incident. Earnhardt is 93 points out of the last Chase for the Sprint Cup spot with six races left to qualify. "We're still missing a little bit, but we're getting better," said Earnhardt, who was running in the top 15. "But if we keep having this kind of luck, we're not going to make the Chase, and that's just something we'll just have to live with. But we'll keep working to try to make it."

Top 20 Sexiest Tennis Babes of All Time

The sport of professional tennis has increased dramatically in popularity over the years, and I'm not too surprised why.
It seems there has been a tennis boom in the number of extremely gorgeous athletes in the sport.
Chris Evert was pretty, and that she was a rare exception in the game. Now it appears she would be an average face of today's game.

Daniella hantuchova

No. 20—Daniella hantuchova 

Player
Daniella Hantouchova
Rank
20
DOB
April 23,1983
Ht, Wt
5'11", 123
Pro Debut
1999

Anastasia Mysinka

No. 19— Anastasia Mysinka

Player
Anastasia Mysinka
Rank
19
DOB
July 8, 1981
Ht, Wt
5'8", 130
Pro Debut
1998

Marta Domachowska

No. 18—Marta Domachowska

Player
Marta Domachowska
Rank
18
DOB
January 16, 1986
Ht, Wt
5'9", 132

Alona Bondarenko

No. 17—Alona Bondarenko

Player
Alona Bondarenko

Rank
17
DOB
August 13,1985
Ht, Wt
5'6", 130
Pro Debut
1999

Agnes Szavay

No. 16—Agnes Szavay

Player
Agnes Szavay
Rank
16
DOB
December 29,1988
Ht, Wt
5'7", 130
Pro Debut
1996

Gabriella Sabatini

No. 15—Gabriella Sabatini 

Player
Gabriella Sabatini
Rank
15
DOB
May 16,1970
Ht, Wt
5'9", 140
Pro Debut
1985

Serena Williams

No.14—Serena Williams

Player
Serena Williams
Rank
14
DOB
September 26, 1981
Ht, Wt
5'9", 155
Pro Debut
1995

Jelena Dokic

No. 13—Jelena Dokic

Player
Jelena Dokic
Rank
13
DOB
February 28, 1985
Ht, Wt
5'8", 129
Pro Debut
2000

Gisella Dulko

No. 12—Gisella Dulko

Player
Gisella Dulko
Rank
12
DOB
January 30, 1985
Ht, Wt
5'7", 125
Pro Debut
2001

Elena Dementieva

No. 11—Elena Dementieva

Player Elena Dementieva
Rank
11
DOB
October 15,1981
Ht, Wt
5'11", 140
Pro Debut
1998

Tatiana Golovin

No. 10—Tatiana Golovin

Player
Tatiana Golovin
Rank
10
DOB
January 25, 1988
Ht, Wt
5'4", 130
Pro Debut
2002

Martina Hingis

No. 9—Martina Hingis

Player
Martina Hingis
Rank
Nine
DOB
September 30, 1980
Ht, Wt
6'1", 135
Pro Debut
1994

Chris Evert

No. 8—Chris Evert 

Player
Chris Evert
Rank
Eight
DOB
December 21, 1954
Ht, Wt
5'6" 125
Pro Debut
1972

Jelena Jankovic

No. 7—Jelena Jankovic

Player
Jelena Jankovic
Rank
Seven
DOB
February 27, 1985
Ht, Wt
5'8" 129
Pro Debut
1999

Amanda Coetzer

No. 6—Amanda Coetzer
Player
Amanda Coetzer

Rank
Six
DOB
October 26, 1971
Ht, Wt
6'1" 155
Pro Debut
1988

Sania Mirza

No. 5—Sania Mirza

Player
Sania Mirza
Rank
Five

DOB
November 16, 1986
Ht, Wt
5'7", 130
Pro Debut
2003

Dominica Cibulkova

No. 4—Dominica Cibulkova

Player
Dominika Cibulkova
Rank
Four
DOB
June 5, 1989
Ht, Wt
5'4", 120
Pro Debut
2005

