CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUALIFIERS RESULTS 2009 -2010: AC MILAN 1 - REAL MADRID 1 & ATLETICO DE MADRID 2 - CHELSEA FC 2 (VIDEOS)

Rising Rondo

I was watching the Suns Celtics game and couldn't get over how well Rajon Rondo was playing. In a game that featured Steve Nash, Paul Pierce, Shaquille O'Neal and Ray Allen; Rajon Rondo was the best player on the court. He dominated the game by driving for layups, knocking down jumpers and his rebounding. He knew when to push the ball for a fastbreak and when to pull the ball back out to set up the half court offense. Rondo's game has gotten much better from his 1st year as a starter last season. He is another weapon that the Celtics have when the playoffs come around. When Kevin Garnett is healthy, the Celtics don't need Rondo to score much just to facilitate the offense. With Garnett out for the next 2-3 weeks the Celtics will need Rondo to be more of a scorer. As today's game showed he is more than up to the challenge.

The Ryan Blunder

All that's left now is the consolation game against Norway, so the best the Americans can be is the Third Greatest Team You've Never Heard Of.

Their coach, meanwhile, has a scarred legacy that may cost him the job in the Olympics. The world sometimes does not remember victories. But it never forgets a gamble that goes wrong.

Stone to coach Texas Tech

The Texas Tech Athletic Department has announced the hiring of Tom Stone as head women's soccer coach. Stone comes to Tech from Clemson where he was an assistant coach for one season.

U.S. WNT Arrives in Chicago

The U.S. Women's National Team arrived in Chicago on the afternoon of Tues., Aug. 22, and quickly got to work Wednesday morning with a 90 minute training session. The team faces longtime rival China on Sunday, Aug. 27, at 12 p.m. CT at the brand new Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN2.

Unhappy Rossi calls for rule changes

Valentino Rossi has again hit out at this year's tyre regulations, claiming only Ducati are enjoying this year's rules.

The Yamaha rider has been unable to match the pace of the Ducati-Bridgestone package used by Australian Casey Stoner, who now leads the championship by a massive 85 points with five races to go.

Rossi, whose bike runs on Michelins, has been unhappy with the rules since the start of the season, with the new regulations forcing tyre manufacturers to select a limited amount of tyres for the weekend ahead of the event.

The Italian has again called for a change.

"The technical conditions are not favorable so something has to be changed," Rossi told Italia1.

"We must work hard and Yamaha must put in a big effort, and most of all there's a tyre situation I think nobody likes except Ducati, because the races are very ugly to watch and there's no fighting anymore.

"The good thing of our sport has disappeared, so! it's not a nice situation. But besides these general views I must think about myself, and I prefer doing something else than racing like this.

"There's no question they deserve the title, both Stoner and everyone at Ducati, especially (technical director Filippo) Preziosi, who's done an incredible job as have the guys at Bridgestone.

"Unfortunately in doing that our sport has changed a bit. We are edging closer to looking like Formula One: there's less room for the rider to make the difference. But this is a world championship, so since they have been better hats off to them."

The seven-time world champion, who has won only three races this year compared to Stoner's eight, said he is sad to see the results of the new regulations, and not only on the tyres front.

"What needs to be changed are technical things, because I'm not in a position to win like this, so I don't accept that," Rossi added.

"At the moment there's a Bridgestone super-po! wer. We are not used to a sole tyre supplier in our sport, and! even th ough there's never been such a regulation (as in F1) it was effectively like that. Everyone had the same tyres, except in the last two years.

"But if Bridgestone and Michelin managed to be at the same level it would be great. The problem is that Bridgestone's superiority is incredible under all conditions so something will need to be done.

"In my opinion everything went very well, because the MotoGP show was incredible, and when things go well someone will always try to ruin it.

"Going from 990cc to 800cc, then the fuel allowance resulting in everyone getting back to the pits by foot meaning you can't even have a burn-out because they wanted to take away one litre and who knows why.

"This is something a bit sad and the result is watching races like these, where to see an overtaking move you have to be content with seeing Elias passing West."

Rossi's teammate Colin Edwards echoed the Italian's comments about the tyre rules, which he reckons ! were introduced at the wrong moment.

"The tyre rule I think really came in at the wrong time," Edwards told BBC. "We went from 990s down to 800s so we're running a lot more heat on a different part of the tyre - it's no so much acceleration as side grip.

"You look at the bigger picture - you've got Kawasaki, Yamaha, Suzuki, all these factories that are spending 30, 40, 50 million dollars a year and they go to a racetrack expecting to have the best equipment, and they're relying on two black round things."

James says penalty was harsh

England put in an ineffectual performance in losing 1-0 in their friendly in France last night.
It's Fabio Capello's first defeat as manager.
The goal came when England goalkeeper David James brought down Nicolas Anelka in the penalty area, with Franck Ribery converting the resulting spot-kick.
James tells Sky Sports News, it was slightly harsh on him.

Listen to audio...

Brazillians Advance to Nedbank Final

Mamelodi Sundowns have booked their place in the final of the lucrative Nedbank Cup thanks to a 1 - 0 win over Amazulu in the second semi-final yesterday. By their own admission, it wasn't their most clinical display, but they did get the desired reslult thanks to a 66th minute goal by Esrom Nyandoro. The Brazillians join the Mpumalanga Black Aces in the final.

SA swimmers on fire!

Two-time Olympian Mandy Loots joined in on SA's record-breaking spree as she bettered her own African 200 metres butterfly record, on the second day of swimming action at the Mare Nostrum gala in Barcelona, Spain.
Loots, who is set to be a part of the SA team that will compete in the Beijing Olympics in August this year, clocked 2 min 10.49 secs to finish second, ending inside of her previous mark of 2:10.58 set at the Sydney Olympics eight years back.
Wendy Trott continued to show fine form in winning the 400 metres freestyle in 4:08.98.
Pretoria-based Cameron van der Burgh took second place in the 50 metres breaststroke in! 25.02.

Butch Needs to Fire - Chester

Former Springbok wing, Chester Williams, says Butch James needs to be on song if the Boks are to have any chance of dominating Saturday's second test against the All Blacks in Dunedin.

James didn't dominate the match as he usually does and many of his kicks were badly directed. Also his backline didn't get much front-foot ball. Williams is confident however that James' game will be much-improved this weekend and that his performance in the first test was just a once-off occurrence.

Williams also says Jean de Villiers and Adi Jacobs hold the key to a Bok victory on Saturday. The two of them didn't get much of a chance on a! ttack but they did combine well in the lead-up to Bryan Habana's try. Jacobs pulled in two defenders and slipped his pass to de Villiers who ran into space and put Habana away for a 50 metre sprint.

Williams believes more front-foot ball for the midfield could lead to a few more tries from the likes of Habana and Conrad Jantjes.

Meanwhile, it looks like coach Peter de Villiers will make at least two changes to his starting fifteen for the match. JP Pietersen could replace Odwa Ndungane on the right wing while Brian Mujati or Tendai "Beast" Mtawarira could bolster their struggling scrum.

Breakfast Headlines

The Proteas will be hoping to stay second on the one day world rankings today - whether they deserve to, is another question. If England win the fifth and final match in Cardiff today they'll get a series whitewash and overtake South Africa. Former Proteas batsman, Adrian Kuiper, says the team is missing Graeme Smith, who's back in Cape Town for treatment for tennis elbow. The day night match could be affected by rain. Heavy rain has already left a very wet outfield. Kuiper says perhaps there was too much focus on winning the test series.