Ashley Harkleroad

No. 3—Ashley Harkleroad

Player
Ashley Harkleroad
Rank
Three
DOB
May 2, 1985
Ht, Wt
5'7", 121
Pro Debut
2000

Maria Sharapova

No. 2—Maria Sharapova 

Player
Maria Sharapova
Rank
Two
DOB
April 19,1987
Ht, Wt
6'2", 130

Anna Kournikova

No. 1—Anna Kournikova

Player
Anna Kournikova
Rank
One
DOB
June 7, 1981
Ht, Wt
5'8" 125
Pro Debut
1996

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roger Federer To Spend Test Period With Pete Sampras' Former Coach

Image via Wikipedia

Just when the talk is all of Roger Federer’s decline, his failure to get beyond the quarters of two Grand Slams, his slip to his lowest ranking in six-and-a-half years—all the way to No. 3—he plays the tactical equivalent of that zippy off-forehand that leaves his opponent rooted to the spot.

Just as his fans are gazing adoringly at photos of Roger, Mirka, and assorted family members on a luxury yacht in the Med, and then melting at the photos of the four starfish hands of his twin daughters on their first birthday, he is—metaphorically—planning that between-the-legs killer of shot that takes the wind right out of their sails.

For Federer, with his usual economy and via the usual medium of his own website, has made an unexpected announcement. Addressed “Dear Fans,” it says:

“I've been looking to add someone to my team and I've decided to spend some days with Paul Annacone.

"As Paul winds down his responsibilities working for the Lawn Tennis Association, we will explore our relationship through this test period. Paul will work alongside my existing team and I am excited to learn from his experiences. 
See you soon, Roger.”

He has, of course, done this before. Last spring, it was briefly announced—neatly timed between news of impending fatherhood and his wedding—that he was exploring an arrangement with Darren Cahill. The year before, it was a part-time relationship with Jose Higueras who remained ‘on trial’ from Estoril through to the Spaniard’s migration to the USA to coach its elite players.

In a nice mirroring of the Cahill story, which broke just as Cahill retired as assistant coach to the Australian Davis Cup Team, Annacone is to leave his post as coach for men’s tennis and the GB Davis Cup team.

Annacone’s contract with the LTA does not end until November, but this latest development, on the back of the resignation of John Lloyd and the appointment of Leon Smith as new the Davis Cup coach, suggests he will not be hanging around the LTA for very much longer.

Most interesting, however, is what the new relationship with Federer tells us about the ambitions of Federer himself.

The wording of the announcement suggests that this is not a formal "coach-and-player" agreement. It is an exploration, very much as the Higueras relationship was an exploration of how to pick a clay-court expert’s brain and develop the tools to win the French Open.

So it’s worth looking at the strengths and skills of Annacone to find a clue to the Federer mindset.

The American was a serve-and-volley exponent, a player who would attack the net even on his opponent’s serve. He won just three singles titles but was a highly successful doubles player. Indeed, he won the Australian Open doubles title in 1985.

As if that wasn’t clue enough, look at the Annacone C.V. between 1995 and 2002: He was full-time coach to Pete Sampras, one of the greatest serve-and-volley exponents of recent years. Annacone subsequently moved on to coach Tim Henman, another excellent serve-and-volley player.

Federer has always shown a willingness to approach the net—even in beating the great Sampras himself in their only meeting. That was Wimbledon 2001, a glorious five-set battle of champion versus challenger. The stats on that day were remarkably similar, not least the tally of aces, 26 to 25.

And Federer has constantly claimed as his idols Sampras, Stefan Edberg, and Boris Becker. The common thread in all this, as if it needed spelling out, is an enthusiasm and a talent for attacking the net.

Federer has shown more enthusiasm for all-court play in the last year or so, and a willingness to try new game plans: The drop shot on clay and the wide swinging serve from the deuce court on hard and grass courts both spring to mind. He also has touch to die for and the light and fast footwork necessary to reach the net and make quick adjustments.

The added input from such an experienced tutor as Annacone could add the variety and tactical edge that have thus far stopped Federer from being a truly great serve-and-volleyer.

This all throws up the thrilling prospect of a fully rounded, fully committed, full-blooded net attacker: Federer as the complete tennis player.

One big question remains. Just how far can Federer put himself into a new pair of hands? Annacone will have to be both tough and velvet-gloved to handle such a self-contained athlete.

But if it works, it shows that Federer believes his game still has some evolving and improving to do. It also shows he’s deadly serious about staying at the top of tennis for a little while longer, and for that we should all be mighty grateful.

ASK IRA: Is it Finals or bust for Erik Spoelstra? by: Ira Winderma

Q: Is it NBA Finals or bust for Eric Spoelstra? — Noc.
A: Yes. And if you think that’s too severe of a working condition just ask Mike Brown, who now has plenty of time to spend at his vacation place in Boca Raton. If LeBron just wanted regular-season or early-playoff success, he would have remained in Cleveland. James basically signed off on nothing short of the Finals, if not a championship. Spo likely either will be wearing another ring or be ringing up prospective employers in the offseason.
Q: Isn’t funny that Joe Johnson will get paid more next season than Wade, LeBron, Bosh, Amare, Pierce, Dirk or Boozer? – Cole.
A: Funny? I’m not sure that is how I would phrase it. For the Hawks, it is kind of sad, that that is what it took to keep a semi-star from bolting a proven, top-four team in the East.
Q: Following the All-Star break, if the Heat lacks something in the middle, would they consider Zo a possibility? He’s always in shape and if he can give 12 to 15 minutes a night, he’d be extremely valuable for his team defense and ability to alter/block shots. — Brian.
A: But Zo also shredded his knee a couple of years back in Atlanta. His playing days are finished, especially with a roster that has four centers under contract. If Pat Riley even thought that was an option, he would have configured his roster in a different manner.
Q: Can the Heat sign Da’Sean Butler and put him on the injured list for the year without counting against the 15-player limit? — Lu.
A: No, there is no “injured list” in the NBA. There is a 15-player limit, period, and that includes young players farmed out to the D-League. That’s what makes the Butler situation so difficult, especially with 13 players already under contract for next season.
Q: With the team not having many future draft picks, shouldn’t Varnado and Hasbrouck get spots 14 and 15, so they can develop by learning from NBA All-Stars? This makes sense, because they are cheap labor and won’t complain about being on the inactive list. — Ford.

A: But with the Heat in win-now mode, others see the need for a veteran defensive stopper and perhaps one more proven ballhandler, especially one who could knock down 3-point shots.

Miami Heat: Why LeBron James Is Robin and Dwyane Wade Is Batman

2008 Upper Deck First Edition MLB Baseball Factory Set(506 Cards) + Game Used Jersey + 5 "Yankee Stadium Legacy" Cards2008 Upper Deck First Edition MLB Baseball Factory Set(506 Cards) + Game Used Jersey + 5 "Yankee Stadium Legacy" Cards

Image via Wikipedia

This is Dwyane Wade's team. This is Dwyane Wade's city. LeBron will just have to learn to be Scottie Pippen.
To be totally honest, when I watched "The Decision" (albeit, a bit annoyed by how disrespectful LeBron was to his hometown) I was expecting LeBron to either stay in Cleveland or steal Derrick Rose's thunder in Chicago.
Oh, how wrong I was.
For some reason, LeBron must of deflated his ego, or forgotten the fact that the city of Miami loves Mr. Wade. If he needed any indication of South Florida's love of this man, he look no further than the formerly named Miami-Wade County.
They changed the name of a county as a hope to keep Wade on South Beach, and to show No. 3 the love he deserves.
LeBron's decision shocked me. But it showed me how dedicated he is to winning. I mean, the whole pay cut wasn't that much of a big deal; his off-the-court endorsements will more than cover that.
More the fact that he decided he wanted to join Dwyane Wade, in Dwyane Wade's city. Sure, you'll have the bandwagoners who jump all over him and pretty much forget about Wade. But any true Miami fan knows that Wade is the man.
Think back to '06. The first home game for Miami in the Finals series, where Dwyane Wade literally carried the team on his back in that incredible fourth quarter.
The turning point of the series, which swung everything back into the Heat's favour.
That is why Miami is Wade's team, and until he leaves, no one will have that honour.
No addition of players will ever take away the feelings of joy and pride we Heat fans experienced when Wade led our team to the promised land, in statistically one of the greatest Finals series performances of all time.
And when things turned ugly, Wade remained. He said consistently Miami is where he wanted to be.
He plays his heart out every night he laces up. For the past two seasons, he has made the Heat competitive on a nightly basis, leading a poor quality roster to the fifth seed twice.
LeBron will be shown love by Heat fans everywhere. Heck, even I have taken a warming to the guy. But it is crucial that Heat fans show Wade more love.
Because, to any true Miami fan, it is, and always will be Dwyane Wade's House.

Marbury didn't reject the Heat, he's just waiting for a call back

On Friday we all had some laughs about Stephon Marbury(notes) turning down a chance to play with the Miami Heat. 'Twas typical Marbury to refuse a shot at a championship in order to throw "alley-hoops" and shoot halfcourt threes in China. However, there's another part of Stephon Marbury that rears it's head pretty often — fighting with the media.
And now, he's doing just that, making this the perfect Marbury story arc. From the New York Post's Marc Berman:

Marbury, back in China for promotional events, said a Chinese reporter mixed up the translation of his remarks and that it was erroneously reported he had rejected the Dream Team's overtures -- an account picked up in New York.
The 33-year-old told The Post that the Heat contacted him in early July before LeBron James(notes), Dwyane Wade(notes) and Chris Bosh(notes) formed the Dream Team and told him they would get back to him after "they handled all the things they had to handle."
Marbury still is waiting to hear back from Heat president Pat Riley, as Miami continues filling out its roster and could use another point guard. Marbury has not heard from James or Wade.
"It's total nonsense, why would I turn down a chance to play for the Miami Heat?" an irate Marbury told The Post from Beijing. "The report was a fabrication."

OK, cool. This makes a bunch of sense too. It's pretty easy to envision a scenario where the Heat were brainstorming ways to build their team and someone suggested Marbury making a return to the NBA. Then, maybe the Heat made a call and told him they'd get back to him after adding James and Bosh, then realized they had seriously just called Stephon Marbury asking him to play a small role on a team competing for a championship. Then they probably shared a hearty belly-laugh and ate tuna salad sandwiches before moving on to more serious matters. That is a very feasible thing that may have happened.
And while Marbury says the report is both a fabrication and a misquote, he also clarified part of his statement to Xinhua News, telling the Post that "[his] point to the Chinese journalist was that a point guard is not essential on that unit because James and Wade handle the ball so much and he would be taking on a small role in their success, as opposed to his status in China." So basically, yeah, he might prefer starring in China to barely playing in Miami. I'm not quite sure how a report can be fabricated but also contain inaccurate quotes while still needing to be expanded upon, but I also don't have a tattoo on my scalp. Yet.

While we don't really know what's going on here, we do know one thing is true. If, somehow, Stephon Marbury ends up back in the NBA, he will be the exact same guy that left a year ago. That's kind of comforting.

15-Year-Old LPGA Pro Already Embroiled in Controversy

Image via Wikipedia

For a certain generation of golf fans, David Duval is never far from our hearts. For a brief time, it looked like he was poised to become one of the greatest of all time, a player who could go toe-to-toe with Tiger Woods and smile while he did so.
Alas, it wasn't to be; injuries hampered the former World No. 1's effectiveness after his 2001 British Open win, and he all but fell off the face of the earth. Every once in awhile he'd resurface, most notably last year when he came within a few strokes of winning the 2009 U.S. Open, but he'd just as quickly sink back into near-obscurity.
Over the weekend, he shot three sub-70 rounds at the RBC Canadian, topped by a Sunday 65. He finished at 8-under, six strokes behind winner Carl Pettersson. If he follows form, he'll vanish until, oh, February 2011. But hey, a little Duval is better than no Duval at all.

Corey Pavin Will Talk to Tiger At PGA Championship About Ryder Cup Wild Card

Garmin nüvi 765/765T 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic

U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Corey Pavin will talk to Tiger Woods at next month's PGA Championship to learn whether he wants to be on his team at Celtic Manor in Wales in October.
Woods is seventh in the points table that will provide eight automatic members for the United States against Europe.
However, he could drop down the standings and need a wild card if the likes of Ricky Barnes and Hunter Mahan outperform him at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and the PGA Championship in August.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Pavin to talk to Woods about Ryder Cup (theglobeandmail.com)

Lames: Rocky Mountain cry, the downfall of Jorge De La Rosa

With steel sword in hand and plumed helmet on head, the Conquistador, Jorge De La Rosa(notes), entered the season on a quest to discover the legendary Seven Cities of Gold. After a jaw-dropping post-break performance the year before (10-2, 3.46 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 9.60 K/9), bountiful riches awaited him in 2010.
Unfortunately, his path to eternal wealth has been paved with potholes, not metallic bars. A finger injury and string of disastrous performances have beset the popular mid-round pick. Owners who invested heavily expecting a career year have suffered from an embarrassing case of Montezuma's Revenge. Suffice it to say, Kaopectate sales in Fantasyland have soared.
More trash than treasure, Colorado's Coronado has failed to reach the mythical heights pundits and optimistic managers placed on him preseason. Since returning from the DL on July 9, the southpaw has been rocked, surrendering 11 runs in just 7.2 innings. A deadly mixture of high walks and long-balls has ballooned his ERA to Blackburn-esque proportions. Nearly destitute, the once respected pitcher appears to be on the brink of defeat. Understandably, impatient owners scratching and crawling for every point have flushed the troubled hurler away. Jim Tracy is considering a similar move. From MLB.com:

The strong performance kept Jhoulys Chacin(notes) in line to return to the rotation, which is a possibility if left-handers Jorge De La Rosa or Jeff Francis(notes) continue to struggle …
"He's continuing to be very consistent and pitch the way he was pitching as a starter," Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. "We are at a point in time in our season where you fish or cut bait, do one of the two, and you've got a guy sitting there in that bullpen who was a part of the starting rotation when we lost three-fifths of it.
"If he continues to push the envelope, and we continue to get inconsistency in other areas of our rotation, your hand gets forced."

From a superficial perspective, most would label De La Rosa done. His control problems combined with a spotty track-record are damning indicators. Jeff Francis' spectacular outing on July 20 is yet another chink the armor. However, the Mexican import shouldn't be used as a pinata just yet.
Underneath the surface, there are numerous encouraging signs. Though the sample size is small, he's actually given up fewer fly-balls and coaxed more groundball outs this year (2.00 GB/FB). An increased reliance on changeups in place of curves explains why he has, for the most part, generated weaker contact. In truth, the Reds' bombardment a week ago has overshadowed the improvements.
So why the earned run binge?  
DLR's deplorable play could simply be a case of excessive rust. But, pouring over the stats, decreased slider accuracy is the most plausible explanation. When he located the pitch properly a season ago, bats were missed, walks declined and homers were few and far between. Unfortunately, this year, the opposite has been true. As a result, players have made more and often harder contact against him over the inner portion. If he can lean more on his two-seamer and attack hitters aggressively earlier in counts – a formula he noted was the reason behind his breakout last year – another spectacular late-season stretch could be on the horizon. Since he is a free agent after this season, money motivation could also play a major factor.
It's been a rough expedition for the Conquistador, but fantasy fame and fortune may lie just ahead.

One of my greatest moments - Murali

Muttiah Muralitharan has said that retiring after taking his 800th wicket and helping Sri Lanka win his farewell Test, against India in Galle, was one of the greatest moments in his life. Murali's 800th was the last Indian wicket in the follow-on, after which Sri Lanka chased the target of 95 without losing a wicket.

"I am very happy that God has given me everything - eight wickets, a victory, basically everything. This is one of the greatest moments in my life, retiring this way," Murali said. "I am not emotional in a way, frankly, I am happy that I have done it. I trained really hard. Even last week, I trained hard to play in this Test match and take it very seriously."

Murali had to wait and toil for his 800th wicket, that of Pragyan Ojha, but he said the landmark was just a number and achieving it was not a high priority. "Eight hundred is only a number. We wanted to get the wickets quickly. You never know in Galle, with the weather, winning the match was the important thing," he said. "At that time I didn't think about it, but it came in the end. I wouldn't have minded if it didn't come. My only scare was when Lasith Malinga had to go off the field.

"I told my captain [Kumar Sangakkara] to somehow get the wickets. We knew the situation in Galle and had the match ended in a draw it would have been very sad. I badly wanted to win in my final Test. We all play for a win. At that moment we would have taken even a run out. It was hard work for the spinners. The wicket had something on it yesterday, and Malinga's magnificent yorkers made the difference."

Murali also said that he had quit Test cricket at the right time, with Sri Lanka having younger spinners rising through the ranks. "I have played for 18 years and I thought that there are three other good spinners in the side," he said. "They are 24-25 years old and I am 38. I thought it's better to give them a chance. I have nothing more to achieve and I thought this is the right time.

"I chose to finish my career at the end of the first Test because I know my knees are not going to last to bowl 50-60 overs. If I am there it will be four spinners and only two can play. I will be blocking the place of another young spinner."

Muttiah Muralitharan: "I have nothing more to achieve and I thought this is the right time [to retire]"

Murali also had praise for the curator at Galle, Jayananda Warnaweera, and thanked him for helping make his farewell memorable. "Galle is one of my favourite grounds because there is always a result. Warnaweera prepares good wickets and we won the match in four days. He gave me a good farewell and the way he decorated the stadium was unbelievable."

Is Shawn Michaels Out Of The WWE Forever?

As many of you already know, pro wrestling legend and future WWE Hall of Famer Shawn ''HBK'' Michaels severed all ties with WWE and retired from pro wrestling a couple of months ago.
We can never see HBK going to any other pro wrestling company, and hope that he can at least return as a on-screen character and make a few television appearances like former wrestlers The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Shawn will never wrestle again, but it appears that we will never see or hear anything remotely related or affiliated with Shawn Michaels ever again.
Via SEScoops.com, a wrestling article stating that WWE’s marketing department was told a few weeks ago that Vince McMahon does not want any images of Shawn Michaels used.

It also stated that those close to Shawn have said that he is mentally done with wrestling and, in his mind right now, will never come back in ''ANY'' form.We all knew that Shawn was very upset about his displeasure with his former student, Daniel Bryan, being released by the company, but it is doubtful that is the real reason why Vince is doing this.

Ana Ivanovic Snubbed By Rogers Cup – The Friday Five

The Plot Thickens – Once again, mystery surrounds American tennis star Serena Williams. No doubt she’s injured, and no doubt she is questionable for the final major of the year. But it’s fair to say that there are a number of question marks surrounding how Williams acquired the injury and just how much of a threat is it to her chances of competing at the US Open. First we heard she hurt her foot and would miss the World Team Tennis season. Then we hear she needed stitches and has pulled out of all of her scheduled hard court tune up events. Now we know the World No. 1 has undergone surgery and may not make it to the Big Apple. Throw into the mix the type of injury (deep cuts on the bottom of her foot from stepping on broken glass in a restaurant), and Serena Williams has left many in the general sports world scratching their heads. The good news for Williams is that if she is able to play the US Open, she’ll still be considered one of the heavy favorites. She’s never needed many matches going into a major to post big results, so while not ideal, her lack of preparation will not be nearly as detrimental as it would be to her fellow competitors. And perhaps just maybe this latest injury will work up a little sympathy for the 13-time Grand Slam champion so that others prove less apt to revisit her infamous meltdown in the semifinals against Clijsters last year.
Serbian Snub – One of the more surprising stories of the week was the wildcard snub of Ana Ivanovic for the upcoming Montreal event. Tournament organizers defended the snub, stating that they wanted to ensure Quebec native Stephanie Dubois, whom they felt was an equal, if not bigger draw than Ivanovic for the Canadian crowd, received a wildcard into the event. As Ivanovic never quite reached the popular status of a Maria Sharapova or Williams sisters, it’s difficult to argue with the logic of the tournament organizers who presumably know what their fans want. Playing the qualies could also work in Ivanovic’s favor. Players have talked about the added hunger and mental boost that comes with earning a place in the main draw, not to mention the added advantage of having a few matches under the belt when coming up against an opponent when main draw play is underway. So while already having a ranking that would automatically see her entered in the main draw would have been preferred, qualifying for and playing the Montreal event has the potential to pay dividends later.
Recognition for Martina – The International Tennis Hall of Fame has announced that the 2010 recipient of the Eugene L. Scott Award will be none other than Martina Navratilova. The award is being given in recognition of Navratilova’s contributions to the sport of tennis, which includes her commitment to insightfully and thoughtfully commenting about the nature and state of the sport. It is appropriate that Navratilova receive this award at this stage in the game, given that she has continued to contribute to the sport of tennis in the face of her own battle with breast cancer.
Two for Two – Rising Hungarian star Agnes Szavay completed two spectacular weeks this past weekend, taking her second title in as many weeks in the Czech capital of Prague. She won the Budapest title the previous week in her native Hungary. Granted, the fields at both of these events were not exactly stacked the way that they are at the top tier tournaments, but Szavay may finally be starting to gain some consistency and deliver on the some of the promise she showed earlier in her career. Her Prague win saw her jump 11 places in the rankings, and she’ll be keen to maintain the momentum and raise that ranking even more over the course of the hard court summer season.

Ana Ivanovic snubbed by Rogers Cup

Mixed Bag – In a recent poll of America’s favorite female sports stars, tennis took the cake, with current stars Serena and Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova making the list, as well as Anna Kournikova and tennis legends Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova also earning spots among that elite ten. It was great to see such a wide spread among the tennis stars that appeared on the list, and particularly for someone like Billie Jean King who played a huge role in laying the groundwork for women’s tour, to see women’s tennis so well represented had to be immensely satisfying. On the flip side of all of this, no male tennis player earned a spot among the top ten male sports stars. One could argue they face stiffer competition with the popularity of the NFL, NBA etc., but it was still mildly surprising to not see the likes of Federer or Nadal on the list. Not that either of the European men will be broken up about losing a popularity contest in the United States, but it would still be great to see the men fare a little better in 2011.

If You Like Harry Potter game

A Harry Potter game can be lots of fun! Wizard101 also has lots of great game features. Harry Potter has interesting game features that have been very successful. This game gives players a unique experience with an game excitement. A Harry Potter game lets you experience Harry Potter in a whole new way. If you like a Harry Potter game, we think you will also enjoy Wizard101.

Wizard101 has the following features:

• An Online, Magical Adventure Game
• Wizard School MMO Game
• Seven Types of Magic
• Collectible Card Magic
• 2D and 3D Game Play