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Australia hammered Bangladesh by eight wickets to take a 2-0 series lead.
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Benni McCarthy's English club, Blackburn, says he's overweight and unfit, not injured. The striker has joined Bafana Bafana in PE and will undergo a fitness test ahead of Saturday's crucial Nations Cup qualifier against Nigeria. According to reports, Blackburn says McCarthy is being overlooked because he's not matc! h-fit.
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Meanwhile, Bafana goalkeeper, Moeneeb Josephs, says the team is into Joel Santana's philosophy.
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In the English Premier League, Kevin Keegan's future is unclear after his shock exit as Newcastle United manager yesterday.
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Paralympic star, Oscar Pistorious, says the situation in Beijing ahead of the Paralympic Games is unacceptable and unprofessional. Team South Africa is still awaiting kit and equipment with only days before the Games get underway on Saturday. The Blade Runner is fuming.
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Excitement's building ahead of golf's Ryder Cup in two weeks time, as US captain Paul Azinger named his wildcard picks. They are Steve Stricker, Chad Campbell, JB Holmes and Hunter Mahan.
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Tennis from the US Open, Roger Federer is through to the quarter-finals after a big fight-back against Igor Andreev. Third seed Novak Djokovic overcame hip, ankle and stomach problems to beat Tommy Robredo. Olympic champion Elena ! Dementieva is into the women's semi's and is still chasing the! number one ranking and her first Grand Slam title.

Paralympic Heroes

Team South Africa has received a hero's welcome when they returned home after the country's most successful Paralympic Games ever. Our athletes grabbed 21 gold medals to finish sixth on the medals table. We also secured 3 silver and 6 bronze medals.

There were many highlights for South Africa. Flag-bearer Natalie du Toit made history as she became the first athlete to compete in both the Olympics and the Paralympics. She was also the first person to carry the country's flag in both events. Du Toit's achievements in the pool were also celebrated as she took 5 gold medals in the 5 events she competed in. The Capetonian was also honoured with a special individual achievement award at the closing ceremony.

Oscar Pistorius was another highlight for Team SA, as he clinched a rare sprint treble, winning the 100, 200 and 400 metres. The Blade Runner thrilled fans with a come-from-behind victory in the 100 metres, but dominated the 200 and 40! 0 metres, where he bettered his own world record.

For many fans, the story of the Games was Hilton Langenhoven's three gold medals in three different events. He won one of the 200 metres categories, a long-jump gold and the men's pentathlon. The Somerset West athlete surprised many with his achievements and has been tipped as a future paralympic superstar.

Another outstanding achievement has been Fanie Lombard becoming the country's most decorated paralympian with 12 medals, which include 8 golds. The former rugby player actually retired after Athens, but was convinced to return by his daughter. At Beijing he won bronze in the shot-put and gold in the discus.

United and Arsenal attempt to progress

Arsenal and Manchester United will be looking to progress to the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League tonight. United are in a better position to qualify than their Premiership rivals. The Gunners need a win against Dynamo Kiev whereas the Red Devils need only a point to get to the next round.

Cesc Fabregas will lead the side, after William Gallas reportedly made comments about his team mates and was stripped of his captaincy. However Gallas will be part of the team for tonight's fixtur! e. Arsenal will not only need a win to advance, a victory will be great for their confidence after they lost their last two Premier League games.

United travel to Villareal, the Spanish team is enjoying some good form in La Liga despite their recent loss to Valladolid. This was the first time the Madrid side where beaten since April. Sir Alex Ferguson has nothing but respect for them and he says with the little resources the team has they have done very well.

There is uncertainty over the inclusion of Cristiano Ronaldo. The winger was injured in the draw against Aston Villa over the weekend and Ferguson is not sure whether he will feature in the team.

Presenting: SA's next fielding master

Herschelle Gibbs took over from Jonty Rhodes as the leading fielder in SA cricket and many people now feel that Sybrandt Englebregt is being groomed to take the torch from Hersch.

Ajax Axe Rosslee

Ajax Cape Town have sacked Craig Rosslee as coach after a lengthy meeting at Ikamva this morning.

According to the club's website Ajax CEO, George Comitis, says they reached an amicable agreement.

According to www.ajaxct.co.za:

"As his first job in top fight football we believe that Craig has acquitted himself in a professional manner at this level and delivered good results. He has performed well and was able to win a major trophy in his ! 2 year tenure."

"We have over the last 2 seasons twice turned the halfway mark at the top of the table, but unfortunately were unable to sustain our early season success, and twice faultered in the second stanza."

"The mandate and policy of the club has always been to compete for the league and finish within the top 6 positions."

"We are pleased that we have been able to develop an up and coming coach through our youth ranks as per our policy of Youth development. We have produced a coach that has the ability to compete at the highest level."

"However, in line with the new vision of our club going forward and World Cup 2010, Ajax CT requires a more experienced coach that will steer this club in the future."

"We are confident that Craig will succeed in his next venture and will always be regarded us part of the Ajax family."

Ferrari & Toyota strike back against standardization

Yesterday there were some bombs tossed in the direction of the FIA with Ferrari and Toyota making threats that they would quit Formula One if the standard engine proposal laid out last week by Max Mosley and the FIA goes through as planned.

There has been speculation that Toyota would forgo F1 in favor of running at LeMans and presumably in a sportscar series ala American LeMans Series or the European based Endurance LeMans Series where the technical rules are far less restrictive if the plan goes through.

Also, after Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo backed radical calls for cost reduction (as did Toyota chief John Howett) Ferrari drew their line in the sand that they might pull out of F1 altogether if the standardization plan continues. "Whilst reiterating its wholehearted commitment to a substantial and needed reduction in costs in Formula One, starting with propulsion, the Ferrari Board of Directors expressed strong concerns regarding plans to ! standardize engines as it felt that such a move would detract from the entire reason of a sport with which Ferrari has been involved continuously since 1950, a raison d'etre based principally on competition and technological development. The Board of Directors expressed the opinion that should these key elements be diminished, it would have to re-evaluate, with its partners the viability of continuing its presence in the sport."

As John Howett has professed to autosport.com, "I think you will see manufacturers potentially leaving F1 if there is a standard engine. I don't think any of the manufacturers want a homogenized engine."

Given that Honda is the largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines probably means they will be next to make a threat.

I had feared that the FOTA was laying down at the feet of Mosley in the name of cost reduction. Although they like cost reduction as it will improve the bottom line, I am bolstered by the no! tion that the manufacturers are looking to strike a balance of! cost re duction and preserving the very reason why they are in Formula One...advertise their brand and technological capabilities. All of the manufacturers in Formula One already participate, in one form or another, a standardized series. The question is, even with the cost reductions already set to come on line, will Mosley back down from the standard engines given the manufacturers threats.

Carra Vows To Find Form

Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has conceded he has not been playing to his best so far this season, but has vowed to recapture his peak form.

Carragher has come under fire from some critics following some below-par performances by the normally reliable defender.

The Reds have struggled to keep clean sheets this season and have conceded 12 goals in eight Premier League games this term.

Carragher is determined to get back to his best and help Liverpool rediscover their defensive strength in the next few weeks

"We aren't playing well as a back four and I'm not playing well personally," Car! ragher told the club's official website. "I need to hit better form and hopefully that will come in the next few games.

"Over the last five or six years we have been renowned as a team who have kept a lot of clean sheets and for keeping it tight. I think that's why we get a bit more criticism because people don't expect it of Liverpool - and rightly so.

"We take the plaudits when things are going well so you have to take the criticism when it's not going well.

"I know I need to improve myself and we also need to improve as a team."

Liverpool have endured a difficult start to the season, losing three of their opening eight games and Carragher admits it has made their bid to win the Premier League title even tougher.

No side has won the championship after losing three of the first eight league games since Manchester United in 1967, but Carragher is refusing to be pessimistic about Liverpool's chances of finally ending the! ir long wait for the title.

"You can shape statisti! cs to ma ke them look however you want them to," added Carragher.

"We've now got the same points as Manchester United had at this point last season. That's another statistic you could look at because they went on to win the league with 90-odd points.

"Whatever statistic you throw at us, we know we haven't made a good start. We don't need to look at them because we know ourselves that we haven't performed as well as we would have liked in certain games. We now have to put that right.

"Points are what matter and how many you end up with at the end of the season. We've lost six games in our previous two Premier League seasons.

"To lose that many in 76 games - that's some achievement and yet we still haven't won the league. Man United have lost more than us and won the league for the past two years.

"So as far as we are concerned it's now all about getting points on the board."

Financial Fears Grow For Struggling Liverpool

City insiders close to attempted takeover bids for Liverpool have told ESPN Soccernet that failure to qualify for the Champions League could result in meltdown at Anfield.

The disturbing analysis emphasises the enormous importance of Liverpool's forthcoming double-header at Anfield, starting on Tuesday night against Champions League Group E leaders Lyon, followed by the visit on Sunday of Premier League champions Manchester United.

Liverpool have slipped down to eighth in the Premier League and are keen to win against Lyon to restore their credibility within their group and increase their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League.

A City source said: "The Champions League has become so important to all the top clubs, notably those with big debts, and that includes Manchester United and Arsenal as well as Liverpool, but at the moment, the focus is very much on ! Liverpool as it looks as though Manchester United and Arsenal will continue in the Champions League next season. The same cannot be guaranteed with Liverpool. The stakes really couldn't be higher for them.

"The Champions League generates £30 million for clubs like Liverpool, and that can account for virtually the amount of interest that they need to pay back to the banks each year. The bottom line for a club like Liverpool is that they need to be in the Champions League each season. It's as simple as that, and no-one at the club is going to sleep easy with the team slipping down to eighth place in the table."

Liverpool's American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks refinanced their debts with the Royal Bank of Scotland in July for another year, but would never have envisaged their team sliding down the league so early in the season.

The repercussions for Liverpool failing to qualify for next season's Champions League are thought-provoking, t! o say the least. At worst the consequences are catastrophic.
Would it mean selling prize assets like Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard to pay for the shortfall in Champions League revenue??

Would it mean the end of Rafa Benitez?

Would it mean the Royal Bank of Scotland taking control of the club?

Would it leave the club wide open to a quick takeover bid?

At the moment, a possible takeover of Liverpool has been laboriously slow, with three near misses from a variety of Middle Eastern Sheikhs, Princes and investors. But there seems little doubt that the most testing and turbulent times are rapidly approaching.

The search has been relentless to bring new investment into Anfield. Liverpool's co-owner George Gillett has denied, though, that Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah is close to purchasing a stake in the Anfield club.

The American pair of Gillett and Tom Hicks recently issued a joint statement, which read: "The owners have jointly retained Bank of America Merrill! Lynch and Rothschild to evaluate the possibility of new investors injecting equity into LFC. However, the process is at an early stage, there is no agreement with any party and reports to the contrary are wholly inaccurate."

The next six days will fashion much of what happens both on and off the field at Anfield. Two games at Anfield, against Lyon in the Champions League and Manchester United in the Premier League could point to a troubled rest of the season, and even a die-hard Liverpool man such as Alan Hansen has conceded as much. The stakes couldn't be higher for the players, manager Benitez, and their dedicated supporters.

Rafa Benitez Fears Skipper May Go Under The Knife To Solve Groin Problem

Liverpool fear Steven Gerrard may require an operation to solve his troublesome groin injury.

Gerrard will be absent for Liverpool again on Saturday as he struggles to recover from the problem he suffered in England's World Cup qualifying defeat by Ukraine almost three weeks ago.

The 29-year-old has managed only 25 minutes of action since then — in last week's Champions League loss to Lyon at Anfield, when he aggravated the injury and limped off.

Liverpool are perplexed by Gerrard's slow recovery. They are reluctant to opt for surgery but it may be an option if th! e injury fails to respond to treatment.

Manager Rafa Benitez had hoped his captain would be back for Saturday's Premier League trip to Fulham, but has accepted defeat.

Top scorer Fernando Torres, who has been affected by a similar injury, is expected to start at Craven Cottage, though, and Benitez said: 'Both have to keep going. Gerrard is still working with the physio so we will see. Hopefully, Torres will be OK, but for Gerrard maybe it is more difficult.'

Young Girl Photo with Maria Ozawa

What which I must tell about a model photo girl so called Maria Ozawa? she is beautiful, sexy and clever interacted. Maria chooses friend which able to be invited together in liking and sorrowful